Is Old School a Bad Thing?
July 4, 2009 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing Business, Web Content
I keep thinking back to last week’s cross blog and forum discussion regarding residual websites. When I suggested freelancers make sure the end justifies the means when writing for a living, I was written off by another community as being “old school”. It’s suggested that I don’t know a thing about the way web writing works now. I thought about this for some time. Could it be true? I’m no spring chicken, though I’m not an old lady either. Does my middle agery make me unqualified to make informed decision as to what makes a good writing opportunity? Does my living almost 45 years make me all of a sudden too feeble to judge good manners or poor client relations? How come after a decade of writing for the web I’m not considered qualified and experienced, but instead, brushed off for being “old school”, and really, what does my age have to do with anything at all?
I know a little…
Because I’ve spent so many years writing for the web, and yes, that even means web content, I may know a thing or two about what makes a good opportunity. For instance, this blog is a terrific form of residual income. It just had it’s highest month of earning ever – and it will continue to earn for me until I decide to sell it one day. I once received an offer of $35,000 to sell this blog. I know another blogger who sold her blog for $90,000 and I heard of another who sold his for $15 million. So let me ask you this, since I’m old and all, and you youngsters might have a better grasp on this…why is blogging for myself and keeping the revenue (or paying other bloggers as I do here) and building up an investment not as good an idea as writing hundreds of articles for a residual site that will, in all likelihood, one day cease to exist. I mean, E-How began yanking articles last week without notice so the thought that writers will continue to earn is laughable. But then, I’m old and out of touch, so what do I know? Maybe one of you grasshoppers can explain to my addled brain why I’m going about this the wrong way.
It’s about the attitude, not the job…
I’m also considered old and out of touch for suggesting writers enter into a job with the mentality they will do their best rather than thinking they will just quit later. Of course I know writers should leave a bad situation. Of course I know most content sites expect a high turnover rate and that very low pay generally means a less reliable type of writer. However, my point is about entering a job with a positive frame of mind vs. a negative frame of mind. Rather than accept a job that I’m not sure I’ll dig and will probably quit later, I prefer to find profitable, enjoyable opportunities offering the gift of longevity. I’m getting on in years though, so this may be the wrong attitude to have in this day and age.
I may be “old school” but...
I know a little more than you think.
First of all, when I saw you tweet this post, I thought,”Yay! An A-lister has tweeted one of my earlier posts!”
I was only slightly deflated when I followed the link. Your “old school” thinking is exactly the fresh approach need to write on the web. All the youngsters who disregard your opinions are following the “hottest trends”, which means everyone is doing it and the chances of success are diminished by saturation. Meanwhile, tried and true methods that are discarded because they aren’t new are proving to be satisfying in their results.
As always, I enjoy your posts and get both direction and affirmation from them.
Thanks!
There’s certainly nothing wrong about “old school” values. In fact, a lack of old school values is a lot of what’s wrong with the world today. And not just the cyber-world, either. A little more respect and integrity would make this world a much better place.
Sure, the medium might change and the tools we use might change, but it’s the approach we take to our work and our lives that makes the difference. It wasn’t that long ago that “writing” meant publishing something on paper. Now, it includes the web. A few years from now, it might be something entirely different. But as long as we continue to treat ourselves and others with respect, our writing — and the world — will be much better for it.
I, too, have given a lot of thought to last week’s discussion (though I didn’t participate in it). I’m new to freelance writing, but have been in the online content biz for years. I’m a big fan of yours, as well as Felicia Williams at nojobformom.com, who swears by residual income.
I think there’s a lot to be said for writing for eHow.com and such (I know you don’t want to hear that) BUT I also think that writers should make informed choices. Maybe you’ll be happy to learn that as a result of last week’s discussion, I got my own domain, set up a niche website, and started posting my own articles in the hope of getting 100% of my own residual income rather than an eHow cut. I seriously wouldn’t have thought about doing that before last week.
As far as not going into a gig with an “I can always quit” mentality–I couldn’t agree more. Writing, whether it’s freelancing for pennies or thousands of dollars, is a job we should all take pride in.
The more information that’s out there for us newbies, the better choices we can make.
wow, you sound pretty cross. i just want to say that i appreciate your posts and will never think you’re old school (didn’t even know people still use that term, but maybe i’m just sad like that).
There are residual income sites I work for where I get a substantial paycheck for doing the bare minimum. Yes, the sites may disappear one day, but I’ve gotten rid of some of my own sites I no longer wanted to update, too. The online world is fluid and changes rapidly.
As a big believer in the eggs in different basket theory, I prefer to write some content of my own, some for residual sites and some for clients. The remainder of my time goes to writing for children, where even my recently accepted piece for Highlights does not pay many bills!
@Katelyn – I believe in the basket theory myself. A little here…a little there and working smarter, not harder.
P.s. With your own sites you have control of your work – with someone else’s you don’t.
I believe in doing whatever it takes to make ends meet. In other words, the ends justify the means.
For me, residuals don’t pay the bills. They are “maybe”. They are “possibly”. They aren’t cash in my pocket now. So I don’t do them. I only work for flat fees.
With that being said, I had to LOL at the “hack writer” comment by another of the mis-informed “elite” writers. There are many people out there (myself included) who work jobs that other writers consider beneath them. You have no right to call someone a hack simply because you don’t agree with their choices in life, their writing style, or the type of work they are doing. A similar situation came up with my wife’s job recently. She works at one of the most influential dermatology clinics in our city. The owner is constantly on all of the talk shows, in magazines, and the clients they get in are high-profile people, from politicians to models to actresses. Recently, my mother-in-law went in for a procedure and happened to see the cleaning lady (janitor) on her way out. She said “hi” to the woman on her way out, and bid her a good day.
The next day, the cleaning lady is telling my wife about this “nice lady who actually said hi to me”, and my wife tells her “that’s my mom!”. The cleaning lady proceeds to tell my wife how frustrating it is for her. Because she works in a job which many people consider demeaning, she is looked down upon by the “elite” in society. The actresses, models, and politicians who come in sneer down their noses at her, because they consider what she does to be a “lowly” job.
She’s 65 years old. There’s no other jobs for her to take. She’s too old to advance up the chain of command. She’s relegated to a job as a janitor. And people should be grateful that she is doing the job she is, because if it weren’t for people like her the pretty little world that the “elite” live in wouldn’t exist.
Now, while that may not pertain to writing in general, I’m really sick to death of reading arrogant and snide comments from the elitist writers out there. Some of you need to take a step back and realize that you have no right to tell another person whether or not what they are doing is right or wrong, or whether or not they are hacks or otherwise. You aren’t the one who determines whether or not their work is up to standards or not, because you aren’t the one writing the paycheck. Shove off.
Many people only have access to lower paying jobs. Some people don’t have the experience necessary to land the bigger jobs. Are they hacks because they work the low-level jobs? Absolutely not! They are doing what they can to survive. I’m the perfect example of someone who worked their way from the bottom up. I’m on my 17th month of working as a freelance writer. I regularly work the lower-paying gigs. I’ve been called a hack by over half a dozen “elitist” writers. But you know what? I’m pulling in 4-5k a month, which for a guy who works 30 or so hours a week isn’t too shabby of a wage.
Stop being so judgmental of other people when you haven’t even walked in their shoes.
As far as being old-school…there is such a thing as being too trapped in the ways of the past. I recently yanked a short story of mine from a publication because the magazine transferred ownership and the new owner is someone who is living in the past. A writer on their forums asked for advice, I gave him my personal advice, and the owner proceeded to come on the forums and lambaste me for giving false information, using quite colorful language. Turns out that this individual had a couple of things published 20 years ago, but has never really had financial success at what she does, and believed that her own version of the writing industry was the only version that exists. It’s not. Many different people make things work for themselves in a lot of different ways. Success is not limited to a one-way avenue. I chose to ignore that particular publisher because I don’t believe I want my wagon hitched to someone who can’t see into the 21st century but is instead mired in the ways of the past, and the publishing industry of 20 years ago.
Eggs in a variety of baskets is a good thing. I write for several different clients, and I do more than just write for income. It’s important to diversify so you don’t run into a situation where one of those industries happens to drop out from underneath you. The key is learning how to evolve with the industry. A big issue for a lot of writers is they don’t want to adapt because they fear change. They have a hard time grasping that people can do things differently than they did.
Well, I DO consider myself new school AND a spring chicken, lol, but I still wouldn’t bother with “maybe” income. I don’t work for less than XX per hour, and residuals don’t equal that for years. The only time I suggest eHows and whatnot is for fairly new writers, and only for a bit of time to get some examples/clips.
Huh. Interesting topic…
I’ve been around even longer than you — an autumnal chicken, I guess — and have to say that I am a bit skeptical of Web 2.0 skills or “writing for the web” as new, specialized styles of communication.
Honestly, I’ve found that my writing skills from exhibit labels, scripts, executive summaries and many other publications translate just fine into the Web World.
The secret is out: keep it short, keep it snappy, build in plenty of links.
And Web 2.0 isn’t exactly rocket science: choose keywords with care; tweet and Digg daily; comment on others’ blogs and include your site with your signature line.
I have to say I snicker a bit when I hear of young people who graduated from college with degrees in “interactive writing,” “writing for the web,” etc.
Honestly, writing is writing. It’s different for every client and every type of written product. But if you’re a good writer, and you’re versatile — what does it matter whether it’s for the Web, for a planetarium show, or for a trade book? It’s all about knowing your reader, knowing your subject, and knowing your craft.
Lisa