The following is a guest post from Dena White, discussion health insurance for freelance writers and other Web workers.

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For many, becoming a self-employed webpreneur is everything they could ever want. When you are a self-employed web worker, you will enjoy benefits that include, but are certainly not limited to, working your own hours, being rewarded for the work that you do and for most, no longer making the commute back and forth to a job you hate.

However, as anyone who has worked for themselves for any length of time will tell you, life is not always greener on their side of the fence. Hurdles pop up that must be overcome when you are self-employed that are different from those that you face when you work for someone else.

Health Insurance Matters

The area that often gets the most attention is health insurance. When it comes to benefits such as health insurance, small businesses and self-employed web workers are often at a disadvantage when compared to larger corporations. In the United States, the majority of people get health insurance through their employers.

Several people believe that the benefits are better and cost lest when they are associated with a health insurance plan that is sponsored by an employer. However, you would be incorrect in assuming that these healthcare plans sponsored by employers are always superior.

Getting The Most For Your Health Insurance Money

The decision about how much money you plan to spend on healthcare coverage each month is one of the biggest decisions you will make. Once you have that number in your head, you will need to know how to get the best coverage for your particular budget. These tips should help:

1. Do not pay any attention to the marketing extras that you may be offered such as massages, club memberships and other “bonus gifts”. These gifts will only add to the cost of your coverage, and probably nothing you need anyway.
2. It may be advantageous to purchase coverage only for emergency needs beyond check-ups, dental care and prescriptions. Designate a specific portion of your budget for basic medical expenses.
3. You may be able to save quite a bit on premium payments over time by selecting a higher deductible. Carefully put away a certain amount of money every month depending on your budget, you will eventually build up enough funds to pay off the deductible should you ever need medical care.
4. Research the Internet for a number of websites specializing in displaying several offers from multiple providers by submitting your basic information once. This is a powerful tool because it allows you to compare offers from different providers without having to bounce around from website to website. According to the plan that you choose, you may be able to proceed with purchasing the policy online without a physical exam. Just type “health insurance” in you preferred search engine to begin.
5. Prior to paying for any policy, ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate provider that will honor your policy. Remember, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is, especially when it come to health insurance. Go to the Internet for help. Enter “[company name] complaints” or the like in your favorite search engine to find any major problems with the provider you choose.
6. You may want to consider a membership with a union or trade association that provides benefits, such as the Freelancers Union and Sam’s Club.
7. Bundling your insurances is also an option. If you are able to locate a provider that offers policies for all of you healthcare needs, you may be able to get a better rate.

Now you can see that being self-employed may in fact be an advantage because you can research to save money as well as tailor the coverage to meet your specific needs. As a self-employed web worker, it’s up to you to maintain your good health in all ways. Getting a good insurance program at an affordable cost is the first step in that healthier, happier direction.

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Dena White is a freelance author and writes about healthcare career topics, such as how to obtain an online nursing degree, tips for job advancement, and more.

A belated happy July to everyone – June, like the months before it, just flew right by! I hope everyone celebrating the 4th of July holiday tomorrow has a lovely one. For now though, here are your freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs.

• Mom Blogger for Tech and Gadget Blog
• Business Editor for Financial Book
• Freelance Press Release Writer
• Marketing Copywriter – LA
• Freelance Writer for New Finance Website
• Marketing Blog Writer
• Nonprofit Business Plan Needed – $500 – 1000
• Green Blogger – $10 – 25 per post

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

On Mondays I usually post a list of freelance blogging jobs here. Today though I found myself somewhat disgusted by the blogging jobs I found. Based on those ads and their requirements, I wanted to offer a few tips for those considering hiring freelance writers. Here’s what you should not do in your job ads (and why):

1. Don’t ask for custom samples unless you’re paying for them. – Working as a freelancer doesn’t mean we work for free. If you want a freelancer’s time, pay for it. If you want a sample before hiring them for long term work, you have two options to do that. First, you can review their past portfolio pieces to see if their style fits your needs (the most common route). You could also hire them to write a single article (or whatever you need) up front as a test, and then make a long term hiring decision based on that. Asking for free custom work on the hopes of being hired is completely unprofessional and inexcusable.
2. Don’t act like you’re hiring a full-time employee. - I’m shocked by how many people request formal resumes and such from potential freelancers. What’s worse though is that today I saw a company asking for things like cumulative GPAs. Folks, these traditional requests are fine if you’re hiring an employee. They’re often completely overboard when hiring someone for short-term per-project gigs. Instead look at their portfolios. Their work will speak for itself. (And frankly, there’s no reason you need someone’s GPA to hire them as a part-time, freelance blogger. That’s just silly and makes a bad impression – this particular advertiser came across as absurdly demanding for example with their list of requirements.)
3. Don’t tell us what you think is normal or standard pay. - For starters, you’re sure to be wrong. Beyond that, you just look foolish and inexperienced when you tell writers that the standard rates should be $5-10. Get real. If you can only afford to hire amateurs or hobby writers, that’s fine. But don’t waste your time (or ours) trying to justify those rates as anything more than what they are – token pay.
4. Don’t tell freelancers how to manage their clients. - Frankly, you don’t have the right to do this (in the US at least). One ad I saw today emphasized that while the writer would be allowed to take on other clients (not that the writer needs their permission), they would have to be their primary client. Um, that’s not how it works. You’re a client. So are their other clients. It’s up to the writer to decide when to work for each, how to work for each, and how to prioritize their time. Clients can’t control these things without bordering on an employer / employee relationship (and if they try, they can end up subjected to taxes and other expenses on the writer’s behalf because of demanding an employee-style relationship). It doesn’t matter if your project is estimated at 30 hours per week. That doesn’t mean you’re a primary anything. Maybe that writer works 60 hours per week. Or maybe a client they work with 10 hours per week pays them several times as much. Only the freelancer gets to determine their priorities. Their responsibility is simply to deliver their work as promised by their deadline. Anything else is out of your hands, and shouldn’t even be discussed in a job ad.

I really can’t understand why some people think it’s alright to be overly demanding, especially when many aren’t compensating fairly to begin with. Those looking to hire freelance writers should spend a bit of time understanding the differences between contractors and employees, the market and real rates paid to these professionals (not just what you see advertised on Craigslist), and some need a basic dose of reality (Would they ask an employee to work for free first? Unlikely, and probably illegal).

Writers, the best thing you can do is pass up opportunities expecting too much for too little. Don’t allow others to control you. Don’t work for free in the hopes of getting a paying gig (it’s the equivalent of paying to be considered for a job). And for goodness sakes, respect yourself enough to hold out for the clients who are going to respect you. There are plenty of them – you just have to work a bit harder in the beginning to find them (and it’s worth it!).

It’s time to kick off another new week. I was annoyed by some of the requirements of those hiring bloggers this week, so rather than focusing on those jobs today, we’ll do a broader list of freelance writing jobs (and I’ll explain why I wouldn’t list some of those blogging jobs in a more traditional post today).

• Freelance Business Writer for Newsletter
• Freelance Feature Writers for MUTTS Magazine – MD / DC / VA region
• Freelance Article Writers Needed – $10 per article
• Financial Writer Needed
• Sales Plan Writer Needed – $150-550+
• NY Law Student for Research and Writing
• Business Letter Needed – $50
• Freelance Food Writers – FL
• Demand Studios Seeks Web Content Writers – $15 per article
• Mental Health Writer for Contract Work – Galleria, TX
• Green Blogger – $10 per post

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Here’s some late Friday reading for you. As usual, we have some posts that may be of interest on freelance writing, blogging, and other issues related to freelancers. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

• The Working Table of Contents AKA Outline
• Time Management Skills: A Must for All Freelance Writers
• WAHMs: Make Sure the Ends Justify the Means
• The “Oh Well… I Can Always Quit” Mentality
• Web Content Sites: Do You Have Job Security?
• Writing: How to Get More Great Ideas Every Day
• Blogging is Dead (Again)
• What to do When You Lose a Steady Client?
• Are You Tweeting Away Prospects?
• Astonishing Story of Unpaid Freelancers

And from my other blog for freelance writers–QueryFreeFreelancer.com–check out our recent series with pro freelancers:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six

Happy Wednesday folks. Here are some new freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs for you:

• Freelance Copywriter – NYC
• Freelance Web Writer for MarineFuel.com – $16-46 per article
• Magazine Seeks Technology Writer
• Freelance Web Writers – $500 per week
• Freelance Public Relations Writer
• All Inbox Seeks Freelance Writer
• Relationships and Fashion Writers Needed – $300 per article
• Freelance Writers – Arab-Focused Content – $10 per article
• Freelance Bilingual Copywriter – Spanish / English – LA
• LA Travel Blog Seeks Writers – $50 per week

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

If, like me, you run one or more Wordpress blogs you want to hold off a bit before upgrading to version 2.8 (if you haven’t already).

I upgraded some of mine only to find the same repeated problem: the visual editor wouldn’t work correctly. The buttons disappeared, the text was whited out, and you couldn’t work in that mode.

I’ve also had another minor issue that comes and goes as it pleases. When I go into the theme editor, sometimes the stylesheet (which shows up by default) extends over the links on the right, meaning I can’t see or click the template page I want. Since one or two are usually visible near the bottom of the list, clicking on one of them clears up the issue. But it’s a royal pain in the neck.

Visual Editor Fix

I can’t say this will work for everyone, but if you did upgrade and you’re having a problem with the visual editor, here’s what worked for me.

Go to the tools section of your admin, and click on the “upgrade” link. Click the button to “re-install automatically.” After that, clear your browser cache and navigate back to your post edit page. At that point the editor worked fine for me.

If you know HTML and are comfortable writing in it, then you can do without the visual editor. But I know all writers here who blog don’t necessarily work in HTML. For those of you who don’t, I hope that fix works.

Other than that, I’m keeping my eyes open for other problems, but am hoping they come out with an update asap fixing these issues. *crosses fingers*

EDIT: The 2.8.1 beta release is available if anyone wants to use it. (Thanks Ed!)

When I setup the Query-Free Freelancer blog, I needed it to operate as a free membership site (to control access to the members-only downloads) while also operating a member newsletter. I like to use Feedblitz for email subscriptions and newsletters when possible, but at the time there was no good way to have members sign up for both without forcing them to sign up twice–once for the site and  once for the newsletter.

I mentioned on Twitter that integration would be a nice feature, and the folks at Feedblitz looked into it and made it happen. The result is their new Feedblitz Member Mail Wordpress plugin.

When you activate the plugin, users will have a checkbox on your registration page for Wordpress that lets them agree to signup for your Feedblitz newsletter or email subscription at the same time. They check the box. They register. And then you’ll see them in both your Feedblitz and Wordpress member lists–incredibly simple.

So if you want to put together a similar setup with your blog, now you can!

Here are Monday’s freelance blogging jobs. Enjoy!

• Social Media Blogger / Marketer – South OC
• Ghost Blogger Wanted – $10 per post
• Ghost Blogger / Content Writer for Real Estate Agent – $15+ per article
• Web Design & Lawn Care Blogger Needed – $200-250 per month
• Chess Blogger Needed

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

This is in response to Kevin Muldoon’s post, Bloggers Need to be Realistic About Blogging Rates, which I found through Deb Ng’s post here. What this post takes issue with is the claim that you shouldn’t charge $100+ for blog posts, because you’ll get outbid, your clients won’t earn enough of a return, etc. Read his post to understand where this one’s coming from.

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As someone who both gets paid significantly more than $100 per post to blog for clients and who comes from a PR background, I have to point out some flaws in Kevin’s logic (and I can’t blame him for them – these kinds of thoughts run rampant).

The two mistakes are in thinking that:

A) A monetary return is the only kind of return buyers are interested in.

B) Writers who earn a good amount of money through blogging are “few and far between.”

While it’s certainly true that some (even many) buyers do fit that first scenario, I can tell you from experience that there are plenty who do not.

Money Isn’t Everything

A lot of buyers (especially those with bigger budgets who are capable of paying for authority bloggers) are not looking for a direct financial return. This is where the PR element comes in. Blogging is a public relations tool for quite a lot of businesses (including those major corporations slowly coming on board with it). The blogs may not even contain any ads. That’s not their purpose.

Their purpose is to serve as a communications link between the company and their publics (customers, clients, readers, members, and even members of their local community and colleagues in the industry). They’re used to build further exposure and visibility on the Web. They do that through company news, industry news and commentary, and educational posts often–all things that can be outsourced.

For them the blog is a support tool; not a sales tool (and to many businesses those goals are even more important – one PR nightmare that isn’t handled well can swiftly kill even the best sales efforts, and a blog gives them immediate access to those audiences when they need to answer looming questions or put out small fires).

Think of it in terms of other professions. Would you expect to pay $25 per hour for a lawyer? How about an accountant? Neither does anything to directly earn you money, so by that logic their time isn’t worth much. You know that’s not true. Value doesn’t always correspond to direct income.

Those companies looking beyond direct income from their blogs likely wouldn’t even think of touching a writer charging $25 per post or less (and even that’s on the low end). Many have worked with professional writers in other capacities (either as employees or as contractors), so they’re used to a professional tier in rates, and they know the quality they’ll get from paying those higher rates. In fact, it wouldn’t be unusual for companies to turn to writers they’ve hired for other projects, already knowing their higher rates, instead of looking for someone new (it’s one of the reasons you don’t see a lot of high-paying blogging jobs advertised publicly).

“Hidden” Markets Equal Misconceptions

That’s the key in the misunderstanding about the number of bloggers being paid well. Because we don’t see a lot of these job offers publicly, it’s easy to assume they don’t exist. But that’s just not true.

My lowest-paying blogging job these days is over $70 per post (due to rates negotiated quite a while ago with a long-term client). Most fall within the $150 – 200 per post range (and more for posts requested on the longer side). No, it’s not the highest-paying writing gig in the world, but it’s certainly not bad, especially since I love the medium (I’d rather write informational content than sales copy any day). And I’ve never applied for any of those blogging jobs. They come either from existing clients, referrals from those clients, or from people who sought me out after reading my work elsewhere (my blogs, forums, e-books, etc.–why it’s important to build a platform folks.

Are Lazy Bloggers Bringing the Market Down?

Let me be blunt for a moment. If a writer insists they absolutely cannot find blogging jobs for more than $25 or so per post, either they’re just being lazy or it’s the market’s way of telling them they need to up their game on the quality front. Those who do nothing but troll job boards looking for blogging jobs are on the lazy side. That’s not how you get the bulk of the high-paying gigs out there (and if you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you absolutely know that–if those $100+ jobs were advertised, I’d certainly include them in our job listings).

Look. If you’re happy with that $25 per article, by all means take it. It’s certainly better than the $5 gigs (and $25 gigs are being increasingly advertised, so they’re not that hard to find if you don’t want to be bothered with building your platform). Just don’t allow someone’s bad advice to stop you from charging what your time is worth to you.

You’re in Business Too!

The worst part of it was where Kevin suggests we all think about it from the client’s point of view, noting that they don’t all have big budgets and those supported solely by advertising probably can’t afford to pay $100 per post, even if they’d like to.

Want a reality check? Here it is. If they can’t afford to pay for a top notch writer, then they don’t deserve them. Period. It’s not a writer’s fault that a business owner got into blogging with unrealistic expectations and an inadequate budget to account for them. Many companies are out there either already blogging or looking to get started, and they have perfectly adequate budgets. And for the record, no, you don’t have to look for large corporate clients. Most of mine are small business owners and webmasters. You might be surprised at how many do have sufficient budgets to hire professional writers at professional rates to take care of their blogging.

If some are happy with $25 article writers, let them have them. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if your time is worth more than that to you based on your skills, credentials, and demand, then don’t lower your standards to meet someone else’s expectations. The “reality” is that blogging is only a low-paying job if you allow it to be.

Writers, remember this: if a client can’t afford to pay the rates you’re asking, move on. All it means is that they’re not in your target market. Let the clients worry about their bottom line. You’re in business too, so you just worry about yours!