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| Avoiding Conflicts Within a Teleworking Team Posted: 28 Nov 2008 10:00 AM PST It’s hard work to set up and supervise a teleworking team for some projects. In the web content service I run, I need to gather work-from-home writers together and help them work as a team. This is especially important for projects that require group cooperation and interaction, such as an ebook or a multi-authored blog. One of the advantages of teleworking is that there’s less opportunities for workplace gossip and personality clashes. Most teams approach their communications very matter-of-factly. But I find that this isn’t always the case, especially when members each have very different working styles. When managing a team of very different people all over the globe, what can you do to keep the team, and the work, from imploding? All expectations should be out on the table. Most conflict comes from someone’s expectations not being met. When someone new joins the team, the project manager or the person in charge should ask them what their expectations are. The new members should also be told what’s expected of them. Doing this may seem corny, but it’s the only way to assure that everyone is signing up to be on the same team, working through the same processes. Documented accountability. If the team is unclear about the deliverables that are due and who is responsible for them, that’s a recipe for disaster. Each person on the team should have a very defined role from the beginning - and this should be written down, along with due dates, for everyone to see. It’s relatively easy to document everything if you’re using collaboration software or a wiki to work with your team. Basecamp from 37signals is such an example, as it allows users to schedule project milestones and see who’s responsible for them. Communication training. Communication is the most essential factor to the success of an online team. It’s not the quantity of the communication that matters, more like the quality. Communication would go more smoothly and more efficiently if there’s a “communication guidelines” slide show or document that your team can refer to. Even minor suggestions will prove to be valuable, such as suggestions on how to use Twitter effectively, or how to send fewer emails. Give praise and criticism privately. If you’re supervising other teleworkers, it’s important to send your comments about their work in private. This is true whether you’re working with them online or offline. Another alternative is to send a message of praise or criticism for everyone to read. For example, you could send a message to your entire team saying “You’re all doing great!” or “You’re all sending in good work, but here are a few suggestions for everyone…”. Doing things this way means you’re not singling anyone out. Be careful about the seemingly unrelated messages you send on a public venue as well. A random Tweet such as “I’m surrounded by stupid people!” can be taken as a personal insult by your team, even if you were talking about the clerks at your local grocery store. Supervising a team doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you make ample preparations. If you trust the people you work with, and everyone understands the work guidelines, then there’s fewer chances for conflicts to arise. Have you ever supervised an online team before? What issues or problems did you encounter? How did you work through them?   |
| Is Your Personal Blog Working For or Against You? Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST
It's surprising, then that people so often overlook the value of a personal blog in the social media web. Not Just a (Live)Journal Bidding farewell to the confessional style will benefit you in a number of ways. First, you'll open up your potential audience beyond your immediate circle of friends/family members. You can keep a private blog for that purpose, but any publicly accessible site should have wider appeal, if only slightly. Second, you'll avoid embarrassment. We've all heard the horror stories of potential employers shying away from employees with questionable content on their Facebook profiles. That sort of thing isn't limited to banks or traditional employers. Even the most casual web-based employer or client will raise an eyebrow at your four paragraph-long expletive-filled condemnation of your neighbor who has loud parties. Tend to Your Garden Link (It is Social Media, After All) Linking (and source linking) also show that you know what you're doing, if you're looking for blogging work, and that you can communicate, research, and connect effectively. All skills, you'll notice, that employers prize. Personal blogs, in the end, are not so personal after all. If they're publicly accessible, they're part and parcel of your web worker resume, which is far more than a piece of paper in the context of today's social media and online communities. Whether your blog is a practical enactment of the qualities you want to show employers, or a glaring reason not to hire you, is up to you.   |
| 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.
Interested in advertising on WebWorkerDaily? Learn how.   |
| 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?   |
| I Want Sandy and Stikkit to Close on December 8 Posted: 26 Nov 2008 02:16 AM PST
This isn’t your typical “startup ran out of money” story. Rael Dornfest, the brains behind Values of n, accepted a fulltime job with Twitter. Rather than pass the web apps on to someone else or keep them going under Twitter’s roof, the services will just go away, leaving their user base high and dry. While I’m happy for Mr. Dornfest and I’m looking forward to seeing how Twitter improves with the infusion of his technology and expertise, this should serve as another wake-up call to all who rely on free services by small companies. Often labors of love built during off hours, there’s nothing to stop developers from moving in other directions on short notice. Did you use I Want Sandy or Stikkit? How will you replace these services in your life? Read further analysis on GigaOm.   |
| Google Chrome Named Fastest Browser–But Is It? Posted: 25 Nov 2008 04:00 PM PST Recently, I wrote an item on speed tests for next-generation browsers where Firefox 3.1 and Google Chrome showed particularly strong performance. In these kinds of tests, most users have been focusing on JavaScript tests, because both Firefox 3.1 and Google Chrome feature much improved JavaScript engines. Now, ExtremeTech is out with a battery of speed results that are particularly notable for the number of diverse tests run, although I still have one problem with the results. ExtremeTech’s test methodology includes an array of different benchmarks, and leaves room for the notion that speed in this or that area may be particularly useful for certain kinds of users. In their Final Results roundup, even though it is still in early development, Google Chrome emerges the winner. The problem I have with the ExtremeTech tests is that they used Firefox version 3.0.4 and not the beta version of Firefox 3.1 (they do acknowledge making this decision deliberately). The new JavaScript features are found only in that new beta, and that beta is what most other current tests are using. Still, it can be argued that testing shipping browsers sets a level playing field. ExtremeTech’s collection of benchmarks for the tests included Google’s V8 test for JavaScript speed, SVG (scalable vector format) tests, Acid3 (a test for web standards), plus Canvas, Flash and DOM tests. One of the more interesting sets of results from the tests came from the Acid3 evaluations, where browsers were asked to play an animation using default settings, with the results compared to a reference image. It’s essentially a compatibility test that involves speed. Here, Opera emerged as the winner, and Google Chrome came in last. Chrome dusted the other browsers off, though, in the JavaScript tests (which are Google’s tests). This may very well change, though, when Firefox 3.1 is finalized with its new JavaScript features. I’m already using the beta, and it is plenty fast. In the end, Chrome accumulated 30 points on a rating scale to win, with Firefox second in the ExtremeTech tests. Both Internet Explorer 7 and Safari “did not place.” This comparison is definitely due for an update when the new version of Firefox is finalized, but there is no question that Chrome is a fast and well-rounded browser despite its young age.   |
| Tactile CRM Releases Version 2 Posted: 25 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST We’re written about Tactile CRM a couple of times in the past - they’re an excellent choice in the starter CRM market, for people who need some sort of customer relations management product but who don’t want to be overwhelmed by complexity. Now they’re released version 2 of the application, adding new features while still staying easy to use. The new version concentrates on adding pervasive support for tagging, but there are some other changes too. Merging contacts and leads together will further simplify things, and increasing the limits on some of their plans is a welcome move. If you sign up for a free trial account with the code WWD, they’ll enter you in a drawing for a free year’s subscription as well.   |
| Lazarus: Bring Lost Forms Back to Life Posted: 25 Nov 2008 09:00 AM PST I may be prone to worrying, but I don’t think I’m the only one who feels more than a tinge of concern when I need to fill out an online form, especially when its for something important, like a job application. It just seems like there’s so much that can go wrong and information will be lost before I get to the submit button. Even posting in forums or comments sections can be a little unnerving, because you’re trusting that submit button to faithfully deliver the paragraph you just spent a good 10 minutes getting just the way you want it. Lazarus, an add-on for Firefox, now makes the internet slightly less ephemeral, and provides an insurance policy in case that submit button isn’t cooperating. Lazarus is a form recovery tool for the Firefox web browser. It’s designed by the team behind Interclue, another popular add-on which provides previews of websites when you hover over active links with your cursor. Lazarus has less apparent, but more broadly appealing functionality. As its name implies, Lazarus will bring your forms back from the dead, should you be unlucky enough to have one die on you. Lazarus runs in the background and saves that data intermittently and when the Submit button is pressed, locally on your computer. To test Lazarus, I loaded up the ABC contact form, since I’d been meaning to voice my concern over the recent cancellation of the excellent Pushing Daisies. I prepared a brief missive and pressed send. I should note that Lazarus is a very innocuous add-on, and has no sidebar or toolbar interface. Optionally, you can have a Lazarus icon in the status bar, which is the gold ankh symbol you’ll see in the screenshot. After successfully submitting my form, I went back and refreshed the page to clear data already entered. Sure enough, right clicking on any field or in the general vicinity of the form area brought up the “Recover Form” submenu, from which I could choose to restore either from an autosave or from the version saved at time of submission. Multiple autosaves were even present after staying at the page for more than a minute. Keep in mind that information is stored locally in a SQLite database found in your Firefox profile folder. Setting a Firefox Master Password will prevent others from being able to restore the data, and you can set an expiry date for saved information. By default, all data is saved indefinitely. Lazarus is effective, light, secure and runs in the background, so there’s no reason not to use it. Recommended for anyone who’s ever had to rewrite that incredibly clever forum post retort, and lost some of the killer wit in the process.   |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST When I started freelancing, I worked with every potential client who contacted me. This is normal for someone who is starting out. After all, you want to get all the experience you can get your hands on. But after a while, you’ll realize, like I did, that your clientele should be more targeted than just “whatever comes along”. You need to qualify your potential clients. One important benefit of qualifying your clients is that you don’t waste your time. You get the clients that you want to work with, you’re paid the rate you want, and both parties have realistic expectations. You don’t spend hours working on a proposal that your client eventually rejects because they realize that you weren’t on the same page after all. If that scenario sounds familiar, then it’s time to start qualifying. What criteria can you use to qualify clients? Price The easiest way to qualify clients is based on price. This means that you’re trying to avoid clients who will try to haggle you for prices that are below your bottom line. While negotiation is part of any business, it’s also important to work with clients who understand your worth. Does your branding and online presence reflect your price? If you’re one of the highest-paid online freelancers out there, can your potential clients know that based on your site design? When they look at your portfolio, do they see that you’re only working with the biggest names in their industry? The same applies if you want to be the more affordable option, you’d want to make sure that this is reflected in your marketing materials as well. Your affordable rates should at least be hinted at in your website, if you can’t state exact figures.
Startups can be exciting because you’re part of the birth of something new, but you might encounter multiple revisions under a low budget as the company tries to figure out what works. Established businesses, on the other hand, might be more straightforward with what they want, but they may be hesitant to change their old approach to some things, even if this approach does not work. It’s up to you to judge where you’ll thrive, the conception of something new or the revitalizing of something old? Incorporate your answer into your branding so that you can be there for new clients during the stage where you can be of most help. There are also businesses that are under a problematic stage, and they turn to you. If you like these types of challenges, that fine. But know that while these problems can be simple and superficial, that’s not always the case. Some problematic businesses are dysfunctional throughout the organization, and yet their owners think that a simple website redesign or a new press release will be a fix-all. They want hire you because they think you’ll give them better profits, when all you can give them is a band-aid solution. They actually need stronger marketing efforts, a new image, or a more productive system - something that may be out of your expertise or job description. Unless you’re an expert at what your client truly needs, you’ll never be able to provide the solution that can help them the most. Branding When qualifying your clients based on branding, you’re judging the character of their business because you want it to match your own. The benefit of qualifying clients on this level is that you truly understand their business. You understand their vision, culture, and ideas because they are similar to yours. If you’re the more laid back type of web worker, it might be more difficult for you to work with clients who are corporately competitive. They might call you every hour and expect you to pick up 24/7. Or if you’re a formal type of person, maybe you’re not the ideal freelancer to work with “Poop Jokes Inc.”, since you might not “get” the spirit of their business. You’ll be out of touch. While there are many criteria you can use to qualify clients, it doesn’t mean you have to use them all. Just use the ones that are important to you. Of course, this will lessen the number of leads that convert into clients. But know that the ones who approach you will be closer to the kind of clients that you actually want to work with. Do you qualify incoming clients? How do you do it? Is your approach direct or more subtle? If you don’t qualify clients, how do you deal with the problematic clients that come your way? Image credit: Rose Ann from sxc.hu   |
| Black Friday Sales Starting Early Posted: 24 Nov 2008 04:00 PM PST Black Friday is almost upon us and could be one of the best days in recent memory for web workers to buy new technology at fair prices. Not only will there be discounts on new computers, displays, and more, but some of the discounts are already arriving. Many WebWorkerDaily readers are Mac users, and, as jkOnTheRun notes, Best Buy is already slashing prices on almost all MacBook models that they sell. “Most models are a cool $100 off but a few others are noteworthy,” they report. “The 13-inch new MacBook is discounted $150 making it just $1449.” Here are some more ideas on where to look, and where not to look, for bargains. The deals on Macs noted by JKOnTheRun are particularly notable because Apple tends to strictly control how Macs–especially new models–are priced. Right now, though, you can get a nicely stocked MacBook Air at Best Buy for $1,299. This notebook is number one on my tech wish list right now, really a marvel of design. As good as the MacBook Air is, though, Lenovo and Toshiba have some very competitive notebooks available on the PC side now. As noted here, some of the PC notebooks are going to be very cheap on Black Friday as well. Best Buy will have a Toshiba 15.4-inch Dual-Core Turion 64 X2 with 3GB of RAM and 120GB hard drive for $379. That is a truly nice notebook, well-stocked, for the kind of price you would expect a netbook to go for. As you probably know, Circuit City is shutting down almost 160 stores nationwide, and there are some deep discounts at some of the stores being shut down. As far as good tech products, go, though, I was in one of the outlets being shut down over the weekend,and I found the prices pretty high. It may be worth checking how the prices look on Black Friday. If you are going to go tech bargain hunting on Friday, keep in mind that things are going to start very early at big outlets. Best Buy and Circuit City are opening their stores at 5:00 a.m. Staples is also slashing prices on several kinds of technology products in honor of Black Friday, and the prices are already down on many of them. I have my eye on this 21.6-inch flat-panel LCD monitor for under $140. While I’m probably not going to spring for a MacBook Air on Friday, I am going to go looking for a good price on a larger capacity USB thumb drive than the one I have now. The capacities on these have gotten incredibly large at low prices, and it’s very convenient to store lots of software applications on them.   |
| Preparing for Productivity in 2009 Posted: 24 Nov 2008 12:00 PM PST As we approach the end of 2008 it is a great time to think about doing a year end review and to begin setting goals for 2009. I’m not usually a fan of the typical New Year’s resolution but the transition into a new year is a logical time to make changes and start something new. A common goal for a lot of folks is to get organized and be more productive, and for many this means committing to an organizational framework like David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I’ve been thinking about throwing my hat into the GTD ring but it seems like an overwhelming task. So I was pleased to see our fine mobile friends at jkOnTheRun alerting us that the premier issue of Productive Magazine is available as a free downloadable PDF. This new publication is full of useful information about the GTD system and should be a good resource for the newbie or a seasoned veteran. My first action item of the day - Done! Do you GTD? Will Productive Magazine help you Get Things Done?   |
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This is the risk of falling in love with free services. We’ve 
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