How to keep your cool – getting over freelance blogger slumps

First up, a little disclaimer… To be honest, I hadn’t planned on posting about the b5media issues. I’ve worked for b5media for a long time and at this second still do. However, I’m involved because I’m knee deep in emails and Skypes and now I’ve even got a direct comment at b5media asking me if I’ve been fired, so I suppose I’ll comment here.

If you’re a blogger, I’m sure you’ve by now heard about the b5media shenanigans. But just in case you’ve been living in a cave…

Yesterday with zero notice b5media fired all of the bloggers who had been writing for their entertainment channel. Some had been with b5media for years. Later on in the day, tweets were posted that linked up two specific posts (Is this the end of b5Media’s Lifestyles channel? And, is b5Media is moving to NYC?) from Elizabeth Spiers’ site which led to speculations of course (i.e. people putting two & two together).

Here’s the deal…

Do I think it’s nice to fire people with zero notice? No, of course not. Who thinks that? I think it’s decent when a company offers a heads up to contractors and employees about what’s happening in said company because it helps to maintain a better work environment and also it’s just a basic nicety, but as a freelancer I also know that it doesn’t always happen.

In a perfect world…

• Companies, regardless of scope, would practice basic kindness and be forthcoming with the people they hire. It builds a better community and yeah, it’s nice.
• All freelance writers would be confident enough to look for work that pays decent wages not take gigs from $2 bid sites or work for free.
• There would be no more querying! Jobs would fall in your lap.
• When you’re hired as a freelancer you’d get good pay, rights to all content, rights to later buy your domain, and health care benefits.

Now, welcome to the real world. Freelance writing is far from a perfect career choice for everyone. ALL jobs, freelance or otherwise, have pros and cons. The good part is that it’s your choice what you do with your life.

As a blogger you’ve got a few choices. Freelance blogging for clients, starting your own blog projects, or signing on with a company as an employee blogger. Each one has different perks and slumps. For example, as a blogger for clients or if you blog as an employee you won’t own the domain and sometimes you won’t own the content but you also don’t usually have to deal with back-end issues like designing, fixing stuff when it breaks, or placing ads.

If you own your own blogs you will get all of the profit (if you make any) but you also have a million little things to deal with such as updating your platform, design issues, and server crashes. One major perk of owning your own blog is that minus major weirdness like Google banning you or a server loosing a year of content you can’t technically get fired from your own blog.

Pros and cons. You’ve got to weigh them for yourself and choose a path.

That said, try not to lose your cool…

If you choose to go the blogging for clients route, there are certain things you should keep in mind for the long haul.

You can lose your job. Clients can go under. You can be fired or have your pay cut. All sorts of messy stuff can happen. These are basic facts of freelancing. That’s why you need to job search even when things are swell.

Never, ever put all your eggs in one basket. Both Deb and me post about this almost to a fault in my opinion. If you put all your trust in one writing client it’s a problem due to the fact that sucky stuff can and will most likely happen. Freelancers do need to branch out. It’s not a smart move to get too comfortable.

In most cases you won’t own your domain. That can really suck because it’s easy to get attached to a site or blog when you write content for them and become attached to your readers. Personally I think it’s good to be invested because readers can tell if you are or not. However, if you’re too attached it’s not good either because again, you don’t own the domain. You are a contracted writer not a blog owner and it’s important to keep this in mind. You take a freelance job for a client for the money, not the ownership. Trust me I’ve been there. I was super attached to a blog I wrote. When I started feeling too attached to it, I quit because I knew putting more time into it might make me nuts. After I quit I felt a lot better.

In this specific case, people seem upset because b5 is (from what I hear) using the old entertainment content to redirect people to the new entertainment site they launched. Which (if it’s true) is within b5’s rights because they own the domains. They’re a business. If they want to they could sell domains to bloggers they’ve hired or fired, but they don’t have to unless it was stipulated as such in the contract. It’s like if you’re a home builder, website designer or social worker or a number of other things – if you’re contracted to build a house for someone that doesn’t mean you own it. If you work with kids at a non-profit, it’s awesome to see them do well, but it’s not all up to you.

It’s perfectly normal to love where you work or feel attached but as a freelancer for clients and even as an employee for clients you need to be able to separate yourself from ownership.

You should read your contracts carefully. Don’t ever take a gig unless you’re willing to sign and abide by the contract. If you don’t like a specific contract, no one is holding a gun to your head to sign it. You can turn down gigs, another one will come along.

Don’t burn bridges. In this specific b5 case and in other cases where major companies have fired people or downsized, I’ve seen people who used to work for the company offering up their termination letters or other company secrets publicly. I.e. I’ve seen comments like, “Hey I’ll send you my termination letter” – in my opinion this is not a smart professional move. If you work for a company as a writer and you’re fired or quit, it’s fine to be upset, but it’s unprofessional to publicly offer up company letters, secrets, or other company goods. It doesn’t make you look good and is the equivalent of burning bridges before you build them. I’ve also seen name calling and other less than professional behavior.

Here’s the thing, if I needed to hire someone for one of my blogs, I sure wouldn’t hire someone who shoots around the web giving away stuff from their last company or calling names. What if our relationship didn’t work out well? Would that writer go around giving away personal info from my contract too? Being upset – normal. Being angry – fine. Being unprofessional – you’re digging your own grave. If you think a company sucks, ok, maybe they do but you can be better than that.

What you can do…

• Vent to your friends privately. It’s normal to want to vent and can make you feel a lot better but don’t let it stop you from moving on and looking for new options.
• Land some new blogging gigs.
• Land some other sorts of writing gigs.
• Start your own blog.
• Be thankful for what a company offered you while you were there. I’ve worked for companies that have come and gone. It’s sad sometimes when a job ends, but I’m usually glad that one, I got paid while I worked there and two that I learned something new.

Freelancing can be a stressful job. Stuff like the b5media issue happens all the time. Not just in freelancing either. Right now, in my neck of the woods a major video store just went bankrupt and locked out all store managers and employees with zero notice last week. Even huge companies break down. It happens and nothing is guaranteed. Like with all jobs you’ve got good and bad times. Being prepared or not prepared can make a big difference when it comes to being able to deal with a career where things change fast and often.

PS as often happens, Deb and me tend to agree on blogging issues. As I was writing this post above she posted An Open Letter to B5media Bloggers elsewhere. Go check it out; it’s a good read.

Getting started as a problogger

I was reading one of Deb’s posts, “Why You Won’t Get Famous Blogging for Someone Else” and noticed the following comment.

“I am looking to go into blogging or freelance writing to earn money and to be able to stay at home with my children. All I know is that I truly love to write and give my opinions. In between cooking and my household duties, I can spend up to 4 hrs or more a day just on FaceBook alone. Somehow there has got to be a way to make a living doing this and get paid for it. As a new blogger or freelance writer, I would love if someone could tell me how to get started.”

The major part of this comment that stood out to me was the “4 hrs” issues. I wanted to address that up front because to make a living as a blogger requires FAR more than 4 hrs a day. My typical schedule varies between 8-10 hr days and more if I’ve taken on extra jobs. Plus I get few days off. I know other bloggers who spend more time than 10 hrs a day working. If you’re working for blog clients and have your own blogs you can end up working with literally no days off as you work to get better traffic rankings and build community on your own blogs and still keep up with your paid gigs.

Still overall it’s a good question – how to get started blogging. Many people want to break into blogging and this is one of the most frequently asked questions at this blog and others like it. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up some get started posts. Back before I took a break from this blog, I actually started a series on how to get started, and following are some of the issues we talk about here…

Getting started:

• 16 things you need to make it as a problogger
• What kind of jobs can blogging skills lead to?
• How to get blogging jobs and web writing jobs – getting started
• Finding blog gigs – starting out with no clips
• What does it mean to be a community manager? – something you should know if you want to make real money in the blog venue.

Finding paid blogging gigs:

• Online resume mistakes you may be making
• How to get a blogging job – advice from b5media’s hiring editor
• How to get a blogging job – advice from Deb Ng of FWJ
• How to bomb out all the time when looking for blogging jobs
• Blog and online writing gig danger signs!

Make a living wage right from the start:

• Score high paying online writing and blogging gigs
• Which online writing and blogging jobs pay the best?
• Make living wages as a freelance writer – how to quit writing for low wages
• Avoiding the temptation of easy to score but low paying gigs
• Calculate your hourly blogging wage and figure out if a client is even worth it

Being realistic about your career choice:

• Can you avoid distractions while working?
• Maybe you’re not getting jobs because you just can’t write
• Who actually makes a living as a blogger
• Why you should not try to become a problogger

Hopefully this round up of tips will help you to kick off your blogging adventure or at least point you in the right direction. This list also might make you realize that blogging is not for you, and that’s fine; it’s better to realize this now rather than later.

If you have any specific questions about getting started as a blogger that are not answered above leave a comment and I’ll respond or try to post about it.

What kind of jobs can blogging skills lead to?

Blogging for a career can be iffy. The pay can be good, but sometimes it’s beyond terrible. The hours on a cushy blogging gig may be easy but in many cases you put in long hours with few days off. Also, because of the popularity of blogs there are plenty of everyday Joes (or Sallys) who get it into their head that blogging is a snap and start a blog project which means in some cases you could end up applying for a gig where you know way more about blogs then the client who hires you (frustrating).

The good news is that blogging covers a wide range of skill-sets. Both my partner in crime Deb and me believe that your blogging skills can be used for not only blogging, but other cool gigs. It’s all about moving beyond blogging when you need to. If you’ve been blogging a while and have handled multiple projects you may have picked up enough skills to also tackle one of the following types of gigs.

Other sorts of short writing pieces: This is a given. If you blog it’s a good natural transition to magazine shorts, online content sites, and online magazines that are looking for shorter but still snappy pieces.

Longer writing pieces: Personally I transitioned from print to web, but there’s nothing to say you can’t do it the other way around. Even if you haven’t written for magazines, newspapers, or other print media before, you may have a better in at this point if you have an impressive blogging resume. Nowadays online pieces are considered a little more professional than they have been in the past, especially if you can score some gigs at major online sites, with big blog clients, or with blog networks that are well-known. It’s also useful if some of the posts you’ve done are interviews with well-known experts.

Social media gigs: If you’re a good blogger you’ve likely spent a lot of time on social networking. Currently companies are starting more and more to see the pros of having not only a company blog, but a forum, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and more, and of course companies need folks who are media and social networking savvy to run the show. Lately, if you look at the major job boards there almost always someone hiring for a social networking / community manager guru.

Business copy: Business copy such as brochures, snappy ads (both print and online), company newsletters, press releases, and more are all things you can try if you’ve been blogging posts such as reviews, recommendations, and breaking news. If you can say what you think, know how to promote, and can keep it short and interesting, then there’s many types of business writing that you might be good at. Bonus, business writing gigs tend to pay far above and beyond what typical blog gigs pay.

Web design and blog creation: Not all bloggers pick up HTML, coding, and design skills, but some do, and there are people who want to hire those folks to build a blog for them, set up a blog, design a website, and so on.

What other sorts of jobs do you think blogging skills naturally lead to?

The Freelance Writing Jobs Network is Looking for a Blogger With a Good Sense of Humor

Hi folks,

I’m looking for a blogger for the Freelance Writing Jobs and Other Stuff blog.

Wait! Stop! Don’t send that resume yet, let me tell you what I’m looking for….

Freelance Writing Jobs and Other Stuff was intended to be a blog filled with fun stuff for writers. Funny anecdotes, puzzles, links to amusing blogs and videos and anything that would put a smile on our faces and give us a break from our normal freelance writing existence. Unfortunately life got in the way and it wasn’t such a funny blog, after all. You can help me change that.

So here’s what I’m looking for:

• Someone funny. Make us laugh. Be that blogger – the one who every one says “you MUST read this post by …”
• Someone who can write. It’s a blog about writing, you know?
• Someone who has been writing and blogging for a while.
• Someone who is funny.
• Did I mention the funny part?

Is this you? Send me your details. deborahng@gmail.com. Payment is $100 per month for at least 2 posts per week, plus a profit share. If your blog brings in more than $100/month in revenue we’ll split it down the middle.

Please send me your ideas for this blog as well as samples of your writing. You don’t need to have a long impressive client list, but you do need to know something about blogging and writing for a living.

Make me laugh – make us all laugh.

P.S. Since I received a few notes already – This is not an all purpose humor column. It must be writing and blogging related.