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
