Nuttin' But Pimp

For those that might be curious here is the breakdown. Please bear in mind this blog and it's purpose (attempting to make a part-time income online)is still very much new.

Blogsvertise one post paid $10.00 US

MyLot paid $21.34 US as of today's date (so far the best and most fun!)

Epoactive $0.07 cents

Still awaiting to qualify for Pay-Per-Post. A personal friend has been paid $600.00 to date with this program. So yeah, it is legit.

I have purposefully not included any programs to which I have not accumulate any $$$$$$ or have checked out and feel are probably a scam.

Suggestions for the upcoming year always welcome!

Wishing you and yours a very happy and prosperous new year!

With Christmas now over for another year, I thought I'd pose this question to our readers. Have you ever returned a gift to the store or regifted one to someone else for another occasion perhaps?

I've never returned one, but I have regifted especially if someone gives me a bottle of wine or box of chocolates. I tend to regift those to people who might enjoy them more than I would. I rarely drink, and I do try to keep sweets to a minimum. If I didn't regift they'd just be sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

You? Do you return or regift presents? Do you think it's awful to do so?

Cheers!

From the desk of Matthew "Double-Decker Bus Guy" Didier...

Welcome to December 26th, otherwise known in some parts as Boxing Day which is a holiday in the U.K. and the commonwealth (and being Canadian, for us as well!)

It's a time honoured tradition of everyone donning big, padded gloves, colourful shorts, and beating the living heck out of people.

...okay, that's not true... but sometimes, I wish it was... but that's another posting!

Actually, it's origins are kind of in question...

#1: It was a traditional time for employers to give gifts or "Christmas Boxes" to employees returning from holiday.

#2: Back in the day, feudal lords would wait until after their Christmas parties and whatnot to distribute gifts to the serfs... usually "practical items" like tools and cloth... and these "boxes" were given out on the 26th.

#3: Servants, at the start of the day's work after Christmas, would give their master's a box to put coins in... sort of a "year end bonus".

#4: Churches that had "donation boxes" would open them up after Christmas masses (the day after Christmas) to distribute the collections to the poor.

#5: Way back when, it was customary in some circles to capture a wren (a type of bird) in a box... bring it into the home where he would be asked to bless the household with a good harvest and year, then released. This would be done on St. Stephen's day (the 26th).

#6: Household staff, having to work on Christmas day, would have the next day off... and would be given "leftovers" (usually overly generous) for their own festivities on that day in a box from the lord's of the manor.

When I was a young kid, I thought "Boxing Day" was about the left-over boxes that needed to be disposed of that the day before had contained Christmas gifts...

Another popular "definition" of "Boxing Day" in modern times is the retail sector "boxing up" the leftover, unsold Christmas merchandise which is then sold at a great discount during their "Boxing Day Sales".

The latter, in today's world, is probably more accurate of the "Boxing Day Traditions" that we have here in Canada... not too long ago, it was against the law for retailer to be open on a "statutory holiday" (which "Boxing Day" was,) but that was rescinded a while back... and today, throngs of "bargain hunters" make their annual pilgrimage to the shops to buy the things they wanted for Christmas, but didn't get. (No, I will not be on my way to buy a double-decker bus today!!!)

I know of SEVERAL people that "put off" gift giving until New Years so they can take advantage of great "Boxing Day" specials... and therefore, get much better gifts then they could have afforded before Christmas...

So, happy "Boxing Day" everyone... sorry to those of our neighbours South of the Border (USA) who don't have a holiday today... but if it makes you feel better, almost all retail workers in Canada are working today too.

...and those of us who work for different sectors... well, we're thinking of you as we relax, clean up, and look forward to turkey leftovers.

Yep, I'm finally finished with the horror known as purchasing other people's gifts that descends upon us all during this festive holiday season!

Oh don't get me wrong. I actually love giving gifts to my family and friends, and I do put a lot of thought into each present as I want it to be meaningful as well as enjoyed.

My horror stems from having to step foot anywhere near a shopping mall or store at this time of year. If it isn't the attack of the over zealous shop clerks attempting to up sell, it's some of the other shoppers who have lost all sense of the peace and goodwill that this season is supposedly about.

Thankfully yesterday saw the end of my shopping list (and I was only tripped, shoved, and given a dirty look twice by other shoppers) and I am now left with only a small amount of gift wrapping to completely finish up.

Next year I am going to attempt to do all my gift purchases online ..... hopefully eliminating the in-person shopping experience completely.

Cheers!

How are you doing? Leave me your suggestions for online earning programs in the comments section. I appreciate any ideas offered! Also it's cool to leave your referral link in the comments section. If the offer sounds good I will absolutely sign up through you! I believe in helping others while helping myself. ..

A few weeks ago I signed up for several online surveys. To date I have only heard from one, which is SurveyLion.com

The survey sent was for $3.00 US and was easy to complete.

However, I have not heard from any of the others at this point.

Have you tried out these online surveys? How has it worked for you? Any advice? Do they actually pay?

Cheers!

In a couple of months if I do not start making a part-time income online I'll have to go back to the office. At that time my stress benefits will have run out. And the thought of THAT is itself quite stressful.

I've found the following listing posted to MyLot for online income producing jobs. I'll be checking some of these out in the coming days. I have no idea if any of these are scams, so be forewarned that I am not personally endorsing any of them at this point. Just thought I'd share as it never hurts to just check things out.

VIP Desk- http://www.vipdesk.com/info/about_joinourteam.asp
Liveops- http://www.liveops.com/
Voicelog- http://www.voicelog.com/careers.html
WAHA- http://www.workathomeagents.com/
Alpine access- http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/index.html
Custome Loyal- http://www.customloyal.com/
888 Geek help- http://www.888geekhelp.com/be_a_geek.html
Becker and & Associates- http://www.becker-&%$oc.com/jobs/index.htm
ARO-http://www.callcenteroptions.com/
Outpost (913 or 816 area codes only) http://www.callcenteroptions.com/jobs.htm
Willow (FLORIDA only)-http://www.willowcsn.com/
Vera Fast- http://www.verafast.com/
WEST: http://www.workathomeagent.com/
1-800-FLOWERS: http://www.1800flowers.com ..just go to the bottom where it says employment: NOTE: They do not hire in every state.

Sales and Marketing jobs:

Green Telecommunictions- http://www.gteleservices.com/
Beyond Marketing- http://www.beyondmarketingonline.com/
Intrep- http://www.intrep.com/i_careers.htm
Kardel Marketing- http://www.kardelmarketing.com/
Occurance- http://www.ocurrance.com/Barrier Free Choices- http://www.access-ability-usa.net/career.html
ESM-http://www.education-...
BRIGHTEN - This one starts at $12 per hour but please make sure you have business to business marketing experience because there is no training. You are expected to know what you are doing when you start: http://www.brightenemployment.com/employment.aspx

Data Entry: (Note: These jobs are extremely hard to come by, so please be patient. Many many people are looking for this kind of work)

Data Entry:
AxionData - http://www.axiondata.com/
Swordsmith (ct only)- http://www.swordsmith.com/
Working Solutions- http://www.workingsol.com/agents_page/
ONSS- http://www.onss.com/
Lighthouse- http://www.lighthousedocuments.com/contact.html
Cypher Services- http://www.cyphercontractors.com/html/main.isx
Discount Document Services- http://discountdocumentscanning.com/employ.htm
Ametryn & Associates- http://www.ametryne&%$ociates.com/jobs.html
Executive Secretaries- http://executivesecretaries.com/careers.htm
Cyber Secretaries- http://typist.youdictate.com/
Connect Plus- http://www.connect-dataplus.com/employ.shtml
NetTranscripts - http://www.nettranscripts.com/index.asp?pageID=12

http://www.generalcomics.com/

Too busy spending money to make any. Will be back tomorrow.

Hey, who doesn't?!!!!!

While surfing around for online money making opportunities I came across The Million Dollar Experiment. It's based around the success of the One Red Paper Clip dude, who kept trading up products and services until he reached his goal of home ownership.

To be honest I'm not really certain it is for me, but I thought I'd pass it along to you dear readers in case you might want to check it out.

If you do decide to get in on the trading action, please do let me know how it worked out for you.

Cheers!

Want to be charitable without having to spend a dime?

Take 5 seconds, and go to this site, light the candle and Bristol-Myers will donate a dollar to AIDS research!

For World AIDS Day, Bristol-Myers is donating a dollar to AIDS research every time someone goes to this website and moves the match to the candle and lights it. Please go ahead and light the candle to help the world. It takes a few seconds to raise a dollar for a very worthy cause.

Cheers!

I am busy with pre-Christmas stuff this weekend, but wanted to let you know that within 5 days I have now been able to request my first payment of $10.00 US from MyLot.

If you haven't joined in on the fun yet, please see what it's all about in the entry below.

Off to decorate the tree ... bah humbug!

Would you keep your present job? Would you work at all?

This is just one of the questions I posed on the MyLot website. And I got paid for it too!

I cannot say enough good things about Mylot, and I've only been signed up with them for four days. To date I've made enough cash that by tomorrow I should be able to request my first payment of $10 US into my PayPal account. This will also translate into an extra $2.50 that will go into the account of the person that referred me to them.

If you aren't already signed up, what are you waiting for?! Get paid to start and add to existing discussions. The sky is the limit on the topics you can write about. It's FUN!!!

Now getting back to my initial question, the answer I gave was that I would definitely NOT be going back to work, but I think because I get bored so easily I would go back to school. Take stuff that interests me like philosophy that I do not have to worry about obtaining a job in. That and I would definitely go on a world tour. Maybe even get Pimp tour jackets ...

If you are interested in what the bus man would do with $25 million big ones please click here. He doesn't know it yet, but he'd have to wear the jacket too.

Cheers!

We all end up short on cash from time to time and could use a bit of help to get over the hump. Over the years I have needed to obtain a cash advance for various reasons including making sure my bills were paid on time to avoid costly interest payments. Once when we were in really rough shape I obtained a payday loan so that I could buy some groceries as the refrigerator was empty and I had almost a week to go before my next pay. Believe me, I do understand the stress associated with needing money ... and fast!

The question then becomes where can we turn when we need cash advances or payday loans?

National Payday is a company that will help you to quickly access emergency funds when you need them the most. They provide quick payday loans and cash advances at competitive rates to those in need of one. It does not matter if you have no credit history or even if you have a bad one.

National Payday's online application process is fast, easy to do, and secure. Their website FAQ answers many of the questions you might have in regards to cash advances if you have never needed one before.

I personally appreciate a company that will provide prompt, reliable, and discreet service, particularly when you may already be feeling the stress of being cash strapped.

Another terrific feature about the National Payday website that caught my eye is that it contains many full length, information packed articles that I know will be of interest to our readers. Topics include Dealing with Debt, Money Management, Planning for the Future, and Interest Rates and Mortgages.

It's great to know that National Payday is here for us when we need them the most!

Several US states have banned a Christmas beer that is brewed in the UK over it's label. The excuse given is that Santa's Butt will promote underage drinking. Huh?!

Bad marketing on the part of the brewery or will these bottles become instant sought after collectibles? My vote goes to the latter.

For the full BBC article click here.

Cheers!

Mylot is a website that will pay you in US funds for adding to and starting discussions. The more meaningful the discussion the more they will pay you per post or comment. You will also be paid per referral to their website.

I've already started contributing so fingers crossed that this will work out. I can tell you, if you like adding your two cents worth, this is fun!

If you think this sounds like it might be for you please click here.

A BIG thank you to Matthew for the tip. And yes I did join through your referral ... I'm all about helping others as much as I am about helping myself.

Cheers!

Update: Wow! I have participated in 25 discussions and have already made $0.70 cents .. in one hour!

So far this is THE BEST program I've joined. If your interested in checking it out, please, please use my referral link:

http://www.mylot.com/?ref=suedarr

Hope to see you there!

DO NOT DO THIS!

For some really awful album covers in the who thought THIS was a good idea??? category, please check out Pork Tornado.

Truly dreadful ... in a funny way ...

...Well....Not Exactly...

This blog has been around for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and to date we have made 0.05 cents through ExpoActive. That's it so far from all sources...one nickel.

Told ya I'd give you progress reports!

And while this may sound...well...depressing...it's not! The blog is very new, as is our affiliations with the programs signed up to thus far. And as far as sign-ups go I haven't even scratched the surface so to speak. So far from being depressed I'm in building mode...and once per month I'll report on how I'm doing..what seems to be working..and what's not.

If you've got any suggestions I'd love to hear them! Just leave a comment below and I'll follow up on any tips.

Speaking of champagne wishes ...

...I heard from an old client, and friend today. She used to work for a large financial institution in one of those jobs we all dream about. You know..above average salary, maximum benefits, absolute lifetime security...and most importantly oodles of weeks of paid vacation and sick days.

Well she told me she quit! Yeah, she just up and quit her job. She married wealthy and at the age of 40 no longer needs to work ... Bitch.

I'm soooo jealous ...

Cheers!

Online Market Research & Surveys

Canadian Paid Surveys is a website that gives you a listing of market research companies that provide incentives for completing online and/or telephone surveys. While most of them appear to be Canada specific there are a few listings open to US and international residents as well.

I've signed up for a few that offer pay-outs of between $3.00-$10.00 per completed survey. There are others that also offer contests, cash prizes, coupons etc. Most state that you can expect between 1-2 surveys per month depending on how many you qualify for.

Some of the companies also offer affiliate programs for those of us with blogs and websites. Survey Lion offers a pay-out of $5.00 per signed-up referral. At this time it is email referral only.

While no one should expect to get rich this way, you can accumulate some spare cash. Plus surveys in general are quick to complete, and fun!

On occasion I have participated in focus groups in-person too. The last one I did was approx. 2 hours and paid $60.00 for my opinion on a new cat treat. Another time too many people were booked and I was given $40.00 just for showing up and then sent home. That was sweet!

You can usually find local market research companies that offer these paid focus groups via your newspaper or phone listings.

I'll let you know more about each individual program I've signed on with, and my personal experiences with them as time goes by.

Cheers!

Wow! When I was a kid I hated that ... but these days...well lets just say it's been a very long time since I could say I'm too young for anything. And I admit it feels good!

Unfortunately it ain't me that is too young, but this blog. At least it is according to Pay Per Post. To sign-up for this program a blog must have been around for a minimum of 90 days and contain unique posts that are no more than 30 days apart.

While I am a little disappointed, I do understand why they require the above. I also appreciate that they list this along with a handful of other requirements prominently on their main page. By doing so they are not wasting my time or their own.

I'll revisit this program sometime at the end of January.

If anyone has some other suggestions for paid per post programs I'd appreciate hearing from you. Tomorrow I'll be looking into paid for online surveys.

Cheers!

A little later today I'll be checking out Pay Per Post, a program that pays bloggers to write about products and services. I'll tell you about my experiences with their sign-up in the next day or two .... Thanks to Shawn for the tip on this one!

Firstly I want to pose a question to fellow bloggers. Do you feel that writers who are being paid to blog about a specific product or service should let their readers know? Why or why not?

I've thought about this from an ethical standpoint, and I believe that writers should alert their readers to the fact it is a paid for post even if they have actually tried said product and really do love it.

So what do you think?

Next I'd love to hear from those who have signed up with Pay Per Post. What has your experience with them been like?

Cheers!

I've signed on with ExpoActive, an online advertising company that pays publishers such as us for clicks to their ads. As a publisher you can pick and choose the types of ads you want to display and their appearance. I like that kind of flexibility.

Pay-outs are in US dollars and are sent via cheque after a minimum balance of $100.00 is reached. Although, I did read on their site where they might be able to make alternate arrangements. Not certain if cashing a U.S. cheque would be a problem here in Canada, which is where I'm based? I'll have to do a bit of research on that, but ExpoActive does allow for International sign-ups.

Check out the ExpoActive links at the bottom of this page, (I actually think they look good) and if you're feeling generous maybe give them a click *hint *hint *nudge *nudge...

I've seen quite a few blogs that are displaying ExpoActive ads. If you've tried this company I'd like to hear from you, the good, the bad, and yeah even the ugly ....

I admit that I do not watch much television. I prefer books to the boob tube for the most part.

When I do watch, much like everyone else during the commercial breaks, I tend to dash for a pee, munchie whatever. It's rare that I actually pay attention to any commercial....but I did watch this one.

Not certain how to upload a YouTube video to the blog itself, so if you want to see what I'm talking about click here.

Basically the ad shows a cartoon chicken out for a graze that bumps into an old (friend?) now in the form of a chicken sandwich?!!

My first reaction to this was..."I'm never going to be able to eat a chicken sandwich again!"

My second thought: "Who thought this was a good idea?"

I can see the absurd, and dark humour in this ad...but it really does not make me want to run out and purchase a chicken souvlaki from this or any other company for that matter.

Is the person/s who came up with this ad secretly on the P.E.T.A payroll?

Or....is it actually a clever marketing ploy designed to create a buzz around the company itself? After all I'm not getting paid by them, but I have just taken the time to blog about their rather unappetizing ad.

What is the worst commercial you have ever seen?

After getting about halfway through the LinkShare sign-up I decided against it.

The first part was basic enough and easy to fill out. However, the legalise used in the terms of service was rather off-putting. It is quite lengthy and in the "seemingly obligatory" small text. Some of the wording was a little disturbing to myself as well. Perhaps I need wait until the middle kiddo obtains her law degree so she may be able to explain it all a little better to me. I admit I did throw caution to the wind so to speak and completed their requested online signature to move to the next stage of the sign-up process.

The next page explains how their first pay-out is done through a postal mailed cheque. Fair enough ...but then they go on to force you into a direct banking deposit. You must fill in your current banking information, and again use an electronic signature. There appears to be no option on this. Without filling in my banking info I was not allowed to complete their sign-up.

To me this was the final turn-off .... and I quit the sign-up session.

Call me paranoid...but since the legalise already called out to the little voice in my head saying, "don't" .... this seemingly forced page to get my bank account was the final straw.

Are you a Linkshare affiliate? Has it been working out for you? Am I being too much of a nervous Nelly over this?

In the end I chose my own personal comfort zone over whatever pay-outs this affiliate program may provide.

Cheers!

While surfing around the web for early Christmas gift giving ideas I came across the Amazon.com Associates Program. So naturally I HAD to check it out. I'm a book junkie and love to pimp my favourites to friends and family anyway. It's also no secret to those that know us that I already order quite a few books through them.

This program offers several options, the most interesting and FUN to me personally is the creation of your very own online bookstore! The sign-up is straight forward. And the creation of the bookstore itself quite fun and easy, even for those with very limited experience in creating a web page.

You can choose your own titles, and customise your own colours, text, and fonts. They give you the ability to create your very own look and feel. You can even add your own custom graphic if you wish.

Perhaps the best part of all is that they allow you to pick and choose the products you wish to promote.

Pay-outs are handled via cheque, direct bank deposit, or gift certificate. I appreciate having these options. You are then paid based on a percentage of what has been purchased through your store.

I admit that since I am such an avid reader in this case the cash is actually less desirable than the gift certificates, so I chose that option. I also tend to give books as presents especially to the kiddo's on my Santa list.

So please do check out Nuttin' But Pimp - The Book Store & Much More and let me know what you think! You also might want to think about starting your own online book shop through Amazon.

I'll definitely let you all know how this one works out.

Ahhhh.....It certainly has been productive...for a one cup of coffee morning!

I have been accepted by Blogsvertise! Hopefully within the next few days I will receive the first task, and be able to report to you on the process and our progress with this program.

Cheers!

I have officially signed up with Blogsvertise.

The concept is that advertisers go to them with their products and services, and they in turn match blogs that have been approved by Blogsvertise with them.

The bloggers receive detailed, instructions via email on who they will be writing about. You may write from your personal experience with the product, critique, and/or give feedback on the advertisers websites. You must include at least three links to the product or service being offered.

Additionally bloggers that refer advertisers to Blogsvertise will receive a pay-out of 20% of the amount spent by the advertisers to use the program. A very healthy percentage!

Another feature I really appreciated about this service is that pay-outs are done through Paypal. Very handy and beats waiting for a cheque in the mail.

The sign-up was very straightforward, and I have already confirmed my registration through the activation email that was sent via the support staff. It should take approx. 24-48 hours to hear back from them.

I have logged in and noted that they provide the blogger with a handy control panel which is easy to navigate. From the control panel you can check payment status, your user profile etc.

Fingers crossed that I am approved. This one looks very promising!

I'll keep you all posted, and will update you on the status of the other three programs I talk about in Friday's post.

Cheers!

Our thanks to MsDemmie for directing us to this Adsense warning.

If what the author is saying is correct (and at this point it looks like he is) then any blog utilizing promotional sites such as BlogMad or Blog Explosion will be in violation of Google Adsense terms of service.

Promotional sites such as Blog Mad are an effective tool in reaching a wider audience and building a readership for any blog, particularly one that is new to the blog scene. By disallowing the usage of such sites Google Adsense would in effect be hampering the growth of the blog itself, therefore increasing the likelihood of it's failure in promoting their own ads.

Doesn't make much sense now .... does it?

Adsense was not on the top of my list, and if this is the case then I will not be trying them out.

If it comes down to Blog Mad vs. Google Adsense than for the success of this pimp ... I choose Blog Mad.

More on the others listed this past Friday later ....

After doing some surfing around the blogosphere, and seeing which paid ad programs other bloggers are utilizing, I've settled on the following four to start with:

Blogvertise

Pay Per Post

Expoactive

Link Share

These four seem to be the most popular, and hopefully the most promising that I've come across thus far.

I will be spending this weekend looking into them, and signing up with each. After I've signed up, I will review my experience with them, and over the course of time update you on how they are working out for me.

If you have personally had any experience with these four, good, bad or indifferent I'd like to hear from you! Please leave a comment in the commentary section below. Good lucks are always welcome too ...

Cheers!

Candy Minx brought up a good point in the comments section of this blog yesterday. She stated, " I've never clicked on a blog ad." This in turn inspired me to ask of myself, and you the reader, what would it take for you to click on an ad?

As a newbie to this sort of thing it is something I have not done very often myself. When I have clicked on an ad it is usually because I personally like the blog as a whole, and wish to help out the writer. I have also clicked on ad links when the graphic has caught my eye or the product/service is something I am interested in. I suppose it is a combination of several things....but what would be the winning combination?

I am guessing that the answer would be the "holy grail" of click-through paid programs!

As always I'm interested in your thoughts. What would it take to get you to click?

Thank you Candy for your thought provocative commentary! Please surf on over to The Gnostic World of Candy Minx and show her the love!

Thanks so much for your feedback and good lucks! Keep them coming ..

...until I got the check in the mail!"

So said, the subject header of an email I received last night. The body of the message continued on to promise that real money could be made by internet referrals through the World Market Systems program. Sounds like something worth exploring, right?

I hesitate to click on any link provided in the body of an email unless I specifically know the person who sent it. I hovered over the link with my mouse to view the url, and it was incredibly long and looked much like gobbledy gook. The name of the company did not factor into the url at all.

My next approach was to try several online searches for World Market Systems. This did not yield anything that I was looking for.

Has anyone heard of this paid click-through company before? Should I assume this might be a "phishing" tactic to get me to click on the link in the body of the email?

Cheers!

Today I plan on checking out some of the click-through ads being offered around the net. Has anyone had any luck with these? Have you tried one and received a pay-out? If so, please let me know what you recommend or your experiences with them.

As this blog evolves and develops my goal is to not only make some $$$$, but to become a good resource for other newbies wanting to try these as well.

Cheers!

That is the question I hope to answer with this blog.

In May 2006 I took stress leave from my full-time job. Taking the time off probably saved my sanity, but did increase some of our family's everyday stress.

Bills have been mounting, rent needs to be paid, and quite frankly my medical leave benefits really could use a serious infusion of cash.

So I've started this blog in order to see if there is anything to all those messages we receive promising easy cash earnings online. I'll let you know what hopefully works, what doesn't, who delivers, who doesn't, and/if or when the cheques are in the mail.

If you've tried any advertising schemes and have an opinion let us know in the comments. I want to hear from you!

Cheers!

Despite sugar cane being a crop traded on the international mercantile exchange... and there being literally "cane ranchers"... and the biggest complaint about "big sugar" was about the environment, seeing that Mr. Burns, Count Fudgeula, Apu, and some guy voiced by Ben Stiller are PART of the "cartel", IT MUST BE A MIGHTY AND EVIL CABAL!!!

Just pay no attention to this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

...and we can all agree that the natural thing is FAR more scary then the man-made chemical thing!