by    Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of  Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media

I recently had an interesting conversation with Brad F. Pollins about the subject matter of his book, “Awakening Your Organization.” In his book, he talks about how to “awaken” the healthcare field with a commitment to excellence. Learn what Brad recommends, based on the subject matter of his book, as well as his experience in the healthcare field both as a professional and a patient.

Q: In what ways do you feel healthcare organizations need awakening?

A: In many ways, I believe those of us who work in healthcare are rushing, frustrated, fatigued or complacent based on a number of environmental factors.  When we are rushing, frustrated, fatigued or complacent we cannot be truly present. This has resulted in many healthcare workers being principally task focused/task-centric which blinds them to what it truly means to be patient focused and centric. I have worked with and for so many different industries and what sets healthcare apart from other industries is we are dealing human beings who are experiencing pain, anxiety, stress, uncertainty, and even tragedy. This requires healthcare workers to be incredibly emotionally intelligent, empathetic, compassionate and clinically exceptional.

Q: Who can get the most out of reading this book?

A: Every healthcare employee including providers and leaders. Especially leaders because they foster the culture that influences behavior which determines the results achieved. I believe there are incredibly talented and committed healthcare workers who are constrained by ill conceived processes and outdated policies and procedures designed to govern behavior.

Q: Do you feel that lessons from this book could help awaken organizations in other industries, as well?

A: I do. The Awakening Organization Model is transferable to any industry or business. Every business should be setting clear and consistent direction, building a strategy supportive culture, staffing the enterprise with high performing employees and multiplying the efforts through continuous process improvement. I believe the performance of people is the physics of organizational performance because the behavior of people (actions and decisions) determines the results the company will experience.

Q: If readers can take away just one or two things from reading your book, what do you expect them to learn?

A: First, performance of an organization is not based on any single element - it's not just leadership, it's not just culture, it's not just people, it's not just strategy and it's not just processes - it is the synchronization of all of these components. Second, culture is critically important and most organizations only pay it lip service. There is a reason that enlightened people say “culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner” - because most of the time it does. This is because culture either engages or disengages people, it energizes or de-energizes people and it connects or disconnects people.

A healthy and fit culture engages and energizes the people to behave in strategy supportive ways.  The connection between strategy and culture becomes clearer in this context – for successful strategy execution people have to behave in a strategy supportive manner, which has to be reflected in the core values of the organization and everything has to reinforce this imperative.  Culture can either be designed, or it happens by default.  A culture by default is what naturally emerges whereas a culture by design is a deliberate reconstruction of the elements that purposefully develop the desired culture needed to execute the strategy.

Q: Where can interested parties purchase your book, “Awakening Your Organization”?

A: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and BookVenture

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

The more your content is seen, the better the performance of your ads, services, and products, which leads to more revenue. But how do you get your content out there? What’s the best way to get more pages to receive the best traffic for ad revenue? In the years I’ve spent as a web writer, website owner, blogger, and all-around content creation specialist, I learned quite a bit about getting quality traffic, leading me to receive millions of pageviews  on my content. Like me, you too have the power to increase your blog traffic with several different methods that can be applied right away.

Optimize your content for search. Framing one very specific topic in each article helps attract both readers and search engines. Stick to the point throughout your page, article, or blog post and also within your title and descriptive overview. Use words people would use to find information like yours via search engines. Easy SEO Techniques for Online Article Writers and Using Google Autocomplete to Find Longtail Keywords will also help. Correctly using these and other whitehat SEO tips can help increase your article’s relevance to search engines, which can have a significant impact on on your page views. Using SEO techniques improperly (such as with blackhat SEO) might work at first, but will lead to a very negative impact.

Use social media to spread the word. Word of mouth is a strong force, especially on the Internet. People look to social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, for valuable information. Many are very likely to read what their friends and family members recommend and will show that same content to their friends and family. This circle of sharing that happens on various social media sites can help increase an article’s performance in a significant way. In addition to sharing content on your Facebook profile, all writers and website owners should consider starting a Facebook fan page to build their brand. Creating a Twitter account around a specific niche can also be a helpful tool for increasing readership, thus increasing page views. Social media tools, such as HootSuite can help writers and website owners manage those profiles and give you an idea of how effective your efforts are.

Backlinks from quality websites and blogs get you noticed. When your content is linked by multiple valued sources, that looks good to search engines. It also gets your link in front of more people. Make sure not to overdo the linking when linking back to yourself, however. That can have the opposite effect. The best backlinks are those that happen organically, meaning another person has noticed your work and linked back. You may not be able to control whether someone links back to you or not. But writing quality content that people are interested in can increase those chances. Guest posting on relevant sites with a link back to relevant work is an acceptable form of backlinks as well. Never pay for backlinks, as this can have a very negative impact if discovered by search engines.

Start a niche blog or website. If you are an expert in a topic, make it known by blogging regularly or keeping an up-to-date website. Link back to your existing content when relevant.  Not only does this draw more attention to your content. But it helps you build your brand, which is also good for gaining and keeping readership. Regularly updated blogs and websites draw attention of search engines and readers alike. When you link your content by publishing in multiple (relevant) places regularly, that increases the chance of those articles performing better. Be careful not to place too many links in each post or to do overdo the linking, however. It should always be relevant and natural.

Include a related section where possible. Regular readers may be familiar with this section in some of my articles. At the end, I sometimes include a section labeled “More from Lyn”. Once I started doing this, my page views increased significantly. This section gives more value to the readers while increasing the chance of greater performance of the linked content. Be sure not to include more than three to five links, however. They also must truly be related to the content. Unless a venue doesn’t allow it (or you have already placed enough links throughout the content), it is always best to include this section.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Sometimes ads can be annoying. So, you may be enticed to install an ad remover app or program. Before installing ad blocker or ad remover programs, consider all these reasons not to. Doing so can actually be harmful in many ways.

Ads Keep Your Information Coming

In order to be able to display that information you’re reading, website owners often rely on payments from those ads. Without impressions (aka you viewing the ads), this can’t happen. If not enough ads are getting impressions (and clicks and sales), that means the website owner no longer can afford to display said content and you lose that reading venue. It costs money to maintain a website (hosting, domain, time and effort, possibly employees and freelance creators, and so on). Therefore, when website owners don’t earn enough via ads, they sometimes have to downsize or close that venue.

Many Content Creators Get Paid Solely From Ad Views and Interaction

Similar to the website owner, many writers, videographers, and photographers get paid based on the ad revenue made from their content. If the ads have little to no impressions (due to the ad blocker or ad remover), that person makes little to no money on the content and can no longer afford to display it or create more. Therefore, you may no longer see content from this person and they make no money from the hard work they did getting the information out there for you to see.

Can you imagine going to work every day, say 5-8 hours per day, and then getting no paycheck as a result of that work? This is what would happen to a content creator if everyone blocked the ads. Sure, not everyone does. However, each blocked ad does ad up and count toward a loss for the people who worked so hard to create that content you love. Just like you deserve to enjoy it, they also deserve to be paid for the work put into it.

Blocking Ads May Encourage Publishers to Charge For Their Info

The display of ads is often the only way publishers and writers can afford to freely display their content to the public. Without funds from ad revenue, many publishers look to other options, such as paywalls, eBooks, subscriptions, and other paid access choices. In order to keep information free for all to access, sometimes those seemingly annoying ads just have to be there without the intrusion of ad blocking and ad removal programs. I think most people would agree that seeing an annoying ad here and there is  a much better option than having to pay for each item they want to view online.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.

We need you to write for us. But why should you? What makes us different from any other company out there? For your convenience, we have listed some of the benefits cited from writing for us.

More control over your earnings

We leave ad placement within your content solely up to each writer (not inclusive of any ads we may already have on any given venue). This means that you get to choose which ads are placed with your content and you manage the account surrounding those ads. We do this to ensure that Our Writers get their ad view counts from someone other than us, in an effort to keep trust.

More control over your content
Any content published on our venues remains your perpetual property. We simply ask you for display rights to place it on any of our sites. Those who go through the Blogger Application process and get approved have access to their designated categories and can post, edit, and delete their own content as they please.

Extra exposure just for being you

When we notice a writer who’s doing an awesome job at providing quality content on the topics that interest them, we give them even more exposure. That means more promotion and more recommendations simply for being you! This is a great opportunity for those promoting causes and ideal near and dear to them, such as animal rescue, LGBTQ rights, homelessness awareness, and many more. The subject is up to you. The exposure is up to us.

We network you

Our Writers are featured across our network of sites, as well as in various social venues. We feature them on our facebook and twitter pages, in emails to prospective clients, and in many other ways. We even allow links to your other content, within reason according to our Submission Guidelines. Our main goal is to spread the word about quality writers and help them find work they deserve.

We teach you

We don't just post your content and profile and ignore you. We offer our blog as a learning tool. But we also will answer questions from writers directly -- things that help you succeed in what you do. This not only ensures Our Writers always produce the best content for us. More importantly, it helps them become better writers overall. Again, our main goal is to tell the world about you and help you get contracts and gigs you deserve.

We want you to have other clients

Say what? Yes, that is correct. Our goal is not to be your only venue of choice. In order to truly know the ins and outs of the writing game, we believe that all web writers should submit to multiple clients and venues. This provides you with a range of experiences that adds to your overall quality as a web writer. In fact, we prefer that you do not use us as a sole source for your writing needs for this purpose. Diversification equates to knowledge and experience.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual which venue or venues will suit their personal needs. We hope this guide has helped in your decision.

Are you unsure exactly what direction you should take with us as a writer? Not quite understanding how things operate? This simple guide should navigate you through the beginning steps. If you have questions beyond that, please use our Contact Us form or join the Facebook group, WWM Blogging & Beyond.

Step One: Read, read, read!! -- Before submitting any content or applying, be sure to read all about us and how we work. The Submission Guidelines should be your very first stop to make sure you can write in the free-form styles we are looking for and follow rules. After that, take a look at Our Sites to view content and get an idea of what type of work we accept. We promise you we are very open-minded, but we do of course need to have some grammar and style rules, like any reputable publication should.

Step Two: Decide your goals -- Which of our options best fits your needs? Do you want to write for us on occasion or just once? The Guest Submissions page is probably what you are looking for. We love to hear from a variety of people and this is a good way to get your message heard on one or more occasional issues. Are you looking for a contracted gig? Please check out Gigs With Us and Other Gigs. Perhaps you are looking for a flexible blogging platform with an established audience. Check out our Blogger Application to determine if that may be your answer. We all have unique needs and once you determine what you are looking for, that helps us both decide where to go.

Step Three: Wait and Learn -- At this point, you should know what you would like to do and you will likely be waiting to hear back from us. We generally don't take that long. But we have some experience with that waiting game writers experience. We know it's tough -- even when it's a short time. While you're waiting, brush up on the Submission Guidelines, follow our Blog, browse Our Sites, or chat it up with fellow writers on the Write W.A.V.E. Media Facebook page. We have found as writers that the best way to conquer the waiting game is to read, learn, write, edit, rinse, and repeat.

Good luck!

We look forward to working with you!

Free government grants do exist, but the government does not refer to them as such. They simply call them grants because, after all, that is what they are. Gurus, companies, and others out to make a quick dollar will try to reel you in and get you to buy their information on free grants. Do not give in to them. This information is already free and readily available to the public by The United States Government. You should never have to pay to receive this information.

Why would someone want to pay for something that is free? Better yet, why should they have to?

The United States Government already has topic-specific websites in place full of this information, as well as 1-800 numbers to call if you choose to gain the information that way instead.

Not only have the sellers of this "top-secret information" lied to the public by claiming that you must buy their programs, books, or other products to receive this information, but they have also led innocent people to believe that most of these grants are available to an individual person. While there are specific grants that are available to individuals, most grants are reserved for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

An individual person is not likely to get a grant to pay off a mortgage. Statements like this are simply made by these companies to get you to purchase their products. They tell you that unless you purchase what they are offering, you cannot find out about these grants. Well, in a sense they are correct, but not in the way you are led to think. That statement is correct because once you purchase their product, you will find out what they say about it. However, you will likely be disappointed when you contact the government agencies they mention. The reason for the upset is simple. The government will tell you that what you are asking for does not exist.

While the government does give farming, housing, business, college, education, and house building grants, these grants are given to non-profit organizations that help people. They are not given to individuals.

While individual grants do exist, the types of grants more commonly given to individuals is different than our expectations based upon what we are seeing and hearing in these ads.

An individual grant falls more along the lines of food stamp programs, section 8 vouchers, FAFSA, job training (not college; these are small courses designed to help those who have never worked or those who haven't worked in a long time transition into the working world), nursing traineeships, Head Start program, welfare/TANF/AFDC, scholarships, free vaccinations, and other such programs.

As you can see, while free government grants do exist, we are oftentimes misled as to what exactly they are.

For more information from the United States Government, please refer to the links below:

• Grants.gov
  
• StudentAidEd.gov
  
• SBA.gov (Small Business Administration)
  
• Benefits.gov (Government Benefits)
  
• Search for Grant Opportunities on Grants.Gov
  

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are you worried about being late turning in writing assignments? Have you missed some deadlines, but still have more work ahead? All is not lost. This is the kind of experience I don't like to admit to. But hopefully my past mistakes will help someone else manage late or missed deadlines with more writing on the horizon.

Apologize and Explain but Don't Overdo it

Your client may need an apology and explanation for your tardiness. I say 'may' because some clients are more relaxed than others and would rather you just get it done without explanations. But if you don't know how your client will react or you know they are expecting the writing, they need an explanation. Don't tell them your whole sob story. A simple explanation that outlines why you were late and when they can expect the work is good enough. Some may not even want a why, but a definitive date they can count on is pertinent.

Don't Panic

When you have a pile of wok due in a short time - or worse, past due, it is very easy to panic. But doing so could reduce your productivity. Instead of panicking about the late or missed deadlines, just relax and enjoy the writing as you would normally. Forcing it might show in your work. Many clients would rather have late work that is exactly what they wanted than on-time work that looks like a 5 year old produced it. If you simply cannot produce a quality product on time, don't panic. Explain and then relax and get it done.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Tired of writing about the same topic all the time? Your readers may be tired of looking at it as well. While it's great to specialize in something, you should also throw in other topics now and then too.

You can specialize in more than one topic without losing credibility with your readers. In fact, you may find they are glad to see random topics mixed in with what they are used to seeing you write.

If you want to succeed in freelance writing, variance can be a very good thing. Clients love writers who specialize. But they also like to see some versatility. This way, if they have a topic that shies away from your usual routine, they know they can at least consider you for the project. However, if you only write on one topic, how will they know if you are able to handle anything else.

Are you showing enough variance in your work?

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Doubt. All freelancers have it from time to time. The freelance writing business is a tough one. It has many great rewards. But because of the nature of this business, sometimes writers can doubt themselves.

For the most part, freelance writers do not have a set amount they can rely on. We may have steady gigs with certain clients. But we never truly know for sure how much money we will make in any given month. For some, this can lead to doubt.

But don't let that doubt take over your life. Believe in yourself and the clients will believe in you too. Know that you can accomplish your writing and income goals. Doubt can only stand in the way f we let it. We need to be careful not to because that doubt can show in our writing and in the way we relate to potential clients.

Freelance writers need to sell their service. But if even you doubt your service, why would a client want to hire you?

Don't let doubt take over.

Overcome it today and forever. Believe in your writing. Be what you dream to be. If you dream it, it's already there just waiting for you to let it come out.

As I always say:

"Don't just dream and hope it. Make it happen and make it awesome!" ~Lyn Lomasi

You can quote (and test) me on that. I live what I say.