You hang a freelance writing shingle, you learn to expand your social media base. These days writing for a living is so much more than it used to be. Or than it ever was for that matter. I’ve survived the profession by keeping an open mind, by being willing (even eager) to learn new skills, and by questioning almost every declaration of alleged fact I encounter.
So when I discovered the community at Blog Catalog, I didn’t get very involved at first. I already had pages at Facebook and MySpace but they occupied maybe 15 minutes of my time each week. At first, I registered my site at BC, popped a widget in my sidebar and pretty much left it at that. But I had friend requests and I made some requests of my own. Every now and then I’d scan the discussion board.
You work as an independent journalist, you rely on information. You juggle a dozen or more editors if you’re lucky. Fact is there were an unusually high number of participants at BC who seemed to know a lot about their interest areas. I’m always in need of experts for articles. One of my favorite clients, The Writer, has led to interviews with Ken Burns, Billy Collins, Christian Wiman and many other great writers. My news clients have led me to celebs like Russell Crowe, up and coming actors and creatives like Stefan Pinto, to governors, senators and even famous psychics.
Some of the bloggers I’ve met are friends in the making; others are “friends” in the sense of people with common interests who connect via social media. At times, I’ve tried to give advice when it was sought.
Most of my online interactions are drive-bys. The pro writers’ groups I’m in—the ones where you have to submit thousands of words published in acceptable outlets and prove your skills—focus on the business of writing. But at Blog Catalog, there’s a global convergence where people share information on topics like banner making or moneytizing your blog. There’s added comfort because the blogs are approved by an actual human being. Discussions are monitored and ad hominem attacks are squelched. When I started a new blog recently, I received lots of help from members.
In a profession where one day you might descend into the dark shaft of a gold mine, or watch a Peregrine Falcon lift her wings towards the sky, or hold a snake in your hand and try very hard to remain calm, Blog Catalog is sort of a comfort room in cyberspace for me. You write a piece about the presidential primary for Sky News and a half-track for a wire service agency then hop over to peck out 1,000 words for a daily, you need a little comfort, you know?
You hang out a freelance writing shingle, you learn to expand your social media base. I think Blog Catalog actually taught me the meaning of the term social media, reminding me that these days, writing for a living is so much more complex than it used to be. Or maybe than it ever really was to begin with. (Filed by Kay B. Day)
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