Open Thread: Where do you Find Web Work?

Hanging around the coffee shop, sipping a latte and logging on to the wireless network makes for a fun day for the modern web worker. But sooner or later your friendly barista is going to hand you a bill. So is your landlord, for that matter. The fact is, many of us out here on the frontiers spend a considerable amount of time chasing the next job and trying to figure out how we’re going to make ends meet.

That leads us to today’s question: where do you find your web work? A few of the possibilities:

Build it and they will come: We’ve written before about building your personal brand online. If you pursue this strategy aggressively enough, sooner or later people will come to you and ask whether you’re available to be hired. You can combine this with more traditional non-web networking: writing books or speaking at conferences, for example, can both be a source of leads.

Work the network: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Tanglr…some people seem to believe that just telling everyone they know that they’re available and spreading their qualifications around will bring in the work. This is the “six degrees of separation” theory at work: somewhere out there is the person who wants to hire you, if only you can connect with them.

Use the job boards: Whether it’s the big national outfits like Monster.com, hipper local outfits like CraigsList, niche boards like 37Signals, or the rush to the bottom of the pay scale you’ll find at RentACoder, there are plenty of online marketplaces that attempt to match people with work.

Turn to your community: Just about every town has a Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Toastmasters, or similar organization – usually more than one. Getting involved with these groups at the local level is one way that “real” small businesses network, and we’ve heard success stories from web consultants who have taken the time to go the same route.

If you’re an entrepreneurial web worker, we’d love to hear how you keep the pipeline filled. What brings in new clients? Which networking avenues have worked for you in the past – and which ones haven’t worked? The comments are open!

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