Don Dingee
@dondingee.bsky.social
Freelance technology writer, SABR member Rogers Hornsby Chapter (ATX/SATX), traded "tools of ignorance" for college textbooks, dad of rescue Great Pyr, steely-eyed missile man (model rockets nowadays), INTJ, allergic to poison ivy | #WeAreCPP #USCViterbi
Pinned
"We, who have so much
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
Win ... I have two spirtual advisors, technical experts, at the client. When they make comments, they are serious, either it didn't read right or the facts or details are off. Took their comments seriously, fixed all, rev approved instantly. Not all their SMEs are like that ...
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Win ... I have two spirtual advisors, technical experts, at the client. When they make comments, they are serious, either it didn't read right or the facts or details are off. Took their comments seriously, fixed all, rev approved instantly. Not all their SMEs are like that ...
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A4) not really, but I have the endgame setup ... biz website, biz email, biz bank account, and biz credit card, and they will all get shuttered within a month of retirement. I get soooooooo much spam because I look like an agency (by design, never pushed that button).
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
A4) not really, but I have the endgame setup ... biz website, biz email, biz bank account, and biz credit card, and they will all get shuttered within a month of retirement. I get soooooooo much spam because I look like an agency (by design, never pushed that button).
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
Good point there: at the end, if it's done, you may need to remind the client to revoke your access to anything like shared folders, content management systems, whatever. For mutual protection.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
Q2. Closing out projects, leaving shared project mgt apps, documenting where we are on future projects, and making sure I'm not exposed risk-wise for any NDA items. I don't promise to archive and I keep finished projects, not assets.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Good point there: at the end, if it's done, you may need to remind the client to revoke your access to anything like shared folders, content management systems, whatever. For mutual protection.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A3) First of all, unless they absolutely disconnect, make superhuman efforts to finish everything you've committed to - do not leave projects hanging. The key there is don't overcommit. If you're leaving on good terms, ask for a LinkedIn recommendation, and reciprocate.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
A3) First of all, unless they absolutely disconnect, make superhuman efforts to finish everything you've committed to - do not leave projects hanging. The key there is don't overcommit. If you're leaving on good terms, ask for a LinkedIn recommendation, and reciprocate.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A2) every client I've ever worked has a folder in my Google Drive (not shared), in case of disaster or for archive purposes. WIP submits are also in my Gmail sent folder. Not perfect but works pretty well.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
A2) every client I've ever worked has a folder in my Google Drive (not shared), in case of disaster or for archive purposes. WIP submits are also in my Gmail sent folder. Not perfect but works pretty well.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
Yeah, a weekly or bi-weekly check-in throughout the engagement with the contact, rather than just adhoc when submitting WIP, can go a long way to smoothing out the ramp down.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A1) last year I realized that almost all of my clients end up being long term. I don’t really have on off-boarding system, but I am a regular check in kind of person. #FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Yeah, a weekly or bi-weekly check-in throughout the engagement with the contact, rather than just adhoc when submitting WIP, can go a long way to smoothing out the ramp down.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A1a) might be reading ahead, I'm in limbo right now, client's fiscal year end was Oct 31, new SOW coming but I've learned the client now has all budgets on hold, so ... we're here. Also turned down a book ghostwrite opportunity, just can't commit months to one project.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:21 PM
A1a) might be reading ahead, I'm in limbo right now, client's fiscal year end was Oct 31, new SOW coming but I've learned the client now has all budgets on hold, so ... we're here. Also turned down a book ghostwrite opportunity, just can't commit months to one project.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
A1) let's see ... probably wing it ... first thing is getting the project list tighter starting a couple months ahead, not accepting new stuff from them, being specific on drafts/reviews/revision times, and wrapping up invoice at least two weeks ahead of end
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:15 PM
A1) let's see ... probably wing it ... first thing is getting the project list tighter starting a couple months ahead, not accepting new stuff from them, being specific on drafts/reviews/revision times, and wrapping up invoice at least two weeks ahead of end
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
Hi, I'm Don, in the wilderness 30 min north of San Antonio, and I write - mostly about electronics, semiconductors, and AI, but also a bit about baseball - SABR bio on a player on the 1994 Expos in WIP right now.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
November 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Hi, I'm Don, in the wilderness 30 min north of San Antonio, and I write - mostly about electronics, semiconductors, and AI, but also a bit about baseball - SABR bio on a player on the 1994 Expos in WIP right now.
#FreelanceFriends
#FreelanceFriends
Ummmm, this is not a good thing, unless you happen to be a billionaire industrialist.
Kevin Hassett: "I think there could be a little bit of an almost quiet time in the labor market, because firms are finding that AI is making their workers so productive that they don't necessarily have to hire the new kids out of college and so on."
November 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Ummmm, this is not a good thing, unless you happen to be a billionaire industrialist.
Wait, did the justice just assert that yes, it might be illegal, but since cleaning it up is a bigger mess, we're gonna have to let it go?
November 5, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Wait, did the justice just assert that yes, it might be illegal, but since cleaning it up is a bigger mess, we're gonna have to let it go?
Listening to SCOTUS conjures up the term "word weaseling"
November 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Listening to SCOTUS conjures up the term "word weaseling"
Wonder how the polling place worker who told me that the guy in line was OK wearing that Trump hat because "he's not on the ballot" (in TX) is doing tonight? He invited me to file a complaint with the TX Sec of State, so I did, via voicemail, and I'm debating following up with a letter.
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Wonder how the polling place worker who told me that the guy in line was OK wearing that Trump hat because "he's not on the ballot" (in TX) is doing tonight? He invited me to file a complaint with the TX Sec of State, so I did, via voicemail, and I'm debating following up with a letter.
Local Fox affiliate in San Antonio just jammed in (and aborted) 8 commercials during the Springer AB.
November 2, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Local Fox affiliate in San Antonio just jammed in (and aborted) 8 commercials during the Springer AB.
"We, who have so much
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
November 1, 2025 at 9:21 PM
"We, who have so much
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
To you who have so little
To you who don't have anything at all
We, who have so much
More than any one man does need
And you, who don't have anything at all, ah ..."
-- Lou Reed
Ohhhhh, the dreaded 3rd-out-at-3rd TOOTBLAN
October 25, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Ohhhhh, the dreaded 3rd-out-at-3rd TOOTBLAN
A3: Probably nowhere near often enough. Things change. The conditions when they left often disappear after a couple years. Conditions here at my desk, not so much. I tend to do that ping on LinkedIn, however, make it a bit softer and more focused on them. #FreelanceFriends
October 23, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A3: Probably nowhere near often enough. Things change. The conditions when they left often disappear after a couple years. Conditions here at my desk, not so much. I tend to do that ping on LinkedIn, however, make it a bit softer and more focused on them. #FreelanceFriends
A2b: I also got a recent request for on-cadence work, and I didn't take it. Again, that's based on this point in my journey. Cadence work tends to mess up my project work for other clients. I have one client that is more on-demand stuff and that's enough. #FreelanceFriends
October 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
A2b: I also got a recent request for on-cadence work, and I didn't take it. Again, that's based on this point in my journey. Cadence work tends to mess up my project work for other clients. I have one client that is more on-demand stuff and that's enough. #FreelanceFriends
A2a) I'm booked at least a month in advance, and it makes for difficult convos sometimes because people reach out assuming I'm instantly available and then move on, but nonetheless I explain that constraint - it's not fair to take their biz then back burner it. #FreelanceFriends
October 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A2a) I'm booked at least a month in advance, and it makes for difficult convos sometimes because people reach out assuming I'm instantly available and then move on, but nonetheless I explain that constraint - it's not fair to take their biz then back burner it. #FreelanceFriends
A2: Negotiate every client/project. While I'd like everything to be project-based billing, the reality is they want to know what an hour costs, and I tell them to put a stake in the ground, then explain my model (what I bill for, what I don't, what's included, what's not). #FreelanceFriends
October 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM
A2: Negotiate every client/project. While I'd like everything to be project-based billing, the reality is they want to know what an hour costs, and I tell them to put a stake in the ground, then explain my model (what I bill for, what I don't, what's included, what's not). #FreelanceFriends
A1: Free (as in unpaid), absolutely not at this stage of my journey. I got taken advantage of once when I was starting out and learned that "exposure" is a fairytale.
Never tried LOIs. Cold emails don't work for sure. I think it would depend on who I would approach and why.
#FreelanceFriends
Never tried LOIs. Cold emails don't work for sure. I think it would depend on who I would approach and why.
#FreelanceFriends
October 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
A1: Free (as in unpaid), absolutely not at this stage of my journey. I got taken advantage of once when I was starting out and learned that "exposure" is a fairytale.
Never tried LOIs. Cold emails don't work for sure. I think it would depend on who I would approach and why.
#FreelanceFriends
Never tried LOIs. Cold emails don't work for sure. I think it would depend on who I would approach and why.
#FreelanceFriends
Let's see, no feedback on client drafts yet, one SABR BioProject draft to work on, but, yeah, time today for #FreelanceFriends - I'm Don, and I write about electronics and semiconductor technology.
October 23, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Let's see, no feedback on client drafts yet, one SABR BioProject draft to work on, but, yeah, time today for #FreelanceFriends - I'm Don, and I write about electronics and semiconductor technology.
Look at the plus side: now we'll see that Ontario-quoting-Reagan-on-tariffs commercial for at least four nights starting Friday.
October 21, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Look at the plus side: now we'll see that Ontario-quoting-Reagan-on-tariffs commercial for at least four nights starting Friday.
PSA: "Sugar Town" is about LSD.
October 21, 2025 at 1:10 AM
PSA: "Sugar Town" is about LSD.