Google Adsense is a platform to make money for publishing ads, thanks to the market competition. When registered with Google adsense, you make money for creating traffic for the ads that are posted on your blog or web page. Signing up for Google adsense and creating your account are free of cost.
What is Required to Earn Money with Google Adsense
To start with you need to have a blog or a web page. If you do not have one already, you can create a blog of your own using blogger. All you need to do is choose the type of audience and create blog that shall be of interest to the target audience. (Blog is a web page that you can use to share your views or feelings on general topics or even personal topics). You can alternatively pay a few dollars and get your own domain name for hosting a web site.
Google Adsense does not need any Investment
We personally recommend blogging as it needs no monetary investment. All it needs is set up time. Once your blog is ready, you need to concentrate on your audience and try different color schemes and interesting subjects to create good traffic to your blog. With Google adsense you give a chance to promote different products and services and get paid for it. You get the chance to select the products or services, the ads of which shall be posted on your blog or web page. Google also suggests adverts that are related to your blog or site based on the information you submit to Google. Google maintains a track of the number of viewers for the particular ads on your blog or web page and you get paid for every click on the adverts. The more number of viewers the higher is the revenue that gets generated for you in return of the space you share with these ads.
Quality and Relevant Ads can Contribute Considerably to your Income
It sounds very simple but you should know how to make it easy for more and more money to flow into your Google account. Not all products or services draw the attention of your audience. You should select ads that look very attractive and those that are related to your web page/blog. Do not choose a topic that is momentary. It may have a good response at the moment but fades with time. With experience you shall be able to play with the outlines, color combinations and the location of the ads on your blog or site for attracting more viewers.
Google Adsense – Mode of Payment
Every click earns you a few cents that are directly credited to your Google Account. Once you are well versed with the Google Adsense program, you can have more number of blogs or sites that can generate revenue for you on a continuous basis as the money that can be earned through one site is limited to an extent.
Therefore a little creativity in presenting an interesting subject and focus on the adverts to be posted on the site to increase the audience number can be turned into a good source of income earned with comfort.
Friday, June 4, 2010
So it has come to this: "Hitler" is an adjective in the GOP
I was talking with a friend from another country yesterday and she indicated that whenever she caught herself up on American politics, she would become frightened.
She was underestimating.
Apparently, the 1964 Civil Rights act is "UNCONSTITUTIONAL, PROGRESSIVE and HITLER." according to one of the first Republican Party activists (or somebody, anyway) to post on the new Republican Party web thinkgie called americaspeakingout.com
This is not a surprise. It is not uncommon for the new Tebagging Republicans to have problems like this (remember this incident when John McCain visited Minnesota?). If you give republicans an open platform where they can say whatever they want, they will say the most outlandish, embarrassing, and offensive things imaginable. And they'll get to it likitey split.
Interestingly, the GOP does seem to have the lid on certain topics being discussed on their new forum. So while it is OK for someone to call civil rights "Hitler" (as in the adjective, "I Hitler you" or "I Hitler New York" or whatever) it is not OK to talk about raising taxes.
Any open forum seems likely to invite disruption, unruliness and extremism. But as reporters noted during Tuesday's press, americaspeakingout.com's design suffers from another flaw as well. Despite being pitched as a place for lively political discourse, it is remarkably limited. GOP leadership essentially admitted that no matter the popular sentiment, the major issues of the day are off-limits.
Take, for instance, a group of users who think that the GOP consider raising taxes in certain places. Is leadership willing to accommodate that?
"In terms of someone who wants to come on and make suggestions on how to raise taxes for example, they are welcome to do that but that is not something we are going to take up," said Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.)
She was underestimating.
Apparently, the 1964 Civil Rights act is "UNCONSTITUTIONAL, PROGRESSIVE and HITLER." according to one of the first Republican Party activists (or somebody, anyway) to post on the new Republican Party web thinkgie called americaspeakingout.com
This is not a surprise. It is not uncommon for the new Tebagging Republicans to have problems like this (remember this incident when John McCain visited Minnesota?). If you give republicans an open platform where they can say whatever they want, they will say the most outlandish, embarrassing, and offensive things imaginable. And they'll get to it likitey split.
Interestingly, the GOP does seem to have the lid on certain topics being discussed on their new forum. So while it is OK for someone to call civil rights "Hitler" (as in the adjective, "I Hitler you" or "I Hitler New York" or whatever) it is not OK to talk about raising taxes.
Any open forum seems likely to invite disruption, unruliness and extremism. But as reporters noted during Tuesday's press, americaspeakingout.com's design suffers from another flaw as well. Despite being pitched as a place for lively political discourse, it is remarkably limited. GOP leadership essentially admitted that no matter the popular sentiment, the major issues of the day are off-limits.
Take, for instance, a group of users who think that the GOP consider raising taxes in certain places. Is leadership willing to accommodate that?
"In terms of someone who wants to come on and make suggestions on how to raise taxes for example, they are welcome to do that but that is not something we are going to take up," said Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.)
Libertarians Realizing Rand Paul Is Not One of Them
Reason’s Jacob Sullum looks at Rand Paul’s stance on abortion:
Rand Paul’s position on the Life at Conception Act. As Ari Armstrong notes on his Free Colorado blog, Paul’s anti-abortion stance, unlike his father’s, goes beyond overturning Roe v. Wade and letting the states decide the issue. The younger Paul, who describes himself as “100% pro life,” says “abortion is taking the life of an innocent human being,” “life begins at conception,” and “it is the duty of our government to protect this life.” Toward that end, he supports “any and all legislation that would end abortion or lead us in the direction of ending abortion,” including “a Human Life Amendment and a Life at Conception Act as federal solutions to the abortion issue.”
My understanding is that maybe 20 or 30 years ago, virtually all libertarians were pro-choice. The idea of the government compelling women to give birth to children they didn’t want was anathema to the ideology. In recent years, however, the issue has divided libertarians to some degree, or at least the organized Libertarian Party. Anti-choice libertarians (certainly seems like an oxymoron) obviously view the unborn fetus as a human being whose life the state has a duty to protect.
The way they’ve dealt with this at the party level is to agree that the states should decide the matter. (I know all this from watching hours and hours of LP conventions on C-Span — yes, I am that much of a nerd. I also like the Greens’ conventions — both are far more interesting than the predictable, highly scripted fare served up by the Dems and Repubs.) That’s Ron Paul’s view, but Rand’s a wing-nut in libertarian clothing.
Sullum writes, “the legal regime he envisions clearly violates a woman’s right to control her own body,” and cites another libertarian writer, Ari Armstrong*, with the libertarian take-down:
The logical conclusion of abortion bans is that government agents should forcibly restrain women to prevent them from getting abortions. After all, if abortion is murder, as advocates of abortion bans routinely claim, then driving down the street to obtain an abortion is morally and legally equivalent to driving down the street with a loaded shotgun to blow your neighbor’s head off. Police have every right to arrest and forcibly restrain threatening individuals. If abortion is murder, then a woman who declares her intent to get an abortion has threatened murder and must be strapped down if necessary to ensure delivery.
But a fertilized egg is not a person. A fertilized egg does not properly have the legal rights of a born infant. Abortion is not murder. Women have every right to take birth control drugs or obtain an abortion. Abortion bans place a woman’s body under the control of the government and threaten to unleash a heavy-handed police state.
Anyway, Rand himself has conceded that he’s no doctrinaire libertarian, according to Time:
Pure libertarians, he says, believe the market should dictate policy on nearly everything from the environment to health care. Paul has lately said he would not leave abortion to the states, he doesn’t believe in legalizing drugs like marijuana and cocaine, he’d support federal drug laws, he’d vote to support Kentucky’s coal interests and he’d be tough on national security.
“They thought all along that they could call me a libertarian and hang that label around my neck like an albatross, but I’m not a libertarian,” Paul says …
And Sullum notes that the LP isn’t pleased that Rand is becoming the poster boy for its ideology as far as the media is concerned.
Libertarian Party Vice Chairman Joshua Koch cites Paul’s support for a federal abortion ban, along with his opposition to gay marriage and his refusal to call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, as grounds for running a candidate against him this fall, which he says the party is considering. “We’re not going to let Rand determine what a Libertarian stands for,” Koch, an erstwhile Paul supporter, told The Washington Post. “I’m here to say Rand does not have the Libertarian ideology.”
Rand Paul’s position on the Life at Conception Act. As Ari Armstrong notes on his Free Colorado blog, Paul’s anti-abortion stance, unlike his father’s, goes beyond overturning Roe v. Wade and letting the states decide the issue. The younger Paul, who describes himself as “100% pro life,” says “abortion is taking the life of an innocent human being,” “life begins at conception,” and “it is the duty of our government to protect this life.” Toward that end, he supports “any and all legislation that would end abortion or lead us in the direction of ending abortion,” including “a Human Life Amendment and a Life at Conception Act as federal solutions to the abortion issue.”
My understanding is that maybe 20 or 30 years ago, virtually all libertarians were pro-choice. The idea of the government compelling women to give birth to children they didn’t want was anathema to the ideology. In recent years, however, the issue has divided libertarians to some degree, or at least the organized Libertarian Party. Anti-choice libertarians (certainly seems like an oxymoron) obviously view the unborn fetus as a human being whose life the state has a duty to protect.
The way they’ve dealt with this at the party level is to agree that the states should decide the matter. (I know all this from watching hours and hours of LP conventions on C-Span — yes, I am that much of a nerd. I also like the Greens’ conventions — both are far more interesting than the predictable, highly scripted fare served up by the Dems and Repubs.) That’s Ron Paul’s view, but Rand’s a wing-nut in libertarian clothing.
Sullum writes, “the legal regime he envisions clearly violates a woman’s right to control her own body,” and cites another libertarian writer, Ari Armstrong*, with the libertarian take-down:
The logical conclusion of abortion bans is that government agents should forcibly restrain women to prevent them from getting abortions. After all, if abortion is murder, as advocates of abortion bans routinely claim, then driving down the street to obtain an abortion is morally and legally equivalent to driving down the street with a loaded shotgun to blow your neighbor’s head off. Police have every right to arrest and forcibly restrain threatening individuals. If abortion is murder, then a woman who declares her intent to get an abortion has threatened murder and must be strapped down if necessary to ensure delivery.
But a fertilized egg is not a person. A fertilized egg does not properly have the legal rights of a born infant. Abortion is not murder. Women have every right to take birth control drugs or obtain an abortion. Abortion bans place a woman’s body under the control of the government and threaten to unleash a heavy-handed police state.
Anyway, Rand himself has conceded that he’s no doctrinaire libertarian, according to Time:
Pure libertarians, he says, believe the market should dictate policy on nearly everything from the environment to health care. Paul has lately said he would not leave abortion to the states, he doesn’t believe in legalizing drugs like marijuana and cocaine, he’d support federal drug laws, he’d vote to support Kentucky’s coal interests and he’d be tough on national security.
“They thought all along that they could call me a libertarian and hang that label around my neck like an albatross, but I’m not a libertarian,” Paul says …
And Sullum notes that the LP isn’t pleased that Rand is becoming the poster boy for its ideology as far as the media is concerned.
Libertarian Party Vice Chairman Joshua Koch cites Paul’s support for a federal abortion ban, along with his opposition to gay marriage and his refusal to call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, as grounds for running a candidate against him this fall, which he says the party is considering. “We’re not going to let Rand determine what a Libertarian stands for,” Koch, an erstwhile Paul supporter, told The Washington Post. “I’m here to say Rand does not have the Libertarian ideology.”
Unintentional blogging hiatus
Hello bloggies, so sorry for my absence from blogging lately! I’ve had a hellish week and I just haven’t felt like turning on the computer in the last few days.
As you know, I was feeling really rough last week but I am feeling much better now, thankfully! However, the week carried on to be crap when my boss decided to be an arsehole and didn’t ensure my practice manager had his new bank details which resulted in all the staff not getting paid! So, as of this morning, I am overdrawn and my boss WILL be paying my overdraft charges.
To top it all off, my poor dad is in hospital :-( He had both knees replaced a few years ago but since he had his second knee replaced, he has suffered really badly with it. It swells up really badly and causes him so much pain that he can barely stand which isn’t good when you have a manual job. He went back to see the consultant who wanted to open the knee back up and see what was going on. He went in last week and had an arthroscopy, where they washed out the knee, drained lots of fluid and sent it to be cultured. He was home the same day and felt fine, no major pain and he was able to walk with a stick.
However, the next day he had to go back to the hospital because the wound was literally pouring blood. They put another stitch in it and sent him back home. However, on Sunday morning, my mum called me and said it was bleeding profusely again and would Mr JAG take him to the hospital again. They put him in a compression bandage and again, sent him back home. We went around to my mum and dad’s for Sunday lunch and he seemed fine, the bleeding had stopped or at least stopped leaking through his bandage and he wasn’t in pain.
However, I got a call from my mum at 12.30am Monday morning saying they were going back to the hospital as my dad was in agony. His knee had ballooned to three times the size it should have been and was causing him excruciating pain. We went up to see him yesterday afternoon and he looked so poorly. He was grey as he was in so much pain. The stupid f*cking nurse had forced him to get out of bed that morning to have a shower, despite the fact he had only had a bath 10 hours before. He told her he was in too much pain to get out of bed as he couldn’t move his leg and her answer was “it’s more than my job’s worth to not make you have one”. It took him 10 minutes just to get out of his bed into a wheelchair where he was wheeled to the bathroom, went completely grey and passed out because of the pain.
We then went on to find out the morphine they have been giving him hasn’t been anywhere near strong enough. He told the nurses on numerous occasions it wasn’t helping but they just kept on telling him he could have more in a few hours. It was only when the anaesthetist came around before he was taken back to theatre that he told her he was worried about having to try and get off the bed onto a trolley because of his pain and she said she wasn’t surprised he was in too much pain, the morphine dose he was given would only have about 30% effect on him, possibly less because he is a big man. They have been giving him liquid morphine which is intended for breakthrough pain relief rather than injecting him with morphine, which is what he actually needs.
He was taken back to theatre yesterday afternoon and his knee was re-opened, drained again and pus washed out of it – there is obviously an infection causing him the pain. He was given antibiotics by A&E the day before and up until yesterday evening when we left, the nurses hadn’t given him one, even though they know he is supposed to be taking them.
The incompetence of my local hospital really does horrify me at times.
I’m hoping my dad will be well enough to come home today *crosses fingers* We will know more once the doctor has been around and taken off the bandages to see what’s going on.
As you know, I was feeling really rough last week but I am feeling much better now, thankfully! However, the week carried on to be crap when my boss decided to be an arsehole and didn’t ensure my practice manager had his new bank details which resulted in all the staff not getting paid! So, as of this morning, I am overdrawn and my boss WILL be paying my overdraft charges.
To top it all off, my poor dad is in hospital :-( He had both knees replaced a few years ago but since he had his second knee replaced, he has suffered really badly with it. It swells up really badly and causes him so much pain that he can barely stand which isn’t good when you have a manual job. He went back to see the consultant who wanted to open the knee back up and see what was going on. He went in last week and had an arthroscopy, where they washed out the knee, drained lots of fluid and sent it to be cultured. He was home the same day and felt fine, no major pain and he was able to walk with a stick.
However, the next day he had to go back to the hospital because the wound was literally pouring blood. They put another stitch in it and sent him back home. However, on Sunday morning, my mum called me and said it was bleeding profusely again and would Mr JAG take him to the hospital again. They put him in a compression bandage and again, sent him back home. We went around to my mum and dad’s for Sunday lunch and he seemed fine, the bleeding had stopped or at least stopped leaking through his bandage and he wasn’t in pain.
However, I got a call from my mum at 12.30am Monday morning saying they were going back to the hospital as my dad was in agony. His knee had ballooned to three times the size it should have been and was causing him excruciating pain. We went up to see him yesterday afternoon and he looked so poorly. He was grey as he was in so much pain. The stupid f*cking nurse had forced him to get out of bed that morning to have a shower, despite the fact he had only had a bath 10 hours before. He told her he was in too much pain to get out of bed as he couldn’t move his leg and her answer was “it’s more than my job’s worth to not make you have one”. It took him 10 minutes just to get out of his bed into a wheelchair where he was wheeled to the bathroom, went completely grey and passed out because of the pain.
We then went on to find out the morphine they have been giving him hasn’t been anywhere near strong enough. He told the nurses on numerous occasions it wasn’t helping but they just kept on telling him he could have more in a few hours. It was only when the anaesthetist came around before he was taken back to theatre that he told her he was worried about having to try and get off the bed onto a trolley because of his pain and she said she wasn’t surprised he was in too much pain, the morphine dose he was given would only have about 30% effect on him, possibly less because he is a big man. They have been giving him liquid morphine which is intended for breakthrough pain relief rather than injecting him with morphine, which is what he actually needs.
He was taken back to theatre yesterday afternoon and his knee was re-opened, drained again and pus washed out of it – there is obviously an infection causing him the pain. He was given antibiotics by A&E the day before and up until yesterday evening when we left, the nurses hadn’t given him one, even though they know he is supposed to be taking them.
The incompetence of my local hospital really does horrify me at times.
I’m hoping my dad will be well enough to come home today *crosses fingers* We will know more once the doctor has been around and taken off the bandages to see what’s going on.
Getting Paid to Drive Your Own Car
Especially with the price of oil and therefore gas at the pumps, seeming to have an infinite ceiling, anything that might reduce our cost of motoring must surely be welcome. Right?
Well, the honest answer is a cautious “maybe”, even if the first, reactive answer was a resounding YES!
The ultimate in cost reduction wouldn’t be the title of this brief article; it’s actually getting to drive a free car! Are you already asking How? If you live in the US, Canada and the UK particularly, it’s not too hard to find companies that are willing to pay to qualified applicants. Even France and Spain also have a number, and it’s growing too in Australia.
Why do they pay? Simple. They pay you to carry advertisements on your car, or the free one they give you. I should state at this point that the actual chances of qualifying to be given a free car covered in an advert are pretty slim. You’d need to live in a major city, with a spotlessly clean driving record, drive at least 25,000 miles a year, preferably double that, and be prepared to park your somewhere at night where it is still going to be secure, but widely seen. You must wash it at least weekly, have it maintained to the manufacturer’s specs and avoid accidents at all costs! Actually the maintenance is usually paid by the sponsor and all you have to pay is the gas, insurance and road tax. In some countries you may have to pay an advertising license too, although the sponsors will usually pay for this.
Far more people will qualify for schemes which pay you to drive your own car, also of course, carrying an advert. With most schemes, you don’t get to choose which ad can now adorn your car, but you can refuse one which you don’t like. However, doing that will put you back in the queue again, for these are very popular schemes.
You might carry ads by some very well known names, such as:
* Yahoo!
* Sony
* Toshiba
* ABC
* HBO
* IBM
* Tic-Tac mints and so on
* Smaller local companies also take advantage of this form of mobile advertising.
Naturally, the more your car is wrapped in the ad, even almost 100% (except the windscreen and most of the rest of the windows), the more you’ll be paid. Living in a major city, such as Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris or Madrid, will push up your pay too (New York is a no-no unfortunately, as mobile advertising is banned in NYC). Schemes vary enormously, but most have sponsors who will pay anything from around $400 per month up to as much as $3,000 or slightly more. These very high payers are few and far between, but who among us would turn down $4-500 pm as extra income?
You should be very wary, however, of spending any money, no matter how small, before you’re as satisfied as you can be as to the honesty and integrity of the web sites offering this type of deal. You should know that it is not the advertisers or even the advertising agencies themselves who offer to you directly, but third party service providers, not all of whom, sad to say, are genuine.
The best would be those where you can confirm that sponsors do exist in, or close to where you live before you sign up. Too many sites want you to pay first, and only then will they provide you with the directory of sponsors. Don’t touch these sites with a barge pole.
If this is something that interests you, and you live in a country where the schemes are available, then by all means give it a try. If you know of people who’ve already done this, speak with them and get their first hand opinions. However, if you’re ready to try the scheme, and follow some of the advice here, you should be fine.
Well, the honest answer is a cautious “maybe”, even if the first, reactive answer was a resounding YES!
The ultimate in cost reduction wouldn’t be the title of this brief article; it’s actually getting to drive a free car! Are you already asking How? If you live in the US, Canada and the UK particularly, it’s not too hard to find companies that are willing to pay to qualified applicants. Even France and Spain also have a number, and it’s growing too in Australia.
Why do they pay? Simple. They pay you to carry advertisements on your car, or the free one they give you. I should state at this point that the actual chances of qualifying to be given a free car covered in an advert are pretty slim. You’d need to live in a major city, with a spotlessly clean driving record, drive at least 25,000 miles a year, preferably double that, and be prepared to park your somewhere at night where it is still going to be secure, but widely seen. You must wash it at least weekly, have it maintained to the manufacturer’s specs and avoid accidents at all costs! Actually the maintenance is usually paid by the sponsor and all you have to pay is the gas, insurance and road tax. In some countries you may have to pay an advertising license too, although the sponsors will usually pay for this.
Far more people will qualify for schemes which pay you to drive your own car, also of course, carrying an advert. With most schemes, you don’t get to choose which ad can now adorn your car, but you can refuse one which you don’t like. However, doing that will put you back in the queue again, for these are very popular schemes.
You might carry ads by some very well known names, such as:
* Yahoo!
* Sony
* Toshiba
* ABC
* HBO
* IBM
* Tic-Tac mints and so on
* Smaller local companies also take advantage of this form of mobile advertising.
Naturally, the more your car is wrapped in the ad, even almost 100% (except the windscreen and most of the rest of the windows), the more you’ll be paid. Living in a major city, such as Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris or Madrid, will push up your pay too (New York is a no-no unfortunately, as mobile advertising is banned in NYC). Schemes vary enormously, but most have sponsors who will pay anything from around $400 per month up to as much as $3,000 or slightly more. These very high payers are few and far between, but who among us would turn down $4-500 pm as extra income?
You should be very wary, however, of spending any money, no matter how small, before you’re as satisfied as you can be as to the honesty and integrity of the web sites offering this type of deal. You should know that it is not the advertisers or even the advertising agencies themselves who offer to you directly, but third party service providers, not all of whom, sad to say, are genuine.
The best would be those where you can confirm that sponsors do exist in, or close to where you live before you sign up. Too many sites want you to pay first, and only then will they provide you with the directory of sponsors. Don’t touch these sites with a barge pole.
If this is something that interests you, and you live in a country where the schemes are available, then by all means give it a try. If you know of people who’ve already done this, speak with them and get their first hand opinions. However, if you’re ready to try the scheme, and follow some of the advice here, you should be fine.
Technical Writing — Worth it? Interesting? Creative? Well-Paid? Hours? Answering a Few Questions from Saudi Arabia
My name is Kalyani. I am 37 yrs old and live in Saudi Arabia. I have finished my Diploma in Electronics (4 year course). I was working at Hewlett Packard in India before moving to Saudi.
In this country, women have very few opportunities to work i.e., only in the schools or hospitals. I chose to work in the school as an English and Computer Science teacher. Now I have moved into the administration.
After 7 years in this country, I want to move back to India. While looking at the job market, I thought of re-training and getting into “Technical writing”. I have a good command over English and a flair for writing. My computer skills are very good.
I have 4 months before I go back to India. I wanted to start my online training from ‘The Writers’ Block’, a training institute in Bangalore, India.
I have a few questions for you:
Is “Technical writing” an interesting career? (I like to be creative and take up challenges)
Can you maintain your work-life balance? (I have 3 boys aged 9, 5 and 3)
Does it pay well?
In the long term, is it worth being a ‘technical writer’?
Do you think online training is a right choice? Or should I take the regular course??
I hope you will help me out with my queries whenever you find the time.
[Me: I asked Kalyani to tell me the state of outsourcing in India.]
Right now, outsourcing is at a peak in India, especially in Bangalore from where I come. There are many BPOs and there are few technical writers. Unlike software technicians who are in plenty, technical writers are still few in number. I’ll go for this when the demand is still good.
Most of the European and American companies have outsourced their services in India. So I think this is the time to go for it.
I’ll look forward to reading your blog post.
Thanks again,
Kalyani
Thanks for writing, Kalyani. It’s always interesting to hear from readers in Saudi Arabia. You have an excellent background for entering the field of technical writing. With a degree in electronics, experience as an English and Computer Science teacher, and work experience at HP, you are probably well suited for a job as a technical writer. Let me try to answer your questions.
1. Is “Technical writing” an interesting career? (I like to be creative and take up challenges)
Yes, it is an interesting career. However, you can read some posts and discussions on this site that talk about whether technical writing is boring. Also read this post that explores whether I’d become a technical writer again if starting over from scratch. I recently asked a 2 question survey to see if my readers felt the same way.
You can see the results of 16 responses so far. Basically, only 31% of people would definitely become technical writers if starting over. 37% said maybe, and 31% said no.
The funny thing is, most of those who said no would instead move into instructional design, web design, or usability, which are all somewhat close to technical writing anyway. (By the way, the survey is still open.)
Although reading those posts may not put technical writing in a glamorous spotlight, it truly is a solid professional field with a lot of room to grow and explore new technologies. I do enjoy my job as a technical writer.
Technical writers can focus on a variety of things (content management, information architecture, e-learning, usability, single sourcing, XML, DITA, web design, multimedia), but the majority of technical writers spend their days creating help material such as online help, printed manuals, quick reference guides, and writing and formatting other content.
Of course it’s not riveting, but as jobs go, it’s not bad. I would say that technical writing is a satisfying career, but not a fulfilling one. (Vague on purpose there.)
2. Can you maintain your work-life balance? (I have 3 boys aged 9, 5 and 3)
It depends on your company. Most technical writers I know maintain a very comfortable work-life balance. It’s nothing like investment banking or law or medicine where you’re expected to put in 60+ hour weeks as the norm.
I have an 8 to 5 day, and I come home to a home-cooked meal and then wrestle with my kids for a while before putting them to bed and wandering online to post a few entries on my blog. Okay, so it’s not that idyllic, but the work-life balance is one of the best things about being a technical writer.
3. Does it pay well?
Yes, technical writing is probably the most lucrative career in writing apart from being a best-selling novelist or becoming a big-time publisher in New York City. Of the careers one can pursue as a writer — copywriter, copy editor, proofreader, essayist, journalist, teacher, professor — technical writers earn a lot more, at least 1/3 more in salary, I’d say.
For surveys, see the WritersUA 2008 salary survey, which found the average salary of a technical writer in the U.S. to be about 76k a year. Everyone I talk to thinks this number is a little high. In 2006, Money Magazine named technical writing the 13th best job in America and said the average salary was 57K a year.
My own opinion is that the real average salary for technical writers is somewhere between 57 and 76. It depends on where you live, how many years of experience you have, what company you work for, and how good you are at negotiating a salary.
4. In the long term, is it worth being a ‘technical writer’?
I assume this question has something to do with intangible rewards, particularly compared to careers in education. As a teacher, one often feels an internal reward in helping students learn and grow and see the world in a new light. (Or so they say.)
Well, the problem with feeling great worth as a technical writer is that we’re so disconnected with our users. We don’t watch them use our help. Teachers in the classroom can directly observe the impact of their teaching. But I can’t see the indescribable joy that comes to those who read my instructions in moments of frustration and suddenly “get it.” I can’t observe users who, after struggling for hours, finally turn to the help and within minutes fall down on their knees and kiss the software manual I wrote, tears falling down their cheeks in gratitude.
I used to be a copywriter writing press releases, web copy, and all kinds of other campaigns to get people to buy nutritional supplements. While I was allowed be more creative as a copywriter, it wasn’t worth it because I didn’t believe in the products. In contrast, as a technical writer, I feel that helping people understand complicated technology so they can do their jobs better, become more efficient, and feel more comfortable with software applications is worthwhile.
But “worth it” really depends on you. What makes life worth it to you? (Here’s an article that explores whether technical writing is a calling or job.) The sense of worth varies for every person according to their perceived calling and life purpose. Someone gifted in medicine would not feel that writing help content and making video tutorials is “worth it.” A job worth it for that person is in the exam room or ER. But for writers, technical writing is an activity much more worthwhile.
5. Do you think online training is a right choice? Or should I take the regular course??
I don’t know. I learned much of what I know about technical writing from my first job. I learned most of the tools on my own, and picked up style and other techniques by looking at manuals, trying different techniques, and in general reading from various sources. A course could be highly beneficial.
Read this comment by Mike, which he left on a post I wrote called “What’s the Best Thing You’ve Done to Grow Your Career?”:
Without a doubt, the best “move” I made in regard to my technical writing career was completing a graduate degree in communication. The sheer number of programs (broad-based professional programs to specialized technical programs) make a graduate degree possible for every practicing technical writer. And the networking opportunities within a graduate program are extremely beneficial.
It’s never a bad idea to take a course in anything, really. (However, I’m a little confused by the name of the Institute you mentioned, the “Writer’s Block.” Let’s hope they teach you how to avoid that.)
Final Thoughts
As a final comment on offshoring and outsourcing, I was talking to a technical writer at Novell last week. Novell apparently has writers and developers in several different countries, including India. This writer works regularly with about 14 writers from Bangalore. She said that within 5 years, technical writing would disappear in the U.S. and be completely enveloped by outsourced companies in India and elsewhere.
I’m not sure I believe that, because technical writers fit with engineers like peanut butter and jelly — the two go together really well, and colocation is essential. But the instant you move your engineers to another country, the technical writers are sure to follow. Because Novell has engineers in other countries, they placed their technical writers there too.
In this country, women have very few opportunities to work i.e., only in the schools or hospitals. I chose to work in the school as an English and Computer Science teacher. Now I have moved into the administration.
After 7 years in this country, I want to move back to India. While looking at the job market, I thought of re-training and getting into “Technical writing”. I have a good command over English and a flair for writing. My computer skills are very good.
I have 4 months before I go back to India. I wanted to start my online training from ‘The Writers’ Block’, a training institute in Bangalore, India.
I have a few questions for you:
Is “Technical writing” an interesting career? (I like to be creative and take up challenges)
Can you maintain your work-life balance? (I have 3 boys aged 9, 5 and 3)
Does it pay well?
In the long term, is it worth being a ‘technical writer’?
Do you think online training is a right choice? Or should I take the regular course??
I hope you will help me out with my queries whenever you find the time.
[Me: I asked Kalyani to tell me the state of outsourcing in India.]
Right now, outsourcing is at a peak in India, especially in Bangalore from where I come. There are many BPOs and there are few technical writers. Unlike software technicians who are in plenty, technical writers are still few in number. I’ll go for this when the demand is still good.
Most of the European and American companies have outsourced their services in India. So I think this is the time to go for it.
I’ll look forward to reading your blog post.
Thanks again,
Kalyani
Thanks for writing, Kalyani. It’s always interesting to hear from readers in Saudi Arabia. You have an excellent background for entering the field of technical writing. With a degree in electronics, experience as an English and Computer Science teacher, and work experience at HP, you are probably well suited for a job as a technical writer. Let me try to answer your questions.
1. Is “Technical writing” an interesting career? (I like to be creative and take up challenges)
Yes, it is an interesting career. However, you can read some posts and discussions on this site that talk about whether technical writing is boring. Also read this post that explores whether I’d become a technical writer again if starting over from scratch. I recently asked a 2 question survey to see if my readers felt the same way.
You can see the results of 16 responses so far. Basically, only 31% of people would definitely become technical writers if starting over. 37% said maybe, and 31% said no.
The funny thing is, most of those who said no would instead move into instructional design, web design, or usability, which are all somewhat close to technical writing anyway. (By the way, the survey is still open.)
Although reading those posts may not put technical writing in a glamorous spotlight, it truly is a solid professional field with a lot of room to grow and explore new technologies. I do enjoy my job as a technical writer.
Technical writers can focus on a variety of things (content management, information architecture, e-learning, usability, single sourcing, XML, DITA, web design, multimedia), but the majority of technical writers spend their days creating help material such as online help, printed manuals, quick reference guides, and writing and formatting other content.
Of course it’s not riveting, but as jobs go, it’s not bad. I would say that technical writing is a satisfying career, but not a fulfilling one. (Vague on purpose there.)
2. Can you maintain your work-life balance? (I have 3 boys aged 9, 5 and 3)
It depends on your company. Most technical writers I know maintain a very comfortable work-life balance. It’s nothing like investment banking or law or medicine where you’re expected to put in 60+ hour weeks as the norm.
I have an 8 to 5 day, and I come home to a home-cooked meal and then wrestle with my kids for a while before putting them to bed and wandering online to post a few entries on my blog. Okay, so it’s not that idyllic, but the work-life balance is one of the best things about being a technical writer.
3. Does it pay well?
Yes, technical writing is probably the most lucrative career in writing apart from being a best-selling novelist or becoming a big-time publisher in New York City. Of the careers one can pursue as a writer — copywriter, copy editor, proofreader, essayist, journalist, teacher, professor — technical writers earn a lot more, at least 1/3 more in salary, I’d say.
For surveys, see the WritersUA 2008 salary survey, which found the average salary of a technical writer in the U.S. to be about 76k a year. Everyone I talk to thinks this number is a little high. In 2006, Money Magazine named technical writing the 13th best job in America and said the average salary was 57K a year.
My own opinion is that the real average salary for technical writers is somewhere between 57 and 76. It depends on where you live, how many years of experience you have, what company you work for, and how good you are at negotiating a salary.
4. In the long term, is it worth being a ‘technical writer’?
I assume this question has something to do with intangible rewards, particularly compared to careers in education. As a teacher, one often feels an internal reward in helping students learn and grow and see the world in a new light. (Or so they say.)
Well, the problem with feeling great worth as a technical writer is that we’re so disconnected with our users. We don’t watch them use our help. Teachers in the classroom can directly observe the impact of their teaching. But I can’t see the indescribable joy that comes to those who read my instructions in moments of frustration and suddenly “get it.” I can’t observe users who, after struggling for hours, finally turn to the help and within minutes fall down on their knees and kiss the software manual I wrote, tears falling down their cheeks in gratitude.
I used to be a copywriter writing press releases, web copy, and all kinds of other campaigns to get people to buy nutritional supplements. While I was allowed be more creative as a copywriter, it wasn’t worth it because I didn’t believe in the products. In contrast, as a technical writer, I feel that helping people understand complicated technology so they can do their jobs better, become more efficient, and feel more comfortable with software applications is worthwhile.
But “worth it” really depends on you. What makes life worth it to you? (Here’s an article that explores whether technical writing is a calling or job.) The sense of worth varies for every person according to their perceived calling and life purpose. Someone gifted in medicine would not feel that writing help content and making video tutorials is “worth it.” A job worth it for that person is in the exam room or ER. But for writers, technical writing is an activity much more worthwhile.
5. Do you think online training is a right choice? Or should I take the regular course??
I don’t know. I learned much of what I know about technical writing from my first job. I learned most of the tools on my own, and picked up style and other techniques by looking at manuals, trying different techniques, and in general reading from various sources. A course could be highly beneficial.
Read this comment by Mike, which he left on a post I wrote called “What’s the Best Thing You’ve Done to Grow Your Career?”:
Without a doubt, the best “move” I made in regard to my technical writing career was completing a graduate degree in communication. The sheer number of programs (broad-based professional programs to specialized technical programs) make a graduate degree possible for every practicing technical writer. And the networking opportunities within a graduate program are extremely beneficial.
It’s never a bad idea to take a course in anything, really. (However, I’m a little confused by the name of the Institute you mentioned, the “Writer’s Block.” Let’s hope they teach you how to avoid that.)
Final Thoughts
As a final comment on offshoring and outsourcing, I was talking to a technical writer at Novell last week. Novell apparently has writers and developers in several different countries, including India. This writer works regularly with about 14 writers from Bangalore. She said that within 5 years, technical writing would disappear in the U.S. and be completely enveloped by outsourced companies in India and elsewhere.
I’m not sure I believe that, because technical writers fit with engineers like peanut butter and jelly — the two go together really well, and colocation is essential. But the instant you move your engineers to another country, the technical writers are sure to follow. Because Novell has engineers in other countries, they placed their technical writers there too.
Getting Ends to Meet
Each time I turn on the TV there seems to be some story about how people have lost their jobs or have been forced to downsize from a super large home to a modest condo. Not long ago one of my viewers told me how her husband had lost his job and how much it took to run the home and live the way they do. She was actually sending me a message complaining that she would have to manage on less then 5 thousand per month.
I hear stories all the time from people on the edge of homelessness and how things are just not lining up for them, no matter how how they try, things just keep getting worse and there never seems to be any concern or help for them. Now I know this story all too well and today this is what I want to blog about.
I use to have this one person in my life who like me is HIV positive, but has no real clue about how life really is because he has the luxury of having a boyfriend who pays for everything while he sits home and plays house. He would always tell me “you should do….” and when I asked him how I would pay for it, he would reply “just save some money, it can’t be that hard”
It’s almost been a year since I moved into my apartment and I know manypeople think I am doing very well and that homelessness is not something I think about. This could not be further from the truth, there isn’t a day that goes by that homelessness is not a real reality for me. Furthermore there isn’t a month that goes by that I don’t wonder if I will have enough money to pay my rent and bills.
GET A JOB!!!
Since moving into this apartment I have been on 67 job interviews and 50 of those interviews turned me down for employment. The rest never bothered to get back to me, even after contacting them to ask about their decision.
Finding a job has been a major priority for me and the main reason is because I do not want to be dependent on the very little money I get from General Relief (GR) which is only $221.00 per month. Many times even after doing all that I am required to do in order to keep this money, it is often two to three days late. Moreover the $221.00 does not cover the very basic bills I have after I pay my rent, so each month I have to skip paying bills and allow them to go into disconnect status. Right before they are turned off I then call for an extension.
I do not live beyond my means, other then my internet connection I do not have any extras, no cable, no dinners out unless my friends invite me, no new clothes or used clothes for that matter and many times each month I wash the clothes that I do have in the kitchen sink and then allow them drip dry.
Each month I try my best to at least have my rent, so I will have a place to stay, but even that can be hard to do, because I might have to get on the bus to go tot he doctor or on an interview, so saving money to try to be ahead is just not an option, because there is simply nothing to save. Homelessness, eating from trash cans is something I think of often
Last month from recycling is was able to get $30 and this money was spent the very same day I got it on late bills and food for Dodger. In fact it has been the little I am able to recycle that helps me almost get my ends to even look at each other. If you miss what I am saying, then let me make it very clear, my ends never meet, so I do all I can to make them at least look at each other.
It’s been about two or maybe even three months since I have paid my share of the cell phone bill. Each month I have intention to pay, but each month keeping a roof over my head comes first and each month I feel so bad for not being able to carry my own weight. I feel bad when my friends call me to ask me out and I say “no” because I don’t want them to always have to pay for me. Even though I know if they could not afford to pay for me they would not invite me.
Today is the second of the month, my rent is due and all my bills are in disconnect status, so I was really depending on my GR this month. However today when I got up to check the balance on my EBT card I find that there is no cash on the card, so I had to go downstairs to explain this to my manager. She was very kind and told me to pay it as soon as I can and try not to go beyond the grace period so I am not charged a late fee and have it go into my record as paying my rent late. Having to pay a late fee would mean that something is not going to get paid at all this month.
I know the drill very well with DPSS, I will call at 11:00AM, get a busy signal for about 20 minutes before reaching my worker and then be told one of two things “I am sorry Mr. Carr we made a mistake and your benefits will be fixed in two days” If I say “My rent and bills are due now” the reply will be “I know and I am sorry.” or I will be told “I mailed you an appointment to come see me” this is the one that gets to me the most. I never fail to mail in anything they send me or when I get a letter to call my worker I always call. In fact many times I call her to remind her that we are supposed to meet or talk, but whenever my benefits have been stopped many times this is the answer, even though I never miss anything that does not cause my benefits to be stopped. Why would I miss the single most important thing.
I know you might be asking “why not call now” and the answer is I cant because each worker has phone hours and they will not take calls until phone hours. If you can not reach them during this time then you have to keep trying until you reach them. Now you might be asking “why not go down to the office” and the answer to that is you cant simply show up to see your worker without an appointment, even when there is a huge problem such as this. You must speak to your worker to resolve the issue.
This is why for me it is so important to find a job because I don’t want anyone to have this much control over how things will turn out for me. I certainly don’t want to end up back on the streets because someone did not do their job which caused everything to fall apart for me.
Here is the reality for me, all I need is for this (GR) not to get fixed and I could not have a place to stay, which would cause problems for me keeping medical appointments for my HIV, which could cause me to stress far more then I already do which could cause my body to begin to not do a great job defending me against HIV and then I will be starting HIV meds.
I wish I had it as good as people who are forced to live on less then 5 thousand a month, I wish I could simply downsize to a modest condo. I wish I had boyfriend that I would fall back on in times like this, but I don’t have any of this. What I do have is my faith and belief that everything will work out, even if that means going through homelessness again, what I do have is strong sense of who I am and what I am able to deal with, what I do have is the will to keep pressing forward no matter how hard things get for me.
I know many people look at me and see what I have been through and say “no more storm” but while the “down pour” in my life is over, the storm clouds are still looming and from time to time they open up to remind me that they are still very much present. I guess what so many people and many so called access centers, missions, shelters and other places that are supposed to help fail to see and fully understand is the fact that “housing” does not mean homelessness is over and “housing” does not mean that helping that formerly homeless person is over. In many ways the work has just begun.
I’ve never been one to simply wait and allow case managers or agencies to make things happen for me, I’ve always made them happen for myself and each month I try very hard to make things happen for me, work hard to turn things around for me, because at the end of the day, when it is all said and done all I have is me, the only person I can take care of is me. The fact that I am in this apartment is because I demanded to be put on the waiting list and refused to take “the waiting list is full” for an answer. The fact that I now have a HIV doctor that I fully trust and a HIV care team that I fully trust is because I refused to simply allow people to tell me that “Skid Row was my only option” or that I should “keep my mouth shut because people who ask who does he think he is.”
This country seems to care more about bailing out Wall Street, big business, banks and the wealthy, but people like me are considered worthless and not worthy of help. I know our leaders talk a good game, but at the end of the day they go home and sleep very well and don’t give a second thought to people like me.
10:40AM
I was able to find out that my worker is not in today and was told that I need to call her on Friday. I explained to the lady that there are no benefits on my card and I was not made away of any changes. She then told me this, “Mr. Carr your HIV was a temporary condition and has expired. Your benefits have been terminated”
I hear stories all the time from people on the edge of homelessness and how things are just not lining up for them, no matter how how they try, things just keep getting worse and there never seems to be any concern or help for them. Now I know this story all too well and today this is what I want to blog about.
I use to have this one person in my life who like me is HIV positive, but has no real clue about how life really is because he has the luxury of having a boyfriend who pays for everything while he sits home and plays house. He would always tell me “you should do….” and when I asked him how I would pay for it, he would reply “just save some money, it can’t be that hard”
It’s almost been a year since I moved into my apartment and I know manypeople think I am doing very well and that homelessness is not something I think about. This could not be further from the truth, there isn’t a day that goes by that homelessness is not a real reality for me. Furthermore there isn’t a month that goes by that I don’t wonder if I will have enough money to pay my rent and bills.
GET A JOB!!!
Since moving into this apartment I have been on 67 job interviews and 50 of those interviews turned me down for employment. The rest never bothered to get back to me, even after contacting them to ask about their decision.
Finding a job has been a major priority for me and the main reason is because I do not want to be dependent on the very little money I get from General Relief (GR) which is only $221.00 per month. Many times even after doing all that I am required to do in order to keep this money, it is often two to three days late. Moreover the $221.00 does not cover the very basic bills I have after I pay my rent, so each month I have to skip paying bills and allow them to go into disconnect status. Right before they are turned off I then call for an extension.
I do not live beyond my means, other then my internet connection I do not have any extras, no cable, no dinners out unless my friends invite me, no new clothes or used clothes for that matter and many times each month I wash the clothes that I do have in the kitchen sink and then allow them drip dry.
Each month I try my best to at least have my rent, so I will have a place to stay, but even that can be hard to do, because I might have to get on the bus to go tot he doctor or on an interview, so saving money to try to be ahead is just not an option, because there is simply nothing to save. Homelessness, eating from trash cans is something I think of often
Last month from recycling is was able to get $30 and this money was spent the very same day I got it on late bills and food for Dodger. In fact it has been the little I am able to recycle that helps me almost get my ends to even look at each other. If you miss what I am saying, then let me make it very clear, my ends never meet, so I do all I can to make them at least look at each other.
It’s been about two or maybe even three months since I have paid my share of the cell phone bill. Each month I have intention to pay, but each month keeping a roof over my head comes first and each month I feel so bad for not being able to carry my own weight. I feel bad when my friends call me to ask me out and I say “no” because I don’t want them to always have to pay for me. Even though I know if they could not afford to pay for me they would not invite me.
Today is the second of the month, my rent is due and all my bills are in disconnect status, so I was really depending on my GR this month. However today when I got up to check the balance on my EBT card I find that there is no cash on the card, so I had to go downstairs to explain this to my manager. She was very kind and told me to pay it as soon as I can and try not to go beyond the grace period so I am not charged a late fee and have it go into my record as paying my rent late. Having to pay a late fee would mean that something is not going to get paid at all this month.
I know the drill very well with DPSS, I will call at 11:00AM, get a busy signal for about 20 minutes before reaching my worker and then be told one of two things “I am sorry Mr. Carr we made a mistake and your benefits will be fixed in two days” If I say “My rent and bills are due now” the reply will be “I know and I am sorry.” or I will be told “I mailed you an appointment to come see me” this is the one that gets to me the most. I never fail to mail in anything they send me or when I get a letter to call my worker I always call. In fact many times I call her to remind her that we are supposed to meet or talk, but whenever my benefits have been stopped many times this is the answer, even though I never miss anything that does not cause my benefits to be stopped. Why would I miss the single most important thing.
I know you might be asking “why not call now” and the answer is I cant because each worker has phone hours and they will not take calls until phone hours. If you can not reach them during this time then you have to keep trying until you reach them. Now you might be asking “why not go down to the office” and the answer to that is you cant simply show up to see your worker without an appointment, even when there is a huge problem such as this. You must speak to your worker to resolve the issue.
This is why for me it is so important to find a job because I don’t want anyone to have this much control over how things will turn out for me. I certainly don’t want to end up back on the streets because someone did not do their job which caused everything to fall apart for me.
Here is the reality for me, all I need is for this (GR) not to get fixed and I could not have a place to stay, which would cause problems for me keeping medical appointments for my HIV, which could cause me to stress far more then I already do which could cause my body to begin to not do a great job defending me against HIV and then I will be starting HIV meds.
I wish I had it as good as people who are forced to live on less then 5 thousand a month, I wish I could simply downsize to a modest condo. I wish I had boyfriend that I would fall back on in times like this, but I don’t have any of this. What I do have is my faith and belief that everything will work out, even if that means going through homelessness again, what I do have is strong sense of who I am and what I am able to deal with, what I do have is the will to keep pressing forward no matter how hard things get for me.
I know many people look at me and see what I have been through and say “no more storm” but while the “down pour” in my life is over, the storm clouds are still looming and from time to time they open up to remind me that they are still very much present. I guess what so many people and many so called access centers, missions, shelters and other places that are supposed to help fail to see and fully understand is the fact that “housing” does not mean homelessness is over and “housing” does not mean that helping that formerly homeless person is over. In many ways the work has just begun.
I’ve never been one to simply wait and allow case managers or agencies to make things happen for me, I’ve always made them happen for myself and each month I try very hard to make things happen for me, work hard to turn things around for me, because at the end of the day, when it is all said and done all I have is me, the only person I can take care of is me. The fact that I am in this apartment is because I demanded to be put on the waiting list and refused to take “the waiting list is full” for an answer. The fact that I now have a HIV doctor that I fully trust and a HIV care team that I fully trust is because I refused to simply allow people to tell me that “Skid Row was my only option” or that I should “keep my mouth shut because people who ask who does he think he is.”
This country seems to care more about bailing out Wall Street, big business, banks and the wealthy, but people like me are considered worthless and not worthy of help. I know our leaders talk a good game, but at the end of the day they go home and sleep very well and don’t give a second thought to people like me.
10:40AM
I was able to find out that my worker is not in today and was told that I need to call her on Friday. I explained to the lady that there are no benefits on my card and I was not made away of any changes. She then told me this, “Mr. Carr your HIV was a temporary condition and has expired. Your benefits have been terminated”
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