Do you find that you waste time posting on Twitter and keeping track of your followers? Social media is an unavoidable part of marketing a freelance business, but there are tools available that can help freelancers to avoid wasting time and energy on their Twitter tasks. In this podcast episode, I talk you through a series of tools that can help you to streamline your Twitter marketing and make it a far more efficient process.
Spreadsheet email (Photo credit: Christopher S. Penn)
Last night, on Twitter (follow me @PhilippaWrites), I got into an interesting conversation with @thewritesprite. She followed me, and I told her that I liked her username. She joked about how difficult it had been to choose one, and we started to talk about how, despite writing for other people for a living, writing for ourselves can sometimes be hard.
There are, of course, other times when another writer’s input can be very valuable – for instance it is nigh on impossible to proofread your own work. You are too involved with the text and it often takes a fresh pair of eyes to spot mistakes. And sometimes a writer can craft a catchier Twitter bio about somebody else than they can about themselves.
We talked about how great it would be if there was a way for writers to help each other out in these circumstances. My imagination took flight and now the Writers Helping Writers Collective exists.
If a writer needs help with something, they fill in 4 columns of simple information in the spreadsheet.
They then post about this to the google group (by email or on the site).
Another writer, who wants to help out, goes to the spreadsheet and fills in 4 more columns of simple information.
They then email the original poster directly, and the help happens.
It’s that simple. Members are asked to help out another member before asking for help themselves, although while the collective is establishing itself this won’t be enforced too strongly, because most members will be new. Overall, members are asked to help one or two people for every help request they submit.
Are you a writer who wants to join a new, exciting community? Are you aware that there are some tasks that you struggle to do on your own website? Do you want to offer help to fellow writers on small, manageable tasks?
When I went to Woodstock, the last thing I cared about was taking care of business. [Philippa] apparently represents the new incarnation of the now-quaint Woodstock subculture: meticulous, professional, driven to reach for perfection. Many thanks.
MG
Outstanding, written like the writer is having a conversation with the reader. I’m so impressed that I’m going to ask them to write another.
BRUSA
Very speedy, great communication, and a wonderful result 🙂 thank you!
Monique Mantell
I am impressed. She took her time to proof read my resume. She provided me with track changes and final file which was super helpful because I still had the flexibility
Ahsan
Amazing work ! Thanks for going BEYOND my expectations. I will be sending you more work soon. What a difference between my old CV and NEW CV THANKS A MILLION!
“Very good quality articles. Will come back again.”
LCUSA
As a collective member at The F-Word, Philippa is also responsible for moderating comments on the site and editing submissions, helping the site to achieve a fine balance between lively, open discussion and the cultural sensitivity necessary when dealing with emotive themes.
On the occasions that I have submitted articles to The F-Word, I have had the pleasure of working with Philippa and have greatly benefited from her keen editorial skills. She has a sharp eye for detail but never loses sig…
Lorrie HartshornThat Wordy BirdUK
Great quality and quick turnaround. Appreciate the bonus!
WebDesignSEO
I’m applying for a medical residency program and had my CV reviewed. Turned out great! Picked up on the mistakes I had overlooked. I would use again 🙂
JSUSA
Philippa, you did a great job. You did even more than I bargained for. I appreciate that and will definitely send you some more work. Great! Great! Great!
