Will re-posting breaking news benefit you and your readers

As previously noted, it’s practically impossible to break actual breaking news at a blog. Still, if you can find breaking news, and it fits your blog topic, you can still post it. You’ll just need a slant that makes it your own. Before you slant with your own lovely style though you should consider if it’s worth slanting at all.

Should you waste time slanting?

Slanting, in the most general of descriptions means making the news your own. Giving your own opinion on it. Hopefully an opinion that will make the news interesting to your community EVEN though they may have already seen the news elsewhere.

Real slanting that draws traffic takes more time. Real slanting that’s actually interesting to read takes more time. If you don’t want to take the time to slant in a meaningful way then a simple link to news is better in many cases than rehashing the news.

Re-posting news sans slant can work for some blogs: Here’s how some people re-post breaking news… “So and so news source says, “Owners of dogs with diabetes may gain useful health benefit from caring for their pets!” Then these folks proceed to cut and paste the article they just mentioned.

BTW yes, that was a real headline yesterday – and no I didn’t post on it. The example above is not your slant, it’s just re-posting news. Which CAN be useful but not in a traffic draw kind of way. Slanting in a meaningful way takes more time and that means some news isn’t worth your time to slant. It may however still be worth posting. For example at one of my blogs I post recalls on baby products a few times a week. Sometimes there’s even really big recall news but I don’t waste my time slanting it. I share said news but other than, “Wow, lame” I don’t really give my opinion. Recalls happen all the time and it’s rare that me posting one gets me tons of excess traffic. I post the news because I want my all-the-time readers to stay safe.

Your slant won’t matter as much if the news is too old: I don’t try to slant if the news is too old because old news doesn’t usually result in traffic perks for my blog. The best way to make sure breaking news gets you more traffic is to re-break it early and with your own slant but you have to be on top of it. Last year, when it turned out that SIGG bottles had BPA, I happened to be awake when the news broke (late at night) and since I saw it right away I did post it with a slant and that post did get me a lot of traffic because other blogger in my niche didn’t happen to be awake at 3am stalking the news. This year when the news about BPA in canned food first broke, I had other stuff on my plate. By the time I had time to post about it, all my green blogging pals and their dogs had posted it. While it’s interesting news, it was unlikely, at that point, to bring me much traffic. Instead of wasting time posting about it, I just linked to a friend who managed to post on it early.

Before you take the time to slant: Before you re-break breaking news make sure it’ll benefit you and your readers. Consider that if your readers like your blog they also like other blogs in your topic niche and they probably aren’t interested in seeing the same news over and over. It’s a sure bet that other bloggers in your niche are talking about the same issues you are.

For my last post in this breaking news series we’ll look at how to really slant breaking news to make it your own.

How do you decide which breaking news is worth sharing with your readers?

PS Did you hear that Kommein is back in business? If you’re interested in social media and community building I’d check it out stat.

The Facebook Fan Page Saga Kicks Off

In a previous post I said I wasn’t too on board with the whole making a separate Facebook page for your blog (or pages for your many blogs as the case may be). However, after Facebook introduced “Like” vs. “Fan” I felt better about pages in general and finally created my very own blog page. Yikes.

Why the change of heart?

One was because of the “Like” issue – something about the term fan rubbed me the wrong way. Secondly, I thought it was time for a page because my blog’s page views have shot up and I’m writing there more often (i.e. I have way more links now). Plus, I wanted to secure my blog’s name before someone else did.

Mostly though, I created a dedicated Facebook page so I could separate myself from my topic. I write about environmental topics – which is my dream job. Back when I first started blogging I wanted to write about green issues all the time but often, in order to make a living, I didn’t have that kind of choice. I’d write about anything – computers, architecture, budgeting, bullies and more and that was fine, but really I would have rather been writing about green issues.

Fast forward a few years and I’ve managed to carve out a niche for myself by working hard and becoming much more well known in my topic field. Now all my gigs (minus two) are related to the environment and oddly sometimes I get sooooooooo tired of thinking about green issues. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE eco-issues and I know that I’m hyper lucky because I do get to write about a topic I adore day in and day out but honestly, I need a freaking break. Some days I don’t want to have to care about organics and water conservation and energy and greenwashing. I don’t really want to see my personal Facebook page peppered with green links – you know?

Making a page for my eco-links works out better for me in terms of sanity. I get a green break when I visit my own profile page.

Still there are cons though…

• Deb’s post on driving community away from your blog is something you should seriously consider before making a Facebook page.
• Creating a good Facebook page is a little time consuming IMO. I know not everyone agrees, but after managing Facebook pages for clients, I still think managing a page is work. Especially when you run into lame little glitches such as, how to “Like” another page as your page, not as your profile (frustrating). PS I figured that out with some help.
• It’s somewhat difficult to track if a Facebook page is successful. Yeah, you might have 20,000 fans but how does that translate to better traffic, sales, or other perks at your actual blog. I’m sure for some bigger companies the perks are obvious, but for a blog I think it’s harder to track those perks.

Be prepared…

Being the hyper anal list-maker that I am, I researched making a successful page before I made mine. You should too. There are many helpful guides out there to help you create a kick-ass vs. mediocre Facebook page. Keep in mind though that your page doesn’t have to start out awesome, it will evolve over time and you should still be yourself. Following are some helpful links.

• How to set up a winning Facebook page
• 5 Tips for Optimizing Your Brand’s Facebook Presence – great help if you’re looking for info about how to size your Facebook page profile image
• How To Develop A Facebook Page That Attracts Millions of Fans – such a loaded lame title IMO, but this post does offer some excellent tips
• The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Facebook

Beyond reading some tip guides I checked out all my favorite pages looking for pros and cons. This is a great tactic when planning your own page because you already know which pages you visit and why. You shouldn’t copy other people’s pages, but gathering ideas is smart. Here are five pages I really like…

Freelance Writing Jobs – NO I was not bribed by Deb. Deb’s page is not flashy and there are no images (something I like in a page) but this is honestly the page at Facebook I visit the most. Why? Because Deb draws me in with fun questions and casual conversation. It’s always a fun page and offers me an awesome break in my day.

The Thrifty Mommy – money saving is a pet topic of mine so I already know a lot. That said I don’t visit this page for tips much BUT if you were a mom looking to learn some money saving tips you’d be all over this page. Karen not only updates frequently, but has a killer profile image that’s cute and attractive and also adds little perks for the community like coupons and recipe images.

Village Free School – this is the page for my son’s school and not a popular page at all. However, what it does well is build a sense of community among members who do have kids at the school and gives a nice sneak peak at what it would be like if your child did attend. There are frequently updated pictures and events and if you’ve got a small local business this is a good page to mimic. One thing I’d suggest – if you have a page like this I’d amp up the conversation; post little questions, like Deb does.

Tremendous News – I LOVE the Tremendous News blog and the Facebook page for said blog is equally as fun. Many of the questions offered up here make little to no sense and sometimes the owner of this blog is hands down rude but he’s always hilarious. This page makes me laugh and this guy gets pages of comments so he must be doing something right.

Local Harvest – this Facebook page isn’t all that interesting in terms of funny content or bling apps but what it does well is delivers what the community wants day in and day out. There’s no going off topic here. If you’re looking for up-to-date info on food news and safety, organics, local food programs and so on, you’re guaranteed to find it here. This is something to keep in mind. You want to offer what your specific community wants. Going off topic often is a little sketchy in terms of a news-minded site.

Of course you can also check out some really popular pages:

• Killer Facebook Fan Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies
• 10 Successful Facebook Business Pages

Now, will having a Facebook help me out or just give me more to do? Who knows. I know it’ll get those green links off my personal page. I’ll let it fly for a month or so then I’ll come back here and write an update to let you know how it’s going and if I’ve run into any issues.

PS of course, if you’re into green living you can join my page.

Tell me how your Facebook page is doing – OR are you considering starting one? Why?

How a mediocre blogger can get more links than an amazing blogger

I don’t think you should aim to be a mediocre blogger. Always aim to write top content and do your best. However, it’s not your kick ass writing skills that are going to get you links.

Fact – when I started blogging professionally – and by professionally I mean paid – I was a lot more careful. I wrote and re-wrote posts, gave it my all and really tried to put super killer content out there on the web. AND I pretty much got zero links back to my carefully written, time consuming posts.

Fact – now I’ve been blogging professionally for many years. I’m not so careful anymore and yet I get a lot more links back to my content now then I did in the past.

It’s not that my writing has improved either. I think I’m a better blogger now then I was five years ago. I don’t have to try as hard. I never re-write. I know my pet topics better, my voice is clearer (i.e. I’m me without trying) and I can push good posts out much faster than when I was a newbie blogger. But overall I’m not some amazing writer now as compared as to years ago. So what’s with the links?

My friends and peers link to me.

Most of the time here’s who links to me…

• My friends who blog.
• My peers who blog - I consider peers who blog people I meet via Twitter, Facebook, or by some other means, and we keep in touch and chat from time to time but I don’t develop deeper relationships with them. I.e. we don’t chat it up on Skype for an hour or anything.
• The competition. For example, I’m a green blogger and thus talk to many other green bloggers, most of whom have blogs that directly compete with mine. Some of these blogger have WAY more popular blogs than mine. However, niches do tend to stick together even when competing. We email each other. We send little green updates. I link to them. They link to me.
• PR folks. Now that I’ve been blogging for a good long while PR people come to me. I don’t have to hunt down green products or news hardly ever. I write about green stuff PR people send me and they’re happy and make sure my post gets some links. Back when I first started blogging I almost never talked with PR folks (I missed a lot of links).

See the above – that’s who I link to as well. I don’t usually seek out the very best content on the web to link to. I’ll seek out the best content from a friend or peer and link to that.

Of course I link to some issues directly like news or studies or if I know for sure the blogger is considered an expert on the topic but when it comes to basic link love I almost always choose someone I’ve had interactions with vs. someone I haven’t. Loyalty among bloggers is strong.

What can you learn from this?

A mediocre blogger with killer social networking skills will absolutely get more links than an amazing writer with zero social networking skills. Your content may rock that mediocre blogger’s content right out of the water but without people to link to your content so what?

Here’s what you do, right from the start…

• Make more friends and be insanely popular – plus interact with your peers.
• Read the competition and give them lots of love.
• Learn about the social networking methods that are best for you.
• Learn about how to interact with PR folks.

Lastly, don’t assume some peers or folks in your niche are too good for you. Here’s an example: If 10,000 people read your blog and 200,000 read another blog in your niche it’s easy to assume the following – OMG they’re so much better than me; they don’t need my link love; they’ll never speak to me. Not true.

You know how popular blogs get and stay popular? With a steady diet of links, readers and social networking. Just because a blog is bigger doesn’t mean they still don’t like the same things you do, say a link back. I have link relationships with bloggers in my niche who are more popular than me and also with bloggers who are less popular than me. I’ll be friends with anyone – popularity is lame to focus on. This isn’t freaking high school.

Are you putting yourself out there to get more link love?

1,000 word blog posts and being yourself

I’ve been breaking writing rules my entire freelance career. Sadly, I don’t always break rules on purpose – often I just make mistakes. Luckily, for me, the rules I’ve broken haven’t hurt me much.

When I stared out freelancing FT I broke way too many rules…

• I never pitched to small local magazines in an effort to work my way up. I sent queries to all the big name magazines I liked.
• I’d send the same query to multiple magazines too, thinking, most will reject me anyhow.
• I didn’t have any magazine clips for my queries so I’d send business clips I had written for companies. I’m talking bits of proposals and brochures. Nothing actually article minded.
• I didn’t give editors all that much space. I wouldn’t call me annoying exactly, but I’d send follow up emails or call. The books I’d read said not to do this more than once, but I wanted my name out there.
• I wasn’t all that careful. Yeah, I’d write nice queries, but I’d also fail to pause and re-read before sending them.

Then about 20-30 or so queries in, I actually put the wrong editor’s name on a major email query; and when I say wrong I mean I put the name of an editor at a rival publication. Gasp. This is when I started thinking – maybe I shouldn’t be writing.

Luckily this particular editor who I called the wrong name just wanted a story and bought my query. Not only that but I had queried for a small piece (I do follow some rules) but she said, “We think this would make an excellent feature.” A feature! I was shocked at how badly I could mess up and still land the main cover feature in a national magazine.

Now that I look back I feel like I was extremely careless and wouldn’t recommend anyone do the same. Being a careful writer is an asset. However, what I did learn from my early mistakes was that being myself actually worked out ok some of the time; maybe more than some of the time. When I got into blogging I took this same be-yourself mentality with me.

For example, as a blogger I…

Write insanely long posts. I see so many probloggers (and some not so pro) advise against this. Honestly, I believed said bloggers at first and tried to write shorter posts, but it’s not me. I’m chatty. A normal post by most recommendations is about 250 words. A short post for me is about 500 words and that’s if I’m REALLY trying to keep it short.

I applied for high paying blogging gigs from the start. To be perfectly it did surprise me a little when I first started out and I’d get a high paying gig. Something in me would say, “I should be working my way up.” However, the money is nice too.

I blog personal. There’s a big debate over how much of yourself to give away or not as a blogger. My general feeling is this – if what I say might get someone I know fired or in major trouble with their family, I won’t post it. I also won’t post where I live exactly – like a street address. I talk about myself,  my son and other people I know a lot though.

I pay little attention to SEO. If I’m writing for a client, of course SEO is a consideration but I refuse to lose the human element in my blog posts. I won’t take gigs anymore where a client is (IMO) asking for too many key words; to the point where I think it reads badly. That takes the fun out of blogging, and fun, well, that’s a major reason I blog.

I write what I want. I won’t cover hot news just to cover it. I won’t change to a more popular niche. I started blogging because I had stuff to say. That’s still the case. Even when I’m blogging for clients I tend to take their topics and slant them my way. I could actually make more money if I’d cave and write about stuff I’m not as interested in (I’ve done it before) but what’s the point? There comes a time where if you’re going to write for a living, you should write on your own terms. Writing is a hard enough job to handle without also being bored 24/7.

Beyond the above there are lots of other so called blogging rules I break. Especially when I apply for blogging gigs I tend to blow off directions. I’m not some crazy rebel and I do think there are blogging rules we should all follow. In fact here at Freelance Writing Jobs I talk about how to blog better or blog this way or that way all the time but you can feel free to make up your own rules. You don’t have to listen to me.

Mainly I just want to do my job as myself. I like many successful bloggers who give great advice, and yeah sometimes I even listen and follow that advice, but in the end I don’t want to be just like them. I want to be my own sort of successful blogger.

I talk to bloggers who sound really envious of such and such blogger or who talk as if they’re striving to be like their favorite successful blogger and it’s a little sad. I think you can be yourself and still be a successful blogger. In spite of being myself I’m doing fine and making a living as a blogger, even on a steady diet of 1,000 word posts.

How are you being yourself? Are you being the best blogger you can be on your terms or are you trying too hard to be some other blogger?

PS Yes this post was close to 1,000 words. Luckily, for you guys, I cut some stuff.

Where to find breaking news for your blog

In my last post I talked about breaking news at your blog – or in reality, most of the time, breaking second-hand news at your blog. Most comments on said post lead me to believe that many of you, like me, don’t try harder than necessary to break news, but instead try to put your own slant on news of any kind. That’s smart since most of us don’t technically break stories.

Still, if you’re breaking brand new stories or slanting old stories you do need to find the news. If you’re at a loss for where to look, here are some ideas and some examples of where I search.

My day usually starts off with coffee and a news search. I also end my blogging days with news searches. I’m not overly crazed about posting breaking news, but I do like to stay on top of what’s up in my various niches.

My news schedule: Each morning and evening – and sometimes once midday I scan the news. Your schedule is likely different and that’s fine. I write for some clients who want fresh news often so my news searches happen more often.

Where I look for news each day:

My RSS feeds – I have a ton of news fed right to me. If you’re only subscribing to blogs, you’re not getting many new stories. You also should subscribe to news and better yet, organizational feeds (see below). There are tons of RSS readers you can use. Google Reader is a popular one, although I think Google Reader is boring and oddly set up. I also have blogs in my reader which I do browse because other bloggers hit news sources I don’t.

Google Trends – sometimes pays off sometimes not.

My email – I have news sent to me from PR Newswire. You can customize your news to meet your needs and have it sent to your email in real time or on a set schedule. I also have ProfNet opportunities sent to me, which I count as news. Learn how to set up your own ProfNet opportunity.

My HOT NEWS folder – My HOT NEWS folder is a little odd, but works. Many sites still don’t offer RSS or email newsletters, so I browse said sites every other day or so to make sure I don’t miss any important news. I made a simple bookmark folder and I fill it with sites that offer news, but not RSS. One example is WomenHealth.gov – why they don’t offer RSS I’ll never know. It could be I just can’t find it – in any case, I have many sites like this in my folder.

My annual schedule - Technically not all hot news is new news. I consider my own schedule a good source of news. At the start of the year I make an editorial calendar and pack it full of events and holidays. This is a good way to stay on top of news and event issues that people want to read about.

What I subscribe to: You can subscribe to almost anything via RSS but if you’re looking for breaking news or secondary news you should subscribe to more newsy, less bloggy sites. Of course what you subscribe to will depend on your topic, but here are some general ideas for where to find good new-related feeds…

• CDC RSS and podcasts
• World Health Organization
• FDA
• RSS Feeds from USA.gov and Pueblo
• The New York Times
• Environmental Working Group
• CPSC
• U.S. Government RSS Library
• Topix – Topix is hard to manage in my opinion because there’s SO much news there and it’s not all new stuff. Some of what’s there are blog posts or content pieces that suck. Plus it’s so large that new stories happen every minute – it’s hard to keep up. However, it can be useful so I have one folder in my RSS dedicated to Topix.
• Your own brain – you can go to Google and type in any news search then subscribe to it. For example, I might go to Google news and type in “Green Building,” “Organics” and “Sustainable” then subscribe to whatever comes up.

Above are some ideas. When looking at your favorite news sites related to your own topic just check around to see if they offer RSS or email subscriptions.

For REAL breaking news stories you need to think outside the box. You won’t find actual breaking news at news sites or blogs. You need to put yourself out there. You can…

• Call up a person or company for an interview.
• Attend a real event – you know an offline event where actual people gather. I know it’s hard – just slowly step away from the computer.
• Answer a question – breaking news isn’t always profound and huge, sometimes if you have a question, “What % of organic cotton do those fake eco-Huggies actually use?” You can make it breaking news by finding the answer (if you can) and posting it. Odds are, if you have a question about something and you can’t find the answer online, others are searching too. Why not be the one to figure it out?

Where do you get your daily news?

Do you post breaking news at your blog?

First off if you missed it be sure to check out Deb’s post on luck vs. work – it’s excellent and one of the better posts I’ve read in a while.

Now, on the topic of breaking news at a blog… I’m bringing it up because recently one of my clients has been asking all the writers on staff to break more news. This isn’t a new deal; many clients want what they call, “breaking news” posted at their blog because they think it will be a good traffic draw which is true in some cases but not all (more on this in a minute). However, breaking news at a blog is different than simple breaking news and writing breaking news posts is not always a good use of your time.

What is breaking news?

Breaking news by design is news that’s fresh, just in, recently discovered; well you know the drill. NEW news. The deal with blogs is that they don’t always have staff out interviewing people, talking to companies and gathering stories from the community, so I’d argue that most blogs don’t succeed in actually breaking news so much as they succeed at posting other folks’ breaking news.

To me, genuine breaking news is something I haven’t heard yet and to really get that you can’t just be blogging at home, you’ll also need to be a blogger on the go. You’d be attending conferences and events related to your topic and live blogging said events plus you’d be out there talking to people in the community or calling companies for interviews.

Is breaking news a good traffic draw?

I think it depends on your niche and your style. If you write a celebrity blog then yeah, having breaking news and images is a good thing. Breaking news will likely get you read, subscribed to and keep readers coming back for more. If you write a blog about a specific product topic say toys, architecture, child product recalls or even something small that people are interested in like cookbooks, then yes, breaking news of a new product can earn you traffic. On the flip-side, if you write an advice minded blog you can slack more on breaking news and focus on evergreen topics. For example, people always want to know how to save for college, how to recycle, how to plan a party or how to get a baby to stop crying.

To sum up readers expect breaking news in relation to some topics but not others. You need to decide what sort of blog you have and report breaking news based on your decision.

Second-hand breaking news: I don’t know if anyone else uses this term, but what I see as second hand breaking news is news that you don’t break to the world but you do break it first or pretty darn early in your specific niche. This is one reason why it’s so important to read your competitors blogs and follow the news so you get an idea of what’s currently hot. Second hand breaking news can be a good traffic draw depending on how quick you are.

Second hand breaking news can also be a good traffic draw even if you don’t have a dedicated breaking news sort of blog – what matters is if the news affects your readers. For example, I write mostly on eco-topics. When news about a new line of green toys from a major green toy company broke one night I happened to be up and browsing the web, saw the news on a major news site and posted it right away at my client’s blog which happens to cover (in part) eco-toys. That earned us some traffic perks because I got the news posted before most other blogs in our specific niche.

Should you waste time breaking second hand news?

Again, I think it’s a benefit depending on your niche, although most topics do have some sort of breaking news once in a while, even an advice or evergreen topic type blog. It can also help to set you apart as unique if your readers can trust that you’ll give them the news goods before another blog in your niche.

One example I can think of where breaking second hand news is obnoxious and not worth your time is when all the other blogs in your niche have hit that news already. If you write a baby blog and there’s a major story that breaks on some new study about baby vaccines and the story has already been written about by all the major news companies, your competitors and tweeted to death by every mama on earth, then why post it? Everyone knows. If you have a totally original take that’s one thing, but rehashing exactly what other people have already offered is boring and not very useful to your readers – there’s a killer chance your readers read other blogs in your niche. You likely won’t get as many traffic perks at this point either.

When considering if you should post second hand breaking news it’s a good idea to take five minutes, search some of your competitors blogs and also the general web to see how covered the news is. If the news is cool and hasn’t been mentioned much (or at all) I’d write fast and get it on your blog but if not focus on some more original content that readers haven’t seen a million times today.

The exception: I write a pregnancy and baby blog for one client. If I see a major recall and it’s a little late in the game, I’d still post it because it’s a safety issue. Safety issues to me are a big deal and even if they’ve been covered to death, some parent may have missed it. However, if I’m not breaking the news second hand, but third, fourth or fifth hand I’ll usually just write a little blurb about it with links to more info. I won’t waste my time writing some big ol’ post about it.

To sum up: finding brand new breaking news and even brand new second hand breaking news is something that can time and energy. Before you use that time and energy decide if news of this sort will benefit your blog or your client’s blog or if you’d benefit more from using that time and energy to write three evergreen or advice minded posts.

Coming up: Where to find breaking news and breaking second hand news plus some tips for folks who do want to post this sort of news but use less time and energy doing so.

What’s your take on breaking news and second hand news? Do you spend a lot of time looking for breaking news or no? Is this something your clients want?

Top Time Wasting Activities for Bloggers & How To Stop

Below are some of the biggest time wasting activities for me and some other bloggers I know.

Surfing: Nothing is more fun than surfing for new post ideas and it’s easy to go overboard. When it comes to surfing or researching blog topics set strict limits in order to stay on task and on time.

Skype: I LOVE Skype. I love that I can use it to chat with friends and co-workers. I love the break it provides. I love that I can hop on at anytime and find someone to hear me out when I have good news or bad. The downside is that Skype is a little too much fun for some of us. I’ll stay on too long if I let myself and never get a smack of work done. That said during the work day I used to leave Skype off. This is a little bit of a problem though since some of my clients actually use Skype for business – i.e. they really need me for actual work-related issues.

Now I leave it on Do Not Disturb but check my alerts. I still have to be disciplined because sometimes I’ll see that someone cool Skyped for a general chat and the urge to hit them back is strong but most of the time this works better for me than leaving my Skype on available and trying to ignore it. If you do this let actual clients know when you’re on Skype. For example, I tell my clients, “I’m on Do Not Disturb so I can work but if I see an alert from you I’ll answer.”  Then said clients know I’m not trying to ignore them. Another helpful thing you can do is turn off sound alerts.

Logging in and out… and in… and out: If you write for many clients or social network for clients you spend a lot of time logging in and out. In and out of dashboards, Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, forums and more. While logging in and out of one place may take seconds it can really add up when you’re doing it all day long. To save time you can save passwords (just change them frequently), use services like twhirl to manage multiple social networking accounts, feed posts automatically to Twitter or Facebook

Forums: I rarely if ever visit AND comments at personal forums (like for blogging advice) or group chats anymore. I like both and they can be a good source of support but they simply waste more time than I have. I have a rule for forums now called the you can read but not respond rule. In my experience I can gain ideas and support from forums and group chats without being totally immersed in them. You start debating, chatting and you know… it just gets out of control. I set aside a little me time each week to catch up on my reading at places like this, but I very rarely get involved. Also, while I used to visit many forums and chats now I only visit ones that stay mostly on topic.

Images: Good lord. I’ve wasted more time on finding images for posts than I care to admit. I have two time-wasting image issues.

I think I need the best image ever for each post – I don’t. You don’t. A good image is nice; but perfect is pushing it. Give yourself a time limit on image searches and stick to it.

I really want to post about something and there’s no image – I write for one blog that only accepts posts with images BUT they want a really obscure image size (long in width and short in height). That doesn’t always work. Especially since this client also wants a bunch of images per post. So, I’ll find the coolest product ever and there will be no images suitable for it – or images that no amount of editing will fix. I used to scurry around all over trying to find an image that will work. Now I don’t. It’s not worth my time. If I find a product with a bunk image I either email the company and try to get an image or ditch the idea.

Time wasters that aren’t really time wasters and how to minimize their impact…

• Reading blogs
• Reading news
• Chatting with PR people
• Social networking
• Coffee breaks, walk breaks, what have you

I see the above noted as blogger time wasters often but while they can be time wasters I don’t agree that you should ditch these tasks.  You do need to read news and blogs in your niche. You do need to make friends with PR people because they can provide you with valuable post ideas. Social networking; well, that’s a given and little breaks keep your head in the clear. In order to minimize the time you waste with these activities you should include all of these tiny tasks on your blog schedule.

What is wasting your time during the blog day and how do you solve it?

Not getting enough traffic? Key questions that can help

If you’re writing a blog for a client (or writing for a blog you own) you’ll be more likely to get return traffic if you focus on writing posts that get across what the specific blog is trying to sell. By sell, I don’t mean products, although that may be one goal.

Before you start typing away consider the following…

• What information, products or services does your blog offer?
• Is there any sort of benefit for readers who might come across your information, product or services and can they expect that benefit each time they visit?
• What’s the unique slant of this blog – i.e. “Green” is too general. I write for many green-minded clients (and my own green blogs) and they all have a slant. For example one green client I write for only features products with a bling aspect – green but pricey and high end. If I wrote about those products at my green family blog which focuses on real ways that everyday families can achieve green living, those green families would freak and say things like, “These are not products for a typical middle-class green family – are you nuts!?” Know your slant or find that slant and stick to it at your various blogs.
• How is this blog different from the competition?
• Why should readers come back? Is there even one good reason they should?

You do need to answer the questions above before you write. Each post you write should fulfill the answers you come up with which can help make both your readers and client happy. If you’re not writing posts with the above in mind it can result in unfocused posts that don’t serve a purpose. That’s just making a bigger mess of the already sloppy Internet.

How do you make sure that you’re blogging with a clear focus – one that will bring readers back for more.

5 Reasons Why It’s Important for Bloggers Read ALL the Blogs in Their Niche

As a freelance writing blogger I make it a point to read ALL the blogs in the freelance, writing and blogging niches – even those I don’t like or particularly agree with. In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying anyone who is serious about his or her niche and wants to be a successful blogger should do the same. Every blogger has favorites, and that’s fine, but never discount the guys you don’t jibe with – or even the bloggers you can’t stand.To do so can mean you’re missing out on some beneficial opportunities.

There’s only competition if you create it. You can’t truly teach or share, without knowing all sides of the niche.

1. If you want to be at the top of your niche, it’s important to know all the latest news, techniques, tools and more. The Washington Post and The New York Times are competitors but you’re sorely mistaken if you don’t believe representatives from each read each newspaper from cover to cover. Mashable reads TechCrunch and ShoeMoney reads John Chow. Competition isn’t a reason to divide communities – instead it’s an opportunity to bring them all closer together and benefit and share from each other’s experiences. I can’t honestly say I’m keeping up with my niche if I’m not interested in what everyone has to offer.
2. Just because you don’t like a particular blogger, doesn’t mean they don’t make good points or have something interesting to say. I can name dozens of bloggers whose style I don’t appreciate, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to write them off as unworthy. Everyone has something useful to share. I like visiting blogs and thinking, “hmmm….I didn’t consider that, interesting point.” It may even give me ideas for my own blogs.
3. Ignoring bloggers because you don’t want to give them traffic is like treating dandruff by decapitation. I hated my 9th grade algebra teacher but she probably taught me more than any other teacher. How could I possibly benefit from cutting her class every day? I say it often here and you probably think I’m a broken record. There’s no competition, we can all benefit from each other.
4. Blogers can benefit from other bloggers’ communities. Don’t you love participating in a really good discussion at other blogs? I do. Moreover, I love exploring the commenters’ blogs and becoming part of their individual communities. If I was to avoid the blogs I don’t like, I would be missing out on some incredible conversations.
5. Learn new ideas and benefit from cross promotion: Bloggers can always benefit from collaboration and cross promotion. In addition to non-bloggy projects, we can also create conversations spanning several blogs and share the community that way.

I admit it, I read all blogs – even some that don’t welcome me with open arms or with whom I don’t agree.  Not to do so means I’m missing out on a wealth of opportunities. I’m not a stubborn person and I know the value of blogs…all blogs.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t visit all the communities in my niches, because I do – and for a variety of reasons. I believe this open-minded approach helps me to become a better blogger. No, I don’t agree with some of what I read, but to write off another blogger as unqualified just because I don’t like him or don’t want the competition won’t help me or my community.

You’re all welcome here…even if you’re the “competition.”

What do you think. Do you read all the blogs in your niche? What do you learn from your competitors? What do you learn from the bloggers who you don’t always agree with?

Score that blogging gig – when to apply

I just read a post over at Blog Herald about scoring blogging gigs. The author, Andrew, made an important point – the last time he placed a blog job ad he got over 800 queries. That’s not rare either. Most blog editors I know note that it’s not uncommon to get 100+ queries per position. The point – you’ve got some competition. If you want a gig, you have to be better than the other guys and more importantly stand out. Part of what makes you stand out is timing; as in when you should apply.

Should you check out the site first:

YES. If the gig involves an established blog or site, always check it out first. There are many reasons to do so.

You need to make sure you’re a good fit. You’re not a good fit for every blog out there. Even niche blogs have a specific style and sub-niches. Sometimes you can adjust and other times not. For example, I mostly write on green topics but it’d be stupid for me to apply to a site that focuses on the animal rights side of green living because it’s not an area of green I keep up with, nor is it a sub-topic I care to get become immersed in. I also look for things like post-length, design, and blog roll because it gives me an idea of what the blog’s focus is and if I match up.

It saves you from crappy writing sites. Do you really want to write for a badly written, poorly designed site? No you don’t. It looks bad on your resume and shows that the client is all about the cash not content. Plus, in my experience poorly created sites and blogs are the low payers. You’re better off skipping it. When to ignore this advice – if the site has minor issues that you think could improve with your skills or appears to be in a transition (i.e. the site is being redesigned).

It gives you something to talk about with the client. Sometimes a client will get back to you shockingly fast. If you failed to check out the site before you applied it looks really bad. You should be able to remark quickly about the site to the client. For example, you should be able to spout off the main theme of the site, some positives about it (like what an awesome forum feature!), and have some key topics in mind for when the client asks, “What would you blog about?”

When to apply:

In the above mentioned Blog Herald post, Andrew says he thinks you should wait to apply. He notes, “The bulk of applicants will apply for the freelance blogging job within the first few days that it’s posted. Based on sheer volume, you are likely to get lost in the shuffle. Applying for a job after it has been posted for at least a week might give you a better chance of getting the hiring agent’s attention. Also, I’m a big believer that the first people to apply come across as ‘job board patrollers.’ To me that means they are not interested in a specific job – but any job. And in my world, that takes you out of the running.”

He makes some decent points but I don’t totally agree. First of all, there’s a lot to be said for the check-in. The check-in works like this: you apply when you first see the job then send a follow up a week later. Now, some editors are probably going to hate me for saying this, because why get more email!? Editors are busy. However, this is the tactic I’ve used my whole life both for online and offline jobs and it’s worked for me. You get your name out there that first week, but the follow up check in not only shows you’re still interested but pops your name up in front of the hiring party yet again. If a potential client is mulling over ten appropriate candidates, why not be one of those ten who pops up again? If they’re torn you can help convince them that you’re the one.

I’ve had people tell me that my check in is why I got the gig, so I stick with what works. NOTE if a potential client specifically asks in the ad that people not check in I usually won’t, although, being a big believer in the check-in I sometimes ignore them and check in anyhow. I deal with this on a case-by-case basis.

Secondly, if you wait, the job may be taken off the table. It’s likely that one of the first 100-200 to apply will be an appropriate candidate and so some hiring parties don’t continue to open the emails that follow. Some clients do check each and every email query they get, but not all.

Lastly, some clients are looking to hire quickly. I’ve dealt with drawn out application processes, but I’ve also applied for gigs where the client is looking to hire asap. Every day a blog sits empty is a day it’s not bringing in readers and worse it means loosing the already established reader base. If a blog appears to have just one or two writers I’d apply sooner. Blogs with multiple writers can afford to wait and be more picky during the hiring process.

Do you have any tips about when you should apply for blogging gigs?

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