Digital Nomad Jobs – Internet Researcher

Digital Nomad Jobs – Internet Researcher

How to become an internet researcher.

If you spend an inappropriate amount of time on-line, why not try combining that with a bit of work and become an internet researcher? Sounds easy and almost fun!

An internet researcher does exactly what you think they do, researches things on the internet. This doesn’t just mean googling away for a few hours waiting for the money to pile up, there is a bit more to it than that. As an internet researcher you will be looking at all sorts of things for many different companies, this could be anything from property prices to the average cost of a wedding in the UK. Whilst this sounds straight forward you have to ensure that the information you are getting is accurate and reliable, you can’t just Wikipedia it all! As I’m sure that all of you know, there is rather a lot of information out there, you’ve got to sift through the rubbish, a massive, sky-high pile of digital rubbish and find the relevant pieces. Still sound fun?

As you would expect, to become a successful internet researcher you will need strong computer skills including knowledge of programs like word and excel. These can be vital as you will need a way to send your findings off to your clients in order to get their cash! A sound working knowledge of various browsers and how to alter the settings in them can be a bonus also. If you don’t have these skills already then look for free tutorials on-line, not only will you learn something new but you’ll get to practice your research skills at the same time! Of course if you can’t be bothered to look for yourself check out:

http://www.tutorialized.com/

http://www.good-tutorials.com/

http://www.ehow.com/

There are hundreds of tools designed to aid internet research and many are well worth having a look at, you don’t need to be in expert in them by any means but it’s always worth knowing what’s out there. You might as well make this as easy as possible eh? Have a look at the following:

https://www.zotero.org/ (Firefox)

http://www.wired-marker.org/en/index.html (highlighting tool)

http://www.icyte.com/

http://www.pimpmysafari.com/items/Concierge/

Once you have a bit of an idea how these tools work you should be a bit more clued up on how to get the most out of your research. Hopefully you’ll be well on your way to becoming an internet research star.

Training/qualifications.

None, no formal training is required but it can be an advantage to have a degree or knowledge in a specialist area, you never know if companies will be looking to employ someone with your select skill set.

There are several courses on-line that claim they can assist you in becoming an internet researcher but these all seem a bit expensive and dodgy to me, personally I feel you would be better off looking at a few e-books on internet research skills and playing around on the internet yourself. A learn on the job method. Maybe go on YouTube and have a look!

Hardware/software.

Your required hardware here is very basic. A computer of sorts with high-speed internet access.

The software is pretty much going to be in your head already, a few key skills an internet researcher needs are research skills (obviously), patience (there is a lot of useless info to look through), commitment and dedication (just how long can 1 person read up on types of mortgage) and a methodical approach to work (no need to read the same page 8 times in 10 minutes).

Where to find work?

There are several options available to you here, many industries hire freelance researchers to do their dirty work for them, think about law, medical, insurance, marketing, healthcare providers and political groups when searching for work.

Failing that you can look for freelance work on-line at sites including:

https://www.upwork.com/

https://www.freelancer.com/job/

http://www.guru.com/

http://www.flexjobs.com/?sub=1033

Specialist on-line job sites like:

http://www.clicknwork.com/index.asp

http://www.thesmartcrowd.com/about/workers/job-opportunities/

If you feel you have a specialised skill set why not look at question and answer sites, the payments received from these sites varies greatly and can be affected by page views though. Maybe don’t expect to get rich!

http://www.experts123.com/SignUp

http://ats.justanswer.com/landing

http://www.smallbizadvice.com/

http://www.webanswers.com/

Once you have mastered your chosen profession why not consider setting up your very own internet research business? There are a lot of sites, books and videos claiming to be able to show you how to get rich quick by doing this, hopefully by the time you consider this option your own research skills will be so fantastically brilliant you’ll be able to figure out which ones are best for you!

How much to charge?

There’s no other way to put it really, you’re not going to have much of a say to start with, until you have a reputation and the experience behind you the money won’t be wonderful. It is possible to make a decent living out of internet research but it may take a bit of time, my (limited) research skills have come with a figure of between $5-$12 an hour which is pretty low, but then again you are sitting in the comfort of your home/apartment/yurt/surfing the net getting paid. Depending on where your digital nomad travels have taken you $12 might last you a long time! Once you have the all-powerful experience though, you can look at earning around $20 an hour which sounds much better!

How well does it suit the Digital Nomad lifestyle?

Very well I’d say. The work can be undertaken from anywhere in the world and is flexible, the equipment load is very low, probably just what you were planning to take along anyway so there are no extra bags to lug around the world with you. As the world is pretty much on-line now it’s not going to stop you going anywhere, well except rainforests and trekking along The Andes but if you are doing that who wants to be researching traffic accident causes in 2009 anyway? Internet research seems to be a great way to earn some money whilst digital nomading around the place, if not as your main source of income then certainly as a way to get an extra bit of pocket-money.