With so many different types of programs and apps on helping you and your team keep track of hours spent on projects, it can be confusing. Most focus on what I call “self-reporting”– which relies on the person wanting to keep track and having to actually click a button to start recording time.

But how do we even know this is accurate? There are so many things online and on computers that distract us, how do we know that when we spent 5 hours on a client’s project today, that those were truly 5 hours of solid productivity devoted to that one project?

iJobo works to solve that, along with many other features. It is designed to monitor a users computer in the background, doing things like taking screenshots and recording their keystrokes. Continue Reading

Firepole Marketing Course

Online courses make me nervous. There, I’ve said it. They make me nervous because they are hard to do well, and, as a freelancer, I don’t like to waste my time (or my money) on information that doesn’t really help me.

But this marketing course by Firepole Marketing is different.

Their Audio Coaching Program is specifically designed for small businesses (which means freelancers) and entrepreneurs. Founders Danny Iny and Peter Vogopoulous speak the language of successful entrepreneurs, and have the credentials to back up their advice.

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Credit: elenathewise on Photodune

I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to caffeine. For breakfast I either have a can of Diet Coke or a small iced mocha with skim milk from Dunkin Donuts, which happens to be a 5 minute walk from my house or a quick drive on my way to the office.

I am well aware that having a can of Diet Coke for breakfast is not healthy. I should be eating poached eggs, whole grain toast, a banana, and a glass of pomegranate juice. Here’s the thing—I can’t eat first thing in the morning or I feel sick. Here’s the other thing—I don’t have time.

I suspect that many of you that work in the fast paced media world might also have a caffeine addiction and also don’t have the luxury of a breakfast that includes all of the food pyramid. Am I right? So coffee (or Diet Coke) it is.

I’ve created a list of some of the top coffee makers  that should perk up any freelancers day. And, depending on your lifestyle and taste, there is a coffee maker for you on the market; I guarantee it!

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New web service Tischen is on a mission to rid the world of unemployment. The site provides users with a variety of ways to showcase their skillset on the Internet and make themselves available for contact with prospects, whether they be freelancers in need of clients or job seekers on the search for steady work. At the core of Tischen’s mission seems to be the belief that a lack of visibility is the biggest barrier to getting a job.

There are two kinds of memberships–free, and Plus memberships for $9 a month. Free members get their own Tischen page, an availability calendar and business card templates with their page URL. Plus memberships afford several benefits, including:

• A domain name included in the price
• Text alerts to your phone when you get a job request
• Preference in search results

The site’s founder, Saman Rahmanian, says that Tischen “is based on the premise that everyone has a skill to offer and that no matter how bad the economy, people still need to get stuff done. So Tischen is a platform that lets people show what skills they have and when exactly they can offer them. People in turn can search for these folks on the site to get their work done.”

It’s an interesting concept, and at the very least it’s another place for new freelancers to get their name out there. Go take a look.

With the ever expanding growth of high speed internet connections, video is cropping up on most major websites more and more. Whether you are informing potential purchasers with a screencast or hoping to direct the next viral experience, video is something that most designers and developers should have at least a basic understanding of.

Enter – Making Web Video that Sells eBook by Doug Heacock & Glen Stansberry.

Who needs to read this book?

If you have a good grasp on web video and screencasting already, then this book is probably not for you. But for those new to web video or those hoping to better educate their clients on the importance of adding video to their marketing options, Making Web Video That Sells is great starting point.

Before reading the book I thought I had pretty good understanding of web video. I’ve put together some screencasts and shot some marketing footage before, but after reading the book I have to wonder if I’m truly making the most of video for my personal projects and for those of my clients. Continue Reading

Twitter seems to have a very polarizing effect on people. Some love it and some hate it. Some even love to hate it when they haven’t even tried the service yet. What makes Twitter so divisive?

Recently, actor Sir Patrick Stewart came down on the usefulness of Twitter in his life calling it too simplistic to reduce life to 140 characters. But whether you agree with the Captain or not, Twitter – when used correctly – can be a extremely beneficial tool for your freelance business.

With its growing list of books, Rockable Press recently released Twitter Up Your Business: How to Market Your Business on Twitter. The mini-book promises to teach you how to use the service, and explains how Twitter can help your business. Let’s see how it delivers.

Engage!
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When I first heard that the Smashing Magazine was putting together a book, I naturally wondered what it could possibly contain. Pages filled with 100 Outstanding Websites that are Yellow? 50 Really Cool Wine Websites?

Perhaps they were putting together an inspiration picture book?

For those that have been following Smashing Magazine over the years you have probably noticed a subtle shift recently towards less Digg bait and more solid article writing. It is fortunately this style of writing that makes an appearance in the Smashing Book.
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Marketcircle recently released Billings Touch for the iPhone to accompany their popular invoicing software Billings. When you first open up Billings Touch, you have two options. If you have Billings already set up on your computer, you can connect your iPhone to that account. By using that information, you can check up on your invoices easily from your phone and generally use your phone as a mobile extension of your laptop, when it comes to invoicing clients.

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Everyone hates it when their work gets blatantly ripped off. Although it’s one thing to look to others for inspiration, it’s a completely different story when ideas get stolen lock, stock and barrel.

So what recourse are you left with when you find your intellectual property stolen? Your first reaction may drift towards baseball bat justice. But while baseball bats can be enjoyable, it rarely fixes the problem. Better yet, you can use a service like Myows to deal with cases of infringement.
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My name is Travis King and I hate WordPress.

A few years back you would have definitely heard me utter that phrase. Countless hours spent trying to manhandle free WordPress themes left me feeling very bitter about the whole experience. But recently, I’ve turned my attention to premium and freemium (is that even a word?) themes, and I’ve started to make reconciliatory gestures towards WordPress.

Enter Thesis, a premium theme framework that is supposed to make site construction a snap.
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I learn better when I’m active as I read. I love to have a pen or highlighter in my hand when I study. It helps me identify points of reference and make outlines of the subject material to get a better grip on a topic. Diigo helps me to do all of that on the Worldwide Web, and version 4.0 has just been released, adding features and making the experience even better. Continue Reading

Over the last ten years the face of marketing has undergone some major changes. What was once a craft dedicated to blasting your message to as many people as possible through traditional mass media, has had to adjust to media savvy customers who no longer want to spend their time watching another Dairy Queen commercial.

The Web has played a major role is this marketing shift, and Site Point’s recent book Online Marketing Inside Out helps introduce some of the core areas available for promoting your business online.

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