Canid Comment - They Keep Going and Going - Articles You Love That Go Way Back

 

Wow, look at this the blog still going strong in 2023.  That is so nice and awesome to see.  Some people tend to go meh about blogs, but let's stop and take a look here for a moment and consider that this blog has been around since 2009, though I generally state 2010 as the year the blog was created.  2009 was a short year for the blog.  Since that time, 129 posts have been added since the start date.  Averaged out over 13 years, that is 10 posts per year or 1 per month, which is not exactly accurate.  In 2018 only one post was added, the lowest number ever, and in 2022 49 were.  The consistency does need a little work.  

Much of that has to do with finding people to interview or things to talk about here on the blog, and there have been years where life events altered things so much that I just could not add content here.  So the fact that Candid Conversations has done so well is impressive to me. And you, the reader, are a large part of that success.  The data shows that the blog has 25K total unique visits, according to stat counter.  Blogger combines unique visits with pages viewed up to 51K.  618 over the period that is how many people returned to read this blog.  So which posts have the most significant number of all-time visits since the creation of the blog?  Ah ha, well, I have the list right here.  Let's dive in.

1. The interview with the most views is about Sports Betting with Robert Ferringo.  The post date is April 9, 2012.  For 13 years, this interview has been getting read. In the last year alone, 119 views, according to Blogger.  The links are still working, so you can still visit the site. As for Robert, I do not know if he is still with the firm, but I may reach out and ask him back for another interview.  Note that the information in the post may be somewhat dated, but much of the advice is good.  Remember that this post is not an endorsement of the site or gambling.  

2. Becca Kidwell joined me in a Candid Conversation in November 2015.  The interview had to do with Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.  The hook, it was being done at the time in a jazz style.  I thought this was interesting, so I caught up with Becca and did this interview.  It's still a good read, with 69 views for the last 12 months.  Though the last time it was read was in Feb of this year.  Yes, all the links still work.  This artist is a shoe in for another interview request as they are still active today.

3. Look at this interview. Wow, I am still seeing reads on it.  Published in August 2015.  Mae West was the subject of the conversation.  LindaAnn Loschiavo, the playwright, spoke with me about her, what she did, and how her legacy is remembered.  I think every young man of the day and, who knows, maybe some of today's generation may find this story and Mae West interesting in more ways than one.  It's interesting to see that this post still has people reading it.  Ah, but she got beat out by one view.  Sorry, LindaAnn.  By the way, there is a second posted interview with LindaAnn.  Check it out as well as the main, and yes, I will see about a 3rd interview with her.

4. The next post on the list is the 1 Million Pixels Project.  Sorry to say, but this post has links that are no longer active, but the story behind selling pixels for a dollar was interesting at the time.  I never bought one.  The post date for this interview is March 13, 2012.

5. The number of views drops significantly from her on.  The threshold for this list is 10 or more views in a year, and with 20 views is an interview with a flea circus ringmaster.  Walt Noon, an inventor, amongst other things, runs flea circuses. I thought that was odd, but I appreciated his work after the interview.  October 1st, 2011, is the date this post was added to the blog.  Another posting with 20 views is also one of my favorites of all time.  Chris Roberts discussed self-defense techniques with me.  I am going to reach out to him again because I think he is interesting, and also, with the way the pandemic affected people, his course may be one of the most important ones you can take.  The posting date is June 8, 2012 

6. This is a bizarre and maybe creepy entry, posted in 2011 the interview got very few views.  During the height of the pandemic that changed.  Robert Barrows interview about video grave markers garnered 1.4K views.  This post got 13 views this going 12 months back.  And yes his site that has the video grave marker is still there.  I am hearing the Twilight Theme as I write LOL.

It goes without saying that there continues to be a lot of engagement here on the site.  Some other real cool interviews here include.  Peter Anthony Holder, discussing his show the Stuph File, Lucas Furst and his interview about the Sushi Popper and Christopher Roberts in his first interview about a program to help students at Troy University exercise while they study.

Take a look at these posts and let me know what you think of them.  Thanks for continuing the journey with me.  The blog is doing great and I am looking forward to more interesting conversations with people via a written and now my new Zoomed in feature on YouTube.  Thanks for reading and viewing the videos.  See you in the next one.

C. T.

Candid Comment - Freelancing

Freelancing, ever done it? I do, or at least I try to do it. Freelancing is a great way to learn how to run a small business. It's also a good model for deciding what you want to do in your business or a particular line of work. However, you should not be fooled into thinking that the freelancing world is a super-way to earn fast cash. Competition is stiff, and getting a good paying customer long or short-term is very challenging. Frankly speaking, I have only ever had one customer that did repeat business with me. That was back in 2011ish.  

You should know that when you dive into this world, you are driving into a fish tank, not an ocean of sellers and buyers.   Everyone is looking for each other. One group looking for the cheapest deal, and the other trying to get as many orders as possible. Some are really great at doing this work, others not so much. And you have to be aware that there are others out there looking to make a fast buck with fake accounts and jobs. So it pays to keep your focus and educate yourself on what the benefits and risks are when it comes to working as a freelancer. So what are the benefits and risks? Let's take a look.

1. You work at your own pace. You are in charge, and the hours you set can be fixed or flexible. Because you can decide when you work, you can have a more balanced life.

2. While you can set your hours to a fixed time, a lot of the work comes from people in different parts of the world, and that means you may need to meet deadlines outside of your regular schedule.  

3. You can charge what you want for the services you offer.  The flip side or con is that if you set too high, no one will look at your offerings; too low, and you won't make a decent amount of money.  

4. You can choose who you do business with, which is excellent.  You may find someone that you work really well with.  This said you want to ensure you do not get too cozy with your client.  Familiarity can breed contempt; some customers are dictatorial and may make demands or try running your business via remote control. In short, handle the business. Do not let the business handle you. You must always be in control of what you are doing while still providing service and building a solid relationship for your personal brand.  

Besides these things, you need to be aware of tax rules, know that you have to pay for your own expenses, and if you take time off, you don't make money. You may have to find a regular full or part-time job to supplement your freelancing work. You may have to do work that provides you with a continuous income in an automated fashion.  A webstore or YouTube channel can help, but you really have to research that too. The bottom line is that you must do some leg work before diving into freelancing.  Research, research, research.  It's all about knowing what people want, where to find the people, and how to manage time and the work.  

I hope you found this article interesting. Please feel free to comment and share this article.  I hope you have a successful run if you decide to try freelancing.  It is a lot of work.  But it is also fascinating and fun to do.  You can learn new skills and earn money at the same time and get a feel for what it is like to run a business.  See you in the next article.

C. T.