Here is an article that I have, a compilation of the best social news websites that you can find on the internet. Oh wait, have you ever heard of social news? Let me give you first an overview about this thing.

Social news refers to websites that are very much in the trend of online community today, wherein users visit these sites to submit and vote on the news, stories, media such as images or other links posted on the site. Basically, these social news websites that I am talking about here does one thing: to attract. Not only these give quick access with different contents, you can also connect yourself with the discussions on every topics posted. For bloggers, these sites are very much useful as great sources of traffic, as well as with users who are into viral marketing.

You can see a lot of social news websites on the internet. Most of them cover wide range of topics, and examples of this are Digg, Reddit and Mixx. Others have specific topics, those are popularly called, niche social news websites. There are also social websites that compiles bookmarks of users to share it to other users. You can find more examples on each type below. I compiled here not only social news websites that are about design or technology, but also social news websites about different topics such as entertainment, fashion, environment, politics, etc.

1. Digg

Digg is a social news website that is founded by Kevin Rose. In this site, the members vote the news, stories, and the like either up or down. When a person diggs, it means you promote the specific link. Mostly, the topics you can find on this website are about entertainment, technology, politics and others. It also has a section for videos and images.

2. Reddit

Reddit is owned by Condé Nast Digital and the users of this social news website are called redditors, sounds cool huh? This popular website contains different kinds of news, and it also has section of topics called subreddits that focus on topics such as politics, programming and business. This also has a feature wherein users receive karma for submitting popular articles.

3. Designbump

Designbump is a social news website that is dedicated for designers. Aside from it has a user-friendly interface, this cool website gives you the way to promote your website and boost traffic by adding the simple tools they provided on your site.

4. Mixx

Mixx offers general topics you can share and find relating to business, technology, sports and many more. You can use this social news website to tailor your content categories, tags, specific users and groups.

5. Delicious

Delicious is a social bookmarking website where you can share, store and discover great bookmarks. With this website, you can easily share those bookmarks with your friends, colleagues and students. Try it, it is free to use!

6. Design Float

Design Float is a niche social news website that covers the topic, design. It is one of the leading social news website over the web.

7. Pixel Groovy

Pixel Groovy is a community driven website where you can find and share computer learning resources and tutorials. The goal of this website is to create a place where people, especially designers can find reliable and informative resources.

8. Plime

I find Plime a very interesting social news website. Here you can edit weird or any links you find very interesting. Users also earn what they called, karma when other members vote on their actions.

9. Now Public

Now Public is a social news website that is focused on the citizen journalism. Each user who joins the site has their own profile blog where they can upload their videos to share, images and even news.

10. Care2

Care2 makes a difference from others because it focuses more on environment topics. Also, it has a service where you can shop and portion of the sales is donated for environmental causes.

11. NewsCloud

Are you a Facebook addict and loves to update yourself with the things going on around you with different news? Why don’t you try NewsCloud? NewsCloud provides software solutions for Facebook where it is possible to that you can share news, stories on your Facebook page or profile.

12. SWiK

SWiK gives users resources for open source software. This website contains information, guides and news about thousands of open source projects.

13. Sphinn

A social website where you can search and interact with marketers. This allows you to share and discover news and stories, take part with the discussions, and discover events of interest and network with other users.

14. Metafilter

Metafilter is a community weblog wherein users share links and discuss interesting links, websites or topics.

15. Slashdot

Slashdot, a site that sends a large traffic, covers mostly topics that is related to technology but also has several topics you can search on. You can also submit news, stories and if they are approved, they will be published on the site.

16. EarthFrisk

EarthFrisk is a social news website that combines social network and group features with a digg-style voting depending on the topics that you want such as politics, health, entertainment and business.

17. Kirtsy

For users who are searching for a social news website with several topics to explore on, technology, entertainment, design, food, then kirtsy is the best site for you. Name it, they have it.

18. Entirely Open Source

This website is entirely an open source social news website. It features open source news, tips, inspirations and the like from projects and communities all over the web.

19. Free Software Daily

Free Software Daily is designed for users, who are in search of free and open source software community with news, articles depending on your interest.

20. Dzone

Dzone is a website that has a compilation of links shared by its users dedicated for developers. Mostly topics covered here are about web design and programming.

21. Tweako

A user-powered social news website that provides guides, tutorials, news about computer, technology, and the internet.

22. Blog Engage

Engage with bloggers by submitting your blog articles in this website, then it will be reviewed by all users and will be promoted by the administrator or the visitors of the website.

23. I Am Bored

Are you bored? Try to visit this social news website that covers several and general topics that focuses on weird and offbeat news.

24. Chictini

Chictini is a social news website that covers everything you want to know about fashion. So basically, it is for women who are into the world of fashion and style.

25. Small Business Brief

This is a niche social news website that focuses on small business topics including marketing, sales, management and entrepreneurship.

26. Auto Spies

Are you a car lover? Be updated with different news and find reviews and photos of different automotive and vehicles.

27. Grow News

Grow News a social green news website where members can submit and share to others their interesting green news stories.

28. I Like Totally Love It

This website which has a cute domain name gives users to post products they purchase online and members can vote on each if they love it or not. Top loved products are the ones posted on the front page of the site. As what the mission of the website says, democratize marketing. For them, shopping is democratic. No one here should be pushed to market a product.

29. Value Investing News

Want to be updated with stock and investment news? Join in the community of Value Investing News. In here, you can submit your news or stories and bid on which to publish on the front page.

30. Technorati

Technorati is designed help bloggers succeed by collecting, highlighting, and distributing on the global online conversation. A blog search engine that caters different niches such as business, technology, sports, politics, etc.

31. Clipclip

Have you ever created a scrapbook? Where you will cut out articles and photos then paste it on your scrapbook? So basically that’s how clipclip works, the difference is this one is online. When you find something on a website, highlight it, then use their tool to add it on your online scrapbook.

32. Newsvine

Newsvine is a social news website that is a community driven news, stories and opinions. Users of this site have their own blogs where they can write articles and interact with other users by commenting on other stories.

33. Daytipper

Daytipper is an online resource for useful advice, tips, tricks, techniques and hints you can learn about buying, grooming, selling, etc. This is dedicated mainly for women, especially for mothers. But others can also grab some good tips here, too!

34. Tipstrs

This social news website is a collection tips, hints and advice given by different users on several categories.

35. DotNetKicks

This community-based social news website, DotNetKicks.com, specialized in development techniques, programming tools and technologies most especially about .NET and ASP.

36. Tip’d

Tip’d is a website that is dedicated for users who love reading articles about finance, investments and business. Users of this site can vote on stories by clicking the “Tip it” button and also you can comment on the links on each story.

37. Stylehive

Stylehive is an online community for people who loves fashion, style and shopping. In here, you can view style muses and follow them to discover their latest fashion.

38. Dealigg

Are you the type of person who likes buying bargains? Then Dealigg is the best website for you. As what they would describe their website, it is a social bargain hunting. The objective of this website is to publish the most voted style or products with the best of online shopping such as Amazon, Buy.com that are on bargain. The good thing about this social news website is it is run by shoppers and is updated every now and then.

39. Fark

Fark is not a web blog. It is a news aggregator and an edited social networking news site. Users submit news from different websites and with different topics, and then Fark picks funny and weird news and not-news of the day.

40. Muti

Muti is a social website that is dedicated to the content of interest to Africans or those interested in Africa. Africans and other interested people can vote on each link if they like it or not.

41. Inbound

Inbound Marketing is a community for marketers. It is a place where you, marketers can learn, interact and share your knowledge with one another.

42. Linkfilter

As what the name of the website implies, it is a link filter. Users of this social website give their comments and rank each links on many levels. Great thing about this website is it is moderated by the users itself.

43. BuzzFlash

BuzzFlash is a user-driven progressive political news website that allows you to submit a story that may be reviewed by all visitors and let them vote if it will be prompted on the front page or not. When you submit a story, it remains in the pending Buzz queue until it receives enough votes to be promoted to the main page.

44. P2PViNE

P2PViNE is a social bookmarking news site that gives latest news in file sharing news and peer-to-peer information.

45. TreeHugger

TreeHugger provides news, solutions, and product information that are about the environment. It is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.

Tips and Guidelines

Now before you go, I would like to give you three tips about these social news websites. Here are they:

1. Study the website carefully.

In choosing the good social news website, you must research first if the news website you are choosing is the best for your website. You may read articles, reviews or other resources about the site to have a better knowledge on it. Make sure that you compare on which have good reviews and positive comments about the site. Also, consider the one who can give more traffic for your website.

2. Determine if the website covers your topic.

As I have said awhile ago, there are types of social news websites. There are who have several topics, some have specific topics, which are the niche social news websites. Before choosing, determine if the social news website covers the topic of your website. For example, if the topic of your blog is about web design, then choose a social news website that is designed for web designing. You can also join on social news websites that have several topics, but I would prefer those niche ones.

3. Interact with other users on the website you choose to join.

Try to join into discussions, share your thoughts, comment on other news or stories. Just give your opinions. This is one way of building relationships and gathering friends within the community. You may never know they can help you in some way by supporting or marketing your website or product.

“Dream Job” as others  call it. Why not? In freelancing, you enjoy the benefit of working on your own time table, have your freedom and relax. But everything good comes with great hard work and hard-gripping effort. It’s a great responsibility and discipline having to work everything on your own, having to learn the operations and flow may take one the longest time possible. But like any other business it has its pros and cons, handling that depends on the freelancer. Dealing on the high risks that come along a freelancer should be ready.  In this article I will be sharing a guide for all freelancers from newbies to veterans, that if followed may help you reach success. But of course, the determination and passion is all in your hands.

Be Bound and Determined

The key to succeed in the business of freelance graphic designing is persistence. On the early stage of  this business, it’s not hard to notice that the operation does not progress fast for quite sometime and you may find it difficult to gain enough profit to last. So, don’t get discouraged and just keep climbing up that ladder to success.

Underselling is NOT an Option

At the beginning of the business, you may consider having your rate at a lower price to get recognized by clients. But in the later part, you realize that you get fully loaded with projects that make you work your butt off for more hours that you have exactly planned. After all the hard work you should consider and credit your effort in making the bill.

Build a good relationship with your clients and educate them of the work level you have in your hands. Proper setting of expectations and good communication helps. Once you have set the right price you can now prioritize your clients and sort out the good from the troublesome. The increasing demands from clients could mean that you may need the client to find another alternative or make it worth your time.

Calculate Before You Tag

To avoid any serious miscalculations, always remember that everything counts. The time, effort and resources. You have to know the worth of every project. Clients may have the tendency to assume that the project is easy. Saying something at the back of your head like ” why don’t you do it yourself if it’s so EASY?” – well, the fact is they can’t. That’s why they hired you to do it. Best to explain to them in the best way to make them understand. And again, proper setting of expectations is very important.

Advertise and Expose

Market your business everywhere and anywhere possible. The best way of advertising is verbal advertising or “word-of-mouth”. Proper exposure and social skills are essential. Impress people by participating in web design forums, web design blogs, webpage galleries and social networks (e.g facebook, stumble upon, my space, twitter, etc.) and gain credibility. The next thing you know, people will be talking about you and your work. The more credible you are, the more clients you get. First impressions usually lasts especially to clients, so carry a calling card with you wherever you go. You’ll never know when you bump into a potential client.

Aim for Major Business Growth

Specializing on a single field of graphic designing is always how you start on this business. But along the way, you may experience trouble with your market. expanding your business means adding more services. Primarily, you have target markets in focus that you are currently dealing with when you start the business. Always think outside the box and think of new ways to broaden your services.

Seeking New Clients

Top Priority in freelancing is to keep the business going by getting new clients as much as you can handle, as well as maintaining the services for the existing. Freelance graphic designers are also well aware that some of the clients are unreliable and inconsistent, so always be on the look out for new clients.

There are many places to look into when finding clients. The internet is a wide place and there are plenty of websites to look in and post your offered services. Most clients would bid for the cheaper price, don’t get blown by the wind in making decisions. You have to remember that you are looking for clients to stay on track, in order to do that you raise your prices slowly when the time is right. And of course, always improve your output and aim for excellence.

Connection with Clients

Getting the right exposure will surely get you the clients’ attention. However, maintaining them is another story. Strong relationship and connection should be built in order to gain that great trust towards each other. If it means to go the extra mile for your client to get that bond then, so be it. Being trust worthy and reliable means a lot to the clients.

It always helps to be punctual, competent and open to your clients. Make them feel important but in a way that you still stick to your bounds. Business is always business no matter how close you get.

Summary

Getting into the freelance graphic design business, you must acquire patience and tons of hard work. People often get the impression that freelance is all fun and less work, being able to work at your own comfort of time and space. When in fact it isn’t.  When everything gets wrapped up, it all boils down to who’s responsible for the development and down fall of the business – The freelancer. There’s no one else to blame but yourself. Learning the process and the where abouts is always good for the business.