Freelance Writing Jobs

I guess we should start at the beginning: what is online freelancing anyway? Well, in the very simplest sense, we could say that it refers to freelancing that’s done online, but that doesn’t really illuminate the subject very well, does it. :) We can get a better understanding of the topic by breaking the phrase up and considering the words “online” and “freelancing” separately.

Merriam-Webster has three definitions for the word “freelance”:

• (usually free lance): A mercenary soldier especially of the Middle Ages.
• A person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization.
• A person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer.

The second and third definitions are the ones you probably expected to see, and of course, are the ones that are relevant for our purposes. But the first definition is the most inter­esting, because it conveys the actual origins of the word.

The term “free lance” was first used in the 1819 novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. A lance is of course a weapon, and the word also refers to a mounted knight who wields one—much the same way we today use the phrase “hired gun” to refer to a soldier who carries a gun. So, a “free lance” was a warrior who was not obligated or sworn to the service of any master or noble: he was “free” to work for whoever he wanted.

The word “free lance” became “freelance”, and was adapted into the more figurative defini­tions that we use today: conducting business or performing tasks independently, without being tied to a specific company, group or organization. Again, the word “free” is used in the sense of “freedom”: it doesn’t connote someone who works for free, no matter what certain cheapskate clients seem to think. :)

English being English, at some point “freelance” stopped being used as a noun to refer to an independent professional, and transformed into a verb that describes the activity. Thus, we now say that an individual freelances, or is engaged in freelancing. The people who do this are now called not freelances but freelancers.

The description of freelancers as those who work independently without long-term commit­ments is accurate, but it isn’t really sufficiently precise: it’s clear that not everyone who works in this way is generally called a freelancer. For one obvious example, would you refer to your doctor as a “freelancer”? Probably not. The same goes for your lawyer, plumber or auto mechanic: even though they technically meet the definitions of freelancers that we commonly use, nobody really thinks of them that way.

The missing piece in the definition is that those we call freelancers are generally people who work for themselves in professions that traditionally are not pursued independently. Many doctors and lawyers work for themselves, so we don’t think of them as “freelancers”. The same goes for many other professions that are routinely conducted by independent professionals. In contrast, consider work functions such as writing, graphical design, business services, computer programming, advertising, marketing and sales. These activ­ities are most often undertaken by employees of corporations or other organizations, so when someone does these tasks independently, we call them freelancers.

Now that we have a handle on the word “freelancing”, we can consider the adjective “online”. Merriam-Webster can help out here, defining the adjective as follows:

• Connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (as the Internet).
• Done while connected to such a system.

Again, a pretty good definition. But what does that really mean in the context of freelancing?

These days, we are all online: everyone uses the Internet to communicate and do work, regardless of their chosen professions. We email each other, participate in social networks, use search engines to find information, and much more. We’re all online, so to some extent anyone who freelances is an “online freelancer”.

But viewed holistically, online freelancing is much more than just this. It refers not to conventional freelancing that is complemented by the use of online technologies. Rather, it expresses the idea of using the Internet itself as a primary means for conducting business. Online freelancers employ the Internet for all, or nearly all, of the phases of their work: marketing themselves, obtaining work, communicating with clients, and delivering end products. They make use of online freelancing marketplaces to find new clients and projects, and to establish themselves, build a track record of success, and accumulate a base of repeat clients.

So, to summarize in a single sentence: Online freelancing is the process by which independent workers conduct business using the Internet as the primary means for obtaining clients and completing work for them. Note that online freelancing is also sometimes called Internet freelancing or net freelancing. The term online outsourcing is also used to refer to the entire process from the client’s point of view.

List Of Freelancing Sites:

The following is a small list of good freelance sites.

1. Elance.com – so far the largest online marketplace for free lancers and service buyers
2. Aquent.com – offers marketing organizations a wide range of services including consulting, studio solutions, project management, and translation/localization.
3. Adveres.com – another cool marketplace for freelancers.
4. Bidradar - recently merged with governmentbids.com and published mostly government-owned jobs for freelancers.
5. CGI Lance – largest marketplace for CGI scripts.
6. CTITjobs.net – most projects are programming and web design and even technical support for IT-related problems.
7. Codelance.com – custom software development and webhosting for companies outsourcing offshore.
8. Coswap.com - offshore marketplace for web design jobs.
9. Design Quote – a reputable marketplace for graphic and design jobs.
10. Developreneurs.com – an online marketplace where buyers looking for web development services can receive bids from dozens of qualified service providers.
11. Ework.com -delivers three outsourced value-added services— integration and implementation for eWork Enterprise 5, business process consulting to streamline contingent workforce business processes, and a comprehensive workforce staffing management service.
12. Freelance Auction – almost all services are offered here.
13. Freelance Auction Network – is designed to bring affordable high quality services to small business owners and provide freelance contractors from around the world a better way to market their services.
14. Freelance.com – a good place for independent professionals, freelancers, and service buyers.
15. Freelance Writers - the best site for non-fiction writers.
16. Freelancefree.com – the first and best free freelance website.
17. Freelancewriting.com - another great freelance site exclusively for writers.
18. Freelancewebprojects.com – all services offered and requires all freelancing talents.
19. Freelanceseek.com – available in 7 major European languages.
20. Freelancewebprogramming.com – another freelance site for webmasters and programmers.
21. Getafreelancer – this is my favorite freelance site so far. I am a member of this site and having some decent customers in SEO and writing.
22. Guru.com – Use Guru.com’s free service to search for and find freelancers. Post your project. Get free quotes within hours. Outsource your contract work today.
23. Hirecoders.com – not only a marketplace but also a general classified for job seekers and employers.
24. Ifreelance.com – huge freelance site for talented people.
25. Listbid.com – a very simple freelance site but has a bigger population.
26. No Agencies Please – is a free freelance site concentrating on programming and design.
27. NUJ Freelance Directory – the biggest freelance job board in UK.
28. OutsourceToday.net- is the online market place where buyers can post their projects. Businesses and consultants such as freelance programmers, copywriters etc will bid for the work you outsource and you can select the best one that matches your requirement.
29. Projectlance.com – one of the busiest freelance sites.
30. PHPfreelancers.com – freelance for php programming.
31. Programmingbid.com – dozens of programming jobs posted everyday.
32. Project4hire.com – marketplace for designers, programmers, offshore companies, and more.
33. Rentacoder.com – one of the biggest and reputable freelance sites.
34. Scriptlance.com – big freelance sites with thousands of service providers from India.

There are other freelance sites and the list is growing daily but it is always better to join established freelance sites for a reliable service/

Article © Copyright Raden A. Payas of Myseoblog.net.  Visit the website at http://www.myseoblog.net for Free SEO and Advertising Resources .