Freelancefolder

Michael Martine On Blogging For Freelancers

Posted September 30, 2007 in Business

Question: Should freelancers blog?
Answer: Yeah baby!

Michael Martine recorded a great video on the topic, and I think it’s really worth mentionning. It’s actually his first video, and I think he’s off to a really good start. ;)

Check it out:

[Click Here to Read More...]

Creative Professionals – Behance Network Beta

Posted September 29, 2007 in Business, Marketing

Hi folks, I got 5 invites left to join The Behance Network, a new site for creative professionals. We all know how important it is to network, and it’s even better when you got the right tools, Behance definitely falls into this category.

The idea behind Behance is quite simple, and it’S not just about getting people together. You can showcase your work, find new gigs/contracts and opportunities and share your knowledge (and learn new stuff while you’re at it).

“Make Ideas Happen” is the slogan (blog here). Love this! Simple, effective, right to the point. [Click Here to Read More...]

How To Deal With Invasive Clients

Posted September 27, 2007 in Business

Picture this: You got a contract, the pay is really good, but there is one major problem, your client is invasive, almost stalking you.

You know the type that calls you 8-10 times a day, sends you a truck load of e-mails and even shows up at your place unexpected. Even though you keep telling this client you will make those changes, you even tell him/her it’ll be done by [insert date here]… the phone keeps ringing.

Ok, that example may be a little extreme, but I’ve heard stories like that (even worse), sometimes it can get out of hands if you don’t know how to act/react. Something similar happened to me before, and I learned a lot from it. How can you deal with these folks that seem to never “get it“? [Click Here to Read More...]

The File Folders in Your Mind are Filled with Information You Can Sell

Posted September 25, 2007 in Writing

Many years ago, I wrote an article titled “Demystifying the X“. It was about the fear of variables I often saw in my high-school-level math students, and how that fear could easily be avoided if only we got our children comfortable with variables much earlier.

Every first grader, after all, knows how to solve this problem: 2 + ____ = 5 .

What could be simpler than teaching that same child to solve this one: 2 + x = 5 ?

I wrote the article, but I never submitted it anywhere. It just seemed too simple, too obvious. Wouldn’t everyone who might be interested in teaching mathematics to a child have already recognized the possibilities?

Several years later, when my daughter’s elementary school introduced a revolutionary new textbook series that introduced students to variables in the early grades, I learned something very important about writing for a living. [Click Here to Read More...]

How Do You Manage Your Projects?

Posted September 24, 2007 in Productivity

Is your current project management system doing the job for you? Or are you struggling with a collection of notepads, post-it notes, and a flurry of client emails cluttering up your inbox?

If you’re not managing your projects in a way that a) makes it easy on you, b) leaves no room for misunderstanding with clients c) keeps things from falling through the cracks, and d) won’t break a freelancer’s bank account, then you need to find some tools pronto. Here are some suggestions … [Click Here to Read More...]

2007-09-23 Sunday Links Folder

Posted September 23, 2007 in Uncategorized

I hope you had a good week folks! Here are 7 posts that I think are worth a read, I definitely enjoyed reading them. Take some time to go and visit those blogs, I’m sure you’ll find something interesting and you might learn a thing or two. Hey! It’s Sunday! :)

• How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing
• How to Hire the Superstars Your Company Needs
• Top 10 Ways to Fire the Client From Hell
• Making Your Workspace Clutter-Free: 5 Tips for High Performance
• How to Breakaway from a Difficult Freelance Writing Client
• 11 Principles of Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Spec work can damage your business

[Click Here to Read More...]

WordPress Theme Release : Simply Valid

Posted September 22, 2007 in Programming, Web Design

Hi folks, I just released a WordPress theme, and I thought I’d let you know. I’ve talked about using templates to boost productivity before on FreelanceFolder, and I guess if you run a blog you’ll be interested in that.

I’m aware that some of you guyz are not bloggers, but if you ever thought about starting a blog (or if you already have one), go have a look at Simply Valid. ;)

There are 2 versions, light and dark, and each comes with 2 different style-sheets, to put the sidebar either on the left or on the right. [Click Here to Read More...]

Blog Action Day – October 15

Posted September 21, 2007 in News

On October 15, we’ll be joining fellow bloggers and write about the environment.

Over 5,500 blogs have already registered, which means over 3.7 million people will hear/read about Blog Action Day (and certainly more than that as Reddit, My.Opera and Pixnet have decided to join B.A.D., meaning massive exposure).

I actually registered FreelanceFolder a while ago but haven’t had time to write about it. You know, freelancers are busy sometimes. :) [Click Here to Read More...]

Ahh! Those Slow Months!

Posted September 20, 2007 in Business, Lifestyle

Unless you’re some kind of super-hero (or should I say, “freelancer extraordinaire“), chances are you’ll find yourself without a gig for a week (or a month) at some point in your freelance career. It happens, it’s not fun, but there are things you can do to actually take advantage of the slow weeks/months and still make ends meet.

You know, those times when you simply cannot find a contract, you call everyone on your contact list and no one has work for you. You then ask your friends, your family, your neighbors, and still no gig. Yeah, I know…

Here are some simple (or not) things you can do that might help, feel free to share your own tips and tricks with us! :) [Click Here to Read More...]