From the monthly archives:
July 2007
by Ed Sutherland on July 22, 2007
We’ve all seen the ‘ads’ from new blogs asking for writers. “Write five example posts and we’ll decide if you are up to snuff.” It’s called writing ‘on spec.’ Unless you are a green-horn that just fell off the tomato wagon on your way to being born yesterday, you should run for the exit whenever you hear such come-ons. If you run ‘on spec’ through Google’ s translator, you’ll probably find a jpg of a ‘i work for free’ sign.
By working for free, or for peanuts, blog writers depress the entire market. Only by standing up for quality pay for quality writing will blog writers gain respect.
by Ed Sutherland on July 22, 2007
Ivor Tossel, a Globe and Mail columnist, recently recounted how even in victory, bloggers have a penchant for sticking their feet in their mouths. Case in point: the Wall Street Journal’s ode to blogging. Instead of concentrating how a media giant was focusing on blogging and the people making waves and six-figure incomes, the blogging community instead fixated on whether blogs were ten or 11 years old.
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by Ed Sutherland on July 20, 2007
Some WordPress theme designers continue to decry the decision by the WordPress community to stop publicizing sponsored themes. David Fraser of Biz-Blogger.net explains the reasons for continuing sponsored themes this way:
Trying to attract the best designs for wordpress users without allowing the designers a chance to earn from it it [sic] crazy - time is expensive, and people so often choose to overlook that fact.
Fraser then predicts the loss of sponsored themes will cause a downward spiral for all WordPress themes:
…the volume will surely decrease, and the popularity of themes.wordpress.net will inevitably falter.
When did offering free site designs become only a money-making opportunity? Until very recently, WordPress designs were contributed for one of two reasons: to show off your designing abilities and/or to attract paying clients. Fraser is right that fewer themes will be contributed. Is that a bad thing? Many sponsored themes were created only as a vehicle for the advertiser and little thought was given to the design’s quality.
by Ed Sutherland on July 16, 2007
Bloggers are up in arms over some claims made in a Wall Street Journal tribute to the tenth anniversary of blogging. Like the start of the universe, just when and who touched off blogging is a controversial topic.
According to the WSJ account, Jorn Barger began the revolution sometime in 1997. Some bloggers care to differ with the mainstream media giant, pointing to this Wikipedia
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by Ed Sutherland on July 15, 2007
Last week’s decision by WordPress gatekeepers Mark Ghosh of Weblog Tools Collection (WTC) and WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg to ban their promotion of advertising-supported blog themes set off some upset stomaches among supporters of sponsored themes.
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by Ed Sutherland on July 15, 2007
We are making some changes to how we present Professional Blogging News. Excuse our dust as we move the furniture. As always, give a holler if you like (or dislike) the new digs.
by Ed Sutherland on July 14, 2007
The most common definition bloggers provide for professional is when you are making money. But that is just one way to define professional. According to Mirriam-Webster, professionalism is also defined as
c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace
3 : following a line of conduct as though it were a profession
Since those are the definitions Professional Blogging News is most concerned, we wondered how you, the reader, determines professionalism in blogging? Would you like to see a code of ethics?
by Ed Sutherland on July 9, 2007
How many people visit your site? It’s become almost a sign of pro blogging virility to have huge numbers of visitors, or hits. But has that statistic lost its importance? [click to continue...]
by admin on July 8, 2007
Chris Garrett has opened his Authority Blogger Forum. The message site has become very active, quickly filled with amateur and professional bloggers seeking answers to many common questions.
by Ed Sutherland on July 8, 2007
Robert Janelle over at Freelance Switch has a wonderful reminder for those freelance professional bloggers constantly chasing the next dollar, visitor or reader: relax, blogging is supposed to be fun. [click to continue...]
