This single post must do double the publicity work for a pair of DeHaan Fitness articles today.

I'd published "Another Kick at the Can of Soft Drinks and Soda Pop" on March 25, but was too busy to write a promotional article about the dangers of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup, known in Canada as sucrose-fructose).

Yesterday, I found a news item concerning research into carnitine, naturally found in even the leanest red meat but also in some diet supplements for weight loss.

Yesterday's news became today's "Possible Atherosclerosis Risks from Fat Burning Carnitine".

My additional observation is that carnitine is promoted for the double role of a "burn fat and build muscle supplement".

What do these two nutrients have in common?

Some energy drinks have both HFCS and L-carnitine. It's especially attractive if you want to boost your energy with muscle building supplements, and also as one of your fat burning foods.

The long-term risk with dietary carnitine is atherosclerosis. "What is atherosclerosis", you ask? Please read the appropriate article, above.

Meanwhile, HFCS carries other health risks, although they may also lead to atherosclerosis and its complications.

As is my usual practice, I've also publicized these articles in my DeHaan Services blog, under "Twin Health Tips on Carnitine and HFCS in Energy Drinks".

Today's first writing tip repeats something I've said before; the other may be new, or simply less frequently noted.

First, keep an open mind as you read your news sources. Both of the above articles were triggered by "new news"; but I was primed to noticed them because of previous research I'd done and articles that I'd written.

Second, develop a methodology to promote and publicize your articles. You don't need to write your own; but if all you do is tweet to followers or post updates on Facebook or Google+, then set up reminders to do so.

I log those publicity actions in a spreadsheet. The incomplete actions demand my attention, partly due to the colour difference as strong as "orange" versus "green". (Even if the "orange" text isn't very legible here in Weebly, you noticed the gap in the above sentence).

So although I was plenty busy over the last two weeks, there was no chance I would completely forget to finish publicizing the "kick at soft drinks" article. The reminder was right there, just above the "atherosclerosis and carnitine" one.

Only two years (and a month) have passed since I started writing some furniture articles for Suite 101 and Squidoo.

In DeHaan Services, "Recent Articles about Furniture Styles, mainly Wood Furniture" explains why I chose to remind my readers of those articles. One hint is that January is a typical month for furniture sales.

Although my "DeHaan Lens for Coat Rack Stands" remains my most popular overall, I think the more important lenses cover styles of furniture. "The Clean Style and Quality Manufacturing of Amish Furniture" is one example of that type of article.

These articles are found in Suite 101 and Squidoo.

Today's wooden writing tip is that the DeHaan Services article is an experiment in marketing my previous articles through a new one.

I could have reminded people on Facebook or Google+ about each of my earlier articles. Or I could have updated them and hoped that search engines would notice.

This time, however, the approach was to use keywords in the new article to make it popular enough for readers to find.

The next step for those readers should be, one hopes, to click and follow the links.

The articles might discuss wooden furniture built according to Shaker tradition or in the Mission style, but the business

Remembrance Day 2012 should be such a big deal that I wrote two separate articles about it in DeHaan Services.

They are split by geography, as the titles make obvious. "Choose a 2012 Remembrance Day Ceremony in Toronto" shines its spotlight on the big city, but "Parades or Ceremonies for Remembrance Day 2012 in the GTA" looks at three different municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area.

My articles also explain a bit about Remembrance Day itself.

My Xanga blog continues the tradition of promoting my articles, in "Plan for Remembrance Day 2012 in Toronto and the GTA".

Regular readers know that I write an ongoing series of articles about annual Toronto events, with a focus on the inexpensive, unusual or under-publicized.While Remembrance Day always gets some attention in the mainstream media, certainly no-one spends a fortune advertising it. So I think it's worth my while to give it some free publicity. In a small way, it's part of the contribution I would owe. See the "...in Toronto" article for more of my own feelings.

My writing tip explains why I ventured into the GTA, when there was more than enough material just in Toronto.

Something else had reminded me to check my Alexa statistics last week. I was surprised to see that "in [town]" was rated as an important keyword, since the [town] was not "Toronto".

Yes, I had indeed mentioned that city before.

Standard SEO ("Search Engine Optimization") and AdSense (Google advertising) wisdom recommend using "long tail keywords" to drive readers and advertisers.

So I made the decision to use that type of keyword in at least the one article. I'd already researched the Toronto events, and decided that covering more would be fairly straightforward. It was not, partly because the various GTA municipalities have different sources than those I usually find for annual events in Toronto.

Nonetheless. I found enough material to make a decent, if small and far from comprehensive, article.

Here's a bonus writing tip. Although a long-tail keyword like "in [town]" has benefits, it also limits the likely audience. If you write an article using "in New York" as a keyword, you have a potential readership of millions of local residents and other millions of onlookers...and hordes of competitors.

If you use "in [town]", both the readership and competition are drastically reduced.

You can aim to be a big fish in the ocean, or a goldfish in a small aquarium. Either way you have the chance for a meal (of readers), or to be swallowed by a larger predator.

Regardless, thanks for reading my "Remembrance Day 2012" articles.

Having written two photo-essays for Environmental Graffiti about TorontoHenge, I surprised myself by posting a blog item in DeHaan Services to inform my readers how they could experience it for themselves.

"Look Out for TorontoHenge in Oct. 2012" explains when and where to head to a street with a long east-west view and watch for the sun to rise or set in the distance. My first attempt, in October of 2011, was pretty spectacular even though I didn't have very tall buildings to flank the setting sun.

As always, my Xanga blog ("The Annual Autumn TorontoHenge for 2012") also publicizes my article.

This DeHaan Services blog post counts in my "Toronto Events" category since it does occur regularly and is both interesting and free to experience.

I had been intending to go back through my notes and take another set of photographs this month. However, some of my competitors, the Toronto Star newspaper and the Walrus periodical, published forecast articles.

So I decided to follow suit in DeHaan Services, rather than set out on an expedition to hunt the elusive images next week.

My writing tip is simply to remain open to notice and learn from whatever the competition may do. In a sense, the Toronto Star used one of my genres, to advise people to have the experience ahead of time. They may yet simply take an image and print it the next day; in which case they would emulate what I had done twice before.

In my view, it's really great to let readers know of upcoming events. The more publicity others generate for some annual Toronto event that I cover, the more chance of someone searching for more information...and hopefully I would have covered that base also.

That's especially true if my article actually does cover more background than what my competitors carry, especially when it comes to TorontoHenge.

The 2012 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is such a big, annual autumn Toronto event that it deserves at least two articles.

In DeHaan Services, "Special Notes for the 2012 Toronto Waterfront Marathon" presents several options for spectators to view and enjoy the race. It presents some other notes, as well. The main focus is on the event, rather than on the athletics. You might wonder why a small "parkette" is featured in the DeHaan Services article, so go ahead and read it.

In contrast, the DeHaan Fitness "Seniors Running for Fitness and Glory in Toronto Marathon" article moves from two senior runners, Ed Whitlock and Fauja Singh, towards inspiring people of any age to begin and maintain personal fitness programs.

Naturally my Xanga blog has an article, "Preview for the 2012 Toronto Waterfront Marathon", which covers similar promotional ground.

If memory serves, I'm serving a second helping in this writing tip.

The 2012 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon truly provides far more material for articles than I could cover in a week.

The two articles that I did write have some minimal overlap. Certainly I researched both at the same time, and logged the notes together.

However, it would not make sense to emphasize an "autumn Toronto event" in my Fitness blog; nor to pursue both "seniors exercise" and "where to watch the marathon runners" in the same DeHaan Services article.

So, for an encore performance as a writing tip, consider writing multiple articles from one basic inspiration; but only when they will focus on different themes and potentially appeal to different audiences.

Hopefully my two approaches based on the single 2012 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will toe the line I just set for "appeal".

Normally each of my DeHaan Services articles deserves its very own publicity piece, but sheer busy times force me to roll three into one.

Archery is but one of many sports being contested by young athletes during the Ontario Summer Games 2012, hosted by the city of Toronto.

"Junior Sports Leaders in 2012 Ontario Summer Games in Toronto" entices the reader to go to my more comprehensive DeHaan Fitness article, "Sample Some Sports at Ontario Summer Games 2012 in Toronto".

"African Arts and Culture at the Metro Toronto Zoo in August 2012" is an exceptional article, only because it covers a well-established venue that really does not need publicity for itself.

The special culture and arts feature, however, only runs through the end of August; it deserves a nod and gets it as a one-time summer Toronto event in 2012.

Harbourfront Centre is hosting the "Planet IndigenUS" festival in August 2012. Two of the shows head for two separate Toronto library branches on Aug. 17, 2012. Each performance is refreshingly free.

The Polytoxic Dance Theatre performs downtown, while the "Rabbit and Bear Paws" show uses the North York Centre library as its venue.

My "Two Free Performances at Toronto Libraries on Aug. 17, 2012" covers them both, particularly answering the vexing questions of "where" and "when".

As always, my Xanga blog ("2012's Trifecta of Toronto Single Events") covers much the same material as this post.

Today's writing tip repeats an earlier one.

Select a topic by asking yourself, "What would interest my readers? What would benefit my readers"?

Each publicized article points out an event that might be interesting to some people in Toronto. These opportunities may not be well publicized by the hosting organizations; so it benefits both my reader and the organization if the article brings them more visitors.

Organizations that invest heavily in their own publicity don't particularly need my help. Conversely, I cannot imagine that anyone who notices my article about an event but not a full-page newspaper ad for that event...such a person wouldn't be interested in my article either.

This is my approach to selecting topics for the DeHaan Services "Toronto Events" category. What would people find interesting if only they knew about it? What would they not know about, if not for my article?

My nearest and dearest annual charity running event is the 5Km Toronto Challenge. This year I had an excuse to write two articles on this one topic.

"The Toronto Challenge for 5Km of Fitness" put the focus on fitness. The distance isn't extreme, and the organizers explicitly invite people to enter as walkers rather than as runners if they so choose. My DeHaan Fitness... site hosts this article.

On the other hand, "A Novel Route for the 2012 Toronto Challenge" presents this as an annual Toronto event in the summer. That approach is right up DeHaan Services' alley.

Surely one of the least flattering pictures I could imagine, but I'm sure it is an accurate representation.

As always, I promote my artcles in my Xanga blog ("Twin Articles for One Toronto Challenge").

While this writing tip might be a rerun, it's not too recent to mention.

Unless your idea cup overflows, consider every new concept from different angles. Can you do one unit of research to generate several articles? Is there so much material that it deserves to be a series?

For example, my recent Decoded Science series on Turing machines reflected the fact that there is a lot to say about that concept. Yet the ideas need to be presented in a logical sequence, so they should be in a series at one site.

Conversely, the Toronto Challenge presented several different, but simple, angles. One article looks at fitness, especially at a novice level. The other highlights an event, with a special note for the new route. They easily fit into different blogs. As well, they link to each other, thus providing extra publicity.

So when you start your next article, take a moment to ask whether you're up for the "challenge" of creating several uniquely different stories from one basic idea, much as I did with the Toronto Challenge.

I had neglected to properly promote four recent "Toronto Events" articles featured in my DeHaan Services site.

I wrote "Try Cycling in Toronto via the 19th Annual Ride for the Rouge" to publicize this annual fund raising event on behalf of the Rouge Valley Conservation Authority.

Check out the article to learn about their schedule, so you can be prepared for next year.

Actually, "Toronto Bike Month 2012 for Fitness and Events" reports accurately that Bike Month actually starts near the end of May. I was annoyed that I missed out on the opening day's pancake breakfast at City Hall.

Read the article to for more opportunities to join cycling tours and other events.

Toronto Bike Month inspired me to write a more general article, "Great Reasons to Bicycle in Spring 2012", in my DeHaan Fitness and Weight Control blog.

The Toronto Islands offer terrific outdoor activities, including cycling, bicycle rentals, and the famous Centre Island amusement park.

Could City Hall possibly improve their schedule for ferry service? "Can the Toronto Centre Island Ferry Schedule be Improved?" says "Yes, and here's how".

Yet another Toronto ethnic and cultural festival is highlighted in "Visit DesiFEST 2012 for a Free 12 Hour Concert".

If you're reading this, you missed it for 2012. Check the article for another East Indian festival coming later this summer at the same location. Also, save the same weekend in 2013 for another opportunity to enjoy South Asian culture.

This writing tip is obvious.

Once you have set up a process for publicizing your work, ensure that you stick to it.

Let your friends and followers know. Let the search engines crawl your "do follow" promotional pages.

If it was worth writing and publishing in the first place, it's worth promoting afterwards.

This article is neither magic nor geometry; it simply promotes five recent articles.

"Has the Northern Snakehead Fish Invaded British Columbia?" is still an unanswered question in Burnaby, BC. Naturalists are searching the lagoon to confirm or deny the presence of this invasive species.

Nonetheless, my Environmental Graffiti article includes background and images gleaned from other sources.

I wrote "One Timely Weight Loss Tip" to summarize new research indicating that disciplined timing of meals can help one lose weight.

David Haas submitted a guest article, "Healthy Habits for Coping with Cancer", explaining why cancer patients should start or maintain a minimal exercise program.

My DeHaan Fitness and Weight Loss site had been in need of new articles, but not neglected since I continue to document Mayor Rob Ford's progress in his "Cut the Waist" challenge.

I wrote two articles in DeHaan Services for Toronto events.

My answer to "Can the Toronto Centre Island Ferry Schedule be Improved?" is "Yes"! They had not brought all the ferries into service in time for the Victoria Day weekend. Why wait until the next weekend to provide full service?

I stumbled into a promotion for DesiFEST, and decided to give them some publicity in "Visit DesiFEST 2012 for a Free 12 Hour Concert".

I wrote one promotional entry in my Xanga blog for precisely the same reason that this Weebly article holds a fist full of publicity: I was too busy to write individual blog posts.

"5 DeHaan Articles in May 2012" covers precisely the same ground as this article.

Today's writing tip only relates to one of my articles: "Visit DesiFEST 2012 for a Free 12 Hour Concert".

The tip is to plan your content before simply writing an article or making a blog entry. This applies even to simple, personal articles; but it is more important if you do research and expect to have your facts straight.

I had to make three trivial updates to that article.

1. Although I had checked the TTC home page for warnings of service interruptions, I had to go back and update the article because the Yonge subway really is closed downtown this weekend. (Only the Yonge line from Bloor to Union; you can take the University line instead).
2. I forgot that Rogers supplies internet, as well as cable TV and cell telephone service.
3. Most foolishly, I forgot the disclaimer that I don't have a financial interest in the event.

I do blame the way the TTC home page avoided mentioning the planned work; it was noted on the page for the Dundas 505 streetcar instead. The other two were avoidable mistakes, and I should have been more thoughtful from the start.

Learn from my mistakes, and apply this writing tip to your own articles!

Thanks for reading my publicity for: snakehead fish in Burnaby, BC; timing meals as a weight loss tip; maintaining fitness despite having cancer; improving the Toronto Island ferry schedule; and noting a free South Asian festival in Toronto.

Some may remember that I had posted a pictorial in Environmental Graffiti called "TorontoHenge: When City Grids Align with the Sun" in October of 2011.

As the year spins, so do opportunities for capturing sunrise or sunset in conditions similar to Stonehenge.

This is my preview of the images for my next article, "Torontohenge Imperfect in 2012".

All the comments will be in the article.

Therefore these pictures are presented without discussion.

Do they speak for themselves?

Will anyone wade through them to read the writing tips?

Feel free to leave a comment if you are underwhelmed.

Of course, I would take more pleasure in approving comments.

Here is the penultimate image for this blog post.

Was it all worth the effort?

Would you also see my promotional articles in DeHaan Services ("A Disappointing TorontoHenge for April 2012") and in my Xanga blog ("Making Use of a Poor TorontoHenge in April 2012")?

Today has a double writing tip.

Online articles need images. Sometimes the best images are those you take yourself.

Ensure you first publish your images online in a site where you can demonstrate your ownership. I use my Blog of Writing, since it also serves as a blog post and as publicity for my article. Many people use Flickr or some other online image publishing site.

Taking my own pictures of TorontoHenge in April 2012 was fun, easy and an excuse to wake up at 4:30am.