Certified Blogaholic

After almost 9 months of blogging, I think I am finally getting the hang of it. Sometimes I worry that it is taking too much of my time. However, at the moment, it is as important to me as water. Writing helps me cope with difficulties. My blog somehow gives me a sense of purpose — I know I am still where I am meant to be. One day, I look forward to reassuring myself that it is what I was intended to do.

Though I still have a lot to learn and professional bloggers out there may crinkle their nose at my work, I believe I will be able to fine tune everything in time. For those who love to write, I am encouraging you to try it. Some do it for the extra income, and yet there are those who do it simply because they love words and the way they dance together.

For newbies, you can try a free blog to get the feel of it. But sooner or later, it would still be best to get your own domain and website. Only then will you be able to call it your own. It would also be good to join blogging communities. Nothing in any blogging book or literature can teach you about blogging than those who have been there for years — those who genuinely love writing.

Blogging is no longer just a hobby for me now. It is a passion I intend to pursue even after my laptop surrenders from exhaustion. For now, it stays strong and steady as I write on until the wee hours of the morning with only the sound of my fingers on the keys to comfort and accompany me.

There is nothing more I envy than those work-at-home moms who have the opportunity to stay longer hours with their children and still make their own income. This can’t be more true for blogger moms who do paid blogging. I have met some of them and really look forward to being one of them. Of course, some friends feel it is a waste of my abilities or competence. But whenever this issue is raised, I keep telling myself, so what? Why do some people think that writing in blogs is a lower form of ability than making a financial projection? It is not. Writing is gift that is not given to everyone. And no matter what people say, it is a gift. Go ask JK Rowling.

With this in mind, I encouraged my sister-in-law to try blogging and join paid blogging sites. She spends all day at home taking care of my cute nephew and niece. Why not earn with some of her extra time? And probably the most conducive paid blogging site for blogger moms is SocialSpark. At SocialSpark, you don’t have to watch the monitor all day waiting for opportunities to get ahead of the competition. If you miss an opportunity the first time it is available, you just get on queue and wait for Social Spark to send you an email once you get your turn. And what’s more, you get 12 hours from the time the opportunity is reserved to make your post. That is more than enough time to either take the kids to school and go back to do it or even to give them a bath or feed them.

The set-up is perfect for stay-at-home moms because there is no pressure to make the posts in just a few hours. I bet I can even pass by the grocery to get supplies and still have enough time to do a few posts before the 12-hour deadline expires. It has been a little over 2 months since SocialSpark was launched and yet the number of advertisers has not dwindled. Even while I am employed, I have already made close to $200 from SocialSpark. Imagine how much more a blogger mom with no office work can do.

So, for those stay-at-home moms out there, may be it’s time to put your writing skills to use instead of spending hours worrying about the kids, the laundry, and dinner. Maybe it’s time to prove that you can do more than house chores. Make your own money and you will not have to beg hubby for extra funds to buy that nice blouse or bag. Blog with SocialSpark and show the family that you are worth more than a housekeeper and a nanny.

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After over a month writing for SocialSpark.com, I have made decent income from blogging and learned so much from the endeavor. More than the money I have earned, I also learned from the subjects and the companies that I have written and blogged about. I realized the importance of edu and gov links to site rank, affiliate marketing, and other websites that may prove useful in everyday living.

In this endeavor, it is fulfilling to know that both advertisers and bloggers benefit and help each other out. Thus, it would help the industry further if there are more advertisers in various businesses who would take part in the process. I am a person who loves to learn about new things. It would be good if we find more advertisers involved in renewable resources, new technology, and advanced research. I would love to know more about mankind’s efforts to reduce wastes and emissions complemented with new technologies that will utilize other sources of energy. With the current crisis in fuel prices, I’d love to see what companies have committed themselves to in finding an alternative source of energy. I know there are companies now that are pursuing the manufacture of hybrid engines, cars that run on compressed air, electricity, and solar energy.

It would also be great to find out more about advancement in the field of medicine and alternative ways of healing. I practice yoga and I am aware that the world is now realizing that there are better ways to heal the body and soul instead of popping pills in your mouth. New technologies are also a source of wonder and amazement for me. I love those small gadgets that can almost do anything and everything.

Overall, the variety of advertisers in Social Spark is not bad. However, it would be great if the doors are opened to an even wider variety of businesses that make the world such a unique and wonderful place to live in.

Last night, I did several sponsored and non-sponsored posts but it was the the most stressful night I have had.  I failed to check the timelines and deadlines and found myself scrambling to submit all of them on time.  I made it though.  I only hope the quality of my post did not suffer.  But, I already learned my lesson.  Next time, I have to check the opportunities that I will be taking and make sure it does not coincide with those I have earlier committed to take.  Then of course, I have to learn to let go.  I can’t everything at the same time.  Regardless of how good a writer I am, it is just not possible to take everything and submit your work without batting an eyelash.  Whew!

After the whirlwind, I am breathing for a while.  I have another article due in a few minutes.  I also got accepted in another get-paid-to-blog site where I immediately got an offer from an advertiser.  Cool!  Just another hard days work.  I am still looking forward to more writing and hopefully, better time management.

Following the hype and anticipation surrounding IZEA’s new blog sponsoring program, rumors and speculations end with the launch of SocialSpark in April 2008. Prior to the launch, some bloggers were already aware of the features of the new platform. However, the real thing was not quite the same when bloggers actually got their hands on it.

The first time I set eyes on the SocialSpark site, I was overwhelmed by the number of options and controls on the front page. In contrast, PayPerPost had a simpler interface and there were fewer things to distract you from getting opportunities. Though, I was slightly apprehensive the first time, I did get the hang of it after a few clicks here and there. After I completed signing up and my blog was verified, I went straight to my own public profile to make sure I had done things properly. Besides offering sponsored posts to bloggers, IZEA introduced blog sponsorship that paid bloggers for advertisement links on their blog that earns on a daily basis. Another interesting feature is the expansion of the bloggers’ social community. Unlike PayPerPost, bloggers are now equipped to interact directly from the site itself. Just like any social network, you can look for friends and accept friendship requests from other members. Moreover, you can rate bloggers and their sites through the prop/drop feature in the public profile.

At the moment, I still have 16 friends in my network since I barely have the time to look for any. I did promise myself I would get down to it during less hectic periods. It is reassuring to find so many bloggers out there who seem to be in the same position as I am. One of the friends I made is a mom like me and I immediately gave her a prop. It was my way of saying I know what it’s like.

Since getting verified on April 18, I have taken 15 opportunities. As expected from any new program, there are still glitches in the system. However, IZEA’s efficient ticketing system ensures that problems are resolved as soon as possible. Some glitches make me worry since I had a few problems submitting posts. But I am certain these will all be working smoothly soon enough. Some bloggers do complain that the offers are a bit lower than they hoped for. But for me, it’s still icing on my cake considering that I am doing quite well at PayPerPost at the moment.

For all those working hard for IZEA to make Social Spark a success, I have only one thing to say — Good Job!

This is a sponsored post.

This is one of the luckiest days I have had for a very long time.  After 6 months of blogging, fortune finally smiled on me and granted the blog a PR3.  I am currently scrambling to get as much opportunities as I can. This comes with a prayer that I get to keep my PR3 forever.

I have been grumbling for the past few days and I was really down.  It has gotten so bad that I have taken it out on people who have helped and supported me for so long now. With some soul-searching last night, I woke up apologetic for the way I have been acting the past few days.  At that point, I was prepared to take any punishment because I felt I deserved it.  Despite the way I have acted, I was forgiven.  And to top it all off, I got what I have almost given up on.

Before this streak of luck, I already outlined all my options to be able to move forward.  I swore I would try hard to stay happy and content with what I have.  Of course, I thought of all the opportunities I can take to improve my life.  I have been looking around for a good business idea for a while.  I finally came up with one that I believe would be a good start.  I sent an email to those I needed to deal with and hope that I will get a favorable response soon.

Maybe I can get a good night sleep finally after several days of shallow rest and constantly worrying about so many things.  Life is actually good.  You just need to know which direction to look.

After months of blogging and making decent money from it, it has now become a way of life for me. Even my 3 boys help me watch out for campaigns or opportunities if I have to be away for a while. They also give me ideas for topics on my blog. I admit it hasn’t been easy when I started. Finding topics to write about while my youngest baby asks me for help with his Xbox 360 games was a bit difficult. It was also frustrating waiting endlessly for opportunities for a blog with no Page Rank. When they do come, the pay was so minimal compared to the other opportunities given to those with higher page ranks. In time, I learned to take it with a grain of salt. Minimal income is still income nonetheless. I was confident something will happen to turn everything around soon.

I believe my wait is finally over. Izea’s long-awaited SocialSpark launched its beta phase. I registered my blog immediately. The system was a little more complex than PayPerPost but I was eager to start knowing that the Izea team worked hard on the new system that improves on all the chinks that PayPerPost had. Izea combined the features of a paid-to-blog model with a social network. Now, they have definitely created an authentic community of bloggers and advertisers coming together to widen further the horizons of the blogosphere. With SocialSpark, there are 2 ways to earn money from a blog. You can earn income by taking opportunities from advertisers and writing about them in your blog. Or you can earn through blog sponsorship. Blog sponsorship works for niche blogs that focus on specific categories such as technology, health, or entertainment. For this option, an advertiser can choose a blog that deals in his area of business to market his products or service. Aside from making money, a blog can also exchange posts with other blogs for free to improve traffic and increase followers.

More than the improvement on its features, SocialSpark is set apart from PayPerPost and other get-paid-to-blog models by its code of ethics. Under the code of ethics, bloggers are required to include a disclosure badge on the sponsored posts to make sure that readers know that the content is being paid for. This elicits trust from readers and avoids the appearance of impropriety. Second, every participant in SocialSpark is viewable by the public. The public is made aware of transactions between advertisers and bloggers to keep the community transparent and honest. Third, there are no restrictions on how a blogger wishes to write about the product or service, subject to an agreement with the advertiser. Thus, bloggers are encouraged to take opportunities that they believe represents the principles that the blog adheres to. Finally, each sponsored post now carries the “no follow” attribute to avoid penalties given by search engines. Almost all blogs doing sponsored post were penalized by search engines within the past year with a substantial reduction in page rank. It has been the major concern in the blogosphere for so long which Izea now has resolved. Moreover, SocialSpark now utilizes RealRank as a major criteria to segregate the opportunities that blogs are qualified to take.

I’m still learning as I go along. And I look forward to meeting new people and learning more from the community. I finally see a brighter future for my blog as Izea ignites a revolution in the blogosphere with SocialSpark.

I have never made so much posts as I did today since I started my blog.  With the launch of Izea’s SocialSparks, I have been writing non-stop since this morning.  I’m making the most out of the opportunities that were made available this morning.  I have to take as much as I can knowing that sometimes opportunities can really be scarce.

This really put my writing skills to a test as my brain worked overtime.  The more difficult part for me is finding a topic for my interim posts.  Ideas are getting harder to come by as the blogosphere continues to widen and stretch on a daily basis.  Hardcore bloggers think that sponsored blogging has polluted their haven.  On the other hand, others have found the opportunity as a gift from heaven.  With the economy on a slump, everyone needs to earn something extra.  I agree that some of the new bloggers have substandard writing skills.  Still, it is not enough to say that Izea has been a bane to the blogosphere.  If media companies can make money from advertising, who’s to say that us normal folks can’t do the same?

It has been pretty quiet for me for several days now on my paid blogging activities. Opportunities at PayPerPost have been difficult to grab lately with Google downgrading blogs with paid or sponsored links to PR0. Now, there are even more PR0 blogs trying to get limited opps. Last night I saw 5 opportunities in PPP ranging from $5-$15. My connection speed was virtually at a crawl and I couldn’t even get one. I suspect that a lot of members are logged in at that time trying to grab whatever they could and it was pretty frustrating considering that weeks before I was sure to get an opp just as long as it appears available to me within a minute.

I’m crossing my fingers that the next few days will be better. Meanwhile, I have been surfing through the net looking for other opportunities to earn income from my blog. Several of these were affiliate programs. Although I have been told that some don’t really give out as much as they promised, I still tried them. Hopefully, something good will turn out. Wish me luck.

Are you the type of person with the Midas Touch? I have a friend who never fails to win prizes in raffles and contests. Sometimes I find it unbelievable considering that I am quite the opposite. In my entire lifetime, I have never won a grand prize and probably won only twice on minor prizes. Some say it’s all in the mind. The trick is to believe without a doubt that you will win. And since I have always believed that I was unlucky with these stuff, maybe that is the reason that I actually don’t win. But I do remember that on those few times that I won, I was very happy — I was in the best mood.

I realized that maybe I can test out the positive thinking theory and join some online contests. A good site I found that offers online contests is BreakTheVault.com. There are several free online contests where members can join in solving the game. The first to solve the game wins the prize on that specific contest. Every Monday, BreakTheVault will launch a new game. For each succeeding day, a clue will be released to help contestants solve the puzzle. This will go on until the game is solved. The amount of the cash prize or the value of the prize will depend on the difficulty of the game. The only requirement is that you are over 18 years old and you are a US resident. So, if you have a knack for solving puzzles, this may be a fun way to make money. The current ongoing contest offers a cash prize of $200. Visit the site and see if you have the skill to earn easy cash.

Certified Blogaholic still has a Google PR of 0, as in nada. I’ve been reading through the web for weeks and trying out the tips and suggestions by webmasters and bloggers. But I would like to be able to maximize all the information and implement them on my blog in order to improve my PR by the next ranking.

Lucky for me I discovered Bloggingfingers.com and was able to download the Blog Monetization Strategies ebook by Matt Jones for free. I was initially bent on making money only through get paid to blog sites. After reading the book, I realized my blog has more potential to make money than I thought. I can also make a lot from advertising. As a matter of fact, those who have been in the industry for a while make tons of money from advertising alone. But what I really like about the book is that the first part discusses important online advertising terms. It is the ideal book for newbies like me. It is likewise organized and segregates Niche blogs and Flagship blogs. Matt Jones even prepared monetization scenarios for both types of blogs.

Whether you’re a neophyte blogger or not, the ebook will prove valuable you. As an added bonus, Bloggingfingers even gives people who download the book a chance to win $300. If that is not incentive enough, I don’t know what is. Download the free Blog Monetization Stratgies e-book here .

As I mentioned in my previous post, blogging has now become an opportunity for many internet junkies to make money. I started late but I am trying to catch up. Good thing there are a new sites coming out that offer opportunities for bloggers like me. With the leading site already clogged with bloggers grabbing at limited opportunities, new sites give new bloggers a chance to show their mettle.

Bloggerwave is a new addition to the industry that is certainly making headway. I recently applied and got my blog approved. This is now my chance to prove myself. Bloggerwave is based in Europe and focuses on giving advertisers quality promotions from quality blogs. They have improved their service with efficient servers and developed a system that will benefit both advertisers and their bloggers. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities here than in other paid to blog sites.

With so many get paid to blog services in the net, bloggerwave is one of the few that is sure give the rest a run for their money.

I entered the blogosphere too late. I was so focused on my current job that I neglected my real first love — computers and technology. By the time I realized the web was teeming with opportunities, everyone else has taken the plunge. How could I, the first person to have a desktop PC in our class, come in too late to the huge opportunities that the technology offered?

Now, even my talent in writing couldn’t help me catch up with the rest of the pack. Opportunities are so rare for new blogs like mine. I read other blogs and know that mine is world’s away from theirs. I feel I’m moving at snail’s pace. But I’m a fast learner. I know I will make it soon. I am learning everyday. A couple more sweat, a little perseverance, and I will make it.

I always wondered what magic lures so many visitors to Las Vegas. Can it really be the numerous casinos? Is there really such a thing as a gambling bug? Why would people risk hard-earned money on casinos anyway?

Just out of curiosity, I tried an online casino to experience the feeling that hooks so many people. They were right. It can be addictive. Losing doesn’t dampen your spirits. It actually motivates you to play more. Winning is the only option. Of course, the practical and sensible side of me always wins out in the end. I won a few bucks and as much as I would like to make more, I knew a smart player knows when to stop and play another day.

I realized though, that if I really wanted to play and make money, I had to learn the tricks of the trade. So, I started my research through the internet and tried to get my hands on tips to increase the odds of winning. I couldn’t believe what I found. I found Pro360.com and discovered that I didn’t have to go to any other site. Everything I needed to know was just a click away from me. Pro360.com is an online casino review site that assists players in choosing the best online casino. It will save players time and effort trying to figure out which one to play in. Online casinos are ranked, not only according to the general review of the site, but also according to player votes and best bonuses. Whatever a player believes is the best criteria, the ranking is available.

From Pro360.com’s ranking and those in the other categories, I made a shortlist of those I wanted to check out. I read the site’s review of the site which includes the editor’s rating and players’ ratings. It also provides a review of the game experience, bonuses, and trust score. All these information helped me choose the one that would give me the best playing experience and maximum earnings. If you are still uncertain about what to do, you can check out the Beginner’s Guide to Online Gambling when you click the link on the side column.

Gambling doesn’t necessarily mean a bad habit as long as you control your itch and play smart. Learn before you play at Pro360.com.