Today, one of my Twitter friends was lamenting her lack of topic for her blog. I told her that when in doubt, I write about my Creepy Internet Friends. When I looked back, I realized that I hadn't mentioned them in several months - so I thought it might be a good time to revisit.
While "Creepy Internet Friends" might seem an odd title, it is actually an affectionate name for my closest friends. I know what you're thinking: Since when does creepy = affection? Since these are people that are dear to me and yet I have never meet them in person. We met online and continue our relationship online and through text messages. This may seem bizarre to you, but working alone in my office all day gets boring. I keep Twitter and Facebook open so that I can have an occasional conversation, debate, or discussion about current events and issues - very much like having a chat with a co-worker in a traditional workplace. Because the Internet is sometimes viewed as a playground for stalkers, the word "creepy" seems to be appropriately ironic.
Who are these CIFs? Well, there's Wade, anglophile, oi, amy_d, Hyphen D, unholyghost2003, Clearly Demented, Saysh, Mishee, CB, RunBarbara, Frankie, tink, mamason, mamarilla, Timo, TOS, rose, fan, mark, Beanster, snee, claw, vfbr2001, Spence, T, JustRach, and msquick1... to name a few. If I've left you off, it's not that I don't love you... it's just that I thought you might not like your real name posted... or that I've just been overwhelmed with emotion thinking of how many wonderful friends I've made over the last couple of years. Either way, feel free to yell at me. Don't forget to use CAPS LOCK.
So, to all of my CIFs from the Troublemaker HQ to Twitter to Facebook... Thank you for being in my life.
Edit: OTWB, sdog7, KatScratches, murgy, amet_sorgin, sandbar, rocksnbugs, JetGibbs, zabbs, ... and all of my OLTL and NCIS friends! Forgive me! You are most definitely creepy.
Edit #2: indiepride, Luke, ceebee, albinosmurfie & his smurfette, Bunnee and so many more friends! I am so blessed!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Logo Woes
I've been thinking about logos. After adopting Word Mercenary as my title... By the way, what do you think of that? Should I keep it? Here are some of the other suggestions from my friends:
- Writer on the Verge
- Write On
- Write of Way
- Pages
- Words & Stuff
- Write Now!
- Wordstorm
- Scrivener 2.0
- Worth Words
- Literary Solutions
- The Flaming Keyboard
- A Lass in Writerland
Any of those strike you as unimaginably cool? Where was I? Oh, the logo. I thought it would be awesome to have a logo to use on my things. What things? Business cards, stationary, the blog, and whatever else I could attach it to. A friend quickly designed the one on my page here - and I like it. But my husband has taken marketing courses and said that the icon needs to be something more indicative of my qualities as a writer, rather than a sniper. So, I am back at square one and still looking for ideas.
Are any of you uber-creative? Can you make me a logo that represents creativity, efficiency, productivity, and all-around awesomeness? Should I keep my Word Mercenary title or go with something else? Help!
Monday, July 26, 2010
In Defense of Elance
I have seen several blogs, tweets, and forum discussions of the drawbacks of working through Elance. I just want to take a moment to discuss my personal experience with the company and tell you why I continue to work with them.
I began my freelance writing career by applying to every service I could find. Demand Studios, Guru, Textbroker, Lime Exchange, Elance, and About.com were all on my list. As I began searching through the job listings, I found that Elance was the best fit for me. The other gigs were either very low pay - textbroker, lime exchange, and guru - or had very long response times - About.com.
Before you start in about the low paying jobs, know that I won't disagree. There are some low paying gigs listed there. Some buyers are looking for cheap work. Many of them say it right up front, which saves time, because I just don't bid on those jobs. I use the information that Elance provides to research the buyer before I bid. I see the ratio of jobs awarded, the type of feedback they tend to leave, and how much they have paid for other jobs. If a buyer consistently awards jobs to the lowest bidder, doesn't award jobs at all, or leaves mediocre feedback stars with "excellent" in the comments (thereby lowering a provider's rank), I don't bid.
Compare this with the average listing from freelance sites that provide gig links. Many of these are on Craigslist or other job sites. I have applied to several of these with poor results. I frequently have no response at all or vague commitments or requests for work on spec. For the most part, these jobs simply do not pan out.
With Elance, spec work is not allowed. A buyer cannot ask a provider to write up a sample based on their needs, thereby getting free work. Elance has dispute resolution and service to assist providers who have difficulty with clients or vice versa. I haven't had many issues with buyers, but when I did, Elance helped me work through the process. It was good to have a middle man to help me settle things.
Is Elance perfect? No. The fees are a little steep and I think that the current ranking system should be tweaked and should separate teams from individuals. I don't work exclusively through them, but I do continue to use their web site on a regular basis. I have learned a lot about pitching and writing proposals as well as managing client interactions and more. Elance's transparency - the ability to research the buyer before submitting a bid - is a great asset. I will continue to work with Elance and encourage other freelancers to do so as well.
I began my freelance writing career by applying to every service I could find. Demand Studios, Guru, Textbroker, Lime Exchange, Elance, and About.com were all on my list. As I began searching through the job listings, I found that Elance was the best fit for me. The other gigs were either very low pay - textbroker, lime exchange, and guru - or had very long response times - About.com.
Before you start in about the low paying jobs, know that I won't disagree. There are some low paying gigs listed there. Some buyers are looking for cheap work. Many of them say it right up front, which saves time, because I just don't bid on those jobs. I use the information that Elance provides to research the buyer before I bid. I see the ratio of jobs awarded, the type of feedback they tend to leave, and how much they have paid for other jobs. If a buyer consistently awards jobs to the lowest bidder, doesn't award jobs at all, or leaves mediocre feedback stars with "excellent" in the comments (thereby lowering a provider's rank), I don't bid.
Compare this with the average listing from freelance sites that provide gig links. Many of these are on Craigslist or other job sites. I have applied to several of these with poor results. I frequently have no response at all or vague commitments or requests for work on spec. For the most part, these jobs simply do not pan out.
With Elance, spec work is not allowed. A buyer cannot ask a provider to write up a sample based on their needs, thereby getting free work. Elance has dispute resolution and service to assist providers who have difficulty with clients or vice versa. I haven't had many issues with buyers, but when I did, Elance helped me work through the process. It was good to have a middle man to help me settle things.
Is Elance perfect? No. The fees are a little steep and I think that the current ranking system should be tweaked and should separate teams from individuals. I don't work exclusively through them, but I do continue to use their web site on a regular basis. I have learned a lot about pitching and writing proposals as well as managing client interactions and more. Elance's transparency - the ability to research the buyer before submitting a bid - is a great asset. I will continue to work with Elance and encourage other freelancers to do so as well.
Friday, July 23, 2010
My Personal Addiction
Everybody seems to be claiming addiction as the cause of all of their problems. Every time a celebrity does something stupid they claim addiction. It's getting a little tiresome, don't you think? I mean, couldn't Tiger Woods just admit that he's a man-whore and took advantage of his fame to sleep with every woman that was willing? Maybe he would be less of a punchline. Maybe not, but at least it would be honest.
But, since it is in vogue to claim that any misstep is due not to a weakness of character or bad judgement but because of an addiction and thus completely out of my control, I have a confession to make. My name is Dorothy and I am a mascara and eyeliner addict.
Dual addictions are the most difficult to deal with, as you may have heard, and I struggle each day with mine. In fact, today I spent at least ten minutes artfully layering black and purple eyeliner and smudging each with a flat brush before adding three coats of midnight black mascara. When I finally took stock of the finished effect, I realized that I had hit a new stage in my addiction. I looked into the mirror and saw Ke$ha's future.
But, since it is in vogue to claim that any misstep is due not to a weakness of character or bad judgement but because of an addiction and thus completely out of my control, I have a confession to make. My name is Dorothy and I am a mascara and eyeliner addict.
Dual addictions are the most difficult to deal with, as you may have heard, and I struggle each day with mine. In fact, today I spent at least ten minutes artfully layering black and purple eyeliner and smudging each with a flat brush before adding three coats of midnight black mascara. When I finally took stock of the finished effect, I realized that I had hit a new stage in my addiction. I looked into the mirror and saw Ke$ha's future.
And I was afraid.
I am confessing my addiction here in hopes that I will find a way to conquer it. Not really. I had more to say about this, but the mall will be open soon and I want to go and get some of that mascara with the vibrating wand.
Monday, July 19, 2010
When it Rains...
Update from the Verge: My ear is still clogged and my balance is completely nonexistent. It's funny, yet frustrating as hell. I went to the doctor today to have him look at a lump on my shoulder. A med student, resident, a janitor, a secretary, and some guy off the street who may have once considered medical school all agreed that it is, indeed, a lump. They also decided that they have to "excise" it.
I would prefer that they "exorcise" it, because it sounds way cooler, but I suppose I'll let them just cut it out. Then they'll send whatever prize they find inside to a lab so that they can figure out what it actually is... besides, y'know, a lump. My guess is that it will be like finally finding the prize in the cereal box and finding that it is utterly disappointing.
In addition to my malarkey, my husband broke one of his metacarpals this weekend. For those of you uninitiated in med-speak, he broke one of the bones in his hand. Today he is going to have it checked out and casted. Hopefully he won't need a surgical repair. If he does, I wonder if they can make his hand bionic. That would be awesome. As it is, the kids want him to get a red cast so he can be Hellboy.
Between the chaos of injuries and illnesses, I still have all of the hustle and bustle of everyday life - driving one son to a summer class, trying to encourage my youngest to read, and trying to prep the oldest for college. Somewhere in those precious moments that are seemingly unoccupied, I must wrangle some words.
As a Word Mercenary, this week I am ghostwriting a children's book, editing dental website content, reviewing websites, writing audiobook news, and something else that I cannot call to mind at the moment. Huh. I'd better figure that out!
I would prefer that they "exorcise" it, because it sounds way cooler, but I suppose I'll let them just cut it out. Then they'll send whatever prize they find inside to a lab so that they can figure out what it actually is... besides, y'know, a lump. My guess is that it will be like finally finding the prize in the cereal box and finding that it is utterly disappointing.
In addition to my malarkey, my husband broke one of his metacarpals this weekend. For those of you uninitiated in med-speak, he broke one of the bones in his hand. Today he is going to have it checked out and casted. Hopefully he won't need a surgical repair. If he does, I wonder if they can make his hand bionic. That would be awesome. As it is, the kids want him to get a red cast so he can be Hellboy.
Between the chaos of injuries and illnesses, I still have all of the hustle and bustle of everyday life - driving one son to a summer class, trying to encourage my youngest to read, and trying to prep the oldest for college. Somewhere in those precious moments that are seemingly unoccupied, I must wrangle some words.
As a Word Mercenary, this week I am ghostwriting a children's book, editing dental website content, reviewing websites, writing audiobook news, and something else that I cannot call to mind at the moment. Huh. I'd better figure that out!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Freelance Illness
I love most things about freelancing. The one big inconvenience is the lack of being able to be sick. I have no sick time. I am not allowed to be sick. I have deadlines and due dates and while my regular clients would have no issue if I explained, some of my newer ones won't give a hoot that I'm sick. That's why I'm at my computer today.
I swam a lot last week. It was hot and humid and my husband had taken the week off. I did only the most crucial and time sensitive jobs and enjoyed being outside. On Monday of this week, my ear started to hurt. As a mom, if one of my kids complains, I take them to the doctor. When I feel sick, I ignore it. I'm too busy to be sick so I simply deny that I could even consider the possibility. It rarely works out.
By Tuesday, my balance was suffering and I couldn't hear at all from my right ear. I hip-checked a Pop Tart display in the grocery store while trying to navigate the aisle. I couldn't stop laughing... I think the store staff thought I was drunk.
Wednesday, my Facebook friends threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't see a doctor. Considering the pain, lack of balance, and irritation of my kids because I kept saying, "What?" to everything they said to me, I made the appointment.
This morning, the doctor couldn't even look in my ear. It was too swollen. Oh, did I mention that I lost my balance stepping onto the scale? Yeah. Fell off the scale. Nice, right? I had to assure the nurse that I had not been drinking.
Went straight to the pharmacy to pick up my drops (driving very carefully with my head tilted to the left which seems like it would help, but doesn't) and when I got there they said they didn't have them. In fact, they wouldn't have them until tomorrow. I'm not too proud to tell you that I started to cry. Listing to the left, I explained that my ear hurt and my balance was a mess and I NEEDED the drops. NOW. The tech took pity on me, asked me to sit down and had an urgent conversation with the pharmacist who tried not to stare at me. They called my doctor and got another order for a generic that they had in stock. It took me 3 tries to slide my debit card through the machine, but I finally completed the transaction and left with my miracle in eardrop form.
I feel like crap. I have very little focus. My ear hurts. I am trying to work, but failing miserably. Forgive me, clients, but I'm taking a sick day.
I swam a lot last week. It was hot and humid and my husband had taken the week off. I did only the most crucial and time sensitive jobs and enjoyed being outside. On Monday of this week, my ear started to hurt. As a mom, if one of my kids complains, I take them to the doctor. When I feel sick, I ignore it. I'm too busy to be sick so I simply deny that I could even consider the possibility. It rarely works out.
By Tuesday, my balance was suffering and I couldn't hear at all from my right ear. I hip-checked a Pop Tart display in the grocery store while trying to navigate the aisle. I couldn't stop laughing... I think the store staff thought I was drunk.
Wednesday, my Facebook friends threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't see a doctor. Considering the pain, lack of balance, and irritation of my kids because I kept saying, "What?" to everything they said to me, I made the appointment.
This morning, the doctor couldn't even look in my ear. It was too swollen. Oh, did I mention that I lost my balance stepping onto the scale? Yeah. Fell off the scale. Nice, right? I had to assure the nurse that I had not been drinking.
Went straight to the pharmacy to pick up my drops (driving very carefully with my head tilted to the left which seems like it would help, but doesn't) and when I got there they said they didn't have them. In fact, they wouldn't have them until tomorrow. I'm not too proud to tell you that I started to cry. Listing to the left, I explained that my ear hurt and my balance was a mess and I NEEDED the drops. NOW. The tech took pity on me, asked me to sit down and had an urgent conversation with the pharmacist who tried not to stare at me. They called my doctor and got another order for a generic that they had in stock. It took me 3 tries to slide my debit card through the machine, but I finally completed the transaction and left with my miracle in eardrop form.
I feel like crap. I have very little focus. My ear hurts. I am trying to work, but failing miserably. Forgive me, clients, but I'm taking a sick day.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Education Reform - My Way
I'm pretty much sick of crappy teachers for my kids. There are the ones who stop teaching once they get tenure and feel they are immune and can treat the children with disdain and disrespect. There are the ones who just don't teach at all - or actually teach our kids inaccurately (yes, a teacher did try to teach my child "no taxation without revolution"). There are teachers who have such poor classroom management that very little content is taught. And then there are those who are simply teaching to the next test or assessment.
Why is the response to our children's failures more tests? Has anyone considered that it might not be the kids' problem? That it might just be related to the fact that the teachers are failing the students?
Principals and assistant principals do "observations" of teachers to assess their skill and effectiveness, right? Did you know that these are scheduled in advance? The teachers know exactly what day and time they are going to be observed. They plan their lessons around this. I've seen it with my own eyes. A teacher who is fair at best, teaches like a woman possessed by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom when being observed. She has formulated her questions so that she knows that the students will be able to answer accurately and offer a testament to her teaching skills. Does this strike anyone as WRONG?
I think observations should be spontaneous and unannounced. That's step one. Step two is more radical and would be hated by many teachers. I think students, parents, and paraprofessionals should be able to offer an evaluation of a teacher at the end of the school year.
You are always going to have a couple of people who just didn't get along with a teacher, but if there is a trend among the comments - it would seem that further investigation is warranted. This would also benefit those teachers who are doing an outstanding job. It would provide them with feedback and confirmation. Those teachers who are not doing well have a choice: use the feedback to improve, or complain about the unfair procedure. Guess which one they will likely choose?
Administrators should be getting input from families. We are their bosses, after all. I pay school tax, therefore I pay the salaries of the school employees. I would love to have a say in evaluating their performance... wouldn't you?
Why is the response to our children's failures more tests? Has anyone considered that it might not be the kids' problem? That it might just be related to the fact that the teachers are failing the students?
Principals and assistant principals do "observations" of teachers to assess their skill and effectiveness, right? Did you know that these are scheduled in advance? The teachers know exactly what day and time they are going to be observed. They plan their lessons around this. I've seen it with my own eyes. A teacher who is fair at best, teaches like a woman possessed by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom when being observed. She has formulated her questions so that she knows that the students will be able to answer accurately and offer a testament to her teaching skills. Does this strike anyone as WRONG?
I think observations should be spontaneous and unannounced. That's step one. Step two is more radical and would be hated by many teachers. I think students, parents, and paraprofessionals should be able to offer an evaluation of a teacher at the end of the school year.
You are always going to have a couple of people who just didn't get along with a teacher, but if there is a trend among the comments - it would seem that further investigation is warranted. This would also benefit those teachers who are doing an outstanding job. It would provide them with feedback and confirmation. Those teachers who are not doing well have a choice: use the feedback to improve, or complain about the unfair procedure. Guess which one they will likely choose?
Administrators should be getting input from families. We are their bosses, after all. I pay school tax, therefore I pay the salaries of the school employees. I would love to have a say in evaluating their performance... wouldn't you?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
An Easy Job if You Know What You're Doing.
Unbelievably, that phrase is repeated with alarming frequency in job postings for freelancing writing. Loosely translated it means, "This is so incredibly easy I won't even consider paying you what you're worth". I struggle with the temptation to respond to these potential clients, who somehow, somewhere glommed onto this offensive idea. These are some of the responses I considered:
Then, you don't know what you're doing?
If it's so damn easy, why don't you do it yourself?
Don't you mean, "a pain-in-the-neck job that I don't want to do, but I don't want to pay for it either"?
Another horrific tendency is the client who wants to pay $1 per 400 word article. This is not a typo. Oh, and they want all original content that will pass copyscape. Don't forget that you have to research the topic thoroughly and each of the 50 articles that you will be providing for $50 must be completely different. No problem!
One more trend that is always good for a laugh is a post like this one (this is an actual posting):
Creative Writing - articles I will provide topics
What the hell does this mean? How many articles? How long does each article need to be? Is it about something I know or will I have to research? The worst part about this kind of posting is that writers bid on them. With no clarification whatsoever, 12 people bid on the job. I'm baffled.
I actually admire those who, in their postings, say that they don't really care about quality. As long as it is stuffed with keywords, they are happy. They want cheap work and they are willing to pay crap money for it. Personally, I'm not willing to provide it, but that's just me.
Then, you don't know what you're doing?
If it's so damn easy, why don't you do it yourself?
Don't you mean, "a pain-in-the-neck job that I don't want to do, but I don't want to pay for it either"?
Another horrific tendency is the client who wants to pay $1 per 400 word article. This is not a typo. Oh, and they want all original content that will pass copyscape. Don't forget that you have to research the topic thoroughly and each of the 50 articles that you will be providing for $50 must be completely different. No problem!
One more trend that is always good for a laugh is a post like this one (this is an actual posting):
Creative Writing - articles I will provide topics
What the hell does this mean? How many articles? How long does each article need to be? Is it about something I know or will I have to research? The worst part about this kind of posting is that writers bid on them. With no clarification whatsoever, 12 people bid on the job. I'm baffled.
I actually admire those who, in their postings, say that they don't really care about quality. As long as it is stuffed with keywords, they are happy. They want cheap work and they are willing to pay crap money for it. Personally, I'm not willing to provide it, but that's just me.
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