Freedom Writing Update

With the new year upon us, I thought I’d share the latest happenings here at Freedom Writing.

The Sincere Online Community Building E-book will still be at the low price of $12.95 through January 1st. I will also be opening the e-book to affiliates! So grab your copy today while it is still available at such a great bargain.

I have had a great time at Michael Martine’s Remarkablogger blog. My guest post, Are You Commenting for Traffic or Relationships?, has received wonderful comments! Stop by to enjoy the conversation.

In my social media quest, I will be visiting Facebook for the month of January. (Don’t tell anyone, but I have an old profile filled with game apps that my friends made me add!) I have some clean up to do, but I will let you know when my profile is ready!

I will still be spending a good amount of time on Twitter (follow me: kimferrell) so if you want continuous Freedom Writing updates, visit my twitter stream!

I am also in the contemplation stages of my new e-book for January. What would you like to read about? What questions do you have about the online writing community? Are you ready to become a freelance writer, and don’t know where to begin? Leave you questions or topic ideas in the comments, and I will address them as soon as possible!

I also have one more service I’m adding to the Freedom Writing showcase, but it is not quite ready yet! Would you like personalized answers to your writing questions, not just generalizations that may or may not pertain to your situation? If that sounds good to you, then stay tuned!

I think that’s all! As news arises, I will keep you all informed. What are your plans for the upcoming months? Let us know!

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Do you want to learn more about community building? Pick up a copy of Sincere Online Community Building for more information.

Writing Builds Community

As writers, we write to an audience. We have at least some idea of the people our words will reach. Not just the client who will read our words, but the people in the world who are searching for information.

We provide a unique service to our community. We reach out and communicate via ink on paper (or type on a computer screen.) We inform, enlighten, and entertain our readers. After they have read our words, they are changed. They have benefited from our knowledge and experience. They have become a part of our community.

No matter what kind of writing you do, you are forming a bridge to your readers. Your novel, your poem, or your article will draw your reader in to your world, from your perspective. You guide the reader through the thoughts that you have, and show them all that there is to see.

Your readers are no longer strangers to you. Although you may not have met them in person, you are becoming a trusted source in their mind. They relate to you, and trust that you will not lead them astray. In time, they may come to see you as a valued friend, someone who they would not want to lose contact with.

With online writing, you can have immediate feedback for your writing. You can speak with your readers instantly, via email, comments, forums, or social networks. You can form an even stronger bond with your readers, and find out what spoke to them and what did not.

How have you fostered community with your readers? Do you take time to visualize your potential audience before you write? Have online methods provided you with better communication with your readers?

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Do you want to learn more about community building? Pick up a copy of Sincere Online Community Building for more information.

Looking Toward 2009

It’s that time of year, where people reflect over the past 12 months and set goals for the future. As freelancers, this is always a revealing and empowering experience.

What? You haven’t set your goals yet? Go ahead, do that. I’ll wait.

Okay. Since Freedom Writing and my freelance writing career haven’t even been in existence for a full twelve months, I’ll do an overall “Year in Review” for you.

January 2008 – I was waitressing full-time, in a job environment I could not cope with. While most of the people I encountered on a daily basis were friendly enough, there were enough naysayers to make me question what on earth I was doing there.

April 2008 – I had the blessing of celebrating my 3 year old and 1 year old daughters’ birthdays! I was also planning a move that I wasn’t even sure about.

June 2008 – We arrive in Iowa, where I’m still waitressing with the same company, commuting 45 minutes, and struggling to make ends meet.

August 2008 – I quit my serving job due to high amounts of stress, car trouble, and high gas prices. I decide to find a different job nearby. I also start investigating Helium.com, a great community for writers to get their start.

September 2008 – After learning about blogging, and a few false starts, I begin Freedom Writing with this post: Writing Without A Niche.

October 2008 – I’m laid off from my new waitressing job. I decide to give full-time freelance writing a try. I also participate in Blog Action Day, with the post that has attracted the most attention here, Poverty in America.

November 2008 – I spent a lot more time working for newfound writing clients, and sadly neglected the blog. I did write The Power of Words – Election 2008, to remind people to be kind before they speak.

December 2008 – I revived the blog, and made lots of new connections at Twitter (@kimferrell.) I also announced the release of the Sincere Online Community Building e-book.

In short, I have made great strides over the past twelve months, and ended up on an entirely new path. I am grateful that I am not stuck in a minimum wage job for the rest of my life, and that I can share my thoughts with my community.

What’s in store for 2009? Here are my goals:

• Write 1 new e-book per month
• Try 1 new social media tool per month
• Redesign Freedom Writing and switch to my own domain
• Start a blog newsletter
• Write 1 new Squidoo page per month

Will I achieve them all? I believe so! If not, then life has better plans for me.

What direction would you like to see Freedom Writing take? What would make your blog experience here better? Let me know in the comments!

Sincere Online Community Building Release

Here it is! Sincere Online Community Building is now available. Read all about it, and enjoy the ride!

• Are you new to the online community?
• Do you want to be noticed without resorting to spammy marketing tactics?
• Want to join in the virtual conversation, but don’t know where to begin?
• Have you been exploring the internet for a while, but feel lost in the crowd?
• Are you already building an online community, but want to refine and target your efforts?

Sincere Online Community Building was designed for people like you who want to learn how to become a respected member of the online community, but aren’t sure where to begin.

Who could benefit from this book? Just about anyone (in my opinion) but especially:

• Entrepreneurs beginning their own business online
• Freelancers who want to build up their online connections
• Old school marketers who wonder why direct advertising isn’t working in the digital age
• SEO specialists who want to increase the quality of the visitors to their website
• Bloggers who want to turn their blog into a fun, enjoyable community

Sincere Online Community Building is filled with tips, advice, and suggestions for creating a sincere, likable presence online. People will want to spend time with you on social networks and on your blog!

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

Table of Contents

• Introduction: Welcome to my Community!
• How do you build a sincere online reputation?
• Chapter 1: Say Hello
• Blog Comments
• How do you gain followers with blog comments?
• Social Networks
• How do you find followers and join in the conversation?
• Your Blog
• How do you gain followers with a blog?
• Chapter 2: Create Value
• What’s Value?
• Why should I create value?
• How do I create value online?
• What methods can I use to create value?
• Chapter 3: Link Building
• How do I gain quality links pointing at my site?
• You are becoming a trusted, notable person within the online community.
• Chapter 4: Selling Your Products and Services
• You cannot sell your goods, until you sell yourself.
• How do I sell my goods to my online community?
• Conclusion: Enjoy Your Online Community
  

Ready to learn more? Here’s what others are saying about Sincere Online Community Building:

I’ve seen Kimberlee Ferrell around the Web for a while now, and have bumped into her and conversed with her on various online social networking sites, such as Plurk and Twitter. Her professionalism and genuine, kind ways impressed me from the beginning. When she contacted me with a guest post for my blog, I knew right away she was a star.

Now I’ve read her e-book, Sincere Online Community Building, and realize her writing talent far surpasses my original expectations. I know Kimberlee will go far, and I highly recommend her e-book to anyone who is looking to create a successful online presence and build a lasting community. (I’ve learned so much from her already, and I’ve been freelancing since 2005!) Here’s to a fabulous 2009, Kim. You deserve every ounce of success that comes your way!

-Michele L. Tune, Writing the Cyber Highway

If you are prepared to take the time to build your online community, and find people who enjoy listening to what you have to say, then Sincere Online Community Building is for you!

Originally, Sincere Online Community Building was going to be offered at the incredibly low price of $24.95 USD, which is already far below the price of most e-books.

However, as a special holiday bonus, you can purchase Sincere Online Community Building for only $12.95 USD! This price is only good until 12:00am CST January 2nd, so act now if you want to be one of the first to own a copy of Sincere Online Community Building.

Money Back Guarantee: If you are not satisfied with your copy of Sincere Online Community Building for any reason, just contact me at onenewhope@gmail.com, and I’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Sincere Online Community Building will only be available at this price for a short time. Pick up your copy today, and begin building a fun (and possibly profitable) online community of loyal followers!

Sincere Online Community Building – $12.95 USD

P.S. Remember, this special price of $12.95 is only available through the holiday season. Starting on January 2nd, the price will return to $24.95 USD.

P.S.S. You can purchase Sincere Online Community Building with no risk to you. If you do not find this e-book to help you build a better community, you are guaranteed a full refund.

P.S.S.S. Why do people read these P.S.’s at the bottom of these pages? I’m not sure, but I know I do it too! Let’s make the internet a great community today! Learn how through Sincere Online Community Building.

My Holiday Gift to You

Happy Holidays everyone! It’s been a busy few days here at home. We went to my man’s aunt’s house last night, where Santa made an appearance! Then we came home and opened gifts. (Yes, I caved. But my little ones are so young, only 3 and 1, that they don’t know that yesterday wasn’t Christmas.)

So today has been spent playing and relaxing. It’s been a lot of fun, but exhausting! Kids are quite a workout. If a freelancer needs an exercise routine, I’ll be happy to let you babysit my kids for a few hours! *wink*

As my special gift to you, Sincere Online Community Building is going to be at a special price for the rest of the holiday season. It will be released tonight at midnight Central Time, at nearly 50% off! This special price of $12.95 USD will be good through January 1st at midnight, so you will have a chance to be one of the first readers of this unique e-book.

This is my gift to you, as loyal readers of Freedom Writing. You are the treasured members of my online community. Thank you for making this year special!

~Kimberlee

Holiday Musings: Why I Chose Community Building

Today, I thought I’d share a little more information about me, and how I became a freelance writer. The  holidays always make me a little sentimental and mushy, so forgive me if this one rambles on a bit. (I’m a Christmas girl, so feel free to insert your holiday of choice here.) This has a direct correlation to why I created this new e-book, “Sincere Online Community Building,” so bear with me.

I have always dreamed of being a writer. My mom still has little poems (complete with illustrations) that I wrote when I was three. As I grew older, I devoured every writing book at my local library, and competed in the Young Authors program at school.

As I grew older, I started to feel the pressure of planning a “real career.” Writing was all well and good, but not something you could make money at, right?

So I entered the work force, setting my writing back as a nice hobby. Yet work was not my friend. I struggled through traditional roles, trying to keep a roof over my head and make my bosses happy.

Then, this past October, I was laid off. Since life had given me the chance, I decided to freelance full-time. Yet I never would have done that without the support of my online community.

I had met a great group of writers at Helium.com. They were serious about freelancing, and celebrated each others’ successes. I had the seeds of my freelance writing career planted there.

Someone pointed me to a blog post, from someone who had a Plurk account. I decided to give Plurk a try, and met a fun group of people who inspired me and kept me accountable. If I set a goal there, I had to report my progress. They also kept me in good spirits, when the going got tough.

I learned about Twitter from various sources, and after a little hesitation I tried it for myself. There I met some great people, who are all about helping the community. They give of their time and energy to ensure that if anyone needs help, they get it. Including me.

I have never met such kind, generous people as I have online. The power of the human spirit is amazing to me.

Unfortunately, in my online travels, I have also seen the pushy, spammy marketers who are just in it all for a quick buck. Promising billions of dollars in sales, they shove their virtual business cards in your face. You never get to know the real them. I doubt they know themselves either.

So I decided to write an e-book about the best ways to create a sincere online following. I have met across some of the kindest people online, and wanted to show you the ways to connect with them.

That’s what “Sincere Online Community Building” is all about. Creating a loyal following of people who genuinely enjoy hearing what you have to say. Finding the people who will find value in spending time with you.

Isn’t that what the holidays are all about? Spending time with the ones you love? Having fun with those whose company you enjoy the most?

I want to say happy holidays to all of you, and I have enjoyed the time I’ve spent connecting with you. You have made 2008 the best year ever for me. Thank you!

In honor of the great community I am humbled to be a part of, I am releasing my e-book “Sincere Online Community Building,” at 12am Central Time on December 26th. Be sure to stop by early to check it out, it will be at a special low price for the holiday season!

May your holidays be filled with cheer and warmth as you are surrounded by those you love!

~Kimberlee

Announcing After Christmas E-book Sale

Barring any unforeseen happenings, I am releasing my first e-book for sale on December 26th at 12:00 am Central Time. Yay! I am very excited about this, and I know you will be too.

The e-book, “Sincere Online Community Building,” is full of sound advice and tips that I have learned in my online journey. I have built up a great community of followers (that means YOU!) who have helped support me in my dreams. Thank you!

This e-book will show you how you can build your own online community, without resorting to spammy, outdated, marketing “guru” tricks. Because, let’s face it, most people don’t respond to pushy techniques anymore. You are all too smart for that.

But before I give away too much info, I want to share a story about why I chose to write this book.

I was approached by a potential client on Twitter, who was interested in hiring me as a freelance writer. She noticed the stats on my blog, and was particularly intrigued by my Google PageRank. After all, I only began this blog a few months ago, and even well established blogs have trouble building up their stats.

She asked me this question: “How did you do it?“

I was at a loss. I wasn’t sure how to answer her. I had done all the “traditional” ways of getting my blog noticed: submitting my URL to the search engines, and to RSS aggregators. I had the occasional post that earned a view visits from StumbleUpon or Digg. Yet my statistics didn’t reflect those efforts.

Instead, my statistics showed that the majority of my readers came from the circle of friends and followers I had built up on the internet.

Pretty powerful, right? Yet I have not yet come across any guides showing you how to build up a community of loyal followers who are sincerely interested in what you have to share.

So, the beginnings of this e-book were planted within my mind.

Want to learn more about this guide? Stay tuned! I’ll share more of my story in the next few days.

~Kimberlee

UPDATE: Ice Storm ‘08: A Call for Help: Success!

UPDATE: The power of Twitter has pulled through again. Thanks to all of your support, we have raised enough money to have my windshield replaced. Thank you, with all my heart.

Everyone who donated or retweeted will get a free copy of my upcoming e-book, “Sincere Online Community Building.” Look for it in the next few days.

Again, I cannot thank you enough. I am in awe, and very humbled by the generosity of my online friends. Thank you!

~Kimberlee

Hi everyone. This blog is a rather personal one, unrelated to writing and all that. I encourage you to read through it anyway, and do what you feel is right.

As you may know, I live in Iowa now. Iowa is the home of winter, where all the cold in the world comes from. Or so it seems right now.

We have had a lot of bad winter weather, including a bad ice storm, on top of the snow we had before. Today, the weather had cleared, and I ventured out to uncover my car and do some errands.

Unfortunately, once the ice had been removed from my windshield, I discovered that it had shattered from the storm:

The cracks extend completely across the windshield, and is unsafe to drive (not to mention probably illegal.) It is our only car.

I am coming to you, as a community, in my time of need. I do not have the extra cash necessary to have the windshield replaced. It is also unlikely I will have the money anytime soon.

My hands are shaking even as I type this. I am not good at asking for help. I am the one that all my friends come to for help, and I am more than happy to give. When it is my turn, I usually withdraw within myself and deal with the situation on my own.

This year, I have seen miracles happen due to the power of community on the internet. I have seen thousands of dollars raised to save a podcast studio, to replace a car, and to even find a kidney donor. People have given what they can, and spread the word so others can do what they can.

I am offering my humble story up to you. I need a new windshield for my 1988 Cadillac Seville, and I have no way to pay for it. So, if you feel so inclined, I am asking that you give what you can to make that happen for me and my family.

If you cannot give money, then please spread this link to anyone who might be interested. I thank you for your time and compassion as much as a person can thank another, for even taking the time to read this.

***For some reason, I can’t get the Paypal Donate button to show up. If you feel compelled to donate, please use the “Send Money” tab on your Paypal account to onenewhope @ gmail.com (without spaces.) Thank you.***

Even one dollar toward this new windshield fund would be deeply appreciated. As a bonus, if you leave a comment saying you donated or retweeted, I will give you a free copy of my upcoming e-book, “Sincere Online Community Building.” It may take a few days to complete, but know that you will get value from your donation.

Thank you again. I don’t know what else to say, except thank you.

~Kimberlee

Book Review: 7 Ways You Screw Up Your Life by Marti Lawrence

This is a no-strings-attached review. I’m not making any money by reviewing this awesome book. Just sit back and enjoy! Thanks.

I met Marti on Twitter recently, and she told me about her new book, 7 Ways You Screw Up Your Life (And How To Unscrew It). She was gracious enough to send me a copy, and I immediately fell in love.

Why? This book covers the top seven reasons our lives are FUGGDUP (your pronounciation may vary.) When everything is going wrong and we’re pulling our hair out, it is more than likely because of one of these vile culprits:

• Forgetting
• Underestimating
• Gratifying
• Grieving
• Deceiving
• Undermining
• Procrastinating

Throughout the book, Marti interjects her charm and wit, while teaching you how to bypass all these barriers to your happiness. She really makes it look easy! Her humor is off the wall and had me laughing so hard I thought I would fall right out of my chair.

If that wasn’t enough, Marti has included the wisdom of some incredible people who have dealt with these obstacles. Chris Brogan, Becky McCray, or Liz Stauss anyone? These great minds and more helped contribute to this fantastic and smart book. (To find out more about the creation of the book, check out Marti’s Squidoo page.

Marti has offered up this excellent read on both Amazon and Lulu. If you want a great read and real solutions to your problems, then you should give this book a try.

Oh, and stop by Marti’s blog too. You won’t want to miss whatever she comes up with next!

Effective Holiday Card Writing

The above image is the holiday card I sent out to a few of my clients and colleagues. As I thoroughly enjoy the holiday season, I decided to send  my best wishes to the people who made 2008 stand out for me. Before I created my e-cards, I did a little research first.

Yesterday, I posted a few questions on Twitter about sending “Happy Holiday” greetings to your clients and colleagues. I received a surprising amount of different opinions, from every side of the “Holiday Spirit Spectrum.”

Here are the best tips for deciding how to send quality holiday greetings.

1. Choose your recepients wisely. Sending out cards to past clients can be an effective marketing tool. But if you only had one brief encounter, I’d advise against it. Send cards to those people with whom you’ve had an ongoing business relationship.
2. Keep the greeting generalized. With the wide variety of celebrations and beliefs that are out there, the only way to avoid offending anyone is by using a generic greeting. “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” are the two most common phrases to use, but get creative, if you can.
3. Add your personal touch. While the official phrasing of the card should be generalized, do not be afraid to let your personality shine through. Write a heartfelt message that conveys how much your favorite people mean to you.
4. Include something special, if appropriate. If sending snail mail cards, you can include a small gift relating to your business. This can gently remind your clients that you still have services to offer, without sending them an annoying sales pitch.
5. Write a unique headline. This is your one chance to have your e-card noticed. If it comes off as generic, or even as spam, your holiday wishes will never reach your clients. Stand apart from the inbox clutter, and your clients will remember why you are the right person for the job.
6. Create a special image. When sending out e-mail cards, you don’t want to use the corny e-card sites. They will make you appear cheap and unprofessional. Create an image, or search for one you can modify on sites such as flickr (thanks to nez for the original image.)

Then, there is the eternal question: snail mail or e-mail? By this point, if you haven’t sent real holiday cards, they won’t make it in time for Christmas. (Yes, I am a Christmas girl!) If that is an important date for you, then you will probably have to rely on e-cards this year.

Snail mail cards are definitely more personal, and cannot be as easily ignored. While on twitter (you can follow me here) three different people recommended SendCardsGetBusiness.com. This site takes all the hassle out of sending cards, and you can personalize the cards with your own signature. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, then check them out. (I haven’t used their service, and haven’t been paid to include them in this post.)

So far, my responses to this e-card holiday greeting have been great. I sent out 15 emails, and I have heard back from four people. That is four more people than I thought would respond. I think with e-mail, it is far easier to send out a response. With snail mail, your card can be easily set aside and forgotten.

Are any of you sending out holiday greeting cards this year? What methods are you using? How do you feel about receiving them, whether by e-mail or snail mail?