My blog was listed in FeedSpot's Top 100 Career Development Blogs!

Hi everyone! First of all I sincerely apologise for the massive delay in getting back to all of you with new posts, a lot of things got in the way of my schedule and for that I am very sorry. I can assure that will be back to posting again soon once I have things sorted but I received some surprising news that I must share with you today!

One of my main goals is sharing my content from the blog elsewhere to reach new readers from different platforms to engage further interest. A few weeks ago I submitted my blog to a company called FeedSpot, which is an online content reader dedicated to compiling RSS feeds from various blogs and websites all in one place in order to encourage the sharing of content and provide a personalised online reading experience. Later I received an email from the founder of FeedSpot, Anuj Agarwal, who said that my blog was selected for their list of Top 100 Career Development Blogs on the web! I was very surprised and excited that my blog was actually handpicked for one of their lists! Wow, this is an indicator that my content is getting recognised by others and it's is a good sign going forward! 

There it is: The Way the Web Works listed at 43! What a milestone!

First of all I would like to say a big thanks to FeedSpot for selecting The Way the Web Works as one of the Top 100 Career Development Blogs, I am very grateful for this achievement and I really appreciate it. Secondly I would like to encourage everyone to check out FeedSpot and have a look around, especially their Top 100 Career Development Blogs list! You can have a personalised reading experience too by signing up to FeedSpot and getting all the benefits of content curation in one place! Excellent stuff!

See you again soon!

Top 5 Websites for Content Curation

Hello readers! Time has flown by really quickly and it's almost the end of the month! I have had a lot of time to think about my current situation and it's safe to say that I definitely have it all together now and will be able to continue with the blog as normal. Now I know I promised a change in the content structure a few weeks ago and I can confirm that today will be the first post where I will be listing the top 5 websites of different categories! Finally I can pick up where I left off earlier and keep moving forward from now on. Anyway lets dive in, shall we?

In this post, I am going to be reviewing 5 particular websites that are some of the best in the field of 'Content Curation'. For those of you that don't know, Content curation is a form of online content management which involves a process of collating information from various sources that fall under a certain topic or category and placing them into an online feed or newspaper format. It's a pretty simple setup in my opinion, as funneling content into one feed helps to gain interest from audiences who enjoy reading about particular topics. Another great thing about content curation that it allows the author's work to be more recognized in the feed itself, leading to more visitors to the author's website and potentially include an increase in ad revenue. With that being said, here are the top 5 best websites specializing in content curation in no particular order:

1. Flipboard

Flipboard is a content curation platform dedicated to providing the best news-related stories from different areas of interest. The site itself is easy to use as all you have to do is create an account and select categories that you prefer reading about. Once completed, Flipboard will automatically search for articles from those categories and place them into a 'magazine' for your personalized reading needs. It's a pretty neat website to use as the functionality is crisp and smooth, works without any issues. Bonus points if you have a Samsung phone as the mobile version of Flipboard would be automatically downloaded in the app folder, perfect for personalized reading on the go. Excellent presentation of the curated stories and easy to read as well. It is suitable to a general audience.

2. Scoop.It

Scoop.It is a content marketing site that works in a similar way to Flipboard, however the only difference is that it's only suited to professional individuals or businesses who are looking to research various content sources and publish the best content in their chosen field in order to curate an online feed. When registering with Scoop.It, you need to have your own website and add topics of interest related to the company you work with. (e.g technology, business, finance). From there Scoop.It funnels through content from these topics and places them into an online newspaper format. It also gives you the opportunity to distribute your feed to other social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and more; perfect for spreading your curated content to other channels and increasing professional brand/awareness. Another simple website that functions well for businesses, with great editorial/distribution features and represents professionalism in a new light. 

3. Paper.Li

Remember when I wrote about two of my reviews being published into Paper.Li's content curation platform a while ago? Well I definitely have some good things to say about this site. Paper.Li allows you and people within your professional network to curate content dedicated to your business or individual needs. There is also an interesting feature on the site where you can add special integrations that assist on the more technical side of things such as  analytics, email marketing, automation and much more. I can't think of another website that thinks outside the box of general content curation and strengthens the capacity of sharing curated content elsewhere. Great stuff. Also functions well on mobile. An excellent set of features and works like a breeze.

4. Pinterest

You might be wondering why I decided to add Pinterest in this list as it is usually regarded as a social network. However the presentation and format of this site is strongly influenced by content curation and online content feeds, but in the form of images and artwork. Again, it allows you to choose topics/genres/themes of interest which are increasingly vast in the photography and art scene, so you basically have many areas to choose from. Pinterest a nice mix of content curation and social networking and is suitable to the general audience. I think that the functionality on both desktop and mobile can be improved a little bit as well.

5. Pocket

This is a relatively new website that I came across recently. Pocket is a web service that allows general content curation that flows through one channel called a 'Pocket'. In this site you are given the opportunity to save important content to read later. Pocket strongly relies on the idea that saving content for later reading is a valuable time-saver where you don't have to read through your curated feed all at once. You don't even need to miss a story as it's all right there in the Pocket. a pretty neat concept for a new platform and I would recommend it to all the busy people who don't have time to read curated content during the day. Pocket is an interesting platform that might need some to future minor improvements down the track but overall a good site with neat presentation and use of concept.

That's it guys my first top 5 list is completed for the week! I hope you enjoy this new content and let me know what you think in the comments. See you again for a full website review next Monday! Thanks again!

IMPORTANT UPDATE ABOUT THE MONTHS AHEAD

Hi readers! I would like to apologize in advance for not posting anything this week but it looks like things are falling into place and moving too quickly on my end! Unfortunately there won't be any reviews this week as I try to come to terms with what I have been given here. There are a few things that I would like to get off my chest so I am just going to go in and explain what's going on at the moment:

Last week I received a message regarding  an opportunity to take part in a contract position with a local distribution company as a print marketing assistant, where I am supposed to handle/manage print communications and distribute them to residential and business areas. I was told that I will have flexible hours and the ability to maintain a work/life balance, so thats pretty good. In other words, I have a new job now! Sweet! Now I will be able to earn some extra cash on the side as a neat little independent contractor doing the rounds every few weeks so I am very excited to see how this goes from here!

Secondly I am going to be starting another semester of university studies very soon so I will be on my way to hopefully finishing a diploma this year. I will be working quite frequently on study at this stage as I am very determined to complete it and move on to the next stage of uni life in the form of a bachelor degree of some sort. Don't worry, this doesn't mean that I will stop posting on the blog. I'll just have to make time around my newly formed schedule to continue posting two days a week like I said I would, this will be something I have to do quickly so I can maintain a balancing act between new work, study and managing the blog.

Lastly I have been applying for a few small content writing jobs recently and waiting for approval on them. This is just something that I thought I would do on the side so I can improve on my writing skills and find my way around the content writing scene. I am quite excited about this and looking forward to see where this goes in the future.

Well that's pretty much it at this stage. There may or may not be more unexpected things popping up later on but hopefully this does not interrupt my posting schedule for the blog. I thought I would let you know as soon as possible in case you were wondering about my absence this week. I can confirm that I will be back to normal posting next week once I find a way to juggle these new tasks together. Anyway hope to see you again soon!

Website Review #11 - Prizerebel.com

Hello again! I am all set for another review today! Before I begin I would just like to provide an update regarding my content as this will be my last full review for Wednesdays as I am planning on switching to Top 5 lists from next week onwards. I will still be posting my normal full reviews on Mondays but posting Top 5 website lists on Wednesdays. The Top 5 lists will have the same format as a full review but a bit more condensed and shorter. I hope that this will be convenient for the readers and for me too as I am planning on diversifying the content on the blog and not make it too one-note. Anyway let's move on. 

Today I will be reviewing Prizerebel.com, which is another cool website to hang around on in your free time where you earn fantastic rewards and compete for prizes. Lets dive in to see what makes this site tick.

PrizeRebel is a GPT (get-paid-to) survey platform and rewards program which has been around since 2007. It  relies on the typical format of completing high-paying surveys for points which can be redeemed for cash via Paypal and gift cards; there is also an opportunity to compete in special contests to be in the draw to win more points and merchandise. PrizeRebel's concept and structure of its rewards program is somewhat similar to the website Swagbucks, but with a little bit of a twist with regards to prizes and points. Funnily enough, despite all of the praise for Swagbucks, I haven't had much of an experience on there as much as I have with PrizeRebel (which is probably a better alternative if you want cash money fast). This site has quickly become another favorite of mine as it has surprisingly become a really quick way to make small amounts of cash just by completing surveys that are worth the highest points and even looking through the hidden 'offer walls' for more ways to add to your points tally. Basically simply easy free money out of your computer! It's definitely a hidden gem in the rewards program market that is worth checking out. 

PrizeRebel.com Homepage - Simplified and plain presentation complete with short
descriptions of what the site offers.

When stepping into PrizeRebel's website, their claims of earning points for what is essentially free money in your pocket are placed front and center of their homepage in order to convey the message to the user that the program is legitimate and not a scam at all. This is a great way to assure that you are in safe hands and your points balance won't be tampered with. Signup to the site is easy, as you just simply register your details and you are automatically welcomed into PrizeRebel's rewards warehouse! From there you suddenly have a lot of opportunities thrown at you at once so you may not know where to start at first, but that's okay as there are help guides and FAQs available for your reference if you get stuck. 

In my experience, the best way to start earning points is to look through the various survey lists which are provided respectfully by some of the more popular survey sites on the web such as Toluna, OpinionWorld, Samplicious and more. But wait, there's more: Each list gets updated daily and you might even find surveys that are worth up to 200 or 300 points! That's literally high-paying when we talk about points and you simply cannot find anything like it elsewhere! It's an extremely eye-catching sight and you will actually see your points balance skyrocket quite fast! This was one of the first things that I noticed when I first got into PrizeRebel and I instantly thought that it was an excellent idea that makes it stand out from the rest. Great stuff! At PrizeRebel, the possibilities are endless and there is always a way to win points here so you won't be left out. You can also watch videos, invite friends to join (referrals) and participate in activities through the offer walls. This is just PrizeRebel's way of literally giving you all the chocolates in a box and seeing which one tastes good!

This is PrizeRebel's account portal with the survey lists on top. Notice the other ways to earn section below where you can earn points by completing special tasks.

With regards to rewards, PrizeRebel provides prizes in the form of over 600+ online gift cards, online games,and cash into your PayPal account. Basically if you earn enough points you would be able to meet the specified amounts for redeeming these rewards. So far I have only redeemed my points for PayPal cash but I might try giving the gift cards a go in the future. Another special feature I would like to point out is the ability to redeem a custom amount for PayPal. What this means is once you earn a substantial amount of points you would be able to redeem them for an amount of cash that is not specified in the original PayPal amounts. The PayPal amounts that can be redeemed are around $5, $10, $20 and up to $100, if you prefer you can apply for any amount of your choice between the specified numbers. This is another feature on PrizeRebel that is definitely unique as I have not seen it on similar sites and it just increases your confidence in gaining more points! Let's not forget it's promo code feature which can be unlocked when you subscribe to PrizeRebel's newsletter, where you will be sent a special promo code every few weeks or months and redeem it for extra points to your balance! How's that for a hidden bonus?

I absolutely love how this site proves to be one of the better survey sites on the web, with the ahead-of-its-time features and strongly legitimate gameplay. I would definitely recommend PrizeRebel for anyone who is looking to earn a quick buck in their spare time as it's functionality is great and you won't be tricked into any fake nonsense here. The site's presentation/design is overwhelmingly positive and welcoming, making it a very unique and entertaining experience for anyone.

Final Rating: 10/10

That's the end of another review for the week! I will start planning Top 5 lists next week so I can have them presented to you by Wednesday. I can't wait to share this new content on the blog and I hope you like it! In the meantime, see you next Monday for another full website review!

Website Review #10 - Workana.com

Hi everyone! Before I begin I would like to apologize for not posting my review as planned yesterday as it was my birthday and I was spending time with friends, family and ate some delicious cake! Anyway I am back now so I'd better get a move on.

Today I will be reviewing Workana.com, another interesting freelancing site that I found out about recently and has quickly become an instant favorite for looking into freelancing/remote work. Let me tell you a bit more about it:

For those of you that don't know, Workana is a freelancing network that is based out of Latin America, however it has since branched out internationally to appeal to a wider audience of freelancers worldwide. It is a relatively little known compared to similar sites, although fairly popular in Latin America, but it definitely has it's hidden advantages that would stand out amongst the much bigger platforms such as UpWork, Fiverr and AirTasker. 

Workana.com Homepage - Simple presentation with no mess, just a clean design and a claim
that is truthful and legitimate. 

Workana works just like any other freelancing site with it's bidding + proposal policies, the ability to find jobs that suit your skill set and the opportunity to communicate with clients via the built-in instant messaging systems. Now I would like to trace back to a statement that I made regarding the whole bidding and proposal setup that I mentioned in my review about Hubstaff Talent, where I wrote about the typically important idea of placing bids for projects and preparing standout proposals being seen as a difficult, time-consuming task which might not lead to a response from potential clients. This particular opinion that I had turned out to be a fairly incorrect due to my constant misunderstanding of the idea, as I have since registered for the larger-known sites (including Workana) to test out it's bidding strategies and proposals; turns out that it wasn't as hard as I thought because all I had to do was write the proposal in a similar style to a cover letter and think of a price that falls within the client's budget. That's it. It's still a 50/50 chance as to whether you would receive a response or not but I guess standing out against the pack is important in the 'gig economy'. Now that I have tried out the bidding + proposal system for myself, I can definitely say that my opinion has changed slightly.

Workana works as in a simple and basic fashion without many complex instructions, and signing up is as easy as 1,2,3. In the onboarding session, you register your details as per usual and read through the general policies. After this, you are required you to take a little quiz in order to help you understand the policies and your rights as a freelancer. I like that Workana does its best to push their policies as the top priority on the list, as it is extremely important that you work appropriately within the grounds of the website and keep your contacts private. Workana has an extensive job board that houses projects that are suitable to your skills and experience, just like any other freelancing platform. However applying for a job on Workana is surprisingly easy; their bidding and proposal system is actually the simplest one that I have come across so far. So if you ever have trouble with coming up with a standout proposal, there are helpful instructions located on the right hand side of the page that will guide you step by step on demonstrating your skills/experience, your preferred timeframes for the project and the most important part, planning a deadline (due date) for the project completion. It is actually an easy setup that I didn't even know about the first time and I am very pleased to say that for the first couple of projects that I applied for actually received responses from clients! That's right, I finally received a client's reply to my proposals and this is exactly how a freelancing platform should work, where both clients and freelancers can communicate freely without any restrictions or concerns. Excellent stuff!

Here is Workana's job board with some examples of available projects in data entry,
accounting, admin support etc.

These are just some of the advantages that Workana has in store for the modern freelancer, however I do see some room for improvement on the site in the future. I have noticed that the profile page is quite basic and adds little substance, which can be improved by possibly adding more sections such as educational background, more skills, certifications or the option to add your resume. There is no specific section for building a portfolio on Workana compared to the other platforms, as it says that you need to import it from a site called Behance (which from what I read is a portfolio creator for designers/artists). It would be nice if there was a way to show off your previous work in a built-in portfolio system on the site. Another thing I would like to add is that some of the projects on Workana's job board do not have as much information about deadlines or time frames and there is little to no substance on the job descriptions, but I understand that it is the client's responsibility to prepare easy-to-read project info and suggest appropriate time frame options.

Overall I think that Workana definitely has the potential to go forward in the freelancing market and compete with the bigger platforms with some improvement. It is a very simple website that cuts out all the complex instructions and really claims to be the better underdog. The site works like a breeze, and shows off a smooth, positive and colorful presentation yet keeps it's professional manner without being too out there. I would recommend Workana to the freelancers who are looking for basic, starter projects.

Final Rating: 5.5/10

That's it guys I hope you enjoyed reading the review today! I will be back tomorrow for another one to finish off the week! Just a reminder that my affiliate promotions and links are still available if you are interested. See you then!

Website Review #9 - Blogger.com

Hello guys! I'm back for another review so let's get a move on!

Today I will be reviewing Blogger.com. That's right, I am going to be reviewing the website that I use to host and publish my blog, and let's just say that I have some great things to discuss about this classic platform. Let's dig a little deeper into what makes this site tick:

Blogger is a blog hosting website that has been owned by Google since 2003. It provides basic blogging features and tools to help aspiring bloggers and content writers build and service their blog in a hassle-free manner. One of the main reasons that Blogger stands out from various blogging platforms is that its suitable for anyone who is ready to start a blogging career regardless of experience and knowledge, as it is willing to help guide you through some of the more technical stuff such as adding code, understanding analytics and the usual Search Engine Optimization instructions. Basically, Blogger will do most of the hard work for you; it works in a similar fashion to a normal website builder, except most of what you would be doing is done automatically. Typical things like designing separate pages, organizing your own layout, adding buttons and other integration features manually is obviously very time-consuming, however when you create a blog with Blogger, you do not need to bother with any of this; all you have to do is pick a template, customize the homepage, add your blog text and your done. The layout and themes are automatically setup and you do not need to worry about doing this yourself.

Blogger Homepage - Spacious design and excellent graphics that represent
simplicity on a new level.

Another thing that I would like to point out is that Blogger is 100% free to use, and you do not even need to pay to get all of the special features to take your blog to new heights. How many times have you tried building your own website or blog only to find out that you have to pay a hefty price for a 'Pro Upgrade' for some of the most important features to enhance your site's online presence? That is rubbish, with Blogger all of the features are simply handed down to you without having to pay a single dollar, and it is especially convenient for someone whose goal is to completely fulfill their hobby or career without having to deal with pricey online plans to boost credibility in the competitive online content writing market. This is my suggestion to you: If you are planning on creating a blog without having any unnecessary obstacles getting in the way of your content writing goals then it would be best to start with Blogger.

I remember checking out Blogger for the first time way back in around 2008-2009, when it was just about to take off. I was bored one day and decided to experiment with blogging for a while just for fun to see what it would be like. It was actually quite enjoyable to start off with, despite having little to no knowledge of blogging at the time. Fast forward to today and I never would have thought that I would be using Blogger to its full advantage and actually attempting to use it seriously this time. Now that I have extensive knowledge about content writing/blogging I seem to understand how the whole process works and I am excited to see where this takes me in the future.

The Blogger account portal shows off a special 'behind-the-scenes' look at what goes on into making a blogalong with the various tools and features to help enhance it. Here is the account portal for my blog as an example.

The first few steps of creating a Blogger account are simple; you simply sign in with your Google account, find a name for your blog, create a URL with a custom blogspot domain (or if you want to get a proper domain you can buy one online), pick a template for your blog homepage and that's it. Each of the templates on the blog has it's own layout so you don't have to create one yourself, and you are free to add any of the special widgets to your blog layout such as labels, blog archive, RSS feeds, links, images and more. Other simple tasks include creating blog posts, adding text to new pages and customizing the homepage. It's a pretty basic setup if you think about it, compared with other blogging platforms where you would have to endure complex processes that are incredibly time-consuming for the user. If you would prefer making some money from your blog then you are welcome to try Google Adsense if you are eligible or registering with various alternative ad networks to help you boost revenue by placing ads on your blog.

In the end, I think that Blogger is the best hosting platform to start off with if you prefer a more basic approach to blogging before moving on to more complex setups. The site oozes of simplicity and represents it very well. It is incredibly easy to use with smooth functionality and provides you with the best assistance to creating your first blog. Basically, Blogger will be with you every step of the way and is the first step in your content writing journey.

Final Rating: 10/10

Thanks for reading my review!

Website Review #8 - Savethestudent.org

Hello readers! Welcome to my first review of February! This month I am going to try changing things up in regards to content for the blog as well as providing more affiliate promotions for you! In my last review I did promise to take this blog to new heights so be sure to keep an eye out as I will be updating every few days and weeks of this month via social media and on the blog as well! Anyway let's move on to the review!

Today I will be reviewing Savethestudent.org, another fun website that is dedicated to students but with a different focus. I really enjoy the concept of this site and I am excited to tell you more about it.

Save the Student is a UK-based information service which solely specializes in financial advice for new and graduating students. The website's content stretches from typical money-related topics such as small businesses, banking and taxes to general career advice and housing information. But that's not all, it also features special student discounts which can be redeemed at various retail outlets and even competitions that students can participate in to be in the draw to win some great prizes! Another thing that is great about this site is that the content produced here is condensed and simplified in a way that young students can understand without having to read through unnecessary jargon or complex information. At Save the Student, you can get your financial problems answered without any hassle. There is no need to create an account for this site as it is free for anyone to use, however if you would like to enjoy a helpful bonus in the form of a money cheat sheet, I suggest you go ahead and register you email as you can get a simple step-by-step instructions on how to make and save money right in your inbox! That's right, you basically get the whole package, all of the information here on this site is designed to help you with your money matters and put you back on track. With almost every financial topic under the sun, Save the Student is packed with some of the best advice that money can't buy! (Do you get it?)

When you go into the website, you can see that it is presented in a neat, easy-to-navigate format. Scrolling down the page gives you a deeper insight into the various topics that it represents in regards to finance, not to mention all of the latest deals and competitions under the one roof. For such a small site, there is heaps of exceptional advice at hand for the curious students who are finding their way around the world of money management. This proves that the site strongly believes in teaching students about finance before they become old enough to manage it on their own, which in my opinion, is very important for future reference. Let's be honest, finance is an extremely broad umbrella with hundreds of sub-topics in between, so it may take a while to get your head around it; but with Save the Student, you can find the most relevant financial advice that can guide you during student life and beyond. Obviously, there are many ways that you can make money as a student, be it planning a small business on the side of your studies, searching through various 'side hustles', taking up special cashback offers at the bank or just simply saving up your cash for something special like a new car or house. You can find all of this information right here at Save the Student!

Save the Student Homepage - An excellent display of various finance info, clean
and tidy presentation and exciting design.

Another thing I would like to point out about Save the Student's content is it's interesting introduction into the topic of 'matched betting', which according to the site is the easiest way to make tax-free money by simply taking advantage of bonuses from betting bookmakers and placing opposing bets on a particular sport, keeping in mind that it isn't related to real gambling as you win either way. This was surprisingly one of the first topics that I came across when looking through the website for the first time a while ago. In my study break from university, I was desperately searching for simple ways to make money online as a side hustle during the holidays besides participating in survey programs and somehow stumbled upon this mysterious topic and instantly wanted to learn more about it. I was basically drawn in to the idea of matched betting that I thought I would give it a try later on. Obviously it is not for everyone and takes a bit of practice but with a bit of confidence and patience you could apparently be earning as much as you thought you would. I personally would like to thank Save the Student for their simplified info about matched betting as I have learnt quite a lot about it and can't wait to try it out in the future! Now that's another money-making bonus that I'm sure a lot of you have not heard about but it's a real hidden gem in the never-ending rabbit hole of money making strategies! I would also like to say that I have benefited from the wonderful finance info from Save the Student and have learnt a lot of new things about managing money!

Aside from general financial advice, Save the Student also offers helpful information relating to student employment and accommodation. Its careers section offers advice on various employment-related topics such as graduate programs for recently graduating students, part-time positions complete with a specialized job search engine, employment rights, tax counselling (for UK only) and the usual CV/Cover letter/job interview trifecta. For the accommodation section, there is advice on paying rent, finding student housing, dealing with housemates, home insurance and tenancy rights. This is basically every basic piece of advice handed to you so it would be better to follow it wisely and not get left behind.

This is an excerpt from an article in the Finance category. Easy to read information and quick links
on the side of the page make it a convenient experience.

Just a reminder that the website is primarily based in the UK so you might find some unfamiliar words or slang terms in the articles. Also their discounts and competitions are for UK students only as they use pounds for currency so unfortunately no international students can participate due to being outside of the country. The part-time job search engine mostly services UK jobs so you would not find any luck with looking for jobs in other countries here.

Overall, I think that the Save the Student does an excellent job in providing the necessary financial tools for students which will be extremely helpful in the future. I really enjoy the condensed and simple web design of the site as it runs very smoothly without any bugs or viruses. There is an exceptional amount of content on offer and has great functionality. I would recommend this site to any student who is struggling with money matters and would like to get back on track, because the advice at Save the Student is excellent and deserves some recognition! 


Final Rating: 9/10


That's it everyone! My first review of the month has finished! Catch me again on Wednesday as I serve up another one! Bye!

Website Review #7 - Talent.hubstaff.com

Hi readers! I hope you are ready for another review to finish off the week! It's also the end of January soon, time flies by pretty quickly when your just starting out on a new venture! Anyway let's move on.

Today I will be reviewing talent.hubstaff.com, which is another new website that I have come across during my online job search. So far it has been good to me however there are a few things I would like to discuss. Let me tell you more.

Hubstaff Talent is an online employment platform for freelancers to post jobs/projects and get noticed by clients from across the globe. It is the talent division of the work tracking software Hubstaff. The great thing about this website is that it doesn't have any hidden fees for registering as a freelancer and you don't even need to bid for any projects! Why bother with bidding for particular projects when you can just simply submit your application to the client and let Hubstaff Talent do all the work for you? After all, your skills and experience matter more to the client than bidding amounts and proposals.

Compared to other freelancing platforms, Hubstaff Talent is not as well known but it is quite competent in terms of its features and functionality. There are not as many hidden traps and misleading information as you would find in similar platforms, making it stand out from the competition. If you prefer a freelance site that does not require the hassle of bidding for projects and paying unnecessary fees then Hubstaff Talent might be the better option.

The Hubstaff Talent homepage - Very clean and polished design. I like how the
main claim of the company 'Free way to find remote talent' is placed in the middle of the
page in order to convince users that it is true and believable. (Names of freelancers have been blocked out for privacy reasons).

When you register as a freelancer with Hubstaff Talent, you will be instructed to complete your freelancer profile. This will require the usual contact details, social media links, career summary, portfolio, current skills and even uploading your resume. According to Hubstaff Talent's guidelines, it is important that you have a fully complete profile in order to receive more contacts from potential clients. You also have to make sure that your skills and experience are tailored to the types of jobs you are looking for on the Hubstaff Talent jobs board, be it content writing, marketing, administration, IT, customer service and so on. Even if you can't find the right project to suit your business needs at a particular time, there is no need to worry as the jobs board gets updated frequently and there are always a bunch of jobs available. You can also check who has viewed your profile on the stats/analytics page where you will find information such as the date the profile was viewed, the location and the total amount of views within a month. However the clients on this site are very selective and will only contact the freelancers whose profiles stand out the most with regards to industry experience and skill sets. Your freelancer profile is the first step to getting contacted so you'd better work hard on it if you want to stand out.

My experience on the site has been quite good so far, I am always constantly checking my profile to see if anyone has viewed it and looking for projects that are compatible to my current skill set. Although I haven't been accepted into a project just yet I am still keeping my profile open to all freelancers and clients in case someone does contact me in the future. Before finding out about Hubstaff Talent I was searching for other freelancing platforms that I could sign up for to help me in my online job search since I am very interested in working remotely; and I happened to read some positive comments about Hubstaff Talent so I signed up straight away.

This is Hubstaff Talent's job board, where users can use the filters on the left of the
page to narrow their search. The positions shown here are just some of the examples of business/IT/customer service projects that you will find on the job board. (Business names and locations have been blocked out for privacy reasons).

There are definitely some good things to say about this website, however I would like to point out some small things that can be improved to make it an even better experience.

On some occasions, applying for a project on Hubstaff Talent isn't always easy and you may or may not hear back from the client; which is a shame because after spending all your time and effort into perfecting your application for a particular projects you would think that a client would respond and provide you with an outcome. It is understandable that you are competing against other freelancers to land the top job so it would be nice if the reply rate for the clients could be risen a bit more in order to provide quicker responses to the applicants and not leave them hanging. Another thing I would like to point out is there is a small lack of interaction between freelancers on the site. If there was a feature for sending messages to freelancers without hiring them for a project first that would be helpful. It is usually best to communicate with freelancers about their skills and experience first before inviting them to a job straight away (much like in a job interview where you would ask an applicant about previous experiences and future prospects).

Above all of this, Hubstaff Talent is definitely the better choice for entering the world of freelancing. It is completely free of charge and anyone who has previous business experience can join. Very clean web design and good functionality. It could have some improvement on existing features as mentioned above but otherwise a great website with the potential to go further.

Final Rating - 6/10

Thanks again for reading! That's my last review for the month! I hope that you can stick around in February as I have some big plans to take this blog to new heights! In the meantime, I'll see you next Monday!

Website Review #6 - GSN.com

Hello again! Before I begin I would like to apologize in advance for the last minute reminder to postpone yesterday's review to today because I had to redesign and monetize the blog. Thankfully I have finished it just in time and I hope you like the new design!

Ok now that I have got that out of the way, lets move on to the next review!

Today I will be reviewing GSN.com, another personal favorite of mine and an excellent source for all of the best new and classic online games! Let me tell you more about this wonderful site.

GSN Games is an online social gaming website which is owned by the American pay TV channel Game Show Network and has been on the web since 2007. It is presented in the form of an online casino where you would find various casino-like games such as bingo, slots, solitaire and poker. There are also other types of games on the website for the people who do not prefer the glitzy casino nature; like puzzles, strategy, arcade and even games based around popular game shows that air on the TV channel! It's basically the definition of all ages entertainment stuffed into one big package!
GSN Games has gained quite a bit of recognition in recent years with the creation of its companion mobile app GSN Casino, which is solely dedicated to casino-style gaming.

Going into the website itself feels like stepping into a colorful, fantasy-esque utopia full of absolute joy, pleasure and most of all fun. You are basically transported into an otherworldly experience where you will stay for hours on end, doing nothing but play fantastic online games to relax and zone out of the real world. It is amazing! The website is oozing of immense positivity and nothing will ever bring you down here. I can assure you that going into GSN Games will give you the best time of your life where it feels like you can actually achieve something! All you have to do is keep playing and win great rewards along the way! But if you really want to experience this for yourself, then you would have to make an account and fill in necessary profile details. It's just one small step to freedom!

The GSN Games Homepage - A whole lot of color and bright features make you 
feel invited to your own party.

When I first started playing on GSN Games I was absolutely addicted. I played on both the website and the mobile app. The games were so fun to play and I would continue to play them all afternoon almost every day. I was mostly interested in the casino-style games where I would get so many consecutive wins in the various themed slots and bingo games and earning millions of points along the way. Whenever I was bored after school or on the weekends, I would whip out my computer or phone and just have fun playing games to kill some time.

Once you have created an account, you are basically free to play whatever game you like. It's all up to you at this stage, but the fun does not stop there. After successfully finishing a game, you automatically earn online tokens and special gaming points called Oodles, which can be redeemed for small prizes and promotional offers such as bonus bucks sweepstakes, competitions and even up to 1 million tokens! How's that for an achievement? It may not be much but at least you don't go empty-handed at the end. You deserve a reward for your awesome online gaming skills so why not use it for something good. (Just a reminder that the tokens are earned from playing the casino games and Oodles are earned from playing general puzzle/strategy/arcade games).

On the account portal, you will find a list of small, fun tasks (called My To-Doodles) to participate in for you chance to win bonus Oodles; these include jackpot bingo, trivia and wonder wheel. Basically, the more Oodles you earn, the more chances you have for redeeming prizes. There is also a section in the portal where you can add or search for various other online players to your 'Buddy List' if you would like to add a sprinkle of spice to your gaming strategy and go into multiplayer mode by competing with other players. Here you have two options: whether you want to play by your own rules or if you want to play socially and have a competitive edge. It's that simple. (I have always played on my own but I am planning to play competitively in the future). There are no limits to how you play on GSN Games!

This is the GSN account portal where you can edit your profile, complete to-do tasks,
apply for promotions and search for players to interact with.

Now you might be thinking, do I get to earn any real money from playing the games on this site? Is there more to this site than there already is? Well, you're definitely right; as there is actually a way to earn cold-hard cash. If you would like to take your gaming skills a to the next level then you have the option to sign up for GSN Games' flagship cash games network, WorldWinner! WorldWinner is literally online gaming on steroids and you have to fight your way to the top of the leader-boards amongst an increasing amount of money-hungry competition. There is a lot at stake in the cash games network as it requires a lot of mental skill, strategy, and quick movements in order to beat the other players and win the top prize. Sure it is competitive, but if you try hard enough you will receive a little cash at the end even if you lose in the games, so it is a win-win situation either way.

I recently started playing on WorldWinner and earned small amounts of cash on their addictive Solitaire card game. I have to admit it does take a while to earn the larger amounts but it definitely takes a lot of time and persistence. I suggest you try it out for yourself and see how far you get. (Just a reminder that you will need a PayPal account in order to deposit cash into WorldWinner and start playing from there).

In conclusion. GSN Games really has a lot to offer in terms of online gaming. It is extremely addictive and pushes the boundaries every time. I absolutely love the colorful web design and overall positivity surrounding the website, all of the games and promotional offers are legitimate, well made and there are no hidden traps to be found behind them. The website follows general online gaming conditions and does not have any fake promotions or sweepstakes. Everything you see here is real online gaming at it's best. No rules, no rubbish, just fun all around. It blows similar websites out of the water with it's fantastic functionality and easy to play games! Whether you are an avid casual gamer or a beginner, anyone of all ages can sign up for GSN Games! 

Final Rating: 9/10

That's it guys! I hope you enjoyed reading today! I will see you again tomorrow!

Website Review #5 - Studentedge.org

Hello readers! Before I begin I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who has stuck around and read my reviews in the past few weeks, this has been a long time coming so I am glad to finally have time to share my content with you! I also have some exciting news to share in the coming days so please stay tuned and watch this space! In the meantime, let's cut to the chase and start the day with another review!

Today I will be reviewing Studentedge.org. This is a site that I discovered quite recently when I studied at university last year and it has quickly become one my new favorites on the web. This should give you a hint about the website's main purpose.

For those of you that don't know, Student Edge is an Australian-based company which is strongly dedicated to improving the lives of university and vocational education (VET) students by offering
important information about career planning, study tips, future options and general life topics. But that's not all; aside from all the serious stuff, the website also offers various surveys,  competitions and even special shopping discounts for students! The amount of generalized content presented here is astounding; as it mixes in the usual serious topics of discussion with a huge splash of exciting entertainment in between and it shows that there are definitely some special advantages to being a student. I think that it is a pretty neat set-up which clearly demonstrates the fun and serious side of student life, as it should. Basically everything that you need to know about navigating student life is right here on Student Edge! Let's keep digging deeper into the site and find out more.

Student Edge Homepage - This literally screams 'dedicated to the modern student' and I think that every student would think so too. The content is spaced out neatly and makes for a less messy web design.

If you would prefer to use this site as a general information service for news and other topics, then feel free to do so. However, you are more than welcome to create your own account if you want to experience the full package of benefits, deals and discounts as well as the important advice at hand. It's all a matter of choice. When you sign up for an account, you will be redirected to the account portal where you edit your profile and study details. Once completed, you will be on your way to navigating through student life through the lens of Student Edge. I can guarantee that you will find the answer to any problem you have through the website's massive information base, which spans across various topics of discussion such as finance, health and online safety. Whether it be studying for upcoming exams, choosing career pathways or dealing with stress, Student Edge has got you covered, no questions asked! Treat it as your best friend!

When I first signed up with Student Edge, I thought that it was very informative in terms of content and advice for students and particularly found the jobs section to be very helpful as I managed to find lots of much-needed information to help with my job search, resume writing and job interview questions. As a current university student I also found that the website is designed to be specifically tailored for students, by students with specialized topics that engage discussion with others. I like the fact that there is an actual website that is dedicated to all students where the information is easy to find.

This is the deals and discounts page, where students can look for special discounts from their favorite shopping outlets. Very handy for someone who wants to save on their next shop!

With regards to entertainment, the website features it's own rewards program that includes surveys, competitions and discounts that any student can register for. In my opinion, the surveys are the best ones to start with, just answering simple questions relating to a certain topic of interest in your own time. But wait, there's so much more than that. Like Pureprofile (the first website I reviewed), when you complete a particular survey you begin to earn points (called Edge Credits) which can be easily redeemed for gift cards and real cash via PayPal! Plus you automatically get entries into Student Edge's quarterly prize draw of $1000 in prizes! How about that? Now that's what I call an achievement! The competitions and discounts are easy to navigate as well, where you pick your preferred option and enter your details. Before long you will receive your discount in order to start saving while you shop at your favorite outlet and be in the draw to win various prizes at the same time! So if you think that student life gets boring after a while, then think again!  

In conclusion, I think that Student Edge is an excellent source for non-stop student advice which makes for strong competition compared to similar websites. The information listed on the site is based on real, legitimate claims and there are no deceiving traps to be found. It has a great web design with a plain, calm presentation that invites the student user into a secret sanctuary of knowledge and growth. Absolutely fantastic and I would recommend it to any student that wants to fulfill their school life and beyond.

Final Rating: 10/10

Thanks for reading my last review of the week! Again please keep an eye out on my exciting news in the next few days! See you soon! 

Website Review #4 - Myopportunity.com

Hello again. I am back on schedule with my fourth review of the month!

Today I will be reviewing Myopportunity.com, which is another website focusing on a serious topic; this time in the form of business networking. This is a relatively new site that I found under a list of alternatives to professional platform LinkedIn, let me tell you a bit more about it:

Opportunity is a business networking website which works in a similar way to LinkedIn, however it is much more different in terms of generating leads and finding like-minded professionals to interact with. The website is described as a great option for individuals to build business relationships, find employment opportunities and even connect on a personal level. When compared with LinkedIn, Opportunity is an easier platform to work with and has its features spanned out across various categories rather than being crowded all over the place, and the site itself has a strong focus on building professional relationships so you don't even need to create a large profile to gain traction or stand out from other individuals. That's too much work for someone who just wants to communicate freely with anyone without any fuss!

The Myopportunity.com homepage - The presentation is as professional and positive as it gets. How inviting is this for the user? 

When you register with Opportunity, you just need to answer a few general questions such as preferred industry, locations, interests, and your current skill set. It's a simple process that won't take very long and once you enter the account portal it's all yours! You can edit your profile at any time if you want to change any details. As an additional bonus, you can also add your LinkedIn profile link or invite your LinkedIn contacts to join if you want to increase exposure. One of the best features in the Opportunity profile is the 'networking pitch' where you explain more  about your current employment, your role at work and interests outside of work. The networking pitch is important as you want to attract the right professionals with the same pathways as you and they will most certainly want to be interested in what you have to offer.

The main section of the account portal is the lead generation page, where there is a long list of professionals compiled together based on the interests and industry experience that you add to your profile. Feel free to contact as many professionals as you like as there is no boundaries for communication here. My first experience with contacting someone from Opportunity was actually quite good. A few months ago I interacted with a guy who worked in an IT company and talked about where we were at in terms of business and professional life. It was a very normal, short conversation and it just goes to show that these individuals are very serious about maintaining business relationships and they are not playing around. With Opportunity, you are basically interacting with the right people at the right time.

The Opportunity account portal and leads page, where you can build relationships with your leads based on experience and personal interests. (Names, pictures and locations of individuals have been blocked out for privacy reasons.)

Now before I finish I would like to remind you that some of the features on Opportunity are part of an extensive PRO upgrade that requires payments every month or so. Some special PRO features included in the upgrade include extra profiles for employment, dating and sales, mass messaging to all your leads and profile verification. You can even interact with special professionals who have a PRO upgrade and verified profiles! If you would like to go the extra mile and get the full package then I suggest you go ahead and try it for yourself. I haven't bought the PRO upgrade myself but I am thinking of doing so in the future. It would be nice if there was a free trial for the PRO features so you could try them out before paying for the full upgrade.

In conclusion, I believe that this website is an excellent platform for business networking and works as a great companion piece to LinkedIn. The professionals that use Opportunity for business relations are real, legitimate people and there are no fake profiles found. Anyone who is willing to maintain strong business relationships and build their professional image can use Opportunity to their full advantage. It has a clean web design and professional presentation, good functionality and interactive nature. 

Final Rating: 8/10

That's it guys! Another review done and dusted! See you on Wednesday for the next one!

My review got published on an online content platform!

Hey guys! I don't usually post on Fridays but I have some great news to share with you today!

When I was setting up a Twitter account for the blog yesterday, I was mentioned in a tweet from an account which had a link to a random article. Take a look at the screenshot I took of the tweet below:

I clicked on the link and was redirected to a website called Paper.li, where I found a lot of articles from various content creators and websites. It's actually a pretty neat content curation platform which presents content in the form of an online newspaper.

So I did a bit of digging through the various categories and found my Monster.com review right in the middle of the page! This was actually a very nice surprise and I never would've thought that my content would be published elsewhere! Here is the screenshot of the page below:

Yes there it is! This means that people would be able to find my little review and the whole blog itself so it can bring in a new load of readers! I would like to personally thank Paper.li and that one twitter account for finding my content and publishing it on their website! This is a big step forward and there's definitely more to come! You can also follow my twitter account which is @wayofthewebs for updates.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next Monday!

Website Review #3 - Monster.com

Hello again! Just a quick heads-up from yesterday that I am feeling much better now and I would like to thank my readers for their patience as I cook up another website review! 

Today I will be reviewing Monster.com, which is completely different to the last two websites as it focuses on a more serious topic rather than leisure activities. Don't be fooled by the name, it is not as scary as you think! I am also relatively new to this site so I may be a bit slow in recognizing some of its features but I can work my way through it without any issues. Anyway, lets move on:

Monster is an American job search and career advice website that has lasted for more than 20 years. It is one the more popular and recognizable employment sites on the web and is a global leader in connecting job seeking candidates to potential career opportunities. Just like any other job search website, Monster has it's own jobs board which houses several jobs in various categories that candidates can apply for depending on their skill level, experience and compatibility.

Monster.com Homepage - Very clean and spacious presentation, shows off a professional image
that is appealing to job seekers.

Now you might be thinking, does this website do more than just match candidates with jobs? What other features are available to enhance the job search? What makes this website better than the others? Well if you delve a little bit further into Monster, you will find separate pages dedicated to career advice, resources, resume tips and salary tools; so there is always a wealth of information available on the site to assist you with your job search. You are also welcome to create a job seeker account and fill in the necessary details about your employment history, education, skills and more to add to your profile. It just goes to show that Monster isn't just about the job search at hand and that there is definitely more to discover if you dig deeper.

Another really great takeaway is that when you create a job seeker profile with Monster and upload your latest resume on their site, you are automatically eligible to have your resume assessed by a professional resume team hired by Monster. This is an excellent hidden feature that isn't easy to find on other employment websites. When I sent my resume through to the team at Monster for a professional resume assessment I was given some thorough, much needed advice on how my resume should be presented and what I should include. I trust that Monster's professional resume team is extremely knowledgeable in knowing about resume presentation and encourage all job seekers to try it out for themselves! And guess what, there's more to come! The next fantastic Easter egg in this site is that once you edit your resume and profile, you can choose whether or not you would like your account to be public and seen by recruiters! Yes, that's right! Recruiters can search through hundreds of profiles on Monster and they might get the opportunity to view yours and potentially contact you! My resume has been viewed 2 times so far, I know it is a slow start to begin with as there are a lot of profiles for them to skim through but once you tailor your profile and resume to the right standards then it will be deemed as satisfactory to the recruiter's eyes!

This is Monster's jobs board, where you type in the preferred job and location and it will automatically find similar jobs that could be the 'right fit' for the candidate.

Another thing I would like to add is all of the jobs on Monster are located in the US, as it is an American-based website. So if you are someone who is looking for work in other countries (or remote/work from home jobs within your country), there is a separate section dedicated to international jobs so you can find the right career in your preferred location.

From what I have seen so far, it looks like Monster is designed to actually help you with your job search and not leave you behind like some other casual job search sites. With it's built in features, impeccable web design and key functions, it gives off a very strong-willed demeanor and professional presentation that is inviting to the user. Their career resources are legitimate and the use of personal anecdotes in their advice section is a great source of inspiration for job seeker candidates.
Everything about this site is real. It is not trying to deceive you in any way. In conclusion, I think that Monster has the potential to go even further and add more helpful features for today's job seeker candidates.

Final Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading my review! Unfortunately that is it for this week as I have missed out on Monday's review, but I will definitely be back on schedule next Monday so I will see you then!

Website Review #2 - Neave.com

Hey guys! How are you today? I hope you have enjoyed reading my last review because I certainly enjoyed writing it! I am so excited to share my thoughts on another website with you.

Today I will be reviewing the website Neave.com, which again is another personal favorite of mine and has been since my one of my friends introduced it to me way back in high school! Yes, it's actually that good, I can assure you. This website might be unfamiliar to some as it is not as well known, so let me give you a bit of background info to start off.

Neave.com Homepage - Very colourful, curious design which invites the user into a fantastical experience. Simplified look, does not need any explanation.

Neave Interactive is described as a creative and whimsical 'digital playground' which was founded by UK-based digital artist Paul Neave in 1999. The website mostly contains various interactive tools, games, art and experiments that are created by Neave himself. His reasoning behind the idea is to "make stuff that people enjoy" and to provide a form of generalized entertainment that anyone of all ages can participate in. Sounds like a great idea, don't you think? It's definitely the best website that you can go to when you want to kill some time. I think that Neave has done a fantastic job in launching a platform for this kind of entertainment. He is definitely a talented chap and there's no doubt about that.



Going into the website itself is like hopping into a twisted, mysterious fantasy haven filled with bright colours and immense wonder, it's almost as if you are stepping into Neave's curious mind. It's absolutely fantastic, unique and astounding, I have never seen anything quite like it. Some of the current interactive tools that appear on the website include some old-school tic-tac-toe and snake, the mind-boggling Strobe Illusion, the colourful Bouncy Balls and the extremely obsessive Webcam Toy. It seems as if these little games are designed to play with your mind and keep your eyes completely glued to the screen until you forget where you are. It's simply fascinating stuff.

Back in high school, me and my friend would hop onto Neave.com almost every day during break times. Our favorite interactive tool was always the Webcam Toy, where you would take various photos with more than 50 different designs and cool effects to choose from. There were other tools that we played around with too, such as Imagination and Pixel Dust (these two games have since been taken down from the website for unknown reasons) where you would just wave the cursor around and let the magic come through from the blank screen. Strobe Illusion was another game that we played together, where you would literally stare at a black and white optical illusion for 30 seconds without stopping. I bet our eyes were twisted after trying out that one several times! It was really fun to stick around on this site for the amount of time we had in high school and now I'm thinking of calling my friend over to revisit some of the fun memories we had on Neave.com.

Strobe Illusion game in action. This is definitely one for the eyes. Ouch!

As I have mentioned earlier, yes some of the interactive tools have been taken down from the site for unknown reasons as I remember there used to be more than 8 of them. But things change and old things make way for the new, so I don't have any hard feelings towards Neave's future decisions. I am however very excited to see what he comes up with next, as I really enjoy his work and his creative mind.

My conclusion for this website is that it has a very atmospheric web design with calm, bright colours and an air of curiosity, hardly any viruses and malware to be found as all the interactive tools work and function properly. It is very inviting to the user and would never leave anyone bored at the end of it. Anyone of all ages can try it out for themselves. Neave.com needs no explanation and lets the wonderfully twisted mind of it's creator do all the work. Very clever and inquisitive indeed.

Final Rating: 10/10

There's another review done and dusted for the week! I hope you will catch me again next Monday as I serve up a new one! Don't forget to share your opinions in the comment section! Thanks for reading and see you soon!