Freelancefolder

35+ of Your Favorite Software Tools

Posted December 26, 2011 in Tools/Resources

What software tools do freelancers love to use? Whether you’re a seasoned freelancer, or just getting started, there’s a tool that is right for you.

We’ve written plenty of posts about resources for freelancers. A few months ago, however, we asked you to share your favorite software tools. Many of you did just that.

In this post, we list those software tools that you said you loved in one convenient place–over 35 of them! We also invite those of you who may have missed the original open thread to once again share your favorite software with us. (Note: Some of these tools are open source or freeware although some do cost money. Where possible, I’ve identified the free tools.)
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10 Brand New Productivity Tools You Probably Missed

Posted November 10, 2011 in Productivity, Tools/Resources

Freelancers may have more of a need than other business owners to access data on the go, and from more than one platform. Productivity tools in the cloud offer a great way to address the issue of unknown source accessibility, especially when they are designed to sync between various devices, such as PC, tablets and smartphones.

Because there are already several articles at Freelance Folder featuring established productivity tools and software, today I’ll introduce ten new productivity tools that were launched in 2011. Some are cool, some are trendy, some are fun, but all of them can be of great help in the right hands.

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10 Great Conferencing Apps for Freelancers

Posted October 26, 2011 in Tools/Resources

Conferencing can be a great tool for freelancers. You can get on a conference call with a prospect to walk them through a proposal. (Whenever I do this, the prospect gets excited to work with me).

You can also use telephone or video conferencing to collaborate with clients and other outsourced staff on joint projects, such as a website, an article, or even a logo design. You can even set up training through a conferencing application.

Below are ten great conferencing apps for freelancers. Dozens of audio and video conferencing apps are available, but I’ve picked those that are either free or extremely affordable to make it easier for freelancers to use these tools.

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13 Office Productivity Software Suites for Freelancers and Others

Posted October 25, 2011 in Productivity, Tools/Resources

No matter what your freelancing specialty is, odds are that you can benefit from the use of an office productivity suite. In fact, you may already be using one.

What is an office productivity software suite? Simply put, it is a group of business-oriented software packages that are bundled together for distribution. The most common bundles include word processing and spreadsheet software, but other bundle configurations exist as well.

Office productivity suites used to cost businesses hundreds of dollars, but freelancers should be aware that many low cost and even free options are now available. In this list, I’ve included 13 of the most popular office productivity software suites.

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20 Useful Tools and Resources for New Freelance Writers & Others

Posted September 30, 2011 in Tools/Resources, Writing

The huge variety of tools and resources available that can be useful to a writer just starting his or her freelance career can be overwhelming.

The choice is so great that sometimes you just don’t know which tool to add to your writer’s toolkit first. This post should help with that problem.

However, it’s also worth noting that only a few of the software tools and other resources that are out there are unique. Most software packages are variations of already established solutions.

In my opinion the following list, grouped by categories, showcases some of the most useful resources of their kind. Some of these resources are even free!

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The Great Big (30+) List of iPhone Apps for Writers

Posted September 20, 2011 in Tools/Resources

An iPhone is not just a device for making phone calls, texting, or listening to music. It isn’t just for all that and social networking on the go. With the right apps, an iPhone is a lean, mean writing machine.

As you’ll see below, various apps will help you perform various aspects of writing, from researching to brainstorming, to actually writing, and tracking your work.

This has big implications for you, if you’re a writer (or a blogger) with an iPhone. It means no moment need be idle. No bright idea needs to be forgotten. No snippets of your next, or first, great novel need go unrecorded. Even if it appears in the middle of the night. You can, with your handy, dandy iPhone, capture it.

Don’t have an iPhone? Most of these apps can be used in an iPod Touch and iPad as well. Others have versions for other smart phones, so keep reading.

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Why Crowdsourcing Isn’t All About Spec Work Anymore

Posted September 14, 2011 in Lifestyle, Tools/Resources

There’s always controversy surrounding crowdsourcing. Many people think that it means getting a lot of people to do something for nothing. But as the crowdsourcing industry evolves, there are many companies that look at crowdsourcing as a new way to approach work.

In this post, I’ll discuss what crowdsourcing is and explain how the new hybrid crowdsource agencies have evolved away from the spec model. I’ll also provide examples of four of those new agencies.

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Open Thread: What Software Tool Could You Not Do Without?

Posted September 4, 2011 in Open Thread, Tools/Resources

Most freelancers rely on their software tools to get things done. I’m sure you’re no exception.

Whether it’s a tool that’s general to business usage (such as an accounting package) or something specific to your field (such as a graphic design package), I’m sure there’s one software tool that you absolutely couldn’t run your business without.

For me, I think that tool would probably be the Microsoft Office suite. Yes, I know there are alternatives (and I’ve tried a few of them), but it still seems that most clients want their files compatible with MS Office.

Our question for you is this:

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The 10 Best Books for Freelancers about Social Media

Posted August 30, 2011 in Social Media, Tools/Resources

It has come to this.

No freelancer today can ignore social media (click here for a definition of social media). In fact, if you find your clients through offline marketing or advertising only, you may find yourself soon left behind by your competitors who use social media.

They’re increasing their exposure, building their authority, engaging with prospects and clients with lightning speed, learning about new niches or markets to explore, and widening their influence.

And your clients probably want you to support their own social media marketing efforts. They want, not just a brochure, but a web page as well. Or aside from logo design, they want website and email branding too

The point is, freelancers need to understand social media–what it is, how it works, and how to use it to promote, not just our own freelancing businesses, but our clients’ businesses as well.

In this post, I’ve compiled ten books on social media, which will help freelancers do exactly that.

None of these books, unfortunately, were written specifically for freelancers. However, if you consider freelancing work as a form of business (which it is!), then it would be easy to translate what these books teach to your freelancing.

I’ve included books that talk about social media in general, as well as a few that focus on specific social networking platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a satisfactory book on Twitter.

Finally, because social media changes so quickly, I’ve included only those books that were published from 2010 onwards. I give you the following reading list in no particular order.

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