BlogHer.com

Fact: 50% of your time as a professional freelancer should be spent working. The other 50% of your professional time should be spent networking and keeping on top of new trends in the industry.

Networking can be painful – root canal painful. Having to chat up a crowd of strangers can be a miserable and awkward experience. However, BlogHer10 is not your standard networking schmoozefest/snoozefest. It is two days of intensive seminars, hands-on learning and meeting the top female bloggers helping to drive the blogging industry. (Did I mention that this will be an all-women conference?)

What is BlogHer.com? It’s an online community of female bloggers who host, post, dish and share.

BlogHer10: As I write this, hundreds of female bloggers are preparing to descend upon New York City for two days of lectures, meet-ups, round-table discussions and Q&A sessions. I’ve rarely seen this much excitement surrounding a networking event. The buzz is immense on Twitter and Facebook and it makes me wish I was going! This year marks the sixth annual BlogHer conference, and as it has every year before, this year’s event is completely sold out.

This mega-conference, hosted and run by BlogHer.com, will focus on bringing the BlogHer community together to meet, greet, eat and learn together. Lectures this year range from general topics like “Usability Basics for Newbies” to hyper-focused topics like “Fashion Blogging” and how to handle your own blog photography and images.” Essentially, this is blogger bootcamp, designed to celebrate and foster growth within the female blogging community. Can I get a “heck yeah” from all the blogger ladies out there? Woot.

From newbies who need tips on working a Wordpress blog, to professional bloggers looking for better ways to utilize their metrics, this event has it all. Check out the agenda. It makes me salivate.

If you are lucky enough to be attending this year, you have LOADS of networking opps, educational opps and FREE SWAG to look forward to (my God…the swag….the beautiful, beautiful swag.) If you missed out this year, keep it in mind for next year. And if this isn’t up your alley (or if you are of the male gender…) you should be keeping tabs on the best networking events in your area. These events can be invaluable.

Over the last few years, in addition to freelance writer and editor, I’ve also added social media specialist to my list of titles. I got started doing MySpace accounts for music projects and music journalist sites and branched out over time as Twitter, Facebook and other social media gained traction.

Among the many trends I’ve noticed among social media, one thing remains constant regardless of platform preference; there are always people willing to find new ways to send spam. Twitter is a no-brainer when it comes to spam–it’s too easy to tweet, tweet, tweet ad nauseum and send annoying direct messages until the keyboard breaks.

But it’s also just as easy to block spammers, so a bit more innovation is required to send out the annoyance.

One way spammers are using Twitter can actually affect YOUR account’s reputation, get you blocked by potential readers, clients or customers, and give you a bad name all round. And if you’re not disciplined enough to check your account on a daily basis, you might never know it’s happening.Here’s how it works. The spammer writes a re-tweet. Let’s say I’ve set up a spam account under the name Johnny Spammer. I find a target–somebody with a large number of followers who seems to have a good rep. The rep would help my Johnny Spammer site AcaiBerriesAreTasty.com if only the target would send a tweet about the spam site which reads,

“I ate 10 acai berries and lost 75 pounds! Find out how at AcaiBerriesAreTasty.com.”

But the target account, DoctorSensible, would never tweet this. So Johnny Spammer simply types up a bogus retweet:

JohnnySpammer RT@DoctorSensible I ate 10 acai berries and lost 75 pounds! Find out how at AcaiBerriesAreTasty.com

Actually, if Johnny Spammer is smart, he wouldn’t be so very obvious. Instead he might write something far more subtle:

JohnnySpammer RT@DoctorSensible The most sensible weight loss solution I’ve ever seen. AcaiBerriesAreTasty.com

The end result is the same–anyone who clicks on the link gets taken to the spam site which is completely obvious as such–it’s got the run-on paragraphs, the exclamation points, the whole nine yards. People new to @DoctorSensible think he’s a spammer or at the very least, not to be trusted.

Doctor Sensible loses street cred with people who don’t know better, and JohnnySpammer gets one more unwitting visitor to the spam site.

The exposure isn’t widespread, true. But the damage can be done–and if people pick up the bogus retweet and start spreading it around Twitter (with complaints about the spammy link) what happens to DoctorSensible’s cred then?

The key to preventing this is to check who has been retweeting you. The owner of the DoctorSensible Twitter account would sign in and look at the righthand navbar just above the Direct Message queue (the retweet section for this account would read @DoctorSensible ).

Check your retweets often–you might learn a thing or two you can put a stop to.

Okay, quick poll: how long did it take you to finish your last freelance assignment?

How about we take that time and slice that in half?

“What?” you say. “I’m already working my fastest.”

Ah, my friend, maybe you are. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a way for you to work more efficiently: smarter, not harder.

If you’re more efficient at work, you get to spend more time doing those other things you like to do: surfing the net, riding your bike, walking the dog, watching a movie, making some Jell-O puddin’ (don’t judge), relaxing with loved ones.

Here are a few tips and techniques to help you work smarter . . .

1. Time Blocking – Learned this one from my boss, and it still helps me on especially busy days. Create an outline for your day based on time increments and do your very best not to stray from those increments.

Example:

8:00-9:00 a.m.  ~ Research for your next “Wicked-Awesome Feature”

9:00-10:00 a.m. ~ Marketing strategy conference call for website copywriting project

10:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m. ~ Review and outline conference call notes

11:00-11:30 a.m. ~ Email checking

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ~ Writing block

Then, in real time, track how well you stick to your schedule. There’s no saying that your day will always go as planned, but that’s okay. Part of this exercise is being more aware of how you utilize your time; the more mindful you become of your work-pace, the easier it is to schedule and complete projects. Along the way, don’t get discouraged. It’s highly likely you’ll have some days that won’t even resemble your original plan, especially if you’re trying to cram an interview in—people are hard to track down, meetings go long, you get distracted and check Facebook while you’re supposed to be . . .

2. Resist the Lure of Social Media – Whether you’re working for an hourly rate or a set figure, you’ll get the job done faster if you’re sure to remember you’re not getting paid for tweeting. Yeah, I said it. Social media is fun, but it’s probably not going to help you finish your project (though as I type this, I can think of ways it could be utilized). Unless you have a specific goal in mind and you need to use social media to achieve it, try and stay focused on whatever task you have ahead of yourself and cut out all needless distractions. I hate to say it, but sometimes you have to disconnect. Especially when you’re writing. And you do like to write, yes? Turn off your phone, close out of that browser, and go for it. It’s okay to allow yourself designated mini-breaks to check email, Twitter, etc. just don’t multitask when it’s “get down to business time” (no, not that business time).

3. Identify the Problem; Take Steps to Correct it – I discovered this next tip from one of the most efficient writers I know of–Gretchen Rubin. Author, supermom, happiness expert, problogger, Rubin created a set of ten personal commandments, one of which  is “Identify the Problem.” While Rubin shares a straightforward, simple example in this post, you can use this life rule to identify ways in which your work may be dragging or getting snagged. Are you not getting any hits back from your query letters? Are you finding it hard to get your next potential client to commit? Think for a moment. Now try and answer why? (Still having trouble IDing your problem? Ask us! )

Identifying the problem isn’t always easy, but once you do, you can then take steps to correct it, rather than continue to let the problem brew. Is there a nagging problem you’ve been letting slide by because there’s too much to worry about? Make an action plan to remedy the problem, then follow through. Indentifying the problem and taking steps to correct it will change the way you work for the better.

4. Track Your Progress – Let’s see how efficient you are. For a week, write down each day all the freelance work you accomplish. Be comprehensive, and give yourself credit for what you’ve done—networking events, phone calls, etc. count towards the big picture. At the workweek’s end, review your list and see if you can beat it the following week. Are there places where you could streamline your processes? Don’t forget to leave room for creative breaks!

Now it’s your turn, Buster. If you’re already working pretty fast, tell us: How do you work smarter?

If you are into social media (which you should be in my opinion), you need Hoot Suite. Seriously.

Hoot Suite helps you manage all of your social media accounts from one place, and it has a host of useful features, including:

- The ability to schedule tweets

- Easy updates on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook–all from one page

- The ability to shorten URLs without leaving the page

- Auto complete on your @usernames once you have used them before (I think this may be my fave feature)

- Statistics on how many people click through on the URLs you tweet. And yes–I’m serious!

I tried TweetDeck before, and while I think it looks much better (very slick interface), it is more confusing. I accidentally sent an update meant for Twitter to all of my social media accounts….

Not good.

If you are looking for a simple way to manage your social media without a big learning curve–this is it. I haven’t used the app yet–but there is one available for the iPhone as well. Check it out and you will really be glad you did! No more multiple log-ins and no more time suck. Do it all quick and easy.

I’m loving it!

One of our customers told me this morning how frustrated she is that she doesn’t have enough time to spend on social media.

I suggested that she set aside a block of time twice a day, say as soon as she starts work in the morning and again before she closes the office for the day, to blog, post to her Facebook and Twitter profiles and do what needs to be done on LinkedIn.

When she hemmed and hawed about how difficult it would be to find the time, I asked her, “”How much time do you spend on email each day?”

“A lot,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because it’s a way for me to check in with my clients and other people who I like to hear from,” she said.

“How profitable is answering email?” I asked.

“Not very,” she said.

That’s when it dawned on me that her schedule—-and mine-—should be reversed. She should spend the same amount of time on social media that she now spends answering email, and vice versa.

But for some people, me included, that’s like asking a junkie to just stop using.

I wonder how many other people complain about never having time for social media, but check email 15 times a day, every day, and find themselves catching up on news at news sites, watching funny videos a friend sent to them, or frittering away time on the million other distractions in their email boxes.

I’m entering email rehab.

Starting today, I’m going to try really hard to change these bad habits:

    * I’m going to try to check email only three times a day:  in the morning, at lunch time, and in the late afternoon.
    * When I’m not checking email, Outlook will NOT be running. (Why be tempted?)
    * Try to whittle down email responses to half their usual  size.

That should free up more time to blog, answer questions on Linked In, engage in more conversations on Twitter, and be more productive.

Want to help? Please share your own tips on how you make more time for social media.

What rules have you set up for yourself? What are you doing differently, and where are you seeing the biggest return on your investment of time—on social media or in your email?

Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound, blogs at http://www.PublicityHound.net and at http://www.MySocialMediaSolution.com/blog. 

by Catherine L. Tully

I stumbled across a real gem of a site in Social Media for Writers and thought I’d share it with you today. It was great to see something specifically devoted to writers out there, and this site has a little something for everyone…

If you are a rank beginner when it comes to social media sites, the author (Donna Talarico) provides a good overview of two of the best out there–Twitter and Facebook. More advanced users will appreciate things such as information about promoting your blog on Twitter or information on how to use Twitter lists.

One of the most refreshing things about this site is the easy tone that Talarico uses. She communicates good information without talking down to writers, but it isn’t so basic that you’ll be bored. Take a few minutes to check this site out and see what you can learn about making social media work for you.

And if you haven’t already joined us on Twitter or Facebook, please drop by and sign on. We should all be connected!

This post was sponsored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform

by Catherine L. Tully

I know I have mentioned this great resource before, but only in passing. Grammar Girl is a heavy-duty tool for the writer–new or experienced. Mignon Fogarty is the name behind this character, and her “Quick and Dirty Tips For Better Writing” include goodies such as:

• Affect vs. Effect
• Toward vs. Towards
• All Right vs. Alright
• Lay vs. Lie

These are excellent, bite-sized tips for the writer that can mean the difference between getting a query nod and having the editor hit delete. Let’s face it–in this business, you’ve got to know what you are doing when it comes to grammar and sentence structure.

It doesn’t really matter how you decide to keep up with Grammar Girl. She’s on Twitter and she even has her own podcast on iTunes. A little honesty? It’s the only podcast that I have actually downloaded and listened to on my iPhone.

Naturally, if you prefer a good, old-fashioned book you can go that route as well.

Why am I so excited about this? Well, grammar is huge, and it is usually presented in the most awful, boring format. Grammar Girl gives it to you straight, but in a palatable way, without taking too long to get the point across. I’m a serious fan.

This post was brought to you by FiledBy

 by Catherine L. Tully

If you don’t know what the title of this post means…get ready to learn a great promotional strategy on Twitter. “Follow Fridays” is a way to figure out who to follow–and to share those you follow with others. To participate, simply tweet the words #followfriday (don’t forget the “hashtag” # before it) and then the username of the person you wish to share with the @ sign. For example, #followfriday @freelancezone @catherinetully.

It’s that simple. You can add as many people as characters allow (140) and if you run out of space, you can create another tweet. Try it–it’s fun!

by Catherine L. Tully

How do you use social media? I’m getting into it pretty heavy and I’m really enjoying what it does for me. Joe and I use Twitter and Facebook for this site (come join us if you haven’t already!), and I use LinkedIn as well. The learning curve on all of them is a little to deal with on the front end, but they are fairly user-friendly overall. It can get a little complicated when you try and use some of the more advanced features, but all writers can benefit from having an account set up.

If you haven’t yet jumped on the social media bandwagon, try it. Set up a Twitter account and tweet. Create a Facebook page for your business. Take the time to walk through the LinkedIn profile and get that out there. It’s worth the effort–trust me!

 by Catherine L. Tully

Did you know that you can link your Wordpress blog up with LinkedIn? You can–and it is really easy. As a matter-of-fact, there are a number of cool things you can do with the applications on this social networking site. Be sure to check them out and see if there is something there that can help you save time or be more organized. LinkedIn is a great resource–I strongly advise setting a page up if you don’t have one already.