As I mentioned in yesterday’s What’s Up Wednesdays post, there is very little in terms of formal training and education when it comes to the business of freelance writing. This applies to the phenomenon of working at home in general and the experience can be terribly confusing for someone looking to get their feet wet. Thankfully, there are people out there who have been there, done that, and want to share their knowledge with you.

The first person to take advantage of my half price review special (which runs until the end of this month) is Chris De La Rosa. He runs Obzokee.com, a blog that is meant to provide “a work from home truth.”

What is Obzokee?

According to the about page, Obzokee “is a word traditionally used in Trinidad & Tobago when something is awkward in appearance, anything bent or twisted out of shape.” As you know, the entire work from home industry is a pretty jumbled mess, filled with scams and charlatans. There are also some fantastic opportunities out there as well. Obzokee is a blog that demystifies the industry, helping you to “secure a work from home, contract, freelance or telecommute job.” Along the way, you may learn a thing or two about earning passive income too.

The overall design of this work from home blog is quite pleasing to the eye. The gentle blues and oranges are quite soothing. Navigation seems straight-forward enough, but I do find it strange that there are two sets of navigation links near the top of the page. I would recommend trimming the fat and integrating the two sets of links into a single navigation bar. The Twitter link could be pushed to the sidebar, for example. I’d also recommend getting a more unique header image, because I recognize the two pictures involved as stock photography.

Reading About Working From Home

I appreciate the personal touch that Chris has taken with Obzokee. All the posts are written from a personal perspective and it’s not uncommon for him to mention his family in a post. The about page gives a bit of a personal history as well, though I find it strange that with this much intimacy, not a single picture of Chris can be found anywhere on the site. Completing the personal touch with a photo on the About page can go a long way.

In terms of content, Obzokee covers just about anything that you’d want to know about finding jobs that you can do from the comfort of your home, as well as all the related administrative and customer service-related tasks that come along with the territory. Some posts that caught my eye are:

Those are all from the month of June. Obzokee has an archive that dates back to July 2006 and Chris De La Rosa maintains a posting schedule of about one article every day or two. If you want to get in on the action, Chris also invites you to write for him too.

A Few More Suggestions

Chris has a pretty good thing going for him with Obzokee. As gas prices continue to soar and more people seek greater independence, there is going to be a greater demand for information about working from home. Whether you’re looking for help designing a home office or ensuring that your virtual assistant stays happy, Chris is there to guide you every step of the way.

As I mentioned earlier, the overall design of Obzokee is reasonably pleasing to the eye, but it is getting a little cluttered. Chris is not shy about advertising, but the banners are not overly intrusive. I would like to see a streamlining of the navigational links, however, especially since he’s even got a link to a couple of external sites in there.

Furthermore, I would like to see a simpler archives page, because it’s not exactly usable as it stands. Something closer to my archives would be more suitable.

Don’t let the oddball name throw you off, because Obzokee looks to be a good resource for people who want to work from home. Be sure to subscribe to the feed so you don’t miss a thing.