Wordless Wednesday: Bright Open Workspace
Work From Home Scams– the Most Common Ones to Look Out For
The Internet can be a tricky sea to navigate. On one hand, it stores a wealth of information for the taking. New music, books, photos, recipes, stories, and knowledge are everywhere. It is also full of opportunities for careers and money making. However, there is a dark side to the online world. Just like in real life, you have to watch out for yourself around tricky people. Even more so on the Internet– the anonymity makes getting away with scams extremely easy– especially towards people who don’t know any better. Avoid becoming one of those people! When looking for legitimate work-from-home jobs, beware of things like pyramid schemes and other scams. Alaina Forbes at WorkFromHome Answers lists the most common traps that people fall into:
Envelope Stuffing Jobs The only envelopes involved in this scam are the ones being sent out with money in them for a job that just does not exist.
Work-At-Home Typing Jobs This scam is very similar to the envelope stuffing scheme. There are legitimate typing and data entry work-at-home jobs but none of them ask for money up front.
Craft Assembly This scam starts the same way as many of the others. Ads promise a good deal of money to assemble crafts or toys at home. A fee is required for a starter kit that includes everything needed to complete the job that does not exist.
Multi-Level Marketing Schemes A business where products are sold directly to consumers using a certain hierarchy of sales agents. The money is made by getting others to sign up in hopes that they will also sign up others, not the products.
In short, if an online “job” asks you to send them money, it’s probably a scam. If it sounds too good to be true and promises you thousands of dollars within weeks, it’s probably a scam. If you make all your money by simply signing other people up to do the same thing (sign more people up), it’s probably a scam. Do some research on Google before committing to anything (and DON’T send anyone money or personal information!)
Friday Fun Video: Rule of Thirds
How to take an interesting photo– very helpful for making photo tutorials and eye catching blog posts!
How to Make Your Blog Sparkle
Many work-from-home professionals run or write for a blog. Sometimes, it can be hard thinking of new content every day, or finding interesting stories to show people. It can be easy to let your blog slip into dullness, repetition, or unoriginality, but that’s how you lose readers (and potential clients/customers)! Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to perk up your blog and make it shine. Crissy at DearCrissy has a few tips:
Make yourself known– Are you showing your readers who you really are? My favorite blogs are authored by people who aren’t afraid to put their personality front and center in their posts.
Beautify your blog — Yes, design is important
Highlight your strengths — What are your strengths, and what makes your blog special? Isolate the topics or skills where you excel, and run with them. If food is your thing, pour your energy into crafting incredible recipe posts. Be confident and be fearless!
How to Add a “Pin It” Button to Your Website or Blog
I’ll be the first to admit it: I am addicted to Pinterest. If you’re not sure what it is, go check it out. Pinterest is an online pin board where you can organize all your favorite images and links. It’s fun, it’s addictive, and it’s chock full of information and inspiration. It’s also a wonderful tool for self promotion! Half of the blogs that I follow, I found through Pinterest. And if you work from home and have a website, having a Pinterest can be a great way to get your name out there. It’s a great tool for bloggers, real estate agents, independent entrepreneurs, or anyone else who is self employed. With over 70 million current users and 2.5 billion monthly pageviews, it’s a no brainer. Julie at Julie Ann Art has made this wonderful guide on how to add a Pin It button to your posts. Be sure to check it out! It’s for Blogger, but it’s equally easy to add it to a WordPress or any other post.
Wordless Wednesday: Office Mirrors
Friday Fun Video: Spellcheck Anywhere
Whether you’re writing a blog post, a report, an essay, or even an email– this video has got you covered!
How to Delete Social Media Accounts
Social media is undoubtedly an extremely important part of creating your own brand. It’s an easy way to keep the word out about yourself and your products or services. Maintaining a professional online image is key for anyone in pretty much any field. So what do you do if your old college Myspace account is haunting you? Have you changed your occupation since you got a Facebook? Interested in creating a new Twitter for your brand? Luckily, Eric Griffith at PCMag has some tips on how to remove pesky old social media accounts for good:
Facebook: Keep in mind that deactivating and deleting accounts are different. Visit your Facebook Account page and click the “deactivate” link at the bottom. Deactivation is not the same as deletion. Your account simply becomes invisible. However, you have the option to reactivate it in the future, without losing any photos, notes, or pokes.
True deletion of a Facebook account means losing all of those—so be sure you have local copies of photos and notes before you take this step. You can’t reactivate.
LinkedIn:To close an account, log in, click Account & Settings at the top of the page, then click Close Your Account (under Personal Information). Give a reason you’re leaving—most sites want to know what they can improve, or did wrong— and then click Continue.
MySpace: Canceling your MySpace account is easy—when it works. When it doesn’t, things get a touch arcane. Sign in, click the My Account link, then click Account, scroll down to the bottom, and click Cancel Account. Keep in mind, there is no reactivation.
Every Day Organization
When working from home, one of the toughest things to do is to stay organized and get everything done. You’re in your pajamas anyway, hey, why not just leave all your notes haphazardly all over the house? Yeah, you have deadlines, but…yeah. It can be really difficult to focus on the tasks at hand when your bed is only one room away. And if you have housework or kids or pets to worry about on top of it– well, forget about it. All of these are really bad work habits, and can be easy to fall into. That’s why it pays to get organized– it requires some extra time but will save you tons of stress. Laura at Home Your Way has some tips on what to do every day to keep yourself together:
Utilize a list notebook.
Grab yourself a notebook and just start brain dumping all that needs to be done. Be very detailed with this list because the more steps you list out, the less you have to try and remember. It makes a huge difference to your mental clutter even if you aren’t able to get everything crossed off that list in one day.
Do a 10-minute tidy before bed.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Do a 10 minute tidy each night before bed to set up your next day for success. Plug in cell phones, check and update your calendar, tidy surfaces, make lunches or whatever it is that needs to be done in order to start the following day on the right foot. It makes a world of difference!
Check your attitude.
Finally, stop beating yourself up! Coming down hard on yourself does nothing except make you miserable. Tomorrow is another day. Celebrate every accomplishment no matter how small.