Let's be honest, one of the reasons we LOVE the freelance life is because we're not beholden to companies that want to own their employees' souls. Blasphemy? We think not. If you've worked for a company within the past 10 years, you likely had a company computer, a company cell phone, and a promise--whether express or implied--to be on call 24/7/365. How many people do you know (friends, neighbors, colleagues) who step away from the dinner table or interrupt their vacations to take teleconferences or look over something that just can't wait?

We freelance so we can be in charge of our own lives, so we urge you to beware of the promises you make to your clients. We're talking about the seemingly innocent email response at 10:15 pm. Sure, it may make your life easier in the morning. But what does it tell the client? Wearing your marketing hat, it tells the client, "I'm a part of the team." "I'm going above and beyond." "I care." But what else does it tell them? Responding to emails late at night tells your clients they can communicate with you late at night. Is that really what you want? The same goes for vacations, family gatherings, and weekends. If you don't respect your time and your life, rest assured your clients won't, either.

We recommend setting limits. At night and on weekends, holidays and vacations, step away from the email. Turn off the cell phone. Leave the computer behind. If you don't respond, what will that tell your client? Nothing.

Yes, there will be times when it isn't possible to completely disconnect. Like when today's the PDUFA date, the final approved label is coming in at 11 pm, and changes MUST be incorporated before the sales training meeting begins tomorrow at 9 am. Or when the marketing boost you'll get from being there for the client really does matter. But these circumstances are rare.

Does Your Cloud Have a Silver Lining?              

There was a time when having a back-up of your work meant making an extra printout or photocopy. Today, backing up your work takes little if any physical space, but it can consume a lot of digital space. Unless you've invested in a server for your freelance business (and we know a few people who have), backing up is little more than a chore we'd rather avoid--that is, until your computer crashes.

We've written before about the importance of backing up your files and the emails related to your projects. Now we want to talk about where you back up those files and emails. Not to show our age, we have files backed up on 5-1/4" floppies, 3-1/2" disks, Iomegaź Zip disks, CDs, and thumb drives. With the solid state, low-profile computers we use now, most of these files aren't even accessible anymore, let alone portable. The cloud is looking better and better.

The trouble with cloud storage has been one of security. So many of the files we have and the work we do is confidential. Proprietary. And we've signed contracts promising our commitment to keeping client's information private and safe. That's why we've avoided cloud storage for so long. Out of our hands had the potential to mean out of our control. Not anymore.

According to PC Advisor, Dropbox for Business offers the most universally accessible cloud storage in terms of platforms and devices. Google Drive seems to be the most generous, offering 15 GB of free storage. Microsoft OneDrive also offers 15 GB of free storage, but the service reserves the right to scan stored files for objectionable content, which makes it less than secure in our opinion. Box, which is often confused with Dropbox although it started years earlier, only offers 10 GB of free space and limits file sizes to a maximum of 250 MB. For freelance medical writers this may not be a problem. But with file sizes expanding rapidly and multimedia deliverables becoming commonplace, Box may not be big enough to hold what you need. Apple iCloud has expanded to accept files that weren't created in iOS and OS X formats. It's limited in terms of device access, and expert opinion thinks it may be too soon to tell whether iCloud can give other cloud backups a run for their money.

The trouble with many of these programs just mentioned is that they act more like extensions of your computer's hard drive than true back-up systems. Geoffrey A. Fowler, personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, recently tested 4 of the most popular cloud back-up services that claim to offer unlimited storage, including CrashPlan, Backblaze, Carbonite, and SOS Online Backup. He concluded that CrashPlan was the best because of its track record, large customer base, and range of capabilities for an annual fee of just $60. It will back up all designated files including those on external drives, and uses particularly sophisticated 448-bit encryption, securing your files with an account password as well as with an optional passphrase that even CrashPlan doesn't know.

Bottom line--we recommend you do your research and decide what's best for you. Our recommendation--do something to back up your files, because not making a decision is making a decision to risk everything on your computer.

Brian and Cyndy are starting the year off with plans to present and speak in a number of venues including the AMWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Conference, which is happening today, and the AMWA Delaware Valley Chapter Freelance Conference on Saturday, March 28, 2015. Don't forget to register. We hope to see you there!

Brian and Cyndy have submitted proposals for sessions at the AMWA 75th Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX, September 30 to October 3, 2015. It will be a huge event and also a very important 75th Anniversary celebration for AMWA you won't want to miss!

Webinars are also in the works, and you'll hear more about these soon, too.

We would love to present at your next upcoming meeting or event, so invite us!

Mobile Medical Apps: Another Opportunity for Medical Writers      

We're always looking for opportunities to learn something new. That's how we became interested in mobile medical apps, which are becoming so prolific in the medical and healthcare industry. We're not talking about apps that enable you to take notes, communicate, or manage information. We want to focus on applications that help providers better manage patients and those that are designed for medical education and training. Somebody has to write the content. Who better than a medical writer?

This really is a burgeoning field. A November 2014 article in the MIT Technology Review predicts that in 2015, 500 million smartphone users will be using health-related apps, and by 2017 that number will rise to 26 billion users! Now is the perfect time to dive in, learn the ropes, and make a name for yourself.

Here are some tips to get started:

• To find companies to approach, start by heading to iTunes Appstore and browse apps for healthcare professionals.
• iMedicalApps is a website with physician editors and a team of physicians, allied health professionals, medical trainees, and analysts that review mobile medical technologies. Use the search function to find apps in your area of interest, and then research the companies that publish the apps to determine their need for writers.
• Interested in drug reference applications? Epocrates, Skyscape, and Micromedex publish popular ones.
• Have an idea for an app you'd like to develop? Get started with Mobile App Formula: How To Develop Mobile Apps Even If You Are Not A Programmer, iOS 6 Application Development For Dummies, and Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies.

Before you start writing, familiarize yourself with the FDA Guidance on mobile medical apps, which was just released last month. (A big thank you to our colleague Jen Minarcik for bringing this to our attention.) Regulatory requirements do apply to certain mobile medical apps depending on their intended use. Developers need to know when a mobile medical app meets the definition of a medical device and follow the appropriate regulatory process before bringing the app to market.

The FDA recognizes that most mobile medical apps pose no risk to patients and cannot be considered to be medical devices. Apps that won't be regulated include apps such as medical training videos, medical dictionaries, and gaming apps used to train healthcare professionals in certain skills, such as advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Additionally, apps used to educate patients, determine billing codes, or collect data for insurance claims won't be regulated. Appendix A of the guidance document spells out the kinds of mobile apps that are not medical devices. Appendix C of the guidance document lists examples of these apps that will be the focus of the FDA's oversight.