Hope Writes

The Same Old Same Old

Posted by Hope

I visit a lot of blogs and forums throughout the course of a week. I read a lot, both online and off. My weekend off did me some good, but now that I’m back and getting back into my routine, I’m finding myself somewhat irritated and disgruntled.

I think I’ve placed my finger on the source of my discontentment. I’m growing really tired of seeing the same old same old around town. In Internet Marketing circles, I see the same messages time and again. And the places I once visited for inspiration or ideas have now become places that I just don’t even bother visiting anymore because they depress me.

What has happened to us? Are we so full of ourselves that we can’t stop to help others? Have we lost sight of our own personal visions? Are we relying too much on having others tell us what we should or shouldn’t do to the point that we can’t just make a decision and go with it?

I know this is probably sounding pretty rant-y, and I didn’t intend for it to be that way. I’m just really tired of the same old same old. How about you? Let’s start by making a difference today. Let’s choose to do something positive, something uplifting, for ourselves and/or others today.

Popularity: 21% [?]

One Is The Loneliest Number

Posted by Hope

Writing is a lonely job. You sit alone with your pen and paper, or computer, and produce gobs of words every day. You think, breathe, eat, sleep, talk, walk writing all the time. And for the most part, you do it alone.

Writing isn’t like many other professions. Freelance writers face the screen alone. We don’t get to sit in a room full of other writers with lots of creative sparks charging the air. We have to charge our own air–alone.

It’s imperative to remember to network with other creative beings. Even if you aren’t necessarily a socialite, getting together with other writers provides a certain energy you need to recharge your batteries from time to time.

Take me, for example. I’m a loner by nature. I enjoy being alone. I’m an introvert. Being alone doesn’t bother me at all. But every now and then, if I stay cooped up inside too long, I start getting antsy. I get restless and irritable. Even introverts need to get out and be among the living every now and then.

Living deep in bayou country, there are no physical local writing groups. In fact, I haven’t found one yet within an hour or so driving distance from me. So I turn to writing groups online.

Networking online can be just as helpful as networking offline. Both have their advantages. With online writing groups, I get the benefits of meeting and interacting with other writers just the same as I would with an offline group.

The next time you’re feeling restless, make time to find yourself a writing group to become a part of. If you haven’t been able to find one yet, hold tight. I’m working on putting together a writer’s group of my own very soon!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Put Your Own Polls And Surveys On Your Website

Posted by Hope

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but a few months ago I added a poll plugin to my blog. I love reading polls and I love getting people’s input on all sorts of topics. If you’ve been wanting to add a poll or free surveys to your website but don’t know anything about HTML or creating databases for them, I found a website that makes it super simple.

Easy Poll lets you sign up for a free account and then you can start creating your own poll and surveys to place on your website. You go through a series of steps and then when you’re finished, you get a snippet of code to copy and paste into your website. Very easy! This service is pretty cool and if I didn’t already have a poll plugin installed on my blog, it would look very enticing to try out for my own website.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Twitter VS Pownce: Do You Pownce?

Posted by Hope

If you haven’t discovered it yet, Pownce is a social networking tool, similar to Twitter but a little more sleek. It is free to use. All you have to do is sign up for your account. You can upgrade to Pro for $20/year if you choose.

I’ve been using Twitter for a while, but have increasingly grown “out of like” with it. When I originally joined, I didn’t have a plan for using Twitter. I just signed up for an account and started adding folks at random.

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Popularity: 35% [?]

4 Big NO-NOs of Online Networking for Business

Posted by Hope

If you run a freelance business or work totally online, you probably use networking quite often. Networking is a good thing, when done proper. But one wrong turn and it can all head south really fast.

I am learning all the time about networking etiquette. Just when I think I’ve got it conquered, I learn something else. This is a good thing though!

Here are the four most important business networking lessons I’ve learned. I call them the big NO-NOs of online networking for business.

NO-NO #1 - Be disrepectful to your peers. This is probably the quickest way to ex-communicate yourself from anyone who might have considered teaming up with you or offering you work. It’s also the fastest way to make a bad name for yourself. If you constantly put others down or are almost always negative in your responses, you will become known for it.

Respect is a two-way street. In order to get it, you have to give it. Be respectful of others’ opinions and thoughts. Remember the old saying: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

NO-NO #2 - Network only to find business. I have to be honest with you and tell you that in the beginning days of my getting started online, I did this way too much. I was so eager to get started earning money independently online that I neglected to nurture a lot of relationships. Instead, I spent a lot of time getting to know people then trying to find ways to get hired by them.

The problem with this is that you can become known as a leech. It is extremely important to remember that every contact you make could be a potential business prospect…but don’t treat them as such. Remember #1: Be respectful.

Over the last few years, I have met some amazing people who work from home and are experiencing great success in doing so. Some of them have turned into clients while others have become great friends. Best of all, I form mutual relationships from which there is a give-and-take action that happens on any given day.

One such colleague emailed me a couple of weeks ago, asking if I had a solid source of information for “x” topic that he was writing a short report about. I quickly returned his email, pointing him to a few good resources.

Networking online with other business owners is not just a form of advertising yourself or your services. It’s a way to interact with other business-minded individuals where you can learn from each other.

NO-NO #3 - Get on your soap box. I see this more often than I care to lately. Sometimes I get so irritated that I, quite frankly, have to step back for a week or so, just so I don’t get sucked into it myself.

The one thing that really crawls under my skin is watching a thread pop up on a networking forum from a fairly new, or maybe less experienced, member asking a question or for advice, only to get flamed by “advanced” members.This usually happens when someone with more experience attempts to offer well-meaning advice to the newbie, but somehow gets sidetracked. The advice usually turns into a rant about how newbies should know better than to ask dumb questions.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I can get on my soap box sometimes, too. But when you are socializing in an online (read: open) forum with others, it is important to remember to keep your attitude in check. Ranting and spewing hateful or mean things at someone else, regardless of your social status, just looks plain bad. It’s usually how heated discussions get started. Don’t do it.

NO-NO #4 - Always take, but never give. (This is similar to #2, but a bit different so I’m adding it seperately.) One of the cornerstones of networking is giving back to your (online) community. It’s important to remember that your community will only be as good as you make it.

Some ways you can give back include, but aren’t limited to:

• Write a detailed article for free that offers solid, helpful information to others
• Offer your expert help to others who need it
• Make a donation to the website/forum owner as a show of support
• Reply to questions others have and give informative tips to help them out
• Share business resources that could be helpful to others

BONUS TIP: I just thought of this one, so I’ll throw it in for free. Don’t spread yourself too thin. I have found many networking communities online, and boy have I tried my best to be a part of all of them. It just doesn’t work that way, though. If you try to become involved in too many networks you’ll end up spending more time trying to fit in and be a part of them all, instead of building your business.

Networking is important, but so is your business. Find an equal balance that you can maintain safely without harming your work ethics.

Do you have another tip you’d like to add to this list?

Popularity: 35% [?]

Article Aces Is Open And Ready For Your Articles!

Posted by Hope

EXTRA! EXTRA!

I’m proud to announce the launch of my new article directory, Article Aces. We’re open and ready to accept new authors and articles. Come on over and sign up for your free account and start submitting.

Don’t forget to blog about it!

Technorati Tags: article directory, free article directory, article aces, writers, writing, articles, article marketing, writing articles

Popularity: 44% [?]

ASK HOPE: Getting Recommendations From Clients

Posted by Hope

“How do you tastefully ask for a recommendation note from your clients?” - Courtney Ramirez

Thanks for this great question, Courtney! This is actually easier than you may think it is.

All working writers know that getting great recommendations from current or past clients can really help to boost your sales. However, some writers seem to be afraid to even try, or might not know how to do so. The answer is really simple. Ready?

ASK

That’s it. Plain and simple.

The best time to ask for a recommendation from a client is generally within a week after you’ve completed the job for her/him. A good rule of thumb is 2-4 days. You want to ask while your work is fresh on their desk. If you wait too long, you pose the risk of them having nearly forgotten you, especially if you’re working for a variety of Internet marketers, verses a few regular clients.

So then, this poses the question as to when and how to ask for a recommendation from a regular client. This situation is a little different, in that you are building a positive, long-lasting (hopefully!) relationship with this client. In this case, you both learn more about each other with every project that you complete. Therefore, it would probably be safe to request a letter of recommendation at just about any time.

If you’ve done a great job at completing your assignments and turning them in on time, you should have absolutely no problem getting a rave review from any of your clients.

Here’s an example of how to request a recommendation:

=========

Dear XXXXX,

It’s been XX days since I emailed you [INSERT PROJECT NAME HERE]. Now that you’ve had a couple of days to review the content, what do you think about it

In the interest of making my writing business the best it can be, I’d appreciate your genuine feedback on the following:

- Were you pleased with the writing I provided you?
- Did it meet your expectations? If not, in what ways might I improve?

If you are happy with my work, would you consider writing an honest recommendation for me? Please include things like: the project specifics, my timeliness in completing the project, how well I work with my clients, etc. I’d appreciate any genuine feedback you can send me and will enclose this [INSERT WHERE YOU’LL DISPLAY THE RECOMMENDATION].

I look forward to working with you again,

[YOUR NAME HERE]

==========

You get the basic idea. It’s merely a short letter that is straight to the point. Don’t waste your time or theirs. Just get right to the heart of the email: Getting that recommendation.

Technorati Tags: Ask Hope, how to get recommendations from clients, clients, working with clients, writer, ghostwriter

Popularity: 26% [?]

Is Twitter Harmful To Your Health?

Posted by Hope

I joined Twitter a little while ago after I saw murmuring about it on the Warrior Forum. At first, I wasn’t very sure what to do with it. Then I started adding friends and interacting with others. At that point, Twitter took on a life of its own.

The first thing I did every morning as soon as I sat down at the computer was turn on Twitter. I’d catch up on all the latest blurbs from everyone while I was sleeping. Then I’d jump in and start Twittering with the best of them.

It didn’t take very long until Twitter consumed quite a bit of my time during the day. I’d get my work done, but boy I’d Twitter up a storm every few minutes. One day I sat down and figured up how much time I’d spent on Twitter that day and I was…shocked, to say the least.

It’s funny how these simple little “conveniences” can eat up so much of our time without us even realizing it. Now, I’m not saying don’t use Twitter. Lord knows I still Twitter with the best of them even still! But what I’m saying is that if you do use Twitter, be very careful. Allow me to elaborate…

Today I did some serious thinking. (Yeah, if you heard thunder clap and saw lightening strike, that’s probably why!) What I realized is that I have been using Twitter as more of an instant messaging system, rather than a “mini blog.” Hmmm…interesting!

Furthermore, a lot of my Twitters on a daily basis sometimes consist of nothing more than “LOL! @so-and-so” or “Yeah, me too @so-and-so”. Is this type of social communication really profiting my business?

Sure, I’m forging new friendships and relationships with others through Twitter. I guess my main concern right now is this: Is Twitter doing more harm than good for my business life? Is it merely a distraction? Is it really furthering my business in any way? I’m afraid at this point my answer to this would have to be “no.”

I love chatting with others. I especially love the sense of “community” that social networking like Twitter can bring to the picture. However, I’m not sure if my using Twitter is really anything more than truly a social tool or if it can become something more useful for my career.

What do you think about all this? Have you thought about it in this perspective, if you’re already using Twitter? In what ways have you found Twitter useful in business-building relationships? Or am I the only one who is being unproductive in using Twitter?

Technorati Tags: Twitter, social networking, social networking for writers

Popularity: 15% [?]

Feeling Better, Online Networking Tips

Posted by Hope

After being sick for a full week, then having to play catch-up, I’m feeling much better and getting back on track. I think it must have been a sinus infection because I was sicker than I’ve been in a long time.

I read this article and thought I’d share it with you here. Lots of business owners I know network online, especially online business owners. This is a good thing, but you need to be careful of how you go about doing it, as well as not get too wrapped up (time-wise) in forums every day. With this in mind, read this informative article on how not to promote your website in forums.

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Popularity: 11% [?]