Game 21: #1 Seed John August Versus #5 Seed How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
April 22, 2008 by J.C. Hewitt
The Matchup
Top-seeded John August won its first round match by overpowering a surprisingly scrappy #8 seed. Fifth-seeded How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career had no trouble defeating a very weak first round competitor. HSSFWC faces an uphill battle but you never know how the balls are going to bounce until you play the game.
Community
John August
JA has a strong community. Based on the last 10 posts, August averages 15 posts per article, with about 9 comments adding substance to the posts. This number could have been higher, but JA closed comments on one controversial post, an article about a particularly unpleasant action taken by the Writer’s Guild of America.
Result: John August hits the three-point shot out of the gate.
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
Out of the last 10 posts, HSSFWC has only 4 comments. Whatever community HSSFWC has is not commenting on her postings.
Result: HSSFWC fails to score.
JA jumps out to a 3-0 lead.
Value
John August
Six out of JA’s last 10 posts are focused on items of interest to screenwriters or filmmakers. The rest are about either his work or show-business as a whole. The community gets behind his screenwriting posts with far more fervor than the other posts. That’s where the good conversations are taking place.
Result: JA hits a turnaround jumper for two points.
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
All of the last 10 articles at HSSFWC stick to the writing topic closely, at least in the meat of the posts. HSSFWC also include advertisements for Yuwanda Black’s services and ads for writing opportunities through Constant Content. This makes for a crowded post.
Result: HSSFWC hits a three from beyond the arc.
HSSFWC makes up a little ground but JA leads 5-3.
Top Commented Article #1
John August
Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive…
August discusses the subjunctive mood. It is a rare foray into linguistics and usage for the screenwriter and makes for an interesting article. The community goes on at length about the subject, with many people sharing their opinions and experiences.
Result: JA hits a three-point shot.
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
How to Handle Clients Who Leave Projects “Hanging in the Wind”
This is an interesting discussion of an issue between Black and a client in which the client does not respond in a timely manner and keeps asking for things that were not in the original agreement. Black receives two comments for this posting. Only one of them has something to say about the subject.
Result: Without the assist from her community, HSSFWC has to settle for a two-point shot from the top of the key.
JA is back up by three. The score is 8-5.
Top Commented Article #2
John August
If you ever find yourself in a meeting with a film producer, this guide will get you through the process with a minimum of embarrassment and a reasonable chance at getting some work. At this point, August has probably been in hundreds of these meetings, so I take him at his word. The community helps out one member by explain to him that validation means you don’t have to pay for parking.
Result: JA hits another three-point shot from beyond the arc.
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
Why Freelance Writing Jobs Are Plentiful Right Now
I found the title to be a misleading. The posting was mainly there for Black to tell her readers that she is swamped with work and that she won’t be making any long posts until she is no longer swamped. That’s great news for Black but does not deliver on her headline. I was disappointed. The comment was from a person who is having trouble with associated content, which is a service Black posts opportunities from.
Result: Black scores a point from the charity stripe.
JA is now up 11-6 and the arena is all but empty.
Top Commented Article #3
John August
August discusses the benefits and problems associated with getting feedback from friends, especially those who are not used to reading screenplays. The community agrees that feedback from family and friends is often misleading and discusses alternative options.
Result: August hits one more three.
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career
Black asks her community what they think of social media. They don’t respond. The only comment is from a person interested in her ads for copywriting positions.
Result: Black tries to pass the ball to her community, but no one is there to give her the assist. No points.
JA wins the match 14-6.
Post Game Analysis
I’ll be honest. This one was painful to watch. The community at How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career is not involved. I know Black has an audience because the site gets reasonable traffic, but the posts are not creating conversation. I suspect that the length of Black’s posts (they all include job listings and text advertising for her services) puts the comment section so far below the content that most readers don’t realize commenting is an option. John August continues to show why it is a top-seeded blog. Some of the other top-seeds have stumbled, but this blog remains a solid contender for the top spot.
THAT may have been nearly as brutal as a Men With Pens Sunday Drive-By!
My condolences to Yuwanda, and Congrats to John A. Keep at it, though. Community isn’t everything. Look at the food blog community – most of their comments are things like “yummy!” or “Can I use powdered sugar instead of cane sugar here?”
Bob,
One of the reasons I kept Community out of the first round is that I knew it would hurt the smaller blogs, and I wanted to give them a change to show their merits before having to answer for the size of their community. At some point though, I had to give community its due.
I think you did it the right way John. I think my readership increased just from the first round victory.
You were also right to hit community so heavy in round 2. If you were doing the Madness in the food blog (or knitting blog, as I understand it) niche, it should probably have a smaller place. But the writing blogs seem, in general, to thrive on community. It was a good call.
Congrats to John on the convincing win. And thanks for even including me in this contest John . It was truly an honor. I look forward to the remainder of the series.
Yuwanda
Thank you for being so gracious Yuwanda. I enjoy your blog and look forward to reading it in the future.
Oh, forgot to say thanks for the condolences Bob. That was very sweet. Better to lose than not to have been invited to the dance at all, no?
Thanks again John. Reading this series has been a nice way to wind down the evenings.