The Social Freelancer: Media, Music, TV & Film

It was fun creating this image for our Facebook page using Wordle:

Word cloud for The Social Freelancer Blog via Wordle

What would yours say?

Why did I do that?

Read ON, comments welcome at bottom of this page>> Read more…

Got a great idea? A concept to change the world? Excellent, but here’s the deal: It means nothing unless you act upon it and bring it to the “real world”

A Tricky Life Lesson
I now understand that an idea, however great it is in my “mind’s eye”, means little to anyone else. It never will, until I do something about it.

Ideas are common, the execution of ideas is a rare commodity.

Read more…

In the “things that make you go, huh?” category… 23 funny quotes from church publications.
Sometimes you just need a laugh to relieve stress during the day. As a writer, I have always gotten a kick out of sentence and structure mistakes that become humorous when read out loud. Certainly they are innocent mistakes, and I have made plenty myself. Please understand, I am not making fun of people who write bulletins for their church or any other type of writer. We are all just doing our best, learning as we go. No matter what, I think it is healthy to be able to laugh at a mistake. Getting upset about it sure doesn’t help.

“The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.”

“Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.”

The mistakes I am reprinting here were gathered from the Internet. I make no claims of their origin or validity, they could all be made up for all I know, but they are FUNNY.
Which one of these is your favorite? Please comment below. Thank you.

Enjoy!

These missteps appeared in church bulletins or were announced in services:

1. The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
————————–
2. The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
More laughs >> Read more…

Active writing for this blog and sharing content with the world has been an enriching experience for me, if not monetarily successful (there’s still hope!). The interactions with kind people from all walks of life online has given me a different perspective on the world at large. I have found that nothing beats Twitter for expanding your reach and introducing you to like-minded people from all over the globe.

Don’t get me wrong, I dig Facebook, and interact there a lot. It’s fun and it deepens the interactions you already have with people. But Twitter is a different animal, one where multiple messages, and linking to multiple posts many times a day is easy.
Read more…

Not convinced social media matters? Watch ANY news program on television, from CNN to Fox to MSNBC – EVERY SINGLE ONE now will bombard you with invitations to connect on Facebook AND Twitter. Trust me, I have worked in television for more than twenty years. If social media wasn’t having a positive impact on their relationship with viewers, thereby driving up the value of advertising, THEY WOULDN’T BE DOING IT.

Repetitive messaging works with ALL MEDIA, whether we like it or not...

A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
- Groucho Marx

Two questions I get often:

1. Where do you get your quotes?
The short answer is: a lot of places… multiple sources that are easy to use. After a good deal of research and trial and error, here are the five best sites for quotes on the Internet (in my not so humble opinion!):

READ ON FOR LINKS TO BEST SITES FOR QUOTES ON NET>> Read more…

So much nervousness about what to post on social media! I see many people worried about what others may think if they post “the wrong thing.” Most of us have some insecurities when it comes to socializing, whether it be at an informal party, a networking event or in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc…). I think most of it stems from these five self-doubting thoughts:
READ ON – 5 Reasons We’re Afraid of Networking Plus 5 Helpful Posts >>> Read more…

In recent weeks there has been a lot of speculation about Google’s new social networking interface, Google+. Yes, I am a social media junkie, so of course I have a profile on Google+ and you can easily find me there. Truth is, I am only there because I have gmail and Youtube (Owned by Google) accounts and they naturally made it easy for their current users to migrate into Google+.

My Take on Google+? Read more…

This blog is fun for me. I like to write and I’m interested in expanding scope of my business, so it’s a good fit. But it’s not for everyone. I made a lot of mistakes getting started. I got past a hump, a time when I didn’t have a strong identity for the site. I didn’t have a clue, but I slogged through it. It is a big time commitment and something that I believe you should think through before starting. More about this HERE > Should You Blog? Don’t Be Fooled, It’s a JOB.

To blog, or not to blog... that's the question

A Crash
You were seeing the beauty of the Swiss Alps up close and personal in a private helicopter. A rogue crosswind slammed the chopper into the side of the mountain with no warning. Miraculously you find yourself outside of the wreckage, the only survivor and basically unscathed, save a few bumps and bruises. This is the way we wake up each morning.

Rescue in the Alps - photo courtesy DataLife Engine

I confess. I am a Google Analytics junkie. This tool shows me on a daily basis what traffic is coming to this site, where people are visiting from (more than 40 countries so far!), and what posts are getting the most views. I enjoy looking at the statistics because it shows results of the work I put into sharing the posts across multiple social networks. I try to understand why some posts do better than others. A good writer wants to know what’s working and what’s not, and tries to improve on his craft.

Today I am looking at the three posts which have been shared most often, trying to discern what it is that makes them successful. I would enjoy hearing your opinion. Please post in the comments section below. Thanks for tuning in. – Trace

Want to know about this tool? It’s free, and I don’t get anything for recommending it, go here> Google Analytics
READ on for Top 3 Posts from The Social Freelancer ™>> Read more…

It’s not “Julie and Julia”
Did you see that film? A young woman in New York who desires to be a great cook starts preparing a recipe a day from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. She starts a blog site and writes about her experiences. By the end of the story she has become an internet sensation having done nothing to promote the blog. It’s an excellent film that my wife and I enjoyed very much. However, this business about her blogging success was just pure “Hollywood”. It doesn’t happen like that.

To blog, or not to blog... that's the question

Don’t let anyone fool you, it’s a JOB.

READ ON > Is blogging right for you? Read more…