Web Worker Daily |
| Top Resources for Finding Web Work Posted: 26 Nov 2008 04:00 PM PST With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and an economic mania going on, it’s a good time for all of us who have gainful employment to be thankful. For those who don’t, there are some good resources to tap in order to rectify the situation. In this post, I’ll round up some ideas for web workers who need work. Whether you’re looking for something full time or part time, oDesk is a good place to start. It’s a staffing marketplace and management platform that provides a simple way to get hired for tech jobs available all around the world. We recently did an interview with the CEO, where he explains how the service works. Many oDesk workers find sideline jobs that they do in conjunction with other work. You can showcase your skills there, whether they’re programming, design or other types of strengths. Over on Webware, they’ve been using spreadsheets to post very regularly updated lists of which tech companies are hiring, and which ones are laying people off. You’ll find the latest spreadsheet of sunshine representing companies that are hiring here. And here, you’ll find Webware’s spreadsheet of companies currently laying people off. You can also find the number of layoffs and the percentage of the workforce affected. Over on OStatic, we recently ran a post on resources for those who are looking for work in open source software. If you have open source skills, many of these resources may be excellent places to start looking for work. Even if you don’t though, you’ll find many good starting points for finding web work, including Elance. Also check this post for even more ideas. Even in this economic environment, there are opportunities. Leverage the web to find them.    |
| Four iPhone VoiP Services Worth Ringing Up Posted: 26 Nov 2008 01:00 PM PST
Each of these iPhone apps and services has something to offer, depending on what you’re looking for. But each app has one glaring deficiency, even though it’s not the fault of the software developers: none of them are persistent. That means due to iPhone limitations set by Apple, none of them can run continously in the background. When you close the app, you’re effectively unavailable for VoIP or IM on your handset. That doesn’t diminish the value these services can add, but it’s defintely something worth mentioning. For initiating calls and conversations each offers value, right in the palm of your hand.   |
| WWD is Thankful for its Sponsors Posted: 26 Nov 2008 12:00 PM PST Even though WebWorkerDaily is staffed by a team of international writers, expect posting to be light over the Thanksgiving holiday. That gives us a chance to give thanks to the fine companies that sponsor this site. None of this works without you.
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| Lunascape: New Kid on the Browser Block Posted: 26 Nov 2008 10:00 AM PST Lunascape is the product of a Tokyo-based software startup, and it’s raising some eyebrows with claims of being the fastest browser available. It may not enjoy the reputation the big players like Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Chrome do here in the Western world, but Lunascape has been downloaded over 10 million times, so someone’s paying attention to the new kid on the block. Did I mention it’s a triple-engine browser? That’s right, Gecko, Trident, and WebKit, all under one hood. Lunascape’s first English alpha release (Windows only) came out just last week, and I’ve spent the intervening time getting to know it a little better. Let me preface this article by noting that it is alpha software, so there are definitely some rough edges that need smoothing. That said, I was surprised by the number of useful features the browser brings to the table. Obviously, engine-switching is more than a snazzy parlor trick. It means you can check your output and compatibility in all rendering engines from one convenient location. Web designers and web app developers can check engine compliance without opening multiple browsers. You no longer have to dust off poor, neglected IE just to view content that’s only viewable in Microsoft’s broswer. But what about that claim to the world browser speed record? In my admittedly non-scientific practical tests, it actually was a little slower than Firefox using WebKit, although it seemed on par, but not noticeably faster using Gecko. Testing Hiveminder and Campfire worked out fine, both web apps displayed and functioned correctly, even when I switched the engine (which you can do by right clicking on a Tab’s title). I ran into a huge snag, however, when I tried to login to my WordPress blog. Any login attempt just booted me back to the login form, no matter what engine I was using. I tried at a number of different WordPress sites, self and wordpress.com hosted, to see if the error persisted, and it did. As a freelancer who regularly contributes to a number of blogs, this means Lunascape cannot, as it, become my one and only browser. This takes away a lot of the benefit of engine switching. Lunascape does have some nice features built in that only come by way of add-ons for other browsers. An RSS reader, for instance, with a customizable notification area and headlines displayed in blank space next to your open tabs. Auto reload is built in for Trident and Gecko, along with a host of selective content (images, sounds, etc.) filters. These options are not currently available when viewing pages rendered with the WebKit engine. My final impression of Lunascape is a mixed one. On the one hand, it has some nice aggregation and developer tools that can increase efficiency and decrease time wasted on distractions and manual program switching, but on the other, it lacks some very basic functionality that I can’t work without. For now, it can only supplement, and not replace my browser arsenal.   |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2008 09:00 AM PST December is fast approaching - this is the perfect time to tighten up portfolios for the incoming year. In the coming weeks, I know that I’ll be preoccupied with this, especially since I’ve gained some new clients this year. Here are some things we should consider when tweaking our portfolios: Quality of Work By now, your standards might be different from what they were when you last put your portfolio together. What was a masterpiece yesterday might seem like your worst project today. It might hurt you to take down projects that you had fond memories of, but if it’s not your best work, it’s also going to hurt your chances of getting new clients. Relevance Looking at your portfolio, how closely does it resemble the type of work you’ve been doing lately? A couple of years ago, I actually linked to some dull articles about loans, which had outdated information and had nothing to do with the kind of work I was pursuing at that time (which was tourist city guides). Imagine what would’ve happened if I showed that kind of work when I applied to Web Worker Daily. My application would’ve been met with a big “Huh?” Apart from being closer to your current work thematically, having more recent items in your portfolio shows that you’ve been busy and in demand. It’s rare that anyone wants to work with a freelancer whose last good output was over two years old. You wouldn’t want the embarrassment of having a website in your portfolio that was already redesigned by your client since you last worked on it. It gives the impression that your work didn’t give them the results they needed. Uniqueness It takes a long time before a writer finds her voice, or a designer discovers her own visual style. If you’ve accomplished this for yourself, this should show on your portfolio. After all, this is an important part of your branding. Direction There’s nothing wrong with accepting every job that comes your way when you’re just starting out. But if your displayed work represents too many industries, niches, and price ranges, this could be detrimental. While there must always be diversity in your work, there’s such a thing as having so much diversity that your ideal clients can’t identify with you. By looking at your portfolio, your leads should be able to say “This freelancer works with people like us. He gets our kind.” Taking direction into account is especially important if you want to change niches. For example, if you want to move away from writing gadget reviews and get into writing press releases for tech startups, your portfolio should have press releases in it. Multiple portfolios It’s also possible that you want to work on two different niches, and therefore serve two different kinds of clients. If this is the case, you should have two different portfolios ready. The bigger the difference between the niches you’re working on, the more you need separate portfolios for each. This approach is similar to leaving out some items in your resume that seem unnecessary or irrelevant to the job you’re applying for. Just present each client with what she needs to see. How often do you update your portfolio? How selective are you when it comes to building it?   |
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