I don’t mind the rant at all. I appreciate a good discussion. You’ve raised some very fair points.
I expected this one might be divisive, but my intention wasn’t to offend — so I’m sorry if that’s how you felt. Rather, I was trying to illustrate how these things are perceived by clients and other designers.
Most of my writing comes from a desire to help people who are already serious full-time freelancers take their careers to the next level, and as such some of what I say isn’t as appropriate for those with less experience. I totally understand and appreciate that some of the these self-promotion techniques may be more necessary for less experienced designers or those just trying to start out as an independent contractor.