Will Work for Diggs
I hit the Digg front page a couple of times and it felt darn good. When I hit it wasn’t because I sent a shout or email to friends asking them to vote. Each time I hit, someone else (someone I didn’t know even) submitted my post and it got lucky. On the occasions I asked for Diggs for what I felt were good articles nothing happened. I stopped asking for Diggs and Stumbles, however, because I feel doing so on a regular basis turns one into a pain in the butt.
It’s no secret how I feel about people who come out of the wordwork to ask for social media loving. With that in mind, I’m sure you can already imagine how I feel about b5Media’s new policy of rewarding bloggers who hit big on Digg.
Actually I learned a little about a new bonus system before the details were announced at TechCrunch because I had the pleasure of chatting with Jeremy Wright and David Peralty in the speaker room at BlogWorld Expo. While we chatted, I agreed with Jeremy that bloggers should receive bonuses for hard work. Indeed, when I have an especially good month at FWJ I share with my bloggers. Also, when I was an editor for LovetoKnow we were allotted a monthly allowance to give bonuses to our bloggers. I feel strongly about rewarding the people who work for me and enjoy calling them out for going on and beyond. I think b5Media got it right when they put a plan in place to award bloggers bonuses in recognition of a good month or good deed.
But (and you knew there’d be a but)
The more I think about giving out bonuses for Diggs the more I’m not so sure it’s a good idea. This could just be my personal feeling but I think by doing so b5 bloggers will write more for the Digg factor and less for their readers. Don’t get me wrong. Linkbait can be fun, but I don’t want to read it every time I visit a blog.
I also feel this will turn many bloggers into social media beggars. More bloggers will be hitting up their buddies, and even people they barely know, for Diggs and Stumbles. Digg lists will be created so everyone can vote on each other and now bloggers will put much of their effort in getting Diggs rather than building community or writing good content.
Rewarding bloggers with bonuses? Good idea. Mad props to Jeremy and the team for looking for a way to give credit where it’s due. Encouraging the almighty Digg? I’m not so confident this is a good idea. Digg traffic is temporary. Instead bonuses should be awarded for community building, quality comments, great content and a good steady rise in traffic.
What do you think? Am I wrong about this? Should bloggers be encouraged to get out the Digg?
Will I Be Quitting Blogging Anytime Soon?
Miss mind reader Deb just posted an excellent read, Should You Work for Blog Networks? Blogging for others (OR NOT) is what’s been on my mind for weeks now. Ok, longer then weeks. It’s also been on the mind of pretty much every pro-blogger pal I have, and that’s not a huge surprise. In the last year I’ve worked for networks that have closed up shop, networks who are implementing pay reconfigurations that may or may not make it worth my time to even blog anymore, clients who have no clue about blogs, and a couple of pesky clients who forget to pay me each month (until I yet again remind them).
Blogging, which by the way I love, has become sort of cumbersome. At least blogging for others has. At least for now. But quit altogether? I’m not so sure I could do that.
When blogging for others is good, it can be REALLY good. It’s enjoyable to blog for pay, actually see a paycheck on time, and not have to worry about all that back end blog work. When a client or network runs a blog, I don’t have as many worries. No worries about design, or ads, or what to do when the servers flop; it’s a snap to deal, when you don’t have to truly deal with these issues.
My take on the seemingly unsettled and not so reliable blogosphere right now is in line with what Gayla noted in the comments of Deb’s post - “Blogging is a game of chance - some hit big, some don’t.” She also points out that blogging for a network allows you to, “Rub elbows with influential people more often than what independent blogging would allow.” Both those statements are true, and likely why I stick with blogging for others. I’ve landed some pretty major blog/writing gigs based on my past work with other blog networks and clients, plus made plenty of great friends, so in some ways, I feel that even when I’ve been fed up at work, it’s somehow paid off.
In Deb’s post she says, “I’ve been receiving a lot of email lately at my Freelance Writing Jobs blog regarding blog networks. Most want to know if they’re still worth it. Should we continue to blog for someone else, or is it more realistic to create our own blogs and keep all the revenue?”
My answer would be much like Deb’s - no one can make that call for you. For myself, I am at a point in my career where money does matter. I won’t put in long hours or be motivated at the thought of $100 / month for any blog client, because I know I can make more. If I can make more at my own blogs fine. If I can make more by going back to magazine work, well, ok. It’s still writing, and still something I’ll enjoy. I’ll enjoy it at a different level, but all jobs have ups and downs and we all know that writing is especially testy at times.
Knowing the current state of blog networks and client-owed blogs, as a single mama supporting a son, I think that putting all my eggs in the blogging for others basket would be a bad call. I’ve managed to pay all my bills with only blog income for a good long while now, but if I can’t, if blogging for others starts to make my life slide downward, I’ll switch things up.
In the end I think part of being a good freelance writer is the ability to be very flexible. You have to make the market work for you. If one sort of work won’t cut it, then diversifying is the only option. At the very least, diversifying will liven things up.
What do you think? Are all your eggs in one sort of writing basket right now, or are you branching out?
Should You Work for Blog Networks?
Please don’t come after me with the torches and pitch forks. I loved blogging for networks. I blogged for b5Media, Know More Media, About.com and others and they will always have a special place in my heart. We can’t have a network blogging blog however, without touching on what’s going on in the blogosphere at least a little bit.
Unsteady Times
In the past few months networks have closed down, reduced pay or cut out pay altogether. Recent news events show a very shaky economy. After seeing bank collapses and what’s considered by many to be the end of Wall Street, one does have to consider job security. I believe the meaning of job security is all in the eye of the beholder, however.
I’ve been receiving a lot of email lately at my Freelance Writing Jobs blog regarding blog networks. Most want to know if they’re still worth it. Should we continue to blog for someone else, or is it more realistic to create our own blogs and keep all the revenue? I don’t know all the answers, but I can give you a few things to think about.
What is your time worth?
First of all, it’s a lot of work to build a blog. Indeed it took three years for me to have enough traffic and revenue to be able to pay three bloggers to help me at FWJ. So if you’re working for a successful network, say b5Media or Splashpress Media, a lot of the legwork is done for you and in many cases the readership is there. You might also earn more money through a network than starting up your own blog.
From what I’m seeing and reading though, not many bloggers are as confident in putting all their eggs in the network blogging basket nowadays, and I can understand their concern. My heart and soul goes into my blogs. Why would I want to pour everything I am into a network blog and end up with a small paycheck or worse - my blog being discontinued?
On the flip side, with a network blog you have a the privilege of blogging for a recognized and well respected brand, with technical support, training tools and more at your disposal. Is it worth it for you to let someone else handle the deep details while you do what you enjoy most - blog?
Whatever, Deb. Should I blog for a network or not?
Here’s the thing. Despite all the worried emails I’m receiving, I can’t make your blogging decisions for you. And contrary to some very nasty emails and messages, I don’t have any deep inside information regarding certain networks. I can’t make your blogging decisions for you.
I don’t know how long blog networks will be around, I don’t know how much you will be paid, I don’t know terms of your contract and I can’t predict job stability. It’s up to each individual blogger to match blogging effort with pay and benefits. Does the end justify the means? Are you happy with the rewards you’re reaping from your blogging experience? Does it matter more to you to blog than it does to make money online?
Consider the pay plus the perks. Does what you earn plus the benefit of additional promotion, technical support and training make it worth it to you to blog for a network? If so, by all means, do what makes you happy. If you find you’re spending hours working on your blog and not earning enough to cover your labor and expenses, you many wish to reconsider.
I realize this post is rambling but I’m hearing from a lot of confused people who think I know all the answers. I don’t. Go with your heart. Go with your gut and make the best decisions for you - not anyone else. Be happy.
How Much Time Do You Spend on Social Media and Social Networking Promotion?
If you know me, you know I spend lots of time on Twitter. I also spend time at various other social networking and social media sites and forums. When I first began working from home, social networking was a way to stave off loneliness as I was missing the camaraderie from my office jobs. Now, I find it an absolute must if I want to turn others on to my blog posts and podcasts.
I spend at least a good hour each day visiting different social networking sites to chat or share links. I discussed this with many others while at BlogWorld last weekend and we all felt it was well worth it. In fact, for my podcasts and many of my blogs posts, Twitter is a top referrer of traffic.
I’m going to be getting more into social media and social networking here in the upcoming days. We’ll be discussing tips for visiting social networking sites, whether it’s important, the best sites for your blogs, how to be active in forums, how to get other bloggers to link to you and more. In the meantime, I’d love to know how much time you spend social networking. Do you find it’s worth the hours you put into it?
What do you miss from your pre-pro-blogging days?
I’ve only been blogging for money for about two years now give or take. Before that, I still blogged, I just blogged for me alone, and for no pay. I still wrote, I just did so in other writing venues.
Since I started blogging for pay, I’ve noticed that I miss a couple of things from before; when I only blogged for fun.
What I miss…
I miss reading blogs: I know, that sounds kind of funny; a blogger who doesn’t read blogs. I DO read some blogs, but not as many as before, and also, I sometimes feel like I’m more searching for topics or leads or networking than actually reading for fun. Also, frankly, after posting 30-40 + posts I hardly feel like reading blogs in my spare time. I’m online enough looking at blogs.
I miss writing what I want: This is two sided because by now, I’ve been blogging long enough that I do get to blog for money at blogs I like (I’m lucky). I also almost always get to choose what topics to blog about at said blogs. Still, before I blogged for pay, I never gave ANY thought to what I blogged about. I’d just blog what I was thinking. Now I spend a fair amount of time thinking about things like, “I wonder if my readers will enjoy this” or, “If I blog this theme, I might get more traffic” or I’ll run contests. I often put a lot of thought into posts before I write, which I never used to feel compelled to do.
Overall, I adore blogging. However, there are some differences between blogging for me, for free, vs. blogging for clients. That’s expected, because every single job comes with differences and ups and downs, but even knowing this is expected I do sometimes still miss the sheer fun of carefree, no pay, no traffic worries blogging. Don’t get me wrong, blogging for pay is a hoot at times, and trust me, I feel lucky that I not only get to blog, but that people give me money to do so. But once in a while I miss the old days.
Maybe I’ll take a day off here soon and do nothing but read all my old blog haunts.
If you used to blog for you, and now you blog for pay is there anything you miss from the old days?
How to Ruin Your Blog (Like We Did)
Jennifer and i started out gangbusters when we began Network Blogging Tips. We had lots of bloggers linking to us, good traffic and decent subscription numbers. Then we did the unthinkable.
We took the summer off.
Jennifer moved to another state and I started a full time job. As a result, Network Blogging Tips fell to the wayside. You see, sometimes when you have a blog that’s not bringing in any income, it’s the first thing to be neglected. I suppose I could have posted at least once or twice a week to keep traffic flowing, but the truth is, I was out enjoying my summer evenings and weekends with my family, the first time in years.
Now that life is about to return to normal and we find ourselves with a bit more spare time, we’ll be posting here more often. We do hope you’ll come back to us.
I’m Speaking at BlogWorldExpo - Stop By and Say Hi
If you’re going to BlogWorldExpo, I do hope you’ll stop by and say hi. As you know, I’m a big fan of blogging conferences as it’s a good way to learn and bring bloggers together. I don’t think I’ll be attending as many classes as I’d like since I’ll be spending time at the BlogTalkRadio booth. It’s all good though.
My session, which also includes my friend David Peralty, is called: How to Be More Than a Blog: New Media Intergration.
Here’s the description:
In today’s busy blogosphere, it’s not enough to have a blog. Using images, video, radio, podcasts and more can take a blog to a completely different level. In this session you’ll learn why bells and whistles are important and how easy it is to implement new media into your blog.
Stop by and see us Saturday afternoon or look for me at BWE and the BlogTalkRadio booth. I hope to meet as many of my blogging friends as possible!
Blogging (For Others) For Free
Blogging has evolved from being a cool little hobby that might make you a little bit of money to a mega business. Some bloggers report to making six figures or more a year from their own blogs. Other bloggers earn the equivalent of a regular, family-supporting salary as a blogger for hire. Which, of course, is where we fit in.
I came across this post at Gawker called “Volunteer Bloggers, Stop Subsidizing the Entire Internet“, and saved it to talk about here because it speaks to me. It reminds me of when I first started writing online in 2000. When I began looking for places to find freelance writing work I was appalled at how many websites expected writers to work for the glory and exposure. Indeed, writing is the only profession I know of where a potential client or employer expects to get something for nothing. Now I see the same thing happening for bloggers.
Should You Blog for Free?
I’m not talking about guest posts or blogging contests, exchanging guest posts is part of the job and in most cases it’s a fair trade. I’m talking about stocking someone else blog or website with content on a regular basis and receiving nothing in return except for a byline. Meanwhile, as in the case with the AOL bloggers and the Huffington Post, the owners are earning money from advertising.
Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think many employers or webmasters are asking their web hosts to donate free server space. Nor do I believe their webmasters and sales teams are working in exchange for a byline. So why then, is the writer or blogger always the one to get the shaft?
Online is forever
Unlike a magazine or newspaper that is put out to be recycled, your words are online forever. That means there’s a chance folks will be reading your content every single day. In other words, it’s you and your labor who ensured the success of a particular website or blog. If you didn’t take the time to write a post that keeps them coming, if you didn’t take the time to research keywords or subject matter, mingle with the community and form just the right combination of words, there wouldn’t be any reason for anyone to visit said blog. Why then is the blogger not the one to get paid?
What’s in it for you?
Before giving away your work, find out what’s in it for you. Will you really, truly be getting good exposure or is your stint volunteer blogging for Joes Crappy Blog No One Will Read really going to bring you the glory its owner promised?
You deserve to be paid for your hard work. If you’re going to be building up someone else’s blog for free, you may as well create your own blog and collect your own advertising. Isn’t that better than letting someone else get rich from your labor?
So I’m a ProBlogger, What’s Next?
Working as a professional blogger can lead you to places you never knew exisited. For instance, my job as Community Manager at BlogTalkRadio. If you’ve ever wondered what a Community Manager does and how I came by my job at BTR, listen to my interview with Kelly McCausey and WAHMTalkRadio. My interview starts at 26 minutes, but show your support for Kelly by listening to the whole podcast.
The 3 Worst Things I Did for My Network Blogs
When I first began blogging for a network I didn’t have so much on my plate. Sure, I had a few of my own blogs and work with other clients, but the snowball didn’t really start rolling down the mountain. As a result, I had a successful start to my network blogging career. Towards the end of my network blogging career, it was apparent I was making some mistakes - all my own fault.
Here are the 3 Worst Things I Did for My Network Blogs
- I posted the network minimum - Because I was so busy I posted the network minimum. This didn’t really do anything to help my blog grow. The more successful network bloggers were posting to their blogs at least twice a day, some more. Remember, not all blog posts have to be 300 words. You can write a paragraph and link to someone else’ s post, embed a great video, ask a question and let your community discuss…and so much more. Go the extra mile and reap the rewards.
- Instead of working more on my existing blogs, I applied for more blogs - Every time a topic opened up I loved, I applied for the gig. Many times I got said gig. Then I did the minimum amount of work for each. Some of my network blogs brought in very good traffic. Others…meh. It would have made more sense for me to work on my existing blogs by posting more often and working on traffic and promotion than taking on more.
- I let my blogging become a job - Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging. It got to the point where there were so many blogs, and not much time. Soon I was suffering from burnout. Blogs weren’t fun anymore, they were a job. Something I had to to. This is the biggest reason I gave up my network blogs when I began working full time. I wanted blogging to be fun again and I had my hands in too many pots for that to happen.
I think a mistake many network bloggers make is to keep applying for more network blogs. We all have different reasons why we do this. For me it was because I needed a full time salary - and because I loved the topics. I made the mistake of taking on too much and blogging wasn’t fun for me anymore.
What are the worst things you did for your blogs and how di you fix them?
