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Ok, I realize Christmas has come and gone and there a couple of days left of Kwanzaa, but despite the season, I had a hard time getting into the swing of things. Some because of deadlines, other reasons are personal. I finally felt a calm yesterday when I gave up my old 15” CRT monitor to a family down the street. I had managed to do this through Freecycle.

This is funny since I had my flat panel for nearly a year, but better late than ever, as my Dad says. I know if sounds wishy washy. I finally felt like I made a difference. I know I have taught, given numerous trainings, etc. However, I felt like if it really counted this time.

So, you don’t have to wait until the holiday spirit to give. Freecycle can help you not only give but receive peace of mind as well.

I have decided not to post a top posts of the year, because they are already listed on the left hand sidebar under “Popular Posts“. I have also created a “Best of” category, that will continue to be updated quarterly.

Happy 2008 everyone!

I just got off the phone with a company who is still sending mail to my late mother, I simply wanted them to remove her contact information from their list so that they will stop sending information. No one seems to know which department was responsible for my request. I got shuffled through 6 people in the organization before I gave up due to hunger and exhaustion.

So I want to ask, how many people do you talk to on the phone before you throw in the towel. I need to know that I’m not alone, but I also hope that it serves as a wake up call for departments within organizations to communicate with each other. It can mean the difference between member satisfaction or member cancellation.

Feel free to tell us about your own experiences. Comments will be moderated, so play nice!

Grandma has been doing a great job guest commentating this week as I am knee deep in blog projects that were “due last month”.

Today’s topic deals with retail catalogs that arrive after the fact. Grandma received a catalog yesterday only to learn that the sale expires today. She got several catalogs sometimes a week after the sale expired.

What retailers can take from this:

1. Plan well in advance – I am not aware of how retail catalogs work, so I cannot pontificate on this, but I’m sure that moving a deadline up a day or two can mean the difference in sales.

2. Expect that some post offices are more efficient than others and account for that. Having the note to post offices to have “in- home from x to y” is a start. However it doesn’t make a difference if it doesn’t arrive in time.

3. Give customers some incentive – If they stated that they got the catalog after the fact, offer free shipping on the current order or a coupon good for their next purchase.

Even though we can’t control when catalogs are delivered, sometimes we can make best out of a bad situation.

I cannot take full credit for this post. Gram woke me up this morning to ask me to order something for her. She gave me the 800 number from the catalog that she had (granted I do not know how old that catalog is.) So I go online and sure enough, the place has a different phone number. So being uneasy, I called the number Gram gave me, and kudos to the company, the number went through to that retailer.

So companies and retailers, I’m sure this is a “no brainer”, but please make sure that if you move, etc, that all your numbers forward, especially now during the holiday season. You never know when you have a near octogenarian finds your company’s catalog from the last millennium calling you, wanting to place an order and can’t get through.

Its no fun being a freelancer during the holidays, especially when cash flow is not as optimal as one would like. Instead of fretting about what to get clients and associates for the hoildays, here are some ideas that could take you far.

1. Reward excellent clients. I plan to give several lucky clients discounts on their services in the new year as a thank you for referring new clients to me and for paying on time.


2. Find other freelancers and barter with them for services that you need.


3. Recycle, some friends of mine are throwing a “white elephant” party. You bring items that you don’t use or need to the party and find something that you do need.

Yes, Its that time of the year yet again. Last year, I wrote about what freelancers can do to go to holiday parties through their networks.

If you have been good about online networking all year, you have probably received a few invites from colleagues, clients and associates to their events.

If you haven’t, there are things that you can do to welcome the holiday season.

1. Throw or participate in a Holiday Potluck. Recently a few friends and I threw a potluck as a way to learn about other people’s recipes and holiday stories.

2. Meet new people. Sometimes we are caught behind our desks 24/7 that we sometimes forget how to be social. Its good to find a group (by using Meetup as an example) to reach out in person that interest you (that is not necessarily related to computers and/or the Internet.) Its also nice to have a place just to chill and where people will not always associate you with being a web designer.

3. Be open to new possibilities. This is the season for light and hope. You never know who you may meet when you are out and about that may lead you to that next project or that next good friend.

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I recently posted a comment to Wake Up Later, a blog about freelancing, answering the question as to why I freelance. Little did I know my comment won me a Starbucks Card, which I them used to try a Peppermint Mocha on Manhattan’s Upper East Side after a consulting appointment. Sipping the mocha gave me time to think about my business as well as other blog posts to write.

As people are recovering from both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you might have noticed that you may have started to receive mail (snail and electronic) and phone calls from non-profit organizations for the holiday season. There are ways to be confident about who, and what you are giving to.

1. Have you had a good experience with an organization?


2. Have you seen the organization live in action? i.e. a church, or soup kitchen? Have you seen the dollars in action? Are you pleased with the results?


3. Are you willing to talk about the organization to others, can you be the organization’s cheerleader and encourage others to give?

If you are still unsure about a non-profit organization, you can use GuideStar Basic for free (registration required) and see information about all kinds of organizations so that you can give without being weary.