Blogger, Actor, Author, Podcaster
I have been thinking about this blog post for a while, and it is hard to narrow down just the best and the worst implementation of social media to just one candidate each. If you try and list ALL of the best and worst things that have happened in Des Moines, then you had better have a complete list.
So, I have decided to list what I feel are the single BEST and WORST of Social Media in Des Moines this year. Your mileage may vary, please let me know what you think.
One of my most infamous forays into the national podcasting spotlight came at the peak of Adam Curry’s popularity doing his Daily Source Code. At the time, I was an avid podcaster, but I did not have an iPod or MP3 device of my own. So, I looked to the Internet and asked for donations so that I could get my very own iPod. I did a short promo, sent it to Adam Curry, which prompted my friend (and sometimes rival) Allen to send in a promo of his own. Suddenly, the Troy Needs an iPod contest was born.
Here is a collection of posts, images and MP3s that tell the story.. [Read more...]
I have been using Google Adsense to make some side income for years, and have seen many different programs come and go. Some are legitimate, others are completely “black hat” – which I avoid at all costs. When you are trying to make money on the Internet, Google Adsense is definitely the way to go since it rewards what it is supposed to – rich content.
Adsense Secrets
The first Adsense program I recommend is one of the oldest but still the best – Joel Comm’s Adsense Secrets. Joel gives a TON of information away and explains how his own sites went from almost zero to thousands of dollars a day. The ebook has gone through several revisions, and was even published as a hardcover book called “The Adsense Code” but the entire eBook can be downloaded for free using the above link. The information is INVALUABLE and alone took my earning to the next level.
The X Factor
When I first heard about the X Factor course on the Warrior Forum, I was a bit skeptical. Usually the black-hat systems are written by people who do not give out their real names, and that was the case with X-Factor (John) as well. But eventually I pulled the trigger and purchased his course, and it opened my eyes to an entirely new way of creating content specifically for adsense. Now, I won’t give anything away, but if you come to a site that has 3-4 pages of content and a green bar on the right hand side, and a big yellow font in the header, then that is most probably a site built upon the X Factor System
But there is one “secret” of the X Factor Adsense Course that completely changed my way of thinking about Adsense and getting people to your sites. Completely legitimate, and terribly easy to understand, I can honestly say the X Factor course has been making its purchasers a lot of money in just the first couple of months of release.
Difference in Approach
The main difference in approach between the two systems are predictable. Joel consistently advises people to follow their hearts and find niches they are interested in, and try to monetize those niches, assuming that people will care more about niches they enjoy. This is a sound argument and really good advice for those planning to build out a full, rich content site. The X Factor course however is completely based on number of searches, and going Cost-Per-Click rate for Adwords, but again with a twist to keep it interesting.
I definitely recommend both systems to further your adsense income.
