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Working Online: One Client or Multiple Clients?

I've been working online for more than 15 years. I've worked and collaborated with many clients, some long-termed, many short-termed. So which one is wiser: to work with a single client on a long-term basis or to work on multiple short-term projects for different clients? Let's consider the pros and cons... Work with a single client long termed: Pros: You're more focused because you're dealing with only 1 client. It's easier to organize your daily schedule and list of tasks. Collaboration and communication is also easier because most likely you'll be using 1-3 tools to communicate. Long term work also ensures you have work most of the time, especially if it's a full time work. Furthermore, good clients offer pay raise and perks along the way, thanks to your loyalty. Cons: If the business fails, there's a big chance you'd get laid off. You're suddenly out of work (if that's been your only work during those times), and getting a new ...
Recent posts

This file is dangerous so Chrome has blocked it - FIXED!

One of my daily routines as an online freelancer was downloading and uploading files. Clients would send me files that may either contain instructions or actual data to be worked on.  One day I was stopped by this mysterious message: It was displayed at the lower left corner of my Chrome browser and it happened as I was downloading a file. The crazy thing is that I was downloading a Word doc file, not an application that may indeed come with a sinister malware hidden in it. Ok, so a Word doc file may have a macro that's actually disguised as a virus. But this is not the case, because this file was from a message thread on my Upwork account that's already posted months ago, and it so happened that I can't find that copy on my laptop so I decided to just download it again. And unlike other scenarios wherein you would have the option to download it anyway at your own risk, this one wouldn't let you download it, so you're stucked! A quick Google search reveals t...

Upwork Identity Verification Part 2: ID added - Approved!

A few days ago, I got a notification on my Upwork dashboard inviting me to undergo an Identity Verification procedure by adding an valid ID. After uploading a copy of my government-issued ID and waiting for a day, I finally got another notification... a good one! As it turns out, they have validated and approved the ID pic that I sent. I then checked on my online profile to see for changes. I found a blue circle with a check mark beside my profile name, and when I hover my mouse over it, it shows the message as shown below: Ain't that cool? With that mark (according to Upwork), it would make my profile appear more legit, and therefore, would make future clients more willing to hire me.

Upwork Price Increase Takes Effect: No More Free Connects!

I just got this on my email: ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- It's what the Upwork community has been anticipating. This new price scheme was announced months ago, and now it's gonna be in full effect. I'm currently registered under the Freelancer Plus plan, so the message may appear slightly different from those under the Basic plan. But the effect is the same: NO MORE FREE CONNECTS! I've already read about a lot of negative comments in forums and Facebook groups concerning this, but what's the real score and what's the real effect on us freelancers? Here's are some observations from me: - For newcomers, this is really gonna be a pain in the a**. They're starting to learn and to earn, having come across a popular platform where freelancers with skills can find jobs and pose bids for free, so how are they supposed to cope with this new scheme? ...

Upwork Account Registration Tweaks and Cheats

I'm a member of many Facebook groups that focus on online jobs and online freelance workers. I once came across a post in an unofficial Upwork group that there are easy and sure ways to get an account registration approved. There are even people who are offering their services to get another account approved instantly, for some fee. There's even a Youtube video demonstrating how exactly an Upwork account registration can be tweaked and get it approved. To these ideas, I would strongly advise NOT TO FOLLOW. I studied the steps done in the Youtube video, and theoretically, it may actually work. There's a long list of comments wherein the majority claims the technique work. Let me explain why it may work. In my previous post, I mentioned the importance of having the right skills to be indicated when registering for an account in Upwork. So the technique that the Youtube video showed was to simply change and edit the skillset into showing those advance and highly in-demand...

Upwork Accounts Registration: Do you have the right skills?

Upwork is currently the most popular platform for freelancers wanting to earn money by working online. For those who don't know, Upwork was the result of a merger between two freelancing platforms (websites), namely: Elance (founded in 1999) and Odesk (founded in 2003). The merging happened in 2013, thus giving birth to Upwork. With over 12 million registered freelancers and over 5 million registered clients, joining Upwork is getting more and more difficult nowadays. I started out in 2008 and was active on Odesk, so when the merger came, my account was automatically transferred to Upwork. To gain a high chance of getting your account's registration approved on Upwork, it is essential to learn new skills or to possess skills that are currently in demand. Upwork press release regularly posts their top fast-growing skills per quarter. For example, according to Upwork's Q3 Skills Index for 2018, these are the Top 20 fastest-growing skills for freelancers: Dro...

VA: I take my work everywhere!

One of the best things I love about my work as a Virtual Assistant is that I get to "carry" my work everywhere I go. For instance, we have this family tradition every year wherein I visit my parents and relatives who are living in another city miles away.  There we gather for the New Year celebration. Days later, in between the days (and nights), I can check on my online projects and work on scheduled tasks, communicate with my clients, and others. After doing my work, I can then go back and join the old folks for more merry-makings. Had I been employed in an office, I would have to rush back home to be ready to report back at the office. That would mean my vacation is just a few days, with no other spare time to go shop around. But as a VA, I can take my time to spend as many more days as I want before going back. All I need is my laptop and a reliable internet connection (which thankfully my parent's home has since they also use it in their works). Talk about convenie...