The Freelance Resource: freelance resource

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Freelance Career Necessities: What You need to Freelance

While most consider freelancing to be something that they would do for some extra cash, for some it is a serious professional decision to get into the world of freelancing. And frankly speaking, there are so many freelancers all around today that it is quite possible that you would disappear without a trace. To make sure that you survive in the world of freelancing, here are some of the most important aspects that you should have:

An Online Portfolio:

As a freelancer, employee and now a prospective employer, I find it extremely funny and absurd that a person looking for a job, any job, be it freelancing or a traditional job, does not have a profile or a portfolio. Having a portfolio has so many advantages that I might have to write another article on the importance of having a portfolio, both online as well as offline. The portfolio should be created in such a manner that the most important projects you have worked on should be listed first, followed by the interesting assignments that you have worked on. Basically an online portfolio is your quickest chance to showcase your talents and abilities to the client.

Your Website/Blog:

If you are a freelancer, you would already be knowing that you are the only one who cares about your career. Therefore, it is upto you to showcase your talent, and show your enthusiasm to work. The best way to do this in a professional manner is to make your own website or blog, which showcases your work and talents.

Making a website is not as difficult as it was ten years ago, and chances are that you would not need any programming or graphic knowledge to set up a good enough website today. Or to make it more simpler, you could even set up a website through the famous blog services like WordPress or Blogspot.

Visiting Cards, Letter Heads, Et Al:

How many times have you been in the awkward situation where you introduce yourself to a client, and the client flicks you his or her visiting card, while you grin and answer his sheepishly that 'The visiting cards are being printed?" Believe me, that is the lamest line any business person can tell to anyone, be it a business contact or a personal contact. Therefore, you have to keep in mind that your visiting cards and other collateral is printed before you begin networking for work.

A Network:

Whether you have never worked in your life, or have had some job or the other, you must be know at least some people who can help you in getting work, or better still give you work themselves. without a good, solid network, you will find yourself looking for work more than you actually work.

These are some of the most important aspects that you should have before you even think about getting in a freelancing profession

Work at Home: What You Need to do It

With the growing technologies and infrastructure, working at home is becoming possible and lucrative with every passing day. However, not everyone is cut out for freelancing, and there are some aspects that you would need within yourself to succeed in the world of freelancing. Here are some of the aspects that you'd need:

Financial Stability:

Freelancing assignments pay well, but they pay when they pay. It may take a week, ten days, a fortnight or even a week. Then, there is the question of a client not paying you at all, thereby creating a freelance scam, which is an everyday thing in the world of freelancing.

Therefore, it is necessary that you at least have a everyday amount of money to keep you afloat during the initial months of freelancing. Remember, if freelancing is a experiment for you, you should make sure that you have all the resources for implementing this experiment.

Networking Capabilities:

Freelancing is all about having the number of clients. The number of clients can increase only if you have networking skills, and if you are networking well with your clients. Before you think of going solo, you would have to make sure that you have some a strong network of some formidable clients and lucrative clients.

Of course, while you are networking, you should make sure that you network in a way that does not irritate or frustrate anyone. There are several tips that you could follow to network in a nice manner. Make sure you read up about networking before you embark towards it.

Self Starter:

This may seem a cliche, but you do need to be a self starter in freelancing. You are your own boss, and there's nobody to ask you whether you have met your daily deadline, have you been shirking work, have you worked to your true potential etc. Therefore, you have to be responsible and try to manage your time as best as you can.

While ensuring that you make the best of your time on a professional basis, make sure that you keep some time out for your personal life and hobbies. As and when a person becomes busier, they tend to ignore family. Make sure that you do not commit this mistake.

Freelance Resource: How to Format Your Computer

For most freelancers, the computer is their shop. So, under these circumstances, think about we have to spend time waiting for the neighborhood computer engineer to embark on a epic journey to get your computer back in working condition. Surprisingly, the computer is not a beast that has to be tamed. And I am telling you this with a rich eleven year experience of assembling cards into CPUs, changing HDDs that have conked out, and playing with software as if they were toys.

If your computer is not working, there is a big chance that something is wrong with your operating system and not your hardware. Ninety percent of operating system problems and hard disk problems can be solved with a format of the hard disk. If you are wondering how to format your computer, here is a step by step way to format the computer:

Before the Format:

Backup:

If you are using a Windows computer, chances are that all your documents and important work is saved in your C:, which is also the default drive for your computer, which would basically mean that is the drive which will get completely wiped out in case of a format. Therefore, make sure that you take all your data from the C: that will not be infected by the format. If you have only a C:, it is a good idea to invest in the USB hard drives or a memory stick so that you can at least transfer your important data into a alternate storage drive.

Once that is done try to remember whether your machine has settings which have to input for certain devices to work properly. For example, your Internet connection would need you to input a IP address, or have a specific process through which you can make the internet work on your machine.

Later on, you should check whether you have all the CDs that arrived with your machine. The CDs will be of your Operating System and the required drivers for the internal components, right from your DVD Drive to your Sound Card. Of course, Windows has the generic drivers for almost every hardware component today, but it is always better to have the correct drivers for the component.

That's it, now you are ready to format your computer.

Put in the OS CD/DVD into the Drive.

Restart

If your system is set on 'Boot from CD' you will get a message that the CD is Booting. If the system is not 'Boot from CD' you will have to:

Press the DEL or F8 button during the start up process a few times. This depends on the motherboard that you have.

Scroll down to where it says 'Set Boot Device'.

Select the DVD drive that you have.

Save and Exit.

The machine will reboot.

When it starts, you will have again have to press F8 to agree to the Windows License.

It will then start to recognize the number of Windows installations on your machine and will ask you whether you wish to repair the previous installation. Press ESC to pass.

If you do not want to go through the process of creating a partition and just want your machine to work, select the C: and it will format the C: and begin installing your OS. Select the NTFS or FAT formatting, which depends on how your hard disk is partitioned.

That's basically it, after this, you have to follow the instructions on the screen to install the OS.

Adult Articles: Should the Freelancer Accept this Freelance Job?

The Internet is a medium that is used by everyone to make a business.The Adult industry is also thriving on the Internet, and they have now begun to understand the power of Web 2.0, SEO and user generated content. Therefore, there are several adult and mature websites that now require the services of content writers for the promotion of their website. This raises the question whether the freelancer should accept an adult assignment or not. Here are some factors that should play an integral part on your decision.

Is it Legal where you are?:

Of course, there is a difference between pornography and adult themed articles, but you should make sure that your government and the governing institutes understand the difference. If possible, read up some law of your land, and you will get a better idea whether it is legal to write adult themed articles in your country or not. Even you find out that it is illegal to write such articles after you have been commissioned for the project, you can always contact the client and inform him or her about the issue.

Are you comfortable with it?:

Many a times,a person is not comfortable with writing a particular topic and category. Under these circumstances, the writer should decide whether the project is actually worth it for them. In the same manner, you should decide whether you are comfortable with writing adult articles and whether you would be able to do them. And with adult articles, we just don't mean sexual articles, or gay and lesbian articles, some of the fetishes that you would find out may be positively revolting for you. Make sure that you are cool with writing about fetishes of all sorts, before you embark on writing adult articles.

Adult Articles are Not Porn:

Yes, we all had our share of fun saying to our college friends that we were adult stories writers, well some of us actually were, but that is another matter. Know that most of the good paying article writing jobs for the adult niche will require you to actually know something about the lifestyle, like Cuckoldry or even the fetishes like BDSM, Gor, etc, and you would have to be an extremely talented story writer to actually make some money writing adult porn.

In fact, there are so many fiction writers who would write fiction for free, just so their thoughts and ideas would see the light of the day in the deep depths of the Internet, there is little hope that someone would pay you for writing fiction, but informative articles are an entirely different matter.

Writing Adult Articles is not just Fiction Writing:

Working in the adult domain is like being a filmstar, everyone thinks you have it cool and only know the kind of work that you are doing. The main thing is that most freelance writers think that working in the adult industry would just mean writing fiction and soft porn, but it is not so. Most individuals would have a website, which they wish to propagate and promote, and you would be writing articles about the website, just like how you would be writing articles about a vehicle.

The Freelance Resource: Setting your Own Price

Working as a freelance basically means that you are your own boss, and work when you want it and how you want it. However, there are some disadvantages of being your own boss, and just one of them is that you have to set the price of the services that you offer on your own. There is not Human Resources, no Project Manager, no CEO, nobody. This is just you and the client,and whatever you say will be the final word for the client. Of course, it is after this that the client will decide whether the price that you are quoting is feasible for them or not. Here are some tips on how to set your own price.

Never Set your Price, but the Price of the Service Rendered: When you are talking to a client, make sure that it is always about the price of your time that you would be putting in for the project, not a general calculation that you offer on a per hour basis. Of course, you would have to decide on the time on basis of whether you would have to put some more resources to complete the job, and whether how much time it would actually take for you to complete the project, and many other such aspects.

Try to Gauge the Budget that the Client would be Willing to Pay: If you have had a few freelance gigs, you would by now know the type of money that is paid for this kind of work. Try to gauge the amount that is normally paid in the market for that kind of work. This will not only help you in cracking the deal, but also give you an idea of the market rates for the said project.

Look at the Competition: Another good idea to set your own price would be to look at the competition and find out what they would or are charging. It would be foolish for you to either overcharge or undercharge drastically as compared to your peers.

These are just some of the aspects that you should keep in mind while setting up a price for any assignment that you get as a freelancer.

Free Software: Your Best Freelance Resources

Working freelance from home does not come cheap. Basically, you would have to pay for everything that you require to work freelance from home. Just some of the things that you would need is atleast spartan office furniture, a computer, a file cabinet, a telephone or even a fax machine and several other objects that come quite down the list. Considering all these costs and then thinking about the insane cost of software, you would think that you are starting up a small business - which is true - but that does not mean that you have to pay through your nose for software for your computer. Here are some of the best resources that you could use for work from home.

Free Internet Browsers:

Firefox: A browser that had grown consistently and rampantly since the past few years. The browser is known to be one of the first pieces of software that came from the then ambiguous 'Open Source' clan and was widely appreciated and accepted by mainstream people. Would you not like to become friends with this champion of the underdog, Firefox? If you do, it is quite simple, and free! Just download a copy from the Net and you are on for the ride.

Opera: Opera is another browser that yin and yangs between being the best browser and being the pits. However, it silences all its critics with the next release, every time, and that next release launch timeframe is quite short. Definitely a check worthy software if you are one who 'doesn't want what everyone has'.

There are several more Internet browsers that are available and free. You could always check the various types and find out which browser looks good for you. I personally use Firefox and Opera.

Free Word Processing Software:

Open Office: The war between Microsoft and Open Source has been epic, and Microsoft has been losing all the battles, though it still came out trumps in the great war with Windows 7. Anyway, one battle that Microsoft is slowly losing is the Word Processing domain, that Microsoft basically owned with MS Office. However, some five years ago there cam options for all Microsoft products, and so did one come for Word Processing - Open Office.

When Open Office was launched, it was quite like MS Word, and was actually a good software if you could learn how to operate it with the ease that you could operate a Microsoft product. It took some time for it to offer .doc support, but all that is a thing of the past today,with Open Office slowly creeping up against its old time rival.

Open Office was definitely a work in progress when I first saw it, some three years ago, but I am sure that it has come a long way from that. It has to, because of the next entry in this tab.

Google Docs: Think about Google and you wonder what aspect of the Internet and computers is it enhancing next, and if you are thinking whether it has come to changing the way we handle our online documentation, the answer is yes. Google Docs can be considered to be a word processing software along with some social sharing aspects, but I am not a tech geek, and I do not know whether I used to right term there. But Google Docs allows you to share your document, online, and then share with any person who has a gmail account, and both of you can work and edit the document in real time. Isn't that sweet? - Yes, it is.

Free Online Billing Software:

Curdbee: Curdbee is a cute and nifty little free online billing tool that makes your invoices to your clients seem more snazzy than the typical Excel or Word document. Play with the software a bit and you will understand that it is the best thing to happen since sliced bread, not the software, but the idea of free online billing software.

Billing Boss: Another free online billing software, the working of this and Curdbee is almost the same, with the user creating an account and then adding their clients to their account. This software basically snazzies up your invoice.

Invoicera: Invoicera is another software that basically makes your online billing software free. All you have to do is to create a profile on the site, add your clients, determine the type of payments that you would like to go with and you can send your clients a request for your payment right from within the site.

Understand Your Freelance Resources

Freelancing is fast moving from a non lucrative to a very lucrative and in fact preferred mode of working in today's fast moving world. However, to become successful in freelance, you should know what kinds of resources for freelancers make freelancers successful, and whether you have them in you. Here are some resource for freelancers which can be considered to be the make or break ones for a successful freelancer.

Time Management: Time Management is one of the most important resources that a freelancer can ever have. With time management, the freelancer can get work done quickly and in an efficient manner, which basically translates into more work and therefore more recognition and success.

So important is time management, that if one does not have this one singular trait, they may actually face long months of joblessness, while they wander from one client to another, till they reach a day when they altogether are abandoned by anyone who wants work on a consistent and time demanded basis.

Honesty: Honesty is another freelance resource that is sadly lacking in today's freelancing world for the most part. There have been several freelance gigs that have been called off simply because the freelancer or the client was not honest enough to own up to their mistakes.

And then, there have been several freelancers who may not be the best in the business, but have been existent simply because they have been able to give honest deadlines and timelines and honest reasons in the case that they do not meet the deadlines.

Commitment: Nothing is possible in this world without commitment, whether it the professional world or the personal life. A freelancer has to show a kind of commitment to the person, the assignment and the work, only then will they ever be taken seriously by their clients.

Expertise: A Freelancer is a person who more often than not is on their own in the big bad world of business. There is a chance that the person comes across some assignment which has aspects that he cannot handle. It is at this time that the expertise of the freelancer comes in handy. With the said expertise, the freelancer can ensure that they either barter their services with another resource that can handle the aspects of the assignment that the freelancer cannot handle, or even simply do such a good job of their part of the assignment that the client is only too happy to hire someone else who can do the part of the job which the freelancer did not or could not do.

VoIP: Your Freelance Resource

Freelancing is no longer something that is done by someone for local companies, organizations or people. Freelancing has today become a global phenomena where a person can get connected and get work from any corner of the world and do it while working in part of the world. In such a scenario, communication has become the most important aspect of freelancing. With communication gaining such kind of importance, there are several options that one has today if they wish to pursue communication with their clients. One such resource for freelancers is VoIP, or voice over internet protocol

What is VoIP?

VoIP is basically a feature that allows one to have voice transmission via internet protocols, and therefore the internet. To use VoIP all you need to do is to download any of the software that offers VoIP services. Commonly, your favorite instant messenger will offer such services. Also, there are special software and hardware that you can buy and use if you wish to get better quality at a price. There are VoIP phones available, which enable you to hold conferences with people with only the phone.

How do I use VoIP?

You first have to download any of the instant messengers, like GTalk, Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger or Skype. All these programs offer voice over internet services. You need to have a sound card installed into the machine, as well as a microphone. That is not of an issue because most computers today have an inbuilt sound card and you can get a microphone within $20 or INR 600. Basically, if your computer can play music, you can listen to a voice conversation, however to speak to the user, you would need to have a microphone.

How is VoIP a freelance resource?:

Communication, simple. There are many assignments that you will get from foreign countries and it would not be economically feasible to cal them up and have a chat with them. Also, sometimes it is simpler to get your point across or understand the clients brief over voice. It is at these times that having a VoIP comes useful.

Freelance Resources for Writers

Freelance writing is one of the most lucrative professions on the Internet today. Simply put, if you have a strong vocabulary and a firm control over grammar, half your issues about whether you can become a freelance writer or not are answered.. However, to become a good freelance resource for their writing needs, you should take into consideration the various resources for freelancer writers that are available for free.

Wikipedia: If you are a freelance writer, or just someone who browses the internet, you must have certainly come across Wikipedia, or you have been living under a rock for a while. Wikipedia is the world's largest information resource, which you can use without any qualms for general infomration, knowledge and anything related to historical or general article facts. Because Wikipedia is so vast, it is one of the best resources for freelancer writers today.

Copyscape: The Internet is not without its flaws, and one such flaw is that anyone can copy the content from any website. Of course, there are some freelance writer resources that try to put an end to it, and one of them is Copyscape. Copyscape is a website which you can use to find out whether any of your content is being copied by any other individual or website.

Search Engines: Though Wikipedia is a good enough research for your Internet research, you would be hardpressed to find all the information that you are looking for at one site. Therefore, you should also know how to use the other search engines like Google, Bing etc. It would also be good if you can learn some advanced searching concepts for websites like Google.

Article Marketing Websites: If you are new to the world of online writing and do not have enough gigs, you would have to do what you do in real life, plug your services. Every online writer has their own favorite article marketing website, be it ezinearticles, or eHow, Mostly, these articles marketing websites allow the writer to write articles and then post them on their websites. The writer can put in their name and contact id in the resource box. This is one of the most economical and quick ways to make yourself known, or bring traffic to your website.

'Bid for Work Websites': Bid for work websites are websites that actually work as a connecting point between people who want to work freelance and the people who ar eoffering freelance opportunities. There are several websites that offer these services, like Freelancer.com,Scriptlance.com, etc.

These websites basically require you to make an account with them, which then enables you to view and apply for the various projects that are available on the site. If you get an assignment, the website ensures that the project goes through well. These websites are some of the better freelance writer resources that exist on the Internet.

Research: A Freelance Writers Greatest Freelance Resource

Freelancing has been proved to be one of the most lucrative professions around today. There are many fields in which freelancing is more often than not a part and parcel of everyday life, one of them is freelance writing. Of course, many people wish to become a freelance writer, but it is not always possible. To become a good freelance writer, a writer has to keep several other aspects in mind, other than the actual profile of writing articles.

Whenever a freelance writer thinks about some of their greatest capabilities and abilities, they forget one most important ability that they have, and which they do not give the proper respect to - research. A freelance writer's ability to research is sometimes the difference between their being given an assignment or not. Here are some tips as to why researching is such an important freelance resource for a freelancer.

Research Never Goes Out of Style: Whatever you research and find out about any topic will never become undone. Of course, there may be some facts which may change in the spate of time, but you can use those as more information for your article, informing the readers about past perspectives and the current scenario.

Researching is Free: All you would need for researching is a computer and the Internet, both of which you already have if you are freelance writer for a website. Also, researching on the net is much more economical than buying or renting books and magazines for finding out the required information.

You get to know facts which you can elaborate on: You may know some aspects of the topic that you are working on already, but there are several other chunks of information available out there, which you would not have even thought of. With the proper research, you will be able to find out such aspects about the topic that you are writing on and elaborate on it.

Freelance Tips: Four Ways of Keeping that Freelance Job

Believe me when I tell you, people have spent a better part of two to three years looking for a good, stable and consistent freelance job. If you are one of those who has got a consistent work at home job, you should also know that one of the biggest disadvantages of working as a freelancer is that freelancing is a fickle profession. Unless and until you are not roaring on all cylinders at all times, you may just lose that freelance job that you bagged after a long while. Here are some tips for you to keep that job:

Deliver, on Time: This tip comes in handy not only in the freelance world but in also your day to day life. This tip is more important in the world of freelancing because more often than not, you do not have any physical contact with the freelance employer, and the only way to prove to the employer that you are serious about the freelance job is to deliver your commitment on time. In fact, not delivering on time or delivering slipshod assignments is one of the main reasons that the average freelancer has to do away with the good freelance assignment.

Communicate: This is another Biblical commandment for the freelancer. If the freelancer already has a freelance gig and the gig is to be done over a period of time, or whether the freelancer comes into some problem while in the midst of the assignment, he or she should first communicate their problem to the assignment giver. Even if you are not in some trouble with the assignment, it is a sign of a professional freelancer to keep in contact with the assignment giver till the time the assignment is not actually over.

Network and Socialize: Ok, keep this in mind. Even the best freelancer or freelance manager will not have freelance jobs to give out to you all through the years. There will be lean time and then there will be padded stretches of time. Not only is it human decency but also good professional tactics to keep in contact with the freelancer manager even when they do not have any work to provide. Of course, you would have to know the difference between keeping in contact and hopelessly stalking the freelance manager. the best way to network subtly is through the social networking websites

Own Up to Your Mistake: This is another major aspect that should be kept in mind by the freelancer. Remember that the freelance manager is also a cog in the wheel, who has given a commitment to someone else about a job being done. Therefore, if you just disappear because of a mistake you have committed or any reason, you create a greater problem for the freelance manager. Therefore, always speak to the person who gives you the freelance job, whether the conversation goes this way or that.