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Rule Britannia!

As the events of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee have begun to take place, it has occurred to me that so many people out there won’t even be aware that the Jubilee is going on! Well, it’s the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s reign in Britain from 2nd to 5th June and many people across the UK are already beginning to go Jubilee crazy!

Celebrating 60 glorious years

If you live anywhere other than the UK, you may not understand or appreciate the buzz that surrounds a royal occasion such as this, and admittedly not the whole of the UK embrace the celebrations. For those that do make the most of Royal events however, a treat is always undoubtedly in store.

Fourerr is a great place to celebrate special occasions, so if you want to get some great ideas for what to do this Diamond Jubilee weekend, Fourerr is a great place to go, no matter where you are in the world. If you are a seller and fancy doing some Jubilee-themed gigs, then get thinking about what you can offer and spread the joy!

Music – People organise street and house parties on special occasions – just look at the recent Royal Wedding as a great example! In order to create the perfect party atmosphere, start to post gigs with celebratory music, offer party themed playlists or even compose tunes especially for the occasion – anyone hosting a party will love it.

Videos – Whether you do a great impersonation of the Queen or you want to create a comedy sketch around the Jubilee itself, be creative with your videos. Maybe even a montage of royal images to have on loop throughout the day can help create a real party atmosphere.

Fancy Dress – British celebrations wouldn’t be British without ridiculous fancy dress and face paint. Sellers can offer up their creative fancy dress ideas and how to put together the ultimate jubilee costume for the day. Buyers can gather creative fancy dress and face paint ideas for the occasion in order to enhance the celebrations even further.

Decoration – Think bold red, white and blue and plenty of Union flags! Lots of bunting, and anything quintessentially British are great ways to decorate streets and homes ready for the big day. Sellers can offer gigs full of ways to hand make decorations and give ideas to anyone hosting a Jubilee party.

Food and Drinks – Think classic British refreshments and you will think of tea and cakes. Fourerr sellers can make the most of the occasion by helping buyers think of great cake recipes and British themed dishes to serve on the day.

Tattoos – Tattoo designs around special occasions are a hit, and although very few people will want a massive tattoo of the Queen’s face across their back, they might like a date and crown design or something else meaningful. Having said this, silly tattoos for the occasion can be just as popular – someone in Lancashire, England has recently just got a huge tattoo of the London Mayor Boris Johnson on his leg!

So browse through Fourerr, start posting or buying Jubilee themed gigs and make sure you have a right “royal” knees-up!

Let us know what you are doing in two weeks time … Just leave a comment below.

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4 Lessons I Learnt as a Fourerr Buyer

When you first join Fourerr, your first few purchases may be a little experimental – you may have joined the site with something specific in mind or you may just be getting to grips with buying on a micro job site. Whatever your reason, here are the 4 important lessons I learnt as a Fourerr buyer which might help you make the most of your Fourerr experience…

4 lessons I learns as a Fourerr Buyer

1) I Can Buy Personal or Professional Stuff

Fourerr is a great platform for outsourcing your work – whether you want icons designed for your new website, content written, or images edited, Fourerr sellers can offer this and more. But it’s not all hard work; many buyers discover the fun side of Fourerr too! Various sellers offer gigs that are fun, bizarre, or even very silly. It doesn’t all have to be about work –Fourerr is great if you want something to make you laugh or if you are looking for the perfect silly gift. You’re bound to find something you love.

2) I Can Save Loads of Money

No matter what you purchase, $4 is a very small amount (it’s 2.99 Euros or £2.49!). For a price equivalent to a Starbucks latte, you can get articles, data entry, banner ads, logos, programming assistance, or social networking advice, plus much more. For tasks you would usually pay $100 elsewhere for, you can get them for a tiny fraction of the price on Fourerr.

3) Fourerr is a Great Place to Find Long Term Contractors

If you have to spend $4 on a few gigs on Fourerr to find your ideal worker, then so be it. Look at it as an investment – even if you end up spending $20 finding your perfect contractor who delivers high quality work for cheap prices, you will have that person as a contact to do future work too. They will be grateful for the work, and you can rest assured that you will be getting good quality services every time.

4) Sometimes, Sellers Come to You!

The “Suggest Gigs” box on Fourerr is one of the most underestimated tools by Fourerr sellers. But those who know about it will know how to use it. As a buyer, all you need to do is let the Fourerr sellers out there know what you need. It can be as simple as “I need an American woman’s voice over”, and the sellers with relevant gigs and talents can send you a private message to ask about your requirements and get further details. Although searching using the categories is a great way of finding relevant gigs, advertising using the “Suggest Gigs” tool will ensure you are contacted by workers who are already keen to do the work.

If you have learnt anything else as a Buyer, how you have been able to save lots of money or how you kick started your business, then why don’t you leave a comment below here and share your wisdom with others.

Take care – Thomas

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How to get a Gig Featured on Fourerr?

So you’ve created a gig and made a few sales…but how do you get more? Well, the simple answer is: Get your gig noticed on Fourerr by upgrading to a “Featured” gig! It’s really easy and getting your gig featured could results in multiple sales.

What is a Featured Gig?

A featured gig is something you can only have when you have had your gig published and approved. A gig that is “featured” will appear on the Home page for 30 days with a pink overlay saying “Featured”

How do I make my gig a “Featured” gig?

All you need to do is hover your mouse over the “Seller” tab at the top of the Home page. Next, you need to select “My Gigs”.

This will take you to your page of gigs (you may only have one active gig). Choose the gig that you want to feature; your gig status will be in green and will say: “Status: Approved and Active”. You need to then click on the orange writing next to it that says “Feature”. You will then be taken through to a page where you can either arrange payment via PayPal or AlertPay.

How much does it cost to get a Featured gig?

It only costs $5 to get your gig featured for 30 days.

Why should I get a Featured gig?

Once you have been on the site for a while, gigs tend to get buried unless they are extremely popular or highly rated. If you have had success with a few gigs before, and want to increase your sales even further, upgrading your gig to a “Featured” status is the best way to get noticed on Fourerr.

A gig with a “Featured” overlay stands out from the crowd and also is one of the first gigs that people will see when they visit the site. This means more views, and can ultimately more sales and more money for you!

Featuring your gig not only is beneficial in terms of promoting your services, but it is also a great way of showing to the rest of the Fourerr community that you are a serious and dedicated seller. It shows that you have confidence in the quality of your gig and that you are happy to share your expertise with everyone.

At only $5 for a whole 30 days at the top of Fourerr’s listings, it is a very good investment. It works out at only 16 cents a day – and if it means that you will get dozens of extra orders, it will be well worth it!

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Getting Started on Fourerr – Creating Your First Gig

Hi, Newbies! Having trouble creating a gig on Fourerr? Then look no further – here are some handy guidance tips to get you know your favourite micro job site…

Getting Started

The Homepage is the first page you will come to when you click onto Fourerr. To join Fourerr or Sign In to access more of the site, click on the “Join” or “Sign In” and enter your login details.

At the top of the Fourerr page, the navigation bar will extend into a list of other pages you can go to:

  • Home – Homepage where you can view other people’s gigs and sort them by popularity or rating. You can also view gigs in certain categories.
  • Inbox – Contact other sellers and buyers by sending and receiving messages.
  • Profile – Create a profile that tells the Fourerr community who you are and what you do.
  • Seller – A place to create gigs, view and edit our gigs, manage sales, track revenues and view purchases.
  • Buyer – A place to view your orders and check what you have paid for.
  • Blog – A friendly and helpful area full of handy hints and tips about how to make the most of Fourerr
  • Helpdesk – A support platform to help you deal with any issues on Fourerr.

Creating A Gig

If you have come to Fourerr to make money, creating a gig is the best place to start. Once you have completed your profile, click on “Create a Gig” on the tool bar at the top of the page or simply write in the box on the Homepage which says: What are you willing to do for money?

“I will _______________”.  After you have entered what you are willing to do for $4, click “Go” and our gig will have its title.

OR

You will go straight to a green page where you select your gig’s category, and whether you want it to be Featured (this costs $5 and means your gig appears at the top of the homepage for 30 days).

Next, enter your gig Description – try and be detailed about what you are offering.

In the box below, enter your Instructions to Buyer. If your gig is the type of job that needs specific information, then ask your buyer to provide you with it. For example, if you are advertising a photo editing service, your instructions to the buyer might be:

“Please send me your photo in jpg format and tell me how you would like me to enhance the picture – I can:

-get rid of blemishes or red eye

-can change the picture to black and white

-can add objects or a border.”

Next, enter your Tags. These are the keywords that will make searching for your gig a lot easier for buyers. Ensure that they describe your gig, are relevant and are spelt correctly.

After this, you need to let your potential buyer know how long it will take you to complete your gig – make sure that you allow for other work you have on and be as realistic as you can with your time estimate – late gigs could mean that you have lost a potential customer.

Finally, add an image to your gig. Click the “Browse” button to upload a picture you have on your computer of a sample of your work – this gives buyers a chance to decide if they want to buy your gig or not.

Click “Submit” and your first gig is ready for approval!

Note: Feel free to leave a comment on this post and share your knowledge with our members. 

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A New Year; A Fresh Start!

Happy New Year - 2012

Many people think of New Year’s Eve and they are just thinking about which parties they are going to attend, what to wear, how much to drink and whether they’ll be kissing anyone at midnight. But when it comes to work, the truth is that the New Year is a great time to do something new and start afresh.

The first day of January might not seem the best time to start working, after all, most people will be nursing their hangovers well into the afternoon. However, this is the best time for you to set up a type of ‘business plan’ for the coming year.

Even if you don’t see yourself as the business type, if you are selling gigs on Fourerr, you are clearly interested in making money. If your gigs from 2011 haven’t sold very well, then maybe it’s time to come up with some new ones. Think of the types of skills that you have and go from there…

On the other hand, if your gigs sold really well last year then continuing with the reputation you have already created for yourself seems like the sensible option. To develop your work further however, you need to start thinking about how you can offer more.

Think back through the year – have any buyers contacted you and asked you whether you could provide a different service to the ones that you are offering? If you are offering PLR (Private Label Rights) articles and you got more than one message from prospective buyers during the year asking if you write original articles, then create a gig offering original articles!

Similarly, if you are offering to sing songs by a particular artist, offer gigs that opens this up to ANY song in the world! Or if you are an impressionist, offer more impressions than you did in 2011. The more you offer, and the more diverse your gigs are, the more likely you are to get sales and therefore make money.

So get thinking about what the New Year can bring for you; more clients, more contacts, and even more prosperity!

I hope you enjoyed this post! And if you did, please feel free to share it!

Happy New Year!

Note: Feel free to leave a comment on this post and share your knowledge with our members. 

 

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Sellers: Managing your Workload over Christmas

 

We all know that Christmas is a joyful time of year, but it can also be a busy one too. At this hectic time of year, we need to ensure that we stay organised and don’t start ‘winding down’ i.e. slowing our workload down before we need to. Slowing down your work will just mean that buyers will be disappointed with your slow delivery and it also means that you will have more to do in the New Year.

To make sure that your buyers still find you a reliable worker, all you need to do is be realistic about the amount of work you can handle over the Christmas period and how long each gig will take you to complete.

Merry Christmas to all our Members.

If you have created a few creative festive gigs (see previous blog post), don’t say you will deliver within 1 day if you really can’t – a buyer will be happier if you offer a more manageable deadline and can deliver on time.

If you have many ‘repeat buyers’ who have bought gigs from you on more than one occasion or just regularly buy your gigs, then try to notify them that your delivery time may slow down over the Christmas holidays. Buyers will appreciate that you took the time to tell them.

Suspending your gigs over the Christmas holidays might seem like a good idea, or if you think you can manage the occasional gig here and there between Christmas and New Year, and then maybe just extend your delivery dates.

Sending a polite message along the lines of “Dear ___, This is just a quick message to inform you that I will not be working between ___th and ___st December…” Always remember to thank them for being a loyal buyer, thank them for buying your gigs in the past, and above all – wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  A friendly, personal and informative message can go a long way.

If you freelance on Fourerr for some extra part time work, then try and get a schedule organised in the run up to Christmas too, for example:

 

Date Morning Afternoon Evening
Tuesday 20th Dec Christmas Shopping Fourerr Work Relax
Wednesday 21st Dec Other Work Relax Fourerr Work
Thursday 22nd Dec Fourerr Work Other Work Other Work and Fourerr Work
Friday 23rd Dec Christmas Shopping/Wrap Presents! Fourerr Work Other Work

 

And so on…!

By keeping up to date with your workload and prioritising certain pieces of work, you should reduce the massive stressful aura that tends to always hang over Christmas. Time management is key, and if you can master it, you will have the best holidays ever.

 

 

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Be Creative with your Christmas Gigs!

As well as our usual categories such as Music and Audio, Programming, Business and Graphics, we also have a fabulous new category for you to promote your festive gigs: Christmas Gigs 2011.

Have you struggled with sales throughout the year or just want to make a little extra cash to help with buying your Christmas presents?

Christmas is a time of festive fun, where building snowmen, sledding, cooking Christmas puddings, wrappings presents and being in an overall cheerful mood are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Taking this into consideration, think about what you can offer the Fourerr community that might make the festive holidays easier or more fun.

Santa Sleigh Christmas is a great time for promoting, so if you are offering your services on Fourerr as an advertising or web design expert, think about how your services might be able to benefit people as Christmas approaches. Offering Christmas holiday discounts is a great way to draw in more buyers, or offering with a slightly festive theme could really appeal to lots of people out there.

Are you a musician wondering how to put your skills to use at Christmas? Offer gigs that have you singing Christmas songs, or maybe even provide backing tracks for amateur dramatic companies. Traditional pantomime performances will always need a little help with music, so get arranging, composing and performing and you will soon see the money come rolling in!

Are you an actor thinking about how to spread the Christmas joy? What better way to touch the hearts of kids around the world than to send them a personalised message acting as Santa? Parents and children alike will love the creativity of this gig, and knowing that you are making a child’s Christmas a little more special is even more satisfying.

Are you an artist who wants to think of ways to use your skills in a festive way? How about designing some Christmas cards for buyers on Fourerr? Christmas card shopping can be a bit of a chore for most people, so by designing some beautifully crafted and fantastically personal cards, buyers can send our totally unique designs to their loved ones.

Buyers – this is a time for you to perhaps show your appreciation of the work that someone has done for you over the past year.  A small Christmas bonus for a seller is a great way to show that you appreciate how hard they work for you and means that you will also be their favourite client!

Get your thinking caps (or Santa hats!) on and start creating gigs – if there was ever a time of year to begin to offer more, this is it!

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Take a break … right now!

Have you been working online for a while now? Do you feel like you need a break?

Need a rest? Take a break ... like a Koala.

Taking a break doesn’t have to mean taking weeks off to go away on an extravagant holiday. Taking a break can just mean giving yourself a little time every day to have some time to yourself. If you are offering computer-based gigs, then you are probably spending a long time in front of your monitor. Staring at a computer screen all day can lead to headaches, sore eyes, dizziness and overall tiredness.

Get Away from your Computer

Every 50-60 minutes try to take a 5-10 minute break in which you leave your desk or work area. Whether you go and make a cup of tea or just walk around your house and listen to some music for a while, it reduces the strain on your eyes.

Ways to Relax for Ten Minutes

  • Go for a short stroll – a slow walk round the block is enough, don’t turn it into a power walk, this isn’t a race!
  • Make a snack – a healthy option like fruit can give you the energy you need to make it through your next hour of work. Never rush our food, take your time to chew.
  • Go and get a drink – avoiding caffeinated drinks and try warm water instead – it’s good for the digestion and doesn’t make your heart beat ten to the dozen.
  • Listen to some relaxing music – acoustic guitar or gentle sound of the sea will soon have you chilled out to the max.
  • Lie down and close your eyes (maybe set an alarm so you don’t fall asleep!)
  • Use a massaging foot spa – enjoy the small vibrations on your feet and relax your body for its full benefits
  • Practice slow breathing techniques – lie down or sit comfortably and inhale through your nose for five, then exhale through your mouth for five. Do this a few times to a get a good rhythm going.
  • Do some stretches – look into using a few yoga positions that will relax you. Simply standing up and reaching towards the ceiling will let you stretch your entire body out.

  • Come on ... do those stretches and relax.

  • Find a quiet place to sit in with no distractions – If you work from home during the day and your kids are at school, anywhere will be relaxing. Try and get away from your office area though, as your brain will automatically associate this space with work and you won’t be able to fully relax.

Try one of these relaxation suggestions at a time and make the most of your break. Once you have had a proper rest break, you are sure to have a much more productive day doing your work. Set your alarm to take a break if necessary and allow yourself to work and you will be surprised at how much you can get done!

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Top 5 tips for buyers and sellers on Fourerr.com – Video

A while ago we published the Top 5 tips for buyers and sellers.

As we all know that you love watching those video’s we embedded these tips in some useful video’s.

Have a look at these tips and start earning more money on Fourerr or ensure you select the correct gigs from the right seller.


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Uncategorized

Top 5 Secrets for Buyers on Fourerr

If you class yourself as a ‘buyer’ you have obviously come to Fourerr in the search of something. Whether it is inspiration for gift ideas, help with outsourcing your work or simply just to see what’s out there, Fourerr is here to help and introduce you to some of the best and most creative gigs you will ever come across. To make the most out of your Fourerr experience (and it truly is an experience!) here are some little known secrets about the best way to spend your $4.

Successfully buying on Fourerr - Top Tips.

1. Use the categories to help with Searches

The categories listed on the right hand side of the page are not just there for people to see the range of gigs available. These categories are also for you to help you decide what you want. Have you come to Fourerr to look for someone to help promote your business? Do you want to generate traffic for your website? Are you looking for someone to compose a jingle for an online advert you have just created? The categories are there to make your browsing experience a whole lot easier!

2. Find a Good Seller by viewing their Rating

Top ratings mean that a seller is producing good quality gigs and making lots of people happy – and if they are offering something that you want, even better! Make the most of the rating system. To find the top rated gigs on Fourerr, just go to the homepage and click ‘Filter by Rating’ you will soon have in front of you all the gigs that other buyers have used and would recommend.

3. Use the ‘Suggest Gigs’ Box

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the ‘Suggest Gigs’ box is one of the most underrated tools on Fourerr. As a buyer it is the best way of finding what you are looking for, in fact it is like placing a free advertisement (something you don’t usually get online!) By typing in what you need from Fourerr’s sellers, you are giving them the opportunity to come to you instead of you searching for them, thus saving yourself a lot of time and effort! Once people have contacted you, it is then up to you to narrow it down to candidates you think will produce the best gigs.

4. Don’t ignore Sellers with no Feedback

Everyone needs to start somewhere, so don’t ignore gigs from sellers that look like they have little or no feedback – they might just be an undiscovered talent. If they are offering exactly what you are looking for, why not give them a go and see if they live up to their promises and deliver a quality gig? If not, you’ve only lost $4.

5. You’ve got to spend money to make money!

Continuing with the idea of not ignoring sellers with no feedback, you also need to remember that some gigs might offer the world – beware of gigs that seem to offer too much, every now and then these can turn out to be fake gigs (sadly it happens). However, if you are looking for someone to do some data entry for you, why not try 5 possible candidates at once, order each of their gigs and find out who does it the best? It is this style of ‘audition’ process that makes it easier for you to pick the quality gigs from the poor gigs. Sure, you may have to spend $20 trying to find that perfect freelancer, but ultimately at the end you will have yourself a quality worker.

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