Adventures In Freelancing

Whew! It's been awhile since I've updated here at Adventures In Freelancing. My apologies, but the reason I've been absent has primarily been because I was out of town this week at an AMAZING social media conference. Social Media Today was held in Rochester, NY and was organized by Ana Castro of Premier Social Media.

The Back Story

My relationship with Ana is a case study in itself, which began on Twitter as I was preparing to launch this very blog. I wanted to make the launch big, by offering prizes that freelance writers could use. So I put out the word on Twitter, asking folks to reply if they had a product or service they could donate. Ana was one of the first to respond and offered some educational courses from her social networking site for families, Family Eden. After speaking on the phone, we just seemed to click. When Ana was looking for bloggers for the Family Eden blog, she included me.

The Conference

When Ana invited me to the conference, I was excited, but also a bit nervous. The nearly five-hour drive by myself to Rochester was not something I was looking forward to, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to network and to learn more about social media simply because of a little fear. I'm so glad I didn't let my nervousness hold me back! You can check out the conference site for a more in-depth list of speakers, but let me give you just a bit of the highlights.

Chris Brogan was there! Chris is well-known on Twitter as a social media guru. He's all about community and building trust. In fact, he and his co-author Julien Smith, wrote a book on the topic called Trust Agents, which is now a New York Times best seller. After his informative and entertaining speech, Chris took some time to sign our books. Here's a picture of us.

I had the pleasure of introducing Jeffrey Hayzlett, the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak. What a knowledgeable, fun, and entertaining guy! I also got to connect with other great people from Kodak including Jenny, their Chief Blogger, and Shruti, Kodak's Community Manager. It was wonderful talking to them. I was able to get a view of corporate blogging and to have the opportunity to get involved in future Kodak campaigns, as a blogger. Very cool. Here's a picture of Jeffrey in action. You can see his energy!

There were so many other wonderful, insightful, and creative speakers. There were presentations on the use of social media in corporations, measurement of ROI, legal aspects of social media, and panel discussions giving personal answers to audience questions. Speaking of these panels, I've saved the best for last!

The Surprise

As a panel of bloggers was introducing themselves, I immediately recognized one of the names - Yvonne DiVita. "Wait", I thought to myself, "that's @y2vonne from Twitter!" I wanted to jump up out of my seat and shout to her. Instead, I turned to Ana's husband sitting next to me and tugged on his arm like a little kid, saying,"I KNOW her from Twitter! I talk to her all the time!"

Finally, when it was time for questions, I raised my hand. When I introduced myself to Yvonne as @marybabysteps, she got excited too. You see, Yvonne and I really connected through social media, and it was like seeing an old friend. Actually, she wasn't even supposed to be at the conference that day, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she was able to make it. You know I always say that things happen for a reason. I'm convinced Yvonne and I were meant to meet at the conference, if only for the brief time we had together. I so look forward to getting to know her more and to any future collaborations. Take a look at the marvelous conference recap Yvonne wrote on her blog and the touching things she said about me. Thank you, Yvonne!

The Takeaway

I could go on and on about the conference, but my hands are starting to hurt from typing. I will tell you that I came away with a couple of writing jobs and the opportunity to obtain others in the future. But that's not even the biggest thrill. Having the opportunity to connect with others who get what you do is beyond words. I highly recommend attending a blogging or social media conference if you get the opportunity. If you're unable to travel to a conference, look for local events as a means of networking and meeting people. Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau events are good ones to start with. You'll be surprised at the connections you can make, and you may even end up with some leads on writing gigs.

Do you have any examples of great networking experiences? Do tell; I'd love to hear your story!

As freelance writers, we often find ourselves stuck for ideas. It seems that every topic has already been covered. Finding a new slant is necessary if we want to get our articles published. Fortunately, there are always new developments and changes occurring in every industry. The problem is finding out about those developments.

We're busy people. We don't have scads of time to spend researching and hunting down the latest information in our area of interest. That's why you'll want to sign up for inclusion in the Cision database. Signing up is easy. Just fill out the form with your information and the topics you're interested in. You'll soon be receiving information and pitches relevant to all the subjects you cover. Not every email or press release will be useful to you, but I've found that much of the information I receive can be used in some way, either as blog content or to spark an idea for a freelance article.

Thanks, Jennifer James, of Mom Bloggers Club, for sharing this resource!

I've got a new giveaway here at Adventures in Freelancing that you're going to love! The folks at Carolina Pad have provided me with a ton of organizational products to give away to one lucky winner. They also gave me a set of the same great products to review. Here's what I received and what one lucky reader will also be able to win:

· 1-subject notebook (MSRP $2.99)

· Ideal Book (MSRP $3.99)

· Personal Book (MSRP $1.99)

· 3-ring binder (MSRP $4.99)

· Tab dividers (MSRP $1.99)

· File Folders (MSRP $4.99)

· 13-pocket expandable folder (MSRP $5.99)

· Coupon expandable folder (MSRP $3.99)

· 19-month planner (MSRP $4.99)

· Stick-on notes/flags (MSRP $1.99)

The retail value of this package is $38.00!

The Hot Chocolate pattern is a fun collection in chocolate brown with pastel swirls, circles, and stripes. I love that it stands out from the standard black and navy notebooks that line my bookshelves and plain manila files in my cabinet. Here are some of my favorite pieces and how I'm using them to simplify my freelance life:

7" x 5" Personal Book - I use this compact notebook to take with me EVERYWHERE. It's easy to find in my purse or laptop bag whenever I have a great idea for an article or pitch. A writer cannot be without a good notebook to record those fleeting flashes of brilliance.

Sticky Notes and Flags - These are perfect for marking pages in magazines, when I want to go back and reference an idea. They're also useful as bookmarks. I'm constantly reading and can never find my bookmark.

Accordion Folder - An accordion folder is a must-have for organizing tax information, research materials, and idea snippets by category. I have several, and I was thrilled to receive this one from Carolina Pad!

Three Ring Binder and Tab Dividers - I use this combination of supplies to organize my blogs. I keep a section for each blog that contains post ideas, rough editorial calendar, and review/giveaway information. I couldn't live without my binders!

Which Carolina Pad supplies would YOU use to make your life easier? That's what you have to tell me for your chance to win this bundle of life-changing products. So head over to the Carolina Pad website, take a look around, then come back here to leave your comment.

Entries must be received by Tuesday, November 10th at noon EST. For extra entries:

Follow Carolina Pad on Twitter.

Join the Carolina Pad Fan Page on Facebook.

Subscribe to this blog through RSS or email.

Follow this blog.

Tweet about the contest, including post link, and @marybabysteps.

You may use each of these extra entries once, and you must leave a separate comment for each. Good luck!

While surfing the net, I came across a link that led me to WritersWeekly. a very informative site with much to offer writers. There's a forum and articles on all aspects of writing. There are also warnings about markets to be wary of and lists of paying markets. I was extremely impressed with their search feature, in which you can enter specific terms to find markets in your niche.

I honestly don't remember how I was led to this site, but whatever the case may be, I found that by entering the search phrase, "welcomes new writers" I was able to generate a particularly extensive list of markets from their database that accept material from new writers. What a useful find for us newbies! This takes away some of the anxiety of approaching markets, I think.

How about you? Would you be more willing to query a market that openly says they are welcoming to new writers? Does it matter to you? I do intend to pitch all kinds of markets, even the national women's magazines, as I know what's most important is having a good, solid, well-researched idea and being able to articulate it. But it's nice to be aware of this method for getting my feet wet.

I just learned this trick for using Google to find writing markets from fellow writer, Linda Hutchison, and I can't believe I never thought to do this before. Sure, I've Googled "women's websites" or "college magazines" when looking for publications in my areas of interest, but this method is rather ineffective. Instead, try Linda's way.

Go to Google. Put your topic in quotation marks. Type the words "submissions" or "writers guidelines" in quotes. Then put the word "and" between them. You'll get a list of links to writers guidelines you can explore for paying markets. For example, if you type "women" and "writers guidelines" into Google, or your search engine of choice, you'll find links to lots of online and print publications for women. Probably a bunch you've never heard of before.

The thing to do now is o go through the list and read the guidelines to determine if it's a paying market and if it looks like one that would interest you. You may need to try several versions of your search. I've searched on both "adult students" and "non-traditional students", looking for markets that cater to adults going back to school. You can also substitute "subission guidelines" or "submissions" for "writers guidelines", though I had better luck with the latter.

Take some time to play around with this method and see what you find. I found a number of new markets I'd like t check into further, ones that seem to be a good fit for my writing and experience. Let me know what you learn from your search. You may want to set a goal of querying one or two of the markets you find within the next week. That's what I'm doing. Good luck!

Photo by rightee

I wanted to take a moment to warn you of some scams I've become aware of recently that target freelance writers. I received these "responses" in my inbox after applying for writing jobs online. Here's one such response:

Mary,

After reviewing your resume, I think you would be a great fit for the position.  The next step is a mandatory credit and background check.  You can access the website we use for this by clicking here now.  Please send us the file you receive so we can review it.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Regards,
Christine Rawley
Hiring Manager

I found this email to be suspicious on many levels.

1. The email didn't specify what position I would be a great fit for. There was no mention of a company or website. Even the signature, "Christine Rawley, Hiring Manager" was vague. Hiring Manager for whom?
2. The email mentioned reviewing my resume. I rarely send resumes for freelancing jobs. Usually, I apply for jobs that ask for samples of my work. I'm pretty sure I didn't send any resume.
3. Mandatory credit and background check? I've only been asked for a background check once when applying for a writing job. That was for Examiner.com, which I ultimately decided not to pursue further when I realized that I wasn't interested in writing for revenue share. It's very scary to me that this person with no identifying credentials whatsoever is asking for my personal identity information.

Here's another email I received that I believe to be fraudulent.:

Hey Mary,

Thank you for your prompt response to the craigslist ad.  We got someone to write a decent percentage of the articles but that means we still need 30 more 400 word articles written before 1:00 PM on Friday, October 9, 2009.  The pay is now $55 per article.  Full details are available on the freelance website GoFreelance which you can get to by clicking here.  We use this website for security reasons, to keep a record of our conversations, to make sure we get the articles and that you get paid in full and on time for your work.  You will be required to electronically sign a non-disclosure agreement on the freelance website.

Regards,
Brian Longfellow

My concerns with this one are:

1. GoFreelance.com seemed to ring a bell with me, but I clicked on it anyway. After reading through the site, it seems there is a monthly charge to use it after your 7-day free trial. Hmm...
2. So I looked around a bit and found that GoFreelance.com has been scamming writers for some time. Check out this article from Katherine at Swan's Blog for more informaiton about this scam site.
3. Not that the rate of $55 for 400 words is totally outrageious. I think it's a fair rate, actually. But rarely do I see this kind of pay on Craig's List ads. That, combined with the ambiguity of the types of articles that were to be written, caused me to wonder.

For the record, neither of these folks replied to my emails questioning them and their authenticity. Interesting. Also, I want to mention that I rarely apply for freelance gigs lately, as I"m putting a lot of my energy into my own personal blogs at the moment. The jobs I have applied for have been ones that truly seemed worthwhile and that I would be interested in. In addition, the sites that I use to search for jobs are very reputable, ones that I trust implicity. These are Freelance Writing Jobs and About Freelance Writing. If I was foooled into applying for these jobs, and they slipped past Deb and Anne's radar, you know these were well-worded ads that anyone could be tricked into applying for.

So please be careful when applying for writing gigs. Don't give any personal, identifying information unless you feel completely comfortable with the authenticity of the person or company offering the job. If you have any doubts, be sure to ask for references. Also, there is often a contract or tax documents that are required for legitimate jobs. Not always, but often. And never pay money for work. Check out this article by Deb on Top 10 Freelance Job Ad Red Flags for more things to be on the lookout for.

Always do your own due diligence and research. Don't let the scammers intimidate you into not applying for jobs. Just be aware that they exist and that the job boards aren't the only place to find paying gigs. Have you ever been scammed? Please share your tips for avoiding scams in the comments.

In my last post I talked about setting writing goals and sticking to them for 100 days. When I told my husband about it and the goals that I set for myself, I noticed that he looked at me a little strangely. I immediately realized what the issue was. My goal of posting to two blogs each day and sending out three queries per week didn't seem like very much to him, I believe. So I then reminded him of what else I spent my days doing - marketing.

Marketing means many things to many people. For a business it may be advertising your product, sending out press releases, and creating buzz about your product. We freelancers need to market as well. Writing is our business! Without getting ourselves in front of our audience or people who could potentially help us in our pursuits, our chances of earning an income significantly decrease.

For me, marketing includes writing query letters. Those are a key marketing piece for many of us. My marketing efforts also include social networking on sites like Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about my blogs. I recently spent some time creating a fan page on Facebook around my new blog for adult learners as well as submitting the blog to various blog directories.

All of this takes a tremendous amount of time. So if you've decided to take the writing challenge, please don't neglect to think about all the other aspects that go into your career as a freelance writer. Choose goals that are realistic for the time you have available to dedicate to your business. Like me, many of you may be juggling freelancing with raising children. You may have a full-time job and be writing on the side. Whatever the case may be, it's imporant to take outside obligations and the big picture into account when setting your goals.

There. Now I've explained myself to you as well. I feel better. What are your thoughts on marketing? Do you enjoy it or would you rather just write? I have mixed emotions about the subject. I find it fun to reach out and enjoy the challenge of using my creativity to advance my projects; however, it can get kind of tiring as well. It's a delicate balance.

Well, I'm off to do some marketing!

Photo by Sun Dazed

I just read about a fantastic movivational challenge at  Writing Spirit called The 100 Day Writing Challenge. The gist of the challenge is that you'll choose a writing goal or two and work for 100 days to complete them. You can keep track of your progress in a few different ways. I've thought long and hard about this and have decided that I plan to take this challenge and will be using the Box a Day method to stay on track. What this means is that I will keep daily inventory of whether or not I've met my goal. This way I can have a visual of how successful I am. There's even a handy chart you can use to keep track of your goals.

My Goals

My goals are to post on at least two of my three blogs each day and to send out one query or manuscript to a website or print publication at least three days a week. One thing I know about goal setting is that your goals must be specific, measurable, and realistic. I think mine are. I feel very empowered having shared my goals and commited to completing them.

Join Me!

The challenge technically began September 23rd and is to end December 31st, but according to the rules, you can start any time.  So what do you think? Will you join me in The 100 Day Writing Challenge? There's a forum at Writing Spirit to share goals and encourage others. I'd be honored if you'd share your goals and check in right here with me as well. What are your goals, and how do you plan to implement them? Is there anything I can do to help?

Happy writing!

I just wanted to take a moment to share a video with you all from Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs. In it, she shows how she built her blog from a sole endeavor with few page views to a highly successful network. She tweeted it to me this morning just when I was struggling with where my priorities need to be. This is just another example of the amazing connections you can find through social media. Thank you, Deb, for being my friend.

Check out the video for yourself on YouTube. It's great motivation if you're struggling with where to go with your passions or are wondering if your efforts will pay off. They will. Just keep going!

I feel like such a suck-up, but I can't help it. I absolutely love Linda and Diana of The Renegade Writer. I know I've talked about them many times before on this blog. I know. I know. But I just have to share this exciting news.

Linda Formichelli is offering her freelance advice and experience for free. Yes, FREE! She'll be giving free teleclasses on topics like writing killer queries and being more productive. And did I mention she's offering her advice for free? Check it out for yourself over at The Renegade Writer Blog and be sure to sign up to receive emails about her future teleclasses so you won't miss a thing.

Are there any learning opportunities for freelancers you know of that are free or low-cost? Share them in the comments.