Five Important Online Timesavers
This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.
I have previously listed 5 of the most potentially dangerous online timewasters and I’ve explained why you should always be careful and not go overboard when it comes to them and today, I will be referring to 5 of the most important online timewasters which can and will make a difference as far as your personal productivity level is concerned.
1) Google
Leaving all of the things they are doing wrong aside (and there are more than a few of those), I have to admit that Google can indeed prove to be quite a timesaver under certain circumstances. For example, if you forget the URL of a certain website, rather that asking other people or trying to remember it yourself, you can simply enter a few specific keywords which you know have to do with that website (again, try to keep them as specific as possible, a certain phrase you remembered or a part of its title), the website in question will most likely appear on the first page and, as a result, your memory will quickly be refreshed.
2) Wikipedia
Let’s assume that someone asks you some general information regarding something over the phone. If you are next to the computer and have an internet connection, you can be certain that, in most cases, Wikipedia will prove to be extremely useful.
3) Email
Email can also be seen as a potential timewaster if you don’t have the right attitude but let’s face it: rather than contacting a certain company by phone, for example, sending them an email is the best way to go under certain circumstances.
When talking to the phone, you may forget a few important aspects while, when sending an email and when you have the message in question right in front of you, the chances of something like that happening are extremely low.
4) Online Stores
Sometimes, you are simply far too busy in order to visit a regular store and, as a result, an online one is the way to go. Aside from that, when searching for certain products online, everything is just one click away. You can find all sorts of offers and compare products quite easily online, rather than having to visit several regular stores yourself and that is definitely an important advantage.
5) Elance and Similar Websites
As an online entrepreneur, you will most likely reach a point when delegating will be in order and that’s when websites which help you find freelancers (such as Elance, for example), will prove to be quite important timesavers.
Each freelancer has a reputation, so that making an informed decision will be a lot easier. Rather than finding someone in your area to take care of a certain task for you, posting an ad on such websites can indeed prove to be an extremely time-saving decision. You will receive offers from all sorts of interesting parties and, based on their reputation as well as on your budget and expectations, you can definitely make a decision you will not regret down the road.
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6) This blog.
This was an interesting piece.
Reply to this commentLooks like your EC price has gone through the roof here John EntreCard is broken
Reply to this commentYeah, it got owned
although they will claim a server error or something 
Reply to this commentI guess it’s not broken … the way they calculate stuff changed.
My price changed also … from 38 ec/day to 1100 ec/day
Reply to this commentGreat post Alan. I am a member of Elance.
Reply to this commentI do use Elance, in fact someone is working on a projects for me right now. It’s a great place to outsource your work.
Reply to this commentwhat’s great about this post ?
Reply to this commentWe’re you amazed something new like Google or what ?
This is a making money online blog … not a crap online blog
Just filler I guess!
Reply to this commenthaha…kinda agreed :p
Reply to this commentBetween the timewasters and the timesavers …Two great Posts.
Reply to this commentThanks …
can’t say this is my favorite series of posts
I’d argue that forums are far more useful than Wikipedia (which might not even be accurate in many cases).
Reply to this commentYea.. right
Reply to this commentsearching google will be helpful. example when looking for pdf books, try: make money online filetype:pdf and google shows only pdf books. There are tons of features you can use.
Reply to this commentYes, but alot of people don’t know these google tricks
Reply to this commentHere is a link in case anyone wants the list of features within that little smart Google search box:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html
Reply to this commentThey are just common things!
Reply to this commentMaybe………. *rolls eyes*
Reply to this commentThey are all great, I really like Wikipedia, its probably the best source for accurate information on anything.
Reply to this commentAbsolutely. I second that buddy
Reply to this commentI used wikipedia to get A’s when I was at school
Reply to this commentC’mon man come up with some useful stuff pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Reply to this commentwhat do you mean ? Google isn’t useful
?
This is a great post … and also read Cashtacular’s comment below.
He made his point … like a PRO
Might I add another useful thing ?
Shoes … they make your walking easier and with them you won’t suffer injuries like you would without shoes.
No wonder Al Bundy was a show salesman … he knew how important shoes were.
I will dedicate a new blog to shoes and their importance … I believe it’s worth a domain name to.
http://www.stoppostingcrapjack.com
We’re not here to read other people’s stupid posts
Reply to this commentIsn’t the time you take up to use these items a waste in and of itself?
Reply to this commentThat’s exactly what I was thinking! But in some cases I guess it is unavoidable!
Reply to this commentDepends on how you use them.
Reply to this commentWhile these may be common things some people don’t utilize them as they should from online stores to basic email usefulness.
Reply to this commentI like it better when JC writes the post at least if he writes a bad one, there’s still humor in it…
Reply to this commentSeconded - badly written with zero content posts can be rescued with some humour. This guy gets none of the 3.
Reply to this commentOuch.
Reply to this comment1. Google i will admit is pretty useful, but yes, you have to be specific.
Reply to this comment2. wikipedia can be awesome for well known topics… i wouldn’t trust all of the stuff on there though.
3. People still use email? Seriously though, sifting through the junk mail is time wasted.
4. online shopping has changed the world.
5.Elance… I didn’t even know about elance but obviously it saves time if you don’t have to write your own blogs anymore. Just pay someone else to do it, you will save a couple of hours a day!
A few good tips….if you’re a total interweb newbie. I’m sure the majority of JC followers aren’t in that category. Where is the work JC? I think you’re slacking off too much and enjoying your late mornings.
(Ok, except the rush hour traffic, lol)
Reply to this commentI found this post helpful. Sometimes, when in a crunch, we don’t think of taking advantage of the resources we have right at our fingertips. Our minds are always searching for something more complex when the answers don’t have to be so difficult. This post should serve as a gentle reminder to those who might need it.
Reply to this commentNot much content in that particular post. Too bad, because alan johnson’s website has some pretty good content overall. Making posts like that are just a waste of reader’s time. He should have given us one of his more worthwhile posts from his own website.
Reply to this commentI use it everyday for my home based business
Reply to this commentHey john I’ve mailed you but I get the e-mails sent back as if it was an error… how much would I have to pay for you to sponsor http://www.thegermz.com/my-ramblings/entrecard-chain-dropping?
Reply to this commentYour post doesn’t have any relevancy to the article!
Reply to this commentSorry, but this post was rather “common sense” to me. But I can understand it may not be for the people who haven’t been using computers and internet for years.
Reply to this commentI agree…this is a rather common sense post,but never the less,what may seem common to some is NOT so common to others.
The Wikii point was interesting because I actually do meet people who have no idea about Wikki,so using it to answer your readers/customers questions can definitely make you seem extremely knowledgable and of course that will only boost your credibility with those customers
Reply to this commentWikipedia is an awesome site!
Reply to this commentYou really get everything you want there. And that too in details. I got all my informations for all the projects there. I love it. And google combined. I search most stuff in google and its the first result (wikipedia’s)
Yeah, it just sucks when your university won’t let you use it as reference material…
Reply to this comment“If you are next to the computer and have an internet connection”
Dang, I just read that statement, but I don’t have an internet connection, I guess Wiki is out for me.
Come on man, WTF is that?
Reply to this commentGot ya… I am almost moving onto differnet blog as soon as the post author is Alex…
Reply to this commentI meant Alan
Reply to this commentI dont agree with the first point. I dont find this blog when I type John chow.
j/k.
Reply to this commentNice read.
Because, Google owned him
Reply to this commentThanks JohnChow and Alan Johnson for this post! It gave me inspiration to blog on a similar topic.
Reply to this commentnot a topic of much importance as it’s daily activity for all
Reply to this commentPretty much of a no brainer here.
Reply to this commentHere are 5 other really useful things:
1) Air
it’s very good to breathe. I recommend breathing it instead of other things.
2) Water
You might be surprised to know that this is something good to drink. Consuming it will keep you from being thirsty, but here’s the key - you have to put it in your mouth.
3) A Car
It’s much faster than walking, especially when you have to travel long distances.
4) Stores
Rather than trade goods or services with your friends and neighbors, you can go to these great locations where the supply a wide variety of items and purchase them with money (also useful, though it didn’t make the list).
5) Pens
When you have an idea that you want to remember, you can use a pen to write that idea down. Later, when you forget the idea, you can read it back and remember what you thought before.
Thanks for the pearls of wisdom you graciously dropped in your post, Alan. Seriously, earth-shattering stuff.
Reply to this commentfor your number 3 … if you aren’t a successful blogger get a bike
Reply to this commentClaps… I feel the frustation
Reply to this commentAlan has a lot of useful stuff at his site, but this was not one of his better posts. Perhaps he should pull back on the amount of content he is creating, lest the quality suffer (maybe that would be a good future post, quality vs quality, lol).
- Dave
Reply to this commentLooking at this post again, you can even see how it was rushed right at the beginning:
“I will be referring to 5 of the most important online timewasters …”
that should be timesavers, not timewasters. When you see mistakes like that, someone is rushing and not proofreading. I still like Alan’s site though.
- Dave
Reply to this comment1. Dont come back to this blog if posts like these are made.
Reply to this comment2. Forums.. Forums.. Forums.. The best time savers for me.
3. Wikipedia?? Have you ever got any such instance that its a time saver? Not at all a relevant point.
Some days I just don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do and finding ways to do things faster is always a good thing. People need to budget their time as well as their money because some will waste both. One you can make back, but time is gone forever.
Reply to this comment~Terry
I’m forever thankful that wikipedia is there. I believe everybody is.I tried to be a writer for wikipedia once. I guess I was underqualified..
Reply to this commentIt’s email & online store for me. Oh & my other site.
Reply to this commentI go to Google and then end up at Wikipedia … Wikipedia is a real big time saver.
Reply to this commentWikipedia is not allowed in computers in our college, but as am not able to live without it, i browse that through mobile to find any things out.
Reply to this commentSaving time is valuable! Most people are very busy, and don’t want to spend much time on the computer. If they can get around your site/product/service quickly and easily, it will make them more apt to follow up.
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