Freelance Writing Jobs » Thoughts and Stuff

The Inconvenience of Inspiration

Deb — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:04:06 +0000

This morning inspiration struck while I was in the shower. I quickly dried off, threw on my robe and ran to the office where Mr. Ng was sitting at my laptop. “I have a thought!” I called out. “I need to write!” “I’m looking for work!” my husband called back, “work trumps thoughts. ” I rummaged around the office until I found a pen and Post It to write down my brilliant idea so I wouldn’t forget. Inspiration shouldn’t get in the way of an recently laid off man on a mission.

Have you ever noticed how you get the best ideas when you’re no where near a laptop or paper and pen? I have notepads in every bag and on almost every surface, but I don’t get ideas when tools are at the ready.

Plenty of ideas come when I’m sleeping, though. Yes, I have a notebook and pen on my nightstand, but to write down my thoughts is to turn on the light and wake Mr. Ng. I try to avoid this at all costs. Spending time with Captain Cranklypants isn’t conducive to a good brainstorming session. Instead I fumbled around and stumble around until I find a place where I can write without rousing the family, except by then it’s usually too late and I lose it. Sleepy inspiration is easily lost.

I’m not sure if you know this but the local police don’t take too kindly to side of the road brainstorming, even when showing good driving etiquette by putting on your hazard lights. I can tell you from experience, “Honestly Officer, I only pulled over on the side of this busy freeway because I needed to write down my ideas so I won’t forget,” won’t always fly. Inspiration is inconvenient and can cause tickets.

I remember riding home from a visit with the in laws in Queens one evening when inspiration hit. I had the perfect lead in to an article bouncing around in my head. I searched my purse, my son’s stash and the car to no avail. Not wanting to lose the sentence I repeated it over and over like a mantra. Soon my son was playing along. Mr. Ng in the driver’s seat wasn’t so amused. By the time I got home and wrote down my sentence I was over it. Inspiration is so inconvenient.

Then there was the time at a meeting of a local women’s group. It was the first meeting of the season and I, as the President, had door duty so I could greet our esteemed guests and members. On my drive over, a light bulb went off in my head and I wrote my idea on the palm of my hand during a traffic light stop. I planned on transferring my brilliant idea into a notebook when I got to the clubhouse, but I forgot. By the time I remembered, I had spent an hour shaking hands and the words were gone. To this day, I’m not sure the Mayor knows what happened to her hand. Inspiration causes blue handshakes.

I can tell you I’m always prepared for when the light bulbs go off. I can also tell you the light bulbs mostly go off during the rare occasions when they I’m not so prepared. I’ve talked into a tape recorder at the supermarket, wrote on a napkin in a restaurant and even sullied the blank last page of a paperback book I was reading on the subway, all in the name of inspiration.

Inspiration is so inconvenient, but it’s ever so rewarding.

Why I Still Post Freelance Writing Job Leads and Why I Know You Know Best

Deb — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:20:57 +0000

Yesterday my friend Anne Wayman sent a link to her post “Job Postings Here are the Tip of the Ice Berg.” Anne’s thoughtful post was inspired by another freelance writing blogger’s decision not to post freelance writing job leads. I know Anne wanted me to go to her blog and comment (and you should by all means do so, as Anne’s blog is a good one) but I had so many thoughts about this I felt it worthy of its own post.

Anne feels maybe her readers feel her blog is the only source for job leads and they don’t go looking elsewhere for jobs as they should.Not to other blogs and job boards, but to the markets that aren’t always advertised.

With respect to Anne, I’m not sure I agree with this. I don’t think Anne or I are enabling you by posting an assortment of job leads each day. I feel the majority of the FWJ (and AFW) community appreciates the convenience, but I also feel you know your options.

I harbor no illusions.

I know many of you come for the freelance writing jobs, and that’s OK. However, I also know most of you know there are other places to look. Not only job boards, but other markets and venues. Whether or not you choose to look in any those places is up to you, which is why I’ve never stopped posting leads. We’ve been about freedom of choice here since day one, and I’m not going to change a formula that works. I don’t think you feel there are only lower paying opportunities available to you though. I think the majority of this community, and maybe even Anne’s community, know your options and you’re comfortable with your choices. I can’t find fault with this.

Variety is the spice of life

Other than aesthetic changes and a few bells and whistles here and there, this blog’s mission and goal hasn’t changed. It’s about presenting you with all opportunities, discussing where to find all levels of opportunities and sharing tips and tricks for success. Again, it’s a formula that works for all of us, so I’m not about to change. From time to time I offer to elminate opportunities paying below $20, or bring in the really low paying stuff and you raise your voices loud and clear. You know what works for you and you know not to go too low. I respect that and it’s why I don’t cater to only high paying or only low paying jobs. Do I try to look for the best opportunities? Of course. Do I think you know the best opportunities aren’t always advertised? Yes, I do because we discuss it here often, and also, because you tell me. I also know many of you aren’t into querying and cold calling. I also feel you don’t have to be married to one form of writing over another. You can pitch to the $1 per worders and supplement that with a $20 blog post, there’s no right or wrong.

Freedom of Choice

Every day we discuss tips for finding markets, rocking the customer service, networking and the different types of writing available, and I’m sure you find that useful. My stats tell me the majority of this community come here looking for work and I’m going to offer a wide variety of choices. Some of you love the choices and some of you aren’t happy with some of the offerings but you will always have choices.

I know FWJ isn’t the only job board or blog you visit. I know many of you have a long laundry list of places to search each day or week because you know I don’t find all the opportunities, and that’s fine. I would never say that you should only come to this blog, or that it’s the only blog with good leads as that’s silly. I’ll continuously present you with a variety of options and let you take it from there.

This blog is also getting a silly reputation for being a harbor for low paying jobs. That’s kind of silly because we’ve always posted a variety of leads. Moreover, we have discussions every day about the ways to find high paying opportunities and how to advance your career.

In the past we’ve discussed:

I know you know…

I know you know where to look for work and I know why you come here. I also know that every single writing blog brings something dfferent to the table. I may not always agree with your choices, but I’m not going to make you feel bad about your choices. Do I think maybe you feel the jobs posted here are the only jobs out there? No. I don’t think that at all.

Thanks, Anne

I want to thank Anne Wayman for giving me something to think about. I often wonder if I’m doing the right thing or if I should change the way we do things around here. After reading Anne’s post I know we’re both doing the right thing. We’re presenting you with the tools you need to succeed, no matter what type of job you wish to pursue. You send your success stories, so I know it’s working.

Tell us what you think…

Are the daily leads enabling? Do you feel that what’s presented here is all there is? Do you feel there should be only high, or only low or do you prefer the combination platter?

How (and Why) I’ve Changed My Thinking Over a Decade of Freelance Writing

Deb — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:14:15 +0000

Pardon me while I reflect a bit…

2010 will mark my tenth year as a freelance writer. Though it’s a dream come true, it’s all rather surreal. I honestly thought freelancing would be a way to supplement my husband’s income until our son was in school full time. I didn’t expect I’d continue to do this full time a decade later , and I certainly didn’t think I’d have a popular, lucrative blog and booming social media business.

I read somewhere that someone attributed my success to luck and not skill. I disagree. It was a mixture of many things, but mostly hard work and the ability to adapt with my community. Though I consider myself fortunate, I wouldn’t write this all off as luck.

When I first began blogging it was only to provide job leads each day. The growing FWJ community clamored for more, and I began sharing my successes and failures as a freelance writers. My community at that time was mostly work at home moms and I felt some of them were making bad choices about their writing and I spoke up about it. Many members of the community called me on my negativity. Over the years I learned that writers take on projects for a variety of reasons. Some of them work at content sites for a hobby, some take a non-paying newspaper column because the enjoyment of sharing far outweighs the need for money, and some are having problems finding higher paying work and use lower paying opportunities as a way to supplement their income.There are also plenty of writers who are more than happy to do what they do and have no intention of seeking out other opportunities. To all of them I say, “rock on.”

I began to change my tune about the available freelance writing opportunities and the writers who accepted them. Though I never insulted writers for the choices they made there were times I was vocal about my disapproval.

So why am I telling you this?

Yesterday, I participated in a very upsetting comment thread at About Freelance Writing . In this thread, one commenter called writers for a certain content site “hacks.” After I called her on it, she took back the “hacks” comment and instead said they were demoralized and desperate. This isn’t the first time I saw someone who claims to want to help writers insult them in the process. In the past couple of months I read posts by bloggers who insist those who write for web content sites are “lazy,” a “laughingstock,” “sweatshop laborers,” and “untalented”…and those are the kind remarks. Though I did my best to be civil, I reacted emotionally and even wrote to Anne Wayman to apologize and said I wouldn’t be upset if she removed my comments. She opted to keep them.

I promise, I have a point…

Is this what it’s coming too? All of this “I’m so much better than you and if you don’t write what I tell you to write and earn what I tell you to earn you’re desperate and lazy” is upsetting. Why can’t we just live and let live? So you don’t approve of a writer’s choice, move on. All this pettiness and name calling among adults is, well, silly. I don’t know of any other career choice where supposed colleagues pick each other apart and belittle each other for their choices.

I have news for you. No one is right. None of these freelance writing gurus are experts. None of them can tell you the best thing for YOU to do because they’re not you. You’re you. We can all share what works best for us , but YOU make the ultimate decision. So for me to talk down to writers and say, “well you’re just wrong becasue you’re not doing it my way” isn’t only arrogant and unkind, it’s untrue.

Now, I don’t believe I’ve ever been what I call a “my way or the highway” blogger, but I think there are times I’ve been passionate in expressing my disagreement. Not insulting, but passionate. In ten years of writing I learned that we all make the choices that work best for our situations and not one of us is wrong. I will pass on the opportunities I don’t feel to be a good fit for me, and I will always present the best opportunities to you here. If you take on an opportunity I don’t feel is the right choice for me, I still respect your decision.

Does that mean I changed my tune about low paying opportunities?

Not quite, though I changed my tune about the way I look at each opportunity, especially since I’ve been meeting with or talking with the people behind many of these opportunities. I’ll always speak up about scams and unsavory types, but I’ll never, ever, look down on a writer for his or her choice.

Writers, if I ever made you feel bad about a decision you made, or if I ever talked down to you about a decision you made or if you ever felt insulted by anything I’ve written regarding your choice, I apologize. I’m here to share and learn from you, not talk down to you.I removed a couple of threads I felt to be insulting and I’ll be more mindful about what I publish here in the future.

How have you changed your thinking about freelance writing and freelance writers since you started?

Getting Past the Pajama Mentality

Deb — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:21:32 +0000

Freelancers are subject to many stereotypes. For example, most non-freelancing people feel that we have all the time in the world or that we spend a lot of time at Starbucks.

Ok, well, maybe that second one is true.

My favorite stereotype is the one about pajamas. I’m sure you see it all the time too. Ads that are focused towards folks who work at home inevitably mention jammies. Our friends and neighbors direct envy in our direction because they think we don’t have to get out of our plaid flannels every day. I don’t know how this slovenly image of unshowered, be-jammied writers got started, but I absolutely don’t work in my pajamas each day.

I get that this whole “work in your pajamas” thing is supposed to portray some comfortable lifestyle, but to me it conveys unwashed and lazy. I mean, if you saw one of your neighbors in her pajamas day in and day out, you wouldn’t think “brilliant writer,” you’d be calling out “take a bath, lazybones” from across the fence.

Being in my pajamas is very comfortable but I don’t want to be that comfortable when I’m workng. For me to get in the proper frame of mind I have to be cleaned, clothed and ready to face the day. Pajamas = lounging in front of the TV while brushing the chip crumbs from your chest. Dressed = right frame of mind for work.

All joking aside, working at home does allow us a certain amount of comfort. For example, we can work in sweats or jeans rather than the requisite business casual. I like to separate work from relaxation, though. When you’re home all day, it can be difficult to get into that business frame of mind. It’s not easy for that to happen if I’m wearing a Snuggy and fuzzy bunny slippers.

I want to be taken seriously as a writer and blogger. That’s not going to happen if I don’t take my own business seriously. Getting changed everyday makes me feel like a professional, and that’s half the battle.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make a Starbucks run.

Are There No GOOD Freelance Writing Jobs Anymore?

Deb — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:50:19 +0000

I keep coming back to Jodee Redmond’s post “Will Taking a Low Paying Freelance Writing Job Hurt Your Career?” I already wrote about my thoughts on this topic and I don’t wish to bring it up again, however one of the comments is sticking in my mind. In fact, I’ve been mulling it over for days.

Content Sites Aren’t Keeping You From Higher Paying Freelance Writing Opportunities

In the comments for that blog post, I mentioned how there have always been low paying gigs, whether they’re with literary journals or as the resident freelancer for a graphic design studio. In fact, I remember freelance writers clamoring for a gig paying minimum wage when I worked in publishing in the 80’s and 90’s. My point was that these jobs didn’t keep anyone from aspiring to do better or finding higher paying work back in the day, and the entry level opportunities we see today shouldn’t keep us from it either, if that’s our choice.

I said:

There have always been low paying opportunities for writers, for example, the literary magazine paying five dollars or the newspaper column paying $15.

None of these jobs lowered the rates or drove away the high paying jobs (though, in all honesty, there was a time I thought this would be the case). There have been a handful of freelancers visiting the FWJ community over the years who continuously speak out against he entry level gigs and their rates of pay, but has it really affected their situations? These writers set a standard and won’t go below that standard, yet still complain about the rates and the “content mill jobs” as if they’re affecting their livelihood. They’re not. Writers who won’t settle below a certain amount are still finding work, otherwise they would have thrown in the towel a long time ago.

The commentator posted this in response:

Check out the Indeed listings and others-dominated by the content mills. The literary journals never occupied position one.

No, because literary journals didn’t advertise on traditional classified advertising sites. We didn’t have all these Internet jobs back then so you can’t compare. Literary journals only advertised in the back of Writer’s Digest or other writing newsletters. I agree it’s annoying to see hundreds of ads for the same company occupying the hundreds of slots on the job search engines, but that doesn’t mean there are no good freelance writing jobs, it simply means you may have to dig a little deeper.

Stop Looking for Excuses and You’ll Find the Good Freelance Writing Jobs

For some reason, I have a reputation for “only” posting low paying gigs, which is kind of funny. At FWJ we post between 40 and 100 new gigs each and every day and very few of them are from “content mills.” Many of them are lucrative opportunities. Web content is just a small portion of the jobs posted here on a regular basis. I understand there are some people who don’t approve of entry level opportunities, but to say they’re the reason you’re not finding work is just an excuse. There is plenty of freelance writing work, even in this economy.

There have always been low paying jobs. We see them more now because of the Internet, but there have always been places that paid writers less than $10 – or nothing at all. We found high paying work “back in the day,” and we’ll continue to find high paying work now. The “content mills” (and I) are a convenient scapegoat, but they’re not the reason you’re not finding better work.

On Making an Honest Living

Deb — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:55:58 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about choices lately. Those of you who have been following this blog for a while, know that there are times when I don’t agree with some writers’ choices. However, I’ve always respected these choices. If I see something I feel is unfair I’ll call attention to it, but I still respect a writer’s choice to make his own decision. It has nothing to do with “empowering” you to do better because we present you with the tools to achieve whatever level of writing and pay you wish to achieve every single day. It’s not about tough love or slapping you into reality, because we’re all adults and I don’t believe in talking down to adults…or children for that matter.

There’s something more to it though.

I grew up the fourth of six children. My mother was an assistant English professor and my father was a librarian. Both of these were very low paying careers and we had very little money growing up. But you know what? We were all happy. We had a good childhood. We didn’t have riches and we didn’t have the fancy toys and electronics our friends had, but we had a good life. Many people looked down at my parents for not dropping the jobs they loved to make a better life for us, but they were happy. We were happy. They were making an honest living and they taught us a thing or two about the important things in life.

I don’t knock an honest living. In this economy people do what they have to in order to put food on the table. If that means taking an entry level writing job instead of robbing banks and stealing from neighbors, I respect that choice. It’s not lazy to take an entry level writing job, not when you’re putting in eight good hours of work and have a tidy pay check to show for it. Your choice may not be my choice but I will always respect your decision. Sometimes if there’s something I don’t agree with, I’ll speak up about it, but I hope I never make anyone feel bad about their choices and if I ever did this in the past I’m very sorry. Though I’ve tried it (and failed miserably) in the past, the tough love approach isn’t me. However, if it’s your thing, I can recommend plenty of writing experts who would like to tell you how wrong you are for making an honest living or not making the choices they feel you should make.

I’m not for low pay. I’m not for no pay. I know writers can earn thousands of dollars for one article if they hit the right niche and market. I will always encourage you to reach for the stars. However, I also know writers make the decision that will pay the bills, or they will work at jobs they enjoy, even if those jobs don’t pay thousands of dollars for a piece of writing. It’s your choice. You’re making an honest living. I have nothing but respect for you and your choice.

Writing Through Chaos: The REAL Truth About Working from Home

Deb — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:27:58 +0000

Last week New Jersey schools closed in order for teachers and other educators to attend the NJEA convention. Mind you, this conference is only two days, but because parents usually take their kids out of school for the entire week anyway, the schools shut down for the entire week this year. Clearly, we have our priorities in order. My son is one of the handful of kids who usually attends school if it’s open during this time. He sits forlornly on the near-empty school bus and the sound of his footsteps echo as he walks down the quiet hallway to join the other classmates whose parents can’t afford a trip to Cozumel. By the way, they call the first week of November “New Jersey week” at Disney for this very reason. Now, I don’t understand why the teachers can’t have their convention in the summer when it won’t interrupt a child’s education, but that’s neither here nor there. There was no school last week and all of my son’s friends had traveling plans. I was prepared for a week of art projects and Phineas and Ferb marathons so I could get stuff done.

I needn’t have worried because …

…my son caught a virus compounded by a horrible cough and sinus infection and that kept both of us well occupied. Well, that is until halfway through the illness when boredom set in for The Boy who was bouncing off the walls. And the couch. And the Dog.

You might be thinking how fortunate I am to be a work at home mom so I can care for my family during their time of need.

The truth is, when a seven year old realizes a little whining will get him ginger ale and jello, Mom isn’t getting anything done. I spent most of last week fetching buckets, dispensing antibiotics and reading the entire collective works of Frog and Toad, over and over and over again.

You must be thinking I’m happy last week is over so I can get back to working in peace.

Did I mention Mr. Ng’s unemployment? My husband was laid off at the end of July. This means he’s been home every day since August 1st. That’s every day, people. Every. Day. Now I love my husband, but the 24/7 thing can wear thin. Whoever made up all that “til death do us part” stuff, never spent all day, every day with a spouse. He has decided to use this time wisely and renovate. During the day. Every day. When I’m home trying to work. Power tools, hammers, and cursing are now the soundtrack of my life.

After reading this you will probably suggest I take my show on the road.

Let me tell you about the quiet WiFi hotspots in my area…

Starbucks and the library are becoming a way of life. Except there are people around …always. So my option is to to work at home amid the sound of Dremels and drills or to go to the local Starbucks where five small tables are squeezed in between the counter and the wall to make a very narrow aisle where folks push by, knocking my elbows off the table on their way to ordering double triple mocha soy lattes with a twist. Since most of my neighbors stop by the coffee shop on their way to work or home from the supermarket, they all have to stop by my table to say hello. And they won’t leave.

Then there’s the library…

This isn’t your father’s library. There are no shushing librarians or quiet signs reminding us people are trying to read, work or study. This is the new library where patrons are encouraged to talk and share ideas. There’s a quiet section but there aren’t any power cords or tables, only bean bag chairs and these stuffed cube things that are suppose to pass for chairs. I’m 45. The last time I sunk myself into a bean bag chair, three people had to pull me out for fear I’d never be heard from again.

So I sit at the table with the plug for my power cord, which, by the way, is just outside of the room where “Mommy and Me” or “Music to Move By” classes are being held. “Hi Mrs. Ng!” My neighbors kids call out as they enter and leave the room. I wave back. “Oh good, you’re here. Now I have some one to talk to while I wait for story hour to end,” their moms tell me as they sit down next to me and fill me in on the day’s gossip.

Power tools and fetching the bucket for an influenza afflicted seven year old look mighty attractive after a day of silence at the coffee shop or library.

Oh yes, I’m so fortunate to be living the dream and working at home where I can spend all this quality time with my family. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

Good Writing is Good Writing Regardless of Price

Deb — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:25:40 +0000

Yeah, there’s a lot of bad writing flooding the Internet and it’s one of my pet peeves. However, bad writing has nothing to do with the cost of each piece of writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s free or cost $5,000 to produce, good writing is good writing.

Low pay doesn’t breed bad writing. There’s bad writing on the web because:

Anyone can be a writer on the web.
Many web-based content companies have loose hiring standards.
Many web-based companies don’t offer editorial or mentoring for new writers.
Many web-based companies don’t have fact checkers on staff.
Anyone can be a writer on the web.

Yes, many entry level gigs don’t check a writer’s samples or background before hiring and this is part of the problem. Also, many entry level web gigs don’t have an editor checking every piece of writing to make sure it’s grammatically and factually correct. It’s easy to see why we associate bad writing with low pay. However, there are good writers who write for free or write for millions, the skill of a writer has nothing to do with pay. You either have it or you don’t.

To say certain compaines are flooding the Internet with “crap” because they’re a “mill” or because they offer entry level pay is a display of ignorance. There are good writers with impressive backgrounds at all web based content sites. Moreover, certain content sites have strict hiring policies and even stricter article acceptance policies. They may churn out remarkable amounts of content every day, but that doesn’t mean the content is “crap.” Good writing is good writing regardless of price and if you think pay commands good writing, I recommend you read the “Twilight” series.

Do I wish all web content sites would be more choosy about their writers and the writing they accept? Absolutely! I won’t go as far as to lump all these sites together because they’re not. There are a few content sites that reject articles that aren’t up to par, and a couple of these websites don’t even accept more than 50% of the writers who apply.

Good writing has nothing to do with price. Yes, I wish entry level writers were paid more money, however, I won’t go as far as to say they produce “crap.”

Deb’s disclaimer because people like to take my words out of context and twist them to their own benefit: I am not saying everyone should work for low pay, or only work for low pay, or take a content job and never do anything else, or write content full time. I feel all writers should make the best choices for them, do their best, and know that there are always better opportunities. This post isn’t endorsing low pay, it’s making an observation that the size of the paycheck doesn’t necessarily lower or raise the quality of the writing.

Why Negativity is So Positive

Deb — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:49:01 +0000

Here’s something to consider:

Many writers try to inspire or evoke emotion and fail miserably. If you write something and receive a negative reaction, you didn’t fail. You inspired others to act. Consider yourself a success.

How sad would it be if you wrote something and no one responded? Or if every one just said, “oh I agree” and left it at that. If people are angry with you, if you touched a nerve, you’re doing your job as a writer – even if you don’t feel that way at first. Not everyone has the talent to inspire others to react. Take it as a job well done.

What have you done lately to inspire passion?

Why I Don’t Use Text Speak

Deb — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:49:37 +0000

At my last full time job, everyone used Skype to communicate as we all worked at home. My mornings usually began with a chat with my boss that went something like this:

Him: hi how ru?

Me: Fine, and you?

Him: bsy

Me: What’s on tap for today?

Him: cn u cll ur client 2 find out what hppned?

Me: Of course, I’ll get on it first thing.

Him: tnx TTYL

Me: Bye. Have a nice day.

If you ever Skype with me or if we text chat on the phone, and even on Twitter (most of the time) I won’t use text speak. It hurts my eyes to read words that aren’t really words and while I believe brevity is a talent, there’s a difference between short and sweet and deliberately shortening words to send a message.

Actually, I don’t text much, but that’s a whole different story.

Every time I go out people are walking around texting. They’re doing it in line, they’re doing it while shopping, driving, dining out, and they’re doing it while attending classes and sessions at conferences. I don’t know about you, but I find it very rude to be in conversation with someone while that same person whips out a phone and starts typing. Even though he’s not opening his mouth to speak, his attention is now focused on another person, interrupting us. I once watched a teen hold up her finger to someone at the DMV in order to get him to stop talking so she could read and respond to a text message. I looked over to see if her mother had anything to say about this display but she was also texting. Maybe they were texting each other.

However, this is about text messaging shorthand and not rude people.

Lately every time I receive an email from someone under 30 or Skype or use a similar instant messaging service, the messages are riddled with “LOLs” and “b4s” and “how r us”. It makes me crazy. Can we not type complete words when communicating online?

The local Starbucks had a sign on their chalk board recently reading” 2 Day’s 2ings.” I asked a girl behind the counter what a “2ing” is and she looked at me as if I was from a different planet. “It’s a pairing,” she said. “Cute right?” No it’s not cute. A “2ing” doesn’t even come close to being a “pairing” it looks like “twoing” which makes absolutely no sense. How much harder can it be to write out the whole word? Shortened words are anything but cute.

Full disclosure: I’ve been known to use a “2″ instead of a “to” or “two” on Twitter to make a sentence work, but that’s very rare. I feel the constant use of SMS (text chat speak) makes us lazy. Creative people can find the words to fit in a short space without eliminating too many letters. And Skype and emails? There’s no reason to BRB and LOL because there’s no character count there. Why do we do this? What happened to typing out real words. Better yet, why can’t we use our voices and talk like human beings and not robots?

Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the good old days. The days before text chatting, cell phones and instant messaging. The days when only the “rich” families had more than one phone and we had to get through the day without a constant barrage of messages. If the phone rang while we were with friends, we politely told the party on the other end we were busy and would call back. We went out to dinner and communicated with our family and friends and gave them our full attention. Phone calls during dinner time or after 9:00 were only in the case of a true emergency, and by true emergency I don’t mean to discuss BFFs and FWIWs. Whatever happened to waiting until the next day to find out the gossip? There’s nothing to anticipate anymore because we receive all of our information immediately as it happens.

I don’t want to know “2day’s specials” or have to wait while someone will “brb”. Talk to me, people. Talk to me using real words and not abbreviations. I don’t want to LOL, I want to laugh. I want to have discussions where I don’t have to whip out the SMS dictionary to find out what the other person is talking about. Is that too much to ask? Am I the only person turned off by this?

What are your thoughts? Has text chatting made us lazy and rude?

Discuss…