Entrecard Has Been Good To Me

I have been using Entrecard for a little over a month. It has definitely made a difference in the amount of traffic I received to my blog on a daily basis. Most importantly, it has exposed me to some pretty awesome blogs. This is priceless to me because I am just starting out as a blogger and making plenty of mistakes. I love reading the tips and tricks the more seasoned bloggers have to share. A lot of them have even posting tips for making the best of my Entrecard membership.

Entrecard generates traffic to your site via card drops. Everyone who signs up gets a 125 X 125 ad space (card). You can create a standard entrecard ad in your back office, design your own or you can have someone else create one for you.

The beauty of the program is you receive visits from other Entrecard users who drop their card. Each card they drop earns you a credit. For every card you drop on another blog, you will receive a credit too! You can then use your credits to obtain a 24 hour advertising spot on a blog of your choice. Well, if they accept your offer. Some people will reject your request for an advertising spot.

I have had a few rejections. I don't take them personally. Some people only want to display ads which are relevant to the content on their website. Although, someone did reject my request for advertising because it didn't fit into their blog design. I was amused because my ad wasn't the right color! I'm not picky about the advertising on my blog. I don't see a reason to be so anal about who does and does not advertise on my site. In actuality, it's a 24 hour spot! It's not a permanent link exchange.

If you happen to look at my stats, you will see my average advert is approved in 5 hours, 0.00% of advert requests are declined and 1.82% of approved requests declined. Awww, you must be wondering about the 1.82%. But wait, I can explain. I'm not the self proclaimed chronic entrecard dropper like some other users are. I average about 150 cards a day. The chronic droppers drop the maximum allowed everyday which is 300. So, my credits are precious to me. If I request advertising on someone's blog and they don't respond in 7 days, I cancel my request. That's a pretty generous time frame because most people probably wouldn't wait an entire week for a response.

I'm a little more careful about where I advertise now. I am now paying closer attention to the drop rank. Besides letting me know what kind of card dropper the person is, I get a good laugh at the actual rankings. I mentioned chronic droppers but it's not the term used in ranking. Someone who drops a lot of cards like Yimto actually has a drop rank of "Deeply committed - Deadly serious. A drop master!" Chris (1 Million in 365 Days)currently has a drop rank of "A dedicated dropper with a hint of addiction" and like I said earlier I am active everyday but hardly ever reach the 300 maximum per day. My current drop rank is "Takes dropping Very Very Seriously". What's your current drop rank? Care to share?

Since it's the end of the month, I want to give kudos to the top 10 card droppers on my blog.



Thanks for stopping by so often and to show my appreciation, I decided to add a permanent list of my top ten card droppers for the month on my blog directly under my entrecard widget. The current list will be on my blog all month. On February 29, 2008, I will update my list to reflect the new top 10 entrecard droppers. A special thank you to Stan Haye author of Fantasy Baseball for messaging me when my entrecard was missing and to let me know you had trouble finding it on another visit. Thanks for looking out for me.

Thanks to ArahMan7, Sam, Colin and Mike for their recommendations. A big thank you to Shari Thomas (blogs) Ask Me Why... Work From Home (Internet Marketing) Let's do Business with Real Online Companies (Make Money Online) Shari's Gone Country (Personal Diary) Ask Shari About PGA Tour Fantasy Golf (Sports) Success Notes (Books} I placed an advertisement on her page and I WON 200 credits! She has set up her very own "Advertisers Loyalty Program". It's her way of showing her saying thank you for doing business with her.

How To Get Some FeedBack on Your Website

A good way to get some feedback on your blog, website or social networking profile would be to create a survey or poll for visitors to complete. Whether you are looking for their opinion of your site, an idea for your next post or what your visitors are looking for, this would be an ideal situation to use a survey or poll on your website.

I would recommend using the services offered by easy-poll.com. I visited their website today and was impressed. You can create a survey and poll without any gaudy banners or visible ads. No downloads are required. Everything you need is on their website and accessible at any time.

Once you have created your poll or survey, you can place it on your personal website, blog or social networks. Surveys and polls are compatible on blogger, Myspace, Xanga and many other social networks.

Oh, did I mention this was a completely free service?

Have You Already Found Your Valentine?

Love is in the air and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have you already found the love of your life? your soul mate? If you aren't having any luck finding the one for you off line, maybe you could use the services of an online dating service.

Find big beautiful singles in your area. Whether you are looking for friendship or more, you can find it on BBWPersonalsPlus.com.Browse through thousands of profiles of singles. Create your free account today.

Search for love, lovers, or mates and make connections with infinite
possibilities - all at a place where like-minded people from your community hang-out. Set-up a profile today for free! BlackPlanet.com. Your place to meet with African Americans around the country. Over 17 million members at your fingertips!

ChristianCafe.com is an online dating service for Christian singles. Browse through thousands of single Christians profiles. Chat with other Christians, post prayers or read the relationship advice columns.

Whether you’re looking for a friend or lover, avoid the hassle and frustration. Let Date.com help. You’re online, and maybe your soul mate is too! With over 8 million members since 1997, the
person you’ve always been searching for might be waiting. Join now to jump start your social life. Chat, email, and instant message available singles near you.

EliteMate is the elite online dating service offering a number unique features to help in your search of finding your soul mate. Check out Elite's advanced astrological compatibility or personality matcher.

This is just a handful of online dating services. I'm sure there are dozens more. I plan on posting a few more over the next couple of days. Hopefully, it may help someone find their Valentine!

Can You Make Money Blogging?

Yes, you can get paid to blog. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at first. It's not like the internet isn't full of scams. But this truly is a legitimate opportunity for bloggers to connect with advertisers who are looking to spread the word about their products or services. Most importantly, they are willing to pay for blog advertising.

I do want to blog for money, but I certainly don't want to deal with finding an advertiser or negotiating a price. What's really cool is, I don't have to! Smorty does it for me. I'm a happy camper. It's a simple and easy system for me to use to locate potential advertisers for my blog.

All I have to do is log in and browse the current list of opportunities. If I see something interesting to blog about, I click accept. I have a limited amount of time to submit my post for review. If my post is approved, I will get paid. I always know how much money I will be making for each post. Smorty makes payouts on a weekly basis through Paypal. Sounds good to me, how about you?

Do You Like to Chat Online?

I used to spend a lot of time chatting online when I bought my first computer and logged onto the world wide web. After awhile, I started using instant messenger services and I sort of abandoned chat rooms altogether. This morning when I was surfing, I ran across a website with some free chat rooms and I decided to sign up.

I forgot how much fun it is to chat online. I am always amused by some of the topics people discuss. I think chatting is a good way to escape from the monotony of everyday life. I actually have meet some really cool people chatting way back when and they are still my friends today. I think I am in the mood for some online chatting and the opportunity to meet some new people.

Besides hanging out in the free chat rooms, you can create your own blog, upload photos, rate other people's photos, share your interests, join clubs or create your own club. I'm still in the process of browsing the clubs. There's really a lot of clubs to choose from but I am thinking about creating one of my own once I learn my way around.

I'm not to sure how much time I will be spending in the free chat rooms but if you are ever in the neighborhood, stop on by and say hello!

3 Social Networks Paying $1.00 per Referral

There's plenty of social networks online but very few actually pay you for referring new members. Some of the money making social networks will pay you a commission on your referral's activity but some are willing to pay you $1.00 for each new person you refer.

Sales Spider
Lazzeo
Bizpreneur

Besides making the $1.00 per referral in each of these social networks, you can participate in the Google Adsense revenue sharing program. If you participate in the revenue sharing program, you will receive a percentage of the ad revenue generated.

Sales Spider uses Google for their revenue sharing program but Lazzeo and Bizpreneur give you an option of which ad program you wish to use. You can use Google, Yahoo, Bidvertiser, etc. You decide which ad program you want to use on your profile.

All three networks offer an upgrade option to increase your earnings. I have upgraded to gold in Bizpreneur and Lazzeo. Upgrading allows me some additional perks and earning potential. You do not need to upgrade to earn money in these social networks. They are all free to join.

A great way to make some serious referral money would be to use any one or all three social networks for your own personal group or network. For instance, if you are in a church group, a PTA member or have a really huge family, you could easily have all your members join the social network.

Bummer for me because I am not in any groups off line but I think I can easily manage to get something up and running. My mind is bursting with ideas.

Are You Using a Myspace tracker?

I'm curious to know because I have always used Myspace as a personal connection to friends and family but now I want to start marketing some of my business interests there. If I did decide to go this route on Myspace, I would definitely want to know who's visiting my profile. For whatever reason, Myspace doesn't inform me of who's been visiting my profile. Strange because so many other networks do let me know who visited my profile.

Instead, I will have to rely on the services of a myspace tracker which I'm not too familiar with. I do know there are quite a few Myspace trackers available online with different options. Now, I need to decide which one would be best for me and if it actually works.

There's the invisible myspace tracker which wouldn't allow my visitors to be aware they were being tracked or I can display an image or a map letting my visitors know I was using one.

Since I would need to install a script on my profile, I think it's important for me to know the reputation of the myspace tracker. I certainly don't want to install anything that stores or tracks information that it shouldn't be. What I would like to find is a myspace tracker that works.

So if you are currently using a myspace tracker please tell me what you know. I would like to make a well informed decision before installing one on my profile. You can leave me a comment here or submit a review of your current myspace tracker. Thanks a bunch!

I Haven't Posted Lately Because

I have been playing a game online with my daughter. Yeah, I pretty much feel like a grown up right about now. Not! You see, it's not like I have been playing WOW, Second Life or some other MMORPG. I have been playing in a virtual world for kids.
My youngest daughter turned three in November. She received a really cute plush kitty cat. But this was not just any kitty. It was a WebKinz kitty. If you are the proud owner of a Webkinz plush pet, you can joined the WebKinz community online. It's a virtual world for your pets.

My dilemma at first was trying to name the kitty. I swear, it took me a half an hour to find an available name. Once I accomplished that mission, I printed out a certificate for the kitty.

My next problem was trying to figure out how things worked there. It didn't go well because my daughter just wanted to play. No problem! But I wanted her to get her "stuff" for her kitty and she needed to feed her kitty some "food". My daughter didn't give me a chance so I decided to do "my things" on my computer.

I tried logging into Webkinz from my computer but I couldn't while she was logged in already. I decided to make a few posts in Fun Advice to see if I could get some answers. Ugh, big mistake! LOL I asked 4 questions about Webkinz.

Anyone into WebKinz
What is the Easiest Games for a 3 year old?
How can I earn the most points?
Are the WebKinz trading cards worth the money?


The response I got was {{SPAMMER DETECTED}} Unbelievable! I was offended and I expressed it! After I calmed down, I realized I probably should have asked my questions all together. I did look like a spammer. ( red faced and embarrassed). The reality was I was being lazy and looking for some quicks answers. It never pays to be lazy. I have certainly learned my lesson.

Now, I have a complex and I HAD to learn for myself what Webkinz is all about. I will share what I know for now but bear in mind I am still learning (playing games).

You need to own a pet before you can become part of the Webkinz community. There's plenty of things to do. If you have plans on searching in the magical forest, you will need to purchase a charm. Your Webkinz pet will have plenty of other things to do so purchasing a charm is optional.


You can get things started by visiting Webkinz.com and registering your new pet. Once you are registered, you can log in and start earning Webkinz coins. Webkinz coins are necessary to buy food for your pet. I was amazed at the selection of food you can buy for your pet. Unbelievable! Hamburgers, hotdogs, spaghetti, milk shakes, fruit, desserts, and so much more.

You can shop for clothing for your pet. You can buys home furnishings, cars, additional rooms and backyard areas too! There is so much to buy! You really need to rack up the Webkinz coins. LOL

It's really pretty easy to earn Webkinz coins. Everyday, you can participate in daily activities and earn some coins pretty easily. My daughter loves the wishing well. It's as simple as clicking a button five times. Today, she won 90 webkinz coins at the well.



As you can see, there are plenty of games and things to do on Webkinz. My daughter is only three so I do need to help her with a lot of things but there's plenty of games for her to play and she loves shopping for stuff for her cat. She makes me laugh when she gives her cat a bath. She gives her virtual kitty 3-4 baths a day. She wanted to give her real kitty a bath but "MOMMA CAT" refused to cooperate.


The Webkinz community is a great place for kids to play online. It's really put together. There's plenty of things for kids to do. It has been a learning experience for my daughter and she is having a ton of fun. I am too!

Get Paid To Surf!

I just signed up to become member of a very
exciting new Internet Service that pays you
when you or your friends visit Social Media
sites similar to Myspace, YouTube, Blogspot,
Flickr, Delicious, Podzinger, and Orkut!

If you like creating home pages, taking photos and
uploading them to Flickr, or even making video
clips and sharing them - why not get paid
for it?

This is a radically new concept that is again
becoming popular with the Web 2.0 phenomena!

You are able to earn money every time you use
sites like the above, and every time your
friends visit your content on those pages.

Put simply, we share the ad revenues we earn
with all our members. So, you create the
content, put it up on our Network of Social
Media sites, invite your friends, and watch
the dollars trickle in!


How much do you get paid for viewing the ads
on your computer screen when you visit sites
like Myspace, YouTube, Blogspot, Flickr,
Delicious, Podzinger, Orkut and others?

zero!

zilch!


nada!


NOTHING!


yes, the big round goose egg!!!


Well, its time YOU got paid to view ads when
you get online ...and ValuePay2
is changing all this for you.


All you have to do is become a member - its
fast, its FREE and easy!

It takes 2 minutes to sign up and you get an
immediate bonus of $5 !! So why not try it?

Please use my MemberID while signing up,
MemberID: trouble4u2avoid

or click here -


Thanks! have fun,
and let me know what you think of it!

Social Networking and Identity Theft

Social networking is a great way to meet new people, share stories or promote your business interests online. It can also be a very dangerous place. It's always a wise decision to be careful about the information you do share online.

One of my biggest concerns with social networking is exposing myself to the possibility of identity theft. I can't help but wonder, "how much information a criminal actually needs to steal my identity". How much information is too much information?

Do you want to know what's really scary?. It is estimated that ten million people are victims or identity theft ever year. I watched the latest news stories about identity theft on Lifelock.com.I have absolutely no reason to believe I am invincible. It can happen to anyone, including you.

When you visit Lifelock, you can watch the videos and read some of their customer's testimonials. My mouth dropped to the floor when I saw a gentleman's social security number posted in big bold numbers in his testimonial. Wow! Imagine that!

I found Lifelock to be very affordable especially if you use the lifelock promotional codes.

Just Found Another Revenue Sharing Social Network GIZter

I had a busy weekend and spent the past two days playing catch up with my online endeavors. My plans for today include trying to learn my way around Gizter. It's one of the most recent social networks I joined over the past week.

I had a good laugh when I signed in this morning. I had uploaded my picture during the sign-up process but for some reason I was listed as an 18 year old man. I don't recall having those options available during the sign-up process.

Gizter is a social network for people who are into gadgets and gizmos. It's also an opportunity for you to network yourself and for you to make some money!

I have been reading through this site this morning to learn about how I would make money on Gitzer and most importantly how I would get paid.

Your earnings on Gizter are based on Google ads clicks and Google ad impressions. They clearly state you should NOT click on your own ads or randomly click the ads of any other member just for the sake of clicking.

You will receive a share of ALL the revenue generated by the site. Ad-revenue from clicks and impressions from all user pages are combined and allocated to the members based on Profile Views, Page Views, Activity Ranking and Members This Month (new members brought in for the month).

You have the potential of earning even more by referring others. GIZter uses a 2-tier Affinity Program based on your Network and Extended Network. Here's an example how the system works on Gizter.



What this means is you will be earning on three levels. You would be considered level one . Anyone you personally refer would be considered level two. The members they personally recruit would be considered level three.

Pretty cool since most social networks don't have this kind of earning system in place. Well other than Yuwie which pays on ten levels.

To get paid you have three options. You can request a check,transfer your money to a SecondLife account of transfer your money to your SmartMoney account.

You should check it out. It's a unique opportunity to have fun and then get paid! You can upload videos, uploads videos or create a blog. You can also post bulletins, create groups, take poll and take quizzes. There's plenty to do on GIZter!

I Love Social Networking but

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading quite a few blogs about website promotion. I have learned some valuable tips about increasing website traffic, linking to other sites and how to rank high on Google.

I'm such a huge fan of social networking. It's how I do the majority of my website promotion. As much fun as I have social networking, I know it's not in my best interest to ignore other options available to promote my website either.

I have considered search engine marketing. It seems like a good advertising option for me to consider but I'm not really sure what the right keywords would be for my website. I know there are all kinds of tools and gadgets for keyword selection and analysis but even so I'm not sure it's how I want to spend my time online.

The whole "links" topic gives me a complete headache. Links to my site are good but they have to be high quality links. The links should be compatible with my site and should have a decent PR level. I can swap links but then I would have to check up on the links. I know it can't be too complicated but nonetheless I'm not interested in doing all the legwork.

One of the things I do want to invest a little time and money into is an Email List Management Service. I know it's important for me to have a list and manage it well. It's something I definitely want to make happen real soon.

The biggest question for me at this point is whether or not I want to invest the time and energy into promoting my website entirely by myself or if I want to obtain the services from a reputable company. I think it's time for me to stop procrastinating and make the decision.

Taking this Blog to the Next Level

I decided to try something a little bit new. While surfing and reading other people's blogs, I learned a lot of people were making some money online by writing sponsored posts on their blog.

Yesterday, I submitted my blog to Blogsvertise. This morning I was notified my blog was approved.
I am looking forward to completing my first task.

I'm excited to have the opportunity to earn some cash for approved tasks.
It's nice to know I can also earn cash when I refer new advertisers to
Blogsvertise. It's a pretty nice commission of 20% of whatever the advertiser
spends.

The average earnings per task range from $4-20 per entry. Each task assigned to you will show a payout rate. If you task is submitted an approved, you will be paid 30 days after you task has been completed and approved.Currently, payouts are made using paypal.

If Blogsvertise is something you might be interested in, please visit the website. Be sure to read the terms of service to make sure this is something you want to commit to.

Happing Earning!

Really Kicking Myself in the Butt for Snoozing on This One

Ugh! I can't believe I put Zion5 on the bottom of my things to do list because of the holidays. I am kicking myself in the butt! I joined this social network a couple of weeks ago. I added some links, uploaded my photo and accepted some friends request. What I failed to do is read the help section until today. I am blaming this on Santa. LOL

I was particularly interested in this section because I am a member of quite a few affiliate programs with referral perks. Now instead of being in the #1 position for most of my affiliate programs I have to settle for a less. Please read and see why I am kicking myself in the butt today!

Promoting your websites

We think this is the most powerful tool in the community.

You will receive your own Zion5 URL that you can refer other people to join. When these people join they will start a build a downline for you. In addition you will also receive referrals from members in the community above you.

To help explain the power, let's consider 3 examples.

1) Your own website.
2) A website that you are affiliated with.
3) A referral program that works on multi levels (MLM).

Example 1 - your website

You can add your website to the Zion5 website database. People that search the database will see your website and will be able to visit from your link. If they want, they can add your website to their profile, which allows them to rate and comment for others to see.

Example 2 - Affiliate website

If you've joined an affiliate program, you can promote it in the same way as if it was your own, with one MAJOR difference.

If you are the first one to add the website to the database. Your link will be the one that everyone clicks. If someone else promotes the same website, don't worry, everyone in your downline that clicks will still click your link and everyone in the other persons downline will click theirs. People that are not in either downline will click your link as you moved in first!!

Can you start to see the power?

Don't worry if you don't fully understand it yet, you will understand it when you start using Zion5 and you will always be able to return to these pages in the future.

Example 3 - Promoting a MLM program.

This is where the power really kicks in. MLM programs work on referrals, right! Well, give it few days and you will have your very own Zion5 downline to promote to.

But that's not all. To make it absolutely fair, when someone sees the program you are promoting, we control the link that they click on!

This means that if you are the only one promoting the program in Zion5, you get ALL the clicks! If there a number of people that are promoting the same program, you get all the clicks in your downline, and if you are the first one to promote, you get all the clicks that aren't in someone's downline!

Now, imagine this. You find a program on Zion5 that only 1 person is promoting. You like the program and think that it's a massive opportunity. You join the program, add it to your Zion5 profile, send a message to your contact list and everyone in your downline that joins, you get the credit!!

Can you feel the power!

Click here to get started right now!

I will be spending most of my morning taking the time to add my affiliate links to Zion5. Hope to see you there.

I Couldn't Resist This Invitation

I receive all kinds of invitations to join something or other every single day. I have found most invitations to be boring, too stuffy or too much of a sales pitch.
A few days ago I received the following invitation to join the Joe Popular social network.


Do you absolutely HATE advertising your sites,
products and affiliate programs for FR'EE?

Do you detest meeting other people who share
your interests and passions?

Do you find ZERO benefit in networking with other
online business owners?

Do you dislike making new friends?

Are you against *unique* new ways to create
exposure for yourself or your business?

Do you feel that linking everything you're
doing online together through ONE convenient
"Hub" page would be a TERRIBLE idea?

Susan, if you answered YES to the
above questions, absolutely DO NOT JOIN
JoePopular.com for FR'EE right here:

Visit JoePopular.com

If you DO join, don't say I didn't warn you!

...The unique idea behind JoePopular.com
is to connect ALL your stuff online from ONE
convenient location, that being your JoePopular
"Hub" page. One page. All your links. Backlinks
to your site. Fr'ee exposure from other visitors
and members who see your page and your stuff.

JoePopular is referred to as the "Social Network
of Social Networks" because it's meant to
encompass and connect everything you're doing
online in a really simple way.

You can connect, share, and promote a SINGLE page
(your JoePopular Hub page), and by doing so,
generate potential traffic and visitors to ALL
that you're doing online.

Or, you can just make new friends, stay in touch
with others, or you never know, maybe even find
that special somebody!

It's all up to you. It's all happening in ONE
place.

But again, if you're just not "into" all these
totally FR'EE benefits, I'm giving you the heads
up right now so that you can avoid this place
like the plague:

Register now


Here For Your Success,


-Bryan Winters

P.S. A final word of warning. It could take
you as long as 3 whole minutes to create an
account! And, once you create an account and post
some links to your sites (or the "stuff" you're
doing online), you could have all sorts of
"really strange people" seeing your page and
clicking on your links. So if you're looking
to avoid things like new customers, new friends,
networking partners, etc., watch out!!!...


I was hooked with "really strange people seeing my page and clicking on my links."
I joined and I am glad I did. Instead of messing with css and html to design my profile page, I just fill in the blanks. It's as easy as pie!

You will earn 100 virtual "Joe Dollars" for every new member you refer to JoePopular.com. You can use your Joe Dollars to create additional exposure and features for your JoePopular Hub pages, or for custom advertisements that you'd like to appear across our member Hub pages!

Spreading the Spark

I know a lot of people have included "losing weight" on their list of New Year's resolutions. Me too! Kind of! I'm not inspired and pretty much the procrastinator. I have been planning on losing about 20 pounds for the last 3 years!

Anyways, I joined a new kind of social network for people looking to lose weight, eat healthier and build friendships. I have spent the better part of the day browsing the website and trying to motivate myself to get busy and lose the weight.

I know there's a lot of weight loss communities out there but what I like about SparkPeople is their free membership and lots of perks.
Today I officially took the first step to dropping pounds and printed out my official promise and taped it to the refrigerator.



24-hour access to SparkPeople is now available to you FREE of charge!

I'm impressed with the free membership. Pretty nifty!

Personalized diet and exercise plan
Daily meal plans, recipes and shopping lists
Calorie and nutrition tracker
Animated exercise demonstrations
Answers and advice from Registered
Dietitians and Certified Personal Trainers
Support, motivation and accountability from an active online community
Hundreds of articles, tools and resources to educate and inspire
healthy living
Weekly motivation and tips from “The
Weekly Spark” eMagazineComplete


Want to lose weight? Get fit? Have more energy?

I'm off to read some more healthy tips! I guess I should check and see what the points are all about too! It's normally one of the first things I read about when I join a community. Oh well, this social network is more about my health than my wealth!

Wishing You A Very Happy New Year

Hope the year 2008 is a very happy and prosperous one for you!
Happy Holidays!