We've Moved! We are officially a dot com!

Hi! You're probably wondering why there have not been any posts recently. Well, I've been very busy working on a beautiful, brand new, amazing website. That's right, Loquacious Words, the blog, is now www.loquaciouswords.com. Head over there. Check it out now. It is still not complete. But, being regular readers of my blog, I think you should head over and look at it. Take a look, drop me a mail, let me know what you think.

From now on, all posts will be made on the website alone.

To Justify or Not to Justify? That is the question!

When I initially started writing, every piece of text I wrote was justified. For those who don't know, justification is the practice of aligning text in such a way that it runs for the same length in all the lines. To help you realize the difference, the next paragraph in this post is justified. Justification is beautiful. It makes the text look amazing and gives a true block format to it. Right?

Wrong! If you'd notice, all major websites never have justified text. I learnt that the hard way. Being from a purely academic background, I hadn't the slightest clue. I always thought that justified text looked great. Then I got a chance to write for a great magazine. And I was happy, so very happy. Until, they sent back an extremely angry mail stating that justified text was unacceptable. I then noticed that all well known bloggers never seem to justify their text.

I decided to find out why. While I searched Google for days, trying to understand the logic behind it, I couldn't find any reasons. I then decided to start asking the bloggers themselves. Finally, I decided to write my own post to help people understand why website content is not justified and should not be justified. 

1) While justified text looks beautiful to me, apparently, it doesn't to most people. Surprising, eh? Well, it was for me! On digging a little deeper and asking people around, I realized why. I can understand their viewpoint. According to them, justified text is very formal looking. It makes a website seem overtly academic and hence, unappealing. They say that reading websites should be fun and hence, do not appreciate justified texts.

2) Many people with visual and reading impairments find it very difficult to read justified text. This is because such people usually use text magnifiers, available within internet browsers to help them read. In justified text, there is always uneven space between words. It can also happen that there are only about two words in a single line. Naturally, in such a case people using magnifiers find it extremely difficult. They find it very difficult to maintain the continuity of text due to the very large gaps in between words. This reason is something that really blew me away! Even dyslexics face this issue. Hence, it makes sense to write a website in a fashion that allows a majority of people to read it.

3) Lack of awareness about justification is another common reason. While I can't say that a majority of bloggers were unaware about justification, a few most definitely were. I think this goes to show that people outside of academia really don't like using justification. Since they form the wide majority of website readers, I can't help but conform.

So, as of now, all my text on websites will be non justified! You too, should think about making the change. Any questions or doubts, send me a mail. Do tell me about your views in the comments section.

Applying to Your First oDesk Job with a Great Cover Letter

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

Now that you are armed with a great oDesk profile, a killer portfolio and have located a great client, you need to draft your very first application letter. oDesk is a very tough marketplace. When applying to a job, you need to ensure that your application letter makes you stand out among the crowd. Your letter must fulfill its purpose, i.e. land you the job. While this article's title conveys that it explains how to apply to your first few jobs on oDesk, I believe that these guidelines should be followed when applying to any job on oDesk. The cover letter for any oDesk job must be written in the following way.


While there is no set formula for applying to a job on oDesk, you can follow a few general guidelines to exponentially raise the chances of getting hired. First and foremost, you need to read the job description EXTREMELY carefully. Many times, applicants just rush through the job description and copy paste a boiler plate response for the cover letter. The problem is that hundreds of applicants apply to every job on oDesk and a large majority of them apply using boiler plate responses! Think of it from the prospective client's point of view. The person ends up reading application after application for hours on end. Thus, it is essential to ensure that yours stands out.


Often, many clients include special instructions in their job descriptions, specifically to help weed out poor applicants. They often ask applicants to start their application with a specific word or color or some such thing. This helps them distinguish people who actually read the job post from those who didn't. Many also specifically ask you to include a 100 word write - up. When applying to these jobs, take a special note of these things and be sure to follow them. By not doing this, you automatically convey to the client that you are incapable of following instructions. Needless to say, this is very bad for any professional.


Also, make sure to take your time when applying. Many freelancers tend to try and apply to a ton of jobs in a minimum amount of time. This is rarely a good policy. One of the best things to do is to invest time when applying to a job. Make sure the client you are applying to is a good one and then spend a few minutes when applying. This is very effective to help beat the competition too. Most freelancers from the Philippines and Vietnam believe in quantity over quality. This is not a good policy. To set yourself apart from these hordes, always take your time when you are applying. This helps you avoid overlooking instructions.


One thing that I have always found to be extremely helpful is addressing the cover letter to the reader by name. Of course, most clients don't make their name public on oDesk. This is what makes a cover letter addressed directly to them intriguing. In the very least, they take the time to read your cover letter. There is a simple trick to finding the name of your client: the feedback. That's right, the feedback! A majority of freelancers (myself included) use the clients name when leaving feedback. If you take the time to actually look through the feedback, you can usually locate any client's name. Seasoned clients are aware of this and appreciate the extra effort, instantly earning you points!


You must also make it a point to answer any additional questions the client has included in the application. Many good clients tend t include a few other questions. One of the most common ones is : Do you have any suggestions to help this project run successfully?. Instead of simply answering 'No', you could probable write something to the effect 'It is too early for me to comment. Until I see the project and get a better idea about its working, I'm afraid I don't have any valuable suggestions to offer.' Though the same as the previous answer, it is much nicer to read.


Finally, remember brevity is beauty. What I mean is, most clients have hundreds of applications to sort everyday. They simply do not have the time to read a 1 page essay. You need to say what you have to say within a few lines. However, be sure to cover all the points raised by the client. Don't make it so short that it works against you. Make sure to never repeat. This is for applications with multiple questions. Do not repeat the answer to a particular answer in both your cover letter and question. Simply remove it from the cover letter.

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig! 

Finding a Good oDesk Client

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

Now that you have created a great profile on oDesk, and built up a portfolio, or in the very least, you have developed a good idea about the same, it is time to start hunting for your first job! This is where the excitement begins, it is officially time to test the waters! While finding your first job on oDesk is not easy, you can definitely improve the process by working with a great first client. This is crucial to help you succeed on oDesk. As I have mentioned earlier, oDesk is a very tough marketplace. You need to know what to look for before applying for a job if you don't want to end up stuck writing 500 word articles for 90 cents a pop.

First of all, always look at the job description - read it extremely well. Make sure that you can fulfill the needs of the client. If you think you can, look at the job description a little more analytically. If a client has written a detailed description, in clear English, it is likely that the client is good at communication. This is key for any budding freelancer. If you have an experienced client (more on that later), it is helpful especially since you may not be familiar with the workings of oDesk. This can go a long way in ensuring familiarity with the system and doing your first job well.

Next take a minute to look at the money spent by the client to understand whether the client actually pays regularly or not. If a client has been on oDesk for two years and has spent over 10,000 dollars, you can safely assume that the client is serious about paying his or her freelancers. However, do not be fooled by this alone. Many bad clients too, spend a ton of money on freelancers on oDesk. You need to look at the other features discussed in the article to get a better handle on a good client.

Another important thing to notice on a client's profile is the feedback received by him or her. Good feedback generally means that the client is pleasant to work with. Notice that I said generally and not always. This is because you also need to note the person giving the feedback. If the person giving the feedback is a freelancer with poor language skills and extremely low hourly rates, you may want to rethink applying to the job. This is simply because such freelancers will typically leave good feedback for terrible clients just to ensure that they get hired again. 

The average hourly rate paid by the client is also a great indicator of his or her quality. Note the average hourly rate paid by a client and check if it is anywhere close to the rate you are demanding. If it is so, the client maybe a great match for you. However, during the interview process, you should clarify the amount of work expected from you every hour. One of the worst things about oDesk is that the client is the person controlling the number of hours you are allowed to work every week. Thus, if a client gives you a 2500 word assignment for a week and allots only 1 hour, it defeats the purpose of a good hourly rate.

Finally, be wary of clients offering lucrative hourly jobs, but in the job description, promising volume based payments. What I mean by this is that in order to attract eyeballs, clients may post a 20$ per hour article writing job and then, in the description, state that you will be paid only 5$ per 1000 word article.

This annotated image is an example of a good oDesk client. The annotations explain what makes the client good.

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. I will be blogging more about sending a great application letter. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig! 

Crafting A Great oDesk Portfolio

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

The portfolio on your oDesk profile is an extremely important tool. It is a great way of letting prospective clients find out about the work that you have already completed. While the last post detailed setting your hourly rate, this post focuses on designing an effective portfolio that helps you land some customers. Here I review and attempt to answer a few common queries related to oDesk portfolios.

1) Size: This is extremely important! It is also one of the most commonly asked questions. So, what is the ideal number of samples in an oDesk portfolio? Well, frankly, there is no straightforward answer, but most oDesk employers reveal that they find 11 samples in a portfolio to be perfect. A very common mistake that I have seen some freelancers make is to put up tons of samples. Their philosophy seems to be: if you got it, flaunt it! I'm sorry, but this is a terrible philosophy when it comes to an online portfolio. No employer has the time to thumb through hundreds of samples. Any employer would simply not consider looking at a portfolio chock full of samples. Remember, there is a dearth of employers on oDesk, not freelancers. To maintain a competitive advantage, a good portfolio is essential.

2) Diversity: This is another common tripping point for most freelancers. Sure, you're a content writer for websites, but that does not mean that you upload 10 samples of the same type of content you wrote for different companies. A great idea would be to throw in an interesting mix of a large number of different types of writing done for different clients. A well - crafted, diverse portfolio helps your client see that you can adapt to different kinds of writing styles and create custom content that would be great for him or her. Also, in a diverse portfolio, chances are that the person ends up finding a sample similar to the work you have done. This gives you a HUGE advantage over your competition.

Here is an odesk portfolio sample which is very diverse with image thumbnails. Note how the thumbnails add to the beauty of the portfolio. It's a portfolio a client would want to click on.

3) Image Thumbnails: Many freelancers have absolutely brilliant portfolios, but come up short in the attractiveness of a portfolio. A portfolio must make the client WANT to click on it. Then, and only then, is it truly effective. A client should get an idea of what you could do for him or her. In the end, this is what will entice your client to pick you from among the many options. Adding an image thumbnail is easy, quick and very rewarding. Make it a point to take two minutes to upload them. It is time well spent.

4)  Project Description: Yes, you need to write a project description and NO, YOU CAN'T COPY THE JOB POSTING! A good oDesk portfolio project description is one that is concise, sharp and gets the point across. It should succinctly describe what the project was about and your role in it. Finally, it should tell what value your service added to the project, i.e. whether the goal was achieved or not. 

Example: 

I was a regular writer for a busy nursing website.

I was in charge of coming up with topics, performing keyword research and writing SEO articles.

Traffic to the site increased by 500% once the blog went up!

Here, the author clearly outlines the job in the first sentence, his role in the second and the value he added in the third. Short, crisp, clear and beautiful.

5) Skills Used: Many freelancers leave this section blank. This is a HUGE MISTAKE! This section of the portfolio is a great place to add some more tags and break the typical 10 tag limit imposed by oDesk on you. However, it is important to place only relevant tags. This helps clients searching for freelancers find you on oDesk. Like Google uses keywords, oDesk uses tags.

6) Website Link: Again, many freelancers choose to leave this blank. This is never a good idea. Sure, you may have uploaded a document containing the article you wrote/work you did, but visiting the website makes the client feel at ease. It helps a client realize that the work you claim to have done is real and not made up. Many clients are more amenable to visiting a website than downloading a document.

7) Update: While adding new samples just to fatten your portfolio is not a good idea, it is extremely important to keep updating your portfolio. You have to do this in a smart way. The very first portfolio you make is bound to be a little less impressive. However, it leads to more impressive jobs. Replace your less impressive jobs with these more impressive ones. Keep doing this regularly. It will help you develop a great portfolio. Also, clients like to see new work in a portfolio. It always makes a great impression if a blog post you listed in your portfolio is still generating fresh comments and initiating a high quality of discussions.

Keep these points in mind when designing your portfolio and you're sure to start getting interview calls for some good, well - paying jobs. Two days after I reorganized my portfolio, I got three interview calls, two of whom had personally seen my portfolio and used that as the sole basis for considering me.

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. I will be blogging more about finding a great client. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig! 

Setting Your Hourly Rate On oDesk

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

So now, after my last post, you've settled on a useful title for your oDesk profile and managed to write a good overview. The next hurdle you face is a fair hourly rate. This is one of the most challenging aspects of your profile. It takes a lot of thinking to come up with an appropriate hourly rate. You are bound to worry about it being too high or too low. 

A major worry expressed by most users is that they will be unable to compete with the profile of the Philippines based freelancer with an hourly rate of 5$.  While an understandable concern, it is one you should put out of your mind! You need to understand that the clients who hire freelancers willing to work for such low prices are unlikely to have a very high quality of requirements. These are not the clients you want to go after anyway, so don't worry. 

First off, there is simply no industry standard to determine how much you're worth. I know, this most definitely sucks, but, it is an unfortunate fact that you need to make peace with. However, this does not mean that you have to set an arbitrary rate. You need to consider a variety of things when you do choose to set your rate. One of the most important things is your skill level. This is even more important when you start out. If you want to work as a writer on oDesk and hold a college degree in creative writing, you are a league ahead of all your competitors. Your rate automatically goes up!

If you do not have a college degree in the field you want to freelance in, don't despair. That is the beauty of freelancing, even a person with absolutely zero certifications can end up earning more that a person with a PhD. But, you need to be practical. If you don't have a college degree in the field and are brand new to the website, with no real portfolio, you cannot charge a 100$ an hour!  No one will hire you. What you can do, is  start at a lower rate and work your way up. This way as you build up your experience, you get great portfolio samples, good ratings and can start commanding a higher rate.

One more thing that is extremely important in deciding your rate is your work experience as an industry professional in that field. While not everyone will have such experience to back them up, those that do, can easily use it to command higher rates.  An experience in the industry signifies that you are good at what you do, and most importantly, are familiar with the corporate atmosphere. Considering the fact that a majority of clients who hire on oDesk are themselves either small companies or employees of large corporations, this really adds to your value. 

One thing that many freelancers overlook is their location. If you are located in a native English speaking country like the USA, Canada, UK or Australia, you can automatically charge a higher hourly rate. This is one of the key features that gives you the edge over your lower priced Filipino counterpart. oDesk is a global marketplace and English is its lingua franca. Being a native English speaker is a skill unto itself. Use it!

In the end, keep updating your hourly rate as you gain more skills and experience. This is key to maintaining a fair competitive rate. If you're worried about repeat clients not hiring you, don't be - if they're happy enough with your work to want to rehire you, they won't have a problem paying a few dollars more to work with you. Always remember, don't sell yourself short, but at the same time, don't overcharge. 

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. I will be blogging more about setting up a portfolio. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig! 

Making The Perfect oDesk Profile

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

Now that you've read my last post and understood the major problems persisting on oDesk, we can work towards solving them. Well not in the literal sense, but we can definitely work towards alleviating their ill effect - you not landing a good job. The very first thing that you must do to ensure you get a good job is make a killer profile! This is absolutely necessary. On oDesk, when applying to a job, you don't actually send over a resume to your client when applying. All he sees is your profile. If your profile is not strong, you are at a huge loss. Also, when clients search for candidates to employ, they only glance through the profile. If your profile stands out, and in a good way, you are bound to get more than a few interview offers.

The first and foremost thing with regards to your profile is the title. It is also one of the most difficult to write correctly. For this, you need to think for a while. Choose the few words that best describe the services you provide. Do not overload this area with a ton of things. Remember, you don't want to appear like a jack of all trades, master of none. It is much better to clearly advertise what you are best at. Sure, there maybe allied services along with your primary skill that you might be great at, but this is not the place for them. I have actually come across the title below: 

SENIOR DEVELOPER heaving following skills:

PSD->WordPress/Shopify/Magento Developer.


PHP/HTML/CSS/JQuery/Javascript , My main Weapons in which i work :)

This is copied verbatim. Aside from the blunders in English, you know what's really wrong about this title? Well, everything! It's not a title at all. The freelancer could have written the same thing in the overview. That would have been the perfect place for it. When you write a title, it must be very clear and very, very concise. Effective titles like Content Writer, Blog Manager, etc., are great. On the other hand, adding experienced or senior to your title does not add to it, in fact, in my personal opinion, it only detracts from your title's overall quality.

If you do want to stress that you are that good, add something like Top 10% on oDesk, Top 1% on oDesk, but HAVE THE TESTS TO BACK IT UP! If you do not do that, then saying so is very bad practice. In fact, it is sure to reduce your chances of getting hired. Also, it is good practice to include the exact tests in which you are in the top 10% in your overview. Sure, your clients can always see the tests themselves, but they would really prefer to not have to make the extra effort. Everybody is happier having to do lesser work.

Apart from the title, another major part of your application is the overview. Writing the overview effectively is of the utmost importance. While the title convinces the client to open your profile, the overview sells you to the client. A good overview equals an interview, and hopefully, a job. When you write your overview, remember that it is an overview and not your entire biography. Keep it short, to the point and flaunt your qualifications and achievements. When I say flaunt your achievements, I don't mean literally flaunt everything, if you rescued a cat, good for you, NO ONE ON oDESK WANTS TO KNOW! The reason I stress this so is because I have actually come across such a description! Keep it relevant, short, sweet and simple. The employer has to got through hundreds of profiles. If yours takes him an hour to read, he is simply going to move on.

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. I will be blogging more about setting your pay and designing a portfolio. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig!