start your own blog, be your own boss. And there are plenty of cigar companies that will send you samplers to review their stuff.
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Is that the purpose of most cigar blogs? To get free samples?
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I thought reviewing cigars is the purpose of most cigar blogs. :-)
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Unless I am misinterpreting, this jab was unnecessary, IMHO. :-) I've read a lot of Ferdinand's reviews, and I would never draw this conclusion.:-)
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Everyone has their own personal reason for wanting to write about cigars.
I have always written. Just love it.
So the opportunity to write funny stuff and intertwine a cigar review around it is something I've never done.
Free cigars are nice but they are also tools. Tools that allow one to write the review.
Once in a while, I get a great cigar to review. Or one that's out of my pocket range.
Almost all reviewers do it because they love cigars.
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You are misinterpreting. I genuinely want to know. I rarely read cigar blogs so I don't know the actual purpose of them.
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I would assume the purpose of most cigar blogs is to provide an outlet to discuss and review cigars and the hobby we all hold so dear. I would assume there are some that do it for free stuff, but not most. But maybe I'm not cynical enough.:-)
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Good news. I was offered a writing gig for another big online cigar outlet this morning.
I took the gig.
I will write for Famous and the other outfit at the same time.
I have no contract with Famous. I am freelance.
Period.
I can't say who the other guy is quite yet, but soon.
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I believe blogspot.com is free. A friend of mine has a poker blog there.

http://madirishpoker.blogspot.com/




BTW, congrats on the new gig.
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Congratulations!
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no it isn't, but it is a nice bonus
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Congrats!
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I've had a dialog with pnoon (Peter) and I have to say publicly that this guy is a real mensch (Yiddish for stand up guy).
I have never been treated this fairly and kind by anyone else associated with cigars.
I would love to sit down for an afternoon and smoke a cigar with this man someday.

Best Regards,
The Kat
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Pack it up and find a site or blog that appreciates the humor.
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I appreciate the advice.
All good things take time.
I wasn't even a blip on the radar 4 months ago and now I'm writing for online cigar stores.
I will continue to be freelance and just see what happens. I'm 60 and haven't worked for over 2 years. I won't work again. I've given up looking.
I have some severe injuries caused by a skydiving accident in 2001.
The State of Wisconsin just gave me health insurance. I'm going to get all new MRI's and see all kinds of docs and apply for SSDI. My back is full of herniated disks. Maybe it's time to slow down after a lifetime of construction management.
Of course, I will continue to play bass in working bands. I'm not stupid....just cranky.
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I'm going to need a new avatar. If I go freelance, I can't use 12 different ones. Famous owns the one of me when I was 24...they did photoshop it, though.
I know there are lot of great artistic cigar photos out there and in here.
Can anyone recommend a member that does beautiful photos and would be willing to let me use part of their photo for my avatar?
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Brooks W. is one of the best and being a professional photographer, you might be able to work out a purchase or something. Although with his own blog, who knows. I guess you'd just have to ask him.
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Peter is good company. I enjoyed meeting him and the Mrs at Shack Herf IV. I was bummed to find out they were going to miss last summer's Shack V. If they are heading out for VI, it would be worth the drive from Milwaukee to Sandusky OH in August 2011.
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Phillip, I just read some of your reviews over at famous. Entertainingly humorous, while still informative with the review itself.

Good luck with everything.
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Thanks, Joel
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