Giving Thanks & Remaining Grateful

I thank God for my work. What I mean is that I do thank my Creator for the ability to get up every day, log on to my computer and type away. That isn’t something I’m willing to take for granted as I know too many people who struggle to find employment and I know of at least one person who physically cannot work, but would like to.

Winding Down

I’m not ready to put 2011 in the bank just yet, as there are five weeks remaining in what has been a topsy-turvy year. On the one hand, I’ve been working my tail off. On the other hand, new clients come and old clients go. Sometimes the new clients don’t stay around as long as I want either, but at least their sooner-than-expected exit can be attributed to an internal decision and not something I’ve done (or so I’ve been told). At least I’ve been able to replace what has been lost and that is a good thing too: I’d be in financially dire straits if I had no new clients to pick up the slack.

Years ago, I picked up the phrase “an attitude of gratitude,” which is something I try to keep as part of my Christian journey. Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian to be grateful, but then I would wonder who or what would be the object of your gratitude?

To that end, I am offering the following grateful musings on this eve of Thanksgiving 2011:

Steady clients — I’ve been writing steadily for one client since September 2007 and had been used by him on special projects prior to that. This client, who shall remain nameless, has had his own battles too. He could have called it quits long ago, but he chose to stick around…and stick with me. Besides being a loyal client, I enjoy the freedom to write and edit pretty much as I please. No stilted guidelines and no high expectations other than to deliver quality work that enhances his business. Another client has been around since August 2008, offering me immense writing and editorial latitude as well. Thank you, gentlemen.

Enjoyable gigs — Not every client is “permanent” nor are all gigs I take on for the long term. This year, I’ve had taken on several projects that lasted for just a few months, but still managed to deliver much satisfaction. In some cases I’ve delved into new territory or expanded my prime writing field (automotive) to cover other areas such as technical specifications. Although at times this has proven to be immensely challenging for me, the reward of accomplishing a task was evident. Ah….

New vistas — My writing continues to get noticed, as automakers and suppliers are contacting me about my work. I’ve been flown to attend meetings, enabling me to get a first glimpse at new products. I have even been given cars to drive for a week, making it easier for me to write up my reviews. Recently, I launched a niche site, FoorHood.com, enabling me to dig deeper and cover a specific manufacturer up close and personal. Getting to see new product, such as the a pair of Ford ST models before an auto show reveal is fun too. Thanks, Ford. And GM…Nissan…Hankook…and all the rest.

Milestones celebrated — This month I marked my 9th anniversary of freelancing. I started out managing web communities and gradually transitioned fully to freelance writing, preferring to write for others although Matt’s Musings and some other websites I own give me platforms to write for myself. Lord willing, I’ll be celebration my 10th anniversary next year, something I never expected to reach. Then again, if someone woos me away and offers me an opportunity I can’t (or shouldn’t) refuse, I just may chuck it all and work for someone else. Either way, I’m thankful.

Family Thanks

I’m sure that I could add more to this list, but these four points stand out above the rest. Of course, I’m thankful to my wife who has been patient through it all, including seeing work come and go, and wondering if there was something more secure out there for our family. Our two boys, too, have put up with a lot, but I know that they’re glad to see their Daddy more often than what some of their friends are able to do.

How to Breathe New Life Into an Old Blog

Is it time for you to bring your old blog out of the box?

Old blogs never die…they just seem to fade away. Well, unless you close down your blog and delete all of your messages, your weblog may last for many years after your final post. That is, if you keep paying for your web hosting and renew your URL.

I’ve seen some really nifty blogs fade away over the years and I can certainly understand why: blogging is a lot of work and many sites gain little or no financial remuneration for all the hard work that writers do. These days, nearly every one of us is scrambling to make a living and that means we have to follow the money trail, as straight and narrow as that may be.

This blog is nearing its sixth anniversary and definitely qualifies as an old blog. Were I to rejuvenate it to its past glory, you’d begin to notice dramatic changes immediately. Alas, I am also chasing money and have little time to breathe new life into this old blog. That doesn’t mean you can’t give your blog a kick start, helping it to regain must of the prominence it once had, by taking the following four steps:

1. Get Writing – What made your blog successful in the past? Likely, it was your frequent postings that attracted a healthy following. Therefore, plan to write your heart out even if your audience isn’t still around to read what you write. Some former readers will come back and you’ll bring in new readers too. Yes, that means making good use of social media, such as Twitter, to let people know that you’re back shaking the blogosphere.

2. Get Your Mojo Back – Your passionate writing of yore may have disappeared, at least with the blog that you once loved and poured your heart and soul into. Tap that passion you’ve since transferred to your other writing gigs and bring it to your blog. Be real too: in life, you may be able to fake people out to their faces, but when it comes to writing they’ll know if you’re authentic or a poser. Allow the passionate blogger within you to take over!

3. Make a Plan – I operate an automotive blog (autotrends.org) and have enjoyed much success with it because I plan ahead. Some of my articles are written a week ahead and will “drip” at the appointed hour days from now. Other articles are sitting on my hard drive in outline form. I also have a draft or two that I’m working on. This type of scheduling and planning works out for me because I can take a break whenever I want (i.e., Thanksgiving and Christmas) and get back to writing when inspiration hits. I wrote this article yesterday and had it all set up to appear today.

4. Engage Your Audience – You want people to follow you, right? Well, engage them in a conversation. But, note this: you don’t have to be 100 percent thorough when discussing a topic. Leave 10 percent untold and your readers will add a point or two to fill in the gap (exception: if you’re giving step by step instructions, then you must be thorough). That way, you’ll elicit more responses from your readers and will respond to their comments – think about creating a dialogue. Leave helpful comments on other people’s blogs too, especially if the topic is similar to your own. I use Google Blog Search to track down related blogs (google.com/blogsearch) and will leave a comment if I find something of value.

You can also participate in various offline activities such as attending seminars, conferences and related events. I regularly hit the road to take in automotive events, passing out my business cards and acquiring cards and contact information as well.

The more involved you are with your blog, the greater the chance you’ll connect with people including industry influencers and others who will buy an ad, invite you to their event or recognize you through their website. Now go and breathe new life into your old blog!

Photo: Svilen Milev