Count coffee as a food group? Yep, you’re a journalist

December 12, 2011 Editor Bit of fun checklistsfreelance lifejournalism

Your Monday laugh comes courtesy of Chris Ortiz, creator/editor of Stuff Journalists Like. While judges in Oregon might disagree with his 20-item "Checklist for being a 'real' journalist," we think it hits the nail on the head. Some of our favourite "signs":

Corrected a loved one’s grammar in a greeting card
Forgotten what it’s like to have the weekend off
Learned that being told to “fuck off “ and “go to hell” is part of the job
You think it’s normal to work 16 hours a day for 8 hours pay
Have conducted a phone interview while completely naked

Read the full checklist here. Are there any other "signs" you would add to the list?

Hat tip to Jim Romenesko.

Dealing with gig loss: The Born Freelancer’s 10-step program

December 08, 2011 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancerfreelance lifehealthnetworkingworkflow

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.Getting that first gig is perhaps the novice freelancer's hardest obstacle to overcome. But the endless hours of toil, of self-doubt and of worry…

Forget about 15 minutes—Canadian visual artists want their five per cent

November 29, 2011 Editor Compensation bill c-11carfacfreelance contractsgetting paidroyaltiestrouble spotsvisual artists

Imagine if, to sell your writing or other media work, you had to give up all re-sale rights, knowing full well that the person you were selling it to would earn far more than you had because of their access to a wider market. If what you're producing is one-of-a-kind, nearly impossible to re-create, and took years of work, it's a maddening…

Do you whistle while you work?

November 28, 2011 Editor Bit of fun freelance lifemusicwork from home

One of the perks of working from home is having more control over your work environment. Sure, there may be other people sharing your space, and the next-door neighbour's barking dog might be a bother from time to time, but for the most part, you are the master of your work space. Want to work in a semi-dark room? Sure! Want to spread your research…

Gifts that keep on giving: the Born Freelancer’s tips on testimonials

November 24, 2011 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancerfreelance lifelinkedinmarketing yourselfnetworkingtestimonials

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.I was looking at some impressive freelancer websites the other day and noticed a common element on the sites that were the most effective at selling…

Why I wrote for the Huffington Post (and why I stopped)

November 15, 2011 Editor Journalism compensationfreelance contractsgetting paidhuffington post

By Emma WoolleyThe Huffington Post is evil, right? It makes a lot of money from content it doesn’t pay for. It exploits writers and undermines their right to earn livings. It contributes to the overall devaluation of writing and especially web writing. I knew all of this and I still wrote for the Huffington Post.Most of you probably want to know…

In praise of praise

November 14, 2011 Editor Bit of fun freelance lifepraise

[caption id="attachment_2185" align="alignnone" width="580" caption="Screen shot from Freelancethanks.com."][/caption]Working independently has its benefits, but consistently receiving encouragement and thanks is not one of them. Editors don't always take—or have—the time to give positive feedback and, when dealing with freelancers, some…

On fear and hunger: the Born Freelancer’s open letter to employers

November 10, 2011 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancercompensationfreelancer ratesgetting paid

I was having coffee recently with a colleague.Okay, actually, in my case, it was hot chocolate. Hey, it was cold outside and I needed a sugar hit. But we freelancers haven't yet come up with a better expression than "having coffee" to denote a casual meeting. "Having tea" sounds too lightweight. "Having hot chocolate" sounds too juvenile. "Having…

To blog, or not to blog, that is the Born Freelancer’s question

October 24, 2011 Editor Advice advicebloggingborn freelancerfreelance life

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer will share personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.I'm told that blogging is dead in this era of tweets and retweets. I must respectfully disagree. It may be long dead among a certain…

Count coffee as a food group? Yep, you’re a journalist

Search

Recent Posts