Interview: What Is The Definition of
Freelance Work
From LoveToKnow Online
Many people who consider working online often wonder what is the definition of freelance work. In this exclusive LoveToKnow Online interview, Mark O'Neill, a professional writer, blogger and editor, answers that question by describing his own path to online freelance writing.
Becoming an Online Writer and Editor
Years ago, no one could have imagined that the world of online freelance work would have advanced to the point where it is today. In this interview, Mark O'Neill describes how he rode the wave of this expansion, so that today he writes at his own blog, Better Than Therapy, and works full time as editor for the popular Internet technology blog MakeUseOf.
How It All Started
LTK: How did you first get involved when you initially came on board at MakeUseOf?
MO: After being on sick leave for 20 months, I went back to freelance writing for a living and I was looking for work. I was surfing the Internet and I came upon MakeUseOf. At that time it was a small site, with less than 10,000 RSS subscribers and the only writers were Aibek and Kaly, publishing "Cool Tools" posts. I noticed that Aibek was advertising for writers so I decided to apply. Aibek accepted me and I started writing for him in August 2007. My first article was about Truecrypt. It wasn't long after that when Aibek asked me to be the editor, and we started hiring other writers. More than 18 months later, we're at 56,000+ subscribers and 40+ writers.
The funny thing is that when I applied to be a writer, I thought it might be a nice side-income while I wrote my novel. Needless to say, that novel is now very much on the backburner as I am working for MakeUseOf full time.
What Is The Definition of Freelance Work?
LTK: On your About page, it’s clear that you have a great deal of experience as a freelance writer and editor – how did you first get started in the world of freelance writing online? Was the bulk of your writing work offline, or have you always focused on online writing?
MO: I first went to journalism college in 1992, and from there I did newspaper work and a little bit of magazine work. Obviously, the Internet wasn't as mainstream back then as it is now. I worked for some British newspapers, but I always seemed to get the boring assignments - "Old man grows enormous turnip - exclusive!" or "Cantankerous old lady sees Messiah on piece of toast." I also got all the boring council meetings. So I kind of didn't stay long at these places. I didn't want to be tagged as the Clark Kent - the guy who got the boring stuff all the time.
Through smooth talking and sheer luck, I then participated in a BBC educational television programme on journalism, one of those, "How did they manage to interview THOSE guys?" I also occasionally took part in Scottish youth radio and BBC radio, which was interesting, but also freelance and ultimately unreliable - but good for the resume.
Then the Internet came along which provided more opportunities, although I took a very long break first due to traveling and personal issues (MANY years). When I finally came back to writing, I did an eBay column for 2 years at Auctionbytes.com.
That was a nice introduction back into writing, and a nice introduction to web writing, as writing for the Internet is a LOT different than writing for offline publications. Then other sites followed. You can see them all at my online bio page.
LTK: Did you find it difficult, personally, to switch from working for a job like the British Civil Service to becoming self-employed as a full time freelance writer? Was it scary to take that leap?
MO: No, because I have always been writing in some shape or form all my life, even when I was a civil servant or in another job. When I haven't been writing for profit, I have been writing privately for myself. I write in notebooks, I write diaries and so on. And I am not solely self-employed as a writer right now. I also occasionally do English tuition for people here in Germany, for example. Plus, MakeUseOf is quite a stable job, and my life circumstances are quite secure at the moment. So I don't lie awake at night worrying about things. I take each day as it comes.
Advice For New Online Writers
LTK: Do you have any advice for anyone who’s new to the field of Internet writing and editing?
MO: Hmmm. Well, I suppose the best advice is just to start a blog, start writing quality stuff and begin networking. The saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is partly true. In this situation, I would amend that to "It's what you know and who you know." You have to be able to demonstrate knowledge in the area you want to write about, and you need to know the right people.
So that means set up accounts on places like Twitter and Friendfeed, and begin networking. Chat with the right people. Notice I said chat though, not harass. Get to know them and let them get to know you. Bear in mind that they may be getting approached by many other people, so don't take it personally if they don't respond straight away.
Meanwhile, build up your own site and distinctive brand. Write high quality articles demonstrating your knowledge. Eventually those articles will make their way to the right people and you will be noticed. It may take time and persistence, but it pays off in the end.
Final Words
Ultimately, the answer to the question, "What is the definition of freelance work?" boils down to how the Internet has defined freelancing today. Staying at home and making an excellent income from your excellent writing skills is more of a reality today than it ever was before the Internet was mainstream. It may take a lot of hard work and long hours, but in the end, as Mark describes, it really is possible to earn a comfortable living through online freelance work.
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