(Photo via Sean MacEntee) I’ve decided to come up with a privacy plan for myself. After hearing about the NSA’s surveillance scandals and now the details about Edward Snowden, the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations, I’ve been kicked into action. These events has got me (and several million other people) spooked by who is … Read more
Crowdfunding is a well-known concept for most people, thanks to sites such as Kickstarter. Headlines of consumer products, such as the Pebble, to films, apps and games getting funded – with no apparent downsides – are everywhere. So when I was asked to write a piece on the "negative" side of crowdfunding, which would be … Read more
I’m starting up a blog series where I profile different people who’ve gone freelance, how they made the jump to becoming a freelancer and how they have found the realities of freelance life. I get loads (well, quite a lot) of people asking how I went freelance and my recent how-to guide on how to … Read more
(This is the second in a series of interviews with freelancers, telling us their stories on how they went freelance. The aim is to help others who are thinking of becoming freelance learn more about what it takes, as well as get advice and inspiration so they can get the confidence and understanding to find … Read more
How to build long-term client relationships is a follow up to yesterday’s post on finding freelance work in the summer slump, and a longer term goal to write more about freelancing in general. I’ve written quite a bit about what I’ve learned from freelancing, but if there’s any topics you want to cover just let … Read more
There are many ways to win new clients as a freelancer, but you’re more than likely to come up against a new business pitch process as one of them at some point in your freelance life. You’re name is added to a shortlist of freelancers or small agencies that a client wants to see about a … Read more
Ah, networking. Otherwise known as "talking to other people about what they do" or "collecting as many business cards / twitter / LinkedIn connections as physically possible". Have you ever read an article about networking that wasn’t full of common sense points and cliché? They mostly describe networking experiences as working something like this: In … Read more
Each of the main online freelance job sites – Elance, oDesk, PeoplePerHour and Freelancer.com – have guides detailing what they think it takes to be a successful freelancer, communicate well with clients and run effective freelance projects. While undertaking freelance work in these online marketplaces is an art in itself, there’s loads of useful information … Read more
If you’ve got a new website in the works, it’s never too early to think about how you’re going to launch and promote it. We recently launched our new micro-volunteering app, Bright Works, and have learned plenty of lessons along the way. Here are some tips covering several of the most effective methods for getting a … Read more
Shocking headline I know. But actually really refreshing to see someone in a high-level position in a notoriously long working-hour industry (having been at Google and now at Facebook) working a 9-to-5(:30) every day – and getting a much better work/life balance for it. From an interview with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, on Makers.com: “I … Read more