Member FAQ
What's a "freelancer?" Who may
subscribe to fs-discuss?
We go by many monikers - independent professionals, self-employed, freelancers,
contractors, consultants, soloists, free agents. To subscribe to Freelance-Seattle.net,
you must meet these requirements:
- You or your business have no W-2 employees. (Exception:
If you, as the business owner, receive a W-2 from your own business.)
- You work only for yourself, you are not an employee
of another.
- You are a one-person business, or partnering with
one or two other freelancers. There are no more than three owners,
officers, and/or partners in your business, and no employees.
- You are not a recruiter or personnel placement agent.
If you do not meet all of these requirements, then we ask that you
do not apply to Freelance-Seattle.net for membership, and do not respond
to projects posted here.
How much does it cost to belong to Freelance-Seattle.net?
The suggested payment is less than $20 a year. Members are asked to
pay via the Freelance-Seattle Honor System. The amount is up to each
member, and can be as little as $5, or as much as you wish. 
What will I get when I subscribe to fs-discuss?
When you subscribe, you'll start receiving e-mails posted by other members
of this list. You'll also receive the project postings from fs-projects.
Discussions and project postings are not an everyday occurrence. Don't
be alarmed if you don't receive any messages for a while.
How do I change my e-mail address?
It's a two-step process. First, subscribe using your new address. Then
unsubscribe your old address. There will be a slight delay, while
your new address is processed.
How do I unsubscribe from this list?
Use the Change button and supply your password where requested.
If you just want to stop mail for a short while and you plan to return
to the list, consider the Vacation Hold option, also under the Change
button.
Is my e-mail address ever given to anyone else?
Freelance-Seattle.net does not share your e-mail information with
anyone outside the organization. The subscriber list is not available
to anyone except the list administrator. However, each message you send
to the list will have your e-mail address in it.
Please see the List
Guidelines, too.
What are appropriate topics for this list?
Topics pertinent to freelancing and contracting are welcome on fs-discuss.
Our topics range from business practices to dental insurance, from taxes
to office supplies. If it has something to do with self-employment and
the independent professional life, it's probably OK. With that in mind,
use common sense to determine whether other topics would be welcome.
Refer to the Guidelines
for more specific information.
How do I post a message to the list?
It's as simple as sending an e-mail to this address:
. Use a descriptive subject line.
How do I respond to a discussion?
Just hit the Reply button in your e-mail program, and your message
will be addressed automatically to the list. The full group will receive
your reply and have the opportunity to reply to it. If you prefer to
discuss a message privately with the member who posted it, then change
the address in your reply.
Why aren't I getting any messages?
Some days there aren't any, so if you're new, just wait another day or two.
Other possibilities: Your spam filter might be trapping FS mail. If you use a
challenge-response
e-mail
service,
we
don't
respond
to such requests,
so
it's possible your
FS mail is being deleted. Vacation Hold, if turned on, must
be
turned
off before you start getting messages again.
My messages are being held for review-- what's wrong?
Subscribers' messages go right through to the list without review.
The most common cause of a detained message is that it was sent
from an
address other than your subscribed address. For example, if you subscribed
using your home address, and reply to a message using your business
e-mail, your message will be held for review. You can change your
e-mail
using the Change button.
The attachment on my message was removed--why?
Attachments are not permitted on fs-discuss. Many e-mail users are unable
to process attachments.
This is too much e-mail for me-- is there a digest?
Yes. When you subscribe, you may choose either the every-message
mode or the digest mode. If you are a subscriber, use the Change
button to switch modes.
I just subscribed to fs-discuss -- is there an archive?
Yes, use the Archives
button to log into the archives.
Can I get a computer virus from this list?
Viruses most often travel as e-mail attachments. Attachments are
not permitted on messages to our lists. A special filter watches for
suspicious messages and scrubs them (or deletes them) before they are
distributed. You could still get a virus, of course. An antivirus
software program is strongly recommended for any computer that is connected
to a network, especially the internet.
What do I do if I see a project
opportunity I want?
Reply privately to the client who posted the opportunity. Do not
reply to the list, which is the default. (This trips up newcomers,
so please don't send an "oops" message; if you see this happen,
just ignore it.) Please also refer to the fs-projects
FAQ before responding to project postings.
Can I promote my services on the list?
No. Here's why: All members of the lists are freelancers. There are
no clients on these lists. None of the members are likely to hire you.
Self-promotion annoys other members and, in that way, does you more
harm than good. Instead, focus on networking with your fellow freelancers,
and perhaps look for ways you can help each other out.
Can I post projects on Freelance-Seattle.net?
Yes, any member who knows of a project is encouraged to tell the
client about Freelance-Seattle.net, and even offer to post the project
on their behalf. Read the Post a
Project page for instructions. If you post the project, you'll receive
the replies. If you're doing or pitching a project and need some help
on it, this is the place to find the right person for your new team.
Are salaried job openings posted at Freelance-Seattle.net?
No. There are plenty of other job lists and sites.
What should I do if I feel someone is abusing
the list or a member?
Abusive behavior is not tolerated. Report abusers to
. If a member is abusing the list -- whether with spam, adult content,
flames, or whatever -- they will be warned, or banned without warning.
Abusive behavior is determined at the sole discretion of the list administrator.
Where was that interview with the founder of Freelance-Seattle.net?
Seattle
24x7 interviewed Denis Du Bois in March, 2002. BusinessWeek
and Fortune haven't gotten around to it yet.
