Dear Deborah,I read about your blog at WAHM because you show people jobs. I want to work at home except I don’t have skills in anything. I think I can write because you can do that at home and you don’t need skills. Please tell me what do to start writing at home and earning money.Sincerely,Brandy G.

Dear Brandy,

Get yourself some skills.

Good luck,

Deb

 

Hi, Deborah.

Can you shed some light on this for me? I see so many ads posted by people who want already existing articles “re-written,” and I can’tthink of a legitimate reason why they would hire somebody to do this. Is it plagiarizing without really plagiarizing?

I see these ads on sites such as GetaFreelancer.com and Elance.com.

Please pardon my naivete; I am truly serious. Why do people want to pay others to rewrite existing articles?

Thank you,

Beth

Hi Beth!

One day this week, I think I’ll talk about bidding sites. I won’t get into it too much now except to say they have mostly low-paying gigs and a lot of this rewriting stuff. The reason they want people to rewrite articles is because they only have to pay the “writers” to change some words around rather than write and research a whole piece. They want the articles to pass the Copyscape test. Rather than outright steal someone else’s article, they change some words around and voila! Cheap content for a new website. It’s a slimy way to stock a website. There’s even article spinning software where one can enter one article and have several others “spun” from them. So in other words, we don’t learn anything new, we just see the same content rewritten many other ways.

Hope that helped explain it!

Deb

 

Hey Deb,

What precautions do you take before sending an employer your social security number? Do you always give it over phone and never email? Should I call people listed on the company website that I’d be writing for?

-Matt Gould

Hey Matt,

 

You’ll need to give clients your Social Security Number in order to get paid. There’s really no getting around it. I know it’s a dangerous world and identity theft is a problem, but you have to do it. With that said, I do believe there’s a time and place to give out your number and it’s not on the application or your cover letter. I wouldn’t give out your Social unless you know for sure you’re hired.

 

Best,

 

Deb

 

Hello Deborah,

I just discovered your Web site and wanted to subscribe to it, but do not use Outlook. Is it possible to sign up through this email? Also, can you recommend a favorite Web site or document that comprehensively addresses the art of blog writing?

Thank you,

Shirley

Hi Shirley,

We actually have a Google group! It’s nothing major, I just alert you every time you update. If this interests you, subscribe here.

Thanks for your interest.

Deb

From the Comments…

Listening to Deb harp on and on about this over and over reminds me of the record industry lecturing people about downloading in 2000.

Deb, I’ll tell you what I told that distinguished panel, it is never going to stop, and if you can’t deal with it, then get out of the business.

BTW You never respond to e-mail, but seem to still want our sympathy on this issue. Sorry, I don’t follow that logic. Why should we care?

 

– Camera Obscura

Welcome to FWJ, Camera Obscura. Thank you for your welcome and cheerful contributions. I get hundreds of emails each day and do try to respond. Sometimes people fall through the cracks and I do apologize. If your email takes the tone of your comments here, the reasons for my not responding are obvious. As for why you should care, you don’t have to. The beauty of having my own blog is that I can discuss the issues that affect me, and you. Care, don’t care, at FWJ we like to offer the freedom of choice.

 

Oh wow, the old “work hard” lecture, never heard that before. Zzzzzzzz……

 

– Camera Obscura

Apparently not since you’re posting from your office. I like to think it’s good advice, but if you can offer us suggestions for not working hard and earning money, do share.

 

Hugs and kisses.

 

Deb’s writing is not that great (ever read her about.com page? good cure for insomnia), I can’t imagine anyone actually lifting her work. They must be new to the web.

-Camera Obscura

Well aren’t you just the joiner! A few weeks ago we never heard of you and now you’re just a chatty little bird. You should have come a few weeks earlier, in time for our comments contest. In fact with all of your insightful contributions, you’re sure to stimulate plenty of thoughtful discussions. I can’t wait until you return to work Monday so you can continue to dazzle us with your brilliance and wit.

I’m so glad to know you’re reading my work and it serves a purpose.

Love,

Deb

See ya later Writer’s Row, Deb is too big for you…

Camera Obscura

Au Contraire. We do appreciate your concern, but I’m still part of Writer’s Row. It’s just difficult hosting this blog as a subdomain. I’m still a member and hope to contribute some wonderful things in the future.

Dear Deb,

You have lots of blogs. Which one is your favorite?

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

This one is my favorite. It’s a lot of work and I barely break even but it’s worth everything I put into it. Each of my blogs has a special place in my heart though. I love them all.

Dear Deb,

Why do you insist on pimping your blogs every chance you get? Who cares about how many blogs you have or how many of your sheep nominated you for b.s. awards?

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

My blogs didn’t succeed through lack of promotion, I do try not to be spammy though. As for why you should care, as I told my new BFF Camera Obscura above, you don’t have to care. I promise not to let it upset me.

Do come by again!

Deb

 

 

Thanks to Jason Oliver for helping me to switch to WordPress and also for FWJ’s new look. The upgrade and redesign is just about complete, though we still have a few tweaks here and there. I appreciate your patience!

– Deb

Work with Your Personality Type and Maintain Your Social Skills
by Crystal Schwanke
Working from home has its definite perks. You can watch a movie while you finish those product descriptions. You can wait until 3:00 PM to start “getting ready” for the day. You choose your hours, you choose your projects, and you can wear your pajamas (even if they are flannel!). But are writers who work from home stunting their social growth?

Take an introvert—painfully shy, better with the written word than the spoken, and nervous in crowds. They tend to avoid social settings at all costs, and prefer the small, intimate settings with friends rather than parties and malls. Is writing from home a way to hide from the world instead of making us “buck up” and deal? Does it hinder our ability further to function around strangers? When I worked in retail, I spoke with people everywhere—not just at work—much more easily. Now it’s harder to strike up a conversation.

On the other hand, the extrovert (how many of those are there out there who work from home? My butterfly husband would go absolutely insane without constant human interaction!) needs other people to thrive. When an extrovert is “unleashed” in a public place after hours of solitude at a home computer, do they remind others of overeager puppies looking for their next delicious gourmet treat?

You can obviously enjoy writing whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. You may also find yourself having to work from home for the sake of flexibility, peace of mind, or family obligations. There are ways to keep your sanity and your social skills no matter who—or what—you are.

The key to working from home and still being able to function on a “normal” level in public is balance. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Work in a public place like a coffee shop.
2. Keep hobbies—and that doesn’t mean yoga in your living room or cycling alone. Take a class. You’ll meet new people, learn new things, and probably come up with new writing material (bonus!). If you’re an extrovert, you’ll get to expend some of that energy you’ve had pent up all day.
3. If you’re doing an interview and the subject is local, meet them in person rather than opting for the convenience of the phone. It may cost you a cup of coffee or two, but it’s good for your well-being.

Writers may be known as eccentric by some who succumb to stereotypes, but striking a balance between hermit and party animal could be beneficial. For introverts, meeting new people and going new places could be just the thing for curing writer’s block and social anxiety. Going out to grab coffee instead of making their own, having a class to look forward to, or creating face-to-face interaction via interviews could be precisely what an extrovert needs to recharge—resulting in a clearer head and better copy.

How do you cope with hours spent using your fingers to “talk” and your eyes to “listen” for hours a day?

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About Weblogs

I’m going to be switching FWJ to WordPress within the next couple of days. Hopefully this won’t break the blog, but if you experience any downtime, this is the reason.

Have a great day,

Hi everyone,

I have some great weekend discussions lined up with some great guest bloggers. Unfortunately the time got away from me this weekend, (thanks to a little emergency) and I didn’t get a chance to post this weekend’s discussion. Since I like to start my guest bloggers off on Friday, I’d rather just throw out some reader mail today – all about the same topic. Annoying affiliate links. Let’s hear your thoughts. Our guest bloggers return next weekend, I promise.

Dear Deb,

There are a couple of blogs that list jobs like you. Many of the links lead to Freelance Work Exchange affiliate links instead of a job. I don’t really want to pay to read a job ad. What do you think?

Kathy M.

Dear Kathy,

I think any job board claiming to care about writers only to send you to click an affiliate link for a paying job site is a little hypocritical. You should never have to pay to see a job ad, especially since most of the jobs listed at places like Freelance Work Exchange are the same jobs you’ll see listed for free all over the web. Moreover, if you don’t read the fine print when subscribing on a trial basis, FWE will get you for thirty bucks a month.

It’s up to you whether or not to subscribe. The next time you click on a link for a job and it takes you to a FWE page, ask yourself this: does this person really want me to find a gig, or is she just out to earn some revenue? Then decide whether or not you want to support that person by paying for a subscription.

Best,

Deb

Dear Deb,

I was on Craigslist today and I applied for a job promising to pay $3 to $40 for articles. Thinking $40 was a decent beginning, I sent my CV to the email address. In return I received a pitch for Associated Content. This was (censored) disappointing. It’s bad enough Craigslist is littered with no-payers, now the Associated Content people are trying to deceive us into working for them?

John K.

Hi John,

I’m not so sure the A.C. people are using deception. The ads are what they are. The opportunity to work for a low paying content site. Yeah, they do spam the job boards with the affiliate links, and yeah, it’s disappointing to think you’re applying for a certain type of gig only to receive an Associated Content pitch, but really they’re not doing anything illegal. The problem as I see it is that many of the low-paying sites offer their writers the chance to earn more change by bringing in more writers. What they should really do (in my opinion) is offer a higher per article rate. This would kill two birds with one stone. The writers would receive the pay they deserve, and more writers would come on board thanks to the promise of a bigger paycheck.

Best,

Deb

Dear Deb,

The only thing that sucks more than finding out a gig doesn’t pay, is reading a really cool job ad, clicking to learn more information and ending up here. Do people fall for this con?

Rock on,

Melissa M.

Hi Melissa,

They sure do.

Deb

Discuss…