End of May Stuff

It's been a craz-zazy month for us.

We've been working on our car and winding down the school year with the kids.

Speaking of kids, did you hear about "The Worst Vaccine Bill Ever" that is pending in the New York State Assembly? This is just over the top nuts. In part, it "would see all vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made mandatory for all children, including infants and toddlers".
source : http://infowars.net/articles/may2008/300508vaccines.htm

• Elected New York representatives would no longer determine the mandatory schedule of vaccines to attend school; decisions made by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would automatically become mandatory.


• All children, infants and toddlers included, in New York would be required to get all vaccines recommended by the ACIP according to the ACIP schedule


• All children in New York up to age 18 would be required to get annual flu shots.


• All girls in New York would be required to get a human papilloma virus shot.


• All junior high school children and college students would be required to get meningococcal shots.


• Doctors would be required to issue certificates for every shot given and parents would be required to maintain the records and provide them to school and other authorities.


• The rules committee claims that the new laws would have no fiscal impact on the state despite the necessity of the state to spend tens of millions on purchasing new vaccines, a vast increase in mandatory record keeping and enforcement for schools, and a huge increase that could be expected in the number of cases of neurological damage, Guillian Barré syndrome and other vaccine-caused injuries.

Does that bother you?

I've been watching the political process unfold in my country with a sad heart. I never thought I'd be in a position where I couldn't find anyone I wanted to vote for.
Who are you voting for? Why? Drop me a line and let me know or comment here - either or is fine.

Also, we've been tweaking out our PLR - we changed it to be even more economical and also added some good bells and whistles for you. It will be like no other PLR service out there today.

Our book, "Write All the Way to the Bank" is selling well and the feedback has been great.

I heard from a lovely lady that has used my methods and started her own writing company. She asked I not use her name because she's afraid some of her clients may be upset if they knew exactly who her writers were.
So I'll call her Claire.
Claire had a sister that was in her 40's and into crack and was constantly in trouble. She took her sister in and taught her to find jobs online and write. Turns out it was her sister's dream to write and she even got a gig writing a support blog for people in recovery - something she has first-hand knowledge of
.
Through her sister, Claire met a couple that run a halfway house for women who really want to stay straight and NOT wind up back using drugs.

Claire has been using women that have been through (sometimes) jail and (always) drug rehab and want to earn money but having a felony conviction or even multiple dings on one's criminal history for drug related offenses can be a real hindrance to making a living. Through carefully talking to and taking it slow she's gotten a good group of ladies together that want to reclaim their lives, their families, their kids and their self-esteem.

Claire wrote me that she's taking on 2-3 women at a time that feel they want to try writing and then showing them the basics. If they pass through a month of daily writing and grasp the ability to work online, she then provides them with their own laptop and gives them assignments. She said it's so wonderful because these women get a real commitment to staying straight because they have pride in themselves, they are WRITERS. So far so good - I look forward to an update in the future.

Well, May is coming to a fast close - I'll be back to posting more often in June after the PLR launch.

See you then!

Another Article Showing Stay-at-Home Moms How to Make Money (But This One's Real!)

Somewhere between settling down and having kids, it happened - your need for an extra income increased by quite a lot. Then you have to weigh the factors on whether or not you're going to work outside the home. For many mothers, the cost of child care for one or more children, the professional wardrobe necessary for most jobs and the ridiculous price of gasoline can make working at home a very appealing thing. Not to mention that if you have little ones, they will probably develop a perpetual case of the sniffles that may or may not require antibiotics, my family doctor affectionately termed it, "Daycare Syndrome".

Paying yet another doctor bill for what I thought was an unnecessary cold my daughter had is when I decided I wanted to be self employed and see my kids all day every single day. If we wanted to go to the zoo on the spur of the moment, we could do it! When summer rolled around and we wanted to go bake at the pool for a day - we could do it! I decided if I were self employed I would have no boss, no schedule and no one to answer to except my clients and I would make sure to work in the evenings and early mornings when my kids were sleeping so no time would be taken away from them. And so started my search for what I could do from home.

I had done some web design in the past and I knew html like the back of my hand. Why I would just do web design for people. Well, it sounded good. I built a website and nobody came. I didn't know a hill of beans about how to market myself online at the time and then I got one client who referred me to others and in the meantime I got very educated and read everything I could get my hands on about Internet Marketing and how to get listed on the search engines. What did Google, Yahoo and other search engines consider important? That was my goal to find out and I did it. Soon I had web design clients then the inevitable happened. Web design wasn't something I truly enjoyed and I started getting a little burned out. I cringed when I saw an order for web design come in and even though the money was good, I wasn't enjoying it - in fact, I was dreading it. Still, I did my best for my clients while I looked for something else I would enjoy doing.

I decided since I had really gotten a handle on internet marketing I would take advantage of this new Google Adsense program where you put their script on your website and when people click you make money. I looked at my web stats and I had a really healthy number of unique visitors every month. I would never need to work again from all these clicks I was going to get! So, I did it and make approximately $1.25 the first month in clicks. Well, that won't even buy a cup of coffee much less replace the income from web design.

Then one of my clients asked me to create some web content. Words on a page for a website and I don't have to design it? Sure! I found that I liked doing research on products and writing compelling web copy to make everything from bad breath to fine jewelry interesting to read by and entice the reader to purchase from the client's site. Then I got asked to create articles and I found something I loved to do, I loved to write and getting paid to create words really rocked.

I learned to create articles, blog entries, keyword articles, e-books, press releases and even horoscopes for people and their websites. I've lost track of how many thousands of pieces of content I've created but I've enjoyed every second of it. I really enjoy research and I feel like I do something that keeps my brain busy learning every single day. Late last year, I wrote a book, "Write All the Way to the Bank" about how I did it and laid out a step-by-step game plan so you can do it too.

Okay let's talk about you. What are you talents? Don't say, "None". Everyone can do at least one thing really well and it's just a matter of propelling yourself forward and doing something that you're both good at and enjoy.

Love to write your thoughts? You can make it as a blogger or writer for the web and there are literally thousands of open opportunities to choose from every single day. I can show you how.

Do you love to organize? Consider starting a personal organization service. There are a huge number of people that would love to have their closets, drawers, cabinets and more organized and just lack the time and knowledge to do it. If you have a special talent for keeping things neat as a pin, sell your knowledge and you can do two main ways. Set up a service online that shows your talents (Use your own closets, kitchens and bathrooms for your first before and after photos) and then promote your online website by writing short articles about what you do and posting them on websites such as http://www.goarticles.com or http://www.ezinearticles.com with links back to your website. People searching for closet organization will find you and use your services.

Ever wanted to own an online retail business? It's very possible and you don't have to buy stock either. Consider the world of drop shipping. In a nutshell, when you drop ship, you have a retail store online and you show products as they are your own. When people buy, you contact your drop shipper, pay for the item and pocket your profit. The drop shipper will ship the item in your company name and your customer is none the wiser.

Need a website and you don't know beans about html? You can get a website that is literally fill in the blank and create a retail-ready website that is ready to with just a few clicks of your mouse and a Yahoo website is very affordable.

Now, need some ideas for finding drop shipping companies? First of all, don't buy a list. Those lists are generally scams and you just paid upwards of $20 for something that is probably outdated anyway. I went through a lot of Google searches to find an actual, legitimate drop shipping supplier and I bumbled onto one of the best!

The drop shipping catalog that I use has a huge number of companies affiliated with it and you can check it out here at Worldwide Brands/One Source. Ever wanted to sell jewelry, dog toys, plus size fashions, designer clothing, handbags, shoes, sporting equipment or even home security items? You can find it all there and more. Be the coolest Mom in the universe and sell children's toys! The price for drop shippers is below retail so you can compete with other retail outlets and your supplier won't be undercutting your pricing either. It's a great way to have an online retail business. Some drop shippers charge a small fee find out if it is per order or per item and choose your drop shipping partner accordingly.

Okay now you need to promote your online store. A company blog about what you're selling, what products make great gifts, ways to use the products with links back to whatever you're writing about is a wonderful way to promote your site for free. Also, informational articles with a link back to your site, such as the importance of using pretend play to stimulate a child's imagination would be a great topic for a website that sold children's toys. Don't write a sales piece, make it informational and you'll have people coming to your site. No one wants to read a commercial; you don't, I don't and neither will your potential customers. You can set it up yourself or have an outside company set it up.

A press release is another great way to promote your company. You can write one yourself or for about $25 you can have one written by a writing company. Create news, think of yourself as Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and make some news about your company. Have a poll on your website and publicize the results, tie in your company to an observance. A good example would be if you have a home safety store to release a press release along the lines of, "XYZ Company Promotes Safety in the Home During National Safety Awareness Month". Need to know where to check out those groovy obscure observances to create press releases of your own? Check out Brownie Locks, she has it all.

Are you a member of any forums online bulletin board communities? Don't just join a forum and start posting links to your website. You'll get blacklisted faster than fast. There are robotic programs that do just that - don't be confused with something like that. Instead, ask questions, post replies where you're interested in doing so, make online acquaintances and get "known" in the online community. You'll get much better feedback and no hassles for linking to your website or products.

Social networking is the biggie now with building traffic to yourself. You can hit up Myspace.com or Facebook.com. Even Hi5.com is getting traffic to people now. Building a Squidoo lens (simply a member page in Squidoo-speak) is another way to get yourself found and show what you know about a topic or product. If you're passionate about what you do, put it on a page with a link to your own website. It's a good way to really reach targeted traffic for your website. Sites such as Digg.com or Del.ico.us.com, Stumbleupon (my personal fav) and others are wonderful ways to share your links with others. You simply click and submit the site, along with a brief review or synopsis and keywords that relate to the website. Done. You can submit to something like 30+ social sites at once through Social Marker.com.

Affiliate programs and Pay-Per-Click like Adsense are great ways to bring in some supplemental income. You need a blog or website with a fair amount of traffic. Blogs are by far the best for this and you need to post things that relate to the content of your blog so you can get indexed with relevance in the search engines. In short, keep the theme you start with. I've always made far more money off promoting affiliate programs on blogs rather than Google Adsense. People have seen those "Ads by Google" on so many sites for so long, I personally think they blot them out of their field of vision now. Blogging to the Bank is a great e-book that will show you exactly how to build a blog and how to choose affiliate programs that will yield good returns.

In the 1990's, the online businesses of creating stationary and gift baskets exploded as home businesses for stay-at-home-Moms. They are still good businesses with a lot of draw as the call for personalized and "made for you" items is still strong. However, competition is fierce and you have to be able to market yourself on the web. Using the online techniques above is a great way to promote yourself if you want to go this route.

Avoid like the plague:
*Websites that offer a pre-made affiliate site for $XX. You won't make a dime because the
search engines prize uniqueness above all. How can you make a dime if your content is just like
everyone else's that paid x-amount of dollars for a website?

*Lists of companies that promise work at home opportunities. These are an old scam that is
still going on to this day. Repeat after me: "Don't pay to work".

*Companies that promise 6-figure incomes for doing nothing. If they don't have a service/product
they are selling, how the heck are they making money? Steer clear.

*Products that promise you overnight wealth. Google Adwords for Free is one of these. It's
a cool concept but will only work for a minimal amount of people.

*Data entry or email collection "jobs". These are 99.9% of the time scams. If you run across
one that is an actual legitimate gig - please forward it to me so I can fill in that hopeful
1% I left open in that estimation above.

And those are just a few ideas. Think about what you'd really like to spend your time doing and make it happen. If you really want to make a living at home, there are a good number of ways and it's just a matter of putting your efforts forth and doing it.

To your success!

I bumbled across this lovely lady's blog (Maureen Johnson) and she had a hysterical post that I have to share and by all means check out her blog!

HOW TO BE A WRITER IN TEN EASY STEPS
http://maureenjohnson.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-be-writer-in-ten-easy-steps.html
Monday, February 26, 2007

.......

anonymous said...
How do you BECOME a writer anyway? You've already talked about what they do.

Fair enough, anonymous. Enough jibberjabber about the eating habits of J. Green, the cakemaking of E. Lockhart, and the bone-breaking of Cecil Castellucci. (But don’t think this will be the last time I will put you through this.) I like readers who say what they want.

Let’s take a second to clarify the question—I think you’re asking how you become a professional writer, or someone who writes for a living. The broader question of how one becomes a writer is not one I can answer.

The interweb abounds with information about this subject, some of it solid and good, and some of it terrible. I’ve already told you how to write a book and a little about the publishing process. Let’s look at the general state of being a writer—habits, behaviors, tricks and tips.

I have broken this subject down into ten elements that I feel are critical for any professional writer. You can go about these in any order you like.

1. HAVE YOUR PICTURE TAKEN IN FRONT OF SOME BOOKS.



This is an absolutely essential first step. People forget things easily in our information-rich world. You don’t want people asking, “What’s this person about? Is she an oral surgeon? Is she a lion tamer?” The books will tell them that you are a Serious Writer.

2. OBSESSIVELY CHECK YOUR AMAZON RANK.



This is the true mark of a writer. Everyone does it. Those who say that they do not are lying.

3. MAKE FRIENDS WITH SOME MEDICAL PROFESIONALS.



Because you won’t have health insurance. My mom’s a nurse and can write prescriptions. This helps. You should make similar connections.

4. BE WEIRD.



If you’re a writer, everyone at the publishing company (and pretty much the world at large) already assumes that you’re two sandwiches short of a picnic. You might as well enjoy it.

5. BE AS INTENSE AND POMPOUS AS POSSIBLE.



Look, no one is going to take you seriously unless you show them that you are a force to be reckoned with. You are a Writer, dammit! People owe you respect! If anyone says anything bad about you or your book, go after them and tell them that they are wrong! Take everything personally! Go to their houses, steal their hamsters, leave threatening greeting cards on their doorsteps. Wax insane on your blog about your enemies, both real and imaginary.

Oh wait. No. People hate that. Just go back to point number four.

6. GET SOME HOBBIES.



Writing is solitary. It’s good to have a few outside interests that get you away from your desk. That means that internet surfing, blogging, “researching,” and Googling do not count. Step away from the keyboard.

7. BROOD A LOT ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU SUCK.



Wait . . . you’re saying YOU wrote the worst book/story/play/paper in the world? Because I thought I had. And you, guy over there. You’re saying YOU wrote the worst one? We can’t all be right.

Get in line, Charlie! Every writer claims this, usually at some bleak midpoint. This is pretty much a requirement. Dwelling on it is a great way to use time that you would otherwise fill with tedious writing.

8. MAKE SOME WRITER FRIENDS.



Writers make excellent friends. They will listen to your long, sad stories about how you suck and have no health insurance—and then match them with their own stories about how they suck and have no health insurance. A conversation like this can go on for hours! Blog about the time you spend with them, until someone sends you a comment and tells you to . . . wait. Nevermind. Just get some writer friends.

9. ALWAYS LOOK LIKE YOU ARE DEEP IN THOUGHT.



Writers are always supposed to be thinking, even when their minds are empty except for the sound of softly chirping birds. Practice your thinking face in your spare time. It helps to touch your chin lightly.

10. KEEP GETTING BACK UP.



You’re going to fall and fail. Keep getting back up. No, I don’t want to hear any excuses as to why you can’t. Just keep getting back up. Also, make sure you make those friends in the medical profession. They can provide useful medications when the getting up is hard.

There you go! I hope this helps. I invite other writers to add to this list, in case I have missed something.

Our Book, "Write All the Way to the Bank" Got 4 stars! Woohoo!

I was noticing a lot of hits to our site from the Clickbank storefront and our book got 4 stars from them and it's up to #7 in the writing books category!
That's great news!
We have had the best feedback from people and I want you to know we really listen to your comments.
Whenever people are good enough to write us, we make a note of their correspondence and when it's time to update our book for the coming year - we take those comments into consideration and as a result the book just gets bigger and better every single year.

SKinney says that the only good news he wants to hear is that the snow is ending.
Anyway check this out!

#7. Effective Web Writing
	Write All The Way To The Bank-Updated For 2008! Access to good information on how to start and run a successful writing business. 4 star rating Clickbank Popularity Rank : #197 Price: $19.95

Gig List Launched Yesterday!

SKinney finally got done setting up our board and now our Gig List is up and running.

We will be posting at least 10 gigs a day for writers. These are not gigs for Keyword Content but rather gigs that we have run across.

No pay per click writing.

No "promised" proceeds or shared revenue gigs.

No writing for free ("exposure") gigs.

Just money paying writing gigs!
How's that for a way to start the week?

It's free and always will be. I don't know about you, but I just hate it when I read a gig description and it's right up my alley and then I click to answer and get a box that reads , "Answer this ad and many more for only $7.95 per month!".

I don't want that to happen to anyone so we're leaving this list free and open in the spirit of keeping information free and easy to access for all people that want to write for a living!

Come on by and share this with your friends - the more the merrier we say :
http://keywordcontent.net/giglist/

Interesting Informations About Google Adwords and Our Book!

So I finally dove into Adwords. Wow what an education!

I dutifully used the keyword tool and chose my keyword phrases and completely missed the part about putting keywords in quotation markets for phrase match and brackets for exact phrase match. I had something along the lines of 600,000 impressions and 100's of clicks before I figured that one out and that was only day 1!

So I did some heavy reading at Google and "got my learn on" about Adwords. I'm spending MUCH less per day and my conversation from clicks to buys for our book have been really good!

Also, I've found it takes the average person about 5 visits before they buy the book. I'm not really sure why that is - just being a careful shopper I suppose but I found that really interesting.
Another good point is that we've been getting so much good feedback from people about the book.

I had a lady write me just today and tell me she needed to earn extra money because her husband lost his job and the wolves were at the door. She read the book and then slept on it and went to Craigslist and sent a small number of answers to advertisements looking for writers and she got a paying job writing for a coffee and tea company - something she has a real passion for but cannot even afford the luxury of right now - she went on to say she's getting free samples to write about as well as getting paid and her husband is now reading the book and getting ideas to make money writing from home too!
I love happy stories like that and I hope it works out so she can quit her day job and they both get to write full time - there is certainly enough work out there!

You know SKinney and I have a kind of wacky sense of humor and we're serious when it comes to writing good content, designing good pages and keeping those keyword stats in check - but we're two of the most fun people on the planet - so when we got together and wrote this book, we wanted it to be different.
And it is - it's about HOW to be a writer and HOW to make money.
Pretty sweet and simple.

Then it came time to get a cover and we went to someone and actually paid them for this:





Average and well......yawn - right?







So Skinney had a cow about the sheer boredom of this design and he tore it up and came up with something fun using our art.

Okay it's not conventional - but it's very "us" and we used out improved photos from our art company, 3am.


If you're ready to dive into the fun world of writing online and get paid to do something you will look forward to doing every single day - check out this book!

http://keywordcontent.net/writeallthewaytothebank.html

Search Engines Myths Exposed In This Free Report - Get Yours!

Confused about how to rank on Google?

There is SO MUCH bogus information out there, often coming from
the "gurus" themselves.

On January 9th, 2008, Jonathan Leger is releasing a new free report
that completely obliterates the following myths about Google (and then
goes on to show you what DOES work):

Myth #1: Google Knows All and Sees All
Myth #2: Google Will Not Rank Duplicate Content
Myth #3: You Must Get Links From Related Subject Sites to Rank
Myth #4: Your Site Must Focus On One Subject To Rank
Myth #5: High PageRank Means Good Rankings
Myth #6: To Maintain Good Rankings, You Must Add New Content

..and..
MYTH #7: THE BIGGEST MYTH: Ranking In Google Is Hard!

The site is in pre-launch now, but if you sign up early you will get
a sample chapter full of proof and details.

And did I mention he'll pay you for referring other people to this
powerful f.ree report? And that he'll pay you for anyone THEY refer
as well (even while it's in pre-launch)? Find out more about that
when you download your sample chapter from:

http://searchenginemythsexposed.com

Write All the Way to the Bank Updated for 2008

We released our book "Write All the Way to the Bank" last year and we've had a really great response. It's not a book about form or sentence structure, but rather about how to create your own writing business.

Many people have a talent for writing however they don't pursue their dream because they don't know how or where to start and that's where our book comes in. We show you how to find the jobs, how to land the jobs and how to get paid.

We included several places that hire bloggers and web writers on a regular basis and updated the list to remove some companies that are either no longer hiring or have been absorbed into other firms. Get the scoop on writing for the web, creating keyword articles, and avoiding the scams that take advantage of new writers.

If you're ready to make a living writing online - check out our 2008 release of "Write All the Way to the Bank" - many people have written to say they landed a paying job the first week after they read through our book - we think that's great!!!

The Great Thing About Being a Freelance Keyword Ghost Writer.......

The bar none coolest thing about being a writer is that I have to research what I write about and I learn so many cool things about the most common everyday things.

I was writing for a cell phone blog today and when I was looking up keyword phrases for search volume and blah, blah, blah you know the drill - I kept running across "mosquito ring tone"...which intrigued me. Did people actually want that high-pitched annoying sound on their cell phones?
I was wrong - it's not just a ring tone at all.

Here's a snipped from freemosquitoringtones.org :

What is the Mosquito Ringtone?

The short version, A tone outside the audible range of hearing of most people over 30. This means that you can get phone calls and receive text messages in class or school without teachers hearing it. For more in-depth information on how the mosquito ringtone works, please see the Mosquito RingTone FAQ. For information on how to get the ringtone on to your phone, see our Mosquito Ringtone How To Guide.

+

=

A ring tone teachers & parents can't hear!

So that's it in a nutshell - the tones are available for a free listen on the website - can you hear them?

Freelancers - Dig on this!

I noticed this ad that keeps popping up on the Google Adsense stuff and so I clicked it and had a looksee.
Check this out : http://www.sologig.com


One advertisement that had me grinning was this one, I don't know about you but I get damned outgoing after a glass or two of wine ha ha

In-Home Wine Tasting Consultants- No Experience Required
An outgoing personality is a must, along with the ability to operate independently. Most of our wine tasting events are in the evening and on weekends. They are conducted in homes, businesses and Bed & Breakfast Inns.This is an excellent part-time venture, with the potential of becoming full time.

There are some good freelance gigs there however - check it out!

What the Heck is PLR Content or PLR 101

Since our announcement the other day we are putting together a real hoss daddy of a PLR section for people to use, I've gotten a few emails from people wondering what exactly PLR content is and basically why they should use it.

Besides being economically smart (the article sets are less than you'd pay to get custom written content) you own the work 100% upon payment just like having articles ghostwritten.

So, here is a little PLR 101 for you (from our PLR section) :


What the heck is PLR Content?
Private label rights or PLR content is growing rapidly in popularity as it gives you not only original content - you own it!

When you purchase a set of PLR articles, you have full latitude to do with them as you please. You may change them, sell them, publish them on your webpage or blog or use them to create your own ebooks to promote your business. Brand them with your own company name and sell them as your own creation - and when you buy them from us - we won't tell - our clients are confidential!
The only limit for how to use your PLR content is your imagination.

Why are only a limited number of sets available?
As you know, Google (or any search engine) doesn't like duplicate content. By keeping the number of sets down, your sets can be considered exclusive on the web.

Are these articles written by outsourced people outside the USA?
A very valid question. While we think America is a groovy little melting pot - we don't outsource writing-ever. Our own staff of writers research and write every set of articles that we make available so we have total control over our PLR products from start to finish.

What if I need niche topics I don't see available on your site?
With the ever evolving nature of the Internet, the hot mesothelioma keywords of today will give way to lemon law and other hot topics. If you have a market you want content for, just use the handy form that is available on every page of our PLR section to request a topic. We will have the set up within 5 working days or less.

Want to Know How to Get Those Subscribe Buttons On Your Blog?

Want more readers to your blog? Let people subscribe and put your blog feed in My Yahoo, My MSN, My AOL, blah, blah, blah you get what I'm talking about.
If already know html/xml - no biggie to do.

However if you don't there is an easy solution for you.

Go here http://www.toprankblog.com/tools/rss-buttons/

And then you will need 3 pieces of information.
1- Your Blog Name
2- Your Blog URL
3-Your Blog Feed URL (usually URL + atom.xml )

Choose default setting to start and the cut and paste the code into your template.
You may have to play around a little and keep hitting "Preview" to get the look you want.

But the result will be roughly like this:

R|Mail


Except it will be in a straight line down the page - great for a side column on your blog.

Simple? You bet.

Elance Discontinuing Their Select Membership - But Do You Qualify for a Premier Membership?

Elance is one of the few places I would tell people it's okay to pay for a membership because I have connected with very cool clients through there and we still do business today. I have been with Elance a long time and only got hosed by one person-ever. That's a great ratio in this biz.

When I got up this morning, SKinney was going to go work out (he is way too motivated in the morning) and I said I didn't want to - I wanted to do some work and have a cup or three of coffee. So first thing is first, open ye olde email and see if any fires occurred overnight I need to put out first thing and I got this email from Elance.

Dear keywordcontent, Thank you for using Elance. As of December 4th, the Elance Select program, as you know it today, will be discontinued. While we know the Select program was popular, offering many benefits such as restricted access to Select projects, profile differentiation, and a generous portion of bids, the only criteria to become a Select provider was a higher membership fee. Unfortunately, the Select seal indicated a level of quality that just didn’t have much weight behind it. To address this, we are excited to introduce the Premier Program - a new merit-based program that incorporates quality and participation as a requirement for membership. We encourage you to visit the Premier Program overview page for more information. And, if you haven’t done so already, check out the new memberships available December 4th by clicking here now. We truly appreciate your business. Sincerely, Jon Diller VP, Provider Network & Services www.elance.com

Premier membership requirements are here: http://www.elance.com/p/help/provider/premiermembership.html

They made what I would call a good move. Effective December 4th. Because basically (like their letter said and I wholeheartedly agree) the Select Membership gave a false impression that you got a higher quality writer when the only criteria was that you pay something like $69 a month instead of $20 or so. So they are raising the bar and killing off the Select Program.

However, I mentioned this to a writer friend of mine and he flipped out. He has nothing verifiable other than he's one of the best writers I know. He graduated high school - started writing straight away and never stopped. He's a great copywriter, ghostwriter and keyword article creator but he has no verifiable credentials other than a virtual stream of very happy clients and the fact he lives a very comfortable lifestyle afforded by his skills to attest to what he does and does well.

So Elance may lose some good people too in this change.

Independent Contractors Need Love (and Brains) Too....

I had a "People are Dumb" moment recently that I wanted to share with you.

I adore my writers, every single person I get the chance to work with is cool and always teaches me something - I love the fact I get to interact with so many different people from so many backgrounds.

Also, I get a number of e-mails per week from people that would like to jump into the world of keyword article writing. It's not rocket science and for someone that wants to learn discipline so they can finally finish that novel they've been working on for ten years, keyword articles will definitely help build discipline because there are so many and the due dates are usually quick requiring someone to really stay on task.

Anyway, I got an email from a person that wanted to learn to write keyword articles, they had immaculate diction and grammar in their email and sent me a sample article that - as my 2 year old would say, "Had pow" - it was really good.

I had really high hopes for what this person could do writing-wise. So I wrote them back and said, "Welcome aboard!" and gave them the standard Independent Contractor Agreement and other information I give new writers.

They took a few gigs and then nothing. They never turned in one single article for what they took. And I wrote and wrote and got no response so I buckled down and did the writing myself and all was well.

So a few days after deadline I got an email - the writer said that the computer they used had been infected with a virus and they lost all of their information and could they PUH-LEEEEZE have another chance?

'Okay, I'm a glutton for punishment" I thought - "I'll bite".
"Sure" I wrote back - "One more chance".

So, I put out gigs again and they took some and again the deadline went whooshing past.
Duly finished the missing articles myself and wrote the wanna-be writer and said, "Okay what's up?"

Finally three days later I got a response she had been in the ER with a migraine for the previous three days. Either the line was really long or this writer had killer insurance to stay in the ER for three days.

I said I thought it would be a good idea if they pursued gigs elsewhere as I didn't think this arrangement was working out.

So - yesterday I got a letter in the mail that this brain surgeon had filed unemployment on me.
I detest state government anyway and DUH this person was an independent contractor. I sent a copy of their IC agreement back and told whoever the hearing person was to say, "Dee Dah Dee" Carlos Mencia-style for wasting everyone's time like this....

It truly takes all kinds doesn't it?