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Today, I thought I would bring you this fascinating article on how to improve your Alexa ranking, compliments of Marketing Scoop. Check it out! You'll find some interesting strategies here!
7 Proven Strategies for Improving Your Alexa Ranking
By Michael Fleischner | Marketing Expert | Internet Marketing Secrets*
After spending two years building my own website, I was very disappointed that my Alexa ranking was still higher than one million. Alexa ranks each website based on the number of visitors it receives. The top ranked website, Yahoo! has an Alexa rating of 1 or 2. Less popular sites could be ranked up to 5,000,000.
In order to improve my Alexa rating, I spent about three weeks combing the web to find tips, secrets, and proven strategies for increasing my Alexa ranking. Unfortunately, many of the sites offering advice didn’t even have a high ranking themselves. Finally I discovered a number of sites ranked within the top 100,000 that were all applying the same “Alexa techniques” to improve their ranking. I’ve begun implementing a number of these techniques and have improved my Alexa ranking by 250,000 spots in just one week.
Here’s what you need to know. The basis for many of these techniques is the fact that your Alexa ranking is based reach and page views. However it only counts those who visit your site and have already downloaded the Alexa toolbar. Anyone can download the toolbar for free which is automatically added to your browser and tracks the sites you’re visiting. Increasing visits from those who do not have the Alexa toolbar installed will not help your Alexa ranking.
I’ve summarized the 7 strategies that I’ve discovered and applied to my own website to increase my Alexa ranking. Apply these strategies to your own website and see your ranking climb towards the top.
1. Download the Alexa toolbar and use it every day to visit your own website. Alexa even gives you the ability to co-brand the toolbar with your own logo and give it away. You can download the toolbar here: http://www.alexa.com/site/devcorner/associate_toolbar.
2. Use Alexa redirection whenever you can. No matter when or where you provide a link to your website, be sure to use the equivalent Alexa redirect URL. For example, when providing a link to my website, I use http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?marketingscoop.com/. If you copy this URL into your browser, it will take you to MarketingScoop.com. To use this technique, simply replace the name of my website (marketingscoop) with yours.
3. Encourage your website visitors to add their positive testimonials on Alexa’s detailed listings page for your website. This can be done by placing a link to the appropriate Alexa page on your website and asking visitors to “Click here to rate this website”. You can find your detailed Alexa page here: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=marketingscoop.com. Again, just replace the name of my website (marketingscoop) with yours. By clicking on the URL, visitors will be able to reach your detailed rating page and write a review using the review link located on the left hand side of the page.
4. Write your own site reviews on the top 100 rated Alexa sites and include your redirect URL. The top 500 domains, according to Alexa can be found at http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500. When you write a review, be sure to use the redirection URL we discussed in number 2 above specifically for your website [http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?marketingscoop.com].
5. Download the Alexa ranking button, traffic history graph, info links, and other traffic counters onto the page of your website that receives the most traffic. For example, at the bottom of my home page http://www.marketingscoop.com, I’ve added the Alexa ranking box. You can do the same for your own site by visiting http://www.alexa.com/site/site_stats/signup. You’ll notice that I haven’t added the traffic history graph. This is because it wouldn’t look appropriate on my home page and because Alexa is only providing detailed history on the top 100,000 sites. So if you’re not in the top 100,000, site stats would not be available.
6. Take an inexpensive advertisement out on the ExactSeek search directory for only a few dollars per month at ExactSeek.com. Search engine results are directly correlated with Alexa rankings. You’ll notice that if a website is highly ranked on ExactSeek, chances are that it will be highly ranked on Alexa.
7. Get listed on as many search engines as possible by placing a free listing in DMOZ. This is the largest human edited directory on the web and is co-branded among hundreds of thousands of sites. Be patient though, it often takes up to 5 months before you see your website listed after submission. Even though it takes longer than it should, you have little say in the matter because it’s so widely used across the Internet.
These simple Alexa strategies are easy to implement and will make a huge difference in your Alexa ranking. Ultimately you want visitors to do more than visit your home page, you want them to interact with your site. Be sure to optimize your home page for SEO purposes, ease of use, and interaction. Creating a positive user experience will get visitors to return again and again.
*Michael Fleischner is a marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com. Visit today for free marketing information and marketing blog directory. Michael has more than 12 years of marketing experience and had appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit his marketing blog for further details.
**************
The above article is reprinted, with permission, from the Marketing Scoop website. Hope you find it helpful!
Happy Alexa-tising!
Jeanne
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If you're looking for a site with tons of valuable information for freelance writers, you'll want to check out Writers-Editors Network. This site is also the home of Cassell Network of Writers (CNW) and Florida Freelance Writers Association (FFWA).
While both of the aforementioned writers associations charge varying fees for membership, the Writers-Editors Network website contains a great deal of free information, in the form of articles filled with advice on writing, getting writing assignments, negotiating fees for your work, and many other aspects of freelancing.
In addition, the site offers a Contest Tip Sheet, with great advice that can help you become "a contender" in any writing contest you may decide to enter. They also offer a list of current writing contests, as well as info on their own contest, and an FAQ page which answers many questions that writers may have about the writing/marketing process. They also list a few job opportunities, as well as "Talks, Seminars, and Conferences of Interest" to writers and/or editors.
If you are serious about writing--and about selling your writing--there's a lot of great information here that would undoubtedly be worthy of your time. So, check it out, and see if you don't find something here that will help you along the road to writing success.
Here's to your success!
Jeanne
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I visited my friend Laura Spencer's Writing Thoughts blog again today and decided to check out her new blog, OpinionMom, which she launched recently.
While I was there, I came across a post describing a handy blog rating tool that can be used to determine what sort of rating your blog would receive based on its content. Since I am very interested in producing a family-friendly blog, I decided to give it a try.
My blog came back with a G-rating, which is exactly what I'd hoped! (I couldn't be totally positive what my blog's rating would be, since the titles and posts of other Orble blogs are listed in the sidebar next to my own posts; so, needless to say, I was relieved to see that my blog had passed muster.)
Despite the fact that other bloggers' material does appear in my blog's sidebar, I do my very best to keep all other blog and post titles in an unobtrusive part of my blog, for the simple reason that any questionable material will be less likely to be noticed by those who visit my blog. I'm a firm believer that people should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not they are interested in reading such content--before they are faced with it--rather than being accosted by it at every turn.
Orble has also recently asked its bloggers to use the "Mature Content" flag on any posts with titles that contain profanity, in order to prevent those titles from appearing in the "Popular Posts" list in the sidebar of all Orble blogs. (Thanks, Orble!) So this should help with some of the more blatant occurrences of profanity that had previously found their way into our blogs' sidebars.
Still, though, as I previously mentioned, I am not taking any chances. I have relegated the lists of other Orble blogs, as well as the "Popular Posts" and "Breaking Posts" lists, into the deepest reaches of my blog's sidebar, at the very end of a number of rather lengthy lists of other, more acceptable, material, to keep them well-hidden from casual and unintentional public view.
Here's the blog rating tool. Feel free to use it to check the rating of your own blog!
Thanks, Laura, for letting us know about this great tool!
Please be sure to visit Laura Spencer's Writing Thoughts blog for some great info and resources on the writing craft; and, if you're a mom, as well as a writer, you might just enjoy checking out her Opinion Mom blog, as well. (Links to both of Laura's blogs can be found in the opening paragraph of this post.)
Happy rating!
Jeanne
P.S. I hope it isn't infelicitous of me to use the above blog rating tool in this post--since it's offered by an online dating website! That does seem rather ironic. But, be that as it may, I felt the tool itself was valuable.
Note: Infelicitous was the Word of the Day for June 3rd on Melissa Garrett's blog, The Silver Tongue. Melissa challenges other bloggers to use her Words of the Day in their own blog posts; and, to be honest, I have been planning for quite a while to use this one. I love this word!
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Freelancing Journey, a blog which refers to itself as "The Road to Business Success for Writers & Bloggers," is literally loaded with info, tips, links, leads, techniques, advice, and other resources that can help you, the freelance writer, make the most of your own website or blog. Covering many different aspects of the freelance writer's creative, professional, practical, and even personal development, this site has something for everyone interested in any type of freelance writing.
One post, "Page Rank, Back Links and Blogging," posted June 22nd, 2007, explains why page rank is important and provides tips on how to obtain quality backlinks to your blog. Another, more recent post, titled "Definitive List of Paid to Blog Services," dated June 28th, 2007, links to a very comprehensive discussion of the subject found in a post on another helpful blog. In addition, Freelancing Journey's "Roll of Honour" includes a long list of links to other blogs about writing--and blogging--as well as numerous other writing resources, markets, and marketing blogs.
Freelance writers are busy people, whose time is often severely limited. But taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule today to pick up some timely tips and advantageous advice could just save you a great deal of time and trouble over the long term.
So, check out Freelancing Journey, and see if you don't agree that this blog contains some helpful literary and marketing signposts to guide you along your freelance writing travels.
Bon Voyage!
Jeanne
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I recently wrote a post about a good news site called HappyNews.Com; and today, I'd like to share another such site with my readers. Personally, I am of the opinion that there's far too little positive news in the world today, and I applaud such sites as these which make it their goal to spread the good news far and wide. Bravo, Gimundo! Bravissimo, HappyNews.Com!
Gimundo is a site that can spark a writer's imagination, filling it with noble notions and inspirational ideas for writing projects that can bring out the best in our readers, encouraging them to do what they can to help make the world a better place.
With categories such as Home, News, Heroes, Health, Celebrities, Green, Family, Pets, and Video, Gimundo captures the best news on many different topics, providing stories that are of interest to a wide variety of individuals.
In addition to the stories always posted to the site, Gimundo also offers a free daily newsletter filled with--you guessed it!--more good news. One of the site's founders also writes a weekly blog, "The Good Spin," in which he takes a look at the news and discusses its positive impact on society as a whole.
While Gimundo does offer its readers the opportunity to submit stories to the site, they do not offer payment for them. They also require that those people who desire to contribute their stories register to become members of the site in order to have access to all the site's community features.
I did, however, see an ad once, on one of the writers' job listing sites, asking for writers to contribute to Gimundo for pay. This may have been a one-time thing, or it could happen again in the future. So, if you're interested in this type of writing, keep your eye on the job listing sites, in case this site advertises there again.
(You may also want to check out HappyNews.Com, which also accepts positive news stories from writers, or citizen journalists, offering each contributor a tip jar, whereby readers can make donations to writers whose stories they enjoy.)
Check out Gimundo. It's a great site! You might just get inspired--if not about writing, then maybe about life!
Happy reading!
Jeanne
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While the first week of my two-week training for my new job as a clinician for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes is proving to be pretty intense--and tiring!--I wanted to touch bases with my readers and give you another helpful link. This post will be short and sweet; but my hope is that you'll get a great deal of good from visiting this site and checking out the resources it has to offer.
WOW! Women On Writing is an e-zine aimed at women on all points of the writing-publishing spectrum. It's packed with articles, information, advice, and links, and its aim is "promoting the communication between women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers, and readers."
Female freelancers and others whose goals may vary widely, yet whose main focus is the written word, can find a great deal of interest at this site--which appears to be a supportive network of female writing and publishing professionals. Check it out!
Happy Reading!
Jeanne
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Back in March, I penned a post called, A Salute to My Fellow Writers--With Links! One of the links I included in that post pointed to the Funds For Writers website, which I felt at the time--and still feel today--to be a very valuable resource for writers.
One of my blogging buddies has confirmed my belief in the significance of Funds for Writers in the freelance writing marketplace by including an article containing some info about the site in a recent post. So I felt this would be the perfect time to write a post centered solely around the site and what it has to offer the aspiring, developing, or practicing writer.
(For more info about Yvonne Russell's Freelance Writing Rates post, mentioned in the previous paragraph, see my June 14th post, entitled, Buzz from the BlogVine: WritersWeekly Raising Rates--or go directly to her post by using the recent post link, above.)
Funds for Writers, generously presented to you by Hope Clark, offers multiple resources that can help writers in a number of different ways. Some of the site's highlights:
-A list of grants for writers
-A list of writing contests (containing competitions both with and without entry fees)
-A (limited) list of writing markets, with more offered in the site's free newsletters
-Several free newsletters
-An annual writing contest
-A list of other beneficial links (including organizations that can help writers in various ways)
-Lists of books and e-books for reference and/or study
-Publication of--and payment for--your articles about the craft or business of writing
Check out the Funds for Writers site! You'll find a great deal there that can help you reach your writing goals!
Happy Reading!
Jeanne
PS. For your convenience, should you later return to my blog and desire to access the site, a link to Funds for Writers can always be found in my Helpful Sites for Writers list, located in the sidebar on the left side of this web page.
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I learned, a few days ago, from reading my friend Yvonne Russell's Grow Your Writing Business blog, that WritersWeekly.Com is raising the rates it pays writers for their work. According to an article, written by Angela Hoy and reproduced in its entirety (with permission) by Yvonne, WritersWeekly is raising its rates 20% for features and 33% for success stories. This is great news for freelancers!
According to Ms. Hoy's article, the 20% increase for feature articles figures to "$60 for around 600 words for non-exclusive electronic rights only," and she adds, "For freelance success stories, we now pay $40 for around 300 words."
Her article is exceptionally interesting reading for freelancers, as it also contains an explanation of the payment history of several other major online publishers of freelance material, as well as several print publishers, giving us a glimpse into their going rates, and letting us know just how long it's been since each has raised its own rates.
Check out this great article on Yvonne's site! You'll find it in her post, entitled, Freelance Writing Rates. The article, entitled, We're Raising Our Freelance Rates, by Angela Hoy, is also posted on the WritersWeekly website.
Thanks, Yvonne for this fascinating and thoroughly helpful info! We can only hope that all the other publishers of freelance material will follow WritersWeekly.Com's shining example of adopting fairer freelance payment rates and thereby engaging in more responsible business practices!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
P.S. You'll want to visit Yvonne's blog often! Through it, she provides lots of great info and many helpful resources for writers! For your convenience, a link to Grow Your Writing Business can always be found in my blog's sidebar in the Helpful Sites for Writers list.
You'll also want to visit WritersWeekly.Com. Their site is packed with articles, market listings, and other resources that will help you reach your writing goals!
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While I guess it isn't technically Mother's Day "down under" any longer, it still is here in the U.S. Thus, I've decided to post this fairly extensive list of links to articles, blogs, etc., written for, by, and about moms, motherhood, writing, juggling motherhood and writing, and surviving and thriving in the freelance writing world. Finding these sites was a rather time-consuming process, and creating the links to them will make it even more so; hence the lateness of this post. But I suspect that these links will have long-term value to any mom who loves to write and wants to find websites that will give her moral support, inspiration, practical insight, and helpful resources to encourage her in both her craft and her business.
Here they are--again, in no particular order:
Motherhood News (blog about motherhood issues. Includes an entry called “Mommy.Com: the Rise of the Blogging Mom”—with a link to an article about that topic—and other interesting posts about motherhood.)
The Mother Hood (a collection of blogs on motherhood)
Midlife Mother Support (a collection of resources for women who become moms during midlife)
Technorati Blog Finder: Motherhood (a long list of blogs about motherhood!) There’s bound to be at least one there that you’ll like!
Mother’s Day: Motherhood Quotes (a list of quotes and a list of links to more quotes about motherhood.)
The Motherhood Place (a feminine and sentimental site filled with sayings, poems, and stories about motherhood. If you enjoy calming music, view this site with the sound on.)
Family Education: The Price of Motherhood: An Interview With Ann Crittendon (looks like an e-column of sorts containing lots of interesting info and helpful resources for moms)
this woman’s work (blog with the subtitle writing, mothering, writing about mothering)
The Mommy Blog: Adventures from the Wonder-belly of Motherhood (a blog about—you guessed it!—motherhood!)
Netscape: Top Stories With the Tag “Motherhood” (links to stories on other parts of the Net that contain the “motherhood” tag)
Disney Family.Com BETA: Family 1000 blog: Your Favorite Sites for “Motherhood” (just as it says, a listing of sites on “motherhood” with 14 pages of listings/links)
Lauri’s Reflections: contemplations on life, creativity, writing, and motherhood—plus really fun links (a blog about quite a few different facets of the writing mom's life)
Tracy Chevalier: FAQs About Writing (some interesting info and advice here about writing and motherhood)
The Mom Salon: where women find the smartest mom blogs: Writers’ Blogs (a list of blogs by and about writing moms)
readingwritingliving blog: More on Motherhood, Solitude, and Writing (a blog post on these mom-related topics and more--blog no longer being updated, but still contains interesting content)
Maternally Challenged: “They say kids will drive you crazy. But what if you’re already there? Thoughts on motherhood, depression, politics and anything else that comes to mind” (blog for moms, containing a short list of links to other motherhood blogs)
Creative Parents.Com: For Parents Leading Creative Lives: Poet as Mother/Mother as Poet (interviews with “creative parents” pursuing careers in writing--old site, but contains some interesting articles)
Well, there they are! Hope all you writing moms out there will reap many, many benefits from these sites for a long time to come! Check them out; they're quite a varied assortment of resources! If these resources should prove helpful to you over the long term--and you should decide to let me know about it--I'll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that this blog post will be the Mother's Day Gift that keeps on giving all year long! And that will be a great feeling!
Hope it does!
Jeanne
Other Writing Mom Links
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It's Mother's Day, so I thought today would be the perfect time to post some links for moms! Some are about writing and/or making money writing and/or earning money from home, and some are about other mom things. Some are blogs, some articles; but several appear to have some interesting resources available for writing moms and/or moms in general. They are in no particular order, and I didn't have time to look them over thoroughly; but I'm sure there will be something here for most moms who take the time to check them out!
Here, they are, Moms:
Freelance Mom Blog
Write From Home: Writing Trade Articles
Momma Blog
Moms' Source
Wonder Mom
Journey to Mom
Type-A Mom
Writing Thoughts
Hope you enjoy these and hope they help! Have a wonderful Mother's Day!
A Fellow Writing Mom,
Jeanne
More Writing Mom Links
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Write-from-Home.Com, a new site for writers that "just opened its web doors at the end of 2006," has some interesting info and resources for freelancers who want to learn more about the writing business, as well as find markets for their work.
Write-from-Home.Com, offers a free list of paying markets for freelance writers and also a free list of writing contests and awards, as well as a fair-sized selection of interesting new articles on getting paid to write. They also offer a free subscription to their ezine, which provides info on all the latest paying markets and contests, and perhaps best of all, they buy articles from freelancers! Since their focus is on the business end of freelance writing, these are the types of articles they purchase for posting to their site.
Here's a link to their Guidelines. They pay $75 for first-time non-exclusive rights (to previously unpublished articles) and $30 for reprints. Articles of 500-700 words are preferred, though articles up to 1500 words will be considered. They like articles on the following aspects of the writing business: "breaking into new markets, unique ways to make money freelance writing, and tips new freelance writers can use to be successful." They are not interested in articles on the writing craft or on specific categories of writing, such as poetry, fiction, etc., nor are they interested in personal success stories; and they don't publish fiction, poetry, columns, or "rants."
If this gig sounds like something you'd be interested in, or if you'd simply like to check out their market listings or read some of their articles to pick up some tips that might prove helpful to you in the advancement of your own freelance career, take a look at their site. (They have articles on grant writing, travel writing, writing book reviews, finding article ideas, writing for your local newspaper, not overlooking small jobs, staying inspired, tax issues, and health insurance for freelance writers.)
Take a look at Write-from-Home.Com. You might just find something helpful there--and maybe even sell an article or two in the process!
Your friend in the literary art,
Jeanne
Another Great Site for Freelancers
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If you're looking for a site that will help you master the writing craft and/or prepare you for your own personal journey on the path to publication, Writing-World.Com has a great deal to offer!
This site is chock full of great information for the aspiring--or practicing--writer! Some examples:
~An interesting variety of books on the writing craft itself and on marketing your writing, including volumes containing specific markets for your work. (Their book inventory also contains a few books on subjects other than writing.)
~An impressive list of more than 600 writing-related articles that can be read right on the site. These articles are all well catalogued and categorized for easy reference.
~A contest database featuring a wealth of info on entering--and not being scammed by--writing contests.
~A list of certain selected markets for your work.
~A long list of links to other online resources for writers.
~A call for articles on writing that they will purchase from you to add to their database, complete with Writer's Guidelines.
~A "Guide for Launching Your Writing Career," containing a wealth of great advice that can get you started on the road to a successful freelance writing business. (This section also includes a lot of great advice on the real nitty gritty, down-to-earth, seat-of-your-pants aspects of writing.)
~A great section on how to avoid writing scams, presented along with info on copyright issues, rights, and contracts.
~A free monthly newsletter, containing many great feature articles, as well as recurring topical columns that you might find helpful.
As far as payment for articles is concerned, here's what they themselves have to say: "We pay 5¢/word for original articles, to a maximum of $100 (regardless of word count; thus, a 2500-word article is still paid only $100). We pay a flat $25 for reprints, and we definitely welcome work that has appeared in other publications (especially print). Payment is on acceptance. For humor, we pay a flat $15 per item. We will also exchange advertising space for editorial."
That doesn't sound half bad for an online market! So, if you enjoy writing about your craft, check out their Writer's Guidelines and try submitting your work. But be sure to check their article database to be sure your topic hasn't already been covered. You can do this via their Topical Indexes or their Master Article Index.
Take a peek at what Writing-World.Com has to offer. I think you'll be impressed!
And good luck!
Jeanne
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During my time away, I came across the following site while browsing the web for opportunities for writers: The Market List. There are literally thousands of market listings here, organized by groups alphabetically! (All the "A's" are listed together, and so forth--and there are over 300 of the "A's" alone!) So, with a little patience and persistence, I would venture to say that any writer should be able to find something of interest to him or her here!
Each market listing, when clicked, takes the writer to a short listing of info about the market, containing contact info and, in many of the listings, specific info on the type of work they accept, as well as a link to the website, and a link to the site's submission guidelines page--very convenient! (A number of the markets included in this list are apparently more traditional markets that accept submissions by mail only, and some of these do not have websites listed.)
There appear to be book publishers and numerous types of magazines included in these listings. And while The Market List describes itself as "The Online Resource for Genre Fiction Writers," and a number of their markets are of this type, it's quite obvious that their market listings are in no way limited to that area of writing. There seem to be quite a few trade journals on the list, as well as magazines that accept everything from "gags to be illustrated by cartoonist," to "essays on the psychology of creativity."
In addition to the specific market listings, there are reviews of a select list of magazines and other fiction markets, as well as a group of articles on various subjects of interest to writers. (A few sample titles are "On Both Sides of the Slush Pile" and "The Only Bad Sale is the One You Didn't Make." ) The site also features a number of interviews (Q & A sessions) with editors, writers, and other important figures in the writing field that could prove helpful to you as you seek publication for your own work.
This is the kind of site you'll want to bookmark and visit again and again as you seek an ongoing flow of outlets for your work! And make no mistake about it: navigating this site will be a long-term project!
In my own perusal of the site, I've barely scratched the surface, due to my present time constraints. But you can bet that this is a site that I'll be returning to often! (Yes, I do have it bookmarked!) And I have the feeling that you will, too!
Happy browsing!
Jeanne
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I have always said, "A writer must write!" And I still believe this to be true, for this is a natural part of who the writer is. This almost obsessive desire--nay need--for self-expression via the written word is firmly embedded in the deepest recesses of the writer's being--insistently spurring each of us on to share our innermost thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and insights with the world around us. It's as natural as breathing.
Sometimes this may take the form of poetry, as in my own personal poetic glimpse into emotional growth:
Vistas
by Jeanne Dininni
Gazing down the corridor of time, I see a memory.
I strain to touch the innocence of youth, with fleeting ecstasy.
For lurking not so far beyond that realm of sweet naivety
The tears and pain wait silently...so patiently...majestically...
Hanging in my consciousness, like strains of haunting melody,
The image slowly dissipates and drifts into eternity.
And through the mists of joy and pain, the dawning of maturity
Breaks forth on near horizons in a blaze of gentle agony.
Or, it could take the form of prose--either lofty or utilitarian, fiction or fact. It could be mere musings, or it might be critically important concepts which could one day save the world! But, whatever it is, it is inherently ours--or rather inherently us! And this is what makes it special...unique...irreplaceable!
This post is dedicated to all my fellow writers, who pursue their craft with the fierce loyalty born of a passion for self-expression, who faithfully follow their life's calling, their heart's dream, with perseverance wherever it may lead--despite all odds, despite all disappointments, despite all setbacks--knowing deep in their hearts that out there somewhere, at the end of their rainbow, awaits a pot of gold.
To this end, I promise to do my very best to provide you, over the coming months, with all the resources at my disposal to help make your dream come true! While these resources may, at times, be somewhat limited, or possibly somewhat inadequate or inappropriate to your particular needs, I hope you'll bear with me, as I seek the widest range of information possible.
Whatever may at any particular time be lacking in the hard data I am able to amass on your behalf will be more than compensated for by my firm belief in you and your ability to succeed at your craft if you are determined enough to do what it takes to follow your dream. And through encouragement, camaraderie, and a spirit of supportiveness, I hope to help you keep your belief in yourself alive and growing!
Fellow Writers, I salute you! Though as different from one another as night is from day, you are, every one, a special breed!
May many 'Vistas' open before you, and may the inner growth of which my poem speaks come to you gently, softly, providing a shining entry into everything that you can be!
And as you gaze out over the horizon of life, may your future break forth before you in a blaze of radiant glory!
Your friend in the writing art,
Jeanne
P.S. Here's a link to a website with many helps for freelance writers, including grant and contest info, a newsletter, links, and other resources. It also pays $35 per article ($10 for reprints) for work which helps other writers earn money writing. The site is called Funds for Writers...
And here's a link to a site seeking articles about writing and paying $15 per article. If you have any interest in this type of writing, check out Misti Sandefur's Call for Articles to find out what she's looking for. You'll also find some interesting writing-related info and resources on her site, as well.
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Recently, I told you about four websites that accept poetry (as well as other forms of writing): AssociatedContent.com, Helium.com, Creative-Poems.com, and MoonTownCafe.com.
In an earlier post, I discussed Creative-Poems.com in greater detail--so you would have the info you need to more effectively utilize that site. Today, I'll do the same for MoonTownCafe.
MoonTownCafe is a great site, where you can post your work and receive feedback in the form of ratings (via a five-star rating system) and reviews (written by other members.) (This, of course, implies that you must join to post your poetry to the site, and this is true. However, membership is free--unless you choose premium membership. All you need to do is register to become part of the MoonTownCafe writing community.)
At MoonTownCafe, posting of your work is based on a points system, which determines how many posts you may make at any given time. All new members start out with 800 points, which are given to them at the time they join. These points are, as you might imagine, used up as poems are posted to the site.
The cost of posting one poem is 100 points for regular members or 50 points for premium (paid) members. Though points are used up when posting poems, they are also gained by reading and/or rating other members' work. This is the way your points are replenished--and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to gain back all your original points--and more!
This points system is the way MoonTownCafe encourages its members to read, rate, and review one another's work. Reading the work of another member will gain you 2 points each time if you're a basic member, or 5 points if you're a premium member. And if you rate another member's work, you'll gain 20 points (basic) or 40 (premium.) In addition, if you're the first member to rate a poem, you'll double your rating points, receiving either 20 or 40 bonus points, based on your membership type.
This system actually works quite well and is in no way cumbersome to use. Besides which, you'll have the opportunity to read a great deal of excellent work which you might normally tend to overlook!
One nice thing about this site is that you may go back and edit your poems as often as you like after posting by simply clicking on the 'edit' icon which is perpetually located above your posted works. Seeing that tiny pencil above each post is very reassuring, since there always seem to be those times when we've made a typo or a formatting error that went unnoticed prior to posting--or even, occasionally, those times when we've later thought of a change in wording that would immensely improve our poem!
Though this site offers no payment for your work, MoonTownCafe is a wonderful site where you'll have the opportunity to showcase your work to an appreciative audience of fellow poets, receive valuable feedback--as well as recognition for work well-done--and even enter periodic poetry contests.
What more could you ask of a non-paying market? Check out MoonTownCafe! I think you'll be glad you did!
Thanks for reading!
Jeanne
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Here are just a few examples of the types of articles the people at Associated Content accept for publication on their website--and pay the author for*--though they accept articles on many other subjects, as well. With the wide variety of content featured on their site, the opportunities for publication at AC are virtually endless!
[NOTE: To see a list of some of the article types Associated Content publishes, click the "Check Out My AC Content" tile below to be directed to my Content Producer page at AC, which lists all my work posted there. (I've removed the AC RSS feed, since it has not been functioning properly. My apologies!) If you check out the AC Home Page, you'll find many other topics, as well! Your choice of subject matter is limited only by your imagination and your knowledge of the topic!]
Why not join Associated Content? It's free. When you join, you'll be able to start writing immediately.
*AC generally doesn't pay for news items, poetry, or short stories (though they do publish them); nevertheless, their website is a great vehicle for your work to receive widespread internet exposure!
At this time, AC is unable to offer payment to writers outside the U.S. They will, however, publish their work. Their statement regarding this is, "We understand that PayPal facilitates international payments, but we cannot offer payment to non-citizens or non-legal residents of the United States due to the legal limitations of our Independent Contractor/License Agreement." Hopefully, this situation will change at some point in the near future! U.S. based writers must also be 18 years of age or older to receive payment for their work at AC.
UPDATE: Associated Content has just announced that, due to the success of their previous limited time offer of a payment of $5 for news stories, they have decided to continue it for the time being! Now that's good news! I'm not sure how long this payment offer will be in effect.
More info about Associated Content to come later!
Till next time,
Jeanne
Last time, I gave you four great websites where you can get your work published: Creative-Poems.com, MoonTownCafe.com, Helium.com, and AssociatedContent.com. A few helpful hints about each of these will make your experiences with them more pleasant, more productive, and less frustrating. In this post, we'll cover some of the idiosyncracies of Creative-Poems.com.
The Creative-Poems website is a wonderful site, where you can receive recognition for your work through member comments, weekly Featured Poetry Awards, and monthly Poetry Contests. They do not pay for the poems they post, though they do offer prizes in their monthly Poetry Contest.
At Creative-Poems, non-premium (free) members--as well as trial members--are allowed to place up to five posts on their site in a 24-hour period. (Premium members are allowed eight.) This is somewhat misleading, though, and requires a bit of clarification.
At first glance, it would appear that you'd be able to post up to five--or eight--poems to the site every 24 hours--and this can, indeed, be the case, provided you are very careful not to leave any typos or other errors in your poem, which might require its modification after it's been posted! The reason for this is that, should your poem require editing after posting, you will be resubmitting it after making your corrections--just as if it were a new poem--and thus you will be using another of the finite number of posts you are allowed daily. (This can be a bit frustrating.)
If you're anything like me, you could use an infinite number of posts to edit, modify, correct, and improve your poems to your satisfaction before final submission! But, alas, this is the real world, and every website is set up differently. So, always preview your work before submitting, to be sure your formatting is the way you want it and your work contains no typos. (Occasionally, you'll miss something and need to resubmit--we're all human--but at least you'll know that you aren't wasting most of your posts simply correcting errors!)
Another important point about formatting, while we're on the subject: At Creative-Poems, the default setting--for both poetry submissions and member comments--is centered. So, if you want your poem or comment to be left-margin justified (which is generally my personal preference) you'll need to select your text--if it's already been entered--and click the appropriate icon. (You can also simply click this icon before entering your text with the same effect.) Both regular and premium members may save, for later posting, up to five drafts in addition to the five--or eight--poems they may post in a 24-hour period, in case they aren't quite ready to post their work when they must leave the site.)
With a little prior knowledge of the workings of this great site and the obstacles you might encounter there, you can be well on your way to a long and fulfilling relationship with a dedicated group of site administrators and moderators who are friendly, helpful, responsive, and eager to showcase your work!
Creative-Poems.com is a fabulous forum for your work and a great community of friendly poets, who will help encourage you along the path of self-expression through that most magical of mediums: Poetry! (A very small word with a very big meaning!)*
If you are a poet and haven't yet visited this site, I would definitely--and without reservation--recommend that you check it out!
You'll be glad you did!
Till next time,
Jeanne
*I've written a short article on exactly this subject entitled "Why is Poetry So Difficult to Define?" Why not drop by AC and take a look?
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