Work From Home

I have researched these "Work From Home" opportunities for three (3) YEARS!  There are a few out there where one can make an income.  I recommend http://www.elance.com as your best  bet.  Elance has been around for a long time.  Basically they are looking for people who can write or have some skill to trade.

I do not trust ninety-nine percent (99%) of the "Work From Home" programs that are out there.  Most, I consider scams.  Also, keep in mind that all of the on line programs will only pay you as an independent contractor.  Usually, you are responsible for paying your own taxes.  Never will they pay any insurance for you.  Try Elance if you are looking for income.

Surveys That Work!

I have recommended the Survey Club previously, but have not really explained it. If you have the time and like to answer online questions with the click of your mouse, it is fun. Survey Club has been around since 2003, they recommend only reputable survey for which you can earn money and/or points toward gifts. Presently, Survey club offers: Harris Polls, LightSpeed Panel, and NPD Surveys, Opinion Outpost Membership. Four excellent survey companies that will pay you. Here are a couple of quotes:

"After getting scammed at another paid survey site, I sure am glad I found SurveyClub." - Beth Shaw, Houston, TX;

"Paid surveys are great. How else can you make extra cash so easily? You're the best!" - Charles Girard, Quebec.

THIS IS A FREE SERVICE (as all legitimate surveys should be.) It also is very simple to get started:

1. Create your free SurveyClub.com account2. Read our quick "Getting Started" guide.


3. Register for surveys in which you're interested.

4. Take quick and easy web-based surveys.

5. Earn free products, prizes and cash!

It is like pressing the EASY button. More importantly, your privacy is respected, and personal information is not divulged to to anyone for any reason.

Also, I ran across a survey report that demonstrated to me that surveys CAN and DO work for the average person. I give full credit to John Denton and his staff for doing an excellent job.
I do not want to infringe on his copyright so I will give you the URL where you can read all about it yourself: http://www.connection2wealth.com/johnsreviews.html

Survey Scamming

I try my best to keep a positive spin on this blog, pointing out to people what works. However, on occasion I have to speak out against what does not work. Recently, "survey opportunities" offering $34.00, $37.00, $69.00 or $83.00 per hour earnings have been creeping through the internet search engines. There are legitimate survey companies that I mention in this blog, but these are NOT survey companies.

I checked out four, of them. Three were connected to Clickbank, an internet CPA Network advertising broker. This was evidenced by showing their Clickbank earnings copy and posted to the website. This is not to say that you could not earn an income using Clickbank, many people do, but you have to understand the industry.

People looking for survey work do not understand the industry.

Another, "survey opportunity" I checked out cost me $34.00. It also came via Clickbank, but had nothing to do with surveys. After paying PayPal account, there was no response. I was wondering what happened. Then ten days later, I received something in the mail. It was called "Data Reporting System:" two pocket size, 10 page reports. The opportunity reads as follows: "Your involvement is simple: As one of my Referrals....who will contributeto the marketing dollars required to distribute via Direct Mail as many Sweepstakes Sales Pieces as possible."
The booklets cost $2.00 each plus mailing (probably 50 cents to produce) and sold for $24.95.
And there are 20 different types of booklets that can be "designed especially for you."
What a Scam. What a total ripoff!

Clickbank should be checking out its advertisers more carefully.

RULE OF THUMB. If it sound too good to be true, it deserves lots of caution. Taking serveys is a legitimate way to earn grocery or rent money. But very few will make (sporadically) more than $25.00 an hour.

In my blog from June 16, 2009 titled "Working on Line," I mentioned three survey companies that are legitimate: Survey Club, Canadian Surveys, and Make More Money Online Taking Surveys. The first two are sign-ups. The advertisers pay them to pay you. The last charges a $68.00 fee, but promises higher pay $30.00 or more per hour.

There are many good, honest, legitimate survey companies out there. They work for Fortune 500 companies to get your demographic opinion on products. Most surveys will pay you $5.00 to $10.00 per survey, sometimes more. GOOD LUCK.

Elance, The Freelance Workers Dream

Do you know how to write? Design web pages? Program? Many opportunities are listed for work through www.elance.com In the last 30 days Elance has posted over 25,000 jobs. Over $200,000,000.00 has been paid out in the last year for freelance writing, programming, legal agreements, and website designing.

If you have a writing or technical skill Elance is looking for you. If you are knowledgable in a specific area or areas, Elance needs you. Elance can not keep up with all their postings, which have been exploding as more and more people are relying on the internet for their livlihood. Social relevancy and Google have increased the need for article and blog writing. Website design, html, php, and Search Engine Optimization knowledge are in high demand.

Check out www.Elance.com Go to Providers, check out Provider Services, take the tour, examine the guide and FAQs. Find a job that you can do and sign up as a provider.

Searching For Work Online

Most people who are familiar with an online job search will start with www.Monster.com. Certainly Monster is the largest and best known of the civilian job search sites. Most major corporations will pay to post new positions. Monster is geared primarily toward those with a four year college degree or more. If you are a professional www.Monster.com is the place to list your profile and resume.

For the average person, there are many local, community websites. Most ABC, CBS,NBC network TV stations and local newspapers will regularly announce and publicize these websites.

Another great source for work is www.jobsearch.about.com/workfromhomejobs This website will provide legitimate work form home job information. It will also link to a number of current articles
and offer sponsored links for further research.

Online Job/Career Search

Looking for work online? Here are a few suggestions. I previously mentioned USA Jobs. This federal government website is part of the US government's global personnel management system.  
For first timers it can be found at: www.usajobs.gov/firsttimers.asp
The US government is the largest employer in the USA and offer many international positions. Especially after a change in regime such as from a Republican Party led to a Democratic Party led government.

Uncle Sam wants You. The US government employs millions of people and there are always many new listed positions. Think in broad spectrum. The US government is looking for people in every possible capacity. Including businessmen, doctors, lawyers, accountants, postal workers, pilots, forestry and wildlife service workers, fisheries biologists, office workers, teachers, journalists, cafeteria workers, managers in all fields, and you.

If you have any experience in any field there is a position for you. Check the foreign service possibilities with the Department of State, Department of Commerce, US foreign military bases.
Just complete your profile and resume online and look for jobs in your area of expertise or location.

Official Website is at: www.usajobs.gov/

Working On Line

Being able to work, provide yourself, your family from the comfort of home is an ideal. It can be done, but usually it takes about six months to start earning a good incomes using Search Engine Optimization or Pay Per Click Advertising.

Working "online" offers many different opportunities. You have probably heard of Google AdWords and eBay auctions. These are good methods, but do require a certain amount of expertise and investment. This is an area you may want to venture if you have a little bit of cash that you can afford with which to experiment.

Many of you have probably been hit with lots of email "offers." As you should be aware, there are lots of scams, tricksters and so called bargains. Most are not illegal, it is just marketing designed to draw you in and entice you with outrageous promises. However, I must say that honesty and integrity are sometimes hard to come by. What is real or what is pie-in-the-sky. Can a person make an honest living on the internet from home? One ad may read FREE, just pay the shipping and handling.

Just keep in mind they meant a "10 day free trial." However, now they have your credit card number and there could be a charge of $1299.99 on your statement that you may not see for 60 days. By that time you may have forgotten all about the item that you paid $3.95 for shipping and handling charges. Hopefully, you received the item and returned it within 30 days.

Can one make a living from the internet without any experience or investment? Yes, if one is careful and knows where to look. There are some good survey companies on line. You could earn $5.00 or more per survey taken and take as many as you want per day. Two are to be found at: Canadian Surveys and for US, through Survey Club.

Another Survey Company is Make Money Taking Surveys .org. However, do not let the "org" fool you. This company will charge you $68.00 to set up. Once set up, they advertise making $10 to $40 per survey. The average survey will take you about 20 minutes. Three surveys per hour is $30.00. If you work a four hour day that could be $120.00

BE VERY CAREFUL, DO NOT click on any surveys that offer you a free laptop or "free" anything. You will probably regret it. These are marketing websites-gimmicks designed to make you sign up for (buy) at least two "offers" before you even qualify to enter a raffle for the "Free Laptop" So you see, that "Free Laptop" could will cost you, and plenty if you repeatedly sign on.

If you have a bachelor or master degree in anything, you could apply to The Educational Testing Service. www.ETST.com these are the people who give you all those fabulous tests, like the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and many more. They need people to work from home, periodically, but year round, scoring tests.

"Professor Ben"

Some of you may want to know about my blog handle, "Prof Ben." --I am a retired professor. I taught international marketing/business management to hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students. I love teaching, but dislike all the paperwork, department politics, and parking hassles that are the norm of any commuter attending a university.

I believe in education, and the right to education for all who desire to learn. However, education can come from many areas besides the classroom: learning a trade as an apprentice, perhaps to your father, exercising practical hands-on experience is actually the best method for learning. The internet once one is proficient on the computer, can provide this experience in learning SEO learning and PPC/PPV advertising. I too want to make a little retirement income from the internet with my internet income, I am planning to create a non-profit corporation to fund books, supplies, desks, and support teachers working in lesser developed countries.

I also believe that everyone on this planet who wants and needs to work, should be given the opportunity to do so. We could all be farmers, hunters and gatherers, but these basic modes of existance is past for most of us. The best future farm for sowing and reaping an income is through the internet. Most corporations are advertising on the internet, some exclusively. Websites, like www.USAJOBS.gov are set up to globally advertise position opportunities.

The internet is an excellent media for finding a career position or instruction. However, it is not universal. It is currently dominated by the English language (after all, ARAPANET was US Military, most of the major software corporations are American.) English is now the language for global commerce, scientific communication, and international transportation. However, only 10% or less actually speak native English. For the internet to become universal, we should also address the 90% who do not speak native English.

This is the area where we, on the internet need to concentrate on supporting other languages and cultures with our SEO, advertising, education, and all manner of internet communication. There is also great opportunity here, for those that can create cross-cultural, multi-lingual, SEO and advertisement. Personnally, I am fluent in four languages and I am familiar with several cultures. English does not always translate well. The French still resist English, The Germans and Dutch accept it, but would prefer to communicate in their own language and for the most part do so on the internet. However, to be able to get inside these cultures and 100 more is now the task at hand.

Best Paid Work From Home

I have been researching and involved with the internet for about 20 years. My first computer was an 8bit TRS80 in 1976. This computer industry has evloved beyond what anyone could imagine 30, 20 or even 10 years ago and it is continuing to evolve exponentially. More people will have the opportunity to work from home as many corporations are allowing their employees to currently send in their projects, articles, estimates, and projections using the office tools currently available. Also online work is becoming more prevalent.
Several companies now are looking for you to participate in legitimate paid work, usually by project. Large testing corporations like ETS are continuing to use qualified people to evaluate student tests online. More corporations are looking for individuals to do routine as well as highly skilled work online.