By Kenilo Kent
Over a little about ten years, online transaction has virtually changed the world with the ecommerce market worth $ 22 trillion globally and the market still expanding has room for so much more. Everybody is endowed with skills in any simple way or the other and it is up to the individual to materialize it to one’s profit or not. In the following passages let us try to explore some of the possibilities and the opportunities that the internet has to offer us with and where we do fit in, perhaps make a living out of it just by staying at home or from our workplaces.
In 1996 Bill Gates had said that ‘content is king’. Content is the lifeline the internet cannot do without. The internet is a crazy place willing to pay you for just anything you write that catches the eye, provided you are good at it. From $ 500 for a 500 word article to $ 100 - $ 500 for a well drafted content. For example at Blue Mountain Arts- this greeting card company will pay you $300 for exclusive rights to your poem, or $50 for one time use in a book. At Glimmer Train, they pay up to $700 for first publication rights for accepted stories. Here is a list of few websites that will pay you to write for them- Chicken Soup for the Soul, ADDitude, The Sun, Tales To Go, Smart Alex, Poetry Foundation and many more. With a little knowledge in SEO, which you can learn by investing a couple of days in the internet, and proficiency in English (written), there is a lot of money in store for you. From writing contents for companies about their products and services such as travel writing or about their new app to humour writing for college blogs, article writing on trending issues, fashion industry, editing, or even starting your own blog (WordPress is recommended) and etc, these are few means where you can make money out of from writing.
Singing is one arena that Nagas are well acquainted with and very good at. For those who nurtures the passion for singing as equally as in writing songs/ lyric writing and looking forward to making money, you may consider pitching up your songs on online portals where you can sell them. Perhaps you cannot sing but writes excellent lyrics, there is every possibility that your lyrics may land up with top recording companies such as the Nashville. The clients will pay you upfront for your songs and lyrics or in case you had submitted your lyrics/ songs to some recording companies lucky enough you may be signing a contract with top recording artists and with the kind of pay checks that your works generate- is enough to put you at ease for a very long time. These are some of the websites where you can sell your songs and lyrics- Songwritingopportunities.com, Dittomusic.com, Songbay.co, Ascap.com, Smashsongs.com, Fanmusic.com, Songcastmusic.com, Sellinglyrics.com.
The internet is not only for developers confined within their geeky four corners of the room but in case you are one, one just need the right concept and the right app to deliver the next big thing in the race for the lions share against the $ 77 billion app development market with the figure still to increase up to a staggering mark of $ 3.75 trillion by the end of 2020. In an era where ideas are materialised and marketed, with thousands of developers constantly thriving to remake the world and remodel it into a little app, thousands of mobile apps are developed constantly, the demand for which are insatiable. Companies are now focusing more on mobile devices than the web to reach out to potential customers through adaptation of mobile phones. So if you have an idea, a great one, why not conceptualize it and build an app? You can either sell your app through online portals such as Applancer, Freelancer, Flippa etc or perhaps start your own company.
Logo Designing for clothing and other products, Graphic Designing, Vlogging, Photography, Affiliate marketing for Bloggers and website owners etc are excellent levels in the internet to begin a career with for all those who are passionately in love with what they are doing and are confident enough to make it big.
Personally I am more biased towards using Internshala than other websites for start ups (freelancers and interns) as it is easier to sign up and simpler to use. The internet is not only confined to Facebook, YouTube, or is it a hub of preinstalled information, but there is a bigger avenue for your ‘out of the box’ inputs and creativity. The best part of all is that your degree does not count much and there is no backdoor appointments here- your skills are your tickets and you get paid for them. I believe many Naga people can profit from this ideal platform. Why not give it a shot, see where you fit in and where it leads you to?
