BoomerBlix

Finding a Balance: Writing for Fun OR Profit...

It always comes down to finding a balance, doesn't it?  

Finding myself in "sudden" retirement in mid-December prompted me to get serious about freelance writing. I had been dabbling part-time for a year. Did a couple of cool projects, including writing online courses for Certified Nursing Assistants; a few articles for a sweet young Brazilian woman who's launching a Super Food Box product; and some blogs for a company that sells travel underwear with little hidden pockets. Although I feared the Super Food Box was too late to the game, and the travel underwear presented certain delicate logistics when it came time to retrieve a credit card, I gave them my all. And they gave me five stars on the freelance website where we had found each other.

I made money, but the kind my grandmother used to call "pin money," meaning enough to buy a Starbucks or two...but by then, I had already given up anything as extravagant as coffee outside my home. Sudden retirement will do that to you, make you assess all expenses. The good old days were definitely gone. 

So I did what lots of others would do: I worked harder. Twelve hours a day, every single day. BoomerBlix was the first to go. Why? It brings in no income. Last fall, I had applied--and been accepted--by Amazon.com to be an "affiliate partner" meaning I could place ads on my blog site. Each click would earn me "passive income." I developed several lists for folks interested in the Camino; book lists related to my posts; and added the Daily Deals. REI was even tougher, but after awhile, I became an affiliate partner.  Sounds sweet, eh? The only downside was that not one single person clicked. Ever. In fact, both have since fired me as an affiliate partner; I took it with my head high. Not the first time I've received that kind of news.  

I was sad to set BoomerBlix aside, and am grateful to my steadfast readers who asked me to get back to it. But it still took me a little more time to arrive here.

Back to my writing. I followed all the standard advice. Set up a website--check. (Please don't visit it just yet. It needs a serious overhaul. Terrible color scheme!) Establish a niche--check. (Although much to my delight, I'm not only a medical/health expert, I'm also gaining traction as a travel writer.) Write every day--check. (But not about what you love, unfortunately...)

I found a nifty company that hires freelance bloggers. I applied and got accepted. Easy-peasy concept: Write--rather, ghostwrite--blogs for companies who don't have time or people to do it. Since Google changed its SEO algorithm, blogs are increasingly important to drive searchers to a company website. Frequent blogs increase the odds. Hence, I joined an army of writers who knock out blogs from a list of keywords provided by the business. For $8 each. If accepted. That's right, not only is the pay downright hilarious, but I don't receive anything until the company says so. It's called "writing on speculation." If my handiwork is rejected, then I get nothing. 

Still, it's work and I need it. I've written about 120 blogs, but haven't been paid for all. A few were rejected; two companies cancelled their subscriptions, leaving me with posts such as: "Why Choose a Double-Sided Mattress?" and "Beach Vacations: Dream It and Do It." (Let me know if you're interested in either....)  Other posts are waiting in a queue, and will be considered in the coming weeks. It's easy writing, but not exactly stretching my creative skills. Unless you consider "How to Build a Great Workplace in Ten Easy Steps" to be imaginative. I don't. 

Back to balance, then. After a couple of months, it occurs to to me that I have none. Zilch. Zippo. I'm hunched over at my dining room table, churning out posts on everything from ice fishing in Ontario to mouth wash comparisons to why dentists should offer Botox services. And I'm starting to get cranky. It also occurs to me that maybe I could give up an hour here and there and return to my steadfast readers. 

I've not felt this happy in a long, long time. Eventually, I'll get clients and they will be glad they hired me. As I develop my business, I'll probably keep doing the $8 blog posts--although I think ghostwriting is the most unsatisfying task in the world. All of the work, none of the credit.

I can live without Starbucks, but not without this. And you! Onward!

 

 

 

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Social Media Suicide...When You Have to "Disappear"

You may recall that in late February 2011, I abruptly ended Boomerblix. After carefully nurturing my "baby," and steadily growing my blog reader base, I shut it down. Just like that. Ouch. It really, really hurt. 

Why did I do it, you ask?  Here's what you told me: We looked forward to each Blix. We enjoyed your keen insights and your uncanny way of describing our lives, too.

Aw, shucks. Thanks! Glad you want to know--it has bothered me greatly ever since.

One of the first things learned when starting a job hunt is that you MUST become "search neutral." This means trying to eliminate all traces of anything that could be remotely interpreted as being a reason not to employ you.

Anything.

It was projected that by the end of 2012, almost 100% of companies would do an internet search on each job candidate. From those searches, 35% will be eliminated based on information obtained online, before any formal interview.  If--based solely on what turns up--an applicant is deemed not to be "safe" or "a good fit" then the hiring process stops.

Where do companies look, anyway?

• Most will use Google, or a similar search engine.  Have you ever Googled yourself? You might be surprised. You think you're just an Average Joe, but then, Wham! There you are! Try it.
• Over 50% will check out Facebook. Yep, those party or vacation photos, political cartoons, funny quotes, sarcastic comments...even your "likes" come under scrutiny.
• Then there's the Twitter activity. Your career, cut-off-at-the-knees by 140 characters. Those Tweets matter, folks.
• This one got me: Ever post a review on Yelp? TripAdvisor? A comment on a blog or website?  If it can be traced, it can--and will--be used against you.

Mind you, all this is done without your knowledge or consent.  Sometimes a potential employer will do a credit check, but they are required to obtain written approval. Plus, it's part of the final hiring process. By then, you're practically home-free.

So there I was, between a Blix and a hard place.