Professional Blogging

There are opportunities for bloggers to make money posting or ghostwriting for other networks or right on their own blogs.

I began this blog pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to format it and get it up and running. Now I also blog elswhere and it has become a comfortable habit for me. I am still playing around with different formats, monetization, and concepts but I get the general idea.

I run Green Kids, an online source for eco-friendly tips to raising children. I also generate (hopefully) thought-provoking discussions everday at Question of the Day.

If you already run an active blog you may be eligible to sign-up with companies like PayPerPost that will pay you to post a specific blog on your own site. Read the fine print about how long the blog must remain active.

Here's a short list of professional blogging job boards:
Bloggerjobs
Problogger
Performancing (I haven't had any luck here yet, but it's a very informative site)
SimplyHired (has a few ads for professional bloggers)

Problogger also has a plethora, that's right plethora, of great blogging and social media info.

Depending upon your personal goals; professional blogging may be for you. It's an excellent way to diversify and most of all its fun!

Content Production and SEO

I know that I have seriously been neglecting my duties here at Morning so let's jump right back in and I will try to catch everyone up with what I've been learning and doing!

Demand Studios continues to be my rock at the moment. I think content producing is my wahm forte. Content producers write articles that cover niche topics. These articles are then sold to webmasters and online marketers to use on niche sites where they earn revenue through ads and affiliate programs.

Whew! Yeah, I've been busy. Content producers write articles that have a certain density of the keyword phrase (usually the title phrase) in them so that search engines (like Google) will find the content, and thus the site, easily. More traffic from the search engines equals more people clicking the ads which means higher revenue to the site. The way I'm doing it right now I end up selling my rights to the material and therefore get no revenue share from the site but I do get that upfront fee of $15 (that's the Demand Studios payment...depending on which content-seller you write for the pay will be different).

You can also produce content for your own use. Building niche websites with ads and affiliate links means that you then keep 100% of the profit instead of selling your content to a large house for upfront payment. This kind of building takes a lot of time and effort. Since I'm back to substitute teaching I don't yet have time to learn web design in order to accomplish this. But it may be exactly what you need!

I hope that this post lays out search engine optimization (SEO) clearly for you. That is the easiest, no-frills way to explain what niche content does for a site and a webmaster. Well-optimized content is the most important part of building a monetized (for profit through ads) site.

Check out SEO for Dummies for more in-depth discussion of content producing for search engine optimization.

Informative Post

As I navigate through the gazillion online content writing sites I like to post about what I'm finding. I joined a site called Informative Post today. I am still awaiting a confirmation email, but from what some other Content Producers on AC say; Informative Post is promising.

Much like AC they pay a small amount upfront and the rest of the money you accrue through page views. I'll let everyone know the pros and cons of Informative Post as I become more familiar with it.

Demand Studios

Yes, I like writing. I love everything about it. From the words on the page to the quirky people who also call themselves writers to late nights just me and my laptop. I want to write more because it is something that comes easily to me.

To this end, I have been researching other sites to write for that will help to expand my portfolio and put some money in the bank (or PayPal...I'm not picky). Today, I applied to write for Demand Studios. They contract with 60 other sites on the Web that buy content to publish or distribute. Currently, they are hiring writers to submit copy for the site eHow. Basically, the writer chooses an article title such as How To Tie Your Shoe, writes the article and submits for review and (hopefully) payment. Demand Studios will pay $15 for each article and you may submit as many as you like. Your queue can hold ten titles at a time and after each is reviewed it frees up a spot to add another.

I had read threads on different forums that indicated the wait to hear from Demand Studios was anywhere from several months to 3 to 6 hours. It all seems dependent upon how your application stands out; especially your writing samples. I submitted my application at 3:10 this afternoon and I had an approval email at 3:16!

So far, I have set up my account and submitted one article. I'm going to wait to see if that one is accepted or if the editors will give me some revising pointers. After I know for sure what they want in an article I'll jump in.

Visit Demand Studios to find out if this opportunity would be something you would enjoy.

I hope everyone is doing well. Please let me know if you have any questions about online earnings or a topic you'd like to see covered here!

All of Your Eggs In One Basket...and Other Wise Words

I've tried many different online methods of making money this summer. Thus far, they have all been legitimate business from which I have been able to make some extra money. However, none of these could pay my bills on their own. This realization leads me to discuss the importance of multiple income streams.

As an online entrepreneur (um, and I am one because I have business cards that say so) the first "rule" that you need to be aware of is that you cannot rely on one thing to bring you all of the money you need. Also, getting started is the hard part. Right now, I am researching and, through trial and error, finding out what methods are most time and cost effective. Combine the winning methods and you have a good start at earning your potential.

It is also in your best interests to figure out what you enjoy doing. The activities we find pleasure in automatically have the potential to earn us more money simply because we are good at them and have no problem spending some significant time devoted to them. I enjoy writing. It doesn't matter what the subject of my rambling happens to be; I just like putting words to paper (or screen). Thus, I have been searching for more writing sites and building a good Web writing resume.

Find what works for you, what you love doing, and what activities are earning you the most money for your effort. With this formula you cannot go wrong. Stick to your goals and doors will open that you never realized existed.
Above all, have fun!