Although I had some considerable skill and experience as a writer before I became a freelancer, I had to learn a new set of skills, as there is a significant difference between writing academic essays and web content.
As an academic, writing was (and is) one of my most important skills. I have written countless essays and articles, a few dissertations (including the 100,000 word PhD one) and have been published a number of times. I know I'm a good academic writer. I can construct a clear argument and get my point across in a concise manner.
It therefore seemed to make sense that I should turn that skill into my main WAHM business.
Realistically however, most of the work I'm going to be able to pick up as a beginning freelance writer is writing someone else's web content, and not academic essays.
What I struggled with, at the start, is that writing for the internet is very, very different than writing academically.
An academic piece needs to be concise. It has to have properly referenced facts, and needs to present a clearly structured argument. While it's nice if you can entertain your readers as well, this really is only a secondary concern.
Writing web content is the exact opposite in many ways. You don't want to get bogged down with too many facts and references. The main target is to grab the attention of your readers from the start and keep them entertained. Short paragraphs and bullet points are the order of the day.
So while at a basic level, I'm a decent writer, to be able to offer good content as a freelancer, I eventually realised that I needed to learn a new skill set.
Tuesday 22 October 2013
Sunday 20 October 2013
Writing academic essays for money?
I sometimes get forwarded links from people suggesting that it might be just the thing for me. Often, people refer me to websites that look for authors to write academic essays, grant applications and other assignments.
There's quite a few of these websites around, and I suspect there's quite the market for this sort of work. You'll also find people advertising for this type of thing on the more general freelance websites such as elance and fiverr.
The ethics of doing someone else's homework
Indeed, I am very good at writing academic essays. I've got a lot of experience doing it as a student, and I've always had a knack for it.
Later on in my academic career, I also tutored, so I've seen the other side of the equation as well, and I know what lecturers are looking for.
Most of these essays asked for are at undergraduate level. I could turn them out with very little effort at all.
But I won't do it. While it's tempting, as an academic I have a standard of ethics I won't compromise. If I were to write people's essays, I'd essentially be helping them cheat, and as I've spent my professional career strongly campaigning against that, I will not now facilitate it.
But...
I realise that other people have different ideas about this sort of thing, and if you have no objections to doing someone else's homework, this could be a good way of making an income.
I'd actually love to hear of people who specialise in this type of work. It seems there's huge earning potential in this niche, but also a huge potential to end up in scams. Please don't hesitate to post your experiences in a comment below.
There's quite a few of these websites around, and I suspect there's quite the market for this sort of work. You'll also find people advertising for this type of thing on the more general freelance websites such as elance and fiverr.
The ethics of doing someone else's homework
Indeed, I am very good at writing academic essays. I've got a lot of experience doing it as a student, and I've always had a knack for it.
Later on in my academic career, I also tutored, so I've seen the other side of the equation as well, and I know what lecturers are looking for.
Most of these essays asked for are at undergraduate level. I could turn them out with very little effort at all.
But I won't do it. While it's tempting, as an academic I have a standard of ethics I won't compromise. If I were to write people's essays, I'd essentially be helping them cheat, and as I've spent my professional career strongly campaigning against that, I will not now facilitate it.
But...
I realise that other people have different ideas about this sort of thing, and if you have no objections to doing someone else's homework, this could be a good way of making an income.
I'd actually love to hear of people who specialise in this type of work. It seems there's huge earning potential in this niche, but also a huge potential to end up in scams. Please don't hesitate to post your experiences in a comment below.
Tuesday 15 October 2013
WAHM on maternity leave?
Being a WAHM can be tricky, in that you have to find a balance between the W and the M.
For me, the M will always take priority over the W. But when I had my second baby, I realised just how important the W had become as well.
I gave up taking freelance writing assignments in late pregnancy. And found it surprisingly hard. It seemed things were just starting to take off. I was offered a repeat assignment by a client that would have been several hundred Euros, but had to turn it down. It was the right thing to do, as I might not have finished job in time, and in any case, I needed to focus on my soon to be expanding family (plus, I was moving house, twice, but that's a different story!).
If I had been working a job out of the house, there'd be no question. I'd be on maternity leave before and after giving birth. No question about taking those final weeks off and no way I'd be returning to work within several months of having the baby.
As it was though, within a week of having the baby, I found I was putting myself under pressure to at least return to my various casual earners. No idea where this pressure was coming from, exactly. The money itself is insignificant enough to not make a difference anyway. There's no clients I'm trying to build a reputation with.
It's just this desire to be something more than just a M. Even if at this newborn stage, that is the most important job of all.
I continue to struggle with the balance. How do others experience this?
For me, the M will always take priority over the W. But when I had my second baby, I realised just how important the W had become as well.
I gave up taking freelance writing assignments in late pregnancy. And found it surprisingly hard. It seemed things were just starting to take off. I was offered a repeat assignment by a client that would have been several hundred Euros, but had to turn it down. It was the right thing to do, as I might not have finished job in time, and in any case, I needed to focus on my soon to be expanding family (plus, I was moving house, twice, but that's a different story!).
If I had been working a job out of the house, there'd be no question. I'd be on maternity leave before and after giving birth. No question about taking those final weeks off and no way I'd be returning to work within several months of having the baby.
As it was though, within a week of having the baby, I found I was putting myself under pressure to at least return to my various casual earners. No idea where this pressure was coming from, exactly. The money itself is insignificant enough to not make a difference anyway. There's no clients I'm trying to build a reputation with.
It's just this desire to be something more than just a M. Even if at this newborn stage, that is the most important job of all.
I continue to struggle with the balance. How do others experience this?
Friday 11 October 2013
Review - Bubblews
The site is fully accessible for international users, and then low payout threshold of $25 is easy to reach. But opinions differ whether or now Bubblews is legitimate or a scam.
How does Bubblews work?
Bubblews allows users to publish short articles on pretty much any topic they want. When I say short, I do mean short; the minimum required length is 400 characters. No, that’s not a mistake, it’s really just 400 characters, not 400 words.
Bubblews is basically a revenue sharing website. (Another example of such a website is Webanswers, which I have written about previously). Once published, Bubblews will keep track of the number of page views, ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ and comments your article gets. For each, it will deposit a cent or two in your account. Once you’ve reached $25, you can asked for your money to be redeemed and it will be deposited in your PayPal account.
The rules
Aside from the minimum 400 character word count, there is a few other rules:
- Your work has to be original and written by now. You can’t copy/paste from elsewhere.
- you can’t abuse the system by requesting comments/views/likes on your comments or by participating in groups that organise exchanges of the same.
- You’re not allowed to use bots or any other means of IP manipulation.
- You can’t post anything that is pornographic.
- Your post has to be in English.
- You can’t post referrals or affiliate links to other websites.
Social Network
Thing is, Bubblews is really a social network, all aimed at the users facilitating each other to make money. You can connect with other users, making their posts show up in your notifications. Having lots of connects is the key to getting lots of page views, and by extension, lots of money. Then rules state that you’re not allowed to ask for likes and comments, but in my experience people still do, indirectly. There is a clear expectation that if someone likes your posts and/or connects with you, they expect you to return the favour.
Quantity over quality
As said above, the only real requirement for posting an article is that it has to be at least 400 characters long, and in English.
A lot of the articles on Bubblews are of very poor quality. They trend to be short, and written in very poor English. Many of the users are clearly not native English speakers. That’s no big deal (English is a second language for me too), but it can be difficult to make sense of quite a few of the articles.
The majority of users are clearly on Bubblews to make money. Articles tend to be short, about uninteresting topics, and poorly edited for grammar and spelling.
Of course, there’s some really good stuff there as well - if you can manage to find it.
On the flip side, the anything goes attitude might appeal to you as well. I know some people enjoy using it as a creative outlet, without the need to worry too much about quality or topic or search engine keywords.
Is Bubblews a scam or a legitimate website?
Now we get down to the big question. There are very mixed reports on Bubblews. Some claim to have been paid out quickly, multiple times and without issues whatsoever. On the flip side, there are also many stories about payments never appearing, and posts and accounts being deleted. Those that do experience such things do not seem to have any recourse, with the Bubblews websites owners unresponsive to emails.
I personally have not reached the treshold to redeem my earnings. Although I initially found the novelty of the website fun, I got quickly fed up with the sheer amounts of very poor articles and the general attitude to that it's really all about just reaching pay out, no matter in what way.
Another thing that caused me to give up on Bubblews before reaching my first payout was the poor quality of the website. It's incredibly slow, difficult to navigate, and, I think just generally very user unfriendly.
International
Credit where credit is due, Bubblews is fully available for international users, with no restrictions as as far as I can tell. All you need is a PayPal account.
this is quite evident in the user base of the website as well; there seems to be a lot of Asians.
Final thoughts
Some people have reported high earnings in a relatively short time. It will take work. You need to consistently write articles, and build your network. If you're looking to make some quick cash, with little or no restrictions, this might be the place for you.
However, a word of warning. Cash out as soon as you can, and keep in mind that the website has a dodgy record for payments.
Tuesday 8 October 2013
AdSense basics - Getting started
If you’re looking to make money writing online through a blog or other website, you’ll sooner or later run into AdSense. Although it’s rarely a high earner, it is one of the most popular and trustworthy ways of making money online.
In this post I’ll cover the basics on what AdSense is and how to get started using it.
What is AdSense?
AdSense is an advertising programme run by Google, that will allow you to make money from people clicking on ads placed on a website you own or share the revenue of.
For each time someone clicks an ad, Google will place a small amount of money in your account. We’re not talking about big sums. Usually, it will only be a few cents, though it can be more depending on the type of ad.
Once your AdSense account accumulates €70 (or $100), Google will transfer the money into your bank account.
Getting started
Before you can make money using AdSense, you’ll need to set up an account. For many, this is straightaway a stumbling block.
There was a time it was easy, apparently, but these days Google has become quite picky about their requirements for an account.
There is basically two things you’ll need:
The second step can be trickier. Google wants to know they are placing their ads somewhere that has good content, and thus will attract traffic. After all, what’s the point in ads if no one is going to see them.
An obvious choice for the contents requirement would be a blog, but it will take time to build up enough posts of sufficient length and quality.
Another option could be to use a website like hubpages, which will allow you to write long articles without the need to maintain your own site. You can sign up through them, but you will still need a few high quality articles before Google will accept you. The usual advice you hear is ten good quality blog posts or hubs.
Taking either of these options, be prepared for your application email to come back and say you do not yet qualify. If that happens, don’t despair. Keep building your content and try again. You might be rejected a second and third time, but you’ll get accepted eventually.
Perhaps an easier option is to use webanswers. I’ve previously reviewed my experience with webanswers; it’s a revenue sharing website that pays through AdSense. Once you have answered an initial 50 questions, you can apply for an AdSense account through webanswers, with a very good probability of being accepted.
Whichever option you pick, quality is key. Make sure you use good grammar and spelling.
Note that once you have an AdSense account, you can very easily add other websites to it, without having to go through the quality control process each time. For example, I was able to get my AdSense account running through Webanswers, then added both my blog and my hubpages account, when neither of these would have been accepted yet on their own.
Getting verified
Getting your AdSense account approved is only the first step. Next, you’ll need to give them your bank details. You may be reluctant to do so; and you’re right, you should be very careful about giving out your bank details online. AdSense, however, is run by Google, and has existed for many years. It has been proven that it is a safe scheme and no scam. Your bank details will be safe.
To verify you’ve entered your account details correctly, Google will send you a small payment. Simply enter the correct amount when you see it appear in your statements to show that all is in order. This can take a few days.
A final security step is a pin that Google will send out to you by post - this is why it’s important you enter the right address! They will post it once your account goes over the treshold of around €10, although it can take up to three weeks to actually arrive in the post. Once your pin has arrived and you’ve entered it on the website, your account will be up and running.
Mind that threshold
Google AdSense is a safe scheme, and you can be assured that you will get the money owed paid. Eventually, anyway. In theory, Google pays out once a month. In practice, they will only pay once you’ve gone over the €70 or $100 threshold. I presume this is to keep transaction costs down, which is fair enough. It does mean that it can take a while to get a payout, especially at the start.
Terms and conditions
Another thing to keep in mind are the terms and conditions attached to using AdSense. When you sign up, please read the rules. Google can and will close accounts that are in violation, which means you will not be paid out any funds you have in your account. The guidelines are fair and clear though, so it should not be difficult to follow them.
In a nutshell, under the terms of the AdSense programme you cannot do the following:
AdSense Internationally
As always, let’s have a look at the possibilities to use AdSense worldwide.
This is actually one of the best things about it. As far as I can tell, there are no countries that are not eligible for AdSense. I’d love to hear if your experiences are different though!
It is true though that getting your AdSense account approved might be difficult for residents of certain nations. I know that people from India and China are required to have been running their website for at least six months before they can sign up. If you know of any other international restrictions, please leave a comment.
I also suspect getting your bank account verified might be more complicated in certain countries, due to differences in banking and postage systems.
Earnings
Now that you know how to sign up and get started with AdSense, you are no doubt wondering about the money you might be making with it.
There’s two ways AdSense can provide you with an income:
For that reason, you might be tempted to think that your own blog or website is the way to go. But remember, you’re depending on people clicking on ads. Most visitors to a website won’t. It will take thousands of page views to generate any sort of money. It is very difficult to make that happen on your own blog. And even if you can manage it, it will take time.
By participating in an affiliate programme such as webanswers, you will have to share ad click revenue, but at the same time, you will profit from the high levels of traffic the site attracts. Your income from that source will therefore likely be higher than from your own fledgling blog or website.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Placing ads on your website doesn’t cost anything, so you can use AdSense on your own website as all as earn a share through webanswers or similar website. It’ll just help you reach that pay out threshold quicker. Every cent counts!
In any case though, don’t expect the money start pouring in, especially when you’re still starting off with either your own websites or in an affiliate program. While some people make a very good income indeed through AdSense, they are rare exceptions.
For most of us, AdSense is a way of generating a small bit of cash, over time, with relatively little effort. Personally, I look at it as a way of monetising things that I enjoy doing anyway, which for me, is kind of the point of being a WAHM.
I’ll be posting more ways of using AdSense in the future. In the meanwhile, you can check out my post on webanswers which is currently my only meaningful way of AdSense income.
I’d also love to hear your experiences with AdSense, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment!
In this post I’ll cover the basics on what AdSense is and how to get started using it.
What is AdSense?
AdSense is an advertising programme run by Google, that will allow you to make money from people clicking on ads placed on a website you own or share the revenue of.
For each time someone clicks an ad, Google will place a small amount of money in your account. We’re not talking about big sums. Usually, it will only be a few cents, though it can be more depending on the type of ad.
Once your AdSense account accumulates €70 (or $100), Google will transfer the money into your bank account.
Getting started
Before you can make money using AdSense, you’ll need to set up an account. For many, this is straightaway a stumbling block.
There was a time it was easy, apparently, but these days Google has become quite picky about their requirements for an account.
There is basically two things you’ll need:
- A Google account
- A website with quality content.
The second step can be trickier. Google wants to know they are placing their ads somewhere that has good content, and thus will attract traffic. After all, what’s the point in ads if no one is going to see them.
An obvious choice for the contents requirement would be a blog, but it will take time to build up enough posts of sufficient length and quality.
Another option could be to use a website like hubpages, which will allow you to write long articles without the need to maintain your own site. You can sign up through them, but you will still need a few high quality articles before Google will accept you. The usual advice you hear is ten good quality blog posts or hubs.
Taking either of these options, be prepared for your application email to come back and say you do not yet qualify. If that happens, don’t despair. Keep building your content and try again. You might be rejected a second and third time, but you’ll get accepted eventually.
Perhaps an easier option is to use webanswers. I’ve previously reviewed my experience with webanswers; it’s a revenue sharing website that pays through AdSense. Once you have answered an initial 50 questions, you can apply for an AdSense account through webanswers, with a very good probability of being accepted.
Whichever option you pick, quality is key. Make sure you use good grammar and spelling.
Note that once you have an AdSense account, you can very easily add other websites to it, without having to go through the quality control process each time. For example, I was able to get my AdSense account running through Webanswers, then added both my blog and my hubpages account, when neither of these would have been accepted yet on their own.
Getting verified
Getting your AdSense account approved is only the first step. Next, you’ll need to give them your bank details. You may be reluctant to do so; and you’re right, you should be very careful about giving out your bank details online. AdSense, however, is run by Google, and has existed for many years. It has been proven that it is a safe scheme and no scam. Your bank details will be safe.
To verify you’ve entered your account details correctly, Google will send you a small payment. Simply enter the correct amount when you see it appear in your statements to show that all is in order. This can take a few days.
A final security step is a pin that Google will send out to you by post - this is why it’s important you enter the right address! They will post it once your account goes over the treshold of around €10, although it can take up to three weeks to actually arrive in the post. Once your pin has arrived and you’ve entered it on the website, your account will be up and running.
Mind that threshold
Google AdSense is a safe scheme, and you can be assured that you will get the money owed paid. Eventually, anyway. In theory, Google pays out once a month. In practice, they will only pay once you’ve gone over the €70 or $100 threshold. I presume this is to keep transaction costs down, which is fair enough. It does mean that it can take a while to get a payout, especially at the start.
Terms and conditions
Another thing to keep in mind are the terms and conditions attached to using AdSense. When you sign up, please read the rules. Google can and will close accounts that are in violation, which means you will not be paid out any funds you have in your account. The guidelines are fair and clear though, so it should not be difficult to follow them.
In a nutshell, under the terms of the AdSense programme you cannot do the following:
- Click on your own ads or use means to artificially increase click count. This includes but is not limited to participating in ‘ad click chains’, and manipulating the ads themselves.
- Encourage visitors to click on the ads on your website.
- Put ads on websites with certain content. This includes, but is not limited to, anything related to pornography, gambling, racism, drugs and weapons sales, and pretty much anything that’s illegal.
- Put ads on websites that has content in breach of copyright laws.
- Put ads on websites that just use keywords to generate traffic, but do not actually offer quality content.
- Have a website that contains malware or anything else that deceives or misdirects the visitor.
- Put ads on a website aimed at children, at least not without notifying Google first.
AdSense Internationally
As always, let’s have a look at the possibilities to use AdSense worldwide.
This is actually one of the best things about it. As far as I can tell, there are no countries that are not eligible for AdSense. I’d love to hear if your experiences are different though!
It is true though that getting your AdSense account approved might be difficult for residents of certain nations. I know that people from India and China are required to have been running their website for at least six months before they can sign up. If you know of any other international restrictions, please leave a comment.
I also suspect getting your bank account verified might be more complicated in certain countries, due to differences in banking and postage systems.
Earnings
Now that you know how to sign up and get started with AdSense, you are no doubt wondering about the money you might be making with it.
There’s two ways AdSense can provide you with an income:
- By placing ads on your own website or blog.
- By participating in an affiliate programme, such as webanswers or hubpages.
For that reason, you might be tempted to think that your own blog or website is the way to go. But remember, you’re depending on people clicking on ads. Most visitors to a website won’t. It will take thousands of page views to generate any sort of money. It is very difficult to make that happen on your own blog. And even if you can manage it, it will take time.
By participating in an affiliate programme such as webanswers, you will have to share ad click revenue, but at the same time, you will profit from the high levels of traffic the site attracts. Your income from that source will therefore likely be higher than from your own fledgling blog or website.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Placing ads on your website doesn’t cost anything, so you can use AdSense on your own website as all as earn a share through webanswers or similar website. It’ll just help you reach that pay out threshold quicker. Every cent counts!
In any case though, don’t expect the money start pouring in, especially when you’re still starting off with either your own websites or in an affiliate program. While some people make a very good income indeed through AdSense, they are rare exceptions.
For most of us, AdSense is a way of generating a small bit of cash, over time, with relatively little effort. Personally, I look at it as a way of monetising things that I enjoy doing anyway, which for me, is kind of the point of being a WAHM.
I’ll be posting more ways of using AdSense in the future. In the meanwhile, you can check out my post on webanswers which is currently my only meaningful way of AdSense income.
I’d also love to hear your experiences with AdSense, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment!
Friday 4 October 2013
Making money from home - The United States vs the world
One of the things I want to focus on in this blog is on how to earn money while working from home if you’re not in the United States.
When I decided to become a WAHM and started investigating options to make some money, I searched the internet extensively. There’s a lot of blogs, websites and forums out there supplying a wealth of information and leads.
I also found, however, that most of these websites are based in the United States. While much of the advice is sound anyway, a lot of the money making options are actually not available for those of us living elsewhere in the world.
Case in point: Amazon Mechanical Turk
When I went on ‘maternity leave’ (meaning I couldn’t commit to freelance work for the time being), I went looking for a more casual, commitment free way to make some money online.
One of the things that I saw suggested time and time again was Amazon Mechanical Turk. It seemed perfect for my needs. All you have to do is sign up for an account, then you can carry out a wide variety of small tasks (called HITS) for which you earn equally small amounts of money. With an hour to spare here and there, people were reporting making relatively good amounts of cash. Moreover, the programme is well documented as real and the payouts as dependable, so no worries about it being a scam.
So I signed up. In the registration form, I set my location to Ireland. It went through without a hitch.
A few days later, I received an email back saying I didn’t qualify. No further explanation.
Disappointed, I searched the internet and only then found out that mturk isn’t available in Ireland. In fact, it’s only open for those within the United States. This is not clear at all on the website. Why did the form allow me to apply with my country set to Ireland in the first place?!
But wait, there’s more!
Amazon Mechanical Turk is but one example of a popular casual earning website that is only open to residents of the United States. Since then, I’ve become a lot more careful in managing my expectations.
If you’re not in the United States, it’s an important lesson to learn. This goes for any work from home, not just the casual stuff.
Some other things to watch out for:
On the upside
It’s not all bad news though. Just because we can’t access the mturks of this world internationally, there’s still plenty of options for making money from home as a WAHM.
In fact, not being in the United States can also work in your favour. For example, depending on where you live, you might not have to worry about taxes like our friends in the United States do. I don’t, as long as I stay under a generous threshold.
The USD exchange rate can really work in your advantage in some cases, and while shipping might be expensive, being in a different country could well grant you easy access to commodities that are in demand elsewhere in the world. It’s all worth exploring, right?
Experience working from home around the world
In future posts the, I’ll be paying particular attention to how to make things work internationally. As I’m in Ireland, my experience is based there, perhaps extended to the wider European Union.
I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences from other places in the world. Please comment and let’s all share our knowledge and help others on their way.
When I decided to become a WAHM and started investigating options to make some money, I searched the internet extensively. There’s a lot of blogs, websites and forums out there supplying a wealth of information and leads.
I also found, however, that most of these websites are based in the United States. While much of the advice is sound anyway, a lot of the money making options are actually not available for those of us living elsewhere in the world.
Case in point: Amazon Mechanical Turk
When I went on ‘maternity leave’ (meaning I couldn’t commit to freelance work for the time being), I went looking for a more casual, commitment free way to make some money online.
One of the things that I saw suggested time and time again was Amazon Mechanical Turk. It seemed perfect for my needs. All you have to do is sign up for an account, then you can carry out a wide variety of small tasks (called HITS) for which you earn equally small amounts of money. With an hour to spare here and there, people were reporting making relatively good amounts of cash. Moreover, the programme is well documented as real and the payouts as dependable, so no worries about it being a scam.
So I signed up. In the registration form, I set my location to Ireland. It went through without a hitch.
A few days later, I received an email back saying I didn’t qualify. No further explanation.
Disappointed, I searched the internet and only then found out that mturk isn’t available in Ireland. In fact, it’s only open for those within the United States. This is not clear at all on the website. Why did the form allow me to apply with my country set to Ireland in the first place?!
But wait, there’s more!
Amazon Mechanical Turk is but one example of a popular casual earning website that is only open to residents of the United States. Since then, I’ve become a lot more careful in managing my expectations.
If you’re not in the United States, it’s an important lesson to learn. This goes for any work from home, not just the casual stuff.
Some other things to watch out for:
- Even if an earning option is open internationally, be aware that sometimes there are restrictions on how you can be paid. For example, cash might not be an option, leaving you with vouchers that are effectively worthless in your country.
- Depending on where you live, you might be hit with an exchange rate from USD to your currency that will not be in your favour.
- Some websites allow people to sign up worldwide, but then require a United States social security no. Yeah, right…
- If you’re buying and or selling anything, shipping rates can really come back to bite you in the behind.
On the upside
It’s not all bad news though. Just because we can’t access the mturks of this world internationally, there’s still plenty of options for making money from home as a WAHM.
In fact, not being in the United States can also work in your favour. For example, depending on where you live, you might not have to worry about taxes like our friends in the United States do. I don’t, as long as I stay under a generous threshold.
The USD exchange rate can really work in your advantage in some cases, and while shipping might be expensive, being in a different country could well grant you easy access to commodities that are in demand elsewhere in the world. It’s all worth exploring, right?
Experience working from home around the world
In future posts the, I’ll be paying particular attention to how to make things work internationally. As I’m in Ireland, my experience is based there, perhaps extended to the wider European Union.
I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences from other places in the world. Please comment and let’s all share our knowledge and help others on their way.
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Advice on making money online: /r/beermoney
There’s a lot of resources out there that will help the WAHM find new ways of making money from home.
To me the subreddit ‘Beer money’ has proven to be one of the most useful ways to find out about casual ways to make money online.
Reddit
If you’re not familiar with it, Reddit advertises itself as the ‘Front page of the Internet’.
It is basically a social website where users can submit news, pictures and links. I’ve found it can be a great source of news and entertainment (as well as a dreadful time sink!).
Users can vote up or down anything posted on reddit, and leave comments to express their opinion.
Reddit is divided into subreddits, which have a common topic or theme. You can subscribe to those that are about things that interest you.
/r/beermoney
Beermoney is one of these subreddits. I know, for the WAHM, the title might be a bit off putting. After all, beer isn’t generally very high on a mother’s list of priorities (though I’m quite partial to a pint of a good quality ale myself). The subreddit isn’t really aimed at WAHMs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use the advice posted there.
Its users are looking for casual ways to make money online. Extremely helpful are the reviews of websites that are posted. The reviews are often incredibly detailed, and will give you a good idea whether or not a website will work for you. The comments from other users will show if the review is genuine or not and provide additional information.
Some people will also post their daily routines, to show others how they make a certain amount of money each day/week/month. You can pick up some food advice from those, even if the whole thing might not work for you.
Finally, users will warn each other of scams, which is obviously very valuable.
International users
As with many resources online, the majority of users seem to be US based, and the reviews and advice don’t always take into account that things might not work elsewhere in the world.
There are a good number of international users as well, however, and it is usually quickly pointed out which schemes will or will not work in other countries.
Reddit with caution
I’ve found a lot of excellent advice on /r/beer money. But as with every social website, although it is moderated, there is no real control over the content. So exercise caution and use common sense. There’s a lot of scams out there preying on those who are trying to make money online, and they can and will pop up anywhere from time to time.
With a bit of care you can learn a lot about making some pocket money on reddit, and you don’t even have to spend it on beer.
To me the subreddit ‘Beer money’ has proven to be one of the most useful ways to find out about casual ways to make money online.
If you’re not familiar with it, Reddit advertises itself as the ‘Front page of the Internet’.
It is basically a social website where users can submit news, pictures and links. I’ve found it can be a great source of news and entertainment (as well as a dreadful time sink!).
Users can vote up or down anything posted on reddit, and leave comments to express their opinion.
Reddit is divided into subreddits, which have a common topic or theme. You can subscribe to those that are about things that interest you.
/r/beermoney
Beermoney is one of these subreddits. I know, for the WAHM, the title might be a bit off putting. After all, beer isn’t generally very high on a mother’s list of priorities (though I’m quite partial to a pint of a good quality ale myself). The subreddit isn’t really aimed at WAHMs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use the advice posted there.
Its users are looking for casual ways to make money online. Extremely helpful are the reviews of websites that are posted. The reviews are often incredibly detailed, and will give you a good idea whether or not a website will work for you. The comments from other users will show if the review is genuine or not and provide additional information.
Some people will also post their daily routines, to show others how they make a certain amount of money each day/week/month. You can pick up some food advice from those, even if the whole thing might not work for you.
Finally, users will warn each other of scams, which is obviously very valuable.
International users
As with many resources online, the majority of users seem to be US based, and the reviews and advice don’t always take into account that things might not work elsewhere in the world.
There are a good number of international users as well, however, and it is usually quickly pointed out which schemes will or will not work in other countries.
Reddit with caution
I’ve found a lot of excellent advice on /r/beer money. But as with every social website, although it is moderated, there is no real control over the content. So exercise caution and use common sense. There’s a lot of scams out there preying on those who are trying to make money online, and they can and will pop up anywhere from time to time.
With a bit of care you can learn a lot about making some pocket money on reddit, and you don’t even have to spend it on beer.
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