The internet is bursting with make-money-from-home ideas, and the latest incarnation has come in the form of websites that connect users to live, expert advice for a nominal fee. The idea is that you can log on in your spare time, help a user out with his or her problem, and get paid – all from the comfort of your home.
Sites like Google Helpouts, LiveNinja, and Wizpert have all sprung up in the last year to offer this service. They’re different from sites like TaskRabbit and Fiverr, in that instead of performing a bit of piecemeal freelance work, you’re actually in the role of a consultant.
Essentially, rather than monetizing your skills, you’re monetizing your knowledge.
- Are you a trained electrician? Teach someone to rewire a lamp or troubleshoot their DIY project.
- Is home decor your passion? Help someone choose colors for their living room.
- Are you taking a break from your HR career to raise the kids? Advise job hunters on interview skills.
The services allow users to search for lessons, read reviews, book experts, chat with them, and pay them – all on one site.
Who Should Sign Up
If you enjoy sharing your skills, you’re confident, and you love talking to people and teaching new things, this might be a great way to make some extra cash.
Some experts teach set lessons, such as guitar basics, Spanish conjugation, or how to apply mascara – others focus more on helping a user work out a specific problem, like troubleshooting a PHP coding, fixing the derailleur on a bicycle, or providing inspiration for delicious vegetarian meal with what’s in a user’s fridge.
Signing up to be an expert with one of these sites could be a great thing if you’re already offering consulting services and want to offer an affordable taste of your services to drum up clientele.
Who’s an Expert, anyway?
Experts on these services run the gamut of experience and professionalism, but here are a few to give you an idea:
- Colleen Flaherty is a personal trainer and owner of Baby Bump Academy, a wellness studio in New York. She offers consultations on pregnancy fitness through Google Helpouts. ($75/hour)
- Mario Ajero is an Associate Professor of Piano at Stephen F. Austin State University, who will teach you how to play the piano on Google Helpouts. ($25/30 min)
- Gracie Padron is a freelance graphic designer and principal at a marketing firm, who offers webinars on Adobe products through LiveNinja. ($50/hour)
- Nicole Borenstein is a certified event and wedding planner, who will help you plan your party on LiveNinja. ($35/hour)
A Caveat
It’s not easy, and it’s not fast money. Like any strategy, you can’t just set up a profile and have cash come rolling in – you need to be actively promoting your services, and making sure it’s part of your overall brand and strategy.
The Sites
There are a number of sites out there just for web developers, such as Codementor and AirPair, but for the scope of this post we’ll just take a look at the three main sites that cover a variety of topics. Google Helpouts, LiveNinja, and Wizpert.
Google Helpouts
The newcomer, Google Helpouts is an offshoot of other Google products like Google+, Hangouts, and Wallet. Both the expert and the user need Google+ accounts to use Helpouts.
Pros
The site design is clean and very navigable, and although there aren’t a ton of topics currently they’re adding new experts constantly. The fields offered are really varied (things like Art and Music, Health, and Computers and Electronics) and the categories are broad enough that you’ll be able to fit your niche in somewhere.
Each Helpout is focused on a particular topic – so rather than simply putting up a profile and inviting people to contact you about anything, you can offer specific mini-tutorials in a variety of topics you’re an expert in. For an example, look at Joe Edelman, a photographer who offers Helpouts like “How to Pose for Models and Photographers,” “Digital Photography Answers,” and “How to shoot a portrait.”
Cons
One caveat with Google Helpouts is that big-name companies like Sears, Weight Watchers, and Rosetta Stone are using the service as an extension of their own customer service, offering free consultations that might drive down the price individual experts are able to charge.
Right now it’s by invitation only, so this is the time to get on the bandwagon if you think it’s right for you. If you’re interested in offering Helpouts, you can request an invitation code to learn whether they’re accepting more applications for a certain subject.
Rates
You set your own price per minute or by the hour, and Google takes a 20% fee out of what you earn.
LiveNinja
LiveNinja is a bit broader in scope of experts, and anyone can sign up without having to apply. You’ll find lawyers, social marketers, martial artists, and professional poker players all plying their expertise here.
Pros
What you won’t find is big-name companies – just individuals offering their services at reasonable market rates.
Unlike the individual service listings in Google Helpouts, in LiveNinja experts put up a profile detailing their expertise, and list the topics they cover. Users then book a session through the site, based on your availability.
Cons
The site is easily navigable, but while the profile pages are sharp and clean, the main navigation page comes off as a bit dark and dingy, which may take away some of the perceived value a user has of your services.
Rates
You set your own fees, and LiveNinja takes a 20% cut. They pay through PayPal.
Wizpert
Wizpert is a little bit different than the previous two services, in that rather than booking a future session with an individual expert, users chat with whichever experts are currently available.
When a user has a question, she navigates to the subtopic and chooses one of the available experts to message, based on a short profile. If the user thought the expert did a great job, she tips the expert with virtual “coins” (purchased through the site), which experts can then redeem through PayPal.
Pros
There are a variety of topics, including cooking, relationships, and career advice – though it currently leans pretty heavily toward programmers.
Cons
The main downside is that you don’t set your own rates, so you’re just working for tips. If you have a lot of spare time and can frequently be available to snag people’s questions as they come up, you may make a decent rate though.
Overall, Wizpert seems to be useful for people looking to make extra money.
Also, the CEO states that “many users move on to hire the expert for a paid assignment (in programming, something like: build this / debug this for me, in career advice – polish my resume, etc.). Some of our Wizperts have already made thousands of dollars through these paid projects, and we are in the process of rolling out a feature to better facilitate these transactions.” So, Wizpert seems to be one to watch and see how they develop.
Rates
You’re working for tips and (as stated earlier, can move into a paid assignment), so the rate you’ll make may vary. Wizpert takes a 30% fee.
Have you used any of these platforms? How was it? Let us know in the comments.
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