First of all most article directories will require you to provide an article description along with the article that you submit. It’s a brief summary of your article and can be compared to the notes on the inside of a hardback book cover or those found on the back page of a paperback book.

Since the strategy of submitting articles is to not only get a lot of keywords online but to also have people read your articles, the description you write is important. This is what will be displayed to the readers first. The more interesting you can make the article description the more likely people are to read the article.

A few key points you’ll want to consider when writing an article description for a submission to an article directory are listed below:

- The article description should be kept brief. The total number of words and characters need to be able to fit into the space allotted at each directory. This is a summary and should be written as such.

- One tip to consider when writing the description is to borrow from your opening and closing paragraphs. Many times they are not much more than summaries of your article body anyway, so may be good sources to use for your description brief.

- The purpose of the description is to provide your readers with an accurate and interesting overview of the article. Because of this you want to make sure you summarize the most important points or message your article contains.

- Similarly you need to ensure that your description accurately depicts the article. The reader will expect to read in the article what is described in the summarized description. (The same advice also applies for the written title of any article.)

- To ensure that your article is allowed by directories make sure you only include summarized information about the article in the description. If you include other information such as personal or business items or promotions you may not get the article published.

These five points may seem pretty basic but if not done correctly it may derail your attempts at getting your articles published. Follow them step by step and ensure that the description is interesting and perhaps even captivating. This may prompt some curiosity increasing the possibility of your article being read by a larger audience.

Keep in mind that the more people who read your articles the better chance you have of promoting whatever it is you are selling.

Kenji Sakamoto is the owner of Article Directory Online one of the most visited online article directories on the internet. If you are looking for online articles directory to publish your own articles, or content for your own website or newsletter visit it today.
Article Source

For you this means absolutely free marketing just for writing a quick article about a subject that you are already familiar with. The more people who use your article as content as their website, the more potential traffic you will receive. These webmasters will probably be using SEO techniques, banner exchanges, and possibly even a Pay-Per-Click campaign to get visitors to their affiliate site.

These are advertising methods that either take a lot of time or a lot of money and they will be absolutely free for you just because you placed your articles where others could use them. There are many places on the Internet that offer to post your article so that others may view and/or use it.

My advice is to place your articles on every single one of these sites so that you can reach as many webmasters as possible.

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Here is the article in full:

Swine flu has spread across the world since emerging in Mexico and is now officially the first flu pandemic for 40 years. Experts fear millions of people will be infected.

What is swine flu and what are the symptoms?

SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS
Human body with internal organs
Typical symptoms: sudden fever (38C or above) and sudden cough
1. Other symptoms include: Tiredness and chills
2. Headache, sore throat, runny nose and sneezing
3. Stomach upset, loss of appetite, diarrhoea
4. Aching muscles, limb or joint pain
Source: NHS

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.

H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.

But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.

Although the strain may have originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease.

It can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.

A fever – which is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) – is the key symptom, combined with other complaints which may include a cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and aching limbs. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea.

As with normal flu, the severity of symptoms will depend on treatment and the individual. Many people have only suffered mildly and have begun to recover within a week.

People are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms, but they cease to be a risk once those symptoms have disappeared. The incubation period may be as little as two days.

Apparently healthy people are dying from the virus. Does that means it is getting worse?

Experts say this does not change anything.

Apparently healthy people can die of any flu-related virus if it causes complications such as pneumonia so these latest deaths do not give any extra cause for concern.

Indeed, so far, many people who have developed symptoms of infection have not needed drugs to make a full recovery, according to the WHO.

Flu expert Professor Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, says about one in every three people who become infected will not realise they have had swine flu because they will have had no or only very few symptoms.

“About 98% of people who get infected will recover fully without any hospital treatment so I think the public needs to be reassured.”

The real fear is that the strain will mutate and become more virulent which would pose a greater threat. This has been the feature of previous flu pandemics.

But this has not yet happened – and in any event it is worth remembering that seasonal flu often poses a serious threat to public health – each year it kills 250,000 – 500,000 around the world.

Why are younger people more affected?

In the UK the infection has been found to affect younger people more due to it spreading quickly in schools where there is a lot of mixing and where infections can quickly spread.

This is not unusual and children are known to be important in the spread of flu. It is thought that older age groups may have some immunity as they have been exposed to previous H1N1 viruses.

Why has the UK been more affected than other countries?

The UK has a comprehensive flu surveillance system, hence more cases may be identified in the UK than in other countries with less comprehensive monitoring services.

Also, the spread of the infection in the early stages was linked to flights out of Mexico. With Mexico being a popular tourist destination for British tourists, Britain was one of the first countries alongside America and Canada to start seeing cases.

As the UK was affected earlier than some other countries the infection has spread to a higher number of people.

What should I do if I think I have it?

Anyone with flu-like symptoms who suspects they might have the swine flu virus are being advised to stay at home and contact the National Flu Service on 0800 1 513 100 or via the internet at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu

The service allows sufferers to get access to anti-flu drugs without the need to consult a GP.

However, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and parents of children under one are still being advised to contact a doctor.

The GP route is also open to anyone who does not want to use the service.

In the initial phase of the outbreak, lab testing was done to diagnose the flu but this is no longer happening routinely.

How is it treated?

Two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective at treating infection, reducing the length of the illness and cutting the chances that people will have serious complications.

Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.

However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.

Researchers have also questioned whether the drugs are helpful in children aged between one and 12, saying the risk of side effects might outweigh any benefits.

But the Department of Health maintains a “safety-first approach” of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward.

It said it would keep the policy under review.

The UK government already has a stockpile of anti-virals, ordered as a precaution against a pandemic.

What measures then can I take to prevent infection?

Vaccination is on its way.

The UK government has signed contracts with two firms. Hospitals will be getting the vaccines from 21 October, while GPs will start offering it from 26 October.

FLU PANDEMICS

1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die

The government has announced those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women will be offered the vaccine first and has yet to make a decision on whether the rest of the population will be immunised.

It is hoped that even if the virus mutates in coming months, the jabs would still confer a high degree of protection against related strains.

In the meantime, people are being advised to avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and cough.

General infection control practices and good hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza.

This includes covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly.

It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people, and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.

In Mexico masks have been handed out to the general public, but experts are sceptical about how useful this is.

Some suggest it may even be counterproductive.

Where can I get further advice?

Further information and advice on swine flu can be found at websites of leading health and research organisations around the world. The World Health Organisation gives background information on the virus.

The UK’s government services website is carrying regularly updated health and travel information. The Health Protection Agency advises the public about what to do if returning from an affected area. NHS Choices outlines how swine flu is different from other flu.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is another good source of information.

The US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is counting the number of cases in the US.

You can also track spread of swine flu reports using unofficial sources. Google is mapping search term data as an indicator of flu activity both across the US down to state level and in Mexico. Healthmaps maps viruses using news reports. Social media guide Mashable lists a range of ways to track the virus .

Information and links to useful websites are being shared on Twitter, the micro-blogging service, while social networking website Facebook is tracking swine flu discussion amongst users.

Further questions from our readers have been answered by a UK-based expert.

And the BBC’s medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, is filing regular entries on his blog on H1N1.