What’s Up Wednesdays: More Than Money

Every Wednesday, I share five good reads from around the web. Let’s get started with this week’s selection.

When you go to a restaurant for a good meal, you’re not only paying for the ingredients. You’re also paying for the staff, the equipment, the utilities, the marketing and everything else that goes into running a restaurant. Marcie Hill reminds us that freelancing should be treated exactly the same way, outlining eight tasks that you’re forgetting to include when considering how much to charge for your work. It takes time to read background research, brainstorm ideas and deal with additional revisions. You should charge accordingly.

When it comes to Internet marketing, Neil Patel is one of the more popular experts. In one of his recent posts, he describes how you can steal Facebook fans from your competitors. It’s not really stealing, though, as what he’s really describing is how you can go about targeting the users who already “like” your competitor’s pages and encourage them to “like” yours too. And you’ll want the most influential users too,.

If you’ve been just about anywhere on the Internet, you’ve probably seen just a few ads. You may understand that these make money, but do you know how they work? Dan Morris has put together a great beginner’s guide that explains Google Adsense. Why is it that some ads make more per click than some other ads, even when they appear to be approaching fundamentally the same niche or industry? There is still some hidden voodoo that Google won’t tell us, but Dan provides a basic overview of how the system works.

Most of us want to get the best deal, but Buzz Bishop says that you shouldn’t barter when you’re on vacation. We typically don’t negotiate at big retailers like Walmart, so why do we try to save a couple bucks from the street vendors in developing countries when they could use that money so much more than we could. I’ll admit I bartered for my Chichen Itza souvenirs, but I didn’t when I bought a luchador mask in Ensenada.

Ending on a more somber note, The Darling Bakers tells us how you can show love to someone with depression. It doesn’t help when you simply tell them to cheer up, but it can be very helpful if you take the time to help them clear out some clutter or find a way to share a silly laugh with them. More than anything, recognize that each individual is different and needs to be treated accordingly.