Microworkers - Home of Easy Online Jobs

I used to shun the phrase "easy online jobs." Many of them reek of scam. However, if there's one such thing as the exception, it's got to be Microworkers.

The site pays you for completing small tasks (hence the fitting name "microwork"): like a site, post a comment, subscribe to a YouTube video and sundry.

In a recent survey, PTC Investigations affirmed that Microworkers is a legit paying site. This ruling was backed by a number of testimonials from other freelancers who posted proof of their earnings.

One common rant: The rates are very low.

If you're wondering whether or not you should give Microworkers a try, here's what you need to know:

Linking Your EON Debit Card to PayPal

It's been exactly a week since my last blog entry.

By now, I'm assuming that you have your EON debit card on hand and that you've already set up your EON cyber account.

Take a deep breath. You're all set to learn how to verify PayPal using EON. This step-by-step guide will take no more than 12 moves from your end.

PayPal and You - Is Verification Really Necessary?

When I first heard the freelance veterans drop the term "PayPal verification," I wanted to know why everybody's making such a fuss over it.

Isn't having a PayPal account enough? Why do I have to verify my account anyway? What does PayPal verification mean?

Verifying your PayPal address is synonymous to confirming your identity as the holder of the account. The verification process includes linking your PayPal account to a valid bank account, credit card or approved debit card (such as your Unionbank EON debit card).

If you've just commenced your freelancing career and your intention is to merely receive payment for your work, an unverified PayPal account should suffice. In the long run though, you will feel compelled to complete the verification process. Here's why:

PayPal and Unionbank EON - 8 Steps They're Not Telling You

Some people think that once you already have possession of an EON debit card, you can immediately verify your PayPal account and transfer your PayPal funds to the EON account. This isn't true. You must do a bit more work (and brace for more waiting) to make that happen.

Link love - PayPal and your bank.
(photo credit: clarita)

Amidst all the excitement and buzz, there are about 8 necessary things to do prior to verification. To sign up with PayPal is one.

The rest are like "open secrets." You are expected to figure them out by yourself. Nobody's talking about them. Freelancers aren't writing about them.

People just assume that the pre-verification stage is a matter of using your 25 percent. I say the pre-verification stage is a matter of preparedness. For a wrinkle-free PayPal verification experience, don't skip the following:

Cat-Inspired Tips to Speed Up Your Writing

1. Get enough sleep. A good rest improves the mood.

2. Watch the time. Set a personal deadline to beat.

3. Stay focused. Daydreaming kills time and affects productivity.

4. Go catnapping. Take 5-minute power naps.

5. Value rest. Treat a good night's sleep as a reward in itself.

Vanilla - Not happy with writer-master's busy-ness

Disgruntled. Vanilla sulks in the corner and craves for TLC.

Cebu, Philippines - Vanilla Cat, mainstay pet of LimFCorp, revealed to press today that she's unhappy with her writer-master's busy-ness.

Her master reportedly neglected to give the felines of the house any more tender loving care (TLC) for the past few weeks.

TLC for Vanilla and her two children included supervised play at the backyard during mornings, freshly cooked chicken breast or fish for dinner, and plenty of cuddling. It also meant giving Cookie Boy, her eldest son, a fragrant bath.

"All we've been eating is canned food," Vanilla lamented, "and the sardines brand isn't even my favorite. We're getting heavy and fat and really cuddly, but nobody's appreciating us."

Unionbank EON Cyber Account - the Next Big Thing after Signing up with PayPal

Last week, we discussed how vital PayPal is to realizing your freelance career. Today, we shall go over the procedures of opening an EON cyber account with Unionbank. 

Such account is not necessary if you own a credit card. However, I highly recommend taking this route simply because it is advantageous. More importantly, you will need either a credit card or this EON (VISA debit) card to verify your PayPal account. 

Not Writing about Writing

Sinulog festival: one beat, one dance, one vision.
(photo credit: bashblues.albolio.com)

Allow me to go off-topic today. I shan't be writing about writing or making money online. It's a Sunday after all and in the story of creation, it's the day that God designated for rest. Hmmm... I hope "rest" doesn't include some tinsy-winsy blogging!

The rain, the power outage and the water interruption conspired together to keep my husband and me home. We spent the day with the cats. (A visit to the church is a given. See my previous post to unravel the mystery.) It was only in the late afternoon that we were able to catch the live TV coverage of the street dance and the dance showdown on stage. I've just lengthened my non-attendance of the Sinulog festival by one year more (oh dear).

2 steps forward and  1 step backward. Bringing the image of Senior Sto. Nino,
this girl in colorful garb danced in the streets and all the way to the stage.
(photo credit: bashblues.albolio.com)

The pictures you see above are published with the knowledge and permission of Bashir Jr. Baddong. Viewing his shots is probably like being out in the streets yourself - minus the rain and the crowd. I think they're awesome!

Every Writer's Prayer to Senior Sto. Nino

Many of the writers based in Cebu will be away from the computer tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that the city shouts, "Viva, Pit Senior!" and celebrates Sinulog - the feast of the Senior Sto. Nino. A dance ritual that runs in sync with the beating of drums marks the festival, but the highlight of it all is the Senior Sto. Nino himself - the Child Jesus. 

photo credit: Juily Q of shopaliexpress.com

As one writer aptly blogged, the Cebuano people consider the Sinulog as the finale of the Christmas season. Interestingly, the name of the festival drew inspiration not from the Child Jesus, but from the Cebuano word "sinulog." The latter comes from the root word "sulog" which means (a river's) "current" and which inspired the dance steps of the ritual.

In my years of stay in Cebu, never have I witnessed the Sinulog Festival live. This year would be a little different. Hubby wants me to get up early and attend mass with him. What comes after that yet has to be discussed. The thought of jostling with the throngs of devotees and curious onlookers frightened me.

Blogvertise and Get Paid $4 to Do It

I've been meaning to follow through my blog post on verifying your PayPal account. However, I'll get to that some other time. I just had to write about blogvertising.

Blogvertising is a form of new media which takes advantage of your blog's popularity to market a product or service - or to drive visitors (and potential buyers) to the advertiser's site. As a blogger, you're paid every time you blogvertise something (post a sponsored product review). 

Presently, the spotlight is on Blogvertise.com which reportedly pays you $4--$25 for every approved blogvertisement. A number of Filipinos have been with Blogvertise since 2007, but it was the recent posts of a work-from-home mommy blogger (a Pinay) that got me hooked. She had been publishing screen shots of her earnings from Blogvertise. She got paid via PayPal and the payment wasn't in cents.

A Writer's Break called Kit Kat

PayPal for Newbies - 5 Easy Steps to Get Yours Today

Is PayPal necessary to bag an online job? In a word, yes. Getting a PayPal account is one of the unwritten rules of working from home.

The PayPal website did a good job of explaining the advantages of opening an account.
   

Advantage 1: The account allows you to receive (and send) payments securely. It's secure in a sense that you won't need to reveal your full identity, bank account information or credit card number to your client (or the other way around). The valid e-mail address you used to register with PayPal is the only thing that you will disclose.

Advantage 2: The account lets you receive (and send) payments easily. Funds will arrive in seconds, and you get a perky e-mail notification to go with that. I get excited whenever I read e-mail messages with the subject line "You've got funds." It's so PayPal!

Advantage 3: The account enables you to request for and issue refunds for damaged, substandard or undelivered goods acquired from online stores (like eBay) and paid for with PayPal. If you ask me, it's pretty neat even for the not-so-avid shopaholics (like myself).   

I opened my PayPal account a few years ago and since then, I haven't had any major regrets. So here's how you do it:

The Cold Truth about Hot Online Jobs

Hot online jobs. You like the sound of that, don't you? I'm referring to ads which promise work-from-home jobs with "great" pay. Many of them look like this:

"Earn $250 to $400 by filling up forms"

"Get paid to answer surveys.We pay $75 for each survey completed."

"Data entry jobs at $20 to $50 an hour!"

The ads appear to be targeted at women who want to work from home and at individuals from developing countries such as the Philippines and India where $500 is good money. The big question is... are these hot online job ads for real?

Designating a Work Space

Teecup's Work Space. Connected but too cramped.

When working from home, it helps to designate your work space. This photo here is my cute little work space. How do you find it?

The purpose of designating one is to buff up your efficiency with online work. According to Productivity 501, there are a couple of variables that will require consideration:

Comfort

Connectivity

Lighting and Lay-out

Distance from Distractions

Based on the above criteria, my work space hasn't made the cut yet. Inside the same room is a soft bed which I'm tempted to use... and since my laptop is portable, I end up working in bed!

25 Percent! The Basic Requirements for Online Work

It's not rocket science, but there are just some people who forget that they have "25 percent" of their smarts to adapt to new situations.

Chilli from Cat with a Garden brainstorming

According to high school teacher Vivian Timtim, 25 percent simply pertains to an individual's common sense.

Everyone who's considered "normal" is supposed to use common sense in day-to-day situations. Searching for online work is no exception.

Some job seekers and aspiring writers never even reach first base when they apply for online work. That's because they're missing out on a few rules of thumb.

Employers who need web content writers and work-from-home assistants won't bother with your application when you lack the basic requirements:

The Work from Home Mom or Something Like It

I just got up. I'm sure it was on the right side of the bed, but I'm feeling the pressure already. It's 7:30 a.m. and I yet have to beat tons of -- okay, I'm exaggerating, just 3 -- deadlines. While I'm trying to squeeze my brain juices, Munchkin, Vanilla and Cookie Boy managed to sneak inside the room. The kitties want their breakfast pronto. That's how it's always been in the house. The cats are my babies and I'm... well... the work-from-home mom.

Authentic Job Sites for Newbie Writers

Is work experience costly? You bet! It's the excuse that companies give when hiring newbie writers and paying them minimum wages. Of course, when the minimum wage is within the standards of Japan, Singapore or the United States, I'd zip my mouth and quit yacking. I wouldn't even dream of working from home....

One of my pet peeves is peanuts for pay. Peanuts are yummy, but hey, I can't live on them forever. Kidding aside, beggars can't be choosers, so as a newbie writer, I started with slave wages just like everybody else. I recall that the first abstracting project I took on gave me $0.25 for 250 words (P10). That was close to 10 years ago and it was for charity really. My best friend needed my help and she got it. (I don't know how today's writers are making ends meet with much less for more work. Good Lord!)

I did get my foot at the door with the help of a few resources. I'm going to list them here just so you know where you too can get started . Don't expect me to smatter around and drop names like "Get a Freelancer" and "Craig's List" -- all of which I heard nasty scam stories about and didn't bother checking out. These are the authentic sites that worked for me:

Working from Home - A Story of Risks and Rewards

Working from home never entered my mind until I saw the need. I realized today that it takes more than good grades and good attitude to survive the market. The world doesn't need book-smart people. It needs people who know how to work intelligently.

Modesty aside, I breezed through the academe with flying colors. I was happy of course to garner good grades and bag a couple of awards here and there to make my resume shine like a star and to land a job. The downside was that everyone expected me to be "successful with my career." If that means holding a nice-sounding position and working my ass off for some popular but low-paying company, no, thanks. I plan to be charitable on my golden years, which is about 3 long decades from now.

Getting paid to write. Unlike 9-5 desk jobs, working from home allowed me to take control of my own schedule and dictate my rates. It took me 3 tries to get my foot at the door. What's your story?

I said, "Sayonara" to the corporate world 2 years before I got married. I was happy with the work. The people were great, but the schedule sucked. Plus I figured I'd never get rich with the current salary and benefits I was receiving then. Heck, I could barely finance my graduate studies with my pay! So, I ditched polishing my resume and stopped seeking regular full-time employment in the Philippines soon enough. I just wanted to live a good life, and doing that basically means enjoying the work and getting paid decently for the results. That's when I took the risk of working from home.