A Freelance Writing List of Job Boards

I’ve been so busy for the past two months that I’ve pretty much neglected this blog. My plans were to finish up a couple long-term, time consuming client and personal projects so I could get back to my regular posting routine by May. Fortunately I received an email from a reader that prompted me to post today. This reader is just getting started and asked if I would share a list of job boards to get her started. I thought it might be a good idea to post it for others as well.

I know some writers don’t think much of job boards today because all too frequently there seems to be an increasing number of ridiculous offers being posted; but I don’t count them out completely. From time to time I keep the faith and visit them from time to time because amid all of the junk you’ll still find a gem or two. Here is a list of the job boards I visit. If you know of any others not mentioned in this list, please feel free to share.

1. Freelance Writing Gigs – Updated daily and there lots of great freelance writing articles and resources too.
2. Problogger – An up to date list of blogging jobs
3. Freelance Switch – if you go to the jobs feeds page you can choose the writing category and subscribe via email so that it comes straight to your in box
4. Media Bistro – There are some freelance jobs listed on this website and you can also create an account in the freelance marketplace section.
5. Poe War – Follow this blog and the homepage too as this seems to have some posts relating to freelance writing jobs too.
6. Sunoasis Jobs – you can also subscribe to get live updates via Twitter.
7. Telecommuting Jobs – This is the link for the writing jobs category.
8. Writer Find
9. Online Writing Jobs
10. About Freelance Writing – Daily blog listing of jobs.
11. Morning Coffee – Have this delivered to your in box as a reminder to check for jobs each day.
12. All Freelance Writing
    
13. Craigslist – choose your country, choose your area and then choose writing and editing on the jobs tab.

Is There a Negative Stigma Attached to being a WAHM?

Yesterday I wrote a blog post for ProfitableMommyBlogging.com asking whether or not labeling yourself as a WAHM (work at home mom) is a bad thing. It was my response to a guest video blog post by Scott Stratten (@unmarketing on Twitter) that appeared on JessicaKnows.com last year.

I must say, Scott is a very brave man to take on a topic as touchy as WAHMs and business identity. Scott (a WAHD) explained in his post that there’s nothing wrong with being a WAHM, but it’s not a good idea to promote yourself as one to every market. If you’re mostly marketing to other WAHMs that’s one thing. That can actually be a strategy that seals your connection to other WAHMs. But you might run into problems marketing yourself that way to other markets. Some businesses seem to have preconceived notions of WAHMs, the biggest being that their project comes second to a WAHMs children and home responsibilities. I imagine that’s the case for any working professional with a family, but I digress…

I’ve always been aware of the negative labels some clients attach to WAHMs. My first negative experience came about three years ago while lurking around the writer’s forum at WAHM.com. Someone over at Warrior Forum released a report for Internet Marketers detailing how to get quality articles written for as low as $2 each from moms "looking to make a little money" over at WAHM.com. As you can imagine that report sold like hot cakes, and then big surprise - the forum was all of a sudden flooded with brand new clients seeking writers for $2 and $3 article jobs.

Long story short, the forum blazed with biting comments and hurled insults to those poor, innocent souls who’d come looking for the guaranteed, cheap WAHM labor mentioned in that report. Writers themselves even got caught up in the melee.

The writers who had blasted the Internet marketers were even more incensed with the writers who responded to the offers. Then of course the writers accepting the $2 and $3 article jobs became defensive saying it was their right to accept the work if they needed it. It went on like that for a couple of weeks until I think the Internet marketers decided that the cheap labor wasn’t worth all the trouble they’d have to endure on that forum to get it.

Situations like that are what made me shy away from the WAHM association when I first started freelancing. I did so because I needed to be taken seriously because I was seriously trying to make a living as a writer. My website includes no personal information, only information about my professional writing services and my professional credentials (I don’t discuss being married or the fact that my twins each lost a front tooth during the exact same week on my “About Us” page).

Just because I happen to have kids and work from a desk in my living room doesn’t mean that I won’t consider a client’s project top priority and deliver as expected. I happen to think my being a mom is irrelevant to my business identity. I know lots of other WAHMs with similar professional ethics. At the same time I am a WAHM and make no apology about it.

Scott's video clarified that it’s not at all about shunning the WAHM label; it’s understanding when it is, and isn’t, appropriate to market yourself that way. After all the whole point of marketing is to appeal to your target market. What are your thoughts?

Catching Up is Hard to Do

There’s so much going on right now just thinking about it all makes my head spin. Today is the first day of Spring Break which for me means figuring out how to arrange my work schedule to accommodate my kids’ vacation schedule. Lucky for me I can set my own schedule.

I started planning for this last week to keep from feeling completely caught off guard. So between trips to the Children’s Museum, park and movies, I’ll still be working on client and personal projects. I don’t fool myself into thinking that I can continue on with my normal schedule this week. This realization alone will save me from a massive headache. I’ll be working later in the evenings.

On another note, I’ve been touching base with my accountability partner by phone five days a week for the past month now, and I must say this is one of the best business moves I’ve ever made. Since I know that when we speak she’ll be asking me whether or not I've accomplished the goals I set the day before, I’m much more conscious of my productivity during the day. I also make a list each night before closing up shop to remain focused. This might not work for everyone, but it sure works for me. The fact that she’s been a copywriter for well over 10 years and used to be a business coach certainly is an added benefit.

I've also noticed that I’m much busier this year than I was the same time last year. My income has increased substantially despite the fact that I ended a couple of steady lower-paying client relationships and even turned down a few projects. Call me crazy, but I think doing so made way for me to be available for better opportunities.

All in all, I’m grateful to be busy with client projects, and looking forward to getting caught up around here. How’s business going for you as we move into the second quarter of 2010?