Blog Spotlight: Content Done Better Blog

Are you not quite sure who Carson is? If you write web content, you could probably benefit from reading his blog. I know that I have. Carson is known for his insightful look at the current state of writing for the Web, and for his comments on writing in general. He has quite a following among professional writers, especially those who specialize in writing web content.

Carson strongly believes that it is possible to make a very good living writing web content. He believes it so strongly, in fact, that he has set a rather unique and public goal for himself of earning $125,000 between August 8th of 2006 and August 8th of 2007. He regularly posts progress reports on his blog. I call that putting your money where your mouth is!!!

I first became aware of Carson through my participation in the writer's forum portion of the WAHM.Com (www.wahm.com) website called appropriately, WAHMs Who Write. (If you are not familiar with it, WAHM.Com is an online magazine for work at home moms and dads.) Carson often drops by the forum and always has something interesting to add.

What caused you to decide to focus on writing web content?

"After years of hearing "the future is online," I decided to take a look. While learning about online business opportunities and moneymaking strategies, I discovered the value of quality content. I consider my writing and research skills to be strengths, so it all fit together naturally."

What do you hope to accomplish with your Content Done Better Blog? What audience did you have in mind when you decided to start the blog?

"I started the blog as a way to address content-related issues with an eye toward marketing and branding Content Done Better. That is still one of the chief functions for the blog. Quickly, though, it became apparent that a significant percentage of readers were other writers. That's why I try to balance posts between 'writer to writer' and 'writer to prospective client' posts."

Do you have any quick tips for someone trying to write material that will draw readers?

"Many writers, I think, mistakenly believe that a great article will always get the job done. That isn't necessarily the case. Those with the most traffic tend to have well-designed sites that feature good on-page and off-page SEO (which includes many different considerations) and are backed by good marketing. Solid written content helps on almost every level, but capturing a huge readership can be hit or miss, even with the best stuff."

"All other things being equal, well-written material providing an interesting or new perspective on a topic of current interest will outperform most alternatives. However, there are so many factors involved in traffic generation that it is possible for some of the best stuff to go unnoticed."

Do you have a favorite among the social bookmarking sites?

"Not yet. I developed a strong interest in the topic while working on a ghostwriting assignment. I think the idea of folksonomic information organization and retrieval is fascinating and has a lot of potential. Right now, I am experimenting with a variety of different sites as I continue to explore social bookmarking."

Don't give away any trade secrets, but are there any resources that you would recommend for those trying to keep up?

"I think every content writer needs to learn his or her clients' businesses, at least on a theoretical level. I learn a lot every day from what my clients are doing and appreciating why they are doing it. I also spend time just digging around for things that interest me personally. If I were wiser, I would probably have a ready-made list of places to check regularly, but I tend to approach learning about new developments in a less regimented way. I find something interesting and just sort of dive into the topic."

Let's talk about the $125K challenge for a moment. Do you think this is a number anyone who works hard at writing web content could aspire to, or do you see it as something that only a talented few could achieve?

"I didn't pull the number out of thin air, but I didn't choose it carefully, either. People tend to associate a six-figure income with some level of financial success, so $100K just "felt" like a good number with which to work. I later upped the ante to $125K for tracking purposes and because I wanted to clear $100K before taxes after consideration of all other expenses. I don't think that's a reasonable goal for everyone. Every writer has different skills, aspirations and availability. What works for one writer might not work for another. That being said, it is possible for many writers. Really, though, the challenge is more about making goals and dedicating oneself to the job than it is about a particular number."

How's the challenge going? Have you had to change the way you operate?

"I haven't changed the way I operate, with the exception of being a little tougher on myself in terms of working efficiently throughout the day. It's going pretty well in financial terms. I believe that I will be just about on pace after the next update. Overall, it has been a fantastic experience. I've received a great deal of support from the writing community and the challenge has spurred some interesting discussions about goals, the business of online writing, and other important topics."

What do you see as the biggest obstacle facing you, or anybody else, who wants to write web content for a living?

"Putting one's backside in a chair and writing every day. It sounds basic, but doing the workday in and day out is the biggest challenge. Writers have a tendency to visualize success without a great deal of ongoing effort. Entrepreneurs invariably daydream of a life spent poolside as those other dummies commute back and forth from the daily grind of the traditional workforce. You have to overcome those outlooks. You have to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and to wear the letters off your keyboard."

Give us a peek into the future. What are some topics we can look forward to on the blog?

"There's a lot of misinformation and concern about duplicate content and how the search engines, particularly Google, treat it. That's one area of great interest to me. I also think the momentum gathering behind the Web 2.0 movement (though I hate that label) may change approaches to online content. That's another topic I hope to explore. Otherwise, I plan to keep posting about whatever content-related issues capture my attention at any given time."

Conclusion
If you write web content and you haven't read Carson's blog, there's no question that you're missing an opportunity to learn more about your craft. So, if you want to improve your skills (or if you're just curious about how Caron's doing with his challenge), surf on over to the Content Done Better Blog.