Introducing: Maven's Expert Tips

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   samanthacubbisonposted 4 years ago

   
   
   Are you a talented writer in need of some advice on how to structure articles online or how to present yourself to an online audience? You’re in luck! Maven’s new video series, “Maven’s Expert Tips,” is created by the editing staff in order to help new and aspiring writers understand how to present both their writing and their public image to online audiences. These videos cover a variety of topics with the objective of teaching you how to retain readership, gain traffic, and create a strong writing portfolio. Watch this first video to learn the best practices for choosing or creating your author photo in the Maven to Maven Trainings channel!

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   1. 89

      Will Apseposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I was pleasantly surprised by that video. It was wonderfully brief for one thing. Always a plus. And it delivered a useful bite-sized piece of intelligent analysis.
      
      Problem is that the advice is not entirely applicable to the network sites. The profile pics here are very small. So, if you are going to show your face, you will need a closeup, as alarming as that might be for all concerned.
      
      I mean, looking at Samantha's profile pic, she could be a 10 year old, the kind that spends her days pestering her parents to buy a pony. Or she could be 110 years old and the Wicked Witch of the West. Or anywhere in between.
      
      edit: not saying my pic is any better, lol. I tried to leave room for people to project whatever they want to see.

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   2. 89

      NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Aimee's author photo is dope. She's obviously an expert on lizards.

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      1. 89

         Will Apseposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I would be more inclined to trust an article from a komodo dragon. At least it has room for a brain even it never actually uses it. Aimee's lizard needs a good meal.

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         1. 81

            samanthacubbisonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Plot Twist: Aimee IS the lizard.

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            1. 89

               Will Apseposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               Lol. Someone should send her super high calorie food immediately. She could end her life as a cocktail stirrer if she doesn't perk up a bit.

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      huthamcauphanchauposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      good

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2. 96

   EricDockettposted 4 years ago

   Just to present my usual contrarian viewpoint: I find it intrusive that we should be required to present an author photo at all (I know HP doesn't require it; just for the sake of argument/discussion.) It is none of a reader's business what I look like, and their opinion of me should be based on my words, not a picture.
   
   How about a tutorial on how to avoid using an author photo through the clever application of single-letter graphics? 

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3. 95

   Rupert Taylorposted 4 years ago

   Sorry. I didn't find that very helpful with its emphasis on displaying a photo that says it's supposed to "demonstrate your passion and expertise on the subject." How does one do that, pray tell, when writing about "How to Cook an Ostrich Egg," "The Folklore of Magpies," or "The Care and Feeding of Rutabagas," three of my better-performing articles?
   
   I chose my HubPages photo because it says, given the vintage tricycle and romper suit, I'm an old geezer who might have picked up a tiny bit of wisdom through a long journey. It also says, I hope, I have a sense of humour, I am not in awe of my own magnificence, and that I'm not trying to pretend I have "passion and expertise" about "The Sinister Reputation of Absinthe" or "The Toilet Paper Story."
   
   After more than half a century of writing I've learned that who I am is totally unimportant to the reader; that carefully crafted article on "The Victorian Baby Farmers" will probably be wrapped around someone's fish and chip supper tomorrow.

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4. 95

   PaulGoodman67posted 4 years ago

   It's taken me a while, but I've finally got around to checking out the Maven tips posts. I'm going to watch them, then go through and update my biography info where appropriate.
   
   This one seemed fairly basic, I think we may have received similar advice before, though not in video format. Anyway, it's prompted me to consider whether I could do better. I think profile pics offer a big opportunity for writers to shoot themselves in the foot - that's to say, have a well written and informative article, but undermine it with a silly or inappropriate picture. The internet can be a pretty shadowy place, building trust is often a challenge.

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