Pauls Rants & Revelations

Originally when I start this site, I thought “I could make money from AdSense like I see on every other site on the planet”. This turned out to be wrong in many and varied ways.

For starters, AdSense is great if you have a busy site with thousands of visitors an hour. Then it would make sense. But for smaller sites (and I mean much smaller) it just isn’t really a big earner and often it doesn’t do anything except take up screen real-estate. And, I feel compelled to point out, that the people who have 2 AdSense blocks on their sites side bars, a header and footer block of ads, and ads within every freaking post, are not going to be making any more money than if you had one ad block on a page. I don’t think Google will count the impressions from the 4-6 ad blocks on a page so you are left only with click thru’s which are becoming more rare. And I believe, as most people are turned off by an ad overloaded site, that site owners will be waiting quite a while to get the minimum cash out amount ($100) from Google.

There are, of course, exceptions. A niche site for example that has a lot of back links and content to offer will probably do well with an ad block or a random ad somewhere in a post or page. However this also, once again, proves the rule that content is king. So most exceptions aren’t truly exceptions as they just follow the standard good practices of writing which is, basically, write well and write often.

So, for all of you with sites that have 100 ads on it, take away all but one ad block and see what you are left with. This is what Google is actually looking at and what your visitors would like to see. If you don’t like what you see build up more and better content. And for those that say “You’re crazy! I’ve made oodles from AdSense”, please comment and post your site and let us know how you did it whether it be one busy site or 50 kinda-busy sites. Or if you bribed Google. If you did that (and it worked) please post the name and address of whom to send it too.

- Cheers

Well, that’s what I’m expecting anyway. PayPerPost, a really nifty online advertising service, has some great big secret about some new services that they are going to start rolling out here soon, and they want the public to guess what it is. It’s like your sister saying “I know something you don’t know”. It may be bad or good, but to this day my sister and I don’t get along due to that.

But that is the past, and this is the now. And right now there is something big going on at PayPerPost. But what, pray tell, could it be? Let us start with the really fantastic and often ludicrous ideas first shall we?

One possibility is a new disclosure policy will be issued in where anyone who does not properly show their disclosure badge will be visited in the night by a flock of angry commando ninja flamingos. A little harsh some may say, but perhaps necessary.

Another possibility could be that at random times the PayPerPost FireFox extension pops up a message saying “I know what you are doing, and your mother would be ashamed”. A bit nasty for most, possibly true for some, but in the end not really productive.

I have more fanciful ideas but those can wait until another post. Some actual ideas that could actually happen would be something like the following:

A new rewards system that pays the most active bloggers or the best recruiters could be it. I certainly wouldn’t mind as I am trying to post as often as I can with PPP but only have this small corner to the internet to play with at the moment.

A better (or at least more favorable to me) upgrade would be a boosting system where new bloggers are given some code to put on their sites that automatically links them to a predefined group or a group of their choosing. In this fashion new bloggers to PayPerPost will be able to add these people to their blogroll and vice versa instantly creating a relevant group of sites that link to each other and to others as well. That would be cool.

In the end, really, we will just have to see what PayPerPost says and hope for the best that the words “commando flamingos” are no where in evidence.

-Cheers

“You’re A Rock Star!”

That’s the theme for PostieCon 07. Why? Because bloggers and internet personalities are fast becoming the movers and shakers of the information age. Bloggers attract millions of visitors to their sites for nothing more than to hear (or read) what they have to say. It’s the ultimate megaphone for your voice and what’s more, people actually value what bloggers have to say.

But what is this PostieCon that you speak of, sir? PostieCon is a conference designed to help bloggers and internet personalities extend their reach and get their name out there into the spotlight. It helps teach bloggers how to increase their notoriety and monetize their sites so that they can create value for their voice, but also add revenue to it as well. But aside from the fame and potential fortune, it also teaches you how to be a better blogger. The organizers have invited some of the biggest names in the blogging world so that you can gain insight from them and apply it to your blog. That’s why the theme is “You’re A Rock Star”.

The dates for this conference on blogging are set for June 1-2 in sunny Orlando Florida. The website has more information on the event such as who’s going to be speaking and a full schedule for the event. You will also get more info on what exactly the conference is about and it will show how it can help you in your endeavors to become an internet Rock Star!

If you are a blogger, or are thinking about becoming one, then I highly suggest that you attend and start getting your name out to the masses. Just click the badge below or follow the link to the PostieCon website.

Well, it seems that Associated Content really likes my stuff. This is the third article I’ve written that has been published. You can check it out here:

AC – Archery For Beginners

Its a beginners guide to archery (which Im a huge fan and practicer of) and is good for anyone looking to start into archery. Hopefully my archer friends wont spot any errors in it as I cant change it once its published. Anyways, check it out if you feel like it.

-Cheers

For all of you going out or sitting alone at home,
For those of you with someone and those of you alone,
A poem, I have, for you to read on this lovers day,
Some words of wisdom I lay out so please, pay attention, OK?

If you have someone who you are in love,
If you are getting some remember to “wear a glove”.
If you dont have anyone whom to shine your lovers light,
Go out to the local pub and pick up someone tonight.

For on this lovers day of ours many words are said untrue,
In the hopes of getting some, almost anything people will do.
But try to keep to truthful words while courting your choosen love,
For false words will come to light, and you will recieve a hateful shove.

So now my friends, go out and play and have fun on this night,
But please, o please, for your own good sake, keep your inner-moron shut up tight.

My second published article, How to Rant Without Losing Control has been published on Associated Content. (hooray)

This is also my first paying piece so I’m stoked (even though it wasnt as much as I thought it would get). Check it out if you get a sec. It was an exclusive article so I can’t republish it here but the link will be available. Maybe next time I’ll do the non-exclusive so I can re-publish it to my blogs.

If you want to know more about AC you can check it out here.

Cheers

I submitted storys, poems, and editorials to Associated Content over the last few weeks. Most of it was just ranting and whatnot but one of my poems, A Walk In The Park (view original post here), was published!

You can check out the published version on AC here: A Walk in the Park

I know that its not really a huge thing to anybody but me, but it made me a little happy, so I’m telling the world. Let me know what you all think either by comments here or on the AC site.

-Cheers

A walk in the park

The man sits in his room. Waiting. Waiting.
His decrepit fingers gently brush of his brown derby hat in hopes to impress…what was her name?
He stares out of his window. It’s sunny outside. A gorgeous day for a walk in the park.
Walking. I use to walk. With her. In the sun and in the rain, we always went for walks.

Getting close.

She would hold my arm and we would talk of everything and nothing. Where were we going?
The door to his room opens. A lovely woman enters dressed in a white uniform. A stranger, but familiar still. She does something to my arm and says…something. I cant hear her. I used to hear everything.

A bird rests on the tree outside my window. A bluejay? No, a sparrow. Yes, a sparrow is what its called. I like birds. She liked birds. We would feed bread crumbs to them together in the park. She would smile at me. It was a warm smile. A smile he saw many times. She..what was her name?

It is getting dark outside.
The man brushes off his derby hat and places it on his wrinkled head. He’s ready now. It took a long time, but he’s finally ready.

He hears her voice calling. He’s tired now. So tired. He remembers her being tired. So tired she just… lay there. He held her hand until she drifted off to sleep.

Sleep. I just need some sleep. He closes his eyes and sees her. She smiles that warm smile. She invites him for a walk in the park. He gets out of his chair and goes to meet her.