The freelancer has been on the work scene for many years however the name takes on new meaning in today’s world of the internet. In the past, those doing freelancer work were usually independent reporters, artists, novelists, and translators. All of them had to use much slower methods for turning in work and finding work usually meant chasing leads through cold calls and other classic marketing techniques. But the internet has changed the world of freelancer work for those who can deliver it via the internet which includes a vast majority of people in this field. Let’s look at some of the ways the internet makes freelancer work more promising.
Today’s technology makes it possible for someone to submit freelancer work from anywhere. A freelancer does not need to be chained to the spare bedroom used as a home office. Notebook computers are more powerful and affordable than ever before and all the freelancer needs is one of these plus some way to access the internet for email or web research. There are global networks like GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and 3G (Third Generation International Mobile Telecommunications) that allow you to connect to the internet through a cellular SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card with a USB adapter. To put it simply, anywhere your mobile phone can reach is also an internet access point for your notebook computer.
Payment services using the internet remove barriers like high wire-transfer fees. Paypal is one popular online payment service used by many freelancers worldwide. A freelancer can live in the United States and submit work to a client in the United Kingdom, receive payment for the work, and transfer the funds to his or her bank account for only a nominal fee. The foreign currency exchange rates are handled by the payment service. It also allows the traveling freelancer to be paid no matter what the location. Because banking networks are linked together, a freelancer’s ATM card works at almost any machine.
The location where a freelancer lives is almost irrelevant to the work. A freelancer can live in one of the most economically depressed parts of the world yet still have gainful employment because of the global nature of freelance work on the internet. In days prior, one would have to pull up stakes and move to a new geographical region if work could not be found. Now, the internet freelancer has many job websites available where freelance work can be located.
Work delivery for freelancers is much more efficient because of the internet. The nature of freelance work is usually driven by deadlines. Nowadays, work can be delivered in a matter of seconds plus there is a record of the delivery. A web designer can model work on a web host used for demonstrations and clients can look at it any time. There are desktop video capture tools that can make a quick video of work on a computer and then email it to a client for review. Applications such as Skype allow video and/or voice communications with clients for very low fees.