Being a freelance web designer is not something that I expected to land on. But during my early years I really have that strange deep interest in almost anything that involved computers. I am not surprised that even after taking up engineering and passing the boards for that, I still find myself doing IT-related jobs: these past few years I had been offering my services as a freelance web designer.
Many of my friends and strangers ask me: what have you been up to lately? I answer them – I do web design (but I am mostly concentrated on doing WordPress blogs). I also earn from blogs. All these I do full-time right in my home.
One of the growing home-based jobs in the freelance industry are virtual assistant jobs. These kind of jobs are generally involve doing administrative work such as data entry, customer service, email marketing, research, taking calls, answering emails, arranging meeting schedules and even doing repetitive SEO jobs. Virtual assistant jobs are generally more of secretarial or clerical in nature.
I haven’t tried doing virtual assistant jobs since I started finding freelance jobs online but I remember applying to some of these jobs (and getting rejected for some reason).
I believe students and new graduates are now given more options to pursue other means of income online, even if they haven’t gained work experience. This may not apply to all students, but at least online freelance sites as well as blogging makes it easier for them to gain extra money.
I did not have that kind of option to earn extra money when I was still a student. The only option visible for me to earn more income is to follow the traditional way of earning money: be a working student. However, a working student is required to lessen the number of units taken up each semester until the entire course is finished.
Things are now different: some students figured out that they can earn online and even earn as much (or even much more) as what salaried employees get. As a result, I keep on finding more students who are interested in getting jobs from freelance sites.
One of the most common questions I get from them is: how do I get freelance jobs if I have no work experience and portfolio to show to clients?
Obviously, to gain an edge in the competitive world of freelancing, they have to build their portfolio.
This review is based on my experience as a publisher selling links.
Honestly, I started blogging just because I wanted to earn money from them. I first discovered that I could write short paid review posts in between some non-paid posts. Eventually, as I build content, some people became my loyal readers, and it was not long before I became so conscious of what I write.
I earned a few hundred bucks from several paid review marketplaces using several blogs. However, doing paid reviews can be tiring. Doing one non-paid posts in between each paid review (as most review sites require it) makes me lose all my creative juices.
However, I found another way to monetize blogs: – a way to earn passively from your blog. InLinks matches keywords from my published posts and links these up to the advertiser’s website. I earn from those linked keywords as long as the advertiser wants to. It can also run alongside any other ad networks such as Google Adsense.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Heineken. All opinions are 100% mine.
This particular video had me laughing so much today. This girl in red had gotten herself drunk too much that she actually did some embarrassing pole dancing during a wedding. The bride seemed to sense something wrong – and she was right!
To most, this video seemed real because it looks like any other homemade videos, but good thing this turned out to be just one of the viral videos made by Heineken to continue their last year’s “Enjoy Heineken Responsibly” campaign. Now this one is catchy and Heineken is successful at catching people’s attention to drink responsibly this time.
To further promote this campaign, they are offering a free iPhone application called “Breathalyzer“ that turns any iPhone into a realistic breathalyzer. The application works by simply having a friend blow into the breathalyzer to show which one of the funny drunken characters he or she is turning into: The Crier, The Fighter, The Sleeper, The Exhibitionist, The Groper, The Flirt or The Stumbler. Visit The Heineken Know The Signs website to further know each of these characters.
The application is not a true breathalyzer, but it can be effective in reminding a friend that he or she is near to turn into one of those drunken characters.
One of the most difficult ways to communicate with potential as well as existing clients is using email as a mode of communication. Most of the time freelancers make the mistake of using email as chat. Although chat or voice communication is often easier and preferred ways of communicating, there are just some people and situations who still prefer and insist on using email as the main mode of communication.
At first I didn’t like how communication bounces on and off with one-liner questions that are passed which is really is a time-waster (I often end up losing jobs that way), but over time I had been able to adjust and learn this kind of communication.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LG Chocolate Touch. All opinions are 100% mine.
This phone caught my attention today. I am aware of mobile phones that give the mobile capability to connect to the internet wherever I go, but LG Chocolate Touch wowed me: it lets me connect and interact with various social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. To me, LG Chocolate Touch is a social networker’s dream because I can interact with my online friends to as far as my phone’s signal could reach –without needing a computer to connect to the internet just to interact with online friends!
Another of its strongest feature is its Dolby Mobile technology sound quality, as demonstrated in their site: LG Chocolate Touch
The most outstanding features of this phone are:
Dolby Mobile technology for crystal-clear sound quality: the sound quality is not limited to using stereo headphones – even rich quality sound can be heard through a set of external speakers!
Sweet Visual Effects and features, including Rhythmical Beat that vibrates the handset to the beat of the music: visual effects truly enhance listening experience.
One-touch Social Network Message Key for easy use of Mobile Blogging (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.): this isn’t limited to status messages but it can also include microblogging and blogging services as well as posting pictures taken from the phone camera.
Mobile Media – top-notch text, picture, video, and voice messaging, including Visual Voicemail
3.2MP Camera/Recorder–quality pictures and videos, with image editor: the image editor comes with a built-in facial makeover to remove facial blemishes and enhances facial features.
Today is the finally the most awaited day when Apple’s iTablet will now be released. Remember that over a year ago this gadget (which is also known in other names such as iSlate and iPad) is much talked about so much that there were even fake videos circulating around to demonstrate the power of this new gadget. I really wish hope that the actual features that is to be released is near to what the video had illustrated (remember that I asked in a previous post whether this is real or fake)!
I found a helpful video tutorial on how to link Paypal to Unionbank EON account – using the latest way. I just have to replace the old tutorial I’ve written previously in how to verifying one’s Paypal account which follows a new and easier process of verification.
Here’s a summary of the steps (as illustrated in the accompanying video):
Unionbank does NOT need any minimum balance requirements. However, one must pay P350 to open up a bank account and the accompanying Unionbank EON card.
Take note of the information written on the Unionbank EON card. The number at the middle of the card is the card number. The smaller number below your name is the bank account number. The bank account number IS THE ONE TO USE for verifying Paypal account. Read the rest of this entry
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.
As that lone freelancer at home struggling to keep a balance between doing freelancing work and parenting duties for over two years, the world has become my office. The internet kept me company while I slowly rebuild my riches through online work: I blog and be active on social networks which probably helped me keep my sanity intact.
Lately, I got interested in meeting new online friends for real. Unfortunately, most people I made friends online aren’t based in my hometown here in Baguio City: many of them live in Manila area which is around five to eight hours away from my place by bus, while others live farther down in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Last week, I suddenly decided to hop on a bus to attend a blogger meetup which took me more than five hours to Pampanga. This is actually the second one for me to meet bloggers. This one is not just another blogger meetup: it happened to be a despedida party for Doc Z who is leaving the country for Micronesia: I remembered first seeing this poetic doctor online at a live webcast of the 2009 Emerging Influential Bloggers I watched at home. I realized that I’d be actually meeting him along with some of those famous influential bloggers!
I still could not believe that I traveled for hours and endured the change of weather then landed there just to meet, greet, sing and then get drunk with a bunch of people I just met and worked with online and never ever met in real life!
I met others at the party whom I met already online: Jan, Bonnie, Paige, Roel, Novz, Jeff, Yatot, JenaIsle and Roy (together with his birthday daughter Angel). The gentlemen are really awesome and handsome in person.
At the end of the day I was really so excited in seeing the first batch of pictures and videos. Since that was an overnight activity and all of us had to travel back home, I understand that these people are still tired and would not want to spend time sitting down just to upload all of those pictures. Maybe if Eye-Fi was readily available then that should have made it easier for them to upload pictures and videos! The computer and the digital camera simply needed to be turned ON then all the images and videos are submitted automatically to Facebook, Flicker, YouTube without needing a card reader or a USB cable.
Nevertheless, that was truly a wonderful experience that I’ll never forget!
parenting duties for over two years, the world has become my office. The internet kept me company while I slowly rebuild my riches through online work: I blog and be active on social networks which probably helped me keep my sanity intact.
Working at home...
