Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Writing for Demand Media

Demand Media Banks It Hard

by Josh Todd on July 30, 2010

If you’ve ever searched Google for the answer to a practical question (and who doesn’t?), you have probably seen the website eHow.com.  It seems to appear on the first page of results for literally thousands of unique terms.  What you may not know is that the company behind eHow.com, Demand Media, has created a cash machine so big that Wall Street and even Google itself has taken notice.

Essentially, Demand Media is a massive content creation company.  But instead of using employees to do the work, they outsource it all to freelancers.  Authors get paid a set price per article, and they are encourage to crank out several at a time with strict deadlines.  If you like writing but don’t have the time to create your own blog, this actually could be a nice way for you to make a little extra cash on the side.
I can’t help but be impressed by Demand Media and what they’ve done.  They took a simple concept that’s been around for ages, Article Marketing, and scaled it to an unimaginable degree.  The company is rumored to be worth around $1.5 Billion.  It will most likely be acquired by a major public company or have an IPO of its own in the near future.
The reason I felt this was worth a post is to remind all of us of the power of the internet and the opportunity that we have each and every day to get a piece of it.  Don’t get discouraged because you got in the game too late, there is so much money to be made out there.  The world hasn’t even begun to realize the changes that the internet has brought into our daily lives, and the more it gets integrated, the more opportunity there is for us to make money.
You don’t have to create something completely unique and original to make millions of dollars.  Just ask Google.  They certainly didn’t create the search engine, they just built a better one.  All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open, and when you see something that could be done better or bigger or more profitable, do it!

Mindful Metropolis Magazine Chicago


We strive to bring together communities throughout the Chicago metropolitan and surrounding areas with like-minded concepts and fresh ideas. We explore green culture, art and design. We investigate sustainable ways to live in an urban community. We bring conscious living concepts from the kitchen table to the boardroom table and all places in between. We promote businesses, non-profits, local organizations and educational institutions which inspire individuals and communities to act responsibly personally, for their inner circles and for their outer spheres. We think outside the box, yet are practical in our approach to what is maintainable. We attract readers who are actively engaged and who are committed to continually growing and educating themselves. We are low impact and high concept. We never forget that kindness is an environmental mission. We are eco-active, enviro-sensitive and socially involved.

WRITER’S GUIDELINES

Calling All Freelancers!
We rely almost entirely on freelance material to fill our pages every month. We have only a few "regulars," so the field is wide open to all who wish to submit. We depend on freelancers like you.

What kind of articles should I submit?We accept articles on a wide variety of topics including: green living, social change, health and wellness and personal growth — in short, anything that deals with a progressive, healthy lifestyle. The important words to remember when writing for us are "information" and "narrative style." We strive to provide leading-edge editorial that is not only entertaining, but also directly usable by our readers — information that the mainstream media often abridges, is unaware of or is unwilling to print. The majority of what we cover is local to Chicago and surrounding suburbs, but also Illinois and the Midwest.

We run one cover story and one feature story each month covering the areas mentioned above, ranging from 1,000-1,500 words and pays between $150-200 depending on word count and experience.

In addition, we have a number of departments we run regularly:

Did you hear?Our front of book section: short, newsy blurbs on each of our coverage topics, including: green living, health/wellness, personal growth, social change and local arts/entertainment. These stories typically run from 400-800 words and pay $50-$75 depending on word count and experience.

Living HealthyCovers all aspects of whole person and whole planet/community health from diet and exercise to preventative and curative medicine. Our monthly lead story runs 800-1,000 words and pays $75.

Art & other mediumStocking the bookshelves, playlists and DVD collections of our readers with featured books and films. We currently have a music reviewer, but will consider book, film and DVD reviews. These run 125-150 words each and pay $25/review.

Life, etc.A personal essay highlighting a seminal moment or event in the life of the writer, relating to one of our overarching themes. This piece runs 800-1,200 words and pays $100.

FormatPlease send submissions typed and double-spaced via email or snail mail. If emailing, please attach a Word file, and also copy and paste in the message section of your email. Queries may be emailed to editor@mindfulmetropolis.com. If including graphs, charts or other original art, please send a hard copy in addition to a disk, or e-mail us for digital art submission guidelines. Original photos and illustrations are welcome and may be submitted along with your article for consideration.

Notification of Acceptance or Rejection Ah, the life of an editor — deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines! Every time we look up from our desks, it seems there’s another deadline to meet. So, we set aside time to look at submissions during our precious, limited "quiet time," that late time of the month just after we’ve completed the last issue. Sometimes our response rate to submissions is probably not as rapid as you’d like it to be. If we do not immediately accept or reject your article or pitch, we may set it aside for a rainy day. If you are uncomfortable with ambiguity or are in a hurry because you want to submit it to other publications, be sure to make note of it on your submission. No matter what, if sending via snail mail, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for notification of acceptance or rejection. Articles will not be returned unless specifically requested, so be sure to keep a duplicate.

Query LettersIf you have not written for us before, please be sure to include your mini-bio and up to three published clips. Alternatively, you may submit a completed manuscript. If your article addresses the categories described above, your treatment of the issue, the timeliness of the article and the quality of your writing are the main keys to getting published.

Keep in Mind...Keep in mind that our readers are more sophisticated when it comes to green living, health, personal growth and social responsibility. We prefer thoughtful, well-researched articles with an informed and upbeat tone. We favor a narrative approach in which "story-telling" is emphasized. We welcome investigative reports and personal interviews, but outside of our "Life, etc." section, we rarely publish personal essays. Please include reference material for fact verification, and avoid using anecdotal claims to support your thesis or argument.

DeadlinesWe accept articles any time. If you want your article to be considered for a specific issue, we should have it in hand three to five months before the month of publication.

PayIn the event that the magazine decides not to publish your assigned story, a kill fee of 50 percent of the original fee is offered. However, no kill fee is offered for unsolicited submissions or if this is your first assignment with us; you are free to publish the work elsewhere. If we do print your work, we customarily pay within 45-60 days of publication. We ask for one-time print rights in print and non-exclusive perpetual website publishing rights

Monday, December 6, 2010

Dear God, Thank You!! I Got a Job!


Well, I interviewed for a In-Store Demonstrator job on Saturday and was hired immediately. It's $11/hr and I will be working at Mariano's Fresh Market in Arlington Heightrs.

I will be an independent contractor through New Concepts in Marketing so taxes will not be withheld. I will be responsible for filing my own taxes in April 2011.

I just want to say how grateful I am for this opportunity. I am working towards getting my daughter back (she has been living with my mom for the last four years.) This is a step in the right direction for me. I prayed really hard that I would get this job.

There will be obstacles, however. I learned that I have a prolapsed uterus and need to have surgery. I'll have to take some time off in January to go back to Pensacola to have the surgery done so I don't have any more bladder problems.

But, I am grateful and will do my job to the best of my ability!

THANK YOU GOD!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Today's Search

Haven't found many new postings today. Although I did find some resources at Arlington Heights Memorial Library, such as a December 2010 Job Fair guide.

Also, I applied for this job:

In store demonstrators needed $11/hr (Arlington Heights)

Date: 2010-12-01, 12:09PM CST
Reply to: mailto:job-7rmns-2089366119@craigslist.org?subject=In%20store%20demonstrators%20needed%20%2411%2Fhr%20(Arlington%20Heights)&body=%0A%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fchicago.craigslist.org%2Fnwc%2Fcsr%2F2089366119.html%0A [Errors when replying to ads?]



We have a need for in store demonstrators to help hand out samples at a new local grocery store. Demos run daily from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Scheduling is flexible. Must be friendly and outgoing, 18+, and have reliable transportation. I will be meeting with people Friday, 12/3 and Saturday, 12/4. For consideration please respond with your recent employment history and contact info in the body of your email.

NO ATTACHMENTS PLEASE!!!

  • Location: Arlington Heights
  • Compensation: $55+/demo
  • This is a part-time job.
  • Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
  • Please, no phone calls about this job!
  • Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Make Your Resume Match Your Career

[source: Chicago Tribune]
 
If you're looking to land a job in a creative field, it's going to take more than your run-of-the-mill cover letter and résumé. You need to fully express your creativity to a potential employer right off the bat.

"People try to use one style of résumé for everything from banking to theatre to advertising to science research and it doesn't work," says Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

So while accountants and bank tellers might be able to get away with classic circum vitae, creative professionals need to go up, over and beyond to get their potential employer's attention and make an impression.

To start, we better define who creative people are.

Chicago Shopping: Your home for personalized holiday shopping deals >>

"Traditionally, we would consider parts of the arts, advertising, marketing, event management and design as creative fields," says Langerud.

While these traditional fields of creativity remain today, there is also a growing definition of what can be counted as creative.

"The need for people in many fields to think about how they web together ideas, network people and cross industry boundaries has made creativity a top skill to demonstrate in organizational leadership," says Langerud.

So if you're going into a creative field, where do you start?

"The electronic portfolio has revolutionized what is possible for candidates to present and employers to expect," says Langerud. "Overall, in creative fields, paper is dead."

The Internet has opened the floodgates to personal websites and online portfolios. Joe Duffy, creative director and founder of Duffy & Partners in Minneapolis, has hired many of creative people in his day. Duffy remembers how portfolios used to be something tangible, made up of work created professionally or in school.

"That's changed significantly with technology," says Duffy.

An online presence gives the creative person an expansive place to display his or her works.

"It gives you the ability to get it out in front of many people," says Duffy.

But before throwing your stuff on the World Wide Web, you need to secure ownership of a place to put it, anything from a domain name to a Twitter account.

"If you use them, be consistent with your message and image," says Langerud. "But even if you don't use them, own them."

Don't think you're technically savvy enough? Find a friend that is and ask for their help. You can give them help using your creative expertise in exchange.

"As a team, put together a killer site," says Duffy.

Make sure not to go overboard. It's easy to get caught up in what you're doing. Duffy says that he can tell within 30 seconds of looking at a website if someone is going to get an interview. If your website and résumé aren't up to snuff, you might be hurting your chances of being employed.

"While candidates may want to be a little more inventive and show off their originality in order to stand out, it's important to show restraint when using creativity in your résumé," says John Scanlan, assistant director of Cleveland State University's Career Services Center. "Candidates should select items that they feel will best illustrate their skills and experience in an engaging way without overwhelming their audience."

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Friday's Objective: COVER LETTER and RESUME for THIS JOB!!!

Company:Wednesday Journal, Inc.
Position:
Editor/Reporter for city weekly
Location:
Chicago, Illinois
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: $25,000 to $30,000
Ad Expires: 
January 5, 2011
Job ID:765480
Website:http://chicagojournal.com/

Description:Chicago Journal and Skyline, two award-winning, independently owned neighborhood weeklies, are looking for an editor/reporter to cover the remarkable neighborhoods just outside Chicago's Loop. A great opportunity to lead community weeklies and their websites. We are well established with upscale urban readers and cover the range of local issues which make the renaissance of city neighborhoods so fascinating. Chicago Journal is owned by Wednesday Journal, Inc., a 30-year-old company which publishes six fine weeklies and websites and Chicago Parent magazine. The company is independently owned, run by its publisher/founder and intends to remain as such. Friendly, invigorating office based in Oak Park, home of Hemingway and Wright. This is an opportunity to work hard, have a real impact and work for a company that loves community journalism. Send a cover letter that says something along with a resume and salary history to Dan Haley, Publisher at dhaley@wjinc.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

St. James Parish Job & Networking Ministry

St. James Job & Networking Ministry offers assistance to unemployed or under-employed individuals and their families through workshops, employment counseling and pastoral counseling. This ministry also networks with other resources in the Northwest suburbs to facilitate employment efforts.
Contact Person: Patricia Casey Joyce, CPC, CTS (224) 232-5910 email: pcasey@arlingtonresources.com

ST. James Parish Recession Help <--- Click on the link

---->   SHARE NETWORK Website <--- Click on the link


Meeting Locations:
  • St. Edna's - Arlington Heights
  • St. Raymonds - Mount Prospect
  • St. James - O'Brien Room is located on 820 N Arlington Heights. Please enter the Parish Office on north side of the building on the west side of Arlington Heights Road.
  • St. James -Old School Basement: Enter door A26 an the east side of the building located on the east side of Arlington Heights Road.