Tag Archives: freelance friends

Use Social Networking for Good, Part II

This is Part Two of our Social Networking podcast where we discuss how to use Gchat, Google Docs, and blogs as tools for social networking as a writer. A lowdown of what we discuss:

Gchat/Google docs

  • A great way to collaborate with your fellow writers from a distance and get feedback on your work. With the new Google docs, you can easily edit and discuss a pitch, an idea, or essay without picking up your phone.
  • Fantastic for brainstorming and just throwing ideas against a wall to see what sticks.

Blogs

  • If you don’t have one, get one.
  • Follow other blogs via RSS feed.
  • Don’t be shy! Contribute to the conversation. By commenting on someone else’s blog, you’re likely to get commenters on yours.

LINKS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR WRITERS
15 Must-Read Blogs for Blog Writers
Top 10 Blogs for Writers

Freelance Friends is produced by Rita and Jennifer. Tune in August 11th. We’ll be talking about procrastination. Got comments, questions, advice of your own to share? Email us at freelancefriends@gmail.com and we’ll discuss your comments on the air!

Use Social Networking for Good, Part I

If Google’s slogan is “Don’t be evil,” then as a budding, mid-career or veteran freelancer, your slogan should be “Don’t be a spammer.” There’s nothing more tiresome than logging onto Twitter only to find your feed overrun by what’s obviously self promotional with no value to you.

The same goes for Facebook updates about the truly mundane day-to-day existence of a writer.

Rita Flórez ate a bowl of cereal. Jennifer Chen thought about some deep stuff today. Bottom line: People follow you because you contribute to their professional and personal lives in some way. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t care about what you’re doing, don’t post it on Facebook because you feel like you need to post something.

The idea is to build a real network of people who you rely on to help you grow as a freelancer. Hopefully, you will do the same for them.

LINKS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR WRITERS
Twitter Does Not Sell Books. This 5-Point Plan Does.
Twitter Chats for Writers
A Writer’s Guide to Social Networking
Literary Twitter: For writers, it’s a 140-character development
What are 10 ways that Twitter can help writers?

Freelance Friends is produced by Rita and Jennifer. Tune in July 28th for part two of our social networking podcast, where we discuss blogging and how to effectively use Google documents as a collaborative tool.

On the Clock: Set Your Own Hours

Welcome to our very first podcast of Freelance Friends. Today’s topic is On the Clock: Set Your Own Hours.

Working as a freelancer requires the biggest challenge: managing your time. While it may seem cushy to set your own hours and never have to wear anything but sweats to “the office,” adding structure to your work day will make all the difference when it comes to landing assignments and getting paid. So how do you go from working 9 to 5 to setting your own hours? Here are the stories of two freelancers, special guest, Rita Flórez, and I.

LINKS TO CHECK OUT ON MANAGING YOUR TIME:

Tracking Your Time by Michelle Goodman
8 Simple Online Time Management Tools for Freelancers
How to Figure Out Which Tasks You Can Ignore
Making Friends With A Clock: Time Management for Writers
A Day in the Life

Freelance Friends is produced by Rita Flórez and Jennifer Chen. Tune in on July 19th for our next topic: social networking.