Link Love 10/09
October 9, 2007
I haven’t spread any link love in a while. The poetry project took most of my online time. There have been some good articles out there over the past few weeks though, especially in the realm of writing and productivity.
- Zen Habits has a great article called Haiku Productivity: Limit Your Work Week. it covers such topics as setting limits, identifying essential tasks, working on tasks in batches, and productivity recommendations for employees.
- The Freelance Life is telling people How to Bid on a Project, which has some great advice for you freelancers. Much of it has to do with understanding your cleinets and the overall market.
- Scott Adams, the writer of the Dilbert comic strips has joined the many voices predicting the end of newspapers. he predicts that they will be a thing of the past “in the time it takes for most people to upgrade their cell phones two more times.” I have to disagree. While I do see major changes coming for the newspaper industry, I think there will always be a market for the paper product. Adams recognizes that, but claims that a substantial drop in the revenue will be too much for newspapers to survive. I think there will be a definite “thinning” of newspapers over the next five years (I’ve had my current model of cell phone since 2003 btw) but I think they will continue on. In my opinion the key for newspapers is localization. We can get our national news anywhere (often involuntarily) it is the local news that we still count on our newspapers for.
- If you are interested in marketing E-books, check out How to Create Ebooks That Sell from Copyblogger. The most important bit of advice is that E-books that sove problems are the best sellers.
- The Freelance Switch people have been writing about How to Continually Sharpen Your Skills. One of the pieces of advice that I need to follow is “Whether it’s 30 minutes a day, or an hour a week, it’s important that you set aside a regular block of time to learn about your profession.”
- Over at Writer’s Row, Guest Blogger Ahmed Bilal discusses the perceived disparity in pay between bloggers and other freelance writers in the article Does Blogging Pay Less Than Traditional Freelance Writing?. One of the important points he makes is that blogging is an emerging and somewhat untested market, which can create a great variation in the amount of money one blogger makes compared to another.
- Finally, I want to send some link love to one of my other sites, justusnerds.com. This isn’t a brilliant post about writing, just a request from my friend Steve that you stop by your local blood bank and make a deposit.
With regards to newspapers, I just can’t imagine them becoming obsolete. I rarely read daily news online. The screen is too hard on the eyes. I use online sources only for follow up purposes or further research. As for trying to read the news via mobile… not a chance.
I like my morning paper with my coffee. And only the broadsheets.
PS: I wish I could donate blood. Every time I try, no matter how many iron tablets they always tell me to go see a doctor. Ahhh, the physical demands of being a woman.
I agree that the average newspaper makes for more pleasant visuals than the average web site, which is a problem Adams has some ideas about. His point though is that newspapers don’t have to lose “everyone” in order to lose their viability, just a large enough percentage to make them unprofitable (And most newspapers are barely profitable now).
I also enjoy reading the paper with a cup of coffee, or tea. Although it would be wonderful to get the news emailed to you as well, It would remind me to read it! I sometimes forget to, I bring it in set it on my bed and read. but then I get distracted and want to write. So getting it emailed to me would be great. I agree with both Cerebralmum and John, I love the visual in my hands but it is getting less profitable these days. Especially with the news on the computer, many people just head to work and log in too the news when they get to there desk.
Cerebralmum,
I agree with the blood donations. I always have something thrown out of whack!!!
I feel that newspapers no longer serve my needs very well. My local newspaper is at least 50% wire service stories (which I can get anywhere). The local coverage isn’t very in depth. I suspect that much of it is a minimal rehash of press releases and other public information. The only section that has consistent new reporting is the sports section. I would like to see the newspaper focus on local reporting and do away with most of the wire copy. I don’t need them for national news, I can get that anywhere. Unfortunately, the newspapers can’t or won’t pay for additional local reporters, which means that the paper will continue to be mostly junk. I won’t really miss the local papers when they are gone, because they aren’t making that good of an impression while they are here.
John Hewitt,
I feel the same as you the more I think about it. I also feel as though they should get more useful information in these newspapers more indepth information instead of skimming over the important stuff. You end up looking it up on the computer anyways, So you are right, what’s the point?.
I agree, you have presented a wonderful argument on your part! The sports section is the only thing that is useful, the other sections can be read anywhere. Although I really like comics just for a good laugh every once in a while. Not much information can be taken off of them but it doesn’t hurt to be goofy.
Oh, you can get the comics just about anywhere too. I like the Build Your Own Comics pages at the Houston Chronicle (not my local paper).
http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/byocp.mpl
John,
Wow, I didn’t know that thank you, I thought it was a newspaper thing.
I was wondering, I would like to make a chapbook and don’t know how to publish it, do you think you could steer me in the right direction? Or maybe you could look at my poetry for me. I have two I would like to make. (Living with failure and hop…Equals Love) (Life is filled with pain…but gains knowledge)
Please, email me when you can:
Rianon@familyabode.com
It’s a family email and if you would like and have anytime, you can look at our website: http://WWW.Familyabode.com
P.S.
I’ll be on this page ’till 5:PM
I am not sure what you are thinking of when you you say publish. If you make the book, you are the publisher.
Rianon,
Just a note, trying to load your family page crashed by browser twice. I don’t know why.
Rianon,
I’m wondering if you are saying you don’t know how to market your chapbook? I publish my own chapbooks. I market them as I go to writer’s conventions and readings. My 14 poem chapbooks sell for about $7, it costs me up to $2 to make one with a nice cover. If I go over that, it’s not worth it. The 32 page chapbooks sell for $10 and one book I edited and published for a friend, translations of Neruda, sells for $15. I can only print the translations though, not the original with it because of rights. If you want an ISBN number you can apply for one. Last time I got one they were $250. for ten. Barnes and Nobles sometimes has workshops and orientations for self-;ublishers. Just call and ask about how to get them to handle your publications. I have been to one, but my books don’t have spines, so they are not really stack worthy. I place a book in the public library, and people like my printing company and other local folks sometimes will put them on their counters for me.
I make the chapbook in word, print out an original, and then make the copies I need. I have a paper cutter and a long line stapler to put the books together. I print all the of my covers myself on card stock and others on Yup, photograph paper for that slick look. I like to use original art work and several of my chapbook covers were done by a friend. I scan in the art and copy it to a cover jacket and print it out.
If you have Microsoft Greetings, it is easy to use the flyer feature to make the books with. John gave us a link that has some really good instructions on it that will help you do it yourself. For a first time book, I would suggest just putting one page poems in, then alphabitizing your table of contents. The page numbering is the tricky part, you have to think front and back of each page. Do a mock up before you start.
I don’t know if this will help or not, basically, you can do it if you just take the time to figure it out.
Good Luck,
Connie
John,
I work in an IT department at my office and I was thinking about why it would do that. I can open it up here and at home so I don’t think it’s the site, there may be something going on with your computer. Try scanning for a virus, sometimes you can have one and not really no it until you try opening something. If that doesn’t work try typing in the website instead of just clicking on the browser. If that doesn’t work please either email me or write back on this page. Thank you
Connie,
Thank you, yes I am trying to publish my chapbook but didn’t know that I was actually the publisher. Wow, sometimes I can have major off moments. You have helped allot, I will try and do that. And by do that I mean I will call up Barns And Noble. I am about a half hour away from one so I might just stop by. Thank you so much, I am making one by paper right know by hand just so that I can see how it will be. I am going to draw out my own cover, but might have either my boyfriend or my sister.
John and Connie: When I am finished with it, may I some how send you both a copy? I will send it to you for no cost at all, I feel as though you both really helped me so much. I would love your opinion on what you think of it before I send it out. Thank you so much and God Bless!!!
Connie,
You may look at my site as well and if you would like, email me. God Bless and both have a wonderful day!!!
Hi Rianon,
A virus check was the very first thing I did. Full system scan. No viruses.
Ok, Lets see,what do you have for a virus scan? Let me check the web site again. As I do try and do it as well.
Also does it say anything at all when it can’t come up? Anything at all?
Virus Scanner is Norton Anti-Virus. Can’t remember if it said anything. I can’t access it from my current computer because the site is restricted by my employer. I’ll try again tonight.
Ok, Thank you!
I was wondering, what do you do as an employer? If you don’t mind me asking.
John,
I looked at what Norton Anti-Virus is and this might be why you can’t access our website. Not that it’s bad it’s just sometimes certain anti virus scanners won’t go into certain websites if they are visited allot or they are not familiar with it. What I mean by that is if it is not a widly used website it could be being cautious. What version do you have?
Hi Rianon,
While it is possible that Norton would forbid a site, it would not generally crash my Browser, which is what happened. I think the explanation may lie elsewhere.
As for my job, I am a Technical Writer with a company that creates business software.
Yes, I do agree, I seem to have forgot that your browser crashed, sorry. But yes you are right, the problem may lie elsewhere.
That’s really cool!
I’ve heard of technical writers, but I didn’t know that it includes business software as well. When you have time, I would like it if you could explain that to me. Like what you do exactly and how you would get into something like that such as what classes I would need to take in order to do something like that. God Bless!!
Oh, I’ve said plenty about it already.
You can read a bunch of my articles about technical writing at:
http://www.poewar.com/technical-writing-articles/
You’d probably be especially interested in
The Technical Writing FAQ
A Six Part Guide To Technical Writing
Document Hack (A Technical Writer’s Journal)
Thank you, I’m sorry if I seemed to be prying, I’m not, Promise. Thank you very much. I will definitly read about it. Could you get to my email, I know that it is connected with the website.
If you do get into the website it has all of our vacation pictures on it, although it’s still under construction.
We haven’t been out of the country yet, well accept for mexico, but we want to visit every state in America first. I’m the youngest of two, my sister is two years older than me. She became shorter than me about eight years ago, I still hold it over her head (no punt intended)
God Bless
BYE and God Bless everyone
Rianon: Darling girl, I did email you a few days ago, but evidently you didn’t get it! Will try again.
John and Connie: Ta for further elucidation re chapbooks!
Everybody: Ha ha, Sport is the bit of the newspaper I throw away without reading! (Call meself an Aussie; I dunno.) Closely followed into the bin by Business and Real Estate. Here we have a plethora of local newspapers which cover local issues only, but I love getting the Sydney Morning Herald on Mondays for the excellent TV guide and because, fortuitously, that’s the day it has all the great word puzzles which then occupy me in odd moments for the coming week. And we love Saturday’s Australian for the extensive arts and magazine sections. When I lived in Melbourne I couldn’t manage without Saturday’s Age for the same reasons. News? Oh that’s what you see on TV, or hear on the car radio, or glance over headlines of when you turn on your computer. Comics, fine if they’re there, no worries if they’re not. But the true treasures are cartoons by Michael Leunig. All non-Aussies here reading, please Google him at once! (Aussies don’t have to; they already know.) He is a poet as well as a cartoonist; also his cartoons ARE poetry. There’s no-one else like him in the whole world.
Rosemary,
That’s fine, I guess my computer is a little slow, thanks anyways. You don’t have to email me again, it will come through eventually so don’t worry about it.
I don’t really like the internet, all I go on is this, my online class and wikipedia. That all I have access to, but I will look him up in wikipedia, or try. I have a fobia of the internet.