Rates: For the home office worker who freelances/consults, rates refer to the specific charges he/she sets for hourly work or project work. Rates range from ridiculously low to ridiculously high, depending on the service being provided, the timeframe, the experience of the service provider, and the budget of the client. A common discussion in the freelance world is what rates should be standard, what is too low/insulting, and is it a good idea to accept those very low rates when you are just starting out as a freelancer. The discussions are always open-ended, as some people have found ways to
make sufficient money on low-rate jobs while others have set their rates higher and done well in that way.
Reader: A reader is a web-based application or a computer-based software program that holds all of the updates from blogs and websites to which you are subscribed. Readers keep these updates categorized and mark those that are new/unread as such. Online readers are popular, as they can be accessed from any computer.
Research: Online research has become more and more common as the Internet has expanded. Much of the research, or systematic investigation, can result in accurate, intelligent findings. However, the Internet is full of articles, ideas, writings, etc., that are not necessarily accurate or intelligent. The key to doing good online research is to check into the Internet sources that you find, look for bibliographic information, academic citations, or published references, and compare with authoritative sources. It's also important to note the date of publication when doing research on an ever-changing topic; you don't want to cite last year's "facts" when they have already been disproven by this year's study.
Resume: A resume is a document which summarizes an individual's work skills, education, background, and work experience. A resume also provides work references and may also provide character references. A resume is often coupled with a portfolio, so that potential employers can see an applicant's history and skills at a glance, and then can view the portfolio for specific examples of work/projects completed.
Retention (Document): Document retention refers to the method and timeframe for keeping both paper and computer documents, especially as related to tax, financial, and business information. For the home office worker who may not have computer or paper copies in a corporate office/network, it is
very important that back-ups or copies be made regularly and kept safely and for the appropriate amount of time.
Router: A router is a piece of computer equipment that connects your local computer or network with a larger network, such as the Internet. A router oversees the task of routing messages between the two networks.