Transitioning Away from Freelancing
Four weeks ago, I started a new job as an associate editor for a non-profit organization. For the first time in over a year, I am no longer a full-time freelancer. I feel like I've left a part of my identity behind, but this new career path is exciting for several reasons.
First, it's letting me connect with new causes and social movements that are making a difference in society. For me, one of the greatest personal drawbacks to being a freelancer was not being plugged into a social cause or movement. Sure, I was involved in community groups and projects, but not at the daily level that I wanted. Now, my work at this non-profit is inherently tied to a cause that I find fulfilling. Writing for magazines and newspapers like USA Today was nice, and I knew I was helping people on a practical level, but it wasn't the same.
Second, I see people! Though I had housemates for most of my freelancing career, my work was typically an adventure in isolation. It's nice to have a little bit of activity going on all around me.
Third, work is consistent. Unlike many freelancers, there was never a day where I had to actually chase down a story. I always had far more work to keep me busy and my bank account full. However, occasional dry spells typically come with the freelancing terrain. Though I never experienced it myself, I wondered what I'd do if it ever happened to me. It's nice to have a regular 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. position that's consistent.
Fourth, I get vacation and sick days. Previously, if I wanted to go on a vacation I would have to work a couple extra hours for a few days to build up a mental "bank" of overtime. Now, it's part of my benefits.
There are a few drawbacks, too. For example, I can't sleep-in whenever I want -- no more going out for a late midweek night with friends -- and I can't lounge around in my shorts. But all-in-all, it's been a smooth transition.
Don't worry. I'm still doing freelancing -- my goal is 20 hours of freelancing a week along with 40 hours of my in-office work -- so expect to still see my name scattered around online. 
Streamlining My Freelance Work
Last week, Demand Studios approached me about writing a guest blog for them. The company wanted me to talk about my favorite web and mobile apps that help me maximize my freelance productivity. They said that, knowing how much I balance my freelance lifestyle from day to day, they were curious to see just how I do it. It was published this morning on their website. If you're looking for new ways to get the most out of your smartphone or web browser, check it out.
Five Web/Mobile Apps to Improve Your Freelance Life by Joshua Duvauchelle
USA Today Launches New Travel Site
USA Today launched a new travel site today with detailed guides to popular vacation spots, as well as articles on maximizing your vacation experience (e.g. how to skip lines in Disneyland). For the U.S. travel section, USA Today has highlighted one of my articles as its featured piece. It's pretty exciting! Check it out: Insider Tips on a Hawaii Vacation by Joshua Duvauchelle
The Value of Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Internships
A few weeks ago, the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announced the selections for its 2010 internships. University students and post-grad individuals will get to spend several intense months working as paid staff at some of the state's most respected institutions, including Hawaii Business Magazine and Alexander & Baldwin. Congratulations to this year's selections!
It reminds me of my hectic, stressful but immensely rewarding times as a 2007 SPJ intern and 2008 SPJ intern at Island Scene magazine and Honolulu magazine. The internships gave me opportunities to hone valuable skills like interviewing--it's one thing interviewing someone for a school paper, and quite another thing to do the same for an award-winning glossy magazine--and learn dozens of highly cryptic editing symbols. The immense portfolio I built during these internships were (and are) priceless. All the receptions and exclusive events I visited were just icing on the cake! If you've considered working with the SPJ, I strongly encourage you to do so. You won't regret it.
Sources of Inspiration
Even with a good site idea, it is sometimes difficult to find research and inspiration regarding your site content. Instead of trying to forge a new path, research and critique your competitors and colleagues to find inspiration for content.
Blogs
Blogs can be a great source for inspiration, especially blog posts that receive a lot of comments. Search for ["niche topic" blog] in Google, replacing "niche topic" with your topic of choice. Look at the blogs that operate in this niche and the type of content and topics on which they focus.
Social
Review the table of contents for your niche's magazines at a local bookstore or library. Note down the articles they publish, and look for FAQ columns or similar features that may highlight relevant, popular information. In addition, check out online forums to review the type of questions people post and talk about. These can help highlight areas in which people are hungry for content and information that you can provide!
Commercial Products
Search for your niche in Google and note down the commercial products listed in the sidebar advertisements. This can show whether there is a large need for affiliate products in your respective niche, making for yet another money-making venue.
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With a little research and digging around, you can find sources of inspiration all around you.
Harness Your Passions
Running a bunch of niche web sites is all fine and dandy, until the day you stretch yourself too thin and burn out. One of the main motivators for many work-at-home entrepreneurs is the urge to do something they like, on their own time and without a boss hovering over their shoulder. It's all about becoming self-sufficient and self-sustaining and doing something interesting.
One way to prevent burn out, or just plain boredom, is harnessing your passions. Establishing niche markets and doing mundane tasks like keyword research can quickly become old. But it's much easier to do when you are involved in a niche market that involves something you're interested in. Use your passions to direct your vision for your home business.
The best niche market is something you are keen on learning yourself, or something you already have an interest in. Have an interest in your niche will help drive you forward. I could easily make a site about any topic under the sun, but it is easier to maintain my interest in running the site if it's something I already care about.
Grab a sheet of paper and write out five things you are passionate about. It could be anything, even non-tangible interests. Then, think of a niche that applies.
Passion / Niche
1.Puppies / Organic Dog Care Products
2. Food / Raw Food Diets for Weight Loss
3. Chickens / Backyard Chicken Coops
4. Collecting stamps / Online Stamp Hobby Resource Community
5. Knitting / How-To Knit for Money
Identifying a niche that is related to a natural passion of yours will make setting it up and maintaining it that much easier.
What is a niche market?
For many who are new to the world of online marketing, the concept of niche markets may seem foreign. However, it is critical that you understand this concept to be successful in niche online marketing.
According to Wikipedia, many online markets go about seeking "smaller segments of larger markets" so that "a website can be developed and promoted quickly to uniquely serve a targeted and usually loyal customer base, giving the affiliate a small but regular income stream. This technique is then repeated across several other niche websites until a desired income level is achieved."
A niche market offers several advantages to a website.
First, it cuts down on the competition and gives your web site the potential to achieve higher rankings on Google, Yahoo!, Bing and many other search engines. For example, the term "armani" has 32,600,000 results on Google. This drops to 4,300,000 if you search for "armani suits". That's a reduction of 87%! Narrow the search term to "armani mens suits" and you get 599,000 results.
Now, for which search term is it easier to get onto Google's first page of results? Would you rather compete with over 32 million sites or less than 600,000 sites?
Besides making it easier to rank high on search engines, specializing in a niche market can boost your return on investment. The more you target a niche, the greater your chances of landing a sale or meeting the needs of the reader. Let's use the Armani example, again. Let's say you've created a web site selling Armani suits for men. If you are targeting the "armani" keyword, readers who somehow find your site out of the 32 million potential results may not be looking for suits. Thus, your bounce rate will likely be very high. However, if you target "armani mens suits," you'll get higher search engine visibility and will attract readers who are directly interested in your content.
Don't waste time trying to corner your entire field. Focus on a niche and expand from there.
Best Inspirations for Niche Markets
Identifying a niche market can make all the difference when launching new web brands or targeting new audiences for your latest affiliate product. Many well-known "niches" are no longer niches, and entering those respective markets would require just as much work as going into an established market. Examples of niches-that-are-no-longer-niches include diet and weight loss, personal finance (a literal plethora of personal finance blogs have sprung up thanks to the apocalypse recession), and pets.
Thankfully, you are surrounded by potential sources of inspiration for your next niche website or marketing campaign. The top eight are...
1. Magazines
2. Technology (there are enough specialty electronics and new products to provide lots of room for competing sites)
3. Newspaper headlines
4. Google Hot Trends
5. Best-seller book lists (e.g. the New York Times book lists)
6. Classified ads
7. Celebrities (surprisingly, most people haven't realized the money-making potential behind celebrity fansites)
8. TV shows
Now go forth and multiply! Your niche sites, that is.
