Adobe Acrobat can cost anywhere from $300 to $500 per user license, depending on the version you purchase, so replacing it with a free or lower-cost alternative can save your company big bucks. Here’s a list of some great alternative PDF tools. Read more »
Last March, I wrote a piece about the 10 apps a web worker can’t do without. A year later, and the app landscape has shifted significantly, so here’s an updated list of what I consider to be the best solutions for our critical tasks in 2010. Read more »
If content is king, and a picture tells a thousand words, then text is the currency of online credibility. Few of us actually consider ourselves “writers,” yet most people who work online spend hours each day writing. Read more »
{"source":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/tag\/web-work-101\/wijax\/9f4f611aac1d8ffd23fe77cb17e31a07","varname":"wijax_93f65d1721bafe076f93ab01de96c1e5","title_element":"h2","title_class":"widget-title","title_before":"%3Ch2%20class%3D%22widget-title%22%3E","title_after":"%3C%2Fh2%3E"}
In a previous article, I listed finance as a major component of successful web working. The problem is that while you’re juggling work and household responsibilities it can be hard to find the time to keep your accounts in order. Read more »
Kicking off a new venture? Whether you’re adding to an existing service offering, or launching an entirely new operation, starting something new can be a challenge in more ways than one. Read more »
All clients are different, but there are some things you can count on every client needing from you as a freelance contractor. Some may be obvious, but others might not be so apparent, and having them in place could save you a lot of both embarrassment […] Read more »
Yesterday, I recently shared four ways to market your business with content, after a reader asked for a more detailed list of specific things small businesses could do to have a continuous marketing/promotional program. You don’t have to limit your marketing and promotional efforts to content […] Read more »
We all know that working for yourself can be lonely, rewarding, challenging, exciting — and just plain hard. But if you haven’t worked for yourself before, and you’re considering it, it can be difficult to imagine exactly what it’ll actually be like. It can be even […] Read more »
It’s not just swathes of the U.S that are suffering with some extremely cold weather at the moment. The UK and parts of Europe are also shivering through a cold snap, which has brought Siberian conditions and plenty of snow with it, making driving treacherous, closing […] Read more »
In planning to work from home, we consider in detail the technicalities, the home office setup, and all the fun, exciting things we’ll do to fill in all that extra time we’ll have. This is, after all, a lifestyle change, and there’s a lot to think […] Read more »
{"source":"http:\/\/pro.gigaom.com\/wijax\/ca91826b73cab30d389823c9ab9aa0ff","varname":"wijax_07ae12db482a5abe24da4516326d9920","title_element":"h2","title_class":"widget-title","title_before":"%3Ch2%20class%3D%22widget-title%22%3E","title_after":"%3C%2Fh2%3E"}
Freelancers often don’t have much time to make a good first impression on potential clients, so you need to make sure that everything you do leaves your prospect seeing you as a professional who can be trusted with their business. Here are a few simple tips. Read more »
If you’re dreaming of becoming a web worker, check out “Undress for Success: The Naked Truth About Making Money at Home,” by Kate Lister and Tom Harnish. While the book isn’t the first on the topic of working from home, it gives you a lot of […] Read more »
When you work at home, it’s easy to start thinking of every expense as a personal expense. After all, it’s your printer that you’re buying paper for, your computer that needs an upgrade and your coffee pot that needs more beans. It’s easy to wind up […] Read more »
In the age of continuous connectivity, many a web worker may feel a sense of wry irony in the fact that often, when we need answers on something, the person we need those answers from is uncontactable. We all diligently plan ahead, so we allow plenty […] Read more »
We’ve talked a lot on WWD recently about the tech-savvy of our clients, our site’s users, the public, and, well, everyone … except ourselves! We might like to think we know it all, and many of us spend innumerable hours reading, researching and learning so that […] Read more »
Earlier this year, the WebWorkerDaily team put together Web Work 101, a series of great posts for beginning web workers. I decided to collect the best of them in a free downloadable e-book: “Web Work 101: How to Escape the Cubicle.” Read more »
From our hardware and software, to our telecom subscriptions, there are many aspects of our web working lives that may require us to contact tech support at some point; sometimes you can’t be your own tech support. Since I have many friends that work as tech […] Read more »
I’ve been working on the web — in one form or another — since 1994, and on the Internet since 1987, so I’ve had a number of years to learn some very tough lessons along the way. In trying to summarize my best advice to someone […] Read more »
I’m not suggesting you crack open your computer to fix it, but with a few of the tactics outlined in this post you can solve many of your computer problems on your own. Besides, wouldn’t you rather solve your problems instead of waiting for a live […] Read more »
We talk a lot here on WWD about the benefits of being a web worker. But not everyone is suited to it, and not everyone likes it, despite the fact that the freedom and comfort of working from home can sound like nirvana. In “7 Signs […] Read more »
You may come to web work through no choice of your own, either because you’ve been moved into a remote working position at your current job, or because your current gig is ending and finding a replacement full-time salaried job isn’t the easiest thing to do […] Read more »
For any web worker with a blog, web site or online portfolio, knowing how to optimize it for search engines is a must. After all, what’s the point of having an online presence if no one can find it? By using some simple Search Engine Optimizations […] Read more »
Whether you need a contingency plan or you just want to free up your schedule, at some point you’ll need to hire subcontractors. Though this practice is more common with freelancers, even teleworking employees are seeing the benefits of getting outside help. For those who are […] Read more »
There’s no shortage of free learning materials available online for both new and experienced freelancers. While you can turn to hundreds of articles and blog posts, there’s nothing like reading a longer, more comprehensive book to really get some insight on a particular topic. Here’s a […] Read more »
At the start of their careers, most freelancers take on every new client that comes along. But as we mature and gain more experience, we become more discerning when we’re choosing who we work with. This usually happens because we’re starting to specialize, we want to […] Read more »
Twitter is still a scary, untamed frontier for many businesses. They know that they should be engaging with the Twitter community, but aren’t sure how to do it. I’ve collected up some of the most common questions asked by Twitter-for-business newbies and answered them below. Is […] Read more »
Using social media tools seems to be a must in every knowledge worker’s life — whether you’re a remote worker or not.
But not everyone finds it easy to make new connections through these tools. If you feel that you’re too shy for social media, how do you get past your hesitation? Read more »
Starting a business can be a huge undertaking, but fortunately for the aspiring web worker, it doesn’t have to be. The really great thing about starting a web working business is that it getting set up can be easy and low cost. Read more »
Web working is not for everybody. Those who do it tend to have traits and personalities that fit the web working life. For others, it means making sacrifices they don’t want to make. “I don’t really understand why people would like to work at home. It’s […] Read more »
With Father’s Day just around the corner (Sunday, to be exact), we here at TheAppleBlog thought what better gift to get that special father in your life than a thoughtful yet handy iPhone or iPod touch application. Feeling the cash crunch around this particular time? Not […] Read more »
I’ve noticed that many new freelancers tend to be nonchalant when responding to online job ads. Maybe online applications appear more instant and casual when compared with the traditional alternative of showing up for a series of interviews. Even though applying for a freelance job online […] Read more »
I won’t rehash what we already know about the economy. But I will say this: I know far too many talented folks who have lost their jobs. With so few openings, however, some won’t wait for a job to come along but will instead start their […] Read more »
Let’s say you’re trying to take over the world and bring all governments under your control. You have to keep records of all this stuff on your computer, of course. Now what if your plan is almost foiled because you chose a stupid password like the […] Read more »
If I know anything for certain, it’s that long after Battlestar Galactica comes to its conclusion tonight on the Sci-Fi Channel, we’ll still be talking about it. And whether or not you’re satisfied by the series finale or have lots more questions, there’s no denying that […] Read more »
Over the past few weeks we’ve been running a series of Web Work 101 posts. Whatever your reason for joining the growing ranks of web workers — whether your new business means that you’re working from home for the first time, you’ve been laid off and […] Read more »
So you’ve been downsized. Or you’ve bailed before being booted because you saw the writing on the wall. Or maybe you skipped the steady paycheck for a go at being a freelancer. Whatever the reason you are out there on your own now, we’ve compiled a list of apps you’ll need to run your web working business. Read more »
As web workers, we like to feel that we can sit down just about anywhere and be connected and productive. Armed with our laptops and Wi-Fi, or mobile broadband, that is usually the case.
But just because we can work anywhere, doesn’t mean that we should. Our work environment is a critical part of our work process and can have tremendous influence on our productivity.
So what are our options? Read more »
In this post, I’m going to get back to basics. The key to successful web work, and getting paid to do it, is knowing exactly what it is you want to do, and how you’re going to go about doing it. In other words, you have to plan, you have to budget, and you have to set goals for yourself. Read more »
Many of us are social beings who enjoy interacting with other people, and until you leave an office environment, you probably don’t realize how much contact you have with other human beings throughout the day. In an office, you run into people in the hallways, in the lunchroom, and at meetings. It can be easier to have social conversations or even to bounce ideas off of someone when you run into them unexpectedly. When you work remotely, whether you are a telecommuter or a freelancer, it is possible to go the entire day without ever seeing or speaking to anyone; however, there are also plenty of ways to replace those interactions with new ones. Read more »
No matter what your personality type, one thing is true for all of us: Every now and then we have to get out and get some human interaction — for our mental health as well as that of our careers. Holing up at home is not the best way to further your professional goals, get new clients, or find partners. And especially in our current economic climate, having a substantial professional network can mean more security for the web worker. Read more »
Follow @gigaom for more stories like this.
You're subscribed to our newsletter. If you'd like, you can update your settings
