Freelancers continue to grow in demand as the economy slowly recovers, with 22.5 million businesses considered non-employers by the United State census. Freelance web designers, among other types of freelancers, enjoy a flexible schedule and often have the ability to work from home instead of traveling to client sites. While freelancing sounds attractive to many web design professionals, with Rockable reporting an average of $49 per hour for the profession, you need to stay safe in a digital age life as far as content is concern with identity theft, scammers, and other security concerns.
Practice Due Diligence
You find freelance clients in a variety of locations, from word of mouth to job board sites such as Craigslist. However, you'll also run into many scammers and time wasters through these venues as well. When you get to the point of signing contracts or submitting tax information to a potential client, look into their business. You don't want your social security number and other private information falling into the wrong hands. Ask about their business, find their physical location if possible, and do extensive research on the company when you get to this point.
Protect Your Online Accounts
Many freelancers accept various forms of electronic payment, such as Paypal. If a scammer gets your email address through an inquiry you made to a fake job listing, they may send email scams designed to get your password for Paypal and other online accounts. According to Lifelock, phishing email scams can cost you money and compromise your identity. Always go directly to the websites to sign in instead of clicking an email link, no matter how concerning or persuasive the email is.
Keep an Eye on Computer Security
You keep client data, marketing files, and other sensitive information on your computer. If your computer security gets compromised, you face data loss and compromised information. A malicious computer virus may wreck an entire hard drive's worth of data. You may already be using an external hard drive or USB drive to save backups of your files. However, cloud based backup solutions give you an extra layer of security by storing data off-site, at a third party data center. Cloud based storage also allows you to access these files from any device with an Internet connection. Some freelancers combine multiple backup solutions including DVDs, external hard drives or thumb drives, with a cloud storage service such as Dropbox hosting a copy of these files.
Pay special attention to computers that rely on older, unsupported software or operating systems. If the software developer no longer updates the software, the potential for security holes is greater. Take a look at upgrading your computer if the hardware is unable to support newer, more secure versions of operating systems and advanced anti-virus software.
When Clients Come to Your Home
If you have clients coming to your home, make sure that you let someone know when they are stopping by, and how long you expect the meeting to last. If at all possible, have meetings at a co-working location or a quiet cafe instead of your house for obvious safety reasons.
Keep Your Body Healthy
Another safety issue that freelancers may not consider is keeping their body healthy. You spend long hours at a desk, working on client projects or sending out inquiries for work. Freelance.com recommends keeping an eye on the ergonomics of your workstation, from the keyboard to your computer chair. While a good computer chair may run near $1,000, it's worth it when you consider the amount of time you spend sitting in it. Plus, it's tax deductible. Many companies manufacture ergonomic keyboards that run approximately the same price as a standard keyboard.
Practice Due Diligence
You find freelance clients in a variety of locations, from word of mouth to job board sites such as Craigslist. However, you'll also run into many scammers and time wasters through these venues as well. When you get to the point of signing contracts or submitting tax information to a potential client, look into their business. You don't want your social security number and other private information falling into the wrong hands. Ask about their business, find their physical location if possible, and do extensive research on the company when you get to this point.
Protect Your Online Accounts
Many freelancers accept various forms of electronic payment, such as Paypal. If a scammer gets your email address through an inquiry you made to a fake job listing, they may send email scams designed to get your password for Paypal and other online accounts. According to Lifelock, phishing email scams can cost you money and compromise your identity. Always go directly to the websites to sign in instead of clicking an email link, no matter how concerning or persuasive the email is.
Keep an Eye on Computer Security
You keep client data, marketing files, and other sensitive information on your computer. If your computer security gets compromised, you face data loss and compromised information. A malicious computer virus may wreck an entire hard drive's worth of data. You may already be using an external hard drive or USB drive to save backups of your files. However, cloud based backup solutions give you an extra layer of security by storing data off-site, at a third party data center. Cloud based storage also allows you to access these files from any device with an Internet connection. Some freelancers combine multiple backup solutions including DVDs, external hard drives or thumb drives, with a cloud storage service such as Dropbox hosting a copy of these files.
Pay special attention to computers that rely on older, unsupported software or operating systems. If the software developer no longer updates the software, the potential for security holes is greater. Take a look at upgrading your computer if the hardware is unable to support newer, more secure versions of operating systems and advanced anti-virus software.
When Clients Come to Your Home
If you have clients coming to your home, make sure that you let someone know when they are stopping by, and how long you expect the meeting to last. If at all possible, have meetings at a co-working location or a quiet cafe instead of your house for obvious safety reasons.
Keep Your Body Healthy
Another safety issue that freelancers may not consider is keeping their body healthy. You spend long hours at a desk, working on client projects or sending out inquiries for work. Freelance.com recommends keeping an eye on the ergonomics of your workstation, from the keyboard to your computer chair. While a good computer chair may run near $1,000, it's worth it when you consider the amount of time you spend sitting in it. Plus, it's tax deductible. Many companies manufacture ergonomic keyboards that run approximately the same price as a standard keyboard.
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