Freelance Heroes

Hey Remy.

This is probably the best place to find those people.

Where are you based?

Are you looking for freelance or permanent?

A few more specifics would be useful - and I would also recommend posting this under a thread of it's own with a title of "OPPORTUNITY - xxxxxx" or whatever, as people may not be actively following this thread.

Best wishes - and good luck.

Bruce

Hey Remy

If this is a telecommute position, I would be interested to learn more.  You can respond to me personally if you'd like.

Hi, Remy I private messaged (PM) you. You should see it in your inbox. Thanks for posting to Freelance Heroes. --Daniel Brigham

Glad to see that blog post generated some thoughtful discussion!     As I said, I don't agree with everything in it, but she does have a point that, by definition, not everyone can be exceptional.  More importantly, I think Daniel really captured it in saying you have to be really good ("exceptional") in one or two areas.  But I don't think anyone can be exceptional at everything - and it's almost always a bad idea to judge your own success by comparing yourself to others.

Sorry I didn't quote Bruce properly, the 2nd paragraph is mine...

Hello all.
I do not know if I post the topic right, but given that is discussed about freelancing I recommend you read the book written by Sara Horowitz, "The Freelancer's Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams - On Your Terms".
Personally I'm looking for work in the field of eLearning as a freelancer. I have solid working knowledge in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, CorelDraw and other software like GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Xara, etc..
My problem with elearning - in terms of visual structure-is the fact that I do not have a tablet yet to test "courses" on such a mobile device.
I work in sitem barter with someone to get my tablet so I could to get a more accurate and specific feedback on the level of interactivity on such mobile device.

Hi guys and girls - this might not be the rght place for this question so apologies if not - but i was wondering does anyone do freelance work alongside their day jobs? If so where did you find the freelance work?

Thanks so much for any help you cold give me it's much appreciated!

Hi Jonathan

For almost a year I did work alongside my day job.  I found most of my work here, through contacts and people directly approached me.  To ensure I had no conflict of interest I did not take on any work related to the industry I worked in,.

Good luck

Phil

Jonathan:

Here's a thread that will answer your question. (It was the precursor to this Freelance Heroes thread.)

http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/14115/98912.aspx#98912

How to find work:

1. Help people out on this forum and on this thread. Get known here.

2. Post examples of your best stuff and ask for constructive criticism.

Welcome to Freelance Heroes and the forum. --Daniel

Hi, all -

Daniel and I were corresponding offline about fixed fee vs. hourly projects and which is more appropriate when.  He suggested that I share my "criteria" in this thread, so here it is - hope some of you find this useful!

·         Consulting projects are ALWAYS hourly.  By “consulting” I mean things like ”Help us figure out what we need in an LMS” or “Help us put together some infrastructure for our learning team” or things like that.  They’re too vague and there aren’t any deliverables defined, so fixed fee won’t work.  I usually do a “not to exceed” for the hours, and for bigger projects I’ll often do a weekly report to the client of billable hours and progress. 

·         ID projects for clients with whom I do a lot of work are usually fixed fee – I feel confident about the scope, how we’ll work together, their expectations, etc., so that works well.

·         For ID work where I’m not as confident about the scoping and/or the client, I’ll often try to scope the project in two phases: phase 1 is design, and I do it hourly.  Phase 2 is development; it gets proposed after phase 1 is done, and that’s fixed fee.   If phase 1 is done well, the scope and deliverables for phase 2 are very clear. 

Thanks for posting this, Sheila. This advice is easily worth thousands of dollars.

Often we are pressured by potential clients to give a specific price for the project, and often that's impossible to give. I'm taking your advice. For parts of a project that are especially murky--analysis, for instance--I'm going hourly and will give the client an amount of hours I will most likely not exceed. And I agree, development is usually easier to scope, as is graphic design, voiceover, and communication (to a certain extent).

With regard to the billing discussion:  I bill on an hourly basis, and also provide my clients with a likely cost range, and a clear cost "cap" to their project.  That way the client can obtain authorization to spend up to that maximum amount of money on the project.  I always assure my clients that unlike a flat fee scenario, I only bill for time actually worked, and remind them that if there are no or few surprises on their end, it's even possible to come in under the budget maximum, which they like to hear.  

Since it can be challenging to determine a likely total cost before all the analysis is completed, to determine my maximum quote, I build in a "budget buffer" of additional hours--especially in the areas of analysis and design, as that is typically when things can get complicated.  The amount of buffer depends entirely on the client and the project. Once you are able to look at any existing content and speak with all SMEs and stakeholders at length, the scope often needs adjusting in one direction or the other.  A well-estimated buffer will allow for that without requiring an addendum to the Statement of Work, which saves time and paperwork.  My clients typically hire me to do the whole project (needs analysis through final publish of the content I've written and developed), so I provide itemized estimates listing each role I play, the estimated hours for each, and the estimated cost for each, as well as the estimated grand total for the project.  Breaking each role out by itemized deliverables also allows the client to consider whether some of those items might actually be "nice to haves" rather than essentials, if they really need to keep their costs down.

And of course, per our earlier discussions about contracts, my Statement of Work clearly states that out of scope client requests may require all parties to sign an addendum to the SOW authorizing additional funds for the additional hours needed, and that the additional work in question will not be performed until that funding is in place.  I have always found that if you lay out the terms in black and white at the outset, and explain everything thoroughly before you begin, then if the client makes a late-stage change to the project, they understand and accept the responsibility for coming up with the funds needed--or, if they cannot obtain additional funding, they understand why the work needs to stay within the agreed-upon maximum budget.

Thanks, Andrew, for a description of your billing process. Am I correct in assuming that your buffer, which seems crucial, does not change once it's in place?

It's part of the maximum quote figure,  to allow some budgetary breathing room while sorting out that specifics of the project with any and all SME and stakeholder interviewees. Having quoted a maximum including that buffer, the buffer can't go up unless the client adds out-of-scope additional content/changes that exceed the buffer.   (At which point it's no longer really a buffer, but actual costs). In a client's ideal world, the buffer might not all be used.  It all depends on how well the client is able to partner in a realistic way about their content.

Since my quote shows a range in total cost, the client can decide whether they want to try to go as low budget as possible, knowing they increase the risk having to amend the SOW later, or authorize the full amount at the outset, with reasonable comfort that we won't need to seek additional funds unless the client's executives generate some surprises. It's the client's choice. 

It's part of the maximum quote figure,  to allow some budgetary breathing room while sorting out that specifics of the project with any and all SME and stakeholder interviewees. Having quoted a maximum including that buffer, the buffer can't go up unless the client adds out-of-scope additional content/changes that exceed the buffer.   (At which point it's no longer really a buffer, but actual costs). In a client's ideal world, the buffer might not all be used.  It all depends on how well the client is able to partner in a realistic way about their content.

Since my quote shows a range in total cost, the client can decide whether they want to try to go as low budget as possible, knowing they increase the risk of having to amend the SOW later, or authorize the full amount at the outset, with reasonable comfort that we won't need to seek additional funds unless the client's executives generate some surprises. It's the client's choice, which they like. 

Thank you, Andrew. I especially like your range idea. Gives the client a sense of choice in the matter. Also like your phrase about the client about being realistic about the state of their content. Thanks again. --Daniel 

Hi - Learning Developer is looking for a US-based, professional, reliable, experienced, and available freelance Storyline developer to assist on a project. We have an immediate opening (to start Monday). Must have strong command of triggers, tracking points based on multiple activities/screens, etc. We are running Storyline through it's most complex capabilities so this project is perfect for those who love tricking out eLearning.

• Is this where I should post an opportunity like this? If not, where should I post this?
• If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, please contact me magic @ learningdeveloper . com

We are based in Seattle area, so if you are, too - that's a bonus. But we hire folks from all around the country.

Hi, Magic:

Yes, this is where the freelancers visit, so is a good place to post. --Daniel

Hi Magic

Your email address didn't work for me, so I sent you a response to your Articulate inbox.  Thanks.

Hi All

 I should have popped this up a week ago (sorry for being slow) but if anyone is interested in Gamification, there is a course on Coursera (www.coursera.org) that has just started and looks like it will be really good (I'm signed up for it!). Good networking opportunity too!

If you don't know Coursera it is an online site that is bringing together several universities from around the world with free, online classes.  Once you have a look you can say goodbye to free time and hello to lots of learning

Enjoy!

Anne

ps - this is a great thread that I really enjoy following! Thanks to all the great contributors!

Hey there!  Anne beat me to it; I just finished the first module of video lectures in Kevin Werbach's Gamification course on Coursera. So far, nothing revelatory, but he's a pleasant presenter and knows his stuff.  And hey, as Anne pointed out: it's FREE.  

Prof Werbach noted that he expects people will still be joining this week, so the first quiz won't be due until 4/14.  You still have time to jump in and check it out.  He gave the course on Coursera last fall and it was very well received from the feedback I was able to find online, so if you can spare a couple of hours a week, it's probably time well spent even if you only pick up a few new ideas here and there.