online money making Tips

Design Agency VS Freelance Life

2010-08-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

As a designer, I often get asked what is better, freelancing or working at a design agency? To be honest, there is no correct answer but there are certainly perks and pitfalls of both. In this article, I’ll share my honest opinions based on 6 months of working at an agency and 4 years of professional freelancing.

Before I launch into comparing them, I thought it should be known that I still currently do both… I work full time (Mon-Fri, 9 to 6) at Carrot Creative and also do contracting under my own business, Just Creative Design, mostly at night and occasionally on weekends if need be. I love both.

For comparison’s sake, I’ll look at the components that form the foundation of a happy designer: the type of projects they get to work on, the amount of work they have to do, what they get in return, the amount of freedom they get, as well the ‘fun’ factor.

1. The Work / Workload

Freelance:

As a freelancer, you get to choose when you work and what type of projects you want to work on, however this perk comes with much more behind-the-scenes work such as marketing yourself, doing paperwork, emailing etc. Consequently, this means you will be doing less of what you love (designing).

Agency:

At an agency, the behind-the-scenes work is being done for you, which means you can do more designing but the downfall of this, is that you don’t get as much say on the type of projects you work on… however, if you find the right agency, this shouldn’t be a big problem.

Another bonus of working at an agency is that you get to work for larger brands though this is not always a ‘bonus’ (so I’ve been told). In my short time at Carrot, I’ve luckily enjoyed every project I’ve worked on, especially the ones for Disney & Star Wars.

Verdict:

As long as you work on projects you like, you will be happy either working for yourself or an agency, though personally, I prefer working at an agency as it gives me more time to actually design and on a much wider array of projects… and I just love Disney pixie dust.

2. Rewards / Freedom

Freelance:

Nothing is more satisfying than running your own successful (freelance) business. As a freelancer, you can choose your own clients, set your own rates and most importantly, work when you want to. This allows for much more flexibility, more vacation time and overall, an arguably better way of life. (eg. no daily commutes, more time to yourself, etc.). The monetary rewards are also generally better than working at an agency as well, though this of course depends on your experience / roll as well as how hard (smart) you work.

Agency:

Agency life also has its perks, the main being job security… the fact that you know you’re going to get paid and when. There are also other fringe benefits of working at an agency such as health insurance, parties, work outings, etc.

Verdict:

Overall, in terms of monetary rewards and freedom I think freelancing is a more rewarding choice, especially if you love traveling as much as me… though you do have to work for it.

3. The ‘Fun’ Factor

Freelance:

Freelancing can get lonely at times, especially if you don’t have anyone else around the house or office, however, you do get more freedom, which essentially means you can go out with your non-work buddies more often… and wake up later.

Agency:

An agency atmosphere is going to be a lot livelier than if you were freelancing at your own home / office as you can talk, laugh & collaborate with people at the office. You also have outings with your work buddies such as lunch breaks, movies, day trips, sport games, etc.

Verdict:

This may be biased as I am in NYC and working for Carrot, but you’re definitely going to have more fun at an agency.

Final Words

Whether you are just about to graduate or are considering switching to freelance or agency life, ensure you know what your goals are, have done the appropriate research & have planned out how to get there.

If you’re going the freelance route, I’ve collected many freelancing resources over the past few years, so be sure to check them out. If you have any further questions, please let me know and I’ll happily answer them in the comments.

Your Opinion?

These opinions are based from my experiences only so I would love to hear what your opinions are re freelance / agency life? If you’ve worked in both, what do you prefer and why?

Car Vehicle Wrap Design Process & Tutorial

2010-08-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of rebranding Luke Arms‘ photography businessOne Fine Day Photography and as part of the rebrand, came the job of designing his car.In this article I will guide you through how I designed a “custom car vehicle wrap” along with tips I learned along the way… but before I launch into that, I would like you to meet Caroline, Luke’s new company car.

© Photos copyright of One Fine Day Photography. Larger photos here.

Now that you have been introduced, let me begin…

1. Do The Research

Before you start any new project, you should get familiar with the process and subject matter and as this was my first time doing a car vehicle wrap, this was even more important.

As I couldn’t find much information on the web or have any idea where to begin, I asked my Twitter (follow me) followers if they had any tips or resources and that was a huge help, along with asking the print shop directly.

It was also handy to read the FAQ’s on these three sites: MotaGraphics,AdsOnWheels, SkinzWraps and the getting started section on CarWraps.net. Remember that your printer may have different requirements than these shops so it’s best to ask your printer for their special requirements.

2. Buy / Create The Outlines

The first step of the process is to create the outlines for the car to scale, as this is what you will need to provide to the printers.

I asked my Twitter followers if they had the outline for Luke’s Toyota Carolla 2009 Hatchback though this was to no avail (though 4 people did send the 2003 version) so this meant I had to create the outlines myself.

Before you go about creating the outlines yourself, check to see if these places stock your particular car.

Places to find car vehicle outlines:

If you can not find the vehicle wrap for your particular car model you will have to create the outlines yourself and to scale.

Below you can see how Kyle Anthony explained the process to me.

Ok, basically, when I layout a vehicle I’m doing a wrap on, if the vehicle isn’t already in one of my templates from a collection of vehicle templates from a company called The Bad Wrap, I’ll take a good side profile photograph of the vehicle and bring it into Photoshop.

Below you can see the original side photos of Luke’s 2009 Carolla that he took himself.

Kyle continues:

Once you’ve taken the photos, here are the steps to laying it out so you can design at a reasonable pace with such a large file. This is for car wrap designs that are in raster format as apposed to vector.
1. Measure the distance of anything you can use as a reference point for scaling on the vehicle, this could be the distance of a door handle, door window, wheel, anything that you can use as a measurement.
2. With the side photograph of the vehicle in Photoshop, and all of your measuring tools set to inches, (also make sure your info palette is up F8) measure with the ruler tool, the distance of whatever you measured in the 1st step in one tenth scale. Do this by scaling the image size of the photograph down to make it match up. Not the canvas size.
3. So if you measured the wide of a door handle as lets say 7 inches wide, your info palette with the ruler tool active should measure the door handle to be .7inches wide.
4. Once you get this done, change the ppi of the document to 720ppi. When designing a wrap, a popular way to design at an appropriate scale without slowing down your machine is at 1/10th scale. Once the wrap is done and the design is ready to be set to print, flatten the document, and save it as a non compressed tiff. When you send it to print, or “rip” it, make sure to print it at 1000x scale.
5. Once you rip it at the 1000x scale, the wrap will print at 72dpi, the minimal acceptable resolution for printing a wrap so that you get acceptable results, and acceptable performance when designing and printing it. This also cuts down on the ripping time, or the time it takes from when you hit “print” and from the time it actually starts printing. On very large jobs, I’ve had ripping time take excess of 4 hours.
6. That’s pretty much it, the same process can be used for all sides of the vehicle, just make sure you work off of good square photographs of the vehicle, and if you have any questions at all, email me!

If you are designing in vector format, you will not have to worry about the DPI, but the outlines should still be to scale.

Below you can see the outlines of the 2009 Carolla Hatchback to scale.

Below you can see the comparisons of the car to the outlined version.

Below you can see the aerial view of the car with the red rectangles showing suggested print areas of the car. This was for my guide only and did not reflect the final print.

3. Gather Inspiration

As with any project, it’s a good idea to know what is out there first before you begin. I’ve found a few car wrap galleries to be of assistance:

Car / truck vehicle wrap inspiration:

Car Wrap Gallery
Vinyl Vehicle Wrap Gallery
SkinzWraps
AltaPac Car Wrap Gallery (the print shop we used)

4. Create The Design

It’s probably a wise idea to sketch out some ideas before you jump straight onto the computer. Print out a few thumbnailed copies of the outlined car and start working on your designs.

After you have some rough ideas, you can go into Illustrator and draft up your proposed designs on the car. Personally I found working on the photos a bit easier than the outlined versions of the car. I also set the photo opacity at 50% so I could see the car and colour at the same time.

Below you can see the mockup with the photos set at 50% opacity.

Below you can see the mockup set at 100% opacity.

5. Recreate To Scale

After you have finished with the photo mockup, you should create it to scale on your outlined version and send it to the print shop. This step may or may not be necessary depending on your print store.

The print shop will take it from here and create the file ready for print.

6. Prepare For Print

After giving the mockup files to the printer, they create the design into a 2D format, ready for print. Below you can see what a similar project for a Ute looked like, just before going to print. The green lines are the separate sections that got stretched or wrapped around the Ute. Below this you can see the final result.

Graphics below created by Matt from Altapac.

Caroline had a similar process and after the project was complete I asked Matt if he could explain exactly how he went about doing the wrap for Caroline. Matt kindly obliged and below you can find his tips and explanation.

Here are the file I used to print and the files I used to set the files up ready for print. [Matt attached several PDFs]
I can’t say how I did it, is the way it is done through-out the industry (not really sure how they do it elsewhere) but I have found this method the best for myself and for our applicator. I will explain a few things just here and some of the things we normally do in case you need to do a design for next time.

Above you can see how each section of the car was applied, to scale.

Matt continues…

Firstly as you will be able to see that we had to include the rear bumper bar into each side section print [1]. This is because you had a gradient coming out from the rear wheel going over the rear bar and up and around the rear quarter panel. As you can see it is able to be done but we had to run a center join line in the rear bar to accommodate for this effect [2]. We normally print the rear bar as one piece so there is no need for a join line as we trim it off where the bumper bar meets the body. Because of the gradient effect we could not do this as it would have been impossible to match the gradient sections up at the wheel and where the body meets the rear bar because of stretching of the material and the like. We then had to cut the slogan in vinyl lettering which is no big deal but if we could have printed the rear bar in one section, we would have most likely included the slogan in the print to avoid applying it later.
The gradient sections [4] that were in the design I could not oversize properly as they were cropped images so I reproduced them myself so I could over size them. We have to oversize the print so it can wrap under sections and not fall short in parts as the many curves in cars can bring you unstuck and can cause headaches in the application process. I know firsthand from my mistakes thinking that I over sized enough but when it came to but it on the car it has just made it with some stretching. Like the piece I printed up for the rear tail gate of the corolla. I thought I gave them heaps to play with only to find out it only just fitted with some more stretching. Whoops.
You will notice this in the files I have sent you where and how much I over sized the print [See how far the print goes over the edge of the car & wheels, in particular the bottom edge]
Another point to look out for in parts of the car that are difficult to wrap. Bellow the doors and complex cut outs and deep recesses in front bumper bars. They can be done but possibly not and may require the design being cut up into a few pieces. In the instance of your design I tried to keep it much to your specifications as possible. This meant laying part of the design over the door handles. It’s not a big problem in cars that have flush fitting door handles but with the corolla and many new cars the door handles protrude out meaning there is a bit of conforming to do around and on the door handle with the sticker and not to mention the wear and tear that comes from grabbing the door handle all the time. If possible I try not to run the design over the door handles or place parts of the writing around the handles.

Hope that gave you an insight into how the car wrap was applied.

7. Apply The Graphics

After printing, the print shop will literally wrap the 2D graphics around the car, section by section. For the One Fine Day Photography car, it was split into 6 separate wraps; one for each side, two for the bumper, one for the tailgate and one for the top of the car. The text and the logo on the front of the car were not wrapped but were stuck on like stickers.

8. Admire

As when any work comes back from print, you just have to admire it… but sadly, I am yet to meet Caroline or Luke for that matter though I hope to do so very soon – they only live one suburb away after all.

I should also take this time to send my congratulations to Luke & Michelle (Luke’s wife) for their newly first born son, Josiah!

A Cohesive Brand

You can see how the whole brand works together – car, business card, website, twitter profile, etc.

Below is Luke’s Twitter profile, designed by Luke himself. A nice job I’ll say!

Testimonial

Below you can read the testimonial Luke gave after completing his logo design.

I hired Jacob to design a new logo for One Fine Day Photography. It was my first time working with a professional designer, and I couldn’t have been happier. From beginning to end, it was clear that he wanted to deliver a logo that would achieve my aims for it while providing a tangible connection with my current branding, encapsulating the core values of my business and designing a piece of art that we could both be proud of.
None of those things can be rushed, and although I was impressed with Jacob’s turnaround, I had no doubt that he was extremely thorough in researching my business and market, experimenting with a variety of designs, and preparing his concepts for my feedback. I wasn’t easy to please when it came to finding a design I loved, but Jacob was exceptionally accommodating with all of my requests (including the silly ones) and within a few days we had arrived at a design I could accept without hesitation.
Jacob might only be in his early twenties, but his giftedness as a designer and his command of doing business in the 21st century are clearly evident in the international following he has gained within the design community. This speaks volumes of the quality of his work and the passion he has for it. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

A Final Word

I would like to close with this quote from Jennifer Sims found in Issue 165 of Computer Arts magazine.

Take on intimidating projects – fall into holes and you’ll learn more when you’re forced to claw your way out.

When I first took on this project, I had never done a car wrap design before, though after putting my claws into it, I really did learn a lot! So yeah, take on intimidating projects – the worst you could do is improve.

What do you think of the final car wrap design? Have you ever worked on something similar? Have any questions or tips to add?

Designers, why do you do what you do?

2010-08-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is a timely guest article by Jennifer Moline of PsPrint. – Jacob CassThe depressing economy we’re in has me very interested in careers – mainly, why we choose to do what we do. A creative career is often seen as a dream job – one that allows you to get paid for doing what you love. I’ve often wondered, however, if a creative profession is worth the stress.

I believe people become graphic designers for the following reasons:

While growing up they were always doodling on a notepad, eventually graduating to doodling on the computer.
They’ve always been those ‘techie’ types – the ones who would experiment with new programs, codes, hacks and software – teaching themselves how to build computers and make cool stuff.
They knew that in this technological era, a career involving computers was a smart route to take.
They’re critics about advertising and think they can do better.
While signing up for college classes, they noticed their crush was registering for an Intro to Graphic Design course.

So whatever the reason, now graphic designers are freelancing or working in-house at agencies, corporations, publishing houses and more. They create logos, lay outwebsites, design magazines, etc. But as any creative professional knows, graphic design isn’t necessarily glamorous like “Mad Men,” with Bloody Marys on hand at every meeting.

Designers have their own set of blockades:

They have to answer to clients, who don’t always have the best taste or tact. (Tips on how to deal with that here.)
They face constant deadlines, often overlapping ones.
They inherit more work as downsizing continues.
They’re expected to come up with original ideas every single day.

Is it any wonder people burn out? So why do we continue on this path? The work isn’t always creative. Sure, designing a magazine cover or an ad can be a fun and challenging project, but what about the interior of a newspaper or book – those columns and rows of text?

Here is why I think creative professionals – including designers, journalists, photographers, etc. – stick with it:

We’re deadline-oriented and work best under pressure.
Once an assignment is turned in, that’s usually the end of it – no revisiting.
We’re egotistical and enjoy seeing our bylines and credits.
There is nothing much more satisfying than finishing up a job we’re particularly proud of and to see it in print or online. Our success is tangible.
We have a passion for good design.

What do you think – if you knew then what you do now, would you still choose your current career? Why do you do what you do? How did you get into this industry?

Design Agency Job Hunting Tips

2010-08-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

“It’s not a pink slip, it’s a blank page.”This is the tag line of ‘Lemonade‘, a short film that I saw earlier this year about 16 advertising professionals who lost their jobs after the 2008 recession and then ‘found their calling’. Although I didn’t technically get a pink slip, I certainly got a blank page after parting ways with my previous employer.
I was left with 2 weeks to find a new job before being booted back to Australia due to Visa restrictions. I considered my options very carefully and finally decided to stay in NYC as my time was not done here, plus I had a girlfriend here. I set my goal; I had to find a job within 2 weeks.
Below I’ve outlined what I did for the first two weeks and some job hunting tips I learned along the way.
First week without a job (July 13 – July 19)
Researched my Visa options so I could stay in the USA. Saw an immigration attorney.

Blogged, Tweeted and Facebooked about my situation and then replied to the hundreds of messages of support. HUGE, HUGE thank you! Seriously.

Wrote & designed my CV. Updated my LinkedIn profile.

Put together an up-to-date private portfolio. I unfortunately can’t show this publicly due to NDAs.

Researched agencies that I would like to work for.

Prowled job boards for open positions.

Seriously stressed out.

Second week without a job (July 19 – 23)
Wrote cover letters, emailed my CV & portfolio to specific agencies.

Continued researching, prowling job boards & agencies.

Worked on my personal freelance projects.

Attended 5 interviews for 3 separate companies.

Looked for a new apartment to move into with my girlfriend. (Coincidentally, my lease was also up the same time I lost my job.)

Although this doesn’t look like much when listed in dot points, anyone who has tried looking for a job, knows it is a full time job. Add that in with looking for a new apartment and needless to say, things got pretty hectic. Though this craziness was not necessarily a bad thing, as I seriously learned a lot during this time, stuff I didn’t know when I wrote these articles:
How To Get Your First Job

How To Get A Job In Social Media

How and Where To Get Paid Freelance Work As A Student

A First Hand Guide On How To Start Freelancing

Anyway, these are some of the new things I’ve learned in the past few weeks…
Things I’ve Learned
Your job is never secure
Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article comparing freelance life vs agency life and in it I stated that one of the benefits of agency life was the steady income, however, what I failed to mention was the false sense of security that you get by having that job. You can lose your job at any time. This time around I was lucky enough to have my freelance work & savings to fall back on, but yeah be prepared & have back up.
Always keep your CV + portfolio up to date
I hadn’t updated my CV for a number of years which left me scrambling at the last minute to put everything together. I wish I had kept my CV and LinkedIn profile up-to-date as it would have saved me a few valuable days. Same goes with my private portfolio. I also need to listen to my own advice and refresh my public portfolio too.
Designers with digital-know-how are in more demand
Agencies receive hundreds of CV’s and portfolios a week. Many of them from extremely talented designers with beautiful, amazing portfolios. Although amazing, many of them lack knowledge in the areas of digital and interactive design. By this, I mean the knowledge of web design, mobile design and how people interactive with them using different platforms and technologies.
If you know to create custom websites from scratch, know how to work from wire frames, know the principles of user experience, can develop unique brand strategies and a have sound knowledge of existing & emerging web / mobile technologies, then you’re definitely going to be more employable than a designer with a pretty portfolio. Just ask any Creative Director.
Know what job position you are looking for
I had no idea what type of ‘graphic designer’ I was… seriously. ‘Graphic designer’ is such a vague term and agencies use a whole different vocabulary than what freelancers would be used to, and even then, there is no standard term for each position. Was I an interactive designer, a visual designer, a senior designer, a web designer, a creative director, a social media strategist? I soon found out that I was all of these things, it just depended on the agency.
Do the research to find out what each job title means within each company and even if you don’t think you have all listed qualifications, still apply… just make sure it’s for the right position.
Contact agencies without open positions
Agencies who have job vacancies listed on their website literally get hundreds of applicants. This is time consuming for them to go through and more often than not, you won’t hear back from them for at least a few weeks, if at all. On a three week deadline this isn’t ideal. A lot of the places I got interviews & call backs were actually from places that weren’t advertising.
Jobs are plentiful but so are candidates.
There are many job boards out there, however there are also many candidates who apply for these jobs and like stated above, this makes the hiring process time consuming. Instead, I would recommend to find the agencies you would like to work for and then aim your target at them. It worked better for me anyway.
Contact HR Directors directly
Rather than applying to the career pages of agency websites I also found that if you contacted the Creative Recruiter / HR Director of agencies, they would be more likely to respond. Even more so if you knew someone in the company or knew a friend that knew someone in the company. Bridging that connection between 1st, 2nd or 3rd tier relationships is a huge help and the best way to do that is via looking up company profiles on LinkedIn or by asking your already established network.
Update: I also want to take this time to send a HUGE thank you out to the talented designer & developer Jerlyn Thomas for her continued efforts in supporting a fellow unemployed designer, even while on the search herself!
A Wonderful New Job + Apartment
With all this said, I am pleased to announce that I did find a job after 2 weeks and am now employed at The Wonder Factory as a permanent freelance designer, which may lead to a full time position if everything works out. At TWF I am continuing to work with Fortune 100 brands, namely brands under Time Inc. (Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, etc.) Most of the work will be visual design, UX & strategy for the web, iPad and mobile platforms. Also, be sure to check out TWF’s wonderful office space, shown above.
On a similar note, I also just signed a lease for a new apartment in Midtown, NYC where I will be moving in with my girlfriend of 2 months. A crazy move, but why not?
A new chapter begins.

Cash in on Newsletter Writing and Publishing: How to Land Corporate Newsletter Clients

2010-08-17T08:06:00.001-07:00

Do you ever wonder who writes and publishes those small newsletters you see around town? They’re the 4- or 8-page briefs that are distributed at the grocery store, the gym, your child’s school, and many other businesses in town. If you belong to any online communities, you’re probably familiar with the numerous electronic newsletters available, too. Basically, if you leave your house at all or surf the Web for a minute or two, you’ve glanced at your fair share of these brief, newsy pamphlets.

What you may not know is that many businesses would love to have their own newsletters for use as marketing or to distribute information, yet they don’t know who to hire to write and publish theirs. Freelance writers are the perfect people for the job! And, convincing a business to spend a nominal fee for this service is easy, because it’s often cheaper than buying newspaper, magazine and television advertisements.Whether you’re a technical writer, a freelance news reporter, a fiction writer, or a poet, you’ve got the skills to make money as a newsletter writer and editor. Add a little desktop publishing experience to the mix and you may even decide to make newsletter production a your full-time, freelance gig. If you’re organized, diligent, and creative, it’s time to consider adding this type of writing to your resume.

The first step, of course, would be researching your market. You probably already have some of these newsletters coming to your mailbox each month. You will also find them sitting on counters of businesses throughout town. You can see how other companies are pitching their wares via newsletters, which will give you content ideas for your future clients.

Speaking of clients, you already have several potential clients in your address book. From your family doctor to your accountant to your local beauty parlor, almost every business can benefit from sending out a warm and informative greeting to their existing clients and potential new clients. These PR nudges, when blended with quality editorial that helps their customers, can bring in more repeat and new customers than an ad in the local newspaper.

Your next endeavor would be to create some template newsletters and to arrange meetings with your community contacts. You can then build on those relationship and get referrals for even more clients.

If you need help with pitch letters, newsletter templates, content ideas, or anything involved with newsletter writing and desktop publishing, I invite you to register for my class, Cash In on Newsletter Writing and Publishing: How to Land Corporate Newsletter Clients, at: http://www.writersweekly.com/wwu/courses/newsletter.html

Unlike magazines, which receive dozens of query letters each day, few businesses receive offers to write a customized newsletter. If you capitalize on this, and prove yourself to be professional and dependable, you should be able to build up a client list in no time. Good luck!

Getting Started as a Freelance Translator

2010-08-17T08:05:00.001-07:00

Background

I became a translator via a series of happy accidents. After taking French in school since seventh grade, I studied abroad at the University of Grenoble, France, for my junior year of college. There, a professor recommended me for a part-time job as a trainee translator at the University's graduate school of business. This ended up involving work on an international marketing textbook that was subsequently published by Prentice-Hall. Back in the U.S., I taught high school French for 8 years, did a few translations on the side when people asked me, and earned an M.A. in French from Boston College. After relocating to Colorado and having a child, I wanted to find a career that would allow me to use French and work from home, so I decided to try to make a go as a professional translator. Several years later, I'm certified by the American Translators Association and happily employed by a growing list of regular clients. I hope that these tips will be helpful to aspiring translators! Please note that the examples provided here reflect my personal experience; everyone's mileage will vary depending on your language pairs, professional background, geographic location, etc.

The good news, the bad newsIf you have excellent skills in at least two languages, there is a lot to recommend launching your own freelance translation business. According to the most recent American Translators Association compensation survey, the average self-employed freelance translator working full time in the U.S. earns more than $50,000 a year, and with most translation work done over the web, it's an attractive business for people who want a portable career, or live in places (like my hometown of Boulder, Colorado) where there are few well-paying jobs for translators. The translation industry is also, by most measures, booming. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a better-than-average employment picture for translators and interpreters until at least 2014, and many qualified translators are busier than they've ever been. However (you knew that was coming!), many people with excellent language skills fail at self-employment, not because they can't do the work, but because they make basic and avoidable business mistakes, or underestimate the role of business management in their overall work plan. This phenomenon was part of what inspired me to write my book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator. In addition, it takes a lot of financial and mental preparation to launch any type of business, and freelance translation is no exception. For most people, I advise counting on at least a one year startup phase, during which you will need either another job, savings or a loan to pay some of your living expenses while your work volume increases.

How it went for me, and some numbers

In 2002, I had been teaching high school French for 8 years. After having a baby and moving to Colorado, I decided to look for a work from home job where I could use French. I knew very little about the translation industry at that time, and had no contacts at all in the industry. Looking back on it, I think that my first career move was to open the Denver Yellow Pages to the "Translators and Interpreters" section and start calling all the agencies that were listed. A few of them agreed to give me an informational interview, and they became my first clients. To be fair, the fact that I had an M.A. in French and had done a translation internship at a business school may have opened some doors; but, compared to an experienced translator, I was starting from ground zero. During that first year in business, I contacted over 400 potential clients, including corporate members of the American Translators Association, local businesses that had a connection with a French-speaking country, the Colorado court systems, and legal aid agencies. I also became active in the Colorado Translators Association and started editing their newsletter in order to get to know translators in the area. Out of those 400 contacts, I landed three or four regular clients, and I earned $9,000 total. Honestly, at the end of the year, I as on the verge of giving up. The $9,000 I had earned seemed like a pitifully small amount for all the work that I had done, and I thought about looking for a full time job. Fortunately, I was determined not to waste the year of effort, and decided to give it another year. I kept marketing and networking, and business grew. My second year, I made $18,000, and the year after that, $36,000 (I think I see a pattern here!), while working about 20 hours a week from home. At that point, I was convinced that I would stick with freelancing, since my previous highest annual income was $33,000 teaching high school French. While my income hasn't kept doubling every year, this year I think that I will meet the ATA average of over $50,000, while working about 30 hours a week and taking at least 4 weeks of vacation, which is a situation that would be impossible with a full time job in my area.

Some tips for beginning freelance translators

Following is a list of suggestions for beginning freelance translators. If you'd like a more comprehensive look at launching your own translation business, feel free to take a look at my book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator.

Be realistic. When you're looking for a full-time job, all you need is one offer. To work full-time or close to it as a translator, you need a sizeable list of regular clients. Unless you have very marketable skills in an in-demand language pair, it may take a year or more until you are working full time. In my case, I contacted about 400 translation agencies (not a typo) over the course of my first year in business, and it was about 18 months until I was earning an amount equivalent to my previous full time job.
Never quit marketing. Once you have steady work, it's tempting to think that agencies will keep contacting you, freeing you from the hassle of contacting new prospective clients and touching base with previous contacts. However, this is a bad assumption. Work flows go up and down, agencies go out of business, the project manager who loves you quits and is replaced by someone who brings in his/her own person, etc. Plus, you never know when an "out of nowhere" project offer will be perfect for you, and/or allow you to raise your rates. Even though I usually have about as much work as I can handle, I still send my resume to 3-5 new agencies per week just to keep the ball rolling. Recently, one of these agencies (in Europe) contacted me with a multi-thousand dollar project because I was the only U.S.-based French to English translator in their database, and a client wanted a project translated into U.S. English.
Don't ignore the local market, especially if you present yourself better in person than on paper. My first clients, who I still work for today, were local agencies who I contacted and offered to meet with to show them a portfolio of my work. Check the yellow pages or Internet under "translators and interpreters." Even if the agencies say that they don't hire beginners or don't have work in your language pair, go visit them anyway and find out what they do. You'll understand more about what your potential clients want, and they'll know you for when your skills are more in line with their needs.
Join some associations. The American Translators Association and its local chapters (a list is available on the ATA website, or Google "translators your state," replacing "your state" with your actual state) are a great way to establish your seriousness as a translator, and to meet other translators.
Ask for advice. While it's somewhat risky to contact a translator in your own language pair for risk of sounding like you're trying to swoop in on his/her clients, most translators enjoy their work and like to talk about their jobs and how they got started. A freelancers group I'm in (for women only) has a tradition called "Take a successful woman to lunch," where an aspiring translator/writer/web designer/artist, etc. offers to buy lunch for a more experienced person in exchange for a conversation about the profession.
Orient your resume toward translation. Especially for people who are native speakers of a language other than English and have specialized professional skills, this is key. Highlight specific skills right away, such as "Spanish-bilingual software specialist," "Native speaker of Arabic with mechanical engineering background," etc. rather than expecting the agency or client to see that you have these capabilities.
Offer services that more experienced translators probably don't. The translation industry is booming, and many experienced translators with a full house of regular clients don't have a financial need to work nights, weekends, rush jobs, etc. Make it clear to prospective clients that you can fill in in a pinch, and be willing to actually do this!
Get certified. Certification by the American Translators Association isn't a must, but can lead to a big increase in business as the credential becomes more recognized. In my case this happened when, shortly after I passed the certification exam in French to English, an agency I work with was requested by a major client to use only certified translators on certain projects.
Be realistic your earning potential. While translation is definitely well-paying as compared with other careers that allow you to work from home in your pajamas on projects that are often very interesting, remember that 25-40% of your income as a freelancer will go to things that your employer normally pays for when you have a full time job. Most people count in the biggies- taxes, health insurance, retirement plan contributions and vacation/personal/sick time, but over the years other expenses like dictionaries, office equipment, continuing education and professional travel add up too. Over the course of the 8 years I worked full time, my employer paid for tens of thousands of dollars of "extra" stuff like this, including half the tuition for my M.A. degree, a laptop computer and two trips to France. These days, I spend about a thousand dollars a year just to attend the annual conference of the American Translators Association, plus various other workshops. Remember also that the time it takes to do non-translation activities like marketing, networking, accounting, collections, billing, updating computer systems, even cleaning your office, is "off the clock." For all of these reasons, even if you work 40 hours a week, it may be more realistic to plan on billing no more than 25 hours a week.
Find the economic advantages to freelancing. As a corollary to the tip above, freelancing is far from all bad news when it comes to earnings. You may be able to take significant tax deductions for business related expenses, unlike when you have a salaried job (talk to a tax professional about this). Furthermore, if you work from home you won't be paying commuting expenses, lunch out, work clothes, etc. Depending on your particular situation, there may be even bigger hidden benefits. In my case, I have a small child; if I worked 30 hours a week at an employer's office, I would need at least 35 hours of child care to cover work and commute time, and the preschool my daughter attends charges $9 an hour. As a freelancer, I'm able to work about 30 hours a week with 15 hours of child care by making up the rest of the time at night or when my child is with my husband or a friend. Even if I needed to pay for more child care, working from home opens up the option of using a less expensive option, for example a teenager who can play outside with my child while I work inside. This savings alone, plus the additional time to spend with the family, makes freelancing a very attractive option if you have small kids.
Keep in touch. As you apply to agencies, keep a file of the person you talked to or e-mailed with, and what his or her response was to your inquiry. As you get more experience, periodically contact these people again to let them know a) you're still there and b) you have some new projects to tell them about.
Show an interest in the profession. Once you explore the tip of the translation iceberg, you'll be amazed at the number of translation-related websites, magazines and newsletters out there. Contributing to them allows you to both educate yourself and present yourself as someone who's really passionate about the industry, not just someone who likes to work in your pajamas!
Never (never) take on work you can't handle. Especially in a small community of translators and translation consumers, the surest way to sabotage your emerging freelance business is to take on something that's too technical, too long, or too complex. Clients will appreciate your honesty and use you for projects that you can handle. Sometimes this involves protecting clients from hiring you for work that *they* think that you can do, such as translating into your second (third, etc) language. Politely explain that this work is best handled by a native speaker of that language and offer a referral.
Keep your clients happy. While this could be an article in itself (when I have time!) it's worthy of mention. Finish every project on time and on budget, and NEVER miss a deadline without notifying a client as soon as you realize that despite your good planning, the project won't be done on time. Return all phone calls and e-mails as soon as you can, always within one business day. When you're not available, help solve the client's problem by referring them to a colleague. In all of your dealings with your clients, remain professional. When you encounter a problem, it hurts to have your skills or qualifications questioned, but remember that the client is already in high-anxiety mode if they're not happy with your work, and you need to remain calm rather than making the client more upset. Probably one of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is "don't hold onto your clients by charging less, hold onto your clients by charging more and proving that you're worth it." Of course there are some agencies and direct clients who only care about getting the work done for one cent per word cheaper than the last translator they used, but most clients care just as much about quality as they do about price. Keeping a good relationship with the client and doing outstanding work proves to them that often, you get the level of service you pay for.

If you enjoyed this article, read about the online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator
These tips reflect my experience as a translator and my own opinions, not those of my clients. Feel free to use them in your own work, and let me know if they are helpful!

Writing For Others - What to Charge?

2010-08-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

When someone hires you to do a special writing job, they give you the assignment and you do the job. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not really.

These are examples of complaints I've received over the years:

A local drycleaner thought he could write his own brochure, but he just "didn't have the time." He hired Melanie, a professional copywriter, to write it for him for a flat fee, and gave her a list of bullet points to include. After the job was complete, he decided he wanted to add a few more bullet points and remove some he'd provided previously...but he didn't understand why Melanie asked for more money.

The marketing manager of an old business downtown hired Jeff to ghostwrite a historical book about the company. The book would be offered to local bookstores and be used to generate publicity, of course, but the main purpose of the project was to provide a marketing freebie to potential clients. The marketing manager sent Jeff a very detailed outline of the project along with a list of interviewees. A few weeks later, after more executives at the firm got excited about the project, they all started getting ideas. Some items Jeff had already written were deleted and the list of interviewees suddenly got much longer. When Jeff asked for a contract amendment and more money, the marketing manager told him there were no more funds in the budget and that the original flat fee was the only money available for the project. He even threatened to sue Jeff if he refused to finish the book, saying there was nothing in the contract that allowed Jeff to quit the project.Linda was hired to write a series of press releases by the co-owner of a company. After completing the third press release, the company's other owner decided he didn't like the way the series was progressing. He wanted the first three press releases changed. Linda asked for additional payment to make the changes because the scope of the project had changed so drastically. The company balked at her request, fired her, hired another writer to finish the series, and never paid Linda's invoices.

Scott was hired to ghostwrite a novel for an individual. He completed the work and sent the manuscript and his invoice to his client. The client phoned a few weeks later to say she now wanted the book written in first-person. When Scott requested more money, she told him he should have thought about this possibility before he agreed to the contracted price.

I receive emails almost daily from writers asking me what they should charge for special projects like these. My answer is always the same - charge them BY THE HOUR!

Most people who have an idea for a new project only have a very rough idea of what they want, and they almost always change their minds about some or all of the project along the way. Unfortunately, when this happens, especially when writing is involved, many people don't think the writer deserves any more money to incorporate the changes. Why? Perhaps they think "it won't take very long." Or, maybe they think you "just have to move a few sentences around." They don't want their budget disturbed and almost always want to blame the writer if something doesn't turn out as they'd hoped it would.

A sad fact of being in our industry, and probably the main reason why some people think writers don't deserve payment for their work, is because most people think that, just because they can type or hold a pen, they can write. Thus, they think writers' jobs are easy. One certainty about our industry is that books, brochures, websites, and even most articles are NEVER published as first written. The boss almost always wants some changes, often because they've changed their mind about the scope of the project.

The way to avoid getting into this mess in the first place is to:

Get the entire preliminary scope of the project in writing. Be sure to list as many details as possible. If the project description seems too broad, ask lots of questions and include the additional information they provide in your proposal and the contract itself. This will be your best weapon later when they don't want to pay you for additional work.
Estimate the total number of hours you believe will be required. Stress in bold that this is a rough estimate, based on the scope of work initially provided to you for this project.
Quote an hourly rate. If the client wants to see a round number, multiply the hourly rate by the projected number of hours. But, remember to stress that the figure is a rough estimate based on the information initially provided by the client and again state you'll be billing them by the hour.
Include a clause in your proposal and in the contract that any change requests may require additional time and will therefore increase the cost of the project.
Make your payment terms no longer than net 14 days.
Include a clause in the contract specifying that prepayment is required for delivery of the final installment of the project. Withhold delivery of the final 15% of the project until your final invoice is paid.
VERY IMPORTANT! Include a clause in the contract specifying that you own all copyrights to the work until all your invoices are paid.
Submit the project in increments (every 25 or 50 pages, or every other week, or every 20 hours of work). Send them an invoice each time you submit a piece of the project and stop work immediately if even one invoice is past due. Don't continue working until they've paid what is currently owed. (You'd be surprised how many writers keep working after their client stops paying their invoices!)
Never turn in the last part of the project without having your final payment in hand. (You'd be surprised how many writers never get that final check!)
If the information above doesn't appear on the contract, ask them to include it as an addendum to the contract and make sure you and the "boss" sign it. Don't start work until you have a signed copy of the contract in hand. (You'd be surprised how many companies never return signed contracts and then never pay the writers, saying the contract was never signed!)
When change requests come through, save all emails and letters and document all changes in detail. If the changes come via a phone call, make a list of the changes requested, send the list to the "boss" and request he sign the list and return it to you. (You'd be surprised how many clients ask for more work but then later, after their budget is blown, claim they never asked for more work!)

When two companies sign a contract, both firms usually know how to correctly handle the situation (get signed copies of the contract, include a copy of the proposal, addendums, penalty clauses, etc.). Unfortunately, when companies are dealing with freelancers, they often don't follow standard procedure and then use the freelancer's ignorance about business processes to screw them later. After reading hundreds of emails sent in by readers over the years, it's obvious, when a project goes awry, the company's attitude toward the freelancer is often, "Well, you should have known this could happen, and included it in your price!"

When the boss changes their mind about a project, it's not your fault! When those changes mean more time on the job for you, you deserve more money! Protect yourself in writing up front and remain firm and professional when they try to talk you out of charging extra for THEIR mistakes.

How to find your first translation clients

2010-08-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Where to begin?

I receive a lot of inquiries from people who would like to become translators, and most of these e-mails have something to do with finding those first few elusive translation clients. If you ask 100 translators how they got started in the business, you'll probably get at least 50 different answers. Some picked up the phone and started cold-calling, some turned an old business connection into a client, some volunteered, some went back to school, some were just in the right place at the right time. Following are some tips on how to break into the translation industry, depending on your interests and level of experience.As a freelance translator, your two basic categories of clients are translation agencies, companies that serve as a middleman between an end client and various freelance translators, and direct clients, where you work directly for the translation buyer with no middleman involved. Each of these approaches has its benefits and costs; translation agencies can sometimes provide a steady flow of work to their regular translators, but also pay the translator as little as 50% of the total fee they collect for the translation. Direct clients can offer higher earning potential, but often require the translator to perform tasks such as quoting jobs, editing, proofreading, etc. that are often handled by agencies.

If you're starting out by applying to translation agencies, remember to play by their rules in order to maximize your chances of getting work. Most agencies have a translator application form on their websites; the "Contact Us" or "Opportunities" sections of agency websites are good places to look for these. Although it feels impersonal to apply for work this way, resist the urge to distinguish yourself by sending in a paper résumé if the agency requests an electronic one; what seems to you like a personal touch will only create more work for your potential client, and may get your application materials tossed without a second look. Along the same lines, most agencies prefer not to be contacted by phone unless you are applying for a specific position that they've advertised. If the online application form includes a "Comments" field, this is the place to ask for an in-person meeting or introduce yourself as a new translator in the area. For translation agencies in the United States, the website of the American Translators Association is a good place to find the agency's web address, and the agency's profile on the ATA website may also indicate if it is currently accepting applications from new translators.

Whether applying to translation agencies or direct clients, there are a few basic rules to follow. You're applying for language work, so your application materials should be error-free. Make sure that everything you send out is proofed by yourself and at least one other person. When sending inquiries by e-mail, use a clear subject line, such as "German-English freelance inquiry." Don't disguise your intentions or make your message look like a response to an e-mail from the agency. State your language pairs prominently. As amazing as it may sound, many people neglect this simple step. Start your e-mail with a sentence such as "I am a freelance English to Spanish translator and I would like to offer my services to your agency/company, etc."

Looking for work with direct clients has some positive and negative points for a beginning translator. As a newcomer to the profession, it can be helpful to have some of the safety nets that a translation agency offers; for example when you work for an agency, your work is almost always proofread before being sent to the end client, which guards against a true disaster if you make a mistake. However, direct clients, especially those located in areas where there are not many translators to choose from, may be more likely than a translation agency to take a chance on an inexperienced translator. Whereas a translation agency has a wide range of translators to choose from with no geographic restrictions, a direct client who wants to work with someone local has a bigger incentive to work with someone new.

If you'd like to work with direct clients, any large businesses, hospitals, or school systems in your area are worth contacting, even if they don't have obvious international ties. Probably the best source of direct client contacts is international business organizations such as international chambers of commerce since you can be sure that the member companies use your non-English language in their business operations. Joining one of these organizations is also an excellent way to network with potential clients. Try Googling the chamber of commerce for your language pair, i.e. "German-American Chamber of Commerce," "Korean-American Chamber of Commerce," etc.

Think locally. Especially if you present yourself better in person than on paper, start out by asking for in-person meetings with every translation or interpreting agency in your local area. By asking for a meeting to learn more about the agency and talk about how you might fit in, you'll both benefit from the interaction. Don't be dissuaded if local agencies "have no work in your language combinations right now." By asking for an in-person meeting, you'll position yourself to step in when their needs change.

Blanket the field. One of the biggest mistakes made by beginning translators and interpreters is to assume that they will be working full-time after sending out five or ten inquiries. On the contrary, you should expect no more than a one percent return rate on your cold-contacting efforts. A good start (emphasis: start) if you'd like to be working full-timewould be to send out 300-500 résumés during your first year in business. Your prospective clients may include translation agencies in the U.S., agencies in countries where your other languages are spoken, and companies in your area that could use your services.

Keep in touch Instead of just firing off e-mails or making phone calls and then waiting to hear back from your potential clients, keep a log of the person you talked to or e-mailed with and what his or her response was to your inquiry. As you get more experience, periodically contact these people to let them know that you're still interested and available. Let them know what types of projects you've been working on, and let them know that you would be happy to help them out with similar jobs.

Once you've landed your first few clients, marketing yourself becomes easier in the sense that you have something to tell new prospective clients about, other than the fact that you're looking for work. In general, even a successful freelancer must spend at least ten percent of his or her time on marketing; for beginning translators this figure may increase to as much as 50 percent, and for those who have been in the business for many years, the need to market may fall by the wayside. However, many marketing experts caution that "if you're not marketing, you're dying." While this advice may seem extreme, it's important for even experienced translators to prepare for the loss of a major client or a downturn in the economy by keeping up a steady flow of outbound promotion.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in my new book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator.

Outsourcing Online: Finding Good Help Could Not Be Any Easier

2010-08-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Are you a small business? Internet startup? Or maybe you just don't have exactly the skills you need amongst your team. A new generation of freelancing websites could offer the solution to your problem. These sites exist to provide a controlled environment where clients like you can post projects to an audience of thousands of skilled freelancers, who will see your project and bid on it if they can offer what you need. Once your listing deadline is up, or as soon as you are happy with the choice of bids, you can choose the contractor you want to work with and kick off the project straight away.

Web and graphic designers, web developers, programmers, writers and translators are just some of the skilled professional freelancers who register with these sites, so that they can be put in touch with markets they couldn't reach unaided. Typically they will be based not only in the USA and UK, but all over Europe and Asia. This gives you, the project sponsor, a much more responsive and competitive marketplace to choose your contractors from. The size and variety contained within these freelance marketplaces means that you can be sure of a good choice of skilled freelance professionals at short notice, and at competitive rates.For example, Project4Hire.com, a freelancing site, presently has more than 5500 registered contractors, spread over all aspects of custom website development, programming, graphics design, freelance copywriting and translation. The site operates a feedback-based rating system for all contractors and clients, so that it is always possible to get an idea of a person or company's reputation and experience before committing to working with them. Work can be assigned one or more of a total of eighty categories, divided up into eight main areas. It is easy to see how freelancing sites can offer a breadth of choice for both contractor and client that is unrivalled by any other form of advertising or recruitment.

The benefits of using these sites can be considerable. As a business or an individual, you will inevitably only have a limited skillset within your staff, probably focused on your core activities. Employing freelancers gives you a way around this, offering cost and time efficiency, and giving you access to a much wider skillset than normal without having the cost and complexity of employing anyone directly. For small to medium size projects and tasks, especially those that are quite self-contained in nature, employing freelancers is often the best way to get the job done.

The other benefit of using a freelance marketplace to find your freelance professionals is that it helps to reduce some of the risks faced when using freelance professionals. Financially, you will want to be sure that you will get the work you paid for, and that the freelancer you have contracted will support you until you are happy that the work meets the specification provided. Most of these sites offer escrow payment facilities - Project4Hire.com provides a system called Safe Transfer - to ensure that neither client nor contractor need suffer any anxiety about the financial side of a project. When the contractor is awarded the project, the client can pay the full amount of the winning bid into the escrow account, where it will be safely held until the completion of the project. Together with feedback-based rating systems, this kind of facility means you can be confident when assigning work through a freelance marketplace site.

Whether you need a web designer and programmer, some graphics designing, or some professional copywriting, freelance marketplace sites can give you access to a responsive and competitive group of professional freelancers, together with the reassurance of dealing with a reliable and known organisation. Next time you want to outsource a project, why not give one a try?

Web Designs That Make a Difference

2010-08-17T07:59:00.001-07:00

It seems that I can’t get through a day without having to spend a couple hours trying to talk a client out of doing something crazy.

I’m only the designer and should give the client what he/she wants, but I have a hard time not adding in my two cents and sometimes even refusing to do a design because I disagree with the direction the site is taking.For some reason people really have a hard time understanding that a visitor to their site could careless what the site looks like.

They have come to your website to find information, buy a product or be entertained not for a flash intro page, a cute little guy typing away at his computer or the little stat counter that shows how little visitors your site has really had.

They don’t care about the colors of your site, the pictures in the header, your logo, colors, fonts or anything else you might think is important.

They are there for a purpose and have a goal in mind and could careless about all the other stuff.

So does the design even matter?

You can bet it does, but not in the way a lot of people seem to think.

While the visitor to your site could careless about the color of your site the colors do effect him/her. In most cases the site visitor is not even aware of the effect the colors have on them.

Some colors have more influence then others but all colors do influence our emotions.

For example blue is a calming, peaceful, and trusting color while red is anger, impulsive and an action color.

I’m not going to write about all the effects each color has on a person but knowing what colors to add into a site can effect the response a person takes while on your site.

Another aspect of the design is in font and size of the font.

Large easy to read fonts are an important part of your site. The easer it is to read what you have to say the better the chances are that a visitor will take the time to read it.

Adding scrolling text and moving pictures will only distract the eye of the reader and make the text more difficult to read as will using crazy font colors or constantly changing the colors of the font.

Something else I see a lot of people wanting to do is add pictures into the header that has nothing to do with the site.

You have 3 seconds to let your visitor know what your site is about. If you add pictures of pretty flowing rivers while trying to sell pigs online this will only cause confusion and cause the visitor to leave in hopes of finding his/her perfect pig some where else.

So if your selling pigs, then put pictures of pigs in the header.

The header is the first thing people see when entering your site, by using appropriate pictures in the header it helps give an understanding of what your site is about.

It’s also a good idea to put a nicely designed logo in your header that tells something about your business. I know most people could careless rather or not you have a logo but a logo does help to build trust and credibility.

Something else I find funny is the all about me text everyone wants to place on their home page.

No one cares about you or your business.

Why choosing the right web hosting company is essential to your website and your sanity

2010-08-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

When starting a website, one of the questions that always comes up is what web hosting company to choose to host your website. Most web hosting companies will promise 99.99% uptime but very few will deliver. And when they don't deliver, there is no recourse for all the downtime and loss of business your website incurred. You are left with either sticking with them and running the risk of loosing your sanity, or moving to a different web hosting company.

Most website owners ultimately choose to stick with their web hosting companies and give them another chance, after another chance, after another chance. Web hosting companies are skilled with coming up with reasons to justify the downtime (loss of power, hardware failure, Denial-of-Service attacks, software or hardware upgrades and the list goes on) but will never offer any compensation for their failed promise of 99.99% uptime. They know that most website owners would ultimately decide to stay with them than take the drastic and painful step of changing web hosts.

The process of changing web host is painful. You would need to backup up the files and database from your old server. You would need to transfer the files to a new web host. Depending on the size of your website (if you allowed your users to upload pictures and documents, we could be talking about several gigabytes of data), it may be a real challenge to transfer all the files. You would also need to recreate your database and the non-technically-inclined website owners may find this step challenging too. You would also need to update your DNS records to reflect your website move, which make take several days to propagate throughout the internet. As a result, your website may experience a significant downtime when it is moved to a new host.

In addition to all of this, some web hosting companies make it very hard for you to move by offering no support and no refund for the remaining months that you have not used (if you have signed up for a 1-year or 2-year hosting plan as most do). One may just decide to stick with the terrible hosting experience and endure all the downtime until the hosting plan ends. But this would be a mistake, especially if you own a successful website as the frequent downtime may prevent you from getting new visitors and drive away your existing users to competing sites. The website for which you worked so hard may start its decline.

For all the reasons mentioned above, it is very important to choose the right web hosting company from the very beginning. Before signing up with a web hosting company, you must do your homework. Search on the internet for reviews of the web hosting company that you had in mind. Read several reviews posted on different websites. Pay attention more to the reviews that sound negative or that are less favorable to the web hosting company. It is well-known that web hosting companies put out fake reviews that are favorable to them.

Here are a few decent web hosting companies that can be recommended based on their popularity:

Most of these companies offer basic hosting plans for about $7.95/month or lower. A basic plan is what is recommended to most webmasters went starting out a new website, unless the website is expected to be an instant success. As your website gain popularity and attract a larger audience, the time will come to choose a more expensive hosting plan or go with dedicated hosting.

The 52 Top SEO Tips – Here Are 10 of Them

2010-08-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

From the obvious to the "Hey-I-never-thought-of-that-great-idea-before", here are 10 of the top 52 tips on how to optimize your website for its turbo-charge rocket ride up the search engine rankings.

Be bold. Use the <b> </b> tags around some of your keywords on each page. Do NOT use them everywhere the keyword appears. Once or twice is plenty.Deep linking. Make sure you have links coming in to as many pages as possible. What does it tell a search engine when other web sites are linking to different pages on your site? That you obviously have lots of worthwhile content. What does it tell a search engine that all your links are coming in to the home page? That you have a shallow site of little value, or that your links were generated by automation rather than by the value of your site. Here is an example of deep linking, in this case to my personal happiness workbook.

Become a foreigner. Canada and the UK have many directories for websites of companies based in those countries. Can you get a business address in one of those countries?

Newsletters. Offer articles to ezine publishers that archive their ezines. The links stay live often for many years in their archives.

First come, first served. If you must have image links in your navigation bar, include also text links. However, make sure the text links show up first in the source code, because search engine robots will follow the first link they find to any particular page. They won't follow additional links to the same page. You can see this in action at the link to the home page on thisweb site monitoring page

Multiple domains. If you have several topics that could each support their own website, it might be worth having multiple domains. Why? First, search engines usually list only one page per domain for any given search, and you might warrant two. Second, directories usually accept only home pages, so you can get more directory listings this way. Why not a site dedicated to gumbo pudding pops?

Article exchanges. You've heard of link exchanges, useless as they generally are. Article exchanges are like link exchanges, only much more useful. You publish someone else's article on the history of pudding pops with a link back to their site. They publish your article on the top ten pudding pop flavors in Viet Nam, with a link back to your site. You both have content. You both get high quality links. (More on high quality links in other tips.)

Titles for links. Links can get titles, too. Not only does this help visually impaired surfers know where you are sending them, but some search engines figure this into their relevancy for a page.

Not anchor text. Don't overdo the anchor text. You don't want all your inbound links looking the same, because that looks like automation – something Google frowns upon. Use your URL sometimes, your company name other times, "Gumbo Pudding Pop" occasionally, "Get gumbo pudding pops" as well, "Gumbo-flavored pudding pops" some other times, etc.

Site map. A big site needs a site map, which should be linked to from every page on the site. This will help the search engine robots find every page with just two clicks. A small site needs a site map, too. It's called the navigation bar. See how the second navigation bar at the bottom of Last Minute Florida Villas is like a mini-site map?

There you have it: 10 of the 52 Top SEO Tips, a free tip sheet that comes with Don't Get Banned By the Search Engines.

There is a lot more to search engine optimization, and there are always more details when looking at an individual site. But these tips should help any website significantly improve its rankings.

Five SEO Tips To Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

2010-08-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

"Dear Sima: I just created a website on baby toy safety. What should I do to make sure gazillions of people find me through the search engines?"
I can't promise you gazillions, but there are a few things you should do to make it easy for search engines to find you. I assume you have already decided to submit your site to the major search engines and directories. I assume that you will develop some sort of linking strategy (hopefully a better strategy than most websites use today). I also assume you will have picked key search terms for all the pages on your website.
Beyond that, here are my top five tips for making your website easy for those "gazillions" to find it.

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but search engines don't read pictures. Make sure your key search terms are written out in text, not part of a graphic title you hire somebody to prepare for you. That also means you should not just show pictures of toys, but also write out the names, and possibly a keyword description with the title.
Have several pages of articles related to your website's topic. Use a different keyword search term for each article. For instance, one article might use frequently the term "safe toys for babies", while another might use the term "baby safety".
What's the URL of your website? Your name won't help you there. Your key search term will. In this instance, I might pick www.baby-toy-safety.com, for example (if that is one of your top keyword phrases). Hire somebody who knows what he is doing to develop the right keyword strategy for you BEFORE you choose your domain name.
What's the title of your page? I don't know how many times I see titles such as "Article" or "Contact us". Don't expect the search engine robots to get all excited about that term. And don't expect anybody to search for that term, either. Much better to title your page "Free article on safe toys for babies" or "Contact the *Baby Toy Expert* today". By the way, this is the single most important place to include your keyword phrases.
What about that navigation menu that appears on every single page of your website? Does it say "Contact the baby toy expert?" Or "about the baby toy expert". Or links about baby toys?" Need I say more?

If your website is about life insurance, you have little hope of hitting the front pages of any search engine. "Life insurance" is such a competitive search engine marketplace. Unless, of course, people are searching for a very specific and rare niche. Even then, I suspect you will need much more than these five tips.In fact, there are dozens, if not hundreds of things you can do to win the search engine race. These top five search engine optimization tips are a great start, whatever your website is about.

Three things you should NEVER do

2010-08-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

A webmistress asked me recently how much I would charge to optimize her site for the search engines. I took a glance at her site, and the first thing I found was a hidden link to an association she was part of.I asked her why the link was there. She told me it was "for the search engines." It never ceases to amaze me how much really bad – I mean absolutely horrible – advice is floating around the Internet.

She never did hire me, but she did walk away with one free piece of advice that I now share with you: "Remove that link ASAP." Hidden links and hidden text are big trouble and something you should never do.

A hidden link is simply a link the search engine robots would follow, but is not visible to the naked eye. It could be a one pixel by one pixel graphic the same color as the background. Hidden text could be keyword written in the same color as the background.

If a search engine detects text in the same color as the background, it might penalize or even ban your site. In fact, one search engine expert has even suggested that if your background is, say, white, and you have a black table with white text on your page, that search engines would read that as hidden text (white background, white text) even though the text is clearly visible in the black table. Hmm. I will have to revisit my own site's colors.

Why are hidden links and hidden text bad? Because they try to cheat the rules. Cheating is bad, and search engines do not like playing with cheaters.

Duplicate pages are also a no-no. Search engines like original content made for human visitors. Five pages with the same article are seen as spamming, even if you did change "bicycle repair" to "fix your bike" in the second version and to "bike repair" in the third.

I was asked to exchange links with four websites this one person owned. The sites are very wholesome and I believe the webmaster is too. But the link pages on each website are identical: same introductory text and same links in the same order with identical wording each. All it would take is one complain to get all four sites banned, or at very least, severely demoted at Google and other search engines.

Needless to say, I turned down the offer, so that my site would not be associated with a "bad neighborhood".

Why are duplicate pages bad? Because they try to cheat the rules. Cheating is bad, and search engines do not like playing with cheaters.

Doorway pages are also bad. A doorway page is a page carefully designed to do well on search engine results, but is never meant to be used by humans. Often there is then a link to a website or there is some form of redirect.

Why not just optimize your site for the keywords you want, rather than try to trick the search engines? It probably will cost you less to hire a good search engine optimizer, and your website will not get banned.

I was approached by someone offering a combination of doorway pages and link farming (another no-no!). He did not call them by those names, even insisting they were not doorway pages. He wanted a few hundred dollars a month. There's nothing like your friendly neighborhood mortician coming to call when business is slow and bearing his own special brew for you to sample.

Why are doorway pages bad? Because they try to cheat the rules. Cheating is bad, and search engines do not like playing with cheaters.

By the way, "doorway pages" should not be confused with "entry pages". I get lots of my traffic entering through one or another of my articles. But these are real articles with real content, designed for human eyes and optimized for the search engines. This is a good tactic, because it adds content (which is what search engines are looking for).

Hidden links and text, duplicate pages and doorway pages are just a few of the "clever" tactics that can land you in the "Search Engine Slammer". If you spend much time on the Internet, you'll be approached about many others sooner or later.

Here is a simple question to ask yourself: "Would this be helping the search engines deliver the best results, or would it be trying to cheat their rules?" If it feels a little funny, don't try it. Or ask someone who knows.

Search engines are your friends. Be nice to them, and they'll be nice to you. You might just land yourself a berth atop Mount Google.

Using SEO for Effective Internet Marketing

2010-08-17T07:50:00.001-07:00

If you are an Internet marketer and want to be successful in the field, you will find that your business will be more effective if you combine your marketing strategies with Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO as it is commonly called is a must for Internet Marketing, especially if you want to reap from advertising.Without SEO on your website, you not only run the risk of losing advertising business but your website would not stand a chance in the high rankings on search engine websites.

There are several different ways in which SEO optimization can be achieved. Keyword density, META tags, titles, inbound links and prominence are just some of the ways in which you can generate more hits and ranks to your website.

Probably the most widely used method for SEO optimization is keyword density. This method affords the web owner to use keywords that best describes his website's business or content. This means that if a person has a silver jewelry website specializing in selling rings for instance, their keywords would contain the words “jewelry”, or “rings” and “silver jewelry” to name a few.

When someone goes to a search engine website and enters a search using these keywords, your website would be on the search results list at a high ranking. Search engines mostly reward top position on the listing to those who use keywords.

If someone were to use the aforementioned keywords at the search engine websites, then your website would be among your website would be found among the search and at a high rank as well. Search engines usually give high listing preference to those who utilize keyword density.

Keyword prominence is also good tactic for generating more hits. It has to do with how close you place your keywords at the beginning of the website. The keywords are inserted in the website's title along with META tags. META tags are HTML codes that are embedded into a website's heading that is not visible to the page's visitor.

Incorporating keywords into the code as opposed to the content on your website has proven to be very effective.

Article Directories – How effective are they?

2010-08-17T07:49:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of websites online these days that offer free article submission services. These websites are referred to as Article Directories. Article Directories cater to both the burgeoning and established writers. It aids them in getting their work published for free, and is especially highly recommended for those who have never been in print before.These articles can be written on any topic that the writer chooses as long as it is their own original content. The content is then placed on the website and would have the writer's byline or name, their email address and their website link as well. By putting the writer's contact information along with their bylines and article, it would guarantee a lot of leverage for the writer.For one thing, as a writer for a free article directory, your article would be reused again and again along with your byline at websites that need your specific content. Then too, a writer can make money from submitting to article directories when their content appears on search engines.To help you better understand how this works, let's say that a website owner is starting up an e-commerce store to sell scented candles. He may be seeking content on “candle burning tips” and would search for that information at the search engine website. Your candle burning tips article may be one of the free articles that he may see. And depending on how much he likes it, chances are you may be contacted by this web owner to take on regular writing work.
Since there are many article directory websites around, it's best that you submit your articles to most of them. This will not only guarantee exposure but it would definitely be profitable for you in the long run.

How to Spot a Risky Freelance Job

2010-08-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Any business might occasionally take on contracts that it later regrets having accepted. Other companies may offer too-good-to-be-true terms in the hopes of obtaining free labor. Avoiding these risky "opportunities" is a challenge, especially for the freelancer. The following warning signs should make you think twice about pursuing a particular freelance assignment.THE CLIENT

Withholds Contact Information
A client's reluctance to provide an address and phone number tends to frustrate an effective working relationship. It may also cast a shadow on a client's motives and make it impossible to find the client who hasn't paid their bill.Requires an "Audition"

When a client requires a professional to "audition" for a project, this suggests lack of regard for your professionalism, and might be a pretense for obtaining your work for free. Some firms have required editors to "audition" by editing different chapters of a book (or pages of a website). Each editor was assigned a different chapter or page. Once the firm had enough editor auditions, the entire book was already edited - at no cost to the firm. And, of course, nobody was ever hired as a result of the "auditions."

Ignoring Your Qualifications
If the client seems indifferent to your qualifications, this is another indicator of lack of respect, or that the client may plan to use your work in some sinister way.

Business Doesn't Have Obvious Profit Potential
Does the client have a dubious profit-making enterprise? Often, the work a client is requesting may be for business purposes. But if it's a type of business you can't conceive as being profitable, you might justifiably wonder whether the client will have trouble paying you.

No Contract
Any firm that agrees to hire someone but refuses to provide a contract should be avoided.

THE ASSIGNMENT

Sketchy Project
Clients who have limited experience working with freelancers might be unaccustomed to carefully defining what they want, or they may only provide part of the project's information when obtaining a quote, hoping to get more work out of you later for no extra money. You may then be expected to realign your work with a moving target, without raising your fee to compensate for the churn. Get everything in writing. Any deviation from the project should require an immediate increase in your fees.

Unrealistic Deadline
Whenever a client requests you drop everything else to work on his project, or when he provides an unrealistic deadline, you should proceed with caution. Some unsavory characters demand the work almost immediately, hoping to get the finished product before you realize you're being scammed.

"It's a really easy job!"
Such a remark may be a ploy to get you to accept a paltry rate. Even if the comment was made in earnest, you'll need to set it aside in forming your own assessment.

Work to Be Submitted to a Third Party / Intermediary
Some clients may want your output to be "refined" by a third party. This could work in principle, provided the client ensures that everyone shares a common vision for the work. However, a client who lacks such a vision may be trying to compensate by hiring two brains instead of one. This undermines your control over the quality of the final product, while still leaving you accountable to the client.

YOUR COMPENSATION

Payment Amount Ridiculously Low
The client's financial constraints don't make your work any less valuable. You are a professional, a fact sadly underappreciated by many who would seek your services. Don't work for less than your desired hourly rate.

Payment Amount Unreasonable High
If the offered pay seems unreasonably generous, the client may be ostensibly offering a high figure just to lure you in. Once you've bitten, you may be hit with a flurry of conditions and, again, you may never get paid.

Unreasonable Hourly Rate
If the offered hourly rate implies a larger total fee than the client might expect, it may indicate that he doesn't understand the entire project (or, again, that he's trying to lure you in with the promise of a large paycheck that may never materialize). The client may later balk at the final cost. To avoid any misunderstanding, ascertain the client's expectations regarding your fee, and get it in writing.

Payment Only "After Delivery" of Final Product
You should withhold delivery of the final product until the final installment of your fee is received (and the check clears the bank).

Pay Contingent on Future Sale or Publication
Never let your future paycheck depend on someone else's ability to sell/publish the work. The prospects for such a sale are more remote than many people realize. If you accept such a job, you're not likely to ever be paid.

How To Work At Home As a Freelancer

2010-08-17T07:43:00.001-07:00

A freelancer, or contract service provider, is someone who works on a contract or freelance basis. As a freelancer you are acting as a specialist, or expert, in your field. This is not to say you need dozens of awards hanging on your wall, you just need to be proficient and knowledgeable in the duties you performFreelancers are in high demand by employers for many reasons -when a project deadline must be met, when the company lacks adequate expertise or experiences sudden and explosive growth, and so on.

Many times an employer simply cannot justify the additional expense associated with hiring another employee. Since you are not an employee of the company, you keep 100% of the money you earn and are responsible for your own taxes. On the whole, you don't have to be licensed, insured, or have a business of your own. You just have to be a person that can do the project.

Truly, this is self-employment at its best!

The type of projects available for freelancers include accounting, translation services, language consulting, creative writing, Web design, programming, technical and business writing, data entry, Internet and off-line research, and everything in between. Believe me, there are all kinds of projects out there (including some really extravagant and offbeat stuff).

To help you get familiar with the process of finding freelance work, let's talk about some concepts you should be familiar with.

First, when you take on a project you are promising to complete the specified assignment within certain parameters... the time it will take you do the project, the pay you expect for completing the project, etc.

For you to get hired to do a project you must "bid" on it. The term "bidding" can be misleading... you are not paying any money to get the job, rather you are offering the employer a price you will accept to complete the project.

Let's say you find a company seeking someone to write a series of press releases for their new product line. You bid the project at $75 per press release with three revisions allowed each. The company will likely have several bids to look at, and will choose the service provider they deem most suitable.

So how does the company determine the best candidate for the job?

The lowest bid doesn't necessarily get the job. The company only partly bases their decision on the bid. They especially want to know whether or not you are qualified for the job.

Your qualifications are determined by your resume, or portfolio. Keep in mind that many companies hire for services on a continual basis, therefore your skills and experience level should accurately represent your abilities in order to secure future projects with the company.

Is there a catch, you ask?

There is no real catch. What you will notice are the dynamics of a marketplace with supply and demand features. That is, lower skilled projects tend to be more competitive, as do specialized projects where the market is flooded with experts.

How do you compete when there's a large pool of bidders?

Be the best competitor on the block, that's how. Get additional training if you need to upgrade your skills, or take an internship to enhance your experience level.

Actually, you want to be the best competitor on several blocks. Bid as many projects as you reasonably can within your area of expertise. Never lay dormant - search for projects and bid, search and bid, search and bid...

Now then, for you to get started as a freelancer here are the necessary steps:

Register at sites that list projects. It's free to register in most cases and makes you a member of the site. Register at several sites to increase your chances of getting projects. Many freelancers work several projects at the same time. Just be careful not to take on more than you can handle.

Not only must you register, you must submit your skill set at the project site. Your resume must be in tip-top shape. It must be current and an accurate representation of your experience and skills.

If you're not comfortable writing a resume you should consider hiring a professional to do it for you. You don't get a second chance to make a great first impression.

Now just search the listings for projects you feel qualified for. When you find one... bid on it!

To go a step further, set up your website as a showcase of your talents. Direct prospective clients to your site and give them a tour of the *benefits* only you can give them. Further extend your reach into the worldwide community by advertising your services both offline and online. Go global!

So what are you waiting for? If you've been searching and searching for a home-based job and you're feeling frustrated with the whole thing... this could be the perfect way for you to start working from home.

Freelance Writing Career : How to Define Your Writing Services, Your Market, Your Business -- and most importantly -- Your Future!

2010-08-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

A decade ago I listened to a famous writer speak about how to succeed as a freelance writer. Some of the things he said lasted with me. He said, “The single biggest mistake writers make is they give up too soon...You’ve got to pick your niche. You’ve got to focus. Most of all, you’ve got to hang in there.”

His statement sums up why many new freelance writers give up too soon: they don’t focus clearly on what they want. Writers who neglect to create a concrete, viable plan, find themselves being led to failure by an abstract “to-do-list” -- a “to-do-list” that lacks power and authority to lead them triumphantly to their destinations.A popular question in the business world is: Do we fail to plan or plan to fail? Generally, we fail to plan. This causes us to fail.

If having a business plan is important to survive and thrive as a freelance writer, why do so many writers refuse to create one? My friend, Gayle Richardson, a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., says, “...writers don’t take their businesses as seriously as they should. They get lazy with details. They use the excuse, ‘I’ll get to it tomorrow.’” The other reason, Richardson adds, is, “Their actions don’t produce immediate results, so they give up without much effort.” To succeed, Richardson advises every writer to “learn from your failures... find your niche... keep working at it... opportunities will multiply.”

Freelance writing as a career is not a hobby and it’s not a get-rich-quick business. Any writer who’s been freelancing for more than three years will tell you it’s hard work. Freelance writing is a home-based (and these days, a mobile) business “shoehorned into an expanding market of opportunity,” says Richardson. Companies are still downsizing to cut costs. Outsourcing is on the rise with no limit in sight. Technology has made marketing easier and finding jobs more accessible. Freelancing, in general, is spreading like never before in history. “Work at it for two or three years non-stop and you will have a sound, profitable writing business,” says Richardson.

But, to have a sound, profitable writing business, you must start with a plan. Having a concrete plan will help you to define your writing business, your market, what you’re interested in writing and what you’d like to write, how to turn prospects into paying clients, and what type of marketing to use. A business plan also lets you know how much you want to charge (or need to charge) for your time, and how much you want to earn in one year.

What it takes to plan your business is some time each day. That’s it. And don’t expect immediate results. Having a business plan will not produce immediate results. That’s why it’s a plan, constructed piece by piece each day, to create a specific, workable, flexible road map to your goals. Not every piece of your plan will fit perfectly together at first; you will need to test and debug pieces of your business plan for workability, and then restructure it to make it fit perfectly.

Now is the time to begin your business plan. Right now. No excuses. Get yourself a pen and paper. Jot down your ideas, emotions and inspirations as they emerge from you. Now is the time to define your business, what you want to do now and in the future, and how to do it. This is the time, right now, in this moment, we will define your future. So let’s start! Don’t be lazy!

DEFINING YOURSELF: THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT

Before we begin to design your writing business, we must first define the most important element of success: yourself. After all, your writing business is an extension of your desires, interests, passions, skills, and personality.

DEFINE YOURSELF: Who are you? Don’t look into the past. Your past is incomplete and does not equal the present moment or the future. Look at the present moment and, most importantly, into the future. Describe who you are now and who you see yourself becoming in the future. Describe your feelings and emotions -- not your intellect. Don’t write down, “My name is Janice Hill. I’m 44. Two kids. Married.” Write down your traits and characteristics, your values and beliefs -- let your inner subconscious awaken: “I have a fiery passion to succeed. I see myself having my own freelance writing career in one year. I want to become financially independent. I want to be my own boss. I want to design my own days and live my own life. I can do it because I have what it takes.”

DEFINE YOUR INTERESTS: “I love writing, non-fiction and fiction. I enjoy managing projects and putting literature together, such as reports, newsletters and manuals. I love working with people.”

DEFINE OTHER CHARACTERISTICS: What characteristics, beliefs and values do you have or would like to develop that will assist you in attaining your goals? Maybe you have an M.A. degree in marketing. Perhaps you’ve managed a large project with a previous employer? Maybe you’ve won some awards that already focuses on your areas of interest? Or look at other people who’ve achieved success. How can you model their characteristics to produce similar results?

LET’S DEFINE YOUR WRITING SERVICES

Defining your writing services can be easy or difficult, but not impossible. It hinges mostly on your past and previous skills and experiences. Lacking education or skills right now can be frustrating for beginning writers -- but don’t give up. Your interests and passions are just as important. For now, let’s define how you can offer your skills to clients.

DEFINE YOUR CURRENT SKILLS: What skills do you currently use that you can associate with writing? How can you offer these skills as writing services? Maybe you’ve launched your business and you’ve prepared your own promotional material, such as a website, a series of articles, a business letter, brochure, or a sales letter. These are skills you can include as writing services.

DEFINE THE SKILLS YOU’VE ACQUIRED: Define the skills you’ve acquired from current and past jobs, volunteer help, internships, etc. Your skills may include leadership skills, managerial skills, marketing skills, speaking skills, computer skills, negotiating skills, secretarial skills, research skills, and writing skills.

DEFINE EDUCATIONAL SKILLS: Go back to your college years or recent schooling. What types of assignments and projects did you write and complete? What courses did you take and what did you learn from them? How can your major and related courses define your writing skills. How can you offer these skills to clients?

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS: Perhaps you’ve attended a seminar on effective feature writing or a workshop on developing a marketing/public relations campaign. How can you transform what you’ve learned at seminars and workshops into writing skills that you can offer to clients?

DEFINE YOUR INTERESTS: Define your current interests and future interests. What types of writing do you enjoy? Would you like to specialize in a specific area of writing? What do your future interests include? Do you want to learn how to write certain types of copy?

Group all of your skills and interests together to create a clear picture of your strengths. You may want to divide your writing skills into two columns: one for current skills; the other for skills you need to acquire. Maybe, as one of your skills, you had written a press release for one of your past employers. Ask yourself if writing press releases as a writing service interests you. Maybe, at a workshop, you had learned how to write and prepare a brochure. Are you interested in writing copy for brochures as a service?

Maybe you feel marketing is one of your strengths. Maybe you are interested in promoting yourself as a marketing consultant, writing copy for press kits, media kits and direct mail packages, and carrying out large advertising and publicity campaigns on a retainer fee?

I don’t know what your writing services are going to be for you -- only you can define them. What I do know is that your writing services should be an extension of your skills and interests. Otherwise, you will not cultivate your passion for writing, and your interest in writing will die with your business.

Another way to define your writing services is to research what is actually out there -- and most importantly, what is not out there and if there is a market for it.

The most common writing services that writers often pursue include writing copy for: magazines, direct mail, publicity kits, press releases, sales letters, brochures, ads, advertorials, annual reports, corporate speeches, newsletters, technical manuals, pamphlets, training kits, websites, seminar and workshop literature, SEO copy, and so on. By no means is this a complete list. This barely taps into the large reservoir of writing services that a writer can offer today.

LET’S DEFINE YOUR MARKET

Defining your market means answering the question, “Who is interested in investing in my creative services at my rates?” You will yield better results if you can define your market specifically. If you don’t define your market or know who your prospects are, you will either get no business at all or you’ll tap into the wrong market and waste your time.

One writer pitched herself as a generalist who could write sales letters. Because she did not bother to define her market, she blindly and precariously marketed her services to the wrong market. Instead of soliciting prospects who would have paid her $500 to write a three page sales letter, she instead solicited prospects who wanted to pay her between $50 and $75 for the same job. You can avoid this pitfall by understanding the different “variables” that create the “right” market.

They are:

1) TYPE OF INDUSTRY. We can divide freelance writing -- especially freelance copywriting -- into different types of industries, such as health care, entertainment, pharmaceutical, technology, lifestyle, medical, high-tech, media, publishing, advertising, and so on. You do not necessarily have to select an industry, but it will help define your overall market.

2) TYPE OF CLIENTS. Different clients pay different rates -- and their needs can also be different. Some major clients include: corporations, ad agencies, graphic design firms, PR agencies, government agencies, the non-profit sector, Fortune 500 companies (including magazine publishing companies), etc. To which clients will you be pitching your services? Indeed, a client is a client, no matter if it’s a corporation or an ad agency or a magazine, but be aware which clients outsource work more regularly and which ones pay better.

3) MARKET SIZE. You must know whether this market needs this type of writing service, whatever it is. If the market for this writing service is narrow, it will be more difficult to get work. One type of narrow market is writing for the legalized gaming industry, yet it keeps growing in popularity and this market is steadily expanding with freelance writers. If the market is enormous, you will face lots of competition. One enormous market is SEO writing (search engine optimization writing). Competition in this market is fierce. The size of the market can affect your overall marketing strategies. You may need to decide on using different marketing techniques -- such as specializing in one area-- and using different marketing materials or website content to pitch yourself to these prospects.

4) LEVEL OF PAY. If you’re seeking corporations as potential clients and your pay rate is at the low end, you can forget about it. Corporations will overlook you as a low-pay, low-rate, bargain writer (or what’s called in the writing world, a “bottom fisher”). Your level of pay usually reflects the type of clients and the type of market you’re going after. So when you set your fees, adjust them accordingly to what the market will pay you.

5) YOUR INTERESTS/INSIGHTS. Your overall interests and insights can help define your own market, sometimes called a “niche.” Your own research into different types of industries and clients may uncover other types of markets to which you can pitch your writing services. If you have insight or an intuitive “feeling” that this type of market is perfect for what you do, then go pursue it. Do not limit yourself to raw facts and data -- your own interests, insights and intuitive feelings can be as powerful and rewarding.

HOW MANY WRITING SERVICES DO I OFFER?

By now you have questions about how many writing services you should offer and if you should only focus on a specialty. I cannot decide for you. Only you can decide. Most writers specialize in one area -- usually derived from their primary interests -- but also offer additional “general” writing services.

To help you decide which writing services you should offer and ones you should avoid, use the following process of validation.

Ask yourself:

1) Does this writing service earn writers a lot of money?

2) Is there a large market for this type of writing?

3) If I offer this writing service, how fierce is my competition?

4) Do I have the skills necessary to offer this writing service now?

5) Can I promote myself as a specialist with this writing service?

6) Can I use this writing service to branch out into other areas?

You do not want to offer a writing service that does not make a lot of money, or where the competition is fierce, or where the market is too narrow. You also might not want a writing service that requires you to invest a lot of time and money to learn (or to keep up with constantly), such as high-tech industrial writing. High-tech writing, by itself, is a specialty, and one should not offer it as a general writing service. If you desire to specialize in high-tech industrial writing, then by all means go pursue the opportunity and make a fortune. Also consider if the writing service has “flexibility” to it, which will allow you to branch out into other profitable areas. For example, you may want to offer writing sales letters as a writing service; but you can also find sales letters in direct mail packages. You may, one day, branch out from writing sales letters to writing direct mail packages to boost your income. The same is true with writing press releases. One day you may decide to branch out into writing press kits, media kits, and other publicity packages.

TAPPING INTO YOUR MARKET

The next question, as I am usually asked by writers, is how to tap into your market. My answer: there are many ways -- too many ways. Because tapping into your market is beyond the scope of this article, I will cover briefly what you need to do.

Understand that getting a client to invest in your writing services for the first time is a multi-step process, in most cases. Again, don’t anticipate immediate results. Understand that selling your services to a business is a person-to-person contact. Avoid focusing on selling your services to the business; instead focus on selling your services to the client, the key decision-maker. That’s why it’s important to get the name of the person in charge before you make initial contact. This point is especially true if you are pitching an idea to a magazine; always pitch to the person in charge, the editor, and always know the editor’s full name.

Tapping into your market requires some knowledge on:

1) LOCALITY. If you decide to write for businesses or ad agencies, you should know where your market is located. Your market can be divided among many places, but which areas are more accessible so you can reduce costs? Not all of your markets will be local or within your state, especially if you are freelancing for magazines. For this reason, most writers set up their businesses in a way that makes receiving work easy, such as establishing your own business website. If you discover that your market is located close to you as well as in other states, you must decide on your marketing strategy: will you first target the market nearest you, or will you target both areas at once. Locality is not a concern if you decide to freelance write for magazines, however, writing for local publications can be a big plus.

2) RESOURCES. You need to research what types of resources are available so you can gather contact information of prospects within your market. Again, the type of market affects the different types of resources available to you. If you’re writing for magazines, you can tap into Writer’s Market Online to locate freelance work. If you’re writing for ad agencies, you can peruse the Yellow Pages of your phone book or search online business-to-business directories. You can also use online job search engines, services marketplaces like Elance.com, and job boards. Digging up prospects may require extensive research, simple observation, or both.

3) GETTING QUALIFIED LEADS. If you lack resources to find prospects for your type of market, you may decide to “test” the market. You can do so in a variety of ways. The old-fashioned ways still work, such as advertising in the newspaper or trade magazine, sending out promotional material, using PR techniques, or networking at special events, trade shows and seminars. I got many new clients advertising my freelance services in my local newspaper. These days writers prefer generating leads via the Internet, as it is more effective and less costly, such as using a blend of e-mail marketing, online public relations, search engine advertising, networking on discussion forums, replying to job posts, and so on. Using some of these methods will solicit contact information of prospects who show interest in your services.

4) PROSPECT LIST. Once you gather a good size of qualified leads -- (prospects who have shown interest in your services or have made an inquiry) -- you need to create a prospect list. Your prospect list is the bulwark of your business; it contains full names of prospects and how to contact each one. Using repeated offline and online marketing techniques, you will use your prospect list to get yourself work; turn prospects into paying clients; promote yourself to likely prospects; and create and maintain rapport. Establishing rapport with a prospect usually leads up to getting an assignment.

5) MARKETING MATERIALS. The type of marketing materials you use depends on your marketing strategy. Because preparing marketing materials is beyond the scope of this article, here is what most writers have as “basic” marketing pieces: a cover letter (or introduction letter), sales letter, business card, samples, client testimonials, capabilities brochure (or a menu of writing services), and results of past projects. Today most writers have their own websites showcasing these pieces (or similar pieces) of marketing materials. If you don't have a business website yet, build a free portfolio at FreelancePortfolios.com ( http://www.freelanceportfolios.com ).

6) MARKETING APPROACH. Writers use two ways to get work from clients: either the prospect approaches the writer with the job, or the writer approaches the client with an idea for an assignment or project. The first approach works if you have built a reputation for yourself. Clients seek you out as a result of a referral, or having read something by you, or searching for a writer with a certain specialty. The second approach is more common. Most writers secure work by marketing themselves aggressively and contacting the prospect with an idea, inquiry, query, and so forth.

TRY THIS APPROACH FIRST

The most familiar and useful way beginning writers get clients is via networking as well as through people whom they know. Try this direct approach first. You will save a lot of time and money. Also pitch yourself to any previous employers to see if they are interested in your writing services.

DEFINING YOUR WRITING BUSINESS

Defining your writing business consists of two parts: the surface and the substance.

The surface of your writing business is its image. Your skills, writing services, type of market, and who you are -- your values, beliefs, desires and interests -- all assemble facets of your business image.

A strong business image is crucial: you need to define your overall business image in a way that prospects view your business the same way you do. For example, if you want prospects to approach you with public relations projects, you should present yourself as a public relations specialist, not a writer who offers PR services plus an assortment of other writing services.

If you want clients to look at your business as “professional and current with today’s technology,” your promotional materials and marketing efforts better reflect it.

You can define your business image by defining:

1) BUSINESS NAME. You can use your full name or create a name. I named my earlier writing business, “The Write Talent” because I drew in clients who wanted the right talent for the right writing job. When designing a business name, make sure it conveys a positive message about your business.

2) BUSINESS SLOGAN. This is optional. You can design a slogan that pitches your business image to prospects. For example, my slogan was: “The right talent for the write job.” Brilliant, isn’t it?

3) YOUR TITLE. Most writers simply use “freelance writer” as their title. What a bore! Spiff it up! Use communications consultant, PR pro, marketing specialist, high-tech copywriter, direct mail writer, freelance entertainment writer, or so on. Use a descriptive word in your title to help define you and your specialty if you have one.

4) MARKETING MATERIALS. When preparing your marketing materials (i.e. promotional materials and/or informational materials used to sell you and your services), remember this: quality counts. Your marketing materials (including your website, blog, and e-mail messages) must not contain errors and it must be professional looking; otherwise, clients will associate your sloppiness and amateur image with your level of skills.

DEFINING THE SUBSTANCE

I always emphasize the importance of marketing every day and keeping track of your bookkeeping duties; otherwise ignoring these two aspects will result in an unhealthy business. You must maintain a watchful eye on the pulse of your business or you risk making lousy decisions that can crumble your business to the ground.

You can define the substance of your business (i.e. how it operates) by defining:

1) BUSINESS BUDGET. You must set up a budget so you know how much you can spend and how much you must save.

2) OVERHEAD. How much will it cost you to run your business? Advertising, office supplies, rent, computer equipment, etc. are part of your overhead. If you’re not careful, overhead can drain your business of expenses. Define what is a healthy and an unhealthy overhead for your business.

3) EARNINGS. How much do you anticipate to earn per hour, per project, or per day? You must establish your rates so you know how much you want to charge for your time, how much you can earn in one year, and how many assignments you need to reach your daily, weekly, monthly and annual financial goals.

4) MARKETING. When you market, you stop yourself from earning billable hours from clients. Yet marketing is crucial because it generates work for you. As a rule of thumb, many writers set aside two to three hours per day for marketing alone.

5) HOURS OF OPERATION. How much time will you work a day? The amount of hours you invest in your business will also affect your budget size, overhead, how much you want to earn, and so on. Determine if you want to freelance part-time or full-time.

6) BOOKKEEPING. I saved the best one for last: bookkeeping. Yuck! Set up a bookkeeping system that is most convenient for you. Accurate and current bookkeeping will tell you the status of your business: is it healthy or unhealthy? Bookkeeping will also tell you if your current marketing strategies were effective and if you need to change them or not. If you’re unfamiliar with bookkeeping, go to your local Small Business Association and get a free consultant. If you need an accountant, then use one on a part-time or an infrequent basis.

DEFINING YOUR FUTURE

I hope this article allowed you to see that you have what it takes to build your own writing business. Right now, glimpse into your future. Do you see yourself living the life you desire and doing the things you enjoy most in life? Do you see yourself with your own writing business a couple of years from now, working for dozens of high-paying clients, and finally earning what you are worth? Yes, I know you do. You want to succeed. It’s one reason why you are reading this article.

On a piece of paper, chart your pathway to success. First, define where you want to be, what you want to be doing, and what you want to have in your life (both tangible and intangible items) in one year, three years, five years, ten years, twenty years, and so on. Secondly, set goals with deadlines to achieve these things. Having a deadline with a goal ensures that you will remain focused on your progress. Thirdly, define the reasons why you must achieve success -- and why you must not quit. Squeeze all of your passions, emotions and desires out of yourself. Listen to your feelings and allow them to help define your future.

Defining your future can be the most motivating factor that will help you attain success. Every time you look into the future and know you’re making progress to a specified destination, you will feel joy, excitement and control in your life that you’ve never felt before.

Howard Vernon, a respected philosopher and psychologist in the 1960s, stated: “What you want in life also wants you.” Success already wants you -- it’s just a matter of reaching it with the right strategies and mindset.

How To Become a Successful Freelance Blogger

2010-08-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Blogging (short for "web logging"), born from the Internet age, is one of the newer venues for freelance writing. The Internet has generated a lot of news about the financial possibilities open to bloggers: an audience of potentially millions -- along with possible corporate sponsorship, a byline, and infinite creative control -- captures the imagination of many prospective bloggers, and makes blogging seem like an infinitely desirable, lucrative field.
The truth is it is much more difficult to become a successful freelance blogger. A good knowledge of marketing, web design, and being consistent are skills you need to make a living (or a comfortable extra income) from this new form of media.The reason for this is the low barrier of entry. Anyone with access to web space can start a blog. Sites like Blogger, Livejournal and even MySpace offer free web space to anyone willing to sign up. This has resulted in millions of blogs in existence today, many of them literate, many of them wildly popular, and nearly all of them free to read and browse.That variety of free content makes it difficult to charge for access to your writing, no matter how good it is. You could be the greatest expert on foreign policy or nutrition known to man, and few people would be willing to pay $5 -- or $1, or one cent -- to read a blog post by you, the expert, when there are thousands of semi-qualified (but bright and engaging) writers giving away similar material.
So your main sources of revenue are going to come from advertising and from whatever paid content you can fit into the site. Luckily, web advertising is becoming less dicey than it was a year ago. Google's "AdSense" program is a good baseline for a page, providing targeted advertising based on your content and paying you, directly, per click-through (although the pay rate per click is low.) You can supplement that amount with other forms of web advertising, from the comparatively unobtrusive banner to pop-up animations that "float over" the text.
This brings us to the "double-edged sword" problem in web advertising. The most effective advertising is obtrusive advertising; that is, advertising that blocks valuable content until the user clicks on it either to make it disappear or to take you to a different website. However, obtrusive advertising also irritates your readers, which can lead to a lower reputation for your blog overall. On the Internet, reputation is the single best determinant of your web traffic. Using obtrusive advertising can significantly lower your traffic and make your blog that much less attractive to potential advertisers.
So you'll need to find a happy medium between heavy advertising (and light traffic) and little to no advertising (and high traffic, but little revenue.) Luckily, the instant responsiveness of the Internet, along with the commenting features available on nearly all blogging software, make it easy to ask your readers about exactly what level of advertising they'd be willing to accept. Reader connectivity is one of the most important features of any good blog: not only does it allow you to fine-tune your blog over time, eliminating features that readers find irritating or off-putting, but it also allows you to develop personal connections with your readers, the kind of connections that build loyal audiences.
There are other ways to make money by blogging, such as the following:
1) It's possible to sidestep advertising altogether by making some of your content unavailable, except to subscribers. For example, you might only keep your most recent five or six blog entries unlocked, and require a monthly subscription fee to read the rest of the archives;
2) Or you might keep your current posts and your entire regular archives active, but produce some longer or specialized entries or other content and charge a set fee for these;
3) You could even compile some of your best entries into a physical book, along with some new content, and offer it for sale. Even if all the entries are available online, you'd be surprised how many people are willing to pay to have something they can hold in their hands;
4) Additionally, you could go the Salon.com route -- make all of your archives available to anyone willing to watch a short full-screen advertisement -- or you could rely on readers' willingness to support content that they find worthwhile by asking for donations outright.
Many prominent blogs and online content providers have done this and found themselves able to make rent and pay all of their bills every month on donations alone.
No matter how much advertising or subscription services your blog has, it's all worthless if people don't want to read you in the first place. And there are three simple rules to make your blog popular:
1) Write on something you care about 2) Write consistently and thoughtfully on a regular schedule (daily is best) 3) Read and comment on other blogs
People read blogs because they provide a source of information and analysis on topics that traditional media sources only cover sketchily and hastily, or don't cover at all. Don't try to figure out an ideal money-making blog topic and proceed from there. People care about blogs because blogs are about personal, in-depth viewpoints and thoughts.
If you can provide those to your audience regularly, and you can set up a minimally-intrusive but still worthwhile revenue system through advertising or subscriptions, there's no reason you can't become a successful blogger.

What You Shouldn't Do In The Freelance Business

2010-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

While the importance of knowing what to do correctly within one's home business is important, knowing what not to do can be just as valuable. There are many mistakes that freelance writers can make that will end up costing them large amount of money. This in turn is a result of bad decisions when running their business, whether big or small.Keep a positive attitude
Most bad decision-making is a result of an attitude that tells someone they are not good at what they do. Perhaps you're been there before, you work hard on an article, essay, anything; you can't stop thinking about it. Then you step away from the assignment and come back to it, and begin thinking, it's not good enough. You think you will look ridiculous if you turn this in the way it is. This type of mindset will ruin a freelancer. By overcoming this mind in your head, you will be able to stay more focused and assure yourself that you will make every deadline. Confidence is key.

The importance of deadlines
Missing a deadline is a big business mistake as well. This is ultimately your business, people expect work on time, this is your only job for them. If you want to continuously receive work from various clients, you have to be on time. If you were to hire someone, if they repeatedly didn't fulfill their obligations, you wouldn't hire them again either. Remember that you are the professional in this situation. If there is a substantial reason why work cannot be finished on time, then so be it. However, if these reasons add up, you will likely lose business repeatedly. Make sure to be firm with your writing schedule and allot time for any emergencies that may arise so that your work will not be on time. Being responsible will get you EVERYWHERE in this business. By being an accountable writer, you will help your business to soar.

Make a work schedule
Keeping your business going after finding work online from places like project4hire.com is vital for your ultimate freelance writing success. Ultimately, you have to be obligated to follow a work schedule, just as much if you were leaving home to go to the office. A home office is a great way to keep things settled and fixed in your home business. Be sure to make a to-do list of what you need to accomplish during a day. It is hard to not have a specific time frame of when you “have” to work. However, creating a “have-to” work schedule for yourself will help that struggle. Don't be afraid to be firm with yourself, ultimately you're your only boss. Only good things can come from a strong business mindset and dedication to your clients. Don't let all your hard work in getting your freelance business together fold because you do not make great business decisions.

Working from home has its perks and also its disadvantages. By taking time to invest much time into a business, the overall results of the hard work will pay off. A firm work schedule, dedication to deadlines and a positive attitude all will lead a freelance writer to great success in the near future.

How To Make Money Online

2010-08-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Fifteen billion smackers: That's the valueMicrosoft recently slapped on Facebook when the computer giant invested $240 million for a 1.6% stake in Mark Zuckerberg's online social-networking site.

You could seethe with envy--or you could chase your own fortune on the Web.

Some online businesses require only a few hundred dollars in equipment, while others demand significant hardware and perhaps even a warehouse. Some might make you rich; others might just cover beer money. And all involve various levels of time, capital and technological skill.

In Pictures: Eight Ways To Make Money Online

"Some people have dreamed about owning their own business and have not followed through because of the investment in resources," says Jim Griffith, head of eBay University, for those aiming to set up shop selling goods at the online auctioneer's site. "The Internet allows people to at least try without making a large initial investment."

Army veteran Brandi Ramos of Springfield, Ill., did it. As a single mom in need of extra income, she started her online retail career peddling "big and tall" men's clothing on eBay.

Three years later, Ramos, 32, makes a good living working online out of her 600-square-foot basement packed with hanging displays and baker's racks piled with tupperware containing underwear and belts. Ramos aims to offer quick service, answering all e-mails within four to six hours. She claims to net $25,000 on $100,000 sales a year, and even earns a few bucks per order on shipping.

If managing inventory seems too big a chore, play virtual landlord and charge other retailers monthly fees (or per-transaction fees) for the opportunity to market their products on your site. Amazon.com(nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) nabbed 28% of its revenues this way in 2006.

Craigslist is another take on this model: The 25-person company, worth a reported $2 billion, charges businesses to post help wanted ads in San Francisco, New York and L.A.; it also collects fees for apartment listings in New York City. Total page views per month: about 5 billion.

Then there's every pajama-clad blogger's dream: producing content supported by advertising dollars. Selling advertising is how thousands of established online media outlets pay their electric bills. They charge advertisers two ways: by the number of overall Web pages (called "impressions") served up, and by the number of people who click on the ads.

Setting up a blog requires not much more than a basic publishing program, a server and software to track ad clicks. The hard part, though, is attracting enough eyeballs to make it worth someone's while to pay to advertise on your site.

To have any prayer of attracting large advertisers, sites need to attract at least 500,000 unique visitors per month, says David Hauslaib, publisher of Jossip.com, a media and gossip blog that counts Coca Cola (nyse:KO - news - people ) and Sketchers among its advertisers. Sadly, even if you do generate enough traffic, the "click-through" rates on ads tend to be quite low--in the neighborhood of one half of 1%.

Subscription-based models are even harder to crack. Unless your site fulfills an urgent need (for tangible investment ideas, a potential mate, etc.), users aren't likely to pay for the content.

One way to garner subscription revenue is to run a virtual marketplace. These sites collect by allowing buyers and sellers easy access to each other. Many of these marketplaces flamed out in the dot-com bust, but some persist. Mfg.com, for instance, matches equipment manufacturers with smaller component suppliers. Dating sites like Match.com charge subscription fees for access to their members. And H2Bid.com links municipalities with wastewater-equipment vendors.

As with tangible real estate, you can buy virtual plots (URL addresses), flip them and make a buck. GoDaddy.com sells unused domain names for under $10 dollars apiece. To attract buyers, run tests to determine how often certain key words are searched so that you can demonstrate the likelihood that your URL will show up in a Google (nasdaq: GOOG -news - people ) or Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) search. One tip: The best domain names are short, sweet, specific and easy to remember. (For more on this model, check out "Meet Noah Of The Internet" and "The Most Expensive Web Addresses.")

As Internet usage grows, so too will the sophistication of online business models. Take 3-year-old Yoonew.com, which sells futures contracts on sports tickets.

Fans buy the right to take delivery of tickets if their teams make it to a coveted playoff game, perhaps months away. Given the uncertainty of the bet, those contracts sell for a fraction of the future market value of the underlying tickets. If your team makes it to the big game, you've locked in a cheap seat; if it falls short, you lose that insurance premium.

Yoonew makes money when the revenue it collects from selling all those contracts exceeds the cost of delivering a small number of very expensive tickets on game days. The danger: If ticket prices spike, or there are no seats available, the company could suffer a loss or alienate its customers.

Sure, you can make money online. But no one said it was easy.

How to Be an Online Marketing Genius

2010-08-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

"Genius. It is just attention to something specific. That's all it is … so anyone who gives attention to any subject for a period of time will evolve in the direction of that understanding." -- Abraham-Hicks

Most of us wish we were geniuses but almost none of us feel that we are. Society tells us that the Einsteins of the world come along maybe once in a generation.

But you are a genius – we all are. At what? At being you. And that may be enough to help you create online success. Why?

Ever look around on the Web and find that most online businesses are, well . . . boring? Loud? Obnoxious? And definitely unappealing? Ten-page ads are NOT appealing. Empty promises of making thousands of dollars in a few weeks – appealing, but not very realistic. This mass of unappealing web content is the result of people trying to be the model of success – but these people have forgotten to be themselves.

At the other end of the spectrum, look at what's really a success online: social networking. MySpace, YouTube, Facebook. What's that all about? These sites are about people being themselves. They show themselves as they really are--grungy, attractive, silly, sad, and smart by turns. Other people are really attracted by that authenticity.

Some MySpace users have over 1.5 million friends. Count 'em. Yup, we said millions. What are they doing? Nothing but putting a spotlight on who they are. They are geniuses at being themselves, and that attracts.

You are also a genius at being you. So if you want to attract people online to your business, be the genius that you are. Don't hide your personality under a bush or cloak it in a lot of "expert" bull-pucky. Express yourself!

Whether you write articles, author a blog, put up a page on MySpace or post a YouTube video, the germ of success for you lies in your own genius.

The age of the guru is over. The age of "people like me" is here, now. People want to interact with people like them, people like you.

Whomever you are and whatever you're situation, write about it so people can connect with you. Connecting is as simple as letting people know not just who you are, but how you are. Describe your situation and BE HONEST. Are you a mom stuck at home dealing with dirty diapers and toilet training but longing for some time and money for yourself? Then say so. If you haven't washed your hair in three days because you don't have time to, but you really want enough time and money to hire a babysitter, dress up for a few evenings of adult conversation and wine … then blurt it out!

If people can have 1.5 million "friends" online talking about their most recent fight with their boyfriend or a bad day at work, just think of what you can do with your home-based business by just being you? Blog, submit articles, write reviews, set up a business website, get a MySpace page … whatever. Just don't lose your personality along the way.

As Coco Chanel, the grande dame of fashion, once said:

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone."

Starting an Online Home Business

2010-08-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a collection of 8 Internet business ideas to get you thinking on how you might make money at home with an Internet business.

Unfortunately, too many people think they can just buy into someone else's system and make money on the Internet. If you do your planning and you can be patient, you can be successful with any of these 8 Internet home business ideas.

1. Web Design Internet Business

Building websites is an exploding industry with abundant opportunities for the technically driven and curious. And, you can market and handle all of your projects through the Internet. Just remember that the competition is very strong.

A work at home business as a web designer requires some artistic talents, some programming knowledge and some time to take hold. Charge a fair price -- but offer discounts or consider freelancing sites to get started. As you build your web design portfolio, you can increase your rates and look forward to getting additional clients through word of mouth.

Web designers who want to start an Internet business have an edge - they can showcase what they can do right on their own website.

2. Work at Home Business - Resume Writing Service

A resume writing service can make a great Internet home business, especially when many people are looking for work during economic hard times, but also in the good times when those already employed are looking for advancement.

By some estimates, resume writing fees may range between $100 and $400. Those who are interested in developing a resume writing Internet business can post questionnaires for clients to fill out online and then follow-up by phone with questions, if needed. Resume drafts could also be posted online for clients to view and provide feedback. Then, once your client submits payment (again, can be handled online), you can forward the final work product or make it available for download.

3. Internet Business Idea: Desktop Publishing Services

Mastering software, meeting deadlines, and making yourself known are the keys to launching a desktop publishing home business. While some desktop publishers like to meet clients in person and serve their local neighborhood market, a desktop publisher who provides services through the Internet has a much broader market to work with. Additionally, working this business online allows you to show prospects samples of your work and to publish testimonials from your satisfied clients.

You can choose to specialize on providing specific services or offering services to specific markets according to your interests. And, some of the ordering and delivery tasks can be handled directly through your website.

4. eBay Trading Assistant

eBay Trading Assistants help people sell their items on eBay. eBay Trading Assistants who operate a home business typically go out to client's homes or businesses to photograph and pick up items and then sell them on eBay on consignment. However, this is a business that can also be run through the Internet.

eBay sellers are always looking for assistance, and with some experience under your belt and some data to back up your expertise, they could turn to you for that assistance, for a handsome fee. You might also consider developing eBooks on eBay success tips and making them available for sale on your website.

5. Affiliate Marketing Internet Business

An Internet affiliate program and affiliate marketing networks can be used to market goods and services online. Some Internet affiliate programs offer two ways to make money online - by selling products or services as an Internet affiliate and by signing up other people to join the same Internet affiliate program.

Just about any home business with a website could conceivably profit by placing affiliate ads on their sites, but there are also many who pursue affiliate marketing as a full-time Internet business in and of itself.

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6. eBooks Marketing Internet Business

EBooks have become a very common commodity on the Internet. You can download ebooks from many different websites and you can even visit an eBookstore to find a variety of eBook publishing gems for sale.

If you have an Internet business or if your are thinking of starting one, you may want to consider creating and selling informational eBooks on your website. EBooks are generally shorter and easier to create than a traditional printed book, and there are many websites that do nothing but promote and sell eBooks. As you get more skilled at it, you could offer eBook promotion services to others and, of course, sell eBooks about how to market eBooks. It's kind of a self-fulfilling Internet business that can constantly fuel itself.

7. Internet Marketing Services

Helping people drive traffic to their website can provide you with an excellent Internet business. The methods, and thus the services you might offer as part of your business, vary widely and include: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services, Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising services, blog marketing services, article marketing services, and many others.

You might decide to specialize in just a few areas or provide a full range of Internet marketing services - to a global clientele, or only to a niche market. And, all the training you need is available online and cost far less than the few college courses available in these specialites.

8. Virtual Assistant Internet Business Idea

The Virtual Assistant (VA) industry is growing fast and becoming a popular for those who want to run their own home business to get started - usually by doing the things they have done well in the past for prior employers.

And because everyone expects a a virtual assistant to be just that - virtual and not in person - it only makes sense that this has great potential for an Internet business that will allow you to work from home. Like nearly all Internet businesses, it lends itself well to starting part-time while you build your business.

Consulting and Freelance Work

2010-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Consulting and freelancing are additional ways you can use your talents to work from home. Both can be among the easiest ways to start a business and be your own boss - although your clients will probably have something to say about that.

Guide to Freelancing

What you need to know to get started in freelancing and several ideas for services to offer on a freelance basis.

Freelance Virtual Assistant (VA)

A look at operating a freelance virtual assistance VA home-based business, the pros and cons of being a virtual assistant, what you can expect to make as a VA and more about the joys and challenges of this home business.

How to Become a Freelancer

Becoming a freelancer is part of the American dream. Freelancing provides independence and the ability to work from home. This article on freelancing discusses how to become a freelancer and the benefits and disadvantages of freelancing.

Home Business Idea - Freelance Writer

Freelance writing as a home-based business is a great idea. It also offers better than average opportunities to work from home.

Become a Google AdWords Freelancer or Consultant

How Google makes it possible to train for a new career or home business as an AdWords online advertising freelance or consulting professional at a very low cost in just 3 months.

Internet Marketing Freelancer or Consultant

Internet markketing services - a look at starting and running an Internet marketing business home based business as a freelancer or consultant, the pros and cons, what you can expect to make and more about the joys and challenges of this home business.