Welcome, Chitika!

Yesterday I temporarily locked viewers out of this site so that I could experiment with advertising. There was no way I would allow a repeat of my first monetization attempt, but even without Amazon Associates and Google Adsense, surely I could find something that worked!

Yesterday I tried Bidvertiser first. It says it does targeted advertising, and even though it was a disaster last time there must be a way to adjust the settings and limit the kind of ads shown! I searched through the site and double-checked all of the ad options to make sure that everything was just right, and then I applied it. It didn't last long! As soon as the first pornographic ad popped up on the side, I realized my mistake and was relieved that I had locked the site from views for that experiment. Nope, Bidvertiser won't do the job for me.

After that I started scanning the web for Adsense alternatives. Even though Bidvertiser seems to be the next biggest, there had to be something less dangerous. And I think I might have found something. I say think because I've only had it for a day and can't speak for its success. Chitika is considered one of the closest things to Adsense there is. I was incredibly relieved when I not only had to specify the nature of my site for ad sifting (which Bidvertiser already did) but also had the option to select what kinds of ads I wanted and what kind I didn't want. Text, image, or both? How flashy was I ok with? And, most importantly, what keywords did I not want in certain ads?

The results are dry. The ads don't perfectly match up to the site, though every now and then something interesting pops up. But so far, Chitika has proven itself to be reliable and honest, and I hope it will continue to be so in the future. I also hope I get more specialized ads than a list of related keywords. But hey, it's a start. Now I just need to wait and see the long-term results and effects. Hopefully they'll be positive!

Day 7.1: An Entrepreneur's Work Is Never Done

Hello, and welcome to day seven of my 30-day project: making money online. Today I'm going to reflect on some of the bigger lessons I've learned this past week, staring with this: an entrepreneur's work is never done. A week ago, I thought I'd write this blog, submit it to so many sites, and then leave it at that. Wash, rinse, repeat. But there's a ton more work to it than that. What is that? Well...

1. Ads/monetization. I intended to monetize this site from the start. When Google Adsense wasn't working out, I looked for alternatives. I found one that looked good, but then to my dismay I was bombarded by the worst scam sites and popups out there clamoring for space on my blog. I shut that program down, and since then have only carried ads for sites that I know and trust. However, I'm not entirely content with what I have, and I find myself continually looking for better ways to monetize my blog.
2. Optimization. If I make any money from this site, it's going to take a while. In the meantime I have to find out if there's anything I can do to optimize business. Are there any more/better sites or networks that I can submit to? Are there any keywords I've been missing? What are my most popular posts, and why are they so popular? Where is most of my traffic coming from? These are  things that I have to review every day, often several times a day. Every post I write shifts the emphasis of the site a little and also the stats.
3. Alternatives? I also have to take into account the dread possibility that this site won't work. I don't want to be spending a month of effort for nothing, and so I'm constantly looking for other ways to earn money online. This means tracing scams and earning pennies. It means running google search after google search for something that might work. It means a mass of disappointment with only an occasional perk.

I haven't had more than a few hours' stretch where I felt like I could take a good break from this project,  which can be especially stressful as I also have wedding plans going on and a life of my own to return to. Making money online's easy, if you have patience and determination. Making a living online? It's not going to happen unless you're ready to put in long hours and hard work. I'm still up for it. But then, I'm a pretty big optimist and opportunist. I definitely encourage pursuit of this line of work, if you think you can keep up with it. Just know it won't be easy.

Keep up with your research, because the Internet's constantly changing! In the meantime, if you'd like to get started slowly with just a few pennies at a time (which adds up, trust me!), why don't you join me on Clixsense, Swagbucks, or Protypers.com (code 611m)? You can also follow me on Twitter for quick tips and updates on the blog itself!

Day 4.2: Six Ways to Improve Monetization

First a disclaimer: As I already said in my last post, I am incredibly sorry if you suffered from the horrible ads that I had on this site. I was checking my Reddit account and saw that someone had posted a comment for an earlier post, saying "how ironic." There was a screenshot then of my blog with the ads. Yes, it was ironic, and in the worst of ways. I want to discourage those sites, not help them out. I want people to stay away from them. I did not know that those would be the ads that would show up when I joined BidVertiser, and I myself was offended at the sight of them. I have removed them now. I respect you as readers, and so from now on the only ads I'll show are for sites and products that I myself support and am an active part of. Keep in mind that I'm still fairly new to this and am learning. The intrusive ad problem was a bad mistake and will probably not be my last. I am sorry, and thank-you for staying with me.

Monetization is new to me, if you can't already tell. I'm still working out the best way to do it. As I've been trying to compose a list for my own (and your) reference: How to get good ads on your site:

1. Have a reason to trust the monetization site. Look it up and research it before joining blindly, like I did.
2. Do not assume that all ads are good ads. This was another mistake on my part. The ads I had actually harmed my traffic as well as offending me. Find out what your getting before getting it!
3. Think about your audience. While many monetization sites say that they will match their ads with your content, that is not always true. That was yet another mistake I made. If you can find a way to show ads/banners only from sites that you know and genuinely think people should join, go with that instead.
4. Think about what would attract you. Are the ads you're looking at getting good enough for you to click on? Would you click on them if you saw them on another website? That should be an indicator for whether others will be interested.
5. Make it personal. If there's anything that you yourself actively support, see if there's a way you can advertise that instead of a product you don't have any experience with.
6. Sell your own stuff. If you have something to sell--say, a self-published book--sell that. That's the best way to get a profit from ads.

Basically, my theory is this: if you support it, chances are others will too. Don't walk into something as serious as monetization blindly. It could ruin you in the long run. Hopefully these tips will help you if you're interested in monetizing your own site.

Day 4.1: What I've Learned about Monetization

If you've been following this blog for several days, you have probably noticed how I keep changing the ad/monetization format. When I started, I thought it was simple: I'd go with Google Adsense. But I also decided that I should take a look at the alternatives, especially since the process of becoming monetized through Adsense can take a while. After scourging the Internet, I found a site called BidVertiser. The premise of BidVertiser is intended to be a win-win. Other companies bid to put their ad on your site. You get the money both from the bidding and from clicks. It's a free and easy service, so I decided to go for it.

Two things I've learned about monetization is this:

1. If visitors are annoyed, they won't click your ads.
2. If I'm annoyed at my own site, it won't stand a chance against visitors.

Off the bat I was suddenly bombarded with pop-ups and flashing ads and everything that I hate: most of all, ads for the very scams that I've already warned against. I was not happy, and of course, didn't make a cent. These ads were in direct opposition to what I'm saying, and there's no way that it could work.

Today, I'm trying a new approach: only advertising for things I personally use and recommend. Amazon's been there from the start, a fabulous way to buy anything online at a good price. I've had those widgets there this whole time and am going to keep them because it really is that awesome and I want you to see what I recommend.

The other ads? Clixsense is a site that I joined recently, the best PTC site that I've found so far. I haven't  made much from it, but in addition to viewing ads you can play games and enjoy yourself. Even if you didn't make money it would be a fun site, so I decided to support it. I also left one more of the Bidvertiser ads running, just in case. But one thing I do not want to do is to force things on visitors that I myself won't support. I want to help you avoid scams, not lead you to them.

That being said, if I support something that turns out to be a scam, I'll be getting scammed first. I am sorry if the old ads annoyed you as much as they annoyed me, and hopefully you're still willing to give me a chance!