Tools for Freelancers: MyPrice

One of my favorite things about PR is that it doesn't take huge teams and corporate budgets to be able to offer services. In fact, many professionals opt to step away from the nine-to-five setting and into the home office to work as a freelancer. Freelance work is an awesome way to do what you love with maximum flexibility and control. But for every pro that comes with freelancing comes a challenge, and one of those challenges (more often than not) is earning sufficient income and knowing what to charge.

Your rates say a lot about you as a freelancer. If your rates are too low, it may suggest that you are inexperienced or only used to working with lower-budget clients. If your rates are too high, you may be reaching too far and miss out on a larger medium-budget clientele. Finding that middle ground rate can be quite challenging, especially when first starting out.

MyPrice, an app available for iPad and iPhone, helps freelancers determine what their ideal rates and wages should be, without all of the extra hassle. MyPrice uses the characteristics and descriptions that you tell it about your projects to help calculate your rates. The app will also take into consideration your professional and education backgrounds, both of which are huge determinants of salary.

MyPrice was originally created with creative freelancers, such as web or graphic designers, in mind. Now, the app also includes projects such as SEO integration and online marketing, which are more useful to PR professionals.This is a great tool to have as a freelancer, and it is offered for only $1.99 via the Apple App Store. A small investiment can make a huge impact in the rest of your professional earnings as a freelancer. Having a tool to help you handle the calculations gives you more time to focus on catering to your clients and building your professional brand.

Have you ever taken on freelance work? Which tools did you use to help manage your business?

Smartphone Dependency Syndrome: It's Real

Have you ever told yourself that you need to put your iPhone away? 

You tell yourself you'll put it down for the next thirty minutes   You feel like you are being super productive and it starts to feel as if it has been hours since you last checked it. You think about all the texts, tweets and Instagrams you've missed. You pick up your phone and look at the time. Only three minutes have passed.

Face it, you're addicted; but you're not alone.

According to the new Research report by IDC, smartphone dependency is real for Android and iPhone users, ages 18 to 44. 

The report is based off of an online survey, sponsored by Facebook, of 7,444 smartphone users 18 to 44 years old during a week of March. 

Here are some of the eye-opening numbers from the report:

49% of the entire U.S. population uses a smartphone, according to previous research from IDC. By 2017, the percent of smartphone users is expected to reach 68%.

132 minutes is average amount of time each day that smartphone users spend communicating and using social media on their phones. Over the weekend that number increases to 163 minutes.

70% of smartphone users check Facebook on their phones; 61% check it every day, oftentimes more than one time a day.

Four out of five smartphone users check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Among them, 80% say it’s the first thing they do in the morning.

79% of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day. 63% keep it with them for all but one hour. One-fourth couldn’t recall a time of the day when their phone wasn’t in the same room as them. 

Are you addicted to your iPhone? Tell us about it. 

Smartphone Anonymous

You fall asleep to it every night, and you wake up to it every morning. You obsessively check on it through out the night, and sometimes it even wakes you up. No, it's not your significant other or your child - it's your smartphone. A New York Times article written by Tanya Mohn, "Silencing the Smartphone" discusses how companies are making resolutions to wean their employees off their smartphones by adopting in office policies.

More and more companies are adopting these technology policies in order to keep employees alert, refreshed and balanced. A nationwide survey of 2,254 adults found that 44 percent of cellphone owners had slept with their phone next to their bed and that 67 percent had experienced “phantom rings,” checking their phone even when it was not ringing or vibrating. Contrary to popular belief, these habits actually undermine productivity. In order to combat this vicious cycle, the Chief Executive of Empower Public Relations in Chicago, Sam Chapman, has enforced what he calls a, "BlackBerry blackout policy". From 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., both Chapman and his employees turn off their smartphones. Chapman stated that the policy has increased company productivity and morale.

Still, one of the best pieces of advice I took from the article was from a founder of a startup company who said, “Just because you can e-mail at 2 a.m., doesn’t mean it’s a good thing". I'm not recommending we all go cold turkey but we can probably all agree we should put down the phone every once and awhile.

My name is Cori and I'm addicted to my smartphone, are you?

It’s Official – Everyone Loves An iPhone!

For any aspiring Public Relations professional, owning a smart phone is a necessity. Public Relations work never ceases to end so being able to be available 24/7 is a must. As a previous dedicated BlackBerry user turned iPhone lover, I was thrilled to find out that the world really does love Apple. RIM? Not so much. 

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released its latest report on Tuesday, revealing customer satisfaction ratings for cellphone manufacturers and wireless carriers. The survey says cellphone users are most satisfied with Apple’s line of iPhones, and least satisfied with Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry smartphones. ACSI’s May 2012 report includes its yearly data on customer satisfaction with cellphone manufacturers. This is the first year ACSI has included Apple, RIM, HTC and LG in this particular survey. Apple topped the heap of cellphone manufacturers with 83 points, out of 100 total. 


Still, in the cellphone space, Apple ranks 9 points higher than the industry average of 74, and 8 points more than runner-ups HTC, LG and Nokia. And if Apple’s eight-year run as ACSI’s top-rated PC manufacturer is any indication, you can expect the iPhone maker to maintain its top spot in cellphone customer satisfaction too. 


RIM’s downfall, however, is definitely a developing story. With a 70 percent drop in share price over the last year, RIM made its ACSI debut at the bottom of the list. The company scored only 69 points, 14 points behind Apple and five points below the industry average. 


In other words, people are loving their iPhones, hating their Blackberries, and having a generally mediocre relationship with their wireless carriers. These aren’t the most surprising report results, but at least we now have some official data points. 


Are you iPhone obsessed? Let us know!