I didn’t check my email all day… AND the world didn’t end!

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.

How to get a blogging job – advice from Deb Ng of FWJ

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?

Creating a useful and successful blog networking plan

Social networking isn’t that hard. Anyone can tweet, leave comments, ask for link exchanges, or IM readers and blogging pals. These are all general networking ideas that can work. However, if you’re focusing on the wrong blog networking tactics for your specific blog you’re wasting your time.

In my mind we network for one basic reason, to draw readers to our blog. Maybe you’re networking for another reason; to get read for personal reasons, to promote a cause, to get a job, or to gain clicks on ads, but it really all comes down to getting people to your blog doesn’t it? Bloggers want traffic and with so many blogs around the competition can be brutal. Following are some tips that can help you fine-tune a plan for your specific blog.

Your blog comes first: You can network to your hearts content, but without a decent blog to back it up, you’re not going to gain any long-term readers. Write good posts often. Write posts your readers want to read (you can even poll readers about this). Showcase older and popular posts that new readers may have missed in the past. Other good ideas include offering easy access to rss and email options for your posts, making your blog easy to navigate, and creating an attractive blog that will entice people to look around. Taking care of your blog insures folks who land there stay and visit and hopefully come back.

Choose some, not all networking options: You can’t do it all, so you may as well choose some social networking options you enjoy. If you hate Twitter, it’s just not a good networking option for you because one, you won’t stick with it, and two, I think people can tell when you’re not really into what you’re doing.

Be selective about links: If you’re into emailing people for blogroll minded link exchanges, make sure you do your homework. I get link exchange requests frequently at Tree Hugging Family, which as you might guess is an eco-minded blog. However, I get link exchange requests from all sorts of bloggers who have nothing to to do with green. I’m not going to link a blog out of my niche so these bloggers have just wasted my time and their own. Make sure you send link exchange requests to blogs in your niche or at least in a sub-niche. Note – it’s also smart to send out link exchange requests after you’ve been blogging a while. I tend to not link brand new blogs (under 5 mos) because I have no clue if they’re in it for the long haul, and I hate having to change my blogroll.

Speaking of sub-niches: It’s smart to network with other blogs in your niche, but you can widen the field by networking with bloggers close to your niche as well. For example, if you write a thrifty blog, there’s a good chance readers of a DIY home project blog or a budget gardening blog might like your blog too.

Use the readers you have already to make networking decisions: If you have some stable readers, ones who leave comments, and also have blogs, head to their site, to see what else they’re reading. Check their blogroll and visit those blogs to leave comments. Often your readers will visit other blogs that might be good to network with.

Network with the bloggers on your level: Not to apply labels, but if you’re a less than B-list blogger (or new blogger) trying to get A-listers to notice you is a lofty goal. You might have better luck networking with less popular bloggers. We all start somewhere. You might be creating a long lasting networking relationship with a new blogger now, but who know where they’ll be in two years or less. Case in point, I became friends with a brand new blogger a couple of years ago, she had emailed me asking questions, and we hit it off. Then she managed to become way popular in under a year (rare but cool) and because we were pals she had all my blogs linked at her site, which tossed me some decent traffic. That’s not the only reason I like her, but it’s a nice bonus for sure, one I wouldn’t have gotten had I ignored her emails early on. An added benefit of non-A-listers is they get less email, usually have more time, and tend to be more open to new networking relationships.

Chill out: Online relationships, like offline relationships take time to build and grow. Asking favors too early on, frequently bugging a blogger you just met, using spammy behavior, and expecting too much is not chill behavior. Allowing relationships to grow naturally makes for longer lasting connections.

Of course when it comes to networking, there’s always more you could be doing. What are some of your best ideas for networking that meets your specific blog’s needs?

Are you too distracted at work?

If you work as a blogger / web writer, you may find yourself getting super distracted often when you come across fun stuff to see and read. It’s also easy to get distracted when networking; sure Twitter can help you score gigs, but if you’re on there all day chatting, you won’t get much real work done.

I’m not immune to distractions. In one sense I’m lucky because I get to write mostly topics I love, but since part of my gigs is finding news and cool new products related to said topics I love, it’s easy for me to waste time browsing cool gear and then I get off track and lose work time.

To stay on track try the following…

Schedule everything!: I schedule every single thing I do online during my workday, or I’d never get anything done. And by everything, I do mean everything. I blog and do social media networking for clients and I’ve got time slots on my work schedule for all my tasks related to both. My schedule has time slots for lead searches, actual posting, commenting at other blogs, stumbling, email management, answering blog comments, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other little tasks I do at my jobs. For example, I love reading and commenting at other blogs, but since most of my gigs only require a little of that, I have to plan it, or trust me, I might do it happily all day, and not get my posts done. I use a schedule that has little check-off boxes on it, because there’s something about little boxes that makes me work. If I see five little boxes that need to be filled in with tweets for a client, I’ll do it.

Time it all: I’m more a fan of check-off-boxes vs. timing, because I know in my head how long tasks take me, but some bloggers I know use a timing method vs. boxes. For example, set your timer, or watch the clock as you do tasks, which could look like the following….

• 9 am – Network for blog one.
• 10 am – Posts for blog two.
• 10:30 am – Answer emails.
• 11 am – Catch up on news feeds.
• 11:30 am – Posts for blog three.
• 1 am – fun / personal social networking stuff (your own tweets, forums, and stumbling).
• And so on.

Set a time limit: If I find a story I’m dying to blog about, I will sometimes research it to death. TIME waster. Once I find a lead, I give myself a set amount of research time. If, at the end of that time, I don’t have enough info, I set the story aside for later. Same with images. If I have an idea in my head about an image for a post, and can’t find it in a few minutes, I settle for something less perfect.

Know what you’re writing about today: I usually jot down what I’ll be posting about in the morning, and it helps to keep me more on track than deciding on the fly what I’ll be posting about.

Use a weekly schedule: Another way that some bloggers stay on track is to go by a weekly schedule vs. a daily. I.e they do all their posting at blog one on Monday, blog two on Tuesday, blog three on Wednesday, use Thursday for paper work and misc tasks, and break up networking a little each day. Weekly schedules are a total failure for me. I have to go by a daily schedule or I get distracted. Find what works for you.

Write offline: If you’re way too distracted, you can write your posts offline, then go online and in one swift swoop, post the pieces to your blogs, add links, and publish. In this case some discipline can be a virtue, because in my opinion it’s faster to simply write online and gather links as you go, but if you’re always getting distracted, you might save more time writing offline.

Plan for fun stuff last: One technique I use is planning the fun stuff that I know will distract me for last. My favorite part of my job is green product lead searches. I love finding breaking news about new items coming out, and I ALWAYS spend more time than I should doing it, so I make sure to plan this task last and usually on a slow day (for me a weekend day usually), so that my other tasks get done as well.

Turn Skype, IM, etc. on DO NOT DISTURB!: Self explanatory.

How do you keep from getting distracted from all the cool stuff going on in the virtual world?

[image via stock.xchng]

Do Your Blog Posts Gain Reader Attention?

Blog posts can be a little dry; excuse me, I meant, web writing can be a little dry overall. Blogs aren’t the only online medium to blame. One problem is that blogs and online articles have gotten so SEO friendly. Some bloggers are excellent at making their posts search friendly AND personable. However, if you’re just focused on SEO, it’s easy to spot, annoying, super boring to read, and won’t lead to long term readers.

Another problem is that there are so many darn blogs around. Anyone can offer information on say, coffee or computers (and tons of bloggers do) but when you’re competing for readers to stay and read your post on coffee vs.the other guy, you better inject some life into your post in order to gain reader attention and keep it.

What attracts readers can vary, but here are some good ideas (i.e. tactics that gain my attention and keep me reading your posts):

You’re funny – but not mean funny: I like smart and funny bloggers who tell it like it is without being overly mean. I can deal with a little mean, but if rude is always your means to funny, it gets old.

You write about what I’m looking for: Obviously people want to read what they’re looking for. If you write for a main stream topic blog (say cooking) and yet you ‘re always writing about obscure irrelevant topics like shoes, OR bizarre food tips, such as snails in homegrown basil, you likely won’t get too many long-term readers. If I hit a cooking blog it’s because I want tips I can use.

You write about an obscure topic: I KNOW I just said above not to do this, but in some cases writing about something new and cool or odd is a great way to gain come-back readers. Using the cooking blog example again, you could have an entire obscure cooking blog, and that’s what you’d be known for. This is using odd topics to your advantage. There’s a fine line between drawing folks in with weird topics and still giving them info they can use though, so be careful.

You are human: I hate blog posts that offer up fact after fact without ever getting personal. I don’t need to know everything about you, but some personality is nice. When I’m reading about a topic at a blog, sure, I’m interested in the topic, but what keeps me at your blog vs. the other guy’s blog is that you have an opinion about your topic.

Your posts are visually pleasing: You hit enter, add relevant well-placed images, use bold text when necessary, and keep the posts easy to scan. If I cringe when I look at a blog, I leave and look for info elsewhere. Maybe that makes me a visual snob, but I’m betting I’m not the only one.

You are passionate or can fake it: This sort of goes along with the human aspect noted above, but there’s a little more to it. Even if you inject personality, you may not keep my attention if I can tell you’re bored or uninformed about your topic. I’ve written on topics I’m not personally passionate about, but one, I always feel like people can tell (I hate trying to fake it) and two, I never last long. I get bored and quit OR worse the blog suffers. Blogs written by folks who aren’t passionate, or who can’t fake it well just seem like dead space trashing up the blogosphere.

All of the above gain my attention. What gains your attention?

Blogging tip: back up your posts with logic and actual facts

A pet peeve of mine is when bloggers write posts that make me go, “Hmmmm?” And by hmmmm, I mean I don’t buy what they’re saying because they don’t back their facts up OR they make broad generalizations that aren’t true.

For example, you shouldn’t write, “ALL college kids have crazy sex” or, “ALL meat eaters are killing the planet.” If you do want to say something like this, it better be in a tone I can actually read as funny, or you should back it up with actual facts, otherwise you just end up looking like a ranting nutcase. If you write stuff like this too often, your readers won’t consider your blog a place for trusted advice, and you won’t be considered competent in relation to your topic.

Other mistakes like this include…

Not linking to statistics or other pertinent facts. For example, simply writing, “Pesticides cause problems during pregnancy – so ONLY eat organics.” is maybe true but it looks way better when backed up with a link. Such as, “A new report out from The Organic Center (TOC), a leading research institute focused on the science of organic food and farming, recently confirmed that yes, pesticides during pregnancy can cause premature birth or a low-birth weight baby…” and so on.

Same with figures. If you’re going to say that five out of ten kids aged 12 in school are reading at a 7-year-old level , you should get your 5/10 figure from a relevant source and linked it.

The above seems like common place know-how, but at a recent staff meeting for a client I work for, some of my co-bloggers were arguing that it’s ok to leave out links, especially if you site a source. I don’t agree. If you make your readers work too hard to locate the facts you post, they’ll head to another blog; one that doesn’t make them work as hard.

What do you think? Do you link to facts and other posts to support your information or do you go commando?

Coming up: hopefully some blog and online writing gig leads. For now though check out Deb’s leads.

Choose a blog challenge or mix up your blog routine this week

I’m doing both; I’m choosing a blog challenge and mixing it up. Since it’s the start of a new year, and I have some blog issues, I figured I’d challenge myself.

My blog challenge: PR post catch-up.

My biggest blog challenge right now is playing catch-up with holiday PR. I have all these products, tips, and news-like bits that I’ve been meaning to post. People send me a lot of stuff and it tends to build up quickly in my email inbox. Once I get too many saved items, I freak and avoid them. Not to mention that I’d rather post my own tips. That said, I do get some pretty nice tips and ideas from various PR people and companies, and I should post them to offer my readers something different.

The goal: Work my way through the list. I think I’m going to start at the end which starts somewhere last November, and work my way up to date. I’m giving myself until Mid February and then, I’m just going to have to delete what’s left to free my mind. BUT I’d rather not delete any good stuff, so I’m going to try to fit it all in.

My mix-it-up goal: Get out somewhere new to work. Read more

It’s not too soon to blog the holidays

I’m back. My move took WAY longer then I expected and other stuff happened like a nightmare cherry on the cake. But I’ll not bore you with that; Deb already covered some of the issue in How to Ruin Your Blog (Like We Did).

I’d rather talk about blogging. Right now it’s almost October, which means it’s past time to start blogging the holidays. No matter your blog topic, holiday posts are a big traffic draw from September to December. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all the winter holidays are easy to cover and people want to read about all of them.

I usually start a little early when it comes to blogging the holidays, because frankly, I don’t see the point of a post titled “Ten perfectly green Christmas gifts” two days before Christmas. That’s not very blog reader friendly. Right now my focus is Halloween and although my blogs cover an array of topics, I’ll find a way to incorporate the topic at each and every one of my blogs.

Examples:

At Tree Hugging Family: How to green your Halloween costume

At Declutter It: How to organize a scary Halloween party

At Green Home Tips: Recycled Halloween decorations

At Pregnancy & Baby: 5 great baby Halloween costumes

At Offbeat Homes: 6 spooky homes you never knew existed

And so on…

By the time Halloween hits, I’ll have moved on to Thanksgiving, and well before Thanksgiving I’ll start covering the winter holidays (because people like to shop early.)

If you’re stuck in a blogging slump the holidays are a perfect time to get over it, because so many possibilities abound. You can try gift product recommendations, crafts, recipes, decor tips, or even go the sentimental route with topics like “how to have a peaceful family holiday” or “downsize your gift giving.” You can also work in some self-help posts like “dealing with your evil in-laws at Christmas” or “eating right during the holidays.”

I know some bloggers who skip holiday season posts entirely, maybe because they don’t celebrate or they feel like everyone else is already blogging them, but I don’t think it’s a smart move. Holidays provide free traffic ready material, and this is one time when you never need to wonder, “What the heck can I blog about?” so why pass it up?

If you don’t have a good handle on which holidays are which check out All Holiday Cafe to get up to speed.

What about you? Are you already blogging the upcoming holidays?