Make Money Online

I was a stay at home mom for many years while I was married.  I was happy to take care of the house and be home for the kids to help with homework or whatever.  I never drove, so it was easy for me to dedicate myself to my family, and always being there.  Money was tight, so one day I decided to see if could make money online.  I learned that there are several different ways this can be done, and for me, blogging was the way to go.

You can also work from home, if you have the dedication and time.  When my husband left, I wasn't able to dedicate the time necessary to keep the money coming in like it was.  I had to go out and get a "real job" that guaranteed me a paycheck each week.  I still make money with my blogs, though now instead of it being my only source of income, I consider it my "eating money".  The money I make blogging pays for my lunches during the week when I am on the road. 

There are several websites out there that can guide you through the steps of getting started working online.  Work From Home Coach offers several different options for making money online, and it's a good source of information when you are deciding if this is something you want to do.  

I know I made the right decision when I started making money online.  I just wish I could make more. I still love blogging, though I don't have the time to do it full time anymore.  If you are reading this, chances are you have a blog of your own.  If you are looking to make some extra money, do some research and find the way that works best for you.  These days, any extra money coming in is a blessing.

Blogs

 The time has come for me to renew my other domain name.  I have been neglecting my craft blog, well, actually, I have been neglecting all of my blogs since I started working. I find that after working all day, when I get home the last thing I want to do is get online.  Weird, I know, considering I used to spend all day, every day online.

I have to make the decision about whether or not I even want to renew the domain on my craft blog.  I renewed this one for two years, and this is the one I write on mostly anyway, so I know I will keep it.  My concern is, if I renew the other one, will I even post on it, or would I just be throwing money away?  I know it doesn't cost that much, but when every penny counts, even $8 can be too much.  That blog isn't making much money these days either.

I have been thinking about maybe trying to find a cheaper place to buy the domain name, but I don't know where to look.  I found an ipage review online and the reviews were pretty good, but I am still not sure.  They had coupon codes, too, which was nice. There are just so many choices.  Anyone have any advice?

I think I have until July to make up my mind.

Hey! How Are Ya? I'm Great!

Oh my goodness...where do I begin? 

I have been so busy, it's kind of insane.  I still love my job.  We are moving in two weeks, and my house is upside down as I am trying to get everything packed.  I am getting rid of a lot of stuff, and it feels wonderful decluttering my life.  I am such a hoarder.  I have been keeping things that I haven't used in years, and I am finally tired of lugging them from place to place. 

Oh, and I am down 79 pounds.  I can't believe it!  I am sure by the end of the week I will pass that 80 pound mark...this working is hard work.  I walk a lot, up and down stairs, and climbing in and out of the van a million times a day...it is working wonders for my weight loss.  Plus, I have become addicted to salads, and that seems to be all I am eating these days.  There is this one Italian/Greek place that my best friend and I love, and their salads come with kalamata olives, which are delicious!

If I disappear again for a week or so, don't worry.  I will be back eventually.  There are just more important things going on in my life right now besides blogging....

Promoting Me

Hey entrecard people.  Oh, wait, I don't think many of you are visiting me anymore.  I haven't dropped in, well, I don't know how long.  It's funny how life gets in the way of that type of stuff these days.  I keep saying that I need to promote my blog more, but I honestly just don't have the time anymore. 

I had high hopes of buying some promo items to maybe give out to my readers, or maybe to leave in random places.  I have heard of lots of bloggers getting new readers that way.  I would love to find some local bloggers to hang out with every now and again.  

I found these GOpromos custom notepads and I think they are awesome.  I can think of a lot of uses for them.   I found some mugs also that looked pretty cool.  I need to have several made, because as you all know, I am neglecting all of my blogs these days.

For tonight, though, I am going to go lay in bed with Brandi and watch television.  I don't think I'll last long, though.  I'm pretty tired.  This working all the time really tires a person out.

Promoting Myself

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to promote my little blog.  Now that I am on my own, I need to make as much money as possible, and to do that, I need to get more traffic over here.  The more traffic I have, the more money I can make.  It's that simple.

I decided to check the library for some books about SEO and keywords and all that other stuff I don't understand.  I am also thinking about buying some promotional products that advertise my blogs.  I was checking out personalized notepads, and found some sticky notes that can be personalized.  Now, you all know how much I love sticky notes.  If you have been to my house, you know my computer monitor is covered with them.  It's strange, but they keep me organized, even if it looks like a big mess to everyone else. 

I was also looking at the notebooks available on Moleskine.com.  They may not be the ideal thing for promoting my blogs, but they are beautiful.  I have a feeling I am going to need a new journal soon, and I found some very pretty ones on this site. 

For now, though, I am going to try and start writing regularly again.  I really do enjoy blogging, and I miss interacting with all of you.  I know my commenting has been horrible, but my mind has been on fourteen million other things the past couple of weeks.  Hopefully, I will find my groove again, and things will get back to normal.  I keep saying that to the kids, too, that we will eventually get back to normal.  Now, if only we could figure out what our normal will be.

A Book Blog?

We are already two weeks into the new year, and I feel like it's still 2010.  The kids have been home way too many days.  Bob has been home, too, which has thrown my schedule all out of whack.  School is canceled again tomorrow, which means the kids will be home until Tuesday.  That's right, Tuesday.  I am not happy about this.  At all.

I am having a hard time getting my work done with everyone home.  I had wanted to start a new blog at the first of the year, but that hasn't happened yet.  I already have the food one, the craft one, my personal one, and this one.  Oh, and a picture one.  I haven't touched that one in months, though.  Maybe once I get my new camera I will get back into the habit of posting a new picture every day. 

My new blog will be something different.  I'm thinking about starting one where I review and keep track of all the books I read.  I see a lot of those types of blogs when I drop ecards.  I can't decide if I want to start it on blogger or buy a domain.  I read a hostgator review and according to it's users, it's a great site to use. I have never used them myself, so I would appreciate input from any of you that have.

Hopefully once the kids are back in school I will find the time to actually get the new blog up and running.  That's assuming the kids will, eventually, one day, finally go back to school.

Let's Get Some Chinese Food!

 Do you know what I want to do?  One day, someday, I want to go to one of these blogging conferences to finally meet all the wonderful women that I already feel like I know.  Or better yet, I think I might organize my own conference for bloggers like myself, who have a handful of close blog friends they want to meet, but who aren't interested in all the politics.  Oh, you know what I am talking about.  I am not interested in swag or getting invites to the "cool" parties.  I just want to hang out and maybe get some Chinese food.  I know a few bloggers reading this, right now, are nodding their heads and saying, "Heck yeah!  Chinese food with Jenn would be awesome!". 

All we have to do is decide where to meet up. Crowne Plaza Muscat is out of the question, because let's face it, that's a little bit too far to travel.  Their hotel looks beautiful, especially the banquet room, but I am not going to travel that far.  In fact, where ever we decide to meet needs to be within driving distance, because I don't fly.  Maybe I need to see who is willing to do this, and then map it out and pick a point in the dead center.  That would work, right?

The funny thing is, that as much as I would love for this to actually happen, I know it never will.  I am much to shy to meet new people.  Hard to believe, right?

Who Hosts You?

I got another email today inviting me to a web seminar about finding my "brand".  One of these days I am going to listen to one of these things so I can find out exactly what they are talking about. I mean, I am not in this blogging thing to make a million dollars.  I am not trying to be the next Bloggess.  I don't care if I get one comment or one hundred comments on a single post.  Okay, maybe that one is a lie.  We all like comments.  It makes me happy when people leave me comments, even though I am a horrible commenter myself.  I try, though.  Really I do.

Anyway, I see posts all the time about how to "make your blog better".  Apparently it matters what blog web host you use, and whether or not you pay for monthly hosting.  I have been using Blogger almost since I began blogging, and I have never had an issue.   I have my own domain names, but I still host my blogs through them.  I have no desire to change that simply because someone thinks I should. 

If I ever start another blog, which we all know could happen at any moment, I may look into something different, just to see what people are talking about.  For now, though, i am leaving this blog alone.

I Still Don't Understand HTML Or SEO

Last week, I helped a friend change her blog over from a blogspot URL to her own dot com.  Anna, I know you are probably laughing at me, but you should be proud!  I didn't do any of the technical stuff, but I did help her figure out that she had to do a few things on blogger to direct her new URL there.  (I actually remembered that part from when you helped me) Once we figured it out and had everything working, we discussed blogging in general, and how different blogs have different widgets and things on them.  I confessed to knowing nothing about Search Engine Optimisation.  I have tried, in the past, to get a grip on all the technical stuff that goes along with having a blog, but I just don't get it.  My mind is not wired to understand.  The only things on my blog are things that I have seen on other blogs, and I was able to find step by step directions on how to get it on mine.  If blogger didn't make it so easy to add all the HTML things to my sidebar, I am not sure there would be a thing over there.

Maybe I need to find a "Website Building For Dummies" book in the library.  Do you think they have one of those?

What's Up With Blogger?

A couple of weeks ago, I tried to upload a video, and it wouldn't do it.  Today, I just tried to upload pictures, and it won't let me.  What's up with that?  I hope it's only a temporary thing, because I will be pretty ticked if I can no longer do those things.

I mean, me blog without pictures?  No way!

Blog Copy

Have you ever wondered what it is that your readers like most about your blog?  Do you know which posts they are connecting with, and maybe sharing with other people?  Thanks to Blog Copy you can find out. This program monitors what your visitors are copying and pasting from your site.  It only follows that what they copy is what they like, so having this information can help you to write more about the things your readers are connecting with.

I bet my readers love when I write about myself.  I might have to check into that.

Make Money Blogging

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SixFigureAffiliateBlogging.com. All opinions are 100% mine.
I started blogging a little over three years ago, and at the time, it was just to keep family and friends updated on the everyday things going on in my life.  It was a couple of months before I started reading other people's blogs, and even longer before I started commenting.  I learned a lot by reading other people's blogs.  I had no idea that you could make money blogging.  After seeing other people write interesting posts with links to different products, I knew I could do it, too.   I knew I wouldn't become a millionaire, but I was hoping to make enough to become a stay at home mom., and I did.

I know there are still things I do not know about affiliate marketing.  I have never claimed to be an expert.  I do, however, want to know the secrets behind the blogs that do make a lot of money.   You can learn the secrets, too, by downloading the ebook found at SixFigureAffiliateBlogging.com.  It is a 75 page book filled with interviews with some great bloggers, like John Chow, Joel Comm, Jeremy Schoemaker, and Yaro Starak.  The ebook is free, so you really have nothing to lose.

Maybe I'll become one of those bloggers who makes the big money.  A girl can dream, right?

I'm Lucky, And I Know It

I read hundreds of blogs a day.  I know, it's crazy, but as I drop ecards, I always check out a blogs newest post, even though I don't comment.  Some blogs are funny, while others are extremely serious and boring.  And then there are the ones that tug at my heart. 

I blog honestly.  I talk about my kids, and my husband, and whatever else is on my mind.  There is no rhyme or reason to this blog, other than to have a journal of my life.  My kids may be interested in reading all of this one day.  If they do, I hope they can see in my words how much they mean to me.

There are parents out there dealing with neurological diseases in their children. Reading what these moms and dads write brings me to tears sometimes.  It makes me take a second and really think about how lucky I am that my kids were born healthy, and continue to be healthy.  I am not looking online for epilepsy treatments or ways to prolong the life of my child.  It is so sad to read what some kids are going through, yet I get sucked in, and feel like I am fighting along with their families.   But isn't that what a blog is for?  To find support and encouragement?

I get tired of reading some blogs where all they are worried about is "making it big".  These people drive me nuts.  One day they are begging for sponsors to get to the big conferences, and the next they are claiming that they will never blog again, because someone else is getting better endorsements.  Now, don't get me wrong here.  I have been known to complain a little when gooogle drops my ranks, or I miss a high paying opportunity, but I don't think I have ever threatened to quit blog because of it.  The people who do are just looking for comments, wanting their egos stroked.

Sorry, but that is not my thing.  If you want to stop blogging, stop talking about it, and just stop blogging.

Okay, I think I got a little off topic here.  I was trying to write about how lucky I am to be a mom of healthy children.  I know I am, and I thank God every night for it.  I also say a little prayer for all those blog mommies out there who aren't as lucky.

Webhosting

 Last year, I switched this blog from a blogspot url to my own dot com.  At the time, I took the advice of a friend as to which host to use.  I haven't had any problems myself, but I have read on a lot of blogs that this particular hosting site has been hacked. 

Repeatedly. 

This makes me a little nervous.  I renewed with them recently, so I think I might be stuck for the next two years.  I am just hoping that my account doesn't get hacked.  If it does, I guess I will spend some time reading webhosting reviews and deciding who else to go with. I know different sites offer different things, and all I need, basically, is my domain.  I still have my blog through blogger.  I know a lot of people prefer wordpress, but I do not know enough about the technical side of blogging to go that route.  It took me long enough to understand blogger, and they are pretty simple. 

Which site would you recommend I look into?

New Entrecard Feature

Have any of you droppers noticed the new feature on entrecard, where you can add that badge asking people who like your site to review it?  If not, you should check it out.  I added it to each of my blogs, and was pleasantly surprised when fellow bloggers wrote nice things about me, and my blog.  There was one review in particular that really made me feel really good.  It was written by spicybugz, and I want to share it with all of you.

"Great family blog, warm and friendly. As you read, you feel like the writer has opened the door to her home and has invited you in to visit. I enjoy reading her reviews about different products she has tried and also reading about her family. One of my favorite blogs to read."

Wasn't that sweet?  Makes me love what I do a little bit more. :)

BC Blogger's Secret

I was just dropping ecards when I came across a post about BC Blogger's Secret.  Of course, my curiosity got the best of me, and I had to find out what the secret was.

Turns out, it's a great way to find fellow bloggers who are looking to exchange links with you.  There have already been two rounds of bloggers to join, and I am hoping to get into round three, which is accepting applications right now.  You can fill one out here.

Hopefully I'll see you there!

Happy Blogiversary Stacey!

While I was blog hopping and dropping ecards before, I noticed that Stacey is having a blogiversary today.  It seems she has been blogging for two years!  I found Stacey's blog through entrecard, and was amazed to find out we have so much in common. How could we not become friends?


Seeing her blogiversary got me to thinking about mine, so of course I had to look it up.  And, as usual, I missed it.  In fact, it was April 17th.  I started blogging three years ago.  Wow!  I was going to say that I can't believe I have had that much to say, but come one.  You all know how big my mouth is. lol! 

Anyway, go wish Stacey a happy blogiversary, and while you're there, check out her blog.  Especially her "Chick Flick Fridays".  She reviews some of the best movies ever made.

Happy Blogiversary Stacey!

Comments

For the past couple of weeks, I have been making a real effort when it comes to my comments.  I have been leaving more on the blogs I read daily, and the ones I drop on.  Now, sometimes it's hard to comment when dropping, because not all the blogs update daily.  But, when a post stands out to me, I will read and try to comment.  This is a big step for me, because I usually feel like what I have to say isn't good enough.  I am sure I am not the only on who feels that way. 

I have also been responding to all the comments left on my blogs.  I read somewhere that doing this makes visitors feel more welcomed, because I am taking the time to acknowledge their comment, and it let's them know they are appreciated.  The funny thing is, since I have started doing this, I am getting more comments.

Go figure.

I've Been Spammed!

I have been blogging for about three years now, more or less, and for the first time today, this blog was spammed! I have email notification for comments, so I knew exactly which posts were affected. Or is it effected? I always get those two mixed up...someone please give me a grammar lesson here...I will not be insulted...I really need to know. I suppose I could look it up in a dictionary, but let's face it, I am much too lazy.

Anyway, why do these companies think they can leave comments like that? Do they think we don't realize what they are doing?

Shame on you coach purses for spamming up my blog!

A Little Honesty

I want to start this post by saying that I am not judging anyone...I am honestly just a little curious.

I have been seeing a lot of these buttons on peoples blogs, and I don't get it. Do people actually click on it and leave money?

I saw one the other day asking for readers to help pay for dental work. I don't remember whose blog it was, and it really doesn't matter. I also saw one asking for "coffee money". Really? These people actually expect their readers to help them pay their bills, or even buy coffee?

Now, before you guys get all mad at me, I know several bloggers who really do need a helping hand, because of job loss and other circumstances, and they have reached out for help so they can have food on their tables. These are the people I wish I could help. But, like everyone these days, money is tight around here. Does that mean I am going to put up a donate button so I can afford the laptop I want so badly?

I don't think so.

I am curious, though. If you have one of these buttons, do you actually get donations?