You can also do these online!

We know we can pay bills, transfer money, find work, buy clothes and shoes, buy groceries, furniture and appliances, play games, send gifts and even attend meetings via the internet. But did you know you could also the following five things:

Take a university course:

Courses from Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Caltech, Karolinksa Institute, BITS Pilani and many others are available online and that too for free. Known as massive open online courses (MOOCs), there is a wide variety of topics available, whether you want to learn a new language or a new skill, do something for fun, or add to your existing skillset. Coursera, EdX and FutureLearn are some well-known names in this field, but there are plenty of others. MOOC courses are free — the whole point of MOOCs being open access — and you get access to course material and also instruction from professors, teaching assistants and professionals, as well as interactions with fellow students and instructors. Depending on the course, university or platform, in some cases you can sit for an exam to get a certification on the payment of a fee.

Join a writing workshop @ critique group:

Writing may be a lonely profession, but one also needs constructive feedback to do a good job of it. It is not always easy to find qualified (or interested) people around you who can critique your work—and let’s face it, asking your mother for feedback isn’t foolproof—or motivate you to write. Enter online critique groups or writing workshops. The best part about this is that you have a good chance of finding a group that tailors to your brand of writing. Some places to try include Scribophile and Critique Circle, though there are many others. Sci-fi and fantasy writers, do check out Critters.org and Other Worlds Writing Workshop.

Design a logo:

Need a logo but short of time (and money)? Never fear, for there are dozens of logo design shops on the cyber superhighway, and some of them are free. Try Logo Garden or Logo Genie, which have an impressive portfolio, though these are not the only options. If you’d rather not get something auto-generated by a machine, try Fiverr.com to hire a cheap logo designer (in fact, on this platform you can buy and sell a wide variety of services for just $5).

Print merchandise:

Need some custom branded T-shirts, caps, pens, mugs, stationery and the like? No more dashing around town to find the best options—just pick up a service like Printland or Vistaprint, place your order, and wait for your things to be delivered. It goes without saying that you can compare prices too. You can order a variety of marketing and promotional material, business products, dairies, visiting cards, custom merchandise and more. Even personalized cards, photobooks and calendars are available. You will find premade designs on these sites to which you can add your logos; otherwise, you’ll be able to design your own stuff too.

Publish your book:

And we don’t mean an ebook—though you could do that pretty painlessly on Amazon or Smashwords. Self-publishing services allow you to self-publish print books without having to step out of your home. Chose from dozens of self-publishing companies, including Cinnamon Teal, Notion Press, Track Changes and Authors Upfront, to get services like editing, designing and layout, as well as printing, marketing, distribution and ebook/audio book creation remotely. A few years ago self-publishing meant making space for a large number of copies, but print-on-demand technologies now mean relatively lower print runs are possible.

Source | Financial Chronicle | 19 April 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library

Khaitan & Co

Upcoming Event | National Conference on Future Librarianship: Innovation for Excellence (NCFL 2016) during April 22-23, 2016.

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