Jack of All Blogs » Writers

On Second Thought, Writing For A Living Doesn’t Suck

The Sheriff — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:11:50 +0000

I know I’ve been ranting about writing as a profession recently. Yes, sometimes it does have its low points. But then again, suddenly I feel thankful I’m not working in one of ‘em sweatshops or doing over-overtime in some office building crammed into cubicles along with other corporate drones.

I just checked out one of the blogs that our sister site the Blog Network Watch has recently written on, and it’s all about the call center industry (it’s called You Had Me At Hello blog). What I read made me shudder at the thought of ever returning to the corporate world again. I didn’t exactly work the graveyard shifts back in my day, but you get the drift. It’s the same banana whether you’re assigned a regular day shift or a night one.

Schedule adherence tops the call center priority chart, and in most cases, failure to comply is sanctioned beyond expectations. And by that, I do mean TERMINATION. Whether you’re a student who came from school or someone who lives in Timbuktu and got stuck in traffic on the way, you still have to find ways in order to get to your shift on time. Explanation? The number of people scheduled each hour is expected to receive a certain number of contacts per hour. So, if an agent is absent or late, this means that the calls is to be spread out in the entire floor. In reality, call allotments may be given a variance as part of contingency planning just in case some people are late or absent. However, even so, sometimes its hard for call centers to meet client expectations if people don’t strictly comply with their schedules, that usually they would ask people to do mandatory overtime.

Think that’s bad? There’s more.

If you’re sick, try to still go to work as much as you can. Unless you can get a medical leave approved. Try not to be absent, especially if your reason will be dysmenorrhea, LBM or anything less serious than that. Come on, I have an agent with gout and back pains because of gall stones who still go to work and I don’t even force him to. So if you’re going to tell your team leader that you have a headache, just take some mefanamic and go.

Oh, I remember I was late for work probably 95% of the time. And I probably invented never-before-known sicknesses just as an excuse to stay home.

I know it’s a decent way to earn a living, and I shouldn’t be one to discriminate based on career options/choices/paths. But I’m of the opinion that some companies are just out to make robots out of human beings. And I would rather not be one of those plugged into the Matrix, so to speak.

I would rather have control over my day and how I spend my time. I would rather have my creative mind roam about and work on producing output when I’m productive.

Feel free to disagree. But if you think I’m making sense, come on. Say it with me.

I. Am. Not. A. Drone.

What’s Wrong With The Echo Chamber?

The Sheriff — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 07:23:26 +0000

You’ve heard about it: the dreaded echo chamber. Almost everyone in the blogosphere seems to have some tips against being part of this. I remember writing something about avoiding the echo chamber and being more creative a while back.

And let’s not forget that the blogosphere is also one big echo chamber. You know, blogs are often the he-said, she-said exchanges. No one seems to be coming up with original content these days. The blockquote tag has become the favorite among bloggers. Even some of the blogging A-listers are fond of link-blogging. Where’s the creativity here?

Sure, bloggers like to write on what’s already written about. I would say 90.1416% of bloggers start writing their stuff based on what they’ve read on other people’s blogs. Another 78.654% actually link to other blogs and quote stuff they think interesting. A smaller number would add some commentary and opinion to supposedly add value to the conversation. Trust me, I got these figures from a very reliable source (namely my imagination).

But thinking back, I wonder what the heck is wrong with the echo chamber? I would say it’s one good sign that creativity is not so abundant in the blogosphere. However, thre is one good thing that the echo chamber brings about, and it’s some sort of consensus as to what bloggers consider important.

I’ve said before that the wisdom of crowds may not exactly be wise. That’s (mostly) because of the tipping point. The crowd can be influenced! But then again, in the blogosphere, the wisdom of the crowds is in numbers. Technorati says so. The more people write about a topic, the hotter it gets on Technorati’s popularity charts.

So what’s wrong with the echo chamber? A lot, probably!

But then it serves its purpose. Having an echo chamber helps you determine what the buzz is all about. And this changes every day, every week, every season. Bloggers talk, and the blogosphere talks back.

Writing for a Living Sucks

The Sheriff — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 07:54:31 +0000

Well, it’s not necessarily so in my case. I mean, I write for a living and I can say it pretty much helps me pay the bills and make ends meet. But writing for a living does have its quirks. For one, there’s the dreaded writer’s block, those times you just feel you have to squeeze out every drop of creativity from your already-numb brain so just you can meet deadlines.

But most of the time, it’s the yearning for respect and acknowledgement that makes for the biggest disappointment in all. True, accomplished writers get respect, but that’s usually very rare, especially in the literary field. Not everyone gets to be a Steinbeck or Hemingway. And yes, sometimes you’d also have to be very dead before you get any serious respect from the community and the public.

As for writing for print and online journals (blogs included), well, it’s a whole new world. Respect doesn’t come around easily. In fact, I can say writing can sometimes be a thankless job. Some people even think you’d have do crazy stuff to get people’s attention.

It kind of feels like writing for the movies:

Even the biz hates writers. When a movie is good, everyone praises the director. When a movie sucks, everyone asks who the fuck wrote this steaming pile of filth. You watch a movie, the credits say: a film by so and so director. Never the writer. Never. It’s like everyone in the biz thinks the writer is just a necessary evil. It’s this auteur theory bullshit going around, making everyone think the director is everything in a movie. -the Man Blog

Here’s to literary rockstardom!

Blog Journals Changes In The Next Months

Franky — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:12:15 +0000

Over the last weeks there have been some changes in the blog journal landscape. 2 Consolidated papers and a new comer. Positions haven’t changed yet, but the tone of the blogs has.
Lets have a look at the 3 blog papers I mentioned in my Follow The Blogosphere with only 20 Feeds.

The Blog Herald

The Blog Herald has welcomed many new writers and found its new style, more main stream than before. Not always the earliest reporter anymore, but therefore a total new style of news had landed.
Tech and in depth articles, entries for the new blogger. Not just blogosphere related anymore.
Maybe I am biased with my judgment but The Blog Herald has become the place to go for advanced newcomers. The future blog geeks.
We will see a huge new audience join TBH now the Herald turns into a Blogzine.
A great read for everyone interested in blogs, what happens and everything else that involves blogging.

Prediction for the next months
I think some writers will leave TBH and the Blogzine evolution will continue with more new authors and new topics. TBH will introduce regular How-Tos.
Be prepared for forums and even more daily news.

901AM

In only some weeks 901am has already consolidated as the newcomer in this segment. Daily fresh and short news about what goes on in the blogosphere and surroundings. Over the holiday period the pace slowed down, but the team has picked up again in the last days and the tone is set.
This is the site to watch over the next months. Unless there will be a major change in how/what blog papers publish I predict 901am a great future and I wouldn’t be surprized if more former TBH authors would join the team. And add a touch of former TBH critical observations.

Prediction for the next months
Tony Hung leaves TBH and joins 901am. Together with Muhammed Saleem their critical analysis will influence what will change this year at social bookmarking sites.
David Krug catches The Blog Herald founder Duncan Riley as weekly columnist and both start a blogosphere podcast. With regular guest podcasters they become the new Scobleizer and Winer. Their show becomes a hit, your weekly podcast appointment. Krug and Riley Rave. Feared and respected.

The Blogging Times

It has become quiet around The Blogging Times over the last weeks. Less news, authors seem to be focused on their own projects.

Prediction for the next months
Unless Minic manages ASAP to add new writers to the team and gear up, TBT is set to disppear into anonymousness. TBH and 901AM will be the center of blog news and TBT will be sold in early autumn.

On a sidenote, I expect Splashpress Media to buy Blogexplosion and bring The Blog Herald to the house blogger. Unless Pay Per Post tries to grab this sure market.
But of course this isn’t spectacular enough to be the climax of this entry. No, there will be another surprise and once more it will be The Blog Herald when they announce the arrival of Matthew Ingram in Summer.
As Chief Editor.

Wired Calling For Attention

Franky — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:26:15 +0000

Bloggers are always good for any kind of controversy. Even if the controversy needs to be twisted and serve as an attention call. For Wired this time. Once more more conventional media invite bloggers to react and have a round of linkbait.

If bloggers know how to do one thing really well, it’s fight.

It is obviously we have to react. And we won’t put up a fight, no we won’t. Because that would only be what Michael Calore is looking for.

I’d rather enjoy the freedom of being able to write what I want to write. Without having to wait for the authorization of an editor.

Or do anything to get some incoming links.

The blogosphere. Look into its eyes and it will turn you to stone.

Michael, I hope you are ready to do so and this post was not only to save your paycheck. I don’t think you will get turned into stone. No one will do you that honor. You might get stoned though.

On second thought. No, no one will bother about you.

This was a good try, but your article misses the guts to start a fight. The blogosphere is a pretty tight and smart group.

We know how you guys play.

How were it if you would stay in your own garden and play there. Don’t YOU dare to attack the WSJ?

Bloggers are straightforward. Admit it, you are jealous.

And would love to have the paycheck of any blogger you mentioned in your article.