I Took the Amazon A-Store Plunge

After putting it off for a while, I finally decided to take the Amazon A-Store plunge. For those of you who haven't heard of an A-store before, it's a store that is made up of Amazon affiliate products. You pick the products and then when someone purchases a product, you get a percentage of the profit.

I knew that niche marketing was important in setting up the shop. As a vegetarian, I always have problems finding high-fashion products that don't use animal materials, so I decided to create a Vegetarian Fashion store. I also incorporated a blog onto the site to drive traffic using SEO blog posts.

I set up the store on a Google Blogger site, just like this blog. I integrated the store into the heading and then placed the blog postings at the bottom of the page. I have no idea if this will be successful or not, but I will monitor my progress and report back.

I'm really just feeling my way through this process blindly. I really enjoyed choosing my products and setting up the site, but I have had very little success with affiliate marketing. I decided that it might be worth my time to invest a little more effort into the process though.

Anyway, I would love to hear any advice from those who have had some success with an A-store. I am sure there are some marketing tips that I am missing. I'm curious to see how the first month of the store pans out. I'll make sure to report back on my progress and let everyone know what worked and what didn't.

Suite!!! I'm a Winner!

I have been so happy with Suite. I find that my earnings are steadily growing and the community of writers is the best on the Internet. This month has been especially great for me as I passed my 50 article goal and started receiving my 10% bonus. I also was a winner in the Sweethearts Writing Challenge.

My Article "Unique Valentine's Gifts" was chosen as a winner in the challenge. My philosophy is to participate in all of the challenges on the off chance that I could win and make some extra money. That said, I was really shocked that I won, especially since Valentine's Day is my least favorite holiday. Perhaps it was that unique angle that gave me the edge though.

Anyway, I must say that Suite has really paid off for me. I am making more money per article than I do at any other site. They also have challenges each month that provide extra opportunities to make money. I also have learned so much through Suite with their Learning Hubs that teach about keyword research and seo writing. Perhaps that best part of Suite though, is the supportive and knowledgeable writing community.

By frequenting the forum, I have learned so much from other writers. I am still somewhat shocked at how willing so many writers are to share the tips that have made them successful. I love this aspect of the writing community. I find that everyone wants everyone else to succeed. Their are very few people who are guarded or resentful of others' success.

So basically, I just want to say thank you to Suite writers and editors for helping me become a better seo writer. And another thanks goes out for choosing my little article for a winner in the writing challenge.

Online Freelance Writing Terms for Beginners

When I first started out as an online freelance writer, it took me a while to understand all of the lingo and slang used in this profession. So, to help some of the newbies out, I decided to write an article on online writing terms. I've posted a portion of this article below. The entire article can be seen here.

Google Adwords - Google Adwords is an advertising program run by Google. Online writers use Google Adwords to research keywords. When those keywords are used in an article, they help to generate ads on writing websites and article pages. The ads, when clicked, generate income for the writer and the writing site. This is how most online writing sites make money.

SEO - SEO refers to search engine optimization. An online freelance writer uses SEO keywords and phrases to make an article easier to find by search engines. These keywords are commonly typed into search engines to find articles and web sites. A writer can find keywords using the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. By typing a few keywords or phrases into the keyword tool, a list of related keywords will be generated. For example, a writer who types "cocktails" into the keyword tool might generate related keywords like "fruity cocktails" or "cosmopolitan cocktails". By using a variety of these keywords, a writer can make it easier for search engines to find an article. When articles are easily found by search engines, more people read the article and the writer makes more money.

PV's - PV's is an abbreviation of page views. It refers to the number of views that an article, or a collection of articles, receives in a given time. Writers strive for high PV's but it is only one piece of the puzzle when writing to make money online. Writers must also pay attention to CPC.

CPC - CPC refers to cost per click. When looking up keywords on the Google Keyword Tool, writers can choose to view the average estimated CPC for each keyword. The CPC is the estimated amount of money that an ad will generate when someone clicks  . . . read more

The Perks of Associated Content

Associated Content was one of those residual writing sites where I signed up, wrote a couple of articles and then forgot about it. I had been focusing so much of my time on eHow and Suite101, that I neglected Associated Content for a good four months. Recently though, I had some time to explore the site and learn about the perks of writing for AC.

One of the first things I noticed when I started with AC, was the fact that the PPM was relatively low, starting at only $1.50 with a possible maximum of $2.00 over time. This fact initially put me off of AC, but then I started to think about it as a plus and this is why: As opposed to many sites that focus on page views and cost per click, AC writers need only to worry about page views. This means that writers can make more money writing about high page view but low CPC topics than they could on other sites. This allows more freedom of writing topics.

The other great thing about the static PPM amount is that it won't go down. It is a clear and predictable number that writers can count on. This allows writers to have a good idea of how much money they will make each month and it is a transparent payment system that helps prevent fraud.

Another perk offered by Associated Content is the fact that they offer a number of ways to present information. People can submit content in written form or as an audio or video clip. Even though I'm not too interested in making videos, others may find videos more appealing.

Associated Content also offers assignments that provide upfront pay as well as residuals. Though these assignments seem to be few and far between, they do exist. This allows writers to make even more money from the site.

Finally, I also enjoy the fact that Associated Content does not require members to publish a quota of articles per month. This provides me with the flexibility to leave the site for a while and come back to write when I have more time. I will still be earning residuals on my writing during that entire time.

Overall, I'm convinced that AC is a great writing site and will be a great asset in my attempt to pay my mortgage via residual income. Though their initial pay is lower than most, I think their perks make them well worth the writing effort.

What are your feelings about AC? I'd love to hear about others' experiences.

Why am I Not Writing More for Bukisa?

So I just realized that I have only two active articles on Bukisa. To be honest, I'm not really sure why I haven't written more articles for the site.

Though Bukisa doesn't seem to show a great PPM (pay per 1000 views), it does provide a great venue for writing many articles in a short amount of time and could turn out to be another decent money-maker.

Bukisa articles need only to be 250 words long and can be written on any topic. Like eHow, Bukisa's articles are simple to write and anyone can crank out quite a bit of content in a short amount of time. Though it would be tough to make decent money on Bukisa alone, it could help to add to my income from my other residual sites.

For this reason, I am going to try to increase my Bukisa articles over the next couple of months. I'm dedicating one day of the week solely to my writing and the rest will be primarily focused on jewelry. Hopefully by diversifying the sites I use, I will be able to make a more steady stream of monthly income.

My ultimate goal is to pay my mortgage solely from residual income. This will take pressure off of my jewelry business and will help when I have lean financial months. I'll try to keep everyone posted on my Bukisa experience. Hopefully I will have some good news to post.

I Lost My Buddy Yesterday

My boyfriend's dog, Buddy fell asleep for the last time yesterday after a battle with lymphoma. He was a true friend whose only goal in life was to keep my boyfriend and I close to him. We were with him to the end and held his little body as he fell into a deep sleep. There is a huge hole in my heart now that he is gone. I miss his barks and how his face, looking out of the glass door, would be the first that I would see as I pulled into my boyfriend's driveway. I miss how he hated sneezes and would bark to let us know. I miss how he would hug your leg and bark at you when you left the house, as if to say don't leave unless you plan to take me with you. I miss how he used to stop in the middle of a walk and take the time to roll around in the leaves or the snow. Buddy was truly a loyal and sweet friend and I will forever miss having him in my life.

No, I Haven't Been Devoured by Zombies

Even though it was Halloween yesterday, my recent disappearance from this blog cannot be attributed to a random zombie attack. Instead, I have been spending all of my time making jewelry and preparing for my first official art show.

I have two shows quickly approaching and I am trying to tie up all loose ends before the events. There are so many details to consider, such as how to accept credit cards and how to display the jewelry. I am trying not to forget anything but I am sure I will forget something. I just hope that the show goes relatively smoothly and I learn from any little bumps in the road.

As for my writing, these shows have provided some pretty major bumps in the road. I just don't have enough time to devote to my online writing. After the last show, on Dec. 6th, I will probably be able to devote some more time to my articles. I need to write 10 articles for Suite 101 at the very least.

I must say that I have been so pleased with Suite 101. My earnings this month far surpassed what I expected. I see so much potential for long-term earning through the site. That will definitely come in handy as a supplemental income with my jewelry business.

Anyway, if anyone is in the Bloomington, Indiana area or the Chicago area, come see me at the shows listed below. Now I'm off to make more jewelry. Wish me luck!!