Top 10 Useful Sites for College Students

1. Google
There is a reason that Google is one of the top companies in the world — they produce useful products.  These are a few of their innovations I found most helpful in my studies.

Google Chrome is surprisingly helpful for research projects. Booking marking sites under your Google Chrome account allows you to access them through any computer you use. So if you have done a ton of work finding helpful websites online for a research project, bookmark them all into a folder so when you go to campus you can access them on a campus computer or your laptop. I don’t use other browsers so they might be able to do the same thing on other browsers, but it is very simple to figure out in Google Chrome.

Google Calendar can help you plan your time, and share a schedule with other people to figure out a time to plan something.

Google Docs were oftentimes used in many of my classes to collaborate on study guides, and to put together groups projects. There are a lot of different formats you can create a document in Google Docs, and even makes it possible to avoid buying Microsoft Office.
Obviously the Google search engine is helpful for basic research, and for finding just about any information you need.

Google voice is a free VoIP phone service which is helpful if you have to pay much to call home, or if you have a limited number of minutes, as you can use it over WiFi. If you get a number it will try to transcribe messages that people leave you (They’re kind of funny because they can be so wrong sometime). This can be helpful if you are doing an internship that requires a lot of time talking on the phone.

Google Translate can help out with language classes — Use the translation software as a guide, because unless they have improved a lot recently, it won’t be super accurate.
So, if you have just started college and have avoided getting a Google account go ahead and get one now. You’ll probably have to do it eventually. One of my classes used Blogger as our method of composing and turning in assignments.

2. Quizlet
Quizlet is a flashcard website. For most classes, someone has already created a list of flashcards on Quizlet that you can flip through. Generally they might not be exactly what you need, but they will be close enough. You can print them off. It can create practice tests. You can play games that make the learning more interactive. You can have it read the flashcards to you. Plus, you don’t have to buy anything and lug around a giant stack of flashcards. There are probably other sites like this one out there, but this is my favorite.
note from Katie here: This is the only way I passed one of my classes this last semester, because someone had previously created an amazing study guide. Just sayin’.

3. SugarSync
SugarSync is an online data storage site. However, you can create a file on multiple computers (including a smartphone) through the SugarSync app that will update if you make a change to the file on one of the devices. So, if I was working on a paper in Microsoft Word (or your program of choice) on my desktop at home I could simple save it as a SugarSync file, and I would be able to access it at another computer on campus in order to continue to work on it. This is especially nice if you don’t have a printer at your apartment, and you have to print from a campus printer. Instead of going to through the whole process of always emailing everything to yourself you can just have you computers sync your files.
Sugarsync is a paid subscription, though you get 5 GB for free, which will probably be satisfactory for just occasionally using it.

4. Rate My Professor
This is a classic site to see how other students viewed their professors. This can be very helpful when trying to put together a class schedule. They can even be rated with little chili peppers if students think the professor was attractive. Obviously every student has something different that they expect and want from a professor, so be careful how much importance you place on other people’s opinions. Teachers are ranked on a number of central attributes, plus students can write their own personal comments.

5. Wikipedia
Wikipedia is becoming slightly more acceptable in academic circles, but it is by its nature not a high level source suited for higher education. It is user generated, and the users could be just about anyone. However, it is a helpful place to start a research project. It can introduce you to the general ideas and issues involved in a topic, and it can provide you with links to more credible sources. However, I would not cite Wikipedia in paper unless a profess or specifically says it is allowed.

6. School Library Websites
Colleges and Universities generally pay for their students to be able to access different databases of scholarly journals, news articles, and books online. Through BYU I was able to access JSTOR which I used extensively during research projects to find those sources you actually could cite in a research paper. JSTOR  allowed me to store a list of different articles I found that I wanted to return to easily in the future. I’m sure most schools and most majors have similar resources for students.

7. RefWorks
Refworks and cites like it help you to attempt to skip the tedious and boring process of putting together your own citations. This may not seem like a very helpful resource if you have never written a paper like I have that required at least thirty sources. I was never able to figure out how to use RefWorks well myself, so I got very good at looking up the rules for all of the different types of citations.

8. Audible
Audible.com is an audio book website. You can get a free audio book when you sign up.So if you have multiple email address you could potentially get multiple books for free. I had a job as a janitor for a while where having a audio book of an assigned book from one of my classes allowed me to essentially be studying while I was working. You could listen to books while you run or drive as well. Time is precious during college so anything you can do like this will help you stay on top of your classes. I’m sure there are not audio books for textbooks, so only certain types of books will work.

9. Half.com and Amazon.com
Buying and selling textbooks online can make the cost of your books much cheaper. I generally used Half.com the most. It usually wasn’t too complicated, and if you ordered books from the same source you can save on shipping. If you have Amazon prime I believe shipping is free.

10. Fill My Team
This applies specifically to BYU, but there may be equivalent sites for other schools. It is a site where people can try to put together intramural teams. Intramural sports can be a lot of fun, and it is a good, healthy way to blow off some steam and stay in shape. Sports help motivate me to exercise, and exercise is good for the mind and body. Basically, playing sports is probably good for you. However, being in charge of a team or finding a good team can be a bit of a pain. Fill my team makes it easy to put together a team so you don’t have to waste too much your precious time pestering people to play on your wheel chair rugby team – we really had that one year.
With deadlines and all the things that I had to worry about as a college student who worked, got married and started a family before I graduated, time was very important. These sites made my life more manageable, and I probably got better grades because of them.

Are there any sites you’ve used in college that you found particularly helpful?

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How to earn money with torrent files?

Sometimes you download some music and film files from torrent website. You may not understand how the up loaders make money with their torrent files.

Most uploader’s don’t make money, they do it for personal values (sharing) and earning respect. 

You can make money in a variety of ways, you may develop your own private BitTorrent website with it’s own private trackers, which give users the illusion of privacy & security. You could do this buy requiring an “invite”, charging $x.xx for 2 invites, one for himself and one for a friend.If you can find an affiliate, you can always advertise by including a text or image file in your torrents about the affiliate. If your torrents get really popular, they will most likely pay you for your advertising.

Another possibility through an affiliate program, if you have a decent connection speed (especially upload) you could setup a computer on your network as a seed box. This is where the system’s main duty is simply to upload the torrent data to other users. You will usually need at least a consistent 2GB/upload speed.

You could use the CPA password method, which is generally frowned upon in the P2P community. This method involves password protecting an archieve and only giving a link to where the password is, the link itself is usually something like Share cash or some service that pays you for the amount of people who visit your link.

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20 free Ways to Make Money Online Fast

Cathy is in need of a legitimate way to make money online fast. She writes in: “I was a nurse for almost 30 years when I became disabled from a car wreck. I am a very tough person (I’m a redhead!) I went out last October and bought a new PC to try and make money online, but all I have succeeded in doing is getting further in debt. I know you know what I mean by all the scams that I fell into.

I have been reading A LOT and trying to learn as much as I can. I have run into conflicting stories, though. I just don’t know where to start. I am not a computer tech, nor that knowledgeable about how to start. I am NOT asking for a handout; just a helping hand in the right direction.

I’m not expecting to make tons of money today, but ANYTHING to help me get started in the right direction. I have saved thousands of lives and now I can’t even get through the month without running out of food!”

Cathy has the right attitude — she’s not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, but instead a legitimate way to make some extra money online.

Having been sucked into some scams myself in the past, I know how difficult it can be to find realways to make money online fast. Thus, I’ve compiled this list. Some ways require knowledge of certain skills, but all these skills can be learned. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest picking one of these ways and learning more about it, then trying it out!

Note: None of the 20 ways listed below contain affiliate links (that is, links that make me money if you click on them.) This list is for your benefit, not mine. Enjoy!

1. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.

Mechanical Turk is a great way to make some extra cash. You probably won’t make much more than a few dollars an hour, but it’s also dead simple to complete many of the tasks. Most tasks take less than a minute to complete and pay a few pennies. If you do a lot of MTurk, it could add up to at least some fun spending money. Sign up for free, then complete qualifications to earn access to higher-paying tasks.

2. Sell stock photos.

iStockPhoto is just one site that allows you to sell stock photos; there are others. Before you decide to go crazy and upload your whole album, take note of what’s selling well and try your hand at doing something similar. iStockPhoto also works for those who know how to render images; some of their most popular images were created on a computer! Have three killer stock photos ready for iStockPhoto’s inspection; they will want them when you sign up.

3. Sell stuff on eBay.

Start by selling your own extra stuff. Then, once you get a feel for selling your extra stuff, go door-to-door in nicer neighborhoods in your town. Develop an eye for what will sell and what won’t (old laptops, for instance, could be a gold mine–if you know how to format them to get rid of the previous owner’s personal data.) Sign a contract where you take 25-30% (or more) of the gross sale. Your customers will be happy to get cash for their old junk, and you’ll make some good money selling other people’s stuff. eBay

4. Become a freelance article writer.

It may not pay well, but there is a growing demand for this. Write 200-300 word articles and submit them to article directories. Potential clients include bloggers, marketers, and small businesses. You can write articles in a niche in batches and sell them as a package to one or more clients, or you can offer your services for hire per word or article and let your client give you direction. A foundation ofkeyword research is important to succeed at this job (unless you’re just taking direction from a client), but keyword research is learnable.

5. Write articles for magazines or other publications.

If you have a background in journalism, or just a passion for it, you can try your hand at submitting articles to publications. Don’t just randomly fire off articles, however; have a plan and, preferably, a contact at the publication you wish to submit to. The good news is that there are publications in pretty much any niche you can think of. To see some publications that are hiring, visit Online Writing Jobs, PoeWar Freelance Jobs, and Writing.com.

6. Transcribe audio files.

An easy job; doesn’t pay well, but also a quick way to make some money. Sign up on eLance oroDesk to start, and/or advertise your services in entrepreneur forums. Requires good hearing and a good command of the English language. You may also want to invest in a foot pedal if you plan to transcribe often. Make sure you know how to transcribe interviews before you start your first job.

7. Become a virtual assistant (VA).

There are entire books written on how to become a virtual assistant, so this job is definitely worthy of more research. My advice: Focus on one niche (I just hired Lisa Morosky of VA for Bloggers, for instance.) Also, reach out to potential customers directly and let them know what you can do for them instead of hitting up freelance web sites. Finally, you may want to consider resources such asAssistU, which provides training for up-and-coming virtual assistants.

8. Write articles on eHow.com.

If you understand the basics of keyword research, you can make a good monthly income from eHow. eHow pays you a percentage of the ad revenue they make from each “How to” article you create. You can crank out a few articles a day with relative ease. Try this for a month; assuming your article titles match up with what people are searching for in Google, you can make a significant income. The great news is that you write your articles once and get paid month after month. I’ve seen figures of $100-$150/month for 30 articles. Make money writing for eHow.com.

9. Do some videos to promote affiliate products.

Enjoy making silly videos? Even short, silly videos can sell products online. Find an product worth promoting that has an affiliate program, then target your video toward potential customers of that product. In your video summary on YouTube, place your affiliate link for the product, and after the video, do a 30-second still frame showing a short URL where people can buy the product. If your video is funny, informative, or useful, you may sell some products. Big tip: Try to promote a product that makes you a fair amount of money for each sale, but doesn’t cost a whole lot for the potential customer. You can find products on Commission Junction, for one.

10. Write an ebook targeted to people who need help.

Alexis Dawes created a product called “Desperate Buyers Only”. I interview her for an upcoming case study on Inspiring Innovators, where she mentions that she is able to make up to $97 from ebooks as small as 12 pages. The key? Finding people who are incredibly desperate for the information you provide and then doing good research to find a real solution to their problems. The result? Happy customers whose problem is solved, and money for you — a win-win situation! Caveat: It may be tough to find a real desperate buyer niche (Alexis reveals some in her case study). Here are some hints: When were you last in a situation where information would have either saved you a lot of money or a lot of pain? Has someone else close to you been in a situation where they could have used information to avert pain? Think legal, medical, and financial niches.

11. Build a small niche website.

I run a few small niche websites. For instance, How to Convert PDF is a tiny site that has free videos on how to convert other types of documents into PDF format. It sells a piece of software called PDF Creator, and I make a few dollars every time someone buys from that site. I promoted the site using pay-per-click ads and it was profitable. Don’t copy me directly, but do find the intersection of people needing help and a tool, ebook, or software program that will help them fix their problem. Then, create a website designed to get them to buy it!

12. Help local businesses develop an online presence.

Local businesses are struggling. Many have websites, but aren’t getting any results from them. Others don’t have websites at all. You can help by learning search engine optimization, how to set up an email list, and more, and then implementing these for local businesses. If you typically hang around geeks, web marketers, or the Web 2.0 crowd, you may be surprised how many business owners are 10 years (or more) behind you! If you can deliver results, business owners will happily pay. Find customers by going door-to-door.

13. Learn WordPress, then offer to install plugins and upgrade it.

I hired David from Web Geek 4 Hire to upgrade my blogs and install new WordPress plugins. He charges $5 to upgrade a plugin…great for him, since most plugins only take a few minutes to upgrade, and great for me, since if anything breaks, David gets to clean up the mess! You can make this a full time position; there is a ton of demand for these services. Find customers by contacting bloggers directly. Get references from bloggers who understand the value of outsourcing these tasks.

14. Become the go-to person for installations of a particular piece of software.

Anything from Amember to Quickbooks is fair game here. In the hosting industry, iDevAffiliate andPlesk Billing were the pieces of software we would have paid a lot of money to have someone else deal with. The more niche and more complex/annoying/frustrating the software, the better! Even if the software company offers free installation, you can make hundreds or thousands of dollars training business owners or their employees on its usage. Focus on one piece of software and become the trusted expert. Create videos and tutorials using screencast software like Camtasia to increase your profitability; this may also lead into a niche product that you can sell. (Amember offers “free installation”, but it took my boyfriend and I over 10 hours to configure it properly. That’s definitely something I would outsource next time!)

15. Interview other people and sell the interviews.

I experimented with this in 2008 and made over $800 from one interview. The key here is to understand a pain point that people are experiencing, interview an expert, and ask the expert the questions that the people experiencing the problem are having. Then create a small website and sell the interview. There’s more to this, including having good copywriting skills so your website sells the interview well, and knowing where to advertise, so don’t expect to immediately pull in hundreds of dollars. That said, it’s a neat way to quickly create a product. Get the interviews transcribed, then string a few interviews in the same industry together as a membership site or bundle that you can sell for more money.

16. Become a freelance “web geek.”

From configuring a shopping cart to installing and tweaking blog themes, there are virtually unlimited projects out there for geeks who enjoy working with small business owners to get them up and running online. Find people looking for web geeks on the Warrior Forum or other places where entrepreneurs gather.

17. Enter logo and design contests.

Fancy yourself a good designer? Try your hand at creating a logo or other design that a company loves! 99 Designs is the most popular marketplace. Beware, however; you won’t get paid unless your logo wins against many others, which makes many designers unhappy. In my opinion, this is a great way for a budding designer to build a portfolio and learn quickly what clients love.

18. Create Twitter backgrounds and e-covers.

Competition is stiff, but if you are a savvy designer, this is a good way to pick up extra dollars. Even better, if you are an artist, this is a good way to make your art skills pay off. Consider that every design will need to have a reason why the customer should buy the book or follow that person on Twitter to have a real impact. Twitter backgrounds, in particular, are in hot demand right now. For measurements and caveats of Twitter backgrounds, read “How to create your own Twitter background.”

19. Submit websites or blog posts to social media websites.

Not very exciting work, but in high demand from bloggers and small businesses. This involves setting up accounts on all of the social bookmarking services and then bookmarking your clients’ websites or latest blog posts to help them get more traffic. You may be competing against software that does this, but in many folks’ opinions, it’s better to have a real person do it. Even better is if you can goose your accounts with plenty of friends and become a star on a few of the services; then every site you bookmark has higher credibility and you can charge more. To get an idea of the social media sites you will need to sign up for, start at socialmarker.com.

20. Edit audio for others.

This is something that is fairly easy to learn and also in high demand. On Windows, one good program to edit audio is Sony Sound Forge. I use Sound Forge Audio Studio, but if you are doing this professionally, you might consider the upgrade to Sound Forge 9. Get the hang of editing out “um”s and “ah”s from audio. Even better is understanding the “flow” of an interview conversation and editing out portions that don’t make sense. Finally, learning to find and add intro music really gives podcasts that professional touch. Advertise your services on oDesk or eLance. I pay people to do this for the podcasts I am setting up on Inspiring Innovators, and it’s a job that can definitely be done from your house.

Which One Will You Try? Let Me Know…

There you have it…20 ways for you to make money online fast. Now it’s your turn! I’d like to knowwhich of these methods you would like to hear more about. Please let me know by taking 30 seconds to post a comment below, and I will write more about the most-requested topics.

shared via [Erica]

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Easy and proven ways to earn online - Freelancer Jobs

1. ODesk:  This is a legitimate site where you can find freelance writing jobs. If you have good writing skills, you can find good writing jobs at ODesk and earn reasonable money.

2. Elance:  This is also a great website to find several freelance jobs including freelance writing jobs. Once you become popular on this website, you will get regular writing jobs that pay you well. Elance is truly a great website for freelance writers.

3.Getacoder:  This is also a wonderful website to get regular freelance writing jobs. Getacoder is one of the top sites for freelance writers.

4. Guru:  This is another fantastic website for online writers. If you want to earn money taking freelance writing jobs, you can't ignore this site. Guru is definitely a good freelance writing site on the World Wide Web.

5. Getafreelancer:  If you are a beginner, you can start taking freelance writing jobs from Getafreelancer. The rewards will be less, but a beginner can also get jobs here. Once you get adequate experience in freelance writing you can get high paying freelance jobs from the other freelance writing sites.

6.Scriptlance: This is another great freelance writing job site for particularly beginners. The rewards may be less but new writers can get jobs here on Scriptlance.

7. Freelancer:  This is also a popular freelance writing job site on the Internet. Freelancer is indeed a great place for online writers.

8. Ifreelance:  If you want to take up online writing as your career, you can start taking freelance writing jobs from Ifreelance.

9. People per hour:  This site is also good for new writers. You can get freelance writing jobs with rewards suiting your writing skills at this site People Per Hour.

10. Other writing sites:  You can also write for top writing sites such as HubPages, Squidoo, Triond, Factoidz and ExpertsColumn.

Summary: If you want to write and earn, you can look for online freelance writing jobs on the World Wide Web. Genuine freelance writing jobs are available on these top freelance writing job sites. You can become a freelance writer and earn decent money online. Thanks for reading.

Posted via [Ways to Make Money Online]

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