Do Internet Marketers Hire Homeless People?

not likely

If they have the skills that other Internet Marketers would need and are good at, I would say yes. The only thing that matters is getting the job done.

I imagine that it has likely happened, but that it is the exception rather that the rule. I imagine that it is likely that some homeless individuals post gigs for sale on Fiver, and I imagine that some have earned money when an IM'er has hired them. I can't say that it has happened, for sure, but I think that it is likely that it has.

Many public libraries around the world have computers connected to the internet, so homeless people can access the net from there. There is no reason why they could not be used to do Fiverr work for you for repetitive tasks.

While i agree that outsourcing is a great way to get things done. Outsourcing to a homeless person just seems wrong

But how is the homeless person going to be paid? Supposedly he/she does not have bank account access, an address or even a Paypal account. Actually could a homeless person open a Paypal account and pass verification? I doubt it.

Ted Williams can make money through fiver by giving product reviews and some video presentations..

Edited:
This homeless man rented only pc with internet once but made a lot of money. She just asked his friend to register him a domain and point it to something... http://imahinasyon.com/bay-area-home...ernet-earnings

Now I know just in case...

I don't know about you guys but a HOMELESS person here in Pakistan makes less than $1-2 a day.90% of them have never touched a computer and don't know how Internet works. So of course it is not the case here. Any way even if some IM outsources to homeless what's the point?

Am I missing something from this thread?

@ahmar2 You are not missing anything here, it is kind of a silly thread with no real purpose. I suspect the OP was just bored out of his mind when he/she posted this.

Let me say it this way. If a homeless man has a paypal account and a profile on eg. Odesk, then every would hire the person, no matter this situation; As long the ratings are good

I suppose if you payed them the minimum wage then there would be nothing wrong with it, clearly if you did not you could be done for fraud, or at least in the UK you would. It does however, sound a little wrong, unless your method was changing these people lives around. However, I am assuming your goal is to get cheap labor in order to maximise your profits. Which lets face it is not wrong, but a large reason why the economy is in such a sad state of disrepair. If your aim is to gain cheap labor then the whole aim would be to out source, like major companies, to developing countries such as Indie or China. However, lets face it, this is still only an option to major corporations (because it takes years to build up the connections and trust), which is not available to the general public. Though on the other hand, that's probably for the best as i dread to think what would be the effects if it was.

Maybe you can open a foundation for homeless people, have a website that accepts donations and have them maintain that site...

I was actually thinking about this the other day when I saw a homeless man in front of my yard picking out all the bottles from my trash can ha.

I really doubt the feasibility of homeless people having internet access... Except artificial homelessness you know what I mean -

I've never done it, but I imagine some internet marketers may have hired them to outsource offline marketing campaigns. Most common scenario would probably to hire them to hand out flyers since it is a particular task that is really easy

Sure why not. They'd probably work twice as hard because they really NEED the money

Funny Thing is that I personally know two homeless people who have became internet marketers, && now are one of the top paid marketers online, Over 10 million in sales, they are international, && Now has one of the Biggest marketing systems hitting the internet today! Its insane. They even got a Huge event in san diego in sept. Its insane from where they came from, to what they have done & produced now.

I hire people who can get the job done on time and at the agreed upon price. I don't ask where they live.

Def. thats where you will get the best talent.

If you want people that know internet marketing/seo/copy writing then forget about fiverr.com and WF.

Go on the streets and hire the homeless.

-_-

bot!

I'm not very sure why, but I will bite into this thread:

No, I wouldn't hire a homeless person. If someone is not "balanced" enough to get his own life straight, I don't see why I should trust him with my business (or a portion of it).

Maybe about 1%-2% of the homeless people you will find would be willing to work with you stick with you - even if they didnt make you money instantly.

I hired a homeless man and he actually helped me out with something right here on the Warrior Forum.

Others saw him working for me and hired him. He made about $40 in a half hour. I documented it with my cell phone camera and will post again when I get to a computer. I'm on my Droid right now.

George Wright

I'm pretty shocked at some of the replies I'm reading here.

The first, and to me most obvious (but seemingly overlooked by many) point is that if someone is offering a service online I have no way of knowing if he or she is living in a palace or a cardboard box. Similarly, I don't know if they are 16 or 96, anorexic or morbidly obese, super fit or quadriplegic. And I don't care.

All that matters, or should matter, is whether or not that person does a decent job for me. If they have Internet access and a means of being paid they are all equal in my eyes.

The second point is a moral one. Homelessness can hit anyone. People's circumstances can change frighteningly fast and a nice secure home life can be ripped away - often at no particular fault of the person affected. Classifying - as some in this thread seem to be doing - all homeless people as worthless and unsuitable for being offered work is just plain wrong.

And incredibly shortsighted. One of the more intelligent Warriors, a guy who many people have outsourced to, talked about a spell where he lived in his car. I'm absolutely certain that he isn't the only one.

Sure, there are some unfortunates with mental health or substance abuse issues who would likely be unable to perform the kind of outsource work that we would need, and frankly, most of them would be unlikely to seek such work.

But there are a huge number of homeless people, with skills and talents, who want nothing more than to improve their situation and, if they have access to the Internet, could do so. By giving them the blanket description of 'homeless', with the implication that they should just be written off by society, is not just morally bankrupt, it is also incredibly stupid.

Many people in these times are just a paycheck away from the streets. If doing a Fiverr gig or writing an article can help their situation then I say good for them.


Martin

I don't see anything wrong with that. Status quo is just a status quo.

Wow. I'm stunned. I'm also nodding enthusiastically as I read Martin's reply. Yes, to everything he's said.

I don't know if I hire homeless people or not. It's not an issue, but if I had a choice between hiring a good worker who's homeless and good worker who's not homeless, I'd lean in the direction of the homeless person. And, after reading some comments here, I'm even more certain I'd be making the right decision.

First of all, from what I've seen among my friends -- many of them MIT graduates -- the non-executive Ph.D. and Masters jobs were among the first hit in 2008. They were high-end jobs. By shuffling the work to others, especially entry-level workers, companies can significantly cut their budgets. The tasks that need to be handled by someone at a higher level are distributed among the remaining employees. (My husband has been in mandatory overtime for so long, I've forgotten what 40-hour weeks looked like.)

So, please don't say that Ph.D. and Masters degree-holders aren't unemployed and homeless. They might sleep in better cars than others, but when you're jobless and can't even get a job in fast food (because you're "over-qualified'), the options aren't good. (Forget lying about a degree you don't have; these people -- usually men -- are more successful pretending they don't have any degrees.)

Next, the homeless issue isn't just about people being irresponsible. A close family member -- in Mensa, drug-free, a regular church-goer, former model, with a college education -- was injured at work, in a situation she and others had already warned management about.

Being raised in an environment where we assumed that everything would be handled responsibly by those in charge... well, she balked at the idea of suing the company. Nobody could talk her into the litigious options.

And, if you aren't familiar with what it's like to have an on-the-job injury in New York state... well, that state's laws and loopholes are notorious. The laws protect businesses and the insurance companies, not those who are injured due to unsafe work conditions.

Doctors determined that my relative was 90% disabled, but the insurance companies had loopholes ready. My relative received disability payments for a very short time, and then was cut off.

Her benefits were restored after the judge ruled in her favor, again, but things stalled when the insurance company balked at paying, again. Most attorneys won't go back to court more than two or three times, defending disabled workers who won't sue the company; there's just no money in that kind of legal work.

(And, by the time the handwriting was on the wall, that company had closed its doors.)

Six years after her injury, the insurance company will pay for muscle relaxers and painkillers, but still won't approve a full diagnosis, much less the treatment my relative needs to recover. And, if she sees a non-approved doctor, the insurance company can use that in a variety of ways to deny her all future coverage/assistance.

Since she'd been raised to believe that responsible adults stand on their own two feet, most of us had no idea she was homeless... not for about three years. She hid it well. A friend paid for her phone, and her sturdy laptop served her well at wifi locations. She met friends and family members at cafes, in parks, etc. She slept on couches for a long time, and then... well, she still doesn't talk about everything she's been through. (We know it didn't involve streetwalking, dealing drugs, or breaking any laws, but that's all we know with certainty.)

About three years ago, my family stepped in and -- with a vague idea that things weren't right -- moved her into our home. That had to be temporary, but we figured we'd get her into the system... food stamps, housing, and so on, and get her back on her feet.

Food stamps were the easy part, but only because I could drive her the 45 minutes necessary to meet with her case worker once a month. We're in NH. There is no easy, affordable transportation to the food stamp office in Concord. I have no idea how anyone homeless is expected to get there, without a friend or family member with a car.

Housing...? She lucked out. She enrolled in the (brief) federal program that covered her rent and utilities for several months. Right place, right time. Today, she'd be placed on a five-year waiting list for housing. I have no idea what homeless people do during those five years of waiting. Neighboring states have waiting lists up to eight years.

I showed her how to get gigs at Fiverr, then at eLance, and so on. She took an online and by-mail course that helped her gain more skills. Eventually, she began freelancing for one company that now gives her all the work she can handle. She not only loves her work, she recently moved to a drier climate where her injuries don't bother her so much.

Today, she can pay her own rent (with roommates) in a nice apartment a block from public transportation. She's still in enough pain that she can't work full-time, but she gets help from food stamps. The basics are covered and she's slowly building an independent life.

She's working on the residency (etc.) requirements to qualify for medical care and -- we hope -- she'll soon get the diagnosis and treatment she needs to stop needing medications, and resume full (or nearly full) activity.

Like many homeless people, she needed a hand up, not a handout. The problem is, like many people, we thought she was living an unorthodox life by choice. We believed there were safety nets for people who land in difficult situations, and that she could access them if she wanted to. Until we saw how few safety nets exist, and how difficult it is to get them... well, we had no idea.

Since all of this came to our attention, and we had to get involved, we've learned a lot more about the relatively invisible problem of the homeless in America. It's not just about shelter but about food, medical care, and the most basic needs.

Would I outsource to, or hire, a homeless person? In a blink. I hope some of the outsourcers I use are able to live a better life (and/or help people close to them) because of the income I provide.

Frankly, if you met my family member in any social setting, you'd never guess that she's ever been homeless. It simply wouldn't compute. She's tall, elegant, bright, witty, and college educated. She can speak intelligently about the arts, sciences, popular trends, and -- like most of our family -- she's traveled internationally.

And, due to an accident at work that neither the company nor the state resources ever took responsibility for, and with related medical costs we can't cover, she's still unable to hold any job with regular working hours.

People become homeless for many reasons. The economy, the drought, wildfires that wipe out businesses (and jobs) as well as neighborhoods, and.... well, don't get me started about Bernie Madoff and the retirement funds people were relying on.

I understand some of the harsh things said in this thread. I would have nodded in agreement, if my family hadn't been forced to examine America's support systems and safety nets from the inside.

An organization to help homeless people find online opportunities.. it sounds good in theory, assuming that suggestion wasn't made tongue-in-cheek.

The reality is, a lot of people who are homeless or facing eviction because their jobs were eliminated... they need one-on-one help. They keep hoping that things will change, that they'll get the callback for an interview, or something.

From my experience, not just with the family member but with neighbors who've landed in unexpected situations they weren't prepared for: You almost have to push your way into the person's life, to show them Fiverr, Odesk, etc., and how these systems work.

In many cases, they're the bright people with degrees. What's happened to the economy was so unexpected, it's overwhelming. They were raised to believe that if you led a good, moral life, got an education, and were willing to work hard, there would always be a job available for you. And, if the very worst happened, they believed that social and government institutions provided a safety net.

The reality of what's happened in America (and other countries) is so unreal, they keep thinking something will change... right up to the point where the sheriff shows up to force eviction. About five months ago, I saw it happen with my next-door neighbor. It was heartbreaking.

Someone you know is in trouble. They're probably hiding it. And, the very best thing you can do is show them how online employment works, and continue to work with them so they actually take action.

The second-best thing you can do is hire or outsource to people who need work, as soon as it fits into your budget. That's a smart business move, anyway.

And, when you're working with people at Fiverr, Odesk, etc., judge them on how well they work, not on where they're spending the night... if you even know where that is.

Monday morning update: Amusingly, Utne magazine has just published an article related to this subject, From Advanced Degree to Welfare.
http://www.utne.com/politics/from-ad...12jazwar.aspx?

Being homeless sucks! XD

Btw, as long as that homeless person has got skills which he/she can deliver to clients, he/she will definitely get hired. Simple as that! If you don't believe it then I suggest you watch a movie called The Pursuit of Happyness (the spelling is like that, don't ask me why =P) starring Will Smith. It is a true story about a successful person once homeless, and he has a son as well! Inspiring and motivational. ^^

I once thought about hiring people in jail to write articles. I planned on paying them 1c per article and then selling them for $1.

If anyone steals my idea I will kill you and then write your articles for 1c.

Martins post was bang on.
I don't require someone to have a home before they can do some work for me, and I can't see why anyone else should.

A couple of months ago I hired someone to do some wordpress related work for me. He did a top class job, and eventually I discovered he was sleeping rough. I admire the guy now, and will give him as much work as I possibly can from now on.

Internet Marketing needs continuous working. A homeless people will not be able to work for a long without his own home so theoretically they will not be able to work here...

It is my hope that I will be able to help others less fortunate than me.

I will teach them to make money online in a responsible way. They will overcome homelessness, debt and drug addiction and other social problems. It will be hard work! But my desire is to help others and I pray that it will happen.

Brian


Posted from Warrior Forum Reader for Android

I've often thought about asking one of the people selling The Big Issue (magazine produced in the UK aimed at giving homeless people a helping hand in having something to sell) if they'd also give out some flyers for me with appropriate offers that people who normally give to charities etc may consider - so yes I'd consider doing it.

I would do it for sure. I was once homeless and would have loved to the opportunity. They would have to go through a quick screening process and they would have no access to anything important, but I sure would. Not all homeless people are their by choice. Some are far smarter then the avg person. Ironic I know but true.

If they had web/software history then maybe! but it doesn't sound trust worthy at all haha

Let's forget our prejudices! There is no way of knowing if your out-sourcer is homeless! Many talented people are homeless but can still get Internet access from friends or public places. I would never put that question as a qualifier for anyone to do work for me. But for the "Grace of God, there go I", so I would not discriminate. If the person can do the work, I may have a preference for having a homeless person work for me! The simple reason is that I would hope that working for me would somehow contribute to him or her finding a suitable home!

Best,
coluden

Honest work, good skills, prompt submission and as long as there will be no problem with sending payments, I would not have any problem with hiring anyone capable of meeting my qualifications

This is one good thing with the people who can devote most of their time for increasing our brand image online & that is why IM work with such people....

Even there are chances to find more skilled people in this niche which makes you leap one step ahead in your business, who knows if you find someone with a same mind setup like of yours...

I'll make it short and simple. It doesn't matter if you're hiring a homeless person or not, the only thing that really counts is that they can do the job well, period.

How about this one:
Bay Area Homeless Man Buys Brand New RV with Internet Earnings | Imahinasyon.com

I did that 2 years ago, well it was a friend of mine that got in a terrible position and was sleeping in his car for a while, I had an ad network at the time and money was okey so I hired him even though i didn't really need that position, it didn't kill me, and i believe it helped him big time get back on his feet - in france if you don't have a job you don't have a flat, period !

As for Anonymous Affiliate's answer, I love this kind of smug people that think nothing bad can happen to them, because life has a funny way of hitting them back in the head .. hard ! I hope nobody helps you when you're miserable, so you get a feel of what it's like to be really helpless. No fun at all mate, so get it together and stay lucide sometimes life is shit, and thank god there's still some people out there that stay around to help !

The funny thing is, this same guy asked me a year later to lend him 1K€, and he never gave it back even though i made it clear i was okey with 50€/month or even less, but no he just disapeared and didn't answer anymore .. it's too bad, he lost a good friend, because it's not about the money itself at all , it's about respect, i would even have accepted 10€/mo or nothing if he just confronted me and explained.

But the thing is, i don't regret that at all, I really believe good things happen to good people, and i help people because it makes me feel great, and even if some will try to screw you and feel like they made a food out of you, they're only fooling themselves, he'll always be miserable if he keeps acting like that, while i don't give a s*it about the 1k€, I do that every single day of the year.

Bottom line, homeless or not, if you have the opportunity to help someone, just do it, life will pay you back a hundred times.



Mehdi

Most likely not. They use paid actors and people on Fiverr.com

If someone is working from a computer in a library you probably wouldn't even know they were homeless. That's exactly what I would do if I found myself in that situation.

Rose

Actually, I do. I live in inner city Atlanta, right by the Fox Theater. When there are shows, 1000's of people pass by in front of my building. I will get a few of the guys, get them a shower, feed them and then have them stand on the corners for about an hour giving out business cards with my website on them. Then I'll pay them $50. I live in a high rise overlooking the street so I can see them, and they know this. I know they are probably up to no good with the money I give them, but it does give them a since of belonging and worth.

That to me, is worth more than any lead could ever generate.