Saturday, March 31, 2012

Introduction to Bitcoins and the Tor Network

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/introductions-to-bitcoins-tor-network/

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How to Work at Home When Your Life Is a Complete Madhouse


I?ll be honest? my home life is completely insane. My house is like a zoo with two feral monkeys on the loose, tearing apart everything they can get their little hands on.

There are spills, wrecks, crying jags, minor explosions, loud thumping sounds (heads on walls probably), and occasional horror-movie-style screams. It?s amazing that two tiny people can create so much chaos.

My wife does all she can, but she?s outnumbered. I provide back-up, but I?ve also got a job to do. In spite of all the madness, I still somehow manage to write for several hours each day.

Speaking of which, I should get started on some work right now while they’re eating pancakes. Here are 5 of the ways I keep from going completely nuts and manage to keep my freelance writing projects on track.

Tip 1 ? Don?t Get Stressed

Even when your life is absolute madness, there are always ways to de-stress. Maybe it’s exercise, soothing music, meditation, games of computer solitaire ? whatever works to get your mind off the insanity. Find one or two things that help you de-stress and schedule short sessions throughout your day. If you don?t schedule them, they won’t get done.

Also, make sure they?re not in any way bad for your health. A fifth of Jim Beam each day might cure your stress, but you?ll end up with worse problems. Taking potshots at birds through your office window may help you stay grounded, but it?s dangerous and illegal. Drilling a tiny hole in your forehead may make everything all right, but? you get the point.

Tip 2 ? Be Here Now

Kids operate on their own time. You have to be on that time with them. You also need to be focused on your work. If you work at home, they?re going to distract you and you should let them. When they need something, stop work and forget about what you were doing. When you’re with the kids, be only with the kids. When you’re working, be only working.

This shifting of gears is a bit tricky at first. In fact, switching too much actually adds to your stress. If I can?t work 30 minutes or more, I don?t bother trying. The reason is that working in 15 minute chunks alternating with taking care of kids leads to mental meltdown. It?s better to work only when you have a reasonable stretch of time, even if you have to wait for it.

Tip 3 ? Rearrange Your Sleep Schedule

There are two ways of doing this ? get up early or stay up late.

You can get up while the world is still dark outside and watch the morning joggers while you work away. You?ll get several precious hours done before the first child wakes up and starts harassing you. Or you can wait until the kids are tucked in and snoring, and then get down to business.

I’ve made the shift to mornings even though it’s painful for me. I’m used to it now and it’s a much more productive time for me. Experiment with it and find out what works best for you. Just make sure you get enough sleep. If you’re zombified by sleep deprivation, you’ll make things much harder for your brain (and your patience).

Tip 4 ? Give Up and Go With The Flow

As a writer, I?m obsessed with deadlines and the work I have to finish today. But through my hectic family life, I’ve learned how to let things go completely and forget all about it. Somehow, it gets done. Learning to give up on the idea of controlling things in your life is an important skill to learn when you’re a parent.

Of course, you can?t let go too much or else you’ll never get anything done. I set hopeful deadlines for myself and realistic deadlines for my clients. The work usually gets done somewhere in-between. If there’s a sick kid or an emergency afternoon playing at the park, it helps to have the leeway.

Tip 5 ? Remember Your Passion

What keeps me going even though my house looks like a tornado and Godzilla hit it at the same time? My passion for writing. If you keep in mind why you do what you do, it’s much easier to work anytime you’re allowed to. When my time gets squeezed into a few small hours at night when reasonable people are sleeping, I come alive. Keep your mind focused on doing what you love to do and you?ll get through it.

Do you have any ideas on working at home with your active children underfoot?

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by innershadows.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FreelanceSwitch/~3/WP8alJHCZ1k/

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Use Elements as Background Images with -moz-element

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ScriptAndStyle/~3/0cRklQBK3RE/moz-element

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Book Review: The Cheese Monkeys

The Cheese Monkeys is the coming of age story of a teen boy (who we only know by his nickname,

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cmdshiftblog/~3/pjKLGCkm9aU/

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[Freebie] Splash of Lemon Wallpaper

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/splash-of-lemon-wallpaper/

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Web Designing: Which Blog Platform to Choose to best Showcase your Work?

Web Designing: Which Blog Platform to Choose to best Showcase your Work?

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/31/web-designing-which-blog-platform-to-choose-to-best-showcase-your-work/

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A Glossary of Python Objects, Types, Classes, and Instances

While writing the article on the internals of Python callables,
it occurred to me that some things in Python have more than one name.
At the same time, some names are sometimes used to refer to more than
one entity, and which one is implied has to be understood from context.
Therefore, I think it?s a good idea to collect this nomenclature in a
single place for the sake of my future...

Source: http://feeds.dzone.com/~r/zones/css/~3/yacuAuQ1pQM/glossary-python-objects-types

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15 Young and Talented Designers

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/young-and-talented-web-designers/

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VAT moving fully online this weekend

Since April 2010 newly-formed businesses and those with turnovers exceeding �100,000 have had to file their VAT online, but from this weekend online filing will be mandatory for all. Around 1.9 million businesses in the UK still use paper-based returns, but from Monday they will have to move to HMRC’s electronic filing system, and also pay their VAT bills online. If this number includes you, the best place to get started is HMRC’s page on moving your VAT online. Much like self-assessments and Corporation Tax, VAT carries hefty late filing penalties, so staying on top of your payments and submissions is highly advised. Luckily, HMRC’s online filing system also includes timed reminder emails to let you know when your next returns are due. Photo by�Gisela Giardino

Source: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/news/vat-moving-fully-online-this-weekend/

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Upload Photos to Flickr with PHP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ScriptAndStyle/~3/kgaNxIResSA/flickr-php

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WordPress Conditional Tags (And Snippets) for Beginners

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wordpress-conditional-tags-beginners/

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WordPress Conditional Tags (And Snippets) for Beginners

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wordpress-conditional-tags-beginners/

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Book Review: The Cheese Monkeys

The Cheese Monkeys is the coming of age story of a teen boy (who we only know by his nickname,

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cmdshiftblog/~3/pjKLGCkm9aU/

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WordPress Plugin Releases for 3/22

New plugins Keyring provides a very hookable, completely customizable framework for connecting your WordPress site to an external service. SuperSlider-Perpost-Code allows you to write css and javascript code directly on your post edit screen on a per post basis. ToolBar Removal allows you to completely disable the WordPress toolbar without loosing logout functionality. Updated plugins CloudFlare ensures your WordPress blog is running optimally on the CloudFlare platform. Fast Secure Contact Form lets your visitors send you a quick e-mail message and blocks all common spammer tactics. Additionally, the plugin has a multi-form feature, optional extra fields, and an option to redirect visitors to any URL after the message is sent. Image Widget uses a native WordPress upload thickbox to add image widgets to your site. JewishDate shows the current date in the sidebar, in phonetic Hebrew. Store Locator allows you to efficiently display and manage your important stores, locations, or [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogtoolscollection/UXMP/~3/ppZWhtzq-p8/

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The Business of Job Bid Sites for Freelancers


Bid sites have become a part of freelancing, no matter how much some of us dig in our heels and scream otherwise. It?s become very common for a freelancer to land her first clients through a site like Elance or Odesk, or for a freelancer to pick up some work to fill in holes in their schedule.

Sure, the rates are lower than what we can probably get when we?re dealing with clients on our own ? or at least they feel that way after the site takes a bite out of our revenues. But there is a level of convenience that bid sites offer.

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of job bid sites before you start using them.

Understanding the Business of Bid Sites

If you?re working through a bid site, even on an irregular basis, it?s worthwhile to take a look at how that site makes its money ? to understand exactly how things work (or don?t work) in your favor. For instance, Elance made $156 million in 2011 ? by charging between 6.75 percent and 8.75 percent on any project payment made through the site, as well as by charging freelancers who accept more than a handful of projects through the site for a membership plan. That?s certainly not bad for a company that was founded less than fifteen years ago.

It?s easy for a freelancer to look at those numbers and worry ? after all, why should we share millions of dollars of revenue with a company that isn?t actually doing any of the work on our projects? But the reality is that these companies are providing a valuable service; otherwise people simply wouldn?t use them. The important thing is to understand how they handle money so that you can earn the maximum possible if you?re working through such sites.

Making the Money Work

It?s easy enough to see that making a comparable amount on clients you find through a bid site and clients you find on your own, you need to bid higher ? at least enough to cover the percentage that the bid site collects for its fee. Most sites have variations in their fees: for Elance, the biggest question is how large the project is. If you?re earning more than $10,000 on a project, you can qualify for the lower fee structure. You need to read up on the specifics of any site you consider using. When in doubt, bid high enough to absorb the highest fees a site might charge.

But that isn?t enough: you also need to consider two other sources of fees that reduce the income you take home from any bid site: membership fees and money transfer fees. While most bid sites have a free membership level that you can use if you?re only bidding on a handful of projects, many do charge a monthly fee for heavier users.

Exactly how membership plans can break down can be complicated. Elance in particular, has a complex system: you can pay a yearly fee starting at $120 and going up to get the ability to bid on more projects (called ?connects? on Elance), as well as buy connects individually. Depending on how many projects you handle through a bid site, membership fees can add up quickly.

You also need to take into consideration how you?re going to get any money you earn back out of a bid site. There tend to be all sorts of different options, like checks, wire transfers and PayPal ? each of which may have different costs associated with them.

You may also incur further fees if you?re located outside of the country that a site operates in: you may have to pay for currency conversion or international wire transfers. It?s not always clear whether you?ll get hit with fees on the other end, like PayPal?s standard fees. Depending on the specific situation, you may be looking at a total of 10 percent of a given project going to all these costs, possibly more.

The Price of Convenience

The best way to deal with those fees, at least from a business perspective, is to bid high enough to cover them for every project. The problem you may encounter, though, is that on bid sites, lower bids tend to win. That?s not always the case: savvy businesses will choose freelancers who will clearly be able to get a project done rather than the lowest bid on any given project, but to do well on bid sites, you do have to be competitive.

There is an argument that bid sites speed up the process of finding work for freelancers significantly. You have to decide for yourself if that convenience is worth it to you if you have to charge lower rates to land those clients. It?s a hard choice to make, and for many freelancers it doesn?t make sense. But it is also a personal choice. If you freelance part time or otherwise don?t have a lot of time to devote to landing new clients, using bid sites may be an effective strategy for you.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by bbbar.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FreelanceSwitch/~3/c9ih9wB6ktE/

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WordPress Conditional Tags (And Snippets) for Beginners

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wordpress-conditional-tags-beginners/

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A How-to Guide for Hosting on OpenShift

I?ve recently moved this blog to run on WordPress running on RedHat?s OpenShift Express.
If you?ve not heard of OpenShift, it?s:

Preview Text: 


Including how to install the client tools, create a domain/app, provide MySQL support, install WordPress and push to OpenShift.

Source: http://feeds.dzone.com/~r/zones/css/~3/4oKU4P2HRt0/how-guide-hosting-openshift

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5 Must-Know Facebook Timeline Tips/Ticks

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/must-know-facebook-timeline-tips-tricks/

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Introduction to Bitcoins and the Tor Network

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/introductions-to-bitcoins-tor-network/

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Government boosts freelancer & SME contracts

Last year the Government promised to increase the number of public sector contracts being awarded to freelancers, contractors and small businesses, in part through their Business Link Contract Finder service, which gave smaller firms the opportunity to search for public sector contracts they wished to bid on.

Source: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/getting-a-job/government-boosts-freelancer-sme-contracts/

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Karaoke Jams: February 2012

Last month I decided to post a monthly log of my Thursday night Karaoke hijinks. January was much more active,

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cmdshiftblog/~3/gLhbjheaM7I/

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20 Brilliant & Hallucinating Absinthe Bottle Designs

20 Brilliant & Hallucinating Absinthe Bottle Designs

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/29/20-brilliant-hallucinating-absinthe-bottle-designs/

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New High Quality Free Fonts

New High Quality Free Fonts

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/30/new-high-quality-free-fonts/

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

20+ examples of beautiful and inspiring fonts

Choosing fonts for design projects can be a daunting task because there’s thousands of fonts out there all over the web that you could use. Whether you’re looking to create a big, bold logo for your business or work on a poster for an event here’s a collection of inspiring fonts that are perfect for [...]

Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/03/20-examples-of-beautiful-and-inspiring-fonts/

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15 Young and Talented Designers

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/young-and-talented-web-designers/

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Cat Flag and more Black Flag Logo Plays

I’m sure you’ve seen this. 2 of my favorite things mixed together, CATS and BLACK FLAG! :) Anyway, I came

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cmdshiftblog/~3/fHYaStaDzF8/

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Back to basics: how to code an HTML5 template

Markup is a beautiful thing, and it certainly has changed over the years. What was effectively HTML1, has certainly progressed to an amazing semantic markup language, to which we can largely thank the W3C. And, what do ya know, the next thing to thank them for has come about – HTML5. Unlike previous version of [...]

Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/03/back-to-basics-how-to-code-an-html5-template/

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Seven tips to make your mobile website shine

Designing web content for mobile browsers on hand-held devices like smartphones requires some different elements of web design compared to sites intended to be viewed on a full computer screen.

Source: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/resources/seven-tips-to-make-your-mobile-website-shine/

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Really Unique Handmade Typography Designs

Really Unique Handmade Typography Designs

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/28/really-unique-handmade-typography-designs/

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Review: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

When a lot of designers and creative types think about photo editing, they think Photoshop. But the truth is that Photoshop can be way over-powered for many types of photo editing. And all those options can lead to creative overload, making it impossible to get your work done in a timely manner. That doesn’t mean [...]

Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/03/review-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-4/

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40+ Coffee/Espresso Logo Designs for Inspiration

40+ Coffee/Espresso Logo Designs for Inspiration

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/29/40-coffeeespresso-logo-designs-for-inspiration/

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HTML5 Best Practices for Designers

HTML5 Best Practices for Designers

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/29/html5-best-practices-for-designers/

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

How to Setup Messages + Facebook Chat in OS X Lion [Quicktip]

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/facebook-chat-macosx/

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How to Setup Messages + Facebook Chat in OS X Lion [Quicktip]

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/facebook-chat-macosx/

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Unobtrusive Website Toolbars to Help Increase User Engagement

Source: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/unobtrusive-website-toolbars/

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VAT Registration threshold jumps to �77,000

One titbit from Wednesday’s 2012 Budget that slipped under the radar was a bump in the VAT registration threshold from �73,000 to �77,000 on April 1st. The change will be of interest to freelancers approaching the threshold as they can now wait a little longer to arrange their registration. A quick reminder of how VAT registration works: Turnover is calculated on a rolling basis, so you’ll need to register if your turnover has gone above �77,000 in the last twelve calendar months You can choose between the basic VAT scheme or the flat-rate scheme (The flat rate scheme is designed to simplify things for small businesses and provides flat rate payments which vary by industry. The flat rate scheme can be advantageous so speak to your accountant!) All VAT is now filed online (more information here) Registration is compulsory once you reach the registration threshold, but you can register at your own discretion before that point (again, it could be advantageous so speak to your accountant!) VAT Registration applies to Sole Traders and limited companies alike The Treasury says the rise is in line with inflation, and has also raised the�deregistration�threshold from �71,000 to �75,000. Photo by�Okko Pyykk�

Source: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/vat-registration-threshold-jumps-to-77000/

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Linkswitch #98, Freelance Web Development, On The Road, Facebook Changes


Every other week we roundup some of the highest quality articles and resources that benefit freelancers from across the web. We present these articles here on various helpful topics. This week we have articles on learning freelance web development, grammar goofs, working on the road, and more.

linkswitch

7 Steps to Learning Freelance Web Development,

So you want to become a freelance web developer. Maybe you?re already a front-end developer and want to dig deeper into web applications, or maybe you?re a copy wiz and are eyeing the countless developer positions out there. Either way, it?s an entirely new skill you?ll be picking up. Here?s how to do it successfully.

The challenge for most is finding the right resources, understanding them, and staying motivated when you hit walls. While learning from quality resources is needed, it?s the process behind learning that will set you apart. It?s important to create the best learning environment to ensure your success.

15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

Making some grammatical errors just makes you look bad, and hurts your effectiveness. Assembled here (as a handy reference) are the 15 most egregious grammar goofs into one helpful infographic.

12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time

Blogging is a lot like fishing. Some people do it all the time and never catch anything?while others catch everything. Why is that? You know better than to say it is luck. So let?s call it what it is?when you look around at successful blogs?whatever industry or topic?there are several undeniable basics to success. And it starts with blog posts that kill it?rather than get killed. But what kills a blog post? Here?s a list of 12 things?ignore them and you will have a tough time being successful.

On The Road: How To Produce Great Work While Traveling The World

So what’s the secret to taking the plunge? Jump into this interview with professional travelers on the99percent.

7 New Facebook Changes Impacting Businesses

Facebook pages are changing. And that means your business strategy will need to change. In fact, Facebook has made many new changes that will impact anyone with a Facebook page. These changes emerged from Facebook?s fMC 2012 Conference. The overall message was that Facebook is looking at pages as a ?mission control? point (which is where the MC comes from in the conference title). Here is an overview of the changes and how brands can take advantage of some of the new features.

A Scientific Approach to Writing Page Titles

Most clever bloggers spend a little thought on each page title?they think carefully about how to word it in such a way as to get both the search engines and the potential readers to pay attention. But let?s face it, if this is your method, all you are really doing is typing something that ?sounds good.? Learn a slightly more scientific approach to page titles.

Earning More When You Have No Free Time: How a full-time law student earned $50k on the side

Learn how liz earned $50,000 on the side as a law student? With a part-time job and a new baby – quite a few barriers to work around with regard to to time mangement. Learn how she doubled her average hourly rate and tips on how you can do it too.

The Cold, Hard Truth About Guest Posts

Learn the problems with most guest post submissions. How to avoid them and increase your acceptance ratio. You’d be surprised how slapped-together and filled with grammar and structural problems most guest post submissions have.

The Freelancer?s Pros and Cons of Early Adoption

As a freelancer, should you be an early adopter? The answer is, that depends? This post weighs the pros and cons of becoming an early adopter from a freelancing standpoint.

4 To-Dos for the ?Someday? Entrepreneur

Surprisingly, the ability to take the plunge into entrepreneurship has a lot less to do with people?s personalities, and a lot more to do with how accessible and familiar the experience of entrepreneurship is to them. Those who can picture themselves running a business often do.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FreelanceSwitch/~3/-_7jiu3PLPE/

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Coffee shop coworking aids productivity, study finds

We’re big fans of coffee shop coworking here at Freelance Advisor. We honestly can’t think of a finer activity than sitting down for a nice cup of coffee and a chat with some fellow freelancers, and getting some work done to boot. We’d recommend freelancers similarly enamoured with coffee shop coworking check out Jelly, a series of local weekly events for freelancers to enjoy some coffee and good company. Happily, we now have some science to back up our assertions about coffee shop coworking. The Journal of Consumer Research conducted a study which challenged 300 participants to complete a range of mental exercises at three different noise levels. One group completed the tasks in complete silence, one group at noise levels of 70 decibels (around what you could expect in a coffee shop), and one group in “loud” conditions. Happily for coworking freelancers everywhere, the group experiencing roughly coffee-shop levels of noise scored highest in creativity tests and were deemed to be “more innovative” than their compatriots. But not all freelancers and small business owners are so in love with coffee shop working, it would seem. A separate study by The Office Group (who deal in flexible office space, so [...]

Source: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/working-from-home/coffee-shop-coworking-aids-productivity-study-finds/

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Photoshop Tutorial: How to create an Ice effect on your text

Photoshop Tutorial: How to create an Ice effect on your text

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/28/photoshop-tutorial-how-to-create-an-ice-effect-on-your-text/

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WordPress Theme Releases for 3/12

Brown World is a simple dark brown theme. My Life is a serene blogging theme that emphasizes your content with readable typography. Picochic is a neutral, light, clean and professional looking theme. Simple Black is a simple theme with a dark black design. Suede has two columns, fixed width, a left sidebar, and features a brilliant, vibrant orange-red, beige, tan, cream, brown, and taupe scheme.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogtoolscollection/UXMP/~3/wu_wLR0VRvU/

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Photoshop Tutorial: How to create an Ice effect on your text

Photoshop Tutorial: How to create an Ice effect on your text

Source: http://design-newz.com/2012/03/28/photoshop-tutorial-how-to-create-an-ice-effect-on-your-text/

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Cat Flag and more Black Flag Logo Plays

I’m sure you’ve seen this. 2 of my favorite things mixed together, CATS and BLACK FLAG! :) Anyway, I came

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cmdshiftblog/~3/fHYaStaDzF8/

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Your Social Media Persona


I got a call yesterday from a publishing house in New York City. One of my former interns had given them my contact information to use as a reference for the job she was applying for. I was pleasantly surprised to get the call.

A lot of the former interns who have worked for me, or with me, go out and look for jobs. And a lot of them use me as a reference. Rarely do I ever get a call from an employer who is interviewing these students. I always wonder why.

According to researchers at Cornell University, people are more likely to lie about their work experience on a traditional resume than they are on a social media page, like LinkedIn. In fact, the study found that 92% of college students lie at least once on their resumes.

The study says that websites such as LinkedIn can lead to greater honesty when it comes to r�sum� claims such as experience and responsibilities. That’s because claims are more easily verified in a public, online setting, so liars are more likely to get caught. ?Associated Press

Sure, many people fib on their resumes to make themselves look better. They say their hobbies include reading classical literature or writing poetry when really they spend the majority of their time watching reality television. These things are hard to verify. Which is why people have interviews?to test the legitimacy of the actual resume.

But college students, and others who are looking for work, need to be aware that employers are savvy. They are looking you up online before they call you in for an interview. And if they?re not?they should be.

When I was in graduate school, I was an online reporter intern for Inc.com. I made friends with the interns on the print side who were hired to help put together the magazine?s Inc. 500 list. It was 2006 and I wasn?t yet on Facebook.

The print team were looking to hire a new group of interns for their project, and they were looking up every college student applicant on Facebook and finding out some very interesting things. One girl, that looked impressive on paper, had photos on Facebook of her smoking a bong at a party. The editors were not impressed. I believe her resume went into the circular filing cabinet?the trash.

It was my first glimpse into how social media was affecting hiring practices, and I never forgot it. Here are some other tips on how to make yourself look better online for potential jobs:

Clean up Facebook

Make sure you don?t have any compromising photos on Facebook. Do a search for images that your friends have tagged you in and make sure they?re clean. Even if you and your friends have privacy settings in place, that doesn?t mean this info is ever really private. If an image makes you think twice, get rid of it.

Professional Email

As an adjunct professor, I?ve seen some pretty ridiculous email addresses from students. It?s time to ditch cupcakekitty69@webaddress.com and get something more professional. If an email address like that comes into my inbox, either my spam filter will catch it or I will?and I won?t find it amusing or cute. When you are out there sending your resume and clips for potential freelance jobs, you need to put your best foot forward?and most often that starts with your email address.

Be Consistent

Make sure the same information you have on your resume matches what you have on your social media sites?because people will check. Any discrepancies automatically raise a red flag. The information should match?or at least be similar enough that it doesn?t look like you are lying.

Of course you are going to tailor your resume, pitches, and cover letters to each new opportunity, but don?t fabricate. If you dropped out of college a few credits shy of graduation, you did not graduate. If you paid for a seminar or professional development class, but didn?t really attend, you didn?t go.

Stay on Good Terms

If things don?t go your way on a job, and you don?t part ways amicably, do not use social media to ?get back at them? because it only makes you look bad. Avoid complaining about clients online all together.

Not only can the client easily find out, if they are ever contacted by a potential future employee, they won?t hold back. Plus, no future employer wants to take the chance that they might end up the brunt of jokes and complaining on your Facebook or Twitter. They?ll just hire someone else that isn?t a loose canon.

Social media makes our lives easier in some respects, like staying in touch with family and friends, as well as sharing information. But unless you are careful, your online persona could get in the way of your professional one.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by xilius.


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Monday, March 26, 2012

Linkswitch #98, Freelance Web Development, On The Road, Facebook Changes


Every other week we roundup some of the highest quality articles and resources that benefit freelancers from across the web. We present these articles here on various helpful topics. This week we have articles on learning freelance web development, grammar goofs, working on the road, and more.

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7 Steps to Learning Freelance Web Development,

So you want to become a freelance web developer. Maybe you?re already a front-end developer and want to dig deeper into web applications, or maybe you?re a copy wiz and are eyeing the countless developer positions out there. Either way, it?s an entirely new skill you?ll be picking up. Here?s how to do it successfully.

The challenge for most is finding the right resources, understanding them, and staying motivated when you hit walls. While learning from quality resources is needed, it?s the process behind learning that will set you apart. It?s important to create the best learning environment to ensure your success.

15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

Making some grammatical errors just makes you look bad, and hurts your effectiveness. Assembled here (as a handy reference) are the 15 most egregious grammar goofs into one helpful infographic.

12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time

Blogging is a lot like fishing. Some people do it all the time and never catch anything?while others catch everything. Why is that? You know better than to say it is luck. So let?s call it what it is?when you look around at successful blogs?whatever industry or topic?there are several undeniable basics to success. And it starts with blog posts that kill it?rather than get killed. But what kills a blog post? Here?s a list of 12 things?ignore them and you will have a tough time being successful.

On The Road: How To Produce Great Work While Traveling The World

So what’s the secret to taking the plunge? Jump into this interview with professional travelers on the99percent.

7 New Facebook Changes Impacting Businesses

Facebook pages are changing. And that means your business strategy will need to change. In fact, Facebook has made many new changes that will impact anyone with a Facebook page. These changes emerged from Facebook?s fMC 2012 Conference. The overall message was that Facebook is looking at pages as a ?mission control? point (which is where the MC comes from in the conference title). Here is an overview of the changes and how brands can take advantage of some of the new features.

A Scientific Approach to Writing Page Titles

Most clever bloggers spend a little thought on each page title?they think carefully about how to word it in such a way as to get both the search engines and the potential readers to pay attention. But let?s face it, if this is your method, all you are really doing is typing something that ?sounds good.? Learn a slightly more scientific approach to page titles.

Earning More When You Have No Free Time: How a full-time law student earned $50k on the side

Learn how liz earned $50,000 on the side as a law student? With a part-time job and a new baby – quite a few barriers to work around with regard to to time mangement. Learn how she doubled her average hourly rate and tips on how you can do it too.

The Cold, Hard Truth About Guest Posts

Learn the problems with most guest post submissions. How to avoid them and increase your acceptance ratio. You’d be surprised how slapped-together and filled with grammar and structural problems most guest post submissions have.

The Freelancer?s Pros and Cons of Early Adoption

As a freelancer, should you be an early adopter? The answer is, that depends? This post weighs the pros and cons of becoming an early adopter from a freelancing standpoint.

4 To-Dos for the ?Someday? Entrepreneur

Surprisingly, the ability to take the plunge into entrepreneurship has a lot less to do with people?s personalities, and a lot more to do with how accessible and familiar the experience of entrepreneurship is to them. Those who can picture themselves running a business often do.


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