The other day I got an email from a reader who wrote… “I read the job postings frequently and yet, here I sit unemployed with an English/Writing degree. I have had past experience working as a Content Builder for a blossoming internet marketing company but my experience stops there. Even worse, while I was there we were forced to write 40 – 60 articles a month for the same clients month after month. Needless to say, the amount of work and lack of “change” left my articles less than admirable. That said, my portfolio is lacking and now I’m not [Read more…]
What does it mean to be a community manager?
July 6, 2009. 3 Comments
If you look at the recent job board listings here at Blogging For A Living, you may notice that community manager, social media, social networking (whatever you like to call it) gigs are on the rise, while straight up blogging gigs seem to be at a stand still. Personally, I think this is because clients are realizing (finally) that it’s not enough to simply post at their blogs and websites anymore, they also need to promote those posts and build a better community in order for their blog to succeed. Best of all, these clients are up for hiring bloggers [Read more…]
New Research About Bloggers' Ethical Beliefs and Practices
July 4, 2009. 3 Comments
My blogging pal Peggy sent me a link to a new survey you may find interesting – the survey, published in the journal New Media Society, takes a look at how bloggers handle their own ethical beliefs and practices. Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore created a web survey related to the ethical ideals and ethical practices of bloggers, then sent said survey off to 1224 international bloggers with active, text-based blogs to find out more. The survey looks at both bloggers who blog for personal reasons and at bloggers who blog for clients. While the opinions of just 1224 [Read more…]
Blogging & Web Writing Gigs for July 1, 2009
July 1, 2009. 7 Comments
Welcome to July. Hopefully you can kick off the month with a fab new gig… Since there’s so many jobs today, no job tip other than get out there and apply, but I do have a good laugh for you today… Ex N. Idaho Drug Kingpin Needs Writer – Nice! This guy “should be dead a hundred times over” sounds like someone you want to hang with no? I’m so there I love fake ads; such a good use of my time. Anywhere gigs: International Video Journalist Female Writers Needed Care 2 blogger – NOTE: I’ve heard iffy things about [Read more…]
No jobs today but…
June 29, 2009. 1 Comment
How about a good laugh? 6 Tips on How To Sell Out As A Blogger – I’m not an all-the-time fan of Tremendous News! but this sell out post almost made me snort coffee out my nose. Not cool when I’m supposed to be working, but fun. In job related news, there likely won’t be any leads until the 1st because the last two days of the month are crazy for me. Invoices, catch-up, new contracts, and all that jazz. That said, have a good end of the month and see you in July.
Avoiding the temptation of easy to score but low paying gigs
June 29, 2009. 4 Comments
Yesterday we looked at how to quit accepting low paying gigs and how to make a living wage as a writer. But what if you really can’t find a gig? Should you take a low paying job because it’s better than nothing? As noted in the last post, a while ago I needed to pick up a couple new gigs. I applied for tons and didn’t hear back from any of them for a good long while. Frustration kicks in and those low paying gigs start to look better than nothing. Trust me, I do get the appeal of the [Read more…]
Make living wages as a freelance writer – how to quit writing for low wages
June 28, 2009. 14 Comments
Deb’s fabulous post last week, WAHMs: Make Sure the End Justifies the Means, was, as Deb noted, based on a thread or two from WAHM.com’s WAHMs Who Write board. Being a WAHM myself, I’ve been to the boards in the past but quit visiting a long time ago. I just got tired of some folks being so excited by monthly wages that wouldn’t even cover my monthly grocery bills. It’s too frustrating to read. There are ups and downs big time in freelance writing, but one thing is always true, you never have to work for wages like the ones [Read more…]
One job listing you should not apply for
June 26, 2009. 17 Comments
Today I’m posting a gig that’s annoying right off the bat: Green blogger – NOW while I’m sure some of you will apply for this gig, I’d rather you didn’t, I’m posting it to show you an obnoxious job. If you’re hired the pay is good per post, but they’re asking for a lot for free. Too much. Here’s what they want you to do… “To apply, follow these simple 3 steps: 1. Browse our site and see if you connect and resonate with it. Start with the About Us page and check also the other links in the bottom, [Read more…]
Do Your Blog Posts Gain Reader Attention?
June 18, 2009. 10 Comments
Blog posts can be a little dry; excuse me, I meant, web writing can be a little dry overall. Blogs aren’t the only online medium to blame. One problem is that blogs and online articles have gotten so SEO friendly. Some bloggers are excellent at making their posts search friendly AND personable. However, if you’re just focused on SEO, it’s easy to spot, annoying, super boring to read, and won’t lead to long term readers. Another problem is that there are so many darn blogs around. Anyone can offer information on say, coffee or computers (and tons of bloggers do) [Read more…]
Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for June 7, 2009
June 7, 2009. 3 Comments
Oddly there are a semi-decent amount of jobs this weekend. No time for a job tip today though so how about you read up on how to take your blog to the next level with video. Anywhere gigs: Flyhub is looking for a Blogger for its travel related site – might be too much work for too little pay unless you’re quick with social networking. Writter for Blog (Assisted Living) – (Phoenix, Arizona) Freelance Blogger Wanted Experienced Freelance Writers for Web Publishing Company Online Freelance Writer – Conjecture Corporation Location specific gigs: CONTENT WRITER WANTED – (Atlanta) Web Writer Needed [Read more…]
Benefits of choosing a niche you adore
June 4, 2009. 5 Comments
At one of my green-minded blogs I’m coming up on my second year anniversary, which got me wondering just how many green-minded posts I’ve written. Being anal and knowing I’d sit around wondering if I didn’t check, I took five minutes, hit all my green blogs and made a count. As it turns out, I’ve written a lot of green-minded posts; almost 2,000 eco-blog posts in the last few years which is not counting all the random green I’ve blogged for clients, eco-guest posts, green articles I’ve done, or the eco-copy I’ve done for non-profits. That’s a lot of writing [Read more…]
