Centralino

A great new CRM app for freelancers is on the net (courtesy of discotank). It’s uber flexible, and insanely easy to use. Centralino is a way for businesses and professionals to easily manage their contacts, emails, phone conversations, and meetings. It sits on the cutting edge of web-based CRM apps because of its ability to accept and use completely custom data. Users will find it simple to add custom fields that are automatically determined whether or not to be used as filters for easy browsing through their entire list of contacts. Centralino is easily integrated in to anyone’s workflow because it accepts data the way users think of it, instead of forcing a single format. For example, when entering dates, the user is given just a text box into which they can type anything they want. Whether it is a date, “+2 weeks,” or “Next Saturday,” Centralino will understand. By adapting to the user automatically, Centralino is very powerful right at the start – no set up required!  I’d recommend you check it out now.

1. Set a project minimum.  It could be $500 or $10,000.  Figure out where you are now and where you want to be.  Be realistic, and remember that success is built up slowly.  Don’t accept anything below your minimum, for any reason.
2. Raise your prices.  If you charge around $40 an hour, start quoting things at $80 an hour.  Not only will this help to filter out clients that would whine about cost and devalue your work, but you will also only be taking on work that will get you far more money for your time.  Hey, you deserve it.
3. Drop the bad clients.  Do you have a client who is always nagging you, or asking for quick fixes that turn in to huge projects with lots of complaints and replies?  Drop them!  Now!
4. Only accept projects that are interesting to you.  This is really if you can get a lot more work come in, to replace all of your old work.  Start saying no to projects that aren’t interesting or something that you really want to get in to.
5. Only provide the services you like, and don’t do or outsource the rest.  If you don’t want to be a hosting company as well as a design firm, then don’t.  Either outsource it, or if you don’t even want to get involved with that, then simply don’t provide it.  Let your clients find a good hosting provider, and free up your time for more fun and profitable projects, or finding new clients.

A commentary on the future of personal computing.

Apple Multi-Touch Patent

With our growing ability to create more advanced interfaces than the keyboard and mouse at consumer-based prices comes the ability to specialize our computing devices according to our various needs for them.  Individuals can now have multiple devices whose interfaces are geared towards certain activities, making these activities easier or more fun to do, by abstracting the hardware interface further from the innards of the computer, and from the keyboard and mouse that we have known for too long.  This is much like the deeper abstraction from the engine that automatic transmissions provided as an easier interface to users who did not need the control over the car for racing or pleasure, but instead wanted to get from one place to another more easily.

    The specialization of our devices resembles that of our ancestors and their occupations.  Thousands of years ago, everyone did everything for themselves / families.  However, not everyone fit correctly to hunt, not everyone was necessarily made to cook, clean, garden, take care of others, etc.  Over time, we saw specialization of labor.  This allowed people of different types and with different interests to pursue occupations and hobbies that were more suited to them.  Much like this, it may not be necessary for a person to have a single type of computer (keyboard & mouse).  We see a specialization that has already taken place in the breakaway of laptops from the desktop.  Many own both types of computers.

An LG Laptop Concept

    But I argue that we will soon see a further specialization of our computing devices.  While the keyboard and mouse are ideal for working, and myself, for coding, it is not perfect for everything.  When casually surfing the web, video chatting, and other entertainment purposes, a touch tablet would be ideal.  For our life’s business, a speech recognition device would be ideal (although unlikely to see mass adoption).

    This does present one problem.  If we are on multiple devices within our homes, it is going to become a mess to try and keep track of where your data is.  We can access data from multiple devices through personal, small scale servers within our homes that allow for the access of files from any device to another’s storage medium via the home network.  Also, the use of online storage and / or syncing programs can remedy this issue.

    Besides the portability of data, there is also a need for the portability of common tasks, such as Email, or video chatting.  Because of this, many of our specialized devices may have, for example, email clients or web cameras, despite having been designed for a ’single’ purpose.  This way we can access and do daily things from any of our devices, no matter what we are doing.

TechCrunch IT Tablet

    So far, we are only beginning to see the branching of devices.  The average consumer has not yet adopted the use of multiple devices, or at least not consciously.  First, the smart phone, like the iPhone, is a specialized device.  Consumers have been buying them up by the millions.  They are ideal for communications and mobile access to data and entertainment.  Second, the Tech Crunch IT tablet shows the coming of cheap keyboard-less multi-touch devices strictly for browsing the web.  This is great for sitting around the house without the clutter of an entire laptop when you barely even use the keyboard for casual surfing.  Laptops and gaming consoles also exemplify this specialization taking place.  Both of which can now connect to the internet, even wirelessly, and share data.

    This is an awesome marketplace that I look forward to hearing from.  For starters, I am more than excited to get my hands on a strictly tablet-only device, like the TechCrunch IT firefox tablet.  To be able to sit on my couch and surf the internet using multi-touch without the hassle of a keyboard and trackpad or bulky computer.  Just the browser, in your lap.  This is a bright future, and something to look in to.  Got your own thoughts on this?  Leave a comment!

1. Go Squared – This is a great network if you are using square ads (130 x 130).  While they don’t have many clients yet, they have great potential.  They have a forum and a full control panel, all in a very nice UI.
2. Google AdWords – The most popular on the list, these are all over the internet.  They are text links and give you a very small amount of money per impression, but with a large enough visitor base, you can really bring in the dough.
3. Bravenet Media – Uses various banners.  Not that popular, but it has been around since 1997.
4. Adjug – While found on many sites, I wanted to put this on the list to warn you.  If you like flash ads where you can decide any size, then this is helpful.  You can see advanced reports on all of your locations on all of your sites.  However, load times are very slow and can really take up load time.
5. Text Link Ads – A great and easy way to get text ads on your sites.  Popular for its affiliate program which you can also make money off of, and is a great way to make money if you can get people to click through (note, this link is not an affiliate link).
6. Buy Sell Ads – While in beta, this network has proven its great potential.  Allows you to customize your ads and see reports.

Happy Monday.

Here are two last sites to leave you with.  One for advertising, one for website monitoring.

Pingdom

Bloglinkr

Simply Invoices

Simply Bill

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Citizen Image
Sell Photos 

72Photos
Host Photos 

Pixifi
Project and Client Management for Photographers

Picsviewr
Awesome flickr photos viewer

Live Timer

Time:59

Intervals

Tick

TimexChange