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Freelance Writing Jobs for August 27, 2010

By on August 27, 2010. 2 Comments

Good morning, everyone! It’s Friday, and it sure feels like it’s going to be a great weekend.  Enjoy the last weekend of August, but do check out the job leads below first! New Around the Freelance Writing Jobs Network When Good Article Writing Goes Bad Call for Submissions and Writing Contests from Creative Nonfiction Journal Create Content with Timeless Appeal Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Jobs Education Writer Article Writer Financial Writer (New York) Writer for TicketKick (San Diego) Website Content Writer (North Vancouver) Website Content Writer (London, UK) Norwegian Web Writer Writers – Foreign Affairs (Sausalito, CA) Blogging Jobs [Read more…]

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How to Write Blog Posts That Say Something

By on May 6, 2010. 11 Comments

Did you ever come across a blog post with a catchy headline but the actual content says nothing? Sure, there are a bunch of words there, but they never seem to back up the title. It’s kind of a pet peeve of mine. I’m a sucker for a good headline, so you can imagine my disappointment when I’m sucked in via blog’s title and end up receiving  little or no return on my investment of time. It’s easy to ramble on when blogging. However, if you’re going to write a title that promises something, you need to be sure you’re [Read more…]

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Will Casual Blogging Conversation Be the Death of Formal Article Writing?

By on May 6, 2010. 7 Comments
Conversation bubble

A couple of days ago I wondered if it’s OK for freelance writing bloggers to talk like they speak. After all, blogging is a much more casual form of writing than what most of us are used to.  While some purists don’t always appreciate a conversational tone when reading the news or learning about vitamin supplements, the truth is, that’s where we’re headed. The Internet has turned writers into bloggers and everything is all so ultra-cas now. Writing for Short Attention Spans Look around at your favorite news, medical and even government sites and what do you see? News sites [Read more…]

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Your Turn: Should Freelance Writing Bloggers Blog Like they Talk?

By on May 4, 2010. 12 Comments
blog

Blogging is more conversational than traditional freelance writing. Bloggers don’t have to follow a particular style or format, nor do they have to consult manuals or guides to make sure they’re doing everything right. Most bloggers blog like they talk. In fact, when you think about it, the average person doesn’t speak  in the AP or Chicago format. We rant, rave, swear and use run on sentences. Still, I find I have to check myself to make sure I’m not blogging like I talk. Because I’m a writer, I’m not really expected to blog like other bloggers as I’m expected [Read more…]

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Does Guest Blogging Work? Part 1: Traffic

By on May 3, 2010. 8 Comments
guests

I have  a love hate relationship with guest blogging. On one hand, I enjoy sharing with other bloggers’ communities. The flip side is that as a freelance writing blogger I’m supposed to discourage writing for free. It’s kind of a sticky situation because we complain that too many people are advertising on Craigslist for free labor but then we turn around and offer our expertise to other blogs because they’re supposed to be good marketing. So as you can see, we’re a little contradictory. What I’d like to explore in this series is whether or not guest blogging works. Over [Read more…]

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Eight Ways for Freelance Writers to Become Famous on the Web

By on April 28, 2010. 8 Comments

You want a presence. Gravitas. Authority. Whatever. You want people to find you. You want them to know who you are. You have your reasons. They’re probably related to maintaining a sufficient balance in your checking account.

So, how are you going to do it? How are you going to go from being just another of 13,397,988 freelance writers to Famous You?

Here are a few models to consider.

Categories: Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Clients, Marketing, Networking, Reputation and Credibility Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to be a professional blogger

By on April 14, 2010. 8 Comments

The other day I posted about Google CEO Eric Schmidt not seeming to be all that on board with bloggers. Some agreed, some thought he needed to read some WordPress blogs (not just Blogger), some felt he was just being pro editor and not dissing bloggers in general. That’s all good but if you are a blogger you should be aware that you can expand your professional appearance as a blogger without having to resort to saying stuff like, “I’m really a writer; not a blogger.” Bloggers, in my opinion, can be completely professional. There’s a ton of stuff you [Read more…]

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Google CEO Eric Schmidt not on board with bloggers

By on April 12, 2010. 13 Comments

So, last night Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a nice little speech at the American Society of News Editors conference in DC, and apparently doesn’t find bloggers to be all that trustworthy. Maybe he was just trying to fit in with the print heavy crowd, maybe he only reads poorly written blogs or maybe he just really doesn’t like bloggers – who knows. However he did note… “We’re not in the news business, and I’m not here to tell you how to run a newspaper. We are computer scientists. And trust me, if we were in charge of the news, [Read more…]

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Freelance Writing Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

By on March 21, 2010. 7 Comments

At Freelance Writing Jobs we strive to provide you with the best information possible about starting your freelance writing career. With so many posts offering tips and advice, it can be hard to find useful information that’s not on the front page of this blog. Since we receive a lot of email asking for tips on getting started as a freelance writer, how to set rates and more, I thought it was time for a static “Frequently Asked Questions” page. If you’re starting out as a writer, or just want a refresher course, use this handy list as a one [Read more…]

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More on Freelancing, Blogging and Giving Out Free Information

By on March 20, 2010. 25 Comments
free!

At SXSW last weekend I had a chance to attend a small, intimate gathering made up of many of the top writing bloggers and social media professionals in the space. We had an interesting conversation regarding email and how many people write to us on a daily basis requesting advice. Most of us described receiving hundreds, if not thousands of emails each day requesting advice for getting started, setting rates and other questions. So herein lies the dilemma…. Every bit of advice folks email to ask about can be found on this blog. For example, I receive mail asking for [Read more…]

Categories: Thoughts and Stuff Tags: , , , , , , ,

Complaining About Your Freelance Writing Clients

By on March 3, 2010. 10 Comments

So, I’ll dump it in your laps… What do you think about it? Do these public attacks on frustrating clients serve a greater good that justifies the potential downside? Are there particular standards that writers should follow when calling out a bad apple from their client barrel?

Categories: Blogging, Customer Service, Freelance Writing Business, Freelance Writing Clients Tags: , , , , ,

Are You (Ab)Using Your Online Friends?

By on March 1, 2010. 21 Comments
Community1

Does this sound familiar? You’re an aspiring blogger looking to make yourself known in a popular niche. All the blogging books and blogs tell you in order to do this you have to network heavily including commenting at other top blogs to bring in traffic. You do. You don’t just comment you become THE top commenter. You add your opinion to every single post and even drop some links if you can get away with it. As soon as your blog starts picking up momentum you forget that other blog. You don’t come by and comment or participate in community [Read more…]

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b5Media: I’m in a Better Place Now

By on February 17, 2010. 17 Comments
Blog - stock.xchnge

When I first began working as a blogger, b5Media was at the top of my list of places to work. I mean, Liz Strauss, Brian Clark and Darren Rowse, all bloggers I looked up to, were part of b5Media. As someone who wanted to make a name for myself as a blogger, I felt this was a positive step in the right direction. My little freelance writing jobs blog was doing OK, I had some lucrative freelance writing clients, I just started working for About.com as their guide to Weblogs, a b5 gig was the icing on the cake…and I [Read more…]

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40 Lessons Learned Over Five Years of Blogging

By on February 10, 2010. 34 Comments
blog

2010 is a year of milestones. It marks my tenth year as a freelance writer and professional blogger, and the 5th anniversary of Freelance Writing Jobs: the blog. Unlike other jobs, blogging and this network are where my passion lies. As much as I love what I do, I also learn something new every day. I’d love to share some of those lessons with you today. Most of these apply to bloggers with their own blogs. However, you can also apply many of these lessons to blogs you write for others. 40 Lessons Learned Over Five Years of Blogging If [Read more…]

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10 Celebrities with Blogs Worth Reading

By on February 2, 2010. 8 Comments
blog 3

Several years ago, I wrote a post for a blog called Celebrity Cowboy called 66 Celebrities Who Blog. Today, I read again for the first time in years and realized it’s a little outdated. Plus it featured big names with blogs that weren’t updated or publicist-updated MySpace pages. I thought an update was in order, but one featuring recommendations of the celebrity-authored blogs truly worth reading. What does any of this have to do with freelance writing and the Freelance Writing Jobs network? I promise, it’s sort of relevant. Many of us blog and many of us read blogs. As [Read more…]

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Is your blog job sucking the fun out of blogging?

By on January 4, 2010. 2 Comments

I’ve been blogging professionally (i.e. making money at this blogging deal) for a long while now. However, before I blogged for pay I blogged for me. For fun. For the sheer need of saying what was on my mind. I had a blog with zero ads so comments and freedom of speech were my big rewards, not cold hard cash. There’s a big difference between blogging for yourself and blogging because it’s your job, but it doesn’t mean the two paths can’t connect. For example, when you blog for clients, for cash, there are some issues that can super suck [Read more…]

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The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Blogs and Blogging

By on November 19, 2009. 7 Comments
blog 3

Deb’s note: This is part three in our “Freelance Writer’s Guide to Social Media Series.”  Also see: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Twitter and a Freelance Writer’s Guide to Facebook…and stay tuned for the accompanying ebook. It almost seems as if everyone who writes for a living has a blog about writing, doesn’t it? That’s not a bad thing as it gives us plenty of places to share ideas and learn. Even writers who don’t have blogs can benefit, though. In  this”guide” we’re going to take a look a the different ways blogs and blogging benefits freelance writers. Blogs You [Read more…]

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Creating a useful and successful blog networking plan

By on June 24, 2009. 3 Comments

Social networking isn’t that hard. Anyone can tweet, leave comments, ask for link exchanges, or IM readers and blogging pals. These are all general networking ideas that can work. However, if you’re focusing on the wrong blog networking tactics for your specific blog you’re wasting your time. In my mind we network for one basic reason, to draw readers to our blog. Maybe you’re networking for another reason; to get read for personal reasons, to promote a cause, to get a job, or to gain clicks on ads, but it really all comes down to getting people to your blog [Read more…]

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Blogging & Web Writing Gigs for June 19, 2009

By on June 19, 2009. Leave a Comment

So in bad news I’ve seen almost zero decent anywhere gigs this week, however, if you’re lucky enough to live in the right areas, you may find a good job below. For you anywhere writers, you can also check out Deb’s latest job listings (not totally blog-web specific). Job tip o’ the day: Do you have a contact me page at your personal blog? You should if you’re looking to score jobs. If people can’t contact you, they can’t hire you. You’d be surprised at how many blogs I come across that contain zip contact info; don’t be one of [Read more…]

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Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for June 5, 2009

By on June 5, 2009. Leave a Comment

Some decent looking gigs today, which is good since weekends pickings tend to be slim. Job tip o’ the day: Blogging is more than just writing. You may need to know basic HTML, SEO, how to fix a small glitch, or set up a widget. Make sure you learn everything you need to about blogging to score gigs. Anywhere gigs: Huddle.net looking for bloggers Blogger at Task.fm – NOTE: they say, “You’ll be working as part of a fun start-up” so check out to see if they’re actually paying. Community Manager for 700+ Australian bloggeres Eco-website needs writers – a [Read more…]

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Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for May 30, 2009

By on May 30, 2009. 4 Comments

A fair amount of gigs going on yesterday and today – hopefully you find something useful here. Bonus job tip o’ the day: Having been blogging for a good long while, I’ve built up a list of pet blog peeves. However my biggest peeve (ok, one of my biggest) is when bloggers fail to quote sources. Annoying! If you’re guilty of this it only make you look like an amateur and when potential clients visit your links, they’ll notice too and it may mean you don’t get the gig. Anywhere gigs: Environmental Writers Online Magazine Environmental Writers Green Writers Wanted [Read more…]

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Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for May 22, 2009

By on May 22, 2009. Leave a Comment

Some decent looking gigs today. Bonus gig tip o’ the day: It looks like social media gigs are taking over lately; if you’re not on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites now is the time to connect. Anywhere gigs: Social Media Intern – can’t tell if you have to be in San Francisco or not. Food Technologist Writer Fashion, tech, home and garden blogs – freelance contributors wanted – NOTE: only decent pay if you blog fast. Online Marketing Manager Writer Needed To Post On Social Website for Search Engine Optimization (L.A. ) – sounds like they’re looking for [Read more…]

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Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for May 21, 2009

By on May 21, 2009. 1 Comment

Blogging and online writing leads that I think are worth your time have been slim lately – plus I’m in sort of a rush today – blah. Below are some gigs that look decent… Blogging gig tip o’ the day: When looking for blogging and online gigs, you don’t just have to stick to the job boards. You can also sometimes find jobs by heading directly to the website source – i.e. the website or blog you’d like to blog for, look for an editor/manager email, and send them your bio / cover letter. Anywhere gigs: ZUG.com Contributing Writers – [Read more…]

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5 Reasons You're Not Making Money as a Blogger

By on May 3, 2009. 18 Comments

Thanks to that famous $100,000 Google check and the whole “make money online” craze, everyone who blogs thinks they’re going to earn enough money so they can quit their day jobs and retire in style. It’s a nice thought. Realistically very few people make hundreds of thousands of dollars blogging each year. It’s not a stretch to earn a livable wage as a blogger, however. If you’re spending all your time blogging and have very little in the bank to show for it, you may be taking the wrong approach. Whether you blog on your own, or blog for someone [Read more…]

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Freelance Writing Jobs for April 22, 2009

By on April 22, 2009. 8 Comments

Ever notice how one small setback can throw your schedule off for the whole day – even an entire week? One power outage, one server issue, one phone call from school, there are so many things that can throw us off track. Regrouping can be difficult, especially if you have a lot on your place. I’ve worked around the clock with very little sleep in order to make my deadlines. As a freelancer I had a few policies in place: 1. Never make a promise I can’t keep – If I say something is going to be done a certain [Read more…]

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