The World Wide Web is such a great thing. Who knew this would ever be our daily reality? I remember when I got my first computer at work (1990) and when I was first “required” to do some of my work over the Internet a year or so later. Anyone remember Compuserve? Are they even still around? How about dial-up? Anyone still using that? Anyway, things sure have changed!
I’ve been earning money online almost a year, having submitted my first paid article to Textbroker July 20, 2009. Now 237 articles later, I’ve pretty much moved on to more lucrative writing opportunities. I may still write for Textbroker periodically but intend to focus my efforts where I earn the most money for my time. Makes sense, right?
I will always appreciate Textbroker and the editorial team there for providing me with what basically amounts to a paid education. Through Textbroker I was able to hone my online content writing skills and earn $1,235 in the process. As my goal there was to earn $100 per month, I guess I can check that off my list! Anyway, Textbroker provides consistent work, pays on time and even offers bonuses now and again. Textbroker isn’t for everyone and may no longer be the best fit for me, but that is where I got my start and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Looking back on the past year and the changes in my life, I have to give major credit where credit is due. I will forever be indebted to Felicia at No Job for Mom. It was through her writings and generous sharing of experience that I came to appreciate the possibilities and gained the courage to apply to various sites. I know I've saved many hours of valuable time and a ton of aggravation. I also continue to learn from her posts and the comments posted to her blog – so thanks Felicia!
A word of warning – although the Internet provides countless opportunities to make money from home, you have to be extremely careful. There are a lot of scams out there just waiting for another unwary victim. Do your research before signing up for anything – Google the site with “scam” or “review” or “complaints” added and see what comes up. And if it’s a writing opportunity you’re looking at, search the NJFM site for posts and check out Felicia’s NJFM Writer Resources Database.
Showing posts with label textbroker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label textbroker. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Grandma's Little Black Book for Freelance Writers
I ordered a copy as soon as I found out about the book on NJFM. It's 19 pages chock-full of valuable info including tips from Grandma based on her vast experience there. Although I thought I was totally familiar with the Textbroker site and process, I learned several new things. Sure would have been nice to have this resource when I first started! The guide is written specifically about Textbroker but a lot of the info would be of use to any budding freelance online writer. So if your interested in starting or furthering an online freelance writing career, get yourself a copy - especially if you're interested in writing for Textbroker or are already writing there.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Can You Really Make Money Blogging?
Have you seen the “Get Paid to Blog!” ads? I used to wonder what that was all about. I guess I still do beings I have no idea what those ads are trying to sell – but then again, I don’t even want to find out. I’m sure it’s a scam of some kind. At least the ads look and sound like a scam.
I can tell you that I am legitimately getting paid to blog, however. Not right this minute as I write this post but in the past 2 days I’ve written 5 posts for 4 different blogs. These are all clients for whom I did orders on Textbroker who liked my work enough to request direct orders from me. The one client I’ve been writing for regularly since Oct. The others are new in the past few weeks but look like they might each need one post per week. And I have a couple more waiting in the wings.
The challenge in blogging for others is generating quality content that is accurate and relevant to their particular target audience. My longest-term paid blogging is specific to home and garden tips, which is something I know about so I’m pretty comfortable with that. The new ones are in less familiar areas so I’m getting to learn something new. I look at blogging for others as similar to developing a newsletter which cuts down on the intimidation factor somewhat.
I’ve also made a few dollars with this blog doing sponsored posts. I may be doing more of those in the future but will always clearly disclose within the post that it has been sponsored. The ones I’ve done so far have been vision or hair related. Who knew you could make money just putting information for others on your own blog?
Another blogging for pay opportunity that I checked into several months ago was through families.com. I was all ready to apply when I found a clause in the small print that I couldn’t agree to although it makes sense. They pay bloggers to post and then they own copyright to everything that’s posted. Well, it’s their blog so that makes sense but I was unwilling to give up rights to my writing for so little pay. I’m sure it’s a nice opportunity for some folks but just wasn’t a good fit for me.
There are also several ways to generate income with paid advertising. Although I have Google Adsense and Amazon ads on my blog, I have yet to make any money. But that’s no mystery – anyone who has read much of my blog knows that every time I include an amazon ad in a post, I also give suggestions of where to get the item for free. And I don’t have the traffic to attract paid advertisers to buy space but I do know of other bloggers who do make a respectable amount of money through paid ads. And if you are savvy enough to develop a niche blog and do everything just right, it’s possible to make a significant income. I’m just not there yet.
Anyway, bottom line is yes, you really can make money blogging. Are you going to get rich blogging for others? No. Are jobs easy to find? Not really – I think I just got lucky. Might you get rich with a niche blog? Maybe – but it’s a lot of work and won’t happen in a hurry so plan to spend some time and don’t quit your day job just yet!
I can tell you that I am legitimately getting paid to blog, however. Not right this minute as I write this post but in the past 2 days I’ve written 5 posts for 4 different blogs. These are all clients for whom I did orders on Textbroker who liked my work enough to request direct orders from me. The one client I’ve been writing for regularly since Oct. The others are new in the past few weeks but look like they might each need one post per week. And I have a couple more waiting in the wings.
The challenge in blogging for others is generating quality content that is accurate and relevant to their particular target audience. My longest-term paid blogging is specific to home and garden tips, which is something I know about so I’m pretty comfortable with that. The new ones are in less familiar areas so I’m getting to learn something new. I look at blogging for others as similar to developing a newsletter which cuts down on the intimidation factor somewhat.
I’ve also made a few dollars with this blog doing sponsored posts. I may be doing more of those in the future but will always clearly disclose within the post that it has been sponsored. The ones I’ve done so far have been vision or hair related. Who knew you could make money just putting information for others on your own blog?
Another blogging for pay opportunity that I checked into several months ago was through families.com. I was all ready to apply when I found a clause in the small print that I couldn’t agree to although it makes sense. They pay bloggers to post and then they own copyright to everything that’s posted. Well, it’s their blog so that makes sense but I was unwilling to give up rights to my writing for so little pay. I’m sure it’s a nice opportunity for some folks but just wasn’t a good fit for me.
There are also several ways to generate income with paid advertising. Although I have Google Adsense and Amazon ads on my blog, I have yet to make any money. But that’s no mystery – anyone who has read much of my blog knows that every time I include an amazon ad in a post, I also give suggestions of where to get the item for free. And I don’t have the traffic to attract paid advertisers to buy space but I do know of other bloggers who do make a respectable amount of money through paid ads. And if you are savvy enough to develop a niche blog and do everything just right, it’s possible to make a significant income. I’m just not there yet.
Anyway, bottom line is yes, you really can make money blogging. Are you going to get rich blogging for others? No. Are jobs easy to find? Not really – I think I just got lucky. Might you get rich with a niche blog? Maybe – but it’s a lot of work and won’t happen in a hurry so plan to spend some time and don’t quit your day job just yet!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
New Year’s Resolutions Derailed
It happens to the best of us. New Year’s Resolutions get derailed, often by Feb 1st. That’s why I have goals instead. But goals can get derailed, too. Which is what happened to me just recently, on several fronts.
One of my New Year’s goals was to NOT spend any money on cards in 2010. I made a couple of cards for Jan birthdays and figured this was a no-brainer. Then I was called away from home and my mom’s birthday came up while I was gone. So what to do? Fortunately, I was going to be at her place and had the gift all done (a lap quilt with a personal label) so I decided to forgo the card and that worked fine. Now I’m back home before any more Feb birthdays come up at the end of this week and also later in the month. So I guess I need to dedicate a few minutes to making those cards and also schedule a day to make cards for the rest of the year so they’re all done and ready just in case I’m unexpectedly away from home again.
Another goal was to stretch and walk every day. I did great in Jan! If I meet the goal, I put a blue check mark on my calendar and this has been an extremely successful motivator. Who knew? What might I do for a gold star? Anyway, when away from home, the stretching and walking routines go out the window! I guess I won’t beat myself up too much beings I’m sure that’s pretty standard but I would like to stay on track a little better even when traveling.
A third goal that bit the dust in my absence was to post to this blog 3 times each week. I did manage one post but that’s it – oops. There’s an easy fix for this problem so I guess I need to get more organized. All I have to do is write some posts ahead and have them ready to go as drafts and then schedule them to publish on whatever date I choose. Simple. But will I do it? We’ll see.
Finally, I have my freelance writing, moneymaking goals. Totally planned to complete and submit an assignment for Textbroker since I’d have Internet access. What a nightmare! So many distractions and unfamiliar settings and software made that a nearly insurmountable challenge. So I need to get my new laptop travel ready and take it along so that at least I have software with which I’m familiar.
Now that I’m home again, things are getting back on track. We will be away from home again the end of this week but only for a few days rather than a week+. And it’s a planned absence so I can be better prepared and hopefully stay somewhat on track and experience less frustration!
One of my New Year’s goals was to NOT spend any money on cards in 2010. I made a couple of cards for Jan birthdays and figured this was a no-brainer. Then I was called away from home and my mom’s birthday came up while I was gone. So what to do? Fortunately, I was going to be at her place and had the gift all done (a lap quilt with a personal label) so I decided to forgo the card and that worked fine. Now I’m back home before any more Feb birthdays come up at the end of this week and also later in the month. So I guess I need to dedicate a few minutes to making those cards and also schedule a day to make cards for the rest of the year so they’re all done and ready just in case I’m unexpectedly away from home again.
Another goal was to stretch and walk every day. I did great in Jan! If I meet the goal, I put a blue check mark on my calendar and this has been an extremely successful motivator. Who knew? What might I do for a gold star? Anyway, when away from home, the stretching and walking routines go out the window! I guess I won’t beat myself up too much beings I’m sure that’s pretty standard but I would like to stay on track a little better even when traveling.
A third goal that bit the dust in my absence was to post to this blog 3 times each week. I did manage one post but that’s it – oops. There’s an easy fix for this problem so I guess I need to get more organized. All I have to do is write some posts ahead and have them ready to go as drafts and then schedule them to publish on whatever date I choose. Simple. But will I do it? We’ll see.
Finally, I have my freelance writing, moneymaking goals. Totally planned to complete and submit an assignment for Textbroker since I’d have Internet access. What a nightmare! So many distractions and unfamiliar settings and software made that a nearly insurmountable challenge. So I need to get my new laptop travel ready and take it along so that at least I have software with which I’m familiar.
Now that I’m home again, things are getting back on track. We will be away from home again the end of this week but only for a few days rather than a week+. And it’s a planned absence so I can be better prepared and hopefully stay somewhat on track and experience less frustration!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Supplement Retirement Income with Freelance Writing
Many retirees are interested in making extra money. Some need to supplement their income just to get by. One viable income producing option is freelance writing. Thanks to the Internet, most anyone can find a variety of opportunities from the comfort of home.
I began my freelance writing journey quite by accident. Last summer I stumbled upon the No Job For Mom (NJFM) blog and found out about Textbroker and eHow. Once I knew what to look for, I found endless opportunities online just waiting to be explored. I'm a firm believer, however, in using my time wisely by learning from others and this is where various blogs are so valuable.
To that end, I track the NJFM blog daily as Felicia always has good, relevant info to share. I also keep my eyes peeled for other blogs of interest. Today, through a comment on Felicia's blog, I found a great post that could save a newbie a ton of time. Master Dayton has generously shared 50 Things Beginning Writers Should Know. Makes me glad I'm still a beginner!
If you're a retiree who would like to make some money from home, consider whether freelance writing may be right for you. Do your research to zero in on the legitimate opportunities and to avoid those that are a waste of time or worse yet, a scam. There's a wealth of information available based on the personal experiences of those further along the path. Seek the wisdom of these pioneers and when the time comes, share your knowledge and experience, as well.
I began my freelance writing journey quite by accident. Last summer I stumbled upon the No Job For Mom (NJFM) blog and found out about Textbroker and eHow. Once I knew what to look for, I found endless opportunities online just waiting to be explored. I'm a firm believer, however, in using my time wisely by learning from others and this is where various blogs are so valuable.
To that end, I track the NJFM blog daily as Felicia always has good, relevant info to share. I also keep my eyes peeled for other blogs of interest. Today, through a comment on Felicia's blog, I found a great post that could save a newbie a ton of time. Master Dayton has generously shared 50 Things Beginning Writers Should Know. Makes me glad I'm still a beginner!
If you're a retiree who would like to make some money from home, consider whether freelance writing may be right for you. Do your research to zero in on the legitimate opportunities and to avoid those that are a waste of time or worse yet, a scam. There's a wealth of information available based on the personal experiences of those further along the path. Seek the wisdom of these pioneers and when the time comes, share your knowledge and experience, as well.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Few Ways to Make Money at Home
Generating some income from home is a key part of my early retirement strategy. Since leaving paid employment 7+ years ago at the ripe old age of 44, I’ve created a couple of small money streams (ok – trickles) that work for me. It didn’t happen overnight and actually I’m just now really getting into the swing of things. So patience is a plus – there are no get-rich-quick schemes here!
Cash In On Your Hobby
First, I turned my quilting hobby into a business. I started by finishing quilts for others and then branched out into creating custom memorial quilts, which I’ve discovered is where my true passion lies. Over the years, I’ve also sold a few baby quilts and other sewn items through local venues. I haven’t made a ton of money but my original intention was just to support my quilting habit and I’m doing ok on that front. The point is, most people have a hobby that can be used to generate at least a small amount of income. What’s yours? If you’re having a hard time figuring out ways to make your hobby pay, leave a comment and we can brainstorm some ideas together.
Selling Books Online
As discussed in a previous post, I recently discovered selling books online. One of the boxes I shipped off last week has been received and my PayPal account is $12 healthier. Of note is that it should have been $15 but one of the books was rejected. Still yet, not bad for decluttering my home and making a little money in the process. The other package of three books netted me another $4.25. Keep in mind that these books were destined for donation so the amount I got, though small, was like found money! And the buyers paid the shipping so it didn’t cost me anything. I will continue to sell books as the opportunity arises and I suggest others do the same.
Online Writing Opportunities
In the past few months I’ve gotten on the online writing bandwagon. I found out about this quite by accident and I’m so glad I did! It’s fun, hones my writing skills and keeps me learning new things. The sites I’m concentrating on right now are Textbroker and eHow. There are many other sites – these are just the two with which I am familiar. For a wealth of information on these and other online writing opportunities, visit the No Job For Mom blog which is where I’ve found out at least 90% of what I know on the subject.
Textbroker pays up front. Clients post orders and authors choose which assignments they’d like to complete. Payment is made through PayPal and can be requested twice per month providing there’s a minimum of $10 on account. Authors are rated and may only accept assignments at or below the level of that rating. I’ve been with Textbroker since late July and have completed about 75 assignments. My earnings to date exceed $360 and since my goal is to earn $25/week there, I’m ahead of schedule despite being away from home for a few weeks in Aug and Sept. Pay ranges from .007 to .014 per word for levels 2-4. Level 5 pays much higher but appears difficult to attain and I rarely see any assignments listed at that level, anyway. I’m happy with my level 4 and will continue with Textbroker for the foreseeable future. I’m not getting rich but earning $1,300/year ($25/wk x 52 weeks) at my leisure in my jammies is nothing to sneer at. I figure it finances Christmas and birthday presents for the all kids and grands with a little left over for a trip north to visit those that live farther away.
With eHow you can earn residual income. (Update: revenue share prgram at eHow has been discontinued.) I joined eHow in late July and have posted just 14 articles so far. I was trying to post more over the past few days but the system is so glitchy right now that I decided to better use my time elsewhere. I’m thrilled with my eHow earnings to date, however, even though they total less than $5. Felicia at No Job For Mom earned almost $2,700 in residual income over the course of a year. I don’t foresee that level of earnings for myself as I am not posting at the same rate – I believe she did 100 articles in her first 30 days. I do see the earning potential, however, and am anxiously awaiting a fix on the system so I can get back with the eHow program.
I’m in the process of researching other avenues that might generate a little income and will post about any that pan out. I don’t do multi-level marketing schemes or party plans or sales of any sort so don’t ever expect to see information of that type here.
Cash In On Your Hobby
First, I turned my quilting hobby into a business. I started by finishing quilts for others and then branched out into creating custom memorial quilts, which I’ve discovered is where my true passion lies. Over the years, I’ve also sold a few baby quilts and other sewn items through local venues. I haven’t made a ton of money but my original intention was just to support my quilting habit and I’m doing ok on that front. The point is, most people have a hobby that can be used to generate at least a small amount of income. What’s yours? If you’re having a hard time figuring out ways to make your hobby pay, leave a comment and we can brainstorm some ideas together.
Selling Books Online
As discussed in a previous post, I recently discovered selling books online. One of the boxes I shipped off last week has been received and my PayPal account is $12 healthier. Of note is that it should have been $15 but one of the books was rejected. Still yet, not bad for decluttering my home and making a little money in the process. The other package of three books netted me another $4.25. Keep in mind that these books were destined for donation so the amount I got, though small, was like found money! And the buyers paid the shipping so it didn’t cost me anything. I will continue to sell books as the opportunity arises and I suggest others do the same.
Online Writing Opportunities
In the past few months I’ve gotten on the online writing bandwagon. I found out about this quite by accident and I’m so glad I did! It’s fun, hones my writing skills and keeps me learning new things. The sites I’m concentrating on right now are Textbroker and eHow. There are many other sites – these are just the two with which I am familiar. For a wealth of information on these and other online writing opportunities, visit the No Job For Mom blog which is where I’ve found out at least 90% of what I know on the subject.
Textbroker pays up front. Clients post orders and authors choose which assignments they’d like to complete. Payment is made through PayPal and can be requested twice per month providing there’s a minimum of $10 on account. Authors are rated and may only accept assignments at or below the level of that rating. I’ve been with Textbroker since late July and have completed about 75 assignments. My earnings to date exceed $360 and since my goal is to earn $25/week there, I’m ahead of schedule despite being away from home for a few weeks in Aug and Sept. Pay ranges from .007 to .014 per word for levels 2-4. Level 5 pays much higher but appears difficult to attain and I rarely see any assignments listed at that level, anyway. I’m happy with my level 4 and will continue with Textbroker for the foreseeable future. I’m not getting rich but earning $1,300/year ($25/wk x 52 weeks) at my leisure in my jammies is nothing to sneer at. I figure it finances Christmas and birthday presents for the all kids and grands with a little left over for a trip north to visit those that live farther away.
I’m in the process of researching other avenues that might generate a little income and will post about any that pan out. I don’t do multi-level marketing schemes or party plans or sales of any sort so don’t ever expect to see information of that type here.
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