Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown is a freelance writer and avid blogger. She lives in the small town of Lawrenceburg in beautiful southern Middle Tennessee with her husband, Charlie and a truckload of kitties. She has a variety of interests including, (but not limited to), social media, blogging, science (especially Astronomy), movies, music and photography. She authors several blogs and writes for various places on the interwebs.

Jul 272010

From time to time, many of us require a place to store our belongings, whether it be household items, furniture, old photos, documents, or even a vehicle. This is when companies that offer self storage units come in very handy. Often, these companies provide much more than just a storage space, and below are listed the various other advantages of renting a unit to store your stuff.

Climate and Humidity Control

Some of us own delicate items, such as antiques, that require an environment that is climate controlled and will be protected from extreme temperatures. Many self storage companies provide units with built-in year-round temperature control and are also fully insulated. Many will also provide humidity control, which will prevent mold and mildew.

Security

We all need to know that our valuable items will be protected from theft. Most self storage companies provide round-the-clock security. If you need to store valuable items, it is best to look for a company that has an on-site manager, and provides security lighting, as well as cameras.

Packing Supplies

It can be a pain trying to acquire the right-sized boxes when packing your items for storage. You can run around town to various stores in hopes of finding just the right boxes, but if you have a rather large item to pack, it can be difficult to find one that it will fit in. If you choose the right self storage company, they can provide you with boxes of all sizes, along with other packing supplies you might need, such as packing tape, bubble wrap, and utility knives.

These are just a few advantages that I found to be very convenient and useful when I used a Chattanooga self storage company a few years ago. There are, of course, many other advantages to using self storage units as opposed to using your attic or garage, or some old building, but these are the ones I felt were most important.

Sookie is Awesome

Posted by Kelly Brown at 1:25 AM
Jul 162010

I started watching True Blood during the first season of the HBO show. I have been addicted ever since. The show just recently started its 3rd season and I am even more hooked now than ever before. The story line is one of the most unique and creative on tv and each week something new happens that you never saw coming. Every character on the show is played perfectly by the amazing cast. Over the last two seasons, there have been many additions to the original cast, and not one of them has been disappointing. Every new person they have brought in has blended in perfectly with the original group of actors and have all brought something unique and great to the series.

Watching True Blood on Oregon satellite tv has become a weekly event. I have such a great group of friends that are all into the show just as much as me, so there’s always someone willing to come over and watch the latest episode. Sookie is by far my favorite character on the drama. Anna Paquin plays the character perfectly. The character of Sookie is such a strong and independent female character. So many other shows present the lead female character as a weak, love struck girl, but not True Blood. Her strength is just another great aspect of the show.

Jul 052010

changes_next_exit A few years ago, when I started this blog, it was pretty much a personal log, hence the name About A Girl. But as time has passed, it has evolved into something much more. Instead of being a personal log, it has become a place to find useful information and I think I should title it as such.

So, without further ado, I henceforth dub this blog Kelly’s Web Discoveries, or you can just call it Web Discoveries if you like. Since the domain is my name, I figured Kelly’s Web Discoveries would be best.

From this day forward, I will be posting information on a variety of topics here and will also, most graciously, welcome guest posters. If you would like to write a guest post that links back to your site, feel free to contact me about it at my contact page.

My personal log will be placed in a category separate from other topics, (in case I feel the need to rant or cheer about something, whatever the case may be). I do most of this at Twitter and Facebook, but in case I feel the need to be more wordy, I’ll come here to do it. :P

If you are a subscriber, there is no need to change anything. I will take care of it. If you have this blog in your blogroll, you may want to change the anchor text, but it’s really not necessary — unless you are just OCD about such things, in which case, by all means, do change it!

If you’re looking for ways to earn some extra money online, writing is one of the most lucrative methods. Listed below are 5 sites that will pay you to write unique articles either through revenue sharing, per article, or a monthly salary for a commitment to write a certain amount of posts per week/month.

You will be a content provider and the content you provide MUST be unique in every way. Your articles cannot be copied and pasted from any other site or source, including your own blog, so keep that in mind. These sites have zero tolerance for plagiarism and will suspend your membership and payment if you submit someone else’s work as your own.

It’s important that you read through each site’s guidelines and know exactly what they expect from you. This will save you from having to spend precious time and energy on rewrites. You may also want to familiarize yourself with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques to ensure your articles show up high in search engine results.

1. Demand Studios

image As a writer at Demand Studios, you get paid per article and the rates will vary depending on the format or website where it will eventually be published. They will provide you with hundreds of titles that you can search through by category, target website, or price. Find one you feel confident in writing, claim it as your own, and you will then have seven days to write the article and submit it for publish and payment. Once you’ve submitted it, it will be looked over by professional copy editors and if all is well, they will approve it, send it to be published at the target website, and promptly process your payment.

There may be times when your article is sent back to you for a rewrite if the copy editor feels there are changes that need to be made. Don’t get frustrated. Simply make the changes and resubmit. This will actually serve to help you to learn their guidelines and become a better writer.

Demand Studios pays twice per week via Paypal. This one is great for those who also work outside the home, because it allows you to write according to your own schedule.

2. Break Studios

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Break Studios is very similar to Demand Studios in that they pay per article and provide you with titles to claim and write about. However, the topics and target sites are a bit different and look to be more upbeat and fun, (Break.com, MadeMan, Holy Taco, Cage Potato, Screen Junkies, and Chickipedia).

Once you’ve submitted your article, it will be looked over by an editor who may suggest changes. Once it has passed approval, your article will be published at the target site. Break Studios pays once a month via Paypal.

3. Bright Hub

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Unlike Demand Studios and Break Studios,  the content you publish at Bright Hub shows up on the Bright Hub site instead of a target website. There are two ways to make money at Bright Hub: per article pricing and revenue sharing. You have the choice of three channels you can join as a content provider: The Editorial Community Channel, The Self-Publishing Community Channel, and the Hubfolio Channel.

If you decide to write for the Editorial Community Channel, you will be provided with titles that you can claim. Each title pays $10 plus revenue share. So even after you are paid the $10, your article can continue to make you money, depending on its performance. Of course, the Editorial Community Channel has very strict guidelines that you must adhere to, and you will work together with the Managing and Contributing Editors. You will also be responsible for updating and maintaining your articles over time.

If you’d prefer a little more freedom, you can go with the Self-Publishing Community Channel and write articles based on your own planning and analysis. You will still be expected to adhere to the guidelines and maintenance plan, but you won’t be working with editors. You will be on your own. However, you will not be offered assignments that pay per article; your compensation will be through revenue sharing only. Those writers that have been accepted into the Editorial Community Channel are also free to self-publish if they like.

If you are new to content publishing and simply want to try and hone your skills as a professional online writer, you may want to join the Hubfolio Channel. You will have a wealth of content creation resources at your disposal. The goal is to help you earn more money online with your writing. You will still have to adhere to Bright Hub’s guidelines, and you will be compensated for your content through revenue sharing.

Bright Hub pays once per month through Paypal or by check. If you live outside the United States, you will be paid via verified Paypal only.  If you have earned above the minimum of $20, your payment will be sent. If not, the amount carries over until such time the minimum has been met.

4. Associated Content

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Associated Content is a little different than the sites mentioned above in that you can pretty much write about whatever topic you desire, unless you apply to be a featured contributor. Featured contributors are assigned to a specific category or subcategory. The benefits of becoming a featured contributor include paid assignments, greater access to Associated Content personnel and prominent featuring around the site.

There are two ways to make money at Associated Content – performance payments, which are based on the amount of traffic to your content, which is currently $1.50 per thousand views; and upfront payments, which range from $2 to $15, which is in addition to performance payments. Upfront payments are only offered for certain content. If you submit an article for an upfront payment and it is rejected, you can still earn money in performance payments. Occasionally there will be assignments available to you, and some will have an upfront payment, but most will be for performance payments only.

You must live in the United States and be at least 18 years of age to be paid by Associated Content. Upfront payments are paid daily upon article approval; however, performance payments are paid at the beginning of each month providing you have accumulated at least $1.50. Associated Content pays their writers exclusively through verified Paypal accounts.

5. Suite101

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As a content provider for Suite101, you will receive compensation via revenue sharing. However, you won’t be paid according to page views. Instead, you will receive a share of the revenue that is generated from Google ads that are placed on your article pages. This may seem like a waste of time to many online writers, as trying to make a decent amount of money with Google ads can be quite frustrating.

However, according to an article at Bnet, there are some writers who earn a very nice income writing for Suite101. If you understand how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works, and you strategically place the right keywords in your articles, you can do well at Suite101. And if you are consistent in your publishing, you can build a nice income over time. Suite101 provides you with all the tools and information necessary for you to write quality articles that will generate a decent ad revenue.

After you have established yourself as a contributing writer at Suite101, (published at least 10 engaging articles), and you meet all the criteria, you can apply to become a feature writer. As a feature writer, you will receive a 20% bonus on each day’s earnings, and once you have published 100 articles, you will receive an additional 10%. So, you can see how, over time, you can earn a pretty respectable income there.

Suite101 pays their writers once per month via a verified Paypal account.

Jun 102010

I’ve been thinking, (I do that sometimes), and I have come to the conclusion that I need to start looking into my continued education. An associates degree just doesn’t cut it these days, so I need to think bigger. I would love to eventually get a masters degree, but that’s getting a little ahead of myself, I think. For now, if I get a bachelors degree from a good college of arts & sciences, it would greatly improve my chances of getting the kind of job I’d really like to have. Plus, I’d be darn proud of it!

I know some people my age think it’s too late for them to get a degree, but that’s just crazy talk! It’s never too late to better yourself. And there are many ways to get money to go to school, but that is another blog post. Just know that simply because you’re a little older doesn’t mean you stop learning and growing. Education is for people of all ages, it does not discriminate.

When I was a little girl, I aspired to become a teacher. My sister, Lisa and I used to play “school” quite frequently. Of course, I was always the teacher and she was always the student. Perhaps I taught her something, who knows? Hehe! Later, I decided it was history I wanted to teach, so I started my work toward that dream. Eventually, my life took a sharp turn, so I never quite finished what I started. That has always really bothered me, and the only thing to do is get back to school! So for the next few months, this will be one of my biggest priorities.

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