Elance has visited this lil' blog no less than 11 times today. I'm not quite sure what to make of that one. That's pageviews also, so it may be less than 11 times that the site was brought up from scratch. But, several of those times were 20 minutes or more apart, and looking at the same page, so it may have been several different people. I just have to wonder what they're saying. They must bring up The Writer's Journey, close it out and then call a friend to come and look at it.
"Hey! Marge! Someone mentioned Elance on a blog! Can you believe it? What the heck? They actually mentioned us!"
Then of course, they close it out, but Bill walks in, and they know Bill wouldn't want to miss this. They bring it back up to let Bill share in the excitement.
"We've got one, Bill! Someone mentioned us! Do a screen capture! Get the camera out and take a picture! Can we get stationary printed up to mark the occasion? Check petty cash!"
Then of course Lillian walks in, and they have to repeat it for her. By this time, they've decided to celebrate with some champagne. A little bit tipsy, the Elance employees decide to re-read some of my old posts, all of which mention Elance. They laugh, they love, they drink some more. Good times, folks. Good times.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
New Article Directory Offers Profit Sharing
If you’ve looked into the so-called bum marketing method, or other types of article marketing, you know about some of the biggest article directories out there. By choosing low-competition keywords, you can get in there and plug your site or pump those affiliate links out there. But, there’s a new site that gives you another opportunity to profit from your article marketing ventures. The 24Find Profit Sharing Article Directory is a new article directory that allows not only links in your article to your own site or blog, but it also lets you put your own AdSense on each article.
This is a sponsored review, but I do think it’s a pretty neat idea. Since the site is so new, there aren’t that many articles on it yet, but that could actually work to your favor. The site gives out quarterly awards to the writers with the articles with the best ratings. The ratings are made by other members of the site, and the awards are $100, $200 and $350. Since the site is new, there’s a pretty good chance of winning one of those awards. And, if you don’t, you still profit from your Adsense and from your article marketing. It looks pretty win-win all around.
This is a sponsored review, but I do think it’s a pretty neat idea. Since the site is so new, there aren’t that many articles on it yet, but that could actually work to your favor. The site gives out quarterly awards to the writers with the articles with the best ratings. The ratings are made by other members of the site, and the awards are $100, $200 and $350. Since the site is new, there’s a pretty good chance of winning one of those awards. And, if you don’t, you still profit from your Adsense and from your article marketing. It looks pretty win-win all around.
Elance "Connects"
Ever since the Elance changes, they have advertised that even though you get very few "connects" with the new memberships (their new annoying word for bids), members would be free to buy more connects anytime they need them. Well, I bit the bullet and bought some today. I swore I wasn't going to, but the site now requires so many connects to bid and gives you so few, that to even bid on the number of invitations I get leaves me without connects after a week or so.
Now for the shocker- you can't just buy a pack of connects. Once you buy more connects, you are obligated to buy that amount every month forever. You have to actually agree to change your account so that the new amount is what you'll be paying for every month. Very sneaky, Elance. I had pretty much planned to move to Guru in March, but it's now a concrete plan. Elance is no longer hiding the fact that they are trying to gouge writers. All the talk about making the site better by charging us more rings pretty hollow when you see how they try to trick you into paying more. The "connect packs" were never billed as a change to the account. They were billed as something you could buy at any time when you needed more. Thanks to rampant mismanagement and what seem to be some slightly unethical practices, Elance will be a ghost town in March.
Now for the shocker- you can't just buy a pack of connects. Once you buy more connects, you are obligated to buy that amount every month forever. You have to actually agree to change your account so that the new amount is what you'll be paying for every month. Very sneaky, Elance. I had pretty much planned to move to Guru in March, but it's now a concrete plan. Elance is no longer hiding the fact that they are trying to gouge writers. All the talk about making the site better by charging us more rings pretty hollow when you see how they try to trick you into paying more. The "connect packs" were never billed as a change to the account. They were billed as something you could buy at any time when you needed more. Thanks to rampant mismanagement and what seem to be some slightly unethical practices, Elance will be a ghost town in March.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Freelance Bidding Sites
Freelance bidding sites are one of the ways that freelance writers get started. There are also lots of writers who work almost exclusively through them and do quite well. I've used two of them consistently for both work through the site and to secure regular clients. Now that I think about it, I'd say about 90 percent of my regulars have come to me through an initial bidding site project. Of course, some sites are better than others, and no site is identical to any other. Here's a basic breakdown:
RentACoder- This one is free to use and was the first bidding site I tried. The well-paying gigs aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but they can still be found if you're persistent. What I usually do is check the buyer to see if they've been outsourcing to India/Pakistan/Bangladesh for content. If they have, I pass. If not, there's a chance that they may pay a decent wage. This site gets knocked a lot because it has some of the lowest-paying work you'll ever see. And, yes, it does. But, there are definitely gems to be found amid the muck. I've gotten some of my highest-paying gigs through RAC.
Elance- This site was great for a long time, offering an enormous amount of jobs, though they did require a monthly fee. But, the fee could be knocked out quickly as the jobs came in. They still do have an enormous job pool of diverse writing gigs. Some of them are extremely well paying. I've done pretty well here and gotten a lot of regular clients. Unfortunately, they recently tripled their fees and reorganized into a complicated mess that results in less opportunities for gigs unless you pay a lot more. There's still potential there for someone with a lot of experience. But, for new writers who won't be getting as many jobs at first, the cost will likely far outweigh the benefit. Right now some of the new fees are being waived until March. If you've never used the site and want to try it, I would advise signing up right away to get a few feedbacks under your belt before the hideous rate changes smack you down.
Guru- I've heard extremely good things about this one, though I've never used it. The only reason for that is that I have a problem paying for more than one bidding site at a time. I'd have to start buying generic chocolate, and no one wants that. Trust me. I have heard it recommended so highly so many times that I'll likely be jumping on board as soon as I jump off the Elance train wreck in March. The fees are comparable to what Elance's used to be back in the day.
GetAfreelancer- I've heard mixed things about this one. The fees are quite low, and paying just $12 a month means you don't have to pay any commission. The problem is that I've never seen a gig worth the money on this site. It may be like the RAC weeding out process, but wherever the well-paying jobs are, I'm not seeing them. I've also heard from several people that getting stiffed isn't uncommon there. It might be worth a try, but overall I'll have to pass.
Two others to try:
pcLance
ScriptLance
Just stay away from these guys: http://www.gofreelance.com/
They are not a bidding site but try to look like one. Their reputation under a different name was horrendous online due to scam concerns, and they have changed their name since that time. I can't prove that the bad reputation and the name change were connected, but you do the math.
RentACoder- This one is free to use and was the first bidding site I tried. The well-paying gigs aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but they can still be found if you're persistent. What I usually do is check the buyer to see if they've been outsourcing to India/Pakistan/Bangladesh for content. If they have, I pass. If not, there's a chance that they may pay a decent wage. This site gets knocked a lot because it has some of the lowest-paying work you'll ever see. And, yes, it does. But, there are definitely gems to be found amid the muck. I've gotten some of my highest-paying gigs through RAC.
Elance- This site was great for a long time, offering an enormous amount of jobs, though they did require a monthly fee. But, the fee could be knocked out quickly as the jobs came in. They still do have an enormous job pool of diverse writing gigs. Some of them are extremely well paying. I've done pretty well here and gotten a lot of regular clients. Unfortunately, they recently tripled their fees and reorganized into a complicated mess that results in less opportunities for gigs unless you pay a lot more. There's still potential there for someone with a lot of experience. But, for new writers who won't be getting as many jobs at first, the cost will likely far outweigh the benefit. Right now some of the new fees are being waived until March. If you've never used the site and want to try it, I would advise signing up right away to get a few feedbacks under your belt before the hideous rate changes smack you down.
Guru- I've heard extremely good things about this one, though I've never used it. The only reason for that is that I have a problem paying for more than one bidding site at a time. I'd have to start buying generic chocolate, and no one wants that. Trust me. I have heard it recommended so highly so many times that I'll likely be jumping on board as soon as I jump off the Elance train wreck in March. The fees are comparable to what Elance's used to be back in the day.
GetAfreelancer- I've heard mixed things about this one. The fees are quite low, and paying just $12 a month means you don't have to pay any commission. The problem is that I've never seen a gig worth the money on this site. It may be like the RAC weeding out process, but wherever the well-paying jobs are, I'm not seeing them. I've also heard from several people that getting stiffed isn't uncommon there. It might be worth a try, but overall I'll have to pass.
Two others to try:
pcLance
ScriptLance
Just stay away from these guys: http://www.gofreelance.com/
They are not a bidding site but try to look like one. Their reputation under a different name was horrendous online due to scam concerns, and they have changed their name since that time. I can't prove that the bad reputation and the name change were connected, but you do the math.
Unsecured Loans
If you can’t afford to hire a freelancer, but still want your business to take off, you might think about taking out a loan to get started. Many small businesses start with a loan for start up costs, and for online businesses, sufficient capital is often needed to hire a web designer and a content writer.
America One Unsecured offers unsecured personal loans as well as business loans. And, as you may have guessed from the name, these loans are unsecured. You don’t have to put up your house or car in order to get the capital you need. A small personal loan of as little as $100 can be obtained to fund personal projects, or you can apply for a business loan of up to $50K to give your business the best possible start. And, when you apply, America One Unsecured gives a fast reply with no credit check required. This is a sponsored review.
America One Unsecured offers unsecured personal loans as well as business loans. And, as you may have guessed from the name, these loans are unsecured. You don’t have to put up your house or car in order to get the capital you need. A small personal loan of as little as $100 can be obtained to fund personal projects, or you can apply for a business loan of up to $50K to give your business the best possible start. And, when you apply, America One Unsecured gives a fast reply with no credit check required. This is a sponsored review.
Monday, January 7, 2008
A Good Time for Seasonal Articles
Unlike the print world, where seasonal material is usually requested about six months in advance, seasonable material doesn't have to be in that early online. It occurred to me the other day that we're probably going to have Valentine's Day in the Western world again this year, no matter what I have to say about it. With about five weeks to go, this is the perfect time to get Valentine's Day web content underway.
Sometimes it's tough to come up with something that hasn't been covered a million times already, but there are a few ways to do it. One is by coming up with a creative list, such as: Ten Ways to... or The Five Best Ways to...
Lists are usually easier to digest as Web content anyway, as they are broken into quick chunks of information. I just hope I don't run across anymore articles that tell men to buy flowers and take their dates to a romantic dinner. Blah.
Pay Per Play Ads
Most webmasters have tried AdSense and other passive ad methods on their sites. The problem with a lot of those is that the ads are strictly PPC- you don’t get paid unless someone clicks on the ads. But, there’s a new way to sponsor your site that pays every time someone is exposed to the ad. They don’t have to click anything and you don’t even have to take up space on your site with the ad.
Pay Per Play Online Audio Ads put a 5-second ad on your site. Five seconds isn’t long enough to be obtrusive, but it is long enough for your advertisers to get the word out. There are 66,000 Pay Per Play advertisers just waiting to get their short message on your site- and pay you for every listen. This is a sponsored post.
Pay Per Play Online Audio Ads put a 5-second ad on your site. Five seconds isn’t long enough to be obtrusive, but it is long enough for your advertisers to get the word out. There are 66,000 Pay Per Play advertisers just waiting to get their short message on your site- and pay you for every listen. This is a sponsored post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
