Operation Network
Posted on January 17, 2006 in Freelancing
(last edited on April 29, 2014 at 1:28 am)
(last edited on April 29, 2014 at 1:28 am)
One challenge I face as a freelancer is finding good people to work with. And how do you find good people? Well, you find the ones that appeal to you, I guess. So it’s important to have some filtering criteria.
The one I think might work for me is filtering for the story gene. It would go like this:
I’m seeking experienced, talented, and conscientious freelancers for creative networking You should enjoy discussing, sharing, and making cool stuff! Designers and developers welcome! The price of admission is one story: Tell me what you stand for as a professional, and how you came to be that way. And…why it’s so important to you personally.
I think something interesting would happen from this. I don’t know what exactly. That’s why it’s an experiment :-)
7 Comments
When I was a wee lad I had balance problems and was sent off to extra ciricular activities to learn to correct. I saw a lot of disbaled and people with lack of mobility. I saw how much easier there lives were made without making them feel small or stupid.
I then had an interest in art as a kid, nothing special just doodling. When I was 12 I picked up a copy of Flash 3 and started away. Picked up a mentor and we joined forces on a company and community.
Went onto programming and finally getting back into design. Also getting back into usability. If I ever branch off from the web, it’ll be into usability.
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Sounds like you could benefit from a “refresh” in your area like Refresh Phoenix. I know I have!
Thanks Zach for steppin’ up! And Matt, thanks for the cool link, sounds like a very cool group!
I can’t pass up the opportunity to join in, especially since I am working to build my network and networking skills too…
Something I believe in and stand for is authenticity and making a contribution. I very much prefer to work on projects that I feel will make an impact.
A couple of years ago my position as an online learning designer/developer was eliminated from the HR group at the large financial institution I work for. This followed a few years of constant change – changes in leadership, shifts in middle management, all of the big corporate stuff. So the elimination was not a total shock.
I went on to a role building systems simulations. After a year of the dry cookie-cutter work I was burned out. In early 2005 I was contacted by my old group (the one that eliminated me a couple of years prior) regarding a position.
I made the conscious decision to leave a secure position and return to my old group, where not much was different – the threat of being cut hung in the air, and change was still a constant. But, I was doing work I believed had an impact. I had the opportunity to work on a course about Disability Awareness, made some updates to a course I had built my first time with the group – Preventing Workplace Harassment, and had the chance to help usher in a new set of development standards for online courseware development.
In December 2005, I was informed I had until March 31, as my position would be eliminated – again. Would I do it all the same again? Yep, because I still believe in the work this team does, and I think we made an impact.
While I haven’t freelanced full-time in the past, I may be doing a lot more in the near future. And my work will definitely include things I believe in… Good luck as you build your network David!
I have found success in openly connecting with other people who are looking to tell their story. Photography is storytelling. As a photographer, I strive to remember that my job is to let the subject do the work. Success in life is good collaboration.
Scientistsuperstar is hosting my local community radio station’s live audio stream. http://www.WDBX.org .
My server is http://www.scientistsuperstar.com. I have recently moved from moveable type to Media Wiki and wordpress. As a collaboration platform, MediaWiki is amazing. Media Wiki is the engine behind Wikipedia.
I am looking to help people tell their stories. I am looking for help in customizing and tweaking Media Wiki. I am working within my community here in Southern Illlinois. I have helped http://www.iandiarethebook.com to tell his story. The community radio station connection gives me access to people that have stories to tell.
I am the resident “know it all” (not!) of scientistsuperstar.com. If anyone has stylesheets and hacks that can customize media wiki, We would love to use their help.
Rory: That’s an inspiring tale of perservering for what you believe is the right thing. Best of luck in your next phase of work! I’m constantly thinking between stability versus doing the right thing myself; I’m contemplating the best way to achieve a sort of balance.
James: That’s neat, how Photography has opened things up. Is the camera a useful prop in getting people to open up? Maybe that’s a key to successful networking, having an accessible point of contact.
I think I need to link Operation Network as a permanent section of this site.
Like Rory, I could not pass this up.
I have been a designer since I was 6 years old, and since then I have always found the need to test my limits, both mentally and physically. This is something I need as a designer and respect when it comes to colleagues.
I guess it has been a philosophy since I first understood the ability of the human being. I know I will sound like an episode of Star Trek but I cannot help myself.
As humans we are capable of so much when we are pushed to our creative limits. In the early 60’s man had only been routinely flying for a little over 30 years then at the end of the decade, with in 10 years, we were walking on the moon! This all came about because the designers that made it possible pushed themselves to the limits of their creative, mental and physical selves. They were passionate about solving the problem.
That is what makes good design great, and great design legendary. The day I stop challenging myself and think that I can do no better, is the day I become an office assistant in a mortgage company!