Four and a half years ago I started a blog filled with nothing but leads to available freelance writing opportunities. As I studied blogging and the various ways to generate traffic and revenue, the blog began to grow beyond my wildest dreams. After two years I was able to hire someone to help find leads and we branched out to also offering daily tips and advice. After three years, I added two more bloggers to the roster and today, it’s a flourishing blog network for freelance writers complete with 8 blogs. It’s now the number one online community for freelance writers. At some point in the past couple of years, it occurred to me I didn’t have merely have a blog. I had a business. In addition to paying other bloggers, I can now draw my own salary and don’t even have to take on clients if I don’t want to.

Here’s an interesting email correspondence that demonstrates how online PR sometimes operates…

“People have accused us of being corporate shills,” said [Andrea] Deckard, a Monroe, Ohio, mother of three whose junkets have also included a free trip to Frito-Lay’s Texas headquarters. Deckard, noting that she is up front with her readers about such trips, said they are educational for her and her fans, and “just fun.”

I’m sure Frito-Lay think it’s “just fun” too.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Content is not king. You are. (or Queen.) Content is currency. You’re the king.

Content is a means to deliver interest. It’s a gathering place for…

while no one would deny that blogging has lowered the barriers to self-publication by average citizens, the free-wheeling fraternal spirit of blogging has become increasingly subject to market disciplines. As a result, as Web critic Nicholas Carr told me, blogging has evolved to become “a lot more like a traditional mass medium.”

Your members are the most valuable asset your online community has. Therefore, it is only natural for you to seek their opinions before any changes are made to the community or the…

You’re not dumb. Your readers aren’t dumb either. But it’s easier to comprehend what we read when things are put in a straight forward manner. A clear message can be slam dunk for…

Have you ever felt like your blank screen is having a staring contest with you?

And it’s winning?

You want to get that blog post written — you really do — but the words just aren’t flowing….