Making a Squidoo lense or lenses!

Squidoo lens. Ever heard of it?? A lot of people haven't. I joined Squidoo awhile back.. made a few lenses and then sort of forgot about it. As I've been searching for new ways to earn money I stumbled across Squidoo again and began to read more about it!

What is a Squidoo lens? Well, it's like your own little webpage. You make a "lens" for a specific subject... something you should be knowledgeable about. You add links and photos and articles about the subject of your lens. Others can "lensroll" you and link to your page from their page.

How can this make you money?? Well Squidoo shares their advertising revenue with all of the lenses. The higher "rank" that you have, the bigger percentage you will make. Also, the more lenses you have, obviously the more money you will make.

You also have a chance to sell products through affiliate links from ebay, cafe press, zazzle, clickbank and others. You can have specific products listed that go along with the subject of your lens. If someone buys one of the products through your lens then you get a percentage of the sales as well.

I've done a lot of research on Squidoo and have found that some of the long time squid lensmasters are making some very decent money! They pay via Paypal.. OR you can donate your earnings to a charity. You can also make lenses for a specific charity and set it so that all of the earnings from THAT lens go to the charity. So you can do something helpful along with making some extra cash along the way.

You can also become a "giant squid" which is someone who has atleast 50 GOOD lenses. I honestly can't think of 50 things to make a lens for? lol.. but I'm going to try! I'm going to just keep doing a few at a time and hope I can keep up with them!

On top of all of that it is a great way to get more traffic to your blog or website. You can make a lense ABOUT your blog or website and link to it! I've made one for all of my blogs!

I will be posting more tips for Squidoo here as I come across them! If anyone wants to venture with me then come on over and leave me some comments.

Here are links to the lenses I have made so far.

LEGIT WORK AT HOME OPPORTUNITIES

JOURNEY TO A NEW ME

RANTS IN MY PANTS

STOP ANIMAL ABUSE NOW

THE TRUTH ABOUT PIT BULLS

Wondering About Working from Home??

I will be posting interesting videos from time to time that have to do with working from home! Feel free to comment on them!

Suggestions and Link trades??

Ugh, I've been sick for the past week and a half. This stupid cold/flu thing, whatever you want to call it has really been kicking my butt! Sore throat, cough, stuffed up nose, plugged up ears, headache, blah, blah, BLAH! It was just going on and on with no relief! Needles to say, I've not felt much like blogging.. I had to force myself to work every day through it! I finally got to the doctor yesterday and got on an antibiotic! Hope it works and fast!!

I am hoping that I have a few readers here?? lol.. I would love for some of you to leave me a comment and let me know of some LEGIT things you have earned money from online. Can be surveys, paid emails, paid to sign up, cafe press.. anything that you have earned money from! Leave a link in my comments section with a BRIEF explanation of it! I will do a bit of research and post about it here! *and how about a link to YOU for telling us about it??* So go ahead and leave me a comment and tell me what you have done!

I will also be updating the links section, so if you are interested in trading links please leave me a comment! Just make sure that your blog has something to do with working from home!

Can you really search and win stuff??

I'm trying a few new things right now. I got this off of a freebies site (see link on links list) that lists legit things that she has been paid for.. First I'm trying this:



There are a few ways to win "swagbucks". One way is to do a search from their search engine (they use google for their results so their results are relevant). You get random swagbucks when you search. You don't get them every time, just randomly throughout the day. You can let them add up for awhile and then they have gifts that you can buy with your swagbucks including gift cards for major retailers and various other interesting swag! If you save up for awhile you can get some really decent gifts through them! Another way to earn swagbucks is to shop at online stores from the swagbucks site (most of them are major retailers as well that you might typically shop at online). You can also use the "go green" method which is to send in old cell phones in return for lots of swag bucks or prizes! Ofcourse getting others to sign up under you to earn swagbucks will get you even more swagbucks for yourself!! It's worth checking out. It's not going to get you rich quick (to be honest, none of the online opportunities do) but I do searches all the time and decided I might as well get something out of it!

Im always searching for new oportunities, I just don't have as much time to dedicate to it as I used to! I will always post anything here that I come across online!

I mentioned in an earlier post about the exchange rate sinking lower and lower for texting ops that work for companies out of the UK. Last I heard it was down to $1.46 for every UK Pound. It normally averages around $1.98! This is getting very scary for most of us as these are our paychecks! Guess that is one thing you have to take into consideration before working from home, sometimes things like this happen. It is out of our hands. The whole economy is in a big mess right now.. It's just really horrible when you feel as if you are being cheated out of your money that you worked for and you EARNED.. The job market is so bad right now that it is very difficult to go out and get a job outside of the home anyway.. so most of us are stuck until something in the world changes!

A few things...

I've been trying to decide whether I should let this blog go or to just do what I can when I can with it.. To be honest, I don't have much time to try out many of the work at home jobs that are out there these days. I'm still doing texting.. I LOVE the company that I am working for and the pay really helps. I do have ONE thing to vent about though.. most of the texting companies are based out of the UK (don't let this scare you away, most are legit and DO pay!). However, the UK pays in pounds.. so when it hits our bank it is turned over to USDA. With the way the economy has been, the conversion rate has been dropping steadily over the last few months. The average normal rate is $1.98 per every UK Pound. .. When I got paid last month, the exchange rate was down to $1.63! My pay was almost $100 less than normal! Oh yes, I almost cried! Ofcourse, anything is better than nothing but it's really hard to be happy about making less money for the same amount of work! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the rates will start going back up again! (btw, as Im writing this, I just went to the currency converter and it is currently down to $1.58!!!!!!!!!) I don't want to discourage people from doing texting but these are things that you have to deal with. I've heard that it has happened before but will eventually go back up!! I'm hoping it will increase soon!!

Soo anyway, for now, I am just going to post a few job listings that I come across here and there. If I have anything else to post regarding work at home I will write about that as well.

If anyone has an article that they would like to submit to be posted here feel free to contact me! I can't compensate you monetarily but can give you some free advertising here!

Here are a few work at home listings that I have come across. Please keep in mind that I have not done any research on these places.. So make sure that you research them a bit yourself before giving them any information (you can try ripoff.com or the BBB online)!

AUTHORS WANTED:
Frugal living with finesse; creative ways to snag a job in tough times; how to invest smartly instead of stashing your dwindling cash in your mattress.

You'll explore these subjects and more as a contributor to a fast-growing site for women that's expanding its coverage of financial fitness.

We're looking for journalists, other experts (maybe you're a small business advisor, executive coach?) and writers with experience and insights to share that will engage others with a focus on what's most relevant right now.

The bottom line: You must be able to blog about these topics in compelling ways - and in the same voice you'd use to chat with your closest friends.

Sounds intriguing? You could help lead the conversation on pnn.com, The Personal News Network, where there's a global community of people just like you: bright, curious and passionate about expressing opinions.

Expectations:
You'll have to post at least five times a week (short and sweet is good!) and use our platform (don't worry; it's one of the easiest on the planet).

Compensation
$100 a month, plus a share of ad revenues.

AUTHORS

----------------------------------------------
CONVERGYS WORK AT HOME
As a Convergys Home Agent, you'll interact with customers of leading companies. You may answer questions, determine product opportunities that best meet your callers' needs, place orders on their behalf, provide technical support, or enroll callers in health or entertainment plans.

Requirements:
* A home office environment that is quiet and free from distraction
* A PC that meets the requirements of the Home Agent platform (you can test your PC during the on-line application process)
* High speed internet access
* USB headset with a built-in digital signal processor
* Telephone with a mute button to be utilized during training, team meetings, and individual coaching and technical support sessions. Please note all monthly telephone charges are the responsibility of the employee and are not reimbursed by Convergys.
* Completed application submitted on-line

CONVERGYS


Good luck and feel free to leave comments if you have any information (good or bad) regarding these companies!!

Another update.. Im back, I hope!!

A lot has happened since my last post in here.. I will try to make it as short as possible!

My husband and I got back together again the end of August.. we have our first marriage counseling appointment next week (eeek).. We are going to fight to make things work and keep our family together.. We have been through too much together to just throw it all away.. and I do agree that we should not give up until we can honestly say that we have tried EVERYTHING!!....

When we got back together we moved to a tiny little town in Ohio.. a beautiful town, but tiny, lol. Our kids are all preschool age.. The main preschool here is filled up with a waiting list.. and the other one charges like $120 a month PER kid! For preschool!!! No way am I paying almost $400 a month for freakin' preschool! We got them into another preschool in another town.. about 25 minutes away.. soo now we have to drive them to school and back.. 25 miles there and back.. So that is taking some time out my day (not to mention gas out of my car) but I know they need it before Kindergarten!

I'm also still doing my texting job.. I try to work as much as I can throughout every single day to hit the bonuses that they offer. AND over the summer I enrolled in an online college! I'm studying to be a Veterinary Technician (basically a Vet Nurse) which I am VERY excited about! I chose an online school so that I could do it at my own pace.

Soo with driving the kids back and forth to school, working, doing my own school work, housework and taking care of the kids when they are not in school (since preschool is only half days).. I had pretty much given up on blogging which I was very sad about because I love writing so much!! ...

Today I went back and read through my blogs, trying to decide how to squeeze time in to write and I think I have come up with an idea! Night time is always very slow for texting.. Im usually browsing other sites while I work (it "dings" when there is a msg waiting to be answered).. soo instead of browsing other sites Im going to spend that down time blogging! YAY!!.. Im going to post THIS in all of my blogs and next week I will start blogging in each one individually!

Im also going to work on re-doing the layouts when I get a chance.. remember to feel free to contact me about trading links!!

My long hiatus...

I'm posting this in all 3 of my blogs. I first want to apologize for my long hiatus from the blogosphere. If you have read my past posts I had mentioned that my husband and I were having some problems again. Well, we separated again on May 17. Not to go into TOO much detail but I honestly think he has some attachment issues. I have done a lot of research on it and it all makes so much sense now. What happened this time is the same thing that happened in 2006. The same exact pattern except this time he is trying to get help. The separation was his decision. He wanted to have a "mutual separation" so that we both have some time to ourselves to work on ourselves and then IF/when we get back together get into marriage counseling immediately. ...

The past month and a half has been VERY hard for me. I feel like I am re-living this nightmare all over again. I have so many emotions running through my head. I've been spending most of my time either working as much as possible, spending time with my kids, researching attachment disorder and working on my OWN things that I want to change within myself. Right now I am also looking into taking some online courses for Veterinary Technician. I have no idea what the future holds for me and my family. I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Funny thing is, that's what my husband told me the first time this happened in 2006! I'm worried about having the time to work and trying to go to school both.. but I think it will help me to occupy my mind and it will make me feel better for doing something GOOD for my kids and myself to help us have a brighter future!

I haven't really been into the mood for blogging until recently. I am going to figure out some kind of schedule so that I can start blogging again on a regular basis! Just be patient with me. I have not forgotten about my blogs.. just am going through a very difficult time in my life right now! xo

You can chat with me!!

Look right to the left

.....


down a little bit......


underneath the "about me" section.....


<-----------------

look for the meebo chat box! You can chat with me whenever I am online! If I'm not online you can leave me a message anyway!! Check out meebo, it's pretty nifty!

Running a Service Based Business Pros and Cons

(guest writer!)

All of us have our own set of skills and areas of expertise—all you really need to possess is the drive, dedication and the desire to turn your skills into a revenue generating opportunity.

A service based business is difficult to start and continue simply because in essence, you will be basically selling yourself and not a product. And in a consumer conscious world, your biggest challenge as a service based business owner will be in building and providing a tangible experience of your services to a customer.

The entire crux of a service based business is centered on your ability to not only reach the right customers, but to also maintain your clientele.

Everything from your skills, to your professional competence to your customer service and relationship building abilities to how well you can package yourself and your services to suit the needs of your customers will be under the glare and yes scrutinized by your potential clients. In the service based business it helps to remember at all times that the product that you will be selling your customers primarily, is you.

However if you can get past the initial hiccups of starting your service business, the rewards can be more than satisfactory. The time, effort and hard work will pay of rich dividends in the form of a thriving business, good revenue and in the opportunity of letting loose your creative skills and interests.

Every business is subject to volatile market trends, various degrees of customer satisfaction and expectations and the numerous laws of marketing and publicity etc. However in the service business the onus of success almost always is placed with the customer. Since a service business is where you are offering your customer some form of service, the only way he/she can access your expertise or skills is by actually giving you a try. And if you are new or unknown, getting set into the business can be difficult.

Although this should not deter you if your mind is made up, one of the best ways of assessing any situation or as is the case a business, is to consider the pros and the cons very carefully and based on that one can chart out a further course of action.

Pros of the service business


Undoubtedly there are several advantages of starting out your own service business. Here are some of the most obvious ones-


You get to be your own boss: This is one of the top reasons of getting not just into the service business, but any business. Being the boss, you are in effect in control of your time, resources and future, your destiny. No more being answerable to higher authorities, no more having to adhere to rules and regulations laid out by someone else. You can plan and organize your life according to your wishes.

A major selling point of the service business is that there is no end to the kinds of service based business ideas to choose from. From child care, to pet care, VA services to resume writing or domestic services such as housekeeping or errand service the list just goes on and on. If you have a skill or are good with anything and you feel that there is a market for selling it, then it is an option definitely worth exploring.

In most instances, the ease of setting up the business and the relatively low investment required especially if you are running it out of your home is a major contributing factor. If you have some spare space or room, then with a few adjustments and changes you can easily run your business. For example if you are planning on becoming a VA, all you really need is a computer with internet connection, a phone and fax machine, a desk and chair and some basic office stationary.

Money: On the top of most people’s list, a service business has the potential of providing you with good revenue. If you plan your business well, you sit to gain income that can even surpass your expectations!


Cons of the service business


Risk- One of the biggest drawbacks to this business is the risk involved. You may be skilled at your job or service, but without the backing of a good business plan and marketing strategies the chances of your business succeeding is almost zero. Another risk factor is the off hand chance that even after careful planning and analysis, the market that you intend to break into will not respond favorably.

Another drawback to the service business is the lack of a tangible product for the customer can see or touch making it difficult for a customer to accept your skills based only on your word. It can be especially difficult to convince a new customer of your skills and superiority of service.

Uncertainty: this is something that comes with the job. Yes, it is not easy being a business owner, and while it is the perfect opportunity to showcase and utilize your talents and skills the sheer uncertainty of whether or not you will succeed requires a strong and positive mindset. Not a lot of people have the tenacity to weather storms.

No guarantees of a steady source of income/ no benefits- your income will be dependant of the work available only. Besides this, you will be responsible for paying out your health insurance premium or life insurance.



Conclusion

Starting your own service business can be a dream come true. However if you really want to succeed in this business, the best way forward would be through careful consideration of all contributing factors. Condition yourself to look at the bigger picture in the future, while not loosing focus of what is required in the present.

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Bio:
Bizymoms.com has been helping moms
work from home for over 10 years. Visit today to enjoy the
best home based business ideas, free resources including live chats, interactive message boards and informative articles. Still don’t have a home business? Start your business the easy way with a Bizymoms’ Career Kit! Lifetime Website included!

BIZYMOMS!

Yuwie review..so far....

Ok, so I have been a member of Yuwie for a few months now. As I stated before, you get paid for every hit you get to your page..even if it is just to your blog or your pics..any page within YOUR site pays you! It wont happen FAST but I really think if you have the TIME to put into advertising it and posting in blogs consistently, it has some potential..my problem is like everything else, I just don't have the time to dedicate to it every day! My biggest money maker is my texting job so that is what I try to spend pretty much every spare second doing! (and a big reason why I don't post here very often anymore!).

The biggest and fastest way to earn money on yuwie is to get referrals!! It's just like a pyramid scheme. You get referrals and you earn a percentage of what they make. They get referrals and you get a percentage of what THEIR referrals make and so on and so on!! I've been using some traffic exchange sites to help and I have gotten a few referrals fairly easily! A lot of people post how they get their referrals and if you have the time to follow all of their tips and tricks I'm sure you can do decent here.. and apart from the money making, it's still lots of fun! It's just like myspace, really! Click the banner to find out for yourself!! I will post some tips for yuwie, soon!!

Kind of Ironic!....Adsense!

The same DAY that I posted in here about adsense I checked my mail and FINALLY had a response from them after submitting an appear form MONTHS ago!.........

Hello,

Thanks for providing us with additional information. However, after
thoroughly reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into
consideration, we've re-confirmed that your account poses a significant
risk to our advertisers. For this reason, we're unable to reinstate your
account. Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, if you have any questions about your account or the actions
we've taken, please do not reply to this email. You can find more
information by visiting
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
From: *****y1977@aol.com
Subject: Appeal Form Submitted
Date: Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:31:21 -0800


AdSenseLocale: en_US
CompanyName:
ContentSource: blog
DateDisabled: November 2007
Frequency: a few times a month
InvalidActivity2: No explanation for it as I dont know anything about
the invalid clicks or where they came from! My blog is a small blog. I
dont update very often. I dont have very many readers. I have had an
adsense account for quite awhile now. If I was intentionally causing
fradulant clicks wouldnt I be closer to the pay out amount than what I
am? If I was trying to fradulantly use my adsense account for monetary
gain I would have made a lot more money than what I have so far!
Wouldn't that make more sense? I have yet to reach payout so I dont
understand how I could possibly be trying to "cheat" adsense with
invalid clicks! It isn't fair to disable my account without showing me
any sort of PROOF!
Language: en
NumPeople: 1
PubId: ca-pub-5138391268376348
Suspicious:
TrafficSource: word of mouth
URL: http://findingthenewme2007.blogspot.com/
WebAudience: blog readers
form_type: appeal_form

......Oh yeah, my Finding The New Me blog is a HUGE threat to adsense with its whole 3,702 page views in over a year! Give me a break adsense! You can take my $12.00 and shove it where the sun doesn't shine for all I care! Atleast $12.00 is all I got ripped off out of compared to others who were at the $100.00 payout and THEN told that their account was deactivated!!...They still couldn't give me any sort of proof or reason as to WHAT the problem is, just that it's a significant risk! What a joke!

Advertising on your blog for money??

I did touch briefly on making money with your blog in my previous post but now I want to mention how you can make money by putting advertisements on your blog.

Most people have heard of google's adsense. Basically, you let google place ads on your page and then you get paid a few pennies every time someone clicks on one of those ads. I had (past tense) an adsense account for awhile. I tried it first through another paid blogging site I used and then had adsense on here for almost a year. I had heard from others online that adsense is very picky and sneaky. I have heard that when it is close to pay out (oh yeah and a whopping $100 minimum for payout!) they will send you an email telling you that you had some sort of fraud and will cancel your account.

In all the time that I had adsense (over a year) I made a big $12.00! Then all of the sudden my account was closed for fraudulent clicking! I'm thinking that it may have been because I'm a member of a few blog traffic exchange sites? I did contact them to inquire about it but got no response! There are some people that make decent money with adsense but for small bloggers like me it seems like it's just a waste of space!!

After my adsense account got closed I began to search for other websites like it. I came across adbrite. It is kind of like adsense. See the big long advertisement on the left side of this page?? That's an adbrite ad! Now, also notice how some of the words throughout my post are highlighted and underlined? When you put your mouse over it you will see a small advertisement link pop up...that's adbrite!! Every time someone clicks on one of the ads, you get paid for it! You also have a way to make extra money through getting referrals! It's very easy to do. All you have to do is place the code(s) on your site and they do the rest! The best part is that YOU get to decide what your minimum payout is! You can make it as low as $5.00 instead of $100!! Try it and let me know what you think!!

Make money blogging?

This is a subject I had planned to delve into soon! A lot of you that read my blog have blogs of your own! I have always heard about people that make money from their blogs but it's hard to know what is legit and what isn't!

There are other ways to make money apart from adsense (which can be very difficult to earn money from!) How about trying blog advertising? I recently found out about smorty.com. At smorty.com advertisers PAY you to blog about their website or product/service! Once your blog(s) are approved you have the option to accept or reject any offers you receive! They will give you a short description telling you what the post needs to be about and if you accept it you have a certain amount of time to post your review in your blog!

Smorty.com is definitely legit as I completed my first review and received payment from them right into my paypal account! It was so easy and you can give your honest opinion! There are lots of opportunities to blog for money here!!

Forgive me while I'm gone.

I am having some problems in my personal life. I wont get into a lot of detail here. I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to post here. Just be patient and please keep your fingers crossed for my family and I that things will work themselves out!!!

So far....

I thought that since it is a new year I will start going over some of the opportunities that I posted about in 2007 and let you know where I stand and what my opinion is on them! I will do a few each post. You can go into my archives to find out more about each opportunity.

Texting Operator So far, so good. I've been a texting op for 2 1/2 years now! If you are lucky enough to get in with a company then consider yourself very lucky! It seems like the past few months have been slow with companies hiring new operators. I am sort of "stuck" with one of the lesser paying texting companies. I went with them because they don't have a schedule and you can log in and out whenever you want. There are pros and cons to working rota and non-rota. With non rota you have more freedom but it also takes more discipline to make yourself work every day even when you are feeling lazy! However, it is nice to work non-rota when you have kids or when you have appointments that you need to attend. I am willing to work back on a rota texting job if any ever come open again, lol. The company I am working for now does pay but it really isn't very much. I could make a lot more money working for another company. I have the experience now but the better paying companies don't hire much because no one wants to leave them!

ChaCha.com I gave up on them awhile ago once I got this non-rota texting job. Chacha does pay but it seems like they were coming up with rules and more rules making it more difficult to earn decent money. The last time I worked there the searches were far and few between and I spent most of the time just staring at the screen. It's a shame because I did enjoy doing it..I just didn't have the time to put into it on a daily basis to earn any sort of decent money. I suppose for someone who doesn't have any other work at home job then ChaCha would be a decent place to start!

CafePress. I have earned some money from them. Im sure I would have the potential to earn a lot more if I had the time to dedicate to promoting it. It seems like I get most of my sales from people just doing basic searches. I really like designing things for my cafepress store but once again it comes back to me just not having enough time for everything!

If I had time for everything then I'm sure I would be making quite a nice income from the internet alone!

...More updates to come!

Trading links?

Don't forget I am always looking for similar blogs to trade links with! If you are interested in trading links with me just leave a comment here and I will add you to my favorites! Just make sure that your blog has something to do with working from home!