To contact us Click HERE
We've all seen plenty of help-wanted ads on the Internet for writer types. Everyone wants to fill their sites with content that the masses can flock to, but what is actually on those sites has come at a price. And usually a very, very low price.
There was once a time when skilled freelance writers could ply their trade and make a decent living at it. My wife has a book that tells you just how to do that. But in the world of the Internet, where everyone fancies themselves a writer -- but few actually are -- writing has become an unskilled skill.
Rick Reilly once told some journalism graduates not to write for free. Well, that's bad advice in this day and age where you have to have a suitcase full of clips to get your foot in the door at even the smallest of websites or newspapers.
Those doing the hiring (and I have sat in that chair) want to see your chops. I remember when I interviewed for a paid reporter internship at a daily newspaper in the Pacific Northwest.
Part of the process involved writing a story about a locally owned business that recently closed at the mall. As most malls are filled with cookie-cutter chains, having a shop owned by locals was a rarity. I could have just sat in the office and made a phone call to the mall manager (something I did eventually), but I wanted to see the store for myself. So during the time I was given to grab lunch, I headed to the mall instead where I located the vacant storefront. I lucked out because taped to one of the darkened windows was a phone number for the shop's owner. Finding that number and talking to a very nice woman who told me the shop closed only because its lease had run out turned my story from press release drab to one of more social relevance. It highlighted the fact as malls mature (this was in 2000 when times were better for retailers as a whole), the local businesses that formed a small base of community connection were lost to the Hot Topix crowd.
Did I get that job? Nope. But my resume didn't get tossed in the trash. It was put on file and when that paper acquired a nearby weekly and increased its budget for a reporter, my resume found its way there and I was hired.
The clips from that job got me my next job, which led to two promotions and, finally, at a personally coveted job at daily newspaper -- which I have since put behind me. Now I am back to writing, finding the voice I had muted long ago. Am I getting paid to write? Nope. Am I making someone else's life better? Not directly. Do I like what I am doing? Certainly.
Which leads me to my point -- if you are going to write for free -- write for yourself. If you're good enough, smart enough, and people like you, you can parlay your skills into a paycheck. But is it a decent paycheck? Only if you're lucky. I came across an ad on Craigslist http://austin.craigslist.org/wri/2798149230.html (where the search for free labor never ends) that actually sounded really good.
"Well-Known Blogger Needed To Managing Growing Blog Network (Austin)
We have an immediate opportunity for an experienced, well-known blogger to serve as executive editor and manager of our fast-growing network of extremely unique, high quality blogs and the growing team of writers who provide daily content for them all. Your job responsibilities will include the following:
- Read all of the blogs daily and let the writers know what they can do to improve their entries, as well as make corrections of grammar, spelling, etc.
- Answer all questions by the writers about how to use Wordpress, how to interpret our guidelines, etc.
- Evaluate and hire new freelance contributors
- Make sure that our writers are actively researching their articles, linking generously, and that all of our blogs have plenty of inbound links from other bloggers and journalists as well
- Constantly innovate and improve upon our blog network. It is our goal that each of our blogs is the best in its industry.
- Build and maintain relationships in the industry with bloggers and journalists whom we can regularly cover and who will be happy to cover us as well, and introduce us to other people who might be interested in covering us.
- Manage our legacy link-building team for a few months longer until it becomes unnecessary
- Help get all of our blogs admitted into Google News
We are looking to hire someone who:
- has an excellent understanding of what great, super-high quality, well-researched blog entries look like,
- knows what the standards are in the blogging industry,
- knows how to use Wordpress and
- runs his/her own high-traffic blog or who has experience managing a very high quality blog network.
- is quick, highly organized and capable of managing a network which adds a new blog and writer each week or two
Please understand that our triple-digit year-to-year growth and tremendous success has been due to the insatiable desire and complete commitment we all have to make the company a success, and our passion to raise the standards for communication everywhere. This is one of the most fun, interesting positions you could possibly get paid to do and we want someone who considers this a lifestyle, not a 9 to 5 job. If pride, honor and long-term commitment mean something to you, then you will love our small, close-knit team. We hope you apply and are excited to hear from you!
This is a job you can do from wherever you are, but it is absolutely full-time and you must work fixed, consecutive hours. Pay is $600 per week. If you would like to do this, please send a detailed cover letter describing in detail your prior relevant experience, industry contacts, any blogs you currently run (including how much daily traffic you get), any industry events you regularly attend, any relevant awards or recognitions you have achieved, and anything else which you think is relevant to the position."
Did you see the problem? This company is booming with "triple-digit year-to-year growth and tremendous success" and they want to build not on the brand you have already created for yourself, but its brand. And in compensation they want to pay $600 a week. If this was truly a 9-to-5 gig -- which it is definitely not -- that works out to $15 an hour. That's not too shabby considering my last job didn't pay much more than that but did come with some benefits.
In reality, with the job description they've provided, it's more like 60 to 80 hours a week. That paycheck drops to $10 an hour at the 60-hour rate and a mere$7.50 an hour at 80 hours. The Federal minimum wage is $7.25 this year, so for an 80-hour-a-week grind, you'll be making less than the guy who gave you that breakfast taco this morning.
If one already has a successful blog, they're already making some coin doing so and they aren't answering to anyone but themselves. If you're making $600 a week (and that's before taxes), the blog's owner(s) are taking a bigger share than that and building their brand on your labors.
You drop that same amount of time into building your own brand and blog and see what happens. You just might end up with "triple-digit year-to-year growth and tremendous success."
And that will buy you a lot of breakfast tacos.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder