general

A few days ago Adobe not only officially unveiled the next version of its Creative Suite – Adobe CS6 – but also introduced its Creative Cloud offerings. According to Adobe, its new subscription service is “the digital hub that lets you download and install every Adobe Creative Suit 6 application; access online services for file sharing, collaboration, and publishing; and benefit from new apps and features as soon as they’re released…”

Although you can purchase CS products individually through online and retail stores, Adobe believes that Creative Cloud is a better way to get your desktop tools because you get access to the latest updates and features as soon as they’re available. In addition to providing maximum flexibility, members benefit from significantly lower upfront costs. Creative Cloud also includes new Internet-based services and enables the delivery of high-impact content experiences such as interactive websites and stunning digital magazines…

Writers from various disciplines have long been utilizing mainstream social media – Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and Quora, for example – to promote their work and interact with other writers and readers. However, here are ten platforms specifically geared towards the literary community.

Writers-Network: Created in 2004, Writers-Network is a large online community devoted to pointing creative writers toward success. There’s an emphasis on poetry, but apparently writers of all creative genres and forms are welcome and active on the site.

Inked-In: If the wordplay of this site’s title doesn’t draw you in, there are plenty of other pros. Part of The Burry Man Writers Center (a resource for freelance writers and researchers), Inked-In is a network for writers, artists and musicians.

Gather: With the tagline “Fresh Perspective,” Gather offers just that. According to the site, thousands of journalists post original content, and millions of users join in conversation about various subjects.

Book-in-a-week: Book-in-a-Week’s motto is “BIC HOK TAM:” butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away madly. The first full week of every month, you can use BIW’s learning management system to reach goals you’ve set for yourself. The site promotes a “let’s work together” approach.

Trigger Street Labs: If you’re writing for the screen, Trigger Street Labs might be the network for you. It’s a community for writers and filmmakers, and it’s open to scouts looking for talent.

Suite 101: Suite101 is the premier place for online journalists, freelancers and experts on various topics. Writers can get paid for posting original content, and the site offers a big peer network.

Writertopia: Writertopia is determined to create the ultimate resource for the writing community, and it starts with making sure every member is serious about perfecting his or her professional writing skills. The network also bridges the gap between the virtual world and the real by listing dates for events, readings and workshops.

We Like to Write: We Like to Write is a new social network for writers and bloggers. Professional and amateur writers are welcome to connect and debate, as well as collaborate with each other on projects.

WritersCafe.org: WritersCafe.org makes it easy to make friends with other writers and enter writing contests. It also has topic forums that range from inspiration to publicity to marketing.

Zoetrope Virtual Studio: Francis Ford Coppola launched a version of this website in 1998 to encourage short story submissions for his magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story. The Virtual Studio was created when a large writing community formed around the original website. Virtual Studio not only accepts various genre submissions for the magazine, but also allows workshops and critiques.

The ability to work from home, a fexible timetable and moving towards an independant career: Working as a freelance designer seems pretty appealing to a lot of people. But every deal of working as a freelancer should be considered well before a decision is made. For being successful the idea of the every day-work life should be brought down to a round figure.

Today we introduce 10 keys to work successfully as a freelance designer:

1. Diciplin and commitment

Working as a freelancer is quiet diffrent as working as an employee. Everything is up to you: no one sets you working hours or gives you tasks to work on. Your career is your own responsibility now, wich can be great but also difficult sometimes. You need to work disciplined and hit it up. That’s why the first years as a freelancer are probably the most exhausting ones. Hold the line!

2. Time management

This is a pretty large topic, but to put it in a nutshell: A to-do-list seems old fashioned but helps you to work efficiantly. What I mean is, that it is important to organize your working hours. Being well organized also helps to maximize your strenghts and minimize your distractions.

3. Communication

It is a keenly important skill to be able to communicate effectively with clients and customers. Therefore it will help you to understand their needs and wants as well as to understand their business. In addition to that you need to land your business in first place. Here it is helpful to build up a customer service. Give your customers and clients the feeling of being reliable and accessable.

The new W3B report shows why internet users become “fans”.

Social networks are first and foremost a base for human relations. 82 percent of social networkers said that they use the networks predominantly for private contacts, 28 percent use social networks for business contacts.

The social network user count is constantly growing. Today 3 of 4 internet users are registered on a social network. Simultaneously with the growing of the user count, the attractiveness of the online-marketing and -sales grows. But are companies in social networks really so important? Do the users actually recognize them?

The new W3B report says yes, although maybe not at first glance. About 40 percent of the social networkers say that they have never dealt with company presences or their ads.

However: At least one of five has visited a fan-site. One in eight does visit fan sites often. Meanwhile, 46 percent of the social networkers indicated that they are already a “fan” or a “follower” of a brand, a product or a company.

projektwerk Osteraktion:  Wo hat sich Ihr letzter Projektpartner versteckt?
Erhalten Sie eine Laufzeitverlängerung auf Ihre projektwerk Mitgliedschaft.

Es ist mal wieder so weit: Die Ostertage stehen vor der Tür, die Sonne scheint und nicht nur die Kleinsten dürfen nach ihren Ostergeschenken suchen.

projektwerk schenkt Ihnen bei Abschluss einer Premium-Mitgliedschaft einen Osterbonus:
Auf die Buchung einer 3-Monats-Mitgliedschaft erhalten Sie 14 Tage Premium-Mitgliedschaft geschenkt. Auf eine 6-Monats-Buchung bekommen Sie 30 Tage extra. Und auf eine 12-Monats-Mitgliedschaft gibt es ganze 60 Tage geschenkt.

So einfach geht’s:
Nach der Registrierung buchen Sie den von Ihnen gewählten Zeitraum und teilen uns per E-Mail an feedback@projektwerk.de mit in welchem Versteck Sie Ihren letzten Projektpartner gefunden haben (bspw. über eine Projektbörse oder über einen privaten Kontakt). Wir schalten Ihnen dann schnellstmöglich Ihre persönliche Laufzeitverlängerung frei.

Die Aktion läuft ab sofort bis einschließlich Ostermontag, dem 25.04.2011 VERLÄNGERT BIS 30.04.2011.

Wir freuen uns von Ihren „Verstecken“ zu hören und wünschen Ihnen ein schönes Osterfest!

1.    KISS
Keep it short and simple! This is what KISS means. It is a very basic rule in communication. Consumers do not like to read long texts. They must understand your message in 5 seconds.

2.    Do not sell the product, sell its benefits
Most ads are simply descriptive, they explain what the product or service is about.
Example: If you drink this water you won’t be thirsty any more. This is not very unique, because water can always satisfy your thirst. A benefit could be, if you drink this water your digestion will work better or you will feel fit.

3.    Communicate to peoples basic needs
Nowadays a lot of advertisers count on the famous slogan “sex sells”. Here you’ll find Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and see why this is:

a) Physiological Needs
Food, water, air, shelter, sex

b) Safety and Security Needs
Protection, order, stability

c) social needs
affection, friendships, belonging

d) ego needs
prestige, status, self-esteem

e) self-actualization
self-fulfillment

Many aspire to be a writer, but how exactly do you go about becoming a freelance writer and why would a person choose this path?

The dream of writing is becoming more attainable for a larger group of people. The technological advances broadened the ways of communication between people – especially the internet has helped making writing accessible to nearly everyone. Due to this an increasing number of writers are now able to see their words published. Freelance writing might be the answer for those who haven’t been able to publish a book yet, who have lost a job and need an income, or for writers who simply want to explore the world of writing.

Why become a freelance writer?

• a freelance writer is self-employed and able to write for any publication or company
  
• fewer author’s dreams of publishing a book are becoming reality so a lot of them turn to freelance writing to fulfill their passion in writing
  
• freelance writing is a way to stay connected and up to date to the publishing world
• to stay in contact with other talented writers might help to improve your skills
• for all practical purposes it’s good that freelance writers can choose their working hours
  
• to have control over what you spend your time on can be pretty appealing
  
• how profitable the jobs are, is based on how much a freelancer chooses to work e.g. with higher pay for more articles
  
• freelance writing is so appealing because your are your own boss – this can be motivating for people who are driven, creative, goal-setters and people who won’t fail to meet deadlines
  

Nevertheless freelance writing can be a downfall for those who need a lot of guidance and another person telling them which work needs to be done, and especially when it has to be done in a project. Freelance writing is a lifestyle built around words and creativity combined with long working hours. It can be a stressful job but passionated writers are definitely proud when their work is being published.

You are a freelance writer knowing more reasons for a career like that? Do you agree with this article? Feel free to comment and leave a reply!

Article based on: www.suite101.com

As a creative freelancer, like writer, musician, artis and so on, you need to generate projects with a few big organsisations to guarantee the commission.

A suggestion: Hence a blog about blogging strategies for freelance creatives and try to attract attention and new business. Here is a diagram which might help:

origin: jonvagg

1. Are you a morning person?
If so, you probably know the advantages of getting up early and to have finished  a good part of the work in time. However, if you are not a morning person – like me – you probably resist to get up early. There is still the evening. I discovered that the late starters can be productive in the morning as well. In the beginning it may be an obstacle, but the feeling of having done so much before lunch as usual in the late evening, is worth it. Not to mention all the free evenings too …

2. Structure your day
If you work in a company, there are small breaks almost automatically. You go into the kitchen, make yourself a coffee – for some smoking breaks are mandatory anyway – and relax a bit. Your eyes may thank you when they are allowed to rest on something other than the monitor for sometime. As a freelancer, it is sometimes difficult to make breaks. Therefore, plan your working day as much detailed as possible – including the pauses. You will get used to it, to keep your own guidelines.

3. No interruptions
A new notice at Facebook, mails are coming in, the cell phone rings – and you lose your track. If you want to concentrate on your work, it is important that all these small disturbances are off. So you don’t have a excuse to be distracted. Plan fixed times for mails, social networks and the phone (the phone especially if you don’t have a separate business cell phone) and stick to it – just like the breaks.

4. Avoid loneliness
Spend the lunch break for example with friends or a business lunch appointment. A new trend are coworking spaces. You can find a detailed list about coworking spaces here.

picture: pixelio

It is a cliché, but it’s true: The best ideas you have in the shower – or on the way to the office, in the evening in the pub, running in the park: Whenever we do not consciously try to have ideas. And this is a problem in brainstormings and creative meetings in companies: they provide you when you shall have to be creative and ideas.

Simon Sinek writes this in his Blog RE:Fokus. Unconsciously, we have access to much more information, learnings and memories. That is why our decisions are easier if we find them not only reasonable, but also there is a “good feeling” in it – they are then in line with our experience. The more different experiences we have, the more and more different ideas we can find. They are those who are then called “fancy”. Sinek every morning has two or three good ideas in the shower, since he is still there splashy, after he finished with the actual showers.

It hast not to be the shower, bute yes the place or the activities that brings one to most ideas. Find more tips here: “Spend More Time In The Shower”