The popularity of social media in today’s job market has made everybody believe they can talk their way to a job. It gives them an excuse to visit their favorite social media site and say they are doing it as a part of their job search. While freelancers and job seekers can find jobs on social media sites, it needs to be handled carefully to be successful. When looking for freelance writing gigs, it is important to let people know you are open to receiving new clients. One of the benefits of social media is the people you are associated [Read more…]
Follow These Freelancers and Enterpreneurs on Quora
December 9, 2012. Leave a Comment
A couple of days ago I was chatting with some friends over drinks, and the topic turned to social media. Given the status of about half of us as geeks, this was an in depth discussion that lasted for quite some time. Accompanied by plenty of eye rolling from the other half of our group with little interest in social media outside of playing Farmville. When we talk about the web and technology related fields, those in the group as obsessed as I am will usually agree on the good, the bad and the undecided. But what shocked me was [Read more…]
10 Interesting Social Media & Blogging Stats
January 11, 2011. 5 Comments
I recently came across a collection of stats as they pertain to social media and blogging. I found it to be a powerful collection of information to have. Especially while reflecting on old blog posts and considering future topics, social media goals and methods in which I can increase my traffic. With this kind of knowledge you can customize a long-term agenda that will fit in line with some of the current trends. When it comes to blogging and social media – now is not the time to get left behind. Social networking usage among seniors 65 and older grew [Read more…]
Why Social Media is No Legal Safe Haven
December 17, 2010. 3 Comments
One of the reasons that the Web has become a legal minefield is because it deals with laws and ethics that, prior to its creation, almost no one had any reason to know. Before the Web, the only reason to understand libel, privacy, copyright, trademark and other areas commonly associated with mass media law was if you were a journalist, a publisher or someone else involved in some form of media. The average person just didn’t have the means to really reach a large audience, not without filtration, making the laws fairly pointless to know. But now, with the Web, [Read more…]
(Mis)Communication in the Social Media Age
May 10, 2010. 10 Comments
I miss the pre-social media world sometimes, back then ignorance was bliss. Communicating Back Then Growing up in the 70′s meant no cell phones or Netbooks. We sent all our correspondences via snail mail and any phone calls came to the house or office. Most of us had one phone in our homes, but some of the more well off families had extensions upstairs, and even separate phones for the kids. No one ever called during dinner hours or after 9:00. We received our news from newspapers, magazines or one of a half dozen television stations and always had to [Read more…]
How Do You Support Your Favorite Bloggers?
March 25, 2010. 6 Comments
During our last night at SXSW, my good friends Andy Hayes, Chris Garrett and I enjoyed some dinner and conversation. Our topic revolved around blog community and whether or not our communities owe us anything for all the information we share. We all agreed that our communities support us in many ways including visiting our blogs every time we post. Without this type of support, there would be no reason to blog at all. I always said that without my community I’m nothing and both Chris and Andy agreed. We appreciate the loyalty of our individual communities and we find [Read more…]
3 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Client Base
March 24, 2010. 3 Comments
If you’ve been following me for a while you know I believe there are no right or wrong ways to use social media, and often complain of “social media police” telling us how we should Tweet or use Facebook, However, that doesn’t mean I don’t believe we shouldn’t use social media to give our careers a boost. There may be no exact rules, but there are certainly tried and true methods for using the social networks and other social media tools to achieve success. What I like about using online tools for networking and landing clients is how they’re so [Read more…]
Your Freelance Writing Clients Know You’re Lying
March 17, 2010. 15 Comments
Freelance writing clients are smart cookies. Most of them know when they’re being conned or lied to. In today’s public and open world of freelancing, you can’t call in sick and head to the beach. You can’t claim an aunt died when you really just want a few days off. If you’re going to lie to your clients, keep in mind that in most cases they’ll find out. Don’t Invite Clients to View Your Personal Details if You’re Going to Be Dishonest As freelance writers we work hard, but we still maintain flexible schedules. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t [Read more…]
Freelance Writing: Nothing Has Changed & Everything Has Changed
February 17, 2010. 3 Comments
Every now and then I like to focus on the business of freelance writing and how things have changed over the past 25 years. Though I wasn’t freelancing in the mid-80′s to late 90′s, I worked with many freelance writers. I helped to assign articles and chased those who were late on their deadlines. I also acted as a sort of liaison between the accounting department and freelance writers to ensure they received payment. Mostly, I gave them my ear. As assistant to the Editor in Chief, I was one of the few in our company who had my own [Read more…]
5 Reasons Online Relationships are Important for Freelance Writers
November 20, 2009. 8 Comments
You probably see me on Twitter…a lot. The truth is, I like Twitter for many reasons. for example, it breaks up the monotony of the day when I’m home alone. There’s more to it than that, though. I find the networking to be invaluable. Twitter has enabled me to build on so many different types of relationships with clients, sponsors, community members and friends. In 2010, anyone wishing to be a success in business, needs to consider the various social networks as a way to meet others and build up buzz around a product and brand, even if the brand [Read more…]
The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Facebook
November 13, 2009. 9 Comments
When my social media clients ask me the difference between Facebook and Twitter, I tell them it’s all about communication; Facebook is the extended family picnic while Twitter is a rock concert. Both Twitter and Facebook are important networking tools, tools to use to build relationships online, while knocking them out of the ballpark by taking them offline. To be honest, I was reluctant to embrace Facebook. I wondered if it was a more grownup version of MySpace except not as spammy. To my delight, Facebook continues to evolve for the better. Many people use it as a place for [Read more…]
More Ways to Interact with the FWJ Community
September 27, 2009. Leave a Comment
Many people have written in to ask when we’re going to put the forum back up. Sadly, that was lost in the great server crash of 2009. However, we’re working on a new and improved forum, one that should be up shortly. In the mean time, stop by our Freelance Writing Jobs social network on Ning. We started it several months ago as a way for the community to interact beyond the usual comment fodder. I also started a Facebook page today. We hope you’ll get involved there as well. Thanks for being a part of the FWJ community. Even [Read more…]
