Social Media, Web Hosting, and Other Things Freelancers Should Know About

As you know I don't only blog for myself. I blog for clients as well. And on some of those client blogs I cover topics that apply to business owners -- just like you. So today I'm going to be a bit of a self-promotional whore. I realized that I had plenty of articles up on client blogs that weren't specifically written for freelance writers, but which could be valuable to All Freelance Writing readers nonetheless. Today I'd like to share some of those posts with you, in case you missed them previously.

Social Media

As you might know, I used to run a firm where I specialized in online PR and social media (back before everyone and his brother called themselves a "social media consultant" with no real credentials). I was fortunate to work with some of the most forward-thinking groups using social media at the time, such as independent musicians (if you want to learn about social media, turn to them -- no other group has gotten it so consistently right). I ran a blog at NakedPR.com -- now retired, although I'll be re-branding / re-launching it in the future -- where I became known for calling out PR and social media issues. I still do that at a new site I helped a client launch this year -- Social Implications. Here are some of my posts from SocialImplications.com about social media, focusing on things you might have an interest in as either a freelance writer or blogger (or just someone using social media for business).

  • Are Analytics Services Sharing Your Personal Browsing History? -- Earlier this summer I discovered that my personal browsing history was being shared publicly by Compete.com. This wasn't just an issue of referral traffic, but my type-in private browsing history. If you run your own site you might be at risk of the same thing happening. While their Director of Product Management said I must be a rare exception, I showed that other sites owned individually are at risk of similar issues and false connections by using freelance writing colleagues as examples (names left out for privacy reasons of course, and they all knew about it before I mentioned their results). If you use these types of sites to check up on competitors, or if they use them to check up on you, your private information might be at risk.
  • 101 Social Media Tools for Social Media Marketing and More -- This one is exactly what it sounds like. You'll find a variety of social media tools you can use in business, some of which you already know and some that might be new to you.
  • The Future of Niche Social Networking -- Are you making a social media marketing mistake by focusing only on the "big" networks like Facebook? If you aren't engaging with a niche audience, you're not using your social media marketing time as effectively as you could. This post explains more about niche social networks and their value.
  • "Gurus" and Other Social Media Monsters -- This post lists some of the most obnoxious behaviors you'll find from social media users, from self-proclaimed "gurus" giving awful advice to an unsuspecting public to people who don't have an original bone in their bodies (always ass-kissing, RTing, etc. rather than adding anything real to the conversation). Consider it your "what not to do" guide to social media.
  • Popularity vs Influence in Blogging Social Media: What's the Difference? -- I'm sure you've seen some of the countless lists of the most "influential" blogs out there. Did you also know that they're a complete crock of sh*t? If you believe the metrics used to rank a site's supposed influence, you're being incredibly naive. They've been inaccurate for years. They always will be. Find out why all the talk of "influence" and "influencers" these days has nothing to do with actual influence and is really no more than a glorified high school popularity contest.
  • Deciphering Shady Social Media Stats -- Statistics are everywhere in social media. After all they can make anything seem authoritative, and people know most readers are too lazy to think critically about those numbers and claims. They blindly follow and pass that false information along. In this post I tear a Mashable writer a new one for making a blatantly false claim about social media statistics, and using extremely faulty data to back it up. Mashable has removed that post, but you can see screenshots in the article. On a side note, Mashable is one of the biggest repeat offenders when it comes to this issue, and they've been called out numerous times about it. This isn't the only time I've done it myself either. Remember folks, the bigger your audience is, the more responsibility you have to ensure accuracy before they pass along your claims.

Web Hosting

You've heard about some of my own recent Web hosting nightmares here on All Freelance Writing. And if you host your own professional site or blog you might have lived through your own. If you fall into that group (or want to avoid it in the future), these posts are for you:

  • What to do When Your Hosting Company's Tech Support is Clueless -- I've unfortunately found that some tech support folks automatically assume the customer is an idiot. I have enough of a tech background that I know what constitutes a "big" database, and I know how to optimize them fairly efficiently. I also know how to review my logs for unusual activity. Unfortunately my current host's tech support rep didn't seem to know any of those things. This post includes that story.
  • The Web Hosting Company Breakup Guide -- If you've have a rough time with a host like I have, eventually you'll get to the point where it's time to move on and find a better partner for your business. This post will help you do that.
  • A Beginner's Web Hosting Checklist -- New to hosting your own sites, or just about to move from a free host to self-hosting your sites? Then use this checklist as a guide before signing up with a new hosting company for your freelance writing portfolio site or blog.

The following posts are all ones written for blogs in the DirJournal.com network. Some talk about social media (just not on Social Implications as the previous set), blogging, and even freelancing or writing specifically.

I hope you find something of value in there for your own freelance writing or blogging work. And as always, if you have specific questions or topics you'd like to see me cover here on All Freelance Writing, feel free to leave a comment or email me at jenn@allfreelancewriting.com with your suggestions or questions. Next on my list? We'll chat about e-book pricing strategies and how a single e-book can help freelance writers escape the low pay rut.

Profile image for Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance business writer, consultant, and indie author. She runs numerous websites & blogs including All Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Pros, NakedPR, and Kiss My Biz.

Jenn has 25 years' experience as a professional writer and editor and over 20 years' experience in marketing and PR (working heavily in digital PR, online marketing, social media, SEO, new media, and thought leadership publication). She also has 19 years' professional blogging and web publishing experience (including web development) and around 18 years of experience as an indie author / publisher.

Jenn also writes fiction under multiple pen names and is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association.

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6 thoughts on “Social Media, Web Hosting, and Other Things Freelancers Should Know About”

    • Never a problem. And I promise there won’t be many of these “look what I wrote elsewhere!” types of posts. lol Just realized there was a lot out there that I haven’t shared along the way, and some that perhaps I should have. 🙂

      Reply
  1. There is always something new here. Once again, tons of information waiting for us to devour. I wish I have the time to go through every links, but nah… I will have to pick a few as a start.

    Reply
  2. Some great links there. FYI, the shady stats link goes to the same post as the one before it. Just thought you’d want to know. Enjoying the articles – thanks for sharing them, Jenn!

    Reply

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