Happy Holidays! ‘m sure that you are going to need some extra money to pay off some of your holiday bills. I just wanted to share with you that with Writing Up you can earn money writing your own blog on that site. You can earn anywhere from $50 to $400 ( or more) per month on your blog. Write about the topics that interest you.

I write for Writing Up, and they say that it’s best to write in your blog every day to generate cash. The good thing about writing for writing up is that you can earn money based on working on your own schedule. As I mentioned before, you are also able to write about any topic you wish. I would like to caution you, however, that personal diary-type blogs may not generate as much cash as narrowly targeted niche subjects. For example, a blog about Indonesian language may generate more cash than a blog about foreign languages in general. A blog about raising a 2-year-old with a language disability may generate more cash than a general blog on raising children? Why? When you target your blog, you cut out the competition. You become an expert on a subject, and you have the opportunity to have more targeted ads on your blog.

So start you own Writing Up blog by clicking here! It’s free to sign up and the bonus is that you can earn money through ads on your site. All off the directions for doing this are on the site.

Posted by Claudine as Earn Money Writing at 2:17 PM PST

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Although, technically, you are not spending all of your time at home, mystery shopping is great option for earning extra money at home. You will not be in an office, and you can pretty much set up your own schedule. Companies hire people to pose as shoppers or clients to test customer service, sales skills, and product satisfaction. A work-at-home gig as a mystery shopper is a good opportunity to earn some cash. Here’s how it works. You sign up with a company, asking to be placed on their list of mystery shoppers. When a shop comes up in your area, either you accept it or decline it. There is no reason for you to pay for a list of mystery shopping companies. These lists are readily available for free on the web. Read on to find mystery shopping companies so you can work at home.

Types of Shops

There are shops in several different industries. For example, there are shops in the retail, restaurant, automotive, resort, entertainment (movies, theme parks) apartment and banking industries. Remember, in most cases you will be an independent contractor for a mystery shopping company. You will not work directly for the store, resort, apartment complex or bank that you shop. Some shops, such as retail shops, may require you to spend your own money upfront. You may have to make a purchase to evaluate how a salesperson handled a sale. You should be reimbursed. Apartment shops generally do not require you to spend your own money. You go to an apartment complex, make observations about the grounds, the apartment, and the salesperson’s pitch and write a report. I like apartment shops the best, because they are straight-forward and you don’t have to come out of your own pocket. The pay can be decent, around $20-$30, for some companies.

How to Get Started

Once you register with a mystery shopping company, you should receive an e-mail announcing available shops in your area. Other companies do not send e-mails, but ask that you log in to a web site to check for potential shops. In any case, you then agree to perform the shop. The company will give you the guidelines for the shop and all of the information they need you to obtain during the shop.

When you go on an mystery shop you are not allowed to let anyone know that you are a mystery shopper. You must use your acting skills to perfection so that no one would even suspect you of being a mystery shopper. A client may ask you to time the amount of time it takes for you to get your meal in a restaurant. You have to inconspicuously look at your watch and somehow write the time down. Maybe you would go into the ladies room, into the stall to record the information you need.

Mystery shopping companies want detailed oriented people who are keen observers. You also have to have sharp communication skills and the ability to think on your feet. Mystery shopping is a job. You may have to remember if the host who greet you wore a name badge. What was her name? Was her uniform pressed? How many minutes did it take for the sales person in the department store to greet you? How many minutes did it take for you to receive your appetizer, your salad, and your main meal? In some cases you have to write every detail down without being noticed. You will not be allowed to bring a notebook with you.

What Do I Need To Shop?

You need a computer. In most cases, you won’t need a high speed internet connection. You do need a reliable connection because you may have to fill out online forms regarding your shopping experience. Some companies require you to participate in an online training program; You will probably have to contiguously check the mystery shopping company’s website, or your e-mail for existing shops.

You may need a digital camera. I’ve seen companies that require mystery shoppers to take pictures of food or other items for a shop. Sometimes the people you are shopping know you are coming to take photographs. In these cases the mystery shop isn’t a mystery.

You need a good watch. You may have to time when certain things occurred during your shop. A stopwatch is also a great tool.

You need a calendar to list your shops. When you get shops from different shopping companies on different days, shopping several different places, you have to keep track of all of the information. Personally, I think that a PDA or a handheld computer is essential. That way, you can just key the information in and set reminders to keep up.

How Much Can You Get Paid?

It depends. Some shops pay $5. Some pay $20. Some pay nothing, but you will get reimbursed for products or your meal at a nice restaurant. In most case, mystery shopping companies will not pay for mileage unless it is a special case. Mystery shopping recruiters offer to pay mileage if they are looking for someone for a hard-to-shop area, or you live especially far from the shop. After you register with the companies, it may take months for you to get steady shops. People in large cities may get more shops than people in rural areas, simply because there are more businesses to shop. If you live in a small suburb and there are few shoppers in your area, you may have your pick of shops. It’s all about supply and demand.

Let’s Go For It

Click here for a long list of mystery shopping companies to help you.

Posted by Claudine as Become a Mystery Shopper at 8:06 PM PST

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VoiceLog, a third party verification service, is hiring now, according to an insider. VoiceLog provides several services, but it’s flagship service is third party verification, meaning agents listen to taped calls and verify the conversation. The company is currently looking for reliable work-at-home verification agents. You will be guaranteed $8 per hour. You must meet all requirements listed on their page.

According to the inside source, you should apply now and apply daily. They need reliable agents, however it may be difficult for them to find you through all the applications they receive. There are people who have been very happy working for VoiceLog. This company provides a valuable service. And you get benefits. You can’t beat that. That doesn’t happen every day for independent contractors, trust me.

Other work at home opportunities for VoiceLog include:

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 5:52 AM PST

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Affiliate ads and Adsense ads, from Google can turn your website into a money maker. You will have to set up an account with Google’s Adsense program or any affiliate program you choose. The programs help advertisers get people to see their ads, while you get compensated for allowing your space to be used.

There are several different theories on the best place to put your ads on pages. Some blog experts feel that the ads should be placed on the left side of the page, because readers naturally seek out the left page for navigation. Other experts think that the ads should be placed close to the text and within the text if possible. It’s a good idea to place the ads according your page layout. Where are your readers likely to look first? What draws their attention? You can also experiment, placing the ads in different locations and tracking reader response. Are readers responding to a particular size ad in a particular place? Google has published a pictorial with ad “hot spots.” This document is available to Adsense subscribers. Generally, the top of the page and the left side of the page are pristine spots for ads. Although, some bloggers swear that the right navigation area and embedded link ads are the best areas for ad placement.
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Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 7:50 PM PST

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Folks are blogging like crazy these days. Professional writers and novices alike are telling their stories in blogs. What in the world is a blog? You are reading one. A blog allows people to type stories and publish them immediately on the web. The articles are usually listed from the most recent to the oldest. Basically, all you have to do is type and hit a save or a publish button, depending on the blogging program you are using. People write blogs for different reasons. Some use them as sort of a diary to post the happenings in their lives. Other people use blogs to express creativity, network, or communicate important, up-to-date information.

I use WordPress’ software for my blog. I recommend Dreamhost to host your site. I tried Go Daddy and couldn’t figure out how to get the blog of my choice onto the web. I had instructions. I had a slew of instructions. All of the instructions seemed to be written as though I had some prior knowledge of what I was doing. Even WordPress’ step-by-step instructions didn’t help me, mostly because the instructions were written for a newer version of Godaddy’s database system. I tried to read between the lines and guess how WordPress’ instructions should be interpreted for use on the older system, but that did not work. I was totally lost.

I posted a question on the WordPress support Go Daddy’sforum. I e-mailed Go Daddy’s tech team, and I called them. No one could help. Then I did something smart. I read WordPress’ web page on one-step installations. I only had to type a bit of information into the system, press a button, and that was basically it. So I went down the list, of hosts that provide one-step-installation service. The rates were reasonable, and some of the hosts offer a free domain name with hosting. I chose DreamHost, primarily because of the good things that I read about the company online. On the WordPress board, for example, a group of users said that the customer service was great and they didn’t have any problems with DreamHost. They also said that they have good hosting plans. All of the providers on WordPress’ page have one-step installation of WordPress. Here they are:

Blue Host

Mid Phase

DreamHost

Laughing Squid

After I decided on DreamHost, I called Go Daddy for information on how to transfer my domain name to another host and cancel my account. They gave me my money back and told me how to change my domain hosting information without any problem.

In Part II of this report I’ll tell you how a blog can make you money. Stay tuned!

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 8:29 PM PST

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Freelance writing is an excellent way to earn money from home. It’s not as difficult as you may think. Persistence pays off. If you can tell a good story and organize your thoughts on paper, you can write. There are several content based websites that hire writers.

Constant Content allows you to write an article and post it to their site. You name the price, and customers who seek content purchase your work. You can sell all rights or you can sell a usage license, allowing you to sell the same article over and over again. Some writers even give their work away for free. The downside is that you never know if your work is going to sell.

Associated Content asks that writers submit articles, video or audio. The editors are looking for content producers who can drive traffic to their site. The editors will give you an offer for your work. The first offer may be lower than subsequent offers. For example, if your article receives a low offer of less than $10, but it is a highly viewed article, your next piece may receive a higher pay. At least, that’s what the Associated Content web site states.
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Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 1:38 AM PST

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