Hi, I want to help fellow writers who are still struggling to make a living online. I will be posting FREE lessons here on how i work online, where i work online and how you too can start generating income from home. Just signify your interest here and we can start in earnest. Like I said it is free as in FREE.

If you have a brother or sister who is looking for job after NYSC, you can inform them to join this thread, there is no need to sit at home doing nothing when they can be earning sufficient money to take care of their needs. It requires ZERO investment (apart from your computer and internet connection). Please ask them to join this thread. It is going to be awesome.

Am interested.olumese769@gmail.com

Am in

Great. I will be making posts once or twice a week on how i make money on the internet. It is not something that is difficult. I work on www.freelancer.com and I joined the website about a year ago. It is a free website where everyone can make money in as much as you are not lazy. Although, i joined the website as a freelancer writer, today, i combined research, data entry and typing jobs together as occasion demands. So, whether you can write or not, you can still make money on the website through data entry, research using Google, file conversions, web design, etc. The list is numerous. So, the first thing to do now is to over to www.freelancer.com and get familiar with the site and then check out the projects posted on the website to see what you can do over there, then we can take it from there.
Note: You don't have to pay a dime, it is very free and you get to withdraw your money directly into your Nigeria bank account.
The website is a bit complex, but i am going to try to break it down so that everyone understands. Once, you have a feel of the website, let me know your comments and questions on it. This is an interactive thread, so let's make it lively.

^
how do you beat the competition for bids. it seems intense especially for a newbie and also how did you learn web design from being a writer?

I am not into web design. I write articles, e-books, report and i also carry out market and web research, data entry and typing as occasion demands. I only mentioned web design as an alternative for other ppl who might be interested in it. Competition has always been fierce on freelancer, but i have secrets that I use always to beat it all the time. We will discuss it when we get to that part.

Hi, i want to acknowledge you for your open-mindedness and effort towards helping the life of someone out there. you are doing a great job. I'm following bumper to bumper

Am intrested.

Hello Ladywriter.I am interested in knowing more.I already visited freelancer.com.What's next? Do I need to register,or is there something else to be done?Thank you.

@ Shawnmayor, thank you very much. So sorry i have been busy lately. Now, let's take it from where we left off. Only one person has gone to check out freelancer.com (jaysworld). I will need you to play around the website, it is very massive. Now, the first thing you guys will do is to open up an account on the website. Like i said, it is very free. I want to ensure that everyone in here makes money before the tutorial is over. So once, you are through with it, let me know. You can ask me any questions relating to "opening an account" on the website. I will try as much as possible to answer your questions.

Waiting for you guys!

ladywriter: @ Shawnmayor, thank you very much. So sorry i have been busy lately. Now, let's take it from where we left off. Only one person has gone to check out freelancer.com (jaysworld). I will need you to play around the website, it is very massive. Now, the first thing you guys will do is to open up an account on the website. Like i said, it is very free. I want to ensure that everyone in here makes money before the tutorial is over. So once, you are through with it, let me know. You can ask me any questions relating to "opening an account" on the website. I will try as much as possible to answer your questions.

Waiting for you guys!

Account opened. You are really busy but lets hope your assurances will pay off finally. Cheers

@ultimateballer, so sorry for that. I am really busy, but i will try and find time to post. I want the rest of the group to catch up, so that we can do it as a team.

account opened!!

Hi @Shawnmayor and @ultimateballer, I just remember that you need to start working immediately because your free account only has 10 bids for 30days and if it expires, you will need to upgrade your membership. So we've got to start. Now, i want to know your skills, tell me the skills you choose while registering. I think, you need 20 skills to start with. Tell me your best area i.e. articles, e-books, academic writing or whatever. I need to teach you how to bid, when to bid and how to recognise authentic projects ( I was scammed few times). That is the most essential part of it, if you miss it, you will end up with no work. So, I am waiting. If you reply on time, i will get back to you later in the night.

ladywriter: Hi @Shawnmayor and @ultimateballer, I just remember that you need to start working immediately because your free account only has 10 bids for 30days and if it expires, you will need to upgrade your membership. So we've got to start. Now, i want to know your skills, tell me the skills you choose while registering. I think, you need 20 skills to start with. Tell me your best area i.e. articles, e-books, academic writing or whatever. I need to teach you how to bid, when to bid and how to recognise authentic projects ( I was scammed few times). That is the most essential part of it, if you miss it, you will end up with no work. So, I am waiting. If you reply on time, i will get back to you later in the night.

Thank you. my best area is writing and data entry. Articles, ebooks, blog posts, Copywriting , Proofreading, Ghostwriting, Article Rewriting, Data Processing, Data Entry, Excel , Word , Copy
Typing etc.
However what are you saying about upgrading membership? Thought it was a free for all site. Must I upgrade? Thank you very much again as I await your response

@ultimateballer, yes it is free, but there are limited benefits of using the free membership. 1. You have only 10 bids per month, i.e, you can't place more than 10 bids in a month and if you used up your bid for a month in a day or one week, you have to wait for another one month before you can bid. Having said that, there are four levels of membership on freelancer. The first is free, basic is $4.95/month with 50 bids, 10% commission fee for every project you receive. Click the help button on the page and go to frequently asked questions, you will find membership options there. However, we will use your 10 bids for training and if you are able to win any project with it, fine. I am going to give you a project that will help you to pay your membership fee (basic $4.95). I advise you start with basic $4.95/month, thereafter as you grow, you can upgrade to the next one. I am on standard membership and i pay $25.95/month. I have enough bids for the month (150) and I pay less commission on projects (5%). Since, you are serious and determined, i will help you to get started. Let me know if you have any question before we move to "How to bid" so that you can start asap.

First of all, using Freelancer.com to search for and obtain work in your field(s) is, of course, a step in the right direction. By providing the marketplace for service providers and prospective employers around the globe, we reduce the time and costs involved in soliciting work for your business.

There are several things new freelancers should consider carefully, from the beginning of the bidding process to delivering the final product. By using the tools freelancer provides wisely, service providers can protect their interests and build a reputation for themselves quickly.

No matter what type of project, always look at the employer’s profile and feedback (if any exists). While the profile information may be sketchy and there’s no guarantee of accuracy, experienced service buyers often provide enough profile information to let a freelancer know who he or she is dealing with. Likewise, the lack of profile information may indicate either a new service buyer or one with something to hide. Feedback, if available, is indispensable in providing an overview of how an employer has dealt with past contractors. It pays to know as much as possible about an employer before you consider entering into a contract.

10 Tips for Writing an Effective Bid

With thousands of freelancers competing for jobs and perhaps a hundred or more bidding on the same job, how do you make your bid stand out from the rest? The fact is each employer is as different as each freelancer, so there really isn’t a “magic formula” that works for every bid. There are, however some important steps you can take to increase the chances that a prospective employer will consider your bid seriously. Here are ten simple tips for writing an effective bid:

1. Read the project description carefully. After all, if the employer doesn’t feel you understand the project, you’re not likely to win the bidding. Besides, many employers will ask for specific details that you need to be aware of. In fact, employers often include a phrase that must be included in your bid in order to have it considered. The bottom line is, you should always take the time to go through the description thoroughly.

2. If you have questions, use the Project Clarification Board [/b]before you bid. Winning a project without knowing exactly what you’re getting into isn’t a good situation for you or the service buyer.

3. Keep your [b]bid clear, concise and to the point. Remember that the employer may have dozens or even hundreds of bids to consider. It’s very likely that every word of every bid isn’t going to be read. Bids with unnecessarily long descriptions may be skipped over completely. Don’t invite the employer to ignore your bid by making it too wordy.

4. State your terms clearly. Using the project description as a guide, be as precise as possible in stating exactly what you’ll provide, how much it will cost, and how long it will take to deliver. Being vague about your terms implies a lack of confidence. If you’re not confident in yourself, the employer won’t be, either. As we’ve already mentioned, use the Project Clarification Board to ask the employer questions if you need more details.

5. Follow up with a private message. After you place your bid, use the private message board to provide more information. This is the appropriate place to add those less important details you avoided in your bid. After all, if your bid generated enough interest to get the employer this far, you’re halfway there. Now those details may make the difference.

6. It’s always a good idea to upload samples with your private message or provide links to online examples. Be sure, however, that your examples are appropriate for the job and represent your best work. Quality, not quantity is usually the rule of thumb when submitting samples.

7. A word of caution: Unless you’re prepared to give your work away, any samples you provide should bear a watermark or other means of identification or at the very least your name and a statement of copyright.

8. Be competitive with your pricing. Note that this doesn't necessarily mean you need to be the lowest bidder. Bidding in a world-wide marketplace makes for tough competition, but if your work is truly above average, you may find that employers are willing to pay above average prices. On the other hand, if you’re relatively new to freelancing, you may need to establish a reputation first. A little common sense will go a long way here.

9. Don’t oversell yourself. A little self-confidence is a good thing, but over-the-top claims probably won’t impress anyone. Being frank and honest about your skills will get you much farther than a lot of hype.

10. Last, but certainly not least, proofread your bid before you submit it. Is it written clearly? Are there misspellings? No matter what kind of project you’re bidding on, a poorly written proposal suggests a lack of interest and poor work habits. Neither of those is going to work in your favor.

N.B: I will provide more explanations on the bold sentences.

how do we distinguish between fake and real projects

@chizzy86, the post above answered the question. In paragraph 3, it states "No matter what type of project, always look at the employer’s profile and feedback (if any exists). While the profile information may be sketchy and there’s no guarantee of accuracy, experienced service buyers often provide enough profile information to let a freelancer know who he or she is dealing with. Likewise, the lack of profile information may indicate either a new service buyer or one with something to hide. Feedback, if available, is indispensable in providing an overview of how an employer has dealt with past contractors. It pays to know as much as possible about an employer before you consider entering into a contract."

I hope I have answered your question.

^
Thanks so much for this wonderful job you have done here. God bless you richly.
I want to ask about profile pictures, is it necessary, I like my privacy but I think those with pictures will have an edge, especially white people (sorry I had to say this lol). Can I upload any picture or is it necessary?
And then you promised to help up find projects that will offset the $4 bill fee. I'd also like you to touch on withdrawing payments here
Thanks once again!

I commend you Ladywriter for all this free info. Some would have charged for just a fraction of this. That said, I joined this site over a year ago and I must say it's cool. Once I learned how to avoid time wasters, like those Indian and Paki projects (sorry ) I started rolling in good experiences. I started from the bottom, bid very low, won projects and upped my rep. Soon I began earning top dollars in my niche. Time consuming but worth it. My advice? Pick jobs carefully. I only bid in projects set up by employers from US, UK, Australia, Canada etc. If the employer can't express himself or herself in correct grammar as you correspond, you'll know it's an indian using fake flag.

Thanks a lot for these wonderful gesture. I believe you will still give answers the many questions waiting. Can't wait to hear more from you... Thanks again Ladywriter

@Aida13 thanks for your contribution. I await more of it. We need to help people to make money online. I started almost 2 year ago and by the grace of God, He has taken me far. Yeah it is really time consuming, but it is worth it. Please guys read @Ada13's post, it is rich and informative.

@ultimateballer, we bless the Lord for His grace, a grateful heart to God for what you are learning here is worth more than money to me (So give God the praise). I waited for your response yesterday. I have already assisted jaysworld and she is already making money. Now, you need to fill in your profile (we encountered that when Joy wanted to place her bid on a project i created for her and she was blocked). You MAY not use your photograph. As a matter of fact, i did not use my photo, i used a symbol of pen on paper to represent my writing business. So, ppl get to mistake me for a man, some call me He, while others say She, and i really love that. I don't want my picture scattered all over the net.

Concerning the withdrawal question. There are two options available to us in Nigeria - Wire transfer and Freelancer Debit card. Now, for you to use wire transfer in Nigeria, you need to open up a domiciliary bank account with your bank. I use GTB, it was much easier (back then 'cos am out of the country now and i use moneybookers (skrill). With bank transfer, you are charged $25.00 withdrawal fund by freelancer (every time you make a withdrawal) and bank to bank transfer from Australia to Nigeria costs about $65.00 to GTB, i don't know of other banks. You need routing number from your bank when you want to withdraw your funds (i will talk more on this later). The second option is freelancer debit card, they use payoneer card. I think it is a better option, because withdrawal is free with the card. All you need do is to click on withdraw funds on your finance dashboard and you will see these options. Apply for the card and they will send it to you wherever you are. You can make withdrawals with it in any ATM accepting Visa card. Very simple! I will advise you place your request now before you will need to withdraw. For the project, i will need your username on freelancer, then i will post a small project for you. It is not only to help you pay your membership fee but also to give u a good feedback (if you do a good job). Feedback is very essential on freelancer. It is what employers will look at before giving you their job. It shows them your level of experience, integrity and professionalism. So, send your username on freelancer to me.

The first thing you need do on freelancer is to build up your reputation like Aida3 wrote. Most employers wouldn't like to hire new freelancers, they want ppl who have enough experience to handle their projects for them. So, you need to start from the bottom and build your reputation up. Just like Aida13, I started writing articles for a dollar ($1), but today, things have changed.

my user name is Amazingwriter1. Grateful for
the reply. I have a GTB domicilliary account which I would have prefered but you are saying it will cost me $90 for each withdrawal? That's massive.
I guess you mean payoneer debit card, I have heard about it before. I think I should apply for it now from their website. I'm looking forward to the project.
I also will need your email as a mentor if possible in case their is any delicate issue I want to ask you or any recommendations you would like to offer me now or in the future

Gracias!

@ultimateballer, go to your dashboard, click on finances, you will see withdraw funds, check out the payoneer card there. Freelancer is in partnership with payoneer, so instead of the card reading payoneer, it reads freelancer. It is better if you apply for it through freelancer. Just click on the option as if you want to withdraw, you will be directed to payoneer's website where you will fill in the forms. It takes about 30-40 days or so to get to Nigeria. Hmmm! you want private mentoring? - how much will you pay? Time is money for me. However, I have promised to help you, I will. But, I am busy this weekend, I don't know whether i can attend to you. It is better off tomorrow Sunday 16th June in the night, say 7pm Nigeria time. Do you have a Gmail account? If u do, then contact me on virtualassistprof@gmail.com, we can talk on Gtalk. We will do the posting and you will bid on it.

lol, thank you. I guess I asked for too much with the mentoring stuff. please pardon lol. You know I'm still trying to get on. we would get to the stage where I will pay for private mentoring. lol. Why I wanted to apply from payoneer website directly is because I may need the card in future for other companies or so? Don't know what you think about that. I will say hi in your Email. Thanks

My username is Chizzyon

This is M̶̲̥̅γ̲̣̣̥ username enocheman. I have done a few things and started building M̶̲̥̅γ̲̣̣̥ profile.now I understand why you are so busy. Thanks a lot for the many directions and eye openers. Remain blessed,

@megamindmaster, great! I will get in touch with you soon. Don't finish your bid o, keep two bids. Yes, Freelancing work is a full time thing, especially on freelancer.com. , so be ready for a full time job.

HOW TO WRITE AWARD WINNING BIDS
I will like to teach you guys how to bid. Bidding is the major aspect of freelancer.com. If you miss it, you miss the job. When you are writing your bids, you need to:

1. Demonstrate your understanding of the project. For example, if the employer is looking for an article writer on the topic, "affiliate marketing". You can start your bid like this " I am a professional article writer and I have written lots of articles on different topics. I also have an understanding of your topic. I can produce, high quality, plagiarism and 100% error free articles for you. Please check your pm for details." [/b] In the pm, you can still try to convince the employer that you know what you are talking about (even if you dont know about affiliate marketing). All you need do is to google the word "affiliate marketing' and quickly know what it is all about. Sometimes, i love challenges and I do place my bids on topics i have not heard of before. What I do it to go to Google and learn more before placing my bids. This is because EVERY employer want to give their projects to people who are capable and know what they need. Don't just write [b]"I can handle it" or Please give me the project. Never beg anyone for a project, maintain your integrity and professionalism.

You need to also prepare samples ready. It may be articles or e-books you've written in the past. You dont need to give the whole sample, you can just cut a chapter and present as a sample. Most often, employers request for samples to enable them make their decisions appropriately.

Make sure you request for milestones when bidding. Milestone is a kind of 'pay before work' system. The employer will pay a certain percentage (it depends on you) of the project fee to freelancer.com and wait for you to complete the job. When you finish it, he will now request freelancer to release the money to your account. If you don't set milestones for projects, the employer may collect the work and not pay and there is nothing you can do about it. Milestones also enables you to file for dispute in a situation where the employer wants to scam you.

Always check out bids early hours of the morning. That is when you see new projects that has been posted overnight. Then place your bids on suitable ones before you start your day job.

I will post more as God enables me.
Enjoy your day.