Editor’s Note:  This is a gust post from Lindsey Harper Mac.  Please read more about Lindsey Harper in the bio footer.

Linked In, a hybrid social networking and business connections website, is one of the fastest growing arenas for networking online. According to the LinkedIn company website, it is the world’s largest Internet-based professional network. The website touts its membership at more than 135 million people in more than 200 different countries.

With this kind of professional reach from the comfort of your home or office, it’s no wonder that Linked In is one of the most powerful tools for creating and enhancing your career. Despite the potential effectiveness of Linked In, surprisingly few people truly utilize it for its intended purposes.

Linking Your Resume with Linked In

Whether you’re in the midst of a career or haven’t yet embarked on one, your resume is the dynamic representation of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. If you’re considering some form of online learning, having a resume that is connected with your LinkedIn profile puts you far ahead of the competition and right where educators and potential employers can see you.

Rather than using Linked In as a substitute for your CV or resume, think of it as an enhancement. The information you put on your resume or CV can’t be expected to cover everything you’ve accomplished or will accomplish. Instead, you can direct potential employers to your LinkedIn profile so that they can garner more information that supplements what you’ve provided briefly on your resume.

Higher Education and Linked In

Whether you’re pursuing a degree online or simply taking a college course, people, particularly potential employers, should know.One of the most proactive things you can do for your future is to further your education.

Perhaps you don’t have the time to attend on-campus traditional classes, or you’re too far from campus for regular commuting. E-learning is a viable alternative to the traditional classroom environment. Although some individuals may perceive online coursework as inferior to or simply different from traditional classroom learning, the demands of modern life have made online learning a more flexible choice.

Including this coursework on you resume and LinkedIn profile can provide potential employers with supplemental and important information about your willingness to continue to pursue knowledge that is relevant to your chosen field.

Cultivating a Network by Using Your Resume and Linked In Profile

No one likes to land on a website only to see it hasn’t been updated in a year or more. The same can be said about your resume and LinkedIn profile. Both should be current, making regular changes as your experiences and career progress.

You don’t need to update every minor change. Instead, make an effort to do a review of your life every few months and update both your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect the events that would be pertinent to potential employers.

Harness the power of Linked In. It’s a no-cost way to network that allows you to expand on the information contained within your resume, at absolutely no cost.

Related articles

• How to Find New Clients via LinkedIn (xemion.com)
• 7 Effective Tips to Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Social Media Battle Winner (socialmaximizer.com)
• Looking for a New Job? Update your LinkedIn Profile Secretly (labnol.org)

Editor’s Note:  This is a guest post from Melissa Cameron.  As someone who works from home, I know how important it is to have a comfortable work station. Melissa is currently writing a series of articles on back pain and the importance of developing an ergonomic work space with the help of a Chiropractor in Sacramento, CA. Please read more about Melissa in the bio footer.

Working at a desk for hours upon hours per day can cause a lot of unnecessary stress in several parts of your body. Bad posture, lack of the “right” equipment, and other incorrect ergonomic information can all contribute to this. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the things to keep in mind to ensure that you are not hurting your body while at your work station.

Existing Ergonomic Information

As a general rule of thumb, try to avoid following any existing ergonomic guidelines found on the Internet unless they are backed by scientific evidence or stated by a professional. Proper ergonomics should be based on research, experimentation, and fact- not guesses. There is tons of unreliable information on the Internet today so make sure that you aren’t following any plain old, random advice.

Remember that ergonomics should be personal to you- and they are a great alternative if you don’t want to go to a back pain specialist. For example, a technique that works well for you may not work so well for someone else (and vice versa). Take what works and use it and throw away what doesn’t work.

Setting Up Your Work Station

Try not to settle for a desk that doesn’t offer some kind of keyboard tray. At the very least, make sure that there is something keeping the height and angle of your keyboard positioned correctly. If your employer complains about how much this may cost, ask them to compare it to the cost of Worker Comp. That generally changes their point of view on the matter. Here are some other things to consider while you are sitting at your work station:

• Don’t place the keyboard on top of your desk
• Don’t position your monitor so that it sits above your head
• Don’t sit in an upright or rigid position
• Don’t lean forward to get things done, sit naturally.

Move around whenever possible. Sitting down for extended periods of time without moving can lead to serious spinal problems. Frequent breaks are encouraged. Not only does it help you physically, but breaks can help you stay awake and be more productive.

Four Areas to Regulate

When it comes to ergonomic guidelines, there are four areas of your workstation which need to be adjusted: the chair, keyboard, monitor, and lighting/environment. Setting up these elements while staying within the guidelines of proper ergonomics, as well as keeping proper posture, will prevent injuries due to physical stress and help you work much more efficiently.

1. The Monitor

First and foremost, position your monitor in an area which minimizes the amount of glare from lighting and windows. Keeps it as far away as you possibly can while still being able to read the words on your screen without forcing it. At the very minimum, keep the distance to at least over 20 inches. Position your screen so that it is at a 15 degree angle down from your eyes. You neck should only be slightly bent when you are trying to view the screen. Finally, align your keyboard and mouse with your monitor.

2. Lighting

The lighting around your work station should be relatively bright. Find a happy medium. Make it as bright as possible but not so much that you need sun glasses to function. When you are doing computer work, don’t use task lighting. If you want to reduce flicker, try mixing fluorescent lights with incandescent ones.

3. The Keyboard

Position your keyboard a little lower than your elbow and at an angle which allows your wrists to remain straight while you are typing (and sitting in a reclined posture). Never use a wrist rest while you are working. This can do more damage than good. Free your hands from any supports while you are typing.

Next, never tilt your keyboard tray so that the back end of the keyboard is higher up than the front of it. There is a common misconception that positioning your keyboard this way is the proper route to take. The truth is that the opposite set-up is encouraged to keep your wrists from becoming injured later on down the road.

4. The Chair

If possible, use arm rests. Place some kind of lumbar support system which is a little lower than your waist line. Make sure that your feet are completely on the floor by adjusting the height of your chair. Allow about 4 inches of space between the back of your knees and the edge of your seat. Finally, use high back chair supports for your shoulder blades.

Related articles

• Note 248 – How writers can end up with posture problems (mywritingnotebook.com)
• Tips for an ergonomic workstation [Richard Coombs] (ecademy.com)

Editor’s Note:  This is a guest post from Maria Rainer.  Please read more about Maria in the bio footer.

In today’s harsh economic atmosphere, our society has become (not unreasonably) preoccupied with our careers or potential careers. Where college was once a place that fostered education for the sake of education, many schools and degree programs have become more focused on occupational training.

Degrees have become the first step in attaining our dream careers. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing; it’s just the way society has been heading. As new students enter the world of higher education, they strive to choose a major that will properly prepare them for their desired career.

While some careers match up with their majors pretty clearly, not all are as clean cut. I am a firm believer that you should study the subject that interests and inspires you most in college. However, if you know that you wish to be a professional writer after you graduate, there are several specific majors that may prepare you more thoroughly for the position you wish to obtain in the future.

1. Major in English

Obviously, English is one of the most popular majors among aspiring writers. Regardless of the type of writing you wish to do in the future, the English major will provide all of the skills and knowledge you need to succeed.

While actual writing experience is a huge advantage for writing hopefuls, the critical thinking and researching skills obtained with an English degree is also endlessly useful. English majors will read, write, and evaluate text over and over again. This regular practice and honing in on writing skills provides a wonderful background for a powerful career in writing.

2. Major in Communications

A degree in communications can lead to a career in many different areas of the professional world. For those wishing to pursue a career in technical writing or copywriting, a communications degree may be extremely useful.

The communications major educates students in the classic study of rhetoric, teaching them to read and respond to their audience. Most Communication programs seek to instill careful and thoughtful reading in students.

This major will help you gain perspective on various texts of all different contexts. This general skill is essential to freelance and professional writing. You must be able to read your audience and social context in order to create the most appropriate and successful material.

3. Major in Creative Writing

For individuals wishing to pursue a career as a poet or fiction writer, Creative Writing is an obvious degree choice. Though not all programs have a dedicated major for Creative Writing, many do and others offer it as a concentration within the English major.

In a Creative Writing degree program, students learn to master the use of creative language and creative plot structure. This program will foster new avenues for creative inspiration and motivation, as well as ample practice in editing and meeting deadlines.

Receiving and responding to feedback on your writing is one of the most important and challenging aspects of being a writer. In a Creative Writing major, you will receive constant feedback on your work from both professors and peers. This is wonderful practice for after graduation.

There are a few other degrees that will help you with your writing career, including Journalism if you want to get into magazine or investigative writing,. A degree in advertising or marketing will be useful if you decide to go into copywriting. While a degree is not necessary to become a professional writer, it can help you learn more about your field and give you a valuable education that will help you throughout your career.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Alia Haley. Please read more about Alia in the bio footer.

The world of blogging is rocking now. There are more than 10 million blogs in the blogosphere and this is a constantly increasing number. If you are not yet into blogging, it is never late to start. And once you start, you will realize the existence of two lines of thought.

One suggests that blogging is a highly personal endeavor and one should write what one truly feels. The other line is that a blog is written for others to read. Why else would you want to publish it and not keep it in your personal diary? So one should give the readers what they want.

Both these lines of thought have their merits and demerits and thus, it would be appropriate that we adopt both of them partially. The question arises as to where do we draw the line?

A reader wants the blog to add something to his/her life. Thus, when anyone approaches a blog, they are either seeking information/wisdom/knowledge or just some enjoyable reading. This is the approach of a majority of readers. In that sense, you better offer them either one of the two if not both! If your blog is neither informative and educative nor enjoyable and entertaining, you better stop writing.

At the same time, it does not mean that you dance to the tunes of the readers. Every person has some individuality and uniqueness and the blog has to reflect that. Unless you write on topics and subjects that you are passionate about, you can expect to write creatively and well. So, when it comes to the subject and content of the blog, you better choose something that is close to your heart or something that you have expertise in.

But while you decide the content, the manner of presentation of the content should be in sync with what the readers enjoy. Whatever subject you write on, you will have a group that is interested in those topics and thus follow you. And so, it becomes your responsibility to make their reading experience as memorable as possible. And to do this, there are some tips you could keep in mind.

For instance, everyone likes a dose of humor. Do not try to force it in but sprinkle it liberally wherever it fits. Nothing pleases the reader more than a healthy dose of laughter. The most important thing, however, is to remember never to talk down upon the reader. Putting yourself on a pedestal and doling wisdom will never be appreciated. Your readers know at least as much as you if not more. Add photos, videos and illustrations wherever it is appropriate.

It goes without saying that some blogs expect a certain grammar. This varies from an academic blog to a travelogue. Read more and write more. That is the only way you will improve and develop your own unique style. Having done all that, know that there will be some criticism always. You just cannot please everyone. Be gracious in receiving positive comments and graceful in receiving the negative ones. You will definitely earn your reader’s respect.

In conclusion, it could be said that while you blog, your subject and content must be solely dependent on what you know best, what you want and what you are passionate about. But the manner of writing and the expression could be modified to make the readers happy. After all, is that not what writing is all about?

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Mikki Hogan.  Please read more about Mikki in the footer bio.

Putting together an eBook is far different from writing for the web. The style is different. The objective is different. The work load is different. For some the demand of an eBook is discouraging and a little frightening.

By following 4 simple steps you’ll turn the burden of writing your eBook into a smooth, enjoyable process that begins with a blueprint and ends with a masterpiece!

1. The Blueprint

Every major design project begins with a dream, a vision of the creator. This dream is then etched out on paper in fragments of desires but no real direction. As the dream takes form a blueprint is designed. A map the creator wants to follow in developing her project. A good eBook begins the same way.

Sit down with a pen and paper and simply start jotting your ideas on paper. At this point they don’t have to be in any specific order. You’re just getting your thoughts onto paper. Once all your ideas are written out you’re ready to organize them.

I have found your basic elementary school outline is the best way to begin organizing your eBook blueprint. This outline will later be used to organize your research and map out your chapters.

2. Gathering Your Research

Once your outline is complete you’re ready to begin your research. Every good eBook, regardless of your topic, requires research. As I was researching my allergy eBook I found that the most popular question needing answered was understanding exactly what a dust mite allergy was and how to control it. It was my job to be able to answer that question and that could only be done by research.

If you want to write backyard gardening or breeding cats it will be your job to discover what your targeted readers want to know and then give that information. The only way to accomplish this is through research.

Many beginning writers make the mistake of thinking they can use only their own knowledge to put together a well-written piece. The truth is without understanding your readers and making sure you give them what they need your book won’t go very far.

3. Filling In the Details

Now that your outline is filled in with factual and in demand information it’s time to fill out some details. This isn’t the same as adding your personal storyline. That comes next. The details include quotes, other resources found during your research and helpful tips or how tos. For example if my I’m writing a chapter that focuses on mites in the home I will add a couple bulleted items specifically about the mites such as where they live, what they eat, the life cycle and so on. The details plump out the research for a well-rounded chapter.

4. Personalize with a Storyline

Once you’ve filled out your research by adding specific details you’re ready to personalize your chapters. This is where you add personal experiences, stories from friends and family members and even a few quotes. The personalized touch helps your readers identify with the content and view it from a real life perspective.

5. Putting It All Together

What you have in front of you now is a plump document filled with factual information, engaging details and a personal experience. All that is left is putting it all together. Your original outline serves as a rough draft for your chapter set up so your first draft of content is already neatly pieced together under each topic. All you have to do is form it into coherent and interesting paragraphs.

Don’t worry about the final copy. Not yet. Your goal is to turn your outline into a very rough eBook. Then ask for 10 volunteers to read it and critique it on the following areas:

* Does the order of the chapters make sense

* Does the storyline flow with the factual information

* Was it easy to read or were there missing pieces of information

* Was there something you would have expected to find but didn’t

After you get these notes back you are ready to finalize what I call the first draft. Ideally these same 10 people will read through it once more to see if their first notes were in fact corrected, add any new ones and wrap up their feedback.

I personally like to have up to 3 drafts read by volunteers for the list above. Then I solicit an experienced volunteer to critique my spelling and grammar as I prepare to complete my final copy!

Writing an eBook doesn’t have to overwhelm you. Divide it up, follow the recommended steps above and call on your friends and family to help clean it up. You’ll bring your blueprint to perfection in no time.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Mikki Hogan.  Please read more about Mikki in the author’s box.

When I first started out online I didn’t hesitate on putting together a website to educate and support my fellow allergy sufferers. If there was anything I knew it was that living with allergies can be challenging and rather miserable without the right choices in front of you.

But it seemed no matter how many articles I published on my site they never seemed to fully touch below the surface. It quickly became obvious that the best way to dig in deep was through an eBook.

The problem? I had never written an eBook before and had no clue where to begin!

Regardless of my inexperience the fact remained that if I truly wanted to reach out and help my visitors I needed an eBook and I needed it soon! So I buckled down and learned what it took to put together a powerful eBook that not only educated my readers but also encouraged and inspired them to take control of their symptoms.

The Beginnings: Laying Out A Plan

To begin I needed to outline exactly what I wanted to accomplish, my goals so to speak. I wanted to provide a single location for a bundle of resources including common allergy treatments as well as alternative options. I wanted my book to define allergies as well as build out a little history on the understanding of an allergic response.

But most importantly I wanted my eBook to give encouragement to those who may be struggling with getting their allergies under control.

With this in mind I mapped out the various topics I wanted to cover in a bullet list including the history of allergies, genetic factors, symptoms and diagnosis and so on. Once I listed my main topics, I was ready to build out the sub-topics I would need to cover off in each area to provide the best resource possible. Once this was complete I was ready to move on to phase two, research.

Research, Research, Research

Because my eBook was discussing allergy treatments it was imperative that I did my research well. It wouldn’t be much help for my readers if I threw out a few ideas I had tried and just stopped there. I needed to know everything there was to know about the disease, the multitude of symptoms as well as the multitude of people suffering through it.

Then I needed to know in depth the doctor’s perspective on allergies, what occurs in the body and how to best suppress the symptoms. And finally I needed to familiarize myself with alternative options that most doctors won’t tell you about like using diet or Yoga to improve your condition.

The research phase literally took months to gather all the information together and then sort it. In preparation for writing I grouped all the information neatly under each main topic it applied to and then noted where my own personal experiences could help provide a real life perspective. Now I’m ready to write!

Putting It All Together

After months of preparation the time has arrived where I had to sit down and make sense of all my research and notes. This was not an easy task but was certainly doable. With everything in front of me I was able to emphasize fact from myth as well as highlight my own personal experiences with my allergy struggles and that of my daughter.

The writing phase actually took nearly as long as researching. For me it was crucial to relay what I had learned or experienced in an easy to understand yet equally powerful manner. It was a feat that at times felt beyond my reach. But with diligence and a little help from family and friends my book soon began to take shape.

The End Result

The end result was far beyond anything I had originally imagined. The amount of information I had compiled and the efficiency with putting it all together amazed me and everyone who had volunteered to read it. They shared that it was very well written and encouraging for them when facing their own allergy struggles. And THAT is what it was all about for me.

You see anyone can put together 20 or so pages and call it an eBook. And it might even turn out okay and offer some information to the readers they otherwise wouldn’t have had. But imagine for just a moment if you spent some extra time researching and turned those 20 pages into 80 pages of factual information and practical tips? Which eBook would you prefer to read?

Here’s to writing the best eBook you can write!

Editor’s Note:  This is a guest post from Melissa Cameron.  Melissa, who lives in Texas next to her elderly parents, is married with 2 children. She lives a productive life in Austin, freelancing from home, which allows her to spend more time with her family. She enjoys writing about parenting, history, and how to live a life on a budget.

I am first and foremost a mom, of two lovely kids. However, I also wanted to contribute to the household income to take the pressure off my entire family. After a significant amount of soul-searching, I decided to give it a try. I loved to write, and thought I could easily do this from home. Well, I was wrong about the ‘easy’ part of it.

In addition to all the challenges I had read about, such as the distractions from the family, pets, and neighbors, there were more that I hadn’t considered.

Working from Home (Image by Fabio Bruna @ Flickr)

While I was excited that my new career seemed to be taking off, it was disheartening to find myself with back aches, a sleepiness that I was not accustomed to, and my jeans not fitting quite the same.

I guess it was inevitable when I sat a desk all day, and had a full kitchen within my reach, that my back would hurt more, and my jeans might fit less. But, I wasn’t going to just accept it. So, I decided to do something about it, and not let it get out of control.

When meals and grocery shopping aren’t planned out, they tend to become less and less healthy. Making a meal at the last minute, without a game plan in place often leads to quickly throwing processed ingredients together, rather than those that are more healthy and nutritious.

Then, let’s factor in the sedate lifestyle that sitting at a desk all day brings on. My mom always told me ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’. Well, she wasn’t referring to losing weight. If I sit all day and don’t use the body that I was given, I’m going to lose IT, not the weight.

Beating the Battle of the Work-at-Home-Bulge

First I needed to conquer the nutrition, or lack of actually. After investigating various websites and articles on eating healthy, I decided that planning ahead was the key. So, I now plan out my weekly menu, and grocery list. Knowing what you are going to shop for, and cook, ahead of time really helps you adhere to healthier eating habits.

I also use the slow cooker as much as possible. This not only lets me get the meals started early, but it frees up some of my valuable time, to spend with the kids. There are several websites and cookbooks with fabulous slow cooker recipes. Keep in mind, any recipe can be altered to a healthier state.

Even though healthy eating tends to cost more than unhealthy ‘junk’ eating, it doesn’t have to. In addition to being a writer, I’m also a frugal woman, and proud of it. Finding great coupons goes a long way in keeping the cost down on healthier choices.

Finally, I knew I needed to exercise, because eating healthy wouldn’t be enough to keep me at my healthiest. After searching for options, I found the Bowflex Selectech Dumbbells were something that could easily fit into my schedule, as well as my limited space.

All of the above is something that my entire family can benefit from, so it became our lifestyle, not a diet.

Morphing into a Healthy Lifestyle

• Plan ahead. Planning your grocery lists and menus ahead of time will help substantially in obtaining, and maintaining, a healthy way of life.
• Use the slow cooker. Free up your time to spend more quality time with the family, which was my original goal.
• Cut Coupons. Saving money will keep you on track, and it’s a fun challenge.
• Exercise. I found a great program for the entire family through a P90X program review.

Using the above advice won’t guarantee success, but it will allow your best chance for it. I could have chosen to fall into the trap that I found myself facing, but I didn’t. It has worked out well for our family. Hopefully you will find it helpful in reaching your goals as well.

Editor’s Note:  this is a guest post from David Lazar.  Please read more about David in the bio footer.

Image via CrunchBase

Here you can improve your writing skills, get honest criticism of your writing, and some needed and deserved encouragement. You can also learn new words, help others, and find and make friends with many like-minded Redditors.

Let me help by sharing some of the most helpful subreddits for every aspiring writer or fan of words in general.

1.) Writing is a subreddit with over 24,000 readers and the first stop for aspiring writers on Reddit. As its name says, the focus is on the written word: anything about fiction, nonfiction, your own creative writing, popular authors, and so on.

There is also a similar, still growing, subreddit Writers. I cannot help but agree with the creator of this subreddit, who says, “Life is all about art, and painting pictures. Some do it through music, some take the literal route, and some get creative with the dictionary. This subreddit is for those of us who prefer to manipulate language to our advantage, and create characters out of thin air.”

Make sure to check out both of these subreddits, subscribe and join their community.

2.) Literature is all about books and plays. Find literary criticism here along with insightful articles and food for any writer’s brain.

3.) Freelance Writers intention is to share tips about writing and landing writing jobs and gigs. If you are serious about your writing and plan to build a career with it, keep tabs on this subreddit.

4.) Logophilia is a place for “the lovers of words.” Share and learn interesting and unusual words here. What is awesome about Logolites (Logophilia’s redditors) is that you can use their vast knowledge when looking for a word you’ve forgotten or an evasive synonym.

5.) ScreenWriting is, as its name suggests, an aspiring screenwriter’s haven. This is a subreddit where it is acceptable to submit y.ur own scripts. Don’t expect pats on the shoulder or lukewarm praise here. Brace yourself for some strong criticism and a good walloping. Redditors are famous for their sincere and strong opinions. What you can expect though, is some sound advice and tips on how to improve your screenwriting. If you want to have your script read, definitely check out ReadMyScript as well.

6.) Reddit Stories is actually a regularly updated collection of longish Reddit comments that are very well written and a treat for avid readers. Comments on Reddit are what make this community so addictive and precious.

7.) OneParagraph is what I like to call “fiction on the go.” This is a subreddit for small format fiction, limited to a single paragraph. Try to tell a story in only one paragraph and contribute to OneParagraph – it is an excellent exercise for polishing your writing skills.

8.) RoundRobin is a subreddit for collaborative writing. You can start a story by writing an introduction and can continue others’ stories as well. This is also a great place for practicing your writing skills and spurring your creativity.

9.) Wordplay is a playground for writers, wordsmiths, story weavers and all other creative users of the English language. Wordplay gives you the opportunity to explore the meanings of words and enlarge your vocabulary.

10) Poetry is a must for aspiring poets. Submit your verses or find inspiration and food for thought in poems written by lyrically inclined Redditors. Encourage and advise in order to get the same in return.

And of course, every true writer and word-addict should check out Bookit. You will find many book-related posts, including recommendations, reviews, stories about books, book technology and lots of other goodies.

See you on Reddit!

Editor’s Note:  This is a guest post from Kirk Ward.  Please read more about Kirk in the author’s box.

Become an Expert! (Pete Prodoehl via Flickr)

Freelancers of all types have one thing in common, they are notoriously bad marketers. Freelance writers are among the worst of the lot.

Well, after throwing that out, I’m probably not going to get an all expense paid invitation to come speak at your next writers club coffee klatch.  After all, what in the Sam Hill does an accountant know about marketing writing services?

Nothing. Nothing at all about marketing your freelance writing services.

But, about marketing services, I know a lot. And, it is my opinion that a freelance writer can market their services using the same techniques as any other professional.

Rainmaker Marketing

In the “professions” (law, medicine, engineering and, yuk, accounting) the top marketers are called “Rainmakers.” And, a whole field of thought has sprung up called “Rainmaker Marketing.” If you haven’t heard the term, run a web search and see what you get. You’ll get anywhere from under 40,000 results to over 1.25 million hits, depending on what search engine you use, and whether you use the quote marks or not.

The term Rainmaker was first applied to senior partners in law firms who had such drawing power that they brought in more business than they could handle, so they passed it off to the junior members of the firm who had available time. Since new business rained down on them from the senior members of the firm, the juniors began to refer to the partners who generated the billings as Rainmakers.

Cute, huh? But, why is it important to you?

Until the mid-70′s when the Supreme Court decided in Bates vs. State Bar of Arizona, attorneys were prohibited from advertising, which included sales and marketing. Heck, it wasn’t until 1990 when the AICPA (American Institute of CPA’s) acquiesced and signed a consent order allowing accountants to advertise, in any way as long as it is truthful, as defined by the Federal Trade Commission.

Now, if these guys (and, back then, most were guys) couldn’t advertise, then how in heck did they bring in so much business?

The same way Bob Bly does. (You do know who Bob Bly is, don’t you? If not, here’s a chance to get out the old Google homepage again.) They positioned themselves as experts and celebrities.

Become an Expert in Your Field

Take our buddy Bob Bly.

In addition to his job as an advertising copywriter, Bob is the author of 83 books, either written or forthcoming. Each one of these books has one single purpose: to act as a self-financing business card for Bob’s services as an advertising copywriter.

Bob has positioned himself as an expert. He’s even fashioned a small industry around his writings, with products and services ranging from copy critiques and web page critiques to copywriting, coaching and on-on-one consultations. He’s a veritable whirlwind of activity.

You’ll find that same philosophy taught to accountants and financial professionals over at Secrets of Marketing Accounting Services where subscribers are taught how to position themselves as an expert in their local community. They learn to become public speakers, using their technical knowledge to speak before groups and organizations in their community.

And, just as you are trying to get published, these accountants are told to get published. And, they become coaches, teachers and trainers to small business owners in their community.

The whole program is designed to enhance their credibility in their community. To position them as local experts in their field.

Become a Rainmaker as a Writer

As a freelance writer, you can use these same techniques to build your reputation and develop your own following. No matter what type of writing you want to do, there will be some form of Rainmaker Marketing available to you.

If you’re a business writer, you can pick a niche and develop a recognition as an expert in that field. One idea that jumps out to me is to write a book on how to write a book in a particular field. If you want to write for veterinarians and pet stores, write a book on how to write a book about veterinarians and pet stores.

That’s the route our good friend Bob Bly took when he wrote a book about how to do copywriting.

Bob was a copywriter. Do you think he was trying to get more folks into copywriting so he would have more competition? Heck no. He was building his credibility as an expert copywriter.

If you want to write a book of fiction, maybe you could start an online webinar series coaching other writers who want to write a work of fiction. Build yourself an email list and start offering the webinars for free using a service like AnyMeeting.com.

Besides the networking you’ll do, the open exchange of ideas from the group will spark your imagination, and the contacts you develop can lead to doors being opened for you book proposals.

Back to good ol’ Bob again.

Does Bob really want to improve your writing and create more competition when he offers his services as a copy critic? Again, the proverbial, Heck No! Bob is again positioning himself as an expert.

Whatever your writing genre, if you want to market your writings, there is nothing more powerful than being able to present yourself as an expert in the field. Positioning himself as an expert is what keeps Bob’s fees in the $15,000 per page range.

It’s nice to be looked at as an expert. In any field.

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