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That's funny, since I find IE trickier when it comes to bookmarks.

I just find Firefox simpler. Since the first one I used was Netscape, and then I went to "plain old Mozilla", they all seemed similar. I suppose I never got used to Internet Explorer.

There's probably some psychological thing that makes people prefer the one they used first.

New copywriters can usually use some resources. Seasoned writers can sometimes use some brushing up. Everyone else often just appreciates learning about new resources.

Does anyone have recommended sites, books, or other resources for copywriters at all levels?

I don't disagree with that.

I do know that there are people - like me - who are more likely to look at something that has a certain look to it than something that looks trashy and "add-y" looking.

A couple of weeks ago I got a tiny sample of cat food, but it was packaged in a box that looked like it was a Christening gift, complete with fancy looking inserts, fancy packaging of the sample, and a picture of a white satin ribbon. I can't tell you how long I looked over that whole package. Suddenly, it occurred to me, "Hey - you see what it is. Its a little package of cat food that you aren't going to give your cat anyway, and a couple for more." Finally, I stopped studying the impressive package.

Someone at that cat food company sure knows their advertising, writing, and marketing,

At this point (Jan 23) Obama seems to be doing well for himself (although Hillary is doing well too).

A big day for Republicans will be the Florida primary. For some reason (based on nothing but instinct, and maybe not even good instinct), I kind of think McCain will surprise a lot more people. I still think if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama are the nominee a Republican will get in - no matter how sick of them so many people may be.

I got used to using Mozilla on a different computer, because no matter how often I tried to re-download Internet Explorer it kept having an error in it (and saying, "There's an error. Run on page anyway?") Then, though, the world outgrew the version of Mozilla I had; so I ended up using IE more and more.

New computer . Now I have both again, but I find I'm not really using the Explorer. I find bookmarking and a lot of other things just a bigger deal on IE. Maybe its because I never bothered to learn it very well. Once in a while, though, there's still the site that says its configured to IE - so you have to leave it on your computer for that reason.

I know my ignorance will be showing here, but how difficult is that to do?

Also, do you (or anyone else on here) have any ideas whether there would be serious disadvantages or great advantages to someone's doing that?

Here's the age-old question: In your opinion, as someone who works at an agency, what makes a CV appear mundane? Many human resource experts advise that things should concise and clean and not in "fancy" colors. When people stick with that advice, though, I'd think they tend to produce mundane-looking CV's.

Do you have recommendations about, say, paper, fonts, packaging of samples, etc.?

Excellent (busy super-busy). I wish I could say the same thing. I do know someone who just took a job on the basis that he'd be available for 60 hours a week, but generally that's not the majority of people I know. Oh well, I suppose having time to "rest" isn't such a bad thing.

CV's are more universal, but resumes are generally what people in the US look for.

CV's, though, offer more information.

Does anyone choose to use a CV because it offers the chance to offer more in-depth information? I tend to favor the CV. Opinions?

People I know seem to be noticing higher rates of slow-downs at companies where they work. I seem to be noticing a little bit of slow-down in projects as well (not just from client). It just seems like things are slowing everywhere and for everyone.

Has anyone else noticed this - or am I just traveling in the wrong circles? I know that recently there has been talk of a recession, and I'm wondering if it has taken hold more than we tend to think it has.

(or is it just post-Christmas slump?) (and how the heck long is "post-Christmas" supposed to last?)

I recently began using Vista. I had heard (seen online) people talking about problems with it, so I mentioned it to a couple of software engineer/design types. Both said the same thing - that most problems with Vista happen when people try to upgrade to it, rather than with Vista that has come on a new machine.

What concerns me is the person who's looking for far more than I think would be generally considered acceptable. That places the writer in the position of having to do what the person asks, explain why its better not to do what the person asks, and/or trying to put fewer than the client wants. None of those options looks great to the client, but as a writer, I don't want to be turning out unacceptable stuff or stuff that will be deemed as trying to beat search engines.

They caught my eye because they do have writing, although I've now noticed that they have far fewer IT people per job than they do writers.

Santa Clause brought me a new computer, so downloading ODesk Team was effortless and fast. I posted my whole profile (which took - like - a whole day, it seems), and I took a few of their tests (English - passed really, really, well; technical writing, passed ok enough, and some other tests).

Last week I spent quite a bit of time applying for writing jobs, because I have experience. They say it takes an average of 10 applications before you get a job. I applied for 15, and so far about 8 have sent "reject" e.mails.

I thought they may be an easy way to find work between projects. I often have intervals between projects, so I'd like to fill in those spaces. So far, my best sources of projects is still very much people I already know who have more work.

For US "providers" ODesk has people sign up for a Payoneer debit card. The card shows up quickly, and if ODesk ever ends up paying me it will go onto that Payoneer card. I thought it was kind of odd, but you can always take the money out of the Payoneer account and put it in a regular bank account.

I'm way, way, way older than 18; but it was just last week that I realized something: I have writing I do because its work (which I already had realized) and writing I do for me (which is my "escape-from-day-to-day-work" writing). What I realized - and thought I'd share - is that when I'm writing for my own purposes I don't even care if anyone ever reads it. That never occurred to me before.

I realized it was like that thing, "If a tree falls in the woods, and nobody is there to hear it fall, did it make a sound?"

I know not caring who reads my stuff (if anyone) is strange, but I've realized its the putting together of the "building blocks" of the piece that I enjoy, more than thinking about anyone reading it.

I wonder if everyone has "a book in them".

A couple of weeks ago I got really sick of working my head off, so I took a break and did a little something on one of the books. At this rate it will be finished by 2025 - give or take a few years.

I may be the last person on Earth, but I never read blogs.

If I'm looking for non-fiction type stuff I look for a "legitimate" site (with lots of credentials and a solid reputation). I know there are supposed to good blogs out there, but I head for professional material. You'd think I would have more understanding of writers of blogs (in view of the fact that I write all kinds of stuff, although none of it is on a blog). I know there are decent blogs and junk blogs, but I don't want to worry about which is which.

From what I understand, Triond doesn't want the material published anywhere else for at least one year, possibly longer.

Someone recently told me that Associated Content will no longer pay upfront for non-exclusive articles and want people to sell exclusive rights for upfront payment.

I don't think you need to hire someone to set up a website for you. You can get one cheap from someone like GoDaddy or Yahoo, and the set up is easy.

There's a site, HubPages, where writers put together whole hubs, with articles, news, advertising, pictures - whatever they want. They are a passive-income-type of site.

I've just gotten used to saving as the older version file, because when I've saved it as 2007 I've noticed it isn't compatible with a whole lot of other people's/company's systems. It was kind of de-motivating for me, because before I got a newer machine I was running into browser compatibility problems frequently. I got the new machine, and now I'm the one who has outgrown "The World".

I guess we are not supposed to be in sync with "The World". That would make life too easy.

If you're earning a living freelance copywriting (or close to it), do you have recommendations for the percentage of time that needs to be spend marketing services? (I know people can be in the situation where they get a few clients who just keep coming back, so I'm talking about the person who does not have those first few clients).

If you're earning your living through freelance copywriting (consistently - not "a living some of the time"):

Do you have suggestions for the person who would like to do the same thing? For example, do you have "Step 1, Step 2..." type of recommendation?

The time-keeping/desktop-watching software ("Oteam desk") is giving me problems with my computer. I've tried installing it over and over again, and I'm having problems. It sort of works - sort of doesn't. Now, I thought I had uninstalled it all again (with the idea of later re-installing it after I ask a few question), but it turns out I'm still seeing the occasional rogue "O" file show up, disappear again, etc.

Until I get that software working correctly I can't even think about applying for any of their jobs.

Their pay system is a little odd. They have you sign up for the Payoneer/Odesk debit card. It costs 10.00 if you activate the card (which, if you don't get work you don't have to). After that Payoneer has a little service charge when there's a balance on the card. Its similar to checking account service fees.

I've got my account, profile, and Odesk debit card. Now I just have to figure out their software. I just haven't had time, though. I'm not even sure I need to hunt down all that much more work. I was just looking for some "contingency work" if things get too slow for me.

Family time together can be just as "Normal Rockwell" even without eating turkey.

The vegetarian Thanksgiving feast is, I think, a much nicer way to think about how thankful we are.

Not to add a negative tone to everone else's Thanksgiving thoughts. Its just that some of us, who have a hard time dealing with all the talk all those weeks leading up to the holiday, can sometimes feel a little freer speaking our minds once everyone's holiday is over and the topic is more of an "academic" one.

These days the world is so full of people who were raised using keyboards from the time they were three there's an awful lot of high-speed pecking that goes on with these "untrained" typists.

I learned the conventional way because I wanted to know if I dropped out of college I'd be able to get an office job. (Pessimistic of me, I know, but also sensible in its own way).

We were always told if people didn't learn the "right" way they would be limited in the ceiling of how fast they'd ever be able type with accuracy. I'm not sure that's true, although I'm also not sure I've ever really seen anyone typing 90 word a minute using the peck method.

I would think the only real drawback to not learning the conventional way would be if you were to apply for office jobs. I don't know what they look for in speed, but I know the average administrative person types more along the lines of 65 to 100 words a minute with accuracy. I think jobs that are looking for "light typing skills" may be fine for the person with 45 wpm.

There is one thing worth noting, though: I've used my typing skills to aid me with writing. In school they got us up to 65 words a minute, and over time I got my speed pretty fast. I'm someone with a kind of "right-handed brain" but who writes with my left hands in spite of that. There's almost a short-circuit type of thing, and if I had to write by hand (and couldn't type as fast as I do) I could never, ever, write with the ease with which I can write.

Fast typing allows a person to type almost as fast as s/he thinks. It eliminates interruptions in the thought process and makes writing just about as natural as having a speaking conversation. Even when hands can't keep up with the thoughts completely, because the hands "know" how to "remember" the most recent words, the writer can move on to the next thought even if the hands remain slightly behind.

I know one thing: If I had not learned to type (and then kept up typing to the point where I built more speed) I would not having the ability to produce the writing that I do (to whatever extent its good or not good writing). Over the years I've come to think of myself as a super-high-speed producer of writing. When it comes down to it, that's never been a matter of how quickly I can come up with the ideas. It has been a matter of being able to get them down quicky - rather than let them get "less fresh" as the plodding along process of getting them in writing dragged on.

When I took typing so I'd "have something to fall back on" I had no idea of the role it would play in writing. Who'd have thunk it back in Typing I and II.

If I have a project for which I'm not very motivated I'll decide not to even try to write it for x amount of time. I know how long x amount of time I can afford by figuring out how long I'll need to write, when the deadline is, etc.

During the time before writing I incubate ideas, approaches, etc. and generally stew over the project.
Having x amount of time to freely stew allows for the ideas to come, so by the time stewing time is over I have different approaches and ideas from which to choose.

At that point I choose, sometimes based on the approach that yielded the most material during the incubation/stewing process; so by the time I start motivation is no longer a factor. Its then just a matter of writing some version of what I already have.

Essentially, its a matter of separating writing from the need for inspiration/motivation. Lack of motivation doesn't matter during the stewing process, and the stewing process gives me a headstart when actual writing time begins.