Internet Writers Walk a Fine Line

As all of my readers know, I love the idea of making money with my internet writing. I've been a professional writer for over 20 years and that is what I do. I also love helping other internet writers make money with their internet writing. It is my way of "giving back" to those who helped me get where I am today. However, there are certain causes and issues that are close to my heart. As a "niche-less gut writer," I write about those causes and issues. I make money off the internet article I write about them.

"How do you justify taking advantage and exploiting of the victims of the Westboro Baptist Church by writing about them and making money off them?" an email I received recently asked.

Excellent question. I am writing about their horrible encounters with the Westboro Baptist Church. I am making money off those encounters. How can I justify that? It is a fine line that internet writers (and all writers) walk. The purpose of writing is to educate, inform and entertain. And, of course, to make money - for those of us who write professionally.

That question has made me pause and consider my true motives for writing about the Westboro Baptist Church as well as other issues and causes that make up my writing portfolio. Is making money off the pain and suffering of others my main objective when I write about the causes and issues I feel strongly about? If it isn't my main objective, how heavily does the money weigh in my decision to write about them? Thankfully, I didn't have to ponder those questions too long. I know my heart and I know my motives.

Truth be told, I made a huge mistake in writing about the Westboro Baptist Church. I never really considered the money I would be making. I got mad. I thought about what they were doing and I got even madder. My anger at those "failed humans" completely overrode the business side of my brain. I knew I would page views. I knew that people would be reading my articles, but that is where it ended. I wanted the truth to be told and so I wrote.

I am going to continue to make mistakes when I write about the Westboro Baptist Church. I'm going with my gut and with my heart. I won't go back and tweak the keywords which is what a good internet writer would do. Whatever travels from my brain down through my arms and fingers onto the screen is what will be published.

That, too, is a fine line I must walk. I know that when I write straight from the heart that is shows on the screen (or page) and there is nothing I can do about that. Those "straight from the heart articles" usually do better than my others. I call that "accidental and unintentional money."

I suppose I could stop writing about things I feel passionately about to maintain some sense of integrity as a writer. If I did that, I would no longer write about politics, animals, my family, the elderly, my faith...The list would be never ending. I would become a "fluff writer" without any substance. That is when I feel I would lose all sense of integrity as a writer. I make no apologies for writing about those topics. Whether money is made off those internet articles is not the reason I write about them. I write about them because I'd go (even more) insane if I didn't. 

This blog has been about making money as an internet writer. I am also ashamed to say that. Not once have I addressed the emotional side of writing. It has been all about writing for money. I truly apologize for that. I have left out the real reason that real writers write. That real reason is because we have a thought or a feeling we can't get out until we put it into words.

Despite the fine line between writing from the heart and making money off those causes and issues, that is what we must do as internet writers. Writing fluff is fine; there are reasons to write internet articles like that. Writing those heartfelt internet articles and making money off of them is also fine. We must each find our own moral compass and go where it leads.

Make Your Own Breaks as an Internet Writer

As internet writers, we do all we can to get our internet articles read by as many people as possible. We add our links every place we can think of. We tweet them. We post them to Facebook. We add them to similar work by other internet writers. Sometimes, it feels like we aren't getting anywhere. Seeing I don't believe really believe in luck, I am a firm believer we must make our own breaks as internet writer. Sometimes, those breaks we make come from the most unlikely places. This is an example of how I stepped out on a limb (and maybe "into it") and made my own break...

On March 4th, I wrote and published "The Westboro Baptist Church is Right" on Associated Content. Don't panic and think I've "gone to the dark side." Remember, I write teasers. I wanted as many people to know the truth about the Westboro Baptist Church as possible. I was getting page views, but I wanted more. What internet writer doesn't?

Just for fun or maybe from boredom, I decided to tweet the link to that particular article to Margie J. Phelps. I added "Thought you and your church would like this one! The Westboro Baptist Church is Right." I was expecting a nasty response from her and nothing more. I was so wrong about that!

For the record, Margie J. Phelps is the daughter of Fred Phelps, the founder of Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church is that group of hate-spreading wackos from Topeka, Kansas that protest funerals all over the country. They hate everything, except themselves and their hatred.

She didn't respond to me directly. Instead, Margie J. Phelps retweeted my link, adding "best" to it. Obviously, she never read it. I quickly retweeted her retweet of my original tweet (that is a mouthful!), in case she caught her mistake. I also sent a "thank you tweet" for retweeting me.

After all the hate tweets had almost calmed down, some were even deleted and apologies sent out, I had another idea. I started sending Margie J. Phelps retweet to news organizations around the country. I sent it to MSNBC, FOX News and CNN. I even created a CNN iReport, telling the story of Margie J. Phelps major mistake on Twitter.

I was far from being finished. I wrote a follow-up article on Associated Content. This particular article was entitled "Westboro Baptist Church Member Makes Major Mistake on Twitter." It outlined the mistake made by "Mensa Margie."

My page views were increasing. After tweeting Margie J. Phelps and creating the CNN iReport, "The Westboro Baptist Church is Right" page views more than tripled in one night. They have been steadily increasing since then.

For those of you who know how tenacious I can be, you will not be the least bit surprised to learn I wasn't finished. I continued sending out all my links to all my Westboro Baptist Church articles to anyone and everyone I could think of. I was a woman on a mission - a multi-purpose mission. First, I wanted to spread the truth about the hate-spewing Westboro Baptist Church. Secondly, I wanted to increase my page views.

I wrote an additional article for Associated Content - "Is Westboro Baptist Church Avoiding Oklahoma?" Seeing I had to be relatively nice about the situation with the Westboro Baptist Church, I was not satisfied with the "nice" slant I had to use. The series of articles I was writing, that I'm still writing, were too politically correct for me.. I wanted to find a way to really "let it rip" and share what was really in my heart. That is when I was struck by what I consider a brainstorm...

I created a highly focused blog on Blogger that is devoted to my true feelings about the Westboro Baptist Church. I carefully created a URL that would be well-searched - "The Westboro Baptist Church." I entitled the blog "Westboro Baptist Church News." I wasn't too crazy about add the word "the" to my URL, but just "Westboro Baptist Church" was already taken.

Since this whole thing started, I haven't felt this energized to write in quite while. As you can tell I haven't been posting here as much as I should be. I haven't felt like it. My brief hospital stay didn't help matters either. I had been neglecting all of my blogs and my writing other places as well. With my failing health, it was easy to stop writing as much as I should have.

I've always known that I write my best when I am mad and something came along that "charged my battery." I created my own break. Not only are my page views increasing and I'm sharing the truth about the Westboro Baptist Church, I have my passion for writing back.

I want to encourage all of you to make your own breaks. Try new things. Mix it up. Step out on a limb and do something you never thought you would or could do. It certainly worked for me. I may not get rich with my Westboro Baptist  Church articles, but I am writing. With a smile on my face and ideas flowing. That is what all writers should be doing!

Big Changes for Internet Writers: Google's New Algorithm

I would love to say that Google's new algorithm hasn't changed anything for me and other writers. That would be excellent news for all of us. Unfortunately, it has changed things. As internet writers we must learn to adapt to Google's new algorithm and all of the changes it has brought about.

This changes in the way that Google is indexing and ranking internet articles were meant to cut the spam and poor content that many writing sites are publishing from their search engine. This makes sense. Google wants those who use their search engine to find only the best information. Like me, they are preaching "quality over quantity."

Unfortunately, quality writers who produce quality internet articles are finding it harder to be indexed and ranked with Google. Because we write for those writing sites, our page views and our earnings are down. Google is not using their vast resources to go after "hacks" on those writing sites, but the all the content those sites publish.

What can internet writers do to adapt to these changes? I wasn't sure if there was much we could to work with these changes. Boycotting Google isn't going to help much. Throwing in the towel is definitely not an option. There are several things we can do to make sure our earnings do not decline, "drop" and "disappear," as some of my readers have explained has happened to them:

• Look For Other Writing Websites -Find writing websites that have not been as drastically effected by the new Google algorithm. Do your research and find new websites to write for. Revisit writing websites that you considered before, but decided against. Consider re-applying for writing positions you were turned down to write for in the past.

• Be More Selective -  Choose carefully which of your current writing sites you write for. Spread yourself a bit thin and write for several different websites. As with most internet writing, trial and error is probably the way to go. See which writing sites will pay off for you. Write for the websites that have haven't been as as hard with the changes in the Google algorithm.

• Increase Your Quality -If there ever was a time to do your best work, it is now. Use reputable sources. Include links to websites that have the highest quality of information as well as the highest page rank. Although I am not a fan of sending readers away from you own work, I am willing to make this sacrifice to help increase my own ranking, page views and, hopefully, getting indexed on the front page of Google and other search engines.

• Write More -Increase the amount of quality internet articles you are writing. It is a numbers game, I hate to say. The more internet articles you write, the more chances you have of being indexed on Google. DO NOT sacrifice your quality though! I understand. We are already as much as possible. However, if we could produce just one more quality internet article per day, it could make a difference in our earnings.

• Find Your Niche - Consider finding your niche. Look for something that you are a wealth of information about, love writing about and others are not writing about. Carve out your niche. This is the area where I will be putting a lot of my effort into. I'm not a niche writer, but I'm working hard to become one. When you (and I) find a specific area of internet writing that others aren't writing much about, the more likely we are to be indexed by Google.

• Watch Other Writers -  Pay attention to what other internet writers are doing. Which writing sites are they writing for? Which ones are they writing less for or have quit using completely? Read the internet articles that are on the sites that you write for. If you notice problems with the internet articles, follow the sites guidelines and common courtesy to help the writer improve their work. If you are alerted to problems with your internet articles, do not take it personally and do all you can to fix those problems.

• Hang On Tight -Yes, hang on tight. It is unsure exactly how much the new Google algorithm with change how we "do business," but we have to keep an open mind and keep writing. This isn't the time to throw in the towel. We are writers and that is what we do. For many of us, it isn't just a career - it is who we are. Do not give up your love and passion for internet writing simply because things are getting tough.

• Stick Together - Internet writers, more than ever, should stick together. We need to share information. Let other internet writers know what is working for us and what isn't. If nothing else, lend a compassionate ear when our internet writer friends tell us things are looking bleak for them.

The only thing constant in life is that it is always changing. We must learn to adapt to those life changes. Just like we must learn to adapt to Google's new algorithm. It isn't the end of the world. We will weather this storm and come out on top. It may not be easy and it may take some time, but we will do what we do best - write quality internet articles that get indexed with Google, get the page views and make our money. I know we can do it

Page Rank Factors

Internet writers are always seeking a higher page rank. Page rank is the elusive dream that slips through the fingers of many internet writers. With all the internet articles, websites and blogs, it is hard to obtain the page rank we all need to be successful - truly successful, not just making "some money." These are a few factors that determine page rank of your blogs and websites:

• Internal Links - By using internal links, you can increase your page rank. Link the pages of your blog (or website) together to help with your page rank. This will also help to keep your readers on your work and not elsewhere.

• External Links - Link your blogs and websites to other blogs and websites. Check into the page rank of the sites you will be linking your work to. The higher the page rank that they have will help increase your page rank. Be careful not to add to many external links. Not only will this take your visitors away from your work, it can also "drain" your page rank - allowing it to leak onto the sites your linking your blogs or websites to.

• Number of Pages - The number of pages that your blogs and websites have can also increase your page rank. The more the pages you have, the higher your page rank will be. Never add pages only for the sake of increasing your page rank. Your additional pages should always be relevant and contain excellent copy.

Increasing page rank is something that every internet writer should be conscience of and constantly working to increase. It isn't easy because of all the competition on the internet, but it is possible - with hard work and diligence. Keep these factors in mind as you create and update your blogs and websites so you can watch your page rank increase over time.

Jobs Scheduling Tips for Internet Writers

One of the hardest jobs for internet writers is not the actual writing of internet articles. It is scheduling time to do their internet writing. That, in itself, is a full-time job. Many internet writers do not think about "jobs scheduling." They write when they can and never give it a second thought. Although that method can work, there are better ways that will allow internet writers to manage their time more effectively. These are just a few tips that will give you some scheduling solutions to your scheduling problems:

• Job Scheduling Software -There are many different types of job scheduling software available. Most are not designed for freelance writers, but can still be used for your internet writing. Job scheduling software can help you with all sorts of time management issues you may be having.

• Blocks of Time -Consider scheduling your internet writing in blocks of time. With this method, it is not necessary to schedule your online writing for the same time each day. Internet writers can "block" specific time periods throughout the week for their writing. This option works great for stay-at-home moms and students who are making extra money with their internet writing because it can be modified to fit into variable schedules.

• Project Scheduling -Internet writers can also schedule their time according to the different projects they are working on. This allows internet writers to allow themselves a specific amount of time for their different writing sites, blogs and private clients. When scheduling with this method, be sure to allow enough time for the different projects - keeping in mind that different projects will need specific amounts of time to finish. Project scheduling software is available to help you with any scheduling and time management issues.

• Snatch and Grab Scheduling -"Snatch and grab scheduling" is just as it sounds. Whenever you have spare time, you can do your internet writing. This form of scheduling requires the most amount of discipline. Without a set schedule, it can be difficult to find the time to write. However, internet writers who have full-time jobs, families and other commitments may find this works best for them.

• Other Scheduling Software - Keep in mind there are several different types of scheduling software that can help you with time management. In addition to job scheduling software and project scheduling software, internet writers can also use work schedule software, service scheduling software and time schedule software. Almost any of them can be modified to help internet writers with scheduling.

No matter what form of jobs scheduling you decide on, it is important that all internet writers have and maintain some sort of a schedule. Once internet writers have developed a schedule for their internet writing, it becomes easier to write and meet all deadlines. Remember to schedule your internet writing for when you will be "in the mood" to write and when you feel the most creative. This will help you be able to stick with your schedule and get the most of the time you have for your internet writing.

Limiting Your Keywords

For internet writers, it is all about keywords. We need them to survive. Without keywords, search engines would not index our internet articles. We would not be able to have a great page rank. The SEO would sink. Internet writers would be writing for themselves - with few readers and little revenue. Despite the need for internet writers to use keywords, those keywords need to be limited. No, I'm not talking about keyword density. I am talking about too many keywords in an internet article.

An internet friend of mine recently asked, "How do we get 'win no fee,' 'Coffee AM,' and 'wrongful death attorney Los Angeles' in one article?" For the record, as of the date publication, the CPC for "win no fee" is $241.35; the CPC for Coffee AM is $127.73 and the CPC for "wrongful death attorney Los Angeles" is $73.73. She was joking, of course, but it did bring up an interesting topic - limiting the individual keywords in an internet article.

How do you do it? Well, you don't. Unless you are writing a schizophrenic internet article that is "all over the place." Instead, you would write three different internet articles. Each on of those articles would concentrate on of those keywords. Even though you could mix "win no fee" with "wrongful death attorney Los Anglees," your internet article would do better only one keyword.

I'm sure your thinking "But this blog post has lots of keywords in it." It has a few - keywords, internet writer and internet articles. However, my goal with my blog is to have it indexed according to several keywords. I am not particularly concerned with this one post being indexed. That is a luxury a blog has as opposed to one internet article.

The tip of the day is to limit your internet articles to one keyword and limit your blog to several similar keywords. This will help get indexed by major search engines, increase your page rank and the internet article's SEO. Please don't think of it as more work; think of it as helping with the quantity and quality of your work.

Curve Your Competitive Nature

Writers are a competitive group of people, especially internet writers. As internet writers, we all want the "good keywords" that are the most "searchable" and that will attract the highest paying ads. We want our internet articles to listed first on search engines and have the highest page rank. I have a little news flash for you...The internet is big place and there is enough room for all writers. Writers, yes; hacks, no. There is not enough room for hacks anywhere in the writing world, but that is completely different topic. With the limitless possibilities of topic we can write about, we should learn to curve our competitive natures and do all we can to help to help other internet writers.

I love sharing what I have learned along the way of my writing career with other writers. I also love it when other writers share their thoughts, tips and tidbits of advice with me. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have in the writing world, especially the world of internet writing, if not for the help I received along the way.

I am writing this in response to an email I received. I was asked why I share my writing secrets with the world and if I thought that could damage my future as a writer. I share because it is the right thing to do, a sort of "pay it forward" for all the help I've gotten in the past. And, to make money, of course. You didn't think those Google ads and links to Amazon products just showed up on their own, did you? I'm not kind and wonderful! As for damaging my future as a writer, I have done the best I can to brand myself and my work. I have a unique voice. I am not a niche writer so no one can push me out of a particular "slot" in the writing world.

As internet writers, we need do all we can to perfect our craft and to help other internet writers do the same. The better we all look, the better the world of internet writing will look. That is a win/win situation for everyone. Instead of hoarding the information we have that will improve our internet writing, we need to pass it on to any and every internet writer that will listen and learn from it.

Focus Your Blog

So, you want to be a blogger? You've heard or read that blogging is a great way for an internet writer to make money and you are ready to get started. With all those ideas floating around in your head, along with the dollar signs, you feel as if you can do anything. Well, you can. Within reason. You've heard "too many cooks spoil the broth." The same holds true with being blogger. Too many ideas can ruin a great blog.  And, blogger. The key is to being a successful blog is to focus to your blog.

Focusing your blog is fairly easy. Think of all the topics you enjoy, have knowledge about and would want to write about until the end of time.  For me, obviously, that was writing. Use the Google Keyword Tool to find "searchable" and profitable keywords for those different topics. Create a blog centered around one of those topics and get started blogging. As searchable and profitable as all bloggers want their blog to be, it is more important to select a topic within your area of expertise and something you feel passionate about - passionate enough to write about it for many years.

Staying focused is a horse of a different color. One blog post leads to another and that one leads to another. One day you look at your blog that started out being about "gardening" and now you have a blog about how your children do not like to eat vegetables. How did that happen? You had focused your blog and it never should have happened. More than likely, you weren't disciplined enough to keep your blog focused or the topic you selected was too broad.

Gardening, at first glance may seem like a great topic for a focused blog. Then again, there are rose gardens, vegetables gardens, gardens that grow well in your area and your own garden. Remember flower gardens, rock gardens and tips about gardens. The possibilities of that one topic is not so narrow now. You should have a topic of your blog that is narrow enough not to become "cluttered" with other topics yet not narrow enough to limit yourself to a few posts a month or year.

Once you decide on the narrow yet limitless blog topic, you are almost ready to begin your career as a blogger. Stay tuned for information about creating your actual blog, ad placement and the like. There is a long to do list you must go through before you are ready to actually start blogging.

Internet Writing: Your Never-Ending Job Interview

Internet writers must understand that the internet articles they post can remain online for as long as the world wide web exists. Readers can access internet articles for decades, centuries perhaps. Internet writers must always produce internet articles of the highest quality.

Of course, there is a learning curve. As internet writers grow as writers and hone their online article writing skills, their articles will improve. In fact, every internet article must be better than the last. This is a daunting task. It isn't easy to produce ever-improving internet articles.

I consider internet writing to be a never-ending job interview. Readers will begin to notice you and your work. This is especially true if you have properly branded yourself and your work. Readers will judge your work based on your other work and other internet articles they have read as well as by their own standards. Based on their opinions of your work, they will be deciding if they want to continue reading - hiring you as their "personal internet writer."

The quality of your internet articles must always be of the highest caliber. There is little, if any room, for errors. I am a firm believer that it is best to have one quality internet article than several low-quality internet articles. Those low-quality articles may earn your money and readers in the short-term, but do all sorts of long-term damage that can not be corrected. Internet writers must remember that they are only as good as the worst online article they have written.

Google Keyword Tool - Just the Basics

I have mentioned the Google Keyword Tool in previous posts. I have gotten several emails about this. Many of my online readers have never heard of it and, if they have heard it, they don't know how to use it. Internet writers are missing a wonderful opportunity when they aren't using "the tool." This tool will help internet writers pick keywords to use in their online articles.  Sit back, take a deep breath; it isn't as hard as it might sound. These are just the basics to using the Google Keyword Tool.

Think of a topic you would like to create an online article about. It doesn't matter what it is. Concentrate on the words that you know you will repeat in the online article. For the purpose of this post, I will use "coffee" as the topic of the article. Pull up the Google Keyword Tool and type in "coffee," without the quotation marks.

On the far right of you computer screen you will see a rectangular box entitled "columns." Click on that box. You will see all sorts of options as how to customize your columns. I recommend that internet writers only click on "global monthly searches" and "estimated avg. CPC."  Remember that "CPC" stands for "cost per click." This is NOT the amount you will be paid when someone clicks on the ad. This is the amount that the advertiser pays Google when someone clicks on the ad.

To the left of the columns box you will find "sorted by." Click on the box next to it and check "estimated avg. CPC." This will allow the results for coffee (the topic of our pretend internet article) to be sorted from highest CPC to lowest CPC.

Now click the "search" box which is located beneath the "word or phrase" box. The results for the keyword coffee will pop up. At the time I am writing this, the results from the Google Keyword Tool list "coffee am," "green mountain coffee" and "green mountain coffee roasters" as the three words (phrases) with the highest CPC.  The highest CPC is $117.10 - for "coffee am." Scroll through the search results for coffee and find the keyword(s) that will best work with your internet article about coffee. Remember that at the bottom of the page you can also add more rows, up to 100.

Start thinking about the internet article you will be writing about coffee. How can you incorporate the keywords you found? Keep in mind that you want to use the keywords with the both the highest CPC and the highest global monthly searches. If you were going to write an internet article about where to buy coffee, "coffee am" is the the obvious choice.  Coffee AM is a website that sells coffee.

Not quite what you were wanting for your online article? It is time to brainstorm. Try "expresso," "caffeinated beverages" or "hot drinks." Keep brainstorming different options until you find something that will work for your internet article. You can even change the slant of your internet article to fit a more profitable and more "searchable" keyword.

Keep in mind as you use the Google Keyword Tool that you want to write a quality internet article! Internet writers should always write about what they feel passionately about and not what is most profitable. (Look at me! I'm writing about internet writing and internet writing. I feel passionately about it. If I was only "in it" for the money, I would have chosen a blog topic that is more "searchable" and more profitable.) Your passion will shine through and draw readers in. Also, you need to remember that Google is personalizing the ads - the subject of ads your readers have clicked in the past will follow them to your internet article no matter your topic. Internet articles will still have some content-based ads, but as many as before.

Now write your internet article. Remember to use Live Keyword Analysis to get the correct ratio. For more information about this, please read my previous post about using this great tool. Do not force the keywords. Let them flow naturally. You can always go back to the Google Keyword Tool to tweak the keywords you have used in your internet article.