₦airaland Forum

luvinhubby:
Don't hesitate, a very good SUV.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm just scared about what some say concerning the maintenance of Honda Pilot. That the cost of maintenance is on high compared to Toyota highlander. I just love the Honda pilot.

Pls gurus in the house, I need advice. I'm planning on buying Honda Pilot. I admire it much especially 2006 - 2008 as it'll serve me for family car. But as a first time car owner, I don't know much about car maintenance nor associated problems with every car.
I need advice on the cost of maintenance and reliability. Is it good for a beginner?

nurey:
just go for any in good working condition and one that appeals to you. but the highlander is the most fuel efficient of the lot if it has same engine version as the sienna

Thanks

Pls gurus in the house, help me out. I'm considering getting Honda Pilot, Highlander or sienna 04/05/06 model. I'm looking for a car with3 rows seater due to I'm a family of 6.
Key points to consider:
1. Cost of maintenance
2. Fuel economy
3. Availability of spare parts
4. Reliability
Note: I'm a first time car owner with little or no experience.
Pls experts, I need honest advice.
Thanks

Deadlock:
I'm from Umuida too,... and precisely from Umuonu in Igbo Eze North LGA,... I want to make it clear to all here that the man Ayogu Eze cannot and have NEVER won a free and fair election even in his hometown of Enugu Ezike,.. He's one hell of a guy that one can only imagine what his problems are.
He has no political value as it stands now both in his ward, council, LGA or the Enugu North Senatorial District.
And let me say,... I'm for Ugwuanyi and Sai Baba,... Until I see a more credible option ,...not all with all the miscreants vying for PDP candidacy now,..

As far as Enugu Ezike politics is concern, his political career is dead and buried. I don't count him again as a political figure we've in Enugu Ezike.
APC should not rejoice for this one, abeg.

Pls carry on. Interested and waiting

emmdam:
You can create a new account using a new email and withdraw your earnings via bank transfer to your local bank account.

Thanks for the solution. Now there's hope for me to start afresh

Pls house, I need advice
My account was suspended since last year even after I have made one sales. I've tried several times to convince them to lift the suspension but to no avail. It's still suspended since May, 2017 and I don't know what to do again to lift the suspension.
Note: it's a Nigerian account.& I have linked my payoneer account to it.
What should I do? Can I create another account, probably using another email and get approved?
Pls I need your advice

Pls I need advice
My account was suspended since last year even after I have made one sales. I've tried several times to convince them to lift the suspension but to no avail. It's still suspended since May, 2017 and I don't know what to do again to lift the suspension.
What should I do? Can I create another account, probably using another email and get approved?
Pls need good advice.
Note: it's a Nigerian account.

twosquare:
Upwork is cutting the size of its freelancers. It's now getting difficult to be accepted from the info I heard, and some accounts are being suspended permanently if you haven't garnered sales.

Although, I've foreseen something similar to this where these sites will tighten their nodes, but I'm disappointed in sites like Upwork (which I have no love for in the first instance). Looks like site will go down the drain since the essence of freelancing has been defeated through their restrictive stance.

Pls what can one do if account is suspended permanently as I am a victim of that. I lodged an appeal but was rejected, even when I have made a sale.
My question, Is it possible and advisable to remove the suspended account and reopen another? Will their system detect such? What should I do next?
The gurus in the house, your advice pls.

Aside blame game between Mr fashola and NASS, one question need to be asked. Why ministry of finance failed to release fund for the approved project throughout the budget circle? A critical project of such, no kobo was released, that's a major concern. Finance minister needs to tell us more.
Should we say it's a deliberate action not to execute the project? If money was voted for a project and was not expended in the previous budget, why increasing the budget estimate for the said project again. We play politics in everything in Nigeria. Next year we still come to the same story. Nigeria is joker

Another drama. Nigeria is finished.

Gurus in the house, pls help! Upwork suspended my account two days ago on the ground that I submitted too many proposals without successful contract. Whereas I have not even submitted up to 30 proposals in total since I joined on February this year, 2017. In average, it's less than 10 proposals per month. I can't get it.
I contacted the customer support to lift the suspension as the allegation is not justifiable but they replied saying that their decision is final and the suspension is indefinitely.
I got one job, completed it successfully, and the client even gave me 5 star review. I have $5.28 in my available account, yet they suspended it. I'm in writing niche
It seems as if upwork doesn't want newcomers to succeed in their platform.
Pls what should I do next? Any way out of this?

Mr President Buhari is weak, bereft of ideas. He just stay helpless allowing these gullible people hijack his govt & mess Nigerians up.This shows that Buhari wasn't ready to take us to promise land.
In fact he is even weaker to GEJ. We need a charismatic & visionary leader. Lord sends us help

WriteBoy:
I have read this thread from beginning to end and I now see why clients avoid Nigerian freelancers like the bubonic plague: there are a lot of unserious people posturing as freelancers.

No one said it will be easy, no one said it's a walk in the park. Only those who are willing to commit sweat equity and toil to achieve mastery of a given field within this game can really smile.

I initially started out as a writer but I had to leave writing when I discovered that it would take me at least one more year of intense practise and study to up my skills to native speaker level.

I made a switch -- I moved into ecommerce. I watched videos, bought courses, made Shopify websites, learnt Ebay listing and management, made fun Woocommerce shops, studied Magento, payment systems, Customer service, ecommerce book keeping all within a period of six months. Six months of working 7x16 hours daily.

Today, I can beat my chest with confidence and say bring it on. Bring on any aspect of ecommerce and I will handle it.

I work 60 hours per week for two clients and earn $7 and $5 per hour respectively. The two gigs that I work are both long-term gigs that could end up lasting for years as the clients are reputable US ecommerce/finance startups.

Why are my sharing this here? Because I am appalled by the low mentality of my people. My people know that they have no skills and yet want to take jobs because of the money. My people are males yet use female profiles. My people are content with earning sporadically. Whether it is peanuts or substantial matters very little and that breaks my heart.

Anyone reading this: if you can, devote the next 18 months into building your craft. First try to secure a gig that would take care of your necessities before you take the plunge. When you find a gig that you are sure can feed you, clothe you, pay for your utilities and leave a little cash in your pocket, dive in. Then while working this gig, you can continue your learning on the side.

If you do this and make yourself worldclass, forget $100 gigs or whatnot, your skills will catch the attention of the major employers who will reward you beyond your wildest dreams. A Nigerian freelancer that I know is a customer support agent at Levis.com and Aircall.com -- she regularly makes over $40K per year working 50 hours per week.

How did she do it? She spent one year studying English and how to write and speak like a native speaker. This was back in 2015. Today, she is being rewarded handsomely for her efforts.

Be wise brethren and think big.

Freelancer contributed $235B to UK economy in 2016, $450Billion to Indian economy and close to $1Trillion to US economy also in 2016. We can all join hands to make freelancing bring $50Billion to Nigeria by 2025 at least

Think big.

You're on point. I've been struggling to succeed in writing niche as a result of most of what you highlighted. One needs to develop the skills first.

samtobi:
You can choose any category of writing that deem fit to you and can also bid on any of them.

But you don't have show it on your profile that you are very good at all of them. Clients we see you as someone who is desperately waiting to devour any writing work that comes your way.

So, your cover up should be on your profile title.

You can tag it as: "prolific content writer, creative content writer, content that converts specialist," etc.

On the add-skill section, you can add related skill like :
Article writing, creative writing, content writing, copywriting, academic writing etc. They all speak the same language.

Then in your overview use top-notch description to convince client that you can help them to solve their problems.

Here is a proposal I used to get my current client. Well, it is a pinch of the entire proposal, but I think it will stand as a source of inspiration to you.

Don't copy word for word. Twist it to suit your taste.


Hi!

My name is Micheal Thomas a Native English writer from Nigeria. I have been creating remarkable contents for clients that coverts for 2 years now.

Thankfully most of my clients have left amazing tips and numerous thank you message for being the Chief cornersone to the huge returns to their investment.


I can skillfully take on your writing project. You just got to trust me on this.

I am a native English speaker, so I assure the best communication for your projects.

Based on my experience writing contents, I have personally learnt that copies that convert are the ones that come with a lot of benefits.

Through research, I have found out that most web contents fail to break even because:

1. They Fail to Personalized the Article

No personal stories to engage the audience. People are passionate, they buy things out of passion. You need to hit on that.

How do you get to know their feelngs?

Through forums and social media. You will find them talking about the challenges they face for that product.

2. Making it Salesy

The truth is nobody loved to be sold to. But your article can bring out what the readers will miss out if he fails to buy the product.

Readers want to know what they can benefit from the products.

If you hire me for this project, you are going to get much more tips in your content. And I assure you, it will converts.

Thanks and Looking forward to hearing from you.


Please note :

As a Nigerian writer you are going to face a lot of challenges. Most of these moguls, tend to trust their projects on native English speakers.

But you can break this jinx if you can secure your first job from a non-native English speaking client. Once you do a quality job, and he leaves a good rating, then you are in for business.

I wish you success in your freelance adventure.

Thanks very much. God bless you.

samtobi:
Hi,

I have gone through your profile. I'd say you are very lucky to have such account at a time when Upwork rejects profile, especially from writing niche.

Your profile overview needs some polishing. It's not competitive enough. You were talking more about yourself.

One mistake you made was that you didn't tell your client how you can help them in their project?

You also made another mistake by asserting that you are on the platform to build your career. Client wouldn't find that funny. They are in need of experts to make their project be in tip top shape.

Third one was you were sounding as if you were looking for job desperately. You were like "any writing job will do essay writing, research, article etc."

I would say that is not professional.

Why don't you position yourself as if you want to help them out in their project. Sound like a professional who wants to help clients solve their problems?


For example :


Are you looking for a freelance writer who can craft out great content that converts? Are you in need of a writer who can easily play with words and persuade your target audience to take action?

Then that writer is me. I can help you move your internet campaign to the next level.

My years of writing and harvest of positive results will improve your business geometrically.

You will be happy you finally got in touch me because of my unique freelance service that stands out from the crowd.....

And so on...



One key thing you should always bear in mind is to bring out unique features about your service and what your client stand to gain from these features.

This also applies to your proposal. On Upwork, a well crafted proposal with the right work sample counts.

Another key thing is to make sure you research and see how other successful freelancers tailored their profile. That will give you an idea on how to go about it.

Thanks very much for your constructive observation and advice. I'll make changes to that effect.
Meanwhile can I integrate academic writing with other writings like articles, blog posts etc. Should my profile just focus on one aspect? Thanks

Pls gurus in the house I need help.
After going through guides on this thread, I created upwork account since February 2017, but till date I haven't got any job. I've submitted several proposals, yet no order. Anyone with similar experience?
My niche is in writing & research (Academic writing & article writing). I'm wondering if the problem is related to the niche am into or because I opened the account as a Nigerian.
Pls I need candid advice on how to succeed as a newbie. Is the problem from my profile details or my proposals I sent? What should I do? Good suggestions pls.
Here's my profile link: https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/_~0109f533036f9de233/

Thank God. CAF is not his property

This man is sick. Some people believe this country is their property and can do whatever they like. If he's too big to wear organization's uniform he heads, then let him resign. It's custom job that pays his bills. Is he bigger than Nigeria he serves? Yeye man!

nurd:
Yes my brother. You sense foul play. Foul play of the highest order.

The best way to ensure you don't encounter this problem is to only apply to jobs posted by reputable clients. Look through their profile and see if reviews are generally positive or negative. How much they have spent on upwork.

Always apply to jobs from those who have spent significantly more, have fairly positive reviews, and are willing to obey all upwork regulations. And avoid Indians and their cohorts as someone mentioned before.

This isn't to say you should not apply to jobs where the poster is new. Just make sure there is nothing suspicious about the job, how they pay, and how they communicate.

Hope this helps...

Thanks very much. You have enlightened me more

nurd:
Welcome to the Upwork family.

1. If a client wants to know if you can do a particular job, he will ask you to submit a sample or complete a sample that is similar to the job you are applying for. If a client is asking you to deposit, it is time to report to Upwork. That client is out to scam you.

2. It is true. Skrill exists. Neteller exists. Paypal exists too. And you may need one of them to withdraw your fund later on. However, they are not meant for you to send money to a client. They should be opened for you to withdraw.

3. The client cannot pay directly into your first bank account. Although, there is now an option to withdraw directly to your bank account but the rate is very poor. It will not pay you. But you should not worry about this yet. Wait till you start earning.

Lastly, you can't know the bid range for jobs. If your account is free, you can't. But Upwork has an option to upgrade. If you upgrade (I think it is $10/month), you can see the bid range then.

I hope I've answered your questions succinctly.

Pls I need clarification. Am a newbie at upwork and freelancing generally. You people are doing a great job.
Is it genuine and possible to accept payment outside upwork after interview? I submitted proposal and this guy invited me for interview through Skype. As we reach agreement on the job, he told me that they pay weekly and it's through either skrill, PayPal , payoneer or direct transfer. That I should specify which one.
But I insisted that the payment should be through upwork and should go ahead to hire me from there. I sense foul play.
Am I right?

Pls I need clarification. Am a newbie
Is it genuine and possible to accept payment outside upwork after interview? I submitted proposal and this guy invited me for interview through Skype. As we reach agreement on the job, he told me that they pay weekly and it's through either skrill, PayPal , payoneer or direct transfer. That I should specify which one.
But I insisted that the payment should be through upwork and should go ahead to hire me from there. I sense foul play.

Am I right?

betahost247:
Reliable International Domain Name

I want to launch a forum site in particular niche just like nairaland forum and therefore needs a domain name and hosting.
Do your company's hosting come with free forum software ie SMF to enable build the forum ?
How much is the cost for domain name & Hosting?
How reliable is your company?
Is it possible to move my site to another hosting company anytime if your service is poor without loosing my data?
I have heard many stories about Nigeria hosting companies and therefore pls I need your candid response.

obasy09:
You are welcome on board.

1. As newbie, how can I provide a sample work done if clients request for such as I have not delivered any job?

You just tell them that you are a professional and that your clients have exclusive right to your write-up. You would have loved to share but if you do, you will be violating agreement reached with your clients. If you have a personal write-up that you are sure is good, provide it.

2. What skills you recommend me to acquire in order to brush up?
* Academic writing skills as being taught here and elsewhere
* Data coding and analysis technique (e.g. SPSS, Advanced Excel, Nvivo etc)
* Desktop publishing (Ms word, Ms Excel, powerpoint, etc)
* Learn how to use Bibliography management softwares (e.g. Zotero, Endnotes, Mendeley)

3. Any other info that I can help to succeed

*Be creative and believe in your ability and of course the Almighty (if you are theist).

Thanks Bro. I have to retrain myself on those tools

obasy09:
Welcome on board bro. I can perceive it, with due diligence, the knowledge acquired so far will soon begin to bring the $$$. Relax, your story is about to change.

@ Oga obasy09 & co.Thanks for this selfless service you are rendering to us, your fellow human beings . God bless you.
Pls am a newbie. I have read through this thread and other related threads and am enticed by this academic writing because am good at it, not as guru though. During my school days I helped many students and even some lecturers in writing research project and thesis. My field is in accounting cum management . I can say I have skills in this aspect and I love doing it. I believe I can succeed here with more training and research.

Pls questions:
1. As newbie, how can I provide a sample work done if clients request for such as I have not delivered any job?
2. What skills you recommend me to acquire in order to brush up?
3. Any other info that I can help to succeed.
I want to come here to share my testimony in shortest time.
Thanks a lot

Thanks a lot Davide470. I have received it. God bless

The company(Banner Energy Ltd) invited me for written test which comes up next week. I submitted my C.V as an accountant.
Pls I need a guide. Has anyone written test with them? What is the test like? What writing materials do they require?
I need any useful information to help write the test successfully. Your guide and advice will be appreciated. Pls help. Thanks

This one too has entered one chance. It's now a routine that every month we will hear all these media propaganda in the name of fighting corruption. Since inception of this government no single month will pass without all these media bohaha. It's now becoming clear that it's a ploy to divert citizens attention to economic realities that face us as a country. We the helpless citizens will be bombarding ourselves with accusations and the so called leaders will be laughing. And guess who benefit from this? The media & communication companies are the ones benefiting from these propaganda.
Black man will never change. It's a pity

femi4:
The answer to the bolded is very easy. If your mp3 message is 3mins and the caller drop the call at 2 mins, using £1.5 per min, the charge will be £1.5x2 instead of £1.5x3

I just got into this thread and am interested in it. Pls can someone send me the eBook. My email: easysunny247@gmail.com. Pls help me. Thanks