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As a web based freelancer there are certain resources that allow us to make our jobs easier, faster and or more manageable. Everyone has a set of tools they rely on daily and recommend to others, below is a list of my top four tools and why I use them along with how you can use them too.
The tools below are all free, accessible to anyone and relatively easy to use. A simple download, registration and or sign up is all that is required to use and or access them along with a strong desire to succeed. If you use any of these and something tells me (since you’re most likely a freelancer or aspire to be one) that you might be a regular user of at least one of the tools on my list, do leave your feedback below in the comment area.
1. Google Docs – this is one of my most widely used tools and it encompasses a variety of tools under the one umbrella. Google Docs is a comprehensive web based resource for word processing and creating spreadsheets among other types of documents. It’s feature rich and just about any type of word processing can be created using this neat and 100% free resource. I use it for writing my blog posts then transferring them to my sites, writing guest articles for my clients and also to create various spreadsheets where I keep track of certain freelance activities. If my laptop should fry, freeze or otherwise not become operational I am not dependent on it for my articles. I just go to Google Docs on ANY computer or laptop and there my docs await. This can be very refreshing since I depend on my articles and my word processor to put food on the table. Amen. I switched over from a traditional computer-based word processing format to web-based about a year or so ago and haven’t looked back since.
2. WordPress – in my humble opinion, the best CMS of all the CMS systems on the block. With WordPress, I can create any type of blog or website including an e-commerce shop, a company website, a blog, a portfolio and anything else I could wish for. The software is 100% free to download, use and upgrade. There’s a slight learning curve to get started as it’s a robust and powerful system, however once you get the initial set up out of the way, it’s smooth sailing and really all CMS systems are – learn as you go. Best thing to do should you want to learn WordPress and use it to create your blog or website, is to find a blog you like, see if they use WordPress and send them an email. If the blogger has been around for close to year or longer, odds are he or she will know the system well and would be happy to guide you along. That really is your best bet for training and or help with WordPress, another blogger.
3. PayPal – how would freelancers get paid without PayPal is a mystery to me. PayPal opened up a can of awesome, when it landed across freelance desks everywhere. About 60% of my income is processed through PayPal as I am a freelance writer and the companies and or clients I work for pay me via this method. Yes there’s a fee and this stinks however PayPal makes up for it in convenience, accessibility and ease of use. Is it right for you? One way to find out is to visit the PayPal site and see how they stack up against the other options available to web based freelancers.
4. Twitter – social media is also a great tool for web based freelancers as it connects peeps from all walks of life and every corner of the globe. Twitter is great for networking, chatting, socializing, content sharing, research, jobs, leads, information, press and so much more. There are many articles on the web discussing the many ways to best take advantage of this tool and how best to get benefit from it. I would start by looking up how to get Twitter followers, how to tweet, best tools for Twitter, etc. Twitter is also great for following those you genuinely have an interest in and want to know better.
Share with us below in the comment area what are some of your must have tools as a web based freelancer? I await your responses below and see what other goodies we can discover together.
Four Cool Tools For Web Based Freelancers is a post from: Technshare