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Sooner or later everyone draws a blank on what to write about next.  The secret is to not sit in that funk for days on end.

The best thing to do if you want to know what you can write about that will catch the attention of the public and fill some needs they maybe didn’t even know they had, is to cheat.  That’s right, cheat.  Well…no not really.  Instead what we are going to do is use the tools we have available to us to learn what it is that people want to know about.

Kontera Blog

One of the first places to start looking is at others who also want to know what people are interested in.  One of those places is Kontera.  In the Kontera blog each month we see a list of the top clicked keywords to see what is attracting attention and avoid what isn’t.  By taking a look at this list each month you might be able to see just what it is that the internet public at large is currently interested in.

The keyword blog for July can be found here -

http://blog.kontera.com/2009/07/02/top-clicked-keywords-on-virtual-makeovers-the-transformers/

The general address for the blog is here -

http://blog.kontera.com/

Twitterfall

Ever want to see what people are tweeting about?  With Twitterfall you can.  You can watch individual tweets cascade down your screen.  Set the speed they fall to match your reading ability.  And learn what people are saying to each other.

Twitterfall also has a Vista Sidebar widget you can install that will show trends they have calculated based on words in the tweets people are sending.  For example, the Twitterfall Trends widget currently says that people are talking about  – Beyonce, Bruno, Hammertime.tv, Pirates, Wendy Williams, Michael Jackson, HP6, WalMart, and I-75.

Want specifics?  Click on a trend in the widget and see a cascade of tweets that trend prediction is based on.

Twitterfall can be found here -

http://twitterfall.com/

FARK

The question of the hour is…Do you FARK?  Their motto is – It’s not the news, it’s FARK!

If you want to know the latest and greatest news of the weird, learn the latest, stupidest, or most dangerous things someone has done, you can find out at FARK.

Some people feel rich and spring for the TotalFARK edition which is by subscription only.

You can find FARK here -

www.fark.com

Google

That’s right, good old Google.

Instead of just sitting there and looking at the nice search box, look at the top of the screen and click the button that says “News”.  You will be treated to all the top news stories from around the world as they happen.  Check back often.

We will assume no link is necessary and that you can get to Google by yourself.

Well there you have it.  Check these places out next time you’re sitting there twiddling your thumbs and don’t know what to write about.  If you know of any other great places, feel free to add them in the comments.