Just yesterday someone asked me how writing for the online sites where I'm published work--how they pay, what articles are most popular, etc. My answer is now invalidated. My most-viewed one, I answered, the follow-up to "Are School's Expecting Our Kids to Read too Early?" posed the very controversial outcome of problems arising in the recent cohorts of kids who were taught reading in kindergarten rather than in first grade (as used to be the practice).
But that's no longer my top-performing article. Early this morning, an article I published a week ago got nearly triple the views of any I've published to date. I just checked again and saw that the views occurring in just the few hours of this morning total more than any other article I've written has garnered, total. I'd never seen any article reach a 1,000 views yet, but that milestone has swiftly come and gone for "What is a Disposable Diaper Made of Anyway?" where I examine the health as well as environmental impact of the ingredients. Apparently, it's been posted to some very popular baby info sites, both here in the US and the UK.
Is it just "cute" that I'm so new to this that I get so shocked and excited? Well, maybe, but this is my blog and I'll reveal my naiveté. When I think of my self as just a stay-at-home mom trying to eek out minutes to write, I am surprised when my writing reaches beyond my loving friends and family who care about my writing because they care about me.
I've been writing for content websites for a almost three months now. I knew it was a controversial move in the world of writing, but after some research, I decided to make my start into freelancing with one foot each in both the traditional print markets as well as the new content website world where writers' pay is determined, often, by ad revenue. (read: variable, unguaranteed, but sometimes very profitable)
I confess I sometimes wonder if I'm wasting my time or if this is the best thing since sliced bread. By all accounts I've read, I'm not in deep enough to make any valid assessment yet--it's a long-term investment. But I have found some very real short-term benefits to my writing, even if they aren't (at least not yet) momentary.
My online writing really gives me momentum. Because the turn-around is so quick, I see something published in days not months or years as is typical in the print magazine world. What I'm writing about now tends to be topics that I consider public service writing--I write from a drive or conviction that there are others who want/need this information. (And sometimes it's more than a conviction--sometimes friends or family members will ask me if I know about a certain topic or can point them to some research on it.) Getting it published this week versus next year satisfies my desire to help people sooner rather than later.
Another feature of the new online publishing setup is that readers can directly communicate with me. While this, surely, can have its drawbacks sometimes, it is almost always a good thing, in one way or another. Getting feedback from readers really gives me energy to write more and better articles. Affirmation that I've led someone to information that has benefited them or that they were looking for reminds me why I'm doing this.
So today, my opinion on content website writing is favorable. Stay tuned for days when I think it's eating into my time better spent pursuing traditional print publication!
But that's no longer my top-performing article. Early this morning, an article I published a week ago got nearly triple the views of any I've published to date. I just checked again and saw that the views occurring in just the few hours of this morning total more than any other article I've written has garnered, total. I'd never seen any article reach a 1,000 views yet, but that milestone has swiftly come and gone for "What is a Disposable Diaper Made of Anyway?" where I examine the health as well as environmental impact of the ingredients. Apparently, it's been posted to some very popular baby info sites, both here in the US and the UK.
Is it just "cute" that I'm so new to this that I get so shocked and excited? Well, maybe, but this is my blog and I'll reveal my naiveté. When I think of my self as just a stay-at-home mom trying to eek out minutes to write, I am surprised when my writing reaches beyond my loving friends and family who care about my writing because they care about me.
I've been writing for content websites for a almost three months now. I knew it was a controversial move in the world of writing, but after some research, I decided to make my start into freelancing with one foot each in both the traditional print markets as well as the new content website world where writers' pay is determined, often, by ad revenue. (read: variable, unguaranteed, but sometimes very profitable)
I confess I sometimes wonder if I'm wasting my time or if this is the best thing since sliced bread. By all accounts I've read, I'm not in deep enough to make any valid assessment yet--it's a long-term investment. But I have found some very real short-term benefits to my writing, even if they aren't (at least not yet) momentary.
My online writing really gives me momentum. Because the turn-around is so quick, I see something published in days not months or years as is typical in the print magazine world. What I'm writing about now tends to be topics that I consider public service writing--I write from a drive or conviction that there are others who want/need this information. (And sometimes it's more than a conviction--sometimes friends or family members will ask me if I know about a certain topic or can point them to some research on it.) Getting it published this week versus next year satisfies my desire to help people sooner rather than later.
Another feature of the new online publishing setup is that readers can directly communicate with me. While this, surely, can have its drawbacks sometimes, it is almost always a good thing, in one way or another. Getting feedback from readers really gives me energy to write more and better articles. Affirmation that I've led someone to information that has benefited them or that they were looking for reminds me why I'm doing this.
So today, my opinion on content website writing is favorable. Stay tuned for days when I think it's eating into my time better spent pursuing traditional print publication!
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