What Your Dog Knows About Freelancing
Most freelancers are eager for tips and information, turning to forums, classes, and networking for ways to learn and improve. But did you ever consider looking to your canine for some wisdom? Here are a few things your dog knows that just may improve your freelancing life. Continue Reading
A Freelance Lesson From Jeremy Lin of the NY Knicks
Like many of you, I learned about Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks just a few days ago, after his 38-point game against the L.A. Lakers.
Lin’s recent popularity has garnered him 200,000 Twitter followers and over 377,000 Facebook friends. The Chinese-American also has over 800,000 followers on Weibo—a Chinese hybrid of Twitter and Facebook.
What I also liked was this article on Forbes.com about what people can learn from Jeremy Lin. I’ve taken the author’s points, and twisted the answers for the freelance set. I hope you enjoy…
Believe in yourself when no one else does
Lin is up against some big odds—he’s only the third Harvard grad to make the NBA. And you don’t see many Asians on the court. You might be up against some big odds, too, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try. Maybe there’s a big project you really want to bid on, and you’re not feeling 100% confident about it. Put your best foot forward and go for it. If you don’t try, you will never succeed. Plus, you might surprise yourself! Continue Reading
Why Having a Mentor is Important for Freelancers
There is only so much you can learn from a textbook. And with technology changing at break neck speeds—there is only so much you can learn in school before, inevetibally, technology changes again.
Internships are a great way for students to get hands on experience working in their chosen field—but there aren’t many internships available for freelancers who are looking to learn without receiving college credit. This is where mentorships come in.
A mentor can help a newbie learn acquired skills, which sometimes take years to develop. The mentor/mentee relationship provides the newbie exposure to skills beyond the textbook teaching to help that person fast track his or her career with advanced skills that will separate them from the piles of résumé for a job. —PRDaily
Whether you are a freelance designer, photographer, writer, or marketing professional, having a mentor can be beneficial—especially when you are first starting out. Continue Reading
Shorthand Words to Eliminate From our Vocabulary…Now
I’m a writer. I like words. I also hate words. What people say in daily conversation rarely makes sense on paper. Using acronyms and emoticons are infuriating—especially to an editor.
Here’s an example: I teach undergraduate journalism courses at a couple of universities in the area. I once had a student hand write me a note and used a colon and parentheses to create a smiley face at the end of her letter. How did shorthand typing evolve into writing?
Another pet peeve of mine is when I get emails (usually from college students looking for an internship) using strange shorthand and emoticons. Talk about unprofessional!
I recently wrote a post listing words that should be banned in 2012. I’ve found en even better list on PR Daily by Arik Hanson on 28 shorthand words to eliminate from our lexicon forever. I had to share—and add my own two cents of course!
“29 terms we obvi need to totes elims from our lexi forevs.”
Did you understand that? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
I know we’re turning into a texting culture full of shortened and unintelligible words. But we’re destroying our language. At some point, we need to draw a line in the sand. Today’s the day. —PR Daily
What Freelancers Can Learn from Mark Cuban
I don’t really connect to Mark Cuban (the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks). But I do connect to his business rationale: the only thing you can control in your life is your own effort.
As freelancers, we don’t have anyone but ourselves to be accountable for. If I don’t roll out of bed until 10 am, I have no one to blame but myself. If I don’t make time to really look into what Google+ can do (or can’t do) for me, it’s my own fault.
When you work in an office environment, you have coworkers, bosses, and assistants to help you with your job. When you are a freelancer, you have to do everything from getting insurance to buying computer equipment, to calling clients who are late on their payments. It can be overwhelming at times, but when you worry about only pleasing yourself at the end of the day, it can be pretty great.
Below are some quotes from Mark Cuban’s new book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, that I found in an article on businessinsider.com and what I took away from them:
In sports, the only thing a player can truly control is effort. The same applies to business. The only thing any entrepreneur, salesperson or anyone in any position can control is their effort.
eBook Tips for Facebook Business Marketing
Facebook’s new Timeline format has already kicked off in come countries, but its U.S. launch has been slowed by a lawsuit from Timelines.com. They are claiming their service would go kaput once Facebook’s Timeline platform launches, as functionality is so similar.
A counter suit by Facebook has been filed, so instead of sitting back and twiddling your thumbs waiting for the whole mess to be sorted out, why not take advantage of some useful Facebook eBooks on the market?
What We Couldn’t Work Without
Every freelancer out there has a bag of tricks they wouldn’t want to do work without—whether it’s their computer, useful software, or their favorite radio station. Find out what sorts of things help FreelanceSwitch.com contributors during their workday.
Perhaps their advice will inspire you to try something new, or reaffirm that what you currently use is the best in the biz.
Hardware
My Apple Kit
I regularly use a MacBook Air, iMac, iPad, and iPhone for work. I love the style and function of OSX and iOS, and the quality of these tools is just amazing.
I can enjoy a huge screen at home for digging into some in-depth work, and take the super lightweight MacBook Air on the road. My iPhone never leaves my side, and I’m constantly amazed at how much work I can get done on such a tiny device. –David Appleyard
The Importance of Community – Part I
Justin Knechtel lives in between the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, Washington, on Mercer Island. As the founder of the Northwest Freelancers Association (NWFA), an independent nonprofit organization, Knechtel works with freelancers throughout the entire Pacific and Inland Northwest.
Knechtel also created and runs The Small Potatoes, which is a design and consulting agency made up of freelance professionals living and working in the Pacific Northwest. The Small Potatoes works with small businesses, nonprofits, and startups to provide services on a pay-what-you-can-afford model.
When researching the topic of civic mindedness in freelancers, Knechtel seemed like the kind of freelancer who would have a lot to talk about on the topic. I wasn’t disappointed.
Why it’s Great to Be a Freelancer in the Summer
Credit: elenathewise on Photodune
When you started out in freelancing, you probably daydreamed about the perks of the lifestyle: make your own hours, choose your own clients, do things your way. Then business picked up and you daydreamed less often. You found yourself working long hours, even weekends. Your choice of client became driven less by preference and more by the economy. And while you still do things your way, it’s definitely more of a give-and-take.
That’s okay; you still wouldn’t have it any other way. But why not let the summer take you back to that day-dreamy feeling that freelancing first instilled upon you? Here’s some suggestions to get it back, if only for the sunny months ahead.
25 Awesome Redesigns of a 90′s Website
A few weeks back, in partnership with Adobe Catalyst Business, we held a contest to redesign a fictional pizza business website, currently in all it’s 90′s glory. We had a huge number of submissions, and it was an incredibly tough job for our staff to vote on a winner! There were so many great designs, I wanted to take the time to show off some of the runners up. It’s not often that you get to see more than two dozen different takes on the same concept from great designers.
To refresh your memory, here’s the original Mario’s Catering masterpiece…
How can you possibly improve on such brilliance? Read on to see some of the best of the FreelanceSwitch community’s ideas! Continue Reading
Freelance Decor: 6 Motivational Posters from the Movies
OK, so – I’m a sucker for motivational posters. Maybe not the kind that populates cubicles everywhere — with kitteh dangling from the laundry line with the caption “hang in there, baby” – but perhaps something a bit more inspirational, with a touch of humor & sarcasm. These may not fit in the typical cubicle, but they’re perfect for the home office with a sense of humor.
I went searching for some motivational images and captions with a movie theme. See if you can guess the movie they came from.
That’s my stapler.
15 Inspiring Home Offices
Is there such a thing as the perfect home office? From my personal opinion, I’d say that your own office is the perfect one. Then again, this all depends on what we have, what we use and if we’re pleased with it. I’m not even close to satisfied with my office yet, but I’m working on it.
For all of you who has your office setup already, but could still use some inspiration or suggestions on how to improve it, or if you haven’t setup your office just yet (like me), this small round-up will definitely get you inspired. Continue Reading
