FREELANCING II

     I mentioned awhile back that I was exploring Fiverr.  It has been almost 2 weeks since I started posting gigs on the site, so time for an update.

What is Fiverr??

     Fiverr is a job listing site where you can post jobs you are willing and able to do with a price point starting at $5.  On the surface it looks like a good place to begin a freelance business, offering small tasks to get you in the door.  As a beginner. you will be limited to the entry level postings and no extras till you prove yourself.  As of now I am still a newbie so can only post $5 gigs with no extras.  I have 8 Listings at the moment and in the 13 days I have been on the site I have accumulated some 2600 pagevies.  Most of those have come from my own promotional efforts as I have had mostly low clicks from impressions on the Fiverr site.  For all those page views I have had only 2 potential buyers ask questions and have 1 "pending" sale but the buyer has not provided the info for me to complete the job.  

     So I am still waiting to see if Fiverr is a good fit for me.  If you have had success on Fiverr let me know.  I look forward to hearing from you.

WORK FROM HOME PITFALLS

     Many folks have the desire to work for themselves. Some of the folks who try will fail, not because they can't but because they fall into a variety of traps.  

Dedication

     When you start working from home it is very easy to fall into bad habits.  There always seems to be SOMETHING else that you need to be doing.  Suddenly you have fallen behind on making new products or posting blog posts and your page views and revenues fall off or disappear.  Before you realize it, you have lost your momentum and alienated your followers.  

Boss I need the day off to.......

     If you are working for someone else you wouldn't ask for the day off to wash your car or do your laundry.  If you did that on a regular basis you wouldn't have a job.  Treat your work from home business the same way.  I found in the beginning that setting regular work times and sticking to them kept me on track.  I now can juggle the "work" to fit the rest of my schedule so that I deliver the posts to my blogs on a regular basis and have time to promote my blogs with social media.  

FREELANCE FREEDOM

     There is another way to make money from home.  You can Freelance.  Many folks out there have the skills that are needed by a variety of individuals and businesses.  

What is a Freelancer?

      A freelancer is an independent contractor that fills a specific need for a business or individual.  Freelance workers are not connected to an employer for the "long term" just for the project duration.  Many freelance workers work for multiple employers at the same time.  There are a growing number fields that people can freelance in.  Fields like: journalism, copy-writing, photography, translating, social media,  and web design just to name a few.  

Who can Freelance?

     Anyone can freelance.  All you need is to offer a service that someone else needs.  Some types of freelance work can be done entirely from you own home.  

How do I get started?

     There is no ONE way folks get stated freelancing.  The main thing is finding a way to let others know you have a service available.  Ads on Craigslist or Google Adwords may work.  Blogging about your work may also help.  Sharing on Social Media will help as well.  Another way to get started is a site called fiverr.    This site allows you to to get started with small gigs starting at $5 each.  I recently looked into fiverr and at first glance it looks very promising.  I am looking now at finding some successes or failures to tell you about in another post.

IS SOCIAL MEDIA A SOCIAL DISEASE?

     Writing a blog presents a unique set of challenges.  Most people find it easy to share their thoughts with a group of  friends over dinner or drinks.  Many are even able to stand before an audience and deliver a speech.  Yet, place them in front of a keyboard and..........BLANK.

Why Can't I Write a Blog??

     Getting your point across to friends or even an audience tends to be easier than writing about it because you get instant feedback.  Writing on the other hand is Solitary.  When I was in college I majored in Mass Communication.  I wanted to be a Photo Journalist, but I discovered the school had its own Radio station.  I thought I was a well spoken and sometimes even funny person until the first time I sat in front of that microphone.  My first words on the air were uhmmmmmm.  Suddenly I could think of nothing, it was just me sitting in a small room  ALONE.  Just me and the mic and it gave me no feedback, no clue how to proceed.  I was STUCK.  I managed to survive that first horrible shift and found out that almost everyone in that situation had the same response.  No one told me the REASON that happened but on some level I must have known.  For my next shift I brought a friend with me and my performance improved greatly.  Eventually, I was able to get past the problem of not having anyone to provide feedback and even made a living for a time as a radio announcer.  Writing is the same, that bastard monitor gives you no feedback.

Feedback Stimulates Creativity

     Getting input about your blog can truly help it improve.  To paraphrase an old saying "If you write a Blog and no one READS it..... " So how do we as bloggers get that feedback?  We have many ways available, such as the comment section on our blogs, Likes on FaceBook, Favorites and ReTweets on Twitter, Pinning on Pinterest and Clicks on the ads.  So if a Blog pleases you or even if you disagree let the Blogger know, he will appreciate it.  I know I am very grateful to all the folks who have liked and hated my views.  

See you next time

MAKING MONEY ONLINE

BRANDING II

     When I started this blog, I had a general idea of where I wanted it to go.  The further I got into the more I learned and the more I had to share.  I am pleased to report that I am still learning.  

What is BRANDING?

     Put simply BRANDING is how you are recognized.  People don't got to Progressive to buy cookies. So use your knowledge and expertise to create a blog that people can associate with you.  I currently have two blogs, this one to share my experiences with trying to get started blogging and a car buying blog to help those with fears or challenges to getting cars.  Both are based on my experiences.  I sold used cars to folks with less than perfect credit and know the ins and outs to make the process easier for them.  I could probably make more money if my blogs were about the Kardashians or Justin Bieber but thankfully I know very little about them.  So I will stick to my niche for now and hope for the best.

What Should I Blog About?

     I have had that question put to me many times and the answer is always something you are knowledgeable and passionate about.  Your readers will be able to tell very quickly if you are "faking" it.  A couple of my friends have been very interested in blogging.  One has a "political" point of view and would make for a very interesting read.  He is not blogging yet, just posting his views on Facebook.  The other is a real estate broker and motivational speaker and has even guest posted on this blog.  So chose your passion and blog on.