Applying for a job online turned out to be a "buy into a home-based-business" cover. I knew it was when one of the "interview/application" questions was:
"How much money can you invest in a future home-based business?"
I know what you are thinking: "Why the heck did you bother to continue?"
Because I'm desperate. Anyway, two of the three calls that I got due to my "application" were for turnkey businesses that I could invest in.
I feel sorry for the non-Internet savvy who fall for this schlock. Yes, for $300 we will provide you with one website where you act as an affiliate for Amazon or eBay (or an online casino) and you get a percentage of every sale that generates from your site. Now there is a small "hosting" fee of Only 19.99 a month! I explained to the guy that I was well aware of how to set-up an affiliate relationship and I was informed that Amazon and eBay would soon be closing off the amount of Affiliate relationships that they offer.
This is where he lost all credibility.
Yeah, Amazon is going to say, "Yeah, we really have too many people driving business to our website. Let's shut down this affiliate thing as it's making us too much money!"
And this didn't even include EXTRA costs for ADVERTISING. So the $300 (They were willing to work with me on the price: How much do you have in your wallet?) and $19.99 a month gets me a website with some coaching as to set it up (which anyone with a little bit of research can do on their own) and then pay an extra hosting fee AND for their super advertising to drive traffic to your website (and the hundreds of other "customers" who have fallen for this scam!) Oh, and it tracks all your business so you can see how well you are doing. Wow.
Lesson learned: If someone is offering a service you can get for free that doesn't include everything and costs a ridiculous amount of money, it's probably a good idea to avoid like a date with Lindsay Lohan.
Oh, yeah, to get an idea of how "Dynamic" their websites are, here is their homepage:
http://www.affiliatepros.com
Be careful what you click! (Don't you remember your mother reminding you of this every time you wnet out to play?)
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Paying the Bills (sort of)
So this blog has taken a back seat to other writing projects as I struggle to pay bills. The Holiday season just exasperates the problem. I have been focusing on the get cash quick strategy, which isn't really a strategy it's more of a "not-going-to-happen-unless-you-have-a-winning-lottery-ticket-and-I-don't-even-play-the-lottery" idea. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
says that you need to "Begin with the end in mind!" which sounds kind of metaphysical and new agey, but is really just putting your end result first and then figuring out the rest. So I need to think about what I want to look like as I cross the finish line. Yes, it's also like "The Secret" and it's law of attraction. What have I got to lose?
says that you need to "Begin with the end in mind!" which sounds kind of metaphysical and new agey, but is really just putting your end result first and then figuring out the rest. So I need to think about what I want to look like as I cross the finish line. Yes, it's also like "The Secret" and it's law of attraction. What have I got to lose?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Blogging for Dollars
Okay, if you haven't figured out that I am trying to make money from this blog, you probably haven't noticed all the little ads around this webpage. I just finished reading The Rough Guide to Blogging by Jonathan Yang.
It's a great read, which gives the scoop on Blogs. I'll give a better review in a bit, but I wanted to put in this quick plug to check my Amazon contextual link set-up. Basically, if I put this book in the text, Amazon will have alink to this book built in, so I don't have to do it.
Well, that widget didn't work, but this one did. I think. More later!
It's a great read, which gives the scoop on Blogs. I'll give a better review in a bit, but I wanted to put in this quick plug to check my Amazon contextual link set-up. Basically, if I put this book in the text, Amazon will have alink to this book built in, so I don't have to do it.
Well, that widget didn't work, but this one did. I think. More later!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Survey Taking Tips
Or How to not lose your mind taking these dang surveys!
One of the downfalls of working on so many different survey sites is the steady flow to your inbox. Here are my Top 5 tips on how to handle the deluge:
1. Use a "throway" email address. I kind of wish I had taken my own advice, here. But if I could do it all over again, I would create a unique email with the word survey in the title and have it be only for surveys/trial programs, etc. If I ever decide I want to be off the list, I can just delete that account. The downside of this is that you either have to clutter your inbox anyway if you use your desktop email program, or you have to use a web-based email and make sure that you constantly check it. I'm bad at web-mail. I am addicted to clicking the "Send/Receive" button twenty thousand times a day!
2. Set up "Rules" in your email program. I set up a folder in Outlook for each Survey site and set a rule so that whenever a new "offer" comes from the site, I don't have to wade through all the surveys in my inbox unless I want to. I can also tell at a glance how many new emails I have from each site. Survey Spot has 125 UNREAD emails in my inbox. It's my way of telling Survey Spot that they are a low priority on my list.
3. Be an American! You will qualify for many more panels and surveys if you are a typical American consumer. They are looking for people who spend money, are always looking to change insurance companies, and who pay attention to advertising. I don't drink or smoke, so that cuts me out of a good amount of surveys right there. Of course I could lie, but it's not worth the ethical hit. I also know that getting "free quotes" on anything like mortgages, credit cards or insurance, can actually affect your credit rating, so I tend to avoid "offers" like that. If you don't care, you'll qualify a lot more.
4. Watch TV while doing the surveys. I'm not talking about shows you actually want to watch, but shows that you are kinda-sorta interested in. I won't do surveys during the New York Rangers hockey game or The Amazing race, but if I'm watching something that I can follow just by listening and occasionally looking up. I can't do my writing while I am watching TV, and my workout programs usually involve watching a DVD, this is the only way I can feel somewhat productive while doing these (sometimes tedious) surveys.
5. Budget your time. Sure you can just do a bunch of surveys while your watching "Maybe Watch TV" but I have found it much better to set a specific amount of time and stick to it. Personally, I'll spend one hour a day on the surveys, and not let myself go above that total during the regular working hours. I'll do some additional surveys while watching TV at night, but I consider that extra. You have to balance the potential gain with the time spent. My work on eBay or freelance writing has a higher potential payday, so I need to dedicate more of my time to that. Everyone will prioritize differently, but I think blocking out your day in Outlook is your best bet. Then the trick is sticking to it.
Good luck!
One of the downfalls of working on so many different survey sites is the steady flow to your inbox. Here are my Top 5 tips on how to handle the deluge:
1. Use a "throway" email address. I kind of wish I had taken my own advice, here. But if I could do it all over again, I would create a unique email with the word survey in the title and have it be only for surveys/trial programs, etc. If I ever decide I want to be off the list, I can just delete that account. The downside of this is that you either have to clutter your inbox anyway if you use your desktop email program, or you have to use a web-based email and make sure that you constantly check it. I'm bad at web-mail. I am addicted to clicking the "Send/Receive" button twenty thousand times a day!
2. Set up "Rules" in your email program. I set up a folder in Outlook for each Survey site and set a rule so that whenever a new "offer" comes from the site, I don't have to wade through all the surveys in my inbox unless I want to. I can also tell at a glance how many new emails I have from each site. Survey Spot has 125 UNREAD emails in my inbox. It's my way of telling Survey Spot that they are a low priority on my list.
3. Be an American! You will qualify for many more panels and surveys if you are a typical American consumer. They are looking for people who spend money, are always looking to change insurance companies, and who pay attention to advertising. I don't drink or smoke, so that cuts me out of a good amount of surveys right there. Of course I could lie, but it's not worth the ethical hit. I also know that getting "free quotes" on anything like mortgages, credit cards or insurance, can actually affect your credit rating, so I tend to avoid "offers" like that. If you don't care, you'll qualify a lot more.
4. Watch TV while doing the surveys. I'm not talking about shows you actually want to watch, but shows that you are kinda-sorta interested in. I won't do surveys during the New York Rangers hockey game or The Amazing race, but if I'm watching something that I can follow just by listening and occasionally looking up. I can't do my writing while I am watching TV, and my workout programs usually involve watching a DVD, this is the only way I can feel somewhat productive while doing these (sometimes tedious) surveys.
5. Budget your time. Sure you can just do a bunch of surveys while your watching "Maybe Watch TV" but I have found it much better to set a specific amount of time and stick to it. Personally, I'll spend one hour a day on the surveys, and not let myself go above that total during the regular working hours. I'll do some additional surveys while watching TV at night, but I consider that extra. You have to balance the potential gain with the time spent. My work on eBay or freelance writing has a higher potential payday, so I need to dedicate more of my time to that. Everyone will prioritize differently, but I think blocking out your day in Outlook is your best bet. Then the trick is sticking to it.
Good luck!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Survey Says...UPDATE!
It sounded good at the time. Make money doing surveys. I've signed up for many of these and I'm going to give a quick review of three of them:
The Best: NPDOR, which is NPD Online Research. When I first did this program I won $100 bucks in a random drawing. That has garnered them some loyalty, and they have a new system which is called "Sweepland". This is the new way to win prizes. You get points for every survey plus bonus points in a lottery style game each time you complete one. Then you get to allocate the points towards daily, weekly, monthly (and other durations) drawings. It is very clear how many points you have earned and how many you have in play. I haven't won any prizes since I re-upped about a month ago, but I'll still do my surveys.
Jury is still out:Vindale Research, which promises that you will get paid for reviewing products. I have earned $7.00, but I have about 20 opportunities ranging from $2.00 to $7.00. Why haven't I jumped at all of these offers? Well, you have to buy/signup for the service. Most of those offers cover the cost of the startup anda few extra bucks. If you are dilligent and keep track of all the "Trial" expiration dates, you can probably make it worthwhile. But it was much more difficult cancelling the efax.com account than it was setting it up with my credit card. The hard sell to keep me on board for an additional three months was annoying. I'm not sure I want to keep doing these opportunities, so I'll let you know. Lesson learned: If they say they will pay you "X" amount, read the fine print!
Avoid like double dipped salsa: Survey Spot. I haven't officially stopped using this service, but I am not sold on it's credibility. I have taken dozens of surveys. They are all relatively short. The payoff? Not much. They have a $25,000 sweepstakes that you earn "entries" for. Sounds great. Wrong. At the end of every survey you get to play a "game". The game is either a "scratch and win match three" or a simulated slot machine. You win anything from 5 to 100 "extra" entries into the contest. Again, still sounds good. Here is an email that I sent the Customer Service department:
1. How can I tell how many entrants I have received so far? I kept getting 100 point, 25 or 5 entrants in the contest, but I have no way of knowing how many I have received. How do I know that you even really enter me in that many times and if it is worth doing this many surveys?
Here is their response:
We're sorry SurveySpot didn't automatically enter you in the prize drawing, but your name has now been entered. Good luck and thank you for your participation.
If this message does not answer your question please reply with the words More Help in the body of the message, so that we can better answer your question.
Hmmm. More help as opposed to the "non-help" the first response elicited. Okay.
That didn't answer my questions. How do I know HOW MANY entrants I received.
If I've done all these surveys and I only have one entrant it has been a big waste of time and your site did not explain it very well at all. Is this an automated response or is did you not read my questions?
And their response:
We advice our members to keep a personal record. We suggest you copy and paste your survey invitations once you have received it.
In addition, we do not have a program for our panelists to view their entries in their drawing at this time.
I think they mean "Advise", but maybe I'm a little rusty in that part of my grammar. I'll let these two responses speak for themselves. I have a feeling it doesn't matter how many "entries" you have in the sweepstakes.
I'll give some other reviews later on, but until then, be wary of the surveys.
The Best: NPDOR, which is NPD Online Research. When I first did this program I won $100 bucks in a random drawing. That has garnered them some loyalty, and they have a new system which is called "Sweepland". This is the new way to win prizes. You get points for every survey plus bonus points in a lottery style game each time you complete one. Then you get to allocate the points towards daily, weekly, monthly (and other durations) drawings. It is very clear how many points you have earned and how many you have in play. I haven't won any prizes since I re-upped about a month ago, but I'll still do my surveys.
Jury is still out:Vindale Research, which promises that you will get paid for reviewing products. I have earned $7.00, but I have about 20 opportunities ranging from $2.00 to $7.00. Why haven't I jumped at all of these offers? Well, you have to buy/signup for the service. Most of those offers cover the cost of the startup anda few extra bucks. If you are dilligent and keep track of all the "Trial" expiration dates, you can probably make it worthwhile. But it was much more difficult cancelling the efax.com account than it was setting it up with my credit card. The hard sell to keep me on board for an additional three months was annoying. I'm not sure I want to keep doing these opportunities, so I'll let you know. Lesson learned: If they say they will pay you "X" amount, read the fine print!
Avoid like double dipped salsa: Survey Spot. I haven't officially stopped using this service, but I am not sold on it's credibility. I have taken dozens of surveys. They are all relatively short. The payoff? Not much. They have a $25,000 sweepstakes that you earn "entries" for. Sounds great. Wrong. At the end of every survey you get to play a "game". The game is either a "scratch and win match three" or a simulated slot machine. You win anything from 5 to 100 "extra" entries into the contest. Again, still sounds good. Here is an email that I sent the Customer Service department:
1. How can I tell how many entrants I have received so far? I kept getting 100 point, 25 or 5 entrants in the contest, but I have no way of knowing how many I have received. How do I know that you even really enter me in that many times and if it is worth doing this many surveys?
Here is their response:
We're sorry SurveySpot didn't automatically enter you in the prize drawing, but your name has now been entered. Good luck and thank you for your participation.
If this message does not answer your question please reply with the words More Help in the body of the message, so that we can better answer your question.
Hmmm. More help as opposed to the "non-help" the first response elicited. Okay.
That didn't answer my questions. How do I know HOW MANY entrants I received.
If I've done all these surveys and I only have one entrant it has been a big waste of time and your site did not explain it very well at all. Is this an automated response or is did you not read my questions?
And their response:
We advice our members to keep a personal record. We suggest you copy and paste your survey invitations once you have received it.
In addition, we do not have a program for our panelists to view their entries in their drawing at this time.
I think they mean "Advise", but maybe I'm a little rusty in that part of my grammar. I'll let these two responses speak for themselves. I have a feeling it doesn't matter how many "entries" you have in the sweepstakes.
I'll give some other reviews later on, but until then, be wary of the surveys.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Making sense of Ad-sense
One of the biggest complaints of bloggers is that they don't always show up. I have negected this blog while focusing on other areas. I feel guilty about it, but I'll get over it and get back to keeping this current.
So in the first month of my blog, I set up Google Ad-Sense with this blog. I made $5.49. Earth shattering, I know, but considering I didn't promote this blog and did it more as an experiement, I'm pretty pumped. I think the key to utilizing this service is to have a lot of different content and update it regularly. Then the key is marketing your site. I'll work on it keep this blog up to date with my progress.
So in the first month of my blog, I set up Google Ad-Sense with this blog. I made $5.49. Earth shattering, I know, but considering I didn't promote this blog and did it more as an experiement, I'm pretty pumped. I think the key to utilizing this service is to have a lot of different content and update it regularly. Then the key is marketing your site. I'll work on it keep this blog up to date with my progress.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Business Plan Update
What, no catchy title? Sorry!
With the amount of time that I spent on my business plan, you would think I would be pleased with the end result. Well, sort of. I did a lot of research and I found plenty of data that allowed me to complete a bare-bones plan. Getting the meat on it is the tough part.
In all that I have read, a mistake would be to complete the business plan and consider it set in stone (er, digital ink?) and forget that the business plan is a living document.
This is especially the case when writing a business plan that involves multiple streams of revenue as I detailed in my last post. Writing for content and selling things on eBay are two very different "products" so the transition between the two can be jarring at times. Nevertheless, I am excited with the prospects and feel closer to success already.
On another note, I am always tempted to click on the Google Ads that line the page, but I think it is taboo to do so. When I read my contract it said that I couldn't ask my readers to click onthe ads and I couldn't click on them repeatedly. I'll have to go back and look at the terms and see if an occasional click is okay.
I'll have another update later!
With the amount of time that I spent on my business plan, you would think I would be pleased with the end result. Well, sort of. I did a lot of research and I found plenty of data that allowed me to complete a bare-bones plan. Getting the meat on it is the tough part.
In all that I have read, a mistake would be to complete the business plan and consider it set in stone (er, digital ink?) and forget that the business plan is a living document.
This is especially the case when writing a business plan that involves multiple streams of revenue as I detailed in my last post. Writing for content and selling things on eBay are two very different "products" so the transition between the two can be jarring at times. Nevertheless, I am excited with the prospects and feel closer to success already.
On another note, I am always tempted to click on the Google Ads that line the page, but I think it is taboo to do so. When I read my contract it said that I couldn't ask my readers to click onthe ads and I couldn't click on them repeatedly. I'll have to go back and look at the terms and see if an occasional click is okay.
I'll have another update later!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Plans, Plans, Everywhere there's Plans!
First of all, I have to thank Marsha Collier for personally commenting on my blog entry regarding eBay dropshipping. It was quite a surprise to see a comment, let alone a comment from the author of the book I mentioned. I'm glad I liked the book and said positive things about it!
Since this blog is about my attempts to work from home, it's time I addressed my current situation. I have spent a month researching and analyzing opportunities and the time has come to modify the original business plan I developed at about the same time. Originally I was just going to set up an eBay business. That is still my primary goal, and I will be selling consignment items to begin with as I build up some capital so I can start buying items to re-sell on eBay.
Since then, I have decided to focus on several venture as a means for raising capital and utilizing my strengths. This is called Multiple Streams of Revenue by many of the "Get-Rich-Quick" crowd I mentioned in my first couple of posts. I will discuss each of these "streams" in the next few posts, but most involve writing and hopefully getting paid for it.
I revisited my Business Plan and found some good resources to help me with this. Marsha's book was great for setting up a business as far as what you need to do legally so Uncle Sam doesn't come knocking. Another book I read, Making a Living from Your eBay Business by Michael Miller, has a great chapter on writing a Business Plan, which might come in handy if you are looking for outside people to throw money your way. I used this in conjunction with a website called MyOwnBusiness.org which had a great template for writing the plan (although I had some formatting issues and ended up using a template from Microsoft Office Online, but the site was still informative.
I'll be back tomorrow with additional updates and links to some of my other ventures. Thanks to anyone reading and let me know if you want me to review or comment on anything specific.
Since this blog is about my attempts to work from home, it's time I addressed my current situation. I have spent a month researching and analyzing opportunities and the time has come to modify the original business plan I developed at about the same time. Originally I was just going to set up an eBay business. That is still my primary goal, and I will be selling consignment items to begin with as I build up some capital so I can start buying items to re-sell on eBay.
Since then, I have decided to focus on several venture as a means for raising capital and utilizing my strengths. This is called Multiple Streams of Revenue by many of the "Get-Rich-Quick" crowd I mentioned in my first couple of posts. I will discuss each of these "streams" in the next few posts, but most involve writing and hopefully getting paid for it.
I revisited my Business Plan and found some good resources to help me with this. Marsha's book was great for setting up a business as far as what you need to do legally so Uncle Sam doesn't come knocking. Another book I read, Making a Living from Your eBay Business by Michael Miller, has a great chapter on writing a Business Plan, which might come in handy if you are looking for outside people to throw money your way. I used this in conjunction with a website called MyOwnBusiness.org which had a great template for writing the plan (although I had some formatting issues and ended up using a template from Microsoft Office Online, but the site was still informative.
I'll be back tomorrow with additional updates and links to some of my other ventures. Thanks to anyone reading and let me know if you want me to review or comment on anything specific.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Survey says...
As a kid I always wanted to be asked survey questions for Family Feud. So filling out online surveys is kind of like fulfilling a lifelong dream, right?
Okay, Surveys seem interesting. I first signed up for NPDOR a year and a half ago. After about 6 or 7 surveys I got an email saying I won $100. Cool. I actually got a check. I was busy with other jobs then, so I didn't continue doing that many surveys and never really researched the seemingly infinite amount of survey companies out there. But that changed with my recent attempts to work from home.
I went back to NPDOR and now they have an instant win possibility after each survey. So far I have only won bonus points, which I can play in daily, monthly and other various sweepstakes for cash, vacations and merchandise. It seems pointless, but then again, I never expected to win anything the first time around. I am currently researching several other survey companies. I would not fall for any of those emails which want you to buy something that guarantees money for surveys. Vindale.com is a lengthy signup, that seems to pay for pretty much every survey. I got $2 (Whoo Hoo! I know!) for a basic survey. I think they pay you regularly through PayPal and I've seen a 45 minute survey advertised which pays $65. Not bad for working from home. I'm worried that you might have to sign up for packages. The first survey pays $5 and I have to sign up for an eFax trial account. I could see this getting tricky if you are doing a fair amount of these free trials. If you forget to cancel it, I guess your out of luck. That's probably what they are hoping for, which is why the company will pay for the survey.
Bob Barker: The category is: Ways to make money on the internet?
Me: "Um, Online Surveys, Bob?"
Bob: "Survey says...We'll find out after these commercial messages sponsored by Google!"
Okay, Surveys seem interesting. I first signed up for NPDOR a year and a half ago. After about 6 or 7 surveys I got an email saying I won $100. Cool. I actually got a check. I was busy with other jobs then, so I didn't continue doing that many surveys and never really researched the seemingly infinite amount of survey companies out there. But that changed with my recent attempts to work from home.
I went back to NPDOR and now they have an instant win possibility after each survey. So far I have only won bonus points, which I can play in daily, monthly and other various sweepstakes for cash, vacations and merchandise. It seems pointless, but then again, I never expected to win anything the first time around. I am currently researching several other survey companies. I would not fall for any of those emails which want you to buy something that guarantees money for surveys. Vindale.com is a lengthy signup, that seems to pay for pretty much every survey. I got $2 (Whoo Hoo! I know!) for a basic survey. I think they pay you regularly through PayPal and I've seen a 45 minute survey advertised which pays $65. Not bad for working from home. I'm worried that you might have to sign up for packages. The first survey pays $5 and I have to sign up for an eFax trial account. I could see this getting tricky if you are doing a fair amount of these free trials. If you forget to cancel it, I guess your out of luck. That's probably what they are hoping for, which is why the company will pay for the survey.
Bob Barker: The category is: Ways to make money on the internet?
Me: "Um, Online Surveys, Bob?"
Bob: "Survey says...We'll find out after these commercial messages sponsored by Google!"
Sunday, November 4, 2007
What I learned today...
I'm reading Marsha Collier's book Starting an eBay Business for Dummies the 2007 edition. This book has some basic information as well as some advanced tips. I have always known there are unscrupulous individuals trying to pull fast ones on eBay but I have learned even more while reading this book. Bid Shielding is just one illicit activity that has apparantly been a thorn in eBayer's sides since it's inception. It basically means having someone you know up the price, then retract a bid to make sure that you, the seller, milks the most out of the buyer using the eBay bid proxy service.
It has gotten me excited about starting my own eBay business, which has been a slow process to say the least.
She seems against the whole Dropshipping idea. Other books speak favorably, but the catch there is that they have deals with these companies. Who to trust? I really wanted to create a dropship business so I didn't have to worry about storage, but I'm thinking it might be a little more difficult than I expected. I haven't tossed the idea completely, but I'm exploring other options.
Later on I'll have another update.
It has gotten me excited about starting my own eBay business, which has been a slow process to say the least.
She seems against the whole Dropshipping idea. Other books speak favorably, but the catch there is that they have deals with these companies. Who to trust? I really wanted to create a dropship business so I didn't have to worry about storage, but I'm thinking it might be a little more difficult than I expected. I haven't tossed the idea completely, but I'm exploring other options.
Later on I'll have another update.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Making Money
So there are as many "get-rich-quick" sites on the internet as there are people, or so it seems. When I decided to work from home, the idea of "multiple streams of revenue" obviously appealed. I mean, who wouldn't want to earn money while working from their yacht?
Trying to find reviews of some of these programs is an exercise in futility (hmm, exercise. Haven't done that yet today. I'll get back to you with an excuse. Really.) Type in the name of the website or the program in your favorite search engine and I imagine you will get a plethora of hits saying one of two things:
1. "This site is great. I'm making so much money I can't believe it. Well worth the investment! You won't regret it. I'd love to tell you more, but I have to tell the pool-boy what type of chemicals I'm allergic to!"
OR
2. "This site is a scam! Don't do it. If you really want to make money use this (fill in the blank with another program) and you'll get a discount for reading MY review."
What to draw from this: All of these programs are basically the same and the people posting the good reviews obviously get a kickback, so the integrity of these reviews is definitely in question.
I know, I know, the first thing you learn when using the power of the World Wide Web is to trust no one. But this has raised some good questions, like:
If there are a lot of people looking for these programs, would setting up a deal like this might be a relatively painlessway of making some extra money?
Are any of these programs worth it?
Am I spending way too much time hitting myself ont he head withthe obvious stick?
Does typing count as exercise?
I'll get back to you as soon as I can with the answers to some of the questions. If anyone is actually reading this, you can expect daily updates. I'm still working out the logistics of what I want to accomplish with this blog, so expect things to get better. I hope.
Trying to find reviews of some of these programs is an exercise in futility (hmm, exercise. Haven't done that yet today. I'll get back to you with an excuse. Really.) Type in the name of the website or the program in your favorite search engine and I imagine you will get a plethora of hits saying one of two things:
1. "This site is great. I'm making so much money I can't believe it. Well worth the investment! You won't regret it. I'd love to tell you more, but I have to tell the pool-boy what type of chemicals I'm allergic to!"
OR
2. "This site is a scam! Don't do it. If you really want to make money use this (fill in the blank with another program) and you'll get a discount for reading MY review."
What to draw from this: All of these programs are basically the same and the people posting the good reviews obviously get a kickback, so the integrity of these reviews is definitely in question.
I know, I know, the first thing you learn when using the power of the World Wide Web is to trust no one. But this has raised some good questions, like:
If there are a lot of people looking for these programs, would setting up a deal like this might be a relatively painlessway of making some extra money?
Are any of these programs worth it?
Am I spending way too much time hitting myself ont he head withthe obvious stick?
Does typing count as exercise?
I'll get back to you as soon as I can with the answers to some of the questions. If anyone is actually reading this, you can expect daily updates. I'm still working out the logistics of what I want to accomplish with this blog, so expect things to get better. I hope.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Diving In (feet first!)
I have been blogging in my mind for a while now. In fact, I was blogging in my mind way before the term blogging was invented. For various reasons (my insecurities for starters) I have not put my thoughts on paper, er, pixels.
What am I going to blog about? Good question.
I have recently had a career change. I am at the point in my life where I tire of working for other people. Working from home has always been appealing, but reality has made it much more difficult. My initial thoughts regarding this blog are to write about my attempts to work from home using my limited skill set. Maybe you'll be inspired, annoyed or moderately entertained by my attempts to be a big boy financially.
My skills are:
writing (debatable at this point!)
editing
customer service
training/teaching
computers (Mac mostly, but I have recently been forced into the PC Vista world)
My interests are writing, hockey, snowboarding, junk-food, reading, TV and movies.
I am currently obsessed with fitness. Note that my obsession with junk food might seem a direct conflict with this, but I am very good at getting inspired to work out at 2:00 AM while watching an infomercial. My goal is to get "ripped" while still being able to eat whatever I want. Hey, this is America, if you're going to dream, dream BIG.
I figure this blog will be for myself, but maybe someone will stop by and share my so called life.
Take care and I'll see you soon!
What am I going to blog about? Good question.
I have recently had a career change. I am at the point in my life where I tire of working for other people. Working from home has always been appealing, but reality has made it much more difficult. My initial thoughts regarding this blog are to write about my attempts to work from home using my limited skill set. Maybe you'll be inspired, annoyed or moderately entertained by my attempts to be a big boy financially.
My skills are:
writing (debatable at this point!)
editing
customer service
training/teaching
computers (Mac mostly, but I have recently been forced into the PC Vista world)
My interests are writing, hockey, snowboarding, junk-food, reading, TV and movies.
I am currently obsessed with fitness. Note that my obsession with junk food might seem a direct conflict with this, but I am very good at getting inspired to work out at 2:00 AM while watching an infomercial. My goal is to get "ripped" while still being able to eat whatever I want. Hey, this is America, if you're going to dream, dream BIG.
I figure this blog will be for myself, but maybe someone will stop by and share my so called life.
Take care and I'll see you soon!
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