Name (Full Name or Company Name): Jennifer Mattern

Your Website: http://FreeOnlineCourses.info

Compensation: $10 per 75-100 word post ($.10+ per word depending on description length)

This blog serves as a directory of free online courses. I need someone familiar with WordPress who can add language learning course profiles to the site.

The process is this:

1. You’ll be granted access to the WordPress admin area where you can create new posts.

2. You can use previous posts as templates.

3. Just enter the course name, school / organization, subject matter area, and link the course.

4. Then add a brief description of what the course offers / teaches. That should be between 75 and 100 words, making the per-word rate for these posts $.10 per word (or slightly higher). While you can’t use course descriptions from the course sites word-for-word, you may model the descriptions after ones I’ve already written for courses from the same site or school if applicable. You are NOT expected to actually take and review the courses. These are just descriptions.

This is for one course description in your subject area per week. We’ll discuss the regular day of the week for your posts via email, and I’ll send you links to the first few courses you should add so you’ll get a better idea of what I’m looking for.

Email me at info@freeonlinecourses.info if you’re interested. I’ll be recruiting an additional blogger or two in the near future for other course subjects, so if languages aren’t your thing, keep and eye on this marketplace for leads on other sections of that blog.

NOTE: All payments will be made via Paypal in USD. Please don’t apply unless you can accept Paypal payments.

Obviously, online writing courses could benefit writers, but what about all of the rest?

I advocate specialization. One of the biggest complaints I hear from generalists is that they don’t have a degree in a field, so they feel they can’t specialize. While that’s probably true for some niches (like certain types of medical writing), it’s not true of many others. You don’t need a degree in all cases, but you do need a firm grasp on the subject matter.

Free online courses can give you that without you having to invest huge amounts of time or money in taking on-campus courses. And frankly, they’re a hell of a lot better than doing your research on sites like Wikipedia.

In the New Year, think about your specialty area(s). Do you need to brush up on basics? Would you like to expand into a similar niche? If so, see if you can find free online courses from reputable sources that can give you the background you need to improve your writing career (or just look at the folks leading the courses if you’re looking for experts to interview).

Let’s look at MIT’s OpenCourseWare classes as an example. Here are some specific courses that might be of interest to certain types of writers:

1. If you’re a marketing copywriter who focuses on writing copy targeting female buyers, you may be interested in Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies to better understand your target markets.
2. If you’re a music writer, you may want to look at the Hip Hop course to better understand that genre.
3. If you write about politics, you may be interested in the American Political Thought course.
4. If you write about real estate, you may want to look at the course in Real Estate Finance and Investment.
5. If you’re a health and fitness writer, you might be interested in the weight training course.

No matter what niche you specialize in or what markets you generally target, you can find courses to help you improve your knowledge (and your writing), making you more valuable to clients.

Here are a few other MIT-specific courses you may be interested in as a writer:

• Writing About Literature (good for book reviewers perhaps)
• Introduction to Technical Communication (a good start for those looking into technical writing as a career option)
• Entrepreneurial Marketing (a good one for any writer who’s self-employed – learn how to better market your services)
• Working in a Global Economy (an interesting option especially for Web writers who work with more international clients)
• Playwriting I (for those interested in learning how to write a script)

Many other universities and organizations offer free online courses. You can check out my site to find others added periodically, or simply search on your own. The best courses I’ve seen so far have been from MIT, Yale, the BBC (language courses), and the SBA (business courses).