Sunday

I Want a Website. No, wait! I want a Blog!

To have a website or to have a blog. This challenging question faces all creators. Hey, even we at EJobTips had to decide, and we chose a blog. There are tons of pros and cons for both of them, and we hope to tackle the biggest ones in this post.

The biggest difference between having a website or having a blog is how you interact with your visitors. With a website, it's a one way street. You are the speaker and your visitors are the audience. This is the exact opposite of a blog, in which you might start a discussion, but your visitors are going to finish it.

Another thing that you might want to look at is how much work you want to put in. With a website, you will have to find a company to host your website, design your pages, and even buy a domain name (if you want to be taken seriously.) This can increase your costs greatly. While, with a blog, you can just go over to Blogger or Wordpress and have a blog in minutes. Maybe this is why more than 28 million blogs have been started in just the past five years. Now, there are some free websites creators, like GooglePages, but it can be a lot harder to get started. (Also, since Googlepages was just recently created, it still has a lot of bugs that need to be fixed.)

How often will you update your site? If you are planning to only update every month or so, then definitely go with a website! Once you are done with all the work of creating a website, you can just sit back and relax! It is not the same for bloggers. Most blogs are updated at the very least once a week, or else their visitors will go somewhere else. While a website usually gets new visitors often, blogs rely on recurring visitors who subscribe to their feeds.

These seem to be the main pros and cons of websites and blogs, but hey, if you think we are absolutely wrong, then click the Comment link and tell us off! We'll be happy to hear from you. Merry Christmas!!



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Phone Order Processing, The Perfect Work at Home Job?

If you enjoy talking to people on the phone, have a good voice, and are friendly, then this is the work at home job for you. Out of all work from home jobs, these are my favorite.

How it Works
Have you ever seen an ad on television advertising a product, and decided to call the phone number on the screen to order it? If you have, then chances are you were talking to someone working from their home. Many companies know that their customers dislike talking to people from overseas on the phone, so they decided to instead hire native English speakers.
With this job, you take the orders for the products, and enter the information on your computer. Here's how it works:

1. A person sees an ad on t.v. and decides to call the number to order the product.
2. The company receiving the call then routes it to the next available work at home agent.
3. The call is routed to your phone, and by using the company's software on your computer, you are able to take the order.

Though these jobs can be really fun, there are some things that you need to consider before applying.

1. Customers- Some of the customers who you talk to can be quite irritable at times, and sometimes even rude. You have to always try to be friendly and helpful, even when they are not.
Note: This is NOT telemarketing. The people who call in already want to order the product. Because of this, it is rare to receive obnoxious calls.

2.Prank Calls- Though extremely rare, you may get some prank calls during this job, some which can be very obscene. You have to have a tough skin and just ignore it. (I have only gotten about 2 of these calls during my entire time at this job.)

3. Schedule- Though you set your own schedule with these jobs, you have to make sure that you work at the time you signed up for, or you could be penalized.
The companies that hire for these jobs are selective on who they pick, and it could be a few months before your application is even viewed, due to the high volume of applications to these jobs.

With most of these companies, you will need a separate phone line, since they do not want non customers calling you while you work. You can not use a cell phone or cordless phone with these companies. I also recommend that you buy a phone that you can plug a headset into, so that you can use both hands for typing.

Many of you might be worried about long distance calling charges. This is not a problem because the companies will send the calls to you, so you normally won't be charged.
If you are planning to work full time with these jobs, then I recommend that you apply to at least two.

Here are the names of some of the companies that I recommend for this job:
1. Liveops-(BBB Check) This is personally my favorite company, since it's software is very easy to navigate, the schedule is flexible, and the training is great. (Liveops requires $30 for a background check, but their training is provided for free.) Out of all work at home opportunities, this is the company I use the most.

2. ACD Direct-(BBB Check) ACD Direct is another call company which mainly deals in fund raising. It is a great company to work for, however the call volume is seasonal due to fund raising drives, so you may experience downtime. Their order processing forms are a little more confusing that Liveop's, as well as their scheduling process. Still, they are a good company to work for, and will treat you like family, while with Liveops you are treated more like an number. This company is slightly more forgiving as well. They would be my second pick.

3. BabyToBee-(BBB Not Available) This is a website that gives offers,samples, and coupons to parents who are about to have a baby. Your job would be to call the parents and go over the different offers that they can get. The pay is about 10/h, and you are paid by direct deposit. If you are interested in applying, send an email to: seth@babytobee.com

4. West-(BBB Not Available) West, or West at Home, is another call center company. West sends pay ever two weeks. Some people absolutely love this company while others hate it. Its training process can be challenging, especially if your computer is older, since you might have to install a service pack. West can be considered similar to Liveops in the type of calls it takes.
Here are a few other call center companies that have been highly recommended to me:

5. Arise (BBB Check)

6. Alpine Access (BBB Check) - This company is currently hiring agents only in Colorado, Utah, Texas, Arizona and Florida.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most common questions I have been asked about working from home. If you have a question that you don't see listed, please Email Me!

1. Can you really make money working from home?
Absolutely! There are a ton of legitimate companies on the web who are looking to hire people who work at home. If you think about it, work at home jobs can provide benefits to both you and the company.

2. Why are these companies asking for my Social Security Number?
The IRS requires that all companies submit tax info, which includes their employees information. Be very careful when giving this information out, and thoroughly research any company asking for this. When I started applying for work at home jobs, I was extremely uncomfortable about giving out my SSN, so I decided to instead apply for an EIN (Employee Identification Number.) That way, when a company asks for my SSN I can instead give them the EIN.
For more information on EIN's as well as how to apply to get one, click here.
Note: Still be careful when giving your EIN. Even though it can be more safe that giving out your SSN, it still is sensitive information.


3. Am I going to have to pay taxes on my work at home income?
Usually, you will not have to pay any taxes on your work at home income unless you make more than $600 during a year. If you do make more than $600, then the work at home company will send you a 1099 form.
Note: You probably won't be asked to fill out a 1099 or give your SSN/EIN to a survey company, because they expect that you won't be making more than $600 a year. You will likely receive this form with call order processing/customer service jobs, as many people make a lot more than $600/year at those jobs.


4. What is a 1099 form?
A 1099 form is a form given to independent contractors who make more than $600 in a given year.
For more information on 1099 forms click here.
If you still have questions about it, you will probably have to talk with an accountant.


5. What is an independent contractor, and what does it have to do with me?
An independent contractor, or freelancer, is a person who is paid on a pay-per-job basis, and is not salaried. 99% of work at home companies will hire you as this. Basically, this means that a company can fire you without warning, is not required to give you any benefits, and does not have to pay you on a salary. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds.


6. A company is asking for me to pay to work at their job. Should I?
No! Companies are supposed to be paying you to work for them, not the other way around. These are almost always scams.
Note: Many legitimate companies, including Liveops, ACD Direct, and others likely will require you to pay around $30 dollars for a background check. This is normal, as you will be handling sensitive information, such as customers credit card numbers, and they want to make sure that you don't have a bad record.

Putting Your Office Together

Working from home can be just like working at a real office; there are supplies that you will need to succeed. :)
While paid survey companies will only require your computer and your information, the better paying phone order and customer service companies require additional items. The following are some of the items that I found essential to my work at home job:

1. Quiet work space
This is by FAR the most important requirement. Most phone order processing and customer service companies list this as a priority, since you will be talking to their customers (who think you are actually working from a physical call center, not your home.) Any background noise (ex. baby crying, dog barking) could get you suspended or even fired.


2. Separate Phone Line
All of the companies that I have worked with require that you get a separate phone line for working at home. The reason for this is that they do not want you to get calls from friends or family while you are working. One company I work for will even try to call the phone number you have listed at times that you aren't working, to make sure that you don't pick up.


3. Get A Basic Phone and Headset
Surprisingly, this was actually the hardest step for me when I began to work from home. Most work at home companies require that you get a phone without any of the new features (ex. no voicemail, caller id, call waiting, abiltiy to receive more than one line, etc,) but at the same time, it has to be headset compatible. Additionally, the phones cannot be wireless nor a cell phone. I went to Walmart, Staples, Circuit City and none of them had a phone like this, except one that was over $150 dollars! I finally found a few that I thought were reasonable and meet the requirements. To see the list of phones: Click Here


Additional Office Tips and Requirements will be added soon. To make sure that you don't miss them, sign up for my mailing list in the sidebar. I DO NOT spam, I never will, and I will never sell or give your info to anyone else.

Phones and Headsets

Since it can be hard to find the type of phones required by most work at home companies, I have included a list here. I have only listed phones that have been recommended by either me or others who work at call companies, and are a reasonable price.
Additionally, these companies require a headset so that you can type while talking. Some of the phones below already come with a headset, so that you do not have to buy one.
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Name of Phone Avg. Price
Panasonic KX-TS105B Corded Speakerphone (Black) $27
Plantronics ( S11) (Headset Included) $55
Plantronics T10 Corded Headset Phone (Headset Included) $71
Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone (Headset Included) $78
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