issue 20 ::
november 2007

FREELANCENTRAL WINS BUSINESS AWARD

Thanks to the support of our members, Freelancentral came third in the VeloCITI business acceleration programme competition! We made 128% of our target, which we are very proud of and it's wonderful to see how the business has grown this year. All the freelancers who bought portfolios in October get 10% off all their portfolios purchased between Jan-June 2008. More information here. Photo by John Haigh Photography.

WE'RE MOVING (SOON)

We'll be moving office again in early December to beautiful Scarborough, in the deep south of the Cape peninsula. Please keep an eye on the site for our new landline and fax numbers.

SUCCESS STORIES GET 25% OFF

Don't forget that if you send us your Freelancentral success stories and we publish them in our newsletter or on the site, you'll get 25% off your next month's Full portfolio. Submit your stories by sending us a mail.

PORTFOLIO CRITIQUES

Are you selling yourself effectively in your Lite or Full portfolio? Wouldn't it be great to have someone give you an honest assessment of your portfolio, and tips on how to improve it? Lite and Full members can get this by making use of our Portfolio Critique service, via our free Advice Line. Just call the Freelancentral team on 021 683 9416 or mail us on info@freelancentral.co.za.

SITE STATS FOR SEPTEMBER 2007

• Hits: 218,460
• Page impressions: 80,181
• Unique visitors: 10,569
• 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.

Don't forget to keep checking www.freelancentral.co.za and the Freelancentral group on Facebook for Placements and Projects adverts.

CURRENT PLACEMENTS AND PROJECTS

• Digital account managers x 2 (CT, 2 month contract to perm)
• Advertising account director (3-4 months, CT)
• Flash designer/action scripter (2 weeks, JHB) - contact Jo for details
• Web designer/developer (permanent, JHB) - contact Jo for details
• Flex web developer (JHB, contract)
• Junior graphic designer (CT, 3 months +)
• Junior web analyst (CT, 6 months to perm)

The more we know about our freelancers, the more likely we are to call you when we get a brief in, so if you are available for placements, please sign up for a portfolio ASAP.

Here's what some of our members have had to say in the last month or so:

"I listed my porti yesterday afternoon, and before noon today I'd been called by an agency offering me a great project. Wow! I'll recoup the fees I paid within two hours. I'm really glad I made the investment in a porti on Freelancentral."
- Megan Craig, writing / strategy / new media, Western Cape

"Got my first contact after about 15 mins of being live - pretty good stuff."
- Rigard Kruger, new media / IT, Western Cape

"Within 4 days of activating my portie I got a phone call and my first freelance job - it will even pay enough to cover the subscription cost! I am also heartened to see the traffic my portie has been getting - over 100 hits in less than 2 weeks!"
- Peter Barlow, design / new media, Eastern Cape

"I have had a number of people that have contacted me from your site and have done some work for them. It has been great - I have never been so busy before. It is actually getting to the point that I might have to look for some help soon."
- Clinton Lord, design, Gauteng

Upgrading your listing to a Lite portfolio is quick and easy - click here to find out how.

10 WAYS TO GET THE BEST FROM A FREELANCER

Thinking of hiring a freelancer this summer? Here are our top 10 tips for making sure you get the most from your investment with them:

1. Be clear and specific about your requirements.
2. Provide as much information as possible.
3. Give them a copy of your USPs, features, benefits and positioning statement (or brief a freelance marketer to help you develop them!).
4. Include information on your target audience in your brief.
5. Agree timelines and expectations - in writing.
6. Tell your freelancer what budget you have in mind - even if it's just a ballpark figure.
7. Be open to their suggestions. You're paying them for their advice, aren't you?
8. When you feed back on their work, be clear and constructive. Give them something to work with.
9. Don't be talked into doing something you're not happy with.
10. Work WITH your freelancers. Your working relationship will be better if you communicate with them as equals and respect their advice.

For the full article, click here.

WE'RE HIRING

Due to South Africans realising that freelancers are the way forward - we need help! We need an admin assistant/office manager for two months initially, maybe longer. Click here for more information.

CHRISTINE ONLINE: Firm foundations

The structure of a website can be likened to the foundations of a house. If it is not built as sturdy as it could be, you might have problems in the long run!

For this reason, it's important to take time and plan your website structure to be the most robust it can be. There are three main elements to focus on, all of which take place simultaneously: design, content and the sitemap structure. Click here for more.

** Do you have a question for Christine? Her December article is going to take the form of a Q&A, so send your burning online queries to info@freelancentral.co.za and we’ll pass them on to her.

DESIGN INDABA EXPO 2008: Be a part of the Freelancentral exhibit

We're planning on having a stand at this awesome design industry expo for the third year in a row in February. Last time our exhibit took the form of a gallery of our members' work, which generated a lot of interest from the 20,000-odd visitors to the show. We have 25 spaces up for grabs on our 2008 stand. Click here to find out how to book your spot.

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