Freelancefolder

20 Writing Mistakes that Make Any Freelancer Look Bad

Posted January 29, 2010 in Managing Clients, Writing 66 Comments »

As freelancers, we try hard to put our best foot forward. We want to act and portray the image of a professional in our field.

Most of the time, we are successful at projecting a professional image. However, sometimes we sabotage ourselves. Our best efforts at professionalism are undermined in seconds by our own careless errors when we communicate with our clients. We’ve discussed the importance of good communication on Freelance Folder before, but this is the first time we’ve gotten down to the nitty gritty of discussing good grammar.

While your clients may not mind one or two typos in your emails, letters, and other communications to them (everyone makes a typo from time to time), frequent mistakes when you write to your client could give them the idea that you’ll be sloppy with their work. (It’s not just writers who need to be careful. Most clients expect you to communicate clearly and carefully regardless of the work that you will be doing for them.)

The good news is that most writing mistakes are easily fixed. In this post we’ll identify 20 mistakes to avoid. We’ll also point you to some resources where you can improve your writing.

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Free Web UI and Button Set from MediaLoot

Posted January 28, 2010 in News 14 Comments »

If you’ve been hanging around FreelanceFolder or SpyreStudios lately, then you know about the impending launch of a new website called MediaLoot. The new project, by Jon Phillips and myself (Mason), is a subscription-based resource toolbox for designers. We’re going to have icons, vectors, buttons, and more — all available under a single membership.

Over the past several months we’ve been working with designers from all over the world to create some of the best resources we can, and, lucky for you guys, we’re releasing some of these awesome resources for free. To start with, we’ve released a new Web UI and Button set with hundreds of control buttons, boxes, banners, and more. If this isn’t quite what you need, sign up for the newsletter and we’ll be sending out more freebies soon :-)

To find out more about MediaLoot and to download the web elements set, jump on over to MediaLoot →

How To Find the Right Freelancer for Your New Project

Posted January 28, 2010 in Business 21 Comments »

So, you’re thinking about hiring a freelancer to build your website or write your copy or design your new logo, but you don’t know what qualities or skills you should be looking for.

Sorting through job boards, posting ads on Craigslist, or just crying out for help on Twitter does not sound appealing, productive, or promising. Still, your desire to invest in and partner with an individual instead of possibly spending money with a corporation and becoming just another account in a file cabinet drawer is enough motivation to cause you to consider diving into the freelancing fray.

There you sit, on the precipice of the unknown, and you wonder how to start. Well, today is your lucky day! This post is about how you can define your project in ways that will enable you to connect with the right freelancer for the job, along with some important qualities you should be looking for in the person you eventually decide upon.

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12 Reasons You Shouldn’t Freelance

Posted January 27, 2010 in Business, Getting Started 124 Comments »

Going into business for the wrong reasons can bring ruin into both your financial and professional life. While freelancing comes with many perks, it’s important not to base your self-employment decision solely on those perks, as you may run yourself out of business.

What are some of these perks of freelancing?

• You can choose your own hours
• You can choose your own clients
• You can choose the type of work you do
• You can choose your rates

We’ve discussed great reasons to start freelancing, but we haven’t really talked about why you shouldn’t start freelancing. Let’s take a look at some of the worst reasons to go into business for yourself.

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A Big Thank-You to January Freelance Folder Advertisers

Posted January 26, 2010 in News 4 Comments »

Before January comes to a finish, and we find ourselves in the second month of the new year, we want to take a few minutes to thank all of the advertisers who have helped us get to where we are today. Over the past several weeks FreelanceFolder has undergone a number of improvements, including hiring new writers, releasing new products, and making general improvements around the site — none of which would have been possible without our advertisers and the gracious support they provide to this community.

So, if you can take a few minutes out of your day to browse some of these extraordinary companies, we would definitely recommend doing so. Many of our advertisers provide services integral to freelancing and, trust us, many of them can make your life a lot easier. Without further ado, here are our wonderful FreelanceFolder advertisers:

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3 Lessons Children Can Learn From a Freelancing Parent

Posted January 26, 2010 in Inspiration, Lifestyle 63 Comments »

My children know there’s something strange about their Mom.

She doesn’t have a job, for one thing. Heck, she wears yoga pants all day. Yet she manages to pay for family vacations and surprise packages from Amazon.com. She claims that articles wake her up at two a.m., wanting to be birthed. And she’s always around. Seriously, doesn’t this woman have better things to do?

It can be strange for a child to grow up with a parent who works at home as a freelancer.

It’s rare nowadays to come home to a house smelling of brownies. Or to know that somebody will always answer the phone when the school calls in an emergency. Or, gasp, to spend so much time with your parent. What will your friends think?

But, it is precisely in living a life that is so against the grain, so counter-cultural, that I hope my children are learning lessons that will enhance their own lives.

More specifically, here are the lessons I hope they’re learning from their weird, freelancing Mom:

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The Smashing Book Review…Win a Copy!

Posted January 25, 2010 in Getting Started, Tools/Resources 240 Comments »

Pretty much everyone in our field has heard of The Smashing Book from Smashing Magazine. Published in 2009 with 313 pages, The Smashing Book offers a collection of modern design, usability, coding and best practices in the web world.

The book had plenty of information to offer that I didn’t know about and, although I didn’t agree with all of it, it was well worth the price. I’d like to share my review of the contents and book itself and give you, loyal readers, a chance to win one of five copies for yourself!

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What Every Freelancer Ought To Know About Blogging

Posted January 24, 2010 in Getting Started, Marketing 34 Comments »

“Freelancer, you absolutely must have a blog if you ever expect to become successful…”

Have you ever heard this claim?

If you’ve been working online for any length of time, then this claim is probably not new to you. Nearly every small business advisor will tell you that blogging is a great way to build up your online presence.

However, many freelancers begin blogging with unrealistic expectations. They view blogging as a sort of magic bullet that can somehow instantly propel them to freelancer rockstardom.

This post takes a realist look at some of those expectations. It also discusses what a freelancer can realistically expect from blogging.

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How to Keep Working at Home from Destroying Your Life

Posted January 22, 2010 in Lifestyle, Managing Clients 68 Comments »

One of the main reasons I became a full-time freelancer was the freedom I thought it would give me in creating my own hours and working at home. It’s the dream, right? Sleep late, work in your pajamas, shave far less often, and decide when you are or are not going to be busy.

Anyone who has taken on this “dream” quickly realizes that it’s not that simple. Client meetings and deadlines, the seemingly eternal pursuit of a steady income and the “other sides” of the business are a few of the elements of working at home that, if not managed correctly, can quickly eat away at your desired freedom and potentially destroy the rest of your life.

In this post, I will share some ways I have learned to keep everything in its proper priority and maintain balance, enabling both the growth and success of my freelance business along with the expansion and enjoyment of the freedoms this brings to the most important elements of my life.

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