Posts

    • text · In the News with oDesk 15 Mar 11

      February 15, 2011 — I was endorsed by @GarySwart, the CEO of oDesk in two articles recently published online: oDesk Reveals Limitless Job Opportunities in a Borderless Economy (Morningstar, Yahoo Finance) and February Online Jobs Report: Demand for Online Work Hits New Record. These articles comment on the Online Employment Report published in February which is a survey of data from more than 1 million contractors and employers found on oDesk.

      The report indicates that small and medium businesses (SMB’s) are growing thanks to the highly-skilled, niche contractors available on oDesk. These contractors are competing in a borderless economy and performing work — against talent from around the world. This demand for highly-skilled freelancers has led to the emergence of  the “career contractor” who thrives in a remote work environment like this.

      The growth of the oConomy was picked up by The New York Times in an article “Rural Sourcing: A Trend to Watch?”, where the author expresses his opinion that remote workers are thriving in tiny towns … just because they are desperate enough.

      A recent study by online worker clearinghouse oDesk found that workers in tiny towns of less than 15,000 inhabitants are already online and thriving in a remote work environment.

      ….You might argue that the high numbers of hours worked and the percentage of remote workers per capita just reveals that those marooned in small towns are simply desperate for work.

      Here’s a small excerpt from the two articles:

      @Bernard Vukas, a contractor specializing in Microsoft Office architecture, found that online work introduced new options not available in his local economy. “I tried applying in Croatia, but the economy there is not good and I couldn’t get a job. Then I heard about remote contracting from a friend, created a profile online, and today I have more work than I can handle,” he says. Since starting on oDesk, Vukas was able to raise his hourly rates to $70 per hour, and then again more recently to $100/hour. Online contract work has become his full-time career and sole source of income.

      Online Employment Report from the oDesk SMB Report (February issue) is available here.

      #JustMigrated  #oDesk  

    • text · Interview for oDesk SMB Report 28 Feb 11

      February 15, 2011 — I was recently interviewed by oDesk Corporation for their monthly SMB Trend Report with the title “Businesses Grow Using Contractors”. The report is a survey of data from more than 1 million contractors and employers found on oDesk. Here’s a short excerpt:

      Not every path to success is this clear-cut. The contractors who are most successful competing in a borderless economy — against talent from around the world — are those who either embrace a specialty or niche skill that is in high demand, or they are simply good at what they do and build a reputation as an expert in their field. In the case of Bernard, he’s done both.

      To read the full interview and the 3-page report please click here. You may need to register to access the report.

      #JustMigrated  #oDesk  

    • text · SugarCRM Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook 2010: Before & After 13 Oct 10

      The Sugar Outlook 2010 Plug-in is not yet officially out but here’s an unofficial sneak peek. I almost finished migrating SugarCRM’s Outlook 2003 & 2007 plug-in to Microsoft Office Outlook 2010. The old menus were replaced by the ribbon interface. A new completely new addition to this project is the Backstage which was introduced in Microsoft Office 2010.

      Before

      The product uses CommandBars used in Office 2003/2007: This is what the New Mail Message window looks like in the original 2007 plug-in.

          After

          Backstage functionality was provided where previously a Tools > Options menu command was used.

          Menus were integrated into the Outlook 2010 ribbon to allow users to access familiar commands. This was achieved by inserting ribbon callbacks so only minimal intervention was required from my end.

            This is what the interface looks like from the Outlook’s Contacts folder.

              Summary of Changes

              • The plug-in now completely supports the Office 2010 ribbon interface. It blends really well with the new way of doing things in Office Outlook 2010.
              • Backstage functionality provides access to program options.
              • Sugar Plug-in for Outlook 2010 now uses .NET 3.5 while it previously used .NET 2.0.
              • Program installer correctly detects Outlook 2010 and installs the plug-in.

              #JustMigrated  #microsoft .net framework  #outlook  #vsto  

            • text · Working on the road with oDesk 12 Oct 10

              On Oct-1 I began a 12-day trip starting in Zagreb, Croatia and finishing in Istanbul, Turkey. I bought an extra battery for my laptop but I guess I won’t need it as the bus has electrical power. Here’s what my office looks like… Can you believe this? :)

              This has been the view from my office today afternoon, while traveling from Belgrade, Serbia to Sofia, Bulgaria:

              On our second day we’ll travel towards Turkey crossing approx. 1,500 km (930 miles). I’m very much looking forward to traveling and working at the same time!

              #JustMigrated  #oDesk  

          ← Newer →