Freelancing on the Web - How to Start

Though the Philippines is not fully aware and open to working online yet, there are already several Filipinos who are earning money on the Internet. In fact, I'm a freelance writer for the web for a year now. And yes, I'm making money from the Internet, at the comforts of my home, and in my own time. Think I'm lucky? Well, read this series of how to start earning money online and maybe you can be just 'lucky' as I am!

I was still a student when I first embarked on the freelancing world. On April 2010, I really wanted to have a part-time job to have something worthwhile to do for my summer vacation. Since I was good with the English grammar skills, I tried to apply to companies teaching English to Koreans, Chinese, etc.

But I guess they didn't think I was fit since I was only applying as a part-timer or maybe they didn't think my teaching skills are sufficient. Whatever it is, I consider it now as a blessing in disguise.

So...enough about my story for now. Anyway, you'll probably know more about my freelancing stories as we go along. Here's what you need to know first.


Probably, you've already read people's (usually work-at-home moms and retired senior citizens) success stories in money-making on the Internet. And I'm going to tell you that, yes, several people are now earning money on the Internet. But surely, not everyone is telling the truth.

What do I mean by that? Simple, not everyone saying that they are earning money on the Internet are actually earning money. Maybe they'll do--if you believe them.

What I'm trying to say here is don't believe everything you read from the Internet. There are legit sites that will allow you to earn, while there are those sites that'll just scam your money out from you.

But How to Distinguish Legit Money-Making Sites from Scammers?

In order to distinguish legit sites from scammers, let me describe what scammer sites are like first.

1. Scammer sites solicit money before you could even start working and earning.
2. Scammer sites are full of hype and target emotions to get people paying out money from their pockets.
3. Scammer sites usually tells you that you'll earn thousands of dollars in one day and be a millionaire in just one month. (That's b*****it by the way.)

If you happen to come across this kind of websites, make sure to steer away from them. They're no good. And if you're not sure whether it's really a scammer site, make sure to do some thorough research first. The WWW is a vast resource of information. Make sure to utilize it correctly.

And of course, legit sites don't share the same characteristics. There are no membership fees to join, no marketing hype on their landing pages, and nobody's going to tell you that you'll be a millionaire in one month.

Typically, freelancers and companies (employers and/or clients) meet on these legit sites to work and hire. Meaning to say, these legit sites are more like third parties to a contract. They facilitate the hiring of companies and searching for work of freelancers.

Legit Freelancing Sites

Now, I know you're already excited to know which sites are legit and let me share some with you.

• Essays.ph - This is a Philippine online community of writers. I started freelancing here. This company has introduced me to online freelance writing and taught me the basics. If you are a Filipino and unfamiliar of freelance writing yet, I recommend that you try this site first before moving on to a wider market scale.
• oDesk - As of now, I'm getting all of my clients from oDesk. Though you may find this site overwhelming at first, I'm sure you'll really like it eventually. I'm going to discuss how to use oDesk on another post, so let's move on for now.
• Elance - I'm still a beginner on the website. Though I've tried to apply (i.e. submit proposal) to prospective clients a few times, I haven't fully utilized the site. But still, it's a legit site--with that I'm sure.

Let's stop with these three for now, though there are other legit sites. I'm just giving you a taste of online freelancing. There are still 'larger issues' that you should be aware of with regard to freelancing on the web. And you'll know that on the next post. So...keep reading! :)

*credits to DreamsTime.com for the photos