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Subject:Re: What is Freelancing? From:arroxaneullman -at- aol -dot- com To:tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:26:42 -0400
Richard Lewis (tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com) asked, "What is the difference between temping (W2 or 1099) and freelancing?"
Wikipedia explains Freelancer:
A freelancer or freelance worker is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer. The term was first coined by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) in his well-known historical romance Ivanhoe to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior." The phrase later transitioned to a figurative noun around the 1860s then officially recognized as a verb in 1903 by various authorities in etymology (e.g., Oxford University). Only in modern times has the term morphed from a noun (a freelance or a freelancer) into various verb forms (a journalist who freelances), and an adverb (she worked freelance).
The author and poet Ernest William Hornung (1866 - 1921) also used the term in "The Gift of the Emperor" to describe something of poor quality: "I warmed to my woes. It was no easy matter to keep your end up as a raw freelance of letters; for my part, I was afraid I wrote neither well enough nor ill enough for success."
Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism and other forms of writing, computer programming and graphic design, consulting, and many other professional and creative services. But the practice is widespread: for example, bounty hunters and mercenaries are freelancers, with their full-time counterparts being, respectively, the police and the military.
To me, a freelancer is the same as a 1099 contractor.
Hope that helps!
Arroxane
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