madameblogalot

As a blog writer, I know I don’t have much respect in the world of writers. But, it’s what I do. And when I do it, I try to take pride in what I do. I want to have a “quality” blog. I like for my posts to make sense. I like for them to look semi-professional, though with a conversational quality. Even when I take ad opportunities, I take them with a sense of how they will fit into my blog. I take them with a sense of pride. I want to maintain my blogs at a standard I have set for myself. And I love it when my ad posts get as many comments as my non-paid posts! It gives me a sense of accomplishment that the ads fit well into my blog and may be as “meaningful” as anything else I have to say!

When I do accept ad opportunities, I always visit the site I am doing the ad for. I peruse through it, and often times get interested in what they have to offer. I always try to present my posts with proper grammar and spelling and do the best I can to present the information in a way that I care about, whether it’s a paid post or not.

So when I am being presented with an opportunity for paid blogging, I would actually appreciate the same courtesy. I have often read advertiser’s opportunities which themselves are filled with misspellings, typos and grammatical errors! I try to laugh it off at times, but I must confess that it is frustrating. If they are paying a few meager bucks for some cheap advertising and expect the blogger to give his/her best to the assignment, I would think the advertiser could/would give the same courtesy to the blogger to whom s/he pays to do a good job. I hope that the trend in lowering pay but raising expectations (such as word count) will level off. I do hope however that both advertisers and bloggers will come to raise the bar for the world of readers that exist in the cyber world. It’s just good business for both sides.

My cousin has been homeschooling her middle school aged son. He enjoys his freedom, but has also been known to put tasks off. The other day, he found out that he could even pursue post high school education using online degree programs. When he brought this up to his mom, she talked with him about the habits he is establishing now and how that would affect someone pursuing an online college degree.

I came across a very helpful and informative website for folks who are truly interested in continuing their education online. It is full of information, articles and links which would be a great springboard for those just starting to research the possibility of getting an online degree or certification.

The site starts with basics, even giving a glossary of terms used when discussing online educational options. There are articles explaining accreditation, choosing a school, degree differences and for-profit vs. non-profit schools. These articles have some good basic information to get the prospective student ready for what they may find in online education planning. There are also many helpful links. Students can access online college sites as well as learn how to finance their online education. Learning about loans, scholarships and grants will prove helpful to any prospective student.

The trend toward pursuing degrees online seems to be growing. It no longer attracts only the older, strongly motivated adult student. The movement is showing more and more younger undergrads gravitating to the opportunity of online degree programs.