Archives for March 2009

Product Placement: Audio Recording + Transcribing Resources

March 31, 2009 by 2 Comments

rca-audio-recorderolympus-telephone-recording-device

[RCA Rp5022 64 Mb Voice Recorder With Usb, $19.98, Amazon]

[Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device, $17.71, Amazon]

I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately and, to get the job done, I’ve been using the items above.

My voice recorder (new versions are available) has a ton of storage place, allows me to place markers within my sound files, and includes a USB port for uploading to my computer. My telephone recording device also works like a charm, one end plugging into my recorder, the other going into my ear, allowing me to record all of my telephone interviews. Both of them being quite cheap, I’d recommend them to any writer on a budget.

But once the interviews are done, the worst part still remains: transcribing.

After the jump, a few resources for those who wish transcribing could be easier, or for those who’d like to outsource it altogether!

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Filed Under: products, Resources, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Link Love: March 27

March 27, 2009 by 3 Comments

I’ve been hella busy lately, but have still been attempting to put up at least three Freelancedom posts a week. Please don’t leave meeee!!!

Bribery: This week’s link love.

Filed Under: link love Tagged With: , ,

Using Twitter to Achieve World Domination (In Your Field)

March 27, 2009 by 2 Comments

twitter_logo

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about Twitter before. After all, I’ve been using it to promote my writing and connect with other freelancers for quite some time now, and even did a guest post over at TwiTip on taking your Twitter networking from online to in-the-flesh.

I think it warrants a mention here at Freelancedom, no?

After the jump, 4 ways to use Twitter as a means of building your personal business:

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Filed Under: community, marketing, networking Tagged With:

Cornering the Market? Or Feeling Cornered?

March 24, 2009 by 3 Comments

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I remember how good it felt when I first published this piece on YourTango. Finally, I thought to myself. Something that’s not about sex.

I was reminded of this yesterday, when I appeared on a radio show to talk about the experiences detailed in the article. Near the end of our chat, one of the hosts asked me where listeners could find more of my work. I dutifully rattled off my url.

Afterwards, I panicked. Poop! I thought to myself. When they go to my site, all they’ll find is sex stuff! Is that really all I want to be known for?

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Filed Under: writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Link Love: March 20

March 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

It’s weird. I’ve been feeling oddly discouraged lately, despite the fact that I’m working on pieces for two great publications. Luckily, I’ve been finding plenty to inspire me, on both Twitter and my Google Reader. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: link love

What Can You Do For Me?

March 18, 2009 by 4 Comments

resume-overload

[Photo via]

We fill our resume with words and phrases such as “detail-oriented” and “innovative,” and list job responsibilities instead of quantifiable acomplishments and successes.

And then we send it off to an HR associate who has probably received…well, just about as many resumes as the woman in the photo above.

In a time when competition is getting fiercer, and all resumes look the same, isn’t it time to start rethinking the way you’re presenting yourself?

Cover letters are the place to start. But they won’t help you any if you continue to make the same mistakes. It’s time to start thinking about features vs. benefits.

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Filed Under: marketing Tagged With: , ,

Nothing To Do With Luck

March 17, 2009 by 5 Comments

I’ve been blogging about booze and four-leaf clovers over at Modern Materialist today, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. And all those clover images have got me thinking about luck. And how freelance success has nothing to do with it.

Hear me out.

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Filed Under: motivation, preparation Tagged With:

Link Love: March 13

March 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

It’s been a lazy week. Lazy, as in I was so thrown off by Wednesday’s on-site copy editing gig in Brooklyn that I was too lazy to post here on either Wednesday or Thursday. Will you forgive me if I provide you with some alternate reading material?

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Filed Under: link love

Product Placement: NiteNote

March 10, 2009 by 2 Comments

I blogged about this for Modern Materialist earlier today, and thought some of you might be interested.

As a writer, I find myself spending a lot of time staring at a blank screen. And then, at night, when I’m supposed to be shutting my brain down, ideas start coming fast and furious.

My husband hates this.

Every time I think of something new, I have to lean all the way over and turn the bedside lamp, so I can jot down my idea. Then I turn the lamp off again. Then I lie there tossing and turning and think of something new. I lean over. I turn on my bedside lamp. I start scribbling. And on and on.

Then, Michael brought this home:

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Filed Under: products Tagged With: , , ,

How to Remain Productive When the Shit Hits the Fan

March 9, 2009 by 7 Comments

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My husband told me I should write this post, despite the fact that all I really want to do is hide under five blankets while watching a foreign film I can cry along with. Perhaps while eating Nutella with a spoon.

About a year ago, I stopped using credit cards, transferring all my debt onto two 0%-interest cards that I planned on paying off within a year. Then I lost my most major client, and this plan was seriously derailed. I’ve never fully recovered from that huge loss of regular income.

Then, this morning, I realized that my year’s worth of 0% interest was up, and the APRs had jumped up to 22% and 29%. It made me feel so helpless. I hated the fact that I had gotten my act in gear, but was still paying for my previous idiocy. It made me wonder if I had been stupid to turn down two full-time job interviews in the past month. I became sure that I would never catch up. Never be debt-free. Never be able to afford a career coaching certification. Never be able to save for a house, or a family.

Understandably, I don’t feel much like blogging (or doing any sort of writing) this morning. Unfortunately, if I don’t write, I don’t get paid. So, after the jumps, the steps I’m taking to make it through today:

Filed Under: motivation
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