Naturally, we asked where such a deal was available. The answer was “At Elance, of course.”

We had heard horror stories before, about copy from Elance or similar freelancer sites. But this time, we decided to see for ourselves just what the deal was. So we signed up for an account and posted a job: a few 1000-word articles on a subject which would require a decent amount of research. We offered to pay $15-$20 per article, and specified that we only wanted native American English writers. We also decided in advance that we were only going to consider writers who had received a rating of at least 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.We received several dozen applications within a few hours. Our next step was to check out the “writers” who applied. Right away, we were able to discard several applicants, who weren’t American. We also discarded another five, who didn’t submit any writing samples (which we had requested in our posting.)

Then, we looked at the portfolios or writing samples of the remaining applicants – and we were horrified. There wasn’t a single person whose writing would meet our standards. There were spelling errors, grammatical errors, sentence fragments, careless factual mistakes, and that was in their portfolios – the writing they chose to show as the best examples of their work.

Somewhat daunted, we plunged ahead, and chose the “best” of the bunch, someone with a rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 and lots of great recommendations on the site. Elance only allows you to communicate with your writer on their in-house message system, so we were unable to speak with our writer personally to explain the project; we did the best we could by leaving directions and samples in their inbox, and then held our breath.

A week later, we had our articles. We were disappointed but not surprised to see that the writer’s portfolio was a good representation of their work; the article’s structure and organization was mediocre, there were grammatical and spelling errors, serious factual errors, and a few sentences that didn’t really make sense at all.

Out of curiosity, we decided to edit the articles ourselves to see how long it would take to turn the copy into something we would use on one of our own sites. And as we suspected, we had to spend almost as much time editing the pieces as we would have spent writing them ourselves.

It’s certainly possible that we just happened to choose the wrong writer. But we doubt it. In our opinion, we got what we paid for – mediocre writing at a below-market price.

You may already have had the same experience with freelance sites. If not, we pass along the experience as a cautionary tale. Are we biased? Of course we are. Take this story with however many grains of salt you’d like.

But in a strange way, we’re glad we gave this experiment a try.

It made us feel more confident than ever about the service and quality that we offer our clients.

As you browse a website, you may notice a link at the bottom of the page to the “terms of use.” Have you ever clicked that link and read the terms? If you are like the vast majority of people, the answer is no, and courts are starting to recognize that fact.

Contract?

The terms of use of a website are supposed to act as a contract between you and the site. How can a contract exist if visitors rarely read the terms, much less agree to them? Judges are now ruling it can’t. Zappos.com learned this painful lesson recently.

In January of 2012, Zappos reported a database security breach affecting up to 24 million customers. A class action lawsuit was filed against the company, and counsel for Zappos argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, with the dispute instead being sent to arbitration pursuant to language in the terms of use for the site.

Zappos used the “link at the bottom of the page” approach in its arguments. The suing lawyers argued the terms were not binding on the visitors to Zappos because there was no evidence the visitors ever read or agreed to the terms.

The court agreed and ruled the Zappos terms invalid. In ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones noted on the last page of the decision,

“…[T]he advent of the Internet has not changed the basic requirements of a contract, and there is no agreement where there is no acceptance, no meeting of the minds, and no manifestation of assent. A party cannot assent to terms of which it has no knowledge or constructive notice, and a highly inconspicuous hyperlink buried among a sea of links does not provide such notice.”

The Lesson

Are website terms of use binding on you? Not if you have to access them via a link buried at the bottom of a site, and you are not asked to check a box agreeing to them.

Stop

The first thing you need to do when planning your wedding is…stop! You should not purchase, reserve or place a deposit on anything wedding-related until you have a budget in place. The last thing you want to do on a whim is drop 80 percent of your budget on a reception hall with a stunning view looking out over the ocean. While the view will be amazing, you are going to be wearing flip flops and eating McDonalds, since you only have a little bit of money left. Slow down, plan and then spend your budget carefully.

Wedding Debt

A wedding is a special ceremony. Unfortunately, it can also be the expense that keeps on giving for years. While the event represents one of the most magical days in the life of a couple, there is a school of thought suggesting restraint is the best policy when it comes to putting together a budget.

The question is simple. Do you really want to put yourself or your parents into serious debt by spending a huge amount of money on an event that will be a one-day affair? Step back and think about the parties paying for the wedding. The Great Recession did significant damage to the financial status of nearly everyone. While your parents might say “yes” to paying for the wedding, it is your duty to evaluate whether they are really in a position to do so or if they will go into heavy debt late in their life to pay for it.

This is not to suggest you should not hold a formal wedding and reception. It is to suggest that you should show a bit of restraint. Do you really need the $3,500 gold leaf trimmed thank-you stationary? Probably not.

Budget Breakdown

When putting together your wedding budget, start with the total amount you have to spend on the wedding. Make sure the total reflects confirmed contributions, not “potential” money. This typically involves negotiations with parents and, these days, a good bit of your own savings as well. Whatever the final figure, you then need to break the budget down into categories of expected expenses. For reference purposes, the breakdown of expenses for a traditional wedding is as follows:

• Reception food, drinks and site – 42 percent
• Wedding rings – 8 percent
• Professional photography – 8 percent
• Flowers – 6 percent
• Rehearsal dinner – 6 percent
• Wedding dress – 5 percent
• Videography – 5 percent
• Reception music – 4 percent
• Groom’s tux – 3 percent
• Hair and makeup for bridal party – 2 percent
• Stationary – 2 percent
• Ceremony music – 2 percent
• Wedding ceremony facility – 2 percent
• Wedding Cake – 2 percent
• Transportation – 2 percent
• Wedding Favors – 1 percent

These figures represent a basic budget for a wedding. The numbers are not set in stone, so don’t be a slave to them when setting your budget. It is far more important to simply have a plan you are comfortable with when spending your precious money.

Tipping

Many weddings go over budget because unanticipated small costs add up quickly. One element many couples fail to take into account involves tipping. Who gets tipped at a wedding? Well, everyone! Certain vendors may include the gratuity in their contract, but most will not. Here’s who you should be tipping and how much:

• Wedding Planner – 15 percent of their fee.
• Bartenders – 10 percent of the total liquor cost.
• Waiters – $20 each
• Chef – $100
• Catering Manager – $200
• Hairstylist – 15 percent of their fee.
• Makeup Artist – 15 percent of their fee.
• Photographer – $100
• Limo Drivers – 15 percent of their fee.
• Musicians – 15 percent of their fee.

What about good versus bad service? This is a tricky question with wedding vendors because newlyweds usually are not in a position to evaluate the services – since you don’t interact personally with most of the people working at your wedding. Unless a vendor or individual has just been a nightmare, you should go ahead and tip them.

Budget Buffer

Sticking to a budget is incredibly important, but most of us have problems doing so. This is particularly true with weddings since there is an emotional element involved in the purchasing decisions. To avoid budget-crushing decisions, you should consider building in a buffer for the budget. Figure out the total you have to spend and then put 10 percent of that amount in a “reserve” category. Do everything possible to avoid spending this money. If you are forced to do so on something you simply cannot resist, then at least the money has already been accounted for in your budget.

Cutting Costs

How does a couple cut costs on a wedding? Where do you even start? One approach that works pretty well is to simply ask the 25th anniversary question. When considering a wedding expense, ask yourself if the item or service in question is something you will even remember at your 25th wedding anniversary celebration. If you have any doubt, forgo the expense.

• Reception Location

The reception will run you 42 percent of your wedding budget. A good bit of this will be the rental cost of the location where you hold the reception. To save money, consider throwing the reception in a free location such as the backyard of a family member or friend. But be careful; while you might save money on the location rental, you can end up spending the savings on staff to work the wedding. How this equation plays out really depends on what part of the country the wedding is being held in. Regardless, make sure you run the numbers to see if this approach really saves you a significant amount.

• Guests

Every guest is a cost multiplier. This simply means each guests drains a wedding budget in multiple areas. A single guest will get an invitation, need to be seated, eat food, drink alcohol and so on. So every person you trim from the guest list saves you a bundle. While we all would love to have huge weddings, an intimate ceremony is a much better choice from a budgetary point of view.

So, how do you cut guests without offending people? The answer is simple – talk to them. Explain the situation and most will understand. Even if you find it embarrassing, it is still usually a better option than saying nothing and offending friends and family who are cut from the list.

• Packages

Package deals represent a great way to save money on a wedding. Many reception facilities will provide a one-stop solution so you can get on with celebrating and avoid worrying about finding and organizing vendors. While this is incredibly convenient, it also tends to be less expensive, so make sure to investigate whether it is an option at the various reception facilities you are considering.

• Early Wedding

The timing of your wedding can also represent a sublime strategy for saving money. How so? A noon wedding is almost always cheaper than one held late in the afternoon. Why? Alcohol. Guests will not drink as much in the middle of the day, so you end up saving on your bar costs.

• Avoid Saturday Weddings

Saturday is the most popular day for weddings, which also makes it the most expensive day. To cut costs, pick another day. A Sunday wedding is much cheaper and you can save 50 percent or more if you hold the ceremony and reception during the week, with evening weddings being a popular choice.

• The Bar

You can end up spending a fortune on the bar if you are not careful. To save money, stick to beer and wine as the staple offerings. Then add a signature drink such as margaritas or another pre-mixed drink. The men will grumble, but you will save a significant amount of money.

• Buy in Bulk

As with many things, you can get a real deal when purchasing items in bulk for a wedding. Consider wedding favors. If you were to hand out personalized champagne glasses as favors to your guests, you might expect to pay $8 to $10 per glass from a retail store. Buying in bulk from a wedding site such as ours can reduce the cost to as low as $3.00 per glass.  The savings of $5 to $7 per guest is going to add up quickly, which can do wonders for your budget. Never pay the retail price!

Areas Not To Cut

Once you start cutting costs, it can be tempting to take the blade to every part of the budget. Don’t make this mistake. While you may save money, the real impact may be one you end up really regretting. This is true for one service in particular – wedding photos.

A top quality wedding photographer is expensive, but this is one area where you should gladly pay the fee. Two things will survive the wedding day – your marriage and your wedding album. The wedding album is the record of the magical day, the one item you can pull out at any time and reflect upon. Do you really want to go cheap with it? No. You want high quality photos that look great and will last for 50 years.

Most major wedding expenses actually benefit guests. This is the one expense that solely benefits you, the newlyweds. If you are going to splurge anywhere, this is the place to do it.

Going Radical

A wedding is a romantic affair, but it also happens to be a one-time event. That’s why some feel the money involved is better spent elsewhere. If you fall into this category, you have a couple of non-traditional options available to you.

The first is fairly simple. You can grab your parents and head down to the county office to get married before a clerk. The cost is basically your clothes and the fee charged. Is it romantic? Not in the least. Why do it? Instead of spending $20,000 or $30,000 on a wedding, you can use it for a down payment on a home.

A second option is to hold a formal wedding ceremony, but go with a greatly reduced reception. Ceremony facilities such as churches are not expensive. You can rent one, hold the ceremony and then have the guests move to a restaurant for drinks and finger food. The advantage of this approach is you get the formal marriage ceremony, but without the huge cost of the reception. Depending on where you live in the country, this strategy can be accomplished for a cost of $3,000 to $5,000.

A Successful Day

One of the keys to a successful wedding is fiscal discipline. Put a good bit of time and effort into setting your budget and then stick to it. Doing so will keep you from suffering buyer’s remorse afterwards.

Before getting into a list of the best Las Vegas buffets, there are a few things you should know. Buffet lines can get very, very long – and the better buffets may actually cost you more than a meal at a fine restaurant back home. There are some easy ways to avoid the lines and to lessen the dent in your wallet, though:  the food selection is very often the same for lunch and for dinner – but lunch prices are usually lower. And you’ll have the same experience at a buffet during afternoon or late evening hours, without having to endure the crowds. Finally, if you’re a big gambler and have a higher level player’s card, you can usually use a special line to bypass the crowds completely.  Some properties often have buffet discounts or promotions that are worth checking out, to lower the bill.

On to the list of the best Las Vegas buffets.

• Bellagio: high in quality and variety, this usually is at or near the top of everyone’s list of best buffets in Las Vegas. There are high-end touches you seldom see at buffets, such as Dim Sum,  succulent jumbo shrimp along with a huge raw bar, and wood-fired pizzas made to order. Lucky enough to be there on a Friday or Saturday? Check out the weekend specials of Kobe beef, buffalo and venison.  The desserts are just ordinary, but that’s fine – stick with the dinner here and pick up some gelato later in the evening.
• Wynn Las Vegas:  Steve Wynn has always paid close attention to the quality of his buffets (see Bellagio, above) and when he opened his new home base, the buffet was an immediate attraction. The sushi , homemade pasta and soups are fabulous here, as are the pizzas, curry, prime rib and Mexican food. Try the crème brûlée for dessert. The breakfast buffet is one of the best in Vegas, with great homemade sausages,too.
• Village Buffet, Paris: This buffet has seen better days (we would once have placed it at #1), but it’s still a wonderful change of pace. The feel is country Parisian, and the food is arranged by the region of France from which it comes. We’re a fan of the duck and roasted meats, the coq au vin, scalloped potatoes and poached fish, as well as the made-to-order crepes station; for dessert, we like the bananas foster.
• Village Seafood Buffet, Rio: If you’re a seafood fan, it’s definitely worth the hike to the Rio to sample this sumptuous buffet, divided into American, Italian, Chinese and Mexican stations. The highlights include the seafood gumbo, oysters Rockefeller, cioppino and kung pao scallops, but you may just want to gorge yourself on fabulous, all-you-can-eat sushi and lobster (prepared three different ways). Plenty of meat and chicken for the carnivores, too.
•  Bally’s Sunday Brunch: This would be #1 on most people’s lists of Las Vegas buffets except that you can only experience it for a few hours each week. This brunch has regular breakfast fare, made-to-order; but the real thrill here is the incredible selection of “other” stuff: fresh Maine lobster, oysters, caviar and truffles, every variety of prime meat cooked to order including beef tenderloins and rack of lamb, even ostrich.  There’s unlimited champagne, too (the real stuff, like Perrier Jouet). It’s pricey, at almost $100 per person – but what a splurge!

Rest of the top ten:

• The Buffet, Aria
• Carnival World Buffet, Rio
• Cravings, Mirage
• Feast Buffet, Green Valley Ranch
• Spice Market Buffet, Planet Hollywood

Of course, if you’re anywhere in Vegas, you can be sure there’s one of the less expensive Las Vegas buffets within walking distance. Don’t rule them out; they not be as lavish as the ones we’ve listed, but there are still some great bargains out there waiting to be found!

Do Your Blog Posts Suck?

It is a simple, blunt question with a dash of rudeness mixed in. You may want to say “no,” but we both know the answer is probably “yes.” Don’t be insulted. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to overcoming it.

The truth is most blogs are terrible. Do site owners set out to post thin content and update their blogs once every three months or so? Of course not.

The problem is time.

There isn’t enough of it.

Well, here’s a secret most successful blogs hold close to the vest. The blog posts are not written by the bloggers listed as the authors. Instead, the work is actually farmed out to companies like ours that know how to write compelling pieces on a tight schedule. Put more succinctly, you can “buy time” by using us.

So, just what do we do for you? Let’s take a look at our approach to writing blog posts.

Posts That Don’t Suck

Successful blogs build credibility and generate loyalty with the target audience. Unfortunately, successful blogs are few and far between. The reason is that most posts are nothing but marketing pieces trying to separate the reader from their hard-earned money.

Successful blogs don’t focus on asking for things from the readers. Instead, post after post gives readers something useful, whether it’s general information or helpful tips. This creates a positive impression with readers, an important step to ultimately winning their business.

Let’s consider a plumber’s site as an example.  Plumbing is not the most exciting of topics, right? What kind of posts can we create that will not only be interesting to visitors, but will generate a strong brand impression with them? Actually, there are many different topics we can cover in posts that do just this.

Here is typical blog post language on the website of a plumber:

“We at Bob’s Plumbers have been providing professional services to the greater Los Angeles area for 18 years. We know our stuff. Whether you have a leak or clog, we can get the water flowing again…”

This is advertising copy. While it might be great for postcard mailings, it is not appropriate for a blog post.

This is what we might write:

“If you are suffering from clogged drains, the first thing you will discover is there seems to be an endless number of drain cleaners available to supposedly fix the problem. Before you buy and pour, it is important to ask two questions.

1. Will the product actually work?

2.  Is the product safe for my pipes?”

The post would then discuss the various products available and how certain chemicals found in typical drain cleaners actually corrode metal pipes. An additional section would focus on how to deal with specific clogged drain situations such as food and hair clogs, as well as products appropriate for septic systems.

Go back and compare the two written post snippets. Which one would you react better to if you were sitting in your house with a smelly sink barely draining at 9 p.m. on Saturday night? The sales pitch, or the version identifying safe products that can cure the problem now?

Loyalty = Revenues

Happy readers are wonderful, but how does this put money in your pocket? The answer is simple in the case of our plumber. At the end of the post, we would include a section discussing completely clogged drains. It would be noted that such clogs need to be cleared with a plumbing snake and the reader would be directed to contact the plumber for help.

What have we done with this post? Have we given away free, useful information? Absolutely. Have we cut into the revenues or potential business of our plumbing client? Unlikely. Plumbers typically are not called out for slow drains, so we haven’t given away much and we’ve gained huge credibility with readers. If their drains get to the point where they will not drain at all, guess who the reader is calling?

Don’t think this approach works? It does – I’m a reader of just such a blog. I live in the mountains and am on a septic system. I was suffering from a clogged drain and found a blog post on a plumber’s site showing me in detail how to deal with the clog. It worked and the plumber had a customer for life without even knowing it. When it came time to order a routine $600 septic system draining which must be done every three to five years, who do you think I called?

You guessed right.

When the next routine cleaning is needed in another three to five years, who do you think I will call then?

You got it – and now you see the power of quality blog posts.

Our Blogging Service

Our goal at Prestige Writing is to turn your blog from a burden to a boon that brings in actual traffic and business. With our posting service, we:

1. Conduct a free site review to unocover potential blogging opportunities
2. Conduct a free consultation with you to discuss our views on the blogging opportunities for your site
3. Discuss an appropriate posting frequency for your industry
4. Discuss optimal word length
5. Evaluate the potential for using topical news alerts to pick up traffic off the search engines with quick-hitting posts
6. Discuss any other unique issues that arise during the consultation.

Get started now by scheduling a free consultation with us to learn how we can turn your blog from a turkey into a goose laying golden eggs.

• Writing ability: this is obviously the most important qualifier. Is their content well-written in native English, without spelling or grammatical errors? Is it easy to understand? If it’s an article or narrative, does it deliver what the introduction or title promises? If it’s sales copy, is there a clear and effective call to action?
• Intellectual curiosity: they’re going to have to write on a variety of subjects, many of which are new to them. Are they interested to learn about new topics and grasp new material quickly? Are they good researchers, and does their research translate into authoritative copy?
• Personal qualities: they need to be good listeners, quick studies and easy to work with. Do they quickly grasp new information and ask the right questions? Can they produce quality work in a timely fashion without constant direction and correction?

This is not an exhaustive list, of course, but it’s a good way to narrow down the candidates. We hope it helps you, whether you’re looking to hire an in-house writer or searching for a quality writing service like ours.

We are owned and operated by professional writers with decades of experience. We don’t subscribe to the “1000 words for $10″ web mentality which seems to be a growing trend. We pride ourselves on producing quality writing you’ll be proud to call your own.

We will work to fully understand your needs, and then create copy which will engage your readers and produce results.

Complicated information presented in a clear, understandable style? Authoritative presentation of your company’s mission and goals? Compelling sales copy with a call to action which will motivate potential buyers? That’s what we do.

We can also edit and revise your existing copy for clarity, spelling and grammatical errors; make it search engine friendly; or plan and execute a full content strategy for website, blog and social media posting.

Please explore our site, and then contact us with questions or to receive a no-obligation quote. We’re looking forward to putting your ideas into words.