Moving
The Grapevine has split into two parts and will now be located on two domains. Please visit us on www.ncgrapevine.com and www.mdonnadesigns.com. Hope to see you there!
Save Money & Energy By Making Home Energy Efficient Changes: http://saving-energy.suite101.com/article.cfm/save-money-and-energy
Food Shopping Using a Coupon Organizer: http://personalbudgeting.suite101.com/article.cfm/food-shopping-using-a-coupon-organizer
Rain Barrels Can Help Conserve Water: http://water-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-use-a-rain-barrel-to-conserve-water
Easy Water Conservation Tips Can Save Money, Too: http://water-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/easy-water-conservation-tips-can-save-money-too
How to Save On Groceries Using a Price Book: http://personalbudgeting.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-save-on-groceries-using-a-price-book
Basic Recruiting Tricks for Mob Wars: http://videoonlinegames.suite101.com/article.cfm/basic-recruiting-tricks-for-mob-wars
Winning Strategies for Mob Wars: http://videoonlinegames.suite101.com/article.cfm/winning_strategies_for_mob_wars_on_facebook
Yesterday, a local newspaper editor asked me for several writing samples. My heart lifted, as it always does when I get another "chance" to be published. It's happened a lot before, but the happy feeling never changes.
Thankfully, my husband was kind enough to set me up with a scanner some time ago. With a few clicks of the mouse, the scanner starts buzzing, and my screen magically displays a .JPG file of my work. I love this scanner! All it takes is a few more clicks and my samples are scooting across cyberspace. Now I'll just cross my fingers and hope the editor likes my style.
Yes, the story is simply fascinating, I know (NOT!), but I do have a point: ALWAYS keep your writing samples. Keep original copies of the published article if your can, and make copies to use as samples. Scanning is another convenient alternative. It gives the luxury of emailing your clips, or even posting them on your website.
Take care to categorize your samples, as well. If you're approaching a magazine, you'll want to find pieces that suit their style. If you're looking for a newspaper gig, try a third-person fact driven piece. While the styles don't have to match exactly, it will certainly give your stuff the extra edge.
Once you stumble upon a great story idea, you have to follow through. Sure, you'll want to write an outline, do your internet research, and read all background issues of that particular publication. But to really add meat to your story, you'll need experts.
Expert advice is priceless. An article without an expert may be functional, informative, and even fun. But experts add authenticity. They add good solid advice. They offer personal experience. They offer statistical information. Most importantly, they add meat.
For years, I fretted over the expert issue. Where would I find an expert? Would they want to talk to me? Why would they agree to talk? What would I say? But each of these questions has a simple answer: It's easier than you think.
Experts can be found everywhere: your backyard, your local store, local doctor's offices, local universities. You can step outside your box and call people from across the country. Contact people who have websites. Contact the people who write press releases. If all else fails, sign up for profnet.com. At Profnet, you simply ask for experts on a particular topic, and they call you.
The best part is that everyone likes to talk. Experts enjoy sharing their knowledge with others for a variety of reasons; perhaps they enjoy the subject, they enjoy the questions, or they simply want to promote their product or way of thinking. In any case, their knowledge will be useful to you. (However, if they are promoting a particular product or service, ensure that you interview several folks---you don't want to write a biased article.)
Labels: Experts
Imagine my surprise when I logged onto Epinions and discovered my earnings. I signed up way back in 2001, and frankly forgot about it until I saw it on someone else's blog recently. Back in the day, Epinions was having some issues and it seemed like it was shutting its doors. But I guess these struggles worked themselves out.
So when I logged onto Epinions yesterday, I discovered two things.One, my earnings had topped $50; and two, I lost over $25 from not participating in well over a year. Wow! So needless to say, I have once again logged into my Epinions account.
Come visit me and join my Web of Trust: http://www1.epinions.com/user-foodallergy.
See you there!
Labels: Epinions
The key to being a good writer is to write every day. The truth is that, now that I write every day, I have become addicted to it. I spend much of my day answering questions online (http://www.webanswers.com/) or writing for one of my article sites.
What do you write? I'd like to hear where you are publishing; for example, are you writing for Hub Pages, WebAnswers, etc.? (Please just list the websites. Referral links will be removed.)
Since the big change, many eHow writers are looking for a new venue. After all, the biggest benefits of eHow were the (a) great community, (b) friendly web design, and (c) the residual income. Many of them have joined Demand Studios, many have joined Suite 101, and many have joined Hub Pages--everyone is trying to find out how to make money. Of course, many have joined all of them!
I've limited myself to a few sites, so I don't spread myself too thin. However, Hub Pages is quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to make money online. Publishing articles is quick and easy, and you can "move" parts of your article around, add text boxes, add polls, add pictures, and complete other easy tasks.
Hub Pages sets itself apart with a unique payment structure. They offer residual income by offering commission of 60% of the ads from Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, Kontera, and eBay. In addition, writers receive a 10% commission on the ads from any writers that they refer within 30 days. Last but not least, they offer 9% to 12% of the commission when writers refer readers to articles written by other people. The total adds up quickly, and it is easy to make money online.
As an example, visit one of my articles on Hub Pages. You should take the time to sign up---it's quick, it's free, and it's a great opportunity to make money online as a writer. Visit now!
