Dear Readers,

The weather is warming up in the Southern Hemisphere and this may make people think of anything from flowers blooming to racing carnivals to spring cleaning. For me, spring is a good time to start new ventures after the winter ends, here at Freelance-Market we will start spring with a new social media campaign to bring in more requests for work.

In the Freelance-Market-News this month, we will look at the recognition the Freelance-Market system has achieved overseas, a simple tip to improve your productivity and diet, and please remember, if you are a freelancer who wants to talk about your experience using Freelance-Market, let us know and you may find yourself in next month´s news.

Yours in business,
Martin Gray,
Managing-Director.

In Europe, Freelance-Market.de our German parent site, has won another award. The renowned 'Initiative Mittelstand' awarded Freelance-Market with the 'Best of 2012'-award for innovative IT-solutions. The product 'Freelance-Market' convinced the jury, under the auspices of the federal government in particular. Freelance-Market offers its fast contractor search, the clear listing of candidates and the fast, free presentation of the optimal freelancers and a particularly efficient access to the most suitable contractor. In this way, businesses save time in identifying the appropriate service and reduce hiring mistakes. 'Initiative Mittelstand', which can be translated into 'initiative for small and medium enterprises' consists of a panel of experts from IT-industry, academia and the media. The panel evaluated the submitted products and solutions based on a set of criteria. Some success factors are the level of innovation, customer value and suitability for SMEs. Overall, more than 2,500 companies applied for a for a prize in one of the 40 categories. Freelance-Market received the 'Best of 2012' in the category 'Human Resources'.

In the world of scientific research, it has been found that junk food, and snacking at your desk, are both bad for your productivity. So if you want to be more productive at work, and generally healthier, go outside and have a healthy meal. You are doing yourself and your clients a favour. Companies that provide healthy food for their staff might increase productivity of both employees and contractors.

In education, the Sydney Morning Herald reported last month that there is a trend for adults of all ages to go back to school to learn how to use their electronic devices. With 64% of Australians owning a smartphone, this is a lot less crazy than it sounds. The Council for Adult Education has had a jump in interested parties from uni students to retirees all who want to make the most of their portable computers. If you are looking for a course on how to use your smartphone, Android or Apple, just use it to do a search through our freelancers, you might use some of the trainers listed at Australia Freelance Market.

In the arts, the Australia Freelance Market network is lending its support to a short film competition sponsored by The Australian and the German Esperanto Association, to mark the designer language´s 125th birthday. Films of less than 5 minutes about ( but not necessarily in) Esperanto are eligible to enter for a chance of winning the € 2000 prize or one of three prizes of € 1000. For more information in English, please refer to http://esperanto.de/gea/125/125_en.pdf

Often at AustraliaFreelanceMarket.com.au we get requests for specialists we don´t yet have, or are short of. At the moment Australia Freelance Market is looking for programmers of iPhone apps, and public relations specialists. If you have these skills to market, or know someone who does, please register yourself on our website for free, and let us work for you.

Finally, Australia Freelance Market News is always looking for freelancers to give a short article outlining their services.

In this issue we present an article by contractor no. 174 (category 'Business Consultant', AU $75/ hour) from Sydney.

I advise health organizations on outpatient care and inpatient care facilities, their support structure and the development of quality management and risk minimisation strategies.

Care institutions are subject to high daily demand with ever increasing capacity requirements. The risks that affect such organisations are foreseeable, particularly if the quality is not consistent.

My professional services are characterised by a direct, rapid and active assistance in the field of nursing documentation. After an actual analysis of all documents in connection with the care documentation, my customers will receive the necessary implementation support on the ground. At the end of the project, the current requirements and the room for manoeuvre recovered.

An IT-consultant, a copywriter and their project manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and - are you way ahead of me? - a genie comes out, promising each of them one wish. "Me first! Me first!" the copywriter says. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.". Puff! She's gone.

"Me next! Me next!" the IT-consultant says. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life.". Puff! He's gone.

"OK, you're up," the genie says to the project manager. "I want those two back in the office after lunch."