Do Unto Other Bloggers as You Would Have Them Do Onto You?

Amy Derby at Write at Home's Monday post, "Stupid Blogger Netiquette #407 (The Great Platitudists of Blogland Strike Again)", started with a question someone recently asked her: "Would you read my blog even if I didn't read yours?" Hmmm, I'd never really thought about it much until she brought up the subject. Two rules of netiquette Amy mentions:
1) It's rude not to respond to every single comment
2) If a blogger comments on your blog it's only polite to return the favor.

I'm no blogging expert (I'm sure you're not shocked by that), but I have noticed that most guides to blogging suggest that you should always make a point of posting on another's blog as a courtesy when they take the time to post on yours. I try to do that when I can, but can be hard considering I can only allow so much time in my day for online socializing. I LOVE reading blogs – not just writing blogs – but I usually post only when I have something meaningful to contribute. Now that's not to say I'm not guilty of leaving a "great post!" response because I'll admit that I have. But I meant it. Really!

I never want anyone to feel obligated to post a comment on my blog any more than I'd wish to pay someone to do so. I understand why experts recommend commenting on blogs as a way of driving traffic to your own. I have found some pretty cool blogs that I now frequent because some really nice people stopped by to leave comments. I'm an introvert, but I do have a social side so I love taking part in discussions both online and off. I do try like the dickens to respond to comments left by those who stop by.

I'll comment on a blog it's because I find a particular topic interesting, and I continue to visit (often lurking about…) because I am fascinated by the way a blogger thinks and I want to know more about what they have to say. It's genuine, whether they decide to comment here or not. If you don't read my blog, even though I read yours, that's okay. It's all good. :)

Surviving a Freelance Slump

Yesterday was not a good day. Nothing seemed to go right – I was behind schedule on all of my projects (meaning behind on the schedule that I set for myself to finish everything, NOT according to the client's schedule), I was dealing with a couple of payment delays and so on, and so forth. Staying motivated took everything I had. And that's when it happened; those nagging whispers of self doubt started in on me. I started thinking to myself, "This is going nowhere"; "I'm so late paying this bill"; "It's sooo slow right now"; "Maybe I should stop kidding myself and just go out and get a (GASP) job".

Like I said, things were looking pretty bleak. I don't know why I slipped into such a slump. But reading this post by Yuwanda Black, "11 Reasons You'll Never Succeed As a Freelance Writer" at Inkwell Editorial's blog really helped snap me out of it. Yuwanda Black has one of the best freelance writing blogs in the blogosphere - in my humble opinion. She's been blogging forever, so you could easily spend a nice long evening learning everything you ever wanted to know about freelance writing from reading through the archives of her blog. She is very candid – not vague or generic – and quite generous with the advice she gives about what it takes to make it as a freelance writer. This is not an easy business, but success is attainable if you are willing to work very hard.

Yuwanda's post helped me put my crabby day into perspective. I am working. As a matter of fact, I'm quite busy with clients right now. I 've been working full-time as a freelance writer for almost a year (in August) and I still have my house, my car, food in the fridge and all of my other essentials. Things could be better – and it's entirely up to me to make it that way.

Her list was a wake up call for me. I am guilty of doing at least five of the writing sins on the list, and I promise to take immediate steps to correct that…

SEO Copywriters: Real Freelance Writers or Not?

A few months ago, I was reading a great post by one of my favorite bloggers on the subject of keyword article writing, also known as SEO writing (for those who may not know). This particular blog is known for initiating some very thoughtful conversations among other freelance writers who visit. At the time I was just getting started freelancing full-time, but I quickly learned how many writers out there perceive SEO writing.

Insults about "lowly SEO writers" were being hurled left and right. The discussion started out innocently where writers discussed the type of writing they did on a regular basis to support themselves. Things quickly went haywire and continued spiraling out of control.

I followed the comments throughout the day. I was afraid to post in defense of SEO writing because (1) I had just started doing it a week before and (2) I saw how my fellow SEO writers were being eaten alive. It was a hot mess. By the last time I checked in that day there were 45 comments. The number grew overnight. The first thing I did when I turned on my computer the next day was check the comments of that blog to see what I had missed. There was a new post where the blogger expressed her disappointment about the discussion. She had to resort to deleting posts because things had gotten so ugly that writers had resorted to name calling. Wow.

I got my start writing for newspapers and a couple of niche magazines. But I quickly found that SEO gigs were plentiful and paid well and often over time – something I needed as the primary bread winner in my family. SEO writing is what made it possible for me to go full-time almost immediately, and I didn't start out with those $1, $3 or $5 an article jobs either.

Today, I do a decent mix of copywriting and SEO along with my print publication gigs. One thing I found interesting about that blog blood bath is not one commenter that put down SEO writing bothered to qualify what DOES make a "real freelance writer." Well shoot, I guess we'll never know now.