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I've moved
They say you have to do bad work before you can do good work. This blog is an example. Just like actors and film directors, bloggers sometimes produce spammy, second-rate work when we're young and need money. Come read my newer, better writing at http://softwetware.blogspot.com. This blog will no longer be updated.
When Scholarships Interfere With Education
(This article was originally published on Associated Content on November 22, 2008. Since AC is now excluding most writers outside the USA, I've moved it here.)
I've come to the realization that my Trent University Board of Governors' Leadership Scholarship is decreasing the quality of my education.
I've come to the realization that my Trent University Board of Governors' Leadership Scholarship is decreasing the quality of my education.
Associated Content closing the border
Associated Content recently announced that it will no longer be able to pay international authors for the page views our articles, songs, photos and videos earn, unless we qualify as Featured Contributors. Even Featured Contributors will have to earn at least $100 before they see any money, while everyone in the US still enjoys a $1.50 threshold.
Associated Content staff claim this is because of a recent review of their policies against tax laws. But tax laws haven't changed, and neither AdSense nor Bukisa nor PayPerPost has made any similar changes lately.
Associated Content staff claim this is because of a recent review of their policies against tax laws. But tax laws haven't changed, and neither AdSense nor Bukisa nor PayPerPost has made any similar changes lately.
Affinity Click: A Refreshing Change in Pay-per-Click
PayPerPost Not The Answer for Low-Traffic Blogs
When I first started accepting sponsored-post commissions from PayPerPost.com, I thought I'd found a revenue model that would work for Life User.
Since I was paid a set amount for each post, I reasoned, the sponsors would have an incentive to drive traffic to the posts. What I was being paid for was my ability to write, not (as with cost-per-click and cost-per-impression ads) my limited ability to drum up traffic on my own. Since I'm better at writing than at attracting traffic, this would have meant PPP made sense for me.
Since I was paid a set amount for each post, I reasoned, the sponsors would have an incentive to drive traffic to the posts. What I was being paid for was my ability to write, not (as with cost-per-click and cost-per-impression ads) my limited ability to drum up traffic on my own. Since I'm better at writing than at attracting traffic, this would have meant PPP made sense for me.
The Kindness of Strange Sponsors
The post sponsorships I've been offered since I joined PayPerPost in the fall have been a weird mix. Three on vision correction, one on chocolate, one on TVs, one for a Web design firm (who's much more local than my readership is), one on religious views, and tonight, one on real estate. But so far, I've always been able to figure out what the sponsor was selling easily enough. Not so with tonight's next sponsor.
AdWords and a Real Estate Sponsor
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeMaybe part of the reason I'm attracting such sponsorships is that I'm now on AdWords, and am telling prospective sponsors so. Yes, you heard right: Google offered me a free trial coupon for AdWords, so starting last night, I've been trying to use it to help Life User reach its full potential as an engaging, widely-read and financially successful blog.
Seeing The Glasses as Half-Full
Apparently, Zenni Optical was very satisfied with my last sponsored post about their eyeglasses, since they're sponsoring a second post less than two months later. At this rate, they'll have paid for my next pair by the time I need it!
Silicon Valley North: Why Ottawa and Not Toronto?
My sponsor for this post, Web design Joomla Ottawa, is an Ottawa website design firm, which reminds me of a question that's been bugging me for a long time. Why does Ottawa, and not Toronto, have a big enough IT industry to be called Silicon Valley North?
Bringing the Ads Back
When I decided last month to stop running ads on Life User, the decision was based on two assumptions that turned out to be wrong.
Reincarnation, karma, and what makes sense.
reincarnation makes more sense to me than heaven or hell, which would waste whatever the universe is ultimately made of, but I don't believe in a karma system either.
My sponsor this time is a Fictional movie site for believers in karma and reincarnation.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ttEMblhoZcD4dNZwV5pvzbI1Vs-D_faJYwIsuCxO6YFsJpKO0XmRtUswNU2ubP291OzhJqMNj7lojbs63mvsCLbLzlVS9RwCjvYtt24ZzqMtVk55dvB7ce5AyM4HM1hTcfKK4VxG6vQPGHpNFKScom=s0-d)
My sponsor this time is a Fictional movie site for believers in karma and reincarnation.
Eyeglasses: As Much as Meets the Eye
Once again, I've been sponsored by a merchant of vision correction. This time, though, it's a store selling good old-fashioned eyeglasses in the United States (and I'm waiting to hear back on whether they ship internationally).
It's nice to see high-index wearers such as myself finally getting some attention: refractive indices from 1.57 to 1.67 are available (though only the basic 1.57 for bifocals), with prices well within the double digits including shipping.
It's nice to see high-index wearers such as myself finally getting some attention: refractive indices from 1.57 to 1.67 are available (though only the basic 1.57 for bifocals), with prices well within the double digits including shipping.
40-Inch TVs and Failed Referral Marketing
When human eyesight isn't good enough
Zemanta Tags and Life User
I'm now letting Zemanta choose tags for my past, present and future posts on Life User. I may choose a few manual tags additionally, but I won't turn down any Zemanta suggestion, no matter how irrelevant it seems. This is intended as a form of search-engine optimization, meaning it's meant to increase the chance of (hopefully interested) readers finding and visiting Life User from a search result page.
You may think it black-hat of me to knowingly include, for the purposes of search-engine optimization, tags that are apparently irrelevant to the post. But consider the following:
You may think it black-hat of me to knowingly include, for the purposes of search-engine optimization, tags that are apparently irrelevant to the post. But consider the following:
The Lawnmower Man: an Underrated Classic Movie
Image via WikipediaWhen director Brett Leonard's science-fiction movie The Lawnmower Man was released in 1992, New Line Cinema tried to convince us that it was based on Stephen King's short fantasy story of the same name. It wasn't, and I think this is the main reason why such a great film opened to mixed reviews.
Policies for Manually Reviewed Ads
Geeks Need a New Loyalty Program
I'm in a lot of loyalty programs, and none of them have succeeded in getting and keeping me excited about shopping, or in making me feel like I really get something back when I spend. It could just be that I'm a full-time student and don't shop as much as most people, but I think the real reason is that no loyalty program really caters to the needs of technology enthusiasts and those with correlated interests. And I can suggest a solution.
In The Night Sky: A Tragedy of Astronomical Proportions
(This is a revision of a short story I wrote for Grade 10 English class, the last class I ever got to write one for. If it's well-received, Life User will feature more short stories, probably with stronger science-fiction elements, in the future.)
"David is failing math."
Aerospace engineer Roger Joyson could hardly believe his ears. His son David, who had always anted to be a scientist or engineer, had the science grades and intelligence to do it, and generally made B+s and A grades in school, was failing fifth-grade math.
"David is failing math."
Aerospace engineer Roger Joyson could hardly believe his ears. His son David, who had always anted to be a scientist or engineer, had the science grades and intelligence to do it, and generally made B+s and A grades in school, was failing fifth-grade math.
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