I do comment, but only when I have something to say. This time I also have something to say.

For some time now it has come to my attention that the great majority of people participating actively in social media are freelancers.
Freelancers CAN be good clients, but the best clients, the ideal kind (of which I’m glad to have a few) come from real life, from people in the flesh.
Most of the decision-makers and budget-approvers I know don’t ever connect to Facebook or have a Tweeter account, I meet them at birthday parties, conventions (not the geek kind that are so much fun), art exhibitions, theatre plays, even former class or college mates, that I can barely keep in touch with, are turning to be great potential clients who will eventually call me. (Personally I don’t like to look for clients)

So, it has been proven to me, in my short 5 years of freelancing, that the best marketing tool are your social skills… IN THE FLESH, and these, as well as any other skill CAN be developed and improved.

The other great marketing tool is AMAZED clients, not just happy, AMAZED, some times one has to go way beyond the client’s expectations and budget… Working off the clock pays a hundred times more than tweeting or selling off the clock.

I do like to participate in social media, because it keeps me up to date in what is going on in the world of design and web development. I’m not saying that social media should be dismissed as a waste of time, just saying, watch very carefully where you invest your time. There is good business in the cloud, but we have to be careful, or we’ll be soon looking at a “digital sub prime”.

So these are my personal appreciations about clients, even though I do actively participate in many communities, I do so for the fun of it and to give a little something back to the general “design/development/freelancing internet communities” that has given so much to me. (open source software, code, inspiration, relaxation, counsel, profitable knowledge)

Thanks for the article, keep up the good writing Laura. Sorry if my redaction or spelling or vocabulary isn’t very good, this isn’t may native language.

It’s good to see you here. I hope that you comment often.

Thanks
Sandi

I have to confess that not all posts generate quite this much interest.

One of the secrets, I feel, is the community that we have here at Freelance Folder. It’s great group of readers who are willing to share and provide feedback, ideas, and experiences. I think it’s probably the best place online for freelancers to be.

It least this way it got you out of lurking mode so that we can interact some. :) And, seriously, a lot of people do wonder about the very thing that you commented on.

I hope to see a lot more of you here.