You know, I think the people who start the threads don't realize that this topic has come up repeatedly, and searching first doesn't occur to them – I never do that, to tell you the truth. So then they get the accumulated disgust of all the people who have been reading these things for months or years. And since they're always new people, it seems inhospitable.

In-person, people often don't think before they speak. On the internet, people don't search before they post. Either way, misunderstandings can occur and it will lead to resentment on both sides.

With all this hostility, pent up or otherwise, sometimes it's hard to get a straight answer. But in the words of Kenny Rogers, "There'll be time enough for counting talking when the dealing's done"…so let's talk rates, shall we?

Continue reading: The Kenny Rogers philosophy to setting rates »

Right after I get some press, I completely ignored my blog and broke my resolution to post every other day! D'oh!

I will be back with some good stuff, though. I promise!

For now, enjoy this fun video by cinemasolo.

Continue reading: Freelance National Anthem »

You're out to dinner with family or friends and someone asks, "So, what are you doing for a living now?"

For some reason, people love to talk about what they do for work. Everything we do and are is externally identified by what we do for a living.

So you answer with, "I'm freelancing now. I work from home on the internet."

And that's where it all starts to go downhill…

Continue reading: Freelancing misnomers and assumptions »

I am a night owl by nature – it is extremely easy for me to slip into a nocturnal routine. When I was bound to a normal 8-5 schedule, I forced myself to go to bed by 2am so I could wake up at 6 to get ready for work.

But when I left it all in the summer of 2008, I said goodbye to sunlight.

Continue reading: Getting back on a diurnal schedule »

With companies downsizing everywhere you turn, more and more people are looking into freelancing as an extra source income. However, one thing most "newbies" may not be aware of is the constant battle with rejection we, as freelancers, must face. Taking rejection personally, or not having the patience to tough it out when things slow down, can ultimately lead to your downfall.

Competition is fierce, and you don't want to get left out in the cold because your feelings got hurt.

On average, for every job you bid on and apply to, you'll get rejected for two – that's life. As freelancers, we can either learn to adapt, or go bankrupt.

Continue reading: Rejection puts hair on your chest »

Photo by: Zay Kureshi

What are your resolutions for the new year? Do you have big goals to make the transition to full-time freelancing? Or how about a simple goal such as applying to one new job a day?

Whatever they are, I do wish you luck and hope you are successful in achieving your goals. Feel free to leave your resolutions in the comments.

I, personally, have never been one for setting resolutions. My problem was always that I set lofty, unattainable goals for myself, and because of that, I could never realistically achieve them…so I stopped.

However, I actually do have one goal for this site.

My goal is to be able to continue posting to this site every other (week)day as I have been. It's not impossible, but because I do have deadlines to deal with, sometimes posting on a blog is the last thing I want to do.

Wish me luck!

Have a wonderful holiday and be safe!

I will probably take the rest of the year off from posting here.

And now, I leave you with a Christmas song performed by my mother-in-law: Mary, Did You Know?

See you next year!
.

Continue reading: Merry Christmas »

Photo by: Vern Hart

My thanks goes out to everyone stopping by as a result of oDesk's latest newsletter.

An even bigger thanks goes out the those who've subscribed to my RSS Feed. For those of you subscribed to my feed, I do apologize for the Feed being a bit wonky today (if you even noticed). The feed wasn't doing what I told it to, so I had to beat it into submission. I'll blame WordPress. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

And finally, the biggest "thanks" of all goes to oDesk for paying attention to me and not having banned me from their forums yet for talking too much.

If you're a lurker and/or are subscribed to my feed, why not leave a comment below so I know who you are? I like knowing things, don't you? It makes me feel smarter.

But the purpose of this post wasn't to pimp the oDesk Insider (even though it is much deserved). Instead, I wanted to touch upon some other resources that I've found helpful in one way or another.

Hopefully, you'll find these just as constructive.

Continue reading: Five reading resources for budding freelancers »