Homebased Freelance Transcription Work

Transcriptionists are independent workers who work from home transcribing recordings of interviews, telephone conferences, seminars etc.

If you enjoy doing transcription work, here is a great opportunity for you to earn the extra cash while working at home as a transcriptionist.

This site works well for those who are new to transcription work. It is free to sign up and once you have signed up, you will be invited to take a transcription test to be considered for work.

You will be paid $1 for each 6 minutes of audio transcribed. Payments are made through Paypal on a daily basis, and you will normally get your payment within 24 hours upon requesting it. Oh, and if you get accepted, you will be paid for the test file you transcribed as well.

So, if you are interested to become a home based freelance transcriptionist, just sign up here.

You might also be interested in:

1. Why Work At Home

2. Be Safe When Making Money Online

Scam Alert

To some who has been working on freelance sites, here is a project which I believe was posted by a scammer on Freelancer.com.

“Hi,

I want someone to convert a pack of PDF files to word document. I want serious bidder. First you have to buy the pack. It is very confidential so I cannot give it to any one who is not serious.

The package cost is $10 (refundable).

You will get exactly 100 PDF files. The word count for each file is around 400. You have to manually type the contents of the PDF files in to word document and save the file name with exactly the same name used for the PDF files.

All the files are password protected. So you cannot use any software to complete the job (sorry for that). You have to manually do this.

You know well the maximum amount that I can pay. The time limit is 25 days.

After you buy the pack you have complete the job in 25 days. Don’t worry I will pay back $10 that you have used to buy the pack.

Happy bidding.”

By just reading the description of the work, it sounds as if the scammer is trying to trick the bidders to pay him $10, which I doubt is refundable and I don’t even think the bidders would get the package of 100 PDF files after paying the $10.

Of course there is a way to remove password protection from PDF files, even if the password has been lost. And even if anyone who really needs something typed out, then he should deliver the material free to the successful bidder. Asking bidders to buy the package, even with the promise of refunding it definitely sounds like a scam to me.

Please be advised not to bid for any job that requires payment.  The project creator should be paying the freelancers and not taking money from them. You can get jobs online without spending any money.

So, the next time you look for work on freelance sites, please be more alert as I’m sure you do not want to be a victim of scams.

You might also be interested in:

- Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

- Be Safe When Making Money Online

10 Hobbies That Could Make Money

If you are planning on starting a business and don't have a lot of money to invest in a full-time business, no need to worry. Just use your favorite hobby as the base of your business and grow from there!

A hobby is an activity or an interest that you enjoy doing in your leisure time and you can turn that hobby into a profitable business. Any business that you decide to do should involve the things that you love doing the most and that you are passionate about.

Here is a list of hobbies that can easily be turned into a money making business.

1.         Photographing

If you love taking pictures, then why not start your own photography business? Set up a small studio in your home or take photos at weddings or special events.

2.         Jewelry making

Most women are passionate about making jewelries. If you are one of them, then why not start a jewelry business? Etsy is a great site to sell all your handmade jewelries. Or perhaps you can create your own online jewelry store. Just add some good photos to your site and don’t forget to include the shipping charges in your pricing.

3.         Crafting

            Start selling your craft to earn an income. Or maybe hold a craft class to teach children or adult age groups who are interested in making crafts.

4.         Cross-stitching

            Sell your cross-stitch. There are people who don’t know how to cross-stitch but likes buying the finished work.

5.         Knitting

            If you enjoy knitting very much, why not start a home-based knitting business? You can sell the items that you knit or even teach your skills to others who don’t know how to knit for a minimal fee.

6.         Cooking

Love cooking? You can:-

-     start a home-cooked meal delivery service for offices;

-     start a catering business for special events such as weddings, birthdays, conferences and anniversaries; or

-     sell your recipes in a simple booklet or ebook form.

7.         Baking

            If you love baking cakes and cookies, you can:-

            -     start a home bakery business;

            -     hold a baking class at your own home; or

            -     sell your recipes in a simple booklet or ebook form

8.         Playing musical instrument

            So you like playing the piano or the violin or maybe the guitar during your free time. Why not give music lessons?

9.         Exercising

            If you have been going for aerobics classes every week, why not become an instructor/instructress? Get yourself certified and become a qualified trainer.

10.      Sports

            If you are good in sports or games such as badminton/tennis or like to work out at the gym, you can become a coach or you may even become a personal trainer.

So, if you think you are an expert at some of the things mentioned above and that you enjoy doing at home or outdoors, it’s time to make them pay off for you!

You might also be interested in:

- 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

- How A Stay-At-Home-Mom Can Make Money During School Break

- How To Build An Online Store With Weebly

Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

So you’re looking for an online job and you came across one that says you can earn $500 a month by just doing a simple data entry job. But in order to qualify for that job, you need to buy a starter kit which costs you only $50 in order to start the job. If you buy now, it will cost you only $19.95 which means you get to save $30.05. Wow, isn’t that a good offer? So, are you prepared to buy the starter kit and start work immediately?

Okay, let’s just think about this for a moment.

• First of all, why should you need a starter kit for just doing a simple data entry job?
• Secondly, if you’re looking for a job, which means that you want to earn some money, why should you be paying a company to work for that company? Obviously they should be the one paying you instead.

Isn’t it obvious that they want to make some money out of you first? How well do you know the company? What’s the guarantee that you would get the job after buying the kit?

So my point is, in order to stay safe while earning an online income from home:-

1. Do a research first to check out whether the site/company is legitimate;
2. Never disclose your personal information;
3. Do not pay any fees for doing a job.

The easiest way to spot a scam is when the website asks you to make some payment to get a starter kit in order to start working for them. Many desperate-for-money people fall victims to scams these days. I hope that you will not be one of them!


You might also be interested in: Be Safe When Making Money Online

10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

If you’re thinking of starting your own homebased business, here’s a list of ideas to consider.

1.         Tutoring

You can start this business by tutoring students who need some coaching with their school work. This can be conducted at any child care centre or at the comfort of your own home or at the students’ home and you only need to spend a few hours each day. Besides, you don’t need a teaching degree to become a tutor.

2.         Sell your arts and crafts

If you are creative and don’t know what to do with your crafts, start selling them online. You can create an online store and be sure to add some good photos of your crafts.  You can also sell your crafts on sites like eBay or Etsy.

3.         Photography

If you think you have excellent skills in taking good pictures, why not start your own photography business? You can visit clients at their homes or, if you have space, set up a small studio in your home. People are looking for photographers for taking photos at weddings or special events.  All you really need is a good camera.

4.         Catering Services

There is a big demand for catering these days especially for events such as weddings, birthdays, conferences and anniversaries.  Being a great cook, you might want to consider starting your own catering services.

5.         Give cooking/baking lessons

If you are a food lover and have a hobby of experimenting new dishes, why not turn your hobby into a business? You can hold your cooking or baking classes at your own home. You can remodel your kitchen to accommodate a class of 5 to 10 students or maybe hold your class at the home of your students.

6.         Organizing programs/activities for children

You can organize activities for children around your neighbourhood, such as Arts and Crafts, Colouring Contest, Story-Telling, Sewing, Sports etc.  Team up with a few stay-at-home moms for added adult supervision for this activity.  You may want to prepare in advance in order to send out invitations or brochures to neighbouring children.

7.         Transport Provider

Some working parents may have trouble juggling with their work schedule and a need of such services to send their children to and from daycare centres, school, after-school activities or to other destination is required.  This is a good business if who enjoy being around children.

8.         Provide Child Day Care Services

This is good especially for those stay-at-home-moms and for someone who loves children.  As most parents are out working during the day, they have a need for someone to look after their child.

9.         Provide Accounting or Book-keeping Services

Every business must do accounting.  If you are comfortable with figures and have a degree or certificate in accounts, this will be a good opportunity for you.  Some companies may allow you to take home their books to work on while some may require you to go in to their offices.

10.       Write and sell your own e-book

Most people believe they do not have the ability to develop a topic and write an ebook. You have that ability if you can think, speak and read. The best thing about this business is that:-

-           you don’t need any capital investment

-           no inventory to stock

-           no production cost

-           no shipping cost

-           you deliver your ebooks via downloads

There you have it! Good luck in finding the right business!

You might also be interested in:
- How A Stay-At-Home-Mom Can Make Money During School Break
- 10 Hobbies That Could Make Money

Earning An Income On Microworkers

Mircroworkers is one of the many legitimate websites that you can earn an income online. It is a website that pays you to perform online tasks called micro jobs. Microworkers’ unique approach guarantee Employers that a task paid is a task successfully done, while at the same time guaranteeing Workers that a job completed is a job paid. 

Examples of Micro Jobs on Microworkers

The tasks are very simple and quick to work on, and are mostly completed within a few minutes. Some of these tasks include:

1. simple sign-ups on websites;
2. simple sign-ups for email accounts;
3. social bookmarking tasks;
4. forum participation;
5. website visits;
6. rating videos or articles;
7. voting up contest entries;
8. adding comments;
9. creating backlinks;
10. writing short articles;
11. writing reviews on products;
12. downloading applications;

and many more.


To search for micro jobs, simply click on the Available Jobs link and browse through the many listed tasks. Each task will display a set of instructions, the time to complete it and the amount you will earn for finishing the job. If you believe that you can finish the task, just click on I accept this job and the page will display a form where you can enter the proof required by the Employer. Otherwise, click on Not interested in this job. You should only accept jobs that you are capable of finishing. If not, you will not be given a satisfied rating and this will pull your success rate down.

Some examples of the paying rates for micro jobs are:

• California Psychic: Sign up - $0.10
• Forum Post 1X + Link to Make Money Blogging - $0.15
• Post an Ad on Gumtree - $0.75
• PR2 Blogs/Websites: Link to Nikon D3100 Review - $0.95
• PR3 Blogs/Websites: Link to Gold - $2.50
• PR4 Blogs/Websites: Link to Technology - $3.00

Besides being a Worker, at the same time, you can be an Employer when you have a job campaign that you wish to run and you may use your earnings you get from being a Worker to fund your campaign.

Getting Paid

Once your task has been reviewed and approved by the Employer, the amount assigned for that particular job is automatically credited into your account balance. Assuming that an Employer forgets to review a task done by you, the task will be automatically closed by the system in 168 hours (7 days) and it will be rated as "Satisfied". And likewise, the money will be deposited into your account.

You will be allowed to place a withdrawal request once your earnings reach $9. Payments are made through Paypal, Moneybookers and Alertpay.

Signing up for Microworkers

Signing up for Microworkers is free, and as an international site, anyone from any country can be a member. Upon signing up for Microworkers, you automatically receive a $1 sign-up bonus into your account. As a worker on Microworkers, you are not employed by the site but instead, you will be working as a freelancer.

So, if you're looking for some extra income, why not sign up with Microworkers and start earning now.

You might also be interested in: Make Money On MyPage5

Why You Should Avoid CAPTCHA-Entry-Jobs?

Working and landing on a job as a freelancer is always not easy for new service providers. That is why many new freelancers who are looking for online data-entry-jobs tend to fall into the trap of doing CAPTCHA-entry-jobs.

Here are 5 reasons why you should avoid doing CAPTCHA-entry-jobs:

1.         All CAPTCHA-entry-jobs involve spamming work and spamming is a crime and we should all condone to this act.

2.         Since CAPTCHA is an anti-spam device, if you carry out CAPTCHA-entry-jobs, you are indirectly abetting spammers. You probably might not even realize that you are helping in promoting scams and frauds.

3.         The remuneration for CAPTCHA-entry-jobs is way too low. You will only make a few cents for doing this kind of work for several hours. Most employers will only pay close to $1 for 1,000 entries. It’s almost like working for free.

4.         Since the buyers who posted the CAPTCHA-entry-projects are likely to be scammers, it is more likely that they may not even pay you for the data entry services you provide.

5.         Many service providers who have done CAPTCHA-entry-jobs have been cheated by the buyers. The buyers will just vanish after the spam work is complete and the service providers in the end get no money and no rating.

So, if you are a new service provider in any freelance sites looking for opportunities to work from home, I would suggest not to waste time and energy in doing such a low-pay and unethical work-at-home jobs like CAPTCHA-entry-jobs.

You might also be interested in: What is CAPTCHA?

What Is CAPTCHA?

The word CAPTCHA stands for” Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers And Humans Apart”.  It is a program used to verify that a human is entering the data and not a computer. You probably have seen such tests when signing up for an account on any websites. It has a distorted image which contains an alphanumeric code that can normally be read and interpreted by a human and it’s a test whereby most people can easily pass which a computer program cannot.

The idea of such code is to prevent spammers from using web bots to automatically create email accounts or sign up for websites or submit comments or guestbook entries on blogs or forums with spam messages.

What are CAPTCHA jobs?

Assuming that someone wants to create 1000 Gmail accounts. This will be an abuse as Gmail does not allow its users to create such a huge number of Gmail accounts which they can then sell online to other spammers who will then use them to send out spam emails to different people.

The spammers have a tool designed to automatically fill up random information on the email account form/fields. But with the CAPTCHA protection ON, their tools cannot go through the registration process unless someone manually enters the distorted alphanumeric CAPTCHA image.

This is when these spammers need the help of an individual person to perform the job for them. So they will post projects under the data-entry category and target on the new service providers to work for them.

The users are then given a software/tool which they need to run on their PC whereby this tool runs its spam work in the background and then asks the users to enter the required CAPTCHA code into a box, which is then returned to the spammers.

Conclusion

Working on CAPTCHA-entry-jobs is more like engaging in a criminal activity on behalf of a CAPTCHA breaking sites. All these sites that pay you to enter a large number of CAPTCHA codes are usually run by hackers. And by doing this kind of work you could be hacking your own email or social networking account.

You might also be interested in: Why you should avoid CAPTCHA entry jobs?

Be Safe When Making Money Online

It is wise to be safe online when looking for a job. There are many online programs that let you earn an income online and there are some that takes your income away from you.

Here are some of the common ways that may cause you to lose money while working online:

1.         Scam sites

            “Home typing jobs”, “Home typing opportunity” or “Legitimate work-at-home opportunity” … you will see these advertisements many times while surfing the internet claiming that you can earn up to $500 a day doing home typing jobs. They will ask you to fill up a form and send it to them along with a registration fee. In a few days time, you will receive a starter pack with information containing a long list of companies that may be looking for a work-at-home typist. A job that promises to provide you with a steady and stable income with easy-to-do jobs that only requires a few hours of your time is most likely a scam.

2.         Not getting paid for work done

            Your employer doesn’t pay you after you have submitted your completed project to him. This will be a great disappointment to you as you have already poured out all your effort and time in completing the project and waiting to get paid. So, the next time you work on a freelancer site, make sure that your employer pays you in escrow before you start on a project.

3.         Big promises

            Some sites will make big promises to you but these sites are the ones which are likely to make you lose a lot of money.  Even if you did not lose your money, you have already lost so much of your time because it did not return what is promised to you after completion of your work. Never believe sites that make big promises. Most of these sites will usually ask you to pay a certain amount of money in order to start work.

You should try your best to avoid such sites and avoid getting scammed by others. If you are able to avoid these scam sites, then you will likely save a great deal of money and probably use your precious time to make money elsewhere.

You might also be interested in: Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

Why Work At Home?

You probably have been asking yourself these questions many times:-

- Can I work at home and make money online?

- How can I make money online?

- How do I start making money online?

Many people are dreaming of being able to earn money at home. If you are one of the many people who are interested in working at home and making money from the Internet, please read on.

-           Can I work At Home And Make Money Online?

The answer is “Yes”. You can make money on the internet without ever investing a single cent from your pocket and you can do this at the comfort of your own home. Working online also gives you flexible time.

-           How Can I Make Money Online?

One of the ways you can make money online is to be a freelancer. A freelancer is a person or a professional who is not an employee of a company but does work for them on their own time and in their own locality.

You will be able to make money online by doing different kinds of online jobs such as simple typing, data-entry, copywriting, article writing, data-processing, web-designing and so on.

-           How Do I Start Making Money Online?

There are many different kinds of free online jobs available on websites. You have to register at these sites and start to look for any job that you can do.

The smart way to look for online jobs is to join only the freelance sites where you do not have to pay any membership fee.

So now that you know how to make money online as a freelancer, please remember that earning online is also like working at any office. There are Rules and Regulations on the websites that involve our work that we have to follow. Avoid doing any job that will violate the Terms of Service of any website.