Dear bella_aria-ga
I’m like you in that I love to seek out information and enjoy the
challenge of the search. However, whether you can turn this enthusiasm
into a full-time employment solely by using the internet as your
library, is questionable and will be a challenge.
Perhaps if I give you my circumstances as an example. I am based in
the UK. For 30 years I was employed in a career which required logical
investigation techniques and knowledge of computers. Because of
ill-health I now work from home carrying out freelance internet
research. I specialize in research on individuals and companies for
due diligence purposes, and corporate intelligence research. All my
clients are from contacts I made during my previous career, although I
anticipate some new clients will be generated by word of mouth by
existing clients.
I will never be rich with this, I sit at the computer for hours at a
time when I’m busy, often week-ends when there’s an urgent job on.
Otherwise it can be days waiting for work or busy on the phone
generating new work.
Google is a welcome source of income, and you are right, often $2-5 is
not a great amount but the computer and phone are paid for so I might
as well use my time usefully.
What does my example tell you?
Working from home for yourself can be lonely and a challenge. Are you
the type of person who could cope with this? Could you cope with the
possibility of low income, especially until you’ve built up a client
base.
If you are going to do only internet research where will you get your
clients from? Are there companies that you have dealt with in the past
where they employ in-house researchers and you can offer a more
reliable and cheaper service? My main line is “Are you wasting time
looking for information on the internet. Save your time for analysis.
Let **** do the groundwork for you”.
Is there a specialist area you have knowledge of? Contact companies
offering your services.
Also try investigation agencies, private detectives, genealogists,
lawyers.
Having a web site offering research services is unlikely to work
unless you can draw people to it. Google has the power to draw
millions to it and yet look at the number of questions posed each hour
on this site.
Type in Internet Research in Google and see the response.
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22internet+research%22
How many potential clients would type in such a search and find you?
How would they pay you? Do you want the problems of collecting
payments from strangers?
Would you offer paid for sites? e.g. LexisNexis, Dun & Bradstreet?
Expensive – would your client base justify the outlay?
Do you have the computer skills and search techniques to provide a
good service? Try several of the questions on Google to test your
search strategy but don’t forget how you would present the information
you have found to your client.
These are just a few of the things you have to think about.
Finally, don’t worry about credentials. If you find that information
quickly, cheaply and efficiently for the client, then they will come
back to you. Your challenge will be to find the client in the first
instance and convince them that they need you, and your service.
Good luck.
answerfinder-ga |
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