Costa Rica Travel Surf Expat blog for Norm Schriever

Seth Godin’s blog posts are ridiculously short…and that’s awesome.

4/11/2014

As a blogger and lifelong bumbling marketer, I look to articles by people who are “Internet famous,” in order to advance my craft. One of the best I’ve found is Seth Godin; 20-time author, marketing philosopher, and ultra-cool über-nerd with funky eyeglasses.

I signed up for Mr. Godin’s blog and receive his wisdom in my inbox every morning. To be honest, when I read his first blog post, it was so short, I thought it was a mistake.

Maybe he was having a busy day and didn’t have time to write much? I envisioned him hacking away at his iPad as his taxi was stuck in New York City gridlock, only to jump out, slide across the hood action-hero-style, throw the cabbie a 20 and say “Keep the change, Joe!” and sprint uptown toward his office, his assistant racing to keep up without spilling his boss’s latte. Then again, I don’t even know where Mr. Godin lives or if he’s got an assistant or even likes coffee, but that’s how I picture the life of this dazzlingly-successful entrepreneezy.

But day after day, the lack of length was confirmed:
Seth’s blogs are short.
Ridiculously short.
Comically short.

In fact, the first thing you think when you see his posts (without reading them,) is, “Wow, that’s really not a lot of words.” I actually started counting. His word count can be anywhere from 60 words to 360, with most posts averaging less than 200 words.

That’s remarkable in this day and age when writers tend to prattle on (I’m guilty, your honor!) Most blog posts reach 700-800 words, and there are too many that look like an endless sea of words. But Seth Godin’s blogs can be washed down in one easy gulp.

I’m here to tell you, that’s awesome. And the more I learn about him and his work, I doubt it’s an accident. Why?

A blog is supposed to be one thought. That’s it.
The point of a blog is to get the reader thinking, not tell them what you think.
No one ever reads Seth’s blogs and says, “Gosh, I wish there were more words.”
Written messages are unique in that the less you write, the more perceived value the reader attaches to them.
In fact, I find myself rereading Seth Godin’s posts, to let the content really sink in.
Brevity conveys the author values the reader’s time and intelligence, not busying them with fluff.
You never close out one of his posts because you've lost interest.
If anything, you end it and wonder if there’s more. That’s the first rule of show biz – always leave them wanting more. The reader is more apt to pay attention and pay the ultimate tribute – click through to is website.
How wonderful that we can differentiate ourselves with what we don’t write. We can give the reader the gift of space to think and breathe.

But I’m afraid I’ve said too much, already- over 500 words! So to wrap it all up, I’ve learned a lot from Mr. Godin’s ridiculously short blog posts. And Mr. Godin; if you ever need someone to run behind you in traffic while holding your latte, give me a call – I have a lot to learn.

-Norm :-)

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Check ignition and may God's love be with you.

1/28/2014

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Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was weightless, floating in the zero gravity environment of the International Space Station 200 miles above the surface of the earth. If spending 5 months in the space station and posting videos about everyday life up there wasn't vanguard enough, what the 53-year old Hadfied did next came to capture the hearts and imaginations of millions of people back here on earth:

He pulled out a guitar and sang “Space Oddity,” by David Bowie. In space.

His acoustic guitar floating with him, Hadfield’s well-rehearsed version did falsetto justice to the Bowie original:

“This is Major Tom to ground control,
I’m stepping through the door,
And I’m floating in the most peculiar way,
And the stars look very different today…”

At face value, the 1973 hit by iconic rocker David Bowie was a futuristic sci-fi ballad about Major Tom, a lone astronaut in space, but the deeper themes are about exploration of the human condition, the courage to be different, and the conflicting emotions of the detachment it takes to truly be free in this universe.

Of course Hadfield left out the part where Major Tom reports problems to ground control, and even inserted his own name in the song a couple times. Since its release and worldwide popularity, the whole team successfully came back to earth and Major Tom, err Chris Hadfield has retired from the space program, as planned. Just like in the song Major Tom makes it back to earth and is celebrated by the press and his fans as a hero, but the real reward was a few solitary moments orbiting the earth and the view from the dark starry heavens that belonged only to him.

My friend told me about this video last night and I was immediately moved by both the vulnerability and depth of it. Coincidentally, I began listening to Bowie’s classic a few weeks ago as I write as an eerily-dreamy reminder that no one ever accomplishes anything important by keeping their feet on the ground.

What really fascinates me is how unique Hadfield’s solo-above-the-stratosphere truly is. He did something that no one, and I mean NO ONE, in the history of the earth has done. That’s remarkable when you consider the thousands of years of mankind’s modern history and the fact that there have been 100 billion people on earth. Think about that – there are infinite possibilities to create, to do something different, to be the conscious ground control in the mission of our own lives. As time goes on you’d think that we as a race of artists and dreamers and explorers had LESS ideas to launch, but instead inexplicably we have more, exponentially it seems. What a pure, weightless experience; to summon the courage to be an innovator and let your imagination soar into its own orbit. Art, writing, music, creation, ambient knowledge - they keep expanding into previously dark and empty corners of our existence to give us warmth. The democratization of ideas, our social web of conscience, people helping others a world away who they’ve never seen and will never know - interconnectedness like never before. Somehow the world is getting bigger and smaller at the same time, spinning out of control but also hugged tightly by a gravity much bigger than ourselves.

I can only conclude that it’s our nature to keep launching into the unknown of the human psyche, just to test how far our light may spread while others look up and pray for our safe return. This song, a soul floating in the atmosphere of endless possibility, Hadfield’s cold, silent journey a little bit farther into our humanity, somehow all encompass the best of our collective spirit, a spirit that is, by definition, exactly as vast as anything and everything we don't know, an idea so beautiful it makes our tears flow up.

Well done, Major Tom.

-Norm :-)

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33 FREE BOOK MARKETING TOOLS

8/30/2013

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Writing and publishing a book can be overwhelming enough, but when you're done and feel like sitting back and relaxing, it dawns on you that someone has to market the damn thing - and that unlucky someone is you!

But with the proper know-how, some focused time, and a lot of hard work you can set up a solid marketing campaign and sell a bazillion copies. The good news is that it doesn't have to cost you much, or anything at all.

When I wrote my first two books I was broke even by starving artist standards, living with the locals in the Third World countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua with no possessions. But I had time, and a lot of hustle, so I compiled this list of free marketing tools:

1. Build a website – I prefer one with an integrated blog, analytics, etc. like Weebly. They have a free membership, or an inexpensive upgrade to a pro account. To see an example, click here. Cost: $0

2. Set up a PayPal account – Set up an account so you’ll be able to sell books right off of your website, from your blog, or even by sending an email link. Cost: $0

3. Mailing labels – These will come in handy if you are sending out books yourself. There are organizations who will do a sample roll, as will Vista Print. Cost: $0

4. Order business cards – Vista Print will give you 250 one-sided, full color cards for free if you don’t mind their logo on the back. Cost: $0

5. Offer to speak – Organizations like your local Rotary, Kiwanis Club, and Chamber of Commerce are always looking for speakers. Talk about the topic of your book, without blatantly trying to sell books. Cost: $0 (and you might even get a free lunch out of it!)

6. Contact your public library – Most libraries will provide a forum for authors to do readings and book events for free, and often do a good job of promoting it. They may even highlight your book if you are a local author. Cost: $0

7. Make a video trailer – A fast paced, fun video with great music will engage people and promote your book 100x better than simple text. I use iMovie, and my existing songs from iTunes, my photos, and voiceovers. There are even ways to download existing videos from YouTube and edit out parts and use them in your video (with permission, of course). Cost: $0 (Check out the videos for my first book, and the second)

8. Shoot author videos – I love shooting short videos talking about my book, the topic, or even reading. A cool technique is to shoot a video of you (the author) saying thank you for buying the book, which you can host on YouTube, and then every time someone buys one you can post it on their Facebook or email them the link. Cost: $0 You can see my thank you video here.

9. Sign up for Pinterest – If you are looking for a demographic of 80% women who are educated people and make over $100,000 in the household, Pinterest is for you! You’ll need some really clever images or infographics to use, but we’ll talk about those later. Cost: $0

10. Sign up for Instagram – This is another great photo site to spread awareness and create interest for your book. Cost: $0

11. Get a Twitter account – Twitter is the number one way to expand your reach much further than your local community and friends, and if you have some good information and value to offer, not just try to sell, the results can be explosive! (read a fun case study of a blog I wrote that went viral on Twitter and got me 13,000 website hits within 48 hours) Cost: $0

12. Sign up for a Facebook Page – You’ll want a fan page for you as an author, and also one for the book. Cost: $0

13. Write a bio for the book – This will be used for the back of the book (usually 300-400 words), but also to post on all of these sites. Also write a much shorter bio for introductions by media or on places like Twitter that only allow 140 words. Mine is: South of Normal is a gonzo blast of laughter and adventure about a year living in the tropical paradise of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Cost: $0

14. Write an author bio – Same thing as the book, you’ll want to write a longer, and then short bio of you as a writer. Make it fun, fresh, energetic, and use the active, third-person voice. Cost: $0

15. Set up your Amazon page, Goodreads page, and Barnes & Noble page – Now that you have a description of the book, a bio about the you, videos, and pictures, you can build author and book pages on these book distribution sites. Cost: $0

16. Get a Wikipedia page – One of the coolest things is to have your own Wikipedia page! You can’t write one for yourself, and there are specific rules for how to submit information, but it makes you feel like you’ve official arrived! (for that reason I’ve yet to set mine up!) Cost: $0

17. Write a press release – You’ll want a clean, tight, professional press release to send out to media. I recommend drafting one that highlights the local angle for your hometown and home state, and a national release that is more topic-driven. You’ll want to get this right, so do some research. Cost: $0

18. Cover image – You can take an amazing photo yourself and use it as your cover image (as long as it’s high enough resolution) or go to the stock image sites and buy one for cheap. There are plenty of programs that will add your title and text in a variety of fonts, or you can post this job for a low cost on eLance. Cost: $0 (though this is one I spend money to have professionally created)

19. Infographics – Social media sites are flooded with fun infographics, which have both an image and are stamped with your book title and website. You can build these yourself with your images or graphics and then adding text. I set mine up in PowerPoint and then save them as Jpegs. Cost: $0

20. Reader photos – Here’s nothing more fun than seeing a cool photo of a reader holding your book! It’s a great marketing tool, too, because you can share it on every social media site, and other people will wonder what it’s about (and what they are missing). I started a tradition with readers taking wild, creative, and fun photos of them holding the book. It was a blast! You can check out a small number of them on the slideshow here. Cost: $0

21. Banners for Twitter, Facebook, etc. – Several sites have cover images that lay out horizontal, so it’s worth having an image of the book cover set up like a banner. The individual sites will tell you the perfect size, and then you can manipulate to those specifications in your photo program. Cost: $0

22. Email signature – Build an email signature with a signature, your contact info, a clickable link to your website, and a cool photo of you or the book cover. Cost: $0

23. Custom email – Set up a custom email address for you as an author or the book, so you won’t have to use a .hotmail or .yahoo or .gmail address (nothing looks less professional). When you register your domain or sign up for hosting they offer a few email accounts for free. (For instance, mine is [email protected] but I also use a [email protected] for professional interaction) Cost: $0

24. Blog through your website – You’ll want to write a blog often (though it doesn’t have to be daily) to fill the search engines with valuable information about the topic of your book, tips and guides, and content from the book. This will get your name higher in the search engines and establish yourself as an expert, drive people to your site, and ultimately allow you to collecting email addresses of people who want to read your book. Note – always allow for comments on your book and end with a question, welcoming feedback to engage your readers. Cost: $0

25. Send a weekly email letter – Once you have an email list of loyal followers, reach out to them via email with announcements, cool blog posts, giveaways, samples of the book, etc. to reward them. I use MailChimp, which is free if your list is under 2,000 people. Cost: $0

26. Free book giveaways and raffles – Host free giveaways and raffles for copies of your eBook or a coupon to a local business (and team up with the business so it doesn’t cost you anything). Set them up on your blog and share them on Twitter and Facebook, which will help you capture more emails and build excitement. Also I like offering a free download (like of the first three chapters) on your site. Don’t require an email address for that – it’s like a free advertisement, and if people like it they will email you and want to buy the rest of the book. Cost: $0

27. Join discussion groups and comment on other blogs– Instead of always focusing on bringing your target market to YOU, go to where THEY hang out – blogs, forums, and chatrooms about the topics. Engage them on “neutral turf” with genuine discussion and value, building relationships, without overtly selling your book. It will pay off in the long run once you earn their trust. Cost: $0

28. Ask people to test-read – There’s no better way to get people involved and interested in your project than to ask them to test read it ahead of time and offer their feedback. I would recommend only giving 2-3 chapters to each person. They’ll be allies in the project and help you market. Cost: $0

29. Collect all feedback – Whenever someone says something good about your book, or about you as a writer, save it. I like to take a screenshot and highlight and save their comments. Save them all and you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll add up to dozens of testimonials, encouragement, and a fun marketing tool. Cost: $0

30. Reach out to your schools – Call or email every single school you’ve ever attended, from pre K all the way through college. Share with them that you’ve written a book and offer to send them a free advanced copy for review, (but that you only have a PDF or eBook). They may write you up in the school newsletter, involve you in alumni events, or even have you in to speak! Cost: $0

31. Mobile payment processor – You’ll want a way to take payments other than cash in person, so a processor like Square can be plugged into your iPhone. It costs $10 BUT they will credit you back $10 once you sign up with their service because they charge a small fee on each transaction. Cost: $0

32. Presell your books – there’s nothing wrong with offering your book for sale a couple of months ahead of time on your website. You can offer them something of value if they order pre-sale, like signing their book, include a free ebook, emailing them a bonus chapter, etc. This will help pay off some of the publishing or marketing costs. Cost: $0

33. Book release party – This is the fun part! Contact a local bar or restaurant and ask if it would be okay if you brought in 50 or 100 new clients on some night. Ask for drink specials and even free appetizers for your party guests. Set up a Facebook event page and invite everyone and spread the word. Contact the local media to cover it, and post the link to the event on all of those blogs and groups you’ve been chatting in. Have a sign-in book to collect emails and sell books right on the spot. This is your time to shine! (And once it's done shoot a little video thanking everyone, mixing in music and photos of them at the event, and email it to them and post it on their walls) Cost: $0

To see the video of the book release party for my first book, click here.
DOES THAT HELP? EMAIL ME TO RECEIVE MY FIVE TOP TIPS FOR BLOGGING TO SELL MORE BOOKS: [email protected]

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Work From The Beach - an Interview with Rich Pearson, CMO of Elance.com

4/29/2013

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In a continuing effort to help you live the dream - traveling the world and working from the beach, this is part 3 of an article on virtual careers.

You can see part 1 here, 45 Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach.

And part 2 here.

Last week I had the chance to interview Rich Pearson, the Chief Marketing Officer of Elance.com, the world’s biggest online work community. I asked Rich how Elance functions, what kind of virtual jobs are available, and whether it is indeed possible for a semi-talented writer to work from the beach in the tropics.

Before becoming the CMO at Elance four years ago, Rich worked at Yahoo, Bing Technology, and other tech start-ups. He’s an alumni of Cal-Berkeley and the Walter A. Haas School of Business, and alongside his wife and kids, enjoys traveling to places like England, Thailand, and Nigeria, to vacation, work, or experience the expat lifestyle.

What is Elance?

Elance.com is the world’s largest online work platform. But instead of being another online job posting board, like Craigslist or CareerBuilder, Rich describes Elance as “Online dating for business and freelancers.”

Based out of Mountain View, California and Olslo, Norway, Elance was launched in its present form in 2007. Since then they have paid out over $750 million dollars to freelancers (or e-lancers). Approximately 500,000 businesses actively use Elance, posting 3,500 new jobs every day for 2.5 million freelancers. Rich anticipates that Elance will pay out about 300 million dollars to freelancers in 2013 alone.

How does it work?

When a business or individual needs work done, but doesn’t want a full-time employee (or another warm body sitting in the office) they can post a job on Elance to attract freelance workers. These workers apply for the job through the site, displaying their skills and past work experience through their Elance profile, which acts as an online resume. If they are awarded the job they interact with the employer directly, do the work, and get paid, all through Elance. The employer and the freelancer can be located in the same town or on opposite ends of the world – it doesn’t matter.

It’s interesting to note that all of this takes place through the Elance platform. Most employment sites just match people up and take a finder’s fee, leaving everyone on their own and hoping for the best. But Elance only gets paid when the job is done and the employer pays the freelancer, so they have a huge vested interest in making sure it’s all done right. The fee for their service is 8.75% of the total cost of that job, which is added on to the bid so it’s not out of the freelancer’s paycheck.

What kinds of freelance jobs are available on Elance?

Rich defines a virtual career as “Anything you can do in front of a computer,” which definitely fits our dream of working from our laptops on a beach in the tropics. He breaks down what the virtual jobs on Elance consist of:

40% are tech jobs, mostly mobile application development, web design, and coding. 40% are considered creative jobs, like blog or article writing, graphic design, search engine optimization, and social media marketing. The remaining 20% is a great mix of jobs for virtual assistants, architects, accountants, and even attorneys. Those last three fields are growing the fastest, Rich reports.

When I ask Rich if virtual careers are gaining popularity, he says they are “An unstoppable force.” Indeed, the marriage of virtual careers and freelancing is both pulling and being pushed by technological and social forces, forever changing the way we work. Elance is only one aspect of that change, but it’s a big one, with triple-digit growth every year. I can think of no more telling flashing neon endorsement of this phenomenon than the fact that Elance employs about 80 full time workers but 150 freelancers on a regular basis.

How are freelancers paid?

Most work is project-based but some employers do pay hourly. The paychecks range from quick $10 jobs to projects costing thousands of dollars. Elance uses an internal escrow system to handle all payments, the only site of their kind in the world that has that capability. The freelancer’s fee is set and then broken into installments to be paid out at predetermined milestones as the work is completed, so everyone stays on track.

Is it safe?

Elance has carefully refined their system to make sure that everyone plays nice. If there’s ever a complaint, they have a team who will investigate the matter, based on the project communication that was all documented on their site. There is even a third-party arbitration system to work out a solution if it ever comes to that, but less than 1/4 of 1% of work projects end up in dispute, and they are quick to remove employers or freelancers who don’t follow rules, act inappropriately, or don’t fit into Elance’s professional culture.

Both freelancers and employers receive ratings as they complete projects, calculated by a score. So the more jobs you do, and the more jobs you do well, the more you’ll stand out to future employers. Elance is all about transparency and online reputation, so merit will rise to the top and give the best freelancers, and employers, the edge.

So who are these freelancers?

Rich explains that they have people working through Elance all over the world, but about 55% of workers are from the United States. Of the total number of freelancers, about 25% work full time through Elance, 35-50% use the site to supplement their existing income or are between jobs, and the remainder are mostly students or recent grads, who can take a retail job at Starbucks but would rather keep working on projects that will give them valuable experience in their field. No matter who it is, they all love the flexibility of being able to work where they want and when they want.

Why is this a big deal?

Elance isn’t just another place to look for a job, but a profound change in the way we do business, and therefore how we live our lives. It’s a successful experiment in macroeconomic forces, opening up markets in a pure global sense. Anyone can work from anywhere, and that also means that any employer can hire from anywhere. What results is a confluence of healthy competition and increased quality - companies hire the best workers at the lowest price no matter where they are, and freelancers vie for the best and highest paying jobs their skill sets allow.

Rich talks about “escaping your local economy,” through Elance and virtual careers, which is exactly what we’re aiming to do by still working while wandering the globe. A young man out of college in Spain might be facing a 60% unemployment rate or only menial, low paying jobs, but through Elance he will be able to apply for freelance work with companies all over the globe.

This “labor arbitrage” works both ways – why wouldn’t you hire a designer in India to build your website if the price and quality were great, instead of being confined by the services in your home town? And businesses can hire talent “out of the cloud” without being confined by the quantity or quality of locality, the cost of full-time employees, and paying for another desk in a physical office space.

Rich gives a great example: "In San Francisco when they need a graphic designer, it takes $250 an hour and a three-week wait just to talk to someone. But now they can easily post their job on Elance and take bids and screen applicants from all over the world. The result is an economic equilibrium where everyone benefits."

What’s the best way to get a job on Elance?

Making a profile and applying for jobs on Elance is free up to 40 proposals per month. Just like crafting a resume for any other job search, you create an online profile through their site with a professional description and account of your skills. But you can also pull in content from LinkedIn and other sites, and upload actual projects you’ve completed. Of course you can interact with employers down the road, but your profile and work portfolio is what needs to stand out for you to get noticed. Remember, these employers are interested in hiring the result, not just the person.

When you see a specific job posting you like, you write an original online cover letter to them, citing specific examples of your work, and even set up a Skype interview if they are interested.

Elance offers a free skills test, which employers pay credence to, as looking to see if you have a good Elance rating and positive testimonials from past jobs. Elance even helps by ranking the most in-demand skills, job growth data, and other vital information. They report PHP programming, WordPress programming, article writing, graphic design, and HTML programming as the most requested skills by employers (as of 2011). By the way, if you need a GREAT place to learn new tech skills from your laptop for cheap, check out Lynda.com.

Of course it’s not perfect – it takes a commitment of time to set up your profile, and persistence to search, apply for, and earn jobs, especially in the beginning when you have no proven Elance track record. The trend of telecommuting even suffered a backlash recently, as Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer expressed her desire to have her workforce in-office (though she was talking specifically about Yahoo and not the workplace in general).

However for the vast majority of skilled, diligent freelancers it will be a great fit. Rich recommends that you build an amazing profile, provide examples of your work, take the skills test, and have a plan when you are searching through the thousands of jobs, instead of “praying and spraying.”

One last question for Rich Pearson, CMO of Elance:

So, Rich, IS it possible for a semi-talented writer like myself to sit on the beach in Costa Rica, or Nicaragua, or in Southeast Asia and actually make a living?

“Absolutely! There’s a new way of working, and with cloud technology, at the most esoteric level, it’s just like ‘talent in the cloud.’ Of course it’s still about people, and employers want to hire talented people, but the talent that is coming online right now is unprecedented, as is the willingness of companies to look for new ways to get things done.”

Good! Then there's hope for me!

-Norm Schriever :-)

Email me if you have any questions, need help, or would like to check out my articles and books about living the dream, all over the globe.

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Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach, Part 2 of 2

4/19/2013

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The day dream is a familiar one; you’re sitting on a white sand beach by the crystal clear ocean, a soft tropical breeze blowing as you sip your third mojito and finish up the day’s work – which took a grand total of an hour on your laptop.

Read the rest of Part 1, 45 Jobs You Can Do From The Beach.

Virtual careers are a reality, and with today’s amazing technology, global marketplace, and increases in outsourcing, there are plenty of on-line jobs you could do to earn a living while traveling, living abroad, or just working from home.

However, I’ve seen a ton of websites that go that far and then stop, not giving you the nuts and bolts of WHERE you can find these jobs and HOW to get them. It’s hard to even do research because most links bring you to other links, paid sites, people selling you stuff, or downright scams. To be honest, it’s incredibly frustrating! There are virtual job sites, like FlexJobs.com, that prescreen employers for you, and their small fee might be well worth it in wasted time.

So I did a little research for you (because I care) to offer some good resources to actually find a legit virtual job and get hired. I do not have any affiliation or get paid by any of these sites (I wish). I’ve clicked on all of the links to see if they were live and looked like credible job services, but I can’t vouch for their validity.

So feel free to email me with any updates or experiences you have when you go to these sites and start your job search.

Warning:

There are a lot of scams out there in the world of virtual work because the bad guys prey on the anonymity of being online and the dream of “quick money from home” that many job seekers buy into. Here are 5 ways to make sure your virtual job is not a scam:

Make sure the employer is a reputable company. Check their feedback and reviews on LinkedIn, Elance, and Google them. Look up their Better Business Bureau rating.
Confirm they have a home office with a real address, not just a PO Box.
Ask for references from current employees and staff.
Get a phone number and surprise them with a call to make sure they are there, working, and professional. If you are suspicious, ask if you can swing by and say hi.
NEVER send money to them for ANYTHING.

I had a friend who found a great job on Craigslist that paid $20 an hour and allowed him to work from home. He submitted his resume, got the job, and even talked to someone who was supposed to be his manager. They said they would ship him money to order a special computer and software for him to use. A cashier’s check came in the mail, but when he deposited it to his bank there was an automatic 7-10 day hold on it. The company made it clear that he needed to start immediately to keep the job, so he would have to front the money to get the laptop sent to him, and then of course the check would clear and he would be reimbursed. He was so excited to get started at an easy job that paid $20 an hour that he almost fell for it – until he asked me, and I told him to pump the brakes.

Well, it turns out the check never cleared because it was bogus, and if he had sent money to buy that laptop, he would have lost $2,000 and the job never existed – it was a scam.

How will virtual work be different from a regular job?

Instead of face-to-face contact with your coworkers and clients, you will have to do everything online. That means it’s so important to have a quiet place to work with a great Internet connection (which can be more difficult than it sounds in foreign countries.)

Since you won’t have managers looking over your shoulder, you’ll be tempted to go take a siesta instead of working. But to be successful at virtual work you’ll need to be organized, self-motivated, and have a great work ethic. Sometimes people mistakenly assume virtual work is easy just because you can do it from home, but most virtual professionals I know work even harder, for longer hours, and sometimes for less money. But if you factor in that they don’t have to sit in traffic, get dressed up, or pay for parking and lunch, and the flexibility to take care of the kids – or travel abroad and sit by the beach – it’s well worth it.

Tools:

Your laptop will be your best friend as you travel and work abroad. In addition a great Internet connection is a must. Most restaurants, bars, and cafes have free Wi-Fi abroad, but you will also want to get a home connection. Your new job might require a printer, and definitely get an external hard drive to backup all of your important documents and work. A good quality headset with a microphone will be needed if you are making frequent calls. Skype and teleconferencing software will replace personal meetings, and there might also be work-specific software or applications. Keep your U.S. (or home country) bank deposit for direct deposit and a Post Office Box to collect any essential mail.

How do I get the job?

You will need an organized resume, just like any other job, but a digital version. Since you won’t interview with your boss or Human Resource folks in person, the way you present yourself on paper (or computer screen) is extremely important. Take full advantage of testimonials, references from past clients, or employer recommendations. Highlight any education, certifications, professional awards, or projects you worked on.

A web page with a service page also makes for a great online resume center, or some sites like eLance or LinkedIn let you to set up your own profile. Take advantage of every tool they allow – professional photos, work samples, uploaded videos, etc. A short video of you in professional attire, introducing yourself and talking about your job skills, experience, and goals for work is a wonderful tool, and the link can be emailed to any potential employer.

Expect a Skype interview, possibly more screening, writing samples, or even a skills test with a virtual job.

Note: Because of the lack of personal contact, expect your employers to do a Google search for your name and probably also look you up on Facebook. Take down those half-naked pictures of you doing tequila shots and stop talking about how you make out with your cats sometimes.

Code of Conduct:

If you are traveling or living abroad, do you have to tell your employer where you are? Is it okay to work in your pajamas? At midnight with the television on? The fine line between professionalism and sloppiness often gets blurred with virtual work, but here is the bottom line: do the job well, exceeding expectations, and you’ll make your employer happy. It’s all about results, and if you need a babysitter to do your work, then you shouldn’t have a virtual job. Communication will key – there’s nothing that freaks your boss out more than if they email you for something important and you don’t get back to them for a long time.

If the job is 100% virtual, you don’t have to disclose your whereabouts (they don’t know if you are sitting home in the next town, the next state, or halfway around the world,) BUT you should ask to review their specific workforce policies before you start. If something is going to create a conflict or become an issue in the future, then honestly address it with your manager ahead of time. Remember that there will also be a time change if you are out of the country, so you may have to work some strange hours!

Be organized, professional, and expect to put as much time into your virtual job hunt as any other employment search. I promise you, it will be worth it to live the dream of spending time in a foreign country and still earning a paycheck!

There are a ton more companies, lists, and job services I could offer you, so email me and I’d be happy to help.

Happy travels!

Norm :-)

An interview with Sara Sutton Fell, the CEO of FlexJobs.com

Sara, how would you define virtual or stay-at-home careers?

Virtual or stay-at-home careers include a wide variety of terms that all come to the same conclusion -- a job where your primary place of work is NOT a traditional office, but your home office. Other terms that essentially mean the same thing include telecommuting, virtual job, telework, and remote job. Each one of these is used to mean slightly different things so it's important for job seekers to pay attention to the description of any job that offers virtual or telecommuting work options.

Do you see a rise in virtual careers?

Absolutely! As technology makes it easier and easier for people to work from a variety of locations away from the office, virtual careers are becoming more popular and more mainstream. According to the Telework Research Network, there has been a 60% increase in the number of people telecommuting for work since 2005. At FlexJobs, we've seen the number of open telecommuting and flexible job listings increase over 50% since the end of 2011 and now, going from around 7,000 active listings to 14,800 currently.

What is the best way to go about finding these jobs?

Of course, we think FlexJobs is a pretty great resource! Unlike other job search websites, FlexJobs specializes in finding, screening, and listing only telecommuting and flexible jobs, and we pre-screen every job and employer before adding them to our site. No matter where a job seeker searches for virtual or telecommuting jobs, they should know to use keywords like telecommuting, virtual job, and remote job. Phrases like "work from home" and "work at home" are commonly associated with scams.

What is the biggest mistake people make or pitfall in getting a virtual job?

The biggest mistake people can make when looking for virtual work is to not pay attention to the scams in this niche. While many legitimate at-home jobs do exist, there are a huge number of scams out there and job seekers need to stay alert and educate themselves on those scams and how to spot them. At FlexJobs, we help job seekers identify the legitimate, professional-level virtual jobs amid all the scams. Our team of job researchers scour hundreds of job listings every day to weed out scams and find the legitimate listings, which get posted on our site for job seekers to view.

Some examples for job seekers to steer clear of scams: Jobs that sound too good to be true, that promise easy money for no work, that ask you to "invest" or pay to get the job, that require wire transfers through Western Union, or that just sound "off" should be avoided.

Where/who are your employers?

We have over 3,300 employers with open job postings on our site, and over 20,000 who have posted jobs in the past. They are large and small, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and nonprofits. We mainly have employers from throughout the United States, and we also have companies based in Canada, Australia, the UK, and other international locations. Some of the most widely recognized names of employers who use FlexJobs to recruit virtual job seekers include: IBM, Capital One, AT&T, Rosetta Stone, the IRS, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, TripAdvisor.com, and Kelly Services.

Where are your clients?

Like our employers, our job seekers are located throughout the United States, with some living internationally as well. According to a survey we did last year, 77% say they live near a big city, and California (11.7%), Colorado (7.7%), and Texas (6.6%) had the most respondents, though we do have job seekers from all 50 states.

What advantages do job seekers get by using your company?

To put it simply, we make searching for a legitimate virtual job easier, faster, and safer. Because our team of job researchers is doing the hardest work for our job seekers -- spending hundreds of hours every week searching for, screening, and verifying virtual job listings -- our members can spend the majority of their job search time crafting excellent applications, rather than scouring through hundreds of job listings every day. On FlexJobs, job seekers have access to thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level telecommuting and flexible jobs, as well as our Company Database where they can research thousands of employers who offer telecommuting and flexible jobs, and our Community area with hundreds of articles, videos, and advice columns to help their job search and career development. FlexJobs is the leading job search service of our kind, and we are 100% dedicated to our job seeking members.

Thank you, Sara!

Check out FlexJobs.com or email them for more information.

5 Fastest Growing Virtual Careers:

Technology
Medical
Language
Service
Internet Marketing

Sites to search for virtual job:

Elance.com
Flexjobs.com
About.com
Media Bistro
oDesk.com
Indeed.com
HireMyMom.com
VirtualVocations.com
CareerBuilder.com
SimplyHired.com
SavyVirtualJobs.com
VirtualJobCandy.com
WorkingSolutions.com
Mashable.com
HomeBased Mommie
AOL Jobs
WorkersOnBoard.com
VirtualAssistantJobs.com

Links, Resources, Virtual Commerce, & How-To Sites:

Ebay.com
Homewiththekids.com
RatRaceRebellions.com
Paypal.com
LinkedIn.com
BusinessInfoGuide.com

Writing Jobs:

Write Jobs
PayPerPost
Your Online Biz
Write Your Revolution
Be a Freelance Blogger
One Spoon at a Time with Paul Wolfe
OnText
Envato.com
Patch.com
ReadLearnWrite
The Renegade Writer
Your Inside Guy
Genealogy Today
Ecardia.com
Comstock.com
Signindustry.com
Ethos.com
Bella online.com
Iseeq.com
Active Server Corner
Content Corp.
Downeast Dog News
Landscaping ideas online
Sasee Magazine

Tutoring and Educational Jobs:

GetEducated.com
Kaplan.com
Chronicle.com
ConnectionsAcademy.com
K12.com
ISpeakUSpeak.com
OpenEnglish.com
Online Teaching Jobs
Tutor.com

Specific Companies That Hire Virtual Workers:

(Look on their website or contact their Human Resources manager to find out if they are hiring now.)

1-800-FLOWERS
Alpine Access
LiveOps
TeleTech
Aetna
Cigna
United Health Group
Bluefly
Spiegel
American Agents
Hilton
Best Western
Leapforce.com
UserTesting.com.
Userlytics.com.
ChaCha.com
FocusForward.com
20-20Research.com
Alpine Access
Arise
About.com
Home Shopping Network
Beta Test Beauty

I'll keep updating and adding links to this list, so drop me an email if you have feedback!

Three Cups of Tea and the Nature of Philanthropy.

2/10/2013

1 Comment

This morning I finished reading “Three Cups of Tea” about Greg Mortenson, a U.S. man who was an avid climber and mountaineer. As a young man he attempted to summit K2 in the Himalayas, the world’s second highest peak, only to fail and get separated from his guides. Lost, snow-blind, left freezing and without food or supplies on the descent, Greg faced a certain death, until a local Sherpa saved his life and nursed him back to health over months in his remote, impoverished village high in the mountains of Pakistan. Greg decided to repay his debt of gratitude by building a simple school for the village’s children, most of who had no formal education. The book retells that odyssey, and what grew into a lifelong mission of building schools and educating Pakistan and Afghanistan’s poorest, forgotten children, especially their girls. He pressed on despite political opposition, being kidnapped, lack of funding, extreme climates, local warlords, and even Taliban opposition as 9-11 transformed those tranquil apricot orchards and fields of well-grazed goats into a bombed-out, barren war zone.

It was a fascinating and emotionally moving book, and I found myself falling asleep with it on my chest and picking it up again the moment I woke up a few hours later. Others shared my opinion because this book has hit the New York Times best seller’s list and years ago Greg was vaulted into the national spotlight as a speaker, advisor to politicians and military generals, activist, and full-time fundraiser for his Central Asia Institute, which continued to build over 100 schools. In short, Greg was a hero, and a hell of a human being.

The only problem is that he’s being called a fraud. A detailed 60-Minutes report raised numerous allegations of blatant fabrications in the book, co-authored by David Relin, as well as financial misappropriations by Mortensen and ineffectual management by the CAI. In short, the story and his accomplishments were bloated to James Frey-like proportions, and once again we see a hell of a human story fall in disgrace.

Mortenson has been discredited by a number of sources; fellow climbers, people who are supposedly in the book, and a host of charity watchdog groups. He still tours promoting his mission and fundraising (and selling a shit-load of books) but he’s been shockingly mum in his own defense. Sadly, Relin took his own life last November after sinking into a deep depression brought on by the scandal.

I don’t know what to believe when it comes to the Greg Mortenson situation. Some of the improprieties I believe can be explained by trying to assign bright, shiny American scrutiny to accomplishments in a vastly different cultural landscape, where bribes and complications are a simple part of life and no one stops to issue a receipt. A big part of me thinks "who the hell cares?" for 75% of a truth that does that much good in the world, with that much sacrifice, is far better than 100% of a truth that does nothing. It's easy to armchair quarterback, and there is nothing worse. But when I Googled his name followed by the word “scandal” an alarming amount of links appeared from credible news sources. But like everything, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. It's incontrovertible that Greg has built schools and done more to win the hearts and minds in a very volatile Pakistani and Afghan community than all of our trillion dollar CIA and military operations have in the same time span. But if I were a donor I would demand transparency, like so many have. I think John Krakauer said it best when he stated (paraphrasing) “I believe Greg has done a lot of good, probably more than anyone else for education the poor and girls in that part of the world, but by lying about so much he threatens to bring it all down.”

John Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, a mountaineer himself, was one of Greg’s biggest advocates in the early years. But upon further research he’s withdrawn his support, and calls the charming story of the weakened American taken in by the good people of a Pakistani village and nursed back to health a flat-out lie. In fact Greg descended K2 with another climber and didn’t even visit that village for another year, and many of the other tales in the book have also been romanticized into a wonderful marketing ploy that is simply untrue.

Again and again it seems we are seeing this brand of ascension in the mythos of our heroes, only to fall to earth like Icarus as their wings burn up in the flames of truth. Lance Armstong recently fell from grace as an admitted doper and cheater on the cycling circuit, thereby not only tarnishing his own name, but also causing irreparable damage to his charitable organization.

Do you remember that Kony guy, Jason Russell? I can’t think of a better example of what seemingly started out as a well-intentioned person being consumed by his own passion and turned into a social media-fabricated cautionary tale. His video condemning Joesph Kony, a Ugandan warlord notorious for recruiting child soldiers and perpetrating unspeakable acts, went viral of all virals, reaching 100 million views on YouTube in only six days, a record. The last I heard homeboy went bonkers and was found running around naked in traffic foaming at the mouth, his involvement and the validity of his quixotic-quest scrutinized and shot through with more holes than Swiss cheese.

Why, oh why, do these men, who are obviously capable of great things, fall victim to the legend of their own greatness? The only answer I can come up with is that the unwavering passion it takes to ascend such great heights also has a byproduct, and that is a slippery slope into megalomania, albeit for the right reasons. As if our world wasn’t skeptical enough it makes one, in the words of Marvin Gaye, “Want to holler and throw up both my hands,” and never get behind a charitable cause again. However, if any good can come out of these strange hero-to-zero phenomena perhaps it will initiate a conversation about the very nature of philanthropy, as it did for me. After reading “Three Cups of Tea,” (which I still highly recommend not as a factual monument to the man’s work but a cultural attaché to the amazing common people in that part of the world) I am questioning exactly where and how it’s best to give back, so this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often. However I would be remiss if I didn't thank Greg for all of the good things he's done, and there certainly are a lot.

Read Part 2, Where and how should I give? The answer is 'Yes'.

1 Comment

Seth Godin’s blog posts are ridiculously short…and that’s awesome.

Check ignition and may God's love be with you.

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More articles:

45 Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach

9 Secrets to Booking Cheap Airfare

It's a Small World

10,000 Hours

What else can I do to help you travel or live abroad?

Three Cups of Tea and the Nature of Philanthropy.

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Norm Schriever

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Norm Schriever

Seth Godin’s blog posts are ridiculously short…and that’s awesome.

Check ignition and may God's love be with you.

33 FREE BOOK MARKETING TOOLS

Work From The Beach - an Interview with Rich Pearson, CMO of Elance.com

Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach, Part 2 of 2

More articles: 45 Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach 9 Secrets to Booking Cheap Airfare It's a Small World 10,000 Hours

What else can I do to help you travel or live abroad?

Three Cups of Tea and the Nature of Philanthropy.

Receive a digital postcard from Norm every month:

Norm Schriever

Categories

Archives

Norm Schriever

More articles:

45 Virtual Jobs You Can Do From The Beach

9 Secrets to Booking Cheap Airfare

It's a Small World

10,000 Hours