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Surf Freelance Project Boards on Your Way to Freelance Successby Deanna J. Jones |
What, exactly, is the internet? It's true that it is called the Information Super Highway, but how is that information presented? It's presented in words, the currency of the writer. It's what writers do--we write words. Therefore it is no surprise that the internet offers more opportunities to the modern writer than even the invention of the printing press. Wired writers can find quick connections to a large range of publishers, editors, and guidelines, can avail themselves of many inexpensive means of self-promotion, and, perhaps most exciting, can take advantage of an entire new field in online writing. It's a World Wide Web of opportunity, and all a writer has to do is learn how to utilize it.
Content is Key, But Who is Writing It?
According to the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, there were 8,745,000 web sites on the internet in 2001. That’s quite a lot of web sites. What is the backbone of each of those web sites? Content. Content, the words on a web page, is what keeps traffic interested, willing to return, and willing to buy. Who better to provide these words than writers? Webmasters have begun to realize this, and there are many web sites and online publications actively seeking writers. In fact, the demand for content far outweighs the number of writers supplying that demand.
This market is not difficult to break into if you take a bit of time to research content writing.
Web content is different than the material in traditional print publications in that it is usually shorter, crisper, and easier to skim. Reading well written online content is a good way to learn the style.
There are many places that keep updated lists of online markets, but don’t hesitate to search for writer’s guidelines at web sites that interest you. It is also helpful to be on the lookout for new web sites, and send your resume to the editors.
What Good is the Internet for Making Money Offline?
Not only a fantastic place to find online work, the web makes it easier than ever for a writer to earn a living offline. There are databases containing guidelines and contact information for countless publications now accessible from your office or living room, and most large publishing houses have their own web sites, making it a snap to find the perfect market for your work.
International internet access has also widened our freelance hunting grounds. I live in a rural area, and, as much as I love it here, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for a freelancer, unless I want to write investigative chronicles about the neighborhood cow that broke out of her pasture and blocked the road. However, thanks to the power of the internet, I have done contract work for people in India, Ireland, Canada, Italy, and England--not to mention all over the United States--without ever having to leave my home town. What’s more, I can sit down at my computer and, within half an hour, find at least two prospective assignments. Since I have gained an internet connection, I have been able to triple my freelance assignments.
How on Earth Can a Writer Afford an Advertising Campaign?
Aside from making you money, the internet can save you money, as well. Many editors will now accept email submissions, saving you the cost of postage. The web also provides an inexpensive and effective means of marketing your work and services. For example, every writer should have his or her own web site with clips and writing samples. You can obtain a web site for as little as $4.95 a month at Yahoo! Geocities, and can even build one for free if you are willing to have outside advertising on your pages. The easier you make it for editors to view samples of your work, the better your chances, and it doesn’t get much easier than point and click.
Those of you looking for online work should also prepare a resume and a letter introducing yourselves, and then send them to any web site editors that might need your skills. These can be emailed, providing you with a great means of promotion.
Finally, you might consider writing a few free articles for web sites in exchange for a byline. This is a good way to gain experience, clips, and advertising. If the thought of giving away your work in exchange for publicity makes you cringe, consider donating a few articles to the web sites of charitable organizations. You still get the byline, and you can feel good about the trade.
The Bottom Line
Make the internet work for you. Not only can it help to increase your writing income and open up new windows of opportunity, it can also drastically reduce the legwork of being a writer, leaving you with more time for what’s really important--writing.
Deanna J. Jones may be contacted at http://www.authorsden.com/deannajjones deannajjones@yahoo.com.
Deanna J. Jones is a freelance writer, wife, and mother. She is also a self-proclaimed history buff who spends her free time building web sites and working on her first novel.
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