I haven't been thrown out of my flat.......Yet.

img credit: solcookie

...because I've barricaded myself in with enough food to last me for the next 6 months.

(p.s.: my rent's past due)


If my landlord manages to crash the door down, he'll have to get through the Cookie Monster first.

I've got it all planned, you see.


Me. Clever. Quite.



AND IN OTHER NEWS:


My New Ebook!!: I've been sitting on a couple of ebooks for a while. Just needed finishing touches. 'Stroodle mah Google' is basically a light-hearted playful reference to Google. It was fun creating it. I'm giving away 3 free copies in exchange for a review so shoot me an email or leave a comment in this post if you're interested in grabbing a copy. (UPDATE: the ebook's now free so if you want a copy, just go over and download it)


Money I'm Owed. Grrr.: I've received the small affiliate payment I was waiting for, plus the £35 for the panel research I did early this month. However, I'm still waiting for the most important one, the biggie, the £500 cheque for the creative-writing workshop I ran at a school last month. Short of sending a reminder (which I've done), I'm just gonna have to wait that one out.


The 9-5 Job Situation: Still looking.



Right, I need to go double-reinforce my front door.


Over and out...

2ThePoint.

Reality Check: I Owe Too Many Bills Not to Go Back to a 9-5...

img credit: Just Taken Pics

I hate to admit it or even contemplate the idea, but I'm seriously considering going back to a 9-5 (or even a part-time job).

I don't, for one second, regret quitting my desk job in November. If given the chance, I'd do it again. And I will do it again.

And again and again.

However, my bills are piling up to the point where I can't ignore them anymore. I've buried my big old head in the sand long enough and feel I need to pull my sleeves up and do something about it NOW - and getting an admin/desk/whatever job is the quickest solution for me right now.


I have every confidence that I'll get to where I want to be in terms of making more money online. It's just not gonna be today. This month.


People owe me money, I might be running another workshop at the end of the month, I'm in negotiations with a regular online client of mine for more work, and I've recently picked up a new client (though I'm not 100% sure about him, to be honest). But these are all things I'M WAITING ON. And I can't wait any longer. I have to go do something that's within my power to do instead of waiting for them to deliver.


It's not just about them, though. I know what role I have to play in where I currently find myself. I am my own best/worst teacher/student after all.


I'm not gonna work online for pennies in an effort to keep my head above water because not only will it undermine what I'm worth, but it won't keep my head above water, actually. So, if it means having to go back to a 9-5 in the meantime (much as I really don't want to and I'm struggling with the idea), then so be it.


Unless some miracle occurs in the coming week (like the tooth fairy putting a serious stash of cash under my spit-stained pillow), then Big Mama's gonna have to don her rat-race suit once again.



Anyway, that's that.


Have a nice week, all.

2ThePoint.

Right, I'm Sending Out the Cookie Monster to Go Gobble Up the People Who Owe Me Money...

img credit: nickstone333

Yeah, the Cookie Monster might not look scary, but he'll crush you in a heart beat.

Try looking in the mirror and saying his name 7 times. You'll see.



I'm not perfect. I've got bills coming out of my ears.

But what's making the sHituation a whole lot worse is that I'm OWED money too.


It wouldn't pay all my bills if all the people that owed me coughed up

...but it would help.

Heck yeah, it would help.



So who owes me money, ey?


Workshop: £500
In November, I mentioned I wanted to go back to running workshops once or twice a month as the money's really good and it would support my online thang. Well, soon as I thought it, it kinda just fell into my lap. Got an email to run a creative-writing workshop in a school in mid-December – over 3 days. Was real cool. Loved it.

But I'm still waiting for the cheque. And that sucks, y'all. Really sucks. Some schools are kinda sluggish like that.


Website Research: £35
I did some one-to-one research through a London-based company I've been a panel member of for some time. I hardly qualify for their research panels so I was quite chuffed when they called me out of the blue for one. The research was only for half an hour too. They're lovely people, but unfortunately, I haven't been paid because the person who dishes out the payments is sick. (UPDATE - 19th Jan: the money came thru today)


myLot: $11.47
myLot is an online paid-to-post forum. I use it on and off, which is why it took me a while to reach the minimum $10 payout. They pay out every mid-month or so, so I was due a payment around 15th Jan. A couple of days before payout was due, one of the admins sent me an email asking me to change my initial (on my payment details) to my full name which I did fairly quickly. However, they changed my pay date from mid-Jan to mid-Feb, so although I haven't lost the money, it would have come in handy sooner rather than later. That could have covered my hosting cost for this month.


An Affiliate Payment: about $7.50
Ok, it's not a lot, but I sold someone's product as an affiliate and I'm still waiting for that too. (UPDATE - 22nd Jan: been paid)



Altogether, I make that £535 and $18.97 which would SO do me right now.


GRRRR.


Not a happy bunny.


2ThePoint.

Today.com: The Good News and The Not-So-Good News...

I'd read about Today.com on several blogs in the past. Seen it discussed on myLot a few times as well as on a couple of job sites. At the time, it was being promoted as a site that pays you to set up and run a blog on their site.

I mainly joined Today.com to find out if it actually did pay - I was reading several blogs that were talking about it and promoting it, but I was yet to hear anyone say they'd actually been paid nor had I seen any proof of payment.

AT THE TIME I JOINED UP...

- It was $1 per post for a minimum of 100 words. Minimum payout, $50. You could post as much and as frequently as you wanted, however YOU ONLY GOT PAID FOR THE ONE POST A DAY. (Sometimes, you had the option to set up a 2nd blog to up your income)

- You also got a cut of their advertising revenue depending on how much unique traffic you drew to your blog. ($2 per 1000 uniques)

- You were automatically signed up to their referral program. $5 per new blogger referred by you (as long as your referral made a minimum of 10 approved posts).


MY TWO BLOGS...

I set up my first blog on there (in September)...

...then I set up another (in December).

I'm assuming Today.com uses a Wordpress platform - looks very much like it - and so I found it quite easy to use as I'm familiar with WP.

I found the member forum really friendly and helpful too. Has a certain sense of community.



ANYHOO, THE GOOD NEWS IS...

I got paid this month!



THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS IS...

- I ain't gonna get paid per post anymow.

You see, every month or two, Today.com assesses a blog to see how it's performing and can INCREASE or DECREASE your payment rate accordingly. Mine got assessed and downgraded to ad-rev share only/referral program status.

My fault, really, as I wasn't posting that frequently and wasn't getting that much traffic.


THE OTHER NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS IS...

- They no longer offer the pay-per-post deal to new bloggers who join. It's now only based on the traffic your new blog receives ($2 per 1000 unique hits).

- Their referral program has also changed for new bloggers. You can only qualify for the program if you've posted a minimum of 20 posts within 20 days.

- If your new blog performs exceptionally well within 30 days of it being set up, it MAY get upgraded to their pay-per-post program.



IS IT STILL WORTH BEING A PART OF TODAY.COM?

Some would say yes. Others, no. If you're already a member of other ad-revenue sites, then Today.com might be another one to add to your list (with the possibility of getting paid per post in the future). Others might think it's not worth the effort and that their time and energy would be best spent on other online pursuits. One reason is no more valid than the other. It's a personal choice/decision.

Since I already have 2 blogs on there, I might continue maintaining them in some shape or form; but I, for one, wouldn't have joined under the new rules.   However, my initial curiosity was satisfied - I wanted to find out if they really did pay and, yes, they do. But with their recent payment overhaul, the bar's been raised significantly.


Apply to become a Today.com blogger --- or not.


Until next time...may the Barack be with you...

2ThePoint.

PickJack and the Sexy Quiz Mistress…

img credit: s-a-m

Starring Big Mama herself

aka 2ThePoint

aka TickTacToe

aka Sexy Quiz Mistress (SQM)

with her purple 2000-inch fuck-me heels

dark tortoise-shell glasses

and Jackie Onassis wig.

Pulling questions and answers out of her ass with aplomb
...and getting paid for it.


Her new SugarDaddy in question?

They call him Jack. Mr Pickjack.


2ThePoint's imaginary friend: Ok, lady, stop with the role-play already.

2ThePoint: Why should I?

2ThePoint's imaginary friend: Because you're the only one having fun.

2ThePoint: go away

Imaginary friend: go dry-hump your shadow

2ThePoint: Idiot.

Imaginary friend: deluded bitch

2ThePoint: ghost wannabe.

Imaginary friend: Angelina Jolie wannabe.

2ThePoint: Ass wipe.

Imaginary friend: Freak.

2ThePoint: Douche bag.

Imaginary friend: Butterfly poo.

(img credit: purpleslog)

Pickjack is my new mini-hobby! I stumbled across it last week and it's becoming a mild obsession!


How it works...

You get paid to ask and answer multiple-choice questions. You also get paid according to the number of ratings your questions get.

Most of the questions are connected - if you answer a question correctly, you have the option to ask a new question but it has to be related to the one you've just answered. Once you've asked 10 questions, you get the chance to ask a top (unrelated) question on any topic of your choosing – like pumping new blood into the group of questions.


How much does it pay per question?

Well, it apparently doesn't work like that.

Earnings are shared according to how active you are on the site.

Pickjack assigns a set amount of funds to a particular period of time. The more active you are, the more of the cut you get for that period. Therefore, your earnings can peak or dip overnight if you have or haven't been recently active.

I don't think Pickjack explain this particularly well on their site, which merely leads to confusion. Here's what it says on their FAQ page:

"You earn money based on how many questions you submit and how well other members rate your questions. The goal is to be the top money earner by writing the best, most relevant questions."


Is there a minimum payout?

Yep. 5 cents.


Payment method?

Paypal.


When do they pay?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure.

When I log on, it has the next payment date on my member page. But that date has changed several times so I don't know. For January's payment, first the date was Jan 5th, then 6th, then Jan 7th. I got paid on Jan 7th.

The next payment date, for now, is Jan 21st (and they've said it won't change. We'll see.)


How much have I earned so far?

Well, b/w Jan 3rd (the date I first joined) and Jan 7th, I earned 32 cents. I honestly can't remember how many questions I'd answered at that point. Sexy Quiz Mistress was having too much fun!!




MY TWO CENTS (OR SHOULD I SAY 'MY 32 CENTS')...

I have my reservations about Pickjack. The fact that their pay dates were unstable bothers me a bit. Actually, it's not so much the date shifts that bother me. It's more how they dealt with it. For 2 days, they didn't update their members on what was going on and only sent an apology in the Custom Note section of the Paypal payments that were made (explaining the payment delay was due to technical difficulties and wouldn't happen again).

Hmm.

It's the lack of communication that I see as a potential problem.

(Update: 11th Jan - Their top balances are acting wonky at the moment and aren't reflecting each member's true earnings. They've promised to fix it, so we'll see. // 14th Jan: It seems to be working now.)

Saying that, I do like their concept. A lot. It's fun exercise for my brain – a bit like a crossword puzzle break, sotospeak! Reminds me of brainstorming sessions – how one idea can lead to another, then another, then another. The fun element far exceeds the money element but I'd rather get paid for something I enjoy doing than not.

I'll probably tire of Pickjack soon enough, but for now, I'm glad I came across their site. Let's hope (for their sakes) that they brush up on a thing or two. I'll give them 'til the end of the month to see how it goes.


(p.s.: A FINAL REVIEW OF PICKJACK CAN BE READ HERE)



Boop-boop-peedoop...

2ThePoint.

Oh My, a Cheque from American Consumer Opinion Panel...

img credit: KaCey97007

Yep. I got a cheque in the post from ACOP this morning.

It's only £2 ($2.98) so don't break open the champers. But it kinda put an itty-bitty smile on my face 'cos I wasn't expecting it when it came.

How romantic of them. :-)


ACOP's a US-based survey panel. I've been with them for a few years. I tend not to get that many surveys from them. I don't recall getting more than 4 surveys from them last year, 5 at best. I guess certain surveys target certain demographics (makes sense that they should) - and if your profile doesn't fit it, it doesn't.

The most I've ever gotten for one of their surveys is £4. I don't recall them being terribly boring or terribly long (but then they wouldn't be seeing as I only get one every blooming millennium!).


Anyhoo, I got my little £2 cheque which I plan to smear completely with butter.


Not.



Right, my tuna and pasta's getting cold. I'm out.


Laters...

2thePointylicious.

I Got a Surprise Payment from Constant-Content...

img credit: Clemson

It wasn't much. $3.25. But it's like finding money in my sofa!

I can't remember how I first came across Constant-Content but I submitted one article 100 years ago and went off the site as I decided it wasn't for me.


What the hell is this woman on about? What IS Constant-Content?

Well, Constant-Content is basically a go-between site where you submit your own articles, photography, illustrations & videos and people who are interested in buying them, well, erm, buy 'em.

You get to price your own content. You also get to decide if you want it to be used repeatedly or if you want to sell the one-time (full) rights to it.


Also...

There's a section where clients can make advance requests for content (also specifying what they're offering to pay). Writers who are interested compose and provide the content and the client chooses the one/s they want. Downside to that is yours might not get chosen.


What's in it for Constant-Content?

For anything sold, CC gets a 35% cut and you get the rest. 35%'s a significant cut, I know.


And is there a minimum payout?

Yes. $50.


Which is weird 'cos...

I'm staring at a $3.25 Paypal payment from them.



Go figure. I ain't complaining though!

I've gone to their forum for any explanations of why, but found nothing.

Ah well...


However...

...not sure the little surprise is enough to entice me back, but I might revisit it in the future.



2ThePoint.

Total Online Earnings in 2008: $4058.53. Wooo-hoooo!

This time last year, I was broke.

Today, I still am. Hehe!


The End.



Ok, on a serious note, when I kinda pulled my finger outta my ass in Jan 2008 and started making some money online, I didn't really know what was possible. I just knew I had to do something to change what was becoming the norm.

I made $325.32 last month taking the year's final total to $4058.53. Breakdown was as follows:

Freelance writing - $3,568.70
Proofreading - $330.49
Other - $159.34 (amazon/ eBay sales, taking surveys, etc)


Has it been worth it? Sometimes, I've felt it's all been one huge distraction from what I really should be doing with my life. Other times, I've felt it's been SO worth not working a 9-5.


In terms of freedom, freelance (web) writing is a step towards it, but it's not what I want to be doing a lot of a year from now. I'd rather be writing and creating for myself. That, for me, is freedom.


I really wish all of y'all a hugely successful 2009. Dream wide. Then dive in.

I'm gonna try and do that too.


See ya!


2ThePoint.