From the Couch

Episode 183 - Social Media Ends Outside

2009-10-15 00:00:00.0 16:36:47.0 +0200

One of the best ways to get business as a freelancer is to constantly network. With our experience we have found that online social networking is step one. We encourage you to step outside once in a while, go to local/national conferences and meet-ups to start networking directly with the people you have met online.

Episode 182 - One Year Anniversary

2009-10-13 00:00:00.0 14:42:33.0 +0200

Today is the one year anniversary of From the Couch and of course this calls for a good old montage video. We'd just like to thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch and comment on our shows. The success From the Couch has brought us was never expected and we are humbled to still be alive and kicking. We also suggest that you check out We Are not Freelancers to find out about our permanent $20 special! Nat has put together some clips; some funny, some odd. Enjoy it!

Episode 181 - Social Media Etiquette and Making Money Offline

2009-09-30 00:00:00.0 16:39:30.0 +0200

Today you get to become involved in a casual conversation between David and Marc. David and Marc discuss Social Media etiquette and whether or not it is a pro or a con to be so upfront and blatant. Are people taking exploitation to far? They also share their thoughts on how to make money offline. And sit on a new red couch.

Episode 180 - Spotting Loop Holes and Sticking Stickers

2009-09-18 00:00:00.0 17:30:08.0 +0200

After a great response from the launch of the 25:25 Affiliate program, they explain to you where the idea came from and why it is so important to always look for a loop hole to make something better. David and Marc have a possible opportunity with a big business and you see them putting the pitch together and how they find the right words for it. The response to the 25:25 Affiliate program has blown their minds and with the Obox-Design traffic tripling in one day they hope it stays that way. Two new themes are on their way and should be available by Thursday 24th September. You'll also see them sticking some hot black From the Couch stickers onto the new 'company car'. Music Mentioned in this Post: * Strawberry Swings - Coldplay * Sun is Shining - Bob Marley and The Wailers * Kids - MGMT

Episode 179 - It's All About Themes

2009-09-15 00:00:00.0 19:16:49.0 +0200

It's all about WordPress themes at the Obox HQ this week. David gives you a sneak peak of 'Selecta' - a new theme the Perel brothers have been working on of late. He also highlights one of the issues with CSS3. Marc gives you a taste of what the Obox Themes Affiliate Program is going to look like and shows off its functionality. He also helps Nat fix her computer after it gets a virus. David buys himself a new Clio Sport III Phase 2. It also happens to be the first company car!

Episode 178 - Building Capital as a Freelancer

2009-09-11 00:00:00.0 15:21:24.0 +0200

We get a lot of questions from people who are just starting in the industry on what to charge and how to charge etc. In this episode we tell you how we managed to build up capital and what method you should take. It's quite simple: Take everything you can get. When you are starting out there is no time to be fussy. Work your face off and just do as much work as you can no matter what the price. Some jobs will pay well others not, but you will be gaining a huge amount of experience and before you know it you will have some money in the bank.

Episode 177 - Do We Ever Get Work Done Around Here?

2009-09-08 00:00:00.0 17:11:33.0 +0200

No matter how hard you plan your weeks sometimes you just can't get things done. Today, you see David and Marc, for the first time ever, scratch things off their 'to do' on the day it was created. Marc shares a jQuery tip and David has a problem with divs and IE6. There is a huge lack of concentration in the office so David tries to motivate himself by getting on a skateboard and attempting a kickflip while Marc sits answering support forums. Marc conjures up the idea of a strawberries and cream coloured HashOne theme and at the end you get a little dose of Daft Punk.

Episode 176 - Online Marketing Talk

2009-09-01 00:00:00.0 17:29:30.0 +0200

Dave and Marc talk at the 27 dinner about how you can improve your online marketing. This video better explains why we made the stop animation video on Friday. You see us arrive in style in 00Heaven limos drinking champagne with our fellow limo riders, Alex Van Tonder and Matt Buckland.

Episode 175 - Online Marketing Road Map

2009-08-28 00:00:00.0 10:35:26.0 +0200

David and Marc attended the 27 Dinner in Cape Town last night and this video was part of their presentation. They spoke about internet marketing and the paths that could be taken. By the way, they arrived in pure rockstar style. Check out 00Heaven, the Limo company that picked them up. A big shout out to Chris Rawlinson and Dave Duarte.

Episode 172 - From the Car Mazda 3 Test Drive

2009-08-26 00:00:00.0 13:40:07.0 +0200

Recently RamsayMedia contacted us to have a meeting about video blogging and the online space. RamsayMedia are the publishers of South Africa's most popular car magazine called 'CAR'. By the end of the meeting we came up with the idea that Marc and David would test their car's and post an online episode of their experiences. This video is the first test, if Ramsay like it then you will likely see a new show spurned out of this content which will be called 'From the Car'. The test of a test involved us driving the new (to South Africa) Mazda 3 2.5. Overall we thought it was a good car but didn't suit our age group. However if you are looking to buy a VW Golf then this is a great alternative due to it's spec and price. We must say a huge thanks to Paul Cartmel from New Media Labs who dropped our name in a presentation at Ramsay which resulted in this test.

Episode 174 - Tips for Video Bloggers

2009-08-26 00:00:00.0 17:18:52.0 +0200

Today a nervous Natalie sits on the couch to share with you what she learnt at a 4 day course she attended in the past few days. The course is held by the Media-Academy South Africa and is an intensive 4 day training course on how to become a Video Journalist. Useful tips I learnt during the course: * Five Shot Theory * Angles - in an interview try keep your subject off-centre. i.e Golden Cut * Use as many visuals as you can * Try to keep your original sound bites I'd like to thank Alila Hofmeyr for letting me use her story, and Dominique Vandenhoudt for the great course. Follow Media Academy SA on Twitter and Facebook, and visit their website here.

Episode 173 - Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

2009-08-20 00:00:00.0 13:45:55.0 +0200

Whenever we have set out on a new 'mission' (sport business etc.) we have always entered with an open mind and in a space where we could learn as much as possible. During our time as racing drivers one of the best in the business used to mentor us. Now with the web and even themes we have been fortunate enough to have become friends with a pretty knowledgeable and experienced group of people. Even with Marc's cycling he has managed to learn from riders who have cycled in the Tour de France (not bad hey). So in our mind we have seen this pattern and decided that it deserved it's own couch session. In this episode we speak about the importance of getting good people around you so that you can learn as much as you can. It's about find people who have the same values/interest as you so that the friendship is real and not just some façade which you use and abuse. The more genuine you are the more you will learn. Check out the vid and let us know your thoughts! PS. Follow us on Facebook, we are posting more and more content on there everyday which you will find very useful.

Episode 171 - Blog Design, Fireworks Tip, Obox Re-Design

2009-08-12 00:00:00.0 14:44:27.0 +0200

In episode 171 Dave shows you a high-speed screencast of changing the color scheme for a site design that they are doing for a client. We also discuss the redesign of our footer for Obox Design. You will see us make a poor attempt at wireframing it and then finding inspiration. Throughout the show we talk about our new theme 'Press', we show you color schemes and discuss why we made it.

Episode 170 - Magazines, CSS, Rants

2009-08-06 00:00:00.0 18:23:00.0 +0200

In this weeks From the Couch you get a very clear view of our new theme called 'Press'. David screencasts the entire CSS and HTML conversion of the Gallery page. Marc then takes you on a ride with his latest rant about clients asking for a lot but not giving back, it get's personal but that's how we roll. Finally while chilling with Marc, David spots a magazine layout that could easily be transferred to the web sphere.

Episode 169 - Creative Block

2009-07-30 00:00:00.0 22:36:17.0 +0200

In this weeks From the Couch David and Marc speak about their marketing plan for Obox Signature Series and how they are going to improve on their weaknesses. David gives his opinion on the new Twitter home page, Marc has trouble with Internet Explorer and to help get rid of a creative block they venture outside and play some golf.