Following last week’s diversion with what I’ve been writing on the web, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming on Beyond the Rhetoric. Let’s see what the blogosphere has to offer us this week.
First, we start off with Jeffrey Trull who has some advice for all of the freelancers and entrepreneurs in the audience. He has a post that describes how to get health insurance when you are self-employed. Regular folk oftentimes get their health insurance through their employers, but when you are your own boss, things can be quite different. Using brokers and group buys can oftentimes net you the best coverage for the best possible deal.
Next, we have Allyson Bird who explains why she left news for an entirely different kind of writing job. There is definitely a certain kind of excitement and passion that surrounds the world of daily news, but Allyson ultimately decided that it “didn’t seem like a sustainable career path.” Yes, there is an adrenaline that comes with the news that “never stops,” but this also lends itself to burnout “for such little compensation.”
And then we have Tris Hussey who openly talks about his perspective on living with depression. There is still a certain stigma that surrounds this topic, but given how widespread and how devastating depression can be, we need to open up that conversation. Even if things seem like they’re going great and you want to get work done, with depression, you simply can’t.
Turning to the world of blogging, Zac Johnson is laying down the law when it comes to spam comments. While there are anti-spam measures in place like Akismet and comment moderation, Zac is taking it one step further on his site by saying that if you don’t have a picture and a real name, your comment “simply won’t be posted.” Do you think he’s on the money here or has he gone too far?
Finally, you might be wondering why this edition of What’s Up Wednesdays is called “The Secret Revealed.” Well, we have Buzz Bishop to thank for that. He’s been in the radio business for a number of years and now he’s coming forward with the secret to winning radio contests. Do you want those concert tickets or that cash prize? Be prepared to compete with the people who take contests FAR more seriously than you do.
Zac is exactly right. If you can’t comment as yourself, then don’t comment. Too many people hide behind an alias.