I took a few days off from the Internet. Mostly to catch up with housework - which always seems to make a nice appearance… almost as instantly as it is cleaned up in my house.

This week my plans are to finish up the look of my new fan site. I just can’t get over my fan sites. I’ve got another couple of sites planned in that genre… and then I’m going to start expanding on the idea into other niches. I’m hoping to grab hold of some low-lying fruit (so to speak) and start making a little more in Adsense.

As much as I love my fan sites, they aren’t exactly racking in the money - good traffic and a health does of clicks. But these clicks aren’t exactly scoring me big bucks in returns. I shouldn’t sound like I’m complaining - so far I’ve made more doing this sort of thing than I ever have with Adsense before. I’m just “still” wondering where I can get some legitimate answers on where to find higher paying keywords… or is it just a hit and miss deal - that I have to figure out on my own.

Maybe I need to look more closely at the the trends - you know like the newly released Halo 3. There’s an opportunity, and it might be short lived in the way of the Internet - when the buzz dies down and all that. I know something like that has already come and gone - but I’m thinking I need to figure out what people are talking about. New releases - can build a site around a potential “biggie” and put adsense and CPA offers on it. Do the keyword research - get it out the gates before the majority will do it. That’s the key - that’s the golden egg - but it’s doing it that’s the challenge.

See, I’ve got something that works - but I want to build off that plan and make it something bigger

Popularity: 5% [?]

Where I’m so damn tired. For the past few nights I’ve been up till 1:00 in the morning and then up again at 6 to get ready for work. It’s been a crazy couple of days and I’m really feeling it’s time to crash. Quiet a few things have come up and things are coming to a very big crunch time.

I’ve been burning the midnight oil in attempts to build up some sites - get content up and ready, work on templates. Since ZiggyHost has been so unpreditable lately I’ve moved some of my bigger sites from them back to HostGator - in that downtime, who knows what I’ve lost as far as momentum. Also, what got me in a panic was that I had a PR5 site with them and advertisers on that site… and it was down - FOR DAYS. I couldn’t handle it and so I moved it. While they were down - I had no way to access the info for the site, so I started a fresh.  Might not be the best move - but it’s definitely a move I’d been pondering and finally this situation brought it up and I delt with it the best I could.

So anyway… I’ve been working on the PR5 site.  I’ve been adding content to my fan sites and I’m currently a few days behind on my Fan Site #3.  I’m not stressing about it.  I’ve got my handy-dandy notebook here and I’ve got an on-going list of things I need to do to make things come together.   I shouldn’t mention this part - but I’m a dork and I will… I’ve still got things to do that I’ve had on my list since MAY.  May, geez.  I’ve also got a slew of emails I have to reply to.  So if you’ve sent me something, and I’ve not responded - I will get back to you… in sloth mode… super slow - but I’ll get it done.

Yes, I’m tired… rambling away here.  But I do have to say that I was pennies away from a $3 dollar day on Adsense yesterday.  I’ve not had a good day like that in a long time.  I’m also going to be testing adsense locations - colours - test, test, test.  I’m also wondering about how I could find a way to get at the higher paying keywords for my niche.  It makes me a little sad to see over twenty clicks and less than stellar payouts… hello… a penny - are you freakin’ serious??  Anyway, I digress…

Anyone know a way to find out higher paying keywords?  I have been using Googles own tool for that.. but is there a faster way?  Something I’m missing?

Popularity: 2% [?]

On my Fansite #1 I put a forum up along with the blog, photos and that was it.  I had no idea how hard it would be to maintain a forum - since I’ve never had a forum before on any site for any amount of time, this was new ground to cover.

I used the free PHP forum script, instead of paying for vBulletin.  I am not making money = not going into the negative for it.   Also I had no idea if the forum idea would fly with this site or not.

I can say - spammers LOVE my forum.  They get as far as registering, then I can nuke ‘em if they are.  They can’t post until I approve them.   I thought that might slow them down.

It didn’t.

As the blog becomes more popular at Fansite #1 so has the forum - for spammers.  I think so far since I started the forum at the beginning of May I’ve had 3 legitimate signups.  How sad is that.  Out of those 3 signups - none have posted.

I know it’s hard to start a forum.  I know it’s hard to maintain a forum.  I’m thinking with the blog I have - if people want to comment they can and that can replace the forum.  It’s taking up too much of my time - I spend too much time deleting the bogus accounts… too much time.  It’s boring.  I hate it.

I suppose I could try to find a moderator.  Hell, I could even try to buy some forum comments, thoughts, etc, from those companies that specialize in populating forums.

But I don’t. I don’t want to waste my money.  I don’t want to spend more money than I’m making with this site.  It is just something I’m trying to impliment this time around.  I am working on my budget.  What will I spend re-investing in my sites to make them better.

I’m thinking the forum has to go.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Last night I spent a few minutes adding content to my fan site #2.  I think this should be a fun site to work on and I can see it being able to branch off into sub-niche sites if ever that day may come.  I am very happy that I’ve found something that is working for me and I’m rolling with it.  It’s not tons of money - but the way I see it is that my fan site #1 has doubled my Adsense revenue for this month.   So why not expand my “fan base” - hahaha - and build another one.  See where that goes.  From the looks of the first fan site, it will take about a month to pick up steam.  No worries!  I’m going to keep track and see how it rolls.

~ Project updates ~ 

Fan Site #1 : So far so good.  I’m getting more feedback by way of comments on the site.   Even the spammers are sitting up and taking notice.  Alexa has gone from around 8,000,000 or so from May down to 862,043 as of today.  I’m pretty pleased about that.  I know, I know, Alexa may or may not mean much - but it’s nice to see the numbers going down.

Apart from focusing on one keyword this week, most of the content really hasn’t been focusing on any particular keyword - which may in the end bite me.  So the next week of content is definitely going to be a bit more keyword focused.  Nothing overboard - but I need to get more keyword love going.

Adsense has been the big winner this month for revenue for the site.  It’s still to early in the game to try to get in on Text Link Ads, etc.  No pagerank yet.  There has been a smattering of hits for my other advertiser - AuctionAds.com, and that scored me almost fifty cents - I know, I’m so stoked - I’m planning my next vacation around that!  LOL.  I’m also running some CPA offers - clicks but no conversions.  So no revenue.  Yet.   I’m still looking for something that will stick to this site in addition to Adsense.

Fan Site #2 : Still very early days - added some content and I’ll be working on some keywords - and more content around them.  Very early in the game.  We’ll see how it goes

My other sites : I’m still chugging along - but I’ve not really devoted a whole heck of a lot of time to them.  Unfortunately.  Maybe I’ll have a bit more time in July.  Hahahaha.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Since I’ve been focusing on my fan site, I’ve had a bit of an issue with the way to convey the information.  Did I want to be all “news-y” and very formal, did I want to just access RSS feeds and let them play away on my pages, did I want to make it more a personal site - speaking from me about the things going on in that bit of the fan world.

I ultimately picked speaking from me - a personal site.  I am writing about the characters from news sources and adding my own thoughts and ideas.  Taking content that’s already out there and making it unique.  I also find writing this way easier - and I don’t get bored.  Which is kind of nice

Boredom has killed many a website idea for me.  I’ve had plenty of ideas - I’ve spent hours and hours working on the sites, datafeeds, and what-not to try to get these sites up and running, but the content was freakin’ boring.  I can’t imagine what I had up on those sites would have been much use to anyone.  Seriously.  I would have to say, that honestly the money I’ve earned doesn’t come anywhere near the hours I’ve taken to make the sites, bought content, photos, etc, datafeed software, etc, etc.  It has been a really expensive learning curve!

But I wouldn’t take it back.  I’ve learned tons from those experiences.  I’ve learned that right now… where I am… I would rather spend my money making websites doing something that I’m interested in.  I’ve done way to many that didn’t hold my interest.  There just isn’t the enthusiasm anymore for that sort of thing.  I just want to do things that I enjoy.  Work from there - expand out from there.

I’m letting go of domain names that I’ve had for a couple of years.  It feels really nice.  A big burden has been lifted from my shoulders.  I’m starting to be more aware of what I’m spending and what I’m earning.  Why didn’t I think of that sooner?  Well, I think we all get a bit sucked into the money making dream - the whole “it takes money to make money” - I believe it.  I’m also being much more careful about how I’m going to do it.

So I’ve started Fan Site #2 and I’m going to do it the same way I’ve done Fan Site #1.  Same template (different images) - it seems to work and it’s a nice clean look.  Work on content the same way I’ve been working on #1.  See how it goes.  If I can double my income again for July that would be a bonus.

Now I’m off to do some keyword research and start writing some content around it.

Popularity: 2% [?]