Not too long ago, I finally signed up to become my local Women’s Issues Examiner. Although I’ve known about Examiner for some time and I know several people who became Examiners long before I did, it wasn’t until I learned about their referral program, or the opportunity to post backlinks, that I finally decided to take the plunge.

Examiner.com specializes in citizen journalism and Examiners (the official title given to writers) are awarded for their efforts in one of three ways:

1. Compensated per article (A dollar or two if certain conditions are met)

2. Compensated for page views (Which is never a guarantee, but some writers are doing well in this area)

3. Compensated for referrals (Up to $50 per referral if the person is accepted to write for Examiner and publishes at least one article)

My Little PayPal Surprise

I’d planned to put a lot more effort into writing for Examiner, but, so far, my schedule hasn’t allowed me to do so. Which is why I was uber surprised to receive a $52.73 PayPal payment from them recently. Completely unbeknownst to me, I’d helped someone plug into Examiner and was awarded a $50 referral fee. While I hadn’t signed up for this, I was nonetheless pleased that someone else had discovered the site and that they were kind enough to credit me as their referrer.

My Personal Reasons for Becoming an Examiner

One of the primary reasons why I applied for the position, however, is because it offers a high traffic platform to publish articles about a variety of different topics, of which one my favorites happens to be women’s issues (there are TONS more to choose from, however). I’ll admit that it’s been a little tricky figuring out how to relate these issues to my geographical location, but, luckily, Examiner doesn’t force writers to ONLY write on issues relating to their specific areas. As long as we occasionally do so, we’re allowed to write from a broader perspective.

Google Juice!

Now, the other reason I applied is because Examiner is a PR4 do-follow site that allows writers to backlink to their own personal websites and articles. For those of you unfamiliar with what this means, Examiner has a little Google juice and they’re not stingy about sharing it with their writers. This means that, as long as I don’t go crazy doing so, I can promote this website, as well as articles that I write for other sites and for private clients. For freelance writers and webmasters, this is a good thing!

Other Examiner.com Benefits and Possibilities

With Examiner, there are no deadlines to follow and, after publishing the first time, writers are pretty much left alone to do their own thing. Like I mentioned earlier, some are making quite a bit of money off of page views at Examiner and there are stories on their forums about Examiners getting book deals, being mentioned on popular mainstream news shows and being granted press passes to special events.

The Brawn Behind the Brand

It doesn’t hurt that billionaire Philip Anschultz is the main investor in Clarity Media Group, which is Examiner.com’s parent company. Anschultz also has major investments in the Los Angeles Lakers, AEG, The Staples Center, The Home Depot Center and the O2 Arena in London, England. His involvement with the brand gives me comfort in that it’s not a fly-by-night operation and that the powers that be are working hard behind the scenes to establish the brand as a front runner in citizen journalism.

Passive Income, Anyone?

I realize that some writers aren’t into the whole idea of writing for passive income. But for those who are (or who, like me, prefer a mix of upfront payments and residual payments), Examiner is worth looking into. Even if you’re not a writer, per se, but you are passionate about a particular cause or hobby, Examiner is also a great place to advertise news, information and events.

If you’re interested in applying for an Examiner position, sign up here and be sure to let them know that I referred you (you can use my name or my referral I.D. 50714). The application is pretty painless and it does involve a criminal background check (no charge for this), but most Examiners are approved in less than a week.

If you have any questions about writing for Examiner or if you’re an Examiner and you have anything to add to this post, please feel free to use the comment box below.

More information on making money with Freelance Writing

Work at Home Jobs for Moms are Green!

Work at home jobs for moms help stay at home moms make money, they allow women the opportunity to put their skills and talents to marketable use and they are helping to save the planet in the process. Upon first hearing this statement some may miss the truth it contains. Consider these ways in which work from home opportunities are actually green jobs:

1. Lower carbon emissions – This one is almost too easy to spot, but considering that every day (quote emissions) drive to work while spewing toxic emissions into the atmosphere, work at home jobs for mom… (insert more). Now we know that our fellow workers are also concerned about the planet and, therefore, carpool, take the bus or a train to work, but even if a work at home job requires a mom to travel to the office even one day per week, she is doing far more to save the environment than her counterparts who don’t have this same choice.

2. Lower energy costs – Besides carbon fuel emissions, work at home jobs for moms make it possible for women to control their energy usage by using less lighting. Instead of lighting an entire office with flourescent lighting, the average work at home mom uses a single overhead light or lamp (which we hope is energy efficient). Or, when the weather is right, work at home moms may even choose to do what I’m doing now, which is working outdoors under the power of free, natural sunlight.

3. Less paper – The majority of work at home jobs for moms are done by phone or the Internet. While these obviously save on paper usage (as a freelance writer my office is almost completely paperless), even the hiring process for most work at home opportunities are able to be done without paper. From applications to resumes to actual interviews, many of which are done online or by telephone, far less paper is used when women work from home offices.

In what ways have working from home helped you become more “green”?

Work at home medical billing is a popular search term for those hoping to break into the industry. Advertisements for courses in medical billing and coding are frequently advertised on the web, and many are curious about their legitimacy and how easy it is to access a work at home medical billing job. Because of this, we decided to take a closer look at this opportunity to try to determine whether or not work at home medical billing is a realistic choice among work at home jobs for moms.

What is Medical Billing?

To better understand this work from home opportunity, it’s best to start at the beginning with defining what medical billing is. Because doctors are paid by insurance companies, invoices detailing services rendered must be filled out for each patient a doctor sees and each procedure offered. Different insurance companies require different codes to describe services. In order for the physician to be paid on time or paid at all, claims require intricate coding knowledge details and are frequently denied due to the slightest error.  A medical biller is a specially trained person hired for the specific task of completing and submitting these rather complex invoices, without which, a doctor is not paid.

Barriers to Finding Telecommuting Work at Home Medical Billing Jobs

Because of the risk to a doctor’s income, as well as the potential financial risk to patients held responsible for rejected insurance claims, we are left to wonder how many doctors are apt to allow someone inexperienced to work at home medical billing on their behalf. This is not to say that this is not a worthwhile career choice or that work at home medical billing is not possible. It is a great career of which many experienced professionals are able to do from home. We only wish to highlight the fact that, beyond training, a new medical billing specialist may not immediately be able to find a telecommuting position.

Good News for Highly Experienced Medical Billers

A seasoned specialist, however, may be able to enjoy a work at home medical billing job particularly if a relationship of trust and dependability is built with a physician or a medical group by working on-site first. In some instances, work at home medical billing positions may even be offered to experienced professionals who have not worked on site, but come highly recommended by other professionals. In all, it is possible to find work at home medical billing jobs, but they may not be as easy to secure as some of the advertisements in this genre would have us believe.

Have you been told that you have a unique writing style? Or that you’re a talented writer? Are you often asked to help friends and family members write letters or create resumes? If you like to write and others recognize the knack that you have for doing so, consider becoming a freelance writer.

As you can tell by the work from home opportunities we offer, freelance writers are in demand. As a writer, you’re able to set your own hours, your own rates and create multiple streams of income by writing for individuals, companies and yourself. Few work at home jobs for moms offer the flexibility and income potential that freelance writing does.

We’ll do our best to help you by continuing to post freelance writing gigs in our job leads section. We’ve also created a special page to give you the 4-1-1 on how you can begin a career as a freelance writer today.  Take a while to explore the opportunity and we’re convinced that if you have raw writing talent, you can begin a new career “write” now!

For some, working at home is a full time job, which includes weekends. This can be quite challenging to those with young children or a spouse who has worked all week, and wants to engage in recreational or social activities as a family on the weekend. So, what does a work at home mom do? How does she balance work, life and family on the weekends? Here are our suggestions:

1. Rise and grind…earlier! We know that weekends were made for sleeping in, but a work at home mom may need to sacrifice a few Zs in order to get the job done. A few extra hours before everyone wakes up can free you up for fun family time later in the day.

2. Devise a weekend schedule. Unless your work at home job entails predetermined shifts, work out your own schedule that is different than your weekday schedule. If you don’t have to work an 8 hour work day, don’t. Perhaps you can work 2 hours in the morning, before your family arises, and 2 hours in the evening after everyone’s settling down.

3. Take your laptop with you and hit the road. A portable office means that you can work from just about anywhere. As a location independent professional, learn how to work in spurts while away from home and you’ll be surprised at how much you can actually get accomplished while spending time with your family.

During Superbowl 2009, I had a ton of work due the following day, but my husband and I were also invited to a party. Not much of a sports fan, I attended the party, was sociable before the kickoff and, while everyone was shouting at the television, I hammered away at work. I admit to not being much for multi-tasking, so if I can pull this off, anyone can.

4. Don’t be a superwoman. Unless you absolutely must work on the weekend, limit the time that you spend doing so. It’s okay to be passionate about your job or career, but be careful not to burn yourself (and your family) out by doing too much. Set realistic goals for yourself AND set limits…and stick to them!

5. Remember your priorities. Work is important, but so is family. Chances are that you don’t get to spend a whole lot of time together during the week as you all move in different directions. While your work at home job must be treated with respect, your family should always come first. If your telecommuting position is taking up all of your free time…time that should be spent creating memories with your family…it may be time to reprioritize or even explore other work from home opportunities.

Hopefully these tips will help you strike a balance between working from home on the weekends and having a life with family and friends. I know some of you have been at this for a while and can probably share a few additional insightful tips. So, what are some of your best strategies for working at home on the weekend?

A few days ago, I heard about several unfortunate employees who were in hot water for cashing checks for their employer. While I don’t know the exact details, it sounded alarmingly similar to a common work at home scam where a crook sends a large check or money order and requests that a work at home employee cash it, pocket a small portion and forward the rest of the money to the thief. While the scenario sounds almost identical, there is one glaring difference: the employer in question ran a brick and mortar business and all of the employees worked on site.

The lesson here? Scam artists do not only lurk behind Internet pseudonyms, but many of them are hiding in plain sight. With this knowledge, it’s important to never let your guard down. While work at home jobs for moms often bear a bad rep thanks to scammers, this sort of thing can happen to anyone anywhere and at any time if people aren’t careful.

It’s unfortunate that work at home jobs for moms are sometimes harshly prejudged or met with extreme skepticism. As we know, legitimate work at home jobs for moms DO exist. It can be particularly hard when your own friends and family members don’t take your work at home job searching seriously, but you may want to remind them that  we hear of scams existing everywhere from Wall Street (Bernie Madoff, anyone?) to Main Street.

Just thought you could use a little reminder that thieves don’t just stick to work at home jobs for moms. Be careful out there!

Does your spouse support your search for work from home opportunities? If so, you’re quite lucky to have a partner who understands the importance of, and the benefits associated with, at home jobs. However, not all women are as blessed. For some, their husbands are not convinced that searching for work at home job leads is a good use of their time, particularly when the economy is in the state that it’s in and the bills are due.

The following tips may help your spouse understand how a work at home job can actually benefit your family beyond a paycheck:

• Childcare costs are eliminated when moms are able to work from home.
• Without the need to commute, it is not unusual for work at home moms to work more than one job (thus, increasing the family’s bottom line).
• Work at home jobs afford moms greater scheduling flexibility, which helps in the smooth running of a household, caring for loved ones, etc.
• Transportation costs are lower in work at home jobs for moms and are often even nonexistent. (There are no bridge tolls, no fuel costs, no auto maintenance costs, etc. when employees telecommute full time)
• Auto insurance costs are sometimes less for telecommuters.
• Time saved by not commuting to and from work can be invested back into the household and, in particular, into the children.
• In some work at home opportunities, such as those frequently found in freelance writing, moms are paid as work is completed instead of having to wait for monthly or bi-weekly pay.
• Children benefit the most when at least one parent works within the home and is available for their daily needs.
• Moms who work from home often report less stress than if they worked outside of the home. Happy wife, happy life! (Okay, maybe I’ve watched a few too many episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but it’s true, right?)

It is possible that your partner is not familiar with these and other benefits of work at home jobs. Because of this, it is likely that they are missing the big picture and their lack of support is actually just a lack of knowledge. It’s also likely that your spouse has been hoodwinked by the myth that all work at home jobs are scams and doesn’t understand all of the time that you’re spending searching for jobs on the Internet.

Work from home jobs are offered in a variety of industries and are performed by a diverse mix of workers from all skill levels, but if your husband doesn’t know this, he’s missing valuable information. Taking the time to understand your spouse’s concerns while, at the same time, offering real information on the future of work at home jobs can do wonders in quelling disputes about searching for work from home opportunities.

So, what’s your best advice for convincing a spouse about the benefits of work at home jobs for moms?

As technology continues to advance, we predict that work from home opportunities will too. If you are currently employed, but would like to stay home with your family, you’ve come to the right place to assist you in finding work at home jobs for moms. However, also consider presenting your employer with the idea of working from home in your current position. While she may not take to the idea overnight, if you clearly present your case and prove yourself worthy of such consideration, you may find that your work out of the home job could be transformed into a telecommute position.

Talking to Your Employer About Telecommuting

If you have a job that you can perform at home and you believe you’re ready to join the telecommute brigade, begin by mustering  your courage and asking your employer for permission to work one or two days per week from home during a brief trial period. She’ll surely need more convincing, and the following benefits of telecommuting may help:

Telecommuting Benefits That Your Boss Will Love:

• Allowing employees to work from home decreases levels of job dissatisfaction and increases employee retention. Tread carefully with this one, as you don’t want to give the impression that you’re tired of your job, but do present it as a benefit, overall.
• Employees who telecommute help create a greener environment by reducing carbon emissions, reducing office energy costs and reducing overall oil consumption.
• Telecommuting saves on overhead costs (less space is needed, as well as fewer resources used).
• When faced with intense weather barriers or natural disasters, employees who work from home are often able to continue in that capacity without severe interruptions. (No more sick days used due to being snowed in or due to blocked roads, etc.)
• Employees who work from home tend to take fewer days off from work due to illness or family emergencies.
• Work at home jobs for moms tend to be less stressful and afford workers the flexibility that they desire in a work schedule, thus decreasing the chances of losing employees due to job-related stress.

If your boss needs further convincing or doubts your claims, simply direct her to the Benefits of Telework, published by the U.S. General Services Administration and the Telework Exchange. In this 14-page pdf report, she can read all about the pros associated with work from home opportunities and, hopefully, will open the door for other employees to enjoy these benefits, as well.

Taking an Inch When You Want a Mile

Don’t expect her to embrace the idea right away and don’t expect her to allow you to work a full 40 hour work week at home right off the bat. But even if she agrees to let you work at home a few days each week, doing so can make a huge difference in your life. As business owners and other employers become aware of the benefits, as well as the growing trend in work at home jobs for moms, we just may find an increase in traditional positions making the switch to telecommuting positions, after all.

If you’re an employee who has managed to turn your work out of the home job into a work at home job, we’d love to hear from you. Any thought or tips for those wishing to follow in your footsteps?

Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to check out today’s JOB LEADS before you go!

What You See…

Finding legitimate telecommute jobs takes a concentrated effort. We know this because we put forth such an effort every weekday, as we gather and post leads on the latest work at home jobs for moms. With our finger on the pulse of the home-based job market, we often find work from home opportunities among the most unexpected careers. We’re talking about job descriptions that can catch you totally off guard like work at home pharmacy jobs, triage nursing by phone or even online jurors. While few ever imagined that any of these duties could be performed in a telecommute position, they are and we’ll continue to tell you about them as they cross our radar.

And What You Don’t See…

However, we also come across ads for telecommute positions that you’ll never see here. By all appearances these are legitimate jobs and respectable careers, but we don’t provide leads to them for one reason and one reason only: they aren’t real telecommute jobs!

I can sense your confusion, so let me explain.

For some odd reason, a lot of employers list jobs as being telecommute positions when they’re anything but. I mean, can a cab driver really telecommute? And, if so, how? Or what about a cook, an auto mechanic or a security guard? How on earth can a person be hired to drive a car or guard a business while working from home? Crazy, right? Yet, each of these are jobs that we frequently see advertised as telecommuting positions. I suspect that some employers are confused about what telecommuting means or perhaps the people posting these ads are confusing the word telecommute with telecommunicate (which still wouldn’t make sense in most cases, but whatever).

What You Need to Know

Regardless of how they occur, we thought it important to bring this oft-made error to your attention for a few reasons. For one, we want you to know that you’re not crazy. Yes, the word telecommute refers to working from home and, yes, it is a keyword you should continue to use in your job searching efforts. We understand that it’s frustrating to have to filter through these “errors”, but it’s just something you’re going to have to live with while you’re between gigs.

Beyond Words

We also want to warn you not to take for granted that a job is a work at home job simply because it’s advertised as a telecommute position. Don’t be surprised when you apply for what you think is a home-based position only to find that the employer actually expects you to report for a 40 hour work week on site! Therefore, read ads very carefully and look for other clues within the text to be sure that it is a real work from home opportunity. And never be afraid to ask if something just doesn’t seem right.

Please Stop!

And if you’re an employer, please PLEASE don’t list jobs as telecommute positions if they’re not really work from home opportunities! The mere mention of this word makes us all giddy inside and it’s really not fun to discover that our dream work at home job is actually a work at “your home” or a work at “your home office” job. When it comes to telecommute opportunities, we’d like nothing more than for you to mean what you say and say what you mean.

Ok, so you’ve read and implemented our tips on avoiding interruptions, but your friends and family just refuse to leave you alone while you’re working from home. Now, it’s time to try our guerilla tips for shutting everyone up and out while you get your work done:

1. Keep working ~ I recall interrupting a reporter at the Los Angeles Times while he was hard at work on a story, undoubtedly rushing against a deadline. However, I needed his attention and could not wait, so I approached his desk fully expecting him to turn his attention to me. Not only did he call me a pest and quite pointedly tell me to scat, but he never stopped typing and never looked up from his keyboard. I persisted in speaking with him while he persisted in ignoring me. Ultimately, I did get him to look up for a second (and only a second!) to acknowledge my issue, but that was only because I had to (I had my own deadlines and needed his attention). However, most people are not as persistent and can take a strong hint like this to mean that your work from home job is your top priority during working hours.

2. Your speakerphone is your friend ~ In work at home jobs for moms, the telephone is sometimes a big part of our job description. If powering down isn’t an option for you, consider hands-free conversations as your next best option. If you have long-winded clients or personal acquaintances who tend to interrupt you by phone, simply place them on speakerphone whenever they call. Most people hate having conversations by speaker and will most likely be in a hurry to end a call once they discover that their conversation is being publicly broadcasted. (Doesn’t hurt to place the phone right next to your keyboard so that the caller can hear the sounds of you working and feel free to sound a little distracted when you speak just to emphasize the point. Hey, these are guerilla tactics, remember!)

3. Read the signs ~ Place a sign on your front door that lets visitors know that, “If you did not phone, I’m not at home” and remain engaged in your work from home job while ignoring drop-in guests during your business hours. Later, you can explain that you placed the sign on your front door in an attempt to avoid interruptions and distractions. Your visitor may be slightly offended, but they will understand that work at home jobs for moms are serious business and not to be taken lightly.

4. Relocate ~ If your spouse or children are too much of a distraction while you’re working from home, consider packing up and moving shop to your nearest coffee house (with a Wi-Fi connection, of course). Be sure to take a set of headphones with you to block the sounds of other customers, put some relaxing music on and enjoy a few hours of uninterrupted working bliss.

5. Use an egg timer ~ When callers or visitors interrupt, immediately reach for your egg timer. Set it for 5 minutes and kindly let your intruder know that you are doing so because you can only spare a few minutes for their issue. Be polite about this and then give them your full attention until the timer goes off. When the alarm sounds, be firm in telling them that you will have to continue this conversation after hours (this is also a good time to reiterate your working hours to them, so that they are clear about your schedule).

Work at home jobs for moms are no different than outside the home jobs. Just because you work from home, does not mean that you are there for everyone’s personal whims. Of course, you must take regular breaks and be available for your family if they truly need you, but for frivolous interruptions, these guerilla tips for avoiding interruptions and distractions can go a long way to keep them at a minimum.

If you have other tips to share, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.