My Team monitor

My Team monitor is an Employee Monitoring Software system that allows a manager to monitor remote team members. This is a really interesting idea for those planning to set up an online business with remote employees.
Many remote employees are paid on a 'piece-work' basis, ie. paid for every tangible piece of work that is produced, but what can you do if you are paying for work-time rather than actual tangible output?
This is where an Employee Monitoring Software system comes in.. The manager set up an account (no software needed at this point), and invites the team members to join the system and download software onto their PC. The system works by acting firstly as a logging-in system, ie. records to 'log-in' and 'log-out' times. It is a little more advanced than that though because periodically, the system takes a snapshot of the PC screen to show that the team member is still working.
As far as the employee is concerned, they only have to remember to 'clock' in and out of the system. Naturally, there could be initial resistance to installing a system that 'spies' on activity, but if it's activity that you are being paid for, I don't see that it should be too much of a problem. I would say however, that, as an employee, if you are in the habit of browsing the web or 'face-booking' during work hours, then I would recommend that you log out of the system before doing so..
For the employer or manager, once they sign in to the Employee Monitoring Software system (done from the web, so could presumably could be monitored from a tablet or smart-phone), the team appears with a time-line of activity including assessment of mouse-clicks and keystrokes. There is also a display of the last few screen shots as thumbnails which presumably can be clicked on to display in larger format.
As an online earner, this software strikes me as something that could quickly move you up from a lone-operator to being at the centre of a larger-scale operation.

Pajamas for women

It was our anniversary last weekend and although I don't usually buy a gift for our anniversary, I did see these lovely pajamas for women on which you can have a nick-name printed.

I was too late to get them delivered in time for the weekend, but would still consider them for a birthday or Christmas present a little later on in the year.

Of course, you would have to make sure that the intended recipient actually likes their nick-name before you submit it to the printers or you could be making an expensive mistake!

Rolling along

I am getting really busy now... just been away for the weekend, and got stuck into the painting of my home office as soon as we got back - first coat pretty much done - looks like it's gonna need a few more coats yet!
I have been buying broken laptops again...! Just put one together, but if I account for all the parts I used at 'eBay prices', I need to get at least £60 back to make it worthwhile - as it happens most of the parts I used to get this one going don't really owe me anything (they are mostly leftovers from other repairs), so maybe I would still make a bit of profit if I sold this one... Anyway, I guess I HAVE to sell it so I will just have to get whatever I can for it.
I reiterate that unles you can renovate laptops on a wholesale scale, it is probably not worth the effort...
There are more blogging opps coming in from all sorts of different directions at the moment, so it looks like there will be a bit of an revival in blogging earnings this month and/or maybe next month. I have had one more cassette to do, and have had a few other enquiries which is healthy - you can't guarantee to get a result from every enquiry, but at least if you get the enquiry, you know people are finding you...
I need to get my earinings for the tax year 2011-2012 sorted so that I can submit them to the tax-man, also I will do a post about my annual earnings fairly soon.. I will also post a few mosre pictures of the 'office' as it emerges from the dust and grime of the renovation project - particulalry excited about getting a new work-desk and shelving in there!

DBX

I have been on the lookout for a new speaker management system for a reasonable-sized PA set up. We had a relatively cheap one which was not very intuitive for the inexperienced user such as myself. I had heard about the dbx DriveRack PA, and was very interested to learn that there is now a DriveRack PA plus.

This featured packed beast offers easy set-up using in built 'wizards' which sounds (excuse the pun) like great idea to me. Not only that, but the kit looks really great too...

Office Progress

I have never taken photo's of my home 'office' before the restoration project because frankly it would not have made a very pretty picture. However with the work well and truly under way, I will be posting up a few pictures to mark the transformation to dingy hole into bright new office.

Here we can see the floor after sanding along with a freshly painted radiator and the new skirting board... Today I have put the first coat of varnish onto the floor with another coat planned for tomorrow. My plan for the next stages is to rub down the walls and paint them before fixing the new skirting board permanently into place (I have already cut each board to fit). I will then be finally able to plumb the radiator back in properly. I also need to cover the old loft opening in the ceiling and find a new light fitting (which will be fixed onto the aforementioned covering...). I have already moved the light switch because the door now opens the other way, so I am going to need some narrow trunking for the lighting cable and will need to fix the switch to the plaster wall. All that remains then is the door and window surrounds... Oh yes, and all the new office furniture (trip to Ikea this weekend was supposed to be a fact-finding mission, but became a bit of a battle-ground...).

The upshot will hopefully be a swish new office from which I can further my plans for creating more online earnings.

Bean Bag Chairs

I have been looking for furniture and fittings for my soon-to-be newly decorated home office when I came across these bean bag chairs. I was briefly tempted before accepting that there was not really enough room for 'chilling out' in the limited space that we have.

However I am sure it will not be long before I need to redecorate the bedroom of my young daughter - Now if these are available in pink, I think we have found the perfect piece of furniture...

Year End

After I posted last months update, I realised that I need to post my earnings for the year as the new financial year begins in April and I need to finish off the accounts for the year just gone. I think my profit has been about the same as last year, but as I spent less, my turnover must have been quite a bit lower.
I will need to look at which areas have been less profitable and do a proper report, but my gut feeling is that there have been less paid posting opportunities this year for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the general economic downturn has affected advertising budgets, and secondly Google continues to seek out paid posts and punish them.
I have half-formed plans for other revenue streams, but with the emphasis on my 'day-job' and the home renovation plans, there has been even less chance than normal to flesh out these plans. No doubt once I have a shiny new office, I will be suitably inspired to begin the quest for domination of the internet in earnest...

ECG

For those who are suffering from heart problems or suspected heart problems it is now quite possible to buy your own ecg system to monitor your progress in the comfort of your own home. Of course, this sort of equipment should be used only if advised by a doctor as self-diagnosis of heart-problems is really not a good idea.
There are a range of different products available for self-monitoring, these can be particulalry useful for monitoring the effectiveness of medication as properly prescribed by a medical professional.

March Catch-up

As March draws to a close, I am pleased to be able to report that takings this month are a little better than last months dire offering. I have a new injury having gone temporarily blind in my right eye after an impact playing football on Tuesday.. sight is mostly restored, but they eye is still a bit sore and generally making me grumpy. Still, I had a much-needed day off today, my 'proper' job has been crazy busy lately, but the boss has promised a bonus!
I was able to do another tape to CD conversion today, plus I had time to remove a radiator from my 'office' at home and to remove the last few pieces of skirting board (I have been instructed to replace the skirting board, which has resulted in a whole scheme of works including ripping up all the floor-boards and re-fitting them all...). As part of this undertaking, I am also stripping all the walls and practically rebuilding the whole room... Still lots to do, but the light at the end of the tunnel is I can spend some of my online earnings on some new office furniture!
Official March figures to follow...

Hoyo de monterrey cigar

I have often looked forward to the summer, then all too often, when it arrives, the realisation that the hot weather brings unwanted side effects hits me.. Bugs, flies. midges and other nasty bitey creatures are abound when you are trying to enjoy the sun on a summer evening. I recently discovered that if you have friends who are partial to a hoyo de monterrey cigar of an evening - they can act as a living fly-repellant just by doing what they love to do most. It turns out that small flying insects are not so partial to cigars, and the smoke tends to drive them away. Of course, if you don't fancy inviting people round, you will just have to buy yourself some cigars and get puffing!

Bell Vortex

With the price of fuel becoming ridiculously high, swapping the car for a motorbike is becoming more and more likely. Naturally, there are all the safety issues to get around, but kitted out with a Bell Vortex 'lid' and a set of leathers, I could be king of the road for a fraction of what it costs to run a car (and be so much cooler too!). Of course, you get much more 'bang' for your 'buck' with a motorbike, although to be fair there are a few limiting factors such as load space and passengers to be considered, nonetheless a bike as a second family vehicle is a very real consideration, even for families..

Looking back at February

I don't think I have ever had such a poor month as I have just experienced, but honestly I am glad that I have not had too much online stuff to do. £11 is just about the lowest total I have ever reported except where I have spent a lot - certainly this is the lowest turnover that I can find in my own records!
Nevertheless, important things are being done in the meantime, I have picked up new job titles at work, and remain hopeful that increased salary might also be forthcoming... I am progressing with the renovation of the home office (I am currently sat in it with half the floor boards and skirting boards missing, dust, tools and odd bits of timber everywhere... and am in generally good health, so it's not all bad!

silver bullion bars

In these uncertain economic times, people often turn to precious metals as an alternative investment when stocks, shares and even currency trading are too unpredictable.
Of course, we can't all afford to buy gold bars, so here's a cost-effective alternative: silver bullion bars. Silver bullion is a solid investment, and in times of economic decline, it is the precious metals markets that tend to be the most reliable.
When you can't rely on a bank deposit account for a decent return, and if you think the Forex market too much of a gamble, an investment in precious metals could give you the return you are looking for. Bullion in this format can be bought in small amounts, anything from an ounce upwards.

Earnings February 2012

I can't believe how busy the last month or so have been, unfortunately (or maybe it IS actually fortunate..) not so much going on in the online earnings world for me. Few posts to do and not much else happening other than an Adsense payout which is always nice. Technically it came in March (March 1st) so I won't include it in this months meagre total.
In the non-internet world, I have a cracked rib to follow on from the broken arm (yes, football again..), and I am a good way into refurbishing the small office we have at home - my main job is very busy at the moment so it's probably just as well I don't have too much to do in the online world...

Side Effects

There are hundreds of adverts, promotional banners and even blog posts promoting different pills and potions to help you lose weight, but what about the side effects. More and more, we are seeing information about the different side effects of taking these medications, like the page at: http://sideeffectsofdietpills.net/xenadrine-ripped/ which addresses concerns about one specific pill.
The conclusion must be that it is foolish to self medicate on anything that can have such dramatic effects, and getting advice from a doctor or medical professional msut always be the first step in any treatment.

Steel Buildings Canada

Spring is just around the corner and I am already back into the swing of DIY - something I have not really been able to get 'into' for a long while. There's not too many big projects planned, just a bit of indoor decorating and refurbishment. However, it never ceases to amaze me just how much background work is required for seemingly the simplest of tasks. For instance, my better half recently requested that I sort out the skirting boards in the small office we have at home. This simple request has seen a complete overhaul of the room take place. The walls have been stripped of wallpaper in preparation for painting, the floorbards have been taken up and replaced, I have fitted new sockets for telephone, cable and network plus three power sockets. Nothing is simple....
It has highlighted to me that I really need a decent workshop of the type that are available from steel buildings canada, I had a small shed a few years back, but it is now full of garden stuff, so I don't have a much-needed workshop. Consequently I am doing all the work in-situ and moving the remaining furniture around in order to saw up floor boards etc..
I would post up some 'before and after' photo's, but to be honest the 'before' photo's would be just too unsightly... I may post up some 'after' photo's though - watch this space...

Bundling

At one stage of developing my 'cassette to CD' website, I came up with a downloadable guide for visitors who wanted to try their hand at converting their own cassettes. Making money from this was a somewhat clumsy process involving 'locking' a PDF file, and providing unlocked versions for those that paid a donation. I was paid anything from 50 cents to $10 via PayPal.
I have re-thought this system recently when I discovered that you can sign up for a bundle scheme that effectively 'bundles' your download with an offer - if your visitor acts on the offer, you can get paid out. You will have seen similar things when downloading free software yourself. It seems to me to be a fairly neat solution, so much so that I think I might dust off my guide and bring it up to date before trying my hand at bundling to raise some of that elusive passive income..

Busy-ness

I have been (as happens from time to time) lax in updating any of my blogs lately. There is no MLS actions at the moment, so I have nothing to say in my Beckham Blog, I rarely update my travel blog, and have not had time to write anything for Munny4Hunny or TheCreditCruncher lately.
Although I am fully recovered from my broken arm, I am very busy with stuff at real 'work' lately and have embarked on a DIY project which involves pulling our small office at home to bits - no floor at the moment, although the PC's are still running...
Hopefully the DIY project will mean I end up with a smart new office, but knowing that rate at which I work (I don't get many hours at home in which it would be possible to work to be fair...), it could take a while.
Not much happening on the cassette to CD conversions lately which is making me think I ought to probably do some SEO work on some of my sites and see if I can get any decent links (or even crappy links, I'm not fussy..!)
I am thinking I will probably charge any new office furniture to my home 'business', which will save me some income tax, but knock my profits for six!!

Address Plaque

An Address Plaque makes a nice finishing touch to any house, especially after you have just painted the exterior, or had some other major renovation work done. We have a plaque made from tiles on our house and, not only does it help to identify our house, it also helps people to navigate the street when the house they are looking for has no visible number.
I find it particularly useful when using Google 'streetview', I find the street and then begin trawling up and down looking for a house number so that I can find the specific house that I want. Maybe that's not the main reason to buy a house plaque for your home, but it will probably help people like me who like to navigate around streetview!

January 2012

January has not been a particularly busy month for internet earnings, I have done a few cassettes and that has yielded about £70, plus a few affiliates and blog posts giving a gross income of around £90, I paid out a little over £6 on postage and paypal fees, hence a total income of £84.52.
I have also had a refund of £120 from the water company for overpayment of our direct debit, but in other news, I have lost about £140 on a savings plan (cheque for £120 and statement showing a loss both arrived today in the post..).
I have also had to spend £110 on a new circuit board for my central heating boiler this week, but as it all works so much better now, I feel like it was money well spent. More about how eBay solved my heating problems in a later post I think...