Kristi Hines

The following are 100+ links to an amazing wealth of resources for freelancers within any field for freelance jobs, freelance news, freelances podcasts, freelance forums, and more. Whether you are considering freelancing, just starting out, or have carved a successful path for yourself in freelancing, you should find something beneficial within the following lists.

Keep Up With Freelance Information All In One Place

Whenever you see the RSS icon (), you can add the subscription feed for that resource to your preferred RSS reader of your choice. My personal recommendation is Google Reader – it connects with your Google account (such as Gmail), and allows you to sort your news feeds into folders for easy browsing. This way you can keep up with everything, including the latest freelance tips, forum postings, and recent job postings – all in one place.

If you want to subscribe to a collection of resources simultaneously, you can also import groups of feeds by using the OPML file when you see the OPML icon (). In Google Reader, you can do this by going to your Settings > Import/Export and upload the OPML file of your choice.

Freelance Blogs

Freelance blogs contain a wealth of information for freelancers at every stage. Aside from learning useful information about the world of freelancing, you can get a little bit of traffic to your website by joining in the discussion and making valuable comments on posts.

For blogs that cover multiple topics, I have pointed the links specifically to their freelance categories. The feeds will subscribe you to all blog categories.

Freelance Folder
FreelanceSwitch
oDesk Freelancing Tips
Freelance Advisor
Colorburned Freelance Articles
Creativeoverflow Freelance Articles
Design Informer Freelance Articles
DesignM.ag Freelance Category
Freelance Writing Jobs Network
Guerrilla Freelancing
Smashing Magazine Workflow
Design Cubicle Freelancing and Marketing
Webdesigner Depot Freelancing Articles
Word Count
Freelance on Alltop

Subscribe to all freelance blogs listed above (Freelance Blogs OPML file)

Freelance Fridays

Don’t want to subscribe to all these blogs? Check out Freelance Fridays, where I compile the top freelance articles of the week from the sites listed above and more.

Freelance Podcasts

Freelance podcasts allow you to listen to the latest news in freelancing.

FreelanceSwitch Radio
Freelance Advisor Podcasts

Freelance Forums

Freelance forums are a great place to discuss anything to do with freelancing with other freelancers. Forums are another way to get traffic to your website if you become a valuable community member.

Be sure to fill out your forum profile and use a signature with a link to your website, LinkedIn, etc., which will be added to the end of each forum post. Having signature links on some sites will even help you build backlinks to your website – a major SEO plus!

FreelanceSwitch Forum
Freelance Advisor Forum
Talk Freelance
Freelance Gossip
FreelanceMom Forum

Freelance Jobs

Looking for freelance job opportunities? Try the following freelance job sources. Remember to subscribe to them via RSS to keep up to date to the current job opportunities in your area of expertise.

Freelance Switch

FreelanceSwitch allows you to view available job opportunities for free. However, to apply for them, you must subscribe to their site for $7 per month. This isn’t too bad of a deal, especially if you get some repeat clients out of it.

All Jobs
Design Jobs, Development Jobs, Writing Jobs, Illustration Jobs, Flash Jobs, Misc Jobs

oDesk

oDesk allows freelancers to sign up for free and create a provider profile with their qualifications, rate, and examples to their work. Although you will be able to start bidding for jobs right away, you will be limited in the number of jobs you can do until you pass a oDesk Readiness Test that makes sure you are familiar with the oDesk policies, desktop software, etc. They also offer free skills tests so you can prove your expertise in a variety of skill sets.

The following are the job listings by category, plus the top subcategories in each area.

Administrative Support
Data Entry, Personal Assistant, Web Research, Transcription

Business Services
Accounting, Bookkeeping, Project Management, Legal Jobs, Consulting

Customer Service
Customer Service & Support, Phone Support, Technical Support

Design & Multimedia
Graphic Design, Logo Design, Video, Animation, 3D Modeling & CAD

Networking & Information Systems
Server Admin, Network Admin, Database Admin

Sales & Marketing
SEO, SEM, SMM, Sales, Telemarketing, Advertising, Email Marketing

Software Development
Desktop Apps, Mobile Apps, Scripts, Game Development

Web Development
Web Programming, Web Design, Ecommerce, Website Project Management

Writing & Translation
Blog/Article, Website, Technical, Translation, Copywriting, Creative

There is also a job listing by skills section where you can find jobs based on particular skills. The top skills sought after are as follows.

SEO, PHP, WordPress, Data Entry, Joomla, CSS, Facebook, Drupal

Craigslist

Craigslist can be a good source for finding freelance work within your area. Simply find your region, and then check out the jobs section. You can then search for jobs related to your skill set. To keep up to date on the latest jobs, you can subscribe to these search results using the RSS icon at the bottom right of the page.

Freelance Advisor

Freelance Advisor offers a job feed for opportunities in the UK. You must register through the People4 Marketplace to be able to apply for jobs. Registration is free, although there are premium memberships available to bump up your listing in buyer queries for contract services.

Freelance Advisor Job Feed

Ask Questions and Get Answers

If you are a part of the LinkedIn network, you should take advantage of the Answers area, where professionals can ask others for advice. Not only can you find good information about freelancing, but you can also show others your expertise by answering questions related to your specialty. When you find a category that fits your skill set, be sure to use the Subscribe to New Questions RSS option to be updated when new questions are asked so you can be the first to respond.

Freelancing & Contracting Answers on LinkedIn

Freelance Directories

Getting listed in reputable freelance directories can help you get your name out there when individuals or companies are looking for freelance help. The following are freelance directories you can add yourself to.

FreelanceSwitch Directory – You are automatically added to this directory when you create a free account at FreelanceSwitch for the forum and job postings. Simply fill out your profile and check the box to Enable Directory Listing.

Freelance eBooks

How to Become a Freelance Writer – Written by expert freelance writer Laura Spencer, this guide is filled with simple step-by-step instructions and valuable information that could only be provided by an experienced freelancer. Instant PDF download for $12.95.

How to be a Rockstar Freelancer – Covering everything from getting started to expanding your business, How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer is the official FreelanceSwitch book. Instant PDF download for $29, or you can purchase a paperback version of the book for $35. You can see a 15 page preview of the book before purchase to decide if it is right for you.

Freelance Books on Amazon

My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire – Tired of clocking in and losing out? Want to pursue creative, fulfilling work on your own time and also make a living in the process? My So-Called Freelance Life is a how-to guidebook for women who want to avoid the daily grind and turn their freelance dreams into reality.

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments – Whether you want to earn a little extra money with a part-time business or set yourself up as a full-time, professional photographer, all the information you need to succeed is inside.

100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers: Insider Secrets for Working Smart & Staying Creative – This book reveals solutions from a wide range of freelance designers whose years of experience have helped them find not only the most creative solutions for their clients’ design needs, but also the most successful solutions.

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments – Glatzer takes readers through the must-do basics—from sending clean, spell-checked cover letters to avoiding harassing busy editors—then delves into the processes of generating ideas, pitching, landing assignments and negotiating contracts.

Photo credit: Human Resources

Freelance Friday – Marketing, Social Media Branding, Feature Creep & More

Kristi Hines — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:46:50 +0000

Freelance Fridays is a roundup of the best articles for freelancers for the week.

Where do you work?
Long term investing for freelancers
10 hints for transitioning from freelance writing job to business
Easy to forget income tax deductions
5 reasons not to have a cookie cutter elevator pitch
50 free resources for freelance writers, bloggers, and freelancers
How to monitor your brand on social media
3 ways freelancers can benefit from the big brand backlash
Making the transition to high dollar jobs
Keeping up your marketing momentum
Is it better to market yourself as a company or an individual?
Freelance naughty or nice list
The freelance work life balance
Proposals – read this before your next bid
How to explain to clients they are wrong
10 ways to become a more successful freelancer
A guide to marketing for freelancers
7 super creative portfolio designs
6 strategies for beating your competitors
How to start a freelance company
How to deal with feature creep

Stay tuned for more Freelance Fridays for the latest articles and freelancing news.

Photo credit: Freaky Storm