Many online writers depend on clients being able to go to the various sites where they write and find their portfolio. Most writers (myself included) apply for roles and include links to their various work. I’m guilty of the same thing! Recently however, I had several emails from people who found me online and wanted to know if I would be willing to write a series of articles for them. They “found” me through Google and looked at some of the articles I’d written. However, there are some simple ways to create an easy to use online portfolio. One of the ways I have experimented with is to use Blogger.
Interestingly enough, Blogger portfolios may be the best option for many writers. On the 17th of January I started a new portfolio site at Blogger. Today, the 21st, I have more than 300 hits on that site. I have posted just over 100 pieces of my work there. Most of these pieces are quite old (they are some of my oldest work) but that does not make them any less relevant.
Words of warning
There are a few things you should know about using Blogger for a portfolio that I should have considered before I barreled ahead, but that you can get the benefit of!
A) Labels – Blogger has a bit of an unusual way of tagging articles as most of you who have used it probably know. I elected to label each article with the name of the site where it originally appears. Now that I have had some time to review and experiment, I would recommend that writers take some time to be more descriptive with their labels. In addition to putting the writing site name, use a “category” for your articles as well. For example, all health articles should say “health”, all business articles should say “business”, etc. This will allow you the flexibility of turning those tags on. Don’t forget to use your name in one of the labels, this will help them rise up in the search engines if someone looks for your name.
B) Read, read, read – Before you link your work to your Blogger portfolio, make sure you read them carefully. This is a good time to edit any misplaced commas, typographical errors and awkward words. Remember, the idea of a portfolio is to highlight your work, so you want to make sure that it is worth highlighting!
C) Avoid topics you don’t want – If you are like me (and I know there are some of you out there!), avoid highlighting articles you wish you’d never written. We all have them, and while there is no reason to exclude them from your portfolio, they can be easily buried by not highlighting the tag.
D) Use the right widget – There is a widget on Blogger that allows you to display your tags. This widget allows a fair amount of customization. Writers can select which tags to display on their blog. Personally, I elected to use two of the same widget, one that shows the site name (in this case Helium, Bounty, Bright Hub) and one that shows the specific labels I want to highlight (freelance writing, business, small business, saving money, etc.).
Have some fun with Blogger, they offer a lot of flexibility. In addition to being able to highlight your work, you can monetize your blog and perhaps make a few extra dollars along the way!
About Doreen Martel
Well-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.
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