Archives for December 2007

My blog pals all seem to have similar goals this New Year’s – to slow down, take on less work, and to have more free time. Letting go of work when so many bloggers are out there looking for more new gigs may seem counter-productive to the success of your career. However, having fewer jobs doesn’t have to mean less success or even less income.

Look for better opportunities. You don’t have to take that lower paying gig. This can be the year you reach for the stars. Believe me there ARE higher paying blogging gigs out there you just need to know where to look and be seriously on the ball when an opportunity comes your way.

Need more ideas that can free up time in the long run? [Read more…]

By Jennifer Chait

The question of how much money you should make as a professional blogger pops up a lot; at forums, in my emails from people, etc. The problem with this question is that there is no clear answer. It’s a personal question on top of an already extremely variable paying market.

Just how variable is the market? Well, I’ve seen blogs advertised lately paying $10 a week but personally I won’t blog anywhere for under $100 a month and that’s low end – the posts would need to be extremely manageable (or the perks stellar). I also have two blogs right now that require the same amount of time per month, yet one pays hundreds more.

You have to weigh options that are right for your situation and goals.

[Read more…]

~ Jennifer Chait

Is your own.

Do you re-read your own blog? I hope you said yes. If not it’s time to start. If you have many blogs this can be a daunting task; especially if your blogs are older, with plenty of content. Some of my blogs are old and stuffed so I break it up. Once a month I read one month’s worth of posts from each of my blogs. It doesn’t take that long, it’s a nice break from my regular work, and re-reading offers me plenty of perks such as…

• It offers me new ideas: One of the best places I find fresh content is in my old posts. When I’m re-reading it jogs my memory about something I meant to write about and have since forgotten or I’ll find that I could easily expand on a topic. If you write more than one blog you can take an old post that was popular at one blog and re-slant it at another.
• It tells me how good (or bad) my blog is: Listen, if your old blog posts bore you, if it’s a struggle to re-read then there’s an issue. Imagine how your readers feel. I have blogs that I enjoy reading as an outsider looking in. Sadly, I have one blog that I can’t stand to re-read right now; so I know it needs some work. If I don’t want to read my own words why should I expect others to enjoy them? In a best case scenario this can help you improve your blog immensely. In a worst case scenario this might let you know that a blog should end.
• I find typos: I almost never find my typos the first and second times through when I’ve just written a post. Later, I’ll go back and catch mistakes. You may think it won’t matter if a blog post you did last year has a couple of typos but it might. If I like a blogger’s current posts, I’ll go back and read their older posts as well. If the quality is a lot different it can be disappointing. Each of your posts that someone reads is a chance to make an impression, so it’s nice if that impression is error free. Or at least as error free as possible.
• I find dead links: This is basic blog maintenance 101. When I read other people’s blogs, one dead link won’t bother me enough to shun the blog but if every single link is dead I may stop reading.
• I catch comments I missed: Every time you don’t respond to a comment is a chance missed to gain a possible regular reader. I’ve missed comments (I try hard not to but we all do) if I catch one I missed I respond. I don’t care if it’s been four months; a comment deserves a response. I’ve gained a couple of regular readers this way.
• I’m reminded of broken promises: I’ve visited many a blog where, at the end of a post, the blogger will say, “Coming up next… (insert enthralling topic).” I get all excited and check back and then nothing. I really dislike when bloggers break promises. Guess what though – I’m guilty too. If you have a lot of blogs you will likely promise something at some point and forget to deliver. Re-reading allows me to catch those moments where I had a great promise and then I forgot.
• Re-reading tells me what’s working: More importantly it tells me what’s not working. Ironically my readers and I don’t love the same posts. I can work really hard on a post, decide that it’s brilliant, and then what… no one comments, no one cares, and it can be unsettling. After getting over my initial disappointment I remember that what matters more are the posts people do like; not the ones they don’t. Re-reading reminds me what kind of posts work best for a particular blog so that I waste less time writing the ones that don’t.
• It builds self confidence: If I’m having a bad – I’m – gonna – quit – blogging – because – I – suck kind of day then re-reading my best posts helps. It cheers me up to see lots of cool comments and well-planned ideas. I think that in any kind of writing we all have days where we think we could be better. Focusing on your positive and successful pieces can help calm down your negative thoughts or self-doubts.

Do you re-read your own blog? If so, what have you learned from this process?

Among other places, you can visit Jennifer Chait at Offbeat Homes, 7 Babes A Blogging, and Tree Hugging Family.

By Jennifer Chait

Because I love blogs and blogging so much, it’s hard to admit that the relationship between a specific blog and I are over. I put a lot of time into all my blogs and when it comes to paid positions there’s the additional fact that you know all these other people applied but you won the slot. It’s hard to let go. It’s honestly akin to real life break-ups; at least for me. Also, I hate feeling like I’ve failed (which by the way is not true — quitting a blog does not make you a failure maybe just smart enough to know when to end it).

I recently put in my notice at one of my blogs. It’s taken me two months to decide that the relationship is going nowhere and two weeks longer than that to buck up and give my notice. That’s longer than it should have taken – in reality we both would be happier apart. Lingering so long has been a waste of valuable time both for the blog and me.

Having worked for a while as a professional blogger this is not the first blog I’ve dropped. The reasons for a break up can vary from blog to blog and can also vary between paid positions and blogs you run yourself.

Overall there are some telltale signs that can clue you in to when it may be time to call the relationship quits:

[Read more…]

By Jennifer Chait

This has been a terrible week for me. My life got in the way about ten times over and as a result I’ve been a pretty poor excuse for a blogger. For instance:

• I haven’t come close to posting regularly nor did I even bother to contact anyone and tell them why.
• I didn’t surf new blogs or visit any of my usual blog haunts.
• I’ve sworn off social networking for the week.
• Plus I have no clue what’s going on in the world because I didn’t even read my feeds this week.

The kind of damage that I’ve likely experienced this week may include losing readers, losing feed subscribers, and missing news stories. Other damage a blogger can run into could be things like losing a blogging gig, having an editor become highly frustrated with you, and hitting a major blogging slump. None of the above is good news. However, there are some basic damage control techniques you can use when life gets in the way and you check out for a few days to a week.

[Read more…]