Linkswitch #68, Brave New World, Mobile Branding, Web Designer Happiness

Throughout my career, I’ve had three freelancing phases interspersed between staff positions. The first time, I edited with a red pencil on hard copy, jotted queries on sticky (Post-it) notes attached to the margins, typed out my style sheets and invoices on a typewriter, and mailed them along with the manuscript via the U.S. Postal Service or delivery truck.

As a professional writer, I value the input of editors whom I trust. When I get a good editor who knows my work, I usually do my best to keep him or her happy. I try to build a great professional relationship with my editors, and I do my best to make it lasting.

According to Brandweek, “brands are the express checkout for people living their lives at ever increasing speed. This article shows you how, and why, to add “app”-like icons to your sites for several mobile and desktop browser displays, to clearly and elegantly identify your site with an icon that stands out from the crowd.

There are many famous quotes out there, but there are only a few with the power to touch your heart. In this article, I’ve gathered 9 famous quotes that will not only supercharge your day and make you wise, but also inspire you to go after your wildest dreams and aspirations. The truth of the matter is that you can become and have anything you want in this world. The only person stopping you is yourself.

With all that said, let’s jump right into the famous quotes, shall we?

Knowing where your company is mentioned online, who’s doing the mentioning and how others are responding is crucial to 1) understanding the “buzz” about you, 2) addressing complaints and negative mentions quickly, 3) knowing the impact (or lack thereof) of your marketing efforts, and 4) shaping social media marketing efforts to reach the right people (key influencers) on their preferred platform.

A decade ago, I worked as a private investigator. It was by far, the riskiest thing I ever did in my life. For a year, I learned how to follow potential criminals, photograph them and even worked undercover. Though the pay was low and the stakes were high, I got the kind of education about working that you can’t learn by reading books or studying in school.

I don’t know about you, but when I am looking for a desktop wallpaper, I look for something that will make my desktop look nice and clean. Simple, not a lot going on, the image usually askew to one side to leave room on the other for icons, etc. This was especially important when I decided to geek-out my desktop using Geek Tool. I wanted to round up some of the nicer minimalist wallpapers out there (with a webapps twist, of-course!). Take a look after the jump!

Life as a web designer can be insanely busy. We have multiple clients, each making numerous demands on our time. We work in a fast-moving sector in which we have to constantly relearn our skills. We also read endless posts that encourage us to network and develop our “personal brand.”

Many designers choose to work on some projects of their own in addition to work that they do for clients. There are a lot of reasons to dedicate time to personal projects: they can add some diversity to your work, they can allow you to explore your creativity, they give you the chance to be in charge and to make the decisions that you think are best, you can learn new things, you can make some extra money, etc.