This post is especially for writers – I started off at oDesk with ‘data entry’ as my initial job description because I was terrified with the idea of writing articles and SEO was an acronym that was well beyond me — in fact, I knew absolutely nothing at all about it!
That was in the Fall of 2007. I was however determined to do better than a few dollars an hour doing data entry so I set about teaching myself a few things:
A) I learned as much as I could about SEO – this is no easy task as there are scams galore out in the world telling you what SEO is really all about. I also learned early on that a website that was telling me about SEO that in fact had a page rank of 0 was probably not where I should be looking for advice on how to properly optimize articles and blogs for SEO;
B) Next I spent a lot of time reading about writing styles, Chicago & AP style which are different as you are probably aware;
C) I “played” with Hub Pages and Squidoo to get some writing experience under my belt – I elected to do this on these sites because I could get feedback and because I could edit to my hearts content and delete the units later if I decided to;
D) After I did all these things I set up my first blog. It wasn’t so hot but I kept working on it and tweaking it until I got it right. Then I added Google AdSense to it so I could see monetary rewards for my efforts (no matter how puny they were). It took me from September of 2007 to September of 2009 to make my first $100 on AdSense (payout level).
E) In September of 2007 I took my first writing job at oDesk (for a pittance I might add and fixed rate to boot). It was for 100 articles and I didn’t think I would survive through them since they were on a topic I knew little about. But you know what? I survived it in spite of myself and the buyer was happy with my work;
F) In December of 2007 I also started writing in earnest at Helium. I also picked up my very first ‘long term’ client at oDesk along with a whole batch of fixed rate jobs. Suddenly I had so many fixed rate jobs by March of 2008 I hired two other providers from oDesk and set up my own team.
G) In 2008 I earned a whopping 1.00 on Helium. I decided I needed to do better. I made a commitment to do so. I learned more about the site, I found articles that interested me.
H) In 2009 I made approximately $100 a month on Helium. I was thrilled. I also used the articles there as part of my portfolio on oDesk. I also learned how to use promotion for my own work, set up two more blogs and off I went.
Let’s leave it at this: As of today I have made more than 1/2 of my total earnings from 2009 on Helium. I have created 400 articles in ‘non creative’ work. My AdSense Revenue is no longer a laughing matter, I also have sufficient work from clients at oDesk as well as 2 private clients that keep me working approximately 40 hours a week.
My last full time job I was making mid range double digits per hour. I recently had reason to calculate exactly how many hours a week I was working and my total income per hour — suffice it to say I am currently making slightly more than I made at a full time job where I had to travel 1 1/2 hours to get to work (no mean feat since I do not drive) and the same to get home.
Why am I posting this?
I am posting this because I want people to know that if they commit to being a freelance writer they can do it. The field is competitive, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do, you have to be dedicated and committed to doing it for yourself. But, it can be done. I know it can be done because after more than twenty years in the merry-go-round called Corporate America, I DID IT! You can too!
Contently Portfolio
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What dedication and commitment can do for you | Freelancing and More! is an interesting name for a blog, keep up the good work, thanks, from Declan Goodwin
Very informative article… Looking forward for more articles on your blog
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Thankyou for the excellent blog post.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by doreenmartel: New Blog Post: What dedication and commitment can do for you http://freelancingandmore.com/2010/02/28/commitment-to-succeed/...
Hi, this is Nicole from Rent a Coder.
Congratulations on your success as a freelance writer. It sounds as though you’ve found a working groove
If I may, I’d like to point out a few differences between our service and services like oDesk however, since those differences could influence your satisfaction and earnings.
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Working with a new buyer on a Pay-for-Deliverables project:
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A new buyer doesn’t know yet that you’re productive, and won’t run up a huge bill with fluff hours via pay-for-time projects. To help you establish that trust, both Odesk and Rent A Coder let you work with them by bidding a fixed price for the final deliverables (called pay-for-deliverables). However, oDesk doesn’t offer safety features (escrowing and arbitration) to be able to guarantee payment to you.
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Working with a buyer you know on a Pay-for-Time project:
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Once a buyer trusts that you won’t bill them for unproductive hours, you can bill them by the hour (called pay-for-time). This has many advantages over pay-for-deliverables including cheaper fees, flexibility (you don’t have to define all the requirements in advance to start working) and less risk (under-estimates are no longer your responsibility to bear). However there are important differences in how oDesk and Rent A Coder provide this service.
1) Fees.
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Rent A Coder charges 10%-35% less than oDesk (9% for one-on-one auctions to as low as 6.5%). The less you pay, the more savings you can pocket yourself, pass on to the buyer, or split. oDesk charges a higher flat fee of 10%. As a result, you have less money to pocket, pass on to the buyer, or split.
2) Guaranteed Work Payments.
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When working hard to meet a buyer’s deadline, you may find yourself working long hours. Odesk does not guarantee payment past the first eight hours in a day. Rent A Coder guarantees payment for all work done.
3) Mental Tasks.
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When working for a buyer, you may find yourself doing mental work that should not be interrupted (such as reading, planning or writing at your desk). Odesk requires that you simultaneously remember to move your mouse every minute or so, and if you don’t, you are not guaranteed payment. So you can choose to be constantly interrupted (and perhaps distracted and frustrated), or forgo the payment guarantee. Rent A Coder does not require you to make this choice, and guarantees payment for mental work.
There are other differences as well. I invite everyone to compare the 7 major services through this link to learn even more: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorInformation/WhyRentACoder_ForSellers.aspx (Short version: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorInformation/OneOnOneComparisons/oDeskVersusVWorker_ForSellers.aspx)
If you have any questions, please let me know. You can also call in to talk to a facilitator 7 days a week, or email us (see http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/misc/Feedback.asp).
Nicole
http://www.rentacoder.com
Nicole
I used to work for oDesk and your comments are simply completely OUT of line.
1. your correct on the fee. oDesks fee is 10% but they do not have the higher PayPal and other charges you have. oDesk also does ACH transfers free of charge.
2. Where did you come up with this:
That is simply false. PERIOD. oDesk guarantees payment on ALL hourly assignments that the hours are properly recorded and whether that time is 8 hours a day or 24 hour a day as long as the hours are logged in accordance with the Terms of service, payment is guaranteed.
as far as this:
Your payment is only guaranteed if the buyer doesn’t dispute it (RAC). oDesk encourages ALL providers to discuss this with the buyers.
I don’t mind you commenting nor do I mind you providing an alternative. I do mind you misrepresenting.
Additionally, you’ll excuse me if I find a study that you either wrote yourself or had someone write for you to be flawed. My review(s) of oDesk are my own and no one asked for them or paid for them.