Well, we were so busy in March that we couldn't quite get this newsletter out in time! It's been possibly our busiest month ever, with our first Freelancentral social in Cape Town and the Design Indaba Expo. Welcome to all our new freelancers and clients who have joined us in the last month! It's all good and we've had fantastic feedback that Freelancentral is WORKING for our members and clients. Read on to find out what people have been saying about Freelancentral and for this month's success stories.
issue 12 ::
march 2007
CAPE TOWN GET-TOGETHER
On 20 February, around 60 freelancers and clients came along to Wayne's Wheels to meet, share experiences, network and sample Cape Hutton's gorgeous wines. Many business cards changed hands and there were many requests for another event soon... so watch the site for updates.
A big thank you to Wayne and Cape Hutton for their sponsorship.
Click here for comments and photos.
COMING SOON: Jozi Social
The first Jozi/Gauteng Freelancentral social will be in May - date and venue to be finalized. If you know of a bar who'd be keen to host us, please let Jo know. Keep an eye on the site for updates.
FREELANCE IN PRETORIA?
Bonita Vos loves freelancing but says it can get lonely at times. If you are in the Pretoria area and would like to meet other freelancers to get help, bounce ideas around or just chat about the industry over a weekly coffee, do let her know. Click here for Bonita's details.
NEW: Advice line for Lite/Full portfolio members
Lite and Full portfolio members can now make use of our free Advice Line. We'll do our best to answer your questions about payment, tricky clients, ethical dilemmas and more; and give you an honest assessment of your portfolio, with tips on how to improve it. Just call the Freelancentral team on 021 674 6166 or email us.
NEW SKILLS LISTED
- Translation (find it under WRITING)
- Production consulting (find it in PRODUCTION or CONSULTING)
SITE STATS FOR FEBRUARY 2007
- Hits: 268,062
- Page impressions: 63,312
- Unique visitors: 5,116
- Want to advertise on Freelancentral?
PREPAID, AFFORDABLE ADSL
The Freelancentral team can't say enough good things about our broadband ISP, WebAfrica. We use their prepaid ADSL which costs just R70 per gigabyte. Once you've used it up, simply go online and buy another one. It doesn't expire at the end of the month and you pay only for what you use. Plus their customer service is outstanding.
Click here to find out more.
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REPORTBACK: Design Indaba Expo 2007
Wow - what a brilliant 3.5 days! It felt like there was at least twice as much interest in Freelancentral this year as last year. And we noticed that there was a 50:50 balance between clients and freelancers too, which was wonderful. Several visitors remembered us from last year - must be our bright branding!
Our mini-exhibition of freelancers' work went down really well and having the site live at the show meant we could demonstrate exactly how the site works.
The main feedback from clients was that they want to SEE freelancers' work on the site before they contact them, so freelancers, get your portfolios up ASAP! Freelancers loved our concept and several said they'd invest in an online portfolio instead of forking out for their own website. We are looking forward to seeing lots more portfolios online soon.
Click here for a more detailed report on this year's Expo, or here for a report from one of our exhibiting freelancers.
A big THANK YOU to Hirt & Carter who once again helped us with our beautiful vinyl graphics.
FEATURE: Kak - duidelik!
Kak Duidelik is a community-focussed website that is aimed at the South African coloured community, both locally and abroad.
Since its launch in March 2006, the website has developed a strong following in SA and Europe, Asia, USA and Australia. The website was started by two chommies (friends) from the ghettos of Retreat and Athlone. Freelancentral members Sergei (a.k.a. Mulla) and Farrel (a.k.a. Ferril) conceptualized, designed and developed the site as a way to find their somewhat lost coloured identities, but it has since grown into a community that is, to put it simply... Kak Duidelik.
In 2007, the KD Crew will be concentrating heavily on creating social responsibility amongst the coloured community. They'll be addressing issues like poverty, drug abuse, crime as well as the upliftment of people. With the help and support of their visitors, the Crew is positive that they can make a difference.
The site is one of the nominees for the 2007 South African Weblog Awards. Check out kakduidelik.co.za for more info.
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SUCCESS STORIES |
- Bonita Vos's Lite portfolio is boosting her freelance career.
- Ivancka Kroell works her design magic for Submedia - and her client has some advice for other freelancers on how to get noticed.
We've also had emails from the following freelancers telling us they are getting enquiries and work from the site: Turn Down Elliot, Red Hot Designs, Design Culprit and Mutant.
Are you a client or freelancer with a Freelancentral success story to tell - or do you a suggestion for us? We would love to hear from you - please send us a mail.
A tribute to Taki
You might have seen this furry face on Freelancentral if you've been on the site in the last two weeks. Jo's beautiful 2 year old tabby boy, who was an honourary member of the Freelancentral team, passed away after a sudden and serious illness on 14.03.07. If you have cats, ask your vet to test them for feline leukaemia (FeLV) and feline AIDS (FIV) so that if they are positive, you can get advice on how best to look after them.
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