Do I write for Web content aggregators? No.

I write for magazines that publish stories in print and online. I write for business and trade magazines that publish some stories in print and some online. I write for e-zines, news sites and custom publishers that publish only online. I write for this blog.

I don’t need to write for content aggregators. After more years in the business than I care to share, I don’t have to. I know a good story when I see one. I can find sources. I’ve pulled court documents and interviewed relatives of homicide victims and dying children. I’ve combed through 10Ks and dissected proxy statements. I’ve walked the floors at trade shows and grilled CEOs. I know how to write a basic news story in the inverted pyramid style. I can write an essay, a feature, a Q&A, an op-ed, a column. I can write headlines, cutlines and pull quotes, charticles and “at a glance” fact boxes. I blog. I tweet. I can do simple HTML coding, add keyword tags and know the basics of SEO (sort of). I can take pictures, though I’ve yet to tackle video or podcasts.

So content aggregators hold no appeal.

But writing online, that’s attractive. At one point, I freelanced for some of the biggest newspapers in the country, the biggest tech magazines and the largest financial wire service in the world.

Today, 90 percent of my stories show up online right away and 100 percent eventually.  And I’m well paid for the work – in fact, extremely very well paid.

If that makes me a Web content writer, so be it. Because in another year or two, even more news stories, essays, columns, blog posts and charticles from established media companies and publishers yet to be born will go directly online.

I’ll be ready.

Advertising.

Last year, Internet advertising jumped 26 percent to $21.2 billion, according to the 2007 Internet Advertising Revenue Report released this week from The Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

It’s the fourth year of record growth for online ads. By contrast, print advertising in U.S. newspapers dropped 9 percent in 2007, to $42.2 billion. That’s still a big number, but it’s the second decline in as many years and industry analysts predict it’ll shrink to $10 billion by 2017.

Since most media properties still make most of their money through advertising rather than subscriptions, it makes sense that jobs will follow the money. That includes freelance jobs. While opportunities to place freelance stories in print editions of U.S. newspapers are dwindling, that’s not the case online. A quick scan of job boards on sites such as Freelance Writing Jobs, JournalismJobs and Editor & Publisher shows just how many paid writing gigs with top-tier media properties are out there.

If you haven’t ever written for an online publication, it might seem intimidating. But there are more similarities than differences. If you’re a good writer or a news hound you can learn the rest, such as writing blog posts, and using Web tools and search engine optimization.

You can check out other freelance writing gigs for online publications here:

MediaBistro.com
Jobs For Bloggers
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Online News Association (members only job board)