Helpful Hints

Costly oDesk Profile Mistakes

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Costly oDesk Profile Mistakes

There are many mistakes you can make on your oDesk profile but some of them can be far more costly than you might think. There are some profiles I’ve seen recently that have made a number of errors that as a client at oDesk I would pass right over and never hire the person regardless of their qualifications or their rates. Some things I do not want to know I’m currently new here in oDesk. I’m looking for a part- time job where I can work flexibly. I am not offering a job, I’m offering an assignment. It’s clear by…

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Evaluating Online Business Opportunities

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Evaluating Online Business Opportunities

The Internet has opened up several online business opportunities that can turn into full-time income generators. While there are many legitimate online business opportunities, many more are frauds. When researching opportunities, research will help ensure the opportunity is legitimate. Some of these include: Contact information Numerous companies offer affiliate marketing opportunities as well as the potential to start e-commerce businesses.  All too frequently, these sites are shadow companies that are set up for the specific reason of collecting fees from unsuspecting entrepreneurs. One way to avoid this problem is to review the website and look for the companies contact information.…

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Tired of spam? Ban Hammer

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Tired of spam? Ban Hammer

I really get sick of people who have nothing better to do than spam blog comments and set up bogus accounts making it look like you have a lot more subscribers than you do.  I have been remiss in finding something that would allow me to block users by email extension (and of course there are some you don’t want to block like gmail and hotmail).  Until yesterday. Here’s what happened. I received a notification that  I had a new subscriber to the blog Freelancing and More just before noontime.  However, when I looked at the registration the name of…

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Helium vs other writing sites

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When writers are considering writing sites, it is often helpful for them to compare Helium to other online content sites. Some writers prefer to submit content to content sites that pay upfront payments, others prefer to submit to sites that pay residual income while others prefer a blended approach. Initial comparison There are two separate models that must be compared when you are comparing Helium and other content sites. The first model has to do with upfront payments. When searching for sites that are comparable to Helium for upfront payments, it is challenging to find them, especially since Helium changed…

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An Update on Textbroker

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An Update on Textbroker

I have to admit that I’ve been a bit skeptical about Textbroker because too often, I feel that the ratings by the editors (or whoever does them) is far too subjective.  While I am well aware of my propensity to either over or under use commas, I feel that for the most part, my writing is good enough to pass most editors.  For the past several months, I’ve continued to work at TB even though I am squeamish about some of the rates. However, with that said, I am fairly confident that going into 2013, that TB will work well…

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How do you select great writing topics

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How do you select great writing topics

Defining your niche market For many writers, the biggest obstacle to writing is selecting a worthy topic. For some, this is a fairly straightforward process while others struggle to come up with the right ideas. There are some things that may determine how a writer prepares to create new work. Interest, political leanings and even educational levels may limit a writer’s ability to find work they want. Some writers have identified niche areas that work best for them. For example, a writer with a good grasp of law or medicine may focus on these topics exclusively. Oftentimes, education and life…

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Essential elements of a successful blog

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Essential elements of a successful blog

Never overlook the importance of small things It’s easy to set up a blog, and with the variety of social media sites that are available, it’s easier than ever to find a group of readers who are interested in your site. Of course setting up your blog well and getting readers is crucial to long-term blogging success, there are some things that can make or break your blog regardless of how many readers you may have. Here are some of the components that make up a successful blog. Interlocking pieces There are pieces that all work together that can help…

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Landing freelance writing jobs through Craigslist

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Landing freelance writing jobs through Craigslist

Let’s face it, anyone with access to a computer and a phone number can post things on Craigslist. In addition, Craigslist does not have the best reputation on the planet (though admittedly not the worst either). However, Craigslist can still provide you with opportunities to land freelance writing clients. In fact, one of my first freelance assignments was through Craigslist and it was actually creating Hubpages! Caution is the key word – Like nearly any other freelance opportunity, Craiglist does present its challenges. You will have to be on the lookout for a number of scams, often made even worse…

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Simple tips to overcome procrastination

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Simple tips to overcome procrastination

Procrastination is a simple trap and one that many of us fall prey to. In fact, procrastination can cause an endless stream of problems, each of them worse than the one before. The primary problem of putting things off is that they do need to be done eventually and the longer they are put off, the less likely you are to get them done. While nearly all of us have problems with procrastination, there are times when this can cause significant financial problems as well including: If you are self-employed – for those who are self-employed, procrastination can be deadly.…

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Writing Sites: Write to earn

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Writing Sites: Write to earn

Finding the right markets Let’s face it, there is no shortage of sites that are claiming to pay you for articles. The real problem is often determining which sites fit your individual writing style. Finding the right sites also involves determining your financial goals. Some sites are good for upfront payments while others can help you build a long-term income that will continue to grow provided you write evergreen content. No writing site is free of problems, so if you are looking for one, consider yourself warned. What’s even more challenging, is nearly every site has a different “standard” they…

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How do I write a privacy policy for my blog

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How do I write a privacy policy for my blog

Privacy Policy Requirements Not many people are aware that there are federal and state laws that govern whether or not you need a privacy policy on your website. However, the best rule of thumb for most bloggers and website owners is to have one in place. States including Massachusetts, California, Utah, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Connecticut are a few of the states that have very strict rules that apply to privacy policies. In fact, some of their laws governing these policies are extremely restrictive and go so far as to tell you exact wording that is required in your policy. The…

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Recession provides opportunities

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Recession provides opportunities

One bright note in the ongoing financial recession in the United States is the opportunity to earn money online. Since more companies are cutting back on full-time staff members to save money, they are turning more and more to outsourcing work that used to be done in house. Before you decide that you are going to earn money working from home however, it is important that you understand that there is no method of “getting rich quick”. Work at home opportunities are numerous, provided that you know where to look and you can avoid getting scammed. For most people, the…

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5 Top Ways to Make Money Online

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5 Top Ways to Make Money Online

Making money online. Those three words are enough to make almost anyone feel a sense of excitement. After all, whether we are interested in making a full-time income or supplementing our full-time income, the idea of being able to pursue this added income from home is pretty great to think about. It’s not all that easy! The first thing that you need to understand is that working from home and making money online is not an easy task. Not only does it take time, but it takes a solid commitment to working even when you might not feel like working.…

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HubPages: Update

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HubPages: Update

I have long been a proponent of spreading out your work and writing on multiple sites. I believe that this will prevent most writers from losing all of their sources of income at the same time. My opinion on this has not changed, I still believe this. However, I recently had to abandon HubPages. About 2 weeks ago, I received an email from Google telling me that my AdSense account had been disabled for invalid click activity. While I did have one appeal rejected, I did finally decide to try a second appeal but I’m not holding my breath. There…

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Make money online: Web 2.0 options

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Make money online: Web 2.0 options

Many of the “get rich quick” schemes that are offered online tell the suckers people who subscribe to their services that they must buy a domain and set up a website in order to realize the maximum amount of earnings. The fact is that when you are interested in long-term residual earnings, you have plenty of options available that will not cost you anything, not even a fee for reserving a domain. There are several options available at no charge for those who have the time and energy to pursue them. Let’s talk about a few of them starting with…

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