Is Ethics Dead?

What do you think, is ethics dead? Was there ever ethics?

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”    — Potter Stuart

This requires a moral code other than being selfish and following the libertarian philosophy touted by Ayn Rand, which it seems many of today are following.

Ayn Rand is more about the individual and not altruism and thinking that we are the tribe of human beings on a spinning planet where we must all get along and consider the other person’s point of view.

It is not necessary to agree with opposite points of view, we can agree to disagree while we should consider why does that person have their opinion as we have ours.

Is it because of certain life experiences, some trauma in their life, some trauma in our life, a different socioeconomic condition, different level of education, blue or white collar; there may be many reasons for a person’s outlook and philosophy of life and moral code thereby their ethical stand.

Do you think ethics are taught at home? Should ethics be taught in school?

“To me, it really seems visible today that ethics is not something exterior to the economy, which, as technical matter, could function on its own; rather, ethics is an interior principle of the economy itself, which cannot function if it does not take account of the human values of solidarity and reciprocal responsibility.” — Pope Benedict XVI

Is Pope Benedict XVI, right?

Today’s economy is a situation where some of the richest families pay the lowest wages forcing employees to go on food stamps and various government programs which cost taxpayers millions while the families get billion-dollar tax breaks adding to their enormous wealth.

Yes, greed in America is alive and well.

Ethics also contain the truth, not blaming others when they are not at fault, like blaming emigrants for job loss when the reality is automation and technology has cost many jobs that used to be in manufacturing.

Where workers would take days to make a product a robot can do the same in hours without pay, breaks, workers comp, medical benefits and more negotiated in good faith by unions. It is easy to blame others than looking at the root cause of the problem in the cold light of day.

What is morality?

“I have to live for others and not myself; that’s middle-class morality”  — George Bernard Shaw

Morality is your moral code, which determines your ethics.

The question for you is, where did your morals come from?

Your parents, friends, church, school, books or somewhere else.

Do consider what is the right thing to do or just do for yourself without regard to the consequences?

Are the consequences of your actions someone else’s responsibility?

Is taking someone’s work and taking credit for it ever okay just because you can make money as happens to authors thereby negating their time, effort, and creativity that they should rightly profit from and not the one who stole/pirated the work of others.

Although, intellectual rights, copyrights, and so-called protections, finding the perpetrator and taking them to court is no easy and expensive, which many others can’t afford.

“Ethics or simple honesty is the building blocks upon which our whole society is based, and business is a part of our society, and it’s integral to the practice of being able to conduct business, that you have a set of honest standards.”  — Kerry Stokes

Business Ethics Pledge

In my opinion, doing the right thing is the right thing to do.

I do hold myself to a high standard when it comes to ethics.

My standard is:

“I also turn down work because of my stand on honesty, integrity, and quality.

Authenticity and originality are my primary goals in everything I do.

To do less is to diminish me as a person, and brand.” 

Think about it! Is ethics dead?

Yes or No? Why or Why Not?

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Freelance Editor, Freelance Proofreader, Reviewer learning marketing

 

 

April 2, 2018 is a Black Day for Journalism

Journalism is supposed to be about facts without interpretation or bias from the journalist.

Today, April 2, 2018, Sinclair Broadcasting issued a memo of copy to be read on over 170 outlets they own decrying all other news as fake news except them.

Today, Journalism turned into an opportunity for propaganda over the truth, if you don’t propagate the owner’s message and slant million-dollar salaries for on-air personalities are in the balance.

It’s a plain case of money over integrity and professional ethics in a society following the Ayn Rand philosophy of being selfish is a good thing like the One Percent, and Corporations in America.

Much of the greed in America, Corporate welfare, and the war on the middle class can be traced to the 1970s and trickle-down economics started by Ronald Reagan in the 1970s who also touted about “Make America Great Again”. Knew I heard it before. Trump and his family don’t display original thinking. Trump is using Reagan’s failed trickle-down economy from the 1970s that didn’t work then and made things worse for the middle class. Since Trump doesn’t read, he is repeating failed history.

Being a septuagenarian, I remember Journalism as something where ethics and integrity were valued. Sadly, it is no longer true since Sinclair Broadcasting who Trump’s Department of Justice allowed to acquire more stations to propagate Trump’s words by stroking the ego of a narcissistic sociopath while anyone whom he doesn’t like is not allowed to acquire other entities., think ATT’s desire to acquire Time-Warner, parent company to CNN News because of Trump’s war on CNN and Jefe Bezos of Amazon because Trump doesn’t like the Washington Post owned by Jeff.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received in my life came from my Grandfather who lived through the Great Depression when he told me, “Don’t believe anything you read or hear, and only half of what you see.”

Due diligence by checking facts from many sources, thinking for yourself you can make truly informed decisions, not what someone wants you to think. More so in today’s environment then ever before in the history of the last 70 years, I have witnessed.

Color me skeptical, but I do not believe words as much as I do actions.

Any entity that claims to be the one true source for your news is automatically suspect in my opinion, an entity moving toward mind control while also trying to dumb you down creating a slave mentality, ultimate control of what the populace thinks rather than living in a land of the free.

Born at the end of WW II, I was an Enlisted ARMY Reservist during the Viet Nam War.

Today, my shame for today’s America heightened exponentially when I heard about Sinclair Broadcasting’s must-read on-air memo and witnessed a video of multiple on-air journalists reading identical copy.

I consider myself a critical free thinker, avid reader of multiple books, and genres. While I am open to listening, you will have to prove it to me with enhanced facts, not conjecture before I am willing to accept a position. I will fact check and do not believe in alternative facts such as Kellie Ann Conway pronounced once on Television. It is impossible to un-hear statements from Presidential Aides.

Do your own work and fact checking to make sure you are thinking for yourself and not listening to talking heads with a message their boss is pushing as propaganda rather than the truth unless you don’t care that your thoughts are being warped by these talking heads.

I only like fiction in my story reading not in my real life.

Have thoughts? Let’s start a discussion.

By

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer learning marketing.

My Twenty-Eighteen

Lessons learned in twenty-seventeen

As a septuagenarian, here is an overabundance of noise on the Internet and Social Media put forth by people whose aim it seems is to separate you from your money offering advice and high-priced packages that offer no guarantee of even a modicum of success.

Let’s face it, how hard is any individual going to submerse themselves into a book, video or audio package when life and overdue bills are staring them in the face while wondering if tomorrow they will become unemployed as corporations and laying employees off.

One can see that corporations are only interested in one thing, their shareholders, and CEOs, and not employees. Immigrants are not the cause of the loss of jobs as many government officials espouse. Automation and corporate greed have done more to decimate the middle-class working family than Immigrants over the course of the past several decades.

Politicians claim there is no war on the poor and middle class.

Starting in the 1970s, look at Social Security. People pay for Social Security through payroll taxes to safeguard form retirement since many companies didn’t have retirement packages or lost them through Wall Street Investments. The government when to the Supreme Court loaded with conservative justices and won the right to call Social Security an entitlement and could use the money for funding government.

Now the Conservatives want to eliminate both Medicare and Social Security which are funded through payroll taxes and squander money in areas that accomplish only lessen the quality of life and living standard while seeking in creative a class of slaves for the rich by people who have been in Congress longer than many of their constituents have been alive and completely out of touch with reality. While the working class lives on a budget to keep from living in utter poverty the Government is running such massive deficits that our great-great-grandchildren’s great-great-grandchildren will be lucky to pay off if there is any world left for them with the pollution and atmospheric changes the current corporate and government is willing to leave for them.

We have already seen the death of the Great Barrier Reef, the extinction of many species of animals, destruction of rain forests, pollution of rivers and lakes, fish in the oceans that are inedible because of mercury and radiation. Why some in Congress care? They’re rich and their children don’t need to worry because they will never have to work a day in their life like the other eighty to ninety percent of the people wondering how to pay for health care, prescriptions, and generalized living expenses as most Americans do.

What many fail to realize is that America is the only country without a designated language and the highest prescriptions and medical cost of any modern industrial nation on Planet Earth.

America is slowly slipping from the ranks of most educated and well-read amongst many nations.

Looking Forward to Twenty-Eighteen

Contrary to the noise, the only person responsible for the success or failure of my second career is ME! 

Amidst a litany of medical conditions one of which I have some lingering side effects today preclude me from working anywhere else but from home.

As individuals, we are the only ones responsible for our lives past, present, and future. If there were ever a time to put on the adult pants, that time is now for we can rely only on ourselves for our own lives.

Partnerships are only good for each person taking one-hundred percent responsibility for making the relationship work.

I chose as my second career one that is singularly individual, frustrating with steep learning curve because learning only comes from doing and practicing to ever improve; each day is a new beginning to strive for being better than the day before. Perfection is never the end game but only to be better than the day before. The career I chose is one that my it nature is a solitary existence and one that is good for a person due to certain physical limitations must be a partial recluse.

My second career seemed the first choice as someone who is an avid reader of all genres from the classics to contemporary but must state a preference for some long dead composition.

I choose to peddle my wares, as some have suggested lower than I should that hurts their rates, I choose to work with newer authors to help them create the best composition possible on a meeting of the minds.

Editing is somewhat subjective while following given grammatical, punctuational, spelling, and typographical rules. One must also consider sentence structure and linguistic norms.

As Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

That quote says it all. Authors write for themselves but also with a reader in mind. Anyone aspiring toward authorship must keep in mind that being an author is akin to an entrepreneur.

Authors need a platform, a website, marketing, a following, PR, social media, publishing, editing, proofreading, formatting, indexing, bookkeeping, and more. Sounds like an entrepreneur doesn’t it. Yes, writing is a business and deserves to be handled as one.

To this end, for twenty-eighteen, I will be removing distractions, taking some online courses and dive into reading the numerous books on style and others to improve over last year and allow more time in my day for many creative endeavors.

The biggest challenge is determining what is working or isn’t working when it comes to promotion and branding for what I loosely call a career with only a few one of clients.

I must be more proactive in finding clients willing to trust that I can deliver quality.

My second Career:

Freelance Writer

Blogger

Editor

Proofreader

Reviewer

Learning Marketing and Branding

Twenty-eighteen, a new beginning and a better year than twenty-seventeen!

Author

Robert Medak

Please feel free to comment or begin a discussion on this post or any post on this blog.

 

 

 

 

My Creative Impetus

In 2003, I was in my thirty-seventh year with SBC (Originally Pacific Telephone & Telegraph that was a subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph known as ATT. In 1984 The Bell System was divested into Baby Bells. PT&P became Pacific Bell or PacBell. SBC bought out PacBell and later bought the name ATT. I offer this history as a side note to bring together what follows.)

While working for PacBell, I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Syndrome and some other medical conditions. The most important one is the Meniere’s.

There are four symptoms to Meniere’s.

1. Hearing Loss
2. Fullness in the Ear
3. Tinnitus (Ringing in the ear.)
4. Vertigo + Nausea (Spinning world and sometimes vomiting)

I was blessed with all four symptoms. This is something one just learns to live with like taking B₁₂ Injections for pernicious anemia You get used to it because there is no viable alternative.

In 2003, thanks to the Meniere’s, and unseen and less understood condition was not doing my attendance was less than exemplary. Fortunately, the company was offering an early retirement package to employees with enough time and age. I was lucky enough to be offered such a package. With termination because of attendance issues, this was a no brainer, I took the package in December of 2003.

After three years of retirement, I wanted something to do that keeps my mind active. I did a lot of volunteering. Friends of the Library, Citizens on Patrol, Worked in the Senior Citizens Thrift Store, Treasurer of Serenity Haven Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, Parliamentarian of the Citizens Club, President of the Fire Safety Council, events coordinator, publicist, and PR person for Serenity Haven. While I kept busy, there was still something missing.

In 2006, I began reviewing books. Having been an avid reader for over half a century by that time I noticed that the books I was reviewing could do with some proofreading if not large-scale editing.

Later began my career as an online copywriter of various subjects and interning as an online copy editor. My reviews offered me the opportunity to edit manuscripts and do some PR for the author of a book.

Since I am on a fixed income with a scant budget I have had to wear many hats.

I am a CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, CCO, Editor at Large, Content Creator, Publicist, and PR Department, which means always something new to learn and practice on a DIY basis.

MY WHY

I have thought about this question from the first time I heard it.

For me, it is not about the money, but helping people, small businesses, entrepreneurs, authors, unpublished authors, or anyone who needs the services of a proofreader or editor with a limited budget and can’t afford the services that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Because of a litany of medical conditions and medications that require a regulated schedule I work from home that requires little to no overhead and able to work inexpensively passing savings onto the client.

I have read Asimov to Zola, Classics, Romance, Business, Medical Texts, Fiction, Nonfiction, Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, and just about any genre there is.

I have had discussions about various authors with people.

I was fortunate to meet and have two books autographed after a talk at Southwest Manuscriptors Torrance, CA by Ray Bradbury.

As Mr. Bradbury explained it, his writing teachers were the tomes he found in the library.

His advice was invaluable. By reading everything one can learn to write, but only if they write something every day. One’s first work may be horrendous but should improve as time goes along. Very few people are born writers without some work before.

It usually takes time and hard work to become an overnight success.

My main drive is to help writing become better by eliminating clichés, redundant words, spelling, punctuation, passive sentences, and any other items from a reader’s viewpoint.

As Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Ask any author if they agree and most will.

It a form of paying it forward. It is all about the copy and making it the best possible for the reader.

I have been chastised for the prices I charge causing others to not make as much for their work.

I don’t care. I charge what I do because I know that many authors can’t afford an expensive editor or proofreader when they self-publish.

I believe that there should be an editor for every author that the author can afford to work with without having to take out a home mortgage to pay for.

Does this “MY WHY” make sense?

Talk to me about it. I love discussions and helping people where and when I can.

I also deliver honest unbiased reviews and have been known to call out authors when there is something amiss for the reader. An Example is non-consistency of terms or in one case of a new writer the protagonist leaves in a truck to go to town and then gets into a car to come home but it is meant to be the same vehicle. If it starts a truck it stays a truck unless it is sold and a car is bought.

This sounds simple but can through the reader off and screams amateur.

Authors want to be taken seriously for their work and have readers. When a reader reads a book that hasn’t been properly edited they either stop reading or never read that author again. Readers who spend money for a book have an expectation of quality. An editor helps with the quality.

NOTE: I would appreciate comments you may have about this post.

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, and reviewer learning marketing

Do You Have a Freelance Contract in Place?

If you work in any capacity of freelancing, do you have a contract in place for any work performed for your clients?

Why or Why Not?

Do you need a freelance contract signed by your client for your records?

Has a client ever requested that you sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) for work you have performed?

Why all Freelancers need to have a “Freelance Contract” in place before beginning any work for a client.

• Do you like getting paid for your work?
• Before you begin work, shouldn’t you know what the client is expecting?
• Shouldn’t you know what the project entails and any required research?
• Does the client know what much the completed project will cost?
• Are there expectations when and how are you to keep the client updated on the project?
• Are there designated payment milestones on the project?
• Is there an expected due date for completion?
• Are there provisions for any editing of the project or extra research costs?

There may be more that may come up when consulting with any client about an upcoming project.

You Need a “Freelance Contract”.

“The free-lance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.”  — Robert Benchley

Ask any freelancer, what happens if a client doesn’t pay them? Without a “Freelance Contract”, not much.

With a Freelance Contract in place, a non-paying client can be taken to claims court and forced to pay the amount within the contract.

Why Freelancers should always establish payment milestones in the contract.

1. The Freelancer can receive a certain percentage of the total amount to check out how the client pays, Check, PayPal or some other form agreed upon.
2. As the Freelancer completes a portion of the project he/she will receive another percentage of the project established in the contract.
3. Any extras if research is required.
4. Both client and Freelancer can follow the progress of the project.
5. Offers the client and Freelancer deadlines.
6. Assurance the both client and Freelancer are on the same page.
7. A legal agreement that can be used in a court of law for non-payment.
8. Protects the Freelancer.

8 clauses every Freelance Contract should include:

1. Pricing/Rates
2. Payment/Invoicing
3. Single Point of Contact
4. Kill Fee
5. Revision and Rewrites
6. “Scope Creep” The project is good but would be better if A, B, and C were added.
7. Copyrights: For freelance writers and web designers.
8. Deadline

There is no, one contract fits all. Therefore, create a basic template that is easily adjustable to the current client’s needs and project.

Freelancers do the work but may not be able to talk about it; always ask for referrals and a testimonial.

NOTE: Testimonials are good for branding.

Author:

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, Reviewer

Fake News

 

“Don’t believe anything you read or hear, and only half of what you see.”— John Jankovich (1890-1971)

There has been an uproar as of late about fake news stories.

Fake news is nothing new. It started with Willian Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer I when Pulitzer’s New York World and Hearst’s New York Journal vying for the top paper began to change their stories by adding more sensationalization to their content including the increased use of cartoons.

This became known as “yellow journalism”, this was the beginning of what is called tabloid journalism, that one sees at grocery line checkout stands.

There was once a time where journalists like Walter Cronkite, Clete Roberts, Edward R. Morrow and others were considered trustworthy sources of news.

Somewhere along the rating battles for the top news source, advertising, and dwindling newspaper readership, television viewership started to create an instant news environment but the in-depth reporting found in newspapers was no long viewed in the same manner before television was invented.

Today, anyone with a computer, smartphone or tablet along with Internet access can post a story, no fact checking necessary. It’s called “citizen journalism” and not held to any standards.

“Rumors are like songbirds; they sound filling but make a poor feast.” MICHAEL GEAR & KATHLEEN O’NEAL GEAR,People of the Nightland

Can you believe in the veracity of the author of articles read online or heard on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC or other sources where people incur their news?

Is there reporting bias?

Is there a concealed agenda from topmost management?

What obfuscation is potentially perpetrated by so-called sources that do not vet references with exhaustive fact checking via multiple sources before branding a story as legitimate news?

Many may not remember, but both CBS and NBC have been scammed with so-called news only to find out that is was more hoax than legitimate news because they did not perform due diligence and vetting their sources with multiple sources because of tight deadlines and trying to get the story out first for ratings instead of getting it correct.

This is not an indictment of citizen journalism. As a receiver of news, it behooves that one relies on more than one source.

During the 2016 Presidential Election, the veracity of the candidates was called into question on numerous occasions and found false statements under the scrutiny of fact checking.

The gist of this post to follow the quote attributed to John Jankovich above.

Many of you have never heard that name, he was someone born in 1890. He was a special person in my life and someone whom I greatly respected. He was my maternal grandfather. I can’t think of anyone I respected more than him.

John Jankovich taught me many life lessons. He also taught me many techniques of how to prepare certain types of seafood from shell to table. He was a man of many talents, working with his hands and lessons learned just by living through some catastrophic years in his 80 years on the planet (1890 – 1971), I turned 26 in September of 1971.

What is your opinion about “Fake News?

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader and Reviewer

Academic Writing

“I also turn down work because of my stand on honesty, integrity, and quality.

Authenticity and originality are my primary goals in everything I do.

To do less is to diminish me as a person, and brand. ”

—- Robert Medak

There are many job boards and opportunities for academic writers. I have chosen to never write academic articles.

You would probably ask me why?

For me, it is about a moral code I developed decades ago. I believe strongly in honesty, integrity, and quality.

1. If I were to write an academic paper and a student were to turn it in as an assignment: He/She has plagiarized. It isn’t his work.

2. He/She hasn’t learned anything. This is the purpose of an academic paper. Research and fact finding thus gaining experience and knowledge.

3. He/She has not learned how to rely on themselves.

4. He/She is taking the easy way out by cutting corners.

Even the possibility of academic articles being used for this purpose is enough for me to have no desire to write academic articles.

Example:

A number of years ago while in college, I wrote a paper on Microwave Vaccum Tubes. I designed an electronic schematic showing all formulas concerning the parts list and how I derived the values for the components.

There were reasons that this work was assigned. What would I have learned if I had ordered an academic paper?

I also did a review of a book for a political science course taken for my major.

These were for separate courses that showcased my work, not someone else, the grades received were earned my me.

By doing the work I proved that I am not part of the almost 50 percent of today’s freshmen applying to community college must be remediated because they are unable to perform college-level work.

Businesses are spending 3.1 billion dollars a year remediating employees because colleges students do not have adequate communication and math skills for today’s businesses.

Being an old-school grammarian, there are times when visiting websites, readers should be appalled by the grammar and punctuation errors, verb-subject agreement, and poor writing.

Granted, that typos are impossible to catch everyone. The point is, that before anything is posted to the internet or any media it should be thoroughly edited and proofread.

Read and you will find words being used that show a lack of the basic understanding of English.

Where have native English speakers learned that it is okay to use learnt when they mean learned?

Just because a word has been added to a lexicon doesn’t mean it should be used instead of the proper word.

Social media and texting is the downfall of proper English, I can’t speak for other languages since I don’t speak any.

How are your communication and math skills?

Do you read?

Do you practice your communication and math skills?

Do you spend time expanding your vocabulary?

Through the use of judicious use of proper English for verbal and written communication will help in clear and concise communication to establish what the communicator is trying to say and have it understood whoever hears or reads it.

© 10/24/2016 All Rights Reserved

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader,and Reviewer

How Low Can Writing Go?

Are Tomorrow’s Leaders of Business, Journalism, and Politics Ready to Communicate Effectively. What about Tomorrow’s Authors?

Think about this, the students in middle school today will be tomorrow’s leaders. Shouldn’t we prepare them for the world ahead?

You only need to visit the Internet and most social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and others to recognize that command of written English is losing ground. There are typos, shorthand, and errors on sites that offer us news, educational and technical information for consumers, hobbyists, and the general public. Would you trust someone whose communication skills are lacking?

US News and World Report, “How to Fix America’s College Remediation Issue – More than half of community college freshmen are told they aren’t ready for college-level work.”

An Inc.com article about remediation, “Report shows more than $3.1 billion is being spent annually on remedial writing training.”

The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy’s article by John Maguire, “Why Many College Students Never Learn How to Write Sentences.”

There is a movement, if it is, I choose to be a hoax, or not to eliminate the teaching of cursive writing being taught in schools. Parents should check their child’s curriculum and verify that cursive handwriting is being taught to their child or take it upon themselves to request it of the school district. If that fails, it is the parents’ duty to teach their child cursive handwriting.

Check out this article by about cursive handwriting in The Washington Post’s article, “Cursive handwriting is disappearing from public schools.

Are college standards being dumbed down to accommodate students as this article states? Remediation and the Dumbing Down of Campus Standards article by Paul Trout, English MSU-Bozeman.

Who is at Fault for the high need of Remediation of High School Graduates? 

There is more than enough blame to go around from parents who don’t look at their child’s homework, teachers who are over-worked and underpaid, bilingual education which exacerbates not assimilating into English, core standards, the government’s no child left behind report sent to President Regan and the Department of Education to the rewriting of books that the far right in America is trying to do to the point of ignoring history so as to not offend someone. There are some that still deny some history like the holocaust and genocide conducted by governments to various religions. There is an old quote, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Originally attributed to George Santayana.

Another thought, The United States of America stands as the only industrialized nation without a designated language. That’s right, although English is taught in schools, the United States Congress has never passed a bill to make English the designated language. There have been many bills generated to create a designated language, no bill has ever made it to the desk of the President of the United States for signature.

The dumbing down of standards actually began in the 1960s with the emphasis on test scores rather than actual learning how to study, writing, reading, math and science. There was more emphasis on test scores than learning what students need for the real world like learning how to comprehend what they read in their textbooks and basic computation and communication skills.

With both parents required to work to survive the new economic reality, some have scant time to make parent teachers meetings that were held in the 1940s and 1950s when one parent could afford to stay home. Parents not checking the curriculum of their children and involved in what was being taught to their child.

The statistics about reading are abysmal, most parents and children do not read other than what is required for a class and nothing more, the loss of reading comprehension and reading level is one reason for remediation of college freshmen. How can one develop reading comprehension if they don’t read to gain both comprehension and vocabulary expansion?

How can parents who don’t read expect their children read?

In the 1940s and 50s

Students were held to higher academic standards for extra-curricular activities. There were dress codes, children showed respect to teachers and administrators. Misbehavior was dealt with swiftly. Parents were kept abreast of their children’s discipline and behavior misdeeds.

This does not mean corporal punishment but sent to a separate classroom allowing the class to continue learning. The use of school detention with a note to the parents was the rule of the day.

Parents were more involved with their child’s education.

Is your child’s school offering parent-teacher conferences and do you attend?

Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child’s School.

All schools should hold parent-teacher conferences. Parents should demand to speak to their child’s teacher(s) and work at helping their child with core knowledge in reading comprehension, writing, math, and science. If their child is lacking in a specific area, asking the teacher for more work or requesting how a parent can help their child is in order.

Ultimately, the concept of solid core education is what will help the child in the future when they are ready for college to not have to be remediated to handle college-level textbooks and writing assignments. Some courses require blue book tests where the student must write a short essay dealing with the question on a test while others may require a term paper.

In college, part of a student’s grade is how well they can communicate in writing to explain a position or concept related to the course matter.

Written and oral communication is important for everyday intercourse but more so in the college environment.

A person’s command of writing and vocabulary strength are requirements for their ability to clearly express and explain their meaning at work or in classroom discussions with their college professor.

You or your child can build a larger vocabulary by the simple act of reading and use of a lexicon for words that are unclear, unknown or unusual to find their meaning and proper usage.

Reading not only helps you and your child, you also help authors by purchasing their book, checking out a book at your local library and posting a review. If you enjoy a specific book, please be kind enough to tell your friends why you liked it and recommend that they read the book. They might recommend a book for you to read that they enjoyed reading. Spreading the word at the office is an excellent way to practice oral communication skills and public speaking albeit one-on-one building interpersonal skills comfort.

We all need to practice or upgrade our basic communication skills unless we begin to backtrack on our abilities and failing to maintain our written and oral communication with others. Practicing also helps the continual growth of our vocabulary to make our meaning clear and concise to the person you are communicating with to understand your meaning as clearly as you think you are presenting the information in your mind.

Practice and preparation are the two main ingredients in communicating your thoughts to readers and through interpersonal intercourse among friends, teachers, and business associates. This also leads to being comfortability when communicating orally and in your writing.

Nathaniel Hawthorne said it best about written communication, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

There is no substitute for learning the basic core skills of reading, writing, math and science to create a will rounded intelligent person able to communicate with others and not be misunderstood.

Think about it and share your opinion in the comments.

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer learning branding and marketing.

Are You an Introvert Who wants to Freelance?

Can an introvert also be an entrepreneur?

Only you can answer this quest for yourself.

Working from your home helps since you only interact with people via social media or the telephone.

As with anything in life there are divergent paths and there is not a single path for everyone.

All paths lead to pros and cons that you must determine for yourself, and if you are willing to accept the responsibility for your choosing your path.

I offer this caveat, never spend more than your budget will allow and never go into debt to fund your freelancing business.

How comfortable and transparent are you working from home?

By transparent, I don’t mean giving out your personal information. I mean is being your authentic self.

Clients don’t purchase from people they don’t know or don’t trust.

Honing your interpersonal skills is a must to build trust through building relationships with visitors to your blog, website, and social media platforms.

It is how and how often you interact with others in your circle of followers and those following you. Are you helpful, do you answer questions, how often you blog, do you offer education, do you offer value. Why should someone interact with you if you don’t interact with them and other in your chosen niche.

Each individual must create their own schedule of interacting on social media and how much they are willing to interact online,

What does it take to become a freelancer?

I have written about this in posts on this blog. One post is The 7 P’s of Freelance Writing. It was written back some time ago.

In that post, I mentioned certain items that apply to general freelancing as well.

These items are:

1. Performance –
2. Presentation –
3. Professionalism –
4. Polish –
5. Personal Contact –
6. Persistence –
7. Patience –

I could write about what these words mean to me but if you want to be a freelancer, you will have to find out what these words mean to you in your business, because freelancing is a business, and it you fail to treat it like a business your business is destined to fail.

Call Yourself a Freelancer and They Will Beat a Path to Your Door

First, forget about that happening, especially if you’re an introvert.

Second, do not quit your day job until you are making enough to allow you to do so. Each person must make that determination on just how much money they need to live the lifestyle they wish to continue living or compromise living on.

Third, if you are in the United States, think about what the federal, state, and local government might think about you doing business from home if clients come to you.

Fourth, if you work for someone or a company that has a benefits package, are you willing to give that up and start paying your own way by freelancing full-time.

Fifth, consider the fact that as a freelancer you will be competing against other freelancers from around the world and some probably willing to work cheaper than you.

As a newbie freelancer, you have no portfolio, no reputation, and face it; no experience working with clients and understanding their needs.

Start slowly and build your credibility, reputation, brand and what is unique about what you have to offer potential clients so they choose you over another freelancer that has been doing it longer than you.

What is your Plan?

Have you thought about the following?

Do you even have a plan on how to proceed?

Have you written a business Plan?

How are you going to finance your freelancing?

Where are you going to work from?

Are you planning on establishing a separate business bank account?

What are you going to name your business?

Have you thought about a domain name for your website?

Are you going to create a blog?

If you are on social media, are going o create a separate business social media account.

Are you going to have a business phone and business cell phone separate from personal ones?

What about selling via a separate voice mail than your home voice mail?

Does this give you pause for thought?

I trust it does because there are many things to think about when calling yourself a freelancer and being willing to do whatever and however long it takes to become a freelancer making a living.

Many of the household names in online marketing have been at it for years. It is possible to take years to become an overnight success.

Any business that is still around started as a start-up and worked hard to become a success.

Have Questions about Running a Business

If you are in the United States, there are sources of information online at the following:

Federal Trade Commission – https://www.ftc.gov/

Small Business Administration – https://www.sba.gov/

Secretary of State for your state

Tax Board for your state

The county business license

The city council for the city you live in

Entrepreneurs take note:

If you want to be in business as a freelancer you are considered a consultant or contractor you are responsible for all of the regulations for any business doing business in your area.

Take care to cover yourself with insurance and incorporation to protect your personal assets.

I am not an attorney and only suggest you consult one when starting your freelancing to protect yourself from a lawsuit or potential damages from your actions as a small business owner.

As an Entrepreneur

The money you make from freelancing is not yours, it belongs to the business you created and belongs to the business for future growth and success.

All you get is a salary for which you are libel for all taxes, withholding and any other required payments to the Federal, State, and Local governments.

If this is not what you are prepared to deal with on your own or hire a CPA, think hard if you are ready for freelancing.

Freelancing is not for the faint of heart.

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer learning marketing

I welcome questions and try to answer them to the best of my ability. Use my contact page.

Use my contact page if you have any questions.

Are You a Magpie?

Are You a Magpie, always looking for the next shiny object, the male Magpie is always on the look for the next shiny object to entice a mate with the number of shiny objects.

Many entrepreneurs feel that the more they can learn or listen to the newest webinar, buy the newest book, listen to the newest podcast, spend untold dollars on anything or everything from the next guru they hear about.

Everyone feels inadequate at some point, whether newbie or seasoned. No one can live their life in their comfort zone, especially when starting out.

Most people have heard of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” by Jack Canfield. He received one-hundred and forty-four rejections of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” before finally being published.

How do you think he felt? Maybe inadequate? Was his idea a good one or a bad one? Was he chasing shiny objects? No he kept moving forward. 

When is it time to walk the walk?

How many books do you need to read? How may programs do you need to buy? How many gurus do you need to listen to before you pull up your adult pants and get started doing?

If you’re afraid of failure, guess what. If you take personal responsibility for the outcome of your actions, you can learn more by failing than you can by success.

Failure is part of life. Do you think Thomas Edison was successful with every invention on the first try? No, but he did learn what didn’t work. The same goes for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Each one must find what works for them.

There is, no one size fits all, if there were, every business would be the same to some degree.

You are an individual, you learn at a pace and mode that may be different from the next person. What you need to learn is what works for you and what makes you different from others.

There are myriad businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers to choose from. What makes you different from the crowd, why should someone trust you with their project? This is what you need to learn about yourself and exploit your differences to build a trusting environment with your clients. Clients will not work with someone they don’t trust or have some form of relationship with.

Human beings have strengths and weaknesses. The entrepreneur’s job is to identify them and use them to their advantage.

Stop reading and spending your cash on the next shiny object and start doing the work needed to become a success, whatever that means for you. Realize that what you consider success may not be what someone else considers success. Only compare yourself to you, never someone else.

Comments or discussions are welcome 

Author

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, and reviewer learning marketing