Robbi Hess

How many social media platforms are you managing?

By now, you've probably heard about Google+, right? The "Facebook Killer" is one of the many things it's been called. Gaining an invite into the beta Google+ was something I was looking forward to simply because I love to be part of whatever new gadget or technology is available. 

I did get into the new social media site and now I am trying to build my Circles, as they're called there. With a Circle you can add professional contacts, family, friends, acquaintances or whatever Cicle names you'd like to designate for yourself. You can add people to multiple circles and in Google+ people can add you to Circles without first sending a "friend request" as they do through Facebook -- is that a good or a bad thing, I haven't decided quite yet. With Circles you certainly have the opportunity to widen your reach and get to "know" and interact with more people than you might have access to through other social media platforms. 

Do you have a writer's porfolio

Today when you’re looking to score more writing gigs – or a staff writer position – and the editor asks for clips. What do you do? Are you still writing for print magazines and are they online? Can you send a link to the potential editor? Are you writing for print magazines and they aren’t online? If so, you will likely need to scan your articles and send as a pdf to the editor. Regardless of where you have written and published, you need to being a writing platform and portfolio if you want to score more writing opportunities.

Keep in mind too, whether you want to be a generalist or a specialist. Are you looking to find work in a particular field, ie. Pet writing, small business ownership, etc. If so, you may want to target your writing in a particular market. If you are looking to expand your horizons and write about any- and everything, then seek out opportunities where you can be a generalist. Bear in mind though, that many writers feel they fare better if they specialize because they become a go-to person when an editor is seeking an article on a niche topic.