You can make a living from blogging? Who knew? With a hat tip to Kristen King, I’d like to direct your attention to this article on Yahoo! about the top ten jobs you never heard of. See number four? 4. Bloggers: Just 10 years ago, blogging would have sounded to most like a verb relegated to video games. But now, freelance writers, marketers, Web designers, finance professionals–even tea-drinkers–can draw people from around the world to read what they’re thinking. Businesses are catching on, which is why they’ll often hire people to blog about their products, and some bloggers can actually [Read more…]
Rant from the Past: Stick a Fork in Me
April 24, 2008. 23 Comments
Since we’re in the verge of celebrating 3 years of Freelance Writing Jobs I thought it would be fun if I went through the archives. Many of you many not know this, but the Freelance Writing Jobs blog you see now is sort of two blogs merged together. FWJ and Finding the Right Words. When I started including articles on this blog in addition to job leads, I gave up FTRW as I felt it redundant. In February 2007, I gave up my last keyword writing content gig. I was making good money but wanted to transition to professional blogging. [Read more…]
Positives of Having A Co-Blogger
April 23, 2008. 2 Comments
Yesterday we looked at cons of co-bloggers. Today; the potential positives of having a really good co-blogger. In case you missed it, I’d read yesterday’s post first, or you may start wondering who Peggy is. You finally… FINALLY can take a sick day: Since Peggy came on it’s not like I’ve taken days off – maybe one or two. What I like, is that the option is there now. The same goes for posting amount though. If I can only write one post a day for a couple of days because my son is sick, traffic won’t slow, because I [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for Wednesday, April 23, 2008
April 23, 2008. 30 Comments
Good morning FWJers! It’s a new day and I’ve got leads for bloggers and content writers today. There are a couple of opportunities for foreign correspondents and interns. I hope you find something interesting on the list. Leads… Write Profiles of Miami Hotels ($100 each) Berlin Correspondent @ The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Brussels Correspondent @ The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Freelance Researcher/Fact Checker @ Men’s Fitness – New York Freelance Editor for Quarterly Publication – Kennesaw, GA ($1000-$1500 per issue) Translators Needed ($0.10 per word) Writer for Hospice-Related Topics – Vancouver ($25-$35 per hour) Ghost Writer for [Read more…]
Your Turn: How Long Have You Been Visiting FWJ?
April 23, 2008. 76 Comments
I’m overwhelmed at the outpouring of kindness and support after my little dive off the deep end yesterday. Thank you so much for your kind emails and comments! As you know, I started this blog three years ago as a way to share jobs with friends and work at home moms. I’m still surprised by it’s success, but I’m also loving every minute of it. Yesterday I receive a lovely email from Katherine Swan, a regular visitor to FWJ and I wanted to share a couple of lines with you: You’ve had a lot of writers mention in the last [Read more…]
Quick SEO Tip: Keep Up with Trends
April 23, 2008. 4 Comments
Because bloggers have to be on top of what’s going on in their niche, it’s important to keep up with trends. I find the best way of doing this is through online trend reports such as Google Trends and Yahoo! Buzz and also through email alerts through Google alerts. In fact, the first thing I do when starting my day is check out Google Trends and Yahoo Buzz. This tells me what people are searching for at that time. Google Trends is updated every hour so you can stay on top of the hot searches. I also like to use [Read more…]
Troublesome Client Alert!
April 23, 2008. 4 Comments
Here’s a quick tip. If you’d like to hold onto your blogging sanity, don’t attempt to work for someone who says… “$10 a blog, I need 5-10 Blogs. Please respond with samples. Serious only Thanks.” It’s a serious pet peeve of mine when clients call blog posts, “Blogs” – right away you know they’re going to be trouble. Why? Because obviously if they don’t know the difference between a blog and a blog post, you’re going to have to walk them through just what a blog is; every tiny aspect. As the client they should already know this stuff. This [Read more…]
And Another Thing…
April 23, 2008. 44 Comments
I have never received a single penny from any company advertising jobs here. Never. Dear Deb: Your recent rant reeked with condescension and inaccuracies. First of all, people are insulted when you “feature” these low paying jobs and give them prominent own posting on your web site. It doesn’t take a detective to realize these companies are paying you for this placement. There is no going rate on the web? Are you serious? That’s the biggest line of bull I’ve read for sometime. The going rate is about $30-$20 an hour. This is very condescending: I want you to make [Read more…]
Yet Another Post About Wages: Yes I DO Want You to Succeed
April 23, 2008. 32 Comments
Man on man. I’m getting absolutely slammed in my emails. It’s been going on in the past couple of weeks but after posting the LoveToKnow ad yesterday it totally spiked. The last couple of weeks brought a bunch of angry notes wondering why I don’t look out for writers like I used to.I also received a lot of lumps due to my reluctance to tell people what to charge and my feeling uncomfortable posting my wages for the world to see. So, at the risk or sounding angry and unhinged, here goes: Here’s how I feel about freelance writing rates [Read more…]
Co-Bloggers – One Cure for the Lazy Blogger
April 22, 2008. 6 Comments
Deb’s last post was a good one. Did you miss it? Well, here it is – Why I’m a Lazy Blogger – And How I Can Improve. Deb noted issues with the blogroll, minimum post schedule, and time to visit other blogs. I’m big time into blogrolls so no issues there. However, I totally get her deal with scheduling to increase posting quotas and finding the time to visit other blogs. Most network or client bloggers I know do have time issues; as in there’s never enough time, not ever. There’s always something you can do to improve your blog, [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for Tuesday, April 22, 2008
April 22, 2008. 8 Comments
Good morning everyone! I’ve got a whole bunch of blogging jobs for you today, including one for fiction bloggers. There are also several opportunities for content writers and a few internships. Leads… Blogger @ Triplepundit.com ($15 per post) Deal Hound Blogger @ Upromise Word Press Bloggers @ The Blog Factory Beyond Madison Avenue Bloggers @ Talent Zoo Writers and Editors @ Rowland Reading Foundation – Madison, WI – Employer Will Consider Freelancers Newsletter Editor – Health & Wellness – Telecommute Copywriters for New Digital Agency in Soho, NYC Freelance Journalist @ StrategyEye.com – London, UK Bloggers Wanted for TV, Video [Read more…]
Why I'm a Lazy Blogger – And How I Can Improve
April 22, 2008. 5 Comments
I have a confession to make. I’m a lazy blogger. There are so many things I can do to make my blogs more successful, but I don’t. It seems funny to contribute to a blog where I tell others how to be a success, and then not practice what I preach. Hopefully by listing my faults and ways I can improve, I’ll show you how not to blog. If you have solutions to ways I can improve on any of these issues, do feel free to add your two cents. Problem: I’m bad about the blogroll. I rarely look at [Read more…]
LoveToKnow is seeking writers
April 22, 2008. 14 Comments
LoveToKnow is seeking freelance writers to create web articles on topics pertaining to cheerleading on an ongoing basis. LoveToKnow is a rapidly growing informational site with useful articles in channels devoted to a variety of popular topics. Pay is per article (generally $20 for a 650+ word article) and work is part-time, but we ask writers to commit to creating approximately 20 articles per month. Interested? Learn more and apply online at: http://www.lovetoknow.com/write-for-us.htm Please highlight your relevant financial experience, and include "cheerleading" in the qualifications field. In addition, please include at least two short writing samples as part of your [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for Monday, April 21, 2008
April 21, 2008. 9 Comments
Good morning FWJers! I hope everyone had a good weekend. There’s a real mixed bag in this morning’s job leads. I’ve got an opp for a freelance reporter, some blogging gigs, and several content writing jobs. There is an internship opportunity as well. Hope you find something interesting on today’s list! Leads… Copy Editor/Writer/Proofreader for Women’s Fashion/Apparel Company – On Site – New York Personal Finance/Debt Writer @ American Consumer News Be a BeachWizard (up to $50) DabblingMum.com Accepting Queries for Business Articles Technical Editors Wanted Local Travel – Toronto ($1000) Divorced/Singles Bloggers Wanted Writer for Short Film Technical Writer [Read more…]
Blog Improvement Advice From Problogger Easton Ellsworth
April 21, 2008. 3 Comments
Easton Ellsworth blogs at Know More Media, a blog network with a focus on business. He currently blogs for Business Blog Wire, an excellent blog, covering daily blogging tips and advice. He’s also a Know More Media editor, and in the past helped to to run the Know More Media Author Certification program, which was created to help bloggers improve their blogging skills. Easton stays mighty busy. He’s been blogging since 2005. Besides his blogging and editor duties, he’s also a stay-at-home dad, and he’s writing two e-books about blogging. Whew, are you feeling lazy yet? Busy or not, he’s [Read more…]
What Did You Read Today? 7 Reasons Writers Should Read Every Day
April 20, 2008. 32 Comments
Cat Reading Buy From Art.com I love Saturday morning because I get to read. No, I’m not laying on the bed or couch catching devouring a steamy novel, I don’t have time for that kind of daytime reading. Saturday mornings are piano lessons and while my son is inside learning to sight read, I’m outside the door reading one of my magazines or a good book. It’s 45 minutes of heaven. I read in the evenings too, usually after 8 or 9:00. I subscribe to several magazines and my son and I visit the library once a week. Dad was [Read more…]
Media blogger wanted to discuss corporate websites
April 20, 2008. 1 Comment
Laptop Computer, Cd-Rom, … Buy From Art.com There are some very exciting things happening behind the scenes here at Corporate Eye. We’re soon going to be expanding the range and scale of our services, and are recruiting people to help us with this. At the moment we’re looking for a blogger with an interest in corporate media relations, who can write about good examples of best practices in the media section of corporate websites. We’re mostly interested in the major listed companies (FTSE100, FTSE250, S&P500, Eurotop300 etc) but if a smaller company is doing something interesting in their Media [Read more…]
Who Should You Link To?
April 20, 2008. 8 Comments
Someone on one of Deb’s posts here asked, “I am working on identifying the important blogs in my various niches – how about a post on how exactly to do that? It’s easy if your niche is tech or web related. You can just look at Technorati’s Top 100. But what’s an efficient way to go about finding other niches? How do you know who’s big? AND how many of these communities is it reasonable to strive to be active in?” Now, since it was Deb’s post I’m not going to answer the whole question – maybe she’d like to. [Read more…]
Saturday Afternoon Link Love – April 19, 2008
April 20, 2008. 8 Comments
Parrot Tulips II Buy From Art.com I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it’s just a beautiful, amazing day. I’m working from my back deck and in a little while I’m going to play in some dirt. Don’t forget May is guest blogger month. I have a bunch of good stuff from the regulars already, and some wonderful suprise guest bloggers lined up as well. If you’re interested, do send your post to deborahng(at)gmail(dot)com. Your post can be about anything as long as it relates to freelancing and writing. Here’s what I’m [Read more…]
Using Affiliate Advertising in Your Network Blogs
April 19, 2008. 9 Comments
A few weeks ago, we talked about the different ways blog networks pay. Did you know there are other ways to earn money with network blogs than with base pay and traffic bonuses? Many networks allow you to use affiliate advertising in your blogs. Now, I’m not saying you should go ahead and slap on some ads, but if this idea interests you, do talk to your editors about the possibility of using affiliates. Here’s a sampling of the affiliates and advertising methods allowed by some networks: Amazon – Amazon if the most popular affiliate program in use by network [Read more…]
Are We Having Fun Yet? Tips for Enjoying Your Freelance Writing Career
April 19, 2008. 23 Comments
We talk often about how we enjoy the freedom of freelancing and convenience of working at home, but are we having fun doing our jobs? I’m not talking about the perks, I’m talking about what happens when you sit down at the keyboard and begin typing…are you having fun? Before you chime in abut the joys of our situations, let me clarify: I’m not talking about not being tied down to one particular employer – that’s a perk. I’m not talking about making one’s own schedule – that’s a perk. I’m not talking about working in casual clothing – that’s [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for Friday, April 18, 2008
April 18, 2008. 3 Comments
Hi Everyone! Here are your leads for today. Hope everyone has a good weekend! Leads… ECommerce and Internet Marketing Blogger ($500 per month) Young Entrepreneur Blogger Mortgages Blogger Student Intern @ Sun Microsystems – Menlo Park, CA and Washington, D.C. Senior Freelance Writer – Military/Federal Background ($30-$50 per hour) Personal Finance Blogger @ iwebcom Hairstyle/Yoga/Wedding Articles ($20-$40 per article) Freelancers with a Passion for Interior Design ($20-$30 per article) Freelance Copywriter – Telecommute Writers Wanted for Inspirational Magazine – Canadian Applicants Only – ($50-$100 per article) Contributing Writers @ Publications International Business Writer – Telecommute Professional Educator to Write Education [Read more…]
Now I’m Having One of Those Days….
April 18, 2008. 6 Comments
Today’s Post Has Been Canceled or Postponed…Not sure which
April 18, 2008. 21 Comments
Hi folks – I’m having a bad day. I’ve been fighting with my son’s school, haggling with tree men and my computer crashed just as I was about to post today’s pearls of wisdom – which I lost. There may be a post today…there may not. Here, I’ll throw out a topic… How do you stay focused when you have to write about something truly boring? Discuss…
5 Lame Ways to Comment at Other Blogs
Looking to get your comment deleted from my blog? Comment like this… 1. “Hey, this doesn’t relate to your post at all but…. http://www.linkthatdoesnotrelate.com” – you lost me at “doesn’t relate.” 2. On one of my contest posts: “Everyone come enter my contest instead! at http://www.mycontestisbetterthanyours.com” – sad. Really even if you leave out the “instead”, I’m likely to delete you AND not enter you in my contest. This, in my opinion, is no better than spam. It’s just not cool. You already get to leave your url at my blog. 3. Say one of the following: “You suck” – [Read more…]