Month: October 2009

Is Twitter Down?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Twitter has apparently been down since about 04:53:18 US Eastern Time, and it’s amazing how riled people can get about a FREE service being down.

Some people are calling their service providers to make sure that Twitter hasn’t been inadvertently blocked! Hey, I love Twitter, but I’m not ready to deal with an hour on tech support with my Internet provider, until I’m sure it’s not a Twitter problem first.

In any case, if anyone still thinks that Twitter can be ignored, I’d think again.

The search term “is twitter down” has rocketed to the 21st most popular google search in last few hours.

So, if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, you may want to come see what all the fuss is about. Follow us at @writers4hire. I’m not as big a junkie as some, but I do have to admit, it’s kind of a bummer twitter is down. 🙁

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Update: Twitter is back up! But not before “twitter down” made it to #17 on the most searched for topics on Google. Wowsers…

 

How to Write 50,000 Words in 30 Days, Make New Friends, and Squash Writer’s Block

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.
Image via Wikipedia

Dust off your laptops, start doing some preliminary research, and clear your schedule for November: The beginning of next month marks the 10th anniversary of National Novel Writing Month.

Here’s the deal. Anyone can participate (you just need to register on the NaNoWriMo site). Writing begins Novembers 1st and ends November 30th at midnight. The one and only goal for participants: to write a 50,000 word Continue reading “How to Write 50,000 Words in 30 Days, Make New Friends, and Squash Writer’s Block”

How Releasing Your Copyright = Free Marketing

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Every time we write, draw, paint, photograph, sketch, etc. something, we want to claim it as ours. Shout it from the rooftops, let everyone know: This is mine. I did this.

Copyright has always been the legal protection for writers, artists, thinkers, developers, photographers, etc., to protect their ideas from being stolen and reproduced. Now introduce the Internet. Suddenly, the established rules of copyright are flying out the window.

Why copyright doesn’t work on the Internet:

Blogs. Social Media. Wikipedia. Do these things ring a bell? The Internet brings together a bunch of different people, and they’re all there to do one thing: share information. (Ok, you can order a pizza and pay your electricity bill online too, but just humor me). And they can’t share that information if Continue reading “How Releasing Your Copyright = Free Marketing”

Starbucks’ New Instant Coffee Ad: Love it or Hate it?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

In an earlier blog post, I cautioned against ad campaigns that were too trendy or topical, but Starbucks’ new “Via” TV ad is an edgy, hilarious example of why it’s sometimes okay to buck convention. In addition to promoting their new instant coffee, Starbucks takes on a touchy (and waaaay timely) subject: town hall meetings.

If you haven’t seen it, you can check it out here.

Personally, I love it. I think Starbucks took a bit of a risk, and I think they struck the right balance of social criticism and goofy humor. Unsurprisingly, I’ve also seen some negative buzz from viewers who didn’t see it that way: Some feel that by spoofing modern political discourse, the coffee retailer went too far.

What do you think? Did Starbucks cross a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Or is this a great example of edgy, up-to-the-minute advertising?

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