The concept is similar to many things, yet somewhat unique, I believe. Pulling the indexing of Wikis, the browsing experience of social bookmarking sites and linking with social networking tools for community chatter, I’ll talk more about this as the idea becomes reality, but wanted to give a peak and show friends n peers what I’ve been babbling about recently!

I also received a great comic rendering of a draft I’d done to visualize what I’m trying to do with my social endeavour.

Here is my draft:

And the work I got back from an online freelancer in Romania:

FYI, this was a US$30 posted job on oDesk.

But wait, there’s more to this story!!

This received piece of artwork was actually NOT from the contractor I formally awarded the job to. Though the official contractor hired is working with me and doing a great job, the artwork you see above was from a contractor who mistakenly thought he had been awarded the job, even though he had only been INVITED to it, along wtith a few hundred other applicants.

This is a perfect re-affirmation of why I need to be helping more people to understand how to work online. Obviously, this guy is a great designer and I am paying him for his time mistakenly spent because I love the piece and will put it to use. I’m also offering to mentor him to become more successful working online.

I’m sitting here in my new office in Pasig Co.Lab Xchange, writing up my current client-work on the whiteboard… somehow I went from 2 clients at start of year to 7 within the last week or two… plus my social project and own in-house development work needing doing…

I thought to myself now, it would be great to bring someone young, fresh and full of energy who wants to be baptised by digital fire and learn the best way possible!

So, internship anyone??

Must have:

- laptop
- energy
- motivation
- sense of adventure
- some knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP
- oDesk account
- 4,500 Pesos + travel costs

The pesos are to cover your rental office space here, which is 4,500 for 1 month. You will be reimbursed this amount via oDesk, earning a daily rate enough to cover your office rent and travel expenses for the month (within reasonable amount).

Work hours are from 10am until 8pm, Monday to Friday with me in the office and then I’ll set you “homework tasks” as required if I feel you need to study more on something. You will be learning by working, the best way!

After the first month, if we’re getting along and you are showing some development, this will likely turn into a fulltime paid position.

I can probably accept up to 3 people simultaneously, so anyone up for adventure, let me know, you can start tomorrow!

**Cheap food, same as what I eat, will be provided, as is all you can drink coffee..!

Until just now though, this blog had been spending a nice relaxing break being hosted by WordPess.com. While that allowed me to easily add posts without getting my hands dirty, it took me too far away from the code I’d invested so much time to initially develop.

So, here it goes, this website has been exported out of WordPress.com, imported into my development server and now as you read this is being served in a purely static HTML form.

It will take me a little while to redo a WordPress theme better suited to this lean mean static machine, but bear with me!

Comments are now back to using Disqus embedded Javascript widgets and the XML feed may need revamping, too, but c’mon, who really reads RSS feeds?!?

The specs:

Fujitsu FMV-B8200
Pentium-M  1.2Ghz
512MB RAM
20GB HDD
12.1TFT @ 1024×768
1.19 kgs

Installed the only DVD I had distro I had on hand, which was Ubuntu Alternative (desktop edition).

For tweaking performance with minimal effort, the main things I’ve done so far are switch to the Fluxbox window manager. This DRMATICALLY improves performance, removing basically any lag I was suffering under Gnome. I’d used Fluxbox or IceWM or another lightweight window manager in the past when using Linux as my main work machine, the only thing I really needed to do was remember a few shortcuts and tweak some key commands.

Set a shortcut key for the menu:

Rather than trying to find an empty space on the desktop to right-click and bring up the main Fluxbox menu, I set a key binding to the Winblowz key + F5 to open it no matter what app I happen to be in at the time, this saved me a LOT of time instantly.

The file for changing key bindings is located at:

~/.fluxbox/keys

Just copy and paste some bits, I used:

# key to bring up menu:
Mod4 F5 :RootMenu

The other keyboard shortcut I really needed to know was Alt + F1, which brings up a Terminal window.

Playing music from command line:

Using mplayer from the command line to save resources and wanting a quick way to play a folder’s worth of songs recursively, I found this command works like a charm:

mplayer -playlist <(find "$PWD" -type f)

I find that having easy access to music while working makes everything go smoother!

**Just be sure to test your output is going only to your headphones, not speakers when working out in public, I just took out my headphones to realize everyone had been listening to my playlist the last 30mins, oops!

While somethings are cheap in the Philippines, computers are not one of them! Compared to Japan’s flooded and thriving used PC market, it is hard to find such a wide selection here.

I ended up at Gilmore, Manila’s largest computer district (I believe). Asking around for somewhere I could get a sub-5k laptop, I was directed to “MIP Desktop & Laptop Computers Trading”, where an Angel (that’s her name actually) finally reduced 2,000 PHP from the price of one laptop for me, knowing I wouldn’t leave there without a 5k or lower machine!

The laptop acquired is a Fujitsu FMV-B8200 (http://www.fmworld.net/biz/fmv/product/hard/blb0504/b8200/), which basically met my pre-determined minimum requirements of 512MB, 12 (vs 13) inch screen, well thats basically all I was worried about… It has Wifi, lots of inputs n outputs, fingerprint scanner and good working battery, but those are all extras.

This machine will be more than capable of being my main work machine, with Xubuntu alternative ISO downloading now to allow me to install a stripped down, fast version of Linux.

I’ll be posting a bunch of guides on what software to use for various development or admin tasks I’ll be doing as an online worker, along with other tips for working online CHEAPLY.

No reason not to also do this if you are living in a “developed” country, either!

Full address of the store in Gilmore, tell them Leon sent you

3/F Computer Graphics Bldg. 23-25 Gilmore cnr. Aurora Blvd., New Manila, Quezon City

Ph: 416-41-17

gilmore_mip2010@yahoo.com

These fears were confirmed when I saw it in use and on mainstream TV (back when I had a TV to numb my brain!).

Likely implemented by the powers that be to better control global economic imbalances by restricting production outputs by various regions and imposing financial penalties (carbon trading?) for excess.

I’m just guessing, but when corporate crusaders have a new hard-on for green, carbon, biodiversity, whatever the latest buzzword is, it gets further from the fact that poverty is still not being addressed, but increased continually.

Why watch a TV show about saving whales or funniest home animal rescues while literally millions are being forced to death by starvation as a known by-product of globalisation?

There is a great ignorance of the clothed and fed world of just how bad the other 80% are (decreasingly) living.

On this point today, I figured there should at least be a feel-good buzz word such as “poverty footprint”, by which we can measure our daily or industrial net effect on poverty.

It turns out, there is such a word, and Oxfam comes up first in Google for it. I’ll look into it further as I am self studying poverty (both by becoming increasingly poor and by doing research).

In the meantime, I think we should all be accountable for our NET result on the poverty gap, which is effectng every country as it is the globe.

Still working on the formula, but I think it goes a litle something like this:

MoneyInPocket – MyFood – MyShelter = Excess

Sure, you may argue that we need savings, health insurance and Gatorade, but with the stability of banks, trecherousness of insurance companies and sugary sweetness of Gatorade, why not help give others the same right to life as you/me/we/they have?

Putting your kids in school? How about sponsor someone else’s family for a year with school clothes, textbooks and some words of encouragement? Not talking only about Africa, I’m sure it would not be hard to find someone in your local community who needs assistance.

But there are a LOT of people dying everyday in those countries you never go to, never see the real stories on TV as they’d put you off eating and make you feel bad about your creature comforts.

It’s going to take time to adjust and start giving back, my eyes are just re-opening now after years of thinking my own little family problems were the center of the world, but start by educating yourself on global poverty.

What products you buy make a difference, for a start, look at where the money goes. Why put your faith in the people pushing products down your throat, the internet gives us the chance to ask questions and take control, not be a pawn in the game of globalisation and poverty mongering.

I’m a high school dropout, if you think I’m wrong, please educate me~~

I found Desiree, a great teacher located in Taguig, close to my house. Interested Tagalog students in Manila, please check her website.

Thanks to her, I’m slowly understanding more words and grammatical rules for Filipino. So she doesn’t scold me next lesson, I’ll recap here what I’ve learnt in our first 2 lessons, which will help me to remember it, too.

Pronunciation

Kinda basic, but needed to know:

A E I O U

Of note here, the I and U sounds are long.

Then most of the common syllables follow those rules, plus the tricky one for my tongue, NGA, NGE, NGI, etc.. Kind of have to gag to make that sound, so I’ll just think of balut each time I have to say the word with that sound!

Pronouns

ako – I
ikaw – you (singular)
kayo – you (plural)
ito – this
iyan – that
iyon – that over there (these 3 similar to Japanese, これ kore, それ sore, あれ are)
siya – him/her
sila – they/them
tayo – we (if listener is included in the group)
kami – we (if listener is not included in the group)
saan – where
ano – where
kailan – when
gaano(?) – how (not sure if I wrote this down right…)
sino – who?
alin – which

Possessive Pronouns

akin – mine
iyo – yours
kanya – his/hers
kanila – theirs
atin/samin – ours
inyo – yours (plural)

These are still going to take me a while to remember, doesn’t help that I don’t really have anyone else to practice on without feeling a bit silly as everyone around me speaks fluent English. Maybe I can get a foot massage somewhere and verbally assault the masseuse with my bad Tagalog, that seemed to help me learn Mandarin in China, hehe!

Some sample sentences using the pronouns / possessive pronouns (then I can throw away my paper notes):

Ito ay gatas – this is milk
Hindii ito gatas – this is not milk (also including hindii to denote negativity)
Itong mga ballpen ay akin – these ballpens are mine (mga pronounced like “mang.ga” denotes pluralism)
Akin itong mga ballpen - these ballpens are mine
Ang mga ballpen ay akin – the ballpens are mine
Iyon ay mga puno – those are trees over there

Random Nouns

hayop – animal
puno – tree
pagong – turtle
bagoong – shrimp paste (yes, I mistakenly said I like to eat turtle!)
ganda – beauty
isda – fish

Random Adjective

maganda – beautiful (noun with ma in front in this case makes it an adjective)
mura (lang) – affordable (emphasis)

Verbs

eat

kain

kumakain

kumain

kakain

drink

inom

umiinom

uminom

iinom

go

punta

pumupunta

pumunta

pupunta

study

aral

nagaaral

nagaral

magaaral

The rules for conjugating verbs is still tricky, but thanks to my friend’s recent comment on my first Tagalog study posts and now thanks to my teacher, Des, I have a fraction of understanding!

Again, some sample sentences using the above verbs:

Umiinom ako ng gatas – I am drinking milk
Uminom ka na ba ng tubig – Did you drink water?
Kumain ka na – Did you eat? (must raise the end sound to make sure the listener knows you are asking a question)
Ikaw ba ay pupunta sa Market Market – Will you go to Market Market?
Q. Pupunta ka na ba sa Market Market – Are you now going to Market Market?
A. Oo, pupunta na ako (sa Market Market) – Yes, I am going (to Market Market).

Random Phrases

Anong oras na – What time is it?
Sino po kayo – Who are you?
Pasensya na (talaga) – I’m sorry (sincerely)
Makikiraan po – Excuse me
Magandang umaga – Good morning
Magandang gabi – Good evening (must raise the last syllable)
Salamat po – Thank you
Maraming salamat – Thank you very much
Paki luto po – Please cook
Paki abot – Please reach/get
Ako ay si Leon – I am Leon
Siya ay si Tom, Dick, Harry – They are Tom, Dick & Harry
Q. Kamusta ka na – How are you?
A. Mabuti (naman) – Good
Paalam na – Goodbye

Phew, I think that’s everything I took notes of. Some of it may stick in my mind, but going to take a while. My teacher recommended I watch some Batibot (like a Pinoy version of Sesame Street it seems… will watch it in private!)

As I’m setting up a new NPO here in Philippines to assist motivated individuals to work online, I figured I should lead by example and switch to Linux from Mac. Sure, I could install linux on this amazing little machine, but the other truth is that I need to reduce costs, so cashing this MacBook Air in and finding an old x86 machine should yield a few pesos in the transition.

I’ve always been a great fan of *nux, but had come to love working in OS X due to less need to configure things, a great selection of apps and all the Mac coolness which oozes out of the hardware. Having made several Hackintosh’s, I could again go that route, but it can be a bit of a pain to configure and then will not be something every budding freelancer in struggling economies like the Philippines can do.

Umm, brief mention of Windows Winblows required I guess. In the past, I’ve been a Windows system engineer/admin and can challenge most people to a click-measuring competition in M$ prowess, but there’s just too much wrong with Windows, especially for beginners and people needing reliable systems so they can focus on getting work done. I understand many people here in Philippines and abroad are comfortable using Windows and may be better advantaged to stick with it for the time being. For anyone new to working online though, I think I’ll strongly be suggesting starting with Linux to keep costs low, security high and there is always the ability to run Windows in a virtual machine locally or log into a remote Windows box should certain jobs require M$-specific technologies.

As I make the switch, I’ll be detailing my old favorite Linux apps for software development, amongst other tools for personal entertainment, etc. I’m sure since last time I used Linux as my main machine, there have been an amazing amount of new software releases. When trying the latest desktop version of Ubuntu, I was really pleased with the progress the community has contributed (yes, Linux is community-driven, and FREE, the best reason for aspiring freelancers to get familiar with it). For my daily use though, I am a fan of installing the CLI (command line interface) version of Xubuntu, which is a bare-minimum install leaving you with basically just a command line, like old DOS days. From here, you can easily install JUST the software and tools you need and keep adding as needed. This saves hard disk space, keeps the system lean and fast and also helps you become more familiar with how Linux works.

Anyway, here is the MacBook Air I’m trying to offload:

Specs | Current Apple Store Philippines Price for new model: PHP49,990.00

Condition: Well looked after, wrapped in a smoky black protective case. A few screws missing from bottom plate, not affecting anything, not opened up, just a weird event led to them being gone! Latest OS X Lion installed, hardware specs as linked to above.

If anyone is interested, please contact me via this blog, FaceBook, smoke signals, etc.

I’m also eager to know where the best place to buy used laptops is here in PI…

I met with 2 of their members today, programmers who have broken free from the shackles of corporate lockdown and are now earning 1.5 x higher income with less hours and ability to work in their pajamas! They share my same passion for getting more motivated people here in the Philippines online and working freelance to better take control over their lives and not be a victim of the inherent poverty inducing environments here.

To that end, here are some quick tips coming from myself as both an experienced online employer and worker to increase your success rate when applying for jobs on freelance sites such as oDesk or Elance:

1. Choose jobs which you are confident you can do well. 

There is no use applying for jobs you can only complete 90%. Most employers will only release payment when the job is completed 100% and they are satisfied. You should also be wary of jobs with vague descriptions of what is required. When employers don’t know exactly what they want, it can lead to countless revisions and “scope creep”.

On the other hand though, if you are trying to learn a new technology, having someone pay you to do a project using it is the ultimate form of pressure. I once did this to learn Objective-C/iOS development. I had a remote client in Japan and I even told them honestly that I knew only the basics but was a fast learner and promised to deliver. I ended up completing 2 iPhone apps for them quite quickly and then I had 2 apps to add to my resume and, the way I figured, someone had just PAID me to increase my knowledge!

2. Avoid jobs which have already been posted more than 24hrs, unless there have been very few people already apply to it.

Being a worker of the world, time zones are often to our favor, as an employer posting late at night in the USA, for example, may receive your application before anyone in the northern hemisphere, IF you can get in quick. After 24hrs though, a lot of people have had a chance to view and apply to that job. I even have veteran online worker friends who setup scripts to custom-scrape oDesk, Elance and a few other online freelance sites to auto-email them any potential jobs in their target niche. You should know you are competing with possibly millions(?) of other applicants around the world.

Unless it is a very specific job, requiring knowledge of proprietary or specialized technologies, I would recommend only applying for recent jobs to increase your chances of the employer even looking at your application.

3. Make sure your skills/qualifications match all the requirements the employer has listed.

In a long ago post, How to outsource effectively, I think I mentioned my hiring tactics, which are pretty critical of the applicant’s ability to follow directions. If the employer asks to attach a resume, make sure you attach one to your application. If they say “No up-front payments”, don’t include them in your application. It’s common sense, really, but as an employer, I can tell you, I’m continually surprised by how many people fail to follow basic instructions, resulting in me deleting their application immediately. As per the aforementioned post, if an employee can’t follow simple/clear instructions in the job posting, they will likely fail to follow the actual job instructions and cause nightmares.

4. Read very carefully the job description and tailor your response to it.

Similar to the above point, if the client is requesting someone to fix a specific technical issue with their site or want you to write articles or become their virtual assistant, DO NOT just copy and paste your usual application cover text when applying! Take the time to tailor your response to that client’s specific needs. Sure, it takes longer, so maybe you cannot apply to as many jobs, but you WILL be awarded more contracts and in the end not waste time applying to jobs you won’t win the contracts for.

I know that when starting out every time you get rejected from a job application, it can hit your confidence and motivation levels immensely. Better to win 25% of 10 job applications than 0% of 100, right?

5. Price the job wisely.

There is little doubt that employers want to hire the cheapest person as possible. Me too, as an employer, every $ I can save is great, but I’m firstly most concerned about finding suitable candidates, ONLY THEN do I start to look amongst potential hires for the cheapest option. Hopefully, you will find good employers who think the same way, not ones who go for price first, quality second, as these employers are generally a real pain to work for, too!

So, you should start to know how much someone with your skills are getting paid. When you have time, do some snooping of other contracts similar to the one you are applying for and see who they were awarded to. Then check those workers’ average hourly rates and you should start to get a picture of what you are worth.

Price yourself too high and you risk losing the job. But, do not price yourself too low, else you may end up stuck in a job you know is not going to be worth your time and may give up on. There are often unexpected complications or revisions required, too, so if you don’t budget for them at the beginning, it is VERY hard to try to renegotiate that price mid-job.

Phew~ OK, I hope that post helps some of my new friends and anyone interested in working online when applying for jobs. Now, I have to stay awake long enough to make another post revising today’s Filipino lesson…eek!

Comments, questions? Please add below and will try to respond as best I can.