Traveling Telecommuter

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April 11, 2006

Business Ideas for a Flatter World

Filed under: Traveling Telecommuter, Work at Home — Administrator @ 1:26 pm

world_is_flat2.jpg 

Tom Friedman’s book, The World is Flat presents some interesting concepts about the impact of technology on the future of our working world. By understanding the “flattening” of world through telework, opportunities are exposed that could not have existed even ten years ago.

The best example that I have seen is the outsourcing of the drive-up window at McDonalds. Because a specialized call center operator works in a quiet, non-distracting environment, they are better able to take an accurate order. There is now a company in Santa Maria, California that handles order taking for over 40 restaurants as far away as Honolulu. It is not hard to imagine that these operators are also more effective at “selling up” the clients and remembering to ask if “you want fries with that order” sitting in a quiet call center with the din of the restaurant around them.

Finding good opportunities for telecommuting and telework have been challenging for many who are interested in making their living this way. Perhaps they should try to think out of the box more and look for opportunities to apply “flat world” approaches to everyday problems. Having a successful model like McDonalds should inspire many who desire to start a business or telecommute rather than work from an office.



April 6, 2006

Free Teleconferencing

Filed under: Telephony, Traveling Telecommuter — Administrator @ 8:02 am

Teleconferences can be a great tool for meeting with clients and co-workers while telecommuting. There are some services availabled online that allow you to schedule free teleconferences where each caller pays for any applicable long distance calls. With so many services offering unlimited calling within the U.S. (e.g. Skype and Vonage), this becomes a free call anyway.

Many of the services also offer reasonable toll free service at a per minute charge. For example: www.freeconference.com offers toll free conference calls at 10 cents per minute per user.

These services allow even the home based small business to provide professional quality teleconference hosting at the lowest cost.  



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April 2, 2006

Home exchanging, excellent option for remote workers - The Home Exchange Guide now available in downloadable format

Filed under: Accommodations, Traveling Telecommuter, Work at Home — Administrator @ 10:21 am

The Home Exchange Guide 

The Home Exchange Guide

Employees with the flexibility to work remotely and small business owners on the go can benefit from home swapping. This mode of finding accommodations while away from home and work provides you the opportunity to be away from home and work for extended time periods with the advantages and comforts of a home away from home for little or no costs. To participate, travelers must have a home to offer for swap and the willingness to participate in the home exchange process.

Home swapping advantages include having the extra space of a regular home instead of the reduced size of the typical hotel room. As a home swapper you enjoy the toys and extras of the home you stay in which may include high speed Internet access, office equipment, a kitchen, space for your family and the possibility of swapping autos as well.

The Internet has opened up the world of home exchanging. As an exchanger you have easy and fast access to information, almos immediate and private communication options through email and VoIP calls (a prudent step during the initial stages) and the opportunity to post information about your home and family inexpensively and with little effort in one or more home swapping organization websites. For a list of well established home exchange organizations, visit FreeHomeAwayfromHome.com.

It is possible to find free accommodations when you travel using a time tested concept proven effective by half a million people every year (according to The New York Times). The Home Exchange Guide: How to Find Your Free Home Away From Home explains the exchange process in detail and helps you find out if home exchanging for you. The book, the first how-to guide to home swapping with an online focus, is now available for the first time in a downloadable format directly from the publisher.

Featured in domestic and international media including USA Today, Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Midwest Book Review, Newsweek (Japan), and Vancouver Sun, the book guides readers through the home exchange process to find out:  If they are good exchange candidates; how and where to look for exchangers; what to look for in a home; questions to ask; pitfalls to avoid; how to prepare their home for an exchange; what to expect and do during the exchange; and wrapping up loose ends when the exchange is over.

The new downloadable version of the 187-page The Home Exchange Guide: How to Find Your Free Home Away From Home retails for $19.95 and is available directly from the publisher for $14.95 at Poyeen Publishing.

Buy The Home Exchange Guide by clicking on the book cover

The Home Exchange Guide