INPUT ARTICLE: Article: What kind of freelance writing business do you want to specialize in? A technical writer generally produces different kinds of writing (help files, user manuals) than a copywriter (sales and marketing letters, advertising copy), and a ghostwriter usually writes something still different (memoirs or works of fiction). Your writing portfolio needs to be built around the kind of writing you want to market. If you write in more than 1 area, you'll need to build a separate portfolio around each type of client you want to sell your services to. If some of your sample clips can be targeted to more than 1 type of client, you can include them in each relevant portfolio. If you want to improve the quality of your intended client's Web copy, look through your past work for instances where you've done the same for previous clients and make them part of your portfolio. If you're negotiating to write a white paper, have examples of previous white papers you've done. What skills, experience or personal qualities do you offer that set you apart from other freelance writers? How did your previous clients benefit from these traits? Your portfolio can reflect these skills and qualities in several ways:  Through a 2- or 3-paragraph mission statement that defines your abilities and relates them to your goals for your business Through a selection of clips of previous writing that highlight these traits, along with quantifiable results they achieved for past clients. Through copies of relevant diplomas, certificates, licenses and letters of reference How you define your "best" work is up to you. Get opinions from friends and colleagues as to what impressed them, look at any formal honors you may have received, or look at your own opinion of where you went above and beyond the call of duty. You'll want to build your portfolio as a showcase of your best work. Remember to temper your admiration of your own work with an understanding of what your prospective clients' needs are. Often, your definition of your "best" work is not "best-suited" to what your client needs from you. This doesn't mean to overload your portfolio with a large number of clips, even if they all represent the skill set you're trying to sell. Instead, it means to consider whom you've worked for in the past and what you've done for them.  Previous work for a large, well-known client can reassure prospective clients that you can meet their needs as effectively as you did for the larger client. Displaying an impressive scope of work shows that you can meet a client's immediate need and what that client might need in the future. Building a successful portfolio means knowing what not to include in it. Here's a partial list of what to exclude:  Proprietary documents of a previous client Items that are critical of your work Writing that depicts you as overly critical of others News clips not relevant to your work or where you and your past work are not the focus of the story Affiliations (e.g., club memberships) not relevant to the work you're seeking Irrelevant personal information Keeping your portfolio updated shows clients that you're continuing to do good work and that it keeps getting better. Not updating may make them think your best days are behind you.

SUMMARY: Decide which clients you want to attract. Decide what kind of projects you want to work on for your clients. Define your selling point to your clients. Determine your best work in your specialty. Impress with size and scope. Know what to exclude. Update your portfolio regularly.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: If you have a laptop which has at least one video output slot (e.g., an HDMI port or a VGA port), you can usually use an external monitor in conjunction with the video port. While a few Windows laptops might not support dual monitors, all Apple MacBook computers do—if you have a Mac laptop, feel free to skip ahead to connecting your second monitor. Depending on your computer's graphics card and motherboard, you may not be able to run a second monitor at the same time as your first. Again, if you're using an Apple iMac desktop unit, you can use dual monitors. Most computers have at least two ports for video output, meaning that you'll usually be able to connect a second monitor; however, if the two (or more) ports aren't level with each other, they're most likely not part of the same graphics card and thus not able to be used for dual monitors.  For example, if you see two horizontal HDMI ports next to (or on top of) each other, your computer's graphics card probably supports dual monitors. This goes for different outputs as well (e.g., a VGA output next to an HDMI output). Desktop Windows computers normally have these ports on the back of the computer case. If you only see one video output on a desktop computer, your computer's graphics card only supports one monitor at a time. Laptops which have one video output port can usually support multiple monitors. Virtually all modern computers' motherboards support multiple monitors, but older machines may not. You can check your motherboard for dual monitor support by doing the following:   Find your motherboard's name. Look up your motherboard's name in a search engine (e.g., Google). Select a search result which lists your motherboard's features. Look for a "Multi-Display", "Multi-Monitor", or "Dual Display" feature.
Summary: Know that most laptops can support dual monitors. Understand that not all desktop computers support dual monitors. Check your computer's video output ports. Determine whether your motherboard supports dual monitors.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Steam cleaning solutions can be expensive and are typically made of harsh chemicals.  Fill the steam cleaner's tank with full-strength vinegar. If the steam cleaner has a dedicated tank for the cleaning solution, use full-strength vinegar instead of the commercial steam cleaning solution. Substitute vinegar for the steam cleaning solution. If the cleanser is combined with hot water in a single tank in the steam cleaner, use vinegar instead of the cleanser. Whatever the amount of cleanser recommended, substitute the same amount of vinegar. If the manual indicates 4 ounces (113.4 g) of cleaning solution, use 4 ounces (113.4 g) of vinegar. Operate the steam cleaning machine as directed. The rug (and room) may smell like vinegar during cleaning. Once the rug is dry, the smell will dissipate.

SUMMARY:
Replace steam cleaning solutions with vinegar. Clean the carpet with the steam cleaning machine.