Why Articles Drop

There are several reasons people drop articles. I’ve outlined seven below.

1)      Wasn’t submitted by 3pm on due date

All QG projects are assigned a specific date by which a writer must submit it into editing. If that project does not make it into editing by 3pm EST on the due date (if you aren’t sure how that translates to your time zone take a look at the World Clock) the system will automatically remove it from the writer’s account and place it back in the claimable article pool.

Fix – When claiming articles note the date the article is due. Write it on a work calendar so you don’t forget. And watch that clock!

2)      It took longer for the links to validate than expected

As you can imagine, around 3pm each day there is a spike in traffic to the Writer Panel. Writers are scrambling to submit their projects in time so they don’t lose the work they have done. Because of this, however, it may take a tiny bit longer for the writer panel to take your submission and send it through. You don’t want your project to drop from your account while your links are still validating.

Fix – Don’t wait until 2:55 to submit. Hit that “send” button at least 20 minutes early just in case.

3)      The article was sent back for revisions but I didn’t notice until it was too late

QualityGal does not guarantee articles will be sent back for revisions and most of the time projects won’t be. As a rule you have one try to get the article right so make sure you are following all directions from the specific project as well as following all general QG guidelines. Should a project be sent back to you it will appear under the “Your Returned Projects” section of the Your Account page in the writer panel. If you see a project appear make sure you take note of the new due date and review all notes that were left by the editor.  If you have questions or need help, email staff@qualitygal.com with your questions and someone will assist you.

Fix – Log into your Writer Panel account regularly to make sure all projects you submit are accepted.

4)      A personal, health, or family situation came up

QualityGal understands that sometimes life throws you an unavoidable curve ball. If a personal problem presents itself and this is going to prevent you for completing your project, QualityGal certainly understands. Ask yourself a few questions before dropping the project though. First, think about how long this problem is going to be preventing you from working. If it is only for that day, I would encourage you to reach out and see if an extension is possible. Sending an email to us asking for a one day extension is better than dropping a project if it is possible. If not, and the situation will persist longer than a day, feel free to drop the article at your earliest convenience so another writer can submit it by its due date. Just make sure you leave a note in the drop box stating your reason for dropping the project.

Fix – If you think a one day extension will be enough time for the situation to work itself out, please send an email and we will see what we can do to help you.

5)      Can’t find enough authoritative links

As is stated in the Writer Resources, this is not an acceptable reason for dropping an article. We understand that sometimes finding enough links on more difficult subjects can be a challenge, if not impossible, but if you do not first email for assistance before dropping the project this drop will count against you. As you know, multiple drops can result in your account being placed on probation if the reasons for the drops are not acceptable.

Fix – If you can’t find enough links, please send an email. We have no problem taking a look at the project instructions and the link requirements and offering assistance. If we agree that the links are not available we may be able to contact the client and ask about lowering the link requirements for that particular project.

6)      Not enough time

This is absolutely not an acceptable drop reason. Most of the time if a writer thinks they won’t have enough time to complete a project, if they email staff@qualitygal.com on the project due date prior to 1pm EST asking for an extension it will be granted.  Extensions are not guaranteed, however, if you don’t ask you won’t know and the drop will be held against you.

Fix – Always email for an extension on the day the project is due if you won’t have enough time to complete it.

7)      Don’t understand instructions / Instructions are confusing

Sometimes clients write instructions that are a little hard to follow, misleading, or even contradictory. If you come across something like this please email us bringing this to our attention. We can reach out to the client for you and provide you with clarified instructions. Please do NOT drop for this reason.

Fix – Email us and we can clarify the instructions for you.

What Happens When Articles Drop

Just like in any business, freelance writing jobs with QualityGal have deadlines. QG expects all writers to complete projects by the listed deadline to the best of their ability. We understand that things do come up, but if an article is due to the client by a certain date, and you end up dropping the project instead of submitting it, this may mean we need to scramble to get the project completed and to the client  in time. In order to continue to post claimable projects, we need to keep getting orders from our clients. To keep getting orders, we need to prove that we can get the work done well and on time. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the QG offices and a lot of what we do here depends on getting quality work from you, the writer, in a timely fashion.

If you end up dropping more than 10% of the articles you claim you run the risk of having your claimable project limit lowered. When all writers start with us they have a claimable project limit of five. If you drop a lot of articles, your limit will be lowered and you will be placed on probation. If you still continue to drop articles, your account will be deactivated and you will be unable to claim future work.

I hope this blog helps you understand the importance of getting articles in on time, and offers some ideas so you don’t have to drop them. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

Link bait is like a game of darts…aim for the sweet spot. Image Courtesy of Richard Matthews (Flickr)

There are so many forms of website content out there. Link bait is, by far, one of the most attractive, exciting, entertaining, and engaging varieties. Link bait is a blanket term that encompasses eye-catching web content, infographics, memes, and much more. It typically incorporates written text, graphics, and multimedia, combine with an attention-grabbing presentation. The subject matter is diverse and some of them can get…a little racy… anything goes! Link bait projects are original in concept, but often put a new spin on existing material to make it more interesting and attractive for eyeballs and backlinks.

In some cases, the subject of a link bait piece is tangentially related to the website hosting it. For example, a website that sells car parts may choose to do infographic link bait about the cost of different makes/models over the lifetime of a vehicle, complete with images and maybe a comparison chart. The same site could also try to push the edginess envelop and do a piece consisting of graphic images and text snippets or the top ten most horrific auto accidents that could have been avoided – maybe discretely tying in the importance of proper vehicle maintenance.

In other instances, the subject matter may have nothing at all to do with the subject of the hosting website and is derived solely from past successes and a knowledge of what the “linkerati” gravitate towards – subject matter be damned, the goal is that social attention and viral-ness.

10 Extraordinary Examples of Effective Link Bait from Moz (2012)

“Link Bait is a dart board; players aim their ideas (darts) towards the “linkerati” (dart board) and try to hit that sweet spot (bullseye) in order to score big!” – QG Heather

Regardless of its form or presentation, all link bait needs to attract the “linkerati”; a diverse subset of Internet users that are attracted to amusing and outrageous content. They share, like, repost, retweet, and otherwise spread the content they find; eventually rocketing the content to the far corners of the Internet and beyond.

The hope of any linkbait project is that the content will go viral; to do that, it needs to be seen by thousands of eyeballs. Reddit.com & Digg.com are two of the main hubs through which link bait is transmitted – Check them out for some great examples of material gone viral and caught the attention of the “linkerati”.

The success of any link bait ultimately comes down to what will the “linkerati” love and link to, and how far the hosting website is willing to toe the line of relation to products/services offered and propriety.

Why is Link Bait an Effective Form of Content Marketing?

• Boosts traffic & visits to a website
• Reaches a wider audience – beyond a website/ business’s target market
• Generates social media activity (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)
• Naturally encourages people to link to it

Getting Involved in Link Bait

QualityGal is running a link bait contest!
Check your email for more information on how you can participate.

Check it out, get creative, and explore new content creation possibilities with QualityGal!

When webmasters create MFA sites, they are actually violating the Google Terms of Service which state that Adsense pages cannot be created for the sole purpose of displaying ads. While these sites are regularly found by Google and banned, they are still prevalent online.

To be clear, Google Adsense in itself is not a bad thing when done in moderation. Unfortunately MFA sites do not use ads in moderation and that is why they are a problem.

Examples of MFA Sites

Identifying an MFA site is pretty simple. When you click on an MFA site, you will see ads everywhere that look like they are taking over. Another indication that a site might be MFA is if there is a large number of dashes in the URL. While this is not always an indication, for some reason many MFA sites will contain dashes between each word in the URL. Take a look at some examples of Made for Adsense sites below.

• http://dry-skin-care-guide.com/
• http://www.mesothelioma-cancer-support.com/
• http://www.businessmoneyfinance.com/
• http://www.bad-credit-advisor.com/help-for-bad-credit.html

If you browse the sites above you will see that they are all covered in ads. Some of them even disguise the ads and make them look like the navigation bar of the website.

Why You Should Avoid Linking to MFA Sites

• Made for Adsense sites simply do not provide good information for the reader, the content is often poorly written and not factual if you can find the content at all in the sea of ads.
• The sites simply look terrible and untrustworthy.
• Google frowns on MFA sites and you don’t want to take good content and link out to MFA sites and then be associated with sites that violate the Google Terms of Service.
• Because these pages are constantly being banned, there is a good chance that the link won’t be around for link resulting in broken links in articles when the site disappears.

Just to reiterate, having adsense on a site does not automatically make it an MFA site. It is all about the intent of the site and how many ads are on it.

Thinking positive and kicking ass is essential to success. (Image courtesy of Flickr)

Thanks for tuning into another installment of the QualityGal freelance writers blog! Recently, I’ve been asked how to avoid getting too deep into freelance work and becoming ‘burnt out’ and overwhelmed with assignments. It’s the nature of the industry; we have our highs and lows, and the number projects available fluctuates. I find that as a freelance writer myself, I tend to claim more assignments when we’re at a high point; get ‘em while the gettin’s good.

With that, however, comes the stress of getting my work done within the specified time frame, without rushing and/or lessening the quality of the work. Client demands and deadlines ultimately must be met, but not at the expense of your sanity. To help you maintain your productiveness, and sanity, here are a few tidbits that I’ve found very helpful:

Be Selective when Choosing Writing Projects/Clients

I’ve found that each client we work with has different needs and expectations that they ultimately need met; some more involved than others. Before committing to a freelance writing job, ask yourself this core question: can I realistically meet this client’s needs and give them a great content product?

Being selective when choosing writing projects may put you in a better position to make the most in compensation and set you up for success with the chosen work. For example, choosing projects that fall within you area of expertise; be it technical, educational, medical/health, history, etc., will save you time and ultimately increase earning potential, because you’ll have a better handle on the project from the get-go by using your existing knowledge as a jumping off point for any additional research. Case in point, nobody has a degree in freelance writing – each of us has a background or experience in something outside of this industry – make that knowledge work for you.

Take Away: choose wisely and play to your strengths

Don’t Over-Extend Yourself

Once I’ve identified work that falls within my area of expertise, it can be hard to turn down more opportunities for a good thing. Yes, I would love to take all 25 pages of content a client is offering; however, I find myself needing to take a step back before getting buried in work that I might not be able to complete in a timely manner.

When choosing freelancing work for myself, I consider the following:

1. Are the instructions realistic?
2. Can I complete a single project within 2 hours? (i.e. is the project pay worth the work/time required? If not, I don’t believe it is, I don’t commit to it.)
3. Do I have the bandwidth to complete the project before the deadline? This leaves room for troubleshooting.

Take Away: Too much of a ‘good thing’ can ultimately be detrimental to your production schedule.

Don’t Take It Personally – Utilize Editorial Feedback

We’ve all gotten it at one point or another – editorial feedback that is less than perfection. Can it be frustrating to have errors pointed out to you? Absolutely; but being made aware of these issues will save you time and better prepare you for the next writing project.

Don’t take it personally. Emotionally attaching to your work is a double-edged sword. Yes, it’s very important to be pride yourself in the work produced; but, taking constructive criticism to heart may contribute to your burn out.

Taking a step back and viewing the project and feedback more objectively is an acquired skill, but one I feel can be learned. Utilize editorial feedback as the tools they are meant to be.

Building a tough skin and objective eye is an absolutely necessity when freelancing. Rejection is a common and valuable hurdle you can overcome to better your skills and succeed in the future.

Take Away: Approach feedback as a tool, instead of a personal attack.

Know When Enough is Enough

Freelance writing and content marketing are largely self-motivating industries. So, what happens when you’re beginning to burn out and not as motivated as you could be? Your work suffers. Knowing when enough is enough – when you’re simply not motivated – while discouraging, can help avoid overworking yourself to the point of burn out.

Making it a point to break up your day, get out of the house/office, etc. can help you maintain your motivation and help you to address each project with a refreshed outlook. I am a big proponent of the 50/10 Rule (this blog has an academic focus, but really good information that translates into freelance writing.) For every 50 minutes of work, take 10 minutes to rejuvenate and refocus. If this means taking a ten minute walk round the block, doing a chore, or grabbing a snack, do it.

There’s an app for that…and it’s free! (lol, can you tell I’m an iPhone user?)

Take Away: Taking care of yourself is key to working at full capacity.

Try New Techniques and Tools

Try something new, outside of your comfort zone, to see what motivational or self-management techniques might work well for you. I’ve experimented with a couple different techniques and tools to help me manage freelance work and life in general – some of which have been effective, others have been a total time suck. Most recently, I’m using a combination of simple sticky notes and Trello to self-manage my work load and to-dos.

I’ve also found that switching up my workspace is also helpful – working in my home office, dining room, or living room, on my laptop can make all the difference in my productiveness (I just can’t turn the TV on, radio is ok though – but that’s a personal thing, some people might be more productive in a silent environment.)

Take Away: Experiment with new methods of self-management and environment to see what works best for you.

Thanks for tuning in, and I hope this information is helpful when claiming QualityGal writing projects and freelancing in general. If you’d like to contribute your “burn out busters” to the conversation, please feel free to comment, repost, and share – I think everyone has found different ways to avoid freelance burn out that have worked for them; we’d like to know what those ways are!

Best,

Heather M.

Photo by Demi Brooke (flickr)

In academic writing, and in most QualityGal freelance writing work, rhetorical questions are not appropriate. A rhetorical question is one for which no answer is required or expected. These are used in written text when the writer assumes that the individual reading the content will know the answer, or the writer continues on to answer the question in the content. In content such as ours points can be made more clearly when the information alluded to in the question is included as a statement. By asking a question the reader may or may not know the answer to, you run the risk of your point not actually being made.

Avoid Temptation

As a writer it can be tempting to ask a lot of questions of the reader while writing. We’re all guilty of falling prey to the rhetorical question trap from time to time. For whatever reason, we believe that by asking a question we are making a point; and sometimes we are. Rhetorical questions can be an effective way to gain the interest of the audience, but, QualityGal clients are rarely looking for projects littered with questionable (see what I did there? Oh, I did it again!) content. Filling projects with questions can look like filler content that doesn’t add any real value to the page itself. You don’t want to run the risk of sounding like a used car salesman or a cheesy credit check commercial so try to avoid the rhetorical question whenever possible. It is usually pretty easy to turn rhetorical questions into statements. Take a look at this resource (point number 4) for more information.

When Rhetorical Questions are Okay

Rhetorical questions can be appropriate at times. If, for example, you are working on a freelance writing job project that is meant to be read by children, or a blog as blogs are meant to be much more informal, asking questions can be a great way to engage the reader and keep them interested. Also, when optimizing projects there may be times when the content you are working on already has some rhetorical questions in it. Those questions are okay, but please don’t add more questions to those that already exist. One question can draw attention, two may be okay, but avoid asking more than two rhetorical questions in any given project. This is less of a rule and more of guideline. If you are not completely sure about when they are okay consider this:  it isn’t for kids and the questions don’t already exist on a page being optimized, probably best to avoid asking them all together.

Additional Information on Using Rhetorical Questions

As always if you are ever unsure of what is appropriate and what isn’t, the QG staff is happy to answer any questions you may have.

Comma Chameleon created by QG Alicia

Commas are important punctuation marks that help a reader to figure out what words in a sentence go together as well as what parts of the sentence are most important. Incorrect use of commas can really confuse a reader but don’t worry; using commas correctly can be easy if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Use commas to avoid confusion. For example:

• Let’s eat grandpa.
• Let’s eat, grandpa.

In the above example, if you do not use the comma correctly it is implied that you are going to eat grandpa instead of eating with grandpa.

Use commas for typographical reasons. For example:

• Between cities and states (Los Angeles, California)
• Between dates and years (April 22, 2013)
• Between names and titles when the title comes after the name (Bob Parker, Professor of Science)

Use commas to separate quotes. For example:

• When discussing his books, Stephen King said, “I try to create sympathy for my characters then turn the monsters loose.”
• “Prose is architecture,” said Ernest Hemingway, “not interior decoration.”

Use commas to separate elements in a series of three or more things. For example:

• She brushed her teeth, got dressed, and ran out the door to work.
• He turned on the television, flipped channels for a while, and finally found a great movie.

Use commas and conjunctions to connect two independent clauses. For example:

• He hit the ball well, but ran to the wrong base.

Note that the example above features a comma before the conjunction. A common error in comma usage is to place the comma after the conjunction. As a general rule the comma should come before the conjunction.

Use commas to separate two or more adjectives describing the same noun. For example:

• He was a happy, carefree child.
• She is an irritable, cranky child.

Commas are a fascinating type of punctuation that cause many disagreements among writers. Comma use can sometimes be confusing as their usage can sometimes vary. The tips above should help with comma usage and you will find more great information on correct comma usage in the resources included below.

Rules For Comma Usage – Guide to Grammar & Writing

Extended Rules for Using Commas – Purdue Writing Lab

Guide to Comma Use: Do’s and Don’ts

There are many types of writers that fit under the umbrella term “professional writer.” Some may have written novels, poems, screenplays, while others may write informational nonfiction, such as: instruction manuals, how to guides, copy-writing for products or research papers. The exceptionally gifted may use both their left and right brain and produce work in a combination of styles.

In any case, there are usually rules and guidelines that define the genre that a writer works in. I have never come across an instructional manual that begins: Once upon a time… or a news article that reads like a description of a state of the art toaster. The purpose of the project dictates the form the content takes.

Regardless of the type of content being created, there is a structured process that can be applied to most writing projects and per-piece freelance writing gigs, that yields effective end content. It can take a little getting used to, but once you have the process down, you can spend more time on crafting the content and less time figuring out how to get to the end result.

Keep in mind that the speed in which you can write content is only as good as the content you create. Both speed and quality affect your potential income; so finding the perfect harmony between the two may leave you a little richer than before.

How Does This Tie in with Quality Gal?

QG specializes in content largely related to content marketing efforts. This includes writing copy for products, blog posts for shy webmasters or understaffed websites, and research-heavy and informational articles for busy thinkers.

This process was designed specifically for QualityGal projects; it is not meant as a definitive guide for all writing gigs. The process will use examples on the topic of an article being written about cars.

1. Read through the instructions of the project carefully. Make note of any particular information that should be included in the end content and make sure this information is easily accessible. Following or overlooking the instructions, will affect your grade.

For example, say you accepted a freelance writing job about cars and the instructions call for a style 7 including 10 links with descriptions and different categories for car manufacturers, car parts, and classic cars. (This brief statement includes all of the very important information that needs to be followed in order to receive the highest possible grade.)

• Review the style (example: style 7) that you are required to write in. Information on styles can be accessed in your account under Writer Resources under Current Styles/Style Examples.
• Review the number of links required (example: 10 links)
• Review the need for link descriptions (example: Yes)
• Review specified categories (example: car manufacturers, car parts, and classic cars)
• Take note of other important factors like sites to avoid linking to, tone, etc. that are made available in the article instructions.

2. Do your research and read through your selected resources. Find as many authoritative websites/resources as you can that fit the requirements of the links detailed in the instructions. The sites should discuss the topic you are going to write about and should avoid advertisements. Utilizing search commands can greatly reduce the time spent looking for appropriate links and improve the quality of links; less work wading through the ‘made for adsense’ (MFA) and other less than authoritative sites! Google Support also has some good info that you may choose to reference. Browse through your research quickly and see what information is available – in many cases, the links you include in content can also provide good information to help write the content. Just like you would discard a lower quality link when including resources, you wouldn’t use that same lower quality link for information.

3. Based on the information collected, some writer’s find it helpful to construct an outline. In general it is good to follow the traditional article/paper organization of Introduction, Body, Conclusion. This may not be the case in every article, but it is a good jumping block to start from. Go through the relevant sites that you have selected and draw information that is relevant to your outline. Write notes in each section.

3a. Introduction: Introduce each concept that you will discuss in the article, tie the concepts together; keep the information general in this paragraph.

3b. Body: Elaborate on each of the topics you introduced in the previous paragraph. Don’t forget to discuss everything you introduced. Keep all the information relevant to the concept.

3c. Conclusion: Now that the reader has a better understanding of the topic, wrap up the ideas so as to create a cohesive, complete idea.

3d. Links: Include the links that you’ve collected for research. They will augment the article that you have written and will provide further information.
If the instructions call for descriptions, then write a brief sentence or two that sums up the ideas found on that site.

[Side Note] Another important thing to remember about links is that they should be hyperlinked. Hyperlinking is relatively easy to do, and if you don’t know how to do it, check this resource out and give it a shot. You won’t break your computer if you try it, but you will receive a lower grade if you don’t do it. It’s worth a try.

4. Expand on the ideas that you laid out in the outline. You will have a skeleton of information; fill out each section with relevant details. Smooth over the information so that the article is easy to read and is not stilted or just factual sentence after factual sentence. You want the information to flow together for optimal readability.

5. Proofread! The best thing to do once you have written your article is to save it and walk away from your computer for a bit; get a cup of coffee, go for a walk, make dinner, whatever you need to do. Then come back and read the article… out loud.

[Side Note] When we read in our heads we tend to correct any mistakes mentally and it can be easy to overlook a mistake. If there are any awkwardly worded sentences or something doesn’t flow properly, adjust the sentences and specific words for readability and accuracy. Next, check your links to make sure they are not broken and they are properly hyperlinked.

Other Important Information for Freelance Writers

Give yourself enough time to write an article. This is especially pertinent when completing writing projects with QG, as failing to complete content affects not only one’s standing with QG, but ultimately negatively affects the company’s ability to meet deadlines. As you write more articles, one may become more skilled at finding the information needed and may develop a system that will help move the writing process along more efficiently. Pay attention to what works for you, and please read the editor comments; they are meant to help you with future projects, saving you time and maybe a bit of frustration.

I would also suggest creating a browser bookmark folder with helpful sites for writing. My writing resources folder includes:

• Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Grammar
• The QG Writer Resources Page
• Dictionary.com/Thesaurus.com
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) – A particularly good general writing resource.

I hope that this information helps you with all of your writing endeavors; it hasn’t let me down, yet. If you have any thoughts about this process, or if you have your own process that works for you please share in the comments!

You may have noticed in the last few weeks an interesting variety of projects making their way into the writer panel, and blog posts going up talking about other types of content that could be coming around the bend very soon.  This is another one of those posts! If any of you have a CDL trucking license we have a special project just for you! Please let us know by sending us an email if you are interested and have your CDL trucking license.

Also, for all of our current writers… keep your eyes out for a checklist arriving in your emails soon asking about some areas you may specialize in so that we can keep you in mind for any future specialized projects that may come our way. Thanks again for hanging in there with us! We appreciate all of your hard work! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

PS: Lots of claimable projects in the Writer Panel! Write write write!

QG may soon have the opportunity to complete content for a Spanish client. If this happens we will need your help! If you can write fluently in Spanish please let us know! We’re in need of Spanish fluent writers to help us give this client the content they need. If interested or if you have questions please feel free to send us an email.

Have a wonderful weekend!

We just wanted to let you all know that 1099 forms are being sent in the mail today. If in the last year you made $600 or more writing for QualityGal you will be receiving one of these forms in the mail. Thank you for everything you do for QualityGal!