Outdoors Unlimited® Online | The award-winning publication of the Outdoor Writers Association of America

By Ashley Schroeder

If you’re not already plugged into facebook, here’s yet another reason why you should sign up:

OWAA’s discussion group.

To participate in this forum, simply sign in (or sign up!) to facebook and “like” OWAA’s facebook page. Hint: Search for Outdoor Writers Association of America and you’ll be sure to find us.

The most recent forum posting is about a new rule that prevents reporters, photographers and just about anyone else from getting close to boons and oil-soaked wildlife affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

What are your thoughts? Join the conversation on the discussion board! ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact her at aschroeder@owaa.org.

Report, Write and Win!

Conference seminar attendees are invited to share insights and experiences on our new Conference Blog.

Sign up now! E-mail Ashley Schroeder, editor (aschroeder@owaa.org) to receive your log-in name/password for posting entries on the Conference Blog. Or you can register via the handy form below.

First Place

• Free attendance* at the 2011 Conference in Snowboard, Utah. *individual registration fee waiver
• Product from an OWAA Supporting Group (to be announced)

Second Place

• OWAA Publication Package, valued at $57
  • Outdoor Reference Manual
  • Freelancers Guide to Business Practices
  • Legal Handbook for Freelancers

Third Place

• OWAA logo wear

Honorable Mention

• OWAA merchandise

More details, including rules and guidelines for blog entries — will be available soon.

In the meantime, please sign up for the blog contest and be sure to list the conference sessions you plan to attend!

Thanks!
–Ashley Schroeder, editor

Blog Contest registration:

From The Wall Street Journal Digital Network:

A federal appeals court rules that the Federal Communications Commission exceeded its authority when it sanctioned Comcast Corp. in 2008 for deliberately slowing Internet traffic for some users. WSJ’s Julia Angwin discusses the significance of ruling and what it means for consumers.

What are you thoughts on this ruling about Net neutrality? Please share below! ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact her at aschroeder@owaa.org.













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Just a quick blog entry today.

From Bowhunting World: Ex-Wildlife Employees Seek to Oust Agency Head

Dozens of former state employees are seeking to oust Alaska’s new wildlife director, saying in a letter sent Monday to the governor that the man who listed Sarah Palin’s parents as references lacks the education and scientific training for the job.

Also, I updated OU Online with a few news briefs here. Be sure to check it out now because the events mentioned happen this week and next. ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact her at aschroeder@owaa.org.

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Several members sent me items of interest for my blog (thank you!) and I’ve compiled those links, along with a few of my own finds, for today’s post.

• AudubonMagazine.org

Incite: An independent advocate for the environment, written by OWAA member Ted Williams.

Picture Perfect: Phony wildlife photography in magazines, books, calendars, and posters is giving people a warped view of nature.

Audubon has sent me to lots of wild places over the past 31 years, but I’d seen only one wolf and three cougars (a litter) until December 8, 2009. On that day, before noon in the Glacier National Park ecosystem of northwestern Montana, I encountered not just one wolf but two and not just one cougar but two! What were the chances of that?

Well, they were 100 percent, because I’d rented the animals for a photo shoot. … [Read more here.]

• Keeping photos safe from theft on the Net

Here’s an article on dealing with copyrights and watermarking on the Web. Rob Sylban’s article even includes handy screenshots.

Protecting what’s yours

While it may be impossible to prevent a determined person from using your work without your permission, there are a couple of things you should do to protect your work: Establish yourself as the copyright owner; make it harder for the wrong people to use your work; and make it easier for the right people to find and contact you when they want to use your work with your permission.

• Keyword ideas

Do you publish photos, articles or video to the Web? Want people to actually find what you post? Here’s a useful took for those looking to optimize content for search engines by using keywords. While this Google tool is made for advertisers, it’s also a powerful resource for freelancers, Web producers, etc.

Google AdWords Keyword Tool

• Considering self-publishing?

Then read this. If you are going to be be involved with the design of your book’s cover, this article outlines several factors you should take into consideration. From NYTimes.com, written by Motoko Rich:

In E-Book Era, You Can’t Even Judge a Cover

Even in the digital era, publishers believe that books need graphic representations — if only for the online marketing campaign. Regardless of the format, “they all seem to need what we know of as a cover to identify them,” said Chip Kidd, associate art director at Alfred A. Knopf. Mr. Kidd has designed more than 1,000 jackets for authors including Cormac McCarthy and James Ellroy.

…

“We often get requests to make the type bigger,” said Mario J. Pulice, creative director for the adult trade division of Little, Brown & Company. “Because when it’s on Amazon, you can’t read the author’s name.”

• Customize your Twitter background

A few weeks ago I customized OWAA’s twitter background. It still needs some tweaking because the larger graphics are hidden when users view OWAA’s twitter page on a smaller computer screen. To avoid doing what I did (sometimes the only way to learn is by mistake!), check out this article by Matt Silverman:

How to Customize your business’s Twitter Background

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What did you think of today’s blog post? Did any of the articles inspire thoughts worth sharing? If so, please comment below. ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact her at aschroeder@owaa.org.













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At a loss for words? Here a few quotes to help you keep plugging away at your writing.

• “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” –John Jakes
• “Clarity. Clarity. Clarity. When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it is best to start fresh.” –Strunk & White
• “Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.” –Mark Twain
• “Books aren’t written. They are rewritten.” –Michael Crichton
• “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” –James Michener
• “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.” –E.B. White
• “I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one.” –A.E. Houseman
• “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” –Robert Frost

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact her at aschroeder@owaa.org.

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Deciding how much to charge for your freelance work isn’t any easy task. However, this calculator from FreelanceSwitch.com can help you figure out an hourly rate to charge for your services. Depending on  how much attention you give to each calculation, allot 5-20 minutes to complete this form.

Here it is: FreelanceSwitch Hourly Rate Calculator

And keep in mind…

Remember your hourly rate should always take into account factors like market demand, industry standards, skill level and experience - things that unfortunately we can’t put into a calculator!

This isn’t the only way to figure our your rates. How do you decide what to charge for your freelance projects? Comment below! ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact Ashley at aschroeder@owaa.org.

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By Ashley Schroeder

According to Thomas Baekdal, in his article, The Usability of Passwords:

“Security companies and IT people constantly tells us that we should use complex and difficult passwords. This is bad advice, because you can actually make usable, easy to remember and highly secure passwords. In fact, usable passwords are often far better than complex ones.”

He goes on to say that the best password is actually a passphrase. The passphrase “this is fun” would be secure forever, Baekdal says.

So much easier than “j7wi#x3,” huh?

Here are two other articles on the subject:

• The ten worst passwords on the web, and why you should read this article
• Password Lessons and Tips from Our Readers

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Contact Ashley at aschroeder@owaa.org.







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By Ashley Schroeder

Tips for keeping good records

I just filed my taxes. It was pretty easy. A free online service transformed info on my W-2 into an automatic deposit in my bank account.

However, many of you are freelancers whose tax preparation process isn’t so simple. You wait for 1099 forms to arrive from various employers. You sort through piles of receipts tucked a way in a dusty box.  And I can only imagine the other hassles  involved.

But next year, I’m pretty sure I’ll know exactly how you feel. My New Year’s resolution is to get serious about my side job and turn it into a more profitable endeavor.

Since I have a whole year to save receipts and work on this resolution, I figured I should know what I’m getting myself into. And from what I’ve read so far, the most important thing is to be organized.

Here’s a blurb from William Perez’s Tips for Keeping Organized (part of the series Tax Tips for Freelancers):

I highly recommend you start tracking your business-related expenses using the same categories on the Schedule C form … The most relevant categories of expenses for freelance writers include:

• Advertising – this includes business cards and Web-marketing.
• Insurance – for life, property & casualty, or business insurance. Do not include health insurance under this category.
• Other interest – credit card or loan interest, such as interest paid on your computer loan.
• Legal and professional services – such as fees your accountant will charge.
• Office expense – anything other than routine supplies.
• Rent or lease other business property – rent paid on a writer’s studio, for example.
• Repairs and maintenance – repairing your computer, for example.
• Supplies – routine office supplies like paper, toner, pens, pencils, notepads, etc.
• Travel – the cost of traveling to a convention, meeting, or business trip.
• Meals and entertainment – the cost of business meals, but be careful not to go overboard.
• Utilities –electricity, gas.
• Other expenses – such as Dues & Subscriptions, Web development, and Business telephone expenses.

Most writers have things like a Web site, high-speed Internet connection, a computer, various software programs and a small home office where they do most of their work. Writers will typically subscribe to various magazines, trade journals, or research tools. If your expense does not fit neatly into one the categories above, don’t worry. Just create a new category, and put it in Part V for “Other Expenses.” We would put Dues & Subscriptions, Business Telephone, and Website Development under Part V.

In other news…

Matt Miller sent me this link the other day. “Today’s reality is that much of freelancing has become free,” James Rainey says in a Los Angeles Times article: Freelance writing’s unfortunate new model.

I mentioned Apple’s new tablet–the iPad–in my inaugural blog post. It’s only been a day since the unveiling, but the blogosphere has plenty to say about the gadget. CNN rounded up some of the best commentary from techy bloggers: Insanely great, or underwhelming? Blogosphere reacts to iPad. ◊

Ashley Schroeder is OWAA’s Publications Editor. Schroeder graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in print journalism and a minor in media arts. She hails from Gillette, Wyo., where her outdoors experience included summer backpacking trips and surviving windy winter blizzards. Schroeder enjoys her relocation to Missoula and gets her fill of fresh air by snowboarding and soaking in hot springs. Contact Ashley at aschroeder@owaa.org.



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Searching the Web so you don’t have to.

Ashley Schroeder, OU Editor, here.

Welcome to my new blog!

With this new feature, I plan to provide additional content to OWAA members by linking to relevant articles found elsewhere on the Web. More business tips. More technology advice. More information to help you, the members, succeed professionally and make more money. (And maybe save some money, too!)

In the news…

Apple unveils its new tablet today. I hope the device holds its own against all the hype leading up to its debut.

Newsweek blogger Nick Summers posted an interesting piece yesterday about the Apple tablet.

While the whole blog entry is worth reading, this part about the print (newspaper and magazine) industry caught my eye:

“News publishers screwed up en masse over the last decade by giving away their product for free online, and the Apple tablet represents a chance to put the genie back in the bottle, The New York Times reports today, citing interviews with people who have seen the device. Consumers have demonstrated a willingness to pay for stuff on mobile devices, from ringtones to text messages to tracks downloaded over the air from the iTunes store. That digital storefront has become familiar enough–and has so many credit-card numbers on file–that newspapers and magazines will finally be able to charge readers for polished, interactive editions of their product.”

Only time will tell whether this prediction comes true. In the meantime, read about the tablet’s possible effects on print (books), television, movies, music and gaming industries in Summers’ full post.

And don’t forget to check back soon for more information about the latest gadget to join the Apple family. ◊

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