Technology

Freelance Review: Pretty pink Pogoplug powers unprecedented personal productivity

Michael Rose | Technology

 

The guys and girls at Cloud Engines are my new best friends! As a roaming freelancer (working on contracts in other people’s offices, working from home and, sometimes, working from bed) the problem of where to keep my data has always been a difficult one to solve. Not any more.

Pogoplug is a great solution. It’s got 4 USB slots and it connects to a home WiFi router and, yes it really is that simple, now I have access to my portable hard drives wherever I am in the world.

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Getting Started: How do I make my website happen?

Alex Blyth | Guides, Starting Out, Technology

 

If you want a website for your small business or to show off your freelancing work AND know what you want then you are almost ready to contact the designers but thinking clearly, focusing on objectives and writing a good, clear brief can make a world of different when it comes to getting a quote.

You’ll not only save yourself time and money but you’ll also make developers and designers like Alick Mighall really happy.

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Using Google AdWords to find new clients and customers – part 3

Rob Watson | Guides, Technology

 

Part three of our guide to Google AdWords for beginners:

Yesterday Rob explained how to set up your first Google AdWords campaign. Today he looks at some of the best practices you should follow.

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Using Google AdWords to find new clients and customers – part 2

Rob Watson | Guides, Technology

 

Part two of our guide to Google AdWords for beginners:

Yesterday Rob explained the basics of GoogleAdwords. Today he looks at setting up your first AdWords campaign and some of the most common mistakes in setting up.

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Use Google AdWords to find new clients and customers

Rob Watson | Guides, Technology

 

Whatever it is that you (or your clients) do, you can always find new customers over the internet – even if you’re a niche business or you only work in a specific area or region. In this 3-part guide to AdWords Marketing Manager Rob Watson tells us how to increase our clicks

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Setting up a home office: Look no wires!

David Howell | Technology, Working from home

 

Having your own home office, or a small rented place to do you work is fantastic. It sets you up for the day, helping you create a distraction-free space and a professional venue to meet your clients.

As your business grows, however, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford new premises then space may get tight, and, if you like gadgets and gizmos then it won’t be long before you’ve got wires all over the place, dangling from your desk and tying themselves in knots.

There are two simple solutions… go wireless… or, when you need power, hide the wires.

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ReceiptFarm takes the hassle out of receipts and expenses

Michael Rose | Technology

 

ReceiptFarm turns all those horrible scrappy bits of paper with numbers on into a single, online database of your recent expenses. They scan, scrape, sort and send them back to you in a few days and everything, from VAT amounts to payment type are all captured online.

Brilliant stuff!

SPECIAL OFFER: 20% off for Freelance Advisor readers.

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Freelance Lifestyle: Laptop tip – get a stand

Jo Blood | Technology

 

The laptop. A useful tool for portable working or an ergonomic time bomb? Nowadays with many of us relying on our portable friends as our main computer, the laptop has thrown up a new set of ergonomic challenges. By its very design the laptop is disastrous for the back, particularly if you use it as it’s meant to be used on a table hunched over the keyboard peering at the screen. At the end of the day you straighten up and wonder why you’ve got backache or neck ache.

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Freelance Technology: Computer security

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

If Hollywood sensationalism is to be believed, then every man and his dog are advanced cyber-terrorists who want nothing more than to drain your bank account, max your credit card, and maybe initiate nuclear war with an unspecified superpower. The truth is that the world of computers isn’t actually as dangerous as many people think, as long as you take a few simple precautions against potential threats.

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Freelance Reviews: Fujitsu Siemens S6420 Laptop

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Getting the job done in a timely and professional manner is a combination of both knowing how to do the job, and having the right tools with which to get the job done. If you are carrying around a battered old consumer notebook and struggling with a shortage of processing power or connectivity, then it [...]

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Freelance Advisor reviews: Bluetooth headsets

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

If you wanna get ahead, get a headset Bluetooth headsets get a lot of stick from a lot of people, largely because the general public seems to have taken issue with the idea of somebody going about their business with a hi-tech gadget so visibly attached to the side of their head. I wonder if glasses [...]

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Working from home: creating the perfect home office

Jim Hatley | Technology, Working from home

 

If you’re freelancing from home on a regular basis a well-lit, well kitted-out office is essential – not just a luxury. Freelance Advisor’s resident gadget guru Jim Hatley takes a look at some home office must-haves. Home office heaven: Screens, scanners, DAB and desk-lamps Last year I have covered a few bits of kit to enable you [...]

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Freelancing on the move: 3 essential tools for roaming freelancers

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Off on his travels again… tech-loving freelancer and electronic evangelist Jim Hatley grabs some essential items for work on the move (and gives us some novel uses for a digital camera). Essential items for your briefcase Continuing on from my briefcase fillers piece of last month, Id like to run through a few of the other items [...]

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Freelance Advisor Reviews: Top 5 technology applications of 2008

Emma Jones | Technology

 

Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones gives us her review of the best applications for freelancers. Top 5 technology apps of 2008 As we enter the month of December, I can’t help but look back at the year that was. The thousands of new businesses started, the people we’ve profiled, and the [...]

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Freelancing on the move: 3 essential briefcase fillers you can’t afford to be without

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Off on his travels again… our tech-loving freelancer and electronic evangelist Jim Hatley grabs some essential items for work on the move. Essential items for your mobile office Today I am going to look at a few more items that are essential for life on the road. Working from home is fantastic, and is certainly one of [...]

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3 tips for disaster recovery: Backup, backup, backup

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Resident gadget guru and reviewer for The Times Jim Hatley shares some invaluable advice on disaster recovery for freelancers. If you have a home office and don’t have an IT helpdesk… Who you gonna call? If your entire operating system went belly-up on the first day of an important contract, how would you deal with it? Apologise, [...]

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Freelance Advisor Reviews: Two great new mobile phones for freelancers on the move

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Free-roaming freelancer and technology evangelist Jim Hatley has been out and about putting a few mobiles phones through their paces finding out which work best for freelancers and contractors who need to stay connected on the road. Time to upgrade? Two great mobile phones for freelancers Mobile phones are big business, both for those who make them [...]

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Freelance Advisor Reviews: Beautiful Bose SoundDock

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Freelance Advisor and Gadget Guru Jim Hatley loves his home hi-fi, but when freelancing work takes him out on the road he needs a powerful portable musical system to keep his music playing at the quality and volumes to which he’s become accustomed. Today Jim looks at how the Bose SoundDock provides a good-looking, great [...]

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Freelance Advisor Reviews: Super Sony Laptop

Jim Hatley | Technology

 

Gorgeous gadget: the Sony VAIO AW11XU/Q

Life on the road can be tough. The contents of a suitcase are certainly no match for the comforts of home, but if you pick and choose your gear with a little care it doesn’t have to be all bad. We all need cutting-edge technology for the work that we [...]

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