ending my night with two jobs complete

Well, I feel accomplished. I completed my report for Rubicon Ventures as well as my articles for The Reynold's Group. That's all I was able to get done unfortunately. However, with the research required to complete both projects as well as having a family, sometimes I can't complete everything I want. I will have met my deadlines for both. Tomorrow is a new day. I can work on my articles for Portal Japan and Travelocity then. For now, however, I am off to bed.

so much to do, so little time!

I just realized how much I over-work myself. I was just going over my oDesk jobs I currently have and their due dates. All I can say is OH MY!!

I just started a new contract today for The Reynolds Group. It's due TOMORROW! I have to write 5 articles between 400 and 500 words on designer sunglasses. That's for $20. I really need the money right now, so that's why I took that one on with such a short deadline.

Then I have my Portal Japan articles. It's a total of 50 articles each month. I have already completed 20. I am on my next batch of 10. I'd like to get these finished ASAP because I average about $45 for every 10 and again, the money is always nice.

Then I have my report on creating traffic videos of Rubicon Ventures. I didn't realize how quickly this was due. I have until February 4th. Eeks! But once I complete it, that's another $50 in my pocket.

And lastly, I have my 100 travel articles for Travelocity. These are all due by February 6th. I have only completed 26. I really need the money from that one, $150.

I just did a list of importance:

1. The Reynolds Group
2. Portal Japan
3. Rubicon Ventures
4. Travelocity

After doing that I did a time analyze for completing each project:

-The Reynolds Group- 2-3 hours to complete research and typing up the articles.
-Portal Japan- 3 hours to research and complete 10 articles, 6 hours to complete the full 20 left.
-Rubicon Ventures- 6-7 hours to research, compile information, and build the full report.
-Travelocity- 4-5 hours to research and complete 24 articles, 14 hours to complete the rest of what is due in full.

All I say is that I hope nobody else pushes themselves to the limit like this. It looks like I'm going to be up until at least 2am working on all of these.

However, to anyone with a lot of jobs; I recommend making a list of importance as well as time analyzing. It makes it easier to see the big picture.

I also have a goal for ChaCha by payday of 2/15. I have to complete 400 a day to reach my goal.

So much to do, so little time! Wish me luck, I'm off to work!

oDesk Proof of Payments as of 1/27/2011

I've been kind of slacking on posting my proof of payments lately. I have gotten quite a few from oDesk. Below is the proof. I included both my payment activity on oDesk as well as my PayPal account overview since I transferred some of my earnings over to PayPal already. As you can see, oDesk is extremely legit. I would recommend it to anyone!

New Sprint/Summer Transition (Scentsy)

Yesterday, I received the email about the transition into the Spring/Summer products. I am super excited about this! That means new warmers, new scents and meeting new people!! It also means discontinuing products & scents and that makes me sad. A lot of my favorite scents are being discontinued. :( However, I love this job! I love the products they offer. I have a party this weekend and I am so excited about it. I can't wait to update everyone about it. Its going to be fabulous, I'm sure. I just want to make this 70-Day Scentsational Start - so I can get recognition and a reward. That would be even more fabulous! Its a great goal and I am hoping I can reach it without having to put money towards it myself.

oDesk - Ezine-related jobs

I just wanted to let everyone know about an issue I have come across with Ezine-related jobs. With a basic membership on Ezine, you can only submit so many articles before they prevent you from posting more prior to your already submitted articles going live. With a basic membership, it takes seven days for your articles to go live. You may think the easy fix is to upgrade your membership. Of course it sounds easy; if you have a spare $97 floating around.

I just now ran into this issue. I am supposed to have 100 articles written and submitted on Ezine within 17 days. However, with this bump in the road, I don't know what to do. The employer pre-paid me a $30 "good faith" payment, which is great. The full job is for $150. So, if I were to pay the $97, I would only make $53 from the job. Of course, this would only be considering if he would be willing to pre-pay me an additional $67. However, it will take time for his payment to clear.

This is a really frustrating experience for me. I just wanted to put the warning out there for anyone else working on or planning on applying to jobs that involve the use of Ezine.

oDesk Team update

I just wanted to bring something to everyone's attention who uses the oDesk Team application. If you install the update, your anti-virus software may pick up a file within it as spyware. I have contacted oDesk. They are aware of the issue and are working to fix it. So, for now I suggest sticking to the original oDesk Team. When I find out it has been resolved, I will make another post.

Please Welcome Jamie

Jamie is my Scentsy Consultant. She has offered to be a author here to help those understand Scentsy and see what all Scentsy has to offer. I think this will be a good addition to the blog, so stay tuned for her posts.

About Jamie - Your Scentsy Consultant

coming soon.

Hostess Specials

coming soon.

Warmer & Scent of the Month

coming soon.

Scentsy - New Products

Coming soon.

to the questions of should you make a blog

A lot of people have asked if it would be of any benefit to make a blog to write on for writing jobs on oDesk. When I was first being asked this, I was unsure. However, I took a couple days to think it over and really go over oDesk with a fine tooth comb.

In thinking about it, I have to come to the conclusion that although it isn't necessary, it would help. For one, when you are applying for jobs you can only send one attachment. So, if you want them to see all of your different writing styles, you can then also give them the link to your blog. Secondly, I have found that there are some jobs posted about making posts on your blog. This would give you a blog to do this on, which means money in your pocket. Lastly, this will also give you an avenue to get better in your writing.

So, in all, if you are considering making a blog for your writing, I say go for it. You don't need a ton of HTML knowledge. Blogger is a great site as it is public. I would stay away from LiveJournal for this reason. There is also Wordpress and Tumblr. There are a lot of free templates out there. If you need any help getting started with your blog, let me know.

Feel free to check my blog out here: http://a-writer-indeed.blogspot.com/

working from home still requires work

"You want to change your life? Do something. Don't rationalise why you're not."

Working from home is convenient because you can work when you want and how you want. However, it still takes work, time, and dedication. You can say you want to work from home, but think for a minute. Do you want to work from home for the right reasons? Or are you looking to be paid for little to no work at all?

Working from home is still work. A lot of the time, working from home can require more work because you have to seek out the jobs, apply, and really sell yourself. If you're not willing to do this, then none of the work-at-home opportunities or businesses are going to work for you. That's a real shame because everything I post is legitimate and you will get paid for the work you do. 

You just can't be lazy about it. Think about how much you're looking to make and form a plan.  I push myself really hard because I have goals and things I want to do. I do 2,000 ChaCha questions minimum each week. That brings in $160 worth of extra cash each month. With LiveWork, I generally just meet quota. Quota for what I do for Ask.com is 100 questions a week. That brings in $134 each month. 

ChaCha and LiveWork may not pay a whole heck of a lot, but every dollar counts. Think about what you could do with an extra $160 or $134 each month. That could be a cell phone payment, your internet bill paid, or maybe it could go towards buying something you want. I mean, that's almost $300 extra each month! 

I will agree that some of the questions on ChaCha can be ridiculous, but that shouldn't matter if you're getting paid for it. Plus, I can give you some great pointers in handling certain questions in future posts. So, look for those. Just keep in mind that regardless of the content of the questions you may get on ChaCha, you will be getting paid. If you have just 8 hours you can spare each week, then you can do this!

You may think that some of LiveWork's questions are stupid or too hard to answer. Well, you will get paid for your answers. So, put in a little bit of research. That's called work. If you dedicate just 4 hours each week to LiveWork, you can put a little extra cash in your pocket. It's really not as hard as you might think. There are so many questions to be answered, you can pick and choose which ones you want to do. What I generally do is pick a category for the day, start at the top, and answer 25. If I can't find the answer, I skip it and go on to the next. 

oDesk is the one that requires the most time, effort, and dedication. You have to form a nice looking profile and take the tests for employers to take you seriously. Then you have to apply for the jobs and put forth your best attributes in your cover letter. If you're hired, you have to deliver. There are so many different jobs on oDesk, there is no reason why you can't get hired for at least one job. So far, I have made $105 with oDesk. There is money to be made, but you have to be willing to perform.

So, you can sit around and complain that you aren't making any money all you want. However, the answers are right in front of you and are easy to attain. However, if you don't have the motivation to actually do some work, then working from home is not for you. Any work, whether in the home or outside will require work. That is why it's called work. I am here to help you and I can guide you in getting started, but the rest is up to you. Your success and your paycheck lies in your own hands. It's time you take the initiative.

Updated Blog

Well, Jamie and I have spent a lot of time re-doing this blog. There was a lot I wanted to do to it, but couldn't in classic mode. So, it has been upgraded to the new blogger. I had to spend a lot of time re-arranging links and such and adding what I wanted to it. I really like it. I hope everyone else does too. This blog is now back in action, so stay tuned for new blogs to be posted.

Examiner

So, you may have heard of the Examiner. It is basically an online news article website. People write for their geographic area on their specified topic.

I was originally referred to Examiner from someone on a forum I was on. Unfortunately, after careful review the Examiner was not what I was looking for. I won't say Examiner is a scam. However, I will say it is a scheme of sorts. When you're signing on they do not disclose what the pay is. They just say they pay 'competitive rates.' They tell you once you're in you can access their website to find out the pay structure. In research, I have learned that the only way you get paid is by the pay-per-clicks on their website as well as a basic pyramid scheme. There is very little money to be made with the Examiner.

However, if for some reason you want to see for yourself, you can follow this link: http://apply.examiner.com.

PartyLite

I don't personally sell PartyLite, but a friend of mine does and I have heard a lot of great things about PartyLite. PartyLite sells home fragrances, beauty/bath products, home decor, and more. To get started as a PartyLite consultant, you hold a starter show and when your starter show sales meets or exceeds $350 your start-up kit is free. For more information please follow this link: http://www.partylite.biz/sites/darlenebyrne. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email at n.elaine85@gmail.com. I will try to answer your questions or will put you in contact with my friend who would be more able to answer your questions.

Which work at home opportunity do I enjoy the most?

So, each one has their ups and downs. I can't say I would want to quit any of them because I like them all. That's the true beauty of working from home; you set your own limits. I feel as though I can handle all three, so I do all three. It maximizes my earning potential, which is always a good thing.

Katie B. - Do I pick any topic for my sample articles to post to my oDesk account?

Q: When you make an odesk account it says to post some of my sample articles. Do I just pick any topic or don't even worry about that?

A: I honestly never did this. I just went straight in and applied to jobs. Only one employer so far has requested a sample article and they told me what to write it on. However, I do see how this can benefit your profile. So, I would say pick a topic you know a lot about and/or feel strongly about so when employers read it they can see it's your best work.

Katie B. - should I start a blog?

Q: Should I start a blog or anything like that? Does it help to do that? I was reading in the help section that you may well I may want to start a blog so employers can see some of my writings.

A:  I'm not sure if this would help or not. However, I can see how it may. I never gave any employers the link to my blog. I would say that this is personal preference. If you did start a blog for this purpose I would say write about things you know about and feel strongly about as it will present your best work.

Katie B. - How to get started with writing jobs on oDesk

Katie B. - Should I start a blog?
Katie B. - Do I pick any topic for my sample articles to post on my oDesk account? 

Katie B. - how to get started with writing jobs on oDesk?

Q: I seen a bunch of jobs at odesk about writing articles. I love to write and I have always been pretty good at it. I seen that i would need to write sample articles and I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to get started. Do I just pick any topic to write about? Should I start a blog?

A: The writing jobs are literally all that I do on oDesk because I like to write like you and it's not something I don't have to try to hard for. Some may require to write a sample and some won't. Generally, they will give you the topic for the sample article. You just apply and wait to hear back. If they want to see your work first then they'll let you know. If you're selected, they'll go over all the details of what you'll be writing about. Most of the articles you'll write will require some research. Some will be boring and others will be interesting. When you complete your sample article you will reply to their message and attach your article. This is also how you will submit all of your other articles for the job as you complete them. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, let me know.

oDesk Pointers & Info

How to Make the Most Out of Your oDesk

What Kinds of Jobs Does oDesk Have 
To Questions of Should You Make a Blog
oDesk Team Update
Ezine-related Jobs 

How to make the most out of your oDesk profile?

My suggestion to making the most out of your oDesk profile is to take tests, lots of them. You especially want to take all of the English ones because a lot of employers on oDesk want English speaking/writing contractors only. They will check your profile for your English testing scores.

So, where do you find these tests? Once you've signed up with oDesk, click home. Then click on contractor profile in the top right. On the next page you will see a link for tests in the top left. Take a bunch of them. It will help your profile out a lot. Aside from the oDesk Readiness Test, some of the other tests I have taken include Microsoft Excel 2010, English Spelling, English Basic Skills, Office Skills, and more.

What kinds of jobs does oDesk have?

oDesk has a very wide variety in jobs. These jobs include web design, writing, customer service, data entry, sales and marketing, graphic design, and so much more. They really have a lot and new jobs get posted daily. It really all depends on what you're looking for.

I, personally, only have done their writing jobs. I love to write and I'm good at it. If you look in my proof of payments you can see that oDesk really does pay.

oDesk has two different types of jobs: hourly contracts and fixed-price. I have never worked on an hourly contract. I am currently hired on three different fixed-price contracts. I recommend charging an up-front fee of 10% when doing a fixed-price contract. This way you know the employer is serious about paying you for your work. I have never had an issue getting paid. On one of my jobs I have been paid $70 and another I have been paid $30. The $70 I got paid so far is out of $225. The $30 I got paid was out of $150. I have a small $15 contract as well. As you can see there is money to be made with oDesk.

Randomosities

Which work-at home opportunity do I enjoy the most?
Working From Home Still Requires Work 

oDesk Proof of Payment 1/20/2011

Below is my proof of payment from today. My $25 upfront payment cleared. I have another $45 pending. Since it costs $1 to transfer into my PayPal, I am going to wait the 5 days for that to clear and just transfer the full $70 at once.

Scentsy

Scentsy is a great at-home business. It is one I have plans to become a part of. However, for now I do not. A friend of mine does, though.

Unique Scentsy warmers use a low-watt bulb to melt the specially formulated wax slowly, maximizing the fragrance time of the Scentsy Bar or Scentsy Brick. With no flame, soot or wick, the Scentsy system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 Scentsy fragrances.

As a Scentsy consultant you would sell these awesome products. People can buy online, through a party, or a catalog. There is a lot of earning potential with Scentsy. The start-up cost with Scentsy is $99. With that, you get your start-up kit as well as your online website.

For more information about Scentsy, follow this link: https://jamiedalton.scentsy.us/Home. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email at n.elaine85@gmail.com. I will either get the answer for you or put your in contact with my friend.

mark.

mark. is a legitimate business. I don't personally do mark. - yet. However, my friend does mark. She really enjoys working for mark. mark. is a subdivision of Avon geared towards younger women. The start-up cost is a lot lower than a lot of at-home businesses, so it's a really good starter business. The start-up cost is only $20.  For more information, please follow the link: http://smille.mymarkstore.com/ and http://www.meetmark.com/PRSuite/sell/sellmark.jsp. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at n.elaine85@gmail and I will try my best to answer your questions or refer you to my friend who would be more able to answer them as she is a mark. representative.

ThmbSavrs

A lot of these may be repeats from the QUACK box post, but these are very beneficial to know. I also recommend printing this out and keeping it handy for when you guide. You will get a lot of these as questions.

ALL THMBSAVRS

*New!

• TW for Twilight Fun
• DYK for fun Random Facts
• TEXTY for Textisms
• DINO {question} to talk to a Dinosaur!
• GTALK for embarrassing female moments
• PHOB for real and fake Phobias
• SPEW for sound-it-out word game
• VAMP for Vampire Fun and Facts
• ZOMB for Zombie Fun and Facts
• 4GVN for Christian Inspirations
• NTB for Name that Band (revised)
• NEWMENU for Newest ThmbSavrs

Brainpower

• DYK for fun Random Facts
• TEXTY for Textisms
• SPEW for sound-it-out word game
• DEF {word} for Definitions
• WRD for Weird Wordz
• PND for Palindromes
• VQ for Vocabulary Builder
• RQ for Riddles

Celebrities

• MJ for Michael Jackson Trivia
• CCAR for Celeb Car Trivia
• CLUV for Celeb Love Trivia

Directory Assistance

• 411 {business} {location} for Directory Assistance
• BIZ {keyword} {location} for Types of Businesses near a Location
• DAMENU for Directory Assistance Stuff

Favs

• DARWIN for dumb deaths
• HEARTME for Candy Heart Love Gamble
• VDAY for Valentine's Day Trivia
• SBDYK: Super Bowl Trivia
• TWJ for Tiger Woods Jokes
• SCREAM for Scary Movie Quotes
• TW for Twilight Fun
• DYK for fun Random Facts
• TEXTY for Textisms
• DINO {question} to talk to a Dinosaur!
• GTALK for embarrassing female moments
• ENEWS for Entertainment News
• SNEWS for Sports News
• HNEWS for Headline News
• PHOB for real and fake Phobias
• SPEW for sound-it-out word game
• CARJACKER for catch-the-thief game
• BOO for Halloween Ideas
• VAMP for Vampire Fun and Facts
• LVQ for Love Quotes
• DTIPS for Dating Tips
• GTG for Get the Girl (Dating Tips for Guys)
• KTIPS for Kissing Tips
• gGF for Gifts Ideas for a Girlfriend
• gBF for Gifts for ur Boyfriend
• g20 for Gifts Under $20
• gMOM for Gifts 4 Mom
• INQ for Inspirational Quotes
• DOH for Funny Qs asked of ChaCha
• DUM for Dumb Laws
• CNJ for Chuck Norris Jokes
• PUL for Pickup Lines
• FAIL for Funny Failures
• BLJ for Blonde Jokes
• SBQ for SpongeBob Quotes
• NMQ for New Moon Quotes
• MMQ for March Madness Trivia
• MJ for Michael Jackson Trivia
• SQ for Sports Trivia
• CCAR for Celeb Car Trivia
• CLUV for Celeb Love Trivia
• BRJ for Bathroom Jokes
• TR for Tarot Reading
• DEF {word} for Definitions
• WRD for Weird Wordz
• DOIT for words that lead to Success
• ZOMB for Zombie Fun and Facts
• UM for Urban Myths
• BQ for Bizarre Questions
• GQ for Gross Questions
• DH {mm.dd.yy} for personalized Daily Horoscope
• WEATHER {location} for Weather Forecast
• STOCK {tickersymbol} for Stock Quote
• FTIPS for Fashion Tips
• PND for Palindromes
• WTIPS for Weight Loss and Dieting Tips
• LH {mm.dd.yy} for personalized Love Horoscope
• RAR for Roses Are Red
• DTI for Date Ideas
• SLAM for Insult Slams
• SUJ for StandUp Jokes
• KDJ for Kid Jokes
• PRJ for Practical Jokes
• YMJ for Yo Mama Jokes
• CRB for Crystal Ball
• MFC for Misfortune Cookie
• FC for Fortune Cookie
• VQ for Vocabulary Builder
• OFQ for Quotes from 'The Office'
• ZEN for Zen Quotes
• 4GVN for Christian Inspirations
• FNQ for Funny Quotes
• TVQ for Quotes from top TV Shows
• VGQ for Quotes from popular Video Games
• NTB for Name that Band (revised)
• MQ for great Quotes from Movies
• RNJ for Redneck Jokes
• TWQ for Quotes from the Twilight series
• TQ for Trivia
• HOLQ for Holiday Trivia
• TNG for Tongue Twisters
• RQ for Riddles
• TOD for Truth or Dare
• WYR for Would You Rather
• EQ for Entertainment Trivia

Fortune and Fate

• TR for Tarot Reading
• DH {mm.dd.yy} for personalized Daily Horoscope
• LH {mm.dd.yy} for personalized Love Horoscope
• CRB for Crystal Ball
• MFC for Misfortune Cookie
• FC for Fortune Cookie
• FORTUNEMENU for Fortune Stuff

Games

• SPEW for sound-it-out word game
• CARJACKER for catch-the-thief game
• RQ for Riddles
• TOD for Truth or Dare
• WYR for Would You Rather

Gifts and Shopping

• gGF for Gifts Ideas for a Girlfriend
• gBF for Gifts for ur Boyfriend
• g20 for Gifts Under $20
• gMOM for Gifts 4 Mom
• GIFTMENU for Gift Ideas

Inspirational

• INQ for Inspirational Quotes
• DOIT for words that lead to Success
• 4GVN for Christian Inspirations

Jokes and Laffs

• TWJ for Tiger Woods Jokes
• GTALK for embarrassing female moments
• DOH for Funny Qs asked of ChaCha
• DUM for Dumb Laws
• CNJ for Chuck Norris Jokes
• PUL for Pickup Lines
• FAIL for Funny Failures
• BLJ for Blonde Jokes
• BRJ for Bathroom Jokes
• SLAM for Insult Slams
• SUJ for StandUp Jokes
• KDJ for Kid Jokes
• PRJ for Practical Jokes
• YMJ for Yo Mama Jokes
• RNJ for Redneck Jokes
• JOKEMENU for a Menu of our Jokes

Location-specific

• 411 {business} {location} for Directory Assistance
• WEATHER {location} for Weather Forecast
• BIZ {keyword} {location} for Types of Businesses near a Location

Love and Dating

• LVQ for Love Quotes
• DTIPS for Dating Tips
• GTG for Get the Girl (Dating Tips for Guys)
• KTIPS for Kissing Tips
• gGF for Gifts Ideas for a Girlfriend
• gBF for Gifts for ur Boyfriend
• PUL for Pickup Lines
• LH {mm.dd.yy} for personalized Love Horoscope
• RAR for Roses Are Red
• DTI for Date Ideas
• IDEAMENU for Ideas on all kinds of Stuff

Movies

• VAMP for Vampire Fun and Facts
• MOVIEMENU for Movie Stuff
• MQ for great Quotes from Movies
• MOVIE {moviename} {location} for Movie Times

Music

• MJ for Michael Jackson Trivia
• NTB for Name that Band (revised)

News Feeds

• LULU NEWS {keyword} for News Search
• ENEWS for Entertainment News
• SNEWS for Sports News
• HNEWS for Headline News

Quotes

• SCREAM for Scary Movie Quotes
• TW for Twilight Fun
• LVQ for Love Quotes
• SBQ for SpongeBob Quotes
• NMQ for New Moon Quotes
• OFQ for Quotes from 'The Office'
• ZEN for Zen Quotes
• 4GVN for Christian Inspirations
• FNQ for Funny Quotes
• TVQ for Quotes from top TV Shows
• VGQ for Quotes from popular Video Games
• NTB for Name that Band (revised)
• MQ for great Quotes from Movies
• TWQ for Quotes from the Twilight series

Social

• TEXTY for Textisms

Sports

• SBDYK: Super Bowl Trivia
• NFL {team} for live and recent National Football League Scores
• NCAAF {team} for live and recent College Football Scores
• MMQ for March Madness Trivia
• SQ for Sports Trivia
• SCORE {team} for live and recent Scores

Stocks

• STOCK {tickersymbol} for Stock Quote

Strange

• PHOB for real and fake Phobias
• BOO for Halloween Ideas
• VAMP for Vampire Fun and Facts
• DOH for Funny Qs asked of ChaCha
• DUM for Dumb Laws
• FAIL for Funny Failures
• ZOMB for Zombie Fun and Facts
• UM for Urban Myths
• BQ for Bizarre Questions
• GQ for Gross Questions
• STRANGEMENU for Menu of Strange Stuff

Style and Beauty

• FTIPS for Fashion Tips
• WTIPS for Weight Loss and Dieting Tips

System

• FB {schoolgrade} to send us Feedback on an Answer
• SOURCE for link and guide on your last Q
• SYSMENU for Sytem Commands

ThmbSavr Menus

• SYSMENU for Sytem Commands
• MOVIEMENU for Movie Stuff
• QUOTEMENU for Menu of our Quotes
• BRAINMENU for Brain Food
• STRANGEMENU for Menu of Strange Stuff
• MENU for Main Menu
• GIFTMENU for Gift Ideas
• IDEAMENU for Ideas on all kinds of Stuff
• FORTUNEMENU for Fortune Stuff
• TRIVIAMENU for Trivia Stuff
• HOTMENU for popular Stuff
• DAMENU for Directory Assistance Stuff
• JOKEMENU for a Menu of our Jokes
• NEWMENU for Newest ThmbSavrs

Trivia

• SBDYK: Super Bowl Trivia
• TW for Twilight Fun
• PHOB for real and fake Phobias
• VAMP for Vampire Fun and Facts
• DUM for Dumb Laws
• MMQ for March Madness Trivia
• MJ for Michael Jackson Trivia
• SQ for Sports Trivia
• CCAR for Celeb Car Trivia
• CLUV for Celeb Love Trivia
• DOIT for words that lead to Success
• ZOMB for Zombie Fun and Facts
• PND for Palindromes
• NTB for Name that Band (revised)
• TRIVIAMENU for Trivia Stuff
• TQ for Trivia
• HOLQ for Holiday Trivia
• TNG for Tongue Twisters
• RQ for Riddles
• EQ for Entertainment Trivia

Uncategorized

• DARWIN for dumb deaths
• HEARTME for Candy Heart Love Gamble
• VDAY for Valentine's Day Trivia
• SBDYK: Super Bowl Trivia

Weather

• WEATHER {location} for Weather Forecast

What is the QUACK box?

Below is an example of the QUACK box. They wanted a blonde joke, so I typed BLJ in and it came up. Refer to my long list of what's in the QUACK box for reference.

QUACK Box

 I highly recommend printing out this list and putting up on the wall or somewhere you can access it easily while guiding.

4GVN - Bible Quotes
About Me - When the IS asks about you
AIDS - What is AIDS responses
Am I fat - if the IS asks if they are
Black - Black Ops related responses
Blow Job - What is a blow job responses
Blue Waffle - definition
BOO – Halloween Costumes
Boob - Some handy answers for those boob questions
Bored - For what to do when bored
Boy - How do you know if someone likes you responses
BQ – Bizzare Facts
BRJ - Bathroom jokes
Bye - Messages for when they say goodbye
CARJACKER - Catch the thief game
CCAR - Celeb Car Trivia
Cheating - Is she cheating signs
Cheating Signs - male version
CHIX – Chick Flick quotes
Chlamydia - What is responses
CHQ – Christian Quotes
Chuck - How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
CLUV - Celeb Love Trivia
Crabs - Info on pubic lice
Crazy - What is the craziest question responses
Cute - Everybody cute in their own way QA
Dad - Relationships and dads
Dad - Yo Daddy jokes
DARWIN – bad ways to die
DINO - Talk to a Dinosaur
Dirty - Dirty PULs
Dog - Popular dog names
DOH – Dumb Questions (what’s the stupidest question you’ve ever gotten)
DOIT – Motivational Quotes
DTI - Dating Ideas
DTIPS - Dating Tips
DUM – Dumb Laws
DYK - Random Facts
Eat - For food suggestions
ENEWS - Entertainment News
EQ - Entertainment Trivia
FAIL - Funny Failures
'Father's Day - When is Father's Day
Fav Food - responses
Fav Movie - responses
Fav Song - responses
FC - Fortune Cookie
FNQ – Funny Quotes
Friend - Why you don't want to be their friend
FTIPS - Fashion Tips
Future - Responses for "what will happen in my future" questions
G20 - Gifts under $20
Game - What is your favorite game QA
Gay - "Are you gay" or "Is so and so gay" responses
gBABY - Gifts for baby
gBEAUTY - Spa/Beauty Gifts
gBF - Gifts for boyfriend
gBFF - Gifts for best friend
gBUDDY - Gifts for buddy
gCOLLEGE - Gifts for College kids
gCOOK - Cooking gifts
gDAD - Gifts for Dad
gGEEK - Geeky gifts
gHUBBY - Gifts for Husband
gMOM - Gifts for Mom
gMOVIES - Movie Gifts
gMUSIC - Music gifts
God - For questions about God
Goodnight - For when the IS says good night.
gPRANK - Prank gifts
GQ - Gross Facts
gSIB - Gifts for Sibling
G-spot - what is responses
gSPORT - Sport Gifts
GTA4 - Grand Theft Auto 4 cheats
GTALK - Embarrassing Female Moments
GTB - Get The Boy - Dating tips for Girls
GTG - Get The Girl - Dating tips for guys
gTOOLS - Tool gifts
gTOYS - Toy Gifts
Guess - For when they want you to guess their name
Guide - Guide pay questions (also how to become a guide responses)
gWIFE - Gifts for Wife
Hazy - A list of CRB answers for those you can't just yes or no to.
HEARTME – Candy Hearts
Hello - How are you responses
Herpes - What is responses
HIV - What is responses
HNEWS - Headline News
HOLQ - Holiday Trivia
HORROR – Scary movies to watch
Horny - Lots of useful stuff
HPV - What is responses
Hummus - Ingredients in hummus
Humor Hotline - Humor Hotline numbers
Jambalaya - great meal idea
JBJ - Justin Bieber jokes
KDJ - Kid Jokes
KTIPS - Kissing Tips
Lame - Joke complaint responses
Largest - Largest penis questions
Like - What do you think of me responses
Long Distance - advice for long distance relationships
Longest - Longest word responses
Love Life - tons of love and sex responses
Loves - How to tell if someone loves you
LUVSUX - Heartbreak quotes
LVQ – Love Quotes
Marijuana - what is responses
MFC - Misfortune Cookie
MJ - Michael Jackson Trivia
MMQ - March Madness Trivia
MNF - Monday Night Football Schedule
Mom - Mom quotes
Mother's Day - When is Mother's Day
MQ – Movie quotes
NMQ - New Moon Quotes
No Thanks - Responses when propositioned by the IS
NTB – Name That Band (game)
Number - 18002ChaCha
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder facts
OFQ – Office quotes
Oral - Generic oral sex responses
Orgasm - What is responses
Penis - Average size, euphemisms
PHOB - Real and fake phobias
PND – Palindromes
Pregnancy Signs
Psychic - Random responses for psychic answer requests
PUL - Pick up Lines
Real Person - when the IS asks if you're a person or computer
RAR - Roses Are Red poems
RQ – Riddles
SBDYK - Superbowl Trivia
SBQ – Spongebob Quotes
SCREAM – Scary Movie Quotes
SEXED - Sex ed stuff
Sex Positions - Brings up lots of different ones
Sexy - for answers to "Are you sexy?" questions.
SLAM - Insults/Slams
Sleep - Helpful hints on how to fall asleep
Smart - ChaCha is like having a super smart friend QA
SNEWS - Sports News
Sorry - When IS says they are sorry
SPEW - Sound it out word game
SQ - Sports Trivia
Stories - ChaCha does not do sex stories
SUJ - Stand Up Jokes
Sunday Night Football
Super - fav super hero
Super - supercalafragilelistic meaning
Super Bowl - For past Super Bowl scores
Tampon - How to and are they safe Q's
TEXTY - Textisms
Thursday - Thursday Night Football schedule
TOD - Truth or Dare
Totem - For who would win questions
Trust - Lots of relationship answers about trust
TNG - Tongue Twisters
TVQ – Tv show quotes
TW - Twilight Fun
TWQ – Twilight Quotes
Ugly - No one is ugly QA
UM – Urban Myths
Vagina - What is responses
VAMP – Vampire Lore
VDAY - Valentine's Day trivia
VGQ – Video Game quotes
VQ – SAT vocab words
Wear - For ideas on what to wear
Weed - Responses for when the IS asks if you smoke weed
Weird - "Am I weird" responses
WRD – Weird Words
WTIPS – Diet Tips
WYR - Would You Rather
ZEN - Zen Quotes
ZOMB – Zombie Lore - Bible Quotes

LiveWork Proof of Payment 1/14/2011

See, LiveWork really does pay!

Firefox Add-ons

There are a lot of Firefox add-ons I use that I recommend for various purposes. These add-ons can help with performance, browsing, ChaCha guiding, oDesk, and more. I will continue to update this list as I come across new add-ons I think are beneficial.

Adblock Plus - This gets rid of all those annoying ads.

Answers - This gives definitions

AutoCopy - This makes it so you can highlight and copy without having to do to CTRL+C command, which I find useful in guiding as well as LiveWork searches.

ChaCha StatsClicker - This keeps track of all the money you have made with ChaCha.

Clear Cache Button - This is just an easier way to clear your cache.

ClickCapper - This helps with cleaning up your questions because you can double-click on any word and it will capitalize the first letter of that word, which is great when you're planning to succinct.

Clippings - This is a great tool where you can save frequently used phrases and can even assign hotkeys to them.

ColorfulTabs - This helps to keep your tabs organized.

FastestFox - This helps you search quicker, which I use a lot with LiveWork.

FoxClocks - This helps with keeping track of other time zones, which I find the most useful in my oDesk work because I work with people from all over the world.

Proof of Payments

LiveWork 1/14/2011
oDesk 1/20/2011 
oDesk 1/27/2011

Firefox Add-ons
Recommended Programs 

ChaCha

The Best Advice I Can Give
ThmbSvrs
What is the QUACK box?
QUACK Box

The best advice I can give to new ChaCha guides

So, you got accepted as a new ChaCha guide. Congrats! Now you want to know how to be the best you can be. Since I have not worked as a generalist, specialist, or a transcriber all of my advice is geared towards expeditors. However, if you have specific questions for generalists, specialists, or transcribers I am sure I can research the answer for you.

The first thing I can tell you is to only search within your tools. If you don't know something and there is not a PAQ for it, do not search google or anything like that. If you cannot find the answer within your tools, send it on. The only reason for you to ever search outside of your tools is if your QA% is below 58%. However, the chances of that happening are really slim.

Another tip I can offer is to utilize some of the amazing firefox addons. I will be making another post for addons after I start on dinner. There are some really good ones out there that are not only helpful, but will also shave some time off.

Use your money tracker. Don't know what I'm talking about? Stay tuned for a post about good programs to have. Make sure you stay on top of things with your money tracker. Set your goal for the number of questions you want to do and begin. I usually set mine at 200 because that won't take me very long, but this number is completely up to you. Every time you answer a question, click answer. Every time you send it on, click succinct. The most important thing you pay attention to is your QA%. As I said before, you don't want that to get below 58%. This will also track how much you've made in your session as well as track your hourly pay. This really is a great little tool.

Another piece of advice I can offer is know when to search PAQ's and when to send it on. Questions about cars, video games, celebrities, etc. you can send on without a second thought. The only exception to this is if you actually know the answer. Because these questions are more specific is why you would usually send it on. Knowing this can bring answering/succincting these to a time of 3-4 seconds. This will do wonders for your hourly rate.

One thing that will really come in handy is learning what's in the QUACK box. QUACK box? The QUACK box is the box for quick answers. You want to learn what's available in there because once you learn them your times will improve immensely. I will make a post dedicated to the QUACK box soon. I recommend printing it out for quick reference when you are guiding.

Check out the tip sheets that are available. I will start compiling a list of my favorite tip sheets. They really are helpful. Also, check out Search U and the Guide Blog. You can learn some new things and keep up to date on ChaCha.


I recommend getting to know the various ThmbSvrs. For example, CNJ is for Chuck Norris Jokes. I will get a post going for those as well. You will get a lot of questions like this.

This is about all I can think of right now. I hope this helps new ChaCha guides. All of this information has helped me along the way.

oDesk

One website I have found extremely useful in my work-at-home endeavors is oDesk. It's a freelance website. Employers post jobs in many different categories and contractors bid on them. I have been hired for two jobs on there so far. Their jobs range from data entry to article writing to email handling and so much more. There really is no shortage of jobs on there. It's all in what you're looking for.

I am currently working on two jobs on oDesk. For one I am writing a total of 30 articles. They only have to be 150 words, but have to be on electronic cigarettes, car tires, and wiper blades. I'll admit it's a bit boring, but the money will be nice to have. For the other, I am writing a total of 50 articles. These articles are mainly on Japan and cars. They have to be a minimum of 300 words and I get paid $1 for every 100 words. This employer is great to work with. He has already paid me $70 for my first batch of articles as he only sends out 10 topics at a time.

I obviously enjoy writing. However, as I said previously; oDesk has many different categories of jobs you can apply for. If you're interested in seeing what oDesk may have that would interest you go to the following link: http://www.odesk.com.

If you have any questions or need any help whatsoever, send me an email at n.elaine85@gmail.com.

LiveWork

LiveWork is an outsourcing website. People post 'projects' that they need to be filled. You just apply and wait to be accepted. It's similar to ChaCha whereas most of them are answering questions. However, the pay per question is higher and the answers do require some research.

I was originally working on a project for Dictionary.com. I provided 900-character summary answers to questions. The pay for that one was $0.79 a question. Those took me a bit longer to do, so I could only average maybe 10 answers an hour. This project has since been canceled, but I got paid for what I did.

Now I am working on a project for Ask.com. I provide 150-character summary answers to questions. The pay is $0.34 a question. The pay is less than Dictionary.com, but more than ChaCha. Because it's only 150-characters, I can complete about 20-25 an hour if I put my mind to it. They do still require some research, but it's really easy to come up with 150 characters. 

LiveWork pays on or around the 3rd and 18th of each month via PayPal. This last payday I got paid on the 14th, which was nice. So, if you don't have a PayPal account be sure to get one. PayPal is secure. I have been using PayPal for years.

If you are interested in working for LiveWork, follow this link: http://www.livework.com. Fill out the registration form. Then, fill out your profile and apply to any projects that interest you.

If you have any questions or need advice on what to put in your profile, send me an email at n.elaine85@gmail.com.

ChaCha

I'm sure you've at the very least heard of ChaCha. Maybe you're guilty of even texting ChaCha to get your questions answered. Well, ChaCha is one legitimate work-at-home opportunity in which I currently work for.

If you've never heard of ChaCha, let me fill you in on what ChaCha is. ChaCha is a free texting service. People from all over the United States text ChaCha their questions and the ChaCha guides answer them. ChaCha has four different positions in which they hire for. However, they generally only have one position available for hire at a time.

They have expeditor, generalist, specialist, and transcriber. I am an expeditor. An expeditor is the first person to get the question asked. The job of an expeditor is to answer the question using only their tools. If that's not possible, send it on to another guide who will be either a generalist or a specialist and can better answer the question. A transcriber listens to the questions that get called in and turns them into a text version of the question. I am sure each position has its pros and cons. I personally enjoy being an expeditor.

Being a ChaCha guide is fun. However, you may get some less than intelligent questions. Just take it all in stride and know you will be getting paid for your efforts. As an expeditor, the pay is only $0.02 a question. However, questions do not take that long. You want to have each question answered in under 30 seconds, which is very easy to accomplish with what I will teach you in various blog posts.  If you can stick to that time, then you're hourly pay would be $2.40 an hour. However, there are a lot of questions you can have answered in under 5 seconds, which will obviously bring your hourly pay up. 

I understand that the pay is nothing exceptional, but it is pay and I like it. If you can bring your hourly rate up to $3 an hour then you are looking at  some great extra cash in your pocket. As I said, I will make more posts on being the best ChaCha guide you can be in the future.

If you are interested in becoming a ChaCha guide, follow this link: http://becomeaguide.chacha.com. Fill out the application, and include the email address 'n.elaine85@gmail.com' as your referral guide. This will put you on my team. After you fill out the application you will fill out your w-9 and watch a video. Once you finish all of that you will have quite a few videos to watch. After each short video will be a quiz. As long as you pay attention you'll have no problems. After you finish all of the videos and short quizzes, you will then have your final test where you have to prove you have what it takes to be a ChaCha guide. You will login as if you are a guide and will answer ten questions. After that, you will logout and wait for your results. Once you receive your results, you can start working.

Good luck! If you have any questions on passing and becoming a ChaCha guide, please don't hesitate to send me an email. I want you to pass! My email address is n.elaine85@gmail.com.

Welcome

So, you want to work from home? You probably just have no idea where to start or all you have found are scam-sounding opportunities. You may be only interested in finding a work-at-home opportunity that has no fees or start-up costs.

Well, you've come to the right place. Here, I will share everything I know and have found along my journey of finding the perfect work-at-home opportunities out there. I will share the good and the bad. I will be completely honest about my experiences. However, keep in mind that my experiences may differ from the experiences of someone else. What I am looking for in my work-at-home opportunities may be different from someone else.

So, why do I work from home? I am fully capable of finding a job outside of the home. I am not disabled by any means. However, I have a family. I have a one-year old son and I am pregnant with number two. I also have a fiancé who works outside of the home. The daycare costs are pretty high. So, why not work from home and kill two birds with one stone so to speak? I can make money from home, save money on daycare costs, and spend time with my family. It's an all around win if you ask me.

How did I find all of my work-at-home opportunities? A LOT of google searches. That, and trial and error. Because I spend most of my time at home, I have more time to dedicate to researching things. I have done a lot of research. I wanted to make sure everything I chose to do was legitimate and would prove to be a dependable source of income. Everything I do now falls into that category. However, there have been some that I've tried that do not. As I said before, I will give you the good and the bad.

Well, thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you come back soon for future updates. Bookmark my blog if you would like for easy access. I will be posting quite frequently. I hope you find some useful information here.

Recommended Programs

AutoHotKey - This is a great program where you can automate almost any keystroke and mouse click, which you can assign to hotkeys.

CCleaner- This program will help keep your computer clean.

ChaCha Money Track - This is a great tool used to track your QA%, money made per session, goals, and hourly pay.

Game Booster - This will help to speed up your computer because it closes down programs running in the background you aren't using.

oDesk Team - This is a great program to help track your time spent working as well as keeping in touch with your employers and team on oDesk for your jobs.

ScreenHunter - This is a good program to take screenshots quicker and easier.