Freelance Writer Now has the word “now” in the title because many people don’t realize they need a writer until the last-minute and then they want one “NOW!” It takes a talent, planning, skill and professionalism to deliver great writing on time. I am proud that I was asked to meet what I thought were impossible deadlines and create articles that withstand the test of time. Continue reading
Why native advertising branded content will disrupt publishing and help writers
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a major media publishing company, asking if I would write branded content native advertising. The first thing I did was to look up a definition of branded content and native advertising online. There is mention of BuzzFeed starting this phenomena and then the major publishers such as the New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. In these cases the advertiser and the publication work together to create content about the advertiser.
I understand why this happened, I have been a publisher since 2007 and have over two decades of experience writing. The trend has been for people to increasingly read content on devices in which you cannot see the advertisements and it is difficult to click on the ads. On top of that, there is a trend for search engines like Google to not even send searchers to content that has too much advertising on it. Ad blocking software can remove ads from the web reading audience completely. Continue reading
Why you should hire a writer with over 10,000 hours writing expirence
Malcolm Gladwell noted that you need 10,000 hours to be a phenom or freakishly awesome. He wrote about elitee performers (violinists) who each totaled ten thousand hours of practice. I noticed that after my first 10,000 hours of writing, my writing improved exponentally. Hiring someone with that level of experience is the best way to get writing done. Continue reading
How to write a good review without being bad, hateful or wrong
Writing a review is an art and it is not easy to do if you want to do it well. Reviews require testing, knowledge of the product, knowledge of the reader and patience. Continue reading
Drivers can be tracked better than ever
A recent article, I wrote for GearBrain about ways to track employees and teens, show how advanced and accessible tracking of vehicles has gotten. Not only has telematics gotten better but also much cheaper. When these systems are cheaper, we see greater usage. Continue reading
The Top 10 Tech Features I Want on My Car Now & Forever
In my business as editor of AUTO Connected Car News and writing for automotive publications, I get to see all the latest technology coming to cars in the future. The more I learn about safety features (ADAS), the more I want them. Then of course there are new features that most of us never dreamed of before, that could happen in the future-future which I think I would like also. Here are the top 10 features that I think I and most car buyers would love. Continue reading
Tech vs Automotive – Why you need a connected car writer
At the LA Auto Show, it became clear that the tech media industry is trying to infiltrate the automotive industry. They are trying to change the rules and it could be very costly to car-oriented websites and media. Let’s see why. CNET a website which started reviewing technology was at the show in full force. Starting off at the Connected Car Expo, CNET had a big media presence with live-streaming the car announcements like they live stream Apple announcements. Car-oriented websites and automakers should beware. Continue reading
Why interviewing experts makes better articles
The past few weeks, I wrote answers to “The Question of the Day” for Yahoo Autos, where questions from the Internet and beyond are answered by experts.
I like to interview at least three experts for every topic without letting them know what the others said. This is a technique I used when I wrote for Investor’s Business Daily. No one knows everything but when you jog the minds of those who really know what’s going on, you get original articles with breaking information. Continue reading
What I’m learning about cars during my car buying process
I’ve kept my car buying process under wraps as I endure the monumental process. Cars have changed exponentially since I last bought one and so have the prices. I’ve covered advanced connected car technology for some time and my head is spinning with information. Continue reading
Happy Father’s Day – Happy Motoring!
My father loved cars. Every year, he traded-in last year’s model for a new one. He lived the American automotive dream.
His idea of a good time was to go out into the garage and work on a car. Sometimes, he smelled like Simonize, his cars sparkled and shined brighter than his smile as he drove. Once the car was detailed, he took the family out for a ride.
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