The Article Writer

Running your own business — and that is exactly what it is for any freelance worker, a business — means that you are probably acutely aware of the passage of time. Indeed, quarterly tax payments to the IRS, monthly income from ads, and regularly bidding on, accepting, and completing projects all work together to show that time is really of the essence. If you aren’t making money, you are likely falling behind.

Feast Followed By Famine

Good thing I don’t depend on a steady flow of business to survive. Sure, it would be nice to have paying projects always in place, but there are oftentimes some gaps present. This past April I was so busy that I was turning down projects left and right. This month, June, has been almost the opposite…long dry spells with a smattering of work here and there. At least everyone who owes me money has paid up, however it sure would be nice to be waiting on a check right about now!

Yet, with all of that said, time marches on. Thank God — literally — that things are in a state of constant flux. If they weren’t, we’d probably all grow too complacent for our own good. Although I do sense some unease from time to time that feeling quickly disappears as I immerse myself in yet another new writing project.

Here’s to a great second half of 2006 for everyone who writes for a living and for those of you kind enough to hire us!

No sooner had I blogged on the merits of using Paypal to secure payments from clients that Google has taken the wraps off of its long anticipated payment processing system. Google Checkout has arrived and it promises to be one more program for merchants to consider when setting up payment options for visitors to their websites.

Google Checkout v. Paypal

With Google Checkout, customers to your site can make payment for goods and services much as they can do with Paypal. Google is sweetening this deal by charging merchants a lower fee than Paypal and by offering rebates on Google AdWords advertising to merchants using their new program according to an article in the San Francisco Examiner.

Your Personal Data

Google is also using this service to “collect” and store people’s credit card information in the hopes of making checkout time faster online. In some ways this gives me the creeps as it becomes just one more way for someone out there to have your vital information on hand. Of course, if you use Amazon and similar services they already do the same thing.

Will I switch from using Paypal to using Google Checkout? For the short term that answer is no. However, I will monitor the program’s progress as I consider adding some additional features to at least one of my websites…a storefront perhaps.

Google Checkout Paypal Amazon Google

For those of us who freelance for a living we survive from job to job, literally! Waiting an excessive amount of time to be paid for our work can be a hardship, so much so that I have seen fellow freelancers resort to using credit cards to make ends meet.

Looking Past The Paypal Fees

Some freelancers simply abhor the idea of using Paypal to secure what is due to them. They see the fee charged [2.9% plus 30 cents] coming out of their invoice and cannot get past the idea that they will receive less money than what was charged.

A word to my harried fellow workers: Paypal now or lose the use of your funds for thirty days or better. Sure, people should pay up when invoiced but we know that isn’t always the case. Instead of waiting, why not contact the employer and ask them to get their credit card out and pay you via Paypal? My thinking is this: 97% of outstanding funds in hand now is better than waiting for 100% of the funds that may take what can seem like forever to show up.