As typewriters died - and computer keyboards and the Internet thrived - a world of opportunity opened for people who write for a living, says Peter Bowerman, an Atlanta-based author of The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less.

Bowerman, who brings his writing how-to road show to Sharonville's Comfort Inn & Suites from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday for $39, suggests that professional writers should forget about books, magazines and newspapers.

The future of writing is on the Web and in company Web sites.

"Web content is a key project type for a commercial free-lancer," Bowerman said. "The idea of contacting a company who has a poorly written site and suggesting changes to the site is a real door-opener to that company."

Bowerman believes one of the reasons the national economy has apparently failed to produce a lot of new jobs is that many people are now working from their homes for themselves.

Women looking for more flexibility in consulting or freelance work are writing brochures and corporate statements and creating Web content, he said.

"Among the pluses of hiring a freelancer: a company buys what they need only when they need it," he said. "Companies get a wide range of talent and fresh 'outsider' perspectives; and of course, they don't have to provide salaries, benefits and vacation.

"The result of this trend is that it opens up a ton of new opportunities for the entrepreneurially minded," he said.

Contact Bowerman at (770) 438-7200 or visit his Web site at www.wellfedwriter.com for more information.

Keep from going under

Billed as the Super Bowl of Jobs, a career fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 31 will feature a variety of job openings in a number of fields.

Health care, automotive, sales, customer service, education, banking and finance are some of the occupations available at Paul Brown Stadium.

More than 60 companies are expected to offer positions to an estimated 2,500 job seekers at the event produced by the Employment Guide, a division of Trader Advertising Media, based in Norfolk, Va.

Great American Insurance Group and Home Depot are among the sponsors of the free event.

Sick leave

Ever wonder what kinds of germs lurk on your keyboard? Don't ask.

The University of Arizona determined that an office desk contains 400 times more germs than the average office toilet seat.

In case you're keeping track, a telephone receiver holds 25,000 germs, a keyboard has 3,295 germs and that dirty mouse on the pretty mouse pad only has 1,676 germs.

The key carryout?

Do what your mom told you to do: Wash those hands.