Everything to do with your shak.
By now, you probably know about the flap concerning John McCain and his using Paris Hilton in a campaign ad. (He used Britney Spears as well.) And you might have even seen this response.
But I love it. Paris is *totally* protecting her brand.
Happy Friday!
See Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad (censored) and more funny videos on FunnyOrDie.com
One of the least complex (from a supplies needed and office set-up standpoint) home business ideas is writing. It’s actually what I do for my home business. There are many different types of writing that can be done, and the Internet has only expanded the options. But I found this handy list over at Home Biz Notes that includes 13 writing jobs you can do as a home business:
- Travel writing
- Copy Editing
- Column writing
- Blogging
- News Reporter (yes, many of these are freelance)
- Ghost writing
- Compiling and editing anthologies
- Web site design and writing
- Newsletter production (print or online) for businesses
- PR writing for businesses
- Educational writing
- Publishing print and e-books
- Publishing a magazine or e-zine
Freelance writing and blogging can be very rewarding, and I love that I can still do my job no matter where I am in the world. Well, as long as I have an Internet connection, anyway.
Is there a type of writing that you do for your home business?
As a work from home professional, I know how difficult it can be to find job leads. Here’s a great one that was brought to my attention by Yvonne Russell at Small Biz Mentor:
Blogging Position
Two bloggers wanted at Corporate Eye: one to cover the Investor Relations section of corporate websites, and one to cover the Careers section …
In both cases, we’re interested in the major listed companies (FTSE100,
FTSE250, S&P500, Eurotop300 etc) but if a smaller company is doing
something interesting, we’d like it to be covered.
Please note:
We’re not interested in stocks/shares or investment tips, or in
interview tips/advice to candidates – we’re interested in what
companies are doing online.
More information on the site … If anyone knows someone suitable, please ask them to contact us at jobs@corporate-eye.com.
If you have some expertise in one of these areas, visit the Corporate Eye Web site for more information. WorkShak is not affiliated with Corporate Eye.
This could also offer you a great opportunity to raise the profile of your work from home business, and establish yourself as an expert.
Social media is becoming increasingly important when it come to promoting your home business online. And one way to do this is through business blogging. But you do need to be able to promote your home business blog when you do this. And Facebook Pages offers a new way to do this. Problogger offers a look at Facebook Pages, and how it can help you home business blog:
Once you have created a page on Facebook, people can then become your
“fan” or “supporter”. You don’t have to accept people as a fan and they
can’t see your individual profile. On a page you can then easily add
relevant pictures and video. You can have a discussion board and add
any of the thousands of applications to your page.
I’m at my grandpa’s house. I’d rather be fishing. But I’m writing a blog post. If I’d pre-posted this, I’d be catching some trout. But I’m not.
One of the best things you can do for your home business blog is to be familiar with the process of pre-posting. If you plan ahead, you can write your blog posts ahead of time, and then posting them doesn’t cut into your precious vacation time.
Now, it’s time for me to hit the stream.
When it comes to your home business, one of the most important things you can do is become an expert in your field. This will raise your profile, and can result in some very interesting perks and opportunities.
Yvonne Russell at Home Biz Notes offers some helpful hints for becoming an expert in your field:
*Get to know local reporters (and be available for comment).
*Write a related business blog.
*Offer a workshop.
*Be available for guest speaking (especially for local groups and for free).
*Do interviews when asked.
*Try to build a business profile in the local newspaper.
Can you think of other ways to become recognized as an expert in your field?
When you have a home business blog, it seems counterintuitive to promote it offline. After all, aren’t your readers more likely to find you online? It may be so, but it is possible to round up new readers — and through them find even more — if you do a little more to promote your home business blog offline.
Over at Scribefire, Darren Rowse offers some tips that can help you promote your home business blog offline:
*Attend conventions and conferences. Mingle with people and get to know them!
*Business cards. Make sure the cards for your home business include a Web address for your blog.
*Meetups. There are a variety of blogger meetups (as well as Twitter meetups) that you can attend to meet people and share your blog.
*Stickers. Create stickers with your home business blog address — and a cute or clever picture.
Don’t forget, though, that when you set out to meet people and promote your home business blog, you need to return the favor and visit others’ blogs as well.
If you are a freelance professional, or a blogging professional, you know that on the Internet, social media is becoming increasingly important. Many companies are beginning to recognize that there is some value in connecting via social media.
This podcast from Entrepreneurs-Journey is an interesting look at how a blogging professional can make use of social media — and how social media is measured in terms of value and return. If you have half an hour, I suggest having a listen.
If you are interested in gaining more exposure and doing a little networking in order to help promote your home business blog, BlogWorld Expo might be the place to go. Bloggers from all over the world exhibit, hold workshops and seminars and network. And, right now, there is some early bird pricing available for BlogWorld.
Another conference to be aware of is the BlogHer conference and the Reach Out Tour. These are great opportunities to meet women in blogging — and even men who blog about women’s issues.
Conferences can be a great way to meet others in your niche (and outside your niche), and do some quality networking.
It can be tough to make money blogging. But it is possible to pad things out a little bit if you work at home. And one of those is through blogging affiliate opportunities.
Sparkplugging (formerly eMoms@Home) has a great list of 18 blogging affiliate programs that can help you inject a little more money into your work at home efforts.
But remember: Even though sign up is free, you still have to put in some time and effort. Carefully choose which programs you sign up with. You want to make sure that you are protecting your reputation as an expert — and as someone who recommends useful products and services.