There are many mistaken definitions of what telecommuting means. The very name gives impression of someone answering work telephone calls from home or typing furiously away at their computers.

Traditionally, telecommuting meant that an employee was linked from home to their company's computer network. But today telecommuting is much broader than that and really includes anyone who does even a portion of his or her work at home. This can include computer or telephone work name implies, but it can also mean researching, working on drawings, or performing other types of information analysis. Telecommuting really is as simple as a person working from somewhere outside office.

There is also a misconception among many of today's workers that you have to own a business to work from your home. This just isn't always case anymore. More and more people are able to perform their jobs from home. Now more than ever business world is realizing variety of benefits telecommuting can have on companies and their personnel.

Exactly what are benefits of telecommuting? Here are just a few:

1. Less time for commuting means more time with family.

Even if a worker's commute is only 30 minutes each way, which isn't much in today's business world, not having to take this commute can add an extra 5 hours a week an employee can spend with his or her family. This is 5 hours employee wasn't previously working or doing personal things. Just 5 hours of dead time during week getting from one spot to another.

2. Telecommuting can also provide a person with ability to handle personal appointments without having to take entire days off.

Employees can take an hour or two through day to go to doctor appointments or school conferences close to their homes and simply make up time later in day. This can equal higher productivity for employees.

3. Less commuting can reduce an employee's costs.

Recent major changes in Google, Yahoo and MSN have put internet market however in a frenzy. As search engines battle it out to be one producing highest quality results by frequently altering their index algorithm, search engine optimization has taken an almost obsessive importance.

The problem I see is that battle is not going to end soon and repeatedly trying to stay ahead by optimizing after each re- indexing is truly a never ending battle. A balance must be struck between search engine advertising and other online venues.

Starting out with an online home business business is intimidating. There is pressure to build a quality site, offer valuable information, promote, build subscribers,...and list goes on and on. Having a few different forms of advertising that you slowly utilize can payoff big in long run. With a market that can change on an hourly basis, you musn't focus too heavily on any single form of site promotion.