Apple's Next "Big Thing"

Apple just announced their latest batch of upgraded equipment, and among the mix is a "new" Mac Pro which is slated to ship in August. Apple is still trying to recover from the new iPhone4 debacle so the news about the Mac Pro release isn't on the forefront yet. After reading the specs for the new machines I'm not sure any of this even qualifies as news. As usual, Apple has only made a few very minor increases in speed and performance (i.e even more processors). The most significant increase comes in the form of solid state hard drives which deliver "2X the speed of a regular 7200rpm hard drive", and a 1GB video card.

The bottom line is if you already have a Mac Pro, the cost to upgrade to one of these newer machines won't justify the marginal increase in performance. For anyone out there who has to have a speed bump, the new video card(s) and solid state hard drives can be used in older Mac Pros to maximize their performance.

While I like the sheer power and expandability of the Mac Pro, the new iMacs have enough power to easily handle day-to-day design work. The fact that they cost a lot less than a Mac Pro is a nice plus as well.

Thanks For The Layout, Now Where's My Gift?

Here's a little topic that we haven't covered yet... client gift giving. For as long as I've been in this business I have always been aware of the practice of client gift giving. When I was the client hiring freelancers, I did enjoy the few gifts I received. In all honesty, it felt a little weird receiving a gift knowing that I wasn't obligated to give a gift in return. It felt... wrong somehow.

Sure, I understand that certain freelancers may want to express gratitude to a client for giving them business. That's all well and fine. However, over the years I think this has set an unhealthy precedent because now we have clients who actually EXPECT gifts from freelancers. Now this is something I know is wrong.

I have a very close friend who is one of these clients who expects gifts from freelancers at the end of the year. This has always shocked me because I would have never pegged him to be so... shallow. I mean why on earth should I feel obligated to give a gift to a client just because they called me to work? I'd like to think they called me because I have a reputation for being reliable, dedicated, detail-oriented, blah, blah, blah. Not because I give really great gifts at the end of the year. Well, after several years of freelance work my friend came right out and told me that he expected a gift at the end of the year. And he was dead serious. Brothers and sisters, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

And all this time I thought a gift should be given because you want to give it, not because you feel you have to. Wow, what an idiot I am!

During the holidays I used to bring in food and snacks for the whole agency, and a few personalized gifts for the folks I worked with directly. I only did this because I saw other freelancers doing it, and thought it was just the thing to do. Now, years later, I don't bring in anything. I think this is in large due to the comment my friend made. The way I look at it is that I'm being paid to provide a service. If I provide that service in a professional and competent manner then I get paid. I know that my work is making my client money, and even more money for my client's client so any gift giving would be extraneous. If a freelancer is being hired based on the quality of their gifts instead of the quality of their work then the system is truly buggered beyond repair.

Freelancers Union

I've known about the Freelancers Union for quite a few years now. (Technically, since "freelancers" is possessive, it should probably be the "Freelancer's Union" with an apostrophe, but whatever.) Anyhoo, I'm not sure why I never joined, or took advantage of the multitude of resources offered. Probably because I'm not a "joiner", but that's just me being stupid/stubborn. Over the years it has become quite a large organization and offers assistance and advice in many areas of operating a freelance business. Looks like a great aid for any freelancer out there so I thought I'd mention it here.

Here is the link...
Freelancers Union

Enjoy,
Slim

______________________

Freelancer Etiquette

The Top 10 Rules of Freelance Etiquette:

1) PARK IN THE VISITOR SPACES. Why park behind the dumpster when you've got a spot reserved for you right up front? Everyone knows that visitors are greeted with a smile and given the respect they so richly deserve. They are shown around the office, introduced to everyone and treated to an expansive buffet lunch. And since you're not on staff, so you must be a.... "visitor", right?

2) SLOWLY MAKE YOUR WAY AROUND THE WHOLE OFFICE TO CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS. It's important to take a few hours to reminisce about the good old days with old co-workers. That way they won't forget who you are, and you'll be "top-of-mind" when they need freelance help in the future.

3) SWAP OUT YOUR NON-FUNCTIONAL MOUSE WITH THE FUNCTIONAL MOUSE OF THE NEAREST ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE WHEN THEY'RE NOT AROUND. This will demonstrate to your Art Director that you're willing to do anything to get the job done. Everyone knows that real "go-getter" freelancers are hard to come by. Besides, what's an Account Exec need a mouse for?

4) BE FIRST IN LINE WHEN THE LEFTOVER LUNCH FROM THE CLIENT MEETING IS BROUGHT OUT. Some staffers would have you believe that they should be first, then their dog, then the receptionist, then the mail room guy, then the janitor, and THEN the freelancers. This is untrue. Since freelancers get paid by the hour they should be first instead of waiting around in a line wasting time. After all, time is money!

5) FOLLOW CREATIVE REQUEST FORMS TO THE LETTER! This one is pretty obvious, but I thought I'd list it anyhow. We all know that Creative Request Forms (a.k.a. Creative Service Requests, etc.) always contain all of the information you will ever need to begin and complete a project. All of the exact specifications, communication priorities and client-based mandatories are always spelled out in great detail which eliminates the need to ask stupid questions. Thank God for these things, or we'd all be banging our heads against the wall in utter frustration!

6) SEXUALLY HARASS ANYONE YOU WANT TO. It's not widely known, but sexual harassment laws only apply to full-time employees, not freelancers. I'd recommend doing this sooner than later as this little legal loophole won't stay open forever.

7) DON'T BOTHER THE IT DEPARTMENT WITH STUPID REQUESTS. Listen, the IT department has it's hands full trying to thwart the evil Zerg from invading sector 42-B. They simply don't have time to let a lowly freelancer know what the password is to log on to the server! And they certainly don't have time to upgrade your creative software so it will be compatible with the rest of the creative department! What do think this is? A multi-million dollar creative agency?!

8) FILL OUT YOUR TIME SHEETS IN FARSI. Just to see if anyone in accounting is paying attention.

9) MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME. Independent studies have shown that a comfortable freelancer is a productive freelancer. Create your own desktop pattern, hang up large photos of your children, proudly proclaim your controversial political beliefs and feel free to use the mailroom as your own personal UPS Store. Even if you are only on-site for a day or two your fellow co-workers will appreciate your efforts to feel at home in their shop.

10) INVITE YOURSELF ALONG TO THE OFFICE HAPPY HOUR. Hey, you worked just as hard as they did on that last project so why not have 9 or 10 pops on the company tab? After all, what better way is there to bond with the creative team then over shots of mescal and Jager? You don't have to worry about them not thinking you're a "professional" since no one will remember this tomorrow anyhow.