freelance jobs, writing, design

Hit a Plateau? 4 Ways to Improve Your Skills

Posted June 8, 2009 in How-To 21 Rockin' Comments »

As freelancers, we’re often only limited by our imagination, so it can be difficult to see whether we are progressing in our given field. Sure, we can produce some great logo designs or write an article, but we were able to do that a few months ago as well. In order to stand out in a sea of talent, it’s often the case that you need to take your skills to the “next level,” something far easier said than done.

Today I want to look at plateaus in terms of ability, and four tried and tested methods to help you get through them. The journey of mastery is an on-going process, but there are lots of ways to improve our talents along the way.

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30 Sites Every Freelancer Should Visit and Utilize

Posted June 4, 2009 in Tools/Resources 63 Rockin' Comments »

Freelancers are constantly searching for new resources. Sometimes these resources come in the form of browser plugins and other times as online tools to help us become more productive. There are countless tools, plugins, blogs, social networking sites and other resources out there that can be beneficial to freelancers.

You probably already know of a lot of these resources, but some of the quality ones may be hiding from you. Below you will find 30 sites (blogs, forums, and job boards) that I regularly use. Although there are more that I subscribe to, these are some that just can’t be missed.

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Coming Soon From FreelanceFolder — Getting Started Guides

Posted June 3, 2009 in News, Tools/Resources 10 Rockin' Comments »

Have you recently started a freelance business? Have you been thinking about starting one? Would you like some advice from experienced freelancers who have successfully started the same exact business as you?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then I have some good news — starting in the next week or two, FreelanceFolder will be launching “Getting Started Guides” aimed at helping new freelancers find their footing and successfully grow their business. Each guide will focus on a specific type of freelancing, e.g. graphic design, writing, web design, and will walk the reader through every single step necessary to start a freelance business in that industry.

From creating a corporation, to getting clients, to establishing a project workflow — these how to guides explain every step in detail, and are written by expert freelancers each individual field. For example, our “How To Start A Freelance Writing Business” guide is written by Laura Spencer, an experienced freelance writer who has been successfully earning a living on her own for over 7 years.

We’ll be launching these guides individually over the next few months — starting with “How To Start A Freelance Writing Business”. The first guide will be out in the next week or two, and will sell for $10-$15.

Want to be notified when each guide is launched? Want to get a serious discount when the guides are released? Sign up for the FreelanceFolder Early Notification List below, and you’ll be the first to get discounts, information, and news :-)

 
P.S. By signing up you’ll also get our free report: Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive.

The Ten Types of Freelancers: Which One Are You?

Posted June 2, 2009 in Inspiration, Lifestyle 46 Rockin' Comments »

During my years of working online and interacting with other freelancers, I’ve noticed that most freelancers seem to fit into several personality types. Each type of freelancer seems to have a number of common character traits.

It can be fun and helpful to examine these freelancing personality types. Often times your freelancing personality type can show what makes you act the way you do as a freelancer.

So, what type of freelancer are you?

(This article is intended to take a lighthearted look at the various freelancing personality traits. It is based purely on my own impressions and not any kind of scientific study…)

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The Uncomfortable Facts About Plagiarism

Posted June 1, 2009 in Business 29 Rockin' Comments »

Has someone ever “borrowed” your work?

If you are a freelance writer, blogger, graphic artist, web designer, or photographer chances are that you’ve already had the unpleasant experience of finding your work on a site that did not pay you to use it.

Those of us who create intellectual property for a living seem particularly vulnerable to having our work stolen. Most people understand that physical property should not be taken without payment. Intellectual property is no different.

When I was growing up a childhood friend of my father’s, “Mr. C,” was a carpenter who made furniture for a living. He spent many hours crafting beautiful entertainment centers, bookshelves, dressers, and more. Creating furniture was “Mr. C’s” means of earning a living.

Everyone would agree that anyone who broke into “Mr. C’s” shop and took a piece of his beautiful furniture without paying for it was a thief. Yet, a few people who understand that payment is necessary for physical property don’t seem to realize that intellectual property should also be paid for.

As a freelance writer, I also spend hours working on my craft, which happens to writing. The blog posts and other materials that I write are my means of making a living. Yet, every so often, I find that a post that I’ve written has been copied word for word onto another site without my permission or my receiving any kind of payment for it.

As the Internet has grown in popularity, so have the incidences of plagiarism.

Many people mistakenly think that if a work of intellectual property is online it is part of the public domain. They think that because it is easy to “cut and paste” words, a photo, or an image onto their own site that it is okay to do so.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

(I’m not a lawyer, and the following information is not legal advice. If you are facing a copyright infringement situation, you may wish to seek professional legal counsel.)

Here are a few facts that all freelancers should know about plagiarism.

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Open Thread: Where Are You Located?

Posted May 29, 2009 in Lifestyle, Open Thread 93 Rockin' Comments »

One of the greatest things about FreelanceFolder is the diverse group of participants and freelancers that come to the site. We’ve received comments from all over the world — some from freelancers working at home in other countries, others from freelancers who are traveling and working on the go.

In fact, one of the most wonderful things about freelancing is that it can be very liberating. Many freelancers work from one location, but many take advantage of their situation and travel the world.

So, in the interest of generating some conversation, I have a few quick questions for everyone:

1. Where do you work? (What country or state)
2. Do you typically work from your home, an office, or while traveling?
3. How do you like it? Any tips for others in your situation?

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