Drop Some Knowledge, Win a Prize.

Good morning, everyone. I thought that I would switch things up a bit today. Rather than me telling you my thoughts on the Internet writing biz, I’d like to give you a chance to share your thoughts. So, here’s what I’d like to do:

In the comments section of this post, give me your best Internet writing advice. Pretend someone has told you that they want to become an Internet writer, and asks you for your best tip. You can tell me about your writing process, about how you find topics, about how you make money, or really anything at all that you’d like to share.

On Thursday morning at precisely 10 AM (more or less) I will close the comments, after which I’ll pick my favorite advice. The winner will receive The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Strauss or a $10 gift card for Amazon.com, winner’s choice.

I will only count the first comment from each person, so make sure it is your best advice.

Here’s more info about the book if you’re interested:

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March 4, 2008 · Filed Under Internet Writing, Writing Advice

Comments

6 Responses to “Drop Some Knowledge, Win a Prize.”

Brad Shorr (1 comments) on March 4th, 2008 7:55 am

Write about what you know. Not exactly original, but important for any kind of writing. People come to the Web looking for specific information, so either seek opportunities where you are a subject matter expert, or be willing to however many hours it takes on research.
Debra (7 comments) on March 4th, 2008 9:01 am

My best piece of advice is to choose your jobs carefully. The internet is full of “job offers” that pay $1.00 for 500 word articles. Worse, most of them claim all rights to your work and pass it off as their own, so you don’t even get the byline. If you figure up how long it takes you to write these articles, you’ll realize you’re getting paid $1.00 to $2.00 an hour, far less than minimum wage.

So remember, you don’t have to take whatever comes along, even if you’re relatively new to writing. Hone your skills, watch for the good jobs, and when you see a position that pays well, be ready to send a professional-looking resume and some dazzling clips. Good luck and keep writing.
Alyice (2 comments) on March 5th, 2008 9:34 am

My advice. Keep it simple and always research your information. Not all information on the web is true, accurate, and reliable. Check your sources when quoting. Use real facts, not made up ones. And instead of simply lifting a quote from someone’s blog, why not do as journalists do and actually contact the blog owner for a fresh and original quote. You’ll improve the quality of your piece while still getting the message you wanted across to your reader and your content will be unique instead of simply rehashing what’s already been said.
Bob (133 comments) on March 5th, 2008 12:31 pm

Excellent advice so far, everyone! Keep ‘em coming!
Bob (133 comments) on March 6th, 2008 10:51 am

And the winner is….

This is a tough one.

All three of you make great points, no doubt about it.

I think I like what Alyice is saying the most. Maybe I’m on an anti-plagiarism kick this week, but whatever the reason this comment really stuck with me.

Alyice, send me an e-mail with your address and let me know if you want the gift card or the grammar book.

Thanks again to all three of you. I’m hoping to do another contest next week, but we’ll see. I’m hoping to get double the number of entries next time!
Pam (1 comments) on April 11th, 2008 1:43 pm

Thanks for the great advice and stories, Bob. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. What’s your next contest going to be? I’m ready!