The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Freelancing Online.

Posted on July 9, 2008
Filed Under Freelancing, General, Principles | Leave a Comment

Making money by freelancing online is a great way to earn a very good income. You are able to choose when and where you work, set your own prices and select your own projects. You are basically in charge of your own destiny. While this all sounds wonderful there are limitations to what you are able to do as a freelance professional.

If the world worked the way many freelancers hoped clients would be emailing them to offer work. The freelance professional would then get in contact with the potential client to get all the specifics of the proposed project. After the freelancer and the potential client have discussed the proposed project a rate would be set and either accepted or negotiated over until both sides where in agreement.

After an agreement has been reached the freelancer can get started on the project knowing full well what will be expected of them, when the project will be due and how long it will take to complete the entire project. Once the project is finished the freelancer will get paid and would be able to move on to the next project.

This situation sounds absolutely perfect however it is not often the reality for the new online freelancer and usually more seasoned freelancers as well. To find success as a freelancer online it is essential to have some type of online presence whether it be a website or a blog. Once you have that set up you need to learn how to effectively market your site as simply creating a website or blog is not going to mean business will start coming your way.

Now while you would like to focus simply on looking for projects in your chosen specialty there are many other things that also need your attention. You need to build a quality website and learn how to market it properly. You additionally need to concern yourself with advertising your website and making sure that you site is ranked as high among the search engines as it can be. All of this work can make you wonder if this is truly a worthwhile endeavor.

If all of this wasn’t enough to try and digest now throw in bidding websites. Freelance bidding sites can do several things for freelance professionals. They give you an opportunity to get your profile out on many different sites and you can’t beat that kind of promotion. Bidding websites allow you bid on numerous projects and set your own prices on these projects. Unfortunately bidding sites also allow you to spend many hours promoting yourself and your services while bidding on projects only to be underbid by someone asking pennies on the dollar.

This is incredibly frustrating but it does not mean that freelance bidding websites are a waste of time. If you are established on bidding websites then it is certainly worth it to take the time placing bids as you are quite likely to be getting the prices that you are asking to get for your time. If you are not yet established on bidding sites you it is a great idea to have other avenues of income available while you are making a name for yourself. This way you are not loosing out on earning money.

Being successful as an online freelancer is really all about what you choose to do. You can put in the time to establish yourself on freelance bidding websites or you can make yourself a website or blog to promote your services through other methods. If you are out to really make a go of your freelance career then you can do both.

Becoming a freelance professional on the World Wide Web can really give you control over your money making potential. With some time, a lot of hard work and a tom of ambition you can become a great success and meet whatever financial goals you have set for yourself.

Visit The Freelancer's Store today to find useful reading and more resources for the successful freelancer.

Getting Started as a Freelance Translator

Posted on April 22, 2008
Filed Under Freelancing | Leave a Comment

A freelancing service that is quick and inexpensive to implement, and that people rarely think of is offering services as a freelance translator. Of course you must have the skills to translate documents from one language to another first. Usually, you can start out as a freelance translator for several translation services agencies, and as your broaden your reach and expertise, you can launch out independently and build a client base.

Here are some points to consider if you want to offer translations as one of the services of your home based business:

Create a translator Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV). In the translator profession, you will see the CV mentioned quite a bit. A CV is like a resume except that it is not targeted for a specific goal or position. A CV will list all the credentials and translator experience you have and there will usually be no gaps in your overall history. A resume of course will omit information not required of the specific position. There are many more minor differences but you need one for your translator home based business as translation agencies will require it for their database when it comes to assigning you work.

Register your home based business profile on Proz.com and TranslatorsCafe.com. This article is not meant to be an endorsement of either one of these sites but they are a good place to start for the translator home based business. These are free directory services for translators. You can also purchase premium memberships that will help you get more job leads. It depends on what your budget is for your home based business and how you feel about paying to find work. Otherwise, listing your profile with each of them is free.

Always advertise as a translator into your native language and not the other way around. The translator in most cases can only translate into his or her target language. It is very rare that a translator can produce quality work in both the original and target languages yet you will see so many home based business translator ads that make these claims. The agencies (where you will get most of your work initially) know that the translator is usually best in the native language and that is the way you should advertise. This point refers to the individual translator and not the agency. The translation agency can of course advertise this way because it uses many home based business translators for each type of language it services.

Get a computer aided translator (CAT) tool for your freelancing business. These can be very expensive but in the long run you will be glad you did. Again, this is not an endorsement for any one product but TRADOS is a popular CAT tool. However if a CAT tool is going to throw your translator home based business budget into the red, you can use a free web-based translation tool like www.freetranslation.com to do an initial translation of your text. Realize that the free tools have limits like how much text at once you can translate.

Never deliver a translation completed by a CAT tool only. The translator is really like a writer too. This means that the translator must take the translation produced by a CAT tool and work it again to make it flow smoothly and be grammatically/technically correct. Nothing will give you a bad reputation faster for your translator home based business than delivering a translation done by computer only.
Pick a specialty area as a translator in your freelancing business. Just as writers cannot write everything about any subject, the translator should have a specialized area too. And this specialized area for the translator will of course be based on his or her education and experience.

Have a future plan for your freelance translating business to be a translation agency. When you first start out in your business as a freelance translator, the majority of your work will come from translation agencies who are the ones that get jobs from the primary clients (the customers). That means that the translation agency gets their cut of the fees paid and you get your cut but at a much lower percentage. As you get to know the field, investigate what it would take for you to convert your home based business into a translation agency down the road. You will make more money as a translator when you also become an agency.

Visit The Freelancer's Store today to find useful reading and more resources for the successful freelancer.

Time Management Tips for Freelance Writers - How Freelance Writers Can Manage Time for Maximum Productivity

Posted on April 15, 2008
Filed Under Freelancing, Productivity, Writing | Leave a Comment

One of the most frequent questions asked by freelancers is “How do I save more time and be more productive? How do I get some time to rest?”. Since it doesn’t make sense to be making money without having the time to enjoy it, I’d say managing time is of the essence in the home and freelancing business. Because there is abundant job for freelancers, it is only natural to take and accept so many jobs. But when it gets too much, it becomes hazardous not only to the freelancer but to the freelancer’s family and loved ones.

The novelty of working for ourselves and determining how much time we have to ourselves is an appealing concept. The interesting thing about freelancing is you get to determine how much time you spend by yourself, your working hours, and most importantly, your income. However, the novelty of working for just a few hours wears off after you start getting jobs as a freelancer. If your work and reputation is good, you are bound to get more jobs and consequently, less time to relax.

Unfortunately, so many freelancers just keep working. The time to relax and spend more time with the family is suddenly not just there anymore. So, how do you manage your time to not only afford you enough time to spend with your kids, but also to maximize your productivity

1. Don’t bite more off than you can chew.

Activity does not necessarily mean progress. Accepting every job that comes your way is not only dangerous, it is suicidal. You’ll end up working yourself to death for just a few extra bucks. Choose your jobs wisely as you do not want to be swamped. If you have a specified target, go for jobs that will help you achieve that target. If not, you’ll end up leaving the really important things like family, relationships and love behind while thinking “I’ll soon have time for them”. If you have to say “No” to an offer, say it. It doesn’t matter how juicy the offer is. The single biggest reason people opt for freelancing is to be able to spend more time with their loved ones. Imagine the disappointment your son would feel if you failed in your promise to help him build that tree house he’s been asking for over the weekend all because of a project you had to attend to.

2. Outsource.

If you have a huge workload and cant seem to meet the deadline, outsource your work. There are other freelancers that are willing to take the work off your hands. Develop networks and partnerships with other freelancers that you trust. For example, you can write the article and find someone else to type or proofread it, thus freeing up some of your time.

3. Map out time for every activity.

There’s no need working in your business when you should be growing it. Spending the whole day sending and replying emails, making and taking phone calls can be frustrating when you have a target to meet. Set out time for each of these and do not exceed it. If you have to turn off your phone, avoid checking your mails, lock the door, retreat to the basement, hire a nanny, do it. If on the other hand, you feel the phone calls and emails are important, hire an assistant to help with those. It won’t cost you much and gives your job a touch of professionalism. If you are second-guessing this, think when you get burned out, how long will you be in the hospital for the needed rest? That should help make up your mind.

4. Try Dictation

One important method that has helped me a lot is dictating. It works like magic and it doesn’t cost you anything extra except if you want to buy a Dictaphone. All you need do is connect a microphone to your computer. I have been able to as a result, churn out over 15 articles in a day all within 6 hours, each of which took me about 15 minutes to dictate and an extra five minutes to edit. Not bad eh? This article was produced using that method.

Note: The time you spend depends on how many words you are writing, and your speed of dictation.

The good thing about it is with frequent use, you become adept at it. The above-mentioned example was for 600 word articles. Imagine doing that six days a week. That’s 90 articles. If you sold each for just $10-which is cheap- that’s $900 a week and $3600 a month. If you can’t spare six hours a day, you can choose your time. I spend that much. For the dictating technique, please follow carefully the instructions here. Most PCs are enabled to use a microphone. This can be done using Microsoft word which comes with the Microsoft Office package. To do this effectively, use the following tips:

Requirements:

A high quality close-talk (headset) microphone with gain adjustment (gain adjustment: A microphone feature that allows your input to be amplified so that it is made louder for use by the system.) support. (A universal serial bus (USB) microphone is recommended.)
A 400 megahertz (MHz) or faster computer. If you don’t know how to check this, click Start tab, then Control Panel – this can be seen on the right side of the two divides, then double-click System. When this loads, you should be able to see it towards the lower right corner of the page.
128 MB or more of memory
At least Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or Windows XP or later
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later

Positioning the speech recognition microphone.

Position the microphone so that:

It is about an inch, or a thumb’s width, to the side of your mouth
It is not directly in front of your mouth, and you are not breathing directly into it.
Note If you inadvertently move the microphone as you speak, remember to bring it back to the correct position.

Speech recognition capability is built into all Office programs by initially using the feature in Microsoft Word or by doing a custom installation. fter speech recognition is installed, you can increase speech recognition accuracy by taking a few minutes to train the computer to recognize how you speak.

If you need more help on this, to learn more about this click the Help tab in Microsoft word and type in the keyword ”using microphone” or “speech recognition. You’ll find quite a number of topics like how to speak to a computer; things you can do or say with speech recognition etc. Take your time to get familiar with this incredible tool. If you have to spend one to two hours learning this so you can hasten your work, do it. That’s it. Use this tip and you are on your way to making lots of money, working effectively, and saving lots of time.

Follow these tips and you’ll have a well-balanced life, enough time for yourself, your loved ones, and time to enjoy the money you’re working so hard for.

Happy Freelancing!