Linkswitch #76, Global Outsourcing, Gaining Traction, Create For You

Lately, I’ve heard of plenty of freelancers hiring virtual assistants or subcontractors based on the other side of the globe — choosing people based in places where $200 a month is a very respectable income. The general consensus among freelancers taking utilizing this is that it can be a great way to bring on help when you can’t fully afford someone locally. It’s a way to use geography to your advantage.

I’ve also heard plenty of people declaring that paying a designer or a virtual assistant or any other type of help less than they would make in the U.S, the U.K, Europe or Australia is morally wrong.

Most people are just treading water – logging the minimum monthly work hours to pay the bills and stay afloat. If you are a blogger or entrepreneur of any sort, you were probably seduced by the notion of being your own boss and thereby becoming a master of your own fate. Unfortunately, the hard reality is that most people in this position of independence work even harder than the norm for fewer results. The work ethic is certainly commendable, but many fail to ever develop real traction and therefore never get to live the lifestyle they envisioned.

Mentorship can help both new and established small business owners move on to the next step in their careers. Who better to help you get to the place you need to go than someone who’s already there? Mentors can help you move past a plateau, expose you to new clients, and generally help you get your foot in the door (and sometimes even help you step through). The key is finding the one that suits you and your career objectives and that means taking steps to plan for what you want out of the relationship.

Let’s face it. Using your computer to write can be so frustrating. There’s error messages, software updates and bugs. Plus, with new iThings coming out practically every month, how do you keep up? Have you ever noticed how there are people who never seem to have trouble with technology? Regardless of what’s new, they always ‘get it’ immediately without any no lead time. Unfortunately, we’re not all lucky enough to count ourselves in that group. Let’s forget about those “technology natives” for a minute and explore the source of your frustration- when you’re trying to get something done, and technology stands in your way.

With so much competition out there, freelance designers are always looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd. Some designers have used free resources to build their reputation. While it may seem counterproductive to give away resources that you have created, there can be significant benefits that make it worth your time. In this post we’ll take a look at 7 examples where giving away freebies has been beneficial to the business and career of designers.

Most of us operate in what could best be described as a “create on demand” world. We have to go to work each day and deliver consistently brilliant work, on demand, in order to keep our jobs. And though we relish getting to do what we love and earning a living at it, over time our passion and energy can wane if we’re only creating to earn a paycheck.

A major part of working freelance is using your time productively and efficiently. You might schedule your time as blocks of each day, or as random periods of time at any hour of the day or night. Regardless of our individual working patterns, all freelancers keep some sort of calendar, to-do, or scribble list. (If you don’t have some sort of calendar, you should start one today.) In this post, I’ll explain why an online calendar is better. I’ll also give you five tips for getting the most from your online calendar.

You’re a web worker and you’re all kitted out: You have your home office achievement cockpit with the latest smartphone and laptop complete with a well-researched array of apps, as well as a ninja-level system for time and information management. You’re ready to confront everything the world of remote collaboration throws at you, so why are you constantly so stressed?

Since the early days of communication, humanity has been captivated by the methods it uses to convey and preserve information. How we communicate with each other defines who we are and constitutes so much of what makes a culture and an individual unique.

Over the centuries, we have seen media evolve across a wide array of channels, from print to radio to television to the Internet. Each one of these channels, or media, has its own unique characteristics, much like the people who use them.

There’s plenty of information on the internet today, but it can still be difficult to find that one fact you need. Google can’t answer your questions directly, and if you do search for a question, chances are you’ll find some off-the-wall response on Yahoo! Answers. Not exactly what you were looking for.

Instead, today there are a number of niche question and answer sites that can make your search for an answer much more productive. These sites are designed to let users ask and answer questions, and usually let readers vote up answers that are the best. There’s several well known niche Q&A sites that you may already use, but keep reading to see the best places to get your questions answered that we’ve found.