If you’ve been in the freelance business long, you’ve accumulated a pretty hefty source list. How do you keep track of all those names?
When I was a newspaper reporter, I used the simplest method possible. I created one text file for each subject I covered and made a running list. When I was feeling organized, I filed new sources alphabetically. When I was in a hurry I cut and pasted names at the top. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.
Thankfully, keeping track of sources has gotten easier. Here are some suggestions that take advantage of software you already have or Internet-based services you might not know about.
1. Google Desktop – It’s a free software program you download from Google. Once you install it, you can use it the same way you use Google, using names or keywords to search email or Word documents. This only works if you keep interview notes on your computer.
2. Create a business contacts list in your email software program. This one’s the no-brainer. Microsoft Outlook was made for this. But if you’re like me, it’s easy to get busy and forget about. Some smart Internet software developers figured out that if people were too lazy to organize their email inboxes themselves, there was a market for a software program that did it for them. They invented Xobni, which is “inbox” spelled backwards. Read more about it in Dianna Huff’s MarComWriter blog in this post.
3. Join LinkedIn. Then invite your sources to become connections. I like this option even better than No. 2 because on LinkedIn there’s lots more information about someone in their LI profile than you would normally save in their Outlook contact file. Some people use other social networks like Facebook for the same purpose.
4. Create a spreadsheet or database. Disclaimer: I don’t do this. But theoretically, you could create a spreadsheet in Excel or a simple database in Access with information on contacts and then use the search or sort functions in those programs to find experts by name or keyword.
5. Use Del.icio.us. This social bookmarking site, which I’ve written about here and here, wasn’t set up to be a contact manager, but who’s to say you couldn’t use it for that purpose? Say you write about clothing boutiques in Seattle. Each time you hear about new one you want to keep track of, bookmark the company’s Website in Del.icio.us. Better yet, bookmark a couple pages, such as the pages for press releases, media contacts and company management.
Michelle, You can also use ACT!, which is a terrific database and much more robust than Outlook and much easier to use Access (which I would never recommend to anyone).
I keep track of sources in it — plus a whole lot more. It also syncs with Outlook, so I can keep track of email histories and other items in the special “Notes” section.
Dianna: Good point. I’ve never tried ACT but I know a lot of other writers and independent contractors use it.
Michelle R.