Every so often I will continue the tradition here are Goldrush by posting a review of a particular money making site or activity on the internet. Usually, they will be sites or sources which I have personally tried and/or am planning to use in the future.
Today's review is of a relatively new start-up called Ghostbloggers.net. Similar to sites such as Constant Content, Ghostbloggers is geared specifically towards the blog segment of the market. While still technically in "Beta" stage, the site is fully functional and has steady core of repeat buyers. The site has been featured by KillerStartups, Trends, and other sites the track promising new online ventures.
The first thing to do after registering at the site is to check out the list of requested topics to write on. It is publically displayed for all to read. Frequently, repeat buyers will use the same writer over and over again. Although the site attempts to limit "poaching" (buyers dealing independently with the writer after discovering them on the site), it is not impossible to turn a gig at Ghostbloggers into a permanent relationship outside of the confines of the site (usernames tend to be the same across the web, after all). The descriptions of article requests are specific enough to give the writer some direction without being overly constraining. If your article is not immediately chosen by the intended buyer, you can always leave it on the market for others to purchase.
The revenue sharing part of the site is perhaps the alluring aspect for aspiring writers. At $3.50 per every 100 words, Ghostbloggers represents a far more "decent" payout ratio for writers than other sites such as Textbroker. Because of the better compensation, the articles tend to be of much better quality than most other sites.
My Experience
I am aware of a number of professional bloggers who are very successful and use Ghostbloggers for a good portion of their freelance. Personally, I have uploaded two articles as of today, both of which are still under review (having uploaded them within the last 24hrs). I will certainly keep readers updated when/if they are purchases. The best part about Ghostbloggers is that it is a site I would personally use both to sell blog posts and to buy blog posts. That is the type of site which inspires confidence! Yes, the articles tend to be a bit more pricey, but if you are running a professional blog (or want to be treated seriously), poor content - if cheaper - will not build long term viewership.
Overall I give Ghostbloggers an A- rating. My one complaint is that they could put more effort into driving buyers to the site, as well as overall users.
Check out the site: Ghostbloggers.net.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Goals for September 2011
A number of other bloggers I follow create a monthly set of goals to follow. When I first started trying to earn money online I used goals to pace myself, but ended up getting frustrated because I piled on far too many tasks and made my goals far too specific. The key - I think - to a great goal list is actually making a realistic one that can be achieved while still allowing the creative juices to flow and be able to take advantage of new opportunities. Hopefully, goal setting will become a monthly post for me and it will help me accomplish my tasks.
Goals for September 2011
- Comment on 2-3 blogs per day (at least 1 being investing related).
- Join another marketing online forum for backlinks.
- Post at least 3 times a week on Digital Point forums.
- Write 3 articles for content revenue sharing sites.
- Write a test blog article for the new Ghost Writer site.
- Write a product review for my niche site #2.
- Finish designing my niche site #3.
- Do another round of article marketing for niche site #2.
- Find 3 more quality wholesale goods suppliers.
- Go to one used book sale.
- Buy a quality site on Flippa.com.
- Write 2 blog posts a week for Value Digger Investor.
- Invest in one more stock for my Value Digger Investor portfolio.
- Research and discover new money making opportunities!
This shouldn't be terribly difficult. The trick will be staying consistent with the daily and weekly tasks. Hopefully I will begin to see some returns on my investments by the end of this month.
P.S. Almost forgot. I also will post at least once a week right here on Goldrush.
Goals for September 2011
- Comment on 2-3 blogs per day (at least 1 being investing related).
- Join another marketing online forum for backlinks.
- Post at least 3 times a week on Digital Point forums.
- Write 3 articles for content revenue sharing sites.
- Write a test blog article for the new Ghost Writer site.
- Write a product review for my niche site #2.
- Finish designing my niche site #3.
- Do another round of article marketing for niche site #2.
- Find 3 more quality wholesale goods suppliers.
- Go to one used book sale.
- Buy a quality site on Flippa.com.
- Write 2 blog posts a week for Value Digger Investor.
- Invest in one more stock for my Value Digger Investor portfolio.
- Research and discover new money making opportunities!
This shouldn't be terribly difficult. The trick will be staying consistent with the daily and weekly tasks. Hopefully I will begin to see some returns on my investments by the end of this month.
P.S. Almost forgot. I also will post at least once a week right here on Goldrush.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Multipe Streams of Online Income
My apologies to any readers who were dilligently following this blog. I have been a bit side-tracked (in a good way!) over the summer. It is simply amazing how time becomes such a premium when trying to make money online. I have an entrepreneurial mindset which often means I end up starting more projects then I can adequately handle. The trick is to put enough concentrated effort into enough of my projects to start seeing some results. That has been the battle this summer, between summer vacations and errands that need to get done. I am sure many of us struggle with this. It is clear to me that time management and focusing my energy is fast becoming a top priority going into this Fall. In any case, that is my round about way of saying "sorry" for not keeping up to date posting here on Goldrush.
Content Writing Online
Initially, I was attracted to the concept of earning money online by way of content writing for sites such as Infobarrel.com, bukisa.com, and wizzley.com, but so far these efforts have taken somewhat of a back seat. My initial project of tracking earnings on a monthly basis is temporarily on hiatus while I struggle to get my monthly income from any one of these sites above the $5 dollar range. From now on, I will only be tracking monthly income that is over that limit, although I will continue to update readers on where I am focusing most of my efforts. I will continue to write for Hubpages.com and Squidoo.com as a means to build backlinks for my other projects and/or if I find a dominating niche to write on.
Niche Website Building
After becoming more engaged in the online money making experience, I was drawn to the concept of niche website building through a handy tool called Market Samurai which helps take the guess-work out of keyword research. I currently have one site up and running on autopilot that is averaging over $1 a month in Adsense earnings. Not great, I know, but that is with minimal link-building and marketing of the site. Another site is up and running, but not yet fully loaded with content. Still another is set up on Wordpress and hostgator, but without any content what so ever. It is difficult to handle building more than one site at a time, but hopefully now that my first project is up and running, I can turn my attention to building up the other sites. I like to do this in phases by batches of three. One site fully set up in traffic generation phase, one site set up in content generation phase, and one in the early process of appearance optimizing and layout editing. I try to keep a few "ideas", i.e. domain names and keywords, in the "pipeline" ready to go as soon as I get the first site up and running to a point I am comfortable leaving it on auto-pilot.
Old Fashioned Blogging
And, of course, we can't forget about blogging. I have many creative ideas for blogs. Oftentimes these ideas are even a forerunner to a niche site or a larger project of some kind. What is great about using Blogger is that I can test out ideas and start blogs with no financial investment! Later, when I have the time, resources, and have done the market research, I can simply import the Blogger content to a paid Wordpress blog. Alternatively, I can use my Blogger blogs to link to niche websites I am working on or other relevant blogs. The challenge - as always - is to find time in the week to keep the cylinders rolling on all of my blogs and projects.
Ecommerce
I have always used sites like ebay.com and amazon.com to sell old items around the house or great finds at local tagsales. During my college years, I also was able to pull in $100 a month from a small used online bookselling business. My inventory was mainly sourced from selling my friends textbooks online and the occassional church booksale, but beyond that I never really grew the business. Time permitting, I would absolutely love to expand this business and increase my inventory, but it is important to keep in mind that physical books are on their way out and digital media is the way of the future. More importantly, I have been researching various wholesale business opportunities that I can use to supply my amazon.com and ebay.com seller accounts. I have even gone so far as to register with the IRS for my business Tax I.D. So far I am struggling with the costs and benefits of dropshipping versus buying wholesale in bulk and storing at a physical location. This is something I would like to report on this site as I progress. Hopefully, I can help other aspiring e-entrepreneurs realize their potential by seeing my trials, errors, and successes.
Miscellaneous Money Making
One thing to always keep in mind - and something I try and remember daily - is that while the internet is a wonderful means to creating a great income, it should be incorporated into other ways of earning money. With that in mind, I have stepped up my game recently doing stock market investing for passive income and long term wealth creation. I recently transferred a blog from Blogger to Wordpress that deals with my stock market analysis, stock picks, and portfolio building. It is call The Value Digger Investor and is exactly the kind of idea that can bridge the gap between the online world and real world economics. Thus, I think I will be tracking any important updates on these types of developments here on this blog, even if it might seem beyond the scope.
Anyway, that's it for now. Stay tuned for further updates!
Content Writing Online
Initially, I was attracted to the concept of earning money online by way of content writing for sites such as Infobarrel.com, bukisa.com, and wizzley.com, but so far these efforts have taken somewhat of a back seat. My initial project of tracking earnings on a monthly basis is temporarily on hiatus while I struggle to get my monthly income from any one of these sites above the $5 dollar range. From now on, I will only be tracking monthly income that is over that limit, although I will continue to update readers on where I am focusing most of my efforts. I will continue to write for Hubpages.com and Squidoo.com as a means to build backlinks for my other projects and/or if I find a dominating niche to write on.
Niche Website Building
After becoming more engaged in the online money making experience, I was drawn to the concept of niche website building through a handy tool called Market Samurai which helps take the guess-work out of keyword research. I currently have one site up and running on autopilot that is averaging over $1 a month in Adsense earnings. Not great, I know, but that is with minimal link-building and marketing of the site. Another site is up and running, but not yet fully loaded with content. Still another is set up on Wordpress and hostgator, but without any content what so ever. It is difficult to handle building more than one site at a time, but hopefully now that my first project is up and running, I can turn my attention to building up the other sites. I like to do this in phases by batches of three. One site fully set up in traffic generation phase, one site set up in content generation phase, and one in the early process of appearance optimizing and layout editing. I try to keep a few "ideas", i.e. domain names and keywords, in the "pipeline" ready to go as soon as I get the first site up and running to a point I am comfortable leaving it on auto-pilot.
Old Fashioned Blogging
And, of course, we can't forget about blogging. I have many creative ideas for blogs. Oftentimes these ideas are even a forerunner to a niche site or a larger project of some kind. What is great about using Blogger is that I can test out ideas and start blogs with no financial investment! Later, when I have the time, resources, and have done the market research, I can simply import the Blogger content to a paid Wordpress blog. Alternatively, I can use my Blogger blogs to link to niche websites I am working on or other relevant blogs. The challenge - as always - is to find time in the week to keep the cylinders rolling on all of my blogs and projects.
Ecommerce
I have always used sites like ebay.com and amazon.com to sell old items around the house or great finds at local tagsales. During my college years, I also was able to pull in $100 a month from a small used online bookselling business. My inventory was mainly sourced from selling my friends textbooks online and the occassional church booksale, but beyond that I never really grew the business. Time permitting, I would absolutely love to expand this business and increase my inventory, but it is important to keep in mind that physical books are on their way out and digital media is the way of the future. More importantly, I have been researching various wholesale business opportunities that I can use to supply my amazon.com and ebay.com seller accounts. I have even gone so far as to register with the IRS for my business Tax I.D. So far I am struggling with the costs and benefits of dropshipping versus buying wholesale in bulk and storing at a physical location. This is something I would like to report on this site as I progress. Hopefully, I can help other aspiring e-entrepreneurs realize their potential by seeing my trials, errors, and successes.
Miscellaneous Money Making
One thing to always keep in mind - and something I try and remember daily - is that while the internet is a wonderful means to creating a great income, it should be incorporated into other ways of earning money. With that in mind, I have stepped up my game recently doing stock market investing for passive income and long term wealth creation. I recently transferred a blog from Blogger to Wordpress that deals with my stock market analysis, stock picks, and portfolio building. It is call The Value Digger Investor and is exactly the kind of idea that can bridge the gap between the online world and real world economics. Thus, I think I will be tracking any important updates on these types of developments here on this blog, even if it might seem beyond the scope.
Anyway, that's it for now. Stay tuned for further updates!
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Quick Review of Bukisa
I have been registered with Bukisa for a while, but only recently started writing articles there. While it may not be the most flashy site out there for aspiring revenue writers, it does provide a solid profit for earning some extra Google Adsense revenue. Bukisa can also be optimized with Chitika if you do not like/use Adsense.
The best part about Bukisa is that the writing standards are not incredibly anal. You can re-post your own original content from other sites. You can link to other articles within your article. It manages to have both these features without appearing to be another one of those notorious "content farms". There is a healthy community. Although it does not stir the pot in terms of new features, it is a decent site that I have been earning some money from my limited collection of articles.
If I start making tons of money from this site I will certainly do a more in depth review, but I wanted to put out some information out about this site because I feel that it is not readily recognized as much as it should be. Again, its not at the same tier as InfoBarrel or Wizzely, but it is a solid revenue earner.
Check it out: Bukisa.com
The best part about Bukisa is that the writing standards are not incredibly anal. You can re-post your own original content from other sites. You can link to other articles within your article. It manages to have both these features without appearing to be another one of those notorious "content farms". There is a healthy community. Although it does not stir the pot in terms of new features, it is a decent site that I have been earning some money from my limited collection of articles.
If I start making tons of money from this site I will certainly do a more in depth review, but I wanted to put out some information out about this site because I feel that it is not readily recognized as much as it should be. Again, its not at the same tier as InfoBarrel or Wizzely, but it is a solid revenue earner.
Check it out: Bukisa.com
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The New Xomba Writing Community
Many of you may have noticed that the old Xomba site has been replaced with a new sleeker version with better handling and better social media integration. I actually never liked the old site. It was very Web 1.0-ish. This was one of the reasons the site operators went ahead with the re-launch. Another reason was that after the Google Panda update, the owners felt that "earning money for writing" was now less realistic. There certainly are many sites that have gone down the tubes, so I don't entirely blame them
As someone who is trying to earn money and create wealth online, however, it is disappointing that they have place less of an emphasis on earning money. Most people used the old Xomba for backlinks through their bookmarking feature. The editors will not be tolerating this type of activity on the new Xomba site. As it is, the Adsense split is only a halfway decent 60/40 split in favor of the authors.
Just because the new Xomba appears to be less of an opportunity to earn money, does not mean it can't be done. For one thing, there is going to be a create writing culture and community. As an online author, networking can often make your life alot easier. Who knows, maybe the new site will be extremely Google friendly. If that is the case then it really doesn't matter what the Adsense split is. I would rather take a 60/40 split on a site that is Google friendly than get 100% revenue from a site that is junk on Google.
I have taken the new site for a little test drive to see where it takes me. I have posted a few "Top Lists" (one of the best new features), an article, and a few bookmarks to legitimate news articles. I will give it a month and then report back on my findings.
Check out the new site: http://www.xomba.com/
As someone who is trying to earn money and create wealth online, however, it is disappointing that they have place less of an emphasis on earning money. Most people used the old Xomba for backlinks through their bookmarking feature. The editors will not be tolerating this type of activity on the new Xomba site. As it is, the Adsense split is only a halfway decent 60/40 split in favor of the authors.
Just because the new Xomba appears to be less of an opportunity to earn money, does not mean it can't be done. For one thing, there is going to be a create writing culture and community. As an online author, networking can often make your life alot easier. Who knows, maybe the new site will be extremely Google friendly. If that is the case then it really doesn't matter what the Adsense split is. I would rather take a 60/40 split on a site that is Google friendly than get 100% revenue from a site that is junk on Google.
I have taken the new site for a little test drive to see where it takes me. I have posted a few "Top Lists" (one of the best new features), an article, and a few bookmarks to legitimate news articles. I will give it a month and then report back on my findings.
Check out the new site: http://www.xomba.com/
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A New Opportunity: Wizzley
I have been putting significant effort into Squidoo lately, trying to get over ten quality lenses finished by the end of this week. I really enjoy the way Squidoo works, the product integration, and the fun and helpful community atmosphere. That said, I was intrigued to hear that a few prolific Squidoo writers had branched off to form their own content creation site.
Wizzley is in some ways similar to Squidoo, but definitely is a creature of its own. It is still in the Beta stage of development, but people are already making money from it. What I love about Wizzley is that it allows product linking from AllPosters, Zazzle, Amazon, and the traditional Google Adsense method. While I have not signed up for the Zazzle affiliate program and still have not properly initiated my AllPosters affiliate promotion, I do love the flexibility having these multiple potential streams of revenue available.
I have not yet begun creating new content for Wizzley, but I have signed up and created an account. I have alot on my plate right now, but writing for this site just went to the top five of my "to do" list.
Check it out: Wizzley.com
Wizzley is in some ways similar to Squidoo, but definitely is a creature of its own. It is still in the Beta stage of development, but people are already making money from it. What I love about Wizzley is that it allows product linking from AllPosters, Zazzle, Amazon, and the traditional Google Adsense method. While I have not signed up for the Zazzle affiliate program and still have not properly initiated my AllPosters affiliate promotion, I do love the flexibility having these multiple potential streams of revenue available.
I have not yet begun creating new content for Wizzley, but I have signed up and created an account. I have alot on my plate right now, but writing for this site just went to the top five of my "to do" list.
Check it out: Wizzley.com
Monday, May 30, 2011
Earnings: May 2011
As promised, this is my very first monthly update of what I hope will be many years of wealth creation. Having come into this business after the Google Panda update I am fortunate to not be faced with the same discouragement that so many others have seen this past month due to the drop off in earnings. I honestly was not expecting to make any money at all this month. That is why I am pleased to report that I have earned over $10 in residual (i.e. not upfront pay) income in my first month.
Here is the breakdown of where the money game from:
Google Adsense: $5.94
- Infobarrel: $0.01 (8 articles posted)
- Value Digger Investor Blog: $0.54
-Webanswers: $5.22 (27 answers posted, 3 questions asked)
-Bukisa: $0.09 (5 articles posted)
Chitika: $0.36
- Infobarrel: $0.36 (8 articles posted)
Triond: $0.25 (5 articles posted)
RedGage: $0.31
List My 5: $4.22 (14 lists)
Hubpages: $0.29 (7 hubs created)
Helium: $0.07 (2 articles posted)
Associated Content: $0.15 (6 articles posted)
Squidoo: $0.23 (7 Lenses created)
GRAND TOTAL:: $11.82
So, it is much better than I expected given that I just started this month. Most of these articles and pages have not even had a full month to mature and gain fews. There are a number of other sites that I have registered and either only posted a single article or have not got around to posting yet. I will provide an update on these once I put more articles up.
In the next few days I will highlight some of the specific sites individually to break down the results.
Here is the breakdown of where the money game from:
Google Adsense: $5.94
- Infobarrel: $0.01 (8 articles posted)
- Value Digger Investor Blog: $0.54
-Webanswers: $5.22 (27 answers posted, 3 questions asked)
-Bukisa: $0.09 (5 articles posted)
Chitika: $0.36
- Infobarrel: $0.36 (8 articles posted)
Triond: $0.25 (5 articles posted)
RedGage: $0.31
List My 5: $4.22 (14 lists)
Hubpages: $0.29 (7 hubs created)
Helium: $0.07 (2 articles posted)
Associated Content: $0.15 (6 articles posted)
Squidoo: $0.23 (7 Lenses created)
GRAND TOTAL:: $11.82
So, it is much better than I expected given that I just started this month. Most of these articles and pages have not even had a full month to mature and gain fews. There are a number of other sites that I have registered and either only posted a single article or have not got around to posting yet. I will provide an update on these once I put more articles up.
In the next few days I will highlight some of the specific sites individually to break down the results.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
List My 5: A New Money Making Opportunity
From time to time I would like to update my readers on some of the specific ways I have found to make money online. As far as online earning sites go, LM5 is relatively new on the scene. It features a Writers Compensation Program similar to the old system at eHow. In fact, the site was creating specifically to fill the void left when eHow switched over from the WCP model. So far, in less than a month I have earned $4.22 on 14 lists created. Not too bad for minimal effort.
Here is the link: http://www.listmyfive.com/Home/Index
Here is the link: http://www.listmyfive.com/Home/Index
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Power of Squidoo
If you have not heard of Squidoo you are certainly missing out on a great money making opportunity. Squidoo is very similar to Hubpages, but gives you more options for making a unique page (otherwise know as a "lens") and placing Amazon or Ebay inserts. What is more, unlike Hubpages, you can insert virtually any code you like into the page itself. This means endless opportunities for affiliate marketers. You also get a share of the total income earned by Squidoo through revenue sharing which is dependent on the lens rank of your lenses.
I have created five lenses so far. Most of them have not met with much success, but one of them called Mafia Video Games which has already garnered a few sales. If you would like to start creating lenses yourself, check Squidoo out!
I will be giving a more detailed analysis of all of my money making ventures at the end of the month, including total profits!
I have created five lenses so far. Most of them have not met with much success, but one of them called Mafia Video Games which has already garnered a few sales. If you would like to start creating lenses yourself, check Squidoo out!
I will be giving a more detailed analysis of all of my money making ventures at the end of the month, including total profits!
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