Online typists are professionals who engage in a number of clerical functions in an online environment. With most of these jobs, the same skills and proficiency required to function as a typist in a brick and mortar environment apply to any given online typist job. The difference is that an online typist can work from home or any other location, as long as there is a connection to the Internet and access to the right software or database to complete the project.
One of the more common online typist jobs has to do with data entry. It is not unusual for companies to outsource this function to people who possess the ability to accurately enter a minimum number of characters per minute into set fields in a database. In some cases, the pay for work of this type is an hourly wage. Other companies pay the typist a fixed rate per character entered.
Document creation is another task that is often required of an online typist. The document may be letters that are prepared from notes that were dictated verbatim using a virtual recording device. A typist may also be called upon to prepare a transcript of some sort of meeting that took place in a virtual environment, such as an audio teleconference or a web conference. When this is the case, the typist is usually granted access to an audio file of the meeting while preparing the document.
An online typist may also be given assignments to post advertisements or promote an employer of client on blogs, message boards, or social networking sites. The idea behind this type of promotion is to attract potential customers for the client. While most companies provide content guidelines to the typist, the actual text is usually left to his or her discretion. Some companies pay a fixed rate per post, while others require a minimum number of posts per day or week in return for a lump sum payment.
To become an online typist, it is necessary to have an eye for detail, the ability to type at a rate competitive with that of other typists, and be able to complete assignments by the deadlines set by clients. While there are a number of fee-based sites that claim to supply typists with a steady stream of client leads, there are free online typist ads found on many Internet classified and work at home sites. Beginning with these free resources and working in the evenings, a competent typist can eventually build up a sufficient clientele and convert this part time endeavor into a full time career.
