"I can also determine my own schedule, rather than waiting for an editor to get to my article and then for my article to get through the publishing queue." I'm with you on this one Lindsay. I love having that control, and so far, that advantage has far outweighed anything else I've experienced with big or small publications. I've written for bigger ones with a bigger reach, but there's also a bigger pool of writers and stories to compete with. Personally, I love doing things mostly on my own. The challenge is getting eyes on it, the same as it is, no matter if you're in a publication or you self publish. Thanks for your views and your desire to help fellow writers :-)