Before I divulge my plans for 2012 let me share a few things I’ve learned as a full time freelancer. These are practical things that helped me survive the year, from family life, to work ethics, and social life which I hope will help you too.

1. It’s a family business

I’ve learned that working as a freelancer is not a “you mentality” but it is and should be a family business. You are just working as the main character but in essence, your wife, your son or daughter has a big part to your success as supporting roles. They need to understand what you are doing in order to support you in little ways. My 2 kids know that when I put on my headset, they have to keep quiet because “George” is on the line. My wife knows that when I am slumping on my chair, I badly need a back massage.

2. Full time doesn’t apply to job only but to family as well.

It was a challenge for me to get over being an overtime father and switch to full time family man. But when you get hold of the balance you will surely be more satisfied with your work, be more happy with your family and live a healthier life. My usual line when my wife tells me that I no longer have time for them is to say that all that i’m doing is for them (which is true). But of course it’s not all about the money. Spending a few hours with the kids, teaching them their alphabet, putting them to bed and playing with them have become my goal to keep me sane and family oriented.

3. It pays to socialize

Social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as blogs are essential parts of freelancing. The first few jobs that I took were courtesy of my defunct blog “pinoyfusion”. My current work as a research person was because of comment I made to a blog. So you can see how this little things can mean really big in making yourself visible in the radar. Let the world know that you exist and that you have a special service that you can offer. Word of mouth can do wonders for your career. But as a word of caution, make sure that you know what reputation management is as well.

4. Be In the Know

I’ve learned that in order to thrive in this fast paced environment, you need to be able to cope with the influx of information, explore new things and enhance what you already possess. What I like the most about this is discovering new tools so that I can work more efficiently and more productively. It’s almost futile to reason out and say that we don’t know, because with just a simple click on Google search almost everything is at your fingertips.

5. Spend Your Money Wisely

Work can sometimes be so unpredictable and so is the income. As a freelancer, i’ve learned that our focus should not just be on the earning but also on managing those finances. It didn’t become freelancer’s top concern for no reason. If we like to master our craft, budgeting will be the one of the most important lesson we should master next to time management.

6. No is sometimes yes.

This is the best freelance lesson that I’ve learned this year. Freelancing thought me that an opportunity to work with a prospect doesn’t end when you fail an interview or your proposal was rejected. It actually ends when you think that business is only “TODAY” and there is no point in exerting effort to communicate with someone who rejected you. It thought me that business starts the very moment you decided to apply. Whether your prospect accepts or rejects at the first meeting, tomorrow is business as usual because you’ll never know when the need arises that you will become the perfect peg for the hole.

I hope you’ve learned something from what I’ve learned. I’d be glad to hear your thoughts too!

Steve Jobs shared his candid opinion about rewards systems when he said: “The only way employees will fulfill your dream is to share in the dream. Reward systems are the mechanisms that make this happen. “However, reward systems are much more than just bonus plans and stock options. While they often include both of these incentives, they can also include awards and other recognition, promotions, reassignment, non-monetary bonuses (e.g., vacations), or a simple thank-you.”

But now that you are working as freelancer who will reward you for a good performance? Well, that’s a good question. I actually thought of that too. Let’s see.

Your Client

As a freelancer, you will definitely come across different types of clients. Some would probably arrange a reward system but in many occasions, this may not be the case, specially monetary based incentives. And therefore you should not expect for it to be the same as the call centers you have worked for in the past. Do not frustrate for the monetary incentives or rewards. Consider that some of you client’s may just be starting his business and may therefore have limited resources to fund a reward system.

Now that you are aware that the freelance environment is not the same as the call center, get into the mindset that reward should start from you.

You?

Pat yourself in the back if all you have is the project fee or hourly rate that you charge for your client. Now get into the drawing board and start learning how to reward yourself instead of relying on outside sources. This is particularly important to ensure that you don’t get burned out at work nor lose the enthusiasm in your new found career.

So how should you exactly reward yourself?
It is best to start your personal reward scheme by setting goals or milestones. This way, you not only reward yourself for the sake of it, but you are at the same time exerting an effort that will benefit your client and increase your productivity. You may include rewards which are long term or short term basis and are primarily budget friendly. You can also read a good step by step guide on creating a reward system by eHow contributor Jas Ireland

Consider a few things I’ve included in my personal reward scheme.

-Get a foot spa, a massage or whatever pampering you want together with my wife when we close a new deal for the week.
-Get a new laptop or DSLR Camera after we reach our savings goal
-A short vacation trip to Boracay next year.
-A guilt free sleep after doing overtime work.

Once you’ve setup a system, then you’ve just stepped up in the freelance game as a self motivated freelancer.

Now it’s your turn, how do you reward yourself? How do you motivate yourself?

Why is there a need to be an effective freelancer?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says it better: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. The thing with freelancing is, a single instance of a bad output or a messed up project can spell the last thing you’ll ever hear from that client again. The lifeblood of successful and thriving freelance career is word of mouth. If people only hear how bad you work, you will never go far enough. You will either find yourself diving with your rate just to be able to get some work. Else, you’ll be deserting this profession with a not so graceful exit.
If you want to be able to demand good pay rate, keep your clients happy. If you want to benefit from free advertising through word of mouth, be an effective freelancer. Bottom line is, if you want to keep a job for a long time, be an effective freelancer!

Challenges to becoming effective

There are various reasons why we are ineffective in what we do. Based on my observations and personal experience they include:
1. Distractions
2. Doubts in what you can do or achieve, skills, education etc.
3. Communication breakdown – when we stop communicating with
4. Greed – when it’s all about money that you think of and not your client’s needs
5. Procrastination – need i say more about this?
So How do we become effective?

Tips to Effective Freelancing

1. Keep the focus – multi tasking is a practice not many will be good at. Being focus is still the best way to go. But does this mean that I’ll only take one client at a time? Not necessarily, focus simply means devoting a specific time for a specific client.
2. Nurture the existing – I’ve been taught in my call center training that retention is better than acquiring new customers and it’s still the same principle with freelancing. If you have a way of keeping the existing clients. After all, when their business grows and they’ve seen your dedication, you will eventually reap the rewards of your loyalty.
3. Pray – this may be new to your ears, but prayer has been a secret weapon in my work as a freelancer. I do not have a college degree. But I must say that by prayer, I’ve learned things I never imagined I could do if I only relied on my own.
4. Stay Connected (communication) – Business is all about connections. The better connected you are the better chances of opportunities coming your way. There are so many social media platforms that you can use to stay connected. Twitter and Facebook, as well as blog commenting have been my primary choices in networking and the effort and time investment has paid off well.
5. Keep on learning – every search you make on Google or Bing or Yahoo is a step to learning new things. All major how-to’s that can pull you through the tech stuff is just a click away. All we have to do is to be diligent in finding them. Learn from you connections. The people around you, no matter how different their line of business or work can give you a big step towards learning new ideas that you can implement sooner or later in your freelancing.
6. Learn from mistakes – We don’t necessarily have to learn just from our mistakes but from other’s experiences as well. But I have proven that going through the situation is the most effective form of learning (at least for my experience) We you have a personal, first hand experience of a problem, you are better off at solving it than those who just read it in books or seen it on tv. So don’t frustrate when you commit mistakes, cherish them and keep them always in mind.
7. Maximize time – You can’t borrow from the past to make up for tomorrow’s lack. Use the time you have “now” for the things that needs to be done “NOW”. Think like a sprint runner or an F1 racer. A split second can mean a whole lot. When you work, every micro second counts. Make sure you don’t waste their time because you certainly wouldn’t want to waste yours too! Punctuality is not only about being on time, it’s all about character.
8. Honesty at all times – honesty is about setting the right expectation and delivering what you promised.
9. Get some feedback – there is no better way of knowing if you are being effective or not than asking the clients who you work for. That is why it is imperative to get a feedback from them. It would be ideal if you can create a list of questions to provide to them that focuses on certain criteria that you would like to evaluate, such as: deadlines, communication, language (are thoughts and ideas properly communicated?), etc. This will also help you better understand their needs and personalize your approach in providing your service.
10. Enjoy the privilege – there are millions who are out of work who would love to take on your work. So don’t just get frustrated with little challenges. Be happy you have a job. When you are happy with what you do and appreciate the privilege you have been granted, it’s easy to be effective. No matter how small or big your project is, learn to take it as a privilege and not a right.

The truth is, I’ve been riding along this trend of smartphone users for quite some time now. And no questions asked, I am hands up with what these little machines are capable of. Those apps are just amazing. Which makes me think that there are more smartphones than smart people nowadays. But that is of course another story.

I’d like to share with you my list of favorite Android apps. And I hope you would be kind enough to share yours too.

Hootsuite

As someone who manages quite a few Facebook pages and Twitter profiles, Hootsuite is definitely a must have for me or for someone who needs to post updates every single day on multiple channels. I’ve tried Tweetdeck and Seesmic but had to go back to the powerful Owl even if they started charging $5.99 per month. The convenience of being a one-stop social media management tool is priceless.

Lastpass Premium

If you have a gazillion of passwords and websites to remember, I would certainly recommend Lastpass. Although you could get the free version for your laptop or desktop, upgrading to premium account for $12 will give you a lot of convenience. This is specially true if you are using your smartphone or tablet on a regular basis. I previously used Dolphin HD for my browser but when I installed Lastpass I don’t see any reason keeping Dolphin.

Skype

I use Skype on a daily basis for IM and calls to clients, friends and even family. So this is definitely something that is always in use. I keep both Skype logged in on my desktop (or laptop) and my smartphone even when I’m just at home. You may ask why? Signing in on both devices actually ensures that I always have a copy of messages on my computer and on my smartphone. So when I’m out with just my smartphone, I wouldn’t have a problem checking for previous messages that I need.
I also find Skype service better than Yahoo Messenger or Gtalk. So this app would certainly be a mainstay on my phone.

eBuddy

Aside from skype, I also make use of eBuddy. This app accommodates my other IM profiles like Yahoo, Gtalk, Facebook, MSN and AIM.

Dropbox

I have been using Dropbox on all my desktop computers and on my laptop and it’s but logical to keep one on my smartphone (I guess). I really like the convenience of being able to access my files even when I’m on the go. The ability to get client document is a hit. Unfortunately, since Dropbox has it’s own limitations, I have to add Google Docs which is my next app of choice.

Google Docs

There’s no point of arguing why this one is included. Aside from it’s free and it’s linked to my Gmail account, Google Docs is the practical and economical solution for freelancers who want to view and edit documents on their smartphones. There are other options available like OfficeSuite, but I don’t see any compelling feature that will make me cash out for this app.

WordPress

I have installed wordpress just in case some brilliant idea comes up while I’m just on my phone. But I find this a little challenging to use, first reason is because of the size of my phone and typing isn’t so convenient. I have, however, kept it intact on my list of apps and would probably get my first post soon using wordpress for Android as I’m still mastering the use of Swype. For me, this would be great on devices with larger screen or better on tablets.

Wondering if I maintain a todo list? Well, I do. I actually make use of

Note Everything

The name says it all. Note everything allows you to create text, audio, video, paint note, note from barcode, note from Google Docs and this is only for the free version. You can get the Note Everything pro Version for a small fee of Php182.69 or roughly $4.2 based on the current exchange rate of $1-Php43 that can give you access to more features.

Alright, since we’re talking dollars and pesos here, let me also share with you:

EasyMoney

If you are someone who tends to forget how much you have saved or have spent, or you tend to ask yourself every end of the day, where your money went, this is good for you. You can buy this app for $10 and it’s a good investment if you are into (serious) budgeting.

So there you go. My list of Android apps. Now it’s your turn!

The fact is, the internet is becoming the biggest job site you could ever imagine. Come to think of it, it’s not only limited to local opportunities but its global. So for those who wants to catch up on the booming online jobs industry, I have listed the eight most sought after skills on the web.

As a bonus, I have also added a few resources which would be a good place to start gathering information on how or where to get your dream jobs. Read on…

1. Virtual Assistant

– Newsblaze.com considered Virtual assistance (VA’s) as one of the latest and hottest home based businesses in today’s market. You may ask why, well, there’s a lot of reasons why this skill is such a hit. For entrepreneurs who want to keep the business rolling, getting a well rounded VA who could almost do everything, like managing a blog, social media accounts, office and admin works, customer service, this is such a big hit. Best of all, they are literally getting some quality service at rock bottom prices if they outsource the job from India or the Philippines. Chris Ducker of Virtual Business Lifestyle has actually taken advantage of this niche. Chris started an outsourcing company called Live2Sell that provides VA services here in Cebu and he’s been reaping the rewards for finding Filipino VA’s who simply provide awesome service at very low rates.

On the other hand, if you are solo professional who wants to start a VA business of your own but finds the web as an uncharted territory, here are some sites that I would recommend for you to visit.
a. IVAA - International Virtual Assistants Association
b. VA Classroom – a site co founded by Craig Cannings
c. VA Training Online -
d. VA Networking -

2. WordPress Developer

– Over 25 million people have chosen WordPress as their blogging platform, according to WordPress.org. And that is reason enough why wordpress developers can look to a bright future ahead in terms of job availability. Whether it’s WP theme you are developing or WP plugins, you’ll sure have millions of hungry users who can keep you busy if you do a good job.

3. Social Media Marketer

– This is probably one of the areas where most are already engaged unconsciously. The places where you frequently visit like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or Flickr could actually help you earn if you take time to study social media marketing. You don’t really need to be a guru, you just have to understand how social media works and how you can implement it to your own system. Alright, to make things a lot clearer. Let me throw you some of the personal resources that I recommend if you are planning on exploring this area:
Socialmediatoday, Socialmediaexaminer, Mashable. Also, you can check out some well known figures like Brian Solis of www.briansolis.com Neal Schaffer, author of Maximizing Linkedin, Seth Godin, and Chris Brogan.

4. Web Designer

- As long as the web is there, web designers will always have plenty of work to do. But it’s not just being able to design. If you can throw in a couple more skills to add to your design skill, it would give you a better edge. Most people would actually prefer a one stop shop so try to learn a bit about the other areas. To get a good glimpse, check www.99designs.com

5. Content Writer

This is probably one of the most in-demand jobs online that helps you hone your craft but at the same time get paid.
Anne Waymaalso n has some great insights that you can use as well some great advice on how to monetize your writing. The fact is, whether you are novice or an expert writer, you can still write and earn by utilizing some sites paid to write sites like: Hubpages, Bukisa or create a blog of your own then monetize it. There is Adsense, Bidvertiser, and a couple other monetization techniques that you can use while enjoying your writing. You can also find opportunities as article rewriter, ebook writer, etc..

7. Apps Developer

– Apps or applications and software integrators are becoming a boom in the current market trend. And this will continue on as the landscape becomes more engraved in being mobile but consistently connected to the web. Google apps which has become one of the most popular and the never ending iPhone and Android apps are becoming increasingly mainstream. The possibility almost endless. And if you are keen on creating useful applications then you’re up to something promising in terms of generating a passive income source. Check out AndroidApps.com as well as iTunes store to get a feel of what the apps industry has in store for you.

8. SEO

- All the above mentioned skills has in one way or another a common goal, to be visible to their target markets. And SEO work will do that for them. I suggest, if you have already engaged yourself in blogging, and social media, SEO would be a next good stop to really maximize the efforts that you are pouring into your online work.
There are a few SEO sites where you could get some great insights and updates and I would suggest that you subscribe to their newsletters. Check out SEOConsultants for its 12 select blogs.

A multi-country survey conducted by Callcentres.net, revealed that full-time call center agents stay in a contact center at an average 22 months, while part-time agents last for a shorter 10 months. In a January 2010 issue of Manila Bulletin, a Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) study shows call centers have an attrition rate of 19 percent.

So where do call center agents go after their short stint in these four cornered cubicles?

A bit of me thinks that call center agents either move to another center or go back being unemployed. Getting a regular 9-5 job doesn’t seem to be an option. For one good reason, they get a much lower pay which is an unlikely option considering that most of these young professionals have started getting a decent salary. It’s like getting demoted which is least of what you could possibly take especially if you are helping your kins in the province or supporting an extended family.

The scenarios just seemed like a catch-22. It’s either you get burned out from a job you can’t leave because you have no choice, leave and get a low paying job, else, leave and be unemployed. Okay, it’s not all too bad. There’s also a bright side to this story. Did you know that call centers are actually one of the best training grounds for freelancers?

As a product of call center exhaustion myself, I know the plight of many call center agents who are hanging onto dear job. But when I learned about blogging, online jobs, oDesk, Elance and other freelance sites, I realized that working in the call center is not the end of the story. Its stepping stone, and a training ground.

Communication
Call centers provide a very good place to train your communication skills. It’s a very important skill that every freelancer must possess. And this gives call center agents a big step ahead of the competition. Practically speaking, you could start freelancing by taking on cold calling jobs, customer service or tech support positions. You can also work as a Virtual assistant, appointment setter, or even chat support. Compared with a call center position, the big difference is the fact that you get control of your time, be able to choose which is most convenient for you, you work at home, and the stress level is highly lowered down. Pay rates are also higher as compared to working in call centers.

Multi Tasking
When you talk on the phone, gather information, identify your customer’s concern, understand their needs, and provide solution, it takes more than just communication, it takes an active mind and hand that works together all at the same time. That’s multi-tasking! And it’s another good thing that you can learn from a call center experience and bring on the table when you go freelance.

Customer Service
Customer service orientation provides a big advantage for those who are planning to start freelancing. And for those who are already into freelancing, it’s a certainty that customer service background helps a lot in handling your clients whether they are the bring-me-something-out-of-nothing kind or the more reasonable type of person. Whatever type of freelance job you may take, your background on customer service will be beneficial as you will know how to treat your clients. After all, working with a client is all about customer service. It’s just a change of environment and from a different perspective.

Sales
When you go freelancing, sales skill will be your bread and butter. If you don’t know how to sell, you shouldn’t be a freelancer! Whether you like it or not, freelancing is all about selling. If you’ve had the chance to do sales in previous accounts, consider it as another big plus if you decide to freelance. Call centers are actually a good breeding ground for this skill. You will learn how to close the sale, your customers buying signs, your products or services features and benefits and how it will matter to your customers. You will no longer dread the fact that you need to be persistent and consistent, because if you do, you’re planning to quit early in this line of job.

Bottom Line
These are probably some of the basic trainings that you can get from working in a call center and there can be more. I will not guarantee that you can get a job, but if you have these skills, I am sure that you will have an easier life getting hired. You don’t need to hang onto something and whine for the rest of your life. You don’t need to look back one day and regret why you did not leave the call center sooner. You have a choice! You just need to make that choice and use what you have learned from those experiences. After all, call center experience is not bad at all, its actually a stepping stone that can help you reach greater heights.

Image credit: www.farmout.ph

So I’m changing that style. As they say, if you can’t beat them, join them. Go ahead, BUY BUY BUY! But before you indulge read through the shopping list I’ve prepared for you. Then go ahead and enjoy your shopping spree!

Computer and Equipments
I know you are itching to get the latest version of Mac as much as I do. If you can afford it, go for it! As an online worker who spends 40 hours or more in front of the computer, it is imperative that you invest in a machine that will give you the security and reliability in delivering your work. Whether it’s a Mac or a PC, what’s important is that it’s up to the task.

I’d also recommend that you get an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), external hard disk, extra battery pack for your laptop and a comfy office furniture that will make you work comfortably.

A Book or Special Training Course
Get a good book to read or a training course to enroll that will enhance your current skill set. I highly recommend The Wealthy Freelancer by Ed Gandia et al. It’s power pack with great ideas that’s relevant to our time and realistic. The 12 secrets that they have outlined will make give you a different perspective at freelancing and will open up your eyes that this is serious business!

There are many other books available out there and it’s always to your advantage if you keep yourself abreast with the latest technologies, ideas and innovations. You simply can’t afford to be left behind in this rapidly changing world. If you are having a second thought on investing on a short course, try ignorance. You’ll lose more clients from not knowing something that you could have provided if you keep on learning!

Domain and Hosting
If you don’t have a website or blog yet, it’s about time for you to take your freelance business on the web. Get a website. “A carpenter doesn’t have a house” won’t be applicable in this era. You need to get your name out, and tell the world what you can offer. Build a brand of your own and start leveraging the power of social media in getting more clients.

This is probably the cheapest item on your shopping list but the promise of return is enormous! So don’t just take it for granted. Get the domain name for your business, sign up for a reliable hosting provider. My current hosting is with www.GoDaddy.com and they are doing a great job, plus great discounts for domain and hosting. For the web design part, try www.99designs.com to get some help if you can’t do it yourself.

I know a whole day won’t be enough to get all of these and set up completely. It will keep you busy for a little while and ward off another attack of impulsive buying.

Bottomline: It’s not a sin to spend on something you really want to have as long as you can afford it. And there is a better word that we ought to learn about money that’s more powerful than spending, and that is INVESTING.

Now it’s your turn. The comment is open so get me another item on the shopping list for our shopaholic freelancer that is a worthwhile investment!

Image credit: www.thewealthyfreelancer.com

At first, I was hesitant to leave my job at Aegis People Support, one of the biggest call center here in Cebu City. With two growing kids in tow, a house rental to think, no savings in the bank, no health insurance. It was probably one of the most stupid thing a father can do. But I didn’t leave the call center to let my family starve to death. I left the call center for many good reasons.

Future:

I am no seer or fortune teller, but one of the reasons I left the call center is because I saw a promising future in online jobs. The fact that outsourcing has been in bloom for several years already made me firmly believe that this will be the same with online jobs. There will be more companies, specially medium to small sized businesses who will be joining the bandwagon of outsourcing. There will be individuals who simply wants to do business and are practical enough to outsource some of their tasks to individuals, not companies. And sure enough, even at this moment, oDesk, which is one of the major places where my clients come from have consistently shown an increase in all aspects:
48,786 new online jobs were posted to oDesk in June, an increase of 1,505 over May
635,198 total workers were registered with oDesk in June, an increase of 45,480 or 7.7 percent over May
$9,255,640 was earned by workers on oDesk in June, an increase of $382,252 or 4.3 percent over May
(Source: oDesk Online Employment Situation Summary)

Earning Potential:

Although the call center has offered above average compensation and benefits, freelance jobs give a bigger earning potential and a more financially rewarding work. With enough skill, and experience it has literally raised my earnings from four to five times what I previously received in my call center work, all in the comfort of my home. Not only that, it has also opened new areas for me to passively earn through my blog advertising revenues and affiliate earnings.

Growth:

Career growth in call centers go through the step by step promotion process that’s not free from insider politics, “padrino” system and other biases. Competition is stiff. And this made me think, whether my 5 years of stay in a call center would bring me to my goal of being financially stable and in terms of position, getting a promotion. With freelancing, you’re almost limited only by your imagination on what you can achieve. Freelancing offers a different path for growth. For just one year, I’ve seen open doors to raise the bar in what I do. From my role in the call center as customer service agent, taking 30-60calls every day, pacifying irate customers, I then started managing projects for clients, getting my own team, and as they say… the rest is history.

Flexibility

Time flexibility at work proved to be one of my biggest challenge while working at the call center. I’ve missed important family occasions, church gatherings, and other events which I would have enjoyed attending. And as a family man with two growing kids, family time became a growing concern as well.
With my job as Virtual Assistant, I was able to choose clients that would suit both their time preference as well as mine. I can work for two hours, or four, or six or a full stretch 8 hour shift depending on my availability. And this is what makes working as home based freelancer very flexible.

Bottom Line

I can list down many other reasons on why I left the call center in place of working at home as a freelancer. But the bottom line is, if you love your job, then stick to it. I love my freelance work, I love computers, I enjoy working alone, that’s why I’m sticking to it. If this post made you think of jumping ship plainly because of the earning potential, this may not be enough to sustain you to last through the challenging and uncertain world of freelancing. But if you think your interest and passion is here, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need some direction to get started.
(Image source: http://fusionbposervices.freeblog.co.nz/)

Here’s what LinkedIn members has to say:

Ashish Mishra • Hi,

Thats a good question and here is the answer as per my experience-
Its hard to find out work on a regular basis
Less value of your work
and extreme competition

Dmytro Kharchenko • It’s harder to find quality personel at fair price at the time when you need it. FL forces you to be fast and keep yourself constantly open to changes.

Donna Bentley • My biggest problem has been my most recent client. I had to quit the job because my client was so hostile. My client had spent over $1,000 on pages to a website, landing page, and sales page. She decided to scrap everything and do a complete new money making campaign with all new designs and felt I owed the new work to her for free because she had already spent money on pages she would not use. It was tense to say the least. I am glad I quit but I did not do so without leaving a complete website for my client. I did the entire site because of my professional attitude not because I felt I owed it to her. We did agree on a small flat rate for the new site and I was paid 1/2 and needed to get out of the project. I can live without the other 1/2 payment knowing that I did finish what I started. I did not leave the new site undone. I provided a complete site for the client.

George Beltzhoover • One of the most difficult parts of freelancing is finding steady work from clients who seem to only use internet-based freelance job boards to find the lowest price.

Patrick McCarthy • “…She decided to scrap everything…” When I worked in the corporate world I was amazed by how many projects were completed, delivered, accepted, paid for and never implemented. Management could have saved a lot of development money by knowing what they were buying BEFORE they bought it.

Mehdi Boutiti • Hello, I’m a new Freelancer from Tunisia. I think that the biggest problem between freelancers and clients is the language; some freelancers who have very good skills from other countries can find many obstacles when communicating with clients. What do you think?

Myra Rose Ilisan • Biggest challenge…oooh wow, does impossible deadlines count?
And somehow that feeling that you are like walking on eggshells, probably wondering when the project ends that would mean you need to look for another job assignment.

George Bang • I have used freelancers from Chandigarh India for three years now. I have found that the easiest way to communicate is via instant messenger. I have some colleagues with whom I have never had a voice to voice. I find that there is much benefit in having an exact transcript, as there can be no doubt as to what has been discussed and agreed upon.
As for you freelancers: I have a piece of advice for you: learn to use the word NO! A good client will be grateful when you tell him that what he is asking for is impossible, impractical or just plain stupid. I think if may be a cultural thing, but I found many freelancers in India could not bring themselves to utter the word no, and it caused much wasted time and resources. A good client LIKES to hear the word no, and if he is NOT a good client, you don’t need him.

Donna Bentley • This type of job advertising:

Web 2.0 Web and graphic DESIGNER needed
$3-5/Hr need a freelancer
all work will be monitored by teamviewer, remote screen sharing, REQUIRED

SKILLS NEEDED SLice pages ,and HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS
I NEED A PERSON THAT CAN DO GRAPHICS, ICONS , VECTOR , TEXTURES
$3-5 an hour?? This is a US based company…exploiting the designers outside the US who are skilled and good at what they do. Reality this company would never find a person in the US to do this work for $3-5/hr. That is not even Fed. min. wage.

Daniel DiRico • I’m sure the quality of a $3-5 / hour job isn’t that great. As I’m on both ends of oDesk (buyer and a freelancer) it does seem that the buyer end has the greater advantage since there is just so much talent available out there now.

As the economy improves, this will change. So hang in there.

George Beltzhoover • The amount of money some buyers are willing to pay is really insulting! I don’t know how a skilled person can work for that small amount of money. Would the buyer work for that amount? I think not!

Vincent McCune • I have been trying to use ODesk but I have not had much success. I charge between $75 and $95 all day long here in Tampa, Florida. I often do find rediculous prices from buyers and it seems that this is more and more a site for US buyers to find offshore vendors. I mean no offense to anyone but I find it hard to believe any North American consultants do work for $5 – $10 per hour.

Another issue I have is the large number of jobs that seem to be “Fishing Expeditions” I have applied for around 12 jobs so far and I believe 8 of them were cancelled with no work being done.

Kartik Goyal • Clients keep changes/adding their requirements, they normally says they will come to know more about things when the site will get developed. Somewhere, to an extent, I am agree with them, as they are developing their website first time. But they normally does not ready to pay for that extra work

All of what they’ve mentioned are true and there are more to that. Do you have other challenges you want to add? Feel free to share your thoughts. We’d like to hear about them and learn how you have overcome them.

For oDesk users who regularly withdraw their earnings every Wednesday, this simply means that on the third and fourth week of your earnings will be slashed P20 ($0.44) when you withdraw. And if your withdrawal is below P7000 ($155 based on a $1= Php45 exchange rate) this means you’ll get another P50 ($1.11) deduction.

This may not be so big a change, but for those who are earning a little less than $155 per week, it may be a wise decision to withdraw your earnings every two weeks. Otherwise, you may want to get an extra work to exceed the $155 mark to avoid the deductions. Is there a better alternative to this? I’m not sure. But it would be good to check on other banks if there are current offerings for Paypal users where you get less charges and no maintaining balance as what is currently being offered by Unionbank.

And to make sure that you don’t get shocked when you check on your EON accounts, here are the current charges and fees being imposed on your EON cards for your reference: