Developers. You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. What would life be without this particular developer/blogger/author/…? We can’t imagine.

Although Mr. Jonathan Snook doesn’t like to brag (which makes interviewing him a little like playing a game of cat and mouse) you’ve probably already heard about his work. So, how do you go from mild-mannered web developer to one of the most popular and respected web developers on the tubes — the man we call Mr. Snook?

Ivan Brezak Brkan (IBB): When people mention you, they are basically talking about some kind of javascript/CSS/PHP deity. Who are you, really?

Jonathan Snook (JS): I suppose I just consider myself an average computer geek. I get to sit at a desk, type in a few lines of text and see stuff happen. I’m really quite humble about it. I certainly don’t consider myself a rockstar programmer. On the flip side, I know I come to the table with a rare mix of skills that gives me an advantage. Having the varied skill set that I do allows me to understand what the client wants, what the user needs, while also keeping in mind the possible limitations at the same time. Continue Reading

Image by j / f / photos.

Oh we so love e-mail. It’s fast, it’s a nice archive. We don’t have to get out of bed to send our first e-mail of the day (sometimes). But is e-mail the best way to communicate with your clients? Is it the best way to do business and send proposals? I don’t think so — and here’s a few reasons why.

The Digital Divide

As most of us are web workers, communicating via e-mail, VoIP and IM is second nature. The freelancer lifestyle in most cases means that we do the bulk of the work ourselves. Fast communication in these cases is crucial, but sometimes it can cost us projects. Why e-mail is bad:

Lack of emotion. Business is business, but people get emotional. No — I’m not talking about crying over your invoices or clients giving you a big hug when you finish their logo. I’m talking about the voice, the face, the stance, the actual reaction. You don’t get any of this via e-mail. Is the client really happy with the logo? Is he really that ecstatic? Does he hate your press release proposal or just think it needs a few tweaks?

Magnification. The purest form of communication, the written word. One word, one sentence can mean so many things to so many people. Find a potential client who doesn’t know (and doesn’t need to know) how to write well and you’ll really enjoy those e-mails… Continue Reading

Freelancing is a good career choice for a student. While letting us study, it also gives us both money to pay the bills and experience that we need in the future. I’ve seen a lot of student come out of college with only theory and no experience. I’m not talking about expertise in a given field (for example, in my case that would be sociology), but of real world experience. You know what, sometimes you do have to wear a suit. You do have to know how to write a proposal, a brief, etc. My friend Glenn Wolsey points out: “The good in favor of freelancing – extra cash in your pocket. The bad, added stress to hit deadlines and hours disappearing before you know it.”

Next month I’ll be doing a presentation and roundtable at a Microsoft event about web technology and business. I have to be honest, I’ve never done a presentation for such a large and experienced audience. The good that will come out of it is that I’ll learn. From that day on, I’ll know how to improve my presentations and public speaking. Don’t wait to finish college to get some experience. People notice young people that work hard and know their field well.
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Many freelancers depend on Skype for VoIP communication. Never has it been so simple to talk to anyone from any continent with one simple piece of software – and it’s free. Add to that SkypeIn calls for land lines, a nice interface and very good uptime, this little application is basically a godsend. It’s popularity makes it a standard – a standard freelancers can use to their advantage. Collaborating or doing business with different parts of the world is far easier when you can speak to people in realtime, without worrying about the phone bill.

As any application that has become a business standard, Skype too has a plethora of developers making great add-on applications to enhance it’s feature set. From audio recording to user-friendly voicemail, here are a few nice features you can add to the basic Skype setup…
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By Ivan Brezak Brkan

For one reason or another, a lot of freelancers use Macs. It may be the raw power, the stability or they may just look rather – cool? Well, both of us know why that really is. It’s the apps! The software that makes the hardware bling, and it’s not necessarily thanks to Apple. Aperture and iCal may be nice, but often we rely on the smaller, even more useful applications. Here’s a list of great little applications that the Mac-powered freelancer should consider.

1. Text Expander

is a great little application for all those little snippets of text you need all the time. Writer? Typos can trigger Text Expande. Developers? No more code library needed. Designers? Well, we can always add signatures to email, right?

2. Quicksilver

is a world of its own. Unlike most launchers, the best thing about Quicksilver is that it’s not only a launcher. As probably the best productivity application on the Mac, it’s something you need to learn how to use in order to master it.

3. Backdrop

is very simple. Just fill in a color or image and hide the desktop clutter. Need minimalistic? Now you have it…

4. Shoo Apps

does what the long forgotten (or so it seems) Spirited Away did. it hides inactive applications.

5. Hazel

is a maid for your Mac. Have a lot of files just sitting waiting to be organized? Well, Hazel can move those files based on the criteria you set up. Be it name, date, location or what site or e-mail the file came from, this little application takes care of it.

6. Sticky Windows

is an application I personally can’t live without anymore. Say hello to tabs. Drag a window to the top, left or right edge of the screen and a tab will appear. To remove a tab, you just drag it away. It’s that simple.

7. Pzizz

is quite neat. It creates custom nap and sleep melodies for you to help you relax. Need a power nap – take one. It really may help, or it may just work as placebo. But hey, why not try it?

8. Scrivener

is a great tool for writers. From brainstorming, to outlining to writing in fullscreen mode, this application supports all the creative phases that a writer encounters. Say goodbye to Word and just… Write!

9. Writeroom

is a simple, yet very powerful application and full screen writing is the name of the game. Not more, but less. If the complexity of modern word processors isn’t inspiring, work it all out with Writeroom.

10. Avenir

is a writing application specialized for fiction. Characters, locations, scenes. If you’re a fiction writer, Avenir will give you even more flexibility in writing your next bestseller.
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By Ivan Brezak Brkan

I can tell you your future! Sure I can. Are you holding a mouse while slouching in your nice office chair? Maybe you’re a coder. Resting our hands on the keyboard wrist pad, are we? Guess what, you’re going to be in a lot of pain pretty soon. Think neck, back and wrist pains… Have them? Good. I was right.

You are suffering from repetitive strain injury – and you’re not alone. With more and more people working on their computers for far longer hours, RSI is becoming a big problem. Costing people their health and business billions of dollars.

An Army of One
As a freelancer, you depend solely on ourselves. You have partners, colleagues, etc. But the brunt of the work you do personally. A broken computer you can replace. Lost files can be saved. You on the other hand aren’t replaceable. In this case, it’s all about you. No one will look after your health besides you. Loss of delicate movement in the hands can spell career death to a designer, illustrator, writer, developer. In order to prevent current and future pains, here are a few simple tips to get you back, and always ready for action.
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By Ivan Brezak Brkan

So you know how to write, do you? You know your industry, you know your topic. You have a great idea for an article that will make people think. But what’s this? The dreaded blank page. Although, it’s not the article – not yet. It’s the pitch to the editor.

It’s not just about what to write, but who to write to. For first time authors, writing their first pitch can be even more frustrating than writing their first article. Writing coaches agree that this is one of the things their students dread the most.

Writing pitches and proposals shouldn’t be that big of an issue. Unfortunately, as with all things that seem small and insignificant, we tend to blow them out of proportion. A scared writer before a pitch has the mentality of a teenager in his standard “will they like me” phase. Well, it’s time to pitch, and here’s some tips on how to do it.

First and foremost, editors are actual human beings. You may not believe this, but it’s a well known fact. They’re like you and me. A lot of stress and not enough time. In order to get a story through you need to do one of three things: shock, connect or surprise. But, before we get to what you actually need to write, let’s do a little preemptive preparation.
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By Ivan Brezak Brkan

So you’re at the beach, in the mountains, in the country – it’s peaceful. You feel relaxed. The wind in your hair, the sun in your face, the overall boredom. Boring. It’s all nice of course, but you can’t seem to shake the feeling that you have better things to do. The project you left at the office does seem somewhat more interesting… The sun, the sweat, the overall frustrations of a creative workaholic. For me, it was this article. Okay, not this exact one, but one I have promised Cyan I’d write. Well – I screwed up. There, I said it. I promised something and didn’t do it. The shame.

Let’s analyze the “issue”, lets analyze vacations. Widget, widget, widget, vacation. Most people would say it’s a time when they unwind, take the time to be with friends and family, basically – have fun. That’s ok. Worker 2.0 doesn’t work that way. He may crank virtual widgets, be it in a text, code or pixel manner, but the concept of a vacation doesn’t work for him anymore.

We can call ourselves geeks, web workers… It truly doesn’t matter. What matters is that we have serious issues. Vacations are one of them. We get bored, we want to check e-mail, we want to surf the Net. Laptops and mobiles don’t stay at home, but in our pockets. The problem with the concept of a classic vacation is that for a lot of us – they are boring after some time. We need a challenge. Tim Ferris calls for the death of vacations and outlines a concept of mini-retirements. The idea is not to wait for retirement to explore the world, but to do that in six month chunks. What Tim says makes sense, and yes, sometimes we just need to disconnect to connect once again. Unfortunately, most of us won’t end up changing our lifestyle in that way, but the idea of taking time off on a recurring basis is something we all need to do.
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