140 Characters

So, maybe if you’ve been living on a deserted tropical island or under a rock you haven’t heard of twitter. This episode, Bob and Chris talk about the basics of Twitter and go through the  and get you set up and brand your account. Twitter helps you reach clients and grow your business 140 characters at a time.

Wordpress 2 + Wordpress MU = Wordpress 3: http://ocaoimh.ie/wordpress-mu-291/

I answered Marty Qatani from MartyToons.com’s follow up questions about Linked In on the Creative Independence group on Linked In. Also, sorry Marty, I believe I called you Marty Quintas in the show.  Besides my answer to that question, there’re also a slew of great tips for improving your Linked In profile and even a way to post video to your account.

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&gid=2489632&discussionID=10647783

All of our original Answers for Freelancers! episodes have been migrated and archived at http://AnswersForFreelancers.CreativeIndependence.net/

http://twitter.com

http://twitter.com/artisttarareed
http://twitter.com/brendaboo

twitter: geotagging applications
http://foursquare.com/

Want to find out when people’s homes are empty? This site brought to you courtesy http://pleaserobme.com

Find Bob and Chris on twitter at:
http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio
http://twitter.com/aithene

Links for this episode include:

• Linked In
• CI Group on Linked In
• Bob’s CI Blog

If you’d like to leave us a message…our call in number is (919)766-0737

Small Business Marketing Expert John Jantsch

A few years ago I had the good fortune of finding John Jantsch’s podcast, Duct Tape Marketing Radio. John is an expert in small business marketing. His podcast and blog site have completely changed the way I think about my business and how I market myself.  In this episode I talk with John about some of his marketing strategies and about his latest coaching program,  Social Media Pro.

I’ve recently completed the course and highly recommend it. John does a fantastic job of presenting the material in an easy to understand step by step lesson plans. Lessons are presented in a video format as well as written content and downloadable PDFs. If you would like to learn more about John you can find him at Duct Tape Marketing. If you would like to learn more about his latest coaching program you can find it at: DuctTapeU.com . Johns podcast is also listed on iTunes.

Topics covered this episode:

• Inviting your friends and colleagues.
• Finding people on LinkedIn
• Using LinkedIn’s Search
• Setting up contact options
• Finding and Joining Groups
• Starting Groups
• The Creative Independence group on Linked In
• Job Search
• Job Posting
• Questions and Answers
• Setting up your company profile
• Polls
• Quick overview of the Account Settings

Have any tips that we missed in these two episodes? Please swing by the Linked In group and drop your answers in the Linked In Tips discussion there.

Feel free to swing by and connect with both Bob and Chris on LinkedIn, and while you’re at it, if you like the show, drop us a recommendation on our LinkedIn accounts.
http://linkedin.com/in/aithene
http://linkedin.com/in/bobostromstudio

The CI Group on Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2489632&trk=anet_ug_hm&goback=%2Ehom

In Part 1 of our in-depth discussion on setting up yourself on Linked In, Bob and Chris walk through a number of key features including:

• Signing Up
• Setting up your Business Card
• Setting up your Profile
• Importing your contacts
• Requesting and Giving Recommendations
• Using your contacts to connect to colleagues and friends who are already on Linked In
• Using your contacts to invite friends and colleagues to join you on Linked In
• Tweetdeck integration w/ Linked In
• Multi Language profiles
• Custom URLs
• Linked In Applications

Coming up in Part 2 we will cover:

• Connections more in-depth including Searching, Browsing, Introductions and sending InMails
• Groups
• Questions & Answers
• Job Boards
• Company Pages
• Account Settings

]]> http://creativeindependence.net/2010/01/06/ci-211-learning-linked-in-part-1/feed/ 1 branding,Creative Independence,Freelance,freelancers,group,job hunting,linked in,self promotion,Social Media,tweetdeck Chris and Bob take a look at Linked In. This episode is the first in a two part series showcasing the many features available on Linked In.  Once you've listened to the show please visit Linked In and join the CI group . (http://creativeindependence.net/files/2010/01/linked-in.png)Chris and Bob take a look at Linked In (http://www.linkedin.com/). This episode is the first in a two part series showcasing the many features available on Linked In.  Once you've listened to the show please visit Linked In and join the CI group (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2489632&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr) . Don't forget to let us know you heard us on the show. As always thanks for listening and Pod On. In Part 1 of our in-depth discussion on setting up yourself on Linked In, Bob and Chris walk through a number of key features including: * Signing Up * Setting up your Business Card * Setting up your Profile * Importing your contacts * Requesting and Giving Recommendations * Using your contacts to connect to colleagues and friends who are already on Linked In * Using your contacts to invite friends and colleagues to join you on Linked In * Tweetdeck integration w/ Linked In * Multi Language profiles * Custom URLs * Linked In Applications Coming up in Part 2 we will cover: * Connections more in-depth including Searching, Browsing, Introductions and sending InMails * Groups * Questions & Answers * Job Boards * Company Pages * Account Settings Bob and Chris no 46:16 http://creativeindependence.net/2009/12/12/ci-210-burning-a-new-feed/ http://creativeindependence.net/2009/12/12/ci-210-burning-a-new-feed/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:47:10 +0000 Chris http://creativeindependence.net/?p=179 As Bob and I continue to roll out the new Creative Independence Network, we’ve reached a point where if we wanted to split the Creative Independence feed from the Answers for Freelancers! feed, that now would be the ideal time to do it. So, we did. Overall, things are looking good. iTunes has updated the feed to not only point to the new location, but the show is also indexed correctly in the iTunes directory. Our new site, also a bit on the bare-walls-and-no-paint side, is also up and functioning.

You may notice that this isn’t a standard Wordpress install. Because we have multiple blogs that we want to keep up and running, and because we’d like to add more creatives to the contributors list moving forward, we’ve chosen to go forward with Wordpress MU (multi-user). For the most part, it works much like the standard Wordpress package, but it has a few differences in the back end.  We’ve also installed BuddyPress which will allow us more social media options moving forward, including starting groups, forums and the like as we choose to roll them out.

4 Main Areas of the Creative Independence Network pre-launch (and subject to change):

1. Creative Independence Podcast (you’re here right now).
2. Answers for Freelancers (currently archives. Might it continue as a show?!?) – http://answersforfreelancers.creativeindependence.net/
3. Bob’s CI blog – http://bobostromstudio.creativeindependence.net/
4. Chris’ “Aithene Multimedia” site http://aithene.creativeindependence.net/

We were also visited briefly by our old friend, Ken Perkins. Actually, he and Bob had been chatting on Skype when Bob called me to record this episode, so, we spent a few minutes just saying ‘hi’ and seeing what Ken was up to. Unfortunately, Ken wasn’t expecting to record, and forgot to use headphones, so you you can hear Bob and Me in the background, which means we couldn’t marry out audio up with Ken’s without getting a wicked echo effect, so we trimmed it down and just used Ken’s audio as it, which explains the quality of the opening.

That being said, if you want to catch up with Ken or see what he’s been working on lately, you can find his portfolio here – http://kenperkinscreative.com/. Its another great example of using Apple’s very simple to use photo gallery’s as a portfolio.

Please let us know if you experience any strangeness with our feed, or if you see any broken or unupdated feed listings on any directories. Thanks!

There are a million great podcasts out there and unfortunately we could list them all on this episode. If you have any suggestions for podcasts we haven’t listed here or mentioned on the show please add them to the comment section after this article. Don’t forget to leave a brief description and a link to where we can find it.

• Creative Independence: I like this show because the hosts are just plain hunky…
• The Story: Dick Gordon is a fantastic interviewer and can find an interesting story most anywhere.
• The Accidental Creative: Helping artist manage the create on demand world.
• Chris Oatley’s Art Cast: If you are an artist (especially illustrators) this podcast is for you.
• Dani Jones Illustration: (Video) Screen capture digital art.
• Gary Vaynerchuk: (Video) If this guy can’t get you fired up nobody can.
• Marketing Over Coffee: Great pod-cast all about you guessed it… marketing.
• Small Business Marketing Blog- Duct Tape Marketing: (One of Bob’s favorites) All about small business marketing.
• This American Life:- By Ira Glass you may have heard this on NPR
• JC-Hutchins: Super nice guy, fantastic writer. Check out the 7th Son trilogy. We were fortunate enough to have JC on the show (ep2-11 of Answers for Freelancers!)
• Scott Sigler: New York Times best-selling Sci-Fi- Horror novelist Scott Sigler has been podcasting without fail since 1978… er sort of. (Check our favorite, The Rookie)
• Seth Harwood: We had Seth on our show in eps 2-9 and ep 3-1 of Answers for Freelancers! It was a blast interviewing him. Real funny guy and a great writer too
• Art and Story: Specifically for those who are into cartooning and comics, but really, for anyone who marries illustration with words to tell stories.
• Escape from Illustration Island: Thomas James runs a blog with a number of freelance illustration resources, and his podcast echoes this passion thru interviews of other freelance illustrators.
• Hometown Tales: Gene and Brian explore the many tales of the world. From tales that are unique to certain towns to tales that every town seems to think is there’s alone.
• Managing the Gray: C.C. Chapman explores the world of new media marketing and PR. This is for those of us who are looking to promote ourselves using these new-fangled new media tools.
• Podcast Answer Man: Cliff Ravenscraft of the Generally Speaking Podcast Network (GSPN) shares the knowledge he’s gleamed since 2003 while producing roughly 20 hours of podcast content PER WEEK!
• Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd: Fun for the whole family, join Dr. Floyd, his protege Dr. Grant, and their alien computer companion C.H.I.P.S. as they track the (somewhat) evil Dr. Steve and his sock-shaped assistant Fidgert thru time and space, and foiling his attempts to steal historical artifacts to sell on eBay.
• Decoder Ring Theatre: The folks at Decoder Ring Theatre spin their 1930’s radio show inspired stories in 2 main titles; superhero action in The Adventures of the Red Panda, and detective noir thrillers in Black Jack Justice. Also, every summer they release a number of unique tales in their Summer Showcase series.
• Podiobooks: A collection of podcast novels for free download.
• Philippa Ballantine: A wonderful writer, Philippa has the ability to spin a great story, and then produces a great audio drama to present it. Seriously, I could listen to her read me a technical manual. Actually, that’s not a horrible idea…

The social media scene is so big that there’s no way we can touch on everything, but we can definitely talk about some of the more relevant types of tools available, and we can certainly list a bunch of them below. The categories below are very general guidelines, especially when you consider that many of the tools really blur the lines and could easily fit into more than one.

Broadcast Media:
If you’re looking to broadcast your ideas or message, its a 1-to-many conversation. Even though your audience can communicate with you through comments and trackbacks, for the most part its a one way medium.

Video

YouTube
Blip.TV
Vimeo
UStream
Seesmic

Audio

Utterli (formerly utterz)

Text

Wordpress
Blogger

Professional Networking:

Linked In

Personal Networking:

Facebook
MySpace
Plaxo

Water Cooler/Chat

Twitter

Image Sharing Communities:

Flickr
Picasa
SmugMug
Photobucket

Start Your Own Community:

WordPress MU
Ning
KickApps

Aggregators:

Google Profiles
Chi.mp

Also mentioned specifically is Dani Jones “Dani Draws Live” UStream channel.
http://danidraws.com/danidrawslive/

Homework Assignments

1. Go sign up for accounts at:
   • Linked In
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • MySpace
2. Friend Bob and Chris on Twitter:
   • Bob: http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio
   • Chris: http://twitter.com/aithene
3. Start thinking about our visual branding. We’re going to start implementing visual elements within the next 2 shows, so it would be nice if its ready to go.

If you are interested in learning more about Carlos and some of the websites he talks about on the show please check out these links:

Baldo Comics Website
Carlos on Twitter
Drawn by Success
Carlos

Then moving on, once you have figured out what you want your business to be, the next thing you’ll probably do will be to come up with a name. And of course, once you’ve got a name in mind, you’ll need to making sure its available and that you can get a domain name to match your business. So, using GoDaddy.com as his domain registrar of choice, Bob walks us through the basics of searching for and purchasing your name.

For a discount on GoDaddy domain name purchases and hosting plans, and to help support the show, use this link:

GoDaddy.com Hosting Plans

See our mind map here.

To import the above map into your own account and to edit it for yourself, you can sign up for a free MindMeister account here:

You can see our map here.

Sign up for a free MindMeister account here:

Business Influences:

• Personal Interests
• Personal Abilities
• Spheres of Knowledge
• Personal Networks
• Other People who might join you

5 Fundamental Business Models that are common to many creative businesses

• Partial Service
• Full Service
• Create and Sell
• Build an Audience and Sell
• Just Sell

Find Bob at:

• http:twitter.com/bobostromstudio
• http://bobostromstudio.com
• http://bobostromstudio.com/how2draw/

Find Chris at:

• http://twitter.com/aithene
• http://aithene.mp

Want a bit of free publicity while letting us know you appreciate the show? Send us your “that’s awesome” and intro to: answersforfreelancers@gmail.com

What’s in a name? Chris explains the importance in selecting the right name for your business. Bob talks about getting scooped and the cost of re-branding. Chris goes on to point out how important social media is for promoting your business.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. A mind map is a wonderful way to make sure you don’t waste your time. Bob and Chris talk about their experience using and collaborating with mind maps. Both agree the online program Mind Meister is the way to go. The guys wrap up the show with a new homework assignment. Find a mind mapping program mess around with it and get yourself familiar with the concept of mind mapping.

If you’d like to try out Mind Meister please click the affiliate link below:

The guys talk about future plans for the CI/A4F site and putting together a series of shows designed to help listeners build their own sites. Topics for the next show include getting started, brainstorming and mind mapping.

Bob at Burning Oak

Artist Tara Reed followed a twisting and turning path to where she is today: a mom, an artist who has her own business licensing her art and teaching other artists what licensing is all about and how to do it. An artist by passion and not education – Tara has a degree in Marketing and sold college textbooks after graduating and before starting her family and becoming a stay-at-home mom.

Fast forward 10 years: Tara became a “professional artist” (she considers anyone who make $1 a professional at whatever they do) in 2001 designing papers for the scrapbooking industry.

In 2004 she delved into the wider world of art licensing — at the same time, she was going through a divorce and had to make a decision: take the safer route and get a traditional job with a boss and benefits or continue with her desire to build her own business on her terms.

Some places you can find Tara:

• Website
• Blog
• Artists Info
• Site
• Twitter

We hope you enjoy it!

Opening:
Chris blows the opening by double-clicking on his Wacom tablet, and then the dynamic dou lament the loss of several episodes of season 1.

—–

Letter from @DavilaDraws:
We open with a letter from freelance illustrator and designer, Topher Davila from http://inkedideas.com/ and http://daviladraws.com/

Chris’ wonderfully tom-boyish wife interrupts the recording to ask if they can go out for 5 Guys Cheeseburgers after Chris finishes recording.  Find one near you:
http://fiveguys.com/locations.aspx/

Someone please write to Bob, since he feels like no one ever writes to him. He’s at bobostromstudio at gmail dot com

—–

New Twitter Followers:
Rob Christianson ~ http://twitter.com/robchristianson

—–

New Sketchbook Participants
Rob Christianson ~ http://cisketchbook.ning.com/profile/RobChristianson

—–

Then Bob asks Chris about some issues Chris and his wife have been having with their vendor and some lessons learned about choosing products and vendors.

Other links referenced in the show:
http://intelligentacnetreatment.com/
http://lighttherapyoptions.com/

—–

Books mentioned in this episode:
Seth Godin’s The Dip

Amazon (hardcover book)
The Dip in Hardcover: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Amazon (CD)
The Dip on CD: A nice recording that Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Amazon (Kindle eBook)
The Dip on Kindle: A Little eBook That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

—–

Contact Us:
site – http://answers-for-freelancers.com/
email – answersforfreelancers (at) gmail.com
twitter (bob) – http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio
twitter (chris) – http://twitter.com/aithene

We hope you enjoy it!

Opening:
Chris and Bob are experiencing technical difficulties with Chris’ audio equipment. Because of this, we’re totally unable to record a skype interview with artist and creator of The Dreamer comic, Lora Innes (http://thedreamercomic.com/).

—–

Bob Makes Headway with Twitter:
At about 5 minutes in, Bob relates a few experiences that he’s had using Twitter, and how he was able to leverage the twitter community to help him thru a tough situation in his work.

Twitterati mentioned include:
http://twitter.com/gcoghill
http://twitter.com/danidraws
http://twitter.com/rachelvalley
http://twitter.com/Mercuralis

Application mentioned for categorizing your twitter network:
http://tweetdeck.com/

Measure your twitter influence:
http://twitter.grader.com/
psst… I’ve gone up to 99.8 since we recorded the show
heed me my freelance warriors. There are worlds to be conquered.

Call for Intros (14:20):
We need intros. Record a short intro. Introduce and pimp yourself; who you are, what you do, where we can find you, and then finish with something like “and you’re listening to Creative Independence with Chris and Bob.” Or “Bob and Chris.” The guy in second billing won’t hold it against you. And as always, just be creative. And try to keep it under 30 seconds.

CI Sketchbook (16:20):
Bob has started a new site where artists can have fun. He posts monthly assignments that are pretty open to interpretation. Grab your pencil and drawing pad and head over to:
http://cisketchbook.ning.com/
Set up a profile and start drawing. Remember, just have fun.

Contact Info (22:20):

General
site – http://answers-for-freelancers.com/
email – answersforfreelancers (at) gmail.com

Bob
http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio
http://bobostromstudio.com

Chris
http://twitter.com/aithene
http://www.livestrong.com/profile/aithene/
my livestrong account is chronicling my 100 everything challenge, based on the 100 pushups challenge:
http://hundredpushups.com/

We hope you enjoy it!

Opening:
Chris is all over the mic with a cold and Bob apologizes about having completely dissed the twitterverse by accident.

The Content:
First up, at 10 minutes in, Chris starts talking about his and his wife’s first foray into the online sales business, Intelligent Acne Treatment.  They operate the IAT website under the business umbrella of their company, Light Therapy Options.  Light Therapy Options was the idea of Chris’ wife and its purpose is to educate people on the healthy natural benefits of light, especially sunlight, which for most of the year is a free resource, that can be used to stave off a multitude of diseases from acne to cancer, and where necessary, to make products affordable so that most people are able to purchase them.

Intelligent Acne Treatment – http://intelligentacnetreatment.com/
Light Therapy Options home site – http://lighttherapyoptions.com/

Other links referenced in the site:
Twittermail – http://twittermail.com/
Enlux – http://enluxled.com/
High Rankings with Jill Whalen – http://highrankings.com/
Overture – http://overture.com/
Google Ad Words – https://adwords.google.com/
Wordtracker – http://www.wordtracker.com/

Books mentioned in this episode:
E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
Amazon (book)
Amazon (CDs)

The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
Amazon

Books of possible interest:
Light: Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman
Amazon

Contact Us:
site – http://answers-for-freelancers.com/
email – answersforfreelancers (at) gmail.com
twitter (bob) – http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio
twitter (chris) – http://twitter.com/aithene

Well, you’ve all waited patiently for months for us to return, only to find that this is our final episode.  The truth is, after 3 years (more of less) of talking about freelancing, its time we move on.  Is this good bye?  Take a listen and find out what this means for Bob and myself, and also for you.

Featured Links:

Bob’s New stuff – http://BobOstromStudio.com/

Chris Triathlon training blog – 9 Months to Tri

Chris & Louanna’s little side business – Intelligent Acne Treatment

Twitter Pages:

Chris – http://twitter.com/aithene
Bob – http://twitter.com/bobostromstudio

In episode 8, we interviewed renowned business guru Michael Gerber, who had some very interesting thoughts on the very nature and business viability of freelancing. Michael’s remarks sparked some heated debates between Ken, Bob and Chris. So much so, that even before posting Michael’s interview, we knew we were going to have to follow it up with a discussion of our own on the subject. Are we actually telling you to stop freelancing? Yes! No! Maybe? Listen in and tell us what you think.

We take a hard look at the differences between freelancing and entrepreneurship. How are they fundamentally different? How do you apply Michael’s techniques to either to become more successful? Is one doomed to failure while another is a rocketship heading to the moon? Not necessarily, but until you understand the key features of each, you can’t really start to grow either, or grow beyond where you are now.

Give it a listen and weigh in. All of us, the hosts AND your fellow listeners, are anxious to know what you think. Where do you stand on this idea? Did you like the topic? Would you like to see us continue to offer more of this diverse type of subject matter? Let us know. Shoot us an email, leave a comment below, or drop us some audio using our My Chingo account to the left.

Yup, we know we were a little later than anticipated getting this out, but that just really goes to show the strong feeling we have on this subject.  We’re glad you’re still with us.

Pod on.  Chris, Bob and Ken

Michael Gerber, author, entrepreneur, and acclaimed business consultant, talks to us about what happens when Freelancers are ready to start growing their business into a true company; the kind of business that allows the owner to touch the world in a way that is truly meaningful and allows him the freedom to pursue those interests, both inside and outside of work, that he feels are the most important.

If you have reached a point in your career where you are looking for this kind of growth, then this is an interview you don’t want to miss.

Freelancing is an idea that is full of romance and wonder; doing your own thing, anywhere you want, anytime you want. Traveling the world while creating your art, or working from home while watching your children grow up. Paying the bills when your ‘real job’ disappears. Freelancing presents itself as an ideal solution to many people under various circumstances, and if it didn’t work, people all over the world wouldn’t be doing it.

However, the very nature of freelancing is this: as guns for hire, we only make money when we are producing. This means that eventually we hit a threshold we cannot pass beyond, since we can only work so many hours, and we can only charge so much. Also, for most of us, as we get older, the number of people we are responsible for providing for keeps increasing. Finally, as creative individuals, most of us have all sorts of projects that we wish we could be working on, but our freelance duties keep us from accomplishing them. How do we move beyond this?

When its time for you to move beyond the pay-per-piece or pay-per-hour world of Freelancing, but you want to continue working as a independent artist, its time to get a fresh perspective on your business and what it will take to truly make the next phase of your career take flight. Our interview with Michael Gerber serves to open the door to this line of thinking, and we hope you will join us as we consider these new ideas.

Show Notes:

E-Myth Worldwide: http://www.e-myth.com/

In the Dreaming Room: http://inthedreamingroom.com/

Michael Gerber’s Manifesto: http://blog.inthedreamingroom.com/

E-Myth Revisited: Amazon.com

Also, make sure to follow up with us in our next episode as we discuss in more detail many of the ideas that Michael has presented in his book that we simply weren’t able to touch on in our interview.