Deb’s note: I started writing this post on the plane to Las Vegas (and BlogWorld) last week. Since then I’ve seen Darren Rowse’s post at ProBlogger called, “The #1 One Reason My Blogging Grew into a Business.” Check it out if you can, it’s a must -read for anyone who wants to blog for a living.

FWJ began four years ago as a blog filled with leads for work at home moms like me. As you know, it’s evolved quite a bit over the past few years. Something happened this past spring that caused me to change my outlook about FWJ. Instead of a simple blog or network of blogs, I treated it like a business. Don’t get me wrong, I was always business-like in my dealings and accounting, but in June, I took it to a whole new level.

When I lost my full time job, I decided I wasn’t going to look for another. Instead, I wanted to work harder on making this network more profitable, and more beneficial to those reading it. Instead of looking for a job, I was going to make FWJ my full time job. It made a difference.  Instead of simply posting and building traffic, I’ve also been:

• Meeting with accountants to find out my next course of action as a small business owner.
• Negotiating with advertisers
• Researching advertising, traffic, SEO and other blog building techniques
• Working hard on branding
• Working hard on FWJ’s (and Deb Ng’s) social media presence
• Forming lucrative partnerships which will enable this network to keep going
• Doing some heavy analysis into the demographics of this community and other freelance writing communities
• Networking, not only with other freelancers, but with other people and businesses to form mutually beneficial relationships

Some of the things I learned at this time:

• You can’t please everyone
• You have to spend money to make money
• Networking totally rocks
• If you focus on one thing, instead of multitasking, you’ll have better results
• Sometimes you just have to go for it

Some of the changes I noticed since devoting my full time attention to FWJ:

• Traffic has seen a significant increase
• Advertisers have been coming to FWJ, instead of the other way around
• Ad revenue beyond private sales (Adsense, etc.) has increased to the point where it’s a full time income
• A major online brand inquired about purchasing FWJ
• Lots of Tweets and ReTweets featuring FWJ links
• Community growth
• A whooooole lot of email
• More links to blog posts at FWJ
• Major brands have taken notice

This is only a few months worth of work and effort. Can you imagine if I had put this much time and energy into FWJ since day one? Of course, that wasn’t possible because I needed to help provide for my family. However, being patient and persistant and not giving up over 4 1/2 years enabled met build FWJ and see it to its potential.

Luck vs Hard Work

Someone once told me I was lucky. This has nothing to do with luck. I worked hard to build this network. It became a huge part of my life. I focus attention to it every day. It’s kept me up late, and caused me to rise very early. It’s been the subject of blog wars and forum spats. It’s my life, not luck. I have to tell you, it’s not easy to come up with content every single day for 4 1/2 years.

Is it Worth it?

You bet it’s worth it. I’m not going to claim to be some expert, guru, A-list problogger, but I managed to find something that I love – something that works. It’s been worth all the time and effort I put into it. As Darren Rowse said in his post about blogging as a business, when I stopped treated my blog as a hobby and more as a business, it began to work for me.

If you want to make your blog work for you, know that it’s not easy. It’s not as simple as opening up a blog, stocking it with keywords and slapping on some ads. There’s a lot of research, promoting and networking involved.

Tell us the story of your blog. Is it a business? Can it become a business? What are you doing to ensure its success, and what are some of the results you’ve seen since beginning?

I think I’m going to ramble a bit…

As a professional blogger and consultant, I take pride in my brand. My name, Deborah Ng, is my brand. My brand is also this blog network, Freelance Writing Jobs. I hope it doesn’t sound like a big load of ego to say that many people equate my name and my brand, with the freelance writing jobs niche. Though I didn’t set out to have a heavy web presence, once I my reputation began to build I realized the importance of my name and my brand. I worked hard to get to this point and I’m very proud of my brand and what it’s become.

As much as I will do everything in my power to help them succeed and make names for themselves, the bloggers who write for FWJ aren’t as well known as the “Freelance Writing Jobs” brand. This has nothing to do with them or me. When you write for someone else, you’re paying more attention to their brand than your own.

In the past I wrote for many brands including b5Media, Oxygen Media and About.com. It wasn’t my name that stuck in everyone’s minds when they read my work, it was the brand. That’s not a complaint, I was happy to get my start with some well-known names. However, if you want to make money as a blogger, it’s important to think about whose brand is more important – yours or the people you’re blogging for. If the answer is you, think about how you can build your own brand while still earning money elsewhere. If you’re happy building someone else’s brand without being well-known, that’s OK too.

If you want to build up your name as a writer for someone else’s brand, you’re going to have to think about ways for people to remember your name above or in addition to the name of the brand. The last thing you want to do is overshadow the brand you’re being paid to promote. You’re also going to have to consider how your employer feels about you building up your own brand while being paid to build up his. I recently experienced that very conflict.

Very few bloggers make a name for themselves on someone else’s blog. I’ve blogged for enough people and businesses to know this is true. Blogging for other people pays the bills, blogging for you builds your brand (and can also pay the bills). Blogging for other people enables you to earn some of the money coming in from that blog. Blogging for yourself allows you take control of all of your blog’s income. Blogging for myself allows me to take this blog/network in any direction I’d like. Blogging for someone else has me going someone else’s route, and I may not always agree with where we’re headed.

This blog is called (and about) “Blogging for a Living”. I’d be doing you a disservice if I told you you’ll become a household name blogging for someone else. However, you can earn very good money as a blogger for hire. Not all bloggers make thousands of dollars each month with their own blogs. Not all bloggers for hire are “A Listers”. If you want to make money as a blogger, the first thing you’ll have to determine is whether or not you want to do so building up your own brand or someone else’s. You can do both, but then you’ll also have to be prepared the people who pay you to blog won’t like you spending so much time on you. Knowing where you want to take your name or your brand will help you to determine where to exert most of your energy.

If you want to spend more time building up your own brand, think about how you’re going to reach the people you want to reach and how to create trust and build a good reputation. Just as you want your clients to trust you, you’ll also want your community to trust you. Trust breeds success. When you blog for someone else, you’re working more to create trust with your client than your community. Hopefully as a professional blogger, you’re also building trust in your byline, but the community’s happiness is secondary to your client’s happiness. I once had a client who felt comments were too distracting and turned them off. She didn’t care about community, she cared about content. You’ll work for all kinds as a blogger for hire. Some bloggers enjoy letting an employer handling all the sordid details so they can just write. I prefer having the best of both worlds.

Tell us about your brand. Is your brand important or is it your preference to build up someone else’s brand? Do you want to be famous or are you happy enough to do your job, earn your check and enjoy the incognito life?

Discuss…

Once upon a time there was a blog. This blog had several thousand visitors each day. They shared. They chatted. They commiserated. It was all good. Soon some mean people came by and began scaring away the happy chatters. The vibe changed from warm and fuzzy to not so much fun anymore. The owner did her best to build up community, but she was so busy with her projects and her job it wasn’t happening. She put a comment policy into place but the damage was already done. She had a reputation for having a community that liked to bicker.

She wants to change that.

If you remember the days when FWJ was a huge, lively community of writers helping writers, you may miss the golden days as well. Let’s try and get it all back. Several years ago, we built this community with a contest – a comments contest. We offered a $25 gift certficate to the person with the most comments. People came and never left. It was good.

We’re doing it again, except we’re upping the ante.

Beginning today, October 1st, we’re giving away $150 to the people who help to bring back this wonderful community. We’re giving away three $50 prizes.

• The person with the most comments between now and October 31st, on the homepage Freelance Writing Jobs blog, will receive $50.
• The person with the most comments across the whole FWJ network by the end of the month, that’s all of the blogs, will receive $50.
• The FWJ blogger who does the most to build community and join the conversation will win $50 at the end of the month.

Just a few notes:

• Comments that only say ” I agree” or add nothing to the conversation won’t count.
• Comments not adhering to our comment policy will be deleted and won’t count.
• Spammy comments or comment dropping links – unless they’re truly offering something to the conversation – won’t count.

I know you’re here. I see the numbers. Thousand of people visit each day and even more subscribe. Come join the conversation. Let’s bring community back!

A lot of folks commented on the post; So, did I ever mention that I’m not Deb Ng? and I haven’t responded to everyone individually because of time, but to sum up…

Offering other choices doesn’t mean another place sucks for everyone:

When I say that I think you’re more likely to make living wages at one place over another it’s not a negative bash on Demand or any other site or venue. In my experience, I’ve made the most money in other ways via other clients who are not content sites so it makes sense I’d write accordingly.

I’ve heard from plenty of people who don’t want to make money off of content sites, and my posts, if you look back, offer ideas that reflect that. This was never supposed to be a site about JUST content site or JUST blog networks or JUST anything. It’s about HOW TO make actual living wages if you work as a writer/blogger. I write posts with this in mind. I post job leads with this in mind. How I do things as a working writer has worked for me – I’m able to pay all my bills doing things how I do them. The same things I do have also worked for other people who make a living writing so I try to share those tips here.

About new writers getting clips:

There are other places, besides content sites for new writers to earn clips. The post that this was all about did not simply say, “Don’t get clips from content sites” and fail to offer reasons why you shouldn’t or offer other alternative. I noted my issues with content site – which you’re free to take or leave. I also offered other alternatives and if that frustrates new writers then fine, but I’m here offering up my opinions and tips that work for me, not the opinions and tips of someone else.

About the ethics of choosing sponsors:

I don’t think it’s irony or in bad taste if Deb chooses a content site as a sponsor here. In fact in my opinion it’s a good business decision for both parties. There are readers here who have noted that they love working for these places so for them, the sponsor makes sense. No one sponsor or one blogger will make everyone happy all of the time. What the sponsors do accomplish is helping to keep this resource (FWJ) going for the readers who do appreciate it.

We put in a lot of time here posting job leads and posting tips that we think will help new writers, which I know helps many of you via comments and emails, and sponsors allow us to do that. Deb has criteria for choosing sponsors and I know that she tries to choose sponsors that make sense for at least some of the community here. And honestly, even if she didn’t have criteria, so what? Blogs are not free to run, especially a blog that’s popular. She’s paying the bills here so that people can use FWJ to get help, advice, job leads, and so on. If you know a better way than sponsors to make $ and keep a blog going that’s not more time intensive than this blog already is, let us know.

About me being honest in spite of sponsors:

I accept free products from companies for reviews at other blogs. I have sponsors and ads on my own personal blogs, and Deb has sponsors here, and while I appreciate that I get money or some useful products to review, and while I love that Deb finds sponsors to keep this blog going, if I lie and say oh I love so and so endlessly because I get a perk from them it makes me totally unreliable. I’ve seen bloggers who give kudos to each and every freebie or sponsor they get and I’ve read folks who never ever comment on the realities of a sponsor, and I don’t trust them. Nothing is ever all sunshine and rainbows, and if I write as if it is just to appease others that would make me a blogger not worth listening to.

Blogging is about honest opinions and while you may not agree with all of my opinions you can trust that I do always offer what I honestly think vs. what will make someone else happy. If you don’t like my opinions, tips, or the jobs I post here, you really don’t have to read my stuff. Deb posts here too, along with other bloggers, and their opinions differ from mine at times, so you can totally ignore me if you choose.

If you’re still miffed about my posts, if you hate that I won’t post lower paying job leads because you think I’m singling some sites out – find another blogger to read and look at other job leads. If you’re still miffed about sponsors but like this blog, read Deb’s new post about sponsors.

Speaking of job leads there should be some up later today, so if you are interested check back.

First of all as noted before I’ve been moving, thus the lack of posts and job listings. I also missed the whole attack on Deb by this guy. From what I understand, Deb has a potential sponsorship with Demand Studios. The guy linked above, T.W. calls that irony, noting, “For months the owner of FWJ and her closest affiliates continued to call Demand Studios a “content mill”, and a “haven for low paying gigs”. Many writers from her side of the camp came on and verbally abused those of us writing for Demand Studios, claiming that we were “bastardizing” the industry by writing articles for 15 dollars a pop when we should be charging 50 or more per How To or About article.

Then, earlier this month, Demand Studios pops up as a sponsor of FWJ. Suddenly the owner, and her affiliates, are touting Demand Studios as one of the greatest content sites on the web, where writers can go make thousand of dollars.”

Then, maybe because he couldn’t find another post to link to, he showcased one of my posts as an example of said irony.

I’m not here to start some back and fourth debate, but what pisses me off about these shenanigans is that…

First of all, my post is not a good example of irony. I haven’t written one post here noting that writers can make thousands of dollars at Demand because that’s not part of my experience. I’ve also never said anyone who works for them sucks because I know some writers like them and do move up to higher paying assignments there (also not part of my personal experience).

I’m here because if you’re a writer or blogger trying to make a living, I support that, and want to help you do this. I’m here trying to help you actually make money, pay your rent, buy food, and so on. I blog about what I feel will help you do that to the best of your ability based on my own experiences and the experiences of writer friends of mine. Part of what it means to make a living as a writer means working for fair wages – which I post about all the time. If you can get living wages at a content site that’s fine, but that has not been part of my personal experience so I don’t blog about it. I make money writing in other venues and so I know personally that you have other options. Which options you choose are up to you. All I can do is offer ideas, you can take them or leave them.

Secondly, since I guess some people haven’t noticed, I’m not Deb. I support her search for sponsors because I know that’s what helps to keep FWJ going, and I believe this site is a valuable resource for writers. That said, we don’t share a brain. I don’t ask her what I can post about, and she doesn’t go in and edit my posts to make sure they appeal to sponsors or readers or her own viewpoints. When we started Blogging For A Living, it wasn’t here at FWJ, it was elsewhere as partners. We both agreed to move the blog here because we felt it would be more useful for readers when combined with other FWJ content.

T.W. notes, “Please note that while this post was not written by Deb personally, it was sponsored and featured as one of the premier Blog Tip posts.” He also says, “While Deb did not necessarily write this piece, it should be noted because it was a Premier piece of content written by a contributor as a Feature Article in the Blog Tips section of the website, therefore supported by Deb as “acceptable” content for the FWJ website.”

Um, ‘Deb did not necessarily’ nothing, she didn’t at all write that post. That would be me. AND as much as I adore Deb the second she starts telling me what’s ‘acceptable content’ or not, or says I MUST be totally on board with a sponsor, I’m outta here – mainly because while we do agree on a lot, we don’t agree on everything, and also I don’t work for her. She’s not a client – I work with her, not for her, and here at Blogging For A Living I write what I want.

In any case, I felt like responding because I was singled out based on one post I wrote here and it’s lame when someone pairs me with Deb’s brain as if I have no opinions of my own.

I’ll be back Monday with new jobs and posts (moving has taken much more time then I thought it would – sorry folks).

You apply for one or two gigs a month: There’s something to be said for the law of averages. If you’re applying for five or less blog or web writing gigs a month your odds of getting hired are slimmer than the odds of a blogger who gets out there and applies for 20, 30, or more gigs a month.

You apply for lots of gigs but most are totally inappropriate for you: While the above tip about applying for a lot of gigs is good advice, it’s also important to apply for gigs you actually might get. You’re not right for every gig out there. For example if there’s a Mac tech blog gig open and your knowledge base on that topic is minimal, it’s not a good fit. With 500+ applicants applying for that gig besides you, at least 100 of them will likely know more about the topic than you do. Apply for gigs that you’ve got a shot at.

You’ve never blogged or written for the web before: This seems like a given, but so many clients note that people apply for gigs when they’ve never even written their own blog before that I figured I’d mention it. You may be a rockin’ writer but that doesn’t make you a blogger and you’ll be far less likely to get a gig than one of those other applicants who has blogged before. This is easily fixed though – anyone can start a blog.

You think blogging sounds like an easy job to break into: It’s not. There is actually a skill set required to blog well. Blogging isn’t tough once you get the swing of it, but there are lots of little pieces that make up the whole of the gig. I’ve written for print, businesses, and the web; and web writing, in my opinion, is just as much work as other markets if not more so because the face of the market is frequently changing and you have to keep up.

You’re lackadaisical: Looking for writing work is not a passive activity. You can’t simply write a personal blog and expect clients to flock to you based on your brilliant prose. Trust me, in most cases your personal blog just won’t be popular enough to get you noticed. You have to look for gigs. You have to apply for gigs. You have to network. You have to pay attention to those email applications you send out.

You work for free or for pennies all the time: If you don’t think you’re worth paying; if all your resume shows is content sites or article mills that anyone can write for; then why on earth would a client think you’re worth giving a gig to? I’ve had clients ask why they should hire me when other people are willing to work for free and I always say, “You get what you pay for” and guess what – most clients agree. If you’re not confident enough to work for pay, why are you trying to get work as a blogger anyhow? Allow yourself and your time to be worth something or other people won’t take you seriously.

You’ve heard of Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and all of that, but you can’t be bothered to jump on board: Two years ago, when applying for gigs, I never had potential clients ask me about my background in social networking. Now almost all my potential clients ask about my networking experience. If you’re not on board with some of the major social networking arenas, and at least somewhat versed in the less popular ones, you won’t get jobs as easily.

You spend most of your time whining about the lack of gigs out there: Whining will get you nowhere. No matter how much you whine it won’t change the fact that there are plenty of places out there still hiring writers and bloggers. All you’re doing is wasting time.

You’re too niche specific OR you’re not niche specific enough: Because green is my fave topic, I’ve concentrated most of my efforts on eco-issues for the last five years or so. However, I also stay on top of a few other specialty topics in case I see a job pop open in one of them. I can just as easily write about pregnancy, money or architecture. So, I keep it open but not too open. I think it’s smart to have a somewhat specific niche that you cover a lot because it makes you look like an expert in at least one area. If you claim to be able to write on dozens of topics you don’t look quite as valuable. Most of us don’t have enough time to follow trends and news on five topics, let alone dozens of topics, and following trends and news is an important part of blogging. When I’ve applied for gigs lately most of the potential clients have asked me about current trends and issues in my pet topics – if I was following too many niches, it’d be hard to stay current.

You give up too soon: Most probloggers I know (who blog for clients) have been at it a while. They’ve had ups and downs in the job market and they deal instead of giving up. If blogging isn’t working out, they’ll diversify as they continue to apply for blogging gigs. It can take years to establish yourself in the web writing world, just like it can take years to establish yourself in another writing arena.

Can you think of any other good ways to bomb out when looking for blogging and web writing gigs?

[image via stock.xchng]

In a post a good long while ago, Do you need to be a good writer to be a good blogger, Deb points out that yes, it helps a great deal to know how to write if you’re a blogger.

I agree. Knowing how to write is important. However, I know plenty of excellent writers who don’t get blogging and web writing gigs – writers who are likely better than me. I can write sure, but I’m not one of those genius born to write or die type writers, yet I still get plenty of work.

So, how do I and lots of other writers get blogging and web writing jobs, when many amazing writers are passed over? The people I know who get these jobs (self included) tend to follow some general web writing rules. If a client checks out your work and you’re NOT following these rules you may be passed over for someone who does play by the rules.

Write for the web: Writing for the web is totally different then writing for magazines, college paper, print ad copy, and other writing mediums. The best way to learn how to write for the web is to write for the web – i.e. start a blog. Another good way to learn is to read popular blogs and check out their style. Blog readers aren’t looking for the next great American novel, they’re looking for information, entertainment, newsy clips, and so fourth.

Write casual and personable text: Big fancy words, pages of text (within one post), and a dictating rather than conversational tone sets you apart as someone who doesn’t know how to write for the web. You can connect with readers better when you speak to them, or with them, rather than at them. Plus creating text peppered with jargon, smarty pants research paper college speak, or poetic nonsense is just plain annoying. There’s a place for stuff like this, but a blog isn’t that place. Use words that people understand ALL the time.

Write with a purpose: When you’re writing for the web it can feel a little more slack but you should still write with purpose. I always ask myself the ‘So What’ question and most of the time it makes me a better blogger.

Write with a style that’s all you: Not all bloggers and web writers have a completely unique style, but most have some sort of voice that comes through in their work. Say you have a cooking blog – so what? There are dozens and dozens of cooking blogs out there. What the heck sets you apart from the rest? A good example of a blog with a clear voice is Garden Rant – a typical garden blog, of which there are many, but this blog has a distinct voice. Another blog with a very clear voice is Tremendous News, which is really unfocused topic wise, but you just keep reading because it’s so damn hilarious and the blogger’s voice shines through each post.

Write in a blog or web readable style: The best writing in the world won’t get you a gig if you can’t produce web copy that’s readable. And by readable I mean easy to scan, useful, and somewhat attention grabbing. Bullets are good. Snappy titles rock. Bold print in moderation is good. Hitting enter is super excellent. Clients like to see that you can pull these simple tasks off.

Write with an honest opinion: When blogging for clients it’s typical to cover products and press releases but it’s important to be honest and opinionated. Anyone can write about global warming or a sofa that’s on sale or offer parenting tips. What’s key is your opinion on the topic. What’s your slant? What’s your real take? A good example are blogs where you’ll see 50 product reviews and they all rock. There’s no way that 50 products all rock. If you’re just spitting out what PR folks are selling, without developing your own opinions, it looks fake, seems lame, and people won’t trust that you’re telling the truth.

It’s great if you know how to write, it’s cool if you have a writing degree, but keep in mind that web writing is different. Cultivate your skills as it pertains to this medium if you want to snag gigs.

Coming up soon… why your lack of confidence might be messing with your ability to get gigs, more tips from clients, what bloggers are making money wise, and more.

You tell me – have you adjusted your writing style so that it works for the web?

I’m detouring from our get a job series today to gloat. If you want to review the current series check out…

• How to get blogging jobs and web writing jobs – getting started
• Finding blog gigs – starting out with no clips
• How to get a blogging job – advice from b5media’s hiring editor
• How to get a blogging job – advice from Deb Ng of FWJ

Now on with the gloat – I didn’t check my email and survived to tell you about it!

I’m super frustrated right now because I’m moving August 1st, which means I need to post ahead for a few days so I can take said days off to move. PLUS have I even packed (ha) – not even one box. I’m busy and tired and looking for ways to cut out distractions. I can’t cut out the typical distractions like Twitter or Facebook because it’s part of my job (for some clients) to visit those types of spots.

However, email is not technically a requirement. I tend to check mine a lot anyhow because I get so much email. It’s scary to think if I don’t check it, I’ll open it up ten hours later to pages of stuff to sort. I check my email during the day and while I do check it on a schedule, it always distracts me for longer than it should. I start answering emails, bookmarking PR stuff, get mean reader email and have to find a friend to rant to, and so on. It’s a time waster, but I didn’t know how much until today.

Yesterday I was sorting email and I just had it. I got one lame email too many and decided to NOT check my email for a whole day and see what happens.

I checked my email in the evening on Sunday and then didn’t even allow myself to open it all day Monday. It was nerve wracking. I kept thinking “Who is trying to get in touch, maybe I missed some key press release, maybe there’s some life-changing email in there…. ahhhhhhhh!” But I stood strong and left the email alone and low and behold I got a ton more work than usual done.

Cutting out scheduled email checks during my day saved me an estimated two hours. It was cool and sort of freeing plus with two extra hours I got more work done.

What about when I finally did check it – how crazy was it?

Honestly, not that bad. I found it was actually easier to wiz through all the email at once, deleting a ton of junk, category marking others, then I spent a little time answering people. All in all it took about an hour. Go me.

If you’re looking for a way to gain some time I highly suggest holding off on email time – in fact I may try only checking it every other day! Well, that would require more will-power so we’ll see…

What’s your email schedule look like? Is it distracting you too? For more advice read: Are you too distracted at work.

During our how to get blogging and web writing series we’re looking at some of the experience that clients are looking for in a blogger or online writer. Last week we heard from Kori Ellis, an editor at b5media. Today we’re going to hear from someone familiar to you – Deb. BUT just in case you’re stopping by and are new to Blogging For A Living, Deb Ng is the founder of Freelance Writing Jobs, co-owner of the blog Kommein – a blog for community managers and author of the ebook “Beyond Blogging: Using Your Blogging Skills for Bigger and Better Things.” Deb’s past and current clients include Oxygen Media, About.com, BlogTalkRadio, the Blog World and New World Expo, b5Media, and many others. Along the way Deb has hired plenty of writers for projects and blogs and here’s what she’s looking for.

1. When you have one open blogger / web writer position OR an open query topic, how many applications do you estimate you receive?

The last time I took an ad for a blogger for FWJ, I received over 500 applications! As you can imagine, it took almost a month to go through them all.

2. Out of those above which percentage of applicants actually follow the directions you posted with the job? For example, you say, “send resume” how many actually do?

Less than 25%, I think. I’m amazed at how many writes feel I’m not paying attention or that the rules don’t apply to them. There are reasons I ask for specific things – the most important reason is to see how well each writer follows directions. The writers who apply might not think that’s important, but I find it very important. For instance, for the last job ad I placed I asked for writers with blogging, especially WordPress experience. I received so many applications from writers with no blogging or WordPress experience. The reason this was important is because I don’t have time to teach people to blog. Now, by applying to this job, these writers wasted my time and theirs.

3. Do you prefer a full resume, a brief email, links to other work. I.e. when someone applies for a position what do you like to see?

I like a resume showing a writer’s history. I learn so much from a resume – the writer’s background, whether or not he or she bounces from job to job, the types of writing done and whether or not they’re a good fit. I also like to see some sort of writing samples – they can be links or scans of printed works or something they typed up the day before. As long as it shows they’re good writers and suited to the task, it doesn’t matter.

4. What makes an applicant stand out as a keeper; or at least someone to interview?

Someone who has experience in the niche. Someone who follows the directions. Someone who took the time to write up a personal response and not just a cookie cutter cover letter. Someone who gets what I do and why I do it. Someone who believes in FWJ (or the current project) and isn’t only taking the job for self promotional reasons.

5. Is there anything that makes you trash an application right away?

“Google Me” applications. Cover letters that are filled with typos. Arrogance. People who forget to remove the name of the person they sent the cover letter to before me. I want to know this job means something to them.

6. What sort of writing experience do you like to see in a potential hire?

They need to know how to complete a sentence, for sure. Write clean and compelling copy. Blogging experience if it’s for a blogging gig.

7. Are there any other blogging/web writing related experiences you’d like to see in a potential hire?

I’m pretty easy. I don’t necessarily have to hire writers fresh from the New York Times, but as this is a writing network, experience in this field is essential – and I’m talking about more than Ezine Article and Associated Content experience.

8. What sort of other experience might you hire someone with – i.e. they don’t have a huge writing portfolio but they do have say life experience in the topic? Would you consider hiring them?

I might hire an English major to write a grammar blog if she doesn’t have much field experience, but I can’t hire a blogger to show others where to find work if they’ve never done so themselves. It depends on the topic, really.

9. What do you wish applicants knew before they applied?

We want more from writers than “Google me”. Sell yourself. Why are YOU good enough to write for MY network. Why should I hire you to work here over all the other applicants. And, for gosh sakes, know a little bit about the place before you send in the details. If you’ve never been here, and it shows, I’m not going to hire you over a productive member of the FWJ community.

10. In order to successfully apply for and possibly score a blog or web writing gig, is there anything else you think it’s important that writers know?

Your potential client will most likely Google you. Be mindful of what you’re putting out there.

AND BACK TO ME…

As I noted in Kori’s interview, I’m holding off on posting my full opinion until I’ve posted all the interviews. Then we can look at client trends. However, note that already Kori and Deb said some of the same things – follow directions, don’t send “Google me” cover letters and seriously, know what a blog is if you’re applying for a blog gig. Hopefully some of this is sinking in.

What do you think of this interview? Did you pick up any handy tips you can use the next time you apply for work?

If you want to work as a blogger or web writer and by work, I mean make a living, then you have to start somewhere. Of all the email questions I get, “How do I actually get started without a portfolio” is probably the most common question. It’s true that clients want to see clips but most don’t care what sort of clips they care more that you wrote the clips well.

Are there clips in your past?

If you honestly feel you have zip in the way of a portfolio, the first thing to do is take another look at your past. Did you write anything useful in college, and by useful I mean tech paper, proposals, or serious research pieces. Have you ever written copy, proposals, care plans, or company newsletters at work? What written requirements have all your past jobs had? Are you such a wiz at writing resumes and cover letters that people come to you for help? Most people who want to write for a living have some sort of useful clips in their past. If you think you don’t you may not be looking hard enough. Once you find some clips you can place them on a website or if a client allows send them by email when you apply.

Do you have a blog?

I’m always a little surprised at people who want to blog for a living who say, “I’ve got no clips,” to which I say, “What about your blog,” to which they say, “What blog?” Sigh. If you want to blog or write for the web, then start a blog.

What sort of blog…?

Start a useful blog, one that offers real info that readers can use. You don’t have to choose a niche, but if you have a niche in mind that you’d like to eventually write for, i.e. you’d like to be a travel blogger or travel web writer for pay, it’s naturally smart to start a travel-minded blog. If you’re not sure which platform to choose I’d start with Wordpress. 90% of my clients use Wordpress. I’ve had a few use TypePad, a couple use (gulp) Drupal, and some use a few other random platforms. Note that I’ve never ever had a client who uses Google Blogger although Deb and I both started out on Blogger blogs and we’re ok. For more tips read choosing a blog platform.

If you don’t want to start a blog but want clips should you try sites like Associated Content, other article marketing site, or cheap-o places like e-How through Demand Studios?:

I’m gonna say no. First of all it doesn’t make you look all that credible. A published piece at a content site where anyone can publish a piece is not the same as a piece written for a paying site or even a blog post that lends to your niche credibility. I’ve had my own pieces stolen and plagiarized at some of these sites and I’m sure others have as well which takes away from the credibility. Also, Deb recently told me that “Colleges don’t allow AC to be used as a source for papers because much of the writing isn’t more than other Google stuff regurgitated.” I didn’t know this, but it makes sense. If you don’t believe me start running content site pieces through copyscape and you”ll see how many pieces are copied in part or entirely.

If you’re going to work for free, better choices include guest posting at an already popular blog, or contacting an editor of a blog network or reputable website and writing one to three free piece. Another credible route to go would be to offer some free pieces to a non-profit for their website or even for a print newsletter. Then you get clips and look nice too.

If you see a job NOW that you want and don’t have your clips set up yet…

So your blog is brand new, you haven’t found any clips from your past, and you see a blogging gig you’d like to apply for. First of all you may not get the gig without the clips to back you up (hence starting a blog or guest posting asap). It’s possible, just a little more tricky. Hopefully the job is writing about something you have life experience in. If you don’t have a genuine interest and background in a topic, it’s unlikely you’ll get the gig clip-free. Next you can offer to provide a sample. I don’t usually advocate new sample for writers, but if you don’t have clips, this is your only option. A writing client is not going to hire you without seeing how you write.

Can you think of any other useful ways to build up clips if you’re new to writing?