In the past few weeks I’ve received a flurry, no a barrage, of angry emails asking why I’m qualified to be a freelance writing blogger.
Though I don’t quite get the anger, I’m happy to receive these questions because it means writers and aspiring writers are thinking about who to trust and that’s always a good thing. There’s too much blind faith in the Internet world and we need to spend more time questioning the credentials of those who claim to be authorities.
We’ve discussed my background and qualifications many times before, I’m really not going to get into that now. I mean, when you think about it, the freelance writing community is filled with bloggers who in their past life had nothing to do with freelance writing, or even writing at all. While many do have backgrounds as freelance writers, the majority of your freelance writing bloggers are folks who are doing this because they didn’t want to work at a full time day job. Seriously. The blogs you read each day are written by former publishing associates (like Yours Truly) , P.R people, print on demand publishers, attorneys and marketing execs and many of them had no writing background or interest in writing until they decided they wanted to work at home and I’m no exception.
Our backgrounds are diverse but we all share a similar quality -we all achieved success as writers. While all the different freelance writing bloggers bring unique perspectives to the field of freelance writing, what makes one blogger more qualified than another?
So let’s take it to the streets. As a freelance writing blogger I can tell you what to look for, but that’s always a little predjudicial. I mean, yeah I believe you should make your own choices and find the bloggers who best share your vision. However, my telling you which freelance writing blogs to read is like a fast food exec telling you what hamburger to buy or Toyota giving you a list of the best cars to purchase. You’re the folks who read the blogs. You’re the folks who follow the advice. You’re the folks who should be discussing this, not me.
Tell us, what makes a qualified freelance writing blogger? What catches your eye? Why do you follow a particular blog on a regular basis and what turns you off? Let’s discuss…
Personally, I follow a lot of freelance writing blogs because their advice a)helps my business, b) informs me of what’s new/popular in my industry and c) makes me feel, however indirectly, that I am part of a community of peers who are going through the same things I’m going through.
It’s not even about who’s an expert, or a guru, or who’s made more money, or has a degree in something. It’s about hearing from peers, both seasoned and newbies, about the successes they’ve achieved, and the mistakes they’ve made–and keep making.
Hi Krszia,
I feel the same way, plus I don’t even know if one has to be an expert? Everyone who does this for a living has tips to share, even those who are new. It’s all good as far as I’m concerned.
As a newcomer to freelance writing, I want information on writing pitch letters, securing repeat clients, organizing my finances, and marketing myself. I think a qualified freelance writing blogger is someone who has been at it for years and perhaps has experience being on the receiving end of those pitch letters as a client. Through his (or her) own experience, the blogger can offer advice on what works and what doesn’t. The blogger must be willing to reveal his professional background because without doing so, how can I be sure I can trust his advice? I’m always looking for honest, realistic information related to freelance writing, so a blogger who can deliver that consistently is, in my mind, a qualified freelance writing blogger.
Looking through my Google Reader, my favorite freelance writing bloggers provide a healthy mix of service-y content (how-tos and resource lists) and personal narratives.
Even after freelance writing for years, it seems that I still continue to find great new resources and ideas on the most well-written blogs. Plus, as Kriszia already mentioned above, I love plugging into a community of writers/peers. It’s nice to have a support system of people willing to share tips and resources, and to cheer each other on!
.-= Steph Auteri´s last blog ..Contest: Career Coaching for Word Nerds =-.
I love the community aspect the most, I think. I appreciate how generous most in the freelance writing community are with their information and how patient they are with their assistance. It’s why I’ve been doing this for so long, I think.
I read a lot of different blogs about freelance writing and freelance life. I think that what makes a good blogger is someone who can give me few different sides of the story. I also want someone who blends in personal blogs with instructional and informational blogs. But above all, I despise being talked down to or patronized. Talk to me (or blog to me) like I’m a person who doesn’t know everything, makes some mistakes but is intelligent enough to have a conversation/debate with. Because that’s what I am 🙂
Deb, I’m going to watch this like a hawk as you might guess… but I wanted to say that those who yell at you are, ahem, misguided at best. And if you need to quote me just tell ’em I know you’re qualified, period!
I do love how you consistently turn lemons into delicious lemonade.
.-= Anne Wayman´s last blog ..An Important and Beautiful Video For Writers – For Everyone =-.
Anne, I have a personal philosphy, “There are no haters, only opportunity.”
Not sure why so many people are emailing saying the exact same thing, but it’s all good. You and I both know that this business brings out both the best and worst of people.
Though I don’t really want to hijack this to be about my email, but rather what makes a blogger qualified. I feel blogging is more sharing than teaching, so maybe we’re all qualified?
i’m amused when random people email other random people and say “why do you have a right to do that thing you’ve been doing for the last X years”
.-= allena´s last blog ..Multiple Streams of Income =-.
Maybe they need to get….oh wait. This is a family blog.
call me naive, but why on earth would anybody submit angry e-mails about your qualifications as a freelance writing blogger? good lord but there’s waaaay too much negativity out there for my liking. thanks, by the way, for your blog.
Thanks, Nan, but again, I’d like to turn the email around to be less about my hate mail and more about why we follow certain bloggers.
What attracts you all to your favorite blogs and bloggers?
When I look at writing blogs, I look at whether the content makes sense, I get useful resources and ideas from it, and I enjoy reading it. Long rants, spewing hate towards others, and bad links are immediate turn-offs. So is a Holier than Thou attitude. Bloggers need to remember that though they may have been doing this for X years, they do not know it all nor are they better than their readers.
I enjoy a mix of solid facts and personal revelations. I do not mean what you did in bed last night, but how you either followed this advice or failed to follow it, and what happened as a result.
What I like about your blog, in particular, are the good resources, good job leads, honest discussion of success and failure, and the willingness to use your bad experiences as a teaching moment. I also appreciate that you respond to comments and emailed questions, even though I know you must be busy.
Deb,
Personally I believe a good professional blogger is someone who knows how to keep their finger on the pulse of the subjects they cover. Whether they attain their information through industry contacts, following growing trends closely or reaching out to other bloggers, there’s a mix of knowing how to connect to your readers, knowing where to get information those readers want and understanding how to grow that appeal beyond simple posts through social media networking, word of mouth outside of the interwebs, etc.
I blog on Tech for various large sites, but I also reach out to Health, Finance, Pop Culture and other areas on a regular basis when I find useful information I want to follow and believe my readers would like to read.
I also like to find bloggers who have “voices” I want to follow. Typically for tech I want the info to be kept light and fun, while political bloggers I feel should provide good proof for their facts and sound more authoritative. I always tell new bloggers that they need to develop a voice that matches the type of readers they are going to attract.
.-= james johnson´s last blog ..10 Awesome Snow Sculptures =-.