EmploymentCrossing Launches Job Site for Entertainment Professionals

Keeping in mind the growing needs of entertainment professionals, EmploymentCrossing, a leading job board, launched EntertainmentCrossing (http://www.entertainmentcrossing.com/) this week. EntertainmentCrossing aspires to list all types of entertainment jobs from every possible source. It also seeks to provide details on career advancement opportunities and employment information related to the industry.

The company believes that most of the job boards reflect only 10-15% of the existing jobs in an industry. Most of the jobs are either remotely located or unadvertised. EntertainmentCrossing scours for entertainment jobs from 250,000 employer websites too, along with 8,000 job boards and other sources.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment growth rate projected for technical entertainment professionals for the 2006-2016 decade is about 12%. Jobs for anchors, journalists, and broadcasters are expected to increase, according to the bureau's predictions for the decade. Intense competition is expected for most entertainment jobs.

The entertainment industry attracts a large number of job seekers for various types of jobs. Most applicants for entertainment jobs are the youth, and due to high competition, employers seek those who can perform their jobs immediately with minimal training. Also, candidates with sound technical backgrounds, such as camera operators and video editors, have the best job opportunities in this field.

Technology in the industry is rapidly changing, forcing most entertainment professionals to constantly update their skills, particularly in large metropolitan areas. Job prospects are good for college graduates with degrees in broadcasting, journalism, media, and other relevant fields.

Despite sound job prospects, the current economic downturn has affected the entertainment job market as many entertainment companies are reportedly facing huge losses. Various entertainment and media firms plan to or have already filed for bankruptcy. In our past news release, EntertainmentCrossing wrongly said that Sirius XM and Charter Communications have already filed for bankruptcy. Sirius XM was considering bankruptcy until this week when Liberty Media agreed to loan the company $530 million to avoid bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Charter Communications will file for bankruptcy on or before April 1.

Entertainment professionals working in various jobs like media jobs, information technology jobs, writing jobs, etc. are said to face the danger of being obliterated without any trace due to the collapse of many entertainment firms. The most recent instance being Gaylord Entertainment Co. which cut 350 jobs which amounts to about 3.5% of the total workforce. On the other hand, more than 7,000 people have applied for jobs at Kings Island, according to the amusement park officials. This shows that if one searches for jobs in the right areas, anyone can learn about an existing job related to their niche industry.

55DSL Audience Design Contest: THE FIFTH DIMENSION

Join the design community at the Cut&Paste Digital Design Tournament and enter this year's Audience Design Contest (ADC) in 2D design, presented by 55DSL, to express your own creativity and challenge yourself to a rapid design round, just like the competing designers onstage.

CONCEPT

Join forces with 55DSL in the outer reaches of the galaxy and enter the Fifth Dimension—a place where space invader girls twirl their 1000-inch curls, monsters from Mars drink mojitos in bars, surf-cowboy beats make waves on the streets, and psychedelic chimps hang with intergalactic pimps.

Your objective: to create an electronically generated T-shirt graphic based on the creative guidelines stated here. Your incentive: a full outfit from the 55DSL Spring/Summer 2009 collection and a trip to the first-ever Cut&Paste Global Championship, where the global winner of this contest will be announced. All you have to do is come out to your local Cut&Paste competition, enter the 55DSL area, and sign up to try your own 15-minute design round. When your turn arrives, take a seat in front of the computer, open up Photoshop, grab the mouse, and express your own ingenious view of the 55DSL Fifth Dimension.

JUDGING & PRIZES

All designs submitted for 55DSL's Fifth Dimension ADC will be judged on aesthetics, originality, and style as well as for coherence with 55DSL's Spring/Summer 2009 collection. One global winner will be selected in early June, after entries from all 16 cities in this year's Cut&Paste global tour have been reviewed. The winning entry will be announced on 55DSL.com and specially featured in the ADC online gallery. The global winner will be notified in June and awarded with a complete 55DSL Spring/Summer 2009 collection outfit. He/she will also receive an expenses-paid trip to Cut&Paste's first-ever Global Championship, taking place on June 20 in New York City, where the winner will be officially announced onstage.

Website: http://www.55dsl.com/blog/cut-and-paste

Citi Launches ThankYou Network Gift Card Design Contest

Ever wonder what it would be like to put your design or photograph into the hands of millions of consumers? Citi is offering members of its ThankYou Rewards Network the chance to put their creativity into wallets around the world with the launch of the ThankYou Gift Card Design Contest.

The winning design will become the face of a ThankYou Gift Card redeemable by millions of ThankYou Members nationwide. The winner will join the company of internationally renowned artist and designer Karim Rashid, who designs the current ThankYou Network gift cards which will continue to be available in the rewards collection. In addition to having his or her design on a gift card, the top winner of the contest also will receive 100,000 ThankYou Points.

"This contest is a great opportunity for our members to illustrate what Citi's ThankYou Network means to them through their card design," said George Awad, CEO, Citi Cards. "At its heart, ThankYou Network, as one of the world's largest loyalty programs, strives to help its members lead rewarding lives. This contest is a fun and creative way to acknowledge our loyal customers by letting them contribute to the meaning of the program."

The contest submission period runs from February 12, 2009 through 11:00 p.m. EST on April 11, 2009, during which time members can submit their designs through a special email address provided on ThankYou.com. Entries will be judged on overall creativity, aesthetic appeal, and compatibility with branding.

Three finalists will be selected by judges who are Citi employees, and designs will be posted on ThankYou.com. Between May 1, 2009 and May 30, 2009, consumers will be invited to vote for their favorite design. The first-prize winning design, along with the second- and third-place designs, who will win 50,000 and 25,000 points, respectively, will be announced on ThankYou.com after June 18, 2009.

Website: http://www.thankyou.com/

Major Job Boards to Die Within a Decade

Online job boards will be gone within a decade or sooner. That's the assertion of a new report and e-book on the state of Internet job-hunting from a leading career Website. Taking their place, a wave of new social-media-driven job-search sites and tools is arriving online and expected to dramatically change how job-seekers and employers find each other in the future.

"Just as the major job boards revolutionized how job-seekers searched, applied, and found jobs more than a decade ago, a new crop of Websites are arriving that will once again change the job-search landscape," says Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director for Quintessential Careers and author of the report titled, The Long, Slow Death March of Job Boards -- and What Will Replace Them, as well as co-author of the accompanying no-cost e-book, Job Search 2.0: Advancing Your Career Through Online Social Media.

"While traditional job boards will still play a role in how job-seekers find jobs over the next few years, social-networking sites and second-generation job boards are quickly gaining inroads, and we can expect these and other emerging job-search sites to replace the big job boards within a decade," Hansen states.

"One other element at the heart of this paradigm shift is the empowerment of job-seekers to create and manage their online career persona, what we refer to as their digital presence," Hansen says. "As job boards diminish in importance and effectiveness, and hiring decision-makers shift their approaches to connecting with talent through online searches, a digital presence becomes a must."

The 2009 report, the sixth in a series of annual reports published by Quintessential Careers covering the major trends in online job-search, includes these findings about how employers and job-seekers are connecting with each other online:

1. Job boards will be gone in 10 years or sooner.

2. Digital presence, "findability," and search-engine optimization (SEO) increasingly are standard operating tools for jobseekers.

3. Social-networking, people-finding, and micro-blogging participation are becoming critical to the job search.

4. Blogging is seen as a both a way to demonstrate expertise and learn more about and connect with employers.

5. Integrating multimedia into the job search -- a controversial trend -- is one to watch.

Readers can find more details here:

**2009 Online Job-Hunting Report:The Long, Slow Death March of Job Boards -- and What Will Replace Them. URL: http://www.quintcareers.com/job-board_death_march.html

**No-cost e-book (ISBN-10: 1-934689-08-4): The Quintessential Guide to Job Search 2.0: Advancing Your Career Through Online Social Media. URL: http://www.quintcareers.com/Quintessential_Careers_Press/Job_Search/

Growth in Homeshoring Dominates U.S. Outsourcing

oDesk, the leading marketplace for online workteams, reports that U.S. buyers are increasingly homeshoring, or outsourcing software and Web development work to highly-qualified freelance professionals based in the U.S. Work done in the U.S. has grown at a rate of 367% from 2007 to 2008, nearly 50% faster than oDesk's rate of growth.

Freelance Job Growth Accelerates in the U.S.
http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/02/freelance-job-growth-accelerates-in-the-us/

This growth is especially significant since U.S.-based professionals like PHP programmers and JavaScript developers are more expensive for companies than outsourcing to India, or other lower-cost countries better known for outsourcing. The U.S. average hourly rate is more than $6 higher than the oDesk average. When broken into job categories, U.S. rates are actually rising in skilled categories like software development.

Outsourcing to United States
http://www.odesk.com/community/oconomy/outsourcing_united_states

One explanation for U.S. job growth on oDesk is that there are more U.S. providers today, providing buyers a wider variety of U.S.-based skills and experience, than ever before. In December alone, over 20,000 new U.S. providers signed up on oDesk, the largest monthly percentage increase (over 40%) that oDesk has seen since 2005. Other possible reasons include the ability to better co-ordinate across time-zone differences with fewer language and cultural barriers. Regardless of the exact cause, U.S. providers' average feedback score has been consistently higher than the oDesk average worldwide, and this has allowed US professionals to command higher rates.

"When people in the U.S. think of outsourcing, they typically think of lower-cost countries," said oDesk CEO Gary Swart. "But, we're seeing an interesting trend of U.S. companies increasingly turning to U.S.-based talent for their contracting needs."

Freelance Writer Wants Facebookers to Go Beyond the Short Text and Expound Upon Their Creativity

Texting has evolved into one of the most popular sources of entertainment for kids and adults. Last week, Facebook launched an application to capitalize on this movement. Chat ToText is designed for Facebookers to recruit and chat with friends through text messaging while earning income for their efforts. A commission of $2.00 is paid for each friend sponsored on the first level, as well as an additional 25 cents for each "friend of a friend," up to the eighth level.

Award-winning writer, Fran Briggs is challenging Facebookers who are either using, or considering using the social network's MLM application. She is utilizing her "Be a Paid Writer" e-course as a platform. Briggs wants Facebookers to go beyond the short text and expound upon their creativity and earning ability. Her aim is to show that taking the time to write beyond the typical text is not only equally entertaining, but much more lucrative than Facebook's Chat to Text MLM application.

"My program shows how new and increased value can be created when using a keyboard," stated Briggs. "But the 'Be a Paid Writer e-course' doesn’t just give individuals the opportunity to earn much more money than Facebook's MLM application; it also can help launch an enjoyable and lucrative writing career. Many of my students are now successful columnists, journalists, sports writers, marketers, freelance writers, technical writers, and authors, including five-time author, Demetra Reid."

"The beauty of being a paid writer is that you can work as little as 8 hours a week," she explained. "I teach how to sell articles, manuscripts, white papers, and books for $250.00 - $3,000 each, or even more. The money you earn when you become an established writer greatly exceeds the commission Facebook is offering people to text and chat. And, it requires about the same amount of time. As a direct result of my writing, I've gained international distribution, publishing agreements, and a generous income. I am contacted by independent editors, journalists, publishers, and entrepreneurs who want to pay me for my services on a daily basis."

Fran Briggs' "Be a Paid Writer" e-course is designed for writing enthusiasts from all levels. To participate in the challenge, individuals must visit the writer's website. Specific details about how participation can earn a writer thousands of dollars each week, can be found on the Web at: http://www.beapaidwriter.com/

ABOUT FRAN BRIGGS
Fran Briggs is an accomplished author, award-winning writer, and publicist whose experience as a writer spans across the print and online worlds. Her work has appeared in the libraries of American universities and numerous international publications including: House & Garden, Entrepreneur Magazine, Penny Stock Magazine, Black Enterprise, Self, Boxing Scene, as well as many others. She is the editor-in-chief of Your Seeds for Success.

Start Freelance Writing Today by J.D. Carr

Say you'd like to start freelance writing, to stop dreaming about it and just do it. You head for bookstore and sit down with a pile of books about freelance writing. Pretty soon, you're overwhelmed. Query letters, mastheads, SASEs? The list of things you're told you need to learn about before you start freelance writing grows with every page you turn. You begin to wonder, "Isn't there an easier way to start freelance writing?" The books in your lap don't suggest an easier way.

I'm going to tell you how to start freelance writing today. I'm going to suggest things that many of those intimidating books say you should never do if you're "serious" about wanting to start writing. I won't promise that you'll make a fortune, or even a modest living, anytime soon. But you can start freelance writing in virtually risk-free ways that allow you to test the waters without investing huge amounts of time or money. And you can start writing sooner if you skip those lengthy advice books (you can read them later if you need to).

1) Start Freelance Writing: Clarify Your Goals
Why do you want to start writing? Are you hoping to make some extra money? Are you simply looking for appreciative readers? Are you considering freelance writing as a potential career that will eventually replace your current job?

If you want to start writing, you'll need to be honest with yourself about what you hope freelance writing can do for you. Identifying your motivations as you start freelance writing will help lead you in the right direction.

2) Start Freelance Writing: Keep It Simple
Books, websites, articles?the amount of information about getting your start in writing is staggering. With your goal in mind, you can start freelance writing without wading through all of that material. Make the process easy at first, and you'll be less likely to get discouraged.

Say your goal is to make extra money. Start writing by submitting articles to content websites, such as AssociatedContent.com and Helium.com. Content sites provide buyers with articles which draw Internet visitors. The articles generally need to be "keyword dense," which means that you'll need to repeat the same word or phrase frequently throughout the article. Most people who start writing learn about keyword density quickly by viewing other articles and observing how keywords are woven into the text without weighing it down.

Often, selling articles to a content site means giving up all rights to the material?that is, handing over the copyright. How does this help you start freelance writing as a career? It probably won't, but it'll provide you with a small, steady stream of income. Many sites such as GotWebMojo.com allow you to start writing as soon as you complete a brief online sign-up form. Be sure to read the terms carefully, so that you understand how and when you'll be paid, what rights (if any) you'll retain, and other important information.

3) Start Freelance Writing: Look Locally
If your goal is to make a career of freelance writing, you have a longer road ahead of you. But you can still start writing now by building a portfolio of work samples. Some books will warn you never to write for free when you start writing. However, submitting work to small, nonpaying publications is a great way to get the work samples you'll need to impress paying publications down the line.

Start writing by examining local publications, including mainstream and alternative newspapers and freebie magazines. Many small newspapers and magazines are hungry for copy, but can't afford to pay for it. Try e-mailing the features editor or an associate editor and pitch some ideas for articles. Don't emphasize that you're angling to get your start in writing?let your well-written, friendly, professional message win them over.

4) Start Freelance Writing: Submit Work to Literary Magazines
If you write short stories, poetry, or essays, start writing by sending your work?your very best work?to literary magazines. Grab a copy of Poets and Writers or a similar publication and look in the classifieds. You'll find dozens of print and online magazines looking for submissions; many are willing to give you your start in freelance writing. Most pay little or nothing, but the exposure can lead to paying markets down the road.

Start writing for literary magazines by reading the submission guidelines carefully?and following them exactly. Most lit mags have websites with links to guidelines as well as samples of the kind of work they publish. Read these samples to get a sense of what they're looking for. A brief cover letter with full contact info, your work's title and genre, and a short bio should suffice. This is not the fastest way to start freelance writing, since literary magazines can take six months or longer to respond. However, keep in mind that just beginning the process of submitting your work to literary magazines means you'll start writing.

J.D. Carr is co-founder of GotWebMojo.com, a free community, training, and online solutions company specializing in assisting artists, musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs. To join for free, visit GotWebMojo.com.

New Website Helps Graphic Designers Find Freelance Graphic Design Jobs

A group of graphic designers has launched GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com, a new website to help graphic designers find their next paying freelance graphic design job. GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com gives freelancers free access to hundreds of current freelance graphic design jobs.

Graphic designers can find freelance jobs for many popular and niche-focused design disciplines, such as graphic design, logo design, banner design, website design, and print design. The site's easy-navigation lets graphic designers click on a specific design discipline to find the best-matched design job; otherwise, users can use the site's search tool to find specific freelance jobs by keyword or job type.

GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com fulfills a demand to review and list freelance graphic design jobs from a variety of online job boards, as well as organize job listings in a way that saves graphic designers precious time researching jobs that closely match their skill-set.

Full-time self-employed freelance graphic designers make up about 25 percent of the entire graphic design industry, but an even larger non-reported percent includes "hobbyists" and recently laid-off creative arts people who freelance as graphic designers in their spare time to earn extra cash.

Brian Scott, the site's founder, said, "The majority of users who use our site include not only full-time freelance graphic designers, but also part-timers and aspiring graphic designers who seek short-term projects for extra cash or to build their portfolio."

GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com lists paid graphic design jobs ranging from quick "one-day" assignments to in-depth "month-long" projects, paying from $100 to $3,000 per project -- and much more. On average, the web site lists between 75 and 150 new freelance graphic design jobs each day.

Freelancing as a graphic designer is a fast growing niche occupation on the Internet today, only second to freelance writing. "Even in a recession, the number of freelance graphic design jobs continues to grow," said Scott, who attributes the steady growth to downsized companies outsourcing more projects.

The US Department of Labor and the Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts graphic design jobs to grow by 10 percent this year as demand for graphic design continues to increase from advertisers, publishers, and computer design firms. Scott predicts that online freelance jobs for graphic designers will grow by a much larger percent as new technology -- video games, mobile applications, cell phones, and online interactive media -- thirsts for new graphic design talent from across the globe.

GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com is part of a network of "how to freelance" websites -- all run and maintained by working freelancers -- which include Graphic Design Bids, Freelance Photo Jobs, and Freelance Portfolios.

Graphic Designers can view today's freelance jobs at http://www.graphicdesignfreelancejobs.com/