Momentum of the Muse

With blogging, facebook, twitter and other social media sites, the professional and the personal start to merge.

They’re pretty much the water cooler of the internet. I notice bloggers writing post upon post about using social media to leverage your blog or site. They say social media can be a full-time job, and then tout how distracting they can be, but also how important. I’m shocked at how much traffic they get from these sites. Others use it for research, to communicate with like-minded individuals, who are in the same industry, to make business contacts. Some use it for fun; to be social – hence the social media title. I would like to think you could use it for whatever you wanted, simultaneously.

However, I’ve had others disagree with me, saying;

Twitter adds no value to anyone’s life. It’s just a big waste of time. I use it to promote myself professionally, and that’s it.

Now, I have a number of questions on this subject, and if anyone wants to indulge me by answering them, I would be delighted.

Questions ensue…

• Where do you draw the line? What is too personal? In my friends opinion, anything that is not work-related is rather pointless. He maintains this for blogging, and twitter. However, my argument lies in the fact that blogging is a personal medium. That personal, human aspect that can be delivered via impersonal internet is what captures attention. But, again, where is that line?
• Branding yourself as a freelancer, is it necessary to be professional=serious? My favorite bloggers are not at all serious. If all of the sudden, they wrote that “I absolutely must purchase this product!” I would click the link right away. They have that power, and yet I suspect if they wielded it, it would be to sell something utterly ridiculous. Can it be a part of a person’s profession to be un-serious?
• Can you create a clear line of division between the personal and the professional online? Or do you use life experiences to illustrate your points, to drive them home?

I guess it all comes down to personal preference.

But I am very curious to know. Do you feel you have a clean line of division between your professional persona, and your personal one? Or are they one and the same?

Don’t trust anyone. Even your friends, family, and pets are subject to this new clause.

Basically, this week I realized that I am not going to be seeing an ROI on a job I’ve been doing over the last month. I did not ask the person for a contract, because we had a verbal one, and I know him. I considered him a friend; you know, one of those friends who isn’t your blood brother or whatev, but a vague sort of friend. I charged him an unbelievably low rate, because I’m that nice.

And now I’m assuming he’s on crack, because there is no other excuse for his dramatic, MIA behavior.

In the future, some 5 Golden Rules to Not Get Screwed:

1. Demand half of the payment in advance, and the second half upon completion of the project. This way, at least it isn’t a total loss if they walk out on me. It’s also an assurance that they’re serious about getting the work done. If they argue with this, it separates the wishy washy clients from the professionals. As a professional myself, it is my right to demand this. It shows that I am also serious.
2. Get them to sign a contract. Not only does this clarify what specific job I am doing, it also defines me as a professional. If I don’t issue a contract, it’s like a giant hole missing from my fence where my dogs can get out, and evil money vampires can get in to abuse me, and leech me dry of all my hard earned work.
3. Tell them how much, and in what way, I will be invoicing them upon completion of the project. They now know exactly what to expect. If there are any splitting hairs over financials once the project is done, I can refer to that communication, and the case should be closed.
4. Be clear to clients that they are clients, and not my buddy, bffe, or whatever. In other words, work is work; be professional! I took this job from someone I considered a friend, and did not create a clear enough line of separation for him to understand that I was really working, and deserved to be compensated.
5. Run away when job postings ask for a sample specifically written for their request. This one is a bit of a gimme, but lately two job postings I applied for accepted my samples and said they would pay for them. That kind of astonished me. I was grimacing at the computer screen, squinting to see if that’s what my e-mail was actually telling me. “But, um, that wasn’t IT. That was just, like, a taste … wtf …” My PayPal has still not been graced with the 11 and 14 dollars for each sample, and they have vanished e-mail-wise. I have a feeling they suckered me for content.

I learned this lesson the hard way. But it is good and learned. I vow to behave more professionally, so that it is harder to break through my defenses and abandon me without reward for my splendid work.

Can anyone offer any other helpful tips? Save your fellow freelancer!