Posts Tagged ‘ writing portfolio ’

Content Mills: Like it or not they are valuable

Content Mills: Like it or not they are valuable

I recently read a very well written blog post from a freelance writer who made the argument that freelancers should not start off their careers using a content mill. The theory is these sites encourage poor writing, encourage writers to accept lower rates of pay and stunt the growth of most writers. However, in my personal experience, this is simply false in many ways. Experience matters For many freelance writers who are just getting started (myself included), they may have not written anything since their school days. While there is some truth to the fact that many graduates who have…

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Writing Site Updates: Media Piston

Writing Site Updates: Media Piston

One of my most “popular” writing site reviews was the one I did on Media Piston. Admittedly I was fairly new to the site when I wrote it and to be honest, I’ve had sufficient amounts of work that I really have not spent much time on the site.  I was aware that as an oDesk contractor, I could sign into Media Piston with my oDesk login but never did it that way because this change seemed to occur after I signed up. After a couple of weeks, I discovered that oDesk users were confused about Media Piston as you…

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Successful SEO using social media marketing

Successful SEO using social media marketing

Can you use social media for better SEO? Search engine optimization is one of the most crucial factors involved in getting your website noticed. However, link-building is a critical part of this process and one that is too often overlooked. Finding the right links is a critical component of any social media campaign and one that should never be overlooked. With new tools like Facebook Like Button, Google’s 1 and other similar tools, there is no valid reason for ignoring the obvious benefits of linking your work to these tools. Developing links is not always an easy proposition – however,…

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Writing Site Review Update: Squidoo

Writing Site Review Update: Squidoo

Generally I enjoy Squidoo but I’ve noticed some disturbing things that have caused me to pull back my submissions to the site. In fact, I have removed all of my lenses from the site. Earlier this year I had pursued putting a lot of my work up there as a way of highlighting topics that I felt were well done, provided solid information, etc.  However, I quickly discovered I was really wasting time with no hope of recovering much at all from the time I invested.  In January, I had only three lenses left in my “reserve” area because I…

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Preaching to the choir

Preaching to the choir

I had some time to review some of my posts both here and on my other blog No Scam Work at Home. In the process, I decided to take a look at some of the statistics of these blogs and I have to admit to being not only stunned but seriously disappointed! The first post on this blog was made in November of 2008 and it it now March of 2012. Over that time I have exactly 23 subscribers! Holy smokes! I have 20 subscribers on the other blog. Where did I go wrong? I try to write relevant content…

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Writing Site Reviews: Media Piston

Information search

I recently found a site called Media Piston where they encourage writers to sign up and earn money for submitting articles. This site is similar in some ways to Textbroker and offers writers “one of” assignments at a fairly low rate of pay. However, there is no minimum amount of writing that you can do and you are paid on a weekly basis for assignments that are accepted by editors and by the client. My experience on Media Piston I only signed up on Media Piston recently. The process was relatively painless, you sign up with your email address and…

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Brand Building: Your online presence and words

Brand Building: Your online presence and words

Words matter!  Not only what you say, but how you say it has an impact on how people perceive you.  I’m not just talking about what you write, how you write it or where you publish your work. What I’m talking about is your own personal brand that you NEED to have if you are going to succeed as a freelancer.  I admit to not always being a reasonable person, in fact, I have been known a time or two (note: massive understatement) for responding first and thinking later.  Ya, that’s me .  But opinions are like (well, you know…

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HubPages Tips: Overcoming the 3 link barrier

HubPages Tips: Overcoming the 3 link barrier

I have mentioned before about writing for HubPages both on this blog and on the noscamworkathome blog as a way to provide for long-term residual income. I do like Hub Pages but it can be somewhat restricting when it comes to including links in your hubs.  Each Hub is only allowed three links to one website (unlike for example Wikinut or Squidoo) which makes promoting your other work a bit challenging if you are designing hubs around a theme (strongly recommended).  It is also important to understand what HubPages counts as links: Links to articles, links to images and RSS…

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What you should know about blogging

How to make a free blog look professional Why your blog needs a privacy policy Your blog should have a site map Gaining credibility as a blogger Why your blog should have evergreen content SEO Tips and Tricks How to write effective SEO copy Proper use of anchor text Should you outsource your blogging How often you should post on a blog Plan to drive traffic to your blog Great content does not make a blog successful Inline text advertising Why blogs fail Prevent blog content theft [adsenseyu3] About Doreen MartelWell-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to…

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Posting frequency matters

Posting frequency matters

For most bloggers, it is easy to think about not posting to a blog on a daily basis. After all, most bloggers are not earning enough money from AdSense or other advertising programs to make posting daily a really profitable past-time. However, for those bloggers who take a look at their accounts, there is an argument to be made for posting on a daily basis. Keywords in posts For the most part, those who post to their blogs tend to work on the same basic theme all of the time. Depending on the individual niche, bloggers work in their keywords…

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Promoting Your Work Part 2

Promoting Your Work Part 2

Yesterday, we started talking about some effective ways of promoting your work. When you are prolific writer, it is generally more acceptable to “spread” your work out over many sites versus promoting all of it in one place.  In many case,  some work simply does not work on some sites.  Here are some additional ways of promoting your work, potentially increasing earnings. Facebook For those who already have a Facebook account that has a time line that is filled with friends, co-workers and family members,  consider starting a page for your writing. You will need to promote your Facebook Fan…

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Online portfolios matter

Online portfolios matter

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…

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Understanding the importance of social media marketing

Understanding the importance of social media marketing

While it may be tempting to think that social media marketing is not necessary, the reality is. In this business environment, finding any edge that a company can acquire over a competitor is critical. As more people use the Internet to make buying decisions, having an effective social media marketing plan is crucial to the success of business. Whether you are marketing a service or product, there is an audience available online in nearly any demographic group. We are no longer bound by the borders of our state, county, or for that matter any other geographical boundary. It is not…

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Purchasing Domain Names

Purchasing Domain Names

Recently I ran across a site that sold web domain names. There was one in particular that intrigued me. I’m going to avoid naming it because I don’t want to give this jerk any fodder for his outrageous behavior. The story went like this: Finding a domain for sale I was searching for something completely unrelated and I ran across a web name that was for sale. I was intrigued because the name was something I felt could be developed into something worthwhile. As many people know, I have a very strong belief that helping people learn how to make…

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Social Media Reviews: Xomba

Social Media Reviews: Xomba

In the past, I was a huge fan of Xomba though I admit to having some hiccups with the way they did things. It was pretty common to find a lot of “themed” writing and some of the material was — well suffice it to say it was questionable. Xomba in the past Users could sign up for an account and share bookmarks to various websites, blog posts or individual articles. Unlike RedGage, you had to do slightly more than place a few sentences into a description. Bookmarks were required to be at least 25 words and they had to…

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