We’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who supported us when we ran our survey last November. As we promised, we are sharing the results of the survey with everyone.
We asked freelance writers questions that provide insight into our work and industry as a whole and put together the data into one graphic.
To give you a quick overview of the results, here is a summary of the key points. [Read more…]
Blogging for a living may seem like all fun and games, that is, until you realize that the buck stops with you. You can’t ask your “employer” for days off because you have a family affair. For employees, they usually have official holidays off, with the option of working on those days at higher rates.
While bloggers do have the option of not working during the holidays, there may be repercussions. We all know how important it is to have fresh content, and if you forget your blog for too long, traffic will suffer. And, if you are running a news blog, or something that relies on timing, then forgetting your blog during the holidays is a sure-fire way of losing out.
So how do you blog during the holidays? Here are a couple of tips that will keep you on track. [Read more…]
On November 17, Reporters Without Borders held the Reporters Without Borders-TV5 Monde Prize award ceremony in Strasbourg, Ethiopian blogger association Zone9 being one of the awardees. Zelalem Kibret, the Zone9 Ethiopian blogger representative was about to board his flight when immigration authorities apprehended him and confiscated his passport. He wasn’t even given the chance to explain, call, or consult a lawyer to handle the situation.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB), or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), is a non-profit organization that upholds the right to free speech and protection of online publishers. They focus specifically on freedom of the press, with bloggers included. [Read more…]
There is no lack of articles telling you how to write blog posts, how to write headlines, and how to make posts go viral. Then there are those articles telling you how to design your blog.
Sometimes, however, you get conflicting ideas. That, or you get the same ideas over and over again.
My point is that you ought to take advice with a grain of salt. And that applies to this post as well.
Writing blog posts and formatting them is not a one-size-fits-all deal. There are many factors that come into play, and some tips and “rules” may not apply to you.
There are some general practices, however, that will improve your content quality and readability. You may already know some of these, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded now and then. [Read more…]
The marketing landscape has changed over the years, and with the explosion of social media, marketing has also taken on a different turn.
Social media influencers are now being “targets” of brands who want to broaden their reach. With influential people endorsing a brand (via sharing, for example), the chances of acquiring new readers, customers, and followers are higher.
Here’s the scoop: Influencer marketing is booming. [Read more…]
StumbleUpon is a great example of a startup making its way into mainstream Internet culture. From its humble origins in 2001 to more than 20 million users today, the “serendipitous discovery engine” has more than its fair share of bragging rights.
More than discovering new sites that you find interesting, StumbleUpon has become a venue for bloggers and marketers to attract eyeballs. A single successful stumble can give you a traffic spike that may very well lead to your site crashing. [Read more…]
Nielsen reports that there are more than 181 blogs out in the blogosphere. Overall, 6.7 million people blog from a platform and 12 million use social networks to blog. With such a dense blogging climate, you’re likely thinking, “How can I make my blog stand out?” From fine-tuning your writing to using images in every post, starting with these tools can certainly help. And best of all, you can access all of these tools on-the-go. So unchain yourself from your desk and get to blogging. [Read more…]
I know what you’re thinking.
This topic has been beaten to death. Why are we still talking about it?
Reality check: How many Twitter followers does your blog/brand have?
It’s safe to say that the core concepts of gaining and retaining Twitter followers haven’t changed drastically, but there are some adjustments we need to make – not to mention going back to the basics and reminding ourselves. It’s easy to become lazy complacent and not make a genuine effort anymore.
So, how to get more Twitter followers?
Here are a few things you can do. [Read more…]
What do bloggers and Halloween have in common except for writing posts related to the season to get some eyeballs?
Well, quite a lot, actually. In fact, there are what I call “Halloween lessons for bloggers”, which can bring your blog significant benefits.
Do you want to learn a thing or two? Read on. [Read more…]
Blogging involves many tasks – from conceptualization to creation to promotion – but at the center of it all, I believe, is writing.
It is true that you don’t have to be the best writer in the world to be a good blogger. You don’t have to be a badge-carrying member of the Grammar Police. It does pay to work on your writing skills, though, and when it comes to that, it’s best to listen to the some of the most recognized writers.
If you need a bit of inspiration or you want to pick up an insight or two, read these writing quotes for bloggers. You’ll walk away a better equipped writer. [Read more…]
