 Writing Lab News |
| Only one issue left till we complete the fourth year of Writing Lab News, and in this issue we ask about the value of online profiles compared to an offline resume. There are recommended resources as well as a packed Diary column. Enjoy! |
| In this issue:
Can Online Profiles Replace Your Resume?by Sharon Hurley Hall This is a subscriber exclusive. Earlier this month one of the people I worked for asked me for my CV so they could put it on file. I agreed and searched my desktop for an up to date version of the document. To my surprise, the only version I could find was last updated in 2006. Why was this? In part it's because I use social media a lot and the place where my most up to date work information can be found is on LinkedIn. I tend to add new gigs there when they happen and to collect testimonials and expand my network. I also have several online profiles on freelancing sites as well as my own portfolio site. All of those are more up to date than my resume. Does that mean that I don't need one? I'm not entirely sure. You see, although I spend a lot of time online, I always advise writers that they shouldn't ignore the offline market - newspapers, magazines, small businesses looking for marketing material and the like. If you take this tip, then you will perhaps need to have a physical meeting with someone (remember those?) and take in that piece of paper that outlines your credentials. Not everyone you meet will be web savvy and many people are more comfortable with the format they know. That doesn't mean I'll stop updating my online profiles. On the contrary, keeping them up to date is essential for anyone who makes their living online (or who wants to be found by those searching online). However, I'm also taking my own advice, so I've updated my offline resume as well.
Recommended Writing ResourcesIt's been a long time coming, but Get Paid To Write Online finally has its own resources page. Part booklist, part blogroll, part product list, the page has links to all the resources I recommend for blogging, backup, finding photos, article marketing and a host of other tasks that writers get involved in. It's a work in progress, as there are always some great new resources to add. Check out the resources page here.
Put A Writing Portfolio Online With Google Docsby Sharon Hurley Hall I'm still writing about writing portfolios over on Suite101 and this article won an Editor's Choice award. Here's an excerpt: The next step in creating an online writing portfolio is to divide the work into different areas. For example, writers who write articles, create press releases, proofread and blog could create a separate slide for each area. On each slide, include an elevator pitch – a couple of sentences that say something about that area of work – plus some examples of the work. These could either be screenshots or actual links. One good reason to include links in an online writing portfolio is that potential clients can go directly to the clips included. Read Put A Writing Portfolio Online With Google Docs
Writing Talk - Writer's BlockThis strip was inspired by my seven year old's explanation of why she was stuck on an English composition. I thought it was a great metaphor
Check out the other Writing Talk strips here. Diary Of A Working Writer – February 2010As promised, in the past month I've reviewed how my writing business performed in 2009 and have made some changes to improve it both in terms of earnings and job satisfaction. I started working with a new client (one of three I picked up) during the month and found that integrating that business into my packed schedule forced me to burn the midnight oil. It happens to us all, but I'll be making more changes to make sure it's not a regular occurrence. I continued to write and blog for various clients, with some of my favorite posts/articles during the month being:
I was also pleased that the travel blog was featured at No 10 in Travel Blog Sites top 100 and will be looking to build on that achievement over the coming months. I hope you have a great month. Share this newsletter with a friend (if they don't want it, all they have to do is ignore the signup email - no hassle, I promise.)
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