Top Ten Tools and Products for Your Online Based Writing Business

Online Writers Survival Package and Wish List

The end of December is a great time of year for most online writers and marketers. Your bank accounts and online dashboards should be showing all sorts of extra zeros from the mad shopping sprees that your visitors took part in from Haloween, Cyber Monday and Black Friday and the ever-increasing Christmas Shopping extravaganzas.

Its a good time to have an online based income.

But, things are probably going to drop down a bit for you and now while you have all that extra cash on hand its time to be smart and invest in your business and education so that next year is even bigger!

I have highlighted a collection of items and resources that have helped me in my journey to work at home and support a family solely through a keyboard and an internet connection.

Some items such as the UPS for your home office are absolute necessities while others like the Numbers DVD series may just help you in molding your mind to fit the online landscape.

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Not every online writer is a technical whiz or gadget geek. This can often lead to some very crushing problems when you are dependent on technology to keep food on the table.

A UPS, is an Uninterruptible Power Supply, sometimes also known as a battery backup.

Most offices that have networks designed by IT professionals will have UPS systems in place. Your home office probably does not have one.

The UPS will provide two very needed services for you.

1. Your home power supply has natural spikes and surges, a computer and its own power supply are more prone to damage from these spikes than most electronics. At the very least a surge protector should be used, but a UPS can keep a constant voltage running. This is good for your computers health.

Do you know how to replace your computers Power supply?

2. The battery in a UPS will keep your system powered during a blackout. My UPS has one PC, one monitor, my wireless router and my cable modem plugged into the battery protected side, it has an additional set of surge protected plugs for another computer system and my All-In-One. When winter storms or high AC use blows a fuse or I lose power, instead of having my whole system just drop - losing anything I may be typing and causing possible damage to the hardware, I simply calmly save my open documents and shut down my computer.

If you normally use a laptop you may be used to the security a battery provides during power loss, but unless you have a powered modem and router you would still be in the weeds.

So get a UPS! It tops my survival list as the most needed item for a home office.

They are NOT expensive, they offer the same utility as a surge protector which you normally would pay around $20 for and offer the extra safety of the backup - the selected UPS systems range from $30-$60, they are worth it.

Most writers and web designers should have systems filled with important notes, perhaps files of backups of all your online content, Keyword strategy csv's, artworks for websites, financial files, story drafts and all sort of other creations that CAN NOT be replaced.

Depending on just one Hard drive is absolute idiocy.

Hard Drives fail, memory reconstruction from a failed drive is very, very expensive. We are talking clean rooms at $100+ an hour.

Buy yourself an external drive, these drives come with software that can be used to schedule backups, Windows 7 has the utility built right in. Your data should be protected with multiple levels of redundancy. Extra storage is very,very cheap. Buy a drive this moment if your content and data doesnt exist in multiple locations already.

These two items aren't necessities, but they have been invaluable for me.

A Nice Big Whiteboard - I love my whiteboards, when my new home office is fully wired and designed I will even post a picture. Whether its jotting downa quick idea, sketching out a new logo, or keeping track of private promotional strategies, whiteboards are the way to go.

Plus they make your office look like an impressive war room rather than a stuffy little hole.

A Top of the Line System - If you work online you already have a computer of some sort. But, as your empire grows your needs will too. Most beginners can get by with something that can surf the net, run a word processor and well that's it. That is all you really need. But, when you have a high powered machine you will know what you are missing and opportunities will open up for you. Video marketing is one of the waves of the future, processing and making your own videos is intensive, automated software that can provide exhaustive keyword research for you is often intensive, it will lag your old systems down, or maybe you will get a bit lonely working at home alone, skype and other video chat options may help you stay connected. This Alienware machine is the type of sick future proof device you may want in your corner.

Increase Your Library = Increase Your Opportunity

I know ... where are the eBooks!

I still like the feel of paper in my hands and there is no shortage of excellent resources available in print, even for this rapidly changing field.

I consider the following 5 books to be indispensable.

Did you know that magazines and periodicals still pay regular writers for content. Ok, Im kidding, but when I see skilled writers and researchers expounding on the joys of making pennies per click or their awesome $5 upfront payment from Associated Content or Demand Media, I am always perplexed.

This is the Writers Market, you should get one every year. The Deluxe addition showcased above, offers an online component with more opportunities, up to date and new publications and further tips on how to market and organize your work.

Writing for the web was not something you learned in school. The rules are different. People are far less engaged, they are in a bigger rush and they likely have very specific goals.

This book will do wonders for your conversion rate. It will.

You can read a more in depth review at Guides to Writing Effective Web Content , but please hurry back!

Did some of my lingo confuse you?

What do you mean, our readers are less engaged? How can we know peoples motivations just from what they search for, can we really predict their next actions or forecast upcoming trends.

Yes.

Read Click, its inexpensive and its written in a very down to earth, anecdotal style, that will jump start your brain into a new way of conceiving how you interact with your readers and what motivates them (and yourself)

This selection by Joseph Sugarman is a must own for anyone who wants to develop content that drives sales.

The lessons are great and easily accessible and the style of writing is a lesson in its own. You will be amazed how a simple story about the authors interaction with a waitress can quickly impart you with secrets to how to convert your sales better.

I consider this particular selection to be the basic primer but all of his books should be in your library. Splurge a little, this knowledge will pay for the price of the book.

I have never been much for the "Self Help" section. I am more of an action man. But, Napoleon Hill is a noted exception. You will find mentions and quotes from Napoleon Hill's books dropping out of the mouth of everyone of your idols, You just weren't in the know, to recognize them!

When and if you start trying to dig into the nature of search algorithms and get an understanding of how concrete and real world factors my be turned into 1's and 0's its just down right confounding.

Well, unless, you are a math whiz or computer scientist, but then I would wonder how you were drawn to a "writers" list.

Numb3rs was a fun and long running show on television that showcased a genius mathematicians ability to predict real world events such as bank robberies, abductions and bombings based on pattern recognition and other 'mathy" stuff. It did a lot for me in regards to opening up new filters to view events and trends by.

Keyword Research isnt as hard as everyone makes it out to be.

Get yourself a subscription to The Keyword Academy , its free for the first month. Sponge up all the info you can and take action. If it doesnt inspire and teach you, you are out nothing, just quit.

You will find that many of the successful writers at Hubpages and in the Blogging world will swear by lessons they learned at TKA.

Go ahead, click that link above and open it in a new tab or window.

You will see that this book is free. It will teach you all the basics of publishing your own kindle books. It is in the kindle format, but do not fear, even if you dont have a kindle you can still download kindle software to read on your phone or computer. It does make it a little easier to edit and check your books if you have your own kindle though!

While you have that tab open, feel free to pick up some of the items I have suggested for you.

Sunforged writes about the Search and Marketing World at his site HubsAcademy

You may also find the 60DC toolbar and dashboard to be useful:

• Online Writers Toolbar
• Online Writers / HubPages centric Dashboard

If I make a suggestion, right below is a list of share icons, use the Facebook one, share this, not for me, but rather for you, perhaps one of your friends or your spouse will take notice and be prepared for your next birthday or holiday. Its worth a shot!