Keeping Your Computer Safe While Working From Home

Here are some recommendations in keeping your computer safe while you’re on the Internet.

If you like to use Internet Explorer 7, make sure your security settings in Internet Options are at it safest. Follow these steps:

Click on Tools then Internet Options
Click on the Security tab, then click on Custom Level

You will see: Active X Control and Plug-ins
The following should be Disabled

Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls
Binary and script behaviors
Download signed ActiveX controls
Download unsigned ActiveX controls
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe

Scroll down to Downloads
Automatic prompting for file downloads – Disable

Enable Pop Up Blocker

Scroll down to Scripting
Allow paste operations via script – Disable

Click OK, when done to save the changes.

I recommend using Firefox for your browsing needs. It’s a great standalone and safer browser than Internet Explorer. There are different themes and extensions which you can use to customize it to your needs. You can even view sites in IE with Firefox by downloading the IE extension.

Some telecommuting companies specifically ask for Internet Explorer so make sure you don’t completely get rid of this browser.

Each time you visit a website, a cookie is installed on your computer. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is a concern for Internet privacy since it can be used to track your browsing behaviour.

Here are my recommended and basic software to download. All are free.

CCleaner – It’s a quick click of a button to delete your online activities. It clears cookies, Internet history, temporary files and more.

Pop Up Stopper – For Internet Explorer you can use Panicware Pop Up Stopper. Although your computer already comes with a pop up blocker, it doesn’t hurt to use two. In Firefox, I recommend downloading the Ad Block Plus extension.

Spyware Blaster – Works like an anti-virus program, but it’s an anti-spyware program. It prevents the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Zone Alarm Free or Pro – Depending on your needs. The free firewall version works very well.

AVG Free – Free antivirus program. Other popular free antivirus programs are Avast and Avira.

Some other recommended sites to bookmark are:

Trend Micro – It is a free online scan for viruses and spyware.

PC Pit Stop – Free computer checkup and diagnostics can help you detect and fix many common PC problems.

Shields Up! – Internet connection security for Windows users.

~Sophia

Ways To Get Work At Home Job Experience

I think it’s one of the most frustrating things a person can go through. How are you suppose to get job experience if no one will give you a chance?

What I have found when you are looking for a telecommute job, you really do need some skills and or experience. Even if the ad says, “No experience necessary.” you still have to have something.

If working from home is really what you’re looking for, here are some suggestions on how you can gain more experience if you have little or none.

1. Get more education. You have to invest in your learning if you want to get ahead and get good paying work at home jobs. It’s more competitive when you’re looking for a telecommute job because there are not enough jobs and they are many people who are more qualified than you.

Look to your community colleges, community centers or search online. Be careful with the online schools if you’re looking out of your home town.

2. If it’s possible work outside the home for a year. You can count volunteer work as job experience. Keep in mind the job position so you can use this experience for when you start searching for a work at home job.

3. Writing jobs are really out there and you can start in the lower paying companies. I understand that getting paid $5 for an article is very cheap, but you may want to rethink this if you’ve never had anything published before and you’re brand new to writing. Writing is a good way to get experience in something.

4. People hear transcription and they start to freak out. General or legal transcription is your aim and you don’t need any specialized training. You need to have a good ear, fast typing speed and accuracy. It’s something to look into and I recommend having at look at AccuTran Global.com.

5. You can also apply for jobs that don’t require a lot of skill or experience. Granted you won’t be paid big bucks, but you will get experience. Use your own judgement as you don’t want to be working 40+ hours for less than minimum wage.

I always say keep an open mind. There are a variety of ways to work in the comfort of your own home. The question is how open are you to other ideas? Some people are adamant that they don’t want a home business. A home business doesn’t mean you have to sell someone else’s products or services. What are your passions or interests?

Take the time and think about it.

~Sophia

Home Business: It’s All In The Presentation

Whether it’s a Direct Sales business, other work at home business or you work in a brick and mortar office when it comes to presenting a service or product it has to be top-notched or you’re not going to be able to make the sale.

I sat in on a presentation when I was on holidays in Hawaii this past June and it was a very impressive presentation that had me alert, listening and participating.

Don’t bore people to death with a monotonous voice. Here are 10 tips I think a good presenter should follow.

1. Look relaxed. It’s understandable if you’re nervous, but put those nerves aside. Stand straight, feel confident and be confident.

2. Be passionate and excited about what you’re presenting, but not to the point that you’re force selling. Show enthusiasm and energy and speak from your heart.

3. Be competent in your deliverance. Loud enough voice that everyone can hear you, use different tones in your voice, facial expressions, gestures and so on as these all make up how people will perceive you.

4. Know your facts. This should be easy and a no-brainer.

5. Be engaging with people. Get people to respond to you verbally. Get people to help you demonstrate.

6. Be prepared as during a presentation anything can happen out of the blue. Don’t get rattled. Expect the unexpected.

7. Have eye contact with your audience. Avoid focusing in on just the middle. If your audience surrounds the room, pan your eyes from one side of the room to the other.

8. Be aware of your surroundings by listening to the little chatter in the background. This is a good way to nip the uncertainty or question in the bud. It shows you’re listening and involved with your audience and not just your audience involved with you.

9. Add humour and share stories. People relate to other people when they know someone else has walked in their shoes.

10. Smile.

To your success,
~Sophia

Qualities Of A True Business Leader

When it comes to finding a leader in the same business niche as you, what do you look for? I’m sure the common traits to look for from many people would be honesty, trust, straight-talker-no-bull attitude, knowledgeable, authenticity, professionalism and so on.

As you journey through your own personal and business growth you will come across three types of leaders.

A. The real experts in their niches
B. The “leader” in sheep’s clothing
C. The “leader” who rides the success coattails of others

How do you know the real deal from the fakes? There are some clear signs and these are what you should be looking out for.

1. Articles are fantastic sources of information about specific topics, but it’s also the written work and words from a knowledgeable business person. How does it read? Is it understandable and does it drive the point home for you? Some people can be great writers, yet they hold back on their knowledge like they are afraid to share their most successful secrets. They will only provide common sense knowledge which really is not sharing information at all in my humble opinion.

If they rehash or regurgitate a lot of their old material for newer articles then it’s a sign they aren’t expanding their knowledge.

Subscribe to their article feed or new article alerts. This way you can keep up with all the new articles they have written. In time you will be able to see if what they are writing is really content worthy.

Keep up with their blogs and blog comments. Again this will reveal whether they are truly knowledgeable in their business niche. Do they add value to what’s already being said by a blogger? Do they offer a different perspective? Or are they readily agreeable most times and reiterate what is already being written even when misinformation is presented?

2. Social networking sites can tell a lot about leaders. Niche forums are so wide-opened all you need to do is visit them daily and focus in on two leaders in same niche for comparison.

A leader you want to follow openly engages in all discussions from business related chat or informal chit chat. Not only does it show them as a leader, but it shows them as a real person someone can identify with. Leaders aren’t afraid of controversy nor do they stay away from business discussions. Ask them anything and they are willing to share and talk; they aren’t vague in their responses.

Many leaders also work on personal development. They are always learning and striving to be better all the time. They motivate and inspire, they have clear goals and they think outside the box. They are creative and original.

Fittingly so eventually you want to be business leader A. You want to be able to stand on your own two feet. No riding on someone else’s successes or pretending to be someone you’re not.

Follow your leaders’ footsteps as a guide. Always strive to learn more today than you knew yesterday and be true to yourself.

To your success,
Sophia

Work At Home Companies Exposed: Avoid Them

There is information upon information all over the Internet about certain unscrupulous work at home companies that are only out to take your money and run. It has been repeatedly said again and again, you should never, never pay to find a work at home job followed by, but “there are a few exceptions.”

Many people still have questions when it comes to finding a legitimate work at home job. While I can distinguish from the obvious scams, the scammers themselves are becoming more and more clever in disguising their scams. I have come across many through my work at home job searches because they really do sound legitimate.

Here is a brief list of what makes a work at home company a scam and red flags you should look for.

1. Extreme hype with blaring colours and unbelievable earnings.
2. No contact information or physical address on the website.
3. Free hosting websites. If they can’t afford to pay for hosting, how do you expect them to pay you?
4. Registration or training material fees.
5. Poor grammar and spelling, lack of professionalism and broken links on the website.
6. Sense of urgency and asking for personal information without making a job offer.
7. Being vague on questions you have asked them.
8. Declining to show proof they are a real company with a real address and location.
9. Posting an ad using all capitals.
10. Offering a high salary for very part-time hours or for little or no experience/skill.

Avoid these work at home companies or type of work at home companies.

1. Ad Typing Programs – Other titles they go by are Home Typist, Ad Typist, Clerk Typist, Home Processors, Order Processors, Email Processors and Data Processors. Typeinternational is a perfect example. They require one time registration fees as high as $300+ along with monthly fees. Any company that has a title with “typing” or “data entry” in it, you can bet it’s ad typing.

2. Transam Associates is a medical transcription company. Everything I have heard about them is negative. Around the Internet they are called and known as TranScam.

3. Legitjobs.com – Registration fees.

4. Michelle’s Work At Home Services – Hosted on a free web hosting and registration fees.

5. National Health Care Discount (NHCD) – Also known as ASI, ASP and Hot Potato Promotions. Owners of this company was arrested in August 2009.
Overland Park businessmen arrested, charged with stealing from elderly

6. Bassador and WAH Weekly – Once you provide your information to get more information about a job, they spam you to death and never offer you any position.

7. Voice Applied Customer Service – You are constantly bombarded by spam emails.

8. Absolutess.com – A few people who have worked for them have recently received bounced cheques.

9. Cash Gifting Programs – Cash gifting systems are illegal. No ifs, ands or buts.

10. Payment Processors – Never accept packages to your home or reshipped elsewhere via FedEx, never accept cheques to be deposited into your account and then transferred a portion to another account.

11. Cora Works – Many people were not paid.

It’s also common for companies to sell their domain names and as new owners acquire the domain they don’t necessarily keep running scam sites. For the future if you find one of the companies listed here that doesn’t belong on the avoid list, please let me know.

To your success,
Sophia

10 Suggestions To Kill Work At Home Distractions

Anyone and everyone who works at home will at least face some type of distraction every so often. Working on the computer offers a lot of distractions…surfing the net, engaging in social network sites, instant messaging and email are the main factors why people get off track.

Here are some ways you can keep yourself on track.

10 Suggestions To Kill Work At Home Distractions

Working at home and being there for your children is a luxury. Who wouldn’t want to be in my shoes? The downside, there are many challenges and distractions.

As a business owner, I can be more flexible than your telecommuter who has a virtual boss hundreds of miles away, but sometimes that flexibility is more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

Here are 10 suggestions to put an end to these work at home distractions.

1. Phone
Let your voice mail pick up your phone calls. If you’re not expecting an important call, turn down the volume so you can’t hear who’s leaving a message.

2. Television and Radio
Television and radio are the worse offenders of background noise. Some music can influence your mood and put you in a non-working frame of mind.

3. Email, Instant Messaging, Social Network Sites
Don’t keep your email programs, instant messaging, or social network sites minimized or opened. Enough said.

4. Children
They are one of the many reasons we choose to work at home, but they are pure distraction. Babysitters, daycares, play dates are all good options, but they may not be viable options all the time. Scheduling is very important. Set aside block times for work and for your children. Work doesn’t have to be 8 hour days.

5. Food
Stock your pantry and fridge with fruits and veggies for quick and easy healthy lunches and snacks. Avoid drinking alcohol. Always have water at your desk as dehydration causes fatigue, headaches, irritability and more.

6. Procrastination
We avoid it because it difficult to do or we don’t enjoy doing it. You have two choices:

A. Perform the task at your peak performance time when you’re really alert and work focused or

B. Completely scrap the task if it’s not important. Don’t hang on to the task or save it for another day.

7. Weather
I find it harder to work when it’s sunny and warm. I know I’m not alone. Know when to stop and don’t overwork. Distraction is not always a negative thing.

8. Work Attire
Many people have admitted to wearing their pajamas while working at home. Is it productive? I don’t think so. Get up, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast and start your day. These things get you moving and your blood circulating and it puts your mind in a work focused mode.

9. Work Schedule
I know when I oversleep I’m more tired and unmotivated throughout the day. Getting up early for me is the best. We’re all different in what works well. Find the time when you’re the most energetic and do your difficult tasks at that time.

10. Housework
There’s nothing wrong with a messy house; a dirty one is a different story. If you keep your house clean and neat then clean up is a snap. Laundry, dishwashing and other chores can be done in between your breaks. It’s all about utilizing your time in the most efficient way.

Working at home really requires a lot of self-discipline, careful planning and knowing what works for you. If you can do all that, then work at home distractions can be kept to a minimum or at the very least, none at all.

S McIntyre is the founder of WorkAtHomeSpace.com a free work at home resource focusing on work at home companies, daily telecommuting job leads, articles, business resources, networking forum and other work at home related topics.

Use Affiliate Marketing To Increase Your Work At Home Income Stream

Written by: Sophia McIntyre

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to diversify and supplement your income source when you work from home. Whether you work for a virtual employer or have your own home based business, adding affiliate programs can help bring in extra residual income each month.

What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is promoting a merchant’s service or product. You are paid a commission when you make a sale. You may also earn on pay-per-click or pay-per-lead, but pay-per-sale is the most common way of earning when it comes to affiliate programs.

How easy is it to earn with affiliate programs?
It’s largely due to how well you know about the different types of marketing methods you can work with. If you’re well-versed and know your way around the web, then you have an advantage over someone who is not so business savvy.

There is a learning curve, but it can be mastered if you’re willing to learn and absorb all the free information out there. Remember though, top affiliate marketers who make a lot of money didn’t make it by chance or luck. They invested hours of time and they invested in their learning of how to become a successful marketer.

How To Choose Affiliate Programs
Choose products or services that are geared towards your interests, but also think if there’s a demand for that product. You don’t want to have to compete with thousands of people who are selling the same thing you are so look for something that is unique, but is popular and is wanted by the masses.

Look for a merchant that offers more than one product. A product can lose its appeal which then leads to discontinuation. A plus side to this, if people like what the merchant is offering, they are more likely to come back and see what other products you have.

The higher the commission, the better it is for you. Would you rather receive a commission of $10 or $50? In addition, if you have a revenue goal each month, you can reach it a lot quicker. Also look for affiliate programs that offer affiliate support and offer the most marketing tools.

All in all many people continue to look for more ways to earn an income online. Affiliate marketing is that choice because anyone can do it. With the right affiliate programs and with all the learning tools under your belt, affiliate marketing is the sure-fire way to have a continuous stream of income lining your wallet each and every month.

Go now to download your free copy of 5 Simple Steps to Start Making Money with Affiliate Programs

10 Must Know Work At Home Job Seekers Facts

I thought anyone could work from home, but that’s not the case. People who work at home face many challenges on a daily basis. Challenges aren’t the only difficulties many work at home job seekers find as there are relentless people who will take advantage of you to make their own pretty penny.

Here are 10 work at home facts you should be aware of before you decide to work from home.

Fact #1
Working at home requires discipline. When you’re working for an employer, you must treat it like you’re working in a brick and mortar company. Just because you telecommute from home, it doesn’t mean you can up and run an errand when you see fit.

Fact #2
Working at home requires communication from your family and friends. Your family and friends must know that working at home doesn’t make you the babysitter or chat buddy. You have your time set when you need to work and there should be no unnecessary interruptions.

Fact #3
Working at home requires independence as you don’t have other co-workers sitting in a cubicle beside you. There’s no casual chit chat by the water cooler or a boss or supervisor looking over your shoulder. While the latter is a positive, people who require constant affirmation may not enjoy this isolation.

Fact #4
Work at home job seekers will come across a lot of scams. It’s inevitable. Everywhere you look, people are out to rob you of your hard earned money, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Get used to using search engines, work at home community forums, Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission website to help you avoid these mishaps.

Fact #5
Work at home job seekers should have a good idea of what kind of job they would like to apply for. Before you even venture online to find a telecommute job arm yourself with an updated resume highlighting your strengths, skills and experience. When a good job lead is posted, thousands of resumes will be sent to the company. While you may be one in the thousands, you want your resume to stand out from the rest.

Fact #6
Work at home job seekers must do their research as it’s imperative unless you know the company and the position is real. Too many skip this step or don’t do a thorough research of the company.

Fact #7
Work at home job seekers must be patience, consistent and persistent. Even the most skilled don’t find a job overnight. It’s not unheard of when people find a work at home job after two years of searching. To be effective, searching daily or almost daily is a must.

Fact #8
Work at home job seekers have to be careful of what they say on work at home discussion forums. Employers troll high-traffic sites. This is how they learn what is said about them in a positive or negative way. Employers also use these high-traffic boards to find potential employees. Avoid airing out your dirty laundry on any open and public board. It’s just not professional.

Fact #9
Work at home job seekers often have more than one work at home job. Depending on your needs, many job seekers look for and keep several jobs. Some jobs may be only contracted out for a certain period of time or they are seasonal. Whatever the reason having several if you can manage is a good idea.

Fact #10
Work at home job seekers may have to spend some money. This is usually not the case, but certain jobs may require the job seeker to pay for a credit or background check or to obtain software for their computers or equipment for their position. (Foot pedal, headset etc.)

Now that you’re armed with the known facts, good luck in your job search! Keep your chin up and think positively. There’s a job out there waiting for you.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options
All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

How To Handle Content Stealers

Content stealing or plagiarizing is like a bad virus. It’s rampant and grows like cancer. It wrecks people’s lives giving the innocent added stress and the stealer’s a bad reputation.

No longer are content stealers stereotyped as unprofessional people, although in the true sense of the word that is what they are. Content stealers have no race and it’s not gender specific; there are no boundaries. I’m seeing more and more plagiarizers who are business professionals. They are your Virtual Assistants, web designers, known gurus in their niches and other people who have good online web presence.

There’s never a good enough reason anyone should resort to stealing content. There just isn’t.

You can say all your work is copyrighted, disable right click (which really doesn’t work) and put up the Copyscape banner, but that doesn’t deter someone to steal from you. If you find your work stolen you can do several things, but it doesn’t always guarantee a positive outcome.

1. Contact the content stealer – This doesn’t often work. Many will ignore your emails even with a cease and desist order. The truly unsuspecting will respond and remove your content especially if they paid someone to create their website. They may even apologize which has happened to me.

2. Contact their web hosting – You can find who their web hosting is either on the footer of their website or through WhoIs – http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

If they don’t use paid web hosting, contact the free web host.

3. Contact Google and other search engines. If they have paid advertisers on their site, you can contact them too to let them know.

4. Contact your attorney. It may be your last resort or first resort.

Be mindful of what you reprint online as well. Read the website’s terms of service or privacy policy. Don’t get yourself in a legal battle and always guard your reputation. You only have one and it’s a lot harder to dig yourself out with a fork.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options

All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

Who’s Working Your Business When You’re Not?

Summer just hit a few days ago and the kids are out of school starting their summer vacation. For some people this means they are joining their kids in playing and enjoying the summer so they are only working their business part-time. Many also have laptops where they can take their work with them wherever they go, but there are also others who haven’t for one reason or another have the option to take their business with them. Or maybe they don’t want to. Is it still consider a holiday if you bring your laptop with you?

Depending on your business each of us work our business differently. In my business, I can set my autoresponder, take down my advertising page and let my moderators run my forum.

If you can’t be that flexible, you have options.

If you have a partner, they can look after certain things or all things for you.

If you have a virtual assistant, you can delegate as much or as little responsibilities to them.

If you don’t have anyone, then it’s time to invest in a laptop.

Here are additional information you may find helpful:

- Leave a contact number with your business partner or virtual assistant where you can be contacted in case of an emergency

- Let your partner or VA know when you will be leaving and when you’re returning

- Make sure your partner or VA know their responsibilities and what’s expected from them

If you’re ready to hit the road and enjoy summer then make sure you know who’s working your business when you’re not.

To your success,
Sophia