So, you've got your blog set up. You've written a few posts. You've gone to a bunch of different linking, social network and promotions sites to get out the word on your blog. You've e-mailed all your friends and family and asked them to check it out.
Then you sit and wait and hope for traffic. Maybe you just want others to know what you think on certain topics. Maybe you want others to critique your writing. Or maybe you're trying to become a professional blogger. All of us have different reasons for blogging.
But the beginning can be tough for a blogger. You're not likely to get a lot of traffic. Sure, with some patience and hard work others will begin to take notice and you'll start getting some traffic. But until then, you can almost hear the crickets chirping somewhere in the distance during the night.
At this point, a lot of bloggers will decide it's time to post more stories or articles on their blog. After all, if there's more content, shouldn't more readers soon be following?
Not likely, actually. The writing is the easy part. The promotions is the hard part. Getting the word out about your blog can be one of the most time-consuming, and sometimes frustrating, tasks with which a blogger has to cope. There are things you can do, such as studying and implementing SEO, having your blog listed at online directories, linking to other blogs, etc. Truly one of the best things you can do at this point is to leave posts on other people's blogs, especially early on.
But you want to write! That's why you've got a blog, after all. Just show a little patience.
Early on in a blog's life, you probably only need to post a new article about once a week, maybe twice a week if your topic is timely. If you're not getting a lot of traffic early on, it makes little sense to keep putting up more and more articles. No one is going to see them. What little traffic you do have might check back in a few days or a week to see if you've updated, so it's not a bad idea to blog at least once a week, but lots and lots of blog posts will look like what it is: desperation. And you don't want to look desperate. It will drive away potential readers.
Once you begin to see some regular traffic, maybe a regular viewership of 20 or so a day, you can maybe post two or three times a week, if you want. But really, a couple of times a week should likely be your maximum. Keep in mind there are a lot of blogs out there, and most readers won't have the time or the inclination to want to check out your blog every single day.
Eventually, however, with some luck and hard work, you might bet one of those fortunate blogs that begins to have a readership in the thousands every day. What to do then?
I still wouldn't suggest blogging every day, that is unless you are writing a news blog of some sort that has to be up-to-the-minute on news for some industry or interest. Three to four blog posts a week should do it. Yes, your readers will want content, but keep them guessing just a bit. Even if they check in several times a day to find out what's the latest on your blog, the anticipation will keep them guessing and coming back for more.
But that's only if you have a hugely popular blog. The rest of us should probably only blog once or twice a week.
If you still have the inclination to blog every day, I suggest starting up more than one blog. Pick several different topics, then start a blog for each of them. If you grow bored with one of them after a while, you can always delete the blog.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
A day in the life of a content publishing writer
I have a file on my desktop. Actually, a have a bunch of files on my desktop. But this one particular file is my workflow schedule for the day. It tells me what I should be doing that day.
See, I'm a writer. I write at home for a living. I write for blogs . I write for content publishing websites . I write guest posts on other people's blogs . It's what I do. It's how I make a living. I'm not getting rich, but it's not a bad time. I write about books . I write about video games . I write about beer . And, of course, I write about writing .
Back to this file on my desktop. It holds my schedule for the week, broken down by the seven days. This schedule allows me to keep track of what I should be doing each day. With five blogs, guest postings, six regular content writing sites, fiction writing and other odds-and-ends writing gigs, it's not easy to keep track of everything I do and need to do.
That's why the schedule exists. It allows me to keep track of what I need to be doing.
The morning
So, first thing I do in the morning is check that schedule.
Then I check my earnings from AdSense , an advertising site for online content.
Next are my e-mails. I run through them to see if there's anything I need to do immediately or anyone I need to get back to.
After that I head on over to Triond . Triond isn't necessarily the best nor worst content publishing site on the Web, but it fits my needs perfectly. It's sort of my home base for most of my online writing projects. Since you can only publish new material at Triond, I start there.
Usually by early morning on Triond any articles I wrote the day before for the site have been published. I get to work doing some linking and promotions. I copy and paste and do a little rewriting and place my articles on other content publishing sites, such as RedGage and Bukisa , though there are others I use. I also make sure to place links to my Triond articles on networking and linking sites like Twitter and Reddit and Hitmarks , and there are several other sites, too.
I then get around to updating my blogs.
All that takes at least an hour, sometimes a little longer. I usually take a short break. Eat breakfast. Walk the dog. Whatever.
Mid day
Then I'm sitting in front of the computer once more.
I check my e-mails again.
The next two to four hours are spent doing mostly promotions work for my online writings. I go to at least 10 blogs and leave a message post or two. I go back to the networking and linking sites I utilize for Triond and make sure to post some messages, do some tweeting, whathaveyou , mainly so I won't seem like a spammer on these sites but also because it does indeed help to drive traffic to my articles (which is important because that's how I make money). I check out some articles on Triond and similar sites, sometimes leaving a post, and I'll briefly run through the Triond forums.
Sometimes I'll check in with Amazon to see how some of my ebooks are selling.
Now it's time for another break. Often this break is a long one. I'll have to run to the store for the wife, or I'll have bills to pay or other errands to run. This is usually the time of day when I get other things done.
Late day
I'm usually doing promotions work and checking email again for at least an hour, often times more like two or three hours. Promotions is really a big key. I honestly get more views on my articles, and more AdSense dollars, through my promotions work than I do through my actual writing.
At this point I begin to do some Web exploration. Are there any other writing sites I need to know about? Are there any blogs I should be reading? Any new linking sites? Advertising sites? Promotional sites? This can take an hour, sometimes less, depending on whether or not I'm signing up for any new sites. I also check in with various websites that often include news that could be of not only interest to me, but to my writing.
Another short break. Maybe a late lunch or early dinner.
Night time
I usually do some email checking and Adsense checking and short glancings at promotional sites, etc.
You have to be wondering, when does this guy do any actual writing?
Usually about now, late in the day or late at night. I only write a couple of actual articles a day, at least one for Triond and sometimes one for a blog. Sometimes I have a guest post I have to do for someone else's blog. Sometimes I've got some other kind of writing to do. At very rare times I will write more than just a couple of articles, but that's usually just if I'm in the mood to write something.
Then, late at night, I do some fiction writing. This is normally how I end my day, other than reading a little before going to bed. Sometimes I'll check in with my blogs and with AdSense just before nodding off.
Winding down
So, that's my day. Nothing special, but it keeps me busy and brings in a little money. It's full-time work, and it's not easy, though by far it's not the worst job in the world. I get to write for a living. I can't ask more than that.
But what's to be learned from all this, other than I spend a ton of time in front of a computer?
To make it as an online writer, you need to be organized. Which is why I have a schedule for each day and I try to stick with it. And you need to try to avoid distractions throughout the day; sure, you have other things to do, but I try to work them in between my writing and promoting.
If you decide to give online writing and blogging a try, keep in mind it's not easy. To make money at it, even a little money or at least more than a mere pittance, takes a lot of work. It's a full-time job. And it takes a while to begin making money, sometimes even a couple of years.
See, I'm a writer. I write at home for a living. I write for blogs . I write for content publishing websites . I write guest posts on other people's blogs . It's what I do. It's how I make a living. I'm not getting rich, but it's not a bad time. I write about books . I write about video games . I write about beer . And, of course, I write about writing .
Back to this file on my desktop. It holds my schedule for the week, broken down by the seven days. This schedule allows me to keep track of what I should be doing each day. With five blogs, guest postings, six regular content writing sites, fiction writing and other odds-and-ends writing gigs, it's not easy to keep track of everything I do and need to do.
That's why the schedule exists. It allows me to keep track of what I need to be doing.
The morning
So, first thing I do in the morning is check that schedule.
Then I check my earnings from AdSense , an advertising site for online content.
Next are my e-mails. I run through them to see if there's anything I need to do immediately or anyone I need to get back to.
After that I head on over to Triond . Triond isn't necessarily the best nor worst content publishing site on the Web, but it fits my needs perfectly. It's sort of my home base for most of my online writing projects. Since you can only publish new material at Triond, I start there.
Usually by early morning on Triond any articles I wrote the day before for the site have been published. I get to work doing some linking and promotions. I copy and paste and do a little rewriting and place my articles on other content publishing sites, such as RedGage and Bukisa , though there are others I use. I also make sure to place links to my Triond articles on networking and linking sites like Twitter and Reddit and Hitmarks , and there are several other sites, too.
I then get around to updating my blogs.
All that takes at least an hour, sometimes a little longer. I usually take a short break. Eat breakfast. Walk the dog. Whatever.
Mid day
Then I'm sitting in front of the computer once more.
I check my e-mails again.
The next two to four hours are spent doing mostly promotions work for my online writings. I go to at least 10 blogs and leave a message post or two. I go back to the networking and linking sites I utilize for Triond and make sure to post some messages, do some tweeting, whathaveyou , mainly so I won't seem like a spammer on these sites but also because it does indeed help to drive traffic to my articles (which is important because that's how I make money). I check out some articles on Triond and similar sites, sometimes leaving a post, and I'll briefly run through the Triond forums.
Sometimes I'll check in with Amazon to see how some of my ebooks are selling.
Now it's time for another break. Often this break is a long one. I'll have to run to the store for the wife, or I'll have bills to pay or other errands to run. This is usually the time of day when I get other things done.
Late day
I'm usually doing promotions work and checking email again for at least an hour, often times more like two or three hours. Promotions is really a big key. I honestly get more views on my articles, and more AdSense dollars, through my promotions work than I do through my actual writing.
At this point I begin to do some Web exploration. Are there any other writing sites I need to know about? Are there any blogs I should be reading? Any new linking sites? Advertising sites? Promotional sites? This can take an hour, sometimes less, depending on whether or not I'm signing up for any new sites. I also check in with various websites that often include news that could be of not only interest to me, but to my writing.
Another short break. Maybe a late lunch or early dinner.
Night time
I usually do some email checking and Adsense checking and short glancings at promotional sites, etc.
You have to be wondering, when does this guy do any actual writing?
Usually about now, late in the day or late at night. I only write a couple of actual articles a day, at least one for Triond and sometimes one for a blog. Sometimes I have a guest post I have to do for someone else's blog. Sometimes I've got some other kind of writing to do. At very rare times I will write more than just a couple of articles, but that's usually just if I'm in the mood to write something.
Then, late at night, I do some fiction writing. This is normally how I end my day, other than reading a little before going to bed. Sometimes I'll check in with my blogs and with AdSense just before nodding off.
Winding down
So, that's my day. Nothing special, but it keeps me busy and brings in a little money. It's full-time work, and it's not easy, though by far it's not the worst job in the world. I get to write for a living. I can't ask more than that.
But what's to be learned from all this, other than I spend a ton of time in front of a computer?
To make it as an online writer, you need to be organized. Which is why I have a schedule for each day and I try to stick with it. And you need to try to avoid distractions throughout the day; sure, you have other things to do, but I try to work them in between my writing and promoting.
If you decide to give online writing and blogging a try, keep in mind it's not easy. To make money at it, even a little money or at least more than a mere pittance, takes a lot of work. It's a full-time job. And it takes a while to begin making money, sometimes even a couple of years.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Privacy policy
Privacy Policy for writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com
The privacy of our visitors to writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com is important to us.
At writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.
Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.
Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.
We also use third party advertisements on writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).
DoubleClick DART cookies
We also may use DART cookies for ad serving through Google’s DoubleClick, which places a cookie on your computer when you are browsing the web and visit a site using DoubleClick advertising (including some Google AdSense advertisements). This cookie is used to serve ads specific to you and your interests (”interest based targeting”). The ads served will be targeted based on your previous browsing history (For example, if you have been viewing sites about visiting Las Vegas, you may see Las Vegas hotel advertisements when viewing a non-related site, such as on a site about hockey). DART uses “non personally identifiable information”. It does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. You can opt-out of this ad serving on all sites using this advertising by visiting Dart Ad-serving and Search Cookie Opt Out.
You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.
Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any advertising program. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit a site running the advertisements, a new cookie will be added.
The privacy of our visitors to writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com is important to us.
At writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.
Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.
Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.
We also use third party advertisements on writingonlineformoney.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).
DoubleClick DART cookies
We also may use DART cookies for ad serving through Google’s DoubleClick, which places a cookie on your computer when you are browsing the web and visit a site using DoubleClick advertising (including some Google AdSense advertisements). This cookie is used to serve ads specific to you and your interests (”interest based targeting”). The ads served will be targeted based on your previous browsing history (For example, if you have been viewing sites about visiting Las Vegas, you may see Las Vegas hotel advertisements when viewing a non-related site, such as on a site about hockey). DART uses “non personally identifiable information”. It does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. You can opt-out of this ad serving on all sites using this advertising by visiting Dart Ad-serving and Search Cookie Opt Out.
You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.
Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any advertising program. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit a site running the advertisements, a new cookie will be added.
AdSense Privacy Policy Provided by JenSense
Friday, May 14, 2010
Start your own print magazine at no cost
Rolling Stone. Newsweek. Good Housekeeping. You've heard of them. Now you can join their ranks.
Ever wanted to own your own print magazine? Maybe you’d like to publish a fiction magazine with short stories written by your friends? Or possibly you’d like to create a niche magazine about a certain topic? Pets? Sports? Video games? Whatever?
But that costs a lot of money. Right? Right.
Not any more.
Now there’s MagCloud.
What is MagCloud? It’s a self-publishing web service.
Yeah, but what does that mean? Basically, MagCloud is a print-on-demand service.
Let me break it down for you.
You want to start a magazine, so first you’ve got to get all the stories and artwork together. Then you design your magazine and save it as a PDF file. Next you create an account on MagCloud. You upload your PDF file to MagCloud. The folks at MagCloud print out a copy of your magazine and mail it to you, and this might take a couple of weeks. Once you get the printed copy of your magazine, you look over it for any errors or what you perceive as printing or design issues. You log back onto MagCloud and make any corrections.
From then on, your magazine is available for purchase online.
And it didn’t cost you a thing.
How is this possible? Readers can order your magazine online. Since MagCloudoperates as a print-on-demand service, they only have to print out however many of your magazine has been ordered. If ten orders are put in for your publication, then MagCloud prints out ten copies and mails them out. If a thousand orders are placed, MagCloud prints those and mails them.
It’s rather simple.
And, within reason, you get to set the price for your magazine. Of course MagCloud will have some upfront fees to cover printing services, but the reader will pay for those in the price of the magazine, not you.
For example, according to the MagCloud website, the magazines available through them cost about 20 cents per page. That’s cost to the reader. So if you have a 20 page magazine, the base cost to the reader will be four dollars.
But if you want to make money, you just charge more than the base price. Let’s go back to that four dollars. That four dollars covers the printing costs, so that has to remain. All you have to do is tack on a dollar, for example, and suddenly you are making a dollar for every copy of your magazine that is sold.
It sounds simple, and it is.
So if you’re interested, start your own magazine today. The potential is even there for other projects. If you sell a product, you could create your own catalogue. Or you could make a chapbook of your short stories to give to family and friends. You could even make a promotional brochure. The ideas are only limited by your imagination.
Related articles
What is a content publishing website?
Four Places Online to Publish Your Ebook for Free
Ever wanted to own your own print magazine? Maybe you’d like to publish a fiction magazine with short stories written by your friends? Or possibly you’d like to create a niche magazine about a certain topic? Pets? Sports? Video games? Whatever?
But that costs a lot of money. Right? Right.
Not any more.
Now there’s MagCloud.
What is MagCloud? It’s a self-publishing web service.
Yeah, but what does that mean? Basically, MagCloud is a print-on-demand service.
Let me break it down for you.
You want to start a magazine, so first you’ve got to get all the stories and artwork together. Then you design your magazine and save it as a PDF file. Next you create an account on MagCloud. You upload your PDF file to MagCloud. The folks at MagCloud print out a copy of your magazine and mail it to you, and this might take a couple of weeks. Once you get the printed copy of your magazine, you look over it for any errors or what you perceive as printing or design issues. You log back onto MagCloud and make any corrections.
From then on, your magazine is available for purchase online.
And it didn’t cost you a thing.
How is this possible? Readers can order your magazine online. Since MagCloudoperates as a print-on-demand service, they only have to print out however many of your magazine has been ordered. If ten orders are put in for your publication, then MagCloud prints out ten copies and mails them out. If a thousand orders are placed, MagCloud prints those and mails them.
It’s rather simple.
And, within reason, you get to set the price for your magazine. Of course MagCloud will have some upfront fees to cover printing services, but the reader will pay for those in the price of the magazine, not you.
For example, according to the MagCloud website, the magazines available through them cost about 20 cents per page. That’s cost to the reader. So if you have a 20 page magazine, the base cost to the reader will be four dollars.
But if you want to make money, you just charge more than the base price. Let’s go back to that four dollars. That four dollars covers the printing costs, so that has to remain. All you have to do is tack on a dollar, for example, and suddenly you are making a dollar for every copy of your magazine that is sold.
It sounds simple, and it is.
So if you’re interested, start your own magazine today. The potential is even there for other projects. If you sell a product, you could create your own catalogue. Or you could make a chapbook of your short stories to give to family and friends. You could even make a promotional brochure. The ideas are only limited by your imagination.
Related articles
What is a content publishing website?
Four Places Online to Publish Your Ebook for Free
Thursday, May 13, 2010
What is a Content Publishing Website?
If you are reading this, you are on my blog. But usually my articles appear on websites published by an online content provider.
What does that mean?
Let me break it down for you.
I'm a writer. I go to one of these content publishing websites and there I write an article. Then the websites' editors or computers (some of these websites are automated) go over my article to make sure it meets their standards. If the article does meet their standards, then the article is published online.
I can make money doing this. And it doesn't cost me a thing to sign up for these content publishing sites. Many sites also publish images, video and audio. Some sites even accept fiction and poetry for publishing.
It's relatively easy. Just about anyone can do it. So why aren't more people utilizing such sites?
Because they don't pay a lot of money.
Plenty of people do try to use these content providers, but most don't hang around very long once they realize they're not making much money.
So why do I use these sites? Well, I need the money, for one thing. For another thing, I used to be a newspaper journalist, which is a career that's nearly dead right up there with the buggy salesman.
But still, if there's not a lot of money to be made, why do I use these sites? I'm an experienced writer, editor and publisher, so I've got the background. It's what I know how to do. But more importantly, right now I've got the time, the time to write and publish. So, even though there's not a lot of money to be made initially, there is money to be made in the long run.
How much money? I don't know. Probably not millions. Maybe, just maybe, enough for me to live on and to provide for my family.
It's a lot of work. At the sites I utilize, I get paid by the number of viewers who see my articles. Other sites work differently, but I prefer not to use them because I feel there is better long-term potential for me with the sites I like. But it's not easy getting people to see and read your articles. That's where the real work begins. The writing is the easy part.
So how do you get those viewers? Truth to tell, some viewers come directly from the original content publishing sites. I'm not the only writer on these sites, and we tend to look at each others' work at least some of the time. More importantly, at least for me, there are tons of networking and socializing sites out there which if utilized properly can bring viewers to one's articles.
Facebook is one. Twitter is another. You've probably heard of those. But there are also plenty of other sites. StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit and SheToldMe are just a few. If used correctly, without spamming, these sites can bring hundreds and sometimes thousands of viewers to one's writings. It also doesn't hurt to have a blog, which you can also use to drive online traffic to your articles, and vice versa. And since there are more than just a few of these content publishing sites, you can use your articles from one site to link to your articles at another site, and then keep this going back and forth.
Theoretically, the potential for earnings is endless. The reality is it's a lot of work without a lot of money, at least not in the beginning.
I've been using these content publishers for about a year now, and it seems every day I'm learning something new. Also, each month my earnings have been going up and up. I have to keep at it every day, because when I slack off my earnings do too, but when I'm writing and publishing and linking every day, my earnings keep going up and up.
Another stream of revenue is through using online advertising. Basically, you place ads on pages where your content appears, then you make so much money from the original advertiser. Online advertising isn't allowed on every publishing site, but it is on enough of them. I use Google's AdSense for most of my online advertising, but other services are available, such as Chitika.
Yet another way to make money from publishing with content providers is through referrals. Referrals are where you get friends and others to sign up on one of these publishing sites and when they make money, you make money. And don't worry. These sites don't take money from your friends to pay you.
Between what I make from the advertising, referrals and what the original content publishing sites pay, I'm beginning to make fairly decent money. It's not enough to live on, but it helps pay the bills. I'm hoping in the long run it'll pay more than that.
But that's all about me. What about you?
These content publishing sites can do several things for you. Yes, they can provide you potentially interesting reading and viewing material. Also, if you are interested in writing, these sites are great for beginners. And yes, you can make a little money, just remember to be realistic about your expectations. A dollar or two a month is actually doing pretty good for someone just beginning to use online content providers.
Where do you go from here? Well, there are numerous content publishers out there, but here is a list of the ones I use (or you can check out the list to the left of this article). In an effort at full disclosure, I'll admit that those links will act as referrals for me, so if you sign up for any of these sites after clicking the links below, I'll make a little money once you start making money. Also, each site has their own rules, so make sure to look them over before you sign up. As for the quality of each of these publishers, that's for another article. Good luck!
What does that mean?
Let me break it down for you.
I'm a writer. I go to one of these content publishing websites and there I write an article. Then the websites' editors or computers (some of these websites are automated) go over my article to make sure it meets their standards. If the article does meet their standards, then the article is published online.
I can make money doing this. And it doesn't cost me a thing to sign up for these content publishing sites. Many sites also publish images, video and audio. Some sites even accept fiction and poetry for publishing.
It's relatively easy. Just about anyone can do it. So why aren't more people utilizing such sites?
Because they don't pay a lot of money.
Plenty of people do try to use these content providers, but most don't hang around very long once they realize they're not making much money.
So why do I use these sites? Well, I need the money, for one thing. For another thing, I used to be a newspaper journalist, which is a career that's nearly dead right up there with the buggy salesman.
But still, if there's not a lot of money to be made, why do I use these sites? I'm an experienced writer, editor and publisher, so I've got the background. It's what I know how to do. But more importantly, right now I've got the time, the time to write and publish. So, even though there's not a lot of money to be made initially, there is money to be made in the long run.
How much money? I don't know. Probably not millions. Maybe, just maybe, enough for me to live on and to provide for my family.
It's a lot of work. At the sites I utilize, I get paid by the number of viewers who see my articles. Other sites work differently, but I prefer not to use them because I feel there is better long-term potential for me with the sites I like. But it's not easy getting people to see and read your articles. That's where the real work begins. The writing is the easy part.
So how do you get those viewers? Truth to tell, some viewers come directly from the original content publishing sites. I'm not the only writer on these sites, and we tend to look at each others' work at least some of the time. More importantly, at least for me, there are tons of networking and socializing sites out there which if utilized properly can bring viewers to one's articles.
Facebook is one. Twitter is another. You've probably heard of those. But there are also plenty of other sites. StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit and SheToldMe are just a few. If used correctly, without spamming, these sites can bring hundreds and sometimes thousands of viewers to one's writings. It also doesn't hurt to have a blog, which you can also use to drive online traffic to your articles, and vice versa. And since there are more than just a few of these content publishing sites, you can use your articles from one site to link to your articles at another site, and then keep this going back and forth.
Theoretically, the potential for earnings is endless. The reality is it's a lot of work without a lot of money, at least not in the beginning.
I've been using these content publishers for about a year now, and it seems every day I'm learning something new. Also, each month my earnings have been going up and up. I have to keep at it every day, because when I slack off my earnings do too, but when I'm writing and publishing and linking every day, my earnings keep going up and up.
Another stream of revenue is through using online advertising. Basically, you place ads on pages where your content appears, then you make so much money from the original advertiser. Online advertising isn't allowed on every publishing site, but it is on enough of them. I use Google's AdSense for most of my online advertising, but other services are available, such as Chitika.
Yet another way to make money from publishing with content providers is through referrals. Referrals are where you get friends and others to sign up on one of these publishing sites and when they make money, you make money. And don't worry. These sites don't take money from your friends to pay you.
Between what I make from the advertising, referrals and what the original content publishing sites pay, I'm beginning to make fairly decent money. It's not enough to live on, but it helps pay the bills. I'm hoping in the long run it'll pay more than that.
But that's all about me. What about you?
These content publishing sites can do several things for you. Yes, they can provide you potentially interesting reading and viewing material. Also, if you are interested in writing, these sites are great for beginners. And yes, you can make a little money, just remember to be realistic about your expectations. A dollar or two a month is actually doing pretty good for someone just beginning to use online content providers.
Where do you go from here? Well, there are numerous content publishers out there, but here is a list of the ones I use (or you can check out the list to the left of this article). In an effort at full disclosure, I'll admit that those links will act as referrals for me, so if you sign up for any of these sites after clicking the links below, I'll make a little money once you start making money. Also, each site has their own rules, so make sure to look them over before you sign up. As for the quality of each of these publishers, that's for another article. Good luck!
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