Freelance work has experienced substantial growth in popularity in recent years. There are several reasons that have contributed to this. One prime reason is the fact that there has been an increase in the number of people working as digital nomads in the last decade. A digital nomad is someone who combines a love of worldwide travel with an ability to fund these journeys by working remotely, using technology and the internet. Today, in 2023, there are estimated to be approximately thirty-five million digital nomads in the world who balance their working worlds with a desire to explore the globe. In addition, the millennial generation is one that is substantially different from the generations that came before.
This generation’s attitude towards work and a career is markedly different and a greater emphasis is put on achieving a satisfactory work/life balance. Millennials are more likely to relish freelance work as it offers them a greater degree of flexibility in their working week and can offer the potential for agile working from various locations. In this article, there will be a focus on how technology has played an integral part in fuelling the popularity and viability of freelance work. Some key examples of the use of technology in freelance work will be explored.
Online Jobs Boards
One key facilitator in many forms of freelance work is the use of online job boards. These are used to provide a constantly updated list of available work for freelancers. The worker will access the jobs board remotely and will accept suitable jobs to a pre-determined completion date and price. This type of practice is used in many forms of freelance work and especially in the freelance shipping industry. Workers in this sector will have their own means of bulk transport (such as a van or truck) and will access an online jobs board of shipping work to find the best work that is suitable to their location and circumstances.
Typically shipping work is updated daily and the freelancer will bid for specific loads and jobs. Normally, the lowest bid is then accepted by the person who requested the shipping job and once the contract is fulfilled, payment is made to the freelancer. Online job boards are also common in the freelance content creation sector. Specific projects or article requirements will be listed online and workers from a pool of freelance writers will accept them so that they are allocated to them before completing the task. In short, a range of freelance professions relies on online job boards to streamline workflows and ensure that all work is completed to timescale.
Collaboration Applications
Whilst a large proportion of freelance work is completed remotely, there is also a need for teams of freelancers and managers to collaborate so that the tasks are well-defined, and any issues can be resolved. Once again, technology plays an integral part in this process. With a remote or hybrid workforce, meetings can take place online, regardless of the workers’ location, by using video conferencing apps such as Skype or Microsoft Teams. These platforms provide a reliable and secure method for group meetings and the sharing of ideas. All that is needed is a reasonably fast internet connection (such as broadband or fiber optic connections) and a suitable smart device, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
In 2023, there is a wide range of video conferencing applications with a diverse selection of free and paid-for features. You can find some of the best video conferencing applications here. Another key collaborative platform that enables freelance work to take place is the use of project management planning boards such as Trello. These applications are ideally suited for IT projects that require several different workers to complete parts of the overall task. The project board can be accessed online and is regularly updated when sub-tasks in the project have been completed. Using this type of software allows managers and workers to have a constantly updated picture of the overall project progress and can also be used to query sub-tasks or communicate any issues in the completion of work.
Rapid Research
The explosive growth of the internet has led to it becoming one of the main sources for accessing information and learning about specific subjects. Today, there are estimated to be over fifty billion unique web pages on the internet. Only a few decades ago, if specific information was sought, the most common way to find it would be to take a trip to your local library and read a book on the subject. Now, the world can access an immense volume of well-researched and authoritative information with nothing more than a few keystrokes and mouse clicks.
One sector of freelance work that significantly benefits from the power of the Internet is article creation. Freelance writers will be tasked with creating interesting and informative articles on a wide range of topics, some of which they may have limited knowledge of. Research plays a key role in creating high-quality content and it is common practice for articles to be written that reference other high-authority information by hyperlinking to that page. Put simply, the information contained on the internet is vitally important for all freelance writers and content creators.
VPNs for Agile Working
A final key example of the use of technology in freelance work is VPNs. VPN stands for virtual private network and allows agile and remote working to take place by freelancers without compromising online safety.
A VPN works by encrypting information and concealing the IP address and location of the computer or device that is connected to the internet. This is incredibly important when working in public locations and using unsecured Wi-Fi access, as it prevents hackers from accessing your computer. VPNs, therefore, allow freelance workers from a wide range of professions to undertake agile working practices without compromising their security.
Almost all digital nomads will use a secure VPN as a prerequisite for undertaking their tasks, as they will often be accessing the internet from hotels and cafes over unsecured networks. Click here for more information on some of the best VPNs for private use in 2023.
