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"Here's what I haven't found: people who charge $100 an hour to hear what you do and how you do it and then show you how to do it better. People who organize data and put it in the right place. People who overhaul the way small groups use technology so they can use it dramatically better. People who use copilot to take over a PC and actually rearrange it so that it works better."

Several times in the past people asked me for digital advise, e.g on the best blogging tool, how to use Flickr, or what Twitter is. In the past few years I've set up blogs for my father, brother, mother and clients. Only recently I sent out an invitation for a community site for the first time. For Dopplr actually, and I invited my brother, who is a very frequent flyer across Europe, to share his whereabouts with me.

I talk about tools to people, but always ask them about their communicative goals. I don't to tell people to start using a tool if it doesn't serve them a purpose. Joining Twitter is no fun when no-one else you know uses it.

After her invitation for the Ning group Vanstart (a Dutch group for people starting their business), Joitske asked a question about her new website. I've helped Joitske out with her decision for her new website. In the end she decided to skip Blogger and install Wordpress on her own domain. In one e-mail she actually said to me that I knew so much, that she'd almost wanted to pay for my help.

I've been wondering for a while now what I really like to do, business wise. I know that I like coaching, considering the fun I have coaching the kids at the fencing club. I know that I'm fascinated with internet communication tools. So I think that a combination of the two, by Godin described as Digital Coach, would be ideal for me. I'd love to help people out with finding their way in web 2.0 and its upgrades. I'd love for helping (project)teams to communicate and capture their progress better (and with more fun!). I'd love to encourage people to overcome their fear for all things digital and learn them how to be in control of their powerful calculator, instead of the other way around.

Question is, who needs such services AND is willing to pay for it?

I am looking forward to 2008, though. Together, Ton and I will experience a whole different set of freedom and restrictions. We hope to be able to do more projects together. We hope that we're able to write our book together. I hope my business grows with the same rate it did this year. And last but not least, I hope that in 2008 we're finally able to take that long trip to Canada.

I'm done for 2007. All that's left for me is to wish you a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2008!

- 1 to me!

I didn't neglect my previous audience though. I keep meeting people, formerly known as bloggers, at conferences and in other on-line spaces. Recently I joined Facebook to keep connected with the blogging crowd. I use Flickr to keep informed of the whereabouts of my international network (and keep up with all the baby's being born). I use Jaiku to keep connected with a smaller number of people. The connections and relationships didn't stop existing by not blogging here.

What did diminish is the number of new people I unexpectantly meet through writing about my thoughts. That's no surprise: no writing = no google hits = one doesn't exist ;-)!

Managing multiple spaces can be tricky. I didn't stop blogging, but redirected my energy to my Dutch blog, or rather: company site. In the proces of building my work, I wanted more local visibility, which is why I wrote more in Dutch. Now that I'm sort of in a routine filling that space, it is time to start managing this space again.

There is enough going on in my life that I would like to share with 'the public' (which appears to be you :-) ). I also noticed lately that being too personal on my company blog doesn't feel right, so I think I can use this space to be just a tiny bit more personal.

N.B.: If you're expecting me to write about Habermas, I have to disappoint you. Not that I don't like the guy anymore, but his writing is not my biggest concern right now.

Last two pictures by: Paolo, Marco

At one point in time I decided not to work for an employer, because I could feel nothing but negative energy reading job descriptions in my field of expertise. Becoming independent created a lot of intellectual freedom, but it limits the freedom in other areas, travel for instance. Being in the starting phase of my own company, I don't have money to spend on trips for fun. Even with the steady income of my husband, we have to restrict the money we can spend on ourselves. Freedom has a price attached to it. I can only afford not to be paid through pay checks because my husband earns enough to provide the two of us with food and shelter (ok, and a little bit more than that, I mustn't complain ;-) ).

I do believe some people who freelance are being exploited. Seeing some of the tariffs some freelance journalists receive for their work, makes me wonder how they can afford to make a living. It might have something to do with abundance of journalists in The Netherlands, but I think that there is also a group that is not really aware of their own value and not good at negotiating with clients.

You can also ask the question whether all freelancers are consciously independent? For some it might be they're forced to take freelance contracts, because nobody wants to hire them otherwise, or because they're fired and passed a certain age. Are those people free? I guess some of them can make something good happen from a negative experience, and some of them have to work for any money people are willing to pay for their services.

Like everything else in life, the choices you make have consequences. All humans compromise at points and choose the options that they feel most comfortable with in pursuit of happiness. I chose my path, which at times drives me nuts just the way a 'normal' job would drive me crazy. I made a choice within practical limits. As soon as this path doesn't make sense anymore (hey, life is full of uncertainties) I will choose another one. That's why I made the remark in the afternoon that if I were given a million Euros tomorrow, I quit what I'm doing. Right now I'm figuring out a way to market myself/make money by fitting my knowledge and experience into a mold that others can understand and are willing to pay for. Having a million would make the path of figuring out how to earn my own living superfluous. At the same time a certain amount of money creates space for more (intellectual) freedom which will spark new ideas and create new paths into the future.

tags: blogwalkeleven, blogwalkamsterdam, blogwalk.

Really looking forward to the event. It's been quite a while since the last one I attended. Good to notice that it's a nice cultural mix as well in contrast to the one in Mechelen.

I'm a member of Jaiku, not of Twitter. Ton plays with Twitter though, and I am watching his experience with interest. So far I'm not tempted to sign up for Twitter. For me it would be yet another tool to interact with mostly international contacts.

I'm not an active user of Jaiku other than the feeds that automatically show up in my presence stream. I've added delicious, my blogs and Flickr photos. For my contacts enough to get a sense that I'm still there. I don't check the site on a regular basis for updates of my contacts.

The webbased stream of Jaiku doesn't do it for me, there is too little incentive to go there. Most of my contacts in Jaiku are in my feedreader, skype or IM list. I'd love to play with the mobile client, yet I don't own a Nokia. (stuck with Orange branded WM 2005 for at least 4 months).

The amount of attention Twitter receives amazes me. I can only hope Jaiku, as a European based start-up, can position itself and will remain a better tool than Twitter. Just so that you know who I'm backing ;-) .

Thanks to Michael for the link.