Ebyline Blog

News & Conversation about Entrepreneurial Journalism

This Week’s Headlines: Facebook IPO, New Publisher at USA Today

by Susan Johnston on May 18 2012

Today marks Facebook’s initial public offering, which is top of mind for many people around the world. But that’s not the only story on our radar this week. See below for a roundup of the media and publishing headlines that recently caught our eye: Facebook IPO Will Be Felt Throughout Social Business Space: With today’s $16 billion IPO for Facebook (the largest IPO in history), other social networking businesses are buzzing about what this means for the industry as a whole. Missouri newspaper pays blogger for copyright claim: All American Blogger Duane… more

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Can a Souped-Up Google Doc Make You a Better Blogger?

by Susan Johnston on May 17 2012

Last week, when a colleague sent me a link to Problogger’s guest post about a must-have blog post topic generation tool, my reaction was a combination of curiosity and skepticism. In the blogger and publisher’s constant quest for fresher, stickier, and more click-worthy content, would the Content Strategy Generator Tool (or CSGT) prove useful? I tested out CSGT, which is essentially a Google spreadsheet with lots of bells and whistles. (Full disclosure: as blog editor, I use a simpler Google Doc to keep track of published topics and keep my colleagues in the… more

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Recap of Freelance Webinar with Michelle Goodman

by Susan Johnston on May 16 2012

Yesterday Ebyline hosted an hour-long freelance webinar for new and prospective members. Director of Content Peter Beller chatted with Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9 to 5 Guide and My So-Called Freelance Life (for more on Michelle, check out our Q & A from earlier this year), about building and maintaining editor relationships. Michelle and Peter discussed the makings of a good editor relationship (among them timely feedback and respect of the writer’s time), strategies for building an editor’s trust and interacting on social media, choosing writing samples to highlight, and… more

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How to Crowdfund a Book on Kickstarter

by Kelly Clay on May 16 2012

Kickstarter is used by a wide range of entrepreneurs looking to design, build, and sell innovative products that require upfront funding. Many of the most popular Kickstarter products to date have been technology related, such as ways to improve the iPad experience with a keyboard, or a watch connects to your smartphone, alerting you of incoming calls, emails, and messages. (Notably, Pebble amassed the most Kickstarter funds ever with over $10 million raised.) Other Kickstarter projects include raising funds for a fashion, music and art project. The application process is easy and… more

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