Certified Blogaholic

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.

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.

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.

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.