Web Savvy will go another round with focus on tech and content opportunities

I just mailed the new contract for my column Web Savvy to continue at The Writer. I was thrilled the editors are pleased with the response to my column because I’m passionate about the opportunities technology is opening up for writers. In coming months, I’ll cover a variety of topics and hopefully, find an expert (top bloggers who'd like some exposure, where are you?) who will help explain basics for writers who want to learn about using video to help tell stories. Digital recorders, backup programs, SEO and even favicons are all on my planned content list.

When I bought my first computer at the urging of my husband, I hung onto my word processor. I figured if I didn’t like the computer, I still had a backup. Needless to say, I never used the backup. For me, the computer has really allowed me to expand the services I offer clients in ways I never envisioned. Recently, I discussed with a client the possibility of live blogging an election event. I routinely use video for my posts, and I have become fairly adept at taking still photos. In the early days of freelancing, I never thought I’d do any of that because a lot of the technology didn’t exist yet. I admit I really enjoy learning new things and seeing results of my trial and error attempts when I'm trying out a new program.

The other day my daughter came home and told me she’s thinking about majoring in English. That’s what I did. My daughter likes to write, but I told her the truth—major in multimedia and minor in English. You have to master the language, but you also need to know something about the different options for content.

As publications focus on Web content, opportunities and challenges will continue to arise. I plan to track them diligently for you twice a month at Web Savvy.

Along with a team of writers, I also do a 3x weekly column for Beneath the Brand. If you haven’t read articles there, take a look. The site is an amazing resource for those who want to learn about or work in marketing or advertising.

Today’s writer, regardless of specialty, needs to be savvy about the Web. It goes without saying we also need to be savvy about the language. I view the words as the linchpin, but you can really broaden their impact with a little Web savvy.

The wild wild Web, where copyright is becoming an oft-repeated word

I read a post at a discussion forum—the author found a Web site had copied her content verbatim. She contacted the owner of the site, who basically told her to shove it—there was nothing she could do. The site owner did remove the content, however. In August, I wrote a column about a lawsuit filed by an author who took issue with a bad review of his book. The reviewer didn’t just bash the book; illustrations from the work were reproduced. The author had provided the book, so the case isn’t black and white.

In a perfect world, no one would lift your content without asking. But people do. One reason I added the ‘Copyscape’ banner to both my sites involves providing notice that I do check for copied content. Copyscape works beautifully to this end.

Technically, you don’t have to officially register a work to protect it. The U.S. Copyright Office Web site notes:

No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration.

Here’s the note referenced above:

Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time.

It is a good idea when you post to your blog or Web site to add a copyright notice, and it’s an even better idea to file the forms to protect your work.

And if you have your eye on sharp content written by another, ask before you lift. Chances are if you run a quality site, you’ll receive permission unless you’re asking a large commercial concern. And always, if you’re given permission, be mannerly and include a link to the site where the work was first featured.

There’s an excellent site explaining the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, organized by the Association of Research Libraries. This government act offers some protection for your Web content, and restricts use of your content to fair use guidelines, including the amount of content in relation to the whole work. Fine to lift a line or two when you’re reviewing a book or poem. Not so fine to lift the whole item.

Meanwhile, you can drop your URL in at Copyscape to see if your work is being used without your knowledge.

©KayBDay/2007

Yes, Virginia, there’s a place for you on Facebook even if you’re over 40

Last week I was on the phone, talking business with a meeting organizer. She’s younger than me. When I told her I had a Facebook page, she giggled. I told her age doesn't mean much to me. I forget how old I am; most days I have more energy than I did at 20 because I don’t keep the late (often rowdy) hours I did then.

My older daughter, a grad student at a Florida university, actually talked me into doing the Facebook page. I’ve already had lots of fun (her friends have become mine in many cases), but I’ve also discovered two interesting poetry groups, a magazine group, an animal lovers' group, and linked up to several other freelance writers. There's even an over 40 Facebook group. A daily newspaper reporter did an interview with me about my Facebook experience, and the story was in the business section Monday.

Major publishers use social networks to promote their book titles ahead of the title’s release date. Journalists like me use social networks to glean quotes for articles, to dig up stories, and to stay on top of trends. When my new book comes out, my page will be the first place I announce the release. I’ve already turned up two stories I’ll write, based on my interaction within this social network. I also post links to stories I've written for magazines, Web sites and newspapers.

I wrote an earlier article here at Creative Writer US about a poem inspired by my Facebook experience.

I’ve received virtual plants that grow and bloom over a period of several days, and friends have gifted me cyber-beers and a cup of coffee.

So even if you’re over 40, you can still have fun and benefit professionally by using social networks like Facebook.

Related links:

Florida Times-Union story by J. Elliott Walker about Facebook

Creative Writer US column about Facebook poem

My article at The Writer, ‘Networking with Other Writers’, for my column ‘Web Savvy’

Billionaire says Internet ‘dead and boring’

I learned to navigate Facebook by enlisting help from my daughter, a graduate student at a Florida university.

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I read part of an interview with Mark Cuban in Lloyd Grove’s column at Portfolio.com. Cuban made his primary fortune by plying his entrepreneurial skills as a partner in Broadcast.com. This Web TV company was sold to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in stock, and then, Lloyd writes, “cashed out before the tech market imploded.” Cuban’s remarks about the Internet are based on what he perceives as an inadequate broadband speed to your home, that limits potential for “technical innovation.” I’m not a computer expert, so I won’t argue Cuban’s point. I guess I’d call myself a “creative expert,” though, using the Web for everything from finding markets for my writing to locating old friends and enjoying the seemingly limitless potential at sites like the social network Facebook as well as the eclectic BlogHer community.

I’d have to say those of us in the arts are having a field day with the Web. Even the U.S. presidential candidates (or their strategists) are beginning to respect the power of YouTube.

As a journalist, I learn something every day, courtesy of the world’s largest information resource. Naturally, using the Web has diversified my publishing portfolio. I write regular columns and articles for some sites and publications, but I often simply write something, email it to a publication I've never done business with, and learn, with pleasure, it suits the editor I sent it to. This happened recently when I spotted a story that no one had covered yet. I did some research, put the copy together and sent it on its merry way. In a short while, I had an acceptance and shortly thereafter, had emailed the invoice. This happens quite frequently. The process once took weeks, even months in some cases. I deal with every editor I provide content to by means of email and on lesser occasions, fax by email. If I have a question related to freelancing, I can post it on any of several message boards at professional organizations I belong to and receive an answer quickly, sometimes immediately. If I need quotes from experts, they're keystrokes and a few URLs away.

As a poet outside the collegiate writing industry, I am certain my poems would have never connected with the number of readers who've found them and then bought the book. Same goes for the readings and programs I speak at. The Web is a writer's best ally.

So maybe those of us in the creative arts, non-geeks that we mostly are, simply look at the Web with a different perspective than someone who is an expert in matters technological. The beauty of the Web, like other media, is in the eyes of the beholder.

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Visit my column Web Savvy at The Writer, and drop by my blog Covering Florida.

New office finished and back on track (sort of)

We finally managed to cull through all the stacks of paper I'd accumulated in my former office. I learned something about myself: I am better off with a smaller office. I am teaching myself to use a trash can.

I'm a fanatic clipper--always snipping an article or fact collection for possible future pieces. I'm trying to save files in folders on my computer, and trying to keep a clip notebook so those finds stay in an organized place.

My new office is an interior room, and that will definitely work better for me. My old office had 7 windows. I shot the butterfly photo at top right one day when I was in the middle of a hair-raising freelance project. Same thing happened every time I saw a hummingbird. Had to jump up and take a looksee.

Years ago I did a story on a psychic. Wrote the piece for a newspaper. When I walked into her office, I was armed with my tape recorder, my notepad and a whole lot of skepticism.

Within minutes, Mary Green had turned me into a believer. For one thing, she started our session by asking me why I insisted on writing at a desk by a window. There were a few more tibdbits she tossed before tossing a whole loaf. "Congratulations."

"For what?" I asked.

"You're pregnant."

"No way," I said.

Five months later my husband and I welcomed our first child into the world.

Many years later, I realize I need to minimize distractions. Mary Green was right. The window view wasn't working out.

I'll be posting here five days a week on most weeks. Summer's on the wane and my freelance plate is full.

What's up

Drop by my new column Web Savvy at The Writer magazine. In this column I feature information about all aspects of sharpening your pen with knowledge about the Web. If you want to know how to make the Web work for your writing career, Web Savvy is a great place to visit. My first columns focused on social networks for writers and digital photography as a means to increase freelance sales.

I'm still posting daily at Covering Florida.

You can also catch some of my articles at The Florida Times Union, Coastal Homes, and in other magazines and newspapers. If you read UPI news, chances are you're reading me there at times even if there's no byline.
Have a great summer!