Just as it was getting interesting

I know, I know, I've been remiss lately. I haven't been posting much in any place the last week or so. We are on a deadline at work, and I've been spending most of my time doing real work stuff instead of trying to make an extra buck or two on the internet.

Although, I will add that I have found a pretty cool tool at StumbleUpon.com. This is a toolbar add-on that lets you just kind of aimlessly surf the 'Net. After signing up, you make a list of your preferences (i.e. comedy, financial, video, conspriacy). Then you click the "Stumble Now" button and VOILA! you are taken to a site that perhaps fits your preferences.

The sites are added and ranked by other stumble upon members. You can add notes to a site's profile, you can say whether you like or dislike the site (that way the stumble people can better guage what to show you!).

It is also a way to possibly give your site a little more visibility (you can say you like your own site and set keywords for it). Then your site will fall into the rotation of the mostly random "stumble now" button.

It's worth a try at any rate!

Hey, seriously, thanks for visiting. And don't be afraid to leave a note and let me know you were here (I've been so busy, I haven't even looked at any analytics for the past couple of weeks).

BlogCharm problem?

I received this in my email this morning. I don't know the full ramifications of what this email entails. My very first thought was that BlogCharm is in trouble financially and they are putting a spin on the problem, hoping to correct it someway before anyone gets the wiser, but I can't be certain. Not that it makes all that much difference to me. I have almost forgot about the blogcharm blogs I setup. At blogcharm, you are supposed to get shares of the AdSense and other reveue that your blog generate for blogcharm. Not entirely a bad deal, all you have to do is post and they take care of the rest (supposedly).

Valued members,

I hate having to write this message to you, but I must. Unfortunately
we have had to temporarily halt payments from BlogCharm.

The situation is quite complicated, so here's the shortened version. As
you should know, BlogExplosion/BlogCharm was sold to another company. The new
company is in the United States, whereas the previous owners were in Canada. The
US has different tax laws and various other requirements that restrict how we
can make the payments - especially to those of you who live outside of the US.
We are in the process of examining all of the possible scenarios here to make
sure that we abide by all necessary laws and to ensure that the pay-out process
remain as simple for all of you.

I know many of you are waiting for pay-outs. The one thing to keep in
mind above all else is that this is a temporary measure. The problem is not with
making payments to members, it's how WE make the payments while making sure that
appropriate laws are followed. In the meantime, you'll continue to earn money as
usual.

If you have any questions regarding this, please send a support ticket
via this URL:

http://www.blogexplosion.com/contact

Thank you for your continued support and understanding!

LewisBlogCharm.com

As always, thanks for visiting!

Feedburner Analytics

I've been looking at the free Feedburner Analytics tool. It seems to do the basic same things as Google Analytics. My feeling is though, that Google's Analytics give more information, and it is easier to navigate and find what you want.

Everyone must make their own decision if they even want to use any type of analytic reporting, but I find it very helpful.

So for my money (yeah right, like I'd pay for something you can get for free - after all, this blog is about making money, not spending money) - I'm sticking with Google Analytics.

Thing slowing down...

It seems to be getting harder and harder to find ads to post at PayPerPost these days. I did find four in the last two days, but it seems that more and more advertisers are wanting blogs with Google PageRank of 1 or more. Currently, my PageRank is zero. That's right, a big fat goose egg.

Irony? Get this, there was an advertiser who is an SEO (that's 'Search Engine Optimizer' for you uninitiated - see my post here for more about SEOs). This is a company that purports to assist folks in increasing their pagerank and search engine placement. But this guy wanted only pagerank of 3 or more. That gave me a little chuckle.

Here is an update of my PayPerPost earnings to date. I want to say I'm darned proud of myself for not having any post yet rejected at PPP. So here's the breakdown:

18 Total Posts
5 posts actually paid into my paypal account totaling $39.01
8 posts approved waiting for the 30 days to expire totaling $60.05
5 posts waiting to be approved totaling $26.01

If the 5 posts waiting approval are appoved, that will give me a grand total so far of $125.07. Thus, on average, I'm getting $6.94 per ad.

Not too much, but hey, it's enough to get a System Builder copy of Windows Vista Premium from Micro-Center.

groovin'

Things are starting to come around. I'm getting more into a groove with the posting of ads. But still, I slack off a bit, and other things happen. Things get in the way. Work, basketball practice, scouts, doctors appointments. Lots of things. But I'm really, really trying.

Still, didn't post anything all weekend, and didn't post anything last night. Adding to the lack of time is the lack of PC time. My 5/8's laptop went into the shop. The "geek squad" had to send it off because it kept overheating. Some geek squad. If they were really geeks, they'd have ripped it open, applied some solder in the correct spot, and sent her on her merry way that same day. Geek squad...PPPHHHHHFFFFTTT.

Anyway, my 5/8's is more addicted to online life than I am, so she is using my laptop while hers is in the shop. But I"m still trying man. Bear with me ok?

I'm such a slacker

Last week I talked about treating this making money via blog ads like a job. But I've been slacking off lately. If I wasn't my only employee in this endeavor, I would fire me!

Seriously, last Friday I only did one ad, but since it was a ten dollar ad, I figured that was cool. All weekend though, I slacked off and didn't write single thing. All I did was a little clean up around the house and read. That was bad and wrong of me. I have cut my salary in half (now I only get one pot of coffee a day).

At any rate, I have found that there are a lot of things I do around the house during the weeknights, that could very easily be done on the weekend. Things like ironing and other household duties which take up quite a bit of time. Monday I just spaced, yesterday I was ironing about two weeks worth of clothes because I just kept putting it off. Last night I didn' t get home until after 7 (had to work late...at my 'real' job). Anyway. Hopefully I will get a couple of ads up today. Been almost a week, and there is really no way to go back and make up for the missed opportunities.

As always, thanks for visiting!

The new job

OKay, well, despite my best effort yesterday to get two ads up, I was only able to get one ad up - for $5.00. It has yet to be approved, but I'm confident that it will be.

It took about 45 minutes, which doesn't bode well for the $/hour ratio. Although I have to admit, it would probably take less time if I just sat down, without interruption, and did the work. Even if it does take 1.5 hours to post two ads (and general posts in between), the 5 ads that have been approved so far total $39.01 which translates to just over $7.80 per ad. If I add the last two ads posted (but not yet approved) that per ad income goes up to just over $8.14 per ad.

If we look conservativly at $7 per add, and two ads per night and 1.5 hours per ad, that would mean about $9.33 an hour. Which really, for the kind of work being done, isn't all that shabby.

Problem is that will three kids in school, and parents who are increasingly lacking good health, and a disabled wife, I could not just sit down and do the work. I had to work for a few minutes here and a few minutes there, and eventually got it posted.

That being said, I could have posted another one after the kids went to bed at 2100, but I was pretty much spent. Hell, I didn't do well in algebra the first time around, and wracking my brain trying to help the 6th grader with his algebra pretty much wastes my brain's capacity. Beside, Boston Legal was on, and Denny Crane was heading to New Orleans. Had to give that my full attention! :)

Oh, and thanks for visiting!