I got my Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 today, which I'll be blogging about on Caroline's Tablet Tech Blog, and I was surprised to see that it was much smaller than my iPad 2 (and thus, the iPad Air).
If you see the commercial for the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 on TV, where it compares itself to the iPad Air, note that you never see both of the things next to each other.
The commercial gives the weight of the iPad Air as one pound, and the Kindle Fire as considerably lighter, thus crushing the iPad Air.
You want to know why the iPad Air weighs a whole 3 or 4 ounces more than the Kindle Fire?
Because it's bigger!
The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a screen size of 8.9 inches...the iPad Air has a screen size of 9.7 inches!
This is something to take note of, for you as a purchaser of items as well as a freelance writer - be honest - don't compare apples and oranges!
It's an interesting lesson in advertising writing though, isn't it?
The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 TV commercial could have given all the highlights of its features, but the scriptwriter decided to do a negative, attack ad instead.
Which is fine except don't brag about how light the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is compared to the iPad Air, when they aren't the same size, so the weight difference is moot!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
An Income Stream is Where You FInd It
Alright, I confess. I've been influenced by advertisements and bought three, count them three, tablets, a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, an iPad 2, and soon to come the latest Kindle Fire. I'm going to get a Nook, too, but that will be in January...
So how can I justify buying all these things, even though I am getting them all interest free?
Well, I've started Caroline's Tablet Tech Blog, and I am anticipating getting a lot of hits after December 25, when hopefully hundreds of thousands of people with new tablets will start scouring the web for information on how to do various things with them - because none of these tablets have come with print documentation.
The URL of the blog is: http://carolinestablettechblog.blogspot.com/
By having so many tablets, I'll be able to review books and apps on each one, not to mention cases and other accessories, and Caroline's Table Tech Blog will become an authority site. (I don't intend to buy the cases that I'll be reviewing, but when the site becomes an authority site, I anticipate being sent items to review.)
It will take me a while, perhaps, to recoup my investment in these tablets, and of course I've got the price of each one documented so that I'll know exactly how much each one cost me, so that I will know when I've recouped that investment. That's money management. (If the tablets aren't paid off within a certain number of months - 6 to be precise - then I'll start being charged interest. So it's essential that I do get these things paid off in a timely fashion.) (The Note 8.0 is the one I'll have to pay off immediately - as I would owe interest on that one immediately, and we're talking 22%! So I'll pay it off on the payment due date.)
So how can I justify buying all these things, even though I am getting them all interest free?
Well, I've started Caroline's Tablet Tech Blog, and I am anticipating getting a lot of hits after December 25, when hopefully hundreds of thousands of people with new tablets will start scouring the web for information on how to do various things with them - because none of these tablets have come with print documentation.
The URL of the blog is: http://carolinestablettechblog.blogspot.com/
By having so many tablets, I'll be able to review books and apps on each one, not to mention cases and other accessories, and Caroline's Table Tech Blog will become an authority site. (I don't intend to buy the cases that I'll be reviewing, but when the site becomes an authority site, I anticipate being sent items to review.)
It will take me a while, perhaps, to recoup my investment in these tablets, and of course I've got the price of each one documented so that I'll know exactly how much each one cost me, so that I will know when I've recouped that investment. That's money management. (If the tablets aren't paid off within a certain number of months - 6 to be precise - then I'll start being charged interest. So it's essential that I do get these things paid off in a timely fashion.) (The Note 8.0 is the one I'll have to pay off immediately - as I would owe interest on that one immediately, and we're talking 22%! So I'll pay it off on the payment due date.)
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Blog Ideas: Become an Authority on Your Town/City
Depending on where you live, an ideal blog that you can create and monetize is a travel blog - or I suppose destination blog would be a more appropriate title - about your city.
Obviously if you live in a one-horse town of 500-1,000 people, you might not find much to write about. Unless it's a ghost town which still draws tourists who want to imagine it as it once was, perhaps.
But if it's a good-sized town or city that does get a lot of tourist traffic, set yourself up as an expert.
Create a blog (and you can download a free, fully illustrated guide on how to set up a blog at blogger.com by going to our website at FreelanceWriterMagazine.com) and start writing, in a systematic way - everything about what there is to see and do in the city and in surrounding areas.
Are there yearly activities that you can give tips about?
For example, I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming and every year we have Cheyenne Frontier Days which is our big tourist draw - more tourists come here for this two week time period then for the rest of the year combined!
Where are the best places for people to stay when they come here? Where are the hotels, motels and campgrounds in relation to the nearest laundromats, restaurants, museums and so on?
Make sure you take lots of photos, and identify each of these photos with ALT text so they can be properly indexed by Google and other Search Engines.
How can you monetize your blog? Well, again, use Google AdSense - you earn a few cents each time someone clicks on one of your ads - and the ads are related to your topics, by the way - and join Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble as an affiliate.
Suggested topics you can write about on your Destination blog.
From whatever highway a traveler might be using - going north, south, east or west, where is the nearest pharmacy, Walmart and Target, and so on. Give directions of how to get to each, as well as an address.
Give directions to each museum or sports stadium in the city, coming from east, west, north or south. Yes, many folks have GPS, but for those who don't... they'll enjoy this.
Drive around and document any confusing street signs or roadworks - either by day or at night. (For example, here in Cheyenne, we have a Central Avenue that goes from two broad lanes to three narrower lanes. If you're not aware of it, you 'll keep driving straight and end up straddling two lanes instead of getting into the correct lane.)
I'm sure other ideas will come to you if you think about it for a while!
Obviously if you live in a one-horse town of 500-1,000 people, you might not find much to write about. Unless it's a ghost town which still draws tourists who want to imagine it as it once was, perhaps.
But if it's a good-sized town or city that does get a lot of tourist traffic, set yourself up as an expert.
Create a blog (and you can download a free, fully illustrated guide on how to set up a blog at blogger.com by going to our website at FreelanceWriterMagazine.com) and start writing, in a systematic way - everything about what there is to see and do in the city and in surrounding areas.
Are there yearly activities that you can give tips about?
For example, I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming and every year we have Cheyenne Frontier Days which is our big tourist draw - more tourists come here for this two week time period then for the rest of the year combined!
Where are the best places for people to stay when they come here? Where are the hotels, motels and campgrounds in relation to the nearest laundromats, restaurants, museums and so on?
Make sure you take lots of photos, and identify each of these photos with ALT text so they can be properly indexed by Google and other Search Engines.
How can you monetize your blog? Well, again, use Google AdSense - you earn a few cents each time someone clicks on one of your ads - and the ads are related to your topics, by the way - and join Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble as an affiliate.
Suggested topics you can write about on your Destination blog.
From whatever highway a traveler might be using - going north, south, east or west, where is the nearest pharmacy, Walmart and Target, and so on. Give directions of how to get to each, as well as an address.
Give directions to each museum or sports stadium in the city, coming from east, west, north or south. Yes, many folks have GPS, but for those who don't... they'll enjoy this.
Drive around and document any confusing street signs or roadworks - either by day or at night. (For example, here in Cheyenne, we have a Central Avenue that goes from two broad lanes to three narrower lanes. If you're not aware of it, you 'll keep driving straight and end up straddling two lanes instead of getting into the correct lane.)
I'm sure other ideas will come to you if you think about it for a while!
Friday, December 6, 2013
First issue of Freelance Writer Magazine scheduled for January 1, 2014
Originally the first issue of Freelance Writer Magazine (freelancewritermagazine.com) was scheduled to make its debut on December 1, 2013, but the best laid plans of mice, men and magazine publishers gang aft agley.
The first issue is going to be dedicated to SEO - Search Engine Optimization, and is going to be the only work on SEO you'll ever really need.
There's plenty of opportunities for the freelance writer to get writing commissions for SEO. These can consist of rewriting articles that are provided to you, spinning the articles using spinning software (although if you have a large vocabulary and know how to write spintax - which is easy - you don't really need software), writing keyword-rich articles, and optimizing the content of people's websites.
All of this will be explained in Freelance Writer Magazine issue 1, and you'll also find an article on Perfecting Your Voice(s).
The first issue will launch on the Kindle for FREE (so it will be exclusive to Amazon devices for 90 days before being available on other e-readers.)
The first issue is going to be dedicated to SEO - Search Engine Optimization, and is going to be the only work on SEO you'll ever really need.
There's plenty of opportunities for the freelance writer to get writing commissions for SEO. These can consist of rewriting articles that are provided to you, spinning the articles using spinning software (although if you have a large vocabulary and know how to write spintax - which is easy - you don't really need software), writing keyword-rich articles, and optimizing the content of people's websites.
All of this will be explained in Freelance Writer Magazine issue 1, and you'll also find an article on Perfecting Your Voice(s).
The first issue will launch on the Kindle for FREE (so it will be exclusive to Amazon devices for 90 days before being available on other e-readers.)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Time Management is Crucial
If you've ever submitted the manuscript of a book to a print publisher, you've probably read the advice that it's okay to submit your manuscript to more than one publisher at the same time, because if more than one publisher accepts it, that'd be the least of your worries.
The same holds true for working on Elance or on any other online freelance site. (And, indeed, there's nothing to say you can't sign up for all the freelance sites on the web - ODesk, TextBroker, etc. If you're having a drought with one you can get work from another - especially TextBroker where you do not have to bid on jobs - if there's a job there in your Category, you can snap it up right away with now problem.
But if you stick with one freelance website - and I stick with Elance.com for the most part - you may wonder if you should bid on more than one job at a time.
Well, you will quickly find out that you MUST.
It seems like at least 80% and even more of jobs posted on Elance - at least in the writing categories - never get awarded.
So if you bid on 20 jobs, you might be awarded one or two.
You can increase this percentage if you specialize in niche categories - for example Wikipedia experts are always in demand. I advise you to create an account on Wikipedia right now, as a matter of fact, and start learning how to do the coding, and the writing that will satisfy the editors, because you can charge a very reasonable amount of money to put up pages on Wikipedia if you know how to do it. (And I'll share more information on how to work with Wikipedia in future posts.)
It's difficult to say whether you should confine your bids to only those clients who are old established Elance clients - they have little green dots by their name indicating that they have hired people for jobs in the past. But sometimes they are just searching for cost info and don't actually hire someone, whereas a brand new person - no dots to their name - may well hire someone for their job.
Read the project descriptions to get a feel for the client, and make your own decision on this...
Elance does have a series of tests you can take to show your levels of expertise with various software programs...you can do these if you like and they may increase your bid award percentage. (I've never done any of them - but I work mostly with clients who request a repeat of my services because they know what I can do...I'm at a point where I don't have to go out and find new clients.)
But if you are fortunate and are awarded one or two jobs - or more - at the same time, rejoice, and get to work!
Manage your time properly - no procrastination. Make sure you know your deadlines and meet them - every client can review your work and most will deduct a star if you miss a deadline. Communicate with your client and be candid if you need more time to do the work.
The same holds true for working on Elance or on any other online freelance site. (And, indeed, there's nothing to say you can't sign up for all the freelance sites on the web - ODesk, TextBroker, etc. If you're having a drought with one you can get work from another - especially TextBroker where you do not have to bid on jobs - if there's a job there in your Category, you can snap it up right away with now problem.
But if you stick with one freelance website - and I stick with Elance.com for the most part - you may wonder if you should bid on more than one job at a time.
Well, you will quickly find out that you MUST.
It seems like at least 80% and even more of jobs posted on Elance - at least in the writing categories - never get awarded.
So if you bid on 20 jobs, you might be awarded one or two.
You can increase this percentage if you specialize in niche categories - for example Wikipedia experts are always in demand. I advise you to create an account on Wikipedia right now, as a matter of fact, and start learning how to do the coding, and the writing that will satisfy the editors, because you can charge a very reasonable amount of money to put up pages on Wikipedia if you know how to do it. (And I'll share more information on how to work with Wikipedia in future posts.)
It's difficult to say whether you should confine your bids to only those clients who are old established Elance clients - they have little green dots by their name indicating that they have hired people for jobs in the past. But sometimes they are just searching for cost info and don't actually hire someone, whereas a brand new person - no dots to their name - may well hire someone for their job.
Read the project descriptions to get a feel for the client, and make your own decision on this...
Elance does have a series of tests you can take to show your levels of expertise with various software programs...you can do these if you like and they may increase your bid award percentage. (I've never done any of them - but I work mostly with clients who request a repeat of my services because they know what I can do...I'm at a point where I don't have to go out and find new clients.)
But if you are fortunate and are awarded one or two jobs - or more - at the same time, rejoice, and get to work!
Manage your time properly - no procrastination. Make sure you know your deadlines and meet them - every client can review your work and most will deduct a star if you miss a deadline. Communicate with your client and be candid if you need more time to do the work.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Why I despise GMail - one of many reasons
Since I had to create a GMail (Google mail) account to redeem all the "free" gifts I received after purchasing my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, I decided I'd create a Facebook account under that email.
So, I create the Facebook account, but it won't be active until I go to my Gmail account and click on the link in the email they've sent me.
So hour after hour passes and there's not email.
Why not?
Well...gee...it's because GMail doesn't deliver emails from Facebook to your email account, it delivers it into a tab called Social Media. So I finally looked up at the tabs and saw Social that I hadn't noticed before, and in any event would not have thought to look into it, because the message is supposed to be sent to my EMAIL account you idiots!!!!
And of course it was in there.
I didn't create a tab called Social...I didn't create any tabs, I want my email delivered into my email box, (preferably a yahoo.com email because *that* is an email, but unfortunately Samsung is partners with Google...)not some stupid "tab".
But then, the Gmail interface is so awful there is no describing it.
In Yahoo mail, everything is easy, you don't get lost.
In Gmail, you're email conversations are threaded and it is *impossible* to keep track of them (I speak from the experience of a previous Gmail account I was forced to create when I got an Elance job for a particular client - it was awful and it remains awful.)
So, I create the Facebook account, but it won't be active until I go to my Gmail account and click on the link in the email they've sent me.
So hour after hour passes and there's not email.
Why not?
Well...gee...it's because GMail doesn't deliver emails from Facebook to your email account, it delivers it into a tab called Social Media. So I finally looked up at the tabs and saw Social that I hadn't noticed before, and in any event would not have thought to look into it, because the message is supposed to be sent to my EMAIL account you idiots!!!!
And of course it was in there.
I didn't create a tab called Social...I didn't create any tabs, I want my email delivered into my email box, (preferably a yahoo.com email because *that* is an email, but unfortunately Samsung is partners with Google...)not some stupid "tab".
But then, the Gmail interface is so awful there is no describing it.
In Yahoo mail, everything is easy, you don't get lost.
In Gmail, you're email conversations are threaded and it is *impossible* to keep track of them (I speak from the experience of a previous Gmail account I was forced to create when I got an Elance job for a particular client - it was awful and it remains awful.)
Review: Magbook 360 Lifeworks, for 7-8" tablets
I went to Walmart today and bought a case for my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 - not that I really wanted a case but it's so dusty in my house and I wanted something to keep the dust off...
Cost $31, including tax, for a Magboox 360 Lifeworks case, which is supposed to be compatible with an IPad Mini, a Kindle Fire HD 7, a Google Nexus 7, aGalaxy Tab 2 7.0. a Galaxy Note 8.0 (what I've got) a Nook HD, and "most 7-8 inch tablets."
Well, there is no way in the world this thing fits most 7-8 inch tablets or any 7-8 inch tablets. It comes with a tiny 3 X 4 stiff-cardboard thing, with rubber straps on it - which certainly do NOT adjust to fit your tablet! How can stiff rubber straps on a 3 X 4 piece of cardboard extend to fit an 8 inch tablet?
More than that, if you just set the Google Note into the case itself, the top of the thing sticks out about an 8th of an inch above the case.
I know I had my technological difficulties with the SD Card and the S pen yesterday, but believe me there is no way this thing can fit - and I will prove it with appropriate photographs!
Cost $31, including tax, for a Magboox 360 Lifeworks case, which is supposed to be compatible with an IPad Mini, a Kindle Fire HD 7, a Google Nexus 7, aGalaxy Tab 2 7.0. a Galaxy Note 8.0 (what I've got) a Nook HD, and "most 7-8 inch tablets."
Well, there is no way in the world this thing fits most 7-8 inch tablets or any 7-8 inch tablets. It comes with a tiny 3 X 4 stiff-cardboard thing, with rubber straps on it - which certainly do NOT adjust to fit your tablet! How can stiff rubber straps on a 3 X 4 piece of cardboard extend to fit an 8 inch tablet?
More than that, if you just set the Google Note into the case itself, the top of the thing sticks out about an 8th of an inch above the case.
I know I had my technological difficulties with the SD Card and the S pen yesterday, but believe me there is no way this thing can fit - and I will prove it with appropriate photographs!
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| Case claims it first 7 and 8 inch tablets |
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| Note the ruler. The card with therubber straps on it is much, much smaller than the Galaxy Note 8.0 |
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| The top right of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 in the strap - look where the bottom strap is. |
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