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Do You Draw? Or Take Photos?

Here I go with a cliche... "They say that a picture is worth 1,000 words." What if it could also be worth $1,000? That would be worth more than 1,000 words indeed. Right? Just think, how long does it take you to click a button thus taking a photo? A nanosecond? That's a lot of cash for your time. But, let's be realistic. You may make 1k, you may not. But, making money from taking pictures is well worth the adventure. Especially if you love to take pictures. Now, if you love to draw and have always wanted to earn from your talent, you have a chance also. There is a website where you can actually make money taking pictures and from your drawings!

If you're my age you may remember commercials with the turtles head on it slinging this program on how to learn to draw and sell them, and so on? I think I remember seeing the same ad in magazines as well. At any rate. The internet reaches endless people. And there are companies who may very well want to use your photos or drawings. But you'll never know if you don't give it a try.

I'm not going to be long winded about this. Check out the site for yourself. If you don't think it'll work for you, at least share the link to someone who may. And if you're an affiliate marketer, jump in and this site to you list of advertisements!

Rule Number One: Don't Break Your Own Rule

Learning things the hard way is probably the best way to learn a lesson. Like putting your hand on a hot stove when you're a kid. Won't happen again. But, things don't always happen that way. For instance, the stove may look like it's off and you touch it realizing it had previously been shut off. Simply put, accidents happen. And I accidentally believed something that ended up being a flop.

There's this company out there called FourDollarClick. Typically, I look into a site it seems too good, or if it appears to be hoaky, I'll steer clear. I knew I wasn't going to get rich quick off it. But, it appeared I'd make some money from it. Not a lot, but a fair amount. Well, as it turned out, they didn't live up to what they said they would do. In fact, they closed my account. I tried to get into my page one day and said I had the wrong password. Hmm? Okay? So, I tried it again. Same thing. After a few tries, I attempted a password recovery. No response. I waited a bit and tried again to log in. Nothing. I tried another password recovery. Nothing. Oh, I forgot to say I payed for a month subscription and it was only about a week or so into it. I attempted to contact them through their contact form. No response. I figured I'd give it a day. But, again, nothing. That's when it occurred to me to search them out. I felt like an idiot. These people are bonafide scammers. My search actually began when I was trying to find their phone number. When called, it was disconnected. When attempted to email, it bounced back. Scam is an understatement.

I posted a banner on this site for them and promoted them. The banner quickly came down. It has bothered me since finding this out about them. I wrote them giving them three days to refund my money or I will be filing a case with the Federal Trade Commision.

Lesson learned. There are lots of ways to make money on the internet. Letting one bad apple shouldn't discourage anyone from pursuing an online business to make a little extra money. One must be vigilant. That's all. As a matter of fact, individuals operating online businesses from home is high. In a recent Forbes article, they state:

 It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been noticing an increase in million dollar, one-person and home-based businesses in my reporting, on a case by case basis, so I was curious about what kind of work these solopreneurs are doing on a broader scale. (Forbes)

 It is possible to make money online. But, there is a lot of time and patience that go into it as well. I should probably be posting more often to keep it fresh. Freshness keeps people coming back for more information. And the more information one can provide can help us all. So, if anything is taken from this post, research the program first prior to jumping in head first. Even as an affiliate marketer, one must check out the company before putting up an ad. There is one thing about affiliate marketing, if you're getting ads from an already trusted source like Commision Junction, it's safe to say you're in good hands.

“Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.”

― Albert Einstein

Happy blogging, folks!

Getting Paid to Write

Do you have a blog? Do you enjoy writing? How about getting paid to post? I know, it probably sounds too good to be true. But, you can really get paid to post. There is a catch, one must meet certain criterias. Social Spark offers people the opportunity to turn their words into cash. Your site must have at least 1k hits per month. This is something they check. You receive compensation for your writing depending on what your skill level is, also. You can certainly have fun doing this as you probably already are. Social Spark is looking for people who fit in that category. It doesn't matter what you write about. You can also write about products and services. They will actually give you assignments. This is because many companies who operate blogs, what people to contribute; they want fresh content.

I, unfortunately don't meet the criteria currently. Once I meet it, I will certainly be more than excited to turn words into cash. It may not make you rich overnight, but getting paid for what you love to do is definately a plus.

Click the banner at the bottom of the page to learn more, but here's a little about who they are:

SocialSpark.com is a wholly owned property of IZEA. IZEA is a world leader in social media sponsorship, operating multiple marketplaces including SponsoredTweets, SocialSpark and Staree. IZEA connects advertisers with social media publishers, helping them monetize their social media presence. The company has completed over two million social media sponsorships for customers ranging from small local businesses to Fortune 50 organizations

Building a Website and Working From Home

More and more people are online these days. This equates to more people are going to come across something that they will find an interest in. Many of us are looking for something to help bring in a little extra money for whatever reason. Granted their are those out there who want to get rich quick. It can happen, but it's rare; but still possible. Building a website is one way to make things happen. This is becoming obvious to us all. But, how much time do we have.

Many of us have full-time jobs that keep us from really working hard on building a successful site. There are a lot of companies competing for your business to build that one site that is going to get all the attention it needs to help you to make the money you want. What do you do? Research. Right? Exactly. That takes time too. While researching you aren't writing. You're not putting content out there that people are reading and taking the suggestions that you want to pass on. And there is so much to take into take into consideration from content to optimization. You want to get high up on the list on search engines like Google. Even Google is changing it's way it rates sites. A lot of it has to do with customization. They are zeroing in on what the individual looks for and does so on a regular basis and so on. We could talk about this all day. But, at the end of the day you need a site. If you have a site that isn't doing too well or you want to build a site but don't know how, there is help out there on the web. Below I will provide a link. I suggest taking a look at it and reading through and watch some, if not all, the video testimonials. Perhaps it will ignite a fire to finally do that thing that you've been wanting to do.

The resources are out there. It takes time. In this day of micro waves and getting our Hot Pockets in two minutes just don't cut it when it comes to becoming successful on the web. We have to look at more like a slow cooker with a nice piece of brisket in it. It's going to take time for that meat to be tasty and melt in your mouth.

The greatest thing that keeps us from pursing our dreams is fear. Get over it. Turn it around on itself. Fear this: if you don't do today what you could have done yesterday, you'll never do it tomorrow. So, get to work and find the time. And know this, it will take time. Don't rush. Like the famous quote from the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come."

Find out more here.

EBay Resolution Resolved

Recently I had a situation on EBay that was discouraging. I received a message that someone who bought an item from my account said that it didn't match the description of what I had posted. This perplexed me and angered me as I had obtained the information directly from the company's website. When I opened the message, I further read that it didn't power up when the device was plugged in. I found this odd as I had recently had used it. I didn't know what to do, write this guy back telling him to show me proof or tell him that he just had a change of heart and didn't want the item any longer. By the way, I am going to be as vague as possible to protect the identity of the person in question. The first message I received said:

?????? let us know that "Item (my words)" didn't match the description and has requested a refund. A case is open and you can view the case and the buyer's message in the eBay Resolution Center.

I thought "what"? How can this be. I mulled it over and decided to call EBay's customer care center. The woman on the other end was extremely plesant. Her attitude was top notch. She kept her cool while my blood began to boil that someone would even say this when I ensured that I had the correct information. She reassured me that she wanted to help me to win this dispute. I should respond to the individual. I went on to read:

Buyer's message:
IT DOES NOT POWER UP!I HOOK IT UP,PLUG IN, NO DIAL TONE,NOTHING ON LCD SCREEN,NONE OF 3 GREEN BUTTON IS ON! How can you set it up without the power in this thing? I bought this fax machine to replace the exact same(item) which works just fine except a couple buttons on dial pad. Anyway, This is first time I buy something from ebay,2 items,2 junk. bad experience.

I told the EBay customer care specialist again suggested that I contact him to try to resolve it. If I did it this way and could not resolve it through messages, I could have him return it, paying shipping cost, and I could refund him. I asked what would happen when I received it and it worked. She assured me I would be protected and still be paid. She stressed the fact that they value their customers. So, I took her advice and contacted him. I asked him what he wanted to do and if he wanted to keep it to use it as parts for the one he has. I also asked if he would be willing to take a cell phone video of him plugging it in and that it didn't come on. I apologized that I couldn't be there to help him with it as I had initially had problems getting it set up on my computer as well. He told me that he would think about it and get back to me the next day and that EBay is a great platform. Not even twenty minutes later I received a message from the resolution center that the dispute had been closed. The next day the funds from that purchase showed up in my paypal account.

The moral of this story is, follow the advice of the customer care specialists when resolving disputes. They know what they are doing. The woman who I interacted with was herself a seller for quite sometime prior to working for EBay. That gave me much confidence that she knew her stuff. It was evident due to the way this turned out.  The buyer even left a positive comment.

As Hannibal from the A-Team would say, "I love it when a plan comes together." And the plan was to follow some simple advice.

I found this to be a very encouraging experience. I'm glad they are there to help.

attracta.com

I have already begun to see my numbers go up. This is a great tool to get your site moving. I highly recommend checking them out.


attracta.com

EBay Missed Connections

Now here's something you'll never find on Craglist's missed connections: "I saw you next a dumpster. Just sitting there looking lonely and in need of a friend. You wanted to shine. You wanted to project. You wanted to remember the golden years with someone who would appreciate them. I know you didn't see me, but I took pictures of you without your knowledge. I contemplated taking you in. But, too many now a days become hoarders because of one experience. I was afraid you would get me high and then I would need a storage shed of all those other discarded gems sitting lonely near a dumpster. Besides, I'm not into polygamy. Well, I was wearing black flip flops, grey shorts, a Red Sox shirt with a B on it, and a ball cap. I'm fairly overweight, too. So, if you're interested, I am too." 

OK, probably a bit more corny than need be. But, who gives a bleep. I found this Keystone Regal K-109 8mm projector. last summer sitting next to the dumpster near where I lived. It had the box near it and it looked like it was in great condition. I was so tempted to snag it. I even posted a picture on facebook about it and got a few responses.

Fast forward now. It's well know by all you 121 returning visitors (GoogleAnalytics), who leave no comments, I have been selling on Ebay. And it has been pretty fun. It's actually getting a bit addictive. I mean I haven't been dumpster diving or anything. I was thinking of hitting some antique stores, after finding out what's currently popular right now among collectors, and finding those items to auction. But, here it is. An antique I passed up on. The other day the thought crossed my mind that I still had the pictures of it and that I could look it up on Ebay (click this link to see what one person has it up for). I was surprised to see what I could have received monetarily. It shocked me and pissed me off all at once. I wished so much I had picked up because it looked cool. Having done so would have earned me nearly a hundred or so dollars. A lesson learned. Now whenever I pass a dumpster, I peek around it. If the doors are open I'll peer into it. The part I have a problem with is going in to retrieve something. I guess it would depend on the time of day. Maybe it would be still there when I'm able to get a little sink on to get a little cash on.

I should post the first paragraph of this Craigslist to see the responses, then devote a post strictly to the responses. I wonder how many funny ones will there will be. If any at all!

As they say "One man's junk, is another man's treasure." That statement could not be anymore true in this the age of the internet.

If anyone has their own experience that relates or you were able to sell, please share. I'm interested in what people have found and what they did with it. With your permission of course, I'd like to share the story on here. I think it would be pretty fun.

Right Wrighting

There are different programs out there on the internet that do work and don't work when it comes to building an online business. Obviously, none of us want to waste our money. I'm sure many of you have seen all these systems that promise to make you thousands of dollars if you pay this much or that. You can't get rich quick unless you win the lottery, and even that takes time for most people who play every week. The biggest thing is no one wants to risk a lot of hard earned money when the return on the investment is going to be skimpier than a Michelle Obama's school lunch program. I'm a beginner navigating around this sea of web pages learning what to do and what to stay away from. Some things have looked like great ideas, others not so much. The one thing I see a lot of is having a guest blogger or someone else put in their two sense to make things more interesting to those few who do read the blog. And maybe, just maybe more people will come and read what has been written. But, I'll be blunt. I have advertising on this site. And it's there for a reason. To make some damn money. The more this site is read, the more pennies in my paypal account.

Those of us who like to write, want to make money. And it's safe to say that we all want to make a lot of it so we can do all the things we'd like to do. I'm sure we'd all like to get paid to post our thoughts and opinions. Similarity, we'd like to get paid for our knowledge that help other to succeed as well. There is a program called PayPerPost. It sounds like a wonderful idea. The more I write, the more I make. However, it's actually frowned upon by sites like Google.

IZEA (the new holding company for PayPerPost) CEO Ted Murphy is not surprisingly calling foul on the move, claiming that it’s part of some sort of censorship conspiracy by Google. Better still Murphy claims that it’s part of Google’s attempts to deny competition because PayPerPost is a “a very attractive alternative” to Adsense. (PayPerPost Bloggers Get Slammed By Google)

I signed up for it and I'm waiting for something. I think I'll give it a try. After all, it doesn't hurt to at least give it a shot. It could turn out well; or maybe not. We'll find out. The article from TechCrunch does go on to say that PayPerPost will have a short life. Mostly due in part to the content of posts that could slam it's own endeavors. Sorta like biting the hand that feeds you. Not a good idea. It sounds like a great concept. But follow through is where it happens. I do know there are sites out there that will pay you to write on a topic that you can choose from. They are easy to find. Google. Everyone's friend. So, if you want to do that instead, do some research and see what fits your niche.

Poker Fans Can Now Breath Easy

I don't have to go into details about how poker sites were banned from conducting any type of business here in the US. Well, poker fans and website owners who focus on poker can breath easy. Most every state can now play poker for real money. That's something to bank on. Affiliates can post ads directing people to the sites that have permission to conduct business here in the states.

Real Money Poker Sites

Getting online to play poker for real money is an insanely simple process thanks to the advances of modern online poker sites. What used to be a long, complicated and drawn-out affair has been reduced to a set of steps that can be completed in under a minute.
But just because the process itself is quite simple doesn't mean that players don't have additional questions about playing poker online for real money. Sure, creating an account is a snap, but there's obviously a good deal more to playing real-money poker online than just choosing a screen name.
Don't let that deter or overwhelm you, however - we've guided thousands of players through the starting stages of their real-money online poker careers and know exactly what general questions and concerns new players have. The rest of our site delves into the more specific queries like how to play real-money poker on Macs, which sites offer a no download option and where you'll be able to deposit with Visa. But for now, let's tackle the fundamental answers new poker players need to get started in right direction (Legal US PokerSites)

There are a few sites that will allow you to play in the US. You'll want to check out the site from the quoted section above. Carbon Poker is one of those sites that you can play. Not only can you play poker for real money, but you can place sporting bets. For website owners this can be a lucrative opportunity. I decided to advertise with Carbon Poker because I actually play there and have been a member since 2010. They run some great promotions when you sign up. If you're not into spending money to play poker they have play money games. They even have a three step game where if you win the third game, you won a dollar. That can be a great way to build up a bank roll. Carbon has also added a great tool called the poker odds calculator that lets you see how your hand ranks. It also gives pot ratios. This is a great tool for beginners. I say this as you would never have this type of technology at a real table.

The company that handles the affiliate program is a called Chip Split.