Don't Write Yourself Off: Bio-writing Secrets to Living Larger Online - Forbes

…writing advice from Forbes, specifically targeting self-defined entrepreneurs, those readers hopeful of or desperate to market themselves online. Is this for Computers Language Writing? You betcha. I'm experimenting, reinventing CLW again, rescuing it from the dark forest in the kingdom of the moocs, looking for a mode and format that fits both suits its original and description and interests me enough to keep blogging. Back to writing and language basics. If you want to read about Massive Open Online Courses, check archives (search or see tag cloud in sidebar) or head over to MOOC Madness.

The article is also cracking good advice for bio and introduction writing that students, native and non native speakers alike, so often stumble over. Later, putting yourself out there as a product, you will need a good cover letter.  Then there are those interminable LinkedIn profiles. It's genre and related to bio / intro writing assignments, cover letters, etc. Forbes contributor Dena Kouremetis writes, 



As a writer for the small business community, I care deeply about the way entrepreneurs and single-person business people brand themselves. Taking it a step further, I sympathize deeply for the millions of educated, intelligent individuals who take it upon themselves to put together just the right words as a means to selling their services or products....what you may not realize is how consistently you are being judged by what you say about yourself...To get you going in the right direction, I offer the following bio writing tips:

• Write about yourself as if you were your own PR firm – in the third person. Let’s use the example given above and show you how it can sound more like a news article.  Pay attention to my use and placement of the real estate agent’s name (full name when first mentioned, subsequently last name only), as well as how the information about her is offered. 

“Consistently a top producer both regionally and nationally for the past fifteen years, Sharon Fielding joined Sunnyvale’s ABC Valley Real Estate in 2002.  Fielding, whose cutting-edge knowledge of the digital world earned her the coveted E-Pro Certification, is known for her problem-solving skills as well her penchant for providing outstanding service to her clients.” 

• Quote yourself – briefly. A self-quote is where you can state your philosophy, talk about your work ethic and tell your clients about the passion you have for your service or product. The shorter, the better.
• Speak in the “royal we” whenever possible.  Even independent insurance agents with multiple lines of coverage have teams of people on hand for aspects of their business – adjustors, inspectors, customer service personnel – making their businesses sound like much more than one-person shops.  “WE work hard to make sure you are fully protected.” Even if you do what you do entirely on your own, referring to yourself in the plural can’t hurt as long as you deliver what you promise.
• Use other good examples as templates for your own profile.  See a bio you think is rock-star quality? Why not imitate the structure (not the words) he or she used?  What was contained in the opening and subsequent paragraphs and how did it keep your attention?
• Keep paragraphs short and keep the bio concise.  People’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter these days.  You can “have them at hello” if your bio is concise, engaging and well written.
• Briefly list only your most important career designations and certifications not mentioned in the body of the bio in bullet-point form at the end.  Including a list of more than three acronyms or titles within any given sentence dilutes the impact of them anyway.  Once listed, use one sentence to describe what each designation means. Remember that most people who are reading about you don’t know the jargon or titles bounced around within your industry.
• Read your bio out loud.  No one is listening. Be the actor and deliver it to the four walls of your office with panache.  You will catch mistakes in syntax, grammar, punctuation, flow and awkward wording if you read it aloud.
• Write it. Leave it. Read it as if you’ve never seen it before. Then edit.Do this at least four or five times before you publish your bio. Even professional writers revisit their work with new eyes over and over again before submitting rough drafts to their clients.
• Take a writing course geared toward business and marketing at a local community college. You may have forgotten a lot since you were forced to write out school assignments. Just because you aren’t a great business writer doesn’t mean you’re not already an expert at being a web site designer, a personal chef, mortgage loan consultant or jewelry representative. But just as it took time, effort and some natural ability to get to where you are, marketing-type writing is indeed something that takes plenty of practice

Don't Write Yourself Off: Bio-writing Secrets to Living Larger Online - Forbes