The Internet is making it easy for people to not only find office jobs, but have convenient online jobs that will not require them to dress up for work or endure long commutes to and from home each day.
If you are not yet in your best form to make money online via putting up your own online business, an online job can be a good way stay out the commute and office politics. An online job can keep you at home while giving you the money that you need to make ends meet or even get you that career success you never got from being an office slave.
Online jobs can come in many forms. You can be a writer for business or investment websites or write advertisements and compose greeting card content. You can accept online consultancy projects. You can design websites from your home office on the other side of the globe. You can be a virtual assistant taking client calls for small business owners or helping coordinate conferences. You can be a medical transcriptionist typing your bills away.
You can also be paid through a variety of means. Employers can send you free product samples, gift certificates, or gift baskets. They can pay you through PayPal or check, or transfer money to your bank account. With the availability of different modes of communication, compensation, and duties, you need to do as much research as you can before taking on an online job.
Before you take on any job, however, you will need to look for it. Here are seven sources of online jobs that might keep you conveniently getting the cash that you want and hopefully the career fulfillment that you’ve been longing for.
1. Online Job Sites. Are you especially good at writing? Can you write articles or edit website content? Are you good at assisting people or booking flights or trips? There are specific job searching sites for certain skills. Writers, in particular, have many help sites devoted to posting online jobs for skilled poets, journalists, and fictionists. Look for job sites that are tailored especially to your abilities so you can narrow your search. Monster, HotJobs, Dice and Craigslist are some of the job sites that can help you here. Key in “telecommute” and if there’s an option to create a job alert, please do so. This will help you track new online job postings.
2. Freelance Job Matching Services. GetaFreelancer.com, ScriptLance.com, iFreelance, and FreelanceJobSearch are some of these freelance job sites that allow freelances to bid on projects. Some are free while some requires freelancers to pay a certain fee before they can bid. Using these sites is a hard but rewarding way to learn the ins and outs of being a web worker.
3. Search engines. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo! can be good places to find the job that you need. Beware of some sites, however, that advertise jobs promising large salaries for minimum work. These sites may simply ask you to stuff envelopes and run away with any set up money you pay them. Learn to protect yourself from scams before applying for any online job. Know what keywords to type in such as “must work from home”, “can telecommute”, “can communicate through Instant messaging”, “home-based position”, “work at home position”, “with reliable Internet connection”, “independent contractor”, “freelance __________”.
4. Online job forums. Join a forum where people have the same skills and abilities as you. If you find yourself amongst friends, you will most likely encounter online job opening posts in the forums, and coming from people on the inside. Online groups and forums will have members who have been working online for a long time. Ask for referrals from them, solicit their advice, ask about what job would be best for you, and you may soon find yourself with an online job thanks to a veteran and insider. You can also join online mail groups of people with your abilities and skills. When birds of the same feather flock together, they help each other fly: you can find support and encouragement, not to mention job opportunities.
5. Company websites. Is there any specific company that you want to work for? Go straight to the company’s website. Many brick-and-mortar companies need an online presence to widen their market base, and they need writers, advertising and marketing experts, and graphic artists to create the best website for them. Many contact center businesses now allow their agents to work from home provided they possess the efficiency and tools required to carry out the tasks. Here’s a list of companies that allow their employees to work from home. If you want an online paid blogging job, you might want to go directly to the blog network you want to blog for.
6. Blog Job Boards. Online job boards abound. Certain well-established blogs have their own job boards that cater to their target readers. Some of these well-read blogs include Problogger’s Blogger Job Board, TechCrunch’s Job Board: CrunchBoard . By the way, did you know that you can make money online from job boards?
7. RSS Feeds. Subscribe to online magazines, newsletters, and blogs with topics related to your skills and abilities. These may alert you about job posts, along with advice on looking for a job and working for the company. Read blogs written by people who have online jobs. You might be able to find job posts if the blog’s owner gets an opportunity that he or she does not need. You may also post comments on the site and get to know the blog’s owner better. Any connection in your network will work for you in the future, so never underestimate the value of making friends. Deborah Ng’s freelance writing jobs site is one great resource if you are looking for freelance writing jobs.
Did I miss anything? Feel free to add your own tips on how to find an online gig.
Digital Employment: 7 Ways to Look for Online Jobs
How to Make Money with Facebook
The rise in popularity of the soon-to-be number 1 social network site Facebook is due to a combination of two things.
1. Formerly a hangout only for high school and college students, Facebook allowed anyone to join in September, 2006.
2. In May, 2007 Facebook opened up it’s network to developers.
By opening up it’s network to developers Facebook has provided a way to make money right on the Facebook web site. Something you can’t do on MySpace. The only way to make money off of MySpace is by attracting users to another web site outside the MySpace community and making money on that site.
Below is an Alexa traffic comparison of the top two social network sites. Bold prediction: It won’t be long before Facebook becomes more popular than MySpace.
Facebook: a developer magnet
Since opening up it’s network to developers Facebook has seen a flood of new applications created. In fact, over 1000 developers are signing up every day.
Addonomics, an open analytics platform that tracks facebook application growth and provides stock-market-style analysis of Facebook features says that as of today…
- There are 342,015,965 installs across 5,118 apps on Facebook.
- These applications were used 23,360,190 times in the last 24 hours and have a combined valuation of $249,800,000.
- Facebook has approximately 40 million Unique Active Users in the past 30 days and a valuation between $10Bn and $15Bn.
- This translates to between $250 and $375 per active user.
7 ways to make money with Facebook
In The Facebook Economy Business 2.0 outlined a few ways application developers are making money off of Facebook.
1. Selling advertising space
Facebook apps with large audiences can make a lot of money selling ad space on their page through ad networks like Lookery, Userplane and Google Adsense.
2. SponsorshipAdvertisers are lining up to sponsor popular Facebook applications. The Food Fight! application which lets you throw virtual food at your friends is soon to be serving up virtual chicken wings from a major food chain. Tyson???
3. Sell goods and services
The future of Facebook applications is utility, not fun. Facebook application Band Tracker searches upcoming concerts and links to ticket vendor web sites. Soon, it will be common for people to make purchases from their own Facebook pages.
Lee Lorenzen, CEO of Altura Ventures provided us with the following four ways to make money with Facebook.
4. Write a Facebook book
I’ve heard about a number in the works and that means advances/royalties for authors.
5. Write a Facebook blog
There are already a number of good ones beginning to cover the Facebook eco-system but there is room for more. Once you have an audience for your blog you can start selling ads and sponsorships.
6. Develop Facebook apps as a consultant
Good / great Facebook developers are in very limited supply and so the demand is high. I’ve heard of hourly rates in the $200 per hour range for folks who can architect, write and deploy viral Facebook apps.
7. Sell your Facebook app
If you can create an app on Facebook, get it to 10K to 100K users, harvest some ad revenue from it by partnering with AdBrite for CPM/CPC ads, offer Cost Per Install ads via Adonomics and you provide data to get an Adonomics certified valuation, then you will be in a position to get top dollar for your application should you decide to sell it.
At the moment, the big winners of the Facebook jackpot are application developers. The big losers might be other social networks like MySpace, if they fail to open up their networks.
10 Tips for Home-Based Businesses
Starting a home-based business is never easy. From advertising to zoning, there is always something that will require your attention. Here are ten tips to keep you focused on your quest to make your home-based business a success.
1. Set a schedule and stick to it. The allure of working from home is powerful -- but so is the appeal of spending more time with your family or of taking a nap in the middle of the day. Setting and maintaining a schedule for your workday is critical.
2. Set up a dedicated office area. You can't run a business from your kitchen table. A successful business requires a fully equipped home office. If you have an extra bedroom, consider converting it into office space. If you do not have an extra room in your home, try setting up a partition to create an office area.
3. Be professional. One of the perks of running a business from home is having the option of working in your pajamas, but your customers should not be able to tell that you just rolled out of bed. Maintain normal office hours and a professional demeanor when answering your phone or dealing with customers.
4. Advertise. Just because you build it doesn't necessarily mean they will come. To succeed, you will need to advertise your new business. Advertising and marketing don't have to be expensive, but they have to be done.
5. Familiarize yourself with the applicable tax laws. You are about to enter a whole new world of taxation. To avoid ending up frazzled on April 15th, take the time now to discuss your options with your accountant or with another qualified professional who can advise you about your tax situation.
6. Check with your zoning commission. Make sure there are no zoning laws that will prevent you from running your business from your home.
7. Formulate a business plan. Where do you want your business to be in six months? How about in five years? Many small business owners mistakenly think that a business plan is only necessary if they are going to have investors. But businesses of all sizes can use a business plan as a roadmap to success.
8. Get on the Web. The Internet is the single best way for a home-based businesses to reach out to prospective customers. Even if your business isn't "e-" anything, you need a Web site that can function as an online brochure for your company.
9. Do your research. You may think that your idea for your home-based business is unique. But unless you do some market research, you won't know whether or not your market is already saturated. Market research can help you find a special angle for your product or service, giving you an edge over your competitors.
10. Don't get discouraged. Many businesses fail simply because their owners became discouraged after a disappointing trial period. You will have to show grit and determination to make your business succeed. Hang in there and do all that you can to make your business the success you know it can be.
Click here to find work online: http://cubetron.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-work-online-list-of-websites-to.html
Find Work Online. List of websites to get your daily dose of WORK! From small projects to large projects.
Traditional Job Listings
These are your bread’n'butter job classifieds, sites from around the web…
FSw Job BoardGENERAL WEB, WRITERS , DESIGNERS , PROGRAMMERS ANYWHERE
WebProJobsGENERAL WEB, WRITERS ANYWHERE
FreshWebJobsGENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
37Signals GigBoard DESIGNERS, GENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERS, MISCANYWHERE
KropDESIGNERS, GENERAL WEB, GENERAL CREATIVES ANYWHERE
SoloGigALL TYPES ANYWHERE
NoAgenciesPleaseDESIGNERS, GENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERS, WRITERSUK
Programmer meet DesignerDESIGNERS, GENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERS, WRITERSANYWHERE
Blog Posts For SaleWRITERS, BLOGSANYWHERE
Writers Resource WRITERSANYWHERE
AquentMARKETING, DESIGNERS, ADVERTISING, GENERAL CREATIVESMANY COUNTRIES
AuthenticJobsGENERAL WEBANYWHERE
SimplyHiredALL TYPESANYWHERE
WritingCareerWRITERSANYWHERE
DesignCrowdGENERAL WEB, SOME MISCELLANEOUS ANYWHERE
WriterLanceWRITERSANYWHERE
CSSBeauty’s Jobs GENERAL WEBANYWHERE
GuruALL TYPESANYWHERE
AltPickILLUSTRATORSANYWHERE
CoroflotDESIGNERS, GENERAL CREATIVESANYWHERE
FreelanceWritingWRITERSANYWHERE
CraigsListALL TYPESANYWHERE
AboutFreelanceWritingWRITERSANYWHERE
Freelancers Network GENERAL WEB UK
FreelanceBBSALL TYPESREQUIRES REGISTRATION ANYWHERE
All Freelance Work ALL TYPESREQUIRES REGISTRATIONANYWHERE
GoFreelance (Warning: this site appears to require a PAID registration)
SunOasis Freelance Writing WRITERSUSA
With Cake DEVELOPERS, CAKEPHPANYWHERE
FreelanceBBSALL TYPESREQUIRES REGISTRATION ANYWHERE
BurrymanWRITERSANYWHERE
CG News COMPUTER GRAPHICSANYWHERE
Eurofreelancer DESIGN, PROGRAMMINGEUROPE
Geek UpDESIGN, DEVELOPERS, WEBUK
AWNCOMPUTER GRAPHICSANYWHERE
Creative Heads COMPUTER GRAPHICSANYWHERE
Flay COMPUTER GRAPHICSANYWHERE
VFX Talk COMPUTER GRAPHICSANYWHERE
Job Serve AustraliaALL TYPESAUSTRALIA
Job Serve UKALL TYPESUK
Job Serve USA ALL TYPESUSA
Flay DESIGN, PROGRAMMINGANYWHERE
Chin Wag DEVELOPERS, DESIGN, MARKETING, ILLUSTRATIONUK
Job BurnerIT, ENGINEERINGANYWHERE
Employment GuideALL TYPESUSA
All Data Jobs DATAANYWHERE
Filter Talent DESIGN, WEB, MARKETING, ADVERTISINGUSA
Freelance Seattle ALL TYPESSEATTLE
ProzTRANSLATORSANYWHERE
Translators CafeTRANSLATORSANYWHERE
People 4 Business ALL TYPESANYWHERE
People 4 Charity ALL TYPES, CHARITYANYWHERE
Job Aggregators
As you can see there sure are a lot of job listings out there, so here are some sites that aggregate listings from elsewhere to make for handier listings…
JobAggAggregates: AUTHENTIC, 37SIGNALS, CSSBEAUTY, FRESHWEBJOBS
JobPileAggregates: AUTHENTIC, 37SIGNALS, KROP, METAFILTER, FRESHWEBJOBS, SLASHDOT, CSSBEAUTY, COROFLOT, MINISTRY CAMP
JobLighted (with Map!) Aggregates: JOEL ON SOFTWARE, 37SIGNALS, CRUNCHBOARD, SLASHDOT, AUTHENTIC, VENTUREBEAT, TECHGIGGER, METAFILTER, PYTHON, KROP
MostHiredAggregates: AUTHENTIC, 37SIGNALS, KROP, VENTUREBEAT, CRUNCHBOARD, JOEL ON SOFTWARE, GIGAOM
YosumoAggregates: JOEL ON SOFTWARE, 37SIGNALS, CRUNCHBOARD, AUTHENTIC, SLASHDOT, VITAMIN, FRESH WEB JOB GIZMODO, CSS MONSTOR, PLOPT
IndeedJust type in "Freelance"
Job Bidding Sites
These sites work a little differently, here you will bid for a job. WARNING: Be careful that you don’t sell yourself short on these places as they do tend to favour the clients…
GetAFreelancerGENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERS, SEO, DESIGN ANYWHERE
eLanceGENERAL WEB, WRITERS, DESIGNERS, DEVELOPERS, GENERALANYWHERE
iFreelanceGENERAL WEB, ILLUSTRATORS, WRITERS, DESIGNERSANYWHERE
FreelanceWorkGENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
RentACoder GENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
ScriptLanceGENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
GetACoderGENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
ProjectSpring GENERAL WEB, DEVELOPERSANYWHERE
AgaveBlueANYWHERE
FreelanceJobSearch GENERAL WEB USA ONLY
ContractedWork ALL TYPESANYWHERE
FreelanceAuctionDEVELOPERSANYWHERE
PowerLanceALL TYPESANYWHERE
Freelancers.netALL TYPESANYWHERE
Project4HireALL TYPESANYWHERE
Mac FreelancerALL TYPES, MACANYWHERE
OnforceCOMPUTER REPAIR, ON SITE, ITANYWHERE
FreelanzaALL TYPESSOUTH AFRICA
International, Non-English Sites
Thankfully not all the world speaks English, if you’re looking for a job elsewhere try one of these…
XPlaceGENERAL WEB, WRITING, MARKETINGISRAEL
Sites with Occasional Freelance Positions
Mostly Full-time/Part-time, but occasionally a freelance position comes up on these:
TechCrunch’s CrunchBoard
GigaOm Jobs
TechGigger
VentureBeat
SlashDot
JoelOnSoftware
Python
MetaFilter
MinistryCamp
CreativeHotList