15 Oct 2018 Cherry Gammelin 2778 Views

The SAFREAN: September 2016

The Safrean: Bringing You the Latest News in

Southern African freelancing

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR

Dear Safreans,

I’m feeling quite energised from this past month which saw some great SAFREA initiatives being actioned. As our organisation begins to make waves, I want to be sure you’re all aware of the part you play in the success we’re seeing. There's enthusiasm geared towards regional events and a sense of pride around our organisation as a whole. I'm thrilled to say it's really starting to have a positive effect.

I received a warm welcome from the Guateng North and South branches, who got together for the first time at an event last month. I had the opportunity to meet the members and chat about what's in store for SAFREA in the months ahead.

The Western Cape held a great event in August, which you can read about under SAFREA in the News, below. Not only did we have superb speakers, but we also had a great turnout thanks to the regional members using their social media channels to get the word out to the public. We also experimented with Meetup.com, which allows you to create a local group that anyone can join. We had over thirty attendees who found our event through Meetup.com. I encourage you all to take advantage of this great tool for your upcoming events. Also, please remember to post events on the SAFREA website. If your regional committee hasn’t done so, pop them an email asking what gives?Without a write up after the event, no one will know what they missed.

If you're reading this and thinking, am I losing my mind or is SAFREA partnering up a storm? You're right! Look out for exclusive job postings on our website thanks to a developing partnership with MPULL, and be sure to check out our latest press release which is also featured on BizCommunity.com.

Again, pat on the back to all of you for the shift we’re seeing. Keep up the good work!

Kindly,
Laura

SAFREA IN THE NEWS

Not sure if you've noticed, but we've had a lot going on recently. Here's a quick look back at a very productive month.

SAFREA partners with the Association of Freelancer Journalists Kenya (AFJK) to launch the Alliance of African Media Associations (AAMA).

We're excited to announce this initiative, which supports media professionals throughout Africa. Check out the full press release on our website, here, or on BizCommunity.com, here.
The Eastern Cape regional committee is holding an event on the Panama Papers, this Saturday, 10 September.

SAFREA Eastern Cape invites you to attend a talk by Amanda Strydom, Managing Editor of the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), on the Panama Papers. Not an event to be missed! Find out everything you need to know, here.
The Western Cape regional committee held an August event that was off the charts.

SAFREA Western Cape held an event called 'Insta-Famous: Social Media and Blogging for Business'. If you missed it, you can catch up on what went on, here.
Missed last month's newsletter? Don't stress! It's up on our website.

Never miss a newsletter again! Check out where we keep the archives and how to get on our mailing list, here. Hint: On the SAFREA website, put your cursor over NEWS, then select NEWSLETTERS.

Look out for more news and updates on the SAFREA website and social media outlets.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

This month, we're featuring Eugene Yiga – copywriter, editor, researcher, subeditor, writer, journalist, scriptwriter and social media expert based in Cape Town.

Eugene graduated from the University of Cape Town with distinctions in financial accounting and classical piano. Now, he spends his time writing about people. You can read through all of Eugene's services and get the link to his website by visiting his SAFREA profile, here.

We also caught up with Laura Dubber, last month’s MEMBER SPOTLIGHT, who had this to say about having her profile featured in the SAFREA newsletter: “Being featured in the newsletter pushed me to update my profile on the website (at last!), which I believe will help to highlight my presence in the freelancing world, promote my writing and editing services and hopefully, attract some new business in the future too!”

So, kids, don’t forget to update that profile by logging into www.safrea.co.za and clicking on your name to edit. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

FREELANCING TIP OF THE MONTH

At SAFREA, we're always on the lookout for time-saving tricks and business insights to help our members take their careers to the next level. This month, we look at five essential tools that will help you organise your life as a freelancer!

We all want to be associated with a reliable, accredited organisation, so it’s our goal to make sure your name stands out. That means, giving you the tools you need to succeed.

This month, we're talking about...

HOW TO GET ORGANISED: FIVE TIPS

Wondering how the big dogs do it? They're as efficient as a telephone book. Here are five time-saving tools that are free and, dare we say, awesome!

Wave - Invoicing, accounting, bookkeeping, dog walking...you name it, this programme does it.
Canva - Looking for a facebook promo design? what about a flyer? mailer? aerial size banner ad for your airplane? Not sure about that last one, but these guys let you design pretty much anything for web or print. Easy and professional.
Asana - stop using sticky notes; start living life. This task management programme works for individuals and teams while creating a priceless product – more time!
Evernote - This programme is great for those who would rather drink windshield washer fluid than use pen and paper ever again, AND for those who love taking notes on the back of their coffee slips. Evernote can record anything that's going on upstairs so you can spend more time thinking and less time organising.
Tomato Timer - Use the Pomodoro timing technique (which is free) to schedule stretch breaks during your work day, and save money on that physio (which is not).

KEEP IN TOUCH!

If you’re kicking yourself because you unsubscribed long ago and now want to get back in, or you have a friend who would benefit from our newsletter, just pop a quick email to pr@safrea.co.za to re-subscribe. You’ll be glad you did!