Google has become so dominant among search engines that many web workers use it at the exclusion of all other engines. The web is actually loaded with unusual types of search engines, and if you get a feel for what some of the offbeat ones do, you can often save a lot of time getting to the search results you really want. In this post, I’ll round up eleven offbeat search sites that I use on a frequent basis.
Kartoo. Kartoo is a very interesting way to have your search results come back as a large graphic. Hover your mouse over components in the graphic, and you’ll see Flash-based visual representations of sub-topics relevant to your search pop up. You also see images that accompany individual search results which can help you drill down to exactly what you want.
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Some time after you strike out on your own as an independent web worker, you’ll finish your first contract. This is (or should be!) a happy time for all concerned: your client gets the software or services that they contracted for, and you get the balance of the contract price paid into your bank account. But as an independent, your work doesn’t stop there. Don’t mistake the end of the job for the end of the work.
Remember, as an independent, you’re the marketing and accounting department, as well as upper management and line staff. This means there’s plenty more to be done, even when you’ve made the final delivery. Here’s a quick checklist of five things to think about in your follow-up to a job well done.
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Every one of us has a day when the demands on our time are high, when we feel the anxiety and pressure of all that we have to do, when we are so rushed that we can’t get any bearing on our day, when the phone is ringing off the hook, or meetings are back-to-back-to-back, or the IM won’t stop bothering us, or our email is constantly flooded … in short, when we are overwhelmed.
For some people, that’s almost every day.
So how to you get back under control, drop your stress levels, and get back to sanity? How can you simplify an overwhelming day? I won’t say that it’ll be easy, but it can be done.
Here’s how.
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Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
