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Writers are always thinking about their writing voice. Have you given any thought to using your speaking voice to build a relationship with your readers?

Little things make you stand out in the minds of others. A special turn of phrase, the tone and timbre of your voice, a regional accent all make you unique among all the voices in the world. Your speaking voice builds a special relationship with your readers and listeners.

Recently we’ve been dealing with all the paperwork that surrounds death and the process of dying. My father-in-law’s passing entails more forms than his living did (and that was a considerable amount).

We also have to arrange for the best accommodations for my mother-in-law. Checking out board-and-care facilities involved an overnight trip to the LA area.

Even though we made arrangements for a neighbor kid to replenish food and water for PJ (the umbrella cockatoo), he had to spend most of 36 hours alone.

Cockatoos, like most parrots, are flock animals.  Being alone is scary! Cockatoos are also very LOUD!  The scream to get the flock together when the sun sets. I also think they scream goodbye to the setting sun.

Since PJ is a male cockatoo with strong protective instincts, he is on guard whenever we aren’t around. The poor bird was alone and on guard for about 36 hours. Not an ideal situation for a cockatoo.

We arrived home after dark. PJ was asleep and didn’t much like being disturbed. I knew he would be exhausted after expending so much energy on guarding.

When Dennis told him good night, he said, “I’m a good bird” in a sweet little voice. (Usually he yells it.) We thought it was cute.

In the morning, we realized that something was wrong with his voice. His usual morning sounds were spoken in a whisper. His voice wasn’t normal at all.

Now, most cockatoo people would think that this is a good thing. Cockatoo loudness is the biggest drawback in living with them.

However, we weren’t at all happy with his lack of voice. The noises he made just weren’t PJ. As loud as his voice was, we wanted to hear it again.

Your voice is unique to you, just a PJ’s voice is unique to him. Hearing your voice is one of the fastest ways to build a relationship with your readers.

Your voice, your word choices, and your

word order personalize you to your audience. This helps your listeners know, like, and trust you faster. They realize there is a real person behind your words.

There are many different ways to use your voice.

Audio on your web site or blog

You can use audio on your web site to great people, on your blog’s “about” page, or on a sign-up page for your newsletter

Teleseminars

Hold teleseminars for your readers. Share your knowledge and experience using your own voice.

Podcasts

Provide audio files that your readers can subscribe from their computer or their MP3 player

Downloadable MP3s

Put audio files on your web site that your readers can download.

Conferencing software

Hold meetings and have conversations with your readers from your computer to theirs. Technology today makes it easy.

Send audio email or audio postcards

Let your emails and newsletters speak in your own voice.

Hold virtual book tours

An audio virtual book tour works the same way as an in person appearance, only no one has to travel. You hold a teleseminar and talk about your book. You can include a question and answer segment which will help you build a relationship with your readers.

Add audio to your social networking site profiles

Use your voice as well as your picture to make your social networking more personal.

Technology makes it easy to reach your readers on a personal level. Combining audio with Web 2.0 lets you really reach out to your readers.

Write on,

Lynn Jordan

Photo Provided By IrishViews.com

Recently a friend who calls me the “Internet Resource Lady” asked me where to find images to use on her blog and in book trailer videos. I promised I would let her know.

I procrastinated, waiting until I could find the perfect picture to illustrate the post. I was letting my quest for perfection get in my way.

Also, I made her wait for information she needed. So, I grabbed a picture that I liked that really has nothing to do with this post.

Except that flowing water stimulates creativity.

My creativity needs all the stimulation it can get. I love water and pictures of water. I think my muse does too.

Using a picture can really spice up a blog post. What would a book trailer video be without pictures?  If you aren’t a photographer yourself, or you don’t want to take the time to take your own pictures, where do you find images to use?

The Internet gives us lots of opportunities to find pictures. It also gives us a confusing array of rules for using those images.

Creative Commons license grants you the right to use material for non-profit use. You are free to use these images on your blog or website. However you can’t use them in a product you sell. You also must credit the photographer.

All of the sites that provide images have a Terms of Service (TOS) document that spells out the different rights available for the images. Make sure you read the details for any image you want to use.

For images not listed under the Creative Commons license, you can contact the photographer. If you tell them how much you like the work and how you plan on using it, they may grant you permission to use the image. Some people want only the credit and a link.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite sites to find images.

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Today (August 31, 2008) is the 4^th annual Blog Day.

For those of us who are blogging and building relationships across the Internet, we have a chance to find new and different blogs that we haven’t seen before.

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