Working at Home on the Internet

This Community Is Our Community

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Covering for Joe Haukes, this is Carolyn Manning:

Today it feels like I’m at an old-fashioned barn raising; as if I’m giving part of me to my neighbor.

When Joe asked me to do a guest post here, my first thought was “Wow!” Well, it was the first such request and it’s very special.

We talked about different topics, his favorite being our community. Why not? It’s as wonderful and as unique a community as we could ever hope to envelope us.

What we all have is an unusual bond; it’s more unusual because, contrary to traditional neighborhood or work alliances, we’ve managed to build something that revels in human feeling. It’s not superficial. Don’t tell me you don’t have that “wow!” feeling whenever a fellow blogger emails you or calls you or links to you. (Disclaimer: maybe my experience with offline communities hasn’t been good; maybe I’m prejudiced toward the blogging community, without giving full chance to others. No offence intended.)

Somewhere, in a comment, I wrote something to the effect that we, as bloggers, as the reporters of our time, are an historic group. We live together, no matter the miles apart Rosa Say, Talking Story (the distance between Pennsylvania and Hawaii); we understand each other, no matter the cultural or language barriers Klearchos Kapoutsis, Klearchos Guide to the Galaxy (the difference between Engish and Greek); we respect and love each other simply because we want to respect and love each other SOBCon07 (no difference at all).

Last week, Sharon Sarmiento Nomadic web workers follow in Hemingway’s footsteps at 901am, where she talked about the early 20th century days in Paris when Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, et al, were known as the ‘Lost Generation’. In reply, Robert Bruce, Knife Gun Pen, made mention that those of us working with words on blogs today are known as the ‘Mediocre Generation’.

Nothing against Robert Bruce (or the source of his comment), but the care and affection, the love and positive interaction we have with each other is anything but mediocre. We are the equivalent to the farmers helping to build the barns of their neighbors. The only difference is that our neighborhood has been expanded and we’re building internet careers.

My feeling about this community parallels that of most of you. And, you just wait. In a hundred years, they’ll call us historic.

March 22nd, 2007 at 05:57am | Posted by Joe | Guest Writer's Articles | 14 reader remarks | Print This Post

How Virtual Friends Become 3-D Friends

 

Something I found out today… Virtual friends can become REAL 3-D Friends pretty quick.  Even without ever meeting them in person, face-to-face.

I talked to a few of my Online friends today and None of them had any Hesitation whatsoever when I asked if they would help cover for me while I deal with the Family Matters at hand.

Boy, you guys are in for a treat for the next few days. Here is a list of the Bloggers, Friends and all around Good People who will be writing at Working at Home on the Internet for the duration.

Tomorrow (Thursday)… Carolyn Manning from Thoughts & Philosophies

Friday… Working at Home Blog Carnival (as always).

Saturday… Chris Cree from SuccessCREEations

Sunday… The regular Weekly Helpful Reads

Monday… ME “Liz” Strauss from Successful Blog

Tuesday… Lara Kulpa from Anubis Marketing

I asked them to write something at the last minute and I have no idea what each post will be about. But, I know them all well enough to give you a Money Back GUARANTEE that you will ENJOY each and every post.

Thanks to my Guest Writers (Friends) and to All of You for your Sincere Good Wishes.

Joe

March 21st, 2007 at 10:16pm | Posted by Joe | Attitude, Community, Guest Writer's Articles | 5 reader remarks | Print This Post

Guest Writer, Marcia Passos Duffy

 Marcia Passos Duffy (shown with Sadie) is a Freelance Writer, Author and Publisher who has been writing for over 20 years. She also owns her own Internet publishing business, Backporch Publishing, which publishes The Heart of New England, an online magazine, and Home Office Weekly. She also provides writing consulting services and co-owns a personal history and memoir publishing company, LifeStories.

It is my pleasure to introduce Marica.

Should you Start a Home Business? Nine Questions to Ask Before You Take the Plunge

If you have a 9 to 5 job, you no doubt have had some very pleasant daydreams about working from home. You know the kind: you wake up any time you like, put your feet up on your desk (complete with your fuzzy slippers), blithely start a load of laundry between phone calls, happily plant flowers during your lunch break, grab your laptop and head to the park with your kids.

Working from home is the dream of millions of corporate workers who would love the freedom of being their own boss. While there is a definite upside to working at home (yes, you can wear your fuzzy slippers whenever you like!), do you really know what it takes to work day-in, day-out from your home?

There are certain characteristics of a successful home business owner that have little to do with the love of unfettered freedom (although that certainly does help).

Before you take the leap and join the ranks of the 20+ million Americans working from home, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit?

You need to be self-assured and have an “I can do it myself” attitude. Period. Okay, you can have your weak moments, but overall, you do need to have confidence in yourself and your talents and the ability to communicate that to other people, namely, your potential clients.

2. Do you have a working knowledge of finance, marketing, record-keeping and secretarial skills?

Don’t be fooled into thinking that because you’re “the boss” that you are exempt from grunt work including dusting your own office furniture and backing up your own computer files. While there may come a time when you can hire people to do this for you, you will drive yourself into bankruptcy if you have a prima-dona attitude.

3. Are you an expert at something?

You need to have a solid idea of what kind of business you will have at home. Having several years of experience in your line of work in the corporate arena will be invaluable in helping you get clients which will be the lifeblood of your business.

4. Do you have a cushion?

Not only for your chair, but in your bank account. You will either need a spouse working full-time with benefits and/or three to six months of living expenses tucked away in a savings account.

5. Can you work alone?

Can you live without the water-cooler gossip, meetings, lunch with colleagues every day? Running a home business can be a lonely proposition. However, this can be remedied by joining a network of other work-at-home professionals or your local Chamber of Commerce. Once you’ve made those connections that sense of being trapped on a desert island will begin to disappear.

6. Do you have a strong work ethic?

If you work from home, it is all too easy to get distracted by things that have nothing to do with work like Internet chat rooms, the TV, the neighbors, you name it — and can easily sap your time, which IS money.

7. Do you have the support of your family?

Working from home can seem like you are not working at all, after all, who is looking over your shoulder? It is easy for family members not to take what you do seriously, particularly if you don’t take yourself or your business seriously.  Make sure you set yourself up with an office that is not used for anything else this is particularly important for tax purposes if you want to deduct the space of your home office. You also need to explain your work arrangements with your friends, former coworkers and family and set definite office hours so you will not be endlessly interrupted by family members or friends who discover you’re “at home” and available to run errands.

8. Do you have passion, a vision, and a desire to succeed?

You need to love what you do. A threadbare cliche? Perhaps, but at the end of the day, what’s the point of having a home business if you are not nuts about it? That zeal is what will get you through the rough spots and keep you plugging away when you start to think that maybe you’re crazy for starting a home business.

9. Do you know how to keep it all in balance?

Ironically, running a home business can leave you little time to be with your family because you’re always working. It is important to be able to put up a strong barrier between your family life and work life. Not doing this will lead to burn-out and very strained family relationships. And, isn’t that why you wanted to leave corporate life in the first place?

About the author: Marcia Passos Duffy has worked happily from home for over 10 years. She is a freelance writer and the publisher/editor of Home Office Weekly, a free online publication to help the novice and seasoned home business owner successfully work and live under the same roof.

To find out more about Marcia and her expertise, visit her page on The Heart of New England/business writing services page.

Technorati Tags: Marcia Passos Duffy, Work at Home, Freelancing, Writers, Guest Writer

February 12th, 2007 at 06:09am | Posted by Joe | Guest Writer's Articles, Work at Home | reader remarks | Print This Post