News junkies out there will love this news site. It takes Google News content and displays it as a heatmap.  

“Newsmap is an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. A treemap visualization algorithm helps display the enormous amount of information gathered by the aggregator. Treemaps are traditionally space-constrained visualizations of information. Newsmap’s objective takes that goal a step further and provides a tool to divide information into quickly recognizable bands which, when presented together, reveal underlying patterns in news reporting across cultures and within news segments in constant change around the globe.”

http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/index.cfm

The acceptance rate for many freelance writers is between 25% and 40%.

In my own experience though, I’ve had an almost 75% acceptance rate.

Oh, really?

Yes. But, it hasn’t happened overnight. From trial and error, I’ve picked up a few tricks that seem to make all the difference.

If you follow the 20 Commandments listed below, you should be able to turn your queries into paying assignments.

Here’s a suggested plan-of-attack!

1.       Keep your query letter concise. Briefly introduce yourself and your article idea. Mention which upcoming issue your article will suit their editorial calendar.

2.      Always include 2 - 4 relevant credits and a link to your online portfolio; don’t make the Editor do the spadework!Avoid attaching large files (e.g. massive PDFs) with your introductory query. You’ll choke their inbox! If you don’t have a website, ask if/when you can send over the PDF files.

4.     Keep to the Editor’s original assignment spec; if you need to change anything, speak with him or her immediately. This assignment spec outlines the topic, scope and direction for your article.

5.     Meet your deadline. If there is a problem, call the Editor immediately. 

If you miss your deadline, you will probably not get paid, and you will certainly not get another commission.

6.     Submit articles in the correct format, such as Microsoft Word. Don’t expect that they have MAC, Quark or WordPerfect. Ask the editor if you don’t know which format is required.Be proactive in the best possible way.

7.     Avoid over formatting the document. Keep it as plain as possible and you’ll save their production team having to re-edit your work.If they provide you with a template, use it!

9.      Whenever possible, send relevant art, charts, screen shots, tables and other graphics (with their sources) to accompany your story.

10.  Include a list of sources used in the article, with names, company affiliations and e-mail addresses.  

11.  Proofread and spellcheck copy before submission. Then do it again!

12.  Always keep your audience in mind when writing. Avoid jargon. Spell out acronyms on first reference. 

13.  Avoid promoting products and/or services in which you have a stake.If you have a relationship with a vendor, say it to the Editor before starting.

15.  Spell out acronyms when first mentioned, e.g. that the UML is the Unified Modelling Language.

16.  Define uncommon or little-used terms, e.g. virtualization; otherwise, only the technologies will know what you mean.

17.  Double-check the spelling of individuals and companies, and use the name preferred by the company.Check how to present company names, e.g. in PeopleSoft the S is capitalized. In addition, the correct term for the web portal is Yahoo! Inc – note the exclamation mark after Yahoo.  

18.  Avoid clichés, buzzwords and figure-of-speeches. It dilutes the impact of your writing.

19.  Don’t indulge in hyperbole — i.e. listing superlative product features.

20.  Send the article to the correct email address. This may sound obvious, but…

As I specialize in writing for business and IT publications, the emphasis here is on technology related publications. 

However, I’m sure that if you follow the steps outlined above, you will improve your relationship with Editors — which is the first step in winning new business.

Ivan Walsh

www.ivanwalsh.com

Successful proposals place the emphasis on the client’s needs rather than on your abilities, technology, or experience, regardless of their technical merit.

Novice proposal writers tend to hype their own products/services and relegate the client’s needs to second place.

For example, a proposal for a Content Management system would list must-have technology features and new bleeding-edge technology.

A more seasoned writer would discuss *why* the agency needs a Content Management system in the first place, and then articulate the business benefits that their proposed system would offer.     

In other words, the second approach discusses a solution to a problem—rather than a wonderful new product. Government agencies buy solutions not products.

To keep our proposal client-centric, we need to consider the following:

1. What are the proposal’s main weaknesses?

This can be a very tricky area, as the sheer audacity to suggest that the proposal has weaknesses will often be dismissed with derision by the grievously offended bid team.

Nonetheless, if you are the Bid Manager, it is your responsibility to raise this issue. Otherwise, you are working with your ‘head in the sand’ oblivious to the bid’s shortcomings. Refinement is what you are after here. By examining the proposal with an impartial eye, you can see its weakness and then work to resolve these.

For example:

·         What is your unique selling point or key differentiator?

·         What is the weakest section in the bid?

·         On what grounds could it be rejected?

·         Have you explained the benefits clearly?

·         Would you buy it?

Actually, the last one is the most critical. Ask your bid team this question. If they hem and haw, it might be time to get an external opinion.

These are some of the most critical issues when submitting a proposal.

Other things for consideration include:

·         Any assumptions you make need clear explanations.

·         Any recommended course of action (and the consequences of inaction) needs to be discussed.

·         Human resource issues such as mobilizing staff, scheduling, and contingency plans.

2. How to demonstrate improvements to productivity and profitability?

Every bid boasts of value-for-money. The proposal evaluator’s eyes glaze over when they read this—as would yours, no doubt.

Instead, of hyping your proposal, demonstrate your ability to:

·         Show how you can improve productivity.

·         Discuss other projects where you have achieved this.

·         Outline the potential costs savings.

In many respects, there will be some guesswork here, but at least it shows that you are making a serious effort to understand their business needs. Most of your competitors will not be so industrious. 

3. How to build trust with the client?

Building trust takes time in most everyday situations. In the contracting world, government agencies are often under intense pressure to award contracts very swiftly in order to accelerate large-scale projects.

Regardless of the quality of your bid, trust and reliability will always be an issue; the awarding agency needs to trust the bidder. After all, if they hand you the contract and you under-perform (i.e. screw-up badly), it will reflect very poorly on them.

However, during the tendering process you will get several opportunities to build bridges with the government team. Examples of these include:

Clarifications — always send in clarifications as this demonstrates that you are examining the finer details and have examined the proposals in detail. When preparing Request for Proposal, RFIs and EOIs mistakes can creep in; if you find these, ask for clarification.

In addition, if your own team does not raise any clarification questions—and your competitors do—you may need to consider your team’s commitment to the bid.

Presentations — if you succeed in getting shortlisted, use the session to *listen* to what they are saying. Ask open-ended questions. Take notes. Use the meeting to illustrate that you are presenting to them—not just walking through another PowerPoint presentation. They have seen endless presentations and most all look the same. Again, ask open-ended questions and take notes. 

4. What key recommendations have you made?

Most proposals include a set of recommendations. These serve as the foundation of your solution and emphasize the key criteria for consideration. Support your recommendations with references, endorsements, statistics, benchmarks—whatever gives your recommendations more substance. If you cannot support your recommendations, your words will be dismissed as mere sales hype.

And, have you suggested (however subtly) what could happen if they do not take your recommendations on board?

Remember FUD – Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Most experienced sales writers will weave one of these three into their sales proposal; it is an indirect call-to-action as it implies that if you do not take some action there could be negative repercussions.

5. Getting the right balance between topics and sections

Open-ended proposals allow the bidder to submit as much content as they wish. Other proposals will specifically request that you stay under x number of pages.

In either case, when reviewing the first major draft, you need to consider:

·         Inclusiveness — Revise all major sections to ensure that you have included the major themes, selling points, and recommendations around which your proposal is structured.

·         Focus — Note the weaker sections and re-write them with more focus. You don’t need to edit (i.e. reduce the word count) of the entire document, but any sections that appears to be ambiguous, vague or rambling need refinement.   

·         Expansions — sections that appear to be incomplete, underwritten, or lack persuasiveness need further expansion. Using tables and graphs is a nice way to counterbalance pages of text.

6. Use Plain Language

Many proposal writers use a dense, convoluted style of writing in the assumption that it will impress the evaluators. Proposals choked with multiple adjectives, lengthy sub-clauses and hundred-word paragraphs make life very hard for the evaluators.

Remember, on large projects, the evaluators will read several thousands of pages when reviewing the bids.

It is in your interest to write in clear, concise prose which can be easily understood.

In IT proposals, writers often indiscriminately throw in new terms, acronyms and expressions. For example, I read a proposal recently that referred to a ‘corporate dash-board.’ Even the proposal writers did not know what it meant; but they thought it sounded good!

With that said, you have to explain the business/software terminology in language appropriate for the reader. Remove all cryptic IT references, sales waffle, and unexplained TLA’s (three-name-acronyms, such as B2B). 7. Your Bid versus the Competition

Most government contractors know the competition before they even bid. For example, in
Ireland, under the Freedom of Information Act, you can request the names of those who bid for a previous project; the size of the contract award is also published. 

Before bidding, you should identify your single most likely competitor. If you don’t know this, it will make certain parts of your bid very hard to complete, such as the costs, daily rates and discounts.

There are a few ground rules here. In your bid, never directly insult your competitors by name. This will make you look petty and will lower the tone of your bid. It is a cheap shot and will always backfire.

Instead, explore how you can positively pitch your proposal against the competition.

Once you have worked out your respective strengths, weave them into the response where they are most appropriate, such as in the Executive Summary and the Understanding of Requirements.  

By taking these points into consideration, you will begin to shift from writing ‘product orientated proposals’ and start delivering proposals that put the customer right at the heart of your response.

The first few attempts to make this shift will require a slight learning curve, but once your mastered it, your target customers will start responding in a much more positive light.

Tell us what you think about writing proposals. Have we missed something obvious? What’s the best tip you can give to someone writing a client-centric proposal for the first time?

Ivan Walsh

www.ivanwalsh.com

For proposal writers, the task of responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) can be quite daunting. In addition to the pressure of getting the best proposal in on time, defining an effective approach to the response poses several dilemmas.

For example, the various proposal team members may argue that their respective contribution is worth the most attention; the IT specialist will argue that the ‘solution’ is the heart of the response, while the Sales manager will wade in with a sharp sales pitch. Of course, they all have a valid point; but you need to assimilate each contribution into the final document from the customer’s perspective.

With the previous considerations in mind, you need to avoid a situation whereby the final proposal is bidder-centric, In other words, you have placed your solution at the heart of the bid. From the customer’s perspective, these bids tend to come across as ME-ME-ME.

A more successful approach is to place the customer ‘smack dab in the middle’ of your response. Everything has to revolve around their needs, which, of course, is the way it should be.

Customer-centric proposals make you (i.e. the government contractor) feel that this is written for you in person; not written down at you.

Let’s see how we can write proposals that put the client at the center of the response.

To do this, you need to answer the following seven questions.

1. What is the main problem?
State their problem in one sentence. If you can’t do this, you haven’t understood their problem.

There is no point writing anything until you get this clarified. Read the proposal again.

2. Why does this issue need to be resolved?
You need to look beyond the obvious, and ask yourself: what are the unstated reasons that are not covered in this proposal?

Every bidder will see the most obvious business drivers; they are in the RFP’s executive summary. Instead, dig a little deeper.

Work out what are the three most likely reasons that they have produced this bid?

For example, the proposal may be in response to new government legislation or a perceived competitive threat.   

3. What goal needs to be accomplished?
In reality, the client will have several goals they need to accomplish.

One suggestion is to visit their website and download the most recent annual report. This will often outline the long-term objectives that they wish to achieve, e.g. business expansions, new product lines, references to competitive threats. Knowing this can give you an inside track into their strategic business drivers. 

Once you understand these goals, you are responding from a position of strength which gives you an immense advantage over your competitors.

In general, there are three different goals to address:

·         Business goals – These discuss how to increase productivity, become more efficient, streamline operations, automate business process, leverage product lines etc.

·         Technical goals – Such as aligning business and technical processes, improving quality, product enhancements, utilizing emerging technologies.

·         Strategic goals – These include issues such as HR strategies, building brand recognition, mandatory government legislation, marketing drives, and responding to public perception about the agencies product/services.

4. What has the highest priority?
Capture all the client’s issues and goals. Distill these goals down to the top five. You will probably notice that you can condense many smaller goals under one over-riding goal. 

Rank the top five in order of priority; write your response based on that order.

5. What products or services can achieve these goals?
Once you know your top five goals, it is much easily to structure your response around these objectives.

Imagine writing a response without knowing what the top five goals were!

The challenge now is to blend their goals with your proposal. However, as you have a firm grasp of their true business needs, you should be in a much better position than your competitors.

6. What results could follow each of your recommendations?
Most proposals contain a series of recommendation that demonstrate an understanding of the client’s business requirements.

As well as making the recommendations (the easy part), you need to back them up with collateral that puts them into context, such as market research, survey, government statements.

Be very careful not to use absolute statements in your bid unless you’re certain you can stand over them. A proposal is a legally binding document!

Some areas worth covering include:

·         The personnel who will implement the recommendations — why they are best qualified.

·         How the recommendation(s) help the client attain their most important goals.

·         Barriers to implementing the recommendations.

·         Where you have successfully achieved this before.

·         Costs involved in achieving these goals and the estimated project timeframes.

·         What could happen if they avoid to act on these recommendations

7. How well does the proposal read?

Once you have finished the first draft put it aside for 24 hours. Then read it again—and aloud in a private room—from the perspective of the government agency.

If you stumble over sections when reading, note the location and plan a re-write. 

When you are reading the proposal—from the agency perspective—ask yourself:

·         Does their solution cover my long-term needs?

·         Does it force something upon me that I don’t want?

·         Does it ignore, or fudge, specific questions that we asked in the proposal?

·         Is this a generic response or is it specific to my needs?

Always give yourself 24-48 hours to digest your response. You’d be amazed how different the proposal reads after getting some distance from it.

If you cringe when you read certain sections, then you are probably on the right track. At least you now have a chance to modify it before it hits the client’s desk.

PS: it’s always good practice to call the client after the contract award and ask them what they thought of your bid.

Though they can’t discuss confidential areas, they may made suggestions where your bid was weak or strong. Try to take this onboard in the best spirit and remember it for your next bid.

Ivan Walsh

www.ivanwalsh.com

Case studies involve a particular method of research. Rather than using large samples and following a rigid protocol to examine a limited number of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. Case studies lend themselves especially to generating (rather than testing) hypotheses.

Scope

Certain disciplines thrive on case studies: others find them less suitable in given situations. Compare usage and perceived validity in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, pseudoscience and business.

Types

Illustrative

Illustrative case studies describe a domain; they utilize one or two instances to analyze a situation. This helps interpret other data, especially when researchers have reason to believe that readers know too little about a program. These case studies serve to make the unfamiliar familiar, and give readers a common language about the topic. The chosen site should typify important variations and contain a small number of cases to sustain readers’ interest.

The presentation of illustrative case studies may involve some pitfalls. Such studies require presentation of in-depth information on each illustration; but the researcher may lack time on-site for in-depth examination. The most serious problem involves the selection of instances. The case(s) must adequately represent the situation or program. Where significant diversity exists, no single individual site may cover the field adequately.

Exploratory

Exploratory case studies condense the case study process: researchers may undertake them before implementing a large-scale investigation. Where considerable uncertainty exists about program operations, goals, and results, exploratory case studies help identify questions, select measurement constructs, and develop measures; they also serve to safeguard investment in larger studies.

The greatest pitfall in the exploratory study involves premature conclusions: the findings may seem convincing enough for inappropriate release as conclusions. Other pitfalls include the tendency to extend the exploratory phase, and inadequate representation of diversity.

Critical instance

Critical instance case studies examine one or a few sites for one of two purposes. A very frequent application involves the examination of a situation of unique interest, with little or no interest in generalizability. A second, rarer, application entails calling into question a highly generalized or universal assertion and testing it by examining one instance. This method particularly suits answering cause-and-effect questions about the instance of concern.

Inadequate specification of the evaluation question forms the most serious pitfall in this type of study. Appropriate application of the critical instance case study crucially involves probing the underlying concerns in a request.

Program implementation

Program implementation case studies help discern whether implementation complies with intent. These case studies may also prove useful when concern exists about implementation problems. Extensive, longitudinal reports of what has happened over time can set a context for interpreting a finding of implementation variability. In either case, researchers aim for generalization and must carefully negotiate the evaluation questions with their customer.

Good program implementation case studies must invest sufficient time to obtain longitudinal data and breadth of information. They typically require multiple sites to answer program implementation questions; this imposes demands on training and supervision needed for quality control. The demands of data management, quality control, validation procedures, and analytic modelling (within site, cross-site, etc.) may lead to cutting too many corners to maintain quality.

Program effects

Program effects case studies can determine the impact of programs and provide inferences about reasons for success or failure. As with program implementation case studies, the evaluation questions usually require generalizability and, for a highly diverse program, it may become difficult to answer the questions adequately and retain a manageable number of sites. But methodological solutions to this problem exist. One approach involves first conducting the case studies in sites chosen for their representativeness, then verifying these findings through examination of administrative data, prior reports, or a survey. Another solution involves using other methods first. After identifying findings of specific interest, researchers may then implement case studies in selected sites to maximize the usefulness of the information.

Cumulative

Cumulative case studies aggregate information from several sites collected at different times. The cumulative case study can have a retrospective focus, collecting information across studies done in the past, or a prospective outlook, structuring a series of investigations for different times in the future. Retrospective cumulation allows generalization without cost and time of conducting numerous new case studies; prospective cumulation also allows generalization without unmanageably large numbers of cases in process at any one time.

The techniques for ensuring sufficient comparability and quality and for aggregating the information constitute the “cumulative” part of the methodology. Features of the cumulative case study include the case survey method (used as a means of aggregating findings) and backfill techniques. The latter aid in retrospective cumulation as a means of obtaining information from authors that permits use of otherwise insufficiently detailed case studies.

Opinions vary as to the credibility of cumulative case studies for answering program implementation and effects questions. One authority notes that publication biases may favor programs that seem to work, which could lead to a misleading positive view (Berger, 1983). Others raise concerns about problems in verifying the quality of the original data and analyses (Yin, 1989).

History

As a distinct approach to research, use of the case study originated only in the early 20th century.

The popularity of case studies as research tools has developed only in recent decades.

Conclusions

The case study offers a method of learning about a complex instance through extensive description and contextual analysis. The product articulates why the instance occurred as it did, and what one might usefully explore in similar situations.

Case studies can generate a great deal of data that may defy straightforward analysis. For details on conducting a case study, especially with regard to data collection and analysis, see the references listed below.

References

• Berger, Michael A. “Studying Enrollment Decline (and Other Timely Issues) via the Case Survey.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 5:3 (1983), 307-317.

• Datta, Lois-ellin (1990). Case Study Evaluations. Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, Transfer paper 10.1.9.

• Miles, Matthew B., and Huberman, A.M. (1984). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

• Yin, Robert K. (1989). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Technical Writing.

Words That Work
By Cathy Stucker

Do you sometimes agonize over choosing just the right word for your letter, brochure, ad or other written materials? Words have meaning, and choosing the right words is important.

No matter how good your writing is, it can always be improved. So, keep reading, keep writing, keep testing and revising to make your writing as good as it can be.

Copyright 2003 Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com.