, from Tom Hua - Publisher of e*Vision, <br />
and the co-founder of the World Internet Summit. <br />
 <br />
This is *Under The Spotlight* … <br />
 <br />
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   >>> >>> I am at World Internet Summit 2005 Asia <<< <<<<br />
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 <br />
Hi , <br />
<br />
I am sorry about the delay of this issue of the e*Vision <br />
Newsletter… have been traveling a lot. <br />
<br />
Now I am sending you this message from my hotel room in <br />
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we are having our *WORLD <br />
INTERNET SUMMIT - Malaysia '05*.<br />
<br />
We have just been to Hong Kong and Shanghai last week. <br />
People are so excited everywhere we went in Asia. I can <br />
see there are a lots of business opportunities for both <br />
people in and out side of Asia.<br />
<br />
I will update you with how you can participate in this <br />
trend when I get back to Melbourne after I complete this <br />
tour… stay tuned! ;-)<br />
<br />
   <br />
Warmly, <br />
  <br />
Tom Hua<br />
<br />
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Welcome to this issue of e*Vision! by Tom Hua<br />
(Volume V - Issue 2005-10-15)<br />
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The e*Vision ezine is specifically focused on the online <br />
marketing of information products. I hope you find the <br />
information presented in The e*Vision ezine valuable, <br />
and that it helps bring you online success.<br />
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Read ALL Past Issues at == <a href="http://ustoday.net/evision/" target="_blank">http://ustoday.net/evision/</a><br />
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          >>>> >>>> Featured Article <<<< <<<<<br />
The Single Biggest Reason Why You Absolutely Must Proofread <br />
Your Writing, Plus 10 Hints To Help You Do It Better <br />
                   - By Nona Langley <br />
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<br />
The single biggest reason why you absolutely must proofread <br />
your work is a very simple one:<br />
<br />
Money.<br />
<br />
The old adage about only getting one chance to make a first <br />
impression is seldom more important than it is with the <br />
written word. Get it wrong and it will cost you.<br />
<br />
Imagine this - it's a hot day. You've been outside playing <br />
sport, doing the gardening, or running with the dog. <br />
Whatever it is, you're hot! You grab your favorite drink <br />
from the fridge, put it to your lips and feel the cold<br />
liquid gurgling down your throat, refreshing you. Ah, <br />
what bliss. But then, suddenly, something catches in <br />
your throat and you cough, spitting out your drink. <br />
Aaarrrrggghhh! A fly! Suddenly the wonderful refreshing <br />
feeling isn't so wonderful any more, is it? All because <br />
of a tiny little fly. Spoils the experience, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
Or this - you're in a theater listening to your favorite <br />
classical piece. Someone plays a wrong note. Kinda wakes <br />
you up doesn't it?<br />
<br />
What happened in both of these cases is that a process <br />
which should have been smooth suddenly wasn't, and it <br />
spoilt the experience.<br />
<br />
What's this got to do with writing? Everything! Whatever <br />
you write, you write for one purpose and one only. To get <br />
YOUR idea from YOUR HEAD into SOMEONE ELSE'S. Nothing else, <br />
that's it.<br />
<br />
Now, you'd have to agree, the smoother that process, the <br />
less friction, the better the result. Pretty clear isn't <br />
it?<br />
<br />
And in most cases, either directly or indirectly, sooner <br />
or later, a "better result" means more money. When you're <br />
trying to get something across - a sales letter, a thesis, <br />
a novel, a business proposition - you simply can't afford <br />
to interrupt the flow with unnecessary friction.<br />
<br />
You must not put a fly in your reader's drink!<br />
<br />
You must not play the wrong note when you're playing him <br />
your sales melody!<br />
<br />
It's a funny thing, proofreading. Readers will never say <br />
"wow, that book had no spelling mistakes." A well-written <br />
book, web page, article, whatever, will convey its message <br />
without "friction." But a book, web page or article with <br />
errors will be just like the fly, or the wrong note. The <br />
flow of ideas will be disrupted just as surely as if you <br />
had slapped the reader round the head . . .<br />
<br />
And you just can't afford that disruption, because it <br />
WILL cost you money!<br />
<br />
Want a real, live, recent example? Within the last two <br />
weeks, two people emailed me asking for work as a <br />
proofreader. Presumably they want to make some money <br />
at it. Both emails had spelling mistakes! How do you <br />
think THAT affected their income? Big time!<br />
<br />
 Here are ten hints to help you with your proofreading:<br />
<br />
 1. Read widely and often. I doubt if there are any good <br />
proofreaders in the world who do not read many, many books.<br />
<br />
 2. Use the spell checker. Don't rely on it, but use it <br />
as the first step. Remember it will only check correct <br />
spelling, not usage.<br />
<br />
 3. Don't try to correct on the screen. Print it out, <br />
take it away from the computer and correct the hard copy.<br />
<br />
 4. Read the passage out loud. Remember, you have written <br />
it to take an idea from your head to someone else's. <br />
Test it! Use small pauses where you have a comma, larger <br />
ones where you have a period. See if it sounds right. <br />
We're not necessarily talking about schoolroom-perfect <br />
punctuation here (well, mostly - sometimes it's critical). <br />
Remember the only purpose of punctuation is to help get <br />
that message to the other person. Reading out loud will <br />
also help you spot missing or doubled words.<br />
<br />
 5. Correct it by proofing backwards. Read each word from <br />
last to first to check spelling. That way you won't miss <br />
a word because you got carried away by your own message!<br />
<br />
 6. Never correct your work immediately after you have <br />
written it.<br />
<br />
 7. Avoid proofreading your own work, if you can. The <br />
same mental processes which went into composition are <br />
the ones you will use to correct your work.<br />
<br />
 8. Check and double check any company names, telephone <br />
numbers or other factual information. Many advertising <br />
pieces have been written with an incorrect contact <br />
telephone number. That WILL cost you money!<br />
<br />
 9. When you think you've finished, run the spell <br />
checker again to make sure you haven't slipped another <br />
error in.<br />
<br />
 10. Last of all, seriously consider hiring a proofreader. <br />
I happen to believe that it's almost true (not quite, <br />
but almost) that good proofreaders are naturals. You <br />
either have it or you don't. My husband is a smart cookie,<br />
but can't proofread to save his life! If you know you're <br />
a lousy proofreader, save yourself some pain and find <br />
someone who can do the job properly.<br />
<br />
Remember that it's all about getting an idea from YOUR <br />
head into SOMEONE ELSE'S head. Without the friction, <br />
the flies and the bad notes!<br />
<br />
 Good Luck!<br />
<br />
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Nona Langley is a professional proofreader and owner of<br />
Perfect-Proofreading.com. Authors from around the world <br />
have used Nona's services to polish and make presentable <br />
their articles, letters and information products. For <br />
more information on proofreading services or how <br />
proofreading can improve your written documents and <br />
help you increase profitability visit <br />
<a href="http://info-products.perfect-proofreading.com" target="_blank">http://info-products.perfect-proofreading.com</a><br />
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          >>> >>> eBook of the Week <<< <<<<br />
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book of Christmas and holiday cookies. Just $17<br />
<a href="http://www.ezyebook.com/estore/cookin/" target="_blank">http://www.ezyebook.com/estore/cookin/</a><br />
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The e*Vision eZine is published by Tom Hua <br />
Copyright (c) 2001 - 2005, all rights reserved. <br />
No portion of this publication may be reproduced <br />
or transmitted without the express written consent <br />
of the publisher or contributing editors and or writers. <br />
<br />
DISCLAIMER: We disclaim any liability for the use of <br />
Any contributed information contained herein.<br />
<br />
I hope you've enjoyed this issue of the e*Vision ezine. <br />
Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions <br />
or requests.<br />
<br />
All the Best, until next time!<br />
<br />
Tom Hua<br />
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Read ALL Past Issues at == <a href="http://ustoday.net/evision/" target="_blank">http://ustoday.net/evision/</a><br />
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