April 2008 ~ Small Business

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Save Money on Summer Travel

I was thinking the other day that it's time to start planning a summer vacation - if I can afford one, that is. With rising airfares and the higher cost of gas and food, many Americans are going to be foregoing a summer vacation this year or sticking closer to home.

We usually try to hit the beach for a week in the summer. Often 7 or 8 family members will go, and we'll take 4 or 5 cars. This year, however, we'll probably try to lower that number. Yes, it's convenient for everyone to have their own car. But with escalating gas prices, it's just wasteful.

We already cut costs on accommodations, generally staying a few blocks back from the beach in an older beach house. And we hit the grocery store before we leave home, stocking up at Big Lots and The Dollar Store on such things as mayonnaise, ketchup, paper products, etc.

But I work too hard not to get at least one week's vacation a year, and I'm bound and determined to have it. In fact, I always make sure we have Internet access at the beach, so that I can still work a little at night and make some money. That way, I don't come home flat broke, with no money on its way.

Local12.com has a helpful article on saving money on summer travel, which included some things I didn't know about saving on vacation. Check it out!

Here's one off craigslist that looks interesting. An editor is needed to copy edit newsletters and blogs for a successful website. You must be a clever individual with prior writing experience, and you must be able to turn work around fast.

You will be editing 2 to 4 pieces of copy a day during the week, each about 250 to 500 words. This includes fact checking, correction of grammar and typos, and possible re-writing to make the piece more readable. A familiarity with pop culture is beneficial.

If interested, email: job-661308578@craigslist.org. Good luck!

Note: this job is unresearched. Do your own due diligence.

Working Mom Scholarships: Apply to Win a Full Ride

This is really an exciting opportunity. But I found out about it at the last minute. The deadline is tomorrow, April 30th at 5:00 p.m. ET. ELearners.com, a Web resource of Education Dynamics, is offering $2 million in full-ride scholarships to working moms to further their education. The scholarship recipients will be announced in May.

If you've wanted to go back to school, but haven't because of finances, Project Working Mom might be a great opportunity for you. It's sponsored by American Intercontinental University, DeVry University, and Walden University. Click on the banner to the right that says: "Win a Scholarship to Get Your Degree Online," and apply for your chance at a full-ride scholarship.

CTC (Catalog Teleservices Company) is looking to hire 100 new internal and remote associates for sales positions. There are both full and part-time telecommute opportunities. This job includes a retirement, savings, and pension plan, as well as health benefits, I assume, for fulltime agents. It also includes paid vacations.

In addition, yearly merit increases are awarded based upon performance. As a CTC agent, you will be providing customer support for Spiegel and Newport News catalogs. Good luck!

Work at Home Moms Talk Radio: Are You Missing Out?

If you're a work at home mom, or if you want to be a work at home mom, and you haven't found Work at Home Moms Talk Radio yet, you're really missing out. Every week, Work at Home Moms Talk Radio produces a radio podcast covering issues that relate to working from home, with a particular emphasis on starting and running your own home business. I look forward to it every week.

This week's guest is Carrie Lauth, host of Natural Moms Talk Radio, talking about examining and improving her business in 2008. In addition, this week's guest segment with Nell Taliercio of Just Online Jobs is about drawing new clients to your service-based business through special offers.

There's also a Listener's Line, where you can call in and ask questions. Or if you prefer, you can email them. Maybe your question will get answered on the next edition of Work at Home Moms Talk Radio. Check them out!

b5media is seeking someone to blog about pregnancy and issues related to pregnancy. The ideal candidate will have, and I quote, "inside knowledge about pregnancy and the issues that arise as well as a strong understanding of the physiology behind the processes."

Bloggers are expected to post a minimum of 6 times per week. This is a great opportunity with a great blogging network. If interested in this position, send a brief bio and statement of interest to: kendra.james@b5media.com. Good luck!

The Importance of Proper Grammar When Job Hunting

Funny...I would love to give attribution here, but it's unsigned.

One of the most flexible work from home opportunities, and one that can be performed part-time is mystery shopping. Mystery shoppers provide stores, restaurants, and businesses with valuable feedback regarding employees, service performance, and facilities. And the work, which is low-stress, usually includes some perks for the shopper.

Market Viewpoint, a mystery shopping company which has been in business for more than 11 years, is always looking for new shoppers. If interested, click the link marked "home opportunities" above. Good luck!

Other recently posted mystery shopping opportunities:

Work at Home Mystery Shopping for Top Shop

Cool PayPal EBay Etsy Amazon Calculator

Another mom on a message board I frequent pointed out this neat tool. It's a PayPal calculator that converts currency and calculates fees. At this same site, there are several other useful calculators, including one for EBay, Etsy, Amazon, Half.com, BidPay, ePier, and Overstock.com. Check it out!

I love when I find a creative opportunity to share. I don't have any real artistic talent myself. But if you do, this may be of interest. Oatmeal Studios is looking for "fresh and fun-looking artwork in any media and style." They are also interested in seeing "sophisticated, funky, cartoony-type art."

If this sounds like your cup of tea, click on Oatmeal Studios' artists' freelance guidelines. They also buy work from freelance writers. The address and email contact information is above. Good luck!

Other creative work opportunities recently posted:

Work at Home for New England Crafters

Work at Home Design for Baby Clothes Company

Work from Home Knitting

Make Money as a Greeting Card Artist

Make Your Dollar Stretch

I think everyone has pretty much come to the conclusion in recent weeks that the U.S. is in a recession. With gas prices and food prices soaring to record levels, it's important to make the most of the money you do have.

So I thought I'd share. I just came across this great article/list on beingfrugal.net. When Times are Tight: 168 Frugal Tips to Make Your Dollar Stretch has a huge list of tips for stretching your dollar during tough times. It's the most comprehensive list I've come across, and covers many different areas of spending. It also incorporates some great links to other money-saving sites and articles. Enjoy!

Divorce Do It Yourself Service hires remote customer service reps to provide quality support through email, phone, and chat from a home office. You must:

Have a pleasant voice and excellent communication skills
Have a typing speed of 50 wpm
Have 2 years of desk customer support experience
Be detail oriented and capable of completing projects

Spanish speakers are welcome to apply. If interested, submit your resume to: management@document-do-it-yourself-service.com

Become a Kitchen Table Tycoon

I love, love, love this article at Independent.ie., an Irish news site. It's about Ireland's women using the Internet explosion to reinvent themselves as online entrepreneurs. It's inspiring.

There are three great profiles in the article of moms who started their own online home business at the kitchen table. The Internet is global. If they can do it from Ireland, it can be done from anywhere. Check it out for yourself!

This is a great work-at-home opportunity for The Carolina Call Center. And although the business is located in North Carolina, it's a telecommute position, so it should be able to be performed from anywhere in the country if you have unlimited long distance. The job listing states that education sales consultants "are responsible for speaking with customers, building rapport, and explaining our assessment testing process for Sylvan Learning Centers."

In addition, consultants are responsible for "meeting predefined sales conversion rates and scheduling students for assessment testing at the appropriate Learning Center." Available shifts are from 8:00am-5:00pm, 9:00am-12:00pm, 12:00pm-3:00pm, or 3:00pm-6:30pm. You must also be available to work one Saturday per month.

A bachelor's degree is preferred. But experience in the field will also be considered. You must have a home office with high-speed Internet and a reliable computer. Hourly rates are between $10 and $16 per hour, with (and I quote) "lucrative incentives" for meeting sales and quality goals. If interested, send your resume to: job-651659936@craigslist.org. Good luck!

RingCentral, "the telecommunications solution for mobile professionals, home offices, and small companies," hires experienced customer service representatives to provide customer support from a home office. The ideal candidate has several years customer support experience, is an excellent communicator, and enjoys helping people solve problems.

In addition, you must have the discipline to work from home. The job application page states that residents of Northern California are preferred. But it does not say they will not hire from other locations. To apply, submit your resume to: jobscontact@ringcentral.com. Here is the RingCentral employment listing. Good luck!

10 Hot Home Jobs: Buy Food, Not Gas

I thank God every day I don't have to drive back and forth to work. The gas up at the corner station hit $3.53 today. In some parts of the country, it's even higher. I never even imagined it would get so expensive to drive a car.

Yahoo Education has a great article about working from home by Joe Taylor, Jr. that I thought I'd share. It's: Stop Pumping Gas: Ten Hot Home Office Jobs. My job is even on there - transcription. Cool!

451 Press, a "network of blogs that span the globe and showcase the best talent on the Web," is seeking bloggers in the following areas:

Art/Crafts
Automotive
Celebrities
Health
Family/Life
Music
News/Politics
Sports/Outdoors
Tech/Blogging
Travel
TV
US Cities

I believe this is a revenue-sharing deal, where you split revenues from ads on your blog. The advantage of blogging through a network is that they generally have a much higher viewership than a solitary blog. If interested, submit an application at: 451 Press Employment

This is a great cake to make for your Mother's Day celebration. It has that tart/sweet combination I love:

Lemon Chiffon Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of corn or vegetable oil
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup cold water
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (generally 8 eggs)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and add: oil, egg yolks, water, lemon peel, and vanilla, in that exact order. Mix with a mixer 'til smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until peaks form. Pour egg yolk mixture over the egg whites, gradually folding it in with a plastic spatula. Do this just until blended.

Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven until top springs back when touched. (Generally about 1 and 1/4 hours) Invert pan and let cool. Remove cake from pan and frost with Lemon Butter Frosting.

Lemon Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter or margarine softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine butter and sugar. Mix in lemon peel and juice until frosting is the right consistency for spreading.

Don't Be a Sucker for Work-at-Home Scams

If you've been looking for a work-at-home job for long, you know that there are more scams out there than there are legitimate work-from-home opportunities. On the work-at-home mom forums I frequent, I witness - too often - someone's pain at realizing, that in their hopeful attempt to find telecommute employment, they've just forked over their hard earned money or personal information to a scammer.

I cannot say it enough. DO NOT PAY MONEY TO GET A JOB. This is the number one hallmark of a scammer. They promise the world. But first, you have to send them this or that fee to get started. Don't do it!

There are so many scams going now. And I read a good article yesterday by Eve Tahmincioglu for MSNBC.com entitled Don't Fall for Work-at-Home Scams which covers some of the most recent scams to arrive on the scene: the mystery shopper scheme and the repackaging scheme. The mystery shopper scheme will leave you in debt to the bank, and the repackaging scheme could get you arrested.

Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, and they're promising you unbelievable sums of money without your having to give up a kidney, it's a work-at-home SCAM. No matter where you read about an at-home job, it's up to you to be diligent and check it out thoroughly before giving up your name, address, and Social Security number. Look after yourself. I do all I can to screen all jobs I present here on Work at Home Mom Revolution. But ultimately, it's up to you to look after yourself. Don't be a victim.

Biovoyage hires science (biotechnology) curriculum writers to create and develop biotechnology curriculum for kindergarten through high school. You should have five or more years of writing experience and a background in one or more of the following areas:

Teaching (Microbiology, Biology)
Curriculum Development
Research (Microbiology, Biology)
Plant
Animal
Environment
Drug Development
Product Development
Assay
Manufacturing

From BioVoyage's employment page: you must be "experienced in designing and writing standards-based science curriculum, instruction, and student assessment." You must have a bachelor's degree or higher. Send resume, cover letter, references, curriculum writing samples, protocols, etc to:
info@biovoyage.org

Work at Home as a Handwriter with Write On Results

Job opportunity #1: Write on Results hires people with neat handwriting to help with handwritten direct mail projects. This is work you can do from home, and you can set your own schedule. Unfortunately, you must live within 30-minutes drive of Frederick, Maryland, as you will need to pick up and drop off materials. Here is the application page.

Job opportunity #2: TNS Media Intelligence hires representative in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico to visit local cinemas and fill out "short, observational market research surveys." You will be paid a flat fee, which varies depending upon the assignment. You must be at least 18 years old. Here is the sign-up page.

Good luck!

Every now and then, I come across something that's good for making some extra money here and there. And in these days of higher gas and grocery prices, every little bit helps. So I thought I'd pass this on. At Daytipper, you get paid for your valuable tips. When you provide information that is useful to others, Daytipper pays you $1.

Remember, I said it wasn't much. But the tips are generally a few sentences. Daytipper pays you by PayPal, or you can donate your earnings to charity. Your choice. Enjoy!

I've been tagged at My Good Cents for a meme. I'm not a huge meme fan. I don't do every one I get tagged for, otherwise this site would be nothing but memes. (I did do a similar meme a while back.) However, I'm going to participate in this one, because I really like My Good Cents. I've even bookmarked it, and I don't bookmark lightly. The meme is Three Random Things About Me, and here they are:

1. All my favorite actors are dead. It became official when Charlton Heston died recently. They just don't make actors like him anymore. Other favorites are: Yul Brynner, Jimmy Stewart, and Richard Widmark, who also recently passed away at 93.

2. I am a vampire. Not literally. But it seems that way lately. I stay up far too late working, then can't get to sleep, then sleep all morning. It helps that the company I work for is on West Coast time. I'm getting up as they are getting into the office. (I'm going to try to change this. It's not healthy.)

3. I am obsessive-compulsive. It's probably why I'm good at my job. I'm a transcriptionist. And a big part of transcription is proofreading, proofreading, and proofreading.

That's it. My strange, but true facts about myself. I have to tag others. If you got tagged, feel free to participate or not, as the mood strikes you.

Just Not Martha

Joeprah.com

Mommy Space

Mommy Know How

AreWeThereYetMom.com

Freelance Work with Putman Productions

Putman Production is looking to hire freelancers with experience in manuscript coding, online proofreading, or Web production. This is a work-at-home opportunity. Attention to detail and organizational skills are critical. You must also:

have a computer with Windows XP
have a high-speed Internet connection
be proficient with Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and Internet Explorer

In addition, a knowledge of HTML would be helpful. Though it is not a requirement. You will be working on electronic textbooks. Compensation is per hour or page, depending on the project. If interested, reply via email to: putmanproductions@ivuenet.com. Here is the job listing at HelpWanted.com. Good luck!

I'm not a particularly crafty person. I'm creative, but not crafty. But if you are, then this might be a great work-at-home job for you. New England Crafters and The Magical Gift Co. hire crafters to assemble products at home. They currently have over 30 projects to choose from. No experience is necessary; New England Crafters trains home workers by DVD.

There is no selling involved, and you can be involved in as many projects as you like. You assemble the products, ship them to New England Crafters, and they pay you up to $450 per shipment. Best of all, there are no minimums for production, and you can take as long as you need to complete the products. There's even a help phone line for home assemblers.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, visit the New England Crafters web site for more information.

A Real Cuckoo Work at Home Mom

Now this is working from home...

Connect2Agent.com hires home workers to cold call real estate agents, establish relationships, and market memberships to the Connect2Agent.com web site. Salary and bonuses are paid bi-weekly. Benefits include health and life insurance, and a matching retirement savings plan.

Requirements are 2+ years of phone sales experience and a proven track record of closing sales. You must have a computer with high-speed Internet access, a fax machine, and printer. In addition, you must be organized and driven to succeed. If interested in more information, visit Connect2Agent.com's employment page. Good luck!

Chewy Chocolate Walnut Cookies Recipe...Mmmm

Got to share. Chocolate and walnuts. Oh my!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups soft butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp.vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 (12 oz) bag of chocolate chips
1/2 (12 oz) bag of chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor or mixer,cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until the dough is lumpy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, hand stirring until the consistency of a gooey chocolate blob. Add the chips and walnuts, and shape into large balls. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 11 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. If you do, they will not be chewy. As they cool, the cookies will become firmer. Enjoy!

BadMash.TV is looking for comedy writers to join its script-writing team. They are especially looking for writers who have worked in TV sitcoms or comedic film shorts. Visit http://www.badmash.tv/recruiting for an idea of what type of material they like, and BadMash.TV to see their web site.

If interested and qualified, send your resume and work samples (no attachments please) to sandeep@badmash.tv. Good luck!

I think the above cartoon accurately reflects my feelings when I stopped to put $10 worth of gas in my car yesterday, only to get back in and see that the needle had barely moved. And I'm afraid the news is reporting that it's only going to get worse.

I'm doing my best to make enough "side" money to keep me driving around my neighborhood. A few dollars here and there help out. I'm also staying put a lot more; I don't just jump in the car and go. It's got to be compelling.

I'm also trying to spend less on other things - buying less expensive coffee, for instance, using coupons at the grocery store. How about you? As the price of gas goes up, what are you doing or giving up to make driving possible?

Work at Home with EMBARQ Customer Service

EMBARQ is hiring home-based customer service agents in the following states:

FL, IN, KS, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA and WY

You will be responsible for your own computer system and home office, which must meet EMBARQ's standard for at-home employees. Here is the list of requirements from the job listing:

PC with a minimum of Windows XP, 1.5 GHz Processor, 1 GB RAM, USB Webcam, DVD player, PC headset & microphone, and latest virus & spyware software.
Must have EMBARQ telephone service
Must have EMBARQ High Speed Internet Service, minimum speed (1.5 mbps)
Dedicated space with adequate work surface
Work area must be free from background noise and distractions
Live in EMBARQ territory

You also must reside within EMBARQ's phone service territory. The starting annual salary for this job is $11 per hour, with incentive-based performance bonuses.

If you're interested, please visit here, where you will find a link to an application page. Good luck!

P.S. Sorry for the tiny font. I'm having issues with Blogger today.

Westat Data Collection Services hires at-home workers to administer questionnaires over the telephone. These questionnaires are usually in English. But they also have a need for Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean speakers. English speaking data collectors start at $8.25 an hour. Bilingual (English/Spanish) speakers start at $10.25 an hour. Data collectors receive an additional $2 per hour on weekends.

You must be a good communicator, be able to follow Westat's script, and have moderate computing skills. Your work environment must be quiet during scheduled hours. You must have the ability to be both on the Internet and on the phone at the same time. You must obtain a corded telephone with a hands-free/corded headset.

Finally, you must be able to work 15 hours per week. If interested, check out Westat's At-Home Telephone Data Collectors information page. Good luck!

The War Between Google Adwords and Google Free Traffic

Adwords -vs- Free Traffic

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a site that advertised free website traffic. As you might have guessed my first thought was yeah sure, and what’s the catch. As I begin to read the article, there were several things that got my attention. One of the first things that got my attention was what I was reading on the subject of Adwords. The author of the article made this glaring statement “people are making Google money, no, lots of money with run away Adword accounts.” He was basically SHOUTING we are giving Google all of our cash, while we earn a pittance for an income. And I ask you What is wrong with this picture?

What gave this statement so much authority was not so much of what I have heard over the years as what a fellow marketer from a program where “a certain guy” tells all, wrote me four days prior to reading this articlet about free traffic. And this guy was on a limited income. This is what he says: “Larry, I did try to get my Marketing /Advertising in place by using Google Adwords (pay per click) to market my website as instructed in the program.

Using Google Adwords however is not as simple or anywhere near as cost effective as K's System leads you to believe... If you CAN get it right it can work for you... However it takes a lot of trial and error to get the correct combination of " KEYWORDS and COST/PER CLICK " to make it work without costing a small fortune as I found out.”

You did get that, didn’t you? “Without costing a small fortune.” This is the very thing I was reading about in this article, and I am hearing HELLO! loud and clear here. It isn’t like I haven’t heard it all before, but somehow it was like a light bulb going on at mach speed and flooding my brian with the news.

So one has to ask themselves, what’s the real skinny here? Can you really make out with adwords without it costing you a small fortune as some say? Then what about free traffic? Does anyone ever get anything for free, I mean really for free?

Having some experience with SEO, being a webmaster and network administrator a few years back my first thought was this is probably just about SEO. I was wrong. In fact I was almost entirely wrong about what I thought this guy was trying to sell me on. I hate admitting I am wrong, as do most of us, but I was dead wrong. Not only was I wrong, I had many things to think about after purchasing and reading the e-book this guy was selling.

There was something else he said that got my attention and that was this: “After I got this down right, I closed my Adwords account.” Then he dared me to do a search in Google to where one of his sites is number 1 and click on that link once, and double dared me to do it a thousand times, why? It wasn’t going to cost him a cotton picken penny. That’s right, not one red cent.
You know what? Not only was he right, he is getting free traffic from Google and the other search engines. The best part is he is more than happy to show us how he does it. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather get my traffic for free! And guess what the good news is? You can get this information for a whole lot less than what a Google Adwords campaign will cost you and a whole lot less than a night out on the town would cost you.

The Internet is a fascinating entity particularly the area of marketing, with many ever changing faces. Those changes faces intrigue me, giving me reason to study trends and ways to earn and save money. My motto is to pass on valuable info to those who's interest is in making and saving money.
http://www.moneymakingdollars.com/free-traffic.html

Telecommuters Meeting Up in the Real World

Working at home has its benefits. You don't have to worry about what you look like. You save money on gas, which is no small matter these days. And if you have children, you're able to be more available to them in most cases.

But it can be terribly lonely staring at a computer screen all day. At lunchtime, as you eat your peanut butter and jelly sandwich at your desk, there's no one to share a laugh with, no one with whom to share your complaints.

But that may be changing. I've been reading a lot lately about a new trend amongst people who work from home. They're forming social networks online, then making plans to meet for lunch or coffee out in the real world.

Erin O'Neill at Error Ink has written an interesting article about this new trend. Check it out.

Hilton Hotels is hiring part-time agents from the Metro-Tampa area for their Hilton at Home Program. You must reside in the 813 area code to be considered for this job. As a Hilton at Home team member, you will assist customers in making reservations at Hilton hotels and resorts.

You must:

Be able to work at least 20 hours per week. Agents can customize their schedule using Hilton's Build-a-Schedule system. Applicants must be able to work daytime and some weekend hours.

Be a skilled communicator who is able to speak English fluently.

Be able to do basic computer searches.

Have a steady job history.

Have a high school diploma or the equivalent, and be able to pass reference checks, a criminal background check, and a drug screen.

Training begins May 9. Training hours are from 7:00am-3:00pm (Monday-Friday for 5 weeks).

Starting pay is $7 per hour. If you live in the Tampa-Metro area (813 area code), check this out!
To view the job listing, you must click on the Search for Jobs tab and type in code: 9561.

Coupon Codes: Are You Taking Advantage?

Did you know that nearly 75% of online retailers offer a place to log in coupon codes at checkout? So it stands to reason that these same retailers offer coupon code discounts from time to time. A recent USA Today article by Jayne O'Donnell, Online Buyers Crack the Code on Deals, reports that a recent survey of 4,000 retail sites showed that the average online purchase was for $151, and the average savings was $29. That's significant, and well worth taking the time to search out a coupon code before making an online purchase.

The article offers these tips:

•Never make an online purchase without checking around the Net to see if a coupon code is available. Google it.

•Use Google's Froogle to comparison shop before making a purchase.

•Don't forget to factor in the cost of shipping. If free shipping is offered, factor that into your calculations as well.

•Some sites allow you to stack coupon codes. It's worth a try.

Do you consider yourself a seasoned web designer? Are you passionate about medieval castles? Wherever your expertise lies, CourseBridge offers you the opportunity to develop your own course on the Web. You will be paid 70% of the registration fee for each student who signs up for your course.

Registered students will download your course as a PDF, and they'll deliver assignments to you via email. If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, check out CourseBridge's Instructor Interest page. Good luck!

Wolfgang Research, a company that specializes in the research and retrieval of courthouse records, has a telecommute opportunity for people to: "research public documents at local county facilities, typically near the circuit courts, and collect minimal information regarding recorded mortgages, marriage records, foreclosures, tax liens, etc."

Requirements are:

Access to Microsoft Office applications, specifically Word and Excel, and familiarity in using both.

Internet Access (high-speed not required)

A familiarity with using email and sending and receiving attachments via email.

A laptop is encouraged but not required. Availability of work varies from county to county and state to state. Go to the employment page and click on the Search Box with the magnifying glass to see where Wolfgang Research's current needs are by state.

Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising - How to Get Success

PPC advertising is an internet marketing method which generates instant traffic to your website. However, unlike Search Engine Optimization, pay per click advertising requires investment without being able to guarantee a return. Visitors may click on your site but this does not mean an automatic sale, order or lead. PPC campaigns require focus, attention and need to be regularly monitored to stay effective.

PPC started in the year 1998 by Goto.com, a 25 employee startup company (later Overture, now part of Yahoo).However, Pay Per Click Advertising was only introduced in 2002, until then, advertisements were charged at cost per thousand (CPM) but Yahoo Advertisements have always been PPC, since its introduction in 1998. Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft Ad Center are the largest operators in PPC advertising.

PPC advertising on search engines allows you choose keywords you would like your site to appear when a search is done. You decide how much you are want to pay each time a person clicks on the search results that is ad copy. The more you are willing to pay per click, the higher your site will appear in the results for the keywords you choose.

According to a recent US study, web searchers will not click on a search engine's results beyond page number three and 66% of users in the study clicked on sites listed on page number one only. Based on this research it is worth doing PPC besides other popular internet marketing methods like SEO, Article Marketing, Social Bookmaking and Affiliate Marketing.

Why Pay Per Click (PPC)?

Instant Results - No need to wait for your product or service to reach the user review. Immediate Traffic to your website.
Economical - It is economical as compared with other traditional advertising techniques.
Ideal for Testing Market - Pay Per Click is Ideal for short term advertisement campaigns. We can test the user reaction on particular products or services with immediate results.
Return On Investment - It can provide immediate return on Investment especially if your website is processing business or sales online.
Extremely Flexible - Its easy to adjust, add, delete or edit your keywords and copy, target geographic locations and set timings of appearing of your ad copy.
Avoid Unnecessary Keywords - For those keywords which you do not want your adcopy to get appear & hence clicked can be avoided by using negative keywords.
Total Control - In PPC Campaigns, the steering wheel is totally in your hands i.e you decide the daily budget, keywords, adcopy ( tile, description, URL) .

Some Basic Tips for Pay Per Click Campaigns:

Make a sensible budget for your PPC advertising campaign. Spend per click must be less than profit per click. Cost Per Acquisition/Lead/Sale must be kept in mind. Once the campaign has been launched, the number of leads or sales generated can be reviewed to ensure the campaign is going on the right track.
Make separate Ad Groups & ad copies for particular set of keywords.
Bid & Position for keywords & ad copies must be monitored on regular basis.
Choose specific keywords relevant with your website. Broad and non-specific terms must be avoided.

Besides the Benefits...Some Drawbacks of PPC

Junk Traffic sent to your website via some less known Search Engines and Click Fraud are the major drawbacks in Pay Per Click Advertising. It does not offer you discount if your site gets more traffic i.e Cost Per Click will remain the same. Advertising Budget must be agreed and bid price per keyword must be confirmed so bid wars are avoided and you don't go over budget.

For effective Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising Campaign for your online business, visit expert SEO Companies - TIS India and SEO.india-designers.net that specializes in delivering high quality, cost effective and result oriented PPC advertising services in an efficient manner

Putting Gold in My Children's Pots as Fast as I Can

I read once somewhere that children are like pots, and that as a parent, every time you read a book to your kids, give them a hug, or do anything positive with them, you're depositing gold in that pot. You need to deposit as much gold as you can all along, so that when you and your child get to the hard times, i.e. the teenage years, you will have put so much gold in the pot, that if a few coins fall out, you'll still be parentally solvent, so to speak.

In other words, you will have invested your children with so many positive memories, that you can weather any storm. I so hope that's true, as I have been faithfully depositing gold in my children's pots for years, even when I may not have felt like it, and they might not have deserved it. Many is the night I've gone in and given a hug and kiss and "I love you" to a teenager who's been rotten that day. Don't get me wrong. They're still in trouble for their behavior. But they know Mom still loves them.

I found an article today that made me think about the pot of gold idea. It was written by a mom in Oregon who is quite familiar with the guilty side of mothering, the constant worry that every little decision we make will be "the" decision that sends our kid into therapy. It's clear she's hoping that she's put enough gold in the pot, that maybe even if she's not perfect, she will have been good enough.

It's a great article. It's In the Game of Parenting, We Can Only Rack Up So Many Good Mom Points by Dorcas Smucker in the Oregon Register-Guard.

Earlier Posts on this Subject:
I'm a Professional Mom
Beautiful Betty
Mom's Burnt Out Taxi Service

As Tex-Factor.com's ad says: "Imagine making money to provide smart answers to a variety of questions while you sit on your sofa, wondering why there's no more junk food in the house." Such is the life of a Texpert at Tex-Factor.com. People text their questions to Tex-Factor, and Texperts answer them. This may involve something as simple as a sports score, a restaurant recommendation, or an address, or it may involve sending a map for a specific location to a person's mobile phone.

Texperts are paid electronically on a monthly basis. I understand the test is fairly rigorous. And it is timed. But if you like doing fast Internet searches, this might be the job for you. Check it out at Tex-Factor.com. Good luck! And don't take the test until after you've had your coffee!

Calling all Container Gardening Experts

About.com, owned by the NY Times, seeks a part-time expert/guide on container gardening.

Ideally, this will be someone who is an experienced gardener with container experience, or someone who writes or teaches about container gardening.

All About.com guides are guaranteed at least $725 per month. With time, many make much more. It's a great opportunity. There are other topics available as well.

If interested, visit the About.com site for more information.

Most financial advisers will tell you that in order to build wealth, you have to make a budget and stick to it. I hate that word: budget. It sounds rigid and restrictive. Maybe that's why I have yet to really succeed in making one and adhering to it.

Don't get me wrong. I know how much money I make each month. I know approximately how much will go to pay bills. And I try to put a little toward savings every month. But I've never really sat down and listed on paper everything I spend in a typical month - not down to the penny anyway.

That's why I really like Motley Fool's Budgeting for Lazy People. The article is all about making personal finance simple and pain-free. There are some great tips here on budgeting your money and controlling your spending. Have a look!

Earlier posts on this subject:
The Tax Rebate: What Should You Do With Yours?
Make Your Money Stretch
The 411 on Credit Card Hopping

AAA Work at Home Opportunity

If you are interested in working from home as a renewal specialist for AAA, Auto Club Renewals wants to hear from you. This job does require cold calling, and you must have extensive customer service and inbound/outbound calling experience. You must have a land line phone and a computer with Windows Vista or XP.

The pay is $12 per hour with bonuses based upon performance. Work hours are: Monday-Friday 3:00-9:00 p.m., EST and every other Saturday. If interested, visit Intrep Auto Club Renewals. Good luck!

According to the government, our tax rebate should be arriving in May. And although the hope is we'll run out and spend it to stimulate the economy, I'm betting most people will do what I'm going to do with it: pay debt. In this frightening economy, I'm afraid to be frivolous with any windfall that comes my way.

Lending Tree has an article which might be helpful, when it comes to deciding what to do with your tax rebate. They recommend you look at:

1. Paying off high-interest outstanding debt.

2. Starting an emergency fund. It should cover your rent and living expenses for six months.

3. Using the rebate to make a large purchase that you otherwise would have financed.

4. Using the funds to make your home more energy-efficient.

5. Depositing the money into a retirement account or IRA.

All smart ideas. But if you're absolutely determined to stimulate the economy, check out Ben's Bargains for some coupon codes and deals that will help you stretch that rebate and make the most of it.

Note: I have no affiliation with Ben's Bargains. Just think it's a neat site.

Earlier posts on saving money:
Save Big with Smarty Pig
Money Saving Myths about Grocery Shopping
Great Web Site for Frugal Moms

Convergys is hiring weekend customer service agents. Agents take orders, provide product information, and make sales. Convergys provides the tools and training. The pay rate is $7.25 an hour. Convergys also offers agents paid time off and employee discounts. There are certain PC requirements, and you must have Cable or DSL high-speed Internet and a noise-cancelling headset. To apply go to the Convergys Employment page. Good luck!

Making Money Online With Website designing

As the years passed by, website designing, its definition and its presentation all have substantial changed. There are several new software like flash, 3D and Photoshop that had been developed and new technologies, such as broadband, to stay as a backup of these software are emerged. In contrast, people have altered the way of screening online information. So the life of the website designing brings along with it a hope of contact with content data and present web designs are all become an element of web designer’s work. Anyhow the basics principles of any website design are yet remain the same. Further it is usual; a website has to be easy to use and should have the capability to keep a viewer to remain enthusiastic to your website as long as necessary. On the other hand, a website designing could be favor you more than your pastime and interest.

There are few best approaches that one could accept if looking to make money online by websites. You can preferably focus on a few websites that could get you reasonable income or one solitary website, which can act as your "bread and butter". Actually, whichever technique you choose it certain to make money. For a novice that trying to make money online by website designing can also be a little irresistible, however if in progress and stay focused then no one can stop your cash flow. So one of the most excellent examples, which could be given is to get started your own auction website design.

When it comes to auction website design, the initial thing could come to anybody’s mind is the auction site called eBay. But why do people admire eBay? The answer is actually simple, it is because of the profession website designed and easy to use and it does not require a rocket scientist to navigate the pages. Today, eBay auction website stands out of other websites and stay the most reliable internet resource for getting what you desire. So here the final point is to come up with your own auction website design like how eBay did and permit users to purchase and sell products through your site. You have to be a foundation for what people wish to purchase and sell.

Alberdecruz is a Copywriter of Web design Houston. He has written various articles like Houston web hosting, Graphic design Houston, Seo Houston and more. For more information visit:Web design company Houston. Contact him at alberdecruzseo@gmail.com.

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Photo Mousepad

This is fun. I've been spending the last thirty minutes playing on this site, ArtsNow.com and creating my own mousepads like the one above. I wanted to place it down below. But being technologically challenged, I have no idea how to do that with Blogger. So this will have to do.

You can take any picture or illustration and upload it to create your own masterpiece. I might make one with my kids to give as a gift for Mother's Day. They also have square and round mousepads, if you prefer. The cost is $6.99. But according to Spoofee.com, if you type in the code MSPD99, you can get one for $2.99 right now. That's a deal!

ArtsNow.com also has lots of other neat stuff you can customize. Make your mom or grandma something special for Mother's Day. Enjoy!

(Meant to add that you can also make the photo or design on the mousepad larger.)

Update: For other Mother's Day ideas, see this earlier post.

Houghton Mifflin Pubulishing is seeking proofreaders with trade book experience. You must have "complete working knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.) and the American Heritage Dictionary (4th ed.). Must have a meticulous eye and good editorial judgment. Must be able to meet deadlines.”

This is freelance telecommute work. For more information, visit this job posting at Bookbuilders of Boston. Good luck!

Virtel Marketing Hiring Appointment Setting Agents

This looks like a great work at home opportunity. Virtel Marketing is actively recruiting telecommute workers as appointment setting agents. The schedule is flexible, and the pay is $10 to $15 per hour, part time or full time.

You must work a minimum of four hours a day. You will be calling prospects and inviting them to "attend online webinars for a major technology client." You must have your own computer with high-speed Internet access, be comfortable using Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice, email, and Skype. You must be a skilled communicator and have some college education.

This sounds like a great opportunity. Here is the Virtel Marketing Careers page with information on how to apply. Good luck!

If you're a working mom, no matter where you work, inside the home or out, you'll get this.

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