I got all angry about Google’s Matt Cutts waxing poetic about Amazon Mechanical Turk as a form of sweatshop labor for linkbait. I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re not just interested in getting the written word on the cheap… they actual want professional artists to work for free! (Because Google really has to worry about their budget these days – they only reported a profit of nearly $1.5 billion in the first quarter of this year.)

The New York Times reported that Google has been courting professional artists to create skins for their Chrome browser. Sounds pretty cool, right? The problem is that the sole compensation they were offering is exposure. I’m hoping that exposure means more than a single mention of the artist’s name on the browser skin download page, but who knows?

Because, you know, they’re just artists. They just sit around and be creative all day. This is Google we’re talking about! Everyone should bow and scrape before them because everyone and their grandma uses Google to search the Web! Why should they have to pay artists money for their little doodles?

The sad part is that they did get some artists to work for them for free. Because, you know, they’ll get so much exposure to all of those people who use Google Chrome for their browser. Because those 500 people are totally going to hire  a professional artist based on the funky browser skins they may or may not download.

I wanted to equate this to freelance writers who accept ridiculously low wages for creating content. But then I realized that was a poor analogy. It’s far worse than that. It’s like every single one of us who has ever created any form of content online. Because we’re totally working for Google (and, to be fair, the other search engines) for free – because they all profit from scraping our content and putting so much of it on the SERPs that users don’t even have to click through to our sites anymore to get some of the information they want.

Google Wants Artists to Work for FREE is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

In case you missed it, my name is Christina Gleason. You may be more familiar with me by my former identity, QualityGal. Until February 9, 2009, I was the Content Manager at We Build Pages. Oh sure, that wasn’t my official title. But I created the content writing team from the ground up, recruiting and managing over 250 writers and editors to write thousands of pages of content, so I think it was a fairer description of my job than anything else that was bandied about.

I helped develop a  proprietary writer panel for the management of writer assignments. Sadly, I only got to use the new incarnation for two business days before I was let go. This tool had been in development since July 2008, and I’m sad that I won’t be able to enjoy it without all the bugs.

I developed an online style manual along with two of my editors, Jen and Michelle, which helped promote the quality of the content we produced. I also developed several very basic tutorials about SEO writing.

With the experience I gained from my time as a Google Quality Rater, I’ve always ensured that the content produced by the writing team I managed was valuable to users. User intent is so firmly ingrained in my brain that I would never, ever attach myself to any “content” that could be construed as spam or trickery. And that’s not because Google penalizes spam and trickery; that’s because it’s the right thing to do. I want to help make the Web a better place.

I’m now a solo act. I’m available for freelance work. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about my services and introductory rates.

Formerly Known as QualityGal is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

Article writing and blogging are completely different animals. There are some spectacular bloggers who couldn’t write a quality SEO article if their lives depended on it. Likewise, there are many article writers who just aren’t cut out for the world of blogging. It’s a lucky find when you encounter a person who can do both. (It’s your lucky day!)

I’ll tell you why I love to blog. Blogging offers a lot more freedom than article writing. I can let my personality shine through. I can connect with readers and start conversations. And all of those grammatical rules I love so much? I get to break them occasionally for stylistic reasons. (Can you spot where I did it in this paragraph?)

Let me blog for you. If you’ve got a corporate blog that needs someone to help make your business seem less… corporate, why not let me make it more human?  If you’ve got a personal or hobby blog that you just don’t have time to update regularly, let me help you out with some fresh blog posts.

Rates are negotiated on a per-project basis, starting at $100 per blog post. Big companies may ask for $150-$300 per blog post, but they charge the same to large clients and small ones. I’m not going to ask Suzy’s Scrapbooking Blog to pay the same as Giant Monster Corporation Blog. If you need blog posts, make me an offer when you contact me. (Don’t forget to include total number of posts you want, or the frequency of posts you want on a recurring basis.)

Blogging Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

As QualityGal, I didn’t get much opportunity to write articles myself, but writing has always been a passion of mine. I’m a tiny bit OCD, which is good for the research process, as well as for getting everything just right.

Having created SEO writing guides and my own style manual, I have a handle on how to write Web content effectively.  My specialty subjects include health, mental health, children, family, gifts, special occasions, and product reviews, but I am willing to research many other subjects. I may not be the best fit for a highly technical guide to CSS or Perl, but I could write a page that explains what CSS is and what it’s used for.

If you know what content you need, I can write it for you. If you think you need content but don’t know what exactly needs to be written, I can help you figure that out for a nominal consulting fee, and then write it for you.

My rates will vary widely depending on the type of content needed, the amount of research required, and any special requirements. In general, my rates start at $.06-$.07 per word for general Web content requiring basic research. Large SEO companies or content companies will charge you $.14 per word (or more!) for the same work, and not necessarily return the same high quality work that I would. (I know because I’ve helped set company content creation rates!) By going directly to the source (me) you cut out a lot of overhead, and you know that you’re getting a top rate writer, not a 1 in 200 chance that the writer who works on your project has the same high standards as me. You won’t necessarily need to pay a copy editor to double check my work, either, unless you really want to.

Here is a starting point for negotiation, assuming basic research and no special requirements:

• $35 per article for general Web content, up to 500 words. (Less research needed.)
• $75 per article for specialized Web content, 501-1000 words. (More research needed.)
• $50+ per product review, plus product to review. (I won’t write a review without actually testing out the product. Sorry, but that’s the way I roll. Quality and ethics. Rate varies depending on depth of review.)
• Larger or more complex projects negotiable.
• Print media rates also negotiable.

These rates are subject to change based on project scope and non-standard writing requirements. Please contact me for more information.

Article Writing Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

I love and respect the English language. I have a natural eye for spelling and grammar.  They didn’t make me the Editor-in-Chief of my college newspaper the second semester of my freshman year for nothing! (I didn’t get the name QualityGal for nothing, either!)

If you require copyediting services, you won’t find anyone with a more discerning eye for detail. Abuse of the written word makes me cringe. (Except for the occasional I can haz cheezburger.) I’ll make it right because I can’t stand to see mistakes. What types of errors keep me up at night?

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Awkward phrasing
• Capitalization
• A surprising number of things I can’t believe until I see them.

If you have any of these problems, I’m your gal. I’m not editing just to get paid. (Don’t get me wrong, though, I do it for that, too.) I’m editing because bad content makes me cry. I really care that your content is done right.

Wondering about my rates? I’m still not used to flying solo on this after having been corporate. My introductory rates are as follows:

• Starting from $5 per article for general web content, up to 500 words
• Starting from $10 per article for general web content, 501-1,000 words
• Other projects are negotiable

These rates are subject to change based on project scope and non-standard editing requirements. Please contact me for more information.

Editing Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC