Useful Things
One of the best things fate ever pushed me into was the library. First, there was the bookmobile, which is the country version of an RV full of books. Then my first real job was in a library. I was sixteen and was responsible for shelving books in the children's room. Hey, it's always better to have pictures AND words. Over the two years I worked there, I memorized the Dewey Decimal System, a wonderful hierarchal organization tool that I'm sure my brain employs as I solve a myriad of design problems for impact, communication and delivery.
I am old enough to remember the world pre-cyberspace. Please, no laughter from the gallery. The internet holds the same wonderful potential of a world library: An index to everything in it. Provided bandwidth providers don't turn service delivery into the next status symbol and price speed out of reach of the average joe, the web has proven to change everything it touches. Of course, even with the aid of a good search engine, weeding out the useless is time consuming . It's hard to know which wicked worms, viruses, adware and spyware you may get in exchange for the information. This is my list of tried and true sites that won't bite back.
Buy It
It makes me cry every time I hear someone say they just bought their cable modem from the local discounter Bust By or Circus City. Just typing the words cable modem into Yahoo Shopping or Froogle will bring up a long list of modems for less than half the price. Circus wanted $129 for a cheesy modem, but I found an excellent, factory sealed 3Com modem for $34. Call your cable company before you buy to find out their system requirements (usually two; sychronous or asynchronous and COSI compatible). Yes, there are still parts of the country where cable is only fast one way.
Test It
After you get your cable modem, go to Cable Modem Help to test your service provider and make sure you're actually getting the bandwidth you pay for. If you want to find out who offers service in your area, visit this site to find an ISP. It describes the types of service available in your area and offers user comments to expose dismal providers.
Boost It
Need a boost in your random access memory? Before you buy, visit Ramseeker and make sure you have the best price available for the type of machine you have.
Update It
Looking for Freeware, Shareware or just the latest version of software? Visit Versionseeker where there's a search window you can key in the name or function of what your looking for. It will show you the latest avails and where to find them.
Critique It
After you've finished designing your website, and ask the astonishingly knowledgeable members of this group Wise Women to critique it, you can test it at DNS Test site. It will tell you all the ways a hacker can hedge in on your bandwidth, among other things. Listowner Dori Smith took on one spammer here with admirable verve and persistence. This group is wickedly smart and there are plenty of guys in it.
Send It
Most Internet Providers have a limit on the size of email attachments, which can be a drag because we have the biggest everything, right? If you don't have access to an FTP site that allows tranfers of large files, use this. It's a site that will transfer your massive files safely and effectively for FREE.
Select It
Most of us need excellent source materials on paper stock, and there is no better site than Sabine Lenz's PaperSpecs. You can register for a free ezine that will keep you informed about new lines of stock and how to get those totally cool samples mailed right to your studio. The ezine is a good learning tool for your paper-deprived education in a world quickly shifting from snail mail to cybermail—including those sometime mystifying PDFs.
Learn It
If you haven't subscribed to Fred Showker's excellent D&P ezine, you are missing an entire semester's worth of tips and how-to's every month. D&P has a wealth of information written by industry experts in normal-speak (you know, people who communicate as opposed to those who seek to impress) so you can actually employ the secrets of the masters. There are hands on reviews by industry experts (our industry, not theirs) and some juicy tips from real world designers on how to excel in the field of design. And your head won't hurt after you're done reading it.
Justify It
Ever been called a creative weirdo? There's an entire site that celebrates us creative types and I love to visit it for a tune-up on my perspective. Douglas Eby created his site Talent Development for people who create. There are topics like releasing creative block, working in isolation, achieving new growth and a multitude of other topics that will help you understand your creativity and it's source. He also gives you a long list of valuable links to nurture your gift.
Know It
If you're looking for a new gig, check out MediaBistro. Laurel Touby and Claire Zulkey are hooked into everything media and have connections industry wide. Especially rich is MBToolbox and though it's slant is writing, there's lots to be learned like rare bytes on what publication fired the entire art department yesterday and will be looking voraciously for talent. You'll also find some interesting design reading on Unbeige, an offshoot of MediaBistro. Along with interesting viewpoints, there are hints of opportunity that will improve your lot in this design life.
Flaunt It
Looking for some exposure, maybe a little free advertising for the business? Vexcom, a web development and SEO venture out of Atlanta, sponsors Freelance Designers. Post your portfolio, experience and meet new clients all for free. This is an international registry, so don't be timid about arranging wire transfers and PayPal deposits from overseas clients. Soon you will be able to bill folks on their cell phone according to CNET.
CSS It
For those of you who have found this lacking in anything new, here's one for you. Can you take a simple list and use different Cascading Style Sheets to create radically different list options? Here's a great little menu system. Oh, and here's a 3 column layout that really works.
Picture It
I figure by now everybody knows about this and this But if you're still looking for that elusive, free image, my friend web designer Annie Zumwinkle says the Wikimedia Commons only accepts free content, that its images and content can be used by anyone as long as freedom of content is preserved. Can't beat that for freedom of expression--well, the next item probably does.
Contain It
Robin Sutton and Allen Lade of Cincinnati, Ohio, wanted to put up a 6 foot cedar fence but the government of Anderson Township denied the request for a zoning variance. "The fence wouldn't fit in with the look and feel of Anderson Township." So Sutton and Lade installed a surrealist display where the fence would be--15 toilet planters, dozens of multi-colored toilet brushes, and assorted other oddities.
Enjoy It.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you enjoyed these resources, you'll enjoy my book, too, because it's the book I needed when I first started out. It's filled with more great links and a full spectrum of experiences that will prepare you to face the unknown in freelance and the world of design. Even if you've been freelancing for years, you'll find new information and a trustworthy mentor to stand by your side through thick and thin in Start and Run a Creative Services Business. Excerpts are available online at my website.
Susan: at last, the leisure to look at all the links and the helpful material you compiled in this most recent post. As usual, your interests continue to range far ahead of mine (unless you count Clovis points and other early human detritus). As you might expect, I particularly like the article on the backyard toilets. Yet the best reference is Wikipedia Commons, which is an all-day exploration in itself. Keep on cooking. E=Mcee-flared...Richard.