Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
Posted on August 14, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli
Politics, Gaming, Feminism and Persona
When I first started my blogging presence, I knew I wanted to take a more professional tack on it because of my career goals. I had been using LiveJournal for years, but didn’t really start thinking about a persona until I landed a job at an SEO consulting firm. It seems like it was just [...]
Posted on May 31, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli
Inside VioletWar.com
One of the things that I’m always conscientious about is providing an image that is both professional and creative at the same time. While I enjoy writing and sharing posts with you on my blog, it’s not the same as what I write for VioletWar.com. There, I can be more personal because people are investing [...]
Posted on March 17, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli
Is Blogging and Social Media Affecting Your Ability to Write What You Want?
If you’ve been following my blog, you may have seen my earlier post about Write First, Sell Later where I express how I feel it’s important to separate your promotional time from your writing time.
One of the things that I’ve found is that a timer isn’t “enough” to discipline me to get off of social media or blogging channels to write, write, write. Why? Well, blogging requires one mindset for me; social media requires another. In many ways, blogging requires a “voice” which may vary depending upon the blog.
Posted on March 3, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli
Guest SFWA Blog Post on Website Usability and Design
Hop on over to the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America website to read my latest guest post entitled, Authors! 8 Tips For Your Website’s Usability and Design.
Here’s a quote from the article:
In today’s article, I’d like to share with you some tips to consider when you’re reviewing your current website or when you’re [...]
Posted on November 12, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Guest Blog on SFWA: Do You Know How to Sell Your Sword?
In my latest guest post on the SFWA blog, I discuss the sales cycle from an online and an offline perspective. Do You Know How to Sell Your Sword? offers you my perspective from working in online and offline retail, by providing you with a metaphor about a blacksmith who is trying to sell a [...]
Posted on October 6, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
FTC Ruling for Endorsements and Testimonials
Hi folks,
There’s been a lot of chatter the past few days about the FTC’s “new” ruling regarding a website’s or blog’s disclosure about endorsements and testimonials. Unfortunately, there has also been a lot of misinformation circulating as well. I’d like to point out that as of October 5, 2009, the FTC hasn’t published the Guides [...]
Posted on August 3, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
AP’s New Pay-Per-Quote and the Power of Asking “Permission”
If you work in the business world, you might have heard the phrase: “Ask forgiveness, don’t ask permission.” This phrase is supposed to reflect how you, as an employee, might take calculated risks in your day job to “get ahead” in your career.
As a writer, the reverse is often true, especially if you’re writing [...]
Posted on January 26, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
How Much Should You Get Paid to Blog?
Are you new to blogging? Do you know how much writers typically get paid per blog post? Back before blogging existed, most writers would get paid by the word. The higher the word count, the better pay a writer might receive, the more prestigious the publication. For example, publications with national distribution models might offer [...]
Posted on December 29, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Social Media Uses and Usefulness
2008 has been the year of social media for me. Embracing Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, LinkedIn and other networks, I’ve finally gotten my personal social media usage down to less than a half an hour a day. I spend more time trying to haul my sleepy head out of bed in the morning than I do [...]
Posted on October 27, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Putting Yourself Out There but No Comments? Here’s why.
The line used to be “everyone’s a critic.” Now it’s more like “everyone’s gotta blog.” In my opinion, whether you update frequently or not, it’s essential to having a blog or personal website for your own name. (Sidenote: you’d be surprised how many people who reached celebrity status, don’t.) Well, when you get a blog, [...]
Posted on September 10, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Top Five Writer Misconceptions about Online Publishing
I’ve run into many writers recently who are under the impression that online publishing is the same thing as print publishing. You publish on the web — no one else would “dare” pick up your article or content — and readers will flock to your article or blog post because of your reputation as a [...]
Posted on July 17, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Need Free Art? Here’s my Review of 5 Copyright-Free Clipart and Photo Sites
You may have noticed that from time to time I drop in a few pieces of clipart or photos in between my posts. I’ve taken some of the photos myself, other times I’ve relied on images tagged with Creative Commons because I don’t have time to focus on my graphic design skills but am very [...]
Posted on July 11, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Beware the Self-Titled “Expert”
When I first started this blog, almost a year ago, I wanted to add my voice to a community of writers and hope that one day there will be this magical exchange of ideas where we all sit down and treat each other like adults. Almost every post that I write I try to take [...]






