How To Become an Online Creator with Free Tools

Becoming an online creator does not call for a lot of investments nor the use of expensive tools. Continue reading and you will find resources that are available for you to begin your journey. The fact is you do not need any money at all to get started. The only investment you will have to make is with time.

Starting out as an online creator calls for a few basic things. Follow these steps and you are well on your way. Decide the field in which you want to work This might be obvious. However, you might have lots of ideas but do not know where to start. If you have difficulties in deciding, discuss your thoughts with family members, relatives or friends. Perhaps, you have a talent and can use it to help others and at the same time earn income. After zeroing in on the area on which you would like to focus, it is time to get started.

Plan Your Workspace

As working on your own allows lots of flexibility, you must decide where you will be working. Are you going to work from where you live? You might want to clean out the attic or the garage and work from there. Or perhaps even in the basement or on the porch once the Internet access in available. If you are outdoorsy, you might want to work in a local cafe, restaurant, pub, etc.

Computer And Internet Access

Since you will be working online most of the time, you might be thinking that you will have to invest in a computer or pay for Internet Services. However, that is not so. You can ask a family member, relative or friend to allow you to share their computer. It this is not possible, and you can get to a local library easily, then you can use the computers there for free. You might even be able to arrange with the librarian for you to use a room or some other designated area to do your work. Search your neighbourhood for coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, etc., with Internet access. Many would allow you to use their Internet once you buy a cup of coffee, drink or snack. If you live in a city with laundromats, you can also ask the owners if they would be willing to allow you to use their Internet. You can also work from there while you wash your clothes. Your local Barber Shop or Hair Dressing Salon are places to consider using their Internet while you are waiting for a haircut or to get your hair done. Similarly, the local Nail Dressing Salon is another place to consider if you go there to get your nails done.

 If you do not use the services of places, that have Internet, then you can consider using hot spots in your area. However, you need to be cautious because you might not be safe when sending sensitive information over the Internet. Also, some places might have strong Internet signals that might extend beyond certain feet of their premises. You might be able to use a folding stool and a folding table to do your work. However, just make sure that you are not stealing the Internet Service. Search your neighbourhood for places that have startup programs, workshops, etc. Next, offer to volunteer with them or to share your talent with their workers or clients in exchange for use of their Internet Services.

If you do not have Internet access easily, consider creating a Google Account if you do not have one. It is free. Google allows you to work offline. You can configure your account to work offline then update your Google Drive when you have Internet access.

Another way to solve any Internet availability problem is to use a Universal Serial Bus (USB) otherwise known as a pen drive, memory stick or a thumb drive to save your work. Saving your work on a USB will allow you to carry your work to another location with Internet access if you are working on a Desktop Computer or if you do not have your own computer. In addition, if you will be using the local library's computer, another organization's computer or someone else's computer, you can save your work onto it. As your work will not be saved when the library shuts off its computers at the end of the day, for example.

Another way to solve Internet availability problems, is by using Portable Document Format (PDF). Depending on the field in which you are working, PDFs can be very useful. If you are working on your own computer, you can save your work in PDF format then send it to "Documents". Some PDF sites will allow you to create an account then save your work. You can return to it at another time or access it from a different location. Also, you can save the PDF file onto a USB, or onto an Externa Hard Drive. Some PDF software can be download onto your computer, onto a USB or onto an External Hard Drive and be used offline.

The Tools You Will Use

After you are sure what your main area will be, it is time to gather up the necessary tools. There are many tools available online that you can use to do your work. Some have Free Versions with limited capabilities. Some you might have to create an account and sign into when you want to use them. Others might allow you to access them only for a limited time per day, week, or month. Read the Terms of Use (ToU) carefully. Others will allow you to use them freely, but they may come with watermarks, or they will ask that you refer back to them or give them credit. Also, there are some that will allow you free access if you share online how using them have benefited you. Perhaps you might want to leave a positive review on a review site such as Trust Pilot. Many tools allow you to use them for a 14-day trial. This is another possibility you can have then go to another tool and do the same. If you find a tool that you like and use repeatedly you can make a YouTube video about it or write a blog post about how it has helped you to do your work. In this way, you might be able to catch the attention of its owners, and they may be willing to grant you free access with many more features for an extended period of time.

Royalty Free Sites

If you will be using images, pictures, videos, or audio in your creations, you can use those available at Royalty Free sites. Consider some of the following:

a. https://www.bensound.com. You can get Royalty Free Music here.

b. https://www.storyblocks.com. You can get Royalty Free Music here.

c. https://www.iStock Photos. This is for Royalty Free Photos.

d. https://www.vecteezy.com. This is for Royalty Free photos, vectors, and videos.

e. https://pixabay.com. This is for avatars.

f. https://clipart-library.com. This edits images. It allows creating images as well.

Making The Choice

Make a list of tools that you will need to do your work. Draw on a sheet of paper a table with each tool, its functions you will be able to use with a Free Plan, and other conditions which might apply. Search for similar tools which you can use as well. This would be helpful since you might be able to use some features that might not be allowed on some tools. In addition, companies change their Terms of Use (ToU), discontinue certain features of their products, merge with other companies, are taken over by other companies, or go out of existence all together. In this connection, you should always check the websites of tools you use for any updates, etc.

Some Tools With which to Start

Google Docs is a very good place to start using for your online work. It has tools that you can use for different purposes. You can use the Google Calendar to schedule your work.

This is one free PDF site that you can sign up to then use and save PDFs created with it.

There is no signing up nor any downloading of this tool.

This tool can be downloaded. It works offline.

 This tool can be downloaded. It works offline as well. 

This offers free video making.

This is to edit PNG and JPG files.

 This is to edit PNG and JPG files.

This is for coding. It exports the project.

 This is for coding.

If you are going to be making videos, visit https://anyflip.com/xmxxc/lcje/ to read my step-by-step Tutorial on making News videos. It has free tools to use.

Tips

Try not to download many tools to your computer. If you decide to download a tool for offline use, save it to a USB or an External Hard Drive. Doing so will save space on your computer.

Try not to visit too many websites nor to use different tools at the same time when doing your work. Doing so may cause some confusion on your computer, and it might trigger a virus warning or a computer attack warning. If this ever happens, you might get a warning that your computer has been locked and not to turn off your computer but to call a number that you will see flashing on your computer screen. Disregard that message. You do not have to pay to get your computer fixed. Note when the virus attack was mentioned and try to see which site triggered it. Turn off the computer then wait for about (10) minutes before restarting it. Do a Quick Scan of your computer before you restart working. If you still get the virus warning when you restart your computer, simply turn it off and wait a little longer before restarting it. Conduct regular virus scans of the computer on which you choose to work. Clear the history regularly as well. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are endless possibilities for you to work as a creator online without spending a penny. Start with some simple tools. You might have to learn the features at first. As you continue to use a tool, learn what are the different ways you can use it to get your work done. Save your work regularly. Remember, the computer freezes and crashes at times. If this ever happens while you are working, you risk looking your work and wasting your time. Also, clear the "History" regularly of any unwanted site that you have visited.