I set up a fan page in Facebook for the specific purposes of promoting work at home and charitable work. I am encouraging you to join us on that fan page! As an added incentive, if you join before 2/28/10 I’ll add your name to a drawing for all fans for the month of February and you can win a $25 gift certificate to Kiva. Kiva will then allow you to use that gift certificate to be a Kiva Lender! It is our plan to do this contest every month! Have some fun and get involved! It’s fun, it’s...
If you are looking for a way to make extra money working at home, here’s some options! Turn your hobby into work from home opportunities! HeliumHow to use hobbies to work from home Tweet About Doreen MartelWell-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | More Posts (491) Related Posts:Cheap...
One of the many challenges facing freelance writers is setting a fair rate. One of the reasons this is so challenging is that there are thousands of people who have ventured into the freelance writing field. However, not all content is created equally, and not all writers are great (or in some cases even good) writers. Establishing yourself While you need to establish yourself, it is not recommended that you accept wages below what you consider fair for the work you are doing. Freelance writing rates vary and include “per page” to “per article” to “per word” and there...
The lifeblood for many freelancers is referrals. Most freelancers get a fair portion of their work from former (or current) clients who have referred them to others. Whether it is from other freelancers or from clients, they can make a world of difference to a freelancers bottom line. Referrals do matter – whether you are making the referral or are the recipient of a referral. If you are considering referring another freelancer to a potential client make sure you know the following things: Quality of their work - Before you refer a potential client to another freelancer, make sure...
Admittedly I’m a late comer to the social media craze that is consuming internet users. Kicking and screaming I opened a LinkedIn account when I first began freelancing – this was done in self defense to create an online profile that would allow me to get references from prior colleagues and employers. It was effective enough that less than six months later I was working basically full time as a freelancer. This was my only “real” foray into social media. LinkedIn does offer the opportunity to share with others, but the whole experience on LinkedIn seems rather impersonal when...
One of the biggest challenges that will face brand new freelance writers is developing a portfolio. It does not come overnight. For those who have started freelancing as a necessity versus a career choice, this obstacle can be hard to overcome. It does not have to be a massive undertaking to create a portfolio but, it is definitely a requirement if you are going to establish yourself. Here are some possibilities. Helium – Freelance writers use online writing sites in various ways. My personal opinion and experience with many of these sites has been frustrating at best. Many people...
For many Bloggers, freelance writers and article submission site writers, Twitter has become the tool of choice for promotion. Like every other form of promotion however, it takes time. The time you spend on Twitter really does depend on your level of commitment to your marketing. But, this is where it gets interesting. Nearly every user that has indicated they use Twitter for marketing, they are showing increased revenues. Not small amount of revenue either, in most cases at least twice (and typically more) than they were making before. Time Robber There are a number of challenges you can...
It is bound to happen. Regardless of how good a reputation you have, how hard you work or how much you charge, you will inevitably get one person who wants you to work for free. Before I launch into a song and dance about why you shouldn’t do this, I would like to make a couple of clarifications: I do (and encourage others) to do work for legitimate charities. Why you ask? Simple: First I believe that we are morally obligated to help organizations that help those less fortunate. You will see I have written extensively on this topic...
We have all had days when we get up in the morning and simply do not want to head out the door and go to work. Freelancers suffer this same problem with one serious exception – you have to depend on yourself to find that motivation. One of the challenges with a lack of motivation is that it soon becomes a self-defeating prophecy. You start off one day feeling a bit sluggish, you procrastinate, you fall behind, you get overwhelmed and, before you know it you’ve missed your first deadline. Then your second. Before you ever realized what happened,...
One of the challenges often faced by freelancers is establishing their own personal brand. If most of your work comes through a freelancing site, chances are this is not going to be a major priority for you. However, if you maintain a website, a blog or even a social networking account such as Twitter, you will want to find a message that speaks to who you are. Establishing your brand is never easy. You may stumble a bit on the way to finding a brand that speaks to who you are. One of the challenges is finding the right...
One of the numerous challenges that freelancers face is procrastination. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all fall victim to this from time to time. Procrastination can result in missed deadlines, stress and even more procrastination. How do you overcome procrastination? While there is no easy answer that will work for everyone, there are some things you can do to stave off more procrastinating. Make the most of your time - The best way to avoid procrastination of course is to better manage your time. The more effectively you use your time, the more time you...
One of the questions that freelance writers often ask – especially those just starting out – is if they can make a living from freelance writing. While it is not easy, there are some ways that you can work towards the goal of making a living from writing. Jack of all trades - If you are just starting out as a freelance writer, you might not know what type of writing you are going to enjoy the most. You may not even be aware of what you can do to find out what your strongest writing style is. In...
All writers and bloggers – everyone is wondering what they can do to help the victims of the Haiti disaster. With our own money woes to contend with, many are wondering how they can help when money is so tight. YOU CAN HELP! Get involved and write an article at the Helium Haiti Relief Fund Contest. Donate all of your earnings on that article to the Helium Relief Fund! It’s painless, it takes an hour (or less) of your time. Please help support the victims of the Haiti Earthquake. Now, even if you cannot make a cash donation outright,...
One of the challenges of being a freelancer is trying to make the most of your time. You do not want to be married to your computer and find yourself stressed beyond belief trying to get things done. Social Networking No doubt you have taken the time to join social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and FaceBook. One of the many challenges you will face with these tools is that they can eat up valuable time. However, these tools may be one component of your marketing plan and should not be overlooked. The answer is finding tools that work...
One of the many challenges you will have to overcome if you are paid to blog is ensuring that you are adding value to your clients blogs. There are a number of ways that you can do this and there are tools that can assist you in making sure that you can do it consistently. Themes - When you initially start a blog for your client, verify that the theme for the blog matches their overall corporate image. While there are hundreds of available blog themes, you should make sure that the overall theme is in line with the...
Contently Portfolio
