I’ve been noticing that a lot of other bloggers with sites that contain a lot of information (like mine) have made little screencasts to try and help new readers navigate around. I thought this would be a great idea for me to do since I know how much information there is here and not everyone will necessarily know where to go look to find some of the more useful things.

If you already know your way around here, you’ll probably find my little screencast rather long and boring and you may want to just skip it.  Although you may still enjoy giggling at my southern accent. I hope you can at least understand what I say, haha.

Here is the video/screencast:

I’ve placed a permanent link to this video on my useful posts page. If you want to make your own screencast, it is so easy to do! I used a site called Screencast-o-Matic. It’s free and it lets you upload straight to YouTube when you’re done! And screencasts are a great idea for your blog if you need to demonstrate something for your readers.

I personally love getting paid with Paypal because I don’t like waiting for checks to arrive, but I know that there are many of you who would prefer not to receive your money electronically and would just like to get a paper check mailed to you. It does seem that the number of companies that still pay by check is starting to dwindle, but there are a handful that still pay that way or at the very least have it as an option.

I’ve had several readers over the last couple of years ask me on occasion what companies will pay them with a check. So here is a list of the ones I know about across a number of different categories. If I come across any others, I will try to add them later on. Please let me know if you know of any I could add as well, or if you know for a fact any of these companies no longer pay by check:

Companies That Still Pay By Check

• Maven – Microconsulting work. 
• Televated – Phone/telemarketing work.
• Ver-a-Fast – Phone work.
• Language Line – Interpretation over the phone.
• Focus Forward – Transcription.
• Support Space – Phone/Chat tech support.
• Parameds – Records retrieval.
• ARO – Various types of phone work.
• Humanatic – Call reviewing.
• Intelichek – Phone mystery shopping.
• Working Solutions – Phone work.
• Virtual Bee – Data entry.
• Trivia Wars – Writing trivia questions (really not sure how active this company still is).
• Ether – Telephone advice.
• Task Rabbit – Running errands and do odd jobs for people.
• A Closer Look – Mystery shopping – not work from home, but many people who work from home also do this because it’s flexible.
• Appen Butler Hill – Search engine evaluation.
• Live Ops – Phone work/customer service.
• NexRep – Phone work/sales and non-sales positions.
• We Go Look – Get paid to go check things out for people.
• G5 Live – Chat work from home.
• AccuTran Global – Transcription.
• Tutor.com – Online tutoring.
• 1-800-Flowers – Seasonal phone work from home.
• BrainMass – Share your academic expertise and earn cash.
• Dollar Stretcher – Writing money-saving articles.
• Bubblews – Rev share writing.
• Smarthinking – Online tutoring.
• Voices.com – Voice over work.
• Like Plum – Paid to answer questions.
• Guru – Freelancer site with tons of different jobs you can bid on.
• oDesk – Freelancer site where some clients may pay you by check.
• Elance – Freelancer site.
• OPK - Work from home telemarketing.
• West at Home – Phone customer service work.
• Pierce-Eislen – Work from home rent surveys/phone work.
• ETS – Test scoring from home.
• Marketforce – Mystery shopping.
• Zintro – Get paid to give your expert advice.
• Quality Gal – Freelance writing.

Surveys Panels, Smartphone Apps, and Extra Money Opps That Pay With a Check

• Zapiddy – Smartphone app that pays you to do little tasks.
• Endorse – Smartphone app that pays you cash back on various grocery purchases.
• Glyde – Selling video games, movies, etc.
• Survey Savvy – Survey panel.
• Opinion Outpost – Survey panel.
• Opinion Site – Survey panel.
• Toluna – Survey panel.
• Pinecone Research – Survey panel.
• Brand Institute – Survey panel.
• Focus Forward – Survey panel.
• Research Participants – Survey panel.
• American Consumer Opinion – Survey panel.
• Global Test Market – Survey panel.
• Ipsos I-Say – Survey panel.
• eCampus – Sell your textbooks.

As mentioned above, I probably missed a few! Please let me know if you know of any others. I also want to mention that if you are hesitant to sign up for Paypal, you are really missing out on a lot of good home jobs. Signing up is easy, free, and there are all kinds of options available for you to get the money in your hands once it goes there, including mailed check or bank transfer. I’ve been using Paypal literally for years and love it!

I visit the ProBlogger job board for new writing leads several times per week, and I am frequently seeing job postings from a company called Article Marketing Co. This company provides articles, reviews, web pages, and blog management for clients. It does not appear that you need any expertise in a specific field to qualify as a writer.

Article Marketing Co. has been in business since 2009. Upon visiting the website, you will not see a page to sign up as a writer. It seems they do most of their recruiting through ProBlogger and other job boards.

Article Marketing Co. is only looking for writers from the US and Canada.

How much does Article Marketing Co. pay?

Currently the rates are listed at $7 per 500 word article and $8.50 for web pages and press releases which are at minimum 300 words. This is not a large sum, but if you find the content easy to create and you can produce it quickly enough, you may find you are easily able to earn more than minimum wage.

If you are a skilled, experienced writer with an amazing portfolio and can score much higher paying work, then I’m sure you’ll want to take a pass here, and I wouldn’t blame you. However, if you can write but can’t easily snag those high-paying jobs and just need a regular, weekly paycheck and have bills that won’t wait to be paid, then this might be something to look into for now.

Article Marketing Co. does pay weekly, every weekend with Paypal.

How much work is available?

They are recruiting for writers who can commit to three to five articles per day, so based on that, it would seem they have plenty to keep someone busy.

How does the application process work?

The ad I found today on ProBlogger explains how to apply. Basically you just send an email introducing yourself along with some writing samples.

Feedback

I can’t find any feedback at my usual work at home forum haunts (WAHM and Work Place Like Home) and a basic Google search doesn’t bring up much. Faith, one of the writers over at WAH Adventures, did a write-up on this company last year and she actually went through the application process. She shares her experience here. In her review, she mentions that after she submitted her two samples, she was asked to provide another sample — unpaid — and decided not to follow through at that time. I can’t say I blame her at all, although I have seen other companies that ask you to submit original, unpaid samples before they will accept you.

If you decide to follow through with the application process, I would check to see if the unpaid sample you have to submit (assuming this is still a requirement) is yours to keep if you are not accepted as a writer.

How do you apply?

Go here for complete instructions at ProBlogger. Please chime in below if you have more information you can provide about being a writer at Article Marketing Co.

Visit the writing section in my home job directory for more companies currently hiring writers.

Maven is a site I came across that will pay you to work at home sharing your knowledge with others or, as they call it, “microconsulting.” Basically “microconsulting” is a fancy term for sharing your expertise with others. Almost everyone is an expert in something, so maybe there is a place for you in the Maven network of consultants.

For those of you not in the United States, Maven does appear to be open worldwide. They have work at home consultants in several different countries.

How It Works

The site breaks this down perfectly (I love finding sites that don’t make me read between the lines!), but basically you just sign up for free, select your industry from several varied choices, and select an hourly rate. You also need to tell Maven a little about your background and experience in the industry you chose. After that, you don’t need to do anything. If Maven thinks you are a match for a microconsulting opportunity, they will let you know. The consultations take place either through telephone or electronic survey. You get paid for your time spent on the phone or a flat fee for doing an electronic survey. Another bonus — you can get paid by referring other people to be consultants on Maven, a flat ten percent of their earnings.

There doesn’t appear to be any webcam consultations as I’ve seen with other “share your knowledge” type sites. This might be a relief for you if you are not comfortable with webcam stuff.

How Payment Works

Maven pays you in credits that you can either use to get paid in cash for your consulting services or you can turn around and spend it Maven if you need to buy consulting services. You can request a payment once you have $25 in Maven credits. Your credits typically post within one business day after you’ve performed your consulting services.

The payment options available include Paypal, electronic funds transfer, bank wire transfer, or good old-fashioned mailed paper check. The mailed paper check option is only available to people living in the US and Canada.

Can this be your full-time job?

I would definitely just approach this as something to do on the side. If you happen to get notified that you have a consulting opportunity available, just consider it a little bonus because there is no telling how often that will happen. This might be a great little side earner for you if you already have a job outside the home — could be a way for you to bring in a little extra here and there during your free time because it does appear to be extremely flexible.

Want to get started?

You can go here to register yourself as a microconsultant in the Maven network. Good luck!

Lionbridge has changed a lot since the last time I wrote about them, so I decided to write some updated information since so many of you are looking for non-phone work at home, and search engine evaluation certainly fits the bill for that. Lionbridge has a lot of different types of opportunities available and they are also open worldwide. These are all independent contractor positions.

What kind of work do you do for Lionbridge?

I used to classify this is just search engine evaluation, but I should probably expand on that a little since there are so many different types of jobs. But search engine evaluation, if you aren’t familiar, is generally comparing search engine search queries to ensure that the results that match up with them are relevant. I’ve never personally worked for Lionbridge, but I have done this kind of work for Leapforce, a similar company. You can read my full breakdown of what a search engine evaluator does here.

Here is the breakdown of some popular home-based jobs Lionbridge has available:

• Multimedia Judge – Determining the relevancy of video and images for search results.
• Internet Search Administrator – Improve search results by rating keyword and search term combinations.
• Speller Web Content Assessor – Help determine the best spelling for queries that are entered by users into search engines.
• Query Understanding Judge – Improve search results by rating keyword and search-term combinations. May include text, video, images, and adverts.
• Ad Assessor – Comparing user search engine queries and advertiser keywords with website landing pages, judging relevancy.
• Internet Crowd Worker – Capturing your opinions to ensure the best results possible are achieved and to make a difference to the user experience.
• Web Content Assessor – Same as other positions above, rating keyword and search term combinations.
• Internet Assessor – You get the opportunity to express your opinion on the quality and content of the web.
• Social Media Internet Assessor – Same as above, but with focus on social media.

You can learn more about each position by visiting Lionbridge’s work from home jobs page. Note I have linked to the page for US, but if you go here you can locate your specific country to see what, if anything, they have available for you. You will notice that some of the positions only want people who speak a certain language, so look for that before you apply.

How much does Lionbridge pay?

Lionbridge keeps this information private and their workers must sign a non-disclosure agreement promising to keep pay details private, but I have heard it’s around $13 an hour and up, probably depending on the specific job you’re doing. Some of the positions are hourly pay while there are some others that are pay by the task.

When does Lionbridge pay?

Lionbridge pays once per month. If you get at least 30 hours in for the month, you can expect to get paid by the 10th of each month. If you did not get 30 hours in, you will see your money around the 30th. Unless something has changed, I’m pretty sure they pay with direct deposit to your bank account.

Is it flexible?

Yes. You can work up to 20 hours per week whenever it’s convenient for you — provided they have work available. Keep in mind that sometimes they may not have work, so it could be scary to depend on this alone as your job, just in case.

How does the application process go?

You’ll have to take an exam, complete with study materials for you to look over. They will probably give you around one week to finish it. Then it will take some time for you to get your email saying you’re “in” and start working. So the entire process of applying and then actually starting work at Lionbridge could take a couple of weeks.

What are the requirements?

You need to be fluent in your language and also good at browsing the internet. I do not believe that you have to have a college degree to get hired — many people have gotten in here without one. As far as tech requirements go,  you need a PC with Windows 7 or Vista at minimum. Doesn’t look like they support Macs.

Overall Feedback on Lionbridge

This is an old, established company that has been hiring home-based workers for years. They are absolutely known for paying. The feedback from workers is so/so. Lots of people enjoy the work, but apparently they can be kind of strict when they do reviews on you and some people get suspended or let go without much warning.

If you are a member at Work Place Like Home, I would suggest reading through the Lionbridge sub-forum they have to get some first-hand information.

Would you like to get started?

You can go here to browse the available home-based jobs at Lionbridge.

I often get asked by readers how they can earn money with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. It seems like a really appealing way to earn since, let’s face it, most of us are on and off of these sites multiple times per day! Why not get paid to do what you’re already spending time doing?

Before I jump into all the different sites you can use, keep in mind that this is probably extra money only. I don’t think there are too many people making a living by playing on Facebook or Twitter. I’m not saying nobody is, but most people likely are not.

Most of what I’m going to list involves sharing sponsored links, although you’ll find a few other oddball things in there, too. But sharing sponsored links is where it’s at because big brands want to get themselves out there to as many people as possible, and they know people are on social media all.day.long. So yes, they are willing to pay you to help them get their brand/product/message across.

And I’m sorry, but I have to say it — don’t spam your friends! It may be tempting to do because the more sponsored stuff you share, the more you can earn. But spamming your friends will backfire on you because they’ll get wise to what you’re doing, become annoyed, and either block or unfriend you. So do everything in moderation and try to share things you think your friends would be genuinely interested in reading.

My Likes

You can use My Likes to share links on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and pretty much any other social media account you use.  It appears that the links are shortened with bit.ly, so they can be posted almost anywhere. You are paid per click of each link. Payout is every Friday via Paypal, and you must have earned at least $2 to get paid each week.

Share Magnet

After you create an account and log in to Share Magnet, you’ll see several different “magnets” that you can share with your friends on almost any social media network. You are paid a certain amount per click of each magnet/link you share. Every magnet has a budget and you won’t see the money from your clicks deposited into your account until the budget is gone and the campaign for each magnet ends. Once it ends, the money will deposit into your share bank, and you can cash out your funds to Paypal provided you have at least one dollar.

ChaCha

Yes, ChaCha has a link-sharing program in addition to their text-based question/answer thing. The link-sharing is just like My Likes or Share Magnet. You just pick out what link you want to share and get paid per click. However, I don’t think you can share these links to Facebook. The site says they work on Twitter, or you can use their custom html code for each link and post it into your website/blog, Google Plus, or Tumblr. Payments are made monthly to Paypal as long as you have earned a minimum of $25. You can sign up here.

Sponsored Tweets

Sponsored Tweets is a site I’ve been using for a very long time. You get paid to post sponsored content to Twitter, and currently that is the only site this one works with, hence the name “Sponsored Tweets.” You can claim open opportunities that pay a certain amount per click, or you can get paid a flat rate for every tweet you send. Sponsored Tweets will suggest a rate for you to charge based on your number of followers and overall engagement percentage, but you are free to raise/lower this as you see fit. You can cash out your earnings at any time to Paypal and get paid instantly, but they do take a $2 fee from your earnings if you don’t have at least $50 in your account, so it’s best to wait until you’ve accumulated some money.

SociBuzz

Just a warning that, unlike the sites listed above, I have no experience with SociBuzz. This site lets you share various campaigns for advertisers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, YouTube.com, Blogger, Tumblr, MySpace, and others. Payments are made on Mondays with Paypal and you only need $1 to cash out. The FAQ says that payments are made in 7 day rears, so it’s sort of like your money is held for a few weeks before you start getting regular payments.

Viraliti

Viraliti is a “paid to pin” site. You can create an account and look for things you can pin to your various boards on Pinterest. If anyone clicks through to the advertiser’s website from any of your pins, you’ll earn a certain amount per click. I have been signed up with Viraliti for several months now but haven’t used it enough to get a payment. Currently they pay with Paypal and you need $30 to get paid. Payments are processed in the 1st and 16th of every month.

Pinbooster

Pinbooster is another “paid to pin” site. I’ve only ever earned $2 from there, but pinners who are more active may be doing a little better. This one reminds me a lot of Sponsored Tweets because you get to set your own flat rate for pins and you’ll be contacted if any of the advertisers want you to pin something for them. Pinbooster pays with Stripe.com rather than Paypal and you need $100 to cash out. That’s high for me, but there may be people who can reach it quickly if they are active and more attractive to advertisers.

redKonnect

You can earn money on redKonnect by sharing sponsored links/advertisements on Facebook or Twitter. The site says that Pinterest and other sites will be supported soon, but they aren’t yet. You get paid in points on redKonnect that you can redeem to Paypal cash. Currently 1,000 points is equal to $1. You are allowed to request a cash out once per week.

Staree

Staree is a little different. It pays you to share photos and videos on your social media networks. Staree will place display advertising on  your photos and videos, so this makes clicks of your pics worth money. The supported platforms right now are Facebook and Twitter. There are also occasional product placements opps — where Staree will ask you to take a picture of yourself with a specific product and post it.

iBee

This one is also a little different. With iBee, you can get paid for sharing links to different iPhone apps on your social media networks. If any of your friends click through from your links and download the apps you shared, you earn money. The pay will depend on what the app promoter is paying iBee, but your share is 70 percent of that. Payments are made once a month to Paypal.

That is all I can come up with for right now. If you know of any other good, reputable sites — or if you would simply like to share your experience using any of the sites above — please feel free to comment below.

We’ve talked before about how Fiverr can be an excellent little income stream for sellers since the sky is the limit there and almost anyone can find something to sell. But as a blogger, e-book publisher, or home business owner, did you know that Fiverr is also a really cheap place to shop?

If you’re new to blogging, you may feel frustrated because you don’t know how to create a header/logo for your blog or a custom button or badge. You might see other blogs that look really amazing and professional, but you have no idea how to make yours look like that. Or maybe you need to get some good content up, but you don’t have time to write much. Fiverr can help with all of these things.

Are you an e-book publisher, or maybe you have your very first e-book in the works? You can easily find someone to design a cover for you for just $5. You can also get your e-book proofread and formatted for Kindle or Nook for just $5! Are you a home business owner? Turn to Fiverr for things like website setup, logos, promotion, and more.

Here is a list of some things you can buy on Fiverr to help boost your blog, e-book, or business, and it all just costs $5:

Things to Buy For Your Blog

• Banners
• Headers
• Logos
• Buttons
• Badges
• Written content
• Social media promotion
• WordPress assistance or installation
• Malware removal
• SEO help

Things to Buy For Your E-book

• Covers
• Proofreading
• Formatting for Kindle/Nook
• Social media promotion
• Written content
• Tips/advice

Things to Buy For Your Home Business

• Logos
• Website setup
• Social media promotion
• Ideas
• Advice
• Virtual assistant services

Yes, Fiverr is a cheap place to shop, but this does not necessarily mean that you will get a low-quality product or service. There are extremely skilled, talented people on Fiverr who are happy to get the work and will do a great job for just $5. Trust me! But before purchasing a gig, do your research. This all goes without saying I suppose, but look at a seller’s feedback. Look at examples of their past work as well so you can be sure you’re paying for the quality you want.

Also, don’t be afraid to invest a little money in whatever you’ve created. Sometimes it simply takes a little money to make money. Have I invested money in this blog? Yes. I pay for hosting, my domain name, my newsletter service provider, graphics, and I’m sure other things I’m forgetting. I’m not saying to blow your whole salary on something, but buying a $5 gig from Fiverr is a cheap way to help enhance your creation.

Want to shop around on Fiverr? Go here.

Please comment below if you have other shopping ideas for your blog, e-book, or business on Fiverr!

Yovia is a neat little website you can register with and earn a little money for answering questions and doing little tasks. I found it the other day while searching job leads (this is how I end up finding a lot of things I decide to review), and it looked like fun, so I signed up to try it out.

Here are some details on how it works:

How to Register

When you sign up, you do have to link your Facebook account. I did not see any way around this, so if you don’t do Facebook and don’t want to make a Facebook account, this opportunity won’t be for you.

What an Influencer Does

Once you are all signed up and you’ve filled out some basic details, you can start looking for opportunities to claim and complete across the Yovia website. Each opportunity shows how much it pays and you just “click” to claim it. Most I’ve seen are anywhere from five cents to fifty cents, but I’m sure this will vary greatly just depending on what is there. It probably changes all the time. You can also earn a little bit of extra cash by referring your friends to sign up as Influencers or referring new sponsors to Yovia.

I did a few this morning where all I had to do was answer a question on a company’s wall on Facebook. I just clicked the opportunity to claim it, then clicked the link under the opportunity which took me to a photo on a company’s Facebook wall. The caption was a question, and all I had to do was answer it to get my compensation. Because my Facebook account is now linked to Yovia, I am guessing they can verify that I did answer the question so I can get paid.

Note that this is just one example of a type of opportunity you might find on Yovia. Some are a little more complicated. There is one where you have to download an app on Facebook, then test it out and give the company feedback on the app. That one pays $5, though.

How Payment Works

Yovia pays via Paypal, and you must have earned a minimum of $50 to get paid. You will only be paid for opportunities that you actually complete, so even though it may appear you’ve earned money on your dashboard after simply claiming an opportunity, you won’t actually get it unless you complete the required action for what you claimed. So the earnings in your dashboard will probably change at the end of the month based on what you actually did.

The minimum cash out is a little high, but since this is a new site, we will just have to see how it goes. They may have enough opportunities available that it’s possible to meet this regularly by staying active. Time will tell! I am hopeful because I really enjoy these kinds of little side-earners.

Is Yovia Open Worldwide?

It appears to be! Under the “How it Works” section, it states that anyone can sign up. However, since Paypal is the only payment option, you may want to pass if Paypal isn’t available in your country.

Get Started

You can go here to sign up as a Yovia Influencer.

Are you a teacher who could use a little extra money — or maybe even an income — that you earn from home? You certainly aren’t alone. And lucky for you there are a lot of different avenues for earning money from home if you are a teacher. You likely already have the necessary skills and qualifications for several different home-based jobs. Here are some ideas:

Virtual Tutoring

There are a ton of companies that hire people to work from home tutoring students of all ages online. Many of these companies require nothing more than a college degree while some do want you to have a teaching certificate. Some popular companies to consider include Tutor.com, Brainfuse, and Smarthinking.

Virtual Teaching

In addition to tutoring, there are also actual teaching jobs you can do from home. However, these are more location-based and you wouldn’t be able to hold down another teaching job at the same time. Virtual teaching is like regular teaching, and it would probably have to be your full-time job. Two companies to consider are K12 and Connections Academy.

Test Scoring

Companies that hire people to score tests from home typically require that you have a minimum of a college degree and, depending on the type of test you’re scoring, it may also be necessary that you have a teaching degree, too. This is work that can pay well and can be pretty flexible. Companies to consider include Pearson, ETS, and Write Score.

Writing

There are several companies out there actively looking for people to write educational content. Some of the companies want teachers writing for them while others aren’t as selective. Companies to consider include Remilon, Shmoop, eNotes, and ACT. I also want to point out that writing is almost always very flexible work, so it may be possible to do some of these jobs on the side while you hold down a full-time teaching job outside the home.

Selling Educational Materials

As a teacher, you may have amassed a large collection of educational materials over the years that you can sell to other teachers who might need them — things like lesson plans, worksheets, activities, and other things that you might have created yourself. These can be uploaded online and sold to others via sites like Teachers Pay Teachers and eNotes.

I also have a lot of other links and ideas in my directory under the Education section. Please share in the comments if you know of other ways teachers can earn money from home.

I wanted to let you all know that NextWave@Home is actively looking for work from home callers and writers! They are a grassroots outreach group based in the D.C. area.

More Details

The phone position involves making outbound calls, conducting interviews with citizens across the country regarding various legislative topics. These are NOT sales calls. Pay is $12 an hour and you have the freedom to choose your own hours! You can work at any time Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You will be paid weekly.

If you are a skilled writer and would prefer not to make phone calls, you may find the writing position much more to your liking. As a writer for NextWave@Home, you will listen to recorded conversations with citizen advocates and write persuasive, personalized pieces based on those conversations. You will earn $13 an hour as a writer, paid weekly, and you also have the freedom to work anytime you like.

These are independent contractor positions. You need to be able to commit to working at least 20 hours per week and can work full-time as well.

Technical Requirements

For the phone position, you will need a PC with Windows 7, an Ethernet cable and a USB headset. No land line is required to make the calls.

For the writing position, you will need a PC or MAC, an Ethernet cable, and some type of headphones to listen to recorded calls.

If you feel you would be a fit for either position, you can put in an application at the NextWave@Home website. If you are offered a contract, there is a short training period and you can start working right away. It is important that you apply for just one of the two available positions.

Good luck!