by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

When freelancing for a living, a business website to refer clients to is a must. This is a simple and professional way to let clients know what services and expertise you can provide. But what information is essential to share? As one who has been freelancing for years, here are 8 things I feel are absolute musts on a freelance web writer's website.

Bio
A bio describing some of your experiences, interests, and areas of expertise should be included in a prominent area. This lets potential clients know exactly what you are all about. You want them to know this because it helps them decide if you may be what they are looking for. Would you rather hire a construction contractor who was upfront with their skills and experience or one who simply stated he was a contractor with no additional information? Freelance writing is no different.

Experience
Experience is touched on briefly above, but you may be wondering what to include. Experience can refer to degrees and it also can refer to work or research that you've done. For instance, are there special clients or media agencies you have worked for? Do you have a degree that contributes to what you produce as a freelance writer? How many years have you been freelancing? These are just some of the things you can discuss on your website.

Writing Samples
Potential clients will need to see what type of work you are capable of. It also is a good way to show your professionalism and skills to more people. You can still email samples to potential clients, but it will be much easier for both of you (and provide a wider reach) if you make these easily available on your website. Some may choose to display these as files that can be downloaded. Others may choose to link to work they've done around the web for various clients and content sites like Associated Content.

Contact Form
A contact form is an easy way for potential clients, as well as readers, to communicate with you. These are easy to set up and can be customized to fit your purpose. These forms will forward directly to your email address. It makes contacting a simple and quick process for those who visit your website. They also can help to cut down on spam requests, as many can be customized to track IP addresses, ask for a captcha code, and other preventative measures.

Blog
This is where you can engage and interact with your audience. It's where you can talk about different aspects of the writing business, give writing tips, and also give updates on your business ventures. Don't be afraid to add some fun things in every now and then. Who you went out with last night and what you did may not be a good topic for a blog on your business website, but adding an appropriate personal touch is good. It helps followers and potential clients connect with you.

RSS and Email Subscriptions
Freelance web writers should always have a way for their audience to stay updated on their work. RSS feeds and email subscriptions can be extremely helpful here. Some content sites that freelancers may write for already have RSS feeds available to the writer. These can be placed in widgets that allow readers to view or subscribe to the content via email or feed readers. Each time a piece of content is published to the feed, those who are subscribed will be updated. Making this available on your website can be helpful in building a following.

Social Media Connections
If you are using social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) to increase your online presence or to make connections in the writing world, place those links on your business website. This will help people connect with you around the web and can be useful in creating a following. Not everyone is comfortable with every form of communication. Social media helps create a variety of ways to connect with your readership.

Interaction
Every freelance web writer should have some form of interaction on their website. RSS, blogs, and social media links are a few ways people can interact with you and the site. You may also want to have an advice page where readers can use a simple contact form to put in suggestions or ask advice that you can answer in upcoming articles. A forum is also a good source of interaction, but only create one if you have time to keep up with it. The main point is to have some way that readers can interact with you and/or your website. This will keep people coming back.


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*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Most who know me will know that I spend a considerable amount of time utilizing social media. I still will. It’s essential to the work I do and is a significant method for keeping in touch with those I care about. However, starting tonight, I’ve decided to go about it in a different way. I’m minimizing my mobile notifications for Facebook and Twitter – specifically, the SMS (text) ones… and yes, I can feel the shock coursing through the veins of anyone who knows me personally, as they read that statement.

SMS is Outdated and Unnecessary
Why the heck am I getting both text alerts and push notifications for the same exact things on Facebook? I receive several types of push notifications. Two of those include email and Facebook – and I get Facebook alerts in my email too. This means I am getting three notifications for the same updates (email, Facebook app, and SMS). Why? This is a bit excessive. At first, it was a precaution to be sure I don’t miss anything important. However, there hasn’t yet been a time when any of those methods has failed. Besides, with push notifications coming directly from the Facebook app, SMS is actually quite outdated, not to mention unnecessary. Why would I choose text alerts when the push notifications get me directly to the update in the Facebook app? The text notification leads to the mobile web version of Facebook, which is not how I prefer to access Facebook. I prefer the app because the features are better and it loads faster.

Text Alerts Are Annoying
My poor loved ones have to hear the constant annoyance that is my text alert going off literally every second sometimes. This is ridiculous and I’m putting an end to it. In fact, it’s even starting to annoy me and I’m the one who set it up that way. Yes, some of the notifications are important – some. But as I mentioned above, I’m already getting them via my mobile device in other ways. So the SMS is really just an unnecessary annoyance and distraction. Text messages that happen all the time are not cool and neither are those that wake people up in the middle of the night, unless they are an emergency. I don’t need to receive a text message every time a friend or business updates their status on Facebook or tweets on Twitter. I check those that matter via apps or my laptop anyhow. Seeing them more than once is annoying and takes time away from more important things.

My Family Deserves More Attention
I am a mother first before anything and these notifications can be a distraction. I’m not the type to ignore my kids. But glancing at my phone less is something they’ll likely appreciate. The same could be said for my lover, friends, and other family. I’m sure everyone in my life wouldbe very happy if there were fewer reasons for me to glance at my phone during fun activities. I still get things done and if you ask any of them, they’ll tell you I’m very loving and attentive. However, it’s just the principle of the matter.

I’m Hoping for More Productivity
I added so many notifications to increase productivity. Those who know me will also know that I am extremely productive. They’ll probably also be shocked if I can increase that and wonder how I can do that with fewer notifications. If you remember what I said above, you’ll remember that I am getting the same notifications more than once. Therefore, this should actually save me some time. If I’m being honest, I actually don’t look at every notification. However, I do sometimes look at the same ones in more than one place. So taking these away will end that possibility.

My Cell Phone Battery Dies Too Quickly
More notifications equal less battery juice. The whole point of a cell phone is having it available for use at any time. That becomes less possible if I am on the go and for some reason am unable to charge my phone for a lengthy time period. My cell phone battery often dies quickly because I have so many notifications coming in every direction. Cutting off most of the SMS alerts will help remedy a great deal of that issue. Twitter and Facebook notifications come to my phone so often that if I stop receiving text alerts for even five minutes, I know that my phone is having issues and I need to restart it. It’s cool to have that indicator, but at the same time, that’s just too much. In addition to reasons stated above, I need my cell phone to keep its juice.

Certain SMS and Mobile Alerts Are Staying
Because some people do rely on me for emergency situations, certain alerts will still come to me via SMS. However, most will not. For instance, Twitter DMs will stay for people I follow back because those people rarely DM me unless it’s important and about work. I need those SMS notifications, as I do not receive push notifications for anything Twitter-related. But Twitter notifications for specific people and companies will likely go away. I really don’t need to know every time every entity I follow posts to Twitter. But I do need to know when someone needs assistance.

In short, I’m cutting off many of my mobile notifications for family, life, and business purposes. Therefore, if you notice me slowing down on responding to less important things, that could be part of it. I love all of my friends on both sites. But there’s a point where too much is just…well, too much.

**Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Because of my career choices (and because it became quite fun), I found myself spending tons of time on Facebook daily. Although I have the application on my phone AND receive text and email notifications, I would always have at least one tab open in FireFox with something from Facebook. But lately that has changed and here’s why.

I’m busier with other aspects of my career. I offer a good portion of support surrounding my work via Facebook. There is also much more to it than Facebook support. Once I answer what is necessary there, I simply have to go away to get other things done, such as answering emails, writing articles, writing reports, publishing, editing, and so much more. Sometimes that means I can’t answer my friends right away. But I will always answer eventually.

I’m spending more time with family. Summer break is over and my younger kids are back in school (the older ones are in homeschool). That means that when I pick them up from school in the afternoon, once I’m finished with my work, they want my attention. They haven’t seen me all day. Therefore, they want and deserve my attention. I love my family and friends on Facebook too and I do my best to keep up with everyone. But as any parent knows, the kids must come first. I’m a single mommy as well, which adds to their need for me to be there.

I’m doing more things that keep me away from Facebook. Blogging is one of the things I like to do that keeps me away from Facebook. You may get an indicator that I’m online and think I’m available to talk. But really, I’m probably in another tab on FireFox posting to my blogs. Or maybe I locked the computer screen instead of turning it off and I’m actually gone walking the dogs on the trail. I’m a busy person, both in work and play. While I do have Facebook installed on my phone, it isn’t always appropriate to check it, depending on what I’m doing. For instance, if I’m cuddling up to someone I love while watching a scary or suspenseful movie, I’m sorry, but I’m not checking Facebook. My phone is probably on silent in the other room with the screen locked and I probably won’t see it for a while.

I’ve organized my notifications to prioritize work and family. Another thing I’ve done on Facebook is create lists, as well as organize my notifications in various ways. This means, I look at things related to work and family first. Then, I answer other things, based on time, as well as urgency. Sometimes I even miss things because I get thousands of notifications daily. Also, if you message me and I’m not your friend on Facebook, your messages are likely not going to show up in my regular inbox. They’ll probably be in my “Other’ inbox, which I don’t check as often because honestly, sometimes I forget about it. I have strict filtering activated on Facebook, due to spam issues.

I just don’t have the time. I know that many of my Facebook friends are used to me responding as soon as they send messages, tag me, or leave a post on my wall. But the thing is, it has gotten to a point where there are just so many that I can no longer do that every time and still have time for everything else going on in my life. There was a point where I couldn’t stand to leave anything unanswered longer than a couple minutes. Now, it can sometimes take a couple days or more for me to reply to a message. There are just so many of them and so many other things going on in my life that I just don’t have the time anymore to spend so much time on Facebook.

Nowadays, aside from career-related support and tasks and conversing with my closest family and friends, I haven’t been doing much on Facebook. Although, I usually do come in at random times and meme-bomb my wall. I’ll look in my favorite lists I’ve created from various pages rather than the regular newsfeed and I’ll post a bunch of memes in a row and then leave. Hey, I can’t help it! They’re funny! Facebook is supposed to be fun!

**Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this elsewhere (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Every day as I am browsing Facebook, I see at least one photo posted where it is the intent for people to comment and bash the person who is the subject. I see this most common with either very slender women or very large women. Why? Facebook photo bashing needs to stop. Now.

For those of you doing said bashing, who made you the authority on how someone else should look? Perhaps they have a health issue causing them to gain or lose weight. Perhaps there is nothing wrong at all and you're just rude and judgmental. Maybe it is something else altogether.

People come in all shapes and sizes and all of them are awesome. Being different is what makes us each unique. And we are all beautiful for our own reasons.

“But look how tight her clothes are for her size.” “She looks like a skeleton.”

Again, do you know how she got there? Furthermore, even if you do, it's her body not yours. Only she can decide what to do with it. “But I have to look at it.” Umm, no you don't. If you really don't like it that much, then look away. But don't make her problem – if she even has one – worse by posting her photo online and ridiculing her.

Ever looked at the figures on cyberbullicide – suicide as a reaction to being bullied online? Could you really live with yourself if that happened to someone because you wanted to have some “fun” commenting on a photo online? Really? If care for your fellow man/woman doesn't stop you from leaving those nasty comments, perhaps the knowledge that cyberbullying is a crime will. That's right folks, it can land you in jail or worse, depending on the effects of the bullying on the victim. Look that up too while you're at it.

I propose a challenge to anyone considering leaving a not-so-flattering comment on one of these photos. Find something nice to say instead. I guarantee you that will feel a whole lot better than the alternative.

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this elsewhere (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

I've been using Facebook for several years now. I don't know if people are getting ruder or I just never noticed or experienced it before. But lately, it seems that people are getting extremely pushy about everything under the sun. Don't get me wrong, I spout my causes there too. But sometimes it isn't what you do, but how you do it. Or maybe I'm just being picky again. You tell me.

Have you ever had a friend complain about something you posted on your Facebook wall? I'm not talking about posts which would be against the law – and in some cases, the posts are not even controversial, as far as I know. I'm merely talking about the everyday things in which you're interested. By complaining, I don't mean disagreeing, which is normal and fine. I've actually had people demanding in private messages, emails, and even directly on posts that I don't post certain things, like animals needing to be rescued or reputable scientific information. And I'm not even posting anything graphic. This is happening with normal pictures of sheltered animals and other normal, everyday things.

From shelter animals to scientific information and everything in between, people are actually attempting to dictate what I post on my own Facebook wall. I can surely understand people disagreeing with me – and I don't expect everyone to agree with what I post. In fact, I love a good discussion because it's how we all learn things. I post what I do because it's me, not because I want it to be you or I want you to believe what I do. I also post it because maybe someone else out there relates to me and it helps them feel they are not so alone in this world.

To me, my Facebook wall is like my home. In my home, I feel comfortable to freely be me and this is what I do on my Facebook wall as well. If you don't like what I do in my home, then why stay? We can hang out elsewhere or not at all. I am not forcing anyone to come into my home – or in this case, to look at my Facebook posts. No one should feel unwelcome in their own home and lately, it seems that certain people would like to make me feel this way on my own Facebook wall. Sorry to tell you, but that game doesn't work on me. Feel free to hide my feed or unfriend me if I'm really all that annoying. But please don't tell me what I can and cannot post, especially since the same is respected for you from my end.

I've already moved on from the effects of those who have done this and continue to post what interests me. However, I hope that if anyone else is getting the same, this post will help them not feel so alone – and possibly motivate them to speak up about it too. Bullying or attempting to control others in any form is not okay.

Has anyone ever asked you not to post certain things on your own Facebook wall?

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

If you browsed my Facebook wall (or other social media sites I am a member of) and hadn't before (or were not made aware of what I do), you might quickly become confused. Why? I often share work written by my friends as well as what I create myself. This means some topics might conflict with my personal viewpoints and other things posted -- and that's okay. However, it is confusing to some people and I receive questions about it often.

Here's the deal. Freelance writers often get paid based on page views. Therefore, I frequently share to help them out once I have read a piece. Sometimes I agree with the points made in my friends' articles and sometimes I don't. I don't always share based on topic because I can disagree with a topic and still feel the article has value. Even if someone doesn't agree with me, they have a right to speak their mind as well. Unless it's harmful to others, opinion doesn't affect my choice to share the link to someone's work on various social networks.

My strategy for reading when my friends do the same is to click what I'm interested in and ignore the rest. It's silly to send a message to someone asking them not to post certain things. Yes, I have had that happen: (http://www.articlewriterforhire.com/1/post/2013/10/please-dont-tell-me-what-to-post-on-facebook.html). I realize I do share lots of stuff on social sites. Please ignore what you aren't interested in and only share what you are. After all, sharing should be organic, not forced.

What's your sharing strategy? Do you use opinion as one of the deciding factors in sharing content on social media?

Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

The other day while I was enjoying time with a friend, my phone apps were notifying me with alerts so much that I put the phone on silent and plugged it in another room and just checked it now and then. I’m not sure why I never noticed until that moment just how ridiculous my notifications had become.

In order to enjoy my time with my friend without hearing and checking on that nonsense, I had to take action by doing what I did with the phone. But why did I have to in the first place? Why did I let it get that bad to begin with?

Here’s the thing. I’m a workaholic. I’m also a mom – a single mom whose boyfriend lives in another country. That combination used to mean that I didn’t really get out that much unless it involved my kids, my pets, work, or errands. Therefore, it has been ideal for me to get notifications and alerts related to work and other interests because well, it’s not like anyone would notice except me and it helps me keep up with certain things.

But guess what I discovered the other day (as well as on a few other occasions where I ignored the notifications as well)? Everyone survived when I only answered the important notifications. No one died. No one threw a fit. Hell, I don’t think anyone even noticed, honestly.

Hmm… yup I did some thinking.

Do I really need to get notified every time one of my friends checks in somewhere I’m probably not going and really don’t need to know they went (unless I’m a stalker, which I’m not)? If my friends want me to come somewhere, they’ll invite me, not just check into an app expecting me to come.

Do I really need to know every single time my local news station tweets an update? Really? Every time? I don’t even watch the news or most other television, for that matter. So why am I having news and other similar notifications from the twitter application coming to me in text form all day every day?

Do I really need to know about every event, sale, or promotion at every store or mall I shop at? I have plenty of children who are willing to spend that money so I probably have none left for those things anyway. Plus, I loathe shopping. So why the heck am I getting sale notifications?

Those are just a few of the many things I decided no longer need to come to my phone.

Today, I uninstalled several apps from my phone and the only thing I noticed was that it was much quieter and my battery lasted much longer. From now on, only the most important notifications (such as work-related items) will be coming to my phone.

Are your app notifications taking over the life you could be living instead?

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi
(Photo is free to use for both commercial and non-commercial purposes with credit to Lyn Lomasi as the photographer and a link back to this page as the source)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

You get all excited to share your latest piece from Bubblews or other sites and you hit that recommend button. But while some people can see it in your activity, unless you do it a certain way it will never hit the newsfeed of many of your friends, nor will it post to your wall. Why?

If you've hit that recommend button only to see the recommend is not posting to your wall, you're doing it wrong if you wanted it there. The solution is actually a simple one. You might even smack yourself for not thinking of it after I tell you.

The recommend button is meant for telling people how you feel about a particular topic. When you hit that button, a box pops up for sharing to your Facebook account. If you just hit the button to post to your wall without leaving a comment, the recommendation goes into your activity. But it will not post to your wall.

That's right. In order to get it to post to your wall (thus be seen by more of your friends), you need to leave a comment with it. As long as there is text placed in that box before hitting the button to post it, the recommend will then post to your wall and be seen in more newsfeeds.

Yup, that's truly all there was to it. That's the huge secret. Test it out. You're welcome.

What are some of your Facebook sharing secrets? Let us know in the comment section.

Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

You're looking at your fan and follower lists and you want them to grow. But there are certain things you just shouldn't do to achieve that. Because many web writers get paid an incentive when people read their articles, every view counts. However, did you know that the majority of views actually won't come from your fans and followers? In most cases, the majority of views come from people finding your work in search. It's still great to have fans and followers because it means you know what your readers want. It's also a fun way to connect with your readers and the writing community. But there are some fan and follower no-nos that every web writer should be aware of.

Don't expect someone to be your fan just because you are theirs. This is something web writers come across often. If you become someone's fan or follower on content sites with a community aspect, they often reciprocate, but not always. Don;t be offended when the don't. They may just be too busy to read other people's work. You may also write on a topic they are not into. There are plenty of reasons someone may not want to follow your work, even if you follow theirs. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, this is how it should go. A reader who is interested in your work more than in your reciprocal following is more valuable.

Don't personally advertise your work to people who already follow you. I see this issue come up often. Person A subscribes to person B. Person B is excited to have a new follower. So each time Person B publishes, he excitedly tells Person A to go check out his work. The problem? Person A is subscribed. He receives the notice in his inbox already. He doesn't want to be asked to read it twice. After dealing with this a few more times, Person A unsubscribes and starts ignoring messages from Person B. There's nothing wrong with being excited about your work. But don't force it onto people. If someone has subscribed to your work, they're interested and will probably read it. But don't eliminate that interest by overdoing it on the reading invitations.

Don't assume that because there is no comment, a person didn't read your work. Once you make a certain amount of connections, there may not be enough time in a day to do all that you want. Some people, like me, save time by leaving little to no comments on the work they read. Not getting a comment should not have you sending messages asking people if they've read your work. If they want to read it they will and they may or may not leave a comment when they do. If you ask your fans and followers if they've read your work, this can seem like pestering and cause them to unfan you or unsubscribe to your work.

Don't ask "Can you be my fan?" This can actually cause people to turn away. If someone reads your work and they like it, they will become your fan. But asking someone to be your fan is considered bad netiquette. I have a great following, when it comes to my work. Do you think I got there by asking people to add me? Not at all. I don't ask people to become my fan. If they want to, that's great. But I'm not going to pressure people into clicking that fan or follow button. There are many reasons may not be able to fan or follow me and maybe they don't enjoy my work. That's perfectly fine with me. I'd rather have fans and followers who actually want to be there.

More from Lyn:

Web Writing Tips: Marketing No-Nos

How Much Money Can I Make Writing for Yahoo! Contributor Network? 

Web Writing Tips: Getting Started