Well, as usual, I end up stumbling on something by chance and this time is was CrowdSpring.com. CrowdSpring is a site that gives freelancers a way to put their best work forward instead of bidding. How? Well, when you sign up and fill out your portfolio, you can go and browse the job postings. When you find one, click on the details of that job, and you can get right to work.

Instead of putting out a proposal in words, you are submitting your work for the buyer’s consideration. The best work chosen is the person that will be paid. Yes, it seems like a big contest, but how many times have you seen bids on other freelance sites get negative reviews because they could not keep their side of the deal. The great thing is that these places already paid and the money is kept in escrow by CrowdSpring, so if you are chosen, you will be paid.

Pretty cool, huh?

Projects that are posted can be for logo design, web design, general graphic design, and even print design. It is free to join.

Do you participate in any freelance websites? Have you tried CrowdSpring?

I recently joined Swagbucks, a site that when you use it, you can earn ’swag bucks’ that you can spend on items they offer.

Ways you can earn ’swag bucks’ are shopping using their referral system. Some places award you 1 swag buck for so many dollars spent. Some places offer discounts. However, one big thing is using the search. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. On occasion, they will give out swag bucks codes and there are even random members picked daily to get more. One of the main ways to earn swag bucks is using their search tool when you need to search for things online. Swagbucks.com offers a toolbar that you can download and use that works the same as the search on their site. It does not cost to sign up nor does it cost to use their services.

I thought I would sign up and give it a try. If you have signed up, please tell me about your experience with Swagbucks. Would you recommend it? Have you received anything from Swagbucks?

A lot of the topics at WordCamp Chicago worked around social media. One of the sites that were plugged was Lijit, which is a free service you can sign up. What it does is once you sign up, you insert all the social media places you have an identity with, and then you can put a widget (or as Lijit says – ‘wijit’) on your blog. The widget is a search field.

I am sure that you are saying, especially if you are using a content management system: Why would I need another search form when I already have one built into my site?

Well, Lijit, as explained in their About section that it is like social media. People will seek information from people they trust first before going out into the internet to find what they want to know. When your visitor types a search into your Lijit search, it will go through all of your social identities that you put in your Lijit profile and pick up whatever results are closest to the topic they are trying to find. In a way, it kind of helps keep your visitors on your site.

Not only that, but Lijit gives you the ability to see what your visitors are searching for so you can provide the information they need. It is a pretty cool tool. Try it and see. There is even a WordPress plugin for Lijit Wijit too. Pretty cool, huh?