I usually try to stay pretty mature about things, but when I saw this commercial on TV, I just couldn’t believe it. I thought it was some sort of spoof as a promo for Saturday Night Live or Mad TV, but this is 100% real. And that’s the final thought I want you to have as you head into the beautiful long weekend.

Although this question has been asked in regards to creating a blog, the same question can be asked of anyone who is interested in pursuing a freelance writing career. There are many differing schools of thought on the matter, but what I find is that you will eventually find yourself gravitating toward a certain niche, even if you never intended to do so from the beginning.

I know that’s exactly what happened with me. When I first embarked on this entrepreneurial journey, I was pretty much prepared to take on any freelance writing jobs that I could get. I would hit up Craigslist on a daily basis, try to filter out the junk, and fire off a bunch of emails to see if companies would be interested in my freelance writing services.

The bulk of my attention would lie in writing for websites, but there were a few magazines and other publications that I tried contacting as well. I didn’t have much of a professional portfolio at the time, so I would offer my services to nearly anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, not many of them listened. I even offered to write for free in exchange for some “exposure”, but without a proper portfolio of work and a series of satisfied customers, they weren’t prepared to take a chance on me. They’d probably be happy to take me on now, though.

My first real gig was with Mobile Magazine, with which I continue to work to this day. Mobile Magazine covers all sorts of fun technology, ranging from cell phones and PDAs to electric cars and iPod speaker docks. Because of the research that I do for the site, I’m naturally in touch with what’s happening in the world of gadgetry. I followed the development of the Apple iPhone, for example, long before the public even knew of its existence. Sometimes I get to review some of this stuff too.

Although I never planned on zoning in as a technologically-inclined pro blogger, that’s kind of where I find my freelance writing career today. In addition to MobileMag, I also write for The TechZone, Think Computers, and BlueFur Web Hosting. In my work with LoveToKnow, I’ve come to focus in on video games and cell phones, and I think that is largely because they see me as an expert in those areas.

There are clearly pros and cons to falling into a niche like computers, marketing, or sports. On the one hand, people will start to see you as an expert in that particular field and they’ll be willing to pay you a premium for your work. They know that you have a certain level of knowledge in the area, so you won’t have to do as much research. They can have some assurance that you’re not talking out of your rear end, because you know your stuff. On the other hand, by being billed as a tech writer, a sports writer, or an entertainment writer, you will have a much more difficult time getting freelance writing jobs in other areas. If your customer sees you as a car guy, it’s unlikely he’ll want you to produce something on fine French cuisine.

That said, if you decide to be a freelance writer for the masses, taking on any project under the sun regardless of subject material, there is a possibility that you’ll spread your knowledge base too thin. In effect, as cliche as it sounds, you can become a jack of all trades (or a writer of all topics, as the case may be) and a master of none. I have also experienced this side of things, because I’ve done some strange SEO articles on topics like music and tattoos. In fact, I wrote 700 word articles on both Nicole Richie’s and Angelina Jolie’s tattoos. Apparently, those are popular search terms.

Honestly, I don’t think you really need to make a conscious decision as to whether you should gear your freelance writing career in one particular direction or you should tackle a variety of topics. You don’t need to choose between picking a niche or taking it all on. Be like me and do both. Accept projects that interest you (and pay well), while respectfully declining topics that you either don’t want to write about.

If an interesting proposition arises that is outside of your niche, don’t cast it aside immediately. There may be some great value for you there, because the research aspect can become a secondary benefit. You’ll end up learning about things that you probably wouldn’t read about on your own. Like Angelina Jolie’s tattoos.

I knew that the Nintendo DS Lite was popular, but I never knew that its popularity has become the species divide! I’m guessing that this kitty would be more interested in, say, Contra 4 DS than Nintendogs. Which makes me wonder… what would it take to get Roy the bunny interested in video games? That’d be some pretty advanced hypnosis.

Extra brownie points to anyone who can identify the game in the picture.

I guess I got a little caught up with the new Vancouver Canucks jersey yesterday that I didn’t have the time to take another whirlwind tour of the blogosphere to help cure the mid-week blahs. Don’t worry, I’ll spread some link love around today in lieu. And that’s in addition to the free linkbacks I’m giving out already.

Bob Buskirk has been logging his hours in an effort to stay on track and stay motivated. After one week’s worth of this experiment, Bob has discovered that he has a 20 hour work week. His longest day — Tuesday — was four hours and fifteen minutes. Ah, that’s much better than a 9-to-5, ain’t it?

Contest Blogger has seen a huge rise in the popularity of blog contests since he started up his little spot on the interwebs, but Phil is warning us that blog raffles are totally illegal. You can have blog contests, but you cannot sell raffle tickets. It’s the same as running an illegal lottery (i.e., gambling).

Matt Freedman is about as excited over the Google Phone as everyone else, especially considering that an HTC insider has now confirmed that the company is indeed working on a piece of hardware for Google. Matt offers his Google Phone predictions, expecting such things as a touchscreen, a virtual keyboard, a full HTML/Javascript browser, WiFi, and automatic syncing of contacts with Gmail.

Cash Quests (are you really Kumiko Suzuki?) sent me an email the other day. It reads:

If you wish, you can offer a 10% discount on CashQuests.com reviews to Beyond The Rhetoric readers. They just have to mention your site when they request the review.

Sweet, 10% off. She does some pretty great reviews and with nearly 700 RSS subscribers, Cash Quests offers some good exposure too.

Four (or Five!) Reasons Why tells us why urban densification is good. I’ve lived in Vancouver my entire life and this city has really changed in the last 20+ years. There’s more people, more diversity, and more culture! Any small town people want to argue the opposite, citing why urban densification could be bad?

Michelle from Bloggrrl.com wants to offer some tips for success. She wants us to head out there with our creative juices flowing and business savvy in full swing, but she doesn’t want us to emulate Donald Trump or Bill Gates. Instead, Michelle encourages you to think like a gangster. Show respect, represent yourself, and well, you’ve got to read her post to get all 10 tips.

So that’s what’s up… yo.

After months of speculation and random rumors floating about on the interwebs, the Vancouver Canucks unveiled their new jersey about a half hour ago at GM Place.

They’re keeping the same color scheme as the vintage jersey they used last year, but the upward-turned hockey stick has been replaced by a slightly re-styled “birthing orca” that is mostly black and white. The word “Vancouver” is emblazoned across the collarbone of the new NHL jersey.

I personally don’t like it. The vintage color scheme looks great, but the juxtaposition with the more “modern” orca logo just doesn’t look right. It doesn’t mesh very well and the “Vancouver” across the chest is absolutely hideous. As a whole, the new Vancouver Canucks jersey looks amatuer-ish and cheap. It’s like it’s for the minors or a children’s league, or something. If they wanted to keep the vintage color scheme — which was a good idea — they should have ditched the fat whale.

What’s your take? Do you like it? Hate it? Indifferent?

Photo credit: CanucksAndBeyond.com

UPDATE: The Canucks website has just been updated with the new team colors. There’s a lot of blue, green, and white.

UPDATE 2: Here’s what the away version (white) looks like:

UPDATE 3: The Canucks — official statement here — have posted up some official hi-res photos. One, Two, and Three.

While it would be great if I could have a business that effectively ran itself, funding my lifestyle with a never-ending supply of passive income, that’s not exactly how my freelance writing career works.

I’m a pretty integral part of the process, because only I can write the content that I’m selling (unless I deceive my customers and outsource to India or something). There are many myths or misconceptions about freelance writing, but I don’t have room to talk about them all. Instead, here are just five.

1. You Work When You Want To.

Some people embark on their own entrepreneurial ventures to escape from the 9-to-5. I know that when I started out, I loved the notion that I didn’t have to wake up at a set hour. I loved the idea that if I wanted to take a 15 minute breather, I could do that. The problem with this thinking is that it is not entirely true. You can’t just work when you want to, because given the option, most people would choose to never work. I know I would. I’d rather be sipping on an umbrella drink in Tahiti, than pumping out a blog post on Internet marketing. As a freelance writer, you’ll still need to work. The key advantage is not that you only work when you want to; it’s that you have more flexibility as to when you’ll put in that 40 hours (or more) each week.

2. You Will Suffer From a Lack of Stable Income.

This depends largely on what kind of freelance writer you want to be. Speaking for myself, I rely heavily on repeat business, establishing a relationship with a company and continually producing material for them on a month-to-month basis. As such, it’s almost like having multiple full-time jobs, because I can expect to get work from them each and every month. This has been the case with Mobile Magazine as well as for John Chow, among others. You can achieve a stable income as a freelance writer, but if you’re constantly on the prowl for one-time projects, then yes, your monthly income can be pretty unstable.

3. There’s No Money In It.

Being a freelance writer (or a pro blogger for that matter) is often not recognized as a valued skill. It’s not the same as being an accountant, doctor, or lawyer, because people go to school specifically to learn the things they need to know to fulfill their responsibilities. You cannot get a degree in freelance writer (to my knowledge). Taking all of these thoughts together, the general public seems to have a notion that you can’t make a decent, sustainable living as a freelance writer. I’m not going to disclose how much I make, but Chris Bibey did. Check it out. I’d say he’s doing pretty well.

4. Anyone Can Do It.

This sort of goes hand in hand with point number three. There’s more to freelance writing than just having good grammar and impeccable spelling. Most people think that there’s nothing to it, because anyone can write. The critical difference is whether you can write well and under severe deadlines. It takes discipline, creativity, and the ability to take on the right “voice.” Everyone can try to be a freelance writer, but not everyone can actually become a successful one. And this is not my ego talking.

5. Being Your Own Boss is Great.

I’ve had some great bosses, but I’ve had some nincompoops for managers too. As strange as it may sound though, I feel that I am my own worst boss and I’ll tell you why. There is no one on this planet who is harder on me than myself. I can’t help but compare myself to others and develop goals that depress me. Yes, I enjoy setting my own hours, but because I work from home, there is a constant struggle to find an appropriate life-work balance. When you are your own boss, there is no guaranteed paycheque every second Friday. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid, and many first-time entrepreneurs will have a hard time with this. All this said, I may be my own worst boss, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Any other work-at-home entrepreneurs want to chime in with their comments on the matter? Any myths that you want to debunk?