Best Websites for Telecommuters
We all have our favorite websites we like to visit every day. In my case, I make the rounds through Dilbert, Red Sox or other baseball news, and local weather along with my e-mail. You in turn will have your own personalized daily digital read all set to your standards.
The following sites, however, are must-haves for anyone who spends a great deal of time working, writing or researching on computers and the Internet. These are sites that I have found myself recommending to others again and again, or have in turn have had recommended to me by various sources. They vary in purpose, but they have the common characteristics of a user-friendly interface; genuinely useful products, information or resources; and professional maintenance.
Happy surfing!
1. http://www.komando.com/ Kim Komando brands herself as America's Digital Goddess. My father loves this woman, and not just because she's cute. (She is.) Her site is filled with useful tricks and tips for computer usage and navigating the Web, including her Cool Site of the Day. Pop in and take a look around; you're bound to discover something new. Just do be careful to get the URL correct, or you might find yourself on a "shocking" site or two. (So I'm told.)
2. http://www.netmanners.com/ NetM@nners is the home for Netiquette 101. Here the Judith Martin of cyberspace will point out to you the dos and don'ts of e-mailing and other electronic communication. I, for one, was chagrined to be confronted with my own bad habit of putting all my friends' e-mail addresses in the Carbon Copy field of an e-mail instead of the Blind Carbon Copy field. Here, let me just give out your e-mail address to people you don't even know! This sin is further compounded by forwarding an e-mail without deleting all the attached addresses from whence it came. Whoops!
3. http://www.alibris.com/ Remember books? On paper? Seriously, at some point you're going to want to read an out-of-print favorite, a bestseller, or even get hold of some reference or textbooks. Welcome to Alibris. Not only have I been able to nab some current sellers on here, but I've also found out-of-print or obscure titles that get me nothing more than a raised eyebrow when I visit even the most voluminous brick-and-mortar book store chains. And if you don't mind a book being used, you can get them VERY cheaply. Even with shipping and handling, you can expect to pay in the general range of $5 - $7 for an average book. The most I have paid so far was $12 for an out-of-print hardcover. My deliveries have thus far always arrived within a week on standard delivery, the books were always in good shape, and the selection is excellent.
4. http://www.homeworkersnet.com/ Whether you wish to work from home or even just pick up some extra cash doing odd jobs, this site is well worth the perusal. You can find anything here from employers looking for open theater checkers (you count how many people are at a particular movie, gather some other information, submit your report, and they pay you) to mystery shopping. Rather than just being one employer, Homeworkers Net is a clearing house for any legitimate employer looking for field workers to set up displays at local stores or run quality assurance checks. My experience with this site so far has been very positive.
5. http://www.helium.com/ Come on of COURSE I'm going to put Helium here! It's the site that inspired me to write this after all. If you're already on Helium, you have a pretty good idea what it's about, but to those I've been recommending it to I use the following analogy: You can save your written ideas on your hard drive, like hiding money in Mason jars in the back yard, or you can "bank" your articles on Helium where they will attract some readership and earn some monetary value, like putting your money in a savings account. The only real difference for me is that so far my articles have earned me more monetary interest than my savings account has!
