Contributors Wanted

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Medellin Living began 4 months ago when I decided to settle into life in Colombia.  The content has focused on my day-to-day experiences trying to find work teaching English, learning to salsa dance, hanging out with Couchsurfers, and of course, enjoying the city’s cultural and nightlife activities.

It developed an immediate audience, receiving 2,000 unique visits per month.  The Alexa ranking (a measure of traffic and site popularity) has reached 623,000 in the past month.  And Google recently bumped the Page Rank up a notch from 2 to 3 – a positive signal for future text link sales.  In fact, I am 100% certain that the site is now in a position to benefit from local advertising (by bars, nightclubs, hostels, etc.) as well as online opportunities.

When I decided to start the blog, I was confident there would be demand for city info in this format, however these results have come even faster than I expected!  At the same time, I am heading back to the USA in July, which means to keep the site fresh and interesting, I am seeking a few contributors. After reading the info below, please contact me if you’d be interested in helping to grow Medellin Living.

Who

Foreigners and Colombians living in Medellin, regardless of whether you’re here for a few weeks, months, or years.  All content will continue to be in English, so strong writing skills in this language are required.

When

Immediately!  A blog can only benefit from more content per day, week, and month.  Plus, we will be able to meet in person while I’m still here.

Why

Tourism to Medellin and Colombia is on the upswing, and NOW is the time to establish and develop a trusted web presence.

  • Reach a worldwide audience.
  • Highlight the positive aspects of life in Medellin and Colombia.
  • For those familiar with blogging, this is an opportunity to increase your name recognition.
  • Any contribution will include a link back to your blog or website of choice.
  • For those new to blogging, I will give you a personal crash course in effectively writing for an online audience.
  • It’s fun!  Get out and explore the city with notebook and/or camera in hand.
  • Share in any earnings from locally generated advertising revenue. In other words, if you help to develop advertising pesos/dollars by contacting bars, clubs, hostels, language schools, etc. you share in the rewards. Obviously it would be beneficial to have a strong command of Spanish. In advance of such sales efforts, I would determine a range of rates you could offer prospective clients, and we would negotiate and agree to a fair deal (between us) in writing.

What

Different ideas and perspectives can help to create a unique reader experience.  That said, here are a few of my ideas for how this blog could benefit from new contributors:

  • Teaching English – weekly series on how to teach English, especially as it applies to working here in Medellin (privately or for a school).
  • Learning Spanish – tips, advice, and/or experiences learning Spanish in Medellin.
  • Nightlife – do you get out to a wide variety of venues on a regular basis?  This subject is the current bread-and-butter of Medellin Living.  Help keep it going!
  • Couchsurfing Correspondent – the Medellin Couchsurfing group is strong and super social.  Attend and report to the world what’s going on with them.
  • Special Events – cover Colombiamoda, or any one of the annual events such as the Flower, Tango, and/or Poetry festivals
  • Photograph of the week (consistently high quality)
  • Sports or Music
  • ((((Your Ideas Here))))

How

We can discuss further if you contact me, however I expect we’d meet for coffee or a quick bite to eat to discuss how you would like to contribute.  A writing sample will be required.  If you write well, and are familiar with WordPress, I can give you “contributor” access so you can work straight from the admin side of the blog.  If you are new to WordPress and blogging, I can provide in-person instruction so you can learn what you’re doing before I leave the country.

My Focus

Once back in the USA, I will be focused on site design, search engine optimization, building traffic, link building, and online marketing.  I also hope to do a better job of sharing relevant current events, though they will likely focus on the bigger, annual festivals rather than week-to-week offerings.

Again, please contact me if you’re interested.

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Leave a Reply to David Lee Cancel reply

3 COMMENTS

  1. I´m really interested to contribuite as a blogging…..Why?

    First: Because I love this amazing City – Medellin. and I consider myself a forgein, that´s because I´m from Cartagena, but I live here since a long time ago. about 5 years.

    Second, because I´m looking tools to improve my english, I´m 30 years old, And this is one of my goals for the 2015. So, I´ll be so glad to share all my experiences here , and over this beautiful contry.

    I´ll be waiting your answer and If you agree …..we could make a meeting and talk about it.

    Best regards,

    Mario Jr