One of the things about being self-employed, especially in the field of publishing where there are lots of other freelancers from whom I need to distinguish myself, is that I need to build an online presence. This is, admittedly, not one of my favourite aspects of the job. A lot of people I know are in similar situations, and have a hard time talking themselves up or selling themselves, either online or in person. I would argue that, in this Internet age, there are many more resources available for you to promote yourself and your business; on the other hand, it is much more difficult to stand out in the sea of competitors. I thought I would put together a few resources and tips to help you start to improve your online presence.

Well, it’s been an awfully long time since I have posted anything on this blog. Life has gotten in the way and I am trying to change that and make more time for my business, since it is of course my livelihood. So I am going to attempt to blog a couple of times a week here, and hopefully I can find a way to bring you some interesting news, along with insight into the editorial and writing processes, and perhaps some fun things as well. So, here goes…

I know that when everyone started using email, many people worried that we would lose our language, as people started to use abbreviations and emoticons. By and large, however, if you are using email for business purposes you know that you need to make sure that your spelling is correct and you are using proper grammar. After all, your emails send a message to your clients, and you want that message to be professional.  But what about social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter? Many small businesses are using these sites to help get the word out about their services, and they need to be careful to make a good impression to their customers. Here are a couple of quick tips to think about if you are planning on using these websites to promote yourself.