The latest episode of Freelance Radio, the official FreelanceSwitch podcast, is now available! This episode, the panel (John Brougher, Dickie Adams, Kristen Fischer and Von Glitschka) talks about Kristen’s freelance dilemma and offers some suggestions. Subscriptions to the podcast are available via iTunes and an archive of all podcasts will appear in the podcast section. We hope you enjoy it!
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To celebrate the end of 2009 and the Christmas season, we’re giving away prizes on FreelanceSwitch and WorkAwesome. All you have to do to enter is tell us the most important thing you learned about freelancing this year in the comments–but make sure you read the instructions below before you do so!

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Top Five Best Database Management Tools

“For a database administrator, DBM (database management) tools make tasks related to maintaining relational databases efficient and fast. Prior to the popularity of these tools, most DBA’s had to use the command line to create, edit, and delete databases. In this article, we present to you the top five most popular/most voted for database management tools.”

The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing

“So in honor of Dan Kennedy, who sometimes styles himself as the “Professor of Harsh Reality,” I thought I’d talk today about some of the not-so-kumbaya aspects of social media marketing.”

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While there are great resources out there for anyone interested in freelancing, working as a graphic designer can have a few twists that makes it worth your while to take a look at books that specifically offer information geared towards freelance graphic designers. These books can provide an education on the nuts and bolts of the freelance graphic design business.

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Some clients are happy to pay you for your work as soon as they get the finished product. Others make a tortoise look speedy when it comes time to cut you a check. The slow-pokes tend to fall into two different categories: clients who are going to do everything they can to avoid paying you and those that just haven’t managed to pay you yet. There are plenty of remedies for that first group, from lawsuits to collection agencies. But what about the folks that are just behind because of cashflow or paperwork?

There are a few ways that you can speed up the payment process, making certain clients easier to work with.

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When you’re working on a project for a client, you sometimes have to spend a little money in order to get to the point where you can invoice your client. Maybe you have to register a domain name. Maybe you have to pay for a stock image. Maybe you have to subcontract part of the project. No matter what expenses are a part of your project, it’s important to keep close track of them so that you can report them on your invoice and get your client to cover them.

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Here in the United States, there has been a lot of talk about putting unemployed people back to work. President Obama recently hosted a Jobs and Economic Growth Forum at the White House and in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The White House has also asked Americans to host their own forums.

In light of the feedback to my recent FreelanceSwitch article, “Finding Jobs vs. Finding a Job,” I don’t think that the solution lies entirely in creating employment for people.

So, in response to the White House request, why don’t we hold a community jobs forum right here? Let’s address our job-free experience as freelancers — the positive and negative aspects.

We’re holding this event on the FreelanceSwitch forums, and we’d love it if you’d grab an account (they’re free) and participate. The community jobs forum thread is here.

Note: Even if you’re not located in the United States, you’re more than welcome to join this discussion. After all, freelancing is global!

How to Stop Being a Workaholic

Let’s start by saying that there’s nothing inherently wrong with work — it can be fun, exciting, fulfilling, rewarding. I love my work in a way I never did for most of my life, until a few years ago, and work is one thing I live for, that I jump out of bed each morning to do. However, the reader recognizes that there’s more to life than work, and that relaxing is important, and that stress is a major problem.

The Quentin Tarantino Guide to Creating Killer Content

There are few writers like Tarantino, and though his verbal carpet bombs and kinetic escalation of violence aren’t for everyone, there is no doubt that the dude follows his muse. Those who love him will eagerly wait in lines wrapped around the block to show their support.

CNN’s New Website Design Deconstructed

The new design is beautiful, clean, organized and well-structured. It invites the eye to scan and find something interesting with the goal of clicking through to another page. So, let’s look in more detail at not only the notable improvements, but some of the questionable design and usability decisions.

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It’s been a busy year here at Envato and over on our marketplaces, we’re finishing it off with a bang! I’m pretty excited to fill you in on 2 new marketplaces, 3 new types of things you can buy and sell, and a dramatic improvement to how you can purchase on the sites. Read on to learn more!

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In this inaugural issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, myself and Thursday Bram look a the pros and cons of “I vs We” and the best ways to expand your business.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a new regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Let’s get started!
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