November 18th, 2008
Here’s yet another reason why blogs are great for freelancers. As an authority-building exercise, you can answer questions and give advice on your blog. Dosh Dosh does a great job of listing some key benefits of setting up an advice column. Less clear is how to get a steady inflow of questions to answer in the first place.
It’s doubtful that anyone will send you questions to build your authority on right away, especially if you’re just starting your blog. Here’s were using your real-life experiences come in. Read More
Tags: advice columns, authority building, questions & answers
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By Rico -- 0 comments
November 14th, 2008
Dear Client,
We know that, like us, you’re extremely busy. Those deadlines won’t meet themselves, right?
However, for the sake of our sanity, is it too much to ask that you be more certain with your revisions? There’s nothing wrong with asking for changes. That’s why you’re paying us to work on your projects, and that’s why we prudently agree to a specific number of revision rounds. And we’re also willing to be reasonable. Though we may have agreed on 3 draft rounds, it’s probably ok to ask for one more, “polishing” round. Read More
Tags: last-minute changes, revisions
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November 12th, 2008
Blog.SpoonGraphics should be a stop for any freelance designer. They’ve got freebie assets (Photoshop brushes, textures, etc.) and genuinely useful tutorials.
A great stylish reinterpretation of current movies.
Find out why the Elements of Style is a great resource for programmers.
Writing tips from Orson Scott Card. You know, the writer of Ender’s Game?
Some terms you may consider using in your next composition.
The recession in the US will continue? Here’s what you can do, by Andrew Rutledge.
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November 11th, 2008
Ah freelance photogs, if you’re looking to protect your dear hardware without spending a fortune on those conspicuous bags, check out the Wired How-To Wiki. Apparently, all you need are a canvas bag from military surplus, some foam, and some cutting tools to cut the foam to size. Insert the foam so that it cushion’s the side of the bag’s compartments, and presto! You’ve got a protective yet nondescript camera bag!
Appropriately named the stealth camera bag (to give this item more drama to attraction attention obviously), this home project not only protects your camera, it conceivably keeps it off the radar of any sharp-eyed thieves. The complete how-to is available here. If anyone’s tried doing the same thing for other electronics like laptop, PDAs, or even mobiles, I’m all ears.
(image from Wired How-To Wiki)
Tags: camera bags, crafted, handmade, homemade
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November 10th, 2008
As a follow-up to 7 Tips for Making Email More Effective, here’s an eighth way to get the most out of your email: Use if-then-else structure.
For non-programmers, if-then-else was how developers told the computer to handle various scenarios, depending on what was true or not. For instance:
If condition A is true, do A
Else if condition B is true, do B
Else if condition C is true, do C
….
Else do X
You can use the same structure to get more out of your email. Instead of going back-and-forth with a series of short messages, why not just account for all possibilities in one email? Read More
Tags: email, emailing, if-then-else email, minimizing emails
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November 8th, 2008
Most likely, as you become more competent in a certain field, you will realize that certain methods do work, while others should be avoided at all costs.
This is a useful skill that keeps your work effective. That makes sense, because by focusing on techniques that work, you increase your chances of properly fulfilling your projects’ objectives. Yet this also carries a very significant danger: by relying on a set of proven methods, you run the risk of accidentally limiting yourself to it.
In other words, you suddenly realize that what you did for project X is almost exactly what you did for project Y. This is understandable, since you stick to certain methods. Unfortunately, this is also repetition. People will see a distinctive style at best, and consider you repetitive at worst. Read More
Tags: avoiding creative repetition, creative repetition, repetition
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November 7th, 2008
Well, not yet at least; Friday night is later for me. But I will be home working, so as to avoid working during the weekend.
A pity too, that all my old friends will be out, enjoying themselves. At least they were kind enough to not rub the salt on my productive-solitude. Realizing that I will be working on a Friday night has made the benefits of working exclusively as a freelancer that much clear. At the same time, it reveals at least one pitfall.
Right now, I balance my freelance career with a (currently) stable day job. But it remains my dream to be able to support myself properly through only freelancing. Being in control of your own schedule does have it benefits, the least being able to tailor a time management system that keeps you free for those important dates or engagements.
At the same time however, freelancers face a great challenge. Their time-management must be effective. An unstructured schedule is bad for the office worker, but it’s even worse for a contract worker, who is free form the support systems who have no problems keeping him or her on track. Like the boss trying to meet his own deadlines, or the human resources department.
I may be home on a Friday night, and that honestly sucks. I want to be with my friends, enjoy the booze and just have fun without any worries. At the same time however, the experience is reminding me just exactly what I need to practice on to be a good freelancer, and make that leap for freelancing exclusivity that much closer.
Just to be clear, you don’t have to keep your Fridays free if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly fine with that. After all, the ability to structure your schedule to meet your needs or wants is something capable freelancers have an easier time doing.
Tags: freelance schedule, freelance scheduling
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November 6th, 2008
Well, not random, since I’m bringing you the best—and worst—of creativity:
Photoshop Disasters reveals the how lazy graphic artists can be.
What do you think of the new Alka-Seltzer campaign?
Are desktop wallpaper monthly calendars a must-have? Would you be bothered making them?
The writer(s) responsible for Al Franken’s online copy deserve(s) a lot of money for a job well done. Note the clear tone and easily scannability of the senator-hopeful’s proposals.
Kudos to the creator of Arthemia, a great Wordpress magazine theme that’s also a perfect framework for porfolio sites.
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November 5th, 2008
It truly is a historic day for the United States of America. But Barack Obama’s achievement goes beyond politics. His campaign was a masterpiece of communication, a perfect example for anyone looking to get a message across.
Focus
Granted, the more liberal environment of the USA helped Barack Obama somewhat. But you still can’t discount Obama’s focus on the relevant issues. He rarely played the race card, because he knew that in the end, the electorate was more interested in what he would do as president, rather than the color of his skin.
For freelancers, Obama’s approach exemplifies communication that goes beyond the superficial. Pressed for time, clients usually go with their first impressions when choosing a freelancer to work with. Yet I can assure you that such a professional relationship only grows when the client can see that the freelancer does a good job.
Simplicity
Obama and his staff also understood that a message must be kept as simple as possible. A very good idea can be wasted, if it’s expressed in a hard-to-understand manner. Good ideas only work when the recipient of the message can immediately comprehend it. This may mean tweaking the same message for different audiences.
Another factor to consider is how Obama’s campaign were very deliberate with their actions, especially when it came to what the President-Elect would say on national TV. Ironically, the most effectively simple messages are the result of careful planning. That’s because when you consider your target audience, you also consider how to best connect with them.
The same is true for freelancers and their clients. The most effective communication is whatever’s the easiest to understand, especially given how everyone is busy nowadays. Invariably, the most comprehensible messages are the simple one. So do away with any wordy pitches. Keep things as simple as possible.
Tags: Barack Obama, campaign, Communication
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November 3rd, 2008
Over the past two weeks I’ve played around with a Nokia E71 loaner. Right now it’s the next phone I’m willing to spend my hard-earned cash on.
A common argument against high-end, do-everything phones is that not everyone can maximize all those features. A sentiment I agree with, but this smartphone model is a significant exception. Obviously, what makes the E71 stand-out is its QWERTY thumboard. In other words, you’re talking about a keyboard shrunk small enough to fit within a compact smartphone.
Even though I will use all this phone’s features (and any geek will tell you that there’s no shortage of them), I’d recommend this to anyone who needs an easy way to record ideas. The thumboard may take a little getting used to, but in my case, I was tapping down ideas left and right after a couple of days. Sometimes I even write down entire articles on this phone, and transfer it to my laptop via Bluetooth.
That’s right, this somewhat pricey smartphone could be better than your typical notepad and pen. Simply because what you write down on the E71 can be immediately transferred to a computer for editing. Compae that with pen and paper, which still requires encoding, especially if your handwriting is terrible.
Oh, and by the way, the E71’s keyboard also facilitates “wordy” jobs like replying to email, filling up its built-in to-do list or calendar with details.
(image by Technograph)
Tags: E71, Nokia, Nokia E71
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