4 Things a Blogger Can Easily 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.)

Courtesy: Nicole Dean, EasyPLR

Freelance Writer Gone Mad: The Trek Into Novelhood

In this edition of Freelance Friday I want to highlight freelance writer Angela Swanlund. Angela has been around the Internet for many years and published on many websites. Her best work has been for places like The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, where she did extensive research into the gruesome killing spree of Ronald Gene Simmons. She’s also been published in Cuckleburr Times and Ozark Farms and Neighbor Newspaper.

Angela is a prolific writer with a style that is uniquely hers; sometimes extremely serious, sometimes light and funny. No matter what topic Angela tackles she handles it with panache and professionalism.

Last year she did something almost unheard of in today’s society; she unplugged for an entire year. Yep, that’s right. She disconnected her phone service and her Internet service and devoted the entire year to writing her first full length novel. Actually, she went a bit overboard and it ended up being the length of two novels. She is now in the process of trimming it down and getting ready to send it off to publishers. She’s also begun working on her second novel. This one has been a bit difficult due to that fact that she’s contending with the Internet this year. She may have to unplug to see it’s completion.

Most writers would never dream of walking away from their freelance career for a year to pursue writing a novel. Many try to juggle the best of both worlds and end up frustrated in the process, never giving due diligence to either project. Angela is living proof that you can go off the grid, write a novel, and survive life without the digital age.

Many of us need the income we receive for our freelance work. Angela just buckled down and lived frugally for a year so the loss of income would not be such a strain. You have to decide which is more important; ordering pizza every week or getting your novel out.

When asked why she took such extreme measures, she admitted that self-control can be more difficult than actually unplugging. Without the tease of getting online for just a few minutes, she was able to focus her sole attention to her novel.

Freelance Friday: The Scribe’s Scope

Well my new section “Freelance Friday” is here and I’ve got nothing. But since it’s my blog I guess I can highlight myself and tell you a little about what’s in store for some upcoming features.

Mayhem & Madness: I’ve recently started a weekly event specifically for fiction writers called Monday Mayhem & Madness. This is a Monday event where writers can share what they are working on, what they’re putting their characters through (or their characters are putting them through), plots, schemes, frustrations–anything the fiction writer goes through and wants to share.

This event is to help fiction writers meet others through comments and camaraderie. It’s a lot of fun to share and mingle with other writers.

Wednesday Writing Sprint: This is also a weekly event but it’s for all writers–fiction, freelance, poets, etc. The scope of this event is to get as much writing accomplished in this one day as you possibly can. Turn off email, Twitter, whatever you use to network during the week and just ignore it for one day a week so you can concentrate on your writing.

Drop in each week for the Wednesday Writing Sprint and share what you’re working on. I know it’s a contradiction since we’re supposed to unplug–but it really is a great motivator to share with other writers.

And then of course, we have Freelance Friday. I’m not completely sure what I want to do with it yet. I do know since I love fiction and freelance, I want the best of both worlds here at The Scribe and I want all writers to feel welcome here.

Freelance Friday will have some guest posts from great freelance writers around the Internet. I don’t know how soon that will happen, but it’s in the plans. I could call this Fun Friday instead. Any thoughts?

I want The Scribe to be informative, but also a fun place for writers to hang out and share their passion.

Jonathan Bailey Interview on KTVB.com

Recently, Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today had the honor of being interviewed for a segment of KTVB.com news regarding political plagiarism scandals; specifically in reference to the Vaughn Ward case where “Ward was accused of plagiarizing President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.”

I have followed Jonathan for several years now. It is a great honor, to not only share this video segment with you, but to share in his joy of such a well deserved achievement. Congratulations Jonathan! You did an Awesome job!

Jonathan is The Webmaster and author of Plagiarism Today, which he founded in 2005 as a way to help Webmasters going through content theft problems get accurate information and stay up to date on the rapidly-changing field. He is also a consultant to Webmasters and companies to help them devise practical content protection strategies and develop good copyright policies.

He can also be found at CopyByte, a consulting firm that specializes in copyright and plagiarism matters in regards to the Web.

Events for July

We’ve got some great weekly events scheduled here at the Stafford Scribe, trying to revamp a few things we’ve been involved in before. One of them is the Wednesday Writing Sprint; a time to devote each Wednesday to getting as much writing done as you can. Turn everything off and concentrate on writing only. Get all other tasks done before this day. If you need to contact clients or whatever–get it out of the way so you can spend Wednesday writing. You are allowed to check in here and share your progress or frustrations with the rest of the gang.

Wednesday is devoted to any type of writing you do; freelance, fiction, poetry—it’s just about writing!

Another weekly event is Mayhem Monday. This day is devoted to fiction writers. Hop on board and share the mayhem you’re putting your characters through or even the mayhem they’re putting you through. It’s a day to devote to fiction and share with other fiction writers.

Please note that July is a trial month for these events. We hope to keep them going but it really depends on you and your interaction with the events. Please spread the word.

These are great opportunites to meet and communicate with other writers.

Please leave comments on your thoughts.

Happy Writing!

Freelance Friday

We will be adding some new features here at the Stafford Scribe. One of them being Freelance Friday where we will cover many topics in the world of freelance writing. At times we will even showcase some of the most talented freelance writers on the web.

Other features will be announced soon. Look for The Scribe’s Scope in an upcoming post.

If you feel you have something to contribute to our Freelance Friday section, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

Be sure to check out the Guest Blogging guidelines. Don’t worry, they are really easy.

Happy Writing!

Book Sneeze – Get Books for Free!

I recently signed up at Booksneeze.com. If you love reading, you may want to check this site out. They give away free books–the only catch is–you have to write a review on your blog.

As of right now, the available book is Lead Like Ike by Geoff Loftus. The book is about 10 business strategies using the knowledge that Ike used to back his decisions and execution of D-Day.

I haven’t decided if this book is for me yet. It sounds like a great read, and I am interested in the business material, but I can’t decide.

I just wanted to share this with readers in case you’re interested in reviewing books for free as well.

The site is well set up and has many top reviewers. This indicates the site is legit and these people are enjoying the books they receive for free.

Check it out and see what you think. This is not an affiliate link. I gain nothing from sharing this information with you.

Where Has Language as We Knew It, Gone?

TextingI’m as open to change as the next person; in fact, I know that life is transient and the only thing that is permanent is change itself. But if there’s one thing I can never get used to or bring myself to use is what we now term “text lingo” – the fashionable language that allows you to delete the vowels from words to shorten them and mix them with numbers that sound that parts of words to form totally unrecognizable words, all of which are fully accepted by anyone who uses a cellphone or is familiar with instant messaging. Apparently, if you frown at this usage, if you’re so focused on grammar and spellings, you’re not current or living in the present.

But, even at the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I beg to differ from this point of view. While I think it’s each to their own when sending personal messages on your cellphone or when chatting online, when it comes to email and writing for websites, there are certain rules that need to be followed, even if you think they’re not “hip” and “relevant” to the times. No one likes to read emails that are grammatically incorrect and riddled with spelling mistakes. And believe me, if you’re getting away with the same kind of usage on your blog, it’s only because you haven’t noticed the drop in your readership.

You may think that language is a form of communication and that as long as you’ve included all the relevant information and facts in your missive (be it a letter, a blog post or a website page), it doesn’t matter that it’s peppered with grammatical and spelling errors. But what you don’t realize is that even a simple mistake like the misplacement of a comma or the transposition of words can change the meaning of whatever you’re trying to say. So because your knowledge of the language is poor, you may end up misleading your readers.

Some mistakes are just plain annoying – like the wrong placement of an apostrophe (saying you’re when you actually mean your) and the usage of I instead of me and vice versa. But there are others that could end up confusing your audience – like the placement of the world “only” in a sentence. For example, the sentences “John was only trying to help Jane” and “Only John was trying to help Jane” have totally different meanings. The first sentence is a sort of explanation for what John did because he somehow messed up while trying to help Jane, while the second praises John as the only person trying to help her. As another example, consider these two sentences – “Only children are allowed to play here” and “Children are allowed to play only here”. The first one has the word “children” as the subject and restricts the playing to children while the second has the location as the subject and restricts the location where the children are allowed to play.

So if you don’t want to end up making such mistakes when writing for your blog or website, it’s best to brush up on your language skills by including your vowels, cutting out the numerals from your words, and reading through what you’ve written to ensure that the meaning is loud and clear.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of degree online . She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com

The Law of Attraction in Action

lawofattractionThis blog is about the writer’s passion, writing what you love and loving what you write—or it’s supposed to be. Writing should also be fun.

My passion is not to write about writing. I do enjoy it, but there are so many great blogs out there about writing—fiction, technique, freelance, style, non-fiction—the topics are endless.

After a lot of soul searching (and putting it off for years) I’ve finally decided to go with my passion—health and well-being. I’ve spent the last few weeks getting the site ready for launch. There will be some crossover between this blog and that one. How can you keep up with your passion for writing if the body, mind and spirit are not in alignment?

What does all of that have to do with the Law of Attraction? Well since I’ve decided to go with my niche passion, the comments I’ve been getting from my posts at BloggingTips and here as well, have mostly been from people who are in the same niche—something related to health, well-being or personal development.

I didn’t actively set out to start attracting these people—yet, but we do inadvertently attract those things that we desire. When The Law of Attraction is set in motion and on purpose—just imagine what it can do. I’ll probably have more on that in another post—at a later date.

Since this blog is about writing and passion, I want to hear from you. I invite you to write a guest post about your passion. Tell us why you write, what your favorite topic/niche is. You can write this as a story, or as a bio type post. Just share your love of writing with us.

You can read the guest guidelines at the Guest Blogging page. Don’t worry—they aren’t too strict.

Oh, I’ll announce my new blog soon—so check back in!

Image courtesy: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/2442969107_54f77a8f3c.jpg

Great Sunday Blog Reading

sunriseThis is a rare Sunday post. I didn’t set out to post today—well not really—but I found some great reads today that I thought worthy of sharing.

Lake Lopez—actually, Lake found me, but I’m so glad he did. Be sure to check out all of his blog because he has some very amusing stuff there. Don’t let that fool you though; he’s a serious writer as well.

7 Steps to Playing a Much Bigger Game. This is a blog post on The Launch Coach, and I haven’t read the entire site—but it looks very promising from what I have read.

I know this is a short list—but it’s the quality that counts—not the quantity.

Hope you enjoy!

Image courtesy: http://www.haumaru.com/photoblog/images/20051029105534_tahitian-sunrise-bitchin-around-over-paris.jpg

When Passion Fails You: Scolding the Muse

mushroomfairymuseYou have the passion to be a writer or a daily blogger. It’s there gnawing at you every moment of every day until you give in and start writing. If you’re not writing, you’re thinking about writing, you’re jotting down ideas, you’re thinking up great blog posts, new angles to share with your readers—this is your life; you are passionate about being a writer—you are a writer.

So what happens when the passion goes to sleep? Has the flame of desire completely gone out and killed all your enthusiasm about writing? Not necessarily. Often, you just need to take a break. Everyone else gets a vacation, there’s no reason a writer can’t take a vacation from work.

Is this another post about writer’s block? Not really. I’m not even sure what writer’s block is, even though I’ve written about it on numerous occasions. I’m starting to think only fiction writers get “the block.” As a freelance writer there isn’t a book or magazine I can’t open and not get an idea brewing. I can write about topics that I have no interest in at all—and I’ve done that. I think it may boil down to passion.

What is passion and what do you do when it just isn’t there? Passion is “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate“. The dictionary also relates it to strong sexual desire.

Can we relate writing to sex and relationships? I think we can. Writing is like a long love affair or relationship. After awhile, and unless you’re still in your early twenties, you don’t have sex on the brain constantly. It doesn’t mean the relationship has gone bad—it just means other things are allowed to occupy your thoughts. The passion is still there, it’s just taken a back seat for the time being—sometimes you’re just not in the mood. The passion a writer has is the same way. It doesn’t die; it just takes a back seat.

We all have days that we’d rather scrub the toilet or fix the lawn mower than to sit down and write (or have sex). It’s human nature and it’s inevitable. If you’re like me, you may feel like your passion has failed you. It hasn’t, it just needs a break.

How do you get it back? Well, after you scrub the toilet and fix the lawn mower, you write. I know, that’s my answer for everything—but until you try it, you don’t know how powerful it really is. Simple? Not always. I had to force myself to sit down and write—but once the words started flowing it gave me an awesome feeling of power over the passion (or lack thereof).

It doesn’t matter if your passion is waning or if you have full blown writer’s block—the key to this writing gig is to write. My personal journal is full of entries about not wanting to write—often I have a whole week full of entries like this:

“I don’t want to write today. I’m supposed to be a writer, but how can I even call myself a writer if I don’t want to write. Writers are supposed to write—but I’m not writing. I’m sitting here whining into my journal over not writing and not wanting to write. Why don’t I want to write today? No one else is having this problem, they’re all writing.”

When you sit down and write about not writing or even asking yourself how you can call yourself a writer when you aren’t writing—there’s something about seeing your own words rip you to shreds that gets your butt planted in the seat and your fingers on the keyboard. The muse doesn’t like to be scolded.

The muse is like a child. It needs love and affection, but sometimes it needs to be scolded too. When you tell someone they can’t do something, they often become hell-bent on doing the thing they can’t do—just because. It’s like a challenge and they will rise to the challenge. The muse works the same way—if you rip him/her to shreds for not allowing to do what you do, she will usually prove to you that she is still there and willing to work.

If you can’t find the words to write, just write about how bad you suck at being a writer. Sometimes it’s good to piss the muse off.

Be sure to check out my guest post at Storyfix.com: Writing and the Laws of Motion. If you’ve found me through Larry’s site, thanks for the visit and welcome to The Stafford Scribe!

Merry Christmas

Just sharing a classic today. Enjoy!

Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’sSun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

“VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Santa_Claus


Courtesy of: http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/


Sassy PLR | Content Course | Disclaimer | Contact | Testimonials | Mission | RSS