Comments on: Freelance Writing Jobs Community Brainstorming Session

By: RKlamert

RKlamert — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:02:42 +0000

Thanks for all the ideas, guys! I really appreciate it and it all really helped! I’ll let you know how it all turns out!

By: Leigh A.

Leigh A. — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:01:27 +0000

Hi, Julie. How about frugality and “green” (environmental-mindedness) combined? This link is starting to be reported on more, but I think it might still be fresh enough, what with the U.S. economy as it is. This could be made to go along with a few things Deb pointed out, such as making gifts if you need a holiday-themed article.

For New Year’s resolutions… I think a lot of people in the U.S. will, if they’re so inclined to make resolutions, resolve to save more money/spend less money in 2009, which kinda goes back to the frugality question. How to approach it in a new way? Hmm. That’s a bit tougher. Perhaps what I mention above (frugal + green). I guess it really depends on your audience, too. If you’re writing for pregnant women or new mothers, it could be resolving (as I!) to shed a few extra pounds after the little one comes along or how to make a plan to get more sleep or how to put away money for college and other expenses (and so on). If your audience is single 20-somethings who’ve just graduated from college, it would be something entirely different. I vote for a story about people who don’t resolve to do anything except resolve not to make New Year’s resolutions (as Deb mentioned)? : )

Free e-cards…After a drought of not sending ecards, I recently was looking for some more variety. I’ve sent the free Hallmark ones for years, but they are pretty much the same stuff. Where do I go if I want something different, yet still free & not cheesy? (I know, that’s a matter of taste.) Where can a person find a good, free ecard site that doesn’t open them up to cookies, spyware, and adware? Or, maybe a different approach entirely…how ecards and Internet invites are good for the environment? Or perhaps a more technical article on good flash drives/back-up drives for those of us who are computer (or paper) pack-rats in terms of saving every picture, story, card, etc.

This was fun! Thanks, Deb!

By: Jodee

Jodee — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:53:29 +0000

Re New Year’s Resolutions: Where did the idea of making New Year’s Resolutions originate? (I would be curious to find out the answer to that question.)

By: AGB

AGB — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:40:56 +0000

What if you tweaked the idea of New Year’s Resolutions and pitched it as a resolution that impacted someone else instead of us?

Kind of a social compassion, “Pay it forward” slant?

“This year I will volunteer to serve dinner once a month at a homeless shelter?

Just a thought.

By: Rupa

Rupa — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:18:53 +0000

Great idea, Deb. Here are a few more ideas for both topics-
- Resolutions I kept /broke
- Save by doing without – What is the one thing that each family member can go without, at least for a week/month etc
- Millionaires who are frugal / spend wisely
- When is it ok to splurge…
- Do resolutions help make you more disciplined or do you have to be disciplined to stick to one?

I write on free ecards…any suggestions would be welcome! Thank you.

By: Jacqueline

Jacqueline — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:40:04 +0000

oops — 2009!

By: Jacqueline

Jacqueline — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:19:02 +0000

Why not combine the first two? Resolve to be more frugal in 2008!

By: JulieF

JulieF — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:55:08 +0000

Thanks Deb, great ideas! I love this idea, sent the link to some friends.

By: JulieF

JulieF — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:54:21 +0000

Re: Resolutions-

Last year I made some and tried to follow my progress through the year. Because the blog had tech issues it didn’t go the way I had planned. Maybe you could follow your own and do a better job?

By: Deborah Ng

Deborah Ng — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:48:59 +0000

Hi RK -

Let’s see, New Year’s Resolutions:

Do New Year’s Resolutions Work?
Realistic New Year’s Resolutions?
New Year’s Resoultion update from last year
Why I make New Years resolutions or why I don’t make NY Resolutions
Share your NY Resolutions
New Years Resolutions I’d like to see my family make
New Years resolutions I’d like to see (name celebrity here) make
Why New Years REsolutions fail

I hope those help.

Let us know if you’d like more brainstorming.