What's Up Wednesdays: Internet Edition, Image adapted from Flickr user balleyne

Thank goodness that the Internet is open. After all, it is because of the world wide web that I got into the business of freelance writing in the first place and I’m not entirely sure what I would do without it. And it is with that line of thought that we dive into this Internet-themed speedlink!

We access the web primarily through web browsers on our computers, but not all browsers are made alike. Vance Sova offers a post from a couple months ago that compares Chrome and Firefox, including a video of a conversation we had at Dot Com Pho. The post has over 100 comments to date and continues to spark discussion. Which browser do you use?

I’m glad that I own MichaelKwan.com, just as I’m sure the respective owners of JohnChow.com and StephenFung.com are pretty glad about that. But what do you do when YourName.com is already taken? That’s a question posed and answered by one Zac Johnson on Blogging Tips. Depending on your name, this can be a relatively inexpensive to a very pricey endeavor.

A very common writing tip is to write the way you speak. Taylor Lindstrom disagrees, saying that it is very foolish advice. While it is mostly true that everyone can talk, not everyone can talk well. As such, you should only write the way you talk “if you can speak persuasively, eloquently, and clearly.” Skip the filler and choose your words carefully.

Even with personal blogs, it’s sometimes nice to get a different voice in there from time to time. However, as Damien Riley warns, watch out for unsolicited guest bloggers. It’s typical to trade “free” content for a backlink, but not all of these guest bloggers are being completely honest with you. They might be getting paid to write that content by a third-party advertiser and you’re not going to see a dime of that money.

And finally, the SOPA hearings are set to resume today, as reported by Persian Poetess. SOPA (Stop Online Privacy Act) is a bill that could give corporations and other organizations more power to file complaints of copyright infringement, even when such a violation may not really have taken place. I’ve written about DMCA notifications in the past, but SOPA can take those rules to a whole new level.

Want to be featured in a future speedlink on Beyond the Rhetoric? I do one every Wednesday, so stay tuned to my Twitter for the call-out for submissions.