JibberJobber Needs YOU to Solve Their Branding Problem

Addendum: Please do read the comment trail here. Jason has visited to share some comments and I have responded. I hope others will join in the discussion, but either way, what’s there is worth reading and adds value to the original post.

Additional update: Jason has posted new information about the contest.JibberJobber Wants You to Create a New Brand for Them

www.inkthinkerblog.com — JibberJobber has a branding problem. Apparently they also have a cashflow problem, because they’re asking the blogging community at large to give them a solid value proposition rather than hiring someone to do it. It’s an interesting concept, I must admit, and their Jason Alba is pretty frank about how desperately they need our help:

Last week I got an excellent e-mail that had me ROFL. The timing couldn’t have been better, as I have already had this contest in mind. Here’s the e-mail:

Dude – What does this site do? You need to put the value proposition on the front page, in as few words as possible, so I don’t have confusion as my first emotion upon visiting. At the very least, the About Us should start with that. Later, you can get to the whole “I was born the son of a sharecropper, blah blah” I *think* you have interesting stuff: let me know it for sure, right away. OK, now, I’ll go back to the beginning and try to figure it out :-) -Dave

Dude. Called on the carpet. Again.

For all the blog posts I’ve written on personal branding, elevator pitches, bragging and the like, I’ve grossly ignored the essential branding message.

And Dave hit it on the head.

Well, at least they’re honest!

And there is a prize package of cash and gifts. But when I think about how much money JibberJobber is going to make on their new value proposition one people know what the heck it is they actually do and want to pay them for it and compare it with the “at least $600” they’re offering in prize money (in conjunction with a premium JJ membership worth $495, which, seeing as how no one seems to know clearly what they do, I may not actually want since I don’t know if it’s useful to me), I’m unimpressed. [continue reading…]

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Working Toward $100,000: What Efficiency Means to Me

Working Toward $100,000: What Efficiency Means to Mewww.inkthinkerblog.com — This post is a long-overdue response to something Anne at The Golden Pencil said about my post on time management and working more efficiently. Anne definitely got my point, but I think her connotation of “working more efficiently” differs from mine, and I want to talk about it.

We both agree that working more efficiently means getting more done in less time. But where we diverge is that I see if as a way to end my day sooner or use my time better, Anne seems to perceive it as a way to cram more into an already overcrowded life.

She said…

Maybe it’s just my own stuff, but trying to be “more efficient” smacks of trying to get more done, and I don’t think getting more done is the answer to more income… at least for most of us.

My own experience, and the experience shared with me by many is that we already are trying to do to much! Never-ending to-do lists seem to result not getting more done, but more feelings of guilt because of what’s still undone at the end of the day. And guilt does nothing for income or creativity.

Well, yeah. But, when I say I’m trying to be “more efficient,” I’m trying to figure out where I waste my time so I can stop doing it. I’m trying to improve my quality of life, by getting done what needs to get done in the time I’ve allotted for it, rather than staying up until after 10 on a Monday to write the blog post I’ve been meaning to write for weeks. (Note to self: The efficiency thing needs some work.)  [continue reading…]

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January 2008 Query Challenge Success Story: Patricia Harrelson (2)

Query Challenge Success Storywww.inkthinkerblog.com — Patricia says…

It’s been a great month and the Query Challenge has kept me pushing forward as I start my freelance business. I already sent you the story about not having a pricing chart and the permalink to my personal blog describing that incident. As a result of one query, I’m now also blogging on a network to which I would be thrilled to get links.

I sent 13 queries in January. From those, I got 5 YES and 2 that I’m still negotiating. I’m quite happy with these results and scrambling to keep up. Not making a mint yet, but there is money coming in.

Patricia, that is excellent. Every penny counts, and as you know, there’s more to being successful as a writer than just “making a mint” — though that certainly is nice! Keep us posted.

Do you have a success story to share? E-mail Kristen!

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January 2008 Query Challenge Success Story: Diana Eid

Query Challenge Success Storywww.inkthinkerblog.com — Diana says…

I just found out one of my assignments from the query got accepted and published. Here’s my success story:

I ended up getting dumped by this guy and was so upset that I wrote about it. I wrote until all my feelings were out on paper. Then I ended up looking up the 5 Stages of Grief and realized that it could apply to me as well. I decided to query the editor at SheKnows.com about writing a humorous article on the 5 Stages of Relationship Grief. She was excited to see what I would come up with. I sent it to her, and after a few revisions it is now published on their site.

I ended up getting a publishing credit AND making some money from the breakup! :)

Well, if that’s not making lemonade from lemons, I don’t know what is! Diana’s story is a primo example of how to turn real-life experiences into publishable work! Nice job, Diana.

Do you have a success story to share? E-mail Kristen!

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I Am Writer, Hear Me Roar

Kristen King Awarded a Roar for Powerful Wordswww.inkthinkerblog.com — Kathy, everyone’s favorite Irreverent Freelancer, tagged me last month for a meme called “I Am Writer, Hear Me Roar” and bestowed upon me a Roar for Powerful Words Award. The rules are to post three writing tips that you’ve learned along the way, and then nominate 5 more bloggers to take up the meme.

My Tips:

  • Talking about writing and thinking about writing do not make you a writer. Writing is what makes you a writer. If you want to be a writer, then you must write.
  • Endless editing does not help you get the writing done. Write first, edit later. Much later. Like after you’re finished with the writing. Trust me.
  • There are a million reasons not to write. The trick is to find the reason to write that means the world to you.

I nominate:

  1. Anne Wayman
  2. Hope Wilbanks
  3. Jenn Mattern
  4. Mike Stelzner
  5. Dean Rieck

What’s your best writing wisdom? Leave a comment!

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