Image details: Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Upcoming Primaries served by picapp.com
PicApp is a site where you can surf through tons of photos and use them for FREE on your website. Now I can think of a few sites that would benefit from something like this - for example … gossip blogs, political blogs, news blogs… and that’s just to name a few.

If you’re looking to get some great photos on your site, without the worry that you’re in copyright infringement hell - this would be a great place to look. When I went to PicApp, I tried to sign up - but it looks to be that sign ups are good for the United States only. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use them - or for that matter if you don’t want to sign up, all you need to provide is an email address. Nice. Yes we might be put on a newsletter or two - so perhaps using an email that would be good for that might be in order.

I chose Hillary for this example - but there’s great photos of cats, George Clooney, Obama, etc. I think this is one of those ideas that is great for those of us with small budgets and can’t afford the bigger fees that go along with getting rights to some photos. Hell, some ideas go down the drain because we don’t have access to these sorts of photos.

I guess the one thing I’m not too fond of is the sponsored links box below the image. But I guess they need to make money too… so if you can put up with it - use the service. I think it’s handy to use if you need too.

Overall - a great idea for the low budget blogger who needs images with out the copyright law hassle. We’ll see if the look they use pays off for them. I think it’s a great idea - but not too sure about how it looks on a site.

Update… just minutes later: Ok… as easy as cut and paste is I’m having a hell of a time aligning my image. It could just be me (as is often the case), but this is turning into a bit of a pain in the butt. Hopefully that’s not the case with everyone else.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Do you sometimes feel like you’re waiting around for someone’s approval?   When it comes to affiliate marketing you can sit and sit and sit waiting around to be approved for affiliate programs.  Over at Commission Junction I’ve got 2.  I’ve got one sitting there from January 2006.  Umm.. that’s 2 years of waiting!  Then I’ve got another one that’s been sitting there since December 2007.  I’m sorry I just don’t understand.  You spend big bucks to use their affiliate program to promote your services.  You then do not bother checking the potential applicants?  How does that work - I mean how would that be a smart marketing idea by the companies that are using CJ.  I just don’t get it.

There are other programs out there where I’m still waiting for some sort of feedback, and I decided to pick on a couple from CJ… since I was just in there a minute ago checking my clicks, etc.  Realizing that I’m STILL waiting for those yahoos.  I mean - if I’m setting up a site offering what they have, and I depended on them - perhaps because they’re super exclusive… I’d be sitting around with an empty site - hoping that they’d approve.  Luckily for me that’s not the case and there are other affiliate programs available.  But what if there wasn’t… what would you do?  I suppose I could go knock on the door of the affiliate program’s email and say “hey whazzup?”.  But I haven’t … it hasn’t gotten to that point that I care enough.  But past the email - is there anything we can do?

I guess the next step if we don’t get an email back is to go directly to the source - that being Commission Junction and asking that they intervene and see what’s up with that affiliate program.

It’s a frustrating game… the waiting game.  Has anyone had the same sort of dilemma with any affiliate program they’ve come across?

Another thing that kind of bugs my butt is those affiliate marketing programs that phone and then want you to return the call to be approved.  I had one of those recently as well.  I emailed them - to tell them it’s easiest to get a hold of me through email.  I don’t answer my phone all that much to “unknown numbers”.  Sorry I don’t.  I have yet to hear back from the person I emailed.

Yes, that’s frustrating too.

I’m starting this week working on a new domain I picked up - and it looks like there might be a bit of potential with it.  I have to find some good content to use/create and then put in the links.  It should be interesting

Popularity: 3% [?]

Well, as you can see from the header above, my Sponsored links are done.  I’m not all that sad actually.  I’ve left things the way they are for a long time now with just one sponsor who was with me pretty much from the beginning when I started using Text Link Ads.    So now that they’re done - I’m going to be doing a little overhaul of the the site’s look I think.  Time for change.

Time perhaps for a bit of a different direction - because honestly - I’ve not really been doing much in the way of affiliate marketing for a long, long time.  It’s not that I’ve gone off-line or fell off the face of the earth.  It’s just that my interests have shifted a bit.

I still keep up for the most part (ok not really) with the fansites I created.  I really love them and some of the other sites I’ve created are just sitting there.   With the occasional hit from Adsense or the odd sale, which is now becoming a bit rare.  So I’m not sure if I should start reviving some of those sites that do have potential and I’ve been terribly neglecting - or if maybe I should just keep focusing on the new things I’ve got myself into and go from there.

Ah it’s a bit of a dilemma.

With the drop in Adsense, which to much bemoaning, is my main income source currently for my sites.  This I don’t think is a great way to be - since with the fluctuations lately has really put me behind in my goals.  Which is odd, since I’ve been mostly neglecting it all - I guess I just had hoped that while I was doing my”other” things that this would maintain some sort of status quo until I got back to it.

So I’m not really sure what to do next…

Popularity: 7% [?]

Hmmm… I’m not really sure if it’s just me but has anyone else noticed a drop in their Google daily money?  I’ve been having the usual amount of page views and the clicks are alright (nothing out of the ordinary that’s for sure) - but my money earned per day is definitley lower.  Most days lately the earnings have been cut in half.  Now, I’ve not done anything weird or out of the ordinary that would lob this one back on me.  This is just bizarre.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Well what do you know… this little blog of mine is now off PR exile island.  I’m kind of happy about that - because it’s been a really, really long time since I’ve seen any green on that little google bar.  I’m sitting at a PR2.  Woo..!  LOL.

Has anyone else had their ban lifted?

Popularity: 11% [?]