Sunday, March 1, 2009

*This post is NOT sponsored

In case you're wondering what has happened to lately two things are going on.

1. I am incredibly busy with work etc. 

2. Many of the blog-for-hire type services put probationary status on blogs less than 30 days old, so I've decided to let that time period elapse prior to trying to sign up for any additional services. 

In the meantime, I've also been trying to think of ways to drive initial traffic here. I've passively added this blog as one of my facebook web sites. I am also considering submitting the blog to StumbleUpon and writing a specific note on facebook, and possibly even advertising with Google. Please comment if you have any additional ideas about driving traffic. 


Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Posts: 0 

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Google Adsense II

*This post is NOT sponsored

Well my adsense was approved. They approved it from my old, mostly defunct, blog, The Maladjusted, but approved it none the less. Adsense allows you to publish on any number of sites/blogs with the same ID. So here it is. I'll keep you all updated as to my progress.


Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Posts: 0

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Google Adsense

*This post is NOT sponsored

If the person writing this post were not a little dull, the set up for Google Adsense would have been very easy. Sadly, your humble author is a bit of a laggard and forgot that he had checked in to adsense during a brief foray into blogging about a year ago. 

As such, when I tried to sign up for a new Adsense account, I was repeatedly told I already had an account (which I, as was previously mentioned, forgot about) So after blundering around like an obese blind man for about 15 minutes I found a help doc that suggested I check for my verification email. Since I've got a gmail address I went to my inbox, put Adsense into the search box and found the email in less than a second. Following that link had me signed up in just a few minutes more. 

My account is currently under review, apparently I may have to wait up to a week to be approved. I expect that will be an easy process but I'll keep you all apprised of any new developments.


Edit: One thing I forgot to mention was my suprise that AdSense pays ONLY by check. Like actual paper drive-my-ass-to-the-bank-like-a-slope-forheaded-neanderthal-to-cash-the-thing check. I was pretty amazed by that. I wonder if there is some legal reason they don't want to use services like PayPal. I supposed it could be a business thing if Google plans to offer a competing service at some point. 

Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Posts: 0

PayPal...

*This post is NOT sponsored.

The PayPal entry here will be significantly shorter than the coming ones regarding Adsense and the individual blog-for-pay sites, primarily because I've already got a PayPal account from ages ago. I did update it with my most recent email address and a new bank account. As would be expected from a world-class established business like PayPal, this was incredibly easy. I've still got to confirm my second bank account, but if memory serves, this will be a hassel-free experience as well. 

I've never actually been paid for anything via PayPal, so I am anxious to see how that experience goes. I've used it in the past for eBay transactions etc. so I've only given away my hard-earned cash via their system.

Here's hoping that I can soon give you an account of what it's like to be paid. 

Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Entries: 0

Saturday, February 14, 2009

How it all began...

I was stumbling(via StumbleUpon) around the web, as I am wont to do, and I came across a guest post on Josh Spaulding's Internet Marketing Blog. The page that caught my eye is linked below. 


This page lists several services that will pay you, often via PayPal, to post regarding their products etc. I do like to write and this particular business model picqued my interest. However, I felt vaguely uncomfortable with the idea of trying to "slip" sponsored articles into a quasi-legitimate blog on some other topic. Thus "For The Money" (alternatively "Blog For Hire") was born. This way I can participate, and you, oh valued reader, will have neither wool nor other itchy fabrics pulled over your eyes.

I also thought it would be worth expanding this experiment to Google AdSense and commenting on the various services (and possible support sites, a la PayPal) individually.

Below is the anticipated list of services


I'll check them out individually and relate my experiences.

Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Entries: 0

Friday, February 13, 2009

For The Money...

* This post is NOT sponsored.

Howdy,

If you are reading this, my assumption is that you haven't been hiding under a rock for the last year or so and are aware that the US and Global economies are in the ole crapper right about now. I, like so many others, have been looking for ways to improve my situation in these trying times. 

I suppose that a description of said situation is in order before we go any further, I'm a late twenty-something software professional making a roughly industry standard wage in a small company somewhere in Middle America. I'm not in the poor house, but my youthful-enthusiasm-fueled dreams of being independently wealthy by 25 have come and gone. My estimation is that I'm not the only one this has happened to. 

As such, and, I suspect, like many of my peers, I've turned to the interwebs to look for additional sources of income. Of course I came across the "buy our book and learn to make millions by bottling your own flatulence" etc. sites. I often wonder how much money I could make on a book or CD that advises people to author a book or CD and sell it to unsuspecting saps. But, in an attempt to retain at least some of my personal integrity and/or dignity, I thought I would investigate the blogging-for-money model. I'll use this blog not only to fulfill my obligations, but to chronicle the experience. You'll get my personal opinion, I'm not making any attempt to be a neutral journalist, but I'll mark my posts as sponsored or not and keep a running total of both money made and sponsored posts authored. 

Here we go.

Total Money: $0
Total Sponsored Posts: 0