Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Am I Talking to You (Meme)

As my first time as a meme participant I'd like to thank Carson Brackney of Content Done Better for tagging me! This meme is a more in-depth look at what my purpose is for my blog, who my intended blog audience is, and whether or not I am reaching them. The meme begins with two questions:

(1) To whom are you blogging?
(2) Am I talking to you?

First, to whom am I blogging? I first began blogging in 2005 as a way to share a little bit of my personal life with family, friends, and anyone who was interested in reading what I had to say. For me, it was a way to utilize my writing skills until my baby was old enough to allow me to share my time with others.

Last November, I decided the time had come for me to begin working toward a career in freelance writing--a lifetime dream and goal of mine. I created my website, www.onlinefreelancewriter.com, in an attempt to sell my services. I began learning everything I could to circulate my name on the internet with the hope of bringing some business my way.

I joined writer's forums, and began reading lots of great blogs. Content Done Better was actually the first one I came to, and is where I have learned a lot of useful information. In February, I decided to give my blog a makeover. This brings me to question one. I created Getting it Write for You for writers and prospective clients.

My desire is to encourage, teach and inspire writers of all genres. Really, it's my way of giving back to the freelancing community. I have to say that everyone I have contacted in request of link exchange or advice has been unbelievably helpful to me. Thank you for that. I can also see by watching my site statistics that you have been visiting my blog faithfully.

Of course, my other motivation is the hope that I may drive some potential clients my way. A client interested in my services may visit my website, but might like to see a different sampling of my writing. Or perhaps they will visit my blog first and then follow the link to my site. Either way is great.

I really hope for this blog to serve as a humble example of my expertise and knowledge. I want it to suit both your needs as well as my own. This brings me to part two of this meme. Am I talking to you? Let me thank you right now, if you are one who has ever left me any feedback. It's great fun to get it, and it lets me know that someone has found some value in what I have written about.

My writing blog is fairly new so I think it is an opportune time to ask you a few questions that I hope you will feel free to answer honestly.

* What do you like about this blog?
* What do you dislike about this blog?
* What would you like to see here in the future?
* Do you have a favorite post (and why)?
* What can I do to keep you coming back?

I'm tagging:

* Betsy Henning because she is an amazing writer who has valuable things to say, and has kept me encouraged as a writer.
* Leigh Zaykoski of Wealth of Words and Kathy Kehrli of Screw You! because they have both been so encouraging and helpful to me as a newbie in the freelancing world.

I look up to all of you so much. Thank you!

2 comments:

B said...

* What do you like about this blog?

It's nice to see someone who offers practical suggestions. Your blog always seems to have an upbeat "feel" about it, too, which is nice. Some of us can get a little snotty at times, you know...

* What do you dislike about this blog?

I don't know if I can convince you to go with a "dark text on light background" look instead of your current "light on dark" approach, but I do hope I can somehow persuade you to change the color of visited links. They sort of disappear on my monitor and leave holes in the text.

The white on light blue in the header is tough for me, too.

Not a scathing commentary, but a serious suggestion!

* What would you like to see here in the future?

Even though I said I like the practical aspect of many posts, I'm a big fan of opinion. I like to read people expressing their own perspectives and attitudes on issues. I'm looking forward to more "here's how I see it," editorial posts down the road.

* Do you have a favorite post (and why)?

I'm not usually a big fan of people's home life tales, but the simultaneous poop, pizza/crap thing cracked me up. Maybe that's because our little girl only recently made the switch from pull-ups to underwear.

On a business note, I liked "Finding My Writing Voice." Your commitment to learning, improving, shaking off the rust, etc. is something so many writers (especially those focusing on online opportunities) should emulate. Too many people settle for "whatever" and it's awesome to find those who are striving for "quality."

* What can I do to keep you coming back?

Keep posting. Your RSS feed pops up every day and every time I see a new post, I'll be there!

Lisa Vella said...

Carson,

Thank you so much for your feedback! I definitely agree about changing the link color. I noticed it after I posted, but intend to remedy it! (I'll be honest-it's 70 degrees outside and I was itching to get out and enjoy the sun! It was a much needed treat after the subzero temperatures we've been having here in PA!)

I will work toward more editorial posts down the line and will keep on posting! Thanks a lot, and I will see you at your next post!