The thief of days
Benjamin Franklin once said that time was money. He was so wrong…
Has anyone else just lost ten whole days?
Tag: work from home
How to be a Digital Nomad
How to be a Digital Nomad
In truth I am currently somewhat under-qualified to describe life as a digital nomad because this is my first day of freelance writing combined with remote working and I still have a home office, but I like to think that I am on my way to the wandering freelance work life of a digital nomad (at least for part of each year). Continue reading “How to be a Digital Nomad”
What is a blog?
Almost the first question clients ask us is, ‘What is a blog?’ Hardly surprising, we are surrounded online by all sorts of web content. Social media posts, articles, reviews, product descriptions, the list is endless and sometimes confusing.
The answer is simple: blog is a portmanteau (blended) word created from ‘web’ and ‘log’ which was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in March 2003. In effect a blog is an online diary. Blogs tend to consist of short articles, written in a friendly tone that are regularly updated. The other common feature of modern blogs is interactivity, i.e. the ability for users to comment and engage in two-way conversation. All of this is great but blogs take time to create and manage.
People read blogs because they are interesting; many of them appeal to niche interests. For example, my outdoors blog Two Blondes Walking is very popular and almost all of our followers love getting outside. People write blogs for different reasons but the main two are: a) because they love their subject and enjoy writing. b) to gain a following.
There is some blog-based terminology, none of it is too complicated:
blog = ‘web’ + ‘log’ (also a verb ‘to blog’)
blogger = the blog’s author (some bloggers have multiple blogs)
blogging = the act of writing a blog
blog post = one section of writing (this could be weekly, monthly or even like Two Blondes, daily)
live blog = a blog written in short snippets as an event is happening
blogosphere = the wide and varied community of bloggers on the internet
blogroll = a list of blogs to which you subscribe
subscribe = sign up to receive updates when new blogs are posted
comment = join in a conversation about a particular blog topic
share = tell other people that you have enjoyed a blog post, usually through social media
You can share this blog post if you like and make this blogger very happy. Our next post will explain why all businesses should seriously consider including a blog on their website.
Ever wondered what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is? We have some answers for you:
Freelance writing pitfalls – three things a new freelancer shouldn’t do
Starting any new job can be a worrying time. Switching from a salary to freelancing is exciting and it means you can work from home, but it is inevitably scary and brings with it its own set of risks. To help you as you start out as a freelance writer, we have three initial pitfalls for you to avoid: Continue reading “Freelance writing pitfalls – three things a new freelancer shouldn’t do”