Over the past few days I’ve come across some excellent posts on other blogs. Today was no exception and I want to share something I read on DailyWritingTips.

The article is titled “Five Reasons Why Blogging Improves Your Writing,” and includes some very valid points regarding blogging for yourself as opposed to writing for others. Here’s a brief rundown:

1. You’ll start writing regularly
2. You’ll get feedback in the form of comments
3. Having readers will motivate you
4. Your writing will improve
5. Blogs allow you to experiment

I won’t give away all the details, but I highly recommend reading this article. Blogging has helped me immensely, and I know it will help other aspiring writers. Check it out!

I LOVE writing! Surprised?

What I don’t love is searching for work. Well, I like work, but the shameless self-promotion part leaves a bit to be desired. I should be proud of who I am (I AM!) and what I’ve accomplished, but for many new writers (who are also shy) it’s often difficult to muster up the nerve to tell people about what you do. Especially if you’ve never enjoyed talking about - well - yourself.

The past few days have been spent job hunting. I’ve learned a lot about looking for work in less-than-obvious places and I’ve had some great results that I hope will pan out into actual work. HOWEVER, preparing a writing resume, and writing individually tailored job descriptions/bids can be tedious and time consuming.

The time you spend, however, IS important. The more time you spend carefully crafting an individualized bid, the better your chances of receiving a job. No one wants to feel like you cut and pasted a generic offer into as many templates as possible. Be creative, pleasant, and professional - you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

On another note, I applied for a position with Demand Studios. I was approved and logged in to find that I could not start working until I submitted my tax information. Not a problem. However, their system says that my address is invalid. I don’t know about you, but I certainly know where I live and I’m pretty sure my address is valid! Has anyone else had a similar experience and, if so, how did you resolve it (I’m still waiting for a reply from Demand Studios).

Happy writing!

I’ve been pouring a lot of time into my work lately, hence the lack of updates. I’ve been writing some pretty enjoyable articles and, as my fiance says, gathering lots of useless facts in my head in the process. It’s been fun.

I have two major projects in the works as well. The one I’m not ready to disclose yet, but the other I think/hope you’ll find interesting as well.

I’ve spent a lot of time working on a website called Information Superstation. It’s very similar to quite a few other websites you might have seen, such as PrintNPost and WritingCampus. The site allows users to register and post blogs and articles. In return users can enter their Google Adsense codes and earn Adsense revenues for the ads that appear within their own blogs and articles. Writers will earn 90% of the Google Adsense revenues earned on whatever they submit to the site.

The site is up and running. There are a few things that need to be worked out - such as the topic list not being in ABC order and getting the FAQ page completed. Otherwise, the most important thing to do now is get writers on the site so that we can start filling it with content, earn some page rank, and benefit from the traffic that will soon follow.

“Content is king,” right? I know that everyone will benefit from this site. Writers can showcase their work and potentially earn revenues without paying for their own websites or blogs. OR, they can post on IS in the hopes of gaining exposure and driving traffic to their own personal projects. Either way, it’s a win-win situation.

Like I mentioned, I’ve been submitting articles and blogs on similar sites and I’m seeing results. The keyword sensitive posts perform particularly well, and as those sites have increased in popularity, so has my income. I really hope to give writers another outlet with earning potential while providing the public with a source of useful information.

So, enough about that. You’re all invited to sign up over at Information Superstation. I hope you’ll join, participate, and grow with us. And please, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, suggestions, or comments!

No matter where you go or what blog you read, you’ll see one common theme: communication. As a freelance writer, blogger, or entrepreneur of any kind, communication is essential to your success.

I had a potential client email me a few months ago and offer me a job involving 40 articles. He was to feed me keywords in batches of 10 and we had agreed upon the price (which was low for me at the time as I thought I was new and should charge a low price - mistake #1). I started with 3 test articles so he could be sure we were on the same page, and then moved on to the first batch.

I was told after that first batch that I would receive keywords again soon. I followed up once, with no response. A couple months later I received an email from the same guy, but it was obviously intended for another recipient and was sent to me in error.

Last week, out of the blue, I received an email letting me know that he had his next project for me, listing the keywords, and asking when I could have the work finished. Uhm - hello?

I sat on the email for two days, unsure of how I was going to respond. I considered ignoring it completely, but thought that would be unprofessional. I considered politely declining and letting him know I was unsatisfied with our level of communication with past jobs, but I also didn’t feel as though I was in a position to turn down work completely. What did I do, you ask?

I opened my response by thanking the client for thinking of me, but described my concern over how he had dropped off the face of the planet after promising me work last time. I explained that I schedule my work to make sure everyone receives the best quality they deserve, and that I could not offer that type of quality without communication. I went on to quote a reasonable price (higher than before but in line with my current rates) for the articles and told him to let me know if he’d still like them. And, he did.

I felt better because I was honest and upfront with my client, yet managed to stay professional. He actually thanked me for my honesty and provided additional modes of contact for future reference. He’ll get the quality writing he deserves, and I won’t walk away feeling like I let a good job or client slip through my fingers.

The point is that some people do not realize that what they may or may not have said is wrong or displays a lack of communication. He may have been caught up in his life or work and forgotten about me, but never letting him know that it bothered me would have only left me open for a repeat of the situation.

Don’t be afraid to communicate with your clients, even if what you have to say isn’t all flowery and fun. They’ll appreciate you more for your professionalism than anything else.

Back in February, Google Adsense released their revised terms and conditions. What most bloggers don’t realize is that there were some major changes to the terms and conditions, one [...] Continue Reading…

Late last week I uncovered a useful little gem known to many as the Google Hot Trends list. Now, some of you may be thinking, “What, you didn’t know [...] Continue Reading…

It’s been quite a while since our last Link Love post and I have, literally, hundreds of blog posts to go through so that I can share my favorites. [...] Continue Reading…

The beginnings of viral marketing can be traced to strategic use of email. Since that long ago day, viral marketing has gone from a marketing strategy to an art [...] Continue Reading…

Talk about word of mouth advertising. I received an email yesterday from the folks over at ReviewMe (am I signed up over there?) letting me know that BlogRolled had [...] Continue Reading…