tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198500762024-03-23T11:20:28.525-07:00Carson's Old BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-46801331549517494462007-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:002007-01-18T11:06:09.707-08:00On great reading for writers...My thoughts...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQX16_9kv2exMH076Vucwkna0-sdWll3p2hkeLVwD14H-Pux5A9k4Y5KkZ3s8S2Si7TLqhQLTNtcudZ4GoxYsl3UxOukMgevfqi0n-l4tGemCP902DJXwwvRfS0lgGcyI6Zaz/s1600-h/reading.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQX16_9kv2exMH076Vucwkna0-sdWll3p2hkeLVwD14H-Pux5A9k4Y5KkZ3s8S2Si7TLqhQLTNtcudZ4GoxYsl3UxOukMgevfqi0n-l4tGemCP902DJXwwvRfS0lgGcyI6Zaz/s320/reading.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021446333875668466" border="0" /></a>Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers blog collected nominations for the <a href="http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/15/top-10-books-for-writers-finalists/">Top Ten Books for Writers</a> and is in the process of cutting the list down to size. <br /><br />Michael dropped me an email (apparently that's a perk of making the <a href="http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2006/12/05/top-10-blogs-for-writers/">Top Ten Blogs for Writers</a> list) reminding me to make my nomination/participate in the voting. I haven't done it yet and I'm not sure I will.<br /><br />I was corresponding with another writer today who asked me a similar question about the writing books I found valuable. I didn't really have a good direct answer to the question.<br /><br />After that correspondence, I decided to tackle the subject here.<br /><br />I don't read a lot of offline "how to write" stuff. Seeing what's happening at Writing White Papers and the other discussion I mentioned has me thinking about why I don't and what kind of materials serve as my "learning tools" since I don't read that much from the "how to" shelf.<br /><br />There's nothing wrong with "how-to" books. Nothing at all. Anyone who tells you that you can't learn how to write from someone else's suggestions is overstating things. There may be some kind of natural ability involved and experience as a reader is important, but you certainly can learn from others.<br /><br />I'm going to drop two names from my (increasingly distant) past. I wasn't an English major in college, but I did take more than the required number of courses in the English department. Two of my professors, <a href="http://www.mi.sanu.ac.yu/vismath/gar/index.html">Gar Bethel</a> and <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sckans.edu/campus/academics/faculty_profiles/faculty_pictures/boucher_t.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sckans.edu/campus/academics/faculty_profiles/boucher_t.html&amp;amp;amp;h=147&w=110&sz=21&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=6azrMrbFw6N0-M:&amp;amp;amp;tbnh=95&tbnw=71&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtroy%2Bboucher%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DUkw%26sa%3DN">Troy Boucher</a>, had a definite influence on my approach to writing and my understanding of the craft.<br /><br />They might be surprised to hear that from me. If they remember me at all, they probably remember me as just another not-so-motivated undergraduate who managed a decent grade without ever appearing that engaged in class. Little do they know that Gar's poetry class and Troy's lit courses supplied direction that still matters. They demystified writing, served as living examples of what it meant to write, and had some very solid core technical hints, too.<br /><br />I also glean many valuable "how-to" insights from my daily RSS feed reading exercise. My addiction to industry blogs continues to grow...<br /><br />So, I do know that you can learn more than a little bit about writing from other people. That begs the question as to why I don't read more of the "how to" stuff today.<br /><br />I think the answer comes from the potentially weird way I ended up writing for a living.<br /><br />I've always loved reading and writing. Somewhere in my head, the idea of becoming a pro has always been bouncing around. I didn't set out to do this, though.<br /><br />I went to college. I went to grad school. I went to grad school again. I went to law school. In between, during and for several years after those various stops I did a lot of different things in a few different places. Many of them involved writing as part of a gig, but none of them were "writing jobs." Between some of the jobs, all of the coursework, and my love of text I kept reading.<br /><br />When it came time to hang up a shingle in this business, I did so with a varied professional and academic background and a healthy dose of books in my mental bloodstream.<br /><br />Now, when people ask me what they should read in order to become a better writer, I tell them to pick up Kundera's "Immortality" or "The Joke." I tell them to read the New Journalists (particularly Hunter S. Thompson). I give a thumbs up to Marcuse, Burke and other more theoretical thinkers who don't make good "at the beach" reading. I recommend Sexton, Bukowski, the beats and other contemporary poetry.<br /><br />Everyone who wants to be a better writer should probably read "To Kill a Mockingbird" occasionally. Don't cheat and watch the movie, even though Gregory Peck is great.<br /><br />Read many papers, many periodicals and many blogs.<br /><br />Alberto Manguel's "The History of Reading" inspired me to look at gobs of other great stuff. Kassiola's "The Death of Industrial Civilization" surreptitiously taught me a few things about persuasion even though I doubt that was really on the author's mind. Fred Inglis' combination of that sort of gentle left-leaning British perspective combined with occasional bursts of bombast and some great subject material made "The Cruel Peace" valuable to me a as a writer.<br /><br />Forays into social pyschology gave me Festinger and cognitive dissonance theory. Grad school courses imprinted Aristotle's perspective on my noodle. Law school taught me a lot about how not to write.<br /><br />I watch television commercials carefully. I listen to radio ads. I'm the guy who doesn't skip the ad pages in the magazines. I even read my spam to see if anyone is doing anything particularly exciting in terms of email marketing. I pay attention to what's happening with others and what kind of techniques seem to be working.<br /><br />But I don't read much "nuts and bolts" writing books. I guess I believe that the best way for me to be informed is by ingesting text at every turn and continually analyzing it based on my own background and the new perspectives I develop in the process.<br /><br />The great response to Stelzner's nomination process and the glowing reviews many writers are giving to some of those texts, however, is beginning to make me think I should consider keeping my expanded horizons in place while simultaneously spending more reading time closer to "home."<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/on-great-reading-for-writersmy-thoughts.html&Title=On%20great%20reading%20for%20writers...My%20thoughts..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a 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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-81674159138092223782007-01-17T14:33:00.001-08:002007-01-18T12:29:32.697-08:00Why paid posting is worse than a "red wigglers" spot... Payola and blogging...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi288xf-tX1aEUPcu76aLPkkWqRFvh4dOFrdLwYCKRpVFgEgg8Kf09h7Luo5dirfOHw6XLnZWVIplf2HiWPqHsr0UfQ5h9eMTenKLiTC83cMZYeN5tZ878nFiP6cwtDj2duSMbC/s1600-h/271058118_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi288xf-tX1aEUPcu76aLPkkWqRFvh4dOFrdLwYCKRpVFgEgg8Kf09h7Luo5dirfOHw6XLnZWVIplf2HiWPqHsr0UfQ5h9eMTenKLiTC83cMZYeN5tZ878nFiP6cwtDj2duSMbC/s320/271058118_m.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021133853530047970" border="0" /></a>In 1863, the Hutchinson Singing Family would occasionally squeeze a rendition of "Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Grounds" into their performance. We may have no idea of whether or not HSF loved the ditty, but we do know that their decision to incorporate it into their act was probably motivated by a deal made with the composer. The deal was simple. HSF agreed to croon about the Old Camp Grounds, thus increasing the exposure and potential popularity of the tune. In exchange, they received a portion of the royalties.<br /><br />That was well before anyone decided to take the word "payment" and slide it into "Victrola" (the standard bearer of record players) to come up with "payola," which is now associated with sleazy business of all types.<br /><br />The biggest payola story was attached to the biggest name in rock 'n' roll in the late 50s--Alan Freed. The powerhouse DJ who may have been half-inventor of the very term "rock and roll" was dragged before Washington politicians who had developed a fond interest in encouraging the "race music fad" to come to a close.<br /><br />Freed was trading spins for cash. Here's some dough, Alan, make sure my record gets noticed. A lot like the Hutchinson Family Singers. Freed argued the honorariums he received were tokens of appreciation or consulting fees. He also claimed he earned those occasional songwriting credits that would pop up on records now and again, too. No one believed him.<br /><br />Unlike Dick Clark, who played ball and promptly divested himself from some questionable "investments," Freed went down in a ball of flames. Many speculate that his decision to drink his liver into jerky status was a byproduct of the scandal.<br /><br />In 1979, Doug Winner was taking payola from a radio industry scum bag in exchange for cocaine. The ensuing controversy led to the reinstatement of Dr. Johnny Fever's morning show at WKRP. Yes, I realize that was a sitcom. I couldn't resist.<br /><br />Fast forward nearly 50 years from Freed's fall. Nowadays, the FCC has regs in place to protect us from payola. The free marketeers in the audience might think that's unnecessary in a market economy where choice should solve all problems, but the FCC likes the idea of airwaves being a public asset. Besides, if they didn't regulate the hell out of radio people might actually wake up to the fact that those vital public resources are all owned by seven rich guys or something.<br /><br />Anyway, payola is back in the news. The music industry guys aren't sliding baggies of coke into LPs ala WKRP, but they are hiring third party promoters to take care of radio play decision-makers. Cash for spins again. The NY AG is making noise and many of those who hate corporate radio are undoubtedly cheering the Empire State's apparently upcoming attack on the payola people.<br /><br />Payola is alive and well online, too.<br /><br />I've been Alan Freed, Doug Winner and the Hutchinson Family Singers a few times. I have received the filthy lucre of cash payouts for blog posts announcing new sites and hyping products. I get offers from Blogsvertise, Pay-Per-Post and Blogitive. I've taken those offers a few times on some other blogs I maintain.<br /><br />I don't know who has what kind of disclosure policy right now, but when I traded a paragraph and a link for a few bucks here and there, I don't remember any requirements being in place. It's my understanding that no one prevents disclosure right now and that some of the sites even mandate it now, which is a definite improvement.<br /><br />In the wake of the <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/10/lessons-from-last-weekweller-edelman.html">Edelman controversy</a>, where those authentic pro-Wal-Mart blogs were revealed as corporate shill work, and the growing feeling of nausea many experience about the world of paid blog posts, disclosure is becoming a bigger and bigger deal.<br /><br />I've decided that's a good thing. A few months ago, I supplied a piece to the <a href="http://archives.zinester.com/58634/114431.html#Feature">Main Edition</a> newsletter that discussed the potential downside of paid blog posting to bloggers and that article came down squarely on the side of full disclosure, so that isn't a revelation on my part.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I think that if I was writing it again today I would take an even stronger position.<br /><br />My original critique primarily dealt with the disadvantages to the blogger who engages in paid posting. Today, I would probably concentrate a little more on the deleterious effects on the greater information world and consumers of those blogs.<br /><br />I'm also increasingly convinced that disclosure isn't a perfect solution in all cases. The paid posts are a pollutant, even when people understand why they've wiggled their way into the RSS feed reader.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm no longer interested in trading a paragraph for a ten spot, even if it is on an old blog my "regulars" will never find or read.<br /><br />I want the people who read long posts like this one to do so with some level of confidence in the integrity of my remarks. If there's a chance that I'm getting paid, there's a chance that money is influencing my commentary. I don't want that to happen.<br /><br />Let's say Alan Freed was playing a certain Chuck Berry record a lot. Let's say he recommended it to everyone. If we didn't know Alan's little payola problem, we might take his advice and go out to pick up a copy of "Maybeline." If we did know that Alan occasionally played shill to the guys at the label, we might look past his sage advice. He'd be too hard to trust.<br /><br />Right before Christmas, I received a package in the mail. It was a book. I didn't order the book, it was sent to me free of charge. A holiday present? Not entirely. On the inside of the book there was a post-it note signed by the author. It said something like, "Hope you like this. Maybe you might want to mention it in your blog if you do."<br /><br />I've been reading the book off and on and I like it. But I haven't mentioned it. Why, because if I do mention it, I will feel obliged to also explain how I found the book in the first place. If I did that, there'd be every reason to believe that I was rewarding the giver with a big thumbs up--even though I do like the book (really!).<br /><br />I've discussed this idea of new media vs. old media and the concept of "blogger as citizen journalist/columnist" a few times in the past. I'm not in that hardcore corner of cyberspace that believes the blogosphere is a perfect replacement for corrupt old media structures. I'm also anything but an apologist for the old-timers.<br /><br />I am, however, a participant in a massive exchange of information and opinions that is reshaping how people understand and relate to the world. I am a very small part, but I am a part. I think that creates a responsibility.<br /><br />Does that mean all commercialism is out the window. Nope. Here I am, blogging under the <a href="http://www.contentdonebetter.com/">Content Done Better</a> flag, completely cognizant of (and happy for) the fact this blog brings me customers. There's no inherent evil in marketing. There are some blogs (a blog, after all, is merely a website with chronological content ordering and an easy-to-use CMS system) where it makes perfect sense. I can envision affiliate marketer's blogs and others in which pushing products would be AOK (with appropriate disclosure).<br /><br />Paid posts and covert marketing are ethically tricky and practically dangerous.<br /><br />You can thank the Hutchinson Family Singers for creating this mess, I guess.<br /><br />I have decided that I'm personally better off being more like Dr. Johnny Fever than Doug Winner. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b_yxs16-wk">When Johnny had to pay the bills</a>, he didn't keep it under wraps...<br /><br />Addendum: Thanks to Tom Chandler's comment, I was forced to create the following:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Xp0BMaiYa10lHZvQz4taOu1RSIg7t2Gt7LSs3QnsR8iLRWvbbUVBRDglUz_vQSGhQ35p-dRfelcL4kZkVkYqZ1YDRRZJM14wiZkV0g9kJxQGL7V1c2ZPKSVr6baXB6pRWtq/s1600-h/booger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 456px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Xp0BMaiYa10lHZvQz4taOu1RSIg7t2Gt7LSs3QnsR8iLRWvbbUVBRDglUz_vQSGhQ35p-dRfelcL4kZkVkYqZ1YDRRZJM14wiZkV0g9kJxQGL7V1c2ZPKSVr6baXB6pRWtq/s400/booger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021470007735404034" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-paid-posting-is-worse-than-red_17.html&Title=Why%20paid%20posting%20is%20worse%20than%20a%20" red="" wigglers="" spot="" payola="" and="" blogging="" target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-paid-posting-is-worse-than-red_17.html;title=Why%20paid%20posting%20is%20worse%20than%20a%20" red="" wigglers="" spot="" payola="" and="" blogging="" 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style="font-size:78%;">technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/paid+posting" rel="tag">paid posting</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/paid+blogging" rel="tag">paid blogging</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogsvertise" rel="tag">blogsvertise</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogitive" rel="tag">blogitive</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pay+per+post" rel="tag">pay per post</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wkrp" rel="tag">wkrp</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/johnny+fever" rel="tag">johnny fever</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/alan+freed" rel="tag">alan freed</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/payola" rel="tag">payola</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/edelman" rel="tag">edelman</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/paid+posting" rel="tag">paid posting</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/paid+blogging" rel="tag">paid blogging</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/blogsvertise" rel="tag">blogsvertise</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/blogitive" rel="tag">blogitive</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/pay+per+post" rel="tag">pay per post</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/wkrp" rel="tag">wkrp</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/johnny+fever" rel="tag">johnny fever</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/alan+freed" rel="tag">alan freed</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/payola" rel="tag">payola</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/edelman" rel="tag">edelman</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/paid+posting" rel="tag">paid posting</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/paid+blogging" rel="tag">paid blogging</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/blogsvertise" rel="tag">blogsvertise</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/blogitive" rel="tag">blogitive</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/pay+per+post" rel="tag">pay per post</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/wkrp" rel="tag">wkrp</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/johnny+fever" rel="tag">johnny fever</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/alan+freed" rel="tag">alan freed</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/payola" rel="tag">payola</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/edelman" rel="tag">edelman</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-17824205699999539362007-01-16T08:24:00.000-08:002007-01-16T09:30:57.163-08:00Content isn't a playing card...Assessing the value of content...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UIOdddNGA3mXIwQdimL-dMC_AJaN_5O7k7wsCPfEC-5gDgLVMo25FKSR1uG8qvKtHFy87p7a1EknaH0F5g_IKF2ODzrj6c8Z5ZZdzgipoyieDhAqN4nktAHT5yuhLalQas2j/s1600-h/3984_10654_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UIOdddNGA3mXIwQdimL-dMC_AJaN_5O7k7wsCPfEC-5gDgLVMo25FKSR1uG8qvKtHFy87p7a1EknaH0F5g_IKF2ODzrj6c8Z5ZZdzgipoyieDhAqN4nktAHT5yuhLalQas2j/s320/3984_10654_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020681679373125058" border="0" /></a>Well over a year ago, I read Andrew Odlysko's "<a href="http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_2/odlyzko/#o6">Content is Not King</a>," which argues that connectivity and point-to-point communication is far more important in terms of the net's growth and value than is traditional content.<br /><br />Last week, I read a post at "What Will You See Next," which makes a similar argument. Hayden Shaughnessy, using "Mobile Web 2.0" by Joakar and Fish as a jumping-off point, maintains that content is being subsumed by connectivity in terms of overall importance.<br /><br />Shaughnessy titled the post, "<a href="http://www.mediangler.com/2007/01/11/content-is-king-make-that-queen-jack-content-is-unimportant/">Content is King-Make that Queen, Jack. Content is Unimportant.</a>"<br /><br />I don't think content is king. I don't think content is a queen, a jack or even the seven of spades. In my estimation, content isn't a playing card at all. It's the reason we gather around the table and play the game in the first place.<br /><br />Those who are arguing that the value of content is in decline often point to the experience of wireless providers and various elements of the growing "Web 2.0" movement as proof that content is a relatively small cog in the overall internet machine.<br /><br />Shaughnessy, for instance, asks the very insightful question,<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">"What is MySpace other than content as the wrapper to facilitate connections?" </span></span><br /><br />Odlysko states,<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" >"The Internet has done quite well without content, and can continue to flourish without it. Content will have a place on the Internet, possibly a substantial place. However, its place will likely be subordinate to that of business and personal communication."</span><br /><br />I'm a content producer. I have a vested interest in people believing in content's importance. Oldysko astutely warns those interested in the content vs. connectivity argument to beware of people like me because we have every reason to defend content's role as part of a healthy and growing web due to our own financial and personal interests.<br /><br />My background is in communication and communications studies. I'm not just a content peddler and I am keenly interested in the communicative potential of new technologies.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Oldysko is Head of the Mathematics and Cryptography Research Departments at AT&T Labs, so we should probably keep the potential biases and attitudinal tendencies associated with that line of work in mind, too, right?<br /><br />In any case, don't judge the argument by the messenger on this one. Consider why one shouldn't reach any hasty conclusions with respect to how most of us interact with the web and/or run online businesses.<br /><br />Let's start by conceding about 90% of the argument folks like Shaughnessy and Oldysko are making. Connectivity is at the heart of the online experience. The ability to connect with one another and to communicate is wildly important and is a driving force behind a great deal of usage. It's a big part of why people "go online" and as the email experience and all of its point-to-point successors demonstrate, it's a bigger piece of the online pie than information retrieval or knowledge-gathering.<br /><br />That's right, I'm starting my defense of content's value by conceding a significant portion of the "content is unimporant" argument. I'm not going to make unsubstantiated claims that the net is all about content. That isn't the case now and never really has been. The content detractors are correct in their thinking on that level.<br /><br />The problem with the "content is unimportant" perspective isn't in the base evidence. The problem is interpretive. You can't reasonably jump from "communication is the biggie" to "content isn't that important."<br /><br />That's because there is an underlying meta-question that has "content" as its answer. That question is "Why do people want to connect in the first place?"<br /><br />I don't want to email you because I have some vague need for a pen pal in order to satisfy my human desire for communication. I don't want to contribute to a forum, IM you, blog about content, or make a call via Skype out of a desire to connect for the sake of connection.<br /><br />I want to connect with you so we can have a meaningful exchange of some kind. More often than not, that meaningful exchange involves information or perspective. I email you for your opinion on Widgetry. I want to know what you think and why. You reply with an answer based on your understanding of Widgetry and the information you have. We dialog about Widgetry.<br /><br />In the view of some, this is proof that content is of secondary value. See how connectivity is king and content is the four of diamonds? We want to connect, not to read or to experience a broadcast!<br /><br />That's flawed thinking though. You see, my motivation to ask you about Widgetry was spurred by something I read about the subject. Your answer was informed by your research on the subject. I might have been curious about your reaction to editorial content about the future decline of widget use. Your response may have been based on a short film about widget history you watched just the other day.<br /><br />Our connectivity orbits the sun of content.<br /><br />Now, an IM exchange that involves little more than "Wazzup?" "Nuthin'" "Cool." may not have that kind of foundation in content, but once we work our way past the longstanding tradition of adolescents yammering back and forth to one another just for the sake of doing something, we find ourselves relying upon content to give our connectivity meaning.<br /><br />Look at Digg.com, for instance. It's a social tool, a means of sharing and connecting. What are Diggers using? What are the connecting over? Content. Right there at the heart of every Digg entry is content. Web 2.0 might be changing the way we connect with one another, but it isn't changing why we are making the connection. Information, opinion, insight, data... It's always about content.<br /><br />You want to make a communicative connection with people. Part of that is probably an innate human need. However, you don't run around trying to befriend every person you see just because you feel a burning need to talk. You tend to be choosier. You find people with similar interests or who have interesting opinions. That way, your communications have a depth of meaning and offer a fulfilling experience.<br /><br />What do you talk about with those people? What is the subject of your connectedness?<br /><br />Something tells me that your answer probably has an underpinning in content.<br /><br />Admittedly, online content is divorceable from the net. If the internet existed merely as a point-to-point communication tool with no additional content present, it would still have a slew of emailing, IM'ing and otherwise connecting adherents. Their discussions and connections would revolve around their personal experiences and interactions with content found in other sources.<br /><br />However, the web is the perfect launching pad for content. "Publication" is efficient and easy. The net has given voices to many whose opinions would otherwise go unheard while the big boys are also getting their messages out. Content may not be a prerequisite for the net's success, but it certainly fits within the technological framework quite nicely.<br /><br />It's also become quite clear that the internet is being used more and more as an information source. Just ask your local newspaper editor. Now, the information gathering patterns may be somewhat non-traditional, as the folksonomic underpinnings of Web 2.0 show, but content has found a home on the web and there's no compelling reason to think it will be changing its address any time soon.<br /><br />Could the net flourish without content? To some extent, yes. It could be the 21st century telephone, a connectivity/communication tool with popularity and utility completely divorced from any particular message.<br /><br />Does that make content unimportant? Not at all. It may not be a necessary element of the web's existence, but it has certainly become an essential and expected characteristic of the online experience. Using the web as a means of distributing content makes sense on a variety of levels.<br /><br />What is Shaughnessy's insightful blog post if not content? What is Odlysko's paper?<br /><br />They are both messages. Part of a communicative process, but simultaneously content that spurs additional communication and content (i.e. this post).<br /><br />Trying to argue that content has minimal value while writing an archive-ready piece online about the topic isn't just a cute irony. It's proof that content does matter--even in a world where point-to-point communication tools are the killer apps.<br /><br />All of those blog posts, reports, papers, rants and essays are "wrappers" for connectivity. Unlike bubble gum, however, you'll find it difficult to enjoy the morsel on the inside without the wrapper. The wrapper influences, directs, creates, inspires and provides meaning for the connectivity.<span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/content-isnt-playing-cardassessing.html&Title=Content%20isn%27t%20a%20playing%20card...Assessing%20the%20value%20of%20content..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/content-isnt-playing-cardassessing.html;title=Content%20isn%27t%20a%20playing%20card...Assessing%20the%20value%20of%20content..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/content-isnt-playing-cardassessing.html&title=Content%20isn%27t%20a%20playing%20card...Assessing%20the%20value%20of%20content..." 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href="http://technorati.com/tag/shaughnessy" rel="tag">shaughnessy</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/what+will+you+see+next" rel="tag">what will you see next</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/connectivity" rel="tag">connectivity</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/web+2.0" rel="tag">web 2.0</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/communication" rel="tag">communication</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/folksonomy" rel="tag">folksonomy</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/information" rel="tag">information</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/connectedness" rel="tag">connectedness</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/point+to+point+communication" rel="tag">point to point communication</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+is+king" rel="tag">content is king</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/odlysko" rel="tag">odlysko</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/shaughnessy" rel="tag">shaughnessy</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/what+will+you+see+next" rel="tag">what will you see next</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/connectivity" rel="tag">connectivity</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/web+2.0" rel="tag">web 2.0</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/communication" rel="tag">communication</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/folksonomy" rel="tag">folksonomy</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/information" rel="tag">information</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/connectedness" rel="tag">connectedness</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/point+to+point+communication" rel="tag">point to point communication</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+is+king" rel="tag">content is king</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/odlysko" rel="tag">odlysko</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/shaughnessy" rel="tag">shaughnessy</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/what+will+you+see+next" rel="tag">what will you see next</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/connectivity" rel="tag">connectivity</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/web+2.0" rel="tag">web 2.0</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/communication" rel="tag">communication</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/folksonomy" rel="tag">folksonomy</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/information" rel="tag">information</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/connectedness" rel="tag">connectedness</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/point+to+point+communication" rel="tag">point to point communication</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-175720529726258102007-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:002007-01-15T09:06:48.103-08:00Dangerous questions...Martin Luther King Day...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkHaKA8oruvwxbHpeb9aKad1XS2vaB9acq4bI2-2xTiwetZRFScAgL1rM4-XTtnUrIF23z1j3UN13L7RkwrYOIiGnCTn4w1Uk7iSvOakU-CkeAPmPJqMt8Z0jym99JvMhN19W/s1600-h/king.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkHaKA8oruvwxbHpeb9aKad1XS2vaB9acq4bI2-2xTiwetZRFScAgL1rM4-XTtnUrIF23z1j3UN13L7RkwrYOIiGnCTn4w1Uk7iSvOakU-CkeAPmPJqMt8Z0jym99JvMhN19W/s320/king.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020303894049768882" border="0" /></a>Well, it's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I am sure at least one carpet superstore has found a way to use today as justification for a storewide blowout spectacular on carpet and padding (with installation). <br /><br />Others are spending the day reminding everyone that King was a philandering plagiarist and part of the Red Menace. <br /><br />Others are taking time out of their schedules to tell tales of St. Martin. <br /><br />TV news producers all over the country are scrambling to dig up that file footage of "I have a dream" in the archives for the six o'clock lead in...<br /><br />I don't have a real problem with any of that. I believe that individuals should relate to holidays and the events or people they celebrate in their own ways. My Christmas isn't your Christmas and that's cool. Your feelings about Memorial Day and mine might be a miles apart, too. MLK Day is more of the same.<br /><br />I'm predicting that by the end of the day you may reach your limit for MLK platitudes and insults. I'm also willing to wager that you'll grow weary of superficial spin-laden efforts by those of all political persuasions who want to latch onto the pretty pieces of the King legacy.<br /><br />I have no real reason to believe you care about my perspective on King or today, but thanks to the net and this too-easy blogging thing, you're going to get it.<br /><br />Here's a few reasons why I celebrate the life of Martin Luther King that may or may not get mentioned by your local action news team with triple doppler weather forecasts from Rainy Steele and the rest of the Storm-Master team...<br /><br /><ul><li>King combined his talk with action in a way too few people are willing to do. We might remember moments behind the podium, but the King story is also one of action at times when the cameras weren't running.</li></ul><ul><li>King demonstrated that the flawed can make a difference. His closet had its skeleton collection. He made his mistakes and took his lumps in the process. He made brilliant moves and politically foolish speeches. He cheated on papers and wrote words that still resonate with millions.</li></ul><ul><li>King is symbolic of the American political experience. We like to pretend, especially on MLK Day, that he was universally-loved, with the exception of a few weekend sheet-wearers (one of whom shot him dead). That wasn't the case then and it isn't the case now, either. King's advocacy went well beyond his recounting of visions from the mountaintop. When he talked about Viet Nam and income redistribution it didn't always play well. Yet he kept talking, didn't tone it down for the sake of his "legacy" or to "pander to a base." At the same time, he certainly compromised--acting as a realpolitik go-between trying to simultaneously encourage and temper a growing movement so that its actions didn't destroy its political base of support. If nothing else, King's story is always fascinating.</li></ul><ul><li>King asked dangerous questions. Those are always the interesting ones. The answers to those questions often give us an idea of why others try to vilify the asker. For instance:</li></ul><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" ><br />"[T]he movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society," King said. "There are 40 million poor people here. And one day, we must ask the question, 'Why are there 40 million poor people in America?'</span><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" ><br />And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. And when you ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy...We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace. But one day, we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" >It means that questions must be raised. You see my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the oil?' You begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the iron ore?' You begin to ask the question, 'Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two-thirds water?'"<br /><br /></span>Amazing that no one is willing to ask those questions out loud any more. I have my version of an answer. You probably have yours. The questions, though, are essential and force us to provide an honest accounting of motivations and realities. Those questions don't let any of us pretend to be saints or to cast others as devils.<br /><br />That "celebrities" of King's status are today mum on these matters tells you a lot about the consequences of speaking out and the courage it takes to risk one's status, reputation, standing and everything else in the pursuit of something big and important. Dangerous questions and the guts that go with them are reason enough for me to bid you a very Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/dangerous-questionsmartin-luther-king.html&Title=Dangerous%20questions...Martin%20Luther%20King%20Day..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/dangerous-questionsmartin-luther-king.html;title=Dangerous%20questions...Martin%20Luther%20King%20Day..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/dangerous-questionsmartin-luther-king.html&title=Dangerous%20questions...Martin%20Luther%20King%20Day..." target="_blank">digg</a> | <a 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holiday</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/martin+luther+king+day" rel="tag">martin luther king day</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/race" rel="tag">race</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/justice" rel="tag">justice</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/holidays" rel="tag">holidays</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/january+15" rel="tag">january 15</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/MLK" rel="tag">MLK</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/martin+luther+king" rel="tag">martin luther king</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/mlk+day" rel="tag">mlk day</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/mlk+holiday" rel="tag">mlk holiday</a> <a 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktXKKSOcOugI33pimaf_BhkOweFzMavWN2AFX3Oj3RQf8bV2jfFF8SGfUIsdk1IMxRtEDIWvmG6ii2H_sLmqAY8-Xry5VVXsNDqdLHIgZcuKCwOrFJavgkZZRYkcRPz1AD4xz/s320/11124.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019551334175131042" border="0" /></a>I'm not going to go into detail about my support for net neutrality and, more particularly, the "<a href="http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Senate-Renews-Net-Neutrality-Debate/story.xhtml?story_id=030002R94ILO">Internet Freedom Preservation Act</a>," which reappeared in 2007 form on Tuesday in D.C.<br /><br />Although neutrality seems to be a "cut and dried" issue for a lot of people on both sides, I think it's a complicated issue that deserves detailed consideration. The net has become a marketplace inside a marketplace (and I mean that in both a commercial and "marketplace of ideas" kind of way) and matters of regulation, control, profit, and access aren't quite as simple as who owns the pipes and who should have to pay to flow through them.<br /><br />In the end, I come down on the side of net neutrality legislation.<br /><br />That's not really my point today, though. What has surprised the heck out of me is the seemingly low percentage of people out there who have any idea what all of the commotion is about (if they are even aware a commotion exists) and the even lower percentage of people who seem to give a damn one way or the other.<br /><br />So, instead of preaching my particular viewpoint, I thought I would instead invite those who haven't made up their minds (or who aren't really even that familiar with the concepts at play) to start digging. If you aren't sure where to first plant your spade, you might want to try:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/s2917-109.pdf">Text of the Act</a>, recently re-introduced in the Senate (PDF).<br /><br />Propaganda extolling the virtues of net neutrality:<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cWt0XUocViE"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cWt0XUocViE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Propaganda in opposition to net neutrality legislation:<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPIYxtjLFeI"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPIYxtjLFeI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Articles opposing net neutrality from <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/11/AR2006061100707.html">The Washington Post</a> and <a href="http://www.physorg.com/news70725523.html">PhysOrg</a>. Oh, and something from the folks at <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-507es.html">Cato</a> who don't care much for the idea, either.<br /><br />Articles advocating net neutrality legislation from <a href="http://gigaom.com/2006/05/09/why-even-bells-need-net-neutrality/">GigaOm</a>, <a href="http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutrality/index.html">Barack Obama</a>, and warnings from <a href="http://www.freepress.net/news/20320">Bill Moyers</a>.<br /><br />The motivated may want to read some <a href="http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1937">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> testimony.<br /><br />Oh, and even though I am trying to be even-handed here, I can't resist poking fun at Ted Stevens, the anti-neutrality Alaskan Senator famous for his dumping, tubes and stuttering. Something tells me that even those who oppose neutrality are probably happy Stevens won't be their front-person from here on out...<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cl0UE62WnGA"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cl0UE62WnGA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&Title=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html;title=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&title=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">digg</a> | <a href="http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmark?t=Net%20neutrality...&u=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html" target="_blank">yahoo!</a> | <a href="http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&t=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">furl</a> | <a href="http://www.rawsugar.com/tagger/?turl=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&tttl=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">rawsugar</a> | <a href="http://www.shadows.com/features/tcr.htm?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&title=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">shadows</a> | <a href="http://www.netvouz.com/action/submitBookmark?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/net-neutrality.html&title=Net%20neutrality...&description=Net%20neutrality..." target="_blank">netvouz</a></span></div><br /></span><div class="tags"><span style="font-size:78%;">technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/net+neutrality" rel="tag">net neutrality</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/internet+regulation" rel="tag">internet regulation</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/ted+stevens" rel="tag">ted stevens</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/jon+stewart" rel="tag">jon stewart</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/net+neutrality" rel="tag">net neutrality</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/internet+regulation" rel="tag">internet regulation</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/ted+stevens" rel="tag">ted stevens</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/jon+stewart" rel="tag">jon stewart</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/net+neutrality" rel="tag">net neutrality</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/internet" rel="tag">internet</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/internet+regulation" rel="tag">internet regulation</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/ted+stevens" rel="tag">ted stevens</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/jon+stewart" rel="tag">jon stewart</a></span> </div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-3066529881233220602007-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:002007-01-11T08:57:32.341-08:00Here's what I'm going to do in 2007...Resolutions, goals and certainties...1994 flashback...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm5svSClGsooId_qXElwqQgrt8aLPd0D-sx_lm41iG-6UXOGi54PsUypLI23pLtVk0MtRnoCKVcz5Z1STCD1IEAEr1Be4Rj8ThRzGeOCPQAOHBJh_x6wwRh_VAE_GVXT12Qj4/s1600-h/Sinatra.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm5svSClGsooId_qXElwqQgrt8aLPd0D-sx_lm41iG-6UXOGi54PsUypLI23pLtVk0MtRnoCKVcz5Z1STCD1IEAEr1Be4Rj8ThRzGeOCPQAOHBJh_x6wwRh_VAE_GVXT12Qj4/s320/Sinatra.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5018816950602089874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">NEW YEAR THING</span><br /><br />Baby New Year is almost two weeks old and you know what that means... Approximately 90% of all New Year's resolutions are already as difficult to remember as what aunt Jenny sent you for Christmas (gloves, by the way).<br /><br />Everyone knows the New Year resolution thing is a doomed exercise in delusion. We create a fictional tabula rasa based on calendars that aren't yet filled. We take a quick inventory of ourselves, of the Joneses and of what others around us think would be wise. One blank sheet of paper and a Bic pen later, we have a New Year Manifesto. All of those things we will accomplish... All of the changes we'll make.<br /><br />Before you know it, you decide that you like melting cheddar cheese on top of every other thing you eat too much to make that "healthy diet" thing work. You catch the flu and realize that the "8 solid hours of writing every single day" thing just isn't happening. You meet up with the guy on I-35 who doesn't understand concepts like turn signals or acceleration lanes and that "positive disposition/kindness" notion is out the window along with your left hand (which is flipping him the bird).<br /><br />Diane Penna wrote a nice post about resolutions and goals. <a href="http://dianepenna.blogspot.com/2006/12/goals-v-resolutions.html">Read it</a> when you have chance. She discusses just how important it is to have a plan and how big-time dream statements don't mean nearly as much as taking concrete action, among other things.<br /><br />If you want to change yourself or your patterns for 2007, realize that you have a load of bad habits and tendencies that will fight you every inch of the way. If you can see it, they say, you can be it. They leave out the part about working your ass off in the process, of course.<br /><br />2007 is 2006. Only the calendar hanging in the kitchen wall has changed. Your weaknesses are still here. Your skeletons are still jangling in the closet. Your kid will still want to play Candyland when you want to work. Your friends will still call and interrupt you. Cheese will still taste good. Running will still actually require a not-so-fun pumping of the legs. January 1 wasn't magic.<br /><br />Obviously, based on my opinion, I'm not playing the New Year game, right?<br /><br />Well, here's the deal... Even though I know it's silly, crazy, unworkable and more than a little foolhardy, I am playing. That's right. You can count me in!<br /><br />Why? Because everyone else is doing it? Maybe. That could be part of it--getting caught up in all of the "2007 Will Rock the House" madness might be fun. Maybe it is the symbolic value of a new calendar. Maybe it's just convenience--seems like a good time to start making some changes. Maybe I'm just a sucker.<br /><br />I decided to do things a little differently, though. I am not referring to my objectives as "resolutions." I have goals, I have plans and I have the end-states to which they lead in mind. But "resolution" feels weak. I've decided to have "certainties."<br /><br />How's that for stupid and bold? I thought about "inevitabilities," but that seemed too much like some kind of Calvinistic predetermination thing. "Certainties" is a better fit.<br /><br />Without further ado, the Content Done Better Certainties for 2007<br /><br /><ul><li>I'm going to hit that $125K mark as of August, 2007 (updates next week here and in the newsletter).</li></ul><ul><li>I'm going develop a larger component of my online business that is not dependent on writing for others on a project-by-project basis.</li></ul><ul><li>I'm going to share something (hopefully) helpful to other online-focused writers every week.</li></ul><ul><li>I'm going to share something (hopefully) helpful to webmasters and buyers of content every week.</li></ul><ul><li>I'm going to make the Content Done Better Report into a 2x month piece of email people will actually want to read.</li></ul><br />All of those certainties have underpinnings in concrete actions and plans. I might end up discussing some of those in the Report and here at the blog.<br /><br />Do you have goals, resolutions, plans or certainties? What are you going to do to prevent this year's resolution list looking a lot like that crumbled 2oo6 version that's currently decomposing in your local landfill? Have you given up on the "it's a new year, time to envision a changed me" thing completely? What kind of odds are you laying on my certainties? Have you ever seen so many consecutive questions in a single paragraph?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FLASHBACK</span><br /><br />I was listening to my <a href="http://www.finetune.com/">Finetune</a> playlist (<a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/musicmore-on-help-wanted.html">mentioned yesterday</a>) and one of the songs belongs to Frank Sinatra--"That's Life."<br /><br />That got me thinking about something that happened thirteen years ago. I don't know how many people remember this, but Sinatra received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1994. Bono did the introduction, which people say Sinatra loved.<br /><br />Today, if the deal is remembered at all, it's usually because the Grammy people committed the cardinal sin of cutting the Chairman of the Board short, cuing the out-tro music to get to a car commercial or something on time. It was a massive Grammy faux pas.<br /><br />Regrettably, the production team's decision to stomp of Sinatra's toes overshadows one of the best introductory speeches of all time. When I heard Frank singing today, it inspired me to dig up Bono's gem.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.u2station.com/news/archives/1994/03/bono_introduces.php">This is one of the only versions I could find online</a>. The punctuation/carriage return thing is lacking, but it still reads well.<br /><br />This has nothing to do with writing. Or does it? There's a message in there beyond how bad-ass Francis Albert was and it is one of those great opportunities to find spectacular writing where you might not expect to find it.<br /><br />Excerpt:<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" >"This is the conundrum of Frank Sinatra<br />Left and right brain hardly talking<br />Boxer and painter, actor and singer, lover and father, bandman and loner Troubleshooter and troublemaker<br />The champ who would rather show you his scars than his medals<br />He may be putty in Barbara's hands<br />But I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?</span> <p style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to welcome a man heavier than the Empire State, more connected than the Twin Towers, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty, and living proof that God is a Catholic!</span></p> <span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" >Will you welcome the King of New York City, Francis Albert Sinatra!"</span><br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/heres-what-im-going-to-do-in.html&Title=Here%27s%20what%20I%27m%20going%20to%20do%20in%202007...Resolutions,%20goals%20and%20certainties...1994%20flashback..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/heres-what-im-going-to-do-in.html;title=Here%27s%20what%20I%27m%20going%20to%20do%20in%202007...Resolutions,%20goals%20and%20certainties...1994%20flashback..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2007/01/heres-what-im-going-to-do-in.html&title=Here%27s%20what%20I%27m%20going%20to%20do%20in%202007...Resolutions,%20goals%20and%20certainties...1994%20flashback..." target="_blank">digg</a> | <a 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href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/new+years+resolutions" rel="tag">new years resolutions</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/new+year" rel="tag">new year</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/2007" rel="tag">2007</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/goals" rel="tag">goals</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+writing" rel="tag">freelance writing</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writing" rel="tag">content writing</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/sinatra" rel="tag">sinatra</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/frank+sinatra" rel="tag">frank sinatra</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bono" rel="tag">bono</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Grammy" rel="tag">Grammy</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/speaking" rel="tag">speaking</a> <a 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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-18899487155532812452007-01-10T07:03:00.000-08:002007-01-10T07:13:48.777-08:00Music...More on help wanted...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLGh59EUcNDOO3NxJGZtfa5CG7nI_xGfRba9T9T_8tuTBdTKFoM2ZDIiYWa7M7TxVF53Xg_4lBcuxysbpQmBTru1yhyphenhyphen8M0-u_6yr9BH3GLwAStUSIJYtKdmDKs6W40_Ejz_X6/s1600-h/gt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLGh59EUcNDOO3NxJGZtfa5CG7nI_xGfRba9T9T_8tuTBdTKFoM2ZDIiYWa7M7TxVF53Xg_4lBcuxysbpQmBTru1yhyphenhyphen8M0-u_6yr9BH3GLwAStUSIJYtKdmDKs6W40_Ejz_X6/s320/gt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5018419962479953282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Music...</span><br /><br />I found <a href="http://www.finetune.com/">Finetune.com</a> via <a href="http://www.widgetslab.com/">WidgetsLab.com</a>. You can now find it here, on the right sidebar.<br /><br />It's a fun little widget. You choose a playlist of up to 45 songs from a pretty impressive collection and can then put it on your blog, Myspace page, or whatever so that others may have a listen, too.<br /><br />So, if you aren't jamming to something else, click play on my Finetune box and get an idea of my potentially questionable musical tastes. Feel free to leave nasty comments about including Diana Krall, The Clash, Dean Martin and Ennio Morricone instrumental pieces on the same list, if you feel the need. However, I never claimed to be qualified as a programming director for a radio station.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Help no longer wanted...</span><br /><br />I recent posted about developing an ongoing working relationship with another writer. The response has been awesome and I'd like to thank all of you who dropped me a line. You should all receive a response today or tomorrow.<br /><br />Right now, it looks like I have someone pinned down, so I'm no longer soliciting "I'm interested" emails.<br /><br />Thanks again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Also...</span><br /><br />At some point, this blog will return to its usual pattern of providing information and perspective about writing for the web. Probably tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-89171721802480837912007-01-07T08:19:00.000-08:002007-01-07T08:48:12.594-08:00Sunday, not Saturday...The vast anti-efficiency conspiracy...Help wanted...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDoWBvIYo732QZNplEp2Z2j57ELYIFQhCWYV8qf1Sdi4zJA6tdi1LB6KW8lbdKIjiTYcWBLkxSYwkUaNCANBk1LE3bmUZr9TFa5I3mX48JKS0TxPTZq8vVF2MKh19j1XbOjPR/s1600-h/gonzo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDoWBvIYo732QZNplEp2Z2j57ELYIFQhCWYV8qf1Sdi4zJA6tdi1LB6KW8lbdKIjiTYcWBLkxSYwkUaNCANBk1LE3bmUZr9TFa5I3mX48JKS0TxPTZq8vVF2MKh19j1XbOjPR/s320/gonzo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017330763979520066" border="0" /></a>Well, it's Sunday, not Saturday. That makes me one day late with this blog update.<br /><br />That's because I've been victimized by the vast anti-efficiency conspiracy that has undermined the efforts of countless freelance writers over the decades.<br /><br />***Former full-time employer/friend needs emergency assistance. Two television and one radio interview later, I find myself pulled out of semi-retirement for a day to "hold down the fort" at the old job site.<br /><br />***Bubbly, fun, tough, laughing, dancing, silly, Energizer Bunny-channeling almost-three-year old emerges from bedroom at midnight, crying. "Daddy, I choked-ed." Translation: "I puked." Bedding changed. Second round of vomiting follows. Bedding changed. Child currently watching "Doodlebops," eating Pedialyte popsicle and proclaiming that she needs "to sleep a little bit." Pistol-hot forehead and sneezing also involved.<br /><br />***Former high school friend, unseen since approximately 1989, emerges and just so happens to be in town this evening. Unlikely to happen again any time soon. Obligatory get-together on tap. What's that in the background? "Tick tock tick tock tick tock." Oh, yeah, it's that damned clock reminding me of looming deadlines.<br /><br />***Dental surgery approaches. Full anesthesia, subsequent pain (hopefully less than current pain) coming right up! Not excited about (a) the tick tocks that will pass during surgery/recovery, (b) prospect of straw-delivered diet. That's a joke. I should be able to eat. After a day or two.<br /><br />That's the conspiracy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HELP WANTED</span><br /><br />I had an arrangement with a really talented writer. I paid this individual on a monthly basis for work on various web content projects. Said writer, however, opted to move in a different direction and we (quite amiably) ended the deal.<br /><br />I could use someone else. Here's how it works.<br /><br />You supply X number of words per month, always with at least two weeks warning. Usually SEO content articles or something similar, although projects may vary. I pay you an agreed upon sum on a monthly basis in exchange for those X words.<br /><br />Either party can bail out at any time with a couple of weeks warning. It's a loose partnership perfect for someone who wants extra work and who is Extremely Reliable. I like the idea of stable, long-term working relationship.<br /><br />I'm not big on formality and like to keep it friendly. I need to work with people who tend to respond to emails about projects quickly. Did I mention Extremely Reliable? Good.<br /><br />Interested? Here's what you do... Send me an email tagged "YOURNAME - Content Work" to contentdonebetter@gmail.com. That's not my regular email address, but it's the one I'm using for this. Let me know...<br /><br />A. How many words per month you can do. We're talking about general interest topics. Usually articles, conversational style, factually accurate, completely original, well-written, etc. Don't give me a big number if you can't hit it. I'd rather find three people who can actually get stuff done than one who ends up dropping the ball.<br /><br />B. How much money you'd want to do X words per month.<br /><br />C. A representative sample or two as an attachment.<br /><br />I will then follow up with you. It might take a few days due to my war against the clock and circumstance, but I will get back to you. Swear.<br /><br />This doesn't supplant the occasional job postings and offers I make through WriterWrangler. This is more of an ongoing thing. In fact, I'd be willing to guarantee at least six months of work, probably.<br /><br />Anyway, that's that.<br /><br />Now, I have to tend to the sickly, finish an ebook, and perform other tasks on a should-be lazy Sunday.<br /><br />Speaking of Lazy Sunday, I'd hate to be the last person in the world to link to this comedic gem:<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SRkFW1gjeL8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SRkFW1gjeL8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-12433227925543740462007-01-03T19:05:00.000-08:002007-01-03T19:26:54.744-08:00A luxurious frustration...See you Saturday...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ne3oRm5hxIL6DwkDI8uQqB-m3oZUzJrcXNbSIPm5wncEqsMhyuVJVeURdfDLmO4ah0YZ87go8-jkxQuc6OZn0gDYnjiJ8cXO57I1cX4MVTbekeYRdZezUftsCPzu8gV7U40T/s1600-h/661386_holiday_banquet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ne3oRm5hxIL6DwkDI8uQqB-m3oZUzJrcXNbSIPm5wncEqsMhyuVJVeURdfDLmO4ah0YZ87go8-jkxQuc6OZn0gDYnjiJ8cXO57I1cX4MVTbekeYRdZezUftsCPzu8gV7U40T/s320/661386_holiday_banquet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016011211079707266" border="0" /></a>Over the past week, I have had about eight kerbillion post topics rattle around in my noggin. I wish I would've written them all down for later instead of letting them evaporate.<br /><br />Usually, I would just login, type away, and share my meandering thoughts with those (un)lucky enough to stumble upon this little virtual soap box, but I've been too busy to maintain my usual blog-related schedule.<br /><br />I can't imagine how many great posts are piling up in my feed reader. I'm jonesing to leave comments in response to some undoubtedly spectacular year-end wrap ups and 2007 preview posts.<br /><br />I'm resisting the urge and am throwing myself into my work for a little bit. Having a heavier workload is a luxurious frustration. <br /><br />All freelancers want to stay busy and profitable, fearing the droughts and dancing for a rain of jobs. When the deluge hits, however, we often find ourselves secretly craving afternoons when aimlessly ambling around the net passes for work.<br /><br />Sometimes, the only thing more unnerving and scary than having an empty cupboard is knowing that you have to make your way through a very big work buffet. I'm gorging myself right now and wish I could justify a hunger strike.<br /><br />This blog is part vent, part marketing tool, part conversation starter and part lots of other things. It's turning into a nice little client magnet and I love having the opportunity to share my two cents with others. Even if it shoves bedtime back into the wee-est hours, I can't afford to let it rot.<br /><br />Then again, those magnetically drawn clients have projects and deadlines. They take priority.<br /><br />Thus, the compromise. Occasional posts. Every few days instead of two daily, perhaps. Duty calls and client needs trump my secret desire for dead time.<br /><br />See you Saturday.<br /><br />In the meantime, whether you're high and dry when it comes to work or if your experiencing the luxurious frustrations of a filled plate, keep these recent words from <a href="http://writersrow.com/deborahng/2007/01/these-are-not-few-of-my-favorite.html">Deb Ng</a> in mind:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"I've said it before, a bad day writing is a hundred times better than a good day at the office."</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-50833116479534320902007-01-02T00:56:00.000-08:002007-01-02T01:08:07.443-08:00Shhhhh...See you Thursday...Great marketing and copywriting blogs, etc...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8_VXzXBEjtmvjrViZI_5nBQr5_SYHu1kOX5PsSeertNtB7v5t7eXE0JI9qkmNh_mB_uul3nOn21-R8-PenSYv0LyfQCYFTm9e0XvbjRDPBTFt8KZ5xeb_SqHn28KEwJE5co1/s1600-h/sleeping-ariadne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8_VXzXBEjtmvjrViZI_5nBQr5_SYHu1kOX5PsSeertNtB7v5t7eXE0JI9qkmNh_mB_uul3nOn21-R8-PenSYv0LyfQCYFTm9e0XvbjRDPBTFt8KZ5xeb_SqHn28KEwJE5co1/s320/sleeping-ariadne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015356799797717618" border="0" /></a>The Content Done Better Blog will be sleeping until Thursday night.<br /><br />Don't wake it up, please.<br /><br />Just a few days to take care of the rest of my world...<br /><br />In the meantime, check out some of these great blogs... I found this handy list at <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/these-bloggers-rock/">Copyblogger</a>. Definitely some gems in there. I'm going to have to update my links and list of daily RSS feed reads thanks to that. I'm really supposed to feed the meme and add a few more good reads to the list. I'm skipping that part for a moment, because I'm in a hurry.<br /><br />Poor excuse? Well, it's the only one I have.<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://blog.creativethink.com/">Creative Think</a></li><li><a href="http://8wishes.blogspot.com/">8 Wishes</a></li><li><a href="http://www.moviemarketingmadness.com/blog/">Movie Marketing Madness</a></li><li><a href="http://blogtillyoudrop.wordpress.com/">Blog Till You Drop!</a></li><li><a href="http://katiechatfield.wordpress.com/">Get Shouty!</a></li><li><a href="http://onereaderatatime.blogspot.com/">One Reader at a Time</a></li><li><a href="http://criticalfluff.blogspot.com/">Critical Fluff</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ryananderson.ca/">The New PR</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ownyourbrand.com/">Own Your Brand!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.otoinsights.com/">OTOInsights</a></li><li><a href="http://bizandbuzz.blogspot.com/">bizandbuzz</a></li><li><a href="http://fantastic-machine.com/penina">Work, in Plain English</a></li><li><a href="http://buzzcanuck.typepad.com/agentwildfire/">Buzz Canuck</a></li><li><a href="http://andreaweckerlecopywriting.typepad.com/new_millennium_pr">New Millenium PR</a></li><li><a href="http://pardonmyfrench.typepad.com/pardonmyfrench">Pardon My French</a></li><li><a href="http://troyworman.com/wordpress">Troy Worman’s Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://www.instigatorblog.com/">The Instigator Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://aendirect.com/">AENDirect</a></li><li><a href="http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing">Diva Marketing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.marketinghipster.com/">Marketing Hipster</a></li><li><a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">The Marketing Minute</a></li><li><a href="http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com/">Dynamic Copywriting</a></li><li><a href="http://corporatecartoons.blogspot.com/">Funny Business</a></li><li><a href="http://fragerfactor.blogspot.com/">The Frager Factor</a></li><li><a href="http://mindblob.typepad.com/mindblob">Mindblob</a></li><li><a href="http://www.openthedialogue.com/">Open The Dialogue</a></li><li><a href="http://in-sidemarketing.blogspot.com/">Word Sell</a></li><li><a href="http://note-to-cmo.blogspot.com/">Note to CMO</a></li><li><a href="http://thatsgreatmarketing.blogspot.com/">That’s Great Marketing!</a></li><li><a href="http://shotgunconcepts.blogspot.com/">Shotgun Marketing Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://www.brandsizzle.com/">BrandSizzle</a></li><li><a href="http://lgbusinesssolutions.typepad.com/solutions_to_grow_your_bu">bizsolutionsplus</a></li><li><a href="http://customersrock.wordpress.com/">Customers Rock!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.beingpeterkim.com/">Being Peter Kim</a></li><li><a href="http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/">Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman’s Blog About Surprise</a></li><li><a href="http://www.billionswithzeroknowledge.com/">Billions With Zero Knowledge</a></li><li><a href="http://workingathomeinternet.com/WP">Working at Home on the Internet</a></li><li><a href="http://mapleleaftwo.com/">MapleLeaf 2.0</a></li><li><a href="http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/">darrenbarefoot.com<br /></a></li><li><a href="http://www.twohatmarketing.com/ramblog/">Two Hat Marketing</a></li><li><a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/">The Engaging Brand</a></li><li><a href="http://thebrandingblog.com/">The Branding Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://www.deepjiveinterests.com/">Deep Jive Interests</a></li><li><a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/index.html">Content Done Better Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://copywriterunderground.com/">Copywriter Underground</a></li><li><a href="http://www.michelfortin.com/">Michel Fortin</a></li><li><a href="http://blog.mindvalleylabs.com/">Mind Valley Labs</a></li><li><a href="http://simplenomics.com/">Simplenomics</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pearsonified.com/">Pearsonified</a></li><li><a href="http://www.seomoz.org/blog.php">SEOmoz</a></li><li><a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/">Online Marketing Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://www.stuntdubl.com/">Stundbl</a></li><li><a href="http://www.jasonvanorden.com/">Jason Van Orden</a></li><li><a href="http://www.wolf-howl.com/">Graywolf</a></li><li><a href="http://craphammer.ca/">CrapHammer</a></li><li><a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew’s Marketing Minute</a></li><li><a href="http://www.goldenmarketing.typepad.com/">Golden Practices</a></li><li><a href="http://viaspire.blogs.com/weblog">Viaspire</a></li><li><a href="http://www.telltenfriends.com/blog">Tell Ten Friends</a></li><li><a href="http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/">Flooring the Consumer</a></li><li><a href="http://wendy.kinesisinc.com/">Kinetic Ideas</a></li><li><a href="http://www.msco.com/blog">Unconventional Thinking</a></li><li><a href="http://blog.buzzoodle.com/">Buzzoodle</a></li><li><a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/">Conversation Agent</a></li><li><a href="http://www.copywritingmaven.com/the_copywriting_maven/">The Copywriting Maven</a></li><li><a href="http://heehawmarketing.typepad.com/hee_haw_marketing/">Hee-Haw Marketing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.scottburkett.com/">Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn</a></li><li><a href="http://multicultclassics.blogspot.com/">Multi-Cult Classics</a></li><li><a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/">Logic + Emotion</a></li><li><a href="http://brandandmarket.blogspot.com/">Branding & Marketing</a></li><li><a href="http://popcornnroses.typepad.com/popcorn_n_roses/">Popcorn n Roses</a></li><li><a href="http://www.douglaskarr.com/">On Influence & Automation</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bullshitobserver.com/">Bullshitobserver</a></li><li><a href="http://servantofchaos.typepad.com/soc/">Servant of Chaos</a></li><li><a href="http://www.converstations.com/">converstations</a></li><li><a href="http://www.esoupblog.com/">eSoup</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.presentationzen.com/">Presentation Zen</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dmitrylinkov.com/">Dmitry Linkov</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.aialone.com//">aialone</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://wagnercomm.blogspot.com/">John Wagner</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nick-rice.com/">Nick Rice</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ck-blog.com/cks_blog/">CKs Blog</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.designsojourn.com/">Design Sojourn</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://frozenpuck.com/">Frozen Puck</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/">The Sartorialist</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.smallsurfaces.com/">Small Surfaces</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://africaunchained.blogspot.com/">Africa Unchained</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nitibhan.com/perspective/">Perspective</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://gdiapers.typepad.com/earlyyears/">gDiapers</a></li><li><a href="http://mariosundar.wordpress.com/">Marketing Nirvana</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/">Bob Sutton</a></li><li><a href="http://transcultural.wordpress.com/">¡Hola! Oi! Hi!</a></li><li><a href="http://bicyclemarketingwatch.blogspot.com/">Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!</a></li><li><a href="http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/women_art_life_weaving_it/">Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together</a></li><li><a href="http://www.communityguy.com/">Community Guy</a></li><li><a href="http://wordofmouthonthefly.blogspot.com/index.html">Social Media on the fly</a></li><li><a href="http://jeremylatham.com/blog/">Jeremy Latham’s Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://smogger.wordpress.com/">SMogger Social Media Blog</a></li><li><a href="http://www.masey.com.au/">Masey.com</a></li></ul><br />Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone. Let's all have a great 2007.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-37406295555363022012006-12-28T21:15:00.000-08:002006-12-28T22:18:01.979-08:00Content, narrative journalism, making fact interesting...With two Rocky analogies...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByuERowSoFpqNDcqjzgn9XF6L1e5UVEvqZPepOpiCxxdvVR02uWfNP7l0OrPMQGDC_FgsTMTMI7D0l1oO4NFNhb7emzlTlZe9OzaTltqhr7MR6nyaX6AkuNW6M-hghVUfr9tw/s1600-h/n_2644.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByuERowSoFpqNDcqjzgn9XF6L1e5UVEvqZPepOpiCxxdvVR02uWfNP7l0OrPMQGDC_FgsTMTMI7D0l1oO4NFNhb7emzlTlZe9OzaTltqhr7MR6nyaX6AkuNW6M-hghVUfr9tw/s320/n_2644.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013827995432793234" border="0" /></a>When it comes to online writing, what do we usually call an individual piece of "straight content" writing?<br /><br />An article.<br /><br />We rarely use the word "story" to describe the work. Stories go beyond factual recitation. They have characters, a voice and follow a narrative structure that may not resemble journalism's inverted pyramid.<br /><br />Hemingway wrote stories. Content writers write articles.<br /><br />Maybe it's time for some of us to change that.<br /><br />Articles are relatively easy to write in structural terms. They don't require as much creativity as a story. A good article writer will give you WWWW&H with perfect grammar. A good story writer will bring it to life.<br /><br />I've mentioned my appreciation for Hunter S. Thompson here a few times. He was part of the "new journalism" movement (which may not have really been all that new, but the name stuck). Instead of giving us the WWWW&H of a cycle rally in Nevada, he gave us "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."<br /><br />I'd wager that no other writer who covered the 1971 Mint 400 motocross race filed an article that became the meat of a "perennial classic."<br /><br />The new journalism (I prefer "narrative journalism") kicked traditional concepts of objectivity to the curb, making the reporter part of the story. No longer a mere observer, the writer's voice, attitudes, perspective and storytelling skills wriggled free of the conventional limitations imposed by the j-school inverted pyramid.<br /><br />So, am I arguing that SEO content should go gonzo? Yeah, I think so. Maybe not in all cases. Probably not to the extreme of Thompson's rambling excess. But at least a little bit. When we're writing articles, we should also be writing stories. Stories people want to read. Stories with life and not just reshuffled Wikipedia fact lists.<br /><br />You can make a strong argument to the contrary.<br /><br />You can tell me that people who hit the search engines in seek of info don't want to think, to meet and relate with characters, etc. They just want the facts--streamlined, dull, black and white facts. They might not mind a little entertainment, but we can manage that with a cute headline and a couple of inoffensive jokes somewhere in the third and fifth paragraphs.<br /><br />In my estimation, what people want and what they think they want don't always match up. The article-turned-story that grabs them by the neck and demands their attention might just be the kind of experience they want deep down inside. That search for "sock monkey patterns" may be satisfied with "Three Sock Monkey Patterns for Everyone," but the expectation might be exceeded by "The Sock Monkey Pattern that Saved Her Life."<br /><br />The trick, of course, is to get around to the part of narrative journalism that the good doctor Thompson sometimes forgot--the key facts of the story. I don't think F&L ever tells us who won the Mint 400. Great literature? I think so. Great journalism? Not necessarily.<br /><br />It is, however, possible to weave the facts into the narrative. To provide the information along with the story.<br /><br />We know narrative structures are compelling. People started loving soap operas back when a remote control was telling your kid walk to the radio to fine-tune the reception. People would recognize Stephen King walking down the street even if he wasn't a little creepy looking. I was one of how many million people who watched Rocky duke it out yet again this week. We love stories. We remember them. We crave them. They connect with us.<br /><br />Most of us would rather read _________ (insert name of favorite author here) than the dictionary tonight. When facts alone enter the ring with good storytelling, it isn't Balboa/Creed. It's more like Drago/Creed with _________ playing the Soviet heavyweight.<br /><br />People want facts? Give them facts. Give them facts within a compelling, fast moving and interesting piece that offers them something else, too.<br /><br />There are other objections to the idea. Article writing isn't rocket science and it's incredibly efficient. Building a more narrative type of content will be more time consuming and difficult.<br /><br />That's true. No way around it. It takes more time. It requires more work. It requires more skill. If you write that way, you'll have to up your rates for it. If you want that kind of content, you'll have to pay more for it.<br /><br />The real issue isn't the difficultly/pay difference. As is usually the case when it comes to writing for a living (or buying writing so that you can make a living), the bottom line has to come first. It's about ROI. Does a more narrative content produce results that make the additional time/$$$ investment worthwhile? Is there a high enough return on investment to justify the "better stuff?"<br /><br />I don't have good evidence to make an argument either way. I suspect that a more creative form of web content could produce stellar results relative to the so-boring-I-am-going-to-dent-the-monitor-with-my-forehead kind of content that dominates the web. Probably not in all (or maybe even most) cases, however. Sometimes a straightforward "Ten Reasons Why a Tin Backsplash is Perfect for Your Kitchen" article will be just what the doctor (not Thompson) ordered.<br /><br />Even if we fall short of going gonzo on the SEO content trail, we can at least appropriate some of the lessons taught by narrative journalism, etc. We can try to inject a soul, a voice and a life into "straight content" work when it make sense to do so. We can make it the kind of thing a person really wants to read instead of the kind of thing they feel compelled to read because it's the first thing they found on Google that didn't redirect them to a pop-up nightmare atop an unrelated sales page for an online dating site.<br /><br />That kind of writing might actually pre-sell products. It might help create brand. It could increase the length and number of page views. It certainly couldn't hurt in terms of repeat visitation. It's the very definition of link-bait.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/content-narrative-journalism-making.html&Title=Content,%20narrative%20journalism,%20making%20fact%20interesting...With%20two%20Rocky%20analogies..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/content-narrative-journalism-making.html;title=Content,%20narrative%20journalism,%20making%20fact%20interesting...With%20two%20Rocky%20analogies..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/content-narrative-journalism-making.html&title=Content,%20narrative%20journalism,%20making%20fact%20interesting...With%20two%20Rocky%20analogies..." target="_blank">digg</a> | <a 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rel="tag">freelance writer</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-91130827810878975262006-12-28T10:28:00.000-08:002006-12-28T11:42:48.199-08:00Writer rates and blame...My super powers...Lou Paun needs to start a blog...My Chief Joseph impersonation...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJszJ5uBQ5lA2CxVWuGH72nF1lpHQAVzBd-uSg9op8YFrFdNvylpobNiMKsovIFG1_dYQWBPGYE_t1_EK7NoZzjgyAUBT1JTTKaEPRLr7LeDtf6VDbJEEJbKrIZwrs3frHyiMO/s1600-h/HERO.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJszJ5uBQ5lA2CxVWuGH72nF1lpHQAVzBd-uSg9op8YFrFdNvylpobNiMKsovIFG1_dYQWBPGYE_t1_EK7NoZzjgyAUBT1JTTKaEPRLr7LeDtf6VDbJEEJbKrIZwrs3frHyiMO/s320/HERO.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013663433760846978" border="0" /></a>I have, or had, two super powers.<br /><br />First, I have the amazing ability to carry several dozen full bags of groceries at one time. I can slide my hand through the handles of bag after bag, lift them and trudge up at least three flights of stairs, if necessary. When my family shops for groceries, it never takes more than a single trip from the car to the front door to bring everything inside.<br /><br />Admittedly, that isn't the kind of super power that earns you a spandex suit or a mask, but it's something.<br /><br />Second, I've had an uncanny ability to antagonize other writers with my opinions about writer pay rates. Although I think of myself as a generally decent fellow, I've usually been able to piss someone off within minutes of blogging about the state of writer pay rates.<br /><br />I don't begrudge those who work in lower paying markets and I don't believe that collective writer efforts like those others have advocated have any chance of changing the price structure for online writing. That tends to hack some people off.<br /><br />I don't think that one will get anyone into the League of Justice, either, but you take what you can get...<br /><br />Deb Ng recently wrote a nifty piece that places at least a substantial portion of the blame for depressed freelance writing rates at the feet of writers. She argues that writers' willingness to work for low rates is part of the problem. Actually, her argument is a little more eloquent than that, and <a href="http://writersrow.com/deborahng/2006/12/accepting-blame.html">you really should read it</a>.<br /><br />I agree with some of what she says. However, I think there is more to the whole issue than what she addresses in that post and that not discussing some of those other matters along with the "settling for it" factor creates a somewhat misleading portrait of the situation. I was thinking about writing one of my long posts about different kinds of writing, different market segments, how price increases would influence buyer behavior at the shallow end of the content pool, and all of the usual stuff that seems to get people riled up and in a hate mail sending mood.<br /><br />I know Deb wasn't trying to provide a holistic assessment of the market situation and I know from past readings and exchanges that she "gets it" even if we don't always agree on everything. I also know that my reaction to her post stemmed more from my concern that others might treat it as a comprehensive perspective, not that she did.<br /><br />Nonetheless, her post provided an opportunity to start arguing the rate question again. And I was thinking about doing just that while reading the comments at Deb's blog.<br /><br />That's when I tripped over a little pile of Kryptonite, courtesy of Lou Paun.<br /><br />Lou comments here occasionally. We recently discussed the fairness and efficacy of relatively free market structures with respect to writing and other disciplines in the context of The Freelance Writers Manifesto and writer organization attempts.<br /><br />I always enjoy Lou's comments and they always seem to contain some valuable food for thought. Little did I know that Paun would eliminate one of my super powers. Her remark finally convinced me to hang up my cape. Well, I don't have a cape, as that wonderful graphic demonstrates, but if I did, I would've put it in the closet.<br /><br />Lou recognizes the inevitability of some form of exploitation in any capitalist construct, I'm guessing. The comment then frames that exploitation as a matter of choice and argues that one should be happy so long as their decisions meet their needs. Lou then advocates knowledge and understanding as a prerequisite for making the right decisions as a writer.<br /><br />Here's the actual comment:<br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" ><br />"When you agree to work for those wages, you agree to be exploited. That's an individual choice, and nobody should be shamed for making a choice that works for them (dishonest choices excluded, obviously). If you get what you seriously need from the choice, that's fine. If it inconveniences someone else who couldn't get what they need from the same choice, that is their issue, not yours.<br /><br />I think the important thing is to make the choice after knowing everything that is involved. Many writers are hoodwinked into bad choices, believing that 1) the exposure will really help them, 2) this is a standard payment amount, 3) you have to start here because you're new, or 4)some other bit of nonsense. I can only hope that these innocents get smart fast!"</span><br /><br />Suddenly, my ability to cause rage about writer rates began to wane...<br /><br />Get smart. Assess the situation. Make a the best decision for you. That's a simple process that makes so much of the rate argument seem superfluous.<br /><br />It also frames the rate question differently than many of us on both sides of the issue do. Instead of being a question of "fair/unfair" or "free markets/entitlement" or "justice/wishful thinking," it personalizes the question and provides enough room for everyone to mill around learning, thinking and deciding based on knowledge and experience instead of bloguments* about whether writers deserve more.<br /><br />Which leads me to the two-pronged conclusion...<br /><br />1. Lou Paun should start blogging.<br />2. I will fight no more forever.<br /><br />That's right. I'm done debating rates. I'm not surrendering. I'm not abandoning my position. I've just lost the energy to have the discussion repeatedly when Lou's "Get smart. Assess the situation. Make a the best decision for you," is a much better advocacy than "agree with me" or "agree with them."<br /><br />Oh, I will undoubtedly find ways to mention that a writer specializing in online topics can generate decent income with the right lower-paying projects, but I'm not going to argue about it anymore.<br /><br />When it comes to the great rate debate, I am willing to supply my perspective and tales, but I am no longer in the intentional persuasion business.<br /><br />I might go buy some groceries now...<br /><br />*For a moment, I thought that I had found a new super power by inventing the term "blogument." However, I soon learned that others had come up with the term already.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Blogument:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> n. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >A nasty back-and-forth in the Comments section of a blog post. Serves as a mildly amusing, cautionary tale to those not involved. The worst examples involve extended rants that amount to nothing more than bitter semantics by the over-educated and ill-informed.<br /><br /></span>--Courtesy of <a href="http://luckyspinster.blogspot.com/2005/07/on-nature-of-bloguments-in-democratic.html">Lucky Spinster</a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/writer-rates-and-blamemy-super.html&Title=Writer%20rates%20and%20blame...My%20super%20powers...Lou%20Paun%20needs%20to%20start%20a%20blog...My%20Chief%20Joseph%20impersonation..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a 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href="http://www.netvouz.com/action/submitBookmark?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/writer-rates-and-blamemy-super.html&title=Writer%20rates%20and%20blame...My%20super%20powers...Lou%20Paun%20needs%20to%20start%20a%20blog...My%20Chief%20Joseph%20impersonation...&description=Writer%20rates%20and%20blame...My%20super%20powers...Lou%20Paun%20needs%20to%20start%20a%20blog...My%20Chief%20Joseph%20impersonation..." target="_blank">netvouz</a></span></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="tags"><span style="font-size:78%;">technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance" rel="tag">freelance</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+content" rel="tag">freelance content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/rates" rel="tag">rates</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/deb+ng" rel="tag">deb ng</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lou+paun" rel="tag">lou paun</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/carson+brackney" rel="tag">carson brackney</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/article+writer" rel="tag">article writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer+pay" rel="tag">writer pay</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance" rel="tag">freelance</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+content" rel="tag">freelance content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/rates" rel="tag">rates</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/deb+ng" rel="tag">deb ng</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/lou+paun" rel="tag">lou paun</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/carson+brackney" rel="tag">carson brackney</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/article+writer" rel="tag">article writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer+pay" rel="tag">writer pay</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance" rel="tag">freelance</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+content" rel="tag">freelance content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/rates" rel="tag">rates</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/deb+ng" rel="tag">deb ng</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/lou+paun" rel="tag">lou paun</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/carson+brackney" rel="tag">carson brackney</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/article+writer" rel="tag">article writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer+pay" rel="tag">writer pay</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-7728627960997148972006-12-28T09:40:00.000-08:002006-12-28T09:44:13.832-08:00$125K Update...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieldhZuX8vYGqvAE1GxdkDpDbOpOJ7Q_dJ5QVVdDCqBRMXcMQtZZkaE-t6HfNZHHEMCaSHamAbUrGVKqpsIpn0VzLvJflU456OdMJmoUi5AbWhErhuntg4KkMPa-hr9ZriyfM/s1600-h/297641_csp_fire_sky.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieldhZuX8vYGqvAE1GxdkDpDbOpOJ7Q_dJ5QVVdDCqBRMXcMQtZZkaE-t6HfNZHHEMCaSHamAbUrGVKqpsIpn0VzLvJflU456OdMJmoUi5AbWhErhuntg4KkMPa-hr9ZriyfM/s320/297641_csp_fire_sky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013634107724149874" border="0" /></a>I'll be updating the earnings figures for my $125K Challenge with the simultaneous release of the next issue of the Content Done Better Report.<br /><br />Due to my teeth and the holidays, I had to skip the last issue of the Report, so the next one will be a special "Super Double Issue." Feel free to use the ever-present subscription form on the right sidebar to sign up... The scheduled release date will be January 15. After that, the Report will come out on the 1st and 15th of every month.<br /><br />Just in case you are dying of suspense or something, the numbers are looking okay, but not spectacular. I am closing the gap between the required pace and the goal, which is nice.<br /><br />If you have no idea of what I'm talking about, you can read up on the $125K Challenge. Over on the sidebar, there are links to the related posts.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&Title=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html;title=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&title=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">digg</a> | <a href="http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmark?t=$125K%20Update...&u=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html" target="_blank">yahoo!</a> | <a href="http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&t=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">furl</a> | <a href="http://www.rawsugar.com/tagger/?turl=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&tttl=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">rawsugar</a> | <a href="http://www.shadows.com/features/tcr.htm?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&title=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">shadows</a> | <a href="http://www.netvouz.com/action/submitBookmark?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/125k-update.html&title=$125K%20Update...&description=$125K%20Update..." target="_blank">netvouz</a></span></div><br /><div class="tags"><span style="font-size:78%;">technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/$125K+Challenge" rel="tag">$125K Challenge</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Content+Done+Better+Report" rel="tag">Content Done Better Report</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/newsletter" rel="tag">newsletter</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/ezine" rel="tag">ezine</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/$125K+Challenge" rel="tag">$125K Challenge</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/Content+Done+Better+Report" rel="tag">Content Done Better Report</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/newsletter" rel="tag">newsletter</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/ezine" rel="tag">ezine</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/$125K+Challenge" rel="tag">$125K Challenge</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/Content+Done+Better+Report" rel="tag">Content Done Better Report</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/newsletter" rel="tag">newsletter</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/ezine" rel="tag">ezine</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-36833895786725264412006-12-27T08:05:00.000-08:002006-12-27T08:34:15.571-08:00Google, duplicate content and private label rights (PLR)...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjjW72-lMpXzcdTka2COZ0lRO7D66zmPGyCtGrDKoauMkygY1vUw5xjaMOtLcDfXWHqtV62Iq-EpiGd1ojlR3fltV6f0HsZ1a4xVtOGXil5K1WkEg-58KW5_Ns3jKLTsh5GxY/s1600-h/613683_files_and_archives_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjjW72-lMpXzcdTka2COZ0lRO7D66zmPGyCtGrDKoauMkygY1vUw5xjaMOtLcDfXWHqtV62Iq-EpiGd1ojlR3fltV6f0HsZ1a4xVtOGXil5K1WkEg-58KW5_Ns3jKLTsh5GxY/s320/613683_files_and_archives_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013244914967655506" border="0" /></a>In case you missed it, Adam Lasnik posted some interesting remarks about duplicate content at the <a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/">Official Google Webmaster Central Blog</a> (now THAT'S a long blog title).<br /><br />"<a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2006/12/deftly-dealing-with-duplicate-content.html">Deftly dealing with duplicate content</a>" answers a few questions and creates a few new ones. It may not have provided everything you'd ever want to know about duplicate content, but it's nice that the folks at G gave us at least a sneak peek at how they address the matter.<br /><br />The post discusses why Google doesn't like finding the exact same thing in many different places, how it handles which version to list when it finds duplicate copies and even provides a few handy tips that webmasters can use to avoid duplicate content hassles.<br /><br />The Google post says webmasters should provide links back to the original versions of syndicated articles as a means of plagiarism protection and recommends use of DMCA remedies if someone who's stolen your materials seems to be ranking for it.<br /><br />Unfortunately, it didn't really hone in on the one area that matters most to me right now--determining what is and what is not duplicate content.<br /><br />Lasnik writes:<span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br />"Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar."</span><br /><br />He then discusses the numerous instances of duplicate content and how most of them aren't part of any malicious scheme while noting the presence of a few nefarious souls willing to use dup content as a means of SE gaming.<br /><br />He does not, however, tell us when a block of content becomes "susbtantive" enough to trigger Google's attention. We don't know when similarity becomes appreciable.<br /><br />Lasnik reassures us that snippets, quotations and alternate-language versions of the same material aren't considered duplicate content. Beyond that, we're still in the dark.<br /><br />That might be enough information for most people, but for some of us in the content industry, it still leaves us guessing more than we'd like. Well, at least that's the case for me. There are legitimate questions and concerns about the use of "private label rights" content (in "base form" and after editing/modification) that ave answers hinging upon how Google determines what constitutes duplicate content.<br /><br />Those issues may not matter for everyone, but they do matter to me on multiple levels. I have many clients who are PLR users or who will use the availability of private label rights content as a rationale for holding down original content creation expenses. I am occasionally hired by PLR suppliers to write content, too. On top of that, I have personally marketed some of my own PLR content.<br /><br />There are a million and one reasons to love private label rights content. There are a million and one reasons to avoid it and to use original material, too. It all depends, of course, on how and why the material is being used. Determining the actual value of PLR materials and accurately determining when it might work and when it might not, may very well depend on how search engines treat duplicate content.<br /><br />Google still hasn't really addressed those issues directly or indirectly. It could be because they don't really give two hoots about PLR and have bigger fish to fry. It could be because they perceive PLR content as a means of search engine gaming and don't feel like fanning any of its flame. Who knows?<br /><br />Original content remains the safest investment, but the arguments for and against its use relative to PLR alternatives is still difficult to ascertain with any certainty.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/google-duplicate-content-and-private.html&Title=Google,%20duplicate%20content%20and%20private%20label%20rights%20%28PLR%29..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/google-duplicate-content-and-private.html;title=Google,%20duplicate%20content%20and%20private%20label%20rights%20%28PLR%29..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/original+content" rel="tag">original content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/PLR" rel="tag">PLR</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/private+label+rights" rel="tag">private label rights</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/dup+content" rel="tag">dup content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/duplicate+content" rel="tag">duplicate content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/google" rel="tag">google</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/search+engines" rel="tag">search engines</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/article" rel="tag">article</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Lasnik" rel="tag">Lasnik</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/original+content" rel="tag">original content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/PLR" rel="tag">PLR</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/private+label+rights" rel="tag">private label rights</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/dup+content" rel="tag">dup content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/duplicate+content" rel="tag">duplicate content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/google" rel="tag">google</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/search+engines" rel="tag">search engines</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/article" rel="tag">article</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/Lasnik" rel="tag">Lasnik</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/original+content" rel="tag">original content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/PLR" rel="tag">PLR</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/private+label+rights" rel="tag">private label rights</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/dup+content" rel="tag">dup content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/duplicate+content" rel="tag">duplicate content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/google" rel="tag">google</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/search+engines" rel="tag">search engines</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/article" rel="tag">article</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/Lasnik" rel="tag">Lasnik</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-51642798355728076782006-12-27T07:42:00.000-08:002006-12-27T08:35:00.799-08:00Post-holiday recap...Good, bad, ugly...Belated seasons greetings...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPnu6NIGwTiarlQUIync4CeGQqXHi7Oe_kG_L4l__yif_wZiOrfYpLPoShljUIlrIWKoeLYcXpNK8nM2ltDBuBL1qdponGQ5D5JpX13CmNdioc0LJc29jjjBqHMmgtBZsOtNc/s1600-h/1077_good_bad_and_uglyB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPnu6NIGwTiarlQUIync4CeGQqXHi7Oe_kG_L4l__yif_wZiOrfYpLPoShljUIlrIWKoeLYcXpNK8nM2ltDBuBL1qdponGQ5D5JpX13CmNdioc0LJc29jjjBqHMmgtBZsOtNc/s320/1077_good_bad_and_uglyB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013237415954756674" border="0" /></a>Before I get started with a discussion of recent Google comments regarding <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/google-duplicate-content-and-private.html">duplicate content</a>, here are a few post-holiday observations...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good</span><br />Watching your two-year old rip open presents at Mach II.<br />Listening to your two-year old bang on a tiny trap set on Christmas morning.<br />Moms flying in for the holidays.<br />Wives who really know how to pick out gifts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad</span><br />Dentistry and oral surgery.<br />Appointments for additional oral surgery and dentistry.<br />Nice new air mattresses for guests that leak like sieves.<br />Dads not flying in for the holidays.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ugly</span><br />Trying to (at least partially) return to work.<br />Our home, the wrapping paper and cardboard box landfill.<br />Cameras that eat batteries the way I can eat holiday turkey.<br />Knowing you'll have to wait another year to do it again.<br /><br />That's (obviously) a partial list.<br /><br />I was thinking about writing a long pre-Christmas post. I planned on wishing everyone a great holiday, etc., while simultaneously discussing some of my personal opinions about Christmas, tolerance, and a host of other issues that would make Bill O'Reilly turn five shades of Santa Claus red while chanting "secular progressive, secular progressive, culture war, culture war."<br /><br />I didn't. I decided that no matter how anyone interprets and celebrates their December holidays, the most important thing to me is that they really enjoy it and find some positive meaning in the process. I decided that the rants about putting the "Christ back in Christmas" and the polemics by those offended by Christmas trees are equally boring. I just want everyone to take a deep breath and to find some joy for a few days.<br /><br />I hope you did!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-60708558637499844122006-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:002006-12-20T21:49:04.711-08:00The New American Society...The movers and the shakers...Kurt Vonnegut spotted with former Bengals standout Kenny Anderson...Until now, I've resisted adding video to this blog. This will probably give you a good idea why.<br /><br />I like Kurt Vonnegut, who makes my top 10 list of favorite authors.<br /><br />Judging by the inclusion of Ken Anderson in this advertisement, I was probably twelve or thirteen years old when it aired (I'm guessing '82 or '83). He was probably just that "old dude they show after David Bowie" to me then.<br /><br />Anyway, take a little spin in the wayback machine and feast your eyes on the New American Society (so new that Brit Bowie gets in on it). Here are the movers and the shakers.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwuoysMmOck"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwuoysMmOck" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-american-societythe-movers-and.html&Title=The%20New%20American%20Society...The%20movers%20and%20the%20shakers...Kurt%20Vonnegut%20spotted%20with%20former%20Bengals%20standout%20Kenny%20Anderson..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a 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bowie</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/coffee" rel="tag">coffee</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/coffee+commercial" rel="tag">coffee commercial</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/commercial" rel="tag">commercial</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/advertisement" rel="tag">advertisement</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/80s" rel="tag">80s</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/vonnegut" rel="tag">vonnegut</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/kurt+vonnegut" rel="tag">kurt vonnegut</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/ken+anderson" rel="tag">ken anderson</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/david+bowie" rel="tag">david bowie</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/coffee" rel="tag">coffee</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/coffee+commercial" rel="tag">coffee commercial</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/commercial" rel="tag">commercial</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/advertisement" rel="tag">advertisement</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/80s" rel="tag">80s</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/vonnegut" rel="tag">vonnegut</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/kurt+vonnegut" rel="tag">kurt vonnegut</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/ken+anderson" rel="tag">ken anderson</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/david+bowie" rel="tag">david bowie</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/coffee" rel="tag">coffee</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/coffee+commercial" rel="tag">coffee commercial</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/commercial" rel="tag">commercial</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/advertisement" rel="tag">advertisement</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/advertising" rel="tag">advertising</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/80s" rel="tag">80s</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-31486815987643770042006-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:002006-12-20T10:05:20.819-08:00Adsense earnings without pictures...Content-oriented responses to recent Google policy "clarification"...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnB6QDkvwyQqOcOBbDheOI1sIICKGWHaAwZ_DUxWuPNil3IPwXv7nuXuTFm-4yrBKpI6h_AKFgCgYP-BaOMiaCPgZBGnMk8UyNOaqHObi_Bjbl8PAuFZKsaz_UoZjZE43t0Ve/s1600-h/adwork.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnB6QDkvwyQqOcOBbDheOI1sIICKGWHaAwZ_DUxWuPNil3IPwXv7nuXuTFm-4yrBKpI6h_AKFgCgYP-BaOMiaCPgZBGnMk8UyNOaqHObi_Bjbl8PAuFZKsaz_UoZjZE43t0Ve/s320/adwork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010666826488493106" border="0" /></a>Yesterday, I mentioned that my <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/on-teeth-and-blogging.html">tortured mouth</a> might slow down blog entries until the oral surgeon and her team of evil demons ripped out a significant percentage of my teeth after the holidays. Pain or no pain, though, business rolls on...<br /><br />If you generate substantial earnings via Adsense, you probably know that the use of photos or other related graphics near the ad blocks has a tendency to increase click-through rates. As with all things Adsense, the data is cloudy, but many people report that the addition of a graphical component to their Adsense strategy has resulting in massive gains. Some say CTR doubles with the images. Others say they triple.<br /><br />I have no way of knowing how much difference having a picture of a monkey next to an Adsense ad about monkey food will increase CTR, but there's no doubt that it would help.<br /><br />That's why thousands of Adsense publishers have carefully constructed pages and templates that place pictures cozily near the ad blocks.<br /><br />Google's TOS has always contained verbiage warning publishers against misleading end users with the photos, etc. However, Adsense left a fair amount of room for interpretation and even gave webmasters indications that using graphics in conjunction with the ads was permissible if a border was in place, if the pics weren't "too close," etc.<br /><br />That's changed. Google "clarified" their policy and <a href="http://adsense.blogspot.com/2006/12/ad-and-image-placement-policy.html">that clarification</a> looks a lot like something destined to kick many image-reliant publishers in the butt. Here's a highlight:<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;" >"You can definitely place Google ads on pages containing images -- just make sure that the ads and images are not arranged in a way that could easily mislead or confuse your visitors. For example, if you run a stock photography site with a catalog of thumbnail images, don't line the ads up with the thumbnails in a way that could be misleading. Consider using a full border around your ads or changing your ad colors, for example."</span><br /><br />In other words, you can have ads and pics on the same page, so long as they don't look like they are meant to go with one another. If your images look like part of the ads or if they draw attention to the ads by creating a well-blended design, prepare to get yelled at by the folks at Adsense and to risk the death penalty of an account ban.<br /><br />I really don't have a horse in this race, as a publisher. I do run a few blogs that generate a nice monthly check via Adsense, but none of them utilize images anywhere even close to the ad blocks.<br /><br />I can understand Google's position and how this shift might be a good thing for the advertisers that keep the program afloat. I can also understand the hordes of Adsense publishers who are more than a little miffed about the clarification.<br /><br />I'm less interested in debating the merits of the policy clarification than I am in how Adsense publishers can adjust successfully to the new required environment.<br /><br />As a writer, I think the answer might be better written content. That's a self-serving argument, obviously, but consider this...<br /><br />Adsense earnings can be distilled down to a basic equation:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">page views X click-through rate X payment per ad click = $$$</span><br /></div><br />or, if you prefer...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PV x CTR x PPC = $$$</span><br /></div><br />That means there are three ways to counteract the graphics policy clarification. You can find a way to increase traffic, you can find a different way to increase CTR or you can do something to increase the average value of each ad click.<br /><br />Here's how better written content (hereafter "content" for this post) can work on all three levels.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Traffic.</span> Good content attracts visitors. Fresh content feeds Googlebots. None of that's a newsflash. I'm not going to belabor this one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PPC. </span>Content plays a role in PPC earnings, too. If you are doing any Adwords/Adsense arbitrage, the quality of your landing page content is going to affect your payouts. Of course, the right keyword use is going to serve up the right ads, too. In all honesty, though, adjusting the nature of your content probably won't have massive influence unless you are shifting topic areas. There are exceptions to that rule, but...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CTR.</span> The right text can do more than fill space and serve up ads. It can provide a quality user experience that leads the reader to want to learn more about a topic or to investigate products and services related to the topic.<br /><br />The traditional Adsense model sees content as a tool that will encourage Adsense to serve up the right ads. It neglects the potential "sell value" of content, even in a PPC-supported environment.<br /><br />You've undoubtedly read more than a few sales letters. You may have even read a few of the ones I've written for my clients. That kind of precision copywriting is designed with one goal in mind--to convert prospects into buyers. The gap between the typical Adsense-monetized site and a sales letter might seem so extreme as to invalidate comparisons, but that's not the case.<br /><br />Think of the products and services offered in those ad blocks as a product for a moment. How are you going to move your visitors from the content on the page to those product links? The same way other marketers have been doing it for years--by providing text that inspires action.<br /><br />You don't necessarily need Adsense content that approximates a traditional sales page. If that's on your mind, consider shifting to an affiliate marketing model. What you can use is content written with an actual objective in mind, instead of the usual "straight info" yawners that make up most Adsense-supported pages.<br /><br />I'm not talking about content that says "click on the ads" or some other violation of Adsense TOS. I'm talking about content specifically designed to create the kind of interest and curiosity that will inspire visitors to check out those ads on their own.<br /><br />That represents a shift from the primarily "information only" nature of most Adsense-supported sites. It combines persuasion and copywriting in a PPC environment to maximize CTR.<br /><br />That requires some skill in writing and it's not the kind of content you can score for a buck per page. It does, however, have a proven ability to increase CTR enough to make the investment worthwhile.<br /><br />If you're interested in giving your content a makeover or changing its "angle" to inspire a better CTR while maintaining 100% consistency with all Adsense objectives and TOS, let me know. You can talk with <a href="http://www.contentdonebetter.com/">Content Done Better</a> about ways to make your content improve your CTR.<br /><br />The ads may not work as well without the graphics, but they can still work. That's especially true when the rest of the page's content is designed with encouraging the right user response.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/adsense-earnings-without.html&Title=Adsense%20earnings%20without%20pictures...Content-oriented%20responses%20to%20recently%20Google%20policy%20" clarification="" target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/adsense-earnings-without.html;title=Adsense%20earnings%20without%20pictures...Content-oriented%20responses%20to%20recently%20Google%20policy%20" clarification="" target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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lucida grande;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/inside+adsense" rel="tag">inside adsense</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-42308804169936141732006-12-19T06:12:00.000-08:002006-12-19T06:34:30.958-08:00On teeth and blogging...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vlzrd651eN1bwIXc7fE2hXNnDfBxmvkk-MkZTVe2ElNACl_a5v78SKawrxG68Re-LiuXQKuOihN3AwsdOQ619C1DkBj21AQJe2J4nCgGmdmDnHWpo-J2o7rOvMebxoz4UeSc/s1600-h/den.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vlzrd651eN1bwIXc7fE2hXNnDfBxmvkk-MkZTVe2ElNACl_a5v78SKawrxG68Re-LiuXQKuOihN3AwsdOQ619C1DkBj21AQJe2J4nCgGmdmDnHWpo-J2o7rOvMebxoz4UeSc/s320/den.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010246058528537010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">I find that most men would rather have their bellies opened for five hundred dollars than have a tooth pulled for five. -Martin H. Fischer</span></span><br /><br />If you've been wondering about the lack of updates over the past few days, you can blame my teeth. Until my dental issues are surgically resolved (Dec. 26), I might not be as prolific as usual. Agonizing tooth pain makes it tough to keep up with everything, you know.<!--FFM--><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">For there was never yet philosopher</span> <span style="font-family:courier new;"> That could endure the toothache patiently.</span> <span style="font-family:courier new;"> -William Shakespeare </span></span><br /><br />The next issue of The Content Done Better Report will come out immediately after the holidays. So, if you haven't subscribed yet (hint, hint), you have some time to get on the list before the next edition.<br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-23958244312043915382006-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:002006-12-13T10:05:57.465-08:00Even more on freelance wage issues...A response to SixFigureWriters.com...You might be surprised where we agree...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxHAJX2vKYF8zFviCfe7nZrX7RpTC9tKOUYszX1HdqN41DLB_NXkOT0niiey7zsWE6J329EJkQl1_4KnSd56kUOkMitnroHDxVLOI1L8-DPSxPVxf-ibBrR-i89mNfC4Be8Ho/s1600-h/672559_steps.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxHAJX2vKYF8zFviCfe7nZrX7RpTC9tKOUYszX1HdqN41DLB_NXkOT0niiey7zsWE6J329EJkQl1_4KnSd56kUOkMitnroHDxVLOI1L8-DPSxPVxf-ibBrR-i89mNfC4Be8Ho/s320/672559_steps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008072498512260066" border="0" /></a>Yesterday, I found a post by Jenn at <a href="http://sixfigurewriters.com/2006/12/12/standardizing-freelance-writing-rates/">SixFigureWriters.com</a> that dealt with <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/11/freelance-writers-manifestomy.html">my position on The Freelance Writers Manifesto</a>. Warning: It's long.<br /><br />This post is long, too. Sorry, but these are not the simplest of things to discuss and it can lead to some longer-than usual discussions. I should probably write 100 word executive summaries of these babies to comport with standard blog reader attention spans, huh? Anyway, if you hire writers or if you are a writer, it makes sense to understand the rate debate and the arguments both sides are making. So, I hope you'll read (or at least scan) through some of this.<br /><br />Let me start off by saying that I think Jenn's responses to my arguments about "The Manifesto" are considerate and fairly presented. I hope my reaction is, too. I'm not interested in picking a fight with anyone. I'm more interested in discussing the nature of the online writing marketplace(s) and the concept of fairness with respect to payouts.<br /><br />She also echoed some of my sentiments about the flaws of a minimum-wage based approach. Just as I don't want to be mischaracterized in my position, I don't want others to think she was an all-out supporter of "The Manifesto" perspective. This isn't a completely yes/no kind of thing.<br /><br />Jenn's comments are in <span style="font-weight: bold;">bold</span>. Mine aren't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I have to admit, what turned me off the most in Carson’s blog was his first post / interview on the freelance writers’ manifesto. When I read an interview, I expect a question, and an answer, with additional comments reserved for the closing of the interview. I don’t want to read additional follow-up by the interviewer, with additional attacks or comments, when the interviewee isn’t able to respond... I’m not attacking Carson personally. I’m sure he didn’t intentionally do that at the time. But I did mean to address a few of those points made...</span><br /><br />I can understand that. Three quick responses. First, even if one deplores the structure I used to frame my arguments that shouldn't detract too much from their substance. Second, Patricia is certainly welcome to respond to my arguments at any time. The comment feature is available to her and I'd even welcome reprinting any comments she might have as a separate post. Third, it certainly wasn't my intention to make any "sneak attacks" here and hope that people understand that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">...[Y]ou’d be hard-pressed to convince me that most writers earning $.02 per word (as an example) are truly happy with those rates. If they say they are, it’s often because they haven’t experienced better. Give them a few assignments at $.20 / word and then see if they’re still interested in maintaining the low-rate workflow, where they have to write ten times as much (sacrificing personal time, family time, time for their own writing or other projects, etc.). I’d wager that most would finally recognize the problem...</span><br /><br />This assumes that "all writing is created equal." One can't assume that the time, research, etc. poured into a great feature article is on par with the commitment made to creating a 300 word article on "sock monkey patterns" with a KD of 3%. One also can't assume that those who enjoy making bank by ripping out "straight content" are necessarily interested in vying for a Pulitzer.<br /><br />That job that pays ten X as much also tends to require ten X the effort, or a close approximation thereof.<br /><br />Now, if one is arguing that all writing should be worth more than two, three or whatever number of cents, that's a different story. That argument, in my estimation, represents something of a denial of market forces. The reason people offer those rates for certain content jobs isn't just because they can, it's because they must in order to experience their desired return on investment. If one believes that having writers take a hard line on those lower paying gigs will result in an overall price increase, they may not be considering the very strong likelihood that buyers will turn to other solutions if the anticipated ROI doesn't also increase.<br /><br />Again, it's a question of "Type 1" writing being something different than "Type 2" writing. I think that Jenn's other comments illustrate her own understand of marketplace diversity, so I doubt she'd disagree. I think our disagreement may stem from the fact that many of those involved in this ongoing discussion don't carefully differentiate between writing types when discussing reasonable rates. I know I'm guilty of that sometimes myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don’t think the problem is with the lousy writers who really can’t pull their weight. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that we’ve got a lot of strong professionals (even English teachers, those with doctorates, etc. - whose samples I’ve seen are beyond well-written), who are taking these low rates because they simply don’t know any better. If a group movement helps them (even if perhaps the concept could use some tweaking), then any writer serious about their work would simply be a fool to not care about the “greater good” if it would benefit them as well.</span><br /><br />Drumroll please... I agree. Well, at least in a sense. I do think there are those capable of tapping higher paying markets who have the skills and interest to do a great job who miss out because they don't understand the real diversity of the marketplace. I also think that an effort that opens those possibilities to them is just dandy.<br /><br />That's where the agreement starts to taper off, though. My bone of contention is with the method--not that principle. The idea of demanding a base rate for all writers to accomplish that goal is like using a sledgehammer to swat flies. It's the wrong tool for the job. Open eyes and expand horizons! Show people all of the alternatives and opportunities available! That's great. Why do we need to advocate base pay standards or to bemoan being underpaid for our work in order to do that, especially in light of the weaknesses inherent to that strategy?<br /><br />My point was that many writers included, are not going to back some minimum wage solution in order to let other writers know they could make more if they tapped the right markets. That's especially true when they don't feel they are somehow oppressed as a freelancer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The whole “global economy” or “global market” issue is one of my biggest pet peeves in the writing community. Why? Because it’s a ridiculous myth that some writers (and certain client groups) like to mention as a sort of excuse as to why quality writers aren’t paid decent wages. I’ve already written at length about my feelings on the existence or non-existence of a “global market” for freelance writers, so I’ll just leave it at that for the time being.</span><br /><br />I've read Jenn's assessment of the "global market" argument and I think she makes some great observations. I also think that her argument actually serves as evidence of why a minimum rate strategy doesn't make a great deal of sense.<br /><br />There is no single global marketplace. The writing market consists of countless niches and countless types of writing. It also involves players from small towns in Mississippi where you can buy a decent house for $50K and those in Manhattan who are dumping several thousand per month to rent less than 1K square feet. It involves webmasters who are working from high volume, low percentage return Adsense sites and those who are selling high ticket items. It consists of affiliate marketers trying to move Clickbank products and those who are emulating a traditional ad-supported magazine format. It's 300 word articles about "New Haven, Connecticut Dentists" and multi-page investigative journalism features. Jenn is right, there is no single global marketplace.<br /><br />There is, however, global competition and in some of the lower paying portions of the market, that fact can't be overlooked. A $25 minimum may sound like chicken feed to you or me. For a Bulgarian with a solid command of English or an Indian with a lower cost of living than a guy like me in suburbia, it might be a freaking fortune. And that competition is very real in certain market segments and the resulting pressure will inevitably push prices down.<br /><br />That is NOT an argument for every writer to shut up and to accept what's offered. It's NOT an argument not to try to get every penny you can for your quality work. It's a reason why the minimum wage position falls flat.<br /><br />The idea of singular global market is mythological. The idea of a diverse global marketplace in which customers have different needs and in which some producers can meet those needs at much lower prices, however, is very real.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It’s another topic I went into at the link in the previous question, so I won’t delve too much into it here. The simple fact is that a writer does have the ability to determine their own worth to a very large extent, because they have the ability to choose which actual writing market they’re going to enter. If they can’t cut it, they’ll learn and improve, or they’ll find another market. They definitely need to be prepared to make adjustments and improvements (as anyone does over time), but simply saying it’s in the hands of the market is beyond foolish for anyone interested in truly being a professional writer and making a solid career of it.</span><br /><br />Amen.<br /><br />My argument is not that there aren't higher paying markets or that people shouldn't get what they deserve. My argument is that everyone and every type of writing isn't reasonably or logically entitled to a certain minimum payout.<br /><br />I'm not being foolish and saying "it's all in the hands of the market." That's a wholly inaccurate assessment of my position. My point is that banding together as some sort of writer's collective in hopes of jacking up minimum payouts across the board is doomed because some projects simply aren't worth $25 per hour to the buyer, no matter how much we might want them to be.<br /><br />Again, that doesn't mean anyone should shut up and take what their offered like a lackey. I turn down jobs regularly because I don't think the effort required to produce the materials matches up with the payout. It does mean that I don't think the Manifesto base pay rate plan will solve the problem.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(In response to my calculations arguing that even low-rate jobs can produce a decent wage equivalent) First of all, the vast majority of writers aren’t spending 8 hours a day actually writing. There’s a huge difference between hours worked and “billable hours”, and crunching the numbers incorrectly is ridiculously common among writers, and giving an example where that’s being done isn’t fair to your own arguement. On top of that, he isn’t accounting for the simple fact that most writers taking those rates seem to fall into the “general Web content writer” group, meaning they don’t often just sit down and write. They have to spend time researching.</span><br /><br />Well, my example also worked with a 20 wpm assumption, which was chosen to compensate for the research time involved, etc. That's really beside the point, though. I know this much. If you give me a general interest topic, ask for a handful of 500 word articles, and give me two cents per word, I can make it worth far more than $25 per hour, research included. I've done it and I might do it again if I have a few holes in my schedule and I'm in the mood.<br /><br />Maybe others can't do that. That really isn't my problem, is it? Like Jenn said, "If they can’t cut it, they’ll learn and improve, or they’ll find another market."<br /><br />Let's keep going with this one, though...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">...[W]ith the average billable hours (out of a typical 40 hour work week) for independent professionals often guaged at 22-23 hours per week (the rest is administrative time, marketing, finding clients, etc.), that already cuts you down to 4 hours of actual writing per week. Figure with that group of writers heavily focusing on research, it’s even more realistic that only half of that would be spent actually writing - putting that yearly rate down to $7500. Even in a situation where writers completely neglect administrative work, and actually work on client projects for 8 hours per day, they’d still have to spend about half of that time researching and discussing the projects with their clients. Even then, you only have $15,000 / year ($20,000 on the generous side), and not even including the added self-employment tax, any business expenses (overhead might be low, but it’s not non-existent), covering their own health insurance if they have it, etc. When you account for all of the realities, it really does start to look like slave wages, especially with the sheer number of work hours involved to make it happen. I’m not saying the arguement couldn’t be made… I’m just saying I think that was the wrong way to make it.</span><br /><br />A couple of observations.<br /><br />First, if you can't stand the heat in that market segment, get out of its kitchen immediately, folks. No one said content writing for lower per word rates was feasible or profitable for everyone. Like Jenn and others, I encourage those with a talent for writing who don't feel they can make it work for them at lower rates to seek better paying markets. If you aren't making what you need, go do something else.<br /><br />Second, those who are willing to work at the lower pay rates and who do a good job will find themselves inundated with work requests, allowing them to cut administrative time down considerably, if they so desire.<br /><br />Third, my breakdown may have been overly optimistic compared to the actual results experienced by others, but I find Jenn's breakdown exceedingly pessimistic based on my own personal experiences and results. Your truth may be closer to hers or to mine. That's going to depend upon your skill set and objectives. What's good for one goose may really piss off other ganders. Regardless, just because some can't make more than McDonalds money penning content doesn't mean that everyone should run away from the gigs. Some CAN and DO make it pay.<br /><br />Fourth, I am not advocating lower paying gigs for everyone. I am not arguing that writers should accept table scraps happily. I just don't see how Manifesto-style minimum rate arguments do much of anything to resolve the situation. I don't want people to confuse my beliefs in choice and markets with some kind of writer hatred complex. I'm not a masochist.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(On the question of whether those working in lower paying market segments will end up in an undesirable rut) That’s entirely different than a writer who ONLY takes extremely low-paying gigs. In that case, there is most definitely a “rut”...If you’re lucky enough to have been one of them, or were already in other markets and making a simple choice to take lower work from time to time, that’s fine and your option. But trying to deny that a “rut” exists based on individual experiences is nothing more than that: denial, in my opinion.</span><br /><br />I'm not really too interested in the "rut" arguments. I understand Jenn's concern that people might trap themselves into a cycle of working exclusively in market segments that don't provide optimal income opportunity. I also know that kind of thing isn't inevitable, even though it does happen to some people.<br /><br />All I know is that the Manifesto solution won't fix that any better than making a concerted effort to let budding writers know that they can focus their efforts on a variety of market segments. We don't need minimum wages based on a misunderstanding of underlying market forces and a failure to recognize Jenn's observations about a very diverse marketplace to encourage people to get out of a rut.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">So, everybody, go yell it from the mountaintops! There are plenty of places that will pay more per word that straight content gigs you can find on RAC or E-Lance. If those markets don't represent an opportunity for YOU to earn what YOU want to make, dig in and look elsewhere. I hope you find what you're looking for! Sincerely. In the meantime, consider the possibility that embracing a set minimum rate for all writers (regardless of project type or writer skill level) might not be the best way to help yourself.<br /></span><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/yesterday-i-found-post-by-jenn-at.html&Title=Even%20more%20on%20freelance%20wage%20issues...A%20response%20to%20SixFigureWriters.com...You%20might%20be%20surprised%20where%20we%20agree..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/yesterday-i-found-post-by-jenn-at.html;title=Even%20more%20on%20freelance%20wage%20issues...A%20response%20to%20SixFigureWriters.com...You%20might%20be%20surprised%20where%20we%20agree..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-60574341499029064842006-12-13T09:39:00.000-08:002006-12-13T09:58:17.229-08:00Almost everyone is underpaid...More on the great freelance writer payscale rate debate...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxttydk4DWiZU_4RDGRkDoXynNQSesNAeR9aZjJo6lqwIVPxYA8kWNWubCX3pmLL0BfkapWoV-I-_tmlKSxNGzpvL2_2TjI11r3PU6_5lVOQOG4Lkf8EaJqtSGRlRvKztTuVvr/s1600-h/675859_chained_shells.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxttydk4DWiZU_4RDGRkDoXynNQSesNAeR9aZjJo6lqwIVPxYA8kWNWubCX3pmLL0BfkapWoV-I-_tmlKSxNGzpvL2_2TjI11r3PU6_5lVOQOG4Lkf8EaJqtSGRlRvKztTuVvr/s320/675859_chained_shells.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008071416180501458" border="0" /></a>Sweatshop workers are underpaid. They suffer through miserable conditions making products from which others profit. Sanitation workers are underpaid. They have to deal with your nasty stinky garbage every single week and very few of them live in big houses with olympic-style pools. My friend Mark is underpaid. He runs a top-notch rental car outlet. He scrubs every return until it shines and delivers awesome customer service. The guy works like a maniac and isn't going to be retiring any time soon. My wife is underpaid. She teaches elementary special ed and devotes her heart and soul to challenged kids for a mere pittance. Corporate CEOs are underpaid. They want pay increases every year in exchange for their sage wisdom and guidance. The dude at Wal-Mart is underpaid. He works that register 40 hours per week without benefits. Roofers roast in the sun doing physical labor for less than many of us make in air-conditioned comfort.<br /><br />Are you getting the gist of this? <span style="font-weight: bold;">EVERYONE </span>is underpaid. Just ask around. People inevitably <span style="font-weight: bold;">believe</span> they deserve more money. Sometimes it's true. Sometimes it isn't.<br /><br />The Kansas City Royals had to fork over $55 million bucks to sign Gil Meche, who went looking for greener pastures because he was being underpaid by a few million per year by his previous employer. Gil sincerely believed he was underpaid.<br /><br />Writers are underpaid, too. Just ask them. Some of them are so underpaid that they want the whole writing community to band together to establish a "fair" base wage to protect them from the oppression of the market system.<br /><br />It's making me tired to keep returning to the topic of fair wages for writers, but I just can't resist.<br /><br />The other day, <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-want-fair-wage-pay-this-singing.html">I wrote a post</a> discussing the arbitrariness of a minimum freelancing wage and how those who advocate that solution fail to differentiate between the talented and the talentless. I've discussed my <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/11/freelance-writers-manifestomy.html">objections to the Freelance Writers Manifesto</a>, whose creators seem to be advocating a $25/hr. minimum wage for all writers.<br /><br />Yesterday, I found a long and considerate blog post from Jenn at <a href="http://sixfigurewriters.com/2006/12/12/standardizing-freelance-writing-rates/">SixFigureWriters.com</a> that takes me to task on a variety of fronts for my criticism of "The Manifesto" (though, to be fair, she did have a couple of nice things to say, too).<br /><br />The rate debate is the argument that will never die. In a world filled with would-be writers who almost always believe they aren't getting paid enough and are willing to embrace flawed solutions to rectify the situation, it's going to spring up again and again...<br /><br />Somewhere along the line, it <span style="font-style: italic;">feels</span> as though people are confusing my criticism of some of the arguments proffered by the "base pay rate" crowd as a kind of apologia for buyers who aren't paying writers enough for their work.<br /><br />That isn't the case.<br /><br />Today, I'm going to address some of Jenn's comments from that SixFigureWriters post. That will be the entry right after this one, in case you're interested. I think the discussion will help explain my position a little more clearly. Hopefully, it will hope to clarify that one can be very pro-writer while being against the idea of Freelancers Manifesto or a writer's minimum wage.<br /><br />Writers, I love you. I want you to make more. I want you to make more than Gil Meche will make pitching for the Royals. All of you. Well, most of you. You seem like "good people" and I wish you all well.<br /><br />I believe, however, that attacking the lower paying segment of the writing market as unfair or exploitative is wrong. I believe the idea that a writers' minimum wage will result in a substantial improvement for writers is wrong. I didn't come to those conclusions without consideration or thought. If you could force yourself to read through the thousands of words I've devoted to this topic (and I won't blame you if you don't), you'll find that my position is a lot more than "take what you're offered and shut the hell up."<br /><br />I want you to make more money, if you feel the need. Here's how I think you can do that:<br /><br /><ul><li>Avoid jobs that don't pay your enough. If you can't make a gig worth your while, pass it up and focus on landing jobs that can.</li></ul><ul><li>Justify your desired rate of pay. Don't just tell or show someone that you write well. Go the extra mile. Market yourself effectively. Explain WHY you are worth more. Provide value-added services, learn about your clients and their businesses and be an active participant in improving their bottom line. Make yourself more valuable to them.</li></ul><ul><li>Offer a damn good product. It really starts there, doesn't it?</li></ul><br />Go out and get rich if that's what you want to do and if you have the talent to do it. Just don't delude yourselves into thinking that bemoaning your current rate of pay will somehow result in your services being valued more by prospective customers.<br /><br />Now, onto a revisitation of The Freelance Writers Manifesto... I hope you'll join me there.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/almost-everyone-is-underpaidmore-on.html&Title=Almost%20everyone%20is%20underpaid...More%20on%20the%20great%20freelance%20writer%20payscale%20rate%20debate..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/almost-everyone-is-underpaidmore-on.html;title=Almost%20everyone%20is%20underpaid...More%20on%20the%20great%20freelance%20writer%20payscale%20rate%20debate..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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rel="tag">seo content</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-26847926885578733582006-12-11T13:07:00.000-08:002006-12-11T13:51:10.141-08:00I want a fair wage... Pay this singing sensation what he's worth!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi65v2IT_MjY0JWnInDHfn3vLc3Dqe1qyANZjtZT4d6D9s-AwUeRUc1RtduoNH5Pf_8JTHL_zTEuusVg3He3MlXeMt5QvVgH9OOgCu2AozvLOYpy3h_yXgHlQMK09Ch4Jk12gV/s1600-h/Crimes_of_Passion.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi65v2IT_MjY0JWnInDHfn3vLc3Dqe1qyANZjtZT4d6D9s-AwUeRUc1RtduoNH5Pf_8JTHL_zTEuusVg3He3MlXeMt5QvVgH9OOgCu2AozvLOYpy3h_yXgHlQMK09Ch4Jk12gV/s320/Crimes_of_Passion.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007389041645404306" border="0" /></a>Do you know what it takes to become a freelance writer?<br /><br />Not much. In fact, if you are willing to say "I am a freelance writer," you're in the club. Seriously. There is no licensing, no minimum professional standards, no nothing. Just you and your intent.<br /><br />Thus, your cousin who hasn't read anything but the International House of Pancakes Menu since 1992 can become a freelance writer in less time than it takes him to pour on the maple syrup.<br /><br />I might like your cousin, but his inability to spell, his failure to adhere to any recognized version of English grammar, his complete lack of originality, and his tendency to sneak the phrase "Metallica Rules" into everything he writes bothers me. It bothers me enough that I don't think he DESERVES a fair minimum wage as a writer.<br /><br />He might deserve a fair wage in general, but not as a writer. His desire to become a freelance writer just isn't enough for me to think that's right. I don't want him to starve, but I don't want him polluting the writing pool with his unreadable essays.<br /><br />I think I deserve a reasonable wage for my writing efforts. I don't, however, think I deserve a fair minimum wage to sing haunting ballads. Why not? Because I don't know how to sing. I like the idea of being a singer, but my desire to be a soloist doesn't mean that the world owes me a living at the microphone. That's especially true due to my inability to sing worth a damn. I'm the world's worst singer.<br /><br />Guess what, though? I just said "I'm a freelance singing sensation," so now anyone I can trick into hiring me will have to pay me as much as they'd pay Pat Benatar (I have selected Ms. Benatar's current rate of pay as the acceptable minimum for all freelance singing sensations based on my own arbitrary whim, because that's the way this kind of thing is done).<br /><br />This is one place where the "freelance writers should demand a minimum wage" argument just falls apart for me. The idea that anyone owes any self-proclaimed writer as much as a ha' penny for his or her work simply because he or she decided to say "I'm a freelance writer" after having a few too many adult beverages at the happy hour just doesn't make sense to me.<br /><br />So, if you are ready to argue that each and every freelance writer deserves <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/11/freelance-writers-manifestomy.html">$25/hr.</a>, a <a href="http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/2006/11/should-freelance-writers-have-minimum.html">standardized level of pay</a> based on the nature of an assignment, or some other arrangement, I hope you are ready to pay me to be a singer, too. Wait until you hear my confusingly unrecognizable version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water!"<br /><br />Your cousin and I are going to pool our earnings and use them to open our own karaoke/pancake house.<br /><br />I know writers want to get paid for their efforts. That's reasonable.<br /><br />It's also something the good ones can do without resorting to the creation of an arbitrary minimum salary that risks over-compensating the incompetent and driving down wages for the truly talented.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-want-fair-wage-pay-this-singing.html&Title=I%20want%20a%20fair%20wage...%20Pay%20this%20singing%20sensation%20what%20he%27s%20worth%21" target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-want-fair-wage-pay-this-singing.html;title=I%20want%20a%20fair%20wage...%20Pay%20this%20singing%20sensation%20what%20he%27s%20worth%21" target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+writer+rates" rel="tag">freelance writer rates</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/web+writer" rel="tag">web writer</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a><a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+writer+rates" rel="tag">freelance writer rates</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/web+writer" rel="tag">web writer</a><br />icerocket tags: <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer+rates" rel="tag">writer rates</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+rates" rel="tag">freelance rates</a><a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+writer+rates" rel="tag">freelance writer rates</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/web+writer" rel="tag">web writer</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-39796376667149233582006-12-08T07:46:00.000-08:002006-12-08T08:55:53.747-08:00The unoriginal argument for originality revisited...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GeRx4ZeK1MiukA6Fx20b4WbyHMcmWqhKa3SAdxNLkIJB4ZUJsSAq5y8zfPgV_xVHB4r97FsEpt55N7mZi1Wnhnlhq6GeQRkT8XNuvx31xXcUZsw1xJ31MRIx8jO4QdX2fLHB/s1600-h/HAWTH.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GeRx4ZeK1MiukA6Fx20b4WbyHMcmWqhKa3SAdxNLkIJB4ZUJsSAq5y8zfPgV_xVHB4r97FsEpt55N7mZi1Wnhnlhq6GeQRkT8XNuvx31xXcUZsw1xJ31MRIx8jO4QdX2fLHB/s320/HAWTH.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006197016422072402" border="0" /></a><a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unorginal-article-argues-for-use-of.html">Yesterday</a>, I wrote a post about an article advocating the use of quality content and warning webmasters to avoid "cookie cutter" suppliers and those who who use "cut and paste" content production methods.<br /><br />I first saw the article attributed to Michael <a href="http://www.searchnewz.com/blog/talk/sn-6-20061127ACautionaryTaleAboutSellersofSEOContent.html">Pedone</a> of <a href="http://www.etrafficjams.com/">eTrafficJams.com</a> (which, by all accounts, is a very good SEO firm). I then found an ever-so-slightly different version of the same piece under Heather <a href="http://www.instant-profit2u.com/catarticle.php?articleid=134665&e=7430">Reimer's</a> byline.<br /><br />The irony quotient was just too high to ignore. One of the two was saying "use original stuff" in a piece that obviously wasn't original.<br /><br />I stopped well short of making any accusations, understanding that things aren't always what they might appear to be. Some of the comments in response to the post, though, seemed to work under the assumption that "foul play" was likely.<br /><br />I sent a message to both Heather and Michael, asking them about the situation. Both were kind enough to write back. Heather sent me an email and Michael <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unorginal-article-argues-for-use-of.html">commented</a> on the entry.<br /><br />I won't quote Heather's email to me directly. I didn't give her any indication that her correspondence might end up as part of this blog's content, after all. I will say, however, that her response was professional and that it certainly didn't level any accusations toward Pedone.<br /><br />Michael's lengthier response to the post describes how all of this may have come to pass. Pedone maintains that the material was pulled from an RSS feed and that he was listed as the author, even though the blog at which the article appeared is actually an eTrafficJams collaborative effort.<br /><br />He also explains that there was some apparent confusion about whether the author (Reimer) had plans and/or rights for additional use of the article. He also had only good things to say about Reimer and her work.<br /><br />Pedone concludes by stating:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Sometimes that is the problem with the net...anyone can post anything before getting all the facts and then give good people with good intentions, a black eye."</span><br /><br />I would hope that he isn't implying that I punched him in the socket. I wrote:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"She may have sold it with PLR or some kind of non-exclusivity arrangement, so I don't want anyone to think that I am accusing either person of doing anything wrong, unethical or illegal."</span><br /><br />and<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Remember, before anyone gets all judge/jury/executioner here, there may be a perfectly logical explanation for the overlapping versions of the article. I am not saying that someone is ripping something off from someone else. It sure does look strange, however, to see two people using the same article under their own names to encourage the use of original content, doesn't it?"</span><br /><br />To imply that I posted "without getting all the facts" is also a little off-base. I posted factual information. Here's the article and the byline. Here's the same article with a different byline. The article(s) support(s) using trustworthy providers who won't send you "cookie cutter stuff."<br /><br />Now, I pointed out the irony of that situation but I didn't give anyone a black eye. I left plenty of room for all of the possible legitimate explanations that might exist. I let both of them know about the topic, too.<br /><br />So, if anyone thinks I was doing some nasty drive-by blogging with Michael Pedone or Heather Reimer as targets, I hope they'll rethink that position.<br /><br />I also think Michael's explanation brings up an interesting topic. In this realm of multiple rights arrangements, RSS feeds, ghostwriters, scrapers, collaborative sites, etc., things can get complicated and it's not always easy to tell who's really doing what and why.<br /><br />There are clear examples, of course. The other day, I noticed that one of my blog posts had been scraped and was being used on a scraping splog dedicated to the topic of "shemale masturbation."* Say what you want about the Content Done Better Blog's issue selection, but that's a topic we aren't planning to tackle any time soon. The misappropriation was obvious and sort of funny in a twisted way.<br /><br />Other cases aren't so clear. What about someone yanking RSS feeds and using them with the wrong attribution? What about miscommunication between a writer and a buyer about rights terms? There are a million and one ways to end up in an uncomfortable situation and sometimes it can be hard to ascribe fault (if any really exists).<br /><br />I wish Michael and Heather the very best in all of their endeavors and am glad to see that the "SEO Hucksters / A Cautionary Tale" situation doesn't seem to be a huge problem for them to work out.<br /><br />By the way, I still agree with one of Pedone's/Reimer's "morals to the story."<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Run like the wind if you encounter an SEO company that doesn't understand the significance of content or offers shoddy, cookie cutter style copywriting."</span><br /><br />Thanks to Heather and Michael for taking time to provide some insight about this ironic situation. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder to all of us to keep a close eye on what's happening out there under our names and with our content.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*I probably guaranteed additional scraping by the same site by using that term, huh?<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unoriginal-argument-for-originality.html&Title=The%20unoriginal%20argument%20for%20originality%20revisited..." target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unoriginal-argument-for-originality.html;title=The%20unoriginal%20argument%20for%20originality%20revisited..." target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-22351067349925627672006-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:002006-12-20T11:47:41.759-08:00Unoriginal article argues for use of original content...Who'd like a big plate of irony?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL3ZGpi5O5Y1sv2X7uPQb3sjO-RM7Y5Je2oAxNwfK2GEIVV9ejjnOhKSLjmp1mlhIDhIx2S_LYwvfWRNhg3-GUworwCrD3CZuq1szk7k_IT6CE4RWDsRu2iIh36YlnlxQJYtd/s1600-h/cvcvcvc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL3ZGpi5O5Y1sv2X7uPQb3sjO-RM7Y5Je2oAxNwfK2GEIVV9ejjnOhKSLjmp1mlhIDhIx2S_LYwvfWRNhg3-GUworwCrD3CZuq1szk7k_IT6CE4RWDsRu2iIh36YlnlxQJYtd/s320/cvcvcvc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005891648542294082" border="0" /></a>I've been trying to work today with relatively little success. As <a href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/im-starring-in-marathon-man-revival.html">noted earlier today</a>, I am under the influence of pain medication and it's certainly making it tough for me to retain sufficient conversation. Plus, I'm suddenly prone to typos like never before. Thanks, Lortab. Thanks, teeth.<br /><br />Anyway, I decided to lean back in my chair and do my daily blog reading. That led me to <a href="http://copywriterunderground.com/2006/12/06/ever-wonder-whos-cutting-and-pasting-your-online-copy/">Copywriter Underground</a>, which has a piece about those ultra-cheap content "writers" who have a pronounced tendency to rip off work from others and pass it off as original content. Plagiarism is a big issue with me, so I started reading...<br /><br />Tom's post referenced another post on the same topic at <a href="http://thewritewords.me.uk/blog/blowing-the-lid-on-the-1-copywriting-racket/">The Copywriter's Crucible</a>. In turn, The Crucible mentioned an article by M. Pedone at <a href="http://www.searchnewz.com/blog/talk/sn-6-20061127ACautionaryTaleAboutSellersofSEOContent.html">SearchNewz</a>.<br /><br />So, Pedone's article talks about an unnamed SEO firm that promises buyers original content. Meanwhile, the very same firm basically encourages their "writers" to plagiarize.<br /><br />I read the quote from the pitch Pedone says he received from the firm and was amazed that anyone would be as stupid as the firm he was criticizing. What kind of dummy would leave a bread crumb trail from recruiting plagiarists straight to their sales pitch about providing good, original content? I had to know.<br /><br />Since Pedone didn't name the bastards in question, I took his quotation from their correspondence and ran it through Google, hoping to uncover the despicable SEO firm in question.<br /><br />I didn't find the naughty SEO crew. I did, however, find the quotation. In fact, I found it in a number of different places--primarily in articles credited to Heather Reimer, who runs <a href="http://www.instant-profit2u.com/catarticle.php?articleid=134665&e=7430">The Write Content</a>.<br /><br />Hmmm... Heather must have run into the same people who tried to recruit Michael to plagiarize, I thought. So, I read her article. It was more than a little familiar. Basically, it was the same thing Pedone wrote.<br /><br />I don't mean the two articles tackled the same topic. I mean the two articles were damn near identical. There's a few tweaks worth of difference between the two, but this is an open and shut case of the same material appearing under different authors' names.<br /><br />From M.P.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"This approach is not only irresponsible and an insult to professional web writers, it totally ignores one very important facet of web content: human beings read it too, not just search engine spiders!"</span><br /><br />From H.R.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Aside from being misleading and insulting to web writers, this approach totally ignores one crucial fact of online content: human beings read it. Human beings make buying decisions based upon it."</span><br /><br />Wait, you say... Those are sort of different. Could be a coincidence. Well, check this out...<br /><br />From M.P.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"And always, always remember this proverb: "Wed in haste, repent at your leisure." Same thing with SEO. "</span><br /><br />From H.R.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"And always remember this wise proverb: "Wed in haste, repent at your leisure." Same thing with search engine optimization."</span><br /><br />Still not sure? Okay, I know you are sure, but just to make the point even more clear...<br /><br />From M.P.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Now take a look at the qualifications they are looking for when they seek out copywriters to write for their SEO clients. This is from their invitation to me..."</span><br /><br />From H.R.:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">"Now take a look at the qualifications they are actually looking for when they seek out copywriters to work for them. This is a direct quote from their invitation to freelance writers..."</span><br /><br />If you have ANY doubts, do a quick "compare and contrast." <a href="http://www.searchnewz.com/blog/talk/sn-6-20061127ACautionaryTaleAboutSellersofSEOContent.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">M.P.</span></a> vs. <a href="http://www.instant-profit2u.com/catarticle.php?articleid=134665&e=7430">H.R</a>.<br /><br />I'm not going to pretend to know all the background here, but I think there's a distinct possibility that H.R. supplied the article to M.P. That thought is based upon the fact that M.P. provides a testimonial for H.R. on <a href="http://www.thewritecontent.com/">The Write Content</a> homepage.<br /><br />She may have sold it with PLR or some kind of non-exclusivity arrangement, so I don't want anyone to think that I am accusing either person of doing anything wrong, unethical or illegal.<br /><br />I also want everyone to remember that I am taking my pain meds and could be a little crazy.<br /><br />No matter what, though, there is a huge irony here. We have people talking about the importance of avoiding cut and paste content and at least one of them is using cut and paste content. We have two individuals extolling the virtues of using the best possible original content and at least one of them is recycling someone else's work.<br /><br />Both of them (or one of them) write(s):<br /><br />"Run like the wind if you encounter an SEO company that downplays the significance of content or offers shoddy, cookie cutter style copywriting."<br /><br />Good advice. Take it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.contentdonebetter.com/">Content Done Better</a> provides a 300% money back originality guarantee on every project. It's written for the client who has exclusive rights to, and control of, the content. Why? Because I really believe the sentiment that M.P./H.R./M.P.-H.R. express.<br /><br />Remember, before anyone gets all judge/jury/executioner here, there may be a perfectly logical explanation for the overlapping versions of the article. I am not saying that someone is ripping something off from someone else. It sure does look strange, however, to see two people using the same article under their own names to encourage the use of original content, doesn't it?<br /><br />By the way, I'm going to drop a line to both of them to see what they can offer on this one. I'll keep you posted.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Description=&Url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unorginal-article-argues-for-use-of.html&Title=Unorginal%20article%20argues%20for%20use%20of%20original%20content...Who%27d%20like%20a%20big%20plate%20of%20irony?" target="_blank">blinklist</a> | <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://content-writer.blogspot.com/2006/12/unorginal-article-argues-for-use-of.html;title=Unorginal%20article%20argues%20for%20use%20of%20original%20content...Who%27d%20like%20a%20big%20plate%20of%20irony?" target="_blank">del.cio.us</a> | <a 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target="_blank">netvouz</a></span></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /></span><div class="tags"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">technorati tags: </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://technorati.com/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a><span 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href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/seo+writer" rel="tag">seo writer</a><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/duplicate+content" rel="tag">duplicate content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/plagiarism" rel="tag">plagiarism</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/freelance+writing" rel="tag">freelance writing</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://del.icio.us/tag/original+content" rel="tag">original content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">icerocket tags: </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content" rel="tag">content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/writer" rel="tag">writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/seo" rel="tag">seo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/seo+content" rel="tag">seo content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/seo+writer" rel="tag">seo writer</a><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/duplicate+content" rel="tag">duplicate content</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/plagiarism" rel="tag">plagiarism</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/freelance+writing" rel="tag">freelance writing</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blogs.icerocket.com/tag/original+content" rel="tag">original content</a></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-28769173776132025542006-12-07T05:32:00.000-08:002006-12-07T05:41:48.914-08:00I'm starring in a "Marathon Man" revival...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabFqXJTLReC_gDWiU4GuemqKtPDB6e8m14icOfVEAqKR34O0RcjnVJBYD6fzhHi2OjNxaVu52jD75c4wsoNVf7hdaygTGgMOXJjgEgtD-5ZwrK295Q5ALtKWzSsf-pyLOeQW6/s1600-h/marathon_man6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabFqXJTLReC_gDWiU4GuemqKtPDB6e8m14icOfVEAqKR34O0RcjnVJBYD6fzhHi2OjNxaVu52jD75c4wsoNVf7hdaygTGgMOXJjgEgtD-5ZwrK295Q5ALtKWzSsf-pyLOeQW6/s320/marathon_man6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005779373802209330" border="0" /></a>Ever hear of painless dentistry? Well, it may be a reality but the pain that leads one to the dentist or oral surgeon and the pain that returns after those visits are done can be debilitating. For that matter, I'm not really sold on the notion that the procedures and investigations themselves are painless, either.<br /><br />The bad news is that I am reprising Dustin Hoffman's role in "Marathon Man." I have an excruciating tooth ache that's slowing blog entries, the Content Done Better Report and my work. I'm doing my best to work through it, but the windows of opportunity that open between Lortab sleepiness and intense mouth pain can be small.<br /><br />The good news is that before I'm done I will make a bunch of new friends--the hygienist, the dentist, the oral surgeon and his staff, the periodontist and her staff, various receptionists, pharmacists and probably a few people who work for Delta Dental (our insurer). I'm sure that all of this prodding, pulling, tapping, scraping, cleaning, capping, etc. will also help to spur our local economy.<br /><br />Feel free to share any great toothache tales or to offer some sort of encouragement (even if it is a lie) that going through all of this is a superior option to crushing all of my existing teeth into powder and spending the rest of my life enjoying various broths through a Silly Straw.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19850076.post-46986610326193927172006-12-05T14:10:00.000-08:002006-12-06T11:21:53.723-08:00Content Done Better Blog cracks top 10.... No. 8 with a bullet...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjPVQN-_AqLqqvuPRaK9TmMozUgNFAwbKuJLOEcjs67oIagBMWUHp-_QOJhiOxGcLB1gXvAzm9Hx0rpVYexbrIH3XrkFN6WIf55irzRVfYDgh_R6vwJ3_kwxt_rsCQVdjujTI/s1600-h/THECUP.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjPVQN-_AqLqqvuPRaK9TmMozUgNFAwbKuJLOEcjs67oIagBMWUHp-_QOJhiOxGcLB1gXvAzm9Hx0rpVYexbrIH3XrkFN6WIf55irzRVfYDgh_R6vwJ3_kwxt_rsCQVdjujTI/s320/THECUP.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005170876888756242" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog">Writing White Papers</a> has announced its list of the <a href="http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/index.php">Top Ten Blogs for Writers</a> (2006).<br /><br />The Content Done Better Blog nabbed the #8 spot, putting it right up there with some very esteemed company...<br /><br /><br />Here's the list:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><ol style="font-family:courier new;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.copyblogger.com/"><strong>Brian Clark’s CopyBlogger</strong></a>: This blog is the leader because it does an amazing job of helping writers improve their writing.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://writersrow.com/deborahng/freelancewritingjobs.html"><strong>Deborah Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs</strong></a>: For freelance writers seeking new work, this site is your sole destination.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://copywriterunderground.com/"><strong>Tom Chandler’s Copywriter Underground</strong></a>: This site provides regular doses of inspiration and writing tips.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.successful-blog.com/category/writing/"><strong>Liz Strauss’s Successful-Blog</strong></a>: This blog has some amazing insights into the craft of writing.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://copywriter.typepad.com/copywriter/"><strong>Angela Booth’s Writing Blog</strong></a>: All writers will find something useful at this site.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.inkthinker.blogspot.com/"><strong>Kristen King’s InkThinker</strong></a>: This blog is focused on improving the written word.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thegoldenpencil.com/"><strong>Anne Wayman’s The Golden Pencil</strong></a>: Wayman provides gold nuggets of information to freelance writers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://content-writer.blogspot.com/"><strong>Carson Brackney’s Content Done Better</strong></a>: Follow one man’s journey to write better copy and make a living along the way.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://marcom-writer-blog.com/"><strong>Dianna Huff’s B2B Marcom Writer Blog</strong></a>: This is your destination to learn about marketing communications copywriting.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a target="_blank" href="http://allisonwinnscotch.blogspot.com/"><strong>Allison Winn Scotch’s Ask Allison</strong></a>: For writers looking to break into the publishing world, be sure to check this one out.</span></li></ol>Thanks to Michael Stelzner for taking the time and energy to collect nominations, etc. It's too bad he apparently decided against listing himself--Writing White Papers is a great site.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="bookmarks"><span style="font-size:130%;">Add to: | <a 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href="http://technorati.com/tag/content+writer" rel="tag">content writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blog" rel="tag">blog</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelance+writer" rel="tag">freelance writer</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/web+content" rel="tag">web content</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriter" rel="tag">copywriter</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/copywriting" rel="tag">copywriting</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+white+papers" rel="tag">writing white papers</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/top+10+list" rel="tag">top 10 list</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/top+ten+list" rel="tag">top ten list</a><br />del.icio.us tags: <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/content+done+better" rel="tag">content done better</a> 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