Why should free mean losing money?

Yesterday I was looking at alternative free blogging platforms (for an article I was thinking about). I’ve been to WordPress.com before yesterday, but had never been to the forums.

[Note:
Please keep in mind that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are completely separate entities. WordPress.COM provides a place to blog for free- similar to Blogger. WordPress.ORG provides the free software to blog on your own site. I have a WordPress blog on my privately hosted site, so I've been to the WordPress.org forums.]

As I was perusing the forums I noticed a conversation pertaining to ads on the blogs. WordPress.com explicitly prohibits blogs they host from being used to make money. They don’t allow any kind of ads- except those they put there, which logged-in users can’t see. The most vocal members of the forums don’t like ads on blogs- period. They don’t want ads on their blogs, they don’t want to see blogs on other blogs, and they won’t visit blogs with ads. One woman mentioned that her links list points to her other monetized blogs. Someone immediately informed her that they’d reported her. When I clicked on her link, there was a notice that her blog had been suspended for Terms of Service violations. Her links list pointed to other blogs outside of WordPress.com. Amazing.

I can understand that many bloggers disapprove of ads on blogs. I obviously don’t agree with them. But these folks seem to be fanatical in their quest for an ad-free blogosphere. They argue against the ads that WP.com uses to bring revenue to an otherwise free service, which I find hilarious. How do they think the admins there pay for the servers? One person even said “We bring clicks and provide content, they don’t need ads.” Clicks do not equal revenue on an ad-free service. The higher the traffic the higher the server bill. They pay more for the space with the increased clicks- unless they have ads. The most vocal opponents of the ads pay nothing to use the service. Though they say they are willing to pay “a small yearly fee” to have ad-free free blogs. How small, exactly?

My hosting bill runs about $100 a year. I have one blog hosted and very little traffic. I’ve looked into VPS and the yearly cost far exceeds what I can pay for one blog. I imagine that the “small yearly fee” wouldn’t be the “small” for which these folks are looking. Right now WP.com charges $15 a year just to change the css for one theme. I don’t blame them for charging anything, actually, but these folks that don’t think the admins should get paid… I don’t get it.

I won’t sign up for a blog there, simply because I don’t have the freedom I like with my blogs (Blogger is the best free service if you want the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want- otherwise buy a domain and use the WordPress software). And seeing the reaction to some of the “police” to a simple admission of linking to outside sources of income just cemented that for me.

Contrary to what someone in that forum professed, that will never be a central hub for all WordPress users. Not with that kind of attitude.

Getting Sick of Doctors

Wow! It’s been 10 days since I’ve posted. Hmmm, terrible.

Actually, I’ve been very sick and haven’t felt like doing much of anything. I haven’t submitted any new articles or did any proofreading. I suffer from chronic pain and sometimes it just knocks me off my feet. I almost did an article about that but I couldn’t tighten it up and it was all over the place. That, I think, is what happens when you try to write while you’re lost in frustration.

My problem is that I’ve been to three different doctors since I’ve become ill. The first one was my pcp for a while, but when he said “You’re too young to have these problems so I’m not going to run tests” I ran for the hills.

The next doctor ran a few tests, but it wasn’t extensive. Instead she relied on her experience and good hearing. She declared that I have a heart valve problem as well as a sleep disorder- neither of which needed a test for diagnosis, according to her. When I developed more symptoms she prescribed an antidepressant- after I told her I cannot take those specific kinds (too long of a story). She then decided that I have gastroenteritis, because I answered “Have you ever had heartburn” with “yes”. Hello! I’ve been pregnant 3 times. I decided it was time to move on.

This third doctor has run more tests. My heart valve problem was non-existent, according to the echocardiogram. I don’t have sleep problems, according to the sleep study I did, and I didn’t even bother with the gastroenteritis. That was just stupid. Still, there’s no diagnosis. I tested high for ANA, which helps with a Lupus diagnosis, but he declared me healthy because I don’t have the “butterfly” rash. The rash that I do have, bumpy and red that only flares when I’m in the sun and/or sick, was diagnosed as rosacea. The cream he prescribed for that doesn’t work- at all. He gave me an antidepressant for the pain- Cymbalta (of course, it’s a newer SRI, so I’d be willing to try it…heh). I took it for 3 days and threw the rest away. I have issues with SRIs. Bad issues. I told both doctors this. I’ve tried them before and I won’t try them again. Sorry. Anyway, he’s decided that I have a mild case of osteoarthritis. Mild meaning that occasionally I actually have to use a cane to walk from my livingroom to my kitchen. He prescribed some Ultram, which is a new pain killer (new meaning kick-back for him, I’m guessing) and that’s been that with him. The Ultram only works for me, though, if I’m having a mild episode (not bad enough to use the cane) and if I add an acetaminophen to it. So, I’m hunting for a fourth doctor. I’m not at all pleased.

The last couple of days haven’t been too bad though. So, I’ve been playing with the family and trying to get some house stuff done. I worked on an article. Hopefully I won’t have another big episode for a while.

Crazy days

It’s been a rough couple of days. I suffer from chronic pain and it was kicking my ass the last few days. I’m feeling much better today. I have a lot of projects going on right now and am trying to catch up. Whew! Talk about a crazy day. Luckily Grump’s mom took Lillady for the day so I can do some work.

Helium told me that they don’t believe my report was valid. As a matter of fact, they chastised me for submitting my complaint via email instead of using the flags on teh content. I thought I was going about it right because I wanted to be helpful and provide links and what have you. I was wrong. I guess they assumed because I placed so low in the contest that I was angry about that. Except that the contest is based on the number of submissions per channel and I only submitted one article. So they were wrong about that. Also, they told me since the topics were so narrow it was basically impossible for the writer’s to come up with original content. Tell that to the other writer’s who actually did have original material. Talk about getting the run around.

I’ve recently been introduced to Drupal. It’s a Content Systems Management platform. I’m implementing it on one of my sites. I really like it. I’m hoping to start a user-driven community over there. I’ll give you more details at a later date.

I have just received word that I’m getting my third article published with AC. I was a little iffy about that one, because of the subject. But I got a really good offer, so I can’t really complain. We’ll see how it works our regarding page views. I’ve got another one in the queue and am working on yet another. They won’t be going you-know-where though.

Hands off my stuff

I’m a little ticked. Seems that the work I did for the baby crib article got lifted. Not whole cloth, mind you. Just the entire idea for what I wanted to convey. The worst part was that it was done by another Helium writer and in the same title as my crib article. What’s even worse, is that at least two more people that wrote in that category decided to help themselves too. But the one that pissed me off the most has done it a lot. From what I could tell from her profile, she does it almost every time she writes a piece.

Plagiarism.org says:

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to “plagiarize” means

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
2. to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.

I sent a letter to Helium. We’ll see what happens. I doubt very seriously that anything will happen. Looks like the thief is going to get some free page hits from my reporting as well as take second place in that title. I’d link, but I don’t want to increase her revenue.

I was under the impression that these publishers preferred original content. I had no idea that I would publish something and then see sentences I’d created appearing on someone else’s page. I used examples such as “Your child could get stuck” (not an exact quote) and “make sure there is plastic covering to prevent splinters”. Sure enough. These “talented writers” (ha!) helped themselves to that too.

I have decided that if this particular site doesn’t take my complaint seriously I will only publish work there that won’t be published elsewhere. Since I’ve made a total of $1 for 5 articles, I’m going to assume I won’t be losing any revenue by not submitting my best work there. I certainly don’t want to click on an article that’s been published on the same site as mine and see my flippin’ work. It’s disgusting. Really.

A little on Convertible Cribs

Today wasn’t very productive. My goal starting this morning was three articles. Unfortunately, life had other plans. My sister came to stay for me for the day and Lillady was especially needy. When Grump came home from work he wasn’t able to babysit and pretty soon my mother was here. I managed to get one article submitted. Oops.

I did manage to get one article written this evening. It was about shopping for cribs. I’d almost forgotten how intense it was to decide on Lillady’s crib. We chose the 3-in-one convertible crib so that we wouldn’t have to buy another bed when she outgrew the crib.

3-on-1 convertible crib’s are nice because when babies become toddlers all you have to do is drop the mattress to the lowest level and take off the rail. Voilà! You’ve got a toddler bed. And later on you can use the head and foot boards for a full sized bed. It’s very convenient, even if they are a little bit pricier coming out of the gate.

We actually ended up co-sleeping with Lillady, but the convertible came in handy anyway. We took the rail off and moved the crib right up against the bed. So, she still gets the comfort of being close to me and I get plenty of room to sleep. Of course, it took us a while to figure this out (I’m a little slow at times), so sleep was hard going for a while. Taking that rail off and shoving the crib up against the bed made a world of difference. If you decide to do something like this I advise you to make sure the mattresses are even and that there isn’t a noticeable gap between them. We managed this by putting the crib against the wall and the bed against the crib. Works wonderfully. Especially now that Lillady is getting big enough to fling her limbs all over when she’s having a wild dream.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to get up earlier than the family and actually get some work done. I feel like all of today was just wasted. I didn’t even get out to re-tie the tomatoes. My poor garden is getting wild. A little scary even.

Networking from Home

I haven’t had my morning cup of coffee yet and already I find myself “networking”. This is an important part of freelance work, because without contacts getting a job and making the money is extremely hard. I’ve been learning this with my articles. I get more money with more page views and with more contacts I can get more page views. It can all work out pretty well.

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time. And with a toddler that can be hard to manage. So, it’s best to set yourself up on a schedule. I’m still working out the kinks in mine.

When you first wake up, after “getting ready” for work, determine if you need to do any research. If the kids aren’t up yet (I normally get up about an hour and a half earlier than mine), then research, jot down your notes, and get a feel for what you want to write. This way when the inevitable interruptions come you can simply lay it to the side and take care of the familial needs.

Now, when you have a few extra minutes, do a little networking. Answer some emails, respond to comments on your blog, and comment other places. It’s important to get your name out there and to make some online friends.

Later, possibly in the evening when everyone’s starting to wind down, take a few minutes and write up the first draft of your article. When the kids go to bed, and you’ve got that time for yourself, write it again. This second writing will use the structure of the first (probably bad) draft, which saves you some time. Now you can re-read it, do your edits and send it in (or save it for later).

But you’ve got to do a little more networking. That comes before it’s bed time. And you’re probably exhausted, but it’s important to get page views and make contacts. So, just leave little comments, don’t get windy in your emails, and all will be well. If most of your network consists of work-from-home moms you’ll soon see that they’re just as tired as you are.

Tags: work from home, networking, scheduling time