July 2011

I had a lot of tapes to convert this month, unfortunately most of them were from one client, so I had to give a good discount. Nevertheless, this was a huge contribution to this months earnings which would have been very mediocre otherwise. Paid posts are few and far between at the moment, but sometimes you get a lull, then before you know it, there are suddenly a stack of assignments - maybe next month??
I have been trying my hand at trading laptops on eBay, have certainly spent some money - now need to get some back... (I have an ever increasing 'stock' of spare laptops at the moment...). One affiliate that keeps paying and paying is my '1and1' affiliate program - this accounted for another £22.50 this month, that's the best month so far - a total of £42.50 since April. As it pays straight onto my credit card account, I usually don't even realise until my credit card statement comes in. It's handy because most of my eBay purchases end up on my credit card, because my Paypal is a bit skint at the moment with the lack of paid postings...
Onwards and upwards... a good month behind me, a good month ahead if I can sell a couple of laptops - although I am not including this trading in my earnings here until I am a bit clearer on whether it will turn into a long term project...

RedEnvelope Coupons

The Munny4Hunny blog is all about making money and saving money, frugal living has been second nature for this blogger for about five or six years now.
Of course, most people are fully aware that there are lots of bargains and deals available via the internet, and my latest discovery has been redenvelope coupons. Red envelope has a huge array of deals and is especially good at locating gifts for those 'awkward-to-buy-for' people...
Whether you need a set of monogrammed golf clubs or a TV remote with built-in bottle opener(!), Red Envelope very probably has the perfect gift...

Coogi

Once priced to match the tastes of the 'bling' crowd, coogi clothing is now within reach of the average shopper who holds a desire to emulate their heroes through the brands that they wear.
This unique Australian urban chic clothing brand has styles for men and women ranging from jeans to jump-suits, boots to bags, high street to hoodies... Originally famed for it's high-profile (and highly-priced) knit-wear, Coogi is probably now more likely to be found on jeans and T-shirts, although the new owners have retained knit-wear in the latest ranges.

The development of blogging

It always amazes me that when typing in a blog post using the blogger dashboard, my browser spell-check settings always query the word 'blog' - it is not in the spell-check dictionary, yet blogs or weblogs have been around long enough for everyone to have heard of them (even if they don't appreciate or understand them).

Initially blogs were like online 'dear diary' entries - only really of interest if well-written, entertaining or informative in some way. I doubt that, at the beginning, it was possible to chart the success of the weblog.

A few years ago blogs became very popular, still used as an online diary, many companies began to see how well-regarded blogs were by search engines, so company-related blogs popped up everywhere. People began to see the earnings potential of blogs as advertising tools, hence the rise of paid to blog, and it's subsequent crash as the market got overloaded and Google got wise...

Now almost every online enterprise is accompanied with a blog - not JUST to 'game' Google results but more in line with it's original purpose, the blog is used to provide a commentary on current events in relation to that particular enterprise.

Modern blogging consists mainly of a hard-core of online diarists, online enterprise information portals and a core of paid-to-bloggers. There are still trash blogs out there as many 'get rich quick' like to use a free website to promote themselves, and others that cram a blog full of paid posts. In the main, however the rewards of paid to blog are more conservative and the market is a bit more intelligent insisting on good quality, and offering less incentive. Those that have ridden the storm have ended up being able to retain some sustainable income, in some cases maybe even making a living, although many have 'progressed' to other income streams.

In the modern era (an 'era' in internet terms is about two years!), most internet newcomers would now start with Facebook or Twitter rather than a blog, and of course there is little direct earning potential with these particular modes of communication. The blog still has it's place and now is firmly ranked alongside the giants of FB and Twitter as a must-have promotional tool - the main difference is that the latter two are brand-names and although blogger is still probably the leading blogging platform since it is easy and free (and belongs to Google), there are at least other prominent blogging tools allowing something of a free market.

Barcode scanners

The bane of every business that carries stock of any type is ...stock-taking! I have worked in retail for much of my early working life, and stock-taking was considered a particularly unpleasant task. Of course stock-taking is not limited to the retail trade, most businesses carry stock of some description.

We all know that barcodes are nothing new and have been around for decades, but in the past their use has been limited to use by larger companies. With software and hardware now being available for a fraction of the price, there is no reason why even the smallest company cannot take advantage of barcode scanner technology to speed up stock control as well as recording sales and returns etc..

Goggles!

Whether you are into your scuba-diving or more comfortable on the piste... the latest goggles are no longer just goggles. The newest range of goggles have built-in cameras to capture your every move under water or on the ski-slope. Anything from about 3MP up to about a 8MP camera can be fitted into goggles so you can share your sporting experiences online or with friends just by wearing a pair of these specially adapted helmet goggles. In general these come with about 1 or two hours of (HD) recording ability, and with rechargeable batteries - now you can share your next vacation adventure with everyone...

Earnings June 2011

At first glance, June looks like a bad month, but when you look closer you can see I have bought some stuff! Without the expenditure, I would have reported a more respectable £113. The first purchase was a domain renewal, but the major purchase was a laptop. It was an eBay purchase and I got it for under £50 (excluding delivery). It has prompted me to think about possibly selling laptop parts on eBay, but I may post about that another time. In the meantime, I am very happy with my new purchase. I plan to move all my website building stuff onto the laptop as it is not really going to be suitable for the cassette to CD conversions that I do. I had some other audio work to do which accounts for the 'other' £25 earned this month. This was the poorest month for blog posts that I have had for a long time, so I am hoping that this will pick up in subsequent months.

Slimming pills

Should you be one of those who are prepared to buy your slimming pills on the internet, or even use the internet to research the effectiveness of medications etc., you should also seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner before coming to any conclusions.

True, there are plenty of online vendors, there is also plenty of online advice, but there are a few rules that you should adhere to when it comes to online medication:
Check out who owns the site that you are looking at

Check out if the site has proper accreditation from a medical body

Be aware of sites that are trying to pass themselves off as something they are not

Above all, get some independent and qualified medical advice to ensure that the medication is suitable specifically for your personal medical history. Additionally be aware that slimming medication is only a short-term aid to weight-loss, you can't take it for ever...

Medical Carts

Innovative design and specialist knowledge is a key to businesses surviving the current financial crisis. But there is far more to good business than being able to produce a product, marketing can make the difference between failure and success. That is not to say that good marketing is a substitute for good design, but certainly a combination of a good product and good marketing is a winning formula.

Take the Howard Medical medical computer carts for example (pictured here) - the visual impact of a well-designed piece of equipment makes the marketing relatively. If the prospective purchaser likes what they see, half the job of persuading them to buy is completed. A few well-chosen words and the right price.. hey presto! you have just sold a medical cart...