Posts from — August 2010

Even the best writer gets a little brain dead sometimes.  Between clients and family, we all need a little break.  I know sometimes you get so wrapped up in a project that you barely have time to eat, let alone take a real break involving getting up from the computer.  So what should you do?  I know most people scoff at the idea of playing video games on the computer, but it is actually a good way to relax. Sometimes I even come up with ideas for articles while I am playing video games.  Now I know what you’re probably wondering. Where on earth can I go to find some good games to play? I am so glad you asked that question.  For starters, you can always find some interesting games on Facebook. My personal faves are Farmville and NightClub City.

I also link to some games on my forum.  You can see the link to my forum in the links section of this blog. Those are just some free games that I found the code for online and decided to add to my site so my visitors can have something to do.  They don’t have any real theme to them.
However, if you are into Ben10 games, then you should definitely click on the words Ben 10 games in this post for a wide variety of Ben10 related games.  I had to restrain myself from playing those games myself.  I did, really.  I actually love that show. I could have sat around for hours playing those games, but I digress.

Female gamers, I didn’t forget about you.  There are also some really neat girl games available on the same site that has the Ben 10 games.  Just click on the words girl games in this post to play those games.  If you need to get your “Swiper no swiping” fix on, you can also play some games related to the Dora the Explorer show.  To find the Dora games, just click on the words Dora games in this post.  Those should be enough games to get you started.

Everyone needs a chance to release their inner child. It can be easy to get sucked into the games and not get your to do list done.  I suggest setting an alarm clock so that you don’t spend too much time playing games.  I don’t want you to lose clients because you spent too much time playing games and not enough time writing. Have fun, but in moderation!

When people think of networking they often stop at collecting a person’s business card or connecting with them on twitter. Remember that a little bit can go a long way. What do I mean by that? Well when you connect with someone whether it be virtually or in real life, remember to keep in touch with that person. I realize that it is hard to keep up with people if you have a big network of people. Just make a goal to connect with one person a day. That can really go a long way in growing your business. You never know which of your business associates will lead you to that next big deal or that next client.

Ebooks are a must have tool in a freelance writer’s toolbox. No I don’t mean the kind you read, I mean those that you write. When you write an ebook, you gain credibility in your niche. You also have a product that you can either give away to build your own opt in list (you are building an optin list, right) or charge money for. Here are some ideas to help you find great topics to write your ebook about. Enjoy.

I’ve always been impressed with those who seem to always be
ahead of the pack when it comes to new ideas.

When I first started publishing information products
online, I thought that certain people had a crystal ball
they gazed into. Or some top-secret contact who was
providing them with inside information.

Over time, I realized that it wasn’t magic that allowed
these people to come up with red-hot ideas on demand. It
was simply that they knew where to look.

I soon discovered many places where ideas seemed to always
be found. I call these places “idea hangouts”. Here are
three of my favorites where you can find ideas for your
next ebook anytime you want. Almost like a genie granting
you three wishes…

1. GOOGLE.COM.

Google is the ultimate “idea hangout”. There are so many
ways to mine the gold in Google’s amazing search database
that it would take another article to graze the surface of
this enormous iceberg.

What I want to mention are just two quick ways to find
ideas by searching Google.

- Identify Listings.

Search for a broad topic related to your area of interest
or expertise. (I.E. “Tennis”, “Weight loss”,
“Homeschooling”.) Look at all of the web sites listed in
the index of returned results. You’ll likely find some
ideas for information products right there in the first
couple of pages.

- Identify Advertisers.

You’ll probably notice small ads either at the top of the
page or to the right of the page (or both!). These
advertisers represent your competition. They also
represent your thermometer for taking the temperature of
your market and gauging interest in specific topics.
Chances are, what they’re selling you should be selling.

In both of these examples, you can click through to the web
pages of the sites listed and study their respective sales
pages. Look specifically at the “bullet points”. Each of
these represents a potential idea for your next ebook.

2. AMAZON.COM.

From the world’s largest search engine we move to the
world’s largest bookstore. At Amazon.com you’ll really get
your creative juices fired up.

Again, you’ll want to search the listings by entering a
keyword or keyphrase into the search box on the main page
at Amazon.com.

You’ll get a returned listing of numerous books, courses
and other periodicals. Search these listed items for ideas
for your own ebook.

— Example —

If you were to search for “Homeschooling”, you’d find a
variety of ideas just waiting in the listing of books
available, including: homeschooling for special needs
children, getting starting in homeschooling, choosing
curriculum, homeschooling field trips, homeschooling
support groups, homeschooling for various ages (I.E. Pre-K,
Elementary, Junior High, High School, etc.), homeschooling
for Christians, etc.)

Any of these listings (and the dozens of others listed)
would be great ideas for the topic of your next ebook.

— Example —

Pay particular attention to the first page of the listing.
Amazon ranks their listings based on popularity of actual
sales volume. In other words, #1 is a better seller than
#50. This is a ready-made indicator of demand!

3. MAGAZINES.COM.

After visiting the world’s largest search engine and the
world’s largest bookstore, it’s time to take a quick stop
at the world’s largest periodical store, Magazines.com.

You’ll find every imaginable magazine listed at this site.
The interesting part (and useful to you as a research tool)
is this: you’ll also find the COVER of usually a recent
copy of each magazine.

That is, you can search for “Parenting” and the engine will
return a listing of magazines related to that topic. You
can then click on the image of the magazine cover and
you’ll be shown a larger copy of that cover where you can
read the contents. (I.E. “How To Raise A Stubborn Child”,
“27 Ways Discipline In Public” and “The Real Key To Your
Child Getting Better Grades”.)

Each of these “cover stories” represents an idea for your
next ebook.

The best part about it is this: the publishers of these
magazines have done the research for you! They’ve measured
the level of interest for these ideas and found it high
enough to warrant not only writing content about them, but
referencing that content on the cover of the magazine!

That’s your hint. People want this information.

So, there you have it, 3 “idea hangouts” where you can find
ready-made, in-demand, red-hot topics for your next ebook.

Happy hunting!

As a freelancer, you should be building your own mailing list. It’s always a good idea to have a list of people that you can contact and promote things to whenever you want. Read on for more info about something that can make this process easier.

Can A Listbuilding System Be TOTALLY Automated?

I know we’re all a bit sick and tired of promises of “automated software” that will make us rich before dinner.

And I’m always the first to be skeptical of these kinds of outrageous claims.

But today I may have to actually eat my words.

Because I just picked up a listbuildilng system that really is incredibly fast…,

And the traffic actually does keeps flow in on auto-pilot.

It’s a pretty new tactic on the scene that I’ve heard of.

But I never really knew how to implement it.

Then I found this:

Free Plug N Play Listbuilding System

At that link 7 figure marketer Bill McRea is GIVING AWAY this listbuilding system totally free…

It’s his way of getting some buzz going for his upcoming product launch (apparently he’s go another system up his sleeve that’s even better than this)

In any case..

I went and got this myself and it’s totally legit.

There’s nothing scammy about it all.
It’s just a way to instantly create a win-win offer that potential JV partners can’t refuse.

Bill hand you EVERYTHING you need to make it work. And I mean EVERYTHING.

So if you know the power of having a mailing list..

Do yourself a favor and go get this.

Do it now: Free Plug N Play Listbuilding System

I mean…you can’t beat the price, right?

P.S. There is one catch to this…you’ll have to help spread the word. But that’s easy for me because I’ve seen this strategy in action and know that it works.
You should get Free Plug N Play Listbuilding System now!

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I just wanted to share this with you. I purchased this ebook, Writing Content For Sale earlier this week. It was pretty decent. It lists sites that will pay you for your articles. Check this book out today by clicking on the words Writing Content For Sale. Yes, this is my affiliate link.

Here’s an article I came across about article writing by Murray Lynn I thought you might enjoy. It discusses ways that you can earn money with your articles. You can get to the article by clicking on the words article writing in this post. Enjoy!

I know you have probably seen people advertising dozens of giveaway events before. This one is different at least in my opinion. The purpose of this giveaway is to raise money to help children who need life saving operations. To find out more about this event and to join as a contributor click the following link:
http://www.learnsmallbusiness.com/suggests/nams4kids/
Do it now!

It’s the first day of school here in Georgia, so today’s post will be a brief one. When you’re networking, be sure to connect with your potential clients on more than one platform. If you meet them on twitter, connect with them on Facebook. Ask your new friend where else they hang out at online. Visit and subscribe to her blog. You don’t want to only have one way to connect with your new friend. What if that site goes down or you get locked out of your account? This does take time. The best way to get this done is to ask as soon as you accept a new friend request. That’s my tip for today. Get out there and start making those connections.

I’ve been on a bit of a vacation over the last few weeks. Now I’m back with some great info for you.

Blogging is a great way for you to establish yourself as a freelancer. You can show off your work. You can gain credibility in your niche.

However, sometimes you might need a little help in your blogging. Maybe you’ve got a big project to work on. Maybe a family member is ill and you have to spend more time taking care of them. The rest of this post will give you tips on things you as a blogger should outsource.

Blogging is a great way to get started making money online – BUT – it’s work. (All good things come with some effort, right?)

The absolute worst thing a new blogger can do is to do nothing. Yet, that’s what happens to many bloggers when they’re first getting started. While waiting to get their blog just perfect, they do nothing and, instead, spin their wheels – stuck in one place.

Meanwhile, they get frustrated, their dreams fade, and they end up giving up before they even had a fighting chance. It’s sad, especially since many of them are talented writers, are passionate about their topic, and have a lot to share with the world.

So, what can a new blogger do to avoid this from happening?

Simple. Outsource.

But, what, exactly is “Outsourcing“?

Outsourcing is just a fancy word for getting someone qualified to quickly and efficiently do a job for you that you

1. don’t have time for,

2. don’t want to do, or

3. don’t have the skills to do.

But what can you outsource, and how? And, can you afford to?

All great questions. Here are 4 tasks you can immediately outsource for a modest price (and boost your blogging efforts at the same time).

1. Blog Installation and Optimization.

If you’re planning to blog, the one thing you’ll need is a web host. Why not choose a multipurpose web host that will also install your blog for you? Both MomWebs.com and ReliableWebs.com will install your WordPress blog for you. Why would they jump through these hoops? They want you to succeed so that you become a customer for many years. As part of their service, both web hosts will also recommend and install plugins for you for a reasonable fee.

There’s no point in getting paralysis by analysis. This is an easy decision to get over your first hurdle – actually getting your WordPress blog online and ready to roll.

2. Design.

One thing I outsource gladly is graphics. When I try to do my own, they look unprofessional and, downright tacky. When I pay a more talented professional to create my graphics, they look awesome! You can find a professional designer at Shelancers.com who can make your blog look snazzy – just look around. Of course, you can also search places like eLance.com, but I’d suggest that you ask for a recommendation from a friend (or even on Twitter) before going with someone totally untested.

3. Content Management.

Keeping your blog active with fresh content can be a feat in itself. BUT – there is a big secret that bloggers use to make their lives much easier. It’s called PLR content and it’s something that I’ve also used in the past.

What is PLR content? Basically, PLR articles are written by ghostwriters and sold at a very affordable price (usually around $1-2 per article) to multiple bloggers and website owners. So, as a blogger, you can purchase these articles, and stick them on your blog. Or, as I recommend, you edit them a bit before posting them to your blog. While PLR is not totally hands-free – it can help you to get over the hurdle of having to write all of the content for your blog all by yourself.

By the way, the place I recommend you look for PLR Articles is EasyPLR.com .

Of course, you can save even more time by hiring a Virtual Assistant to add the PLR that you purchase to your blog for you so that it’s waiting in there the next time you face writer’s block (as we all do).

4. Community.

Do you ever hear the sound of crickets when you go to your blog? How do some bloggers get such a conversation going while others seem to be talking to themselves? The answer may not be what you think. Another big secret of top bloggers is that they sometimes “seed” conversations with their own assistants and friends. Yes, they have commenters who are paid to come by and leave comments to keep the conversation going. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

While you don’t have to go quite that far, it doesn’t hurt to be “comment buddies” with some friends and help keep each others blogs active with conversation.

What Next?

Learn More about Outsourcing at my Recommended Resource. Outsourcing can be a big scary thing if you’re trying to figure it out on your own. So, if you’d like to learn more about how to Outsource in your Online Business, I recommend this course: www.OutsourceWeekly.com (You’ll see a free series of lessons on the top of that page.)