Work from Home Guide Blog

The past week I have been busy writing and submitting articles for both Constant-Content and How to do Things. Neither has a perfect system, but I find I prefer Constant-Content better.

My irritation from How to Do Things stems from their slowness. Articles submitted take days even weeks to be approved (which is necessary to get paid). Although they state 1-9 days for approval, they told me in an email that it can take WEEKS to get approved. Heaven forbid they find any problems in your article because then your approval time frame starts all over. Recently, they found that one sentence in one of my articles was too similiar to another sentence on the web. They weren’t accusing me of plagarism (which was good since I didn’t even look at that page for a resource). But stated I needed to revise it. The problem was, the phrasing of my sentence was precise. Hence the reason for it being elsewhere on the web. Revising it would mean it would be like some other sentence on the web. When I pointed this out to them, they basically said, “Too bad, so sad. Revise or you don’t get paid.”

I revised and advised them that if they found the new phrasing to be like another page, reject the article and all other pending articles. I am not bothering with them any longer. It’s too frustrating.

Besides, Constant-Content moves much quicker. Sure, their editorial process can be frustrating. They constantly find an error in one article despite my desperate attempts to revise it. Usually though, I find they approve articles in a matter of hours (sometimes it might take a day). If you can monitor what is selling and hit the market right, you can make a lot of money fairly quickly. Much more and faster than How to Do Things.

Oh, and if you have been wondering about Google. After they ignored my dozen or so appeals, I filed a complaint with the BBB. They ignored the BBB, too. This surprised and dismayed me since Google happens to be a MEMBER of the BBB. My next step is to start writing the board of directors. I have been unable to find email addresses for them, but I do have their names and a physical address. I will start there.

Best Wishes,

Darcy

Can you write? If you can write a decent sentence and organize them into decent paragraphs I have two good sites to check out. The first is Constant-Content. Consant-Content is free to sign up. You can submit virtually anything you like and you get paid when (or if) the article is sold. They do have requests for content and you can try to write for those requests. I can not guarantee they pay you as I have not been paid yet. You get paid via check or PayPal at the end of the month. I have had several articles sell and I have only been signed up with them for a week.

The bad news is you only get to keep 65% of what you sell. But, it is still better than most other sites I have seen. Here’s the trick to selling—check out the recently sold content. Try to write articles that fit into those areas. Also, be sure and read the guidelines–the editors can be cranky if you disregard them.
The second place I’m going to recommend is How to Do Things. This site is probably easier to write for because they want step by step articles. You have to sign up and indicate what areas you are an “expert” in or have experience. You can only write articles for your approved topics. You sign up to write an article and are given a deadline (2-4 weeks). There is one major issues I have with them. First, they take a long time to review your articles. I submitted four last friday. Two were approved on Tuesday, the other two are still waiting. You don’t get paid until they are approved.

However, you do get paid immediately once it is approved with gift certificates from giftcertificate.com. I am expecting mine for PETCO to arrive in a few days. (I will let you know when I get it).

I should say that both of those links are affiliate links. However, you do NOT have to pay to sign up. You do not have to pay to have your articles read and you do not have to pay ANY fees. Period. End of story.

Darcy

I received an email today that offered me $100 for my opinion!! Now, I should have realized, since it didn’t go to my designated survey email address, it was a fraud. But still I clicked on it.

All I had to do was answer their survey and I would receive a $100 gift card! The question (yes, only one) was this:  Sexual Predators: Keep in Jail or Set Free on Bail?  Since  “castrate” was not an answer, I chose “Keep in Jail.”  That was it. Then, they asked me to choose a store for my gift card.

It was only then that I noticed these small words at the bottom: To receive the incentive gift you must: 1) register with valid information; 2) complete the user survey; 3) complete at least 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 6 Platinum offers; and 4) refer 1 unique household(s) that also complete these requirements. Purchase may be required. ”

Give me a break! First, you rarely manage to find 10 offers that won’t require you to pay over $100. Secondly, it takes a while for them to “process” what you have done. Its just not worth it.

Yep, even I still want to believe some days. Thankfully, I read the fine print before I went any further.

Darcy

I’ve added several pages to my website and am planning on adding more this week. The most complete pages are freelancing writing and transcription jobs. The other two pages should be added to this week and I will post more about them when they are completed. If you’ve stopped by to get more information on the Google front, sorry to say they aren’t talking. My emails and requests have been ignored. But I’m still not giving up. It’s only week two!! Darcy

Google is mocking me. Although they have chosen to ignore my multiple appeals, I received an email from them today which read:

Dear AdSense Publisher,

We are committed to your success as an AdSense publisher and we always aim to provide you with a great support experience.

It when on to give me a link to a small survey. Needless to say, I didn’t rate them very high. To make things even more ironic, I haven’t even received a response from AdSense support!!

It is now one week to the date that Google suspended my account and I am no closer to resolving this answer. Worse, the only response I have received from them was the automatic response denying my appeal that pretty much everyone gets. I’m not going to give up on this issue and am taking strides to ensure that Google resolves this issue.

I am not one to sit back and take insults lightly, and I feel very insulted by Google right now. I also do not like any system that shuts you down without warning and then refuses to tell you what you did wrong.

Keep wishing me luck!!

Darcy

I know, I’m obsessing about Google and my banishment. I hate having unresolved issues and I am tired of waiting impatiently. I don’t even attempt to say I’ve been patient. I want an answer. I want to know what I did wrong. I want a second chance to prove it was a mistake and it won’t happen again.

So far, all I’ve gotten was a computer generated emailed response.

Meanwhile, as I continue to research this issue, I’ve come to understand the dilemma Google faces. On the one hand they have their advertisers who are continually complaining about being defrauded by clicks. They see the number of clicks rising yet it doesn’t result in rising sales, and they get frustrated.

Meanwhile, Google is attacked by computer hackers who attempt to beat their system and make their money illegally by defrauding Google and it’s advertises.

But who suffers in all of this? The little guy (or gal, in my case) who was trying to make money legally and some how gets shut down. I’m stuck sending in email after email pleading my case with no knowledge of how (or even if) they are being received. Almost a week has gone by, and I am no closer to a resolution or an answer and my frustration grows.

I wonder how much of our humanity we have lost in this automated world. Do we have much more to lose? What will happen to us when it’s gone?

Sigh. I may not have AdSense, but at least I still have philosophy.

Darcy

I have really enjoyed creating this site for one major reason: emails. I have gotten a surprising number of emails thanking me for the information I have included on my site. I really appreciate everyone that has emailed me and it keeps me going.

Especially as I continue to be rejected by Google. My first appeal was sent back with the standard response. I’m not giving up, but it’s frustrating since I haven’t been able to deal with a real person. I have this sinking suspicion that there is no “body” behind Google. I thinks it’s just a program created by one man. Unfortunately, the man died and is now rotting at his keyboard, but meanwhile the program continues.

Think about it. Have you ever met anyone that works for Google? There’s no phone numbers to call–there could be a good reason. Perhaps there’s no one to call! Granted, computers are capable of speech, but not understanding the different dialects and inflects that would be necessary for it to understand a phone call. Heck, I can barely get the darn computer to understand when I say “Two” whenever I brave a customer service line.

However, I’ve learned that if you just curse at it, eventually it gives up and sends you directly to a person–which is what I to begin with!!

Anyway, I’ve created a support page filled with some affiliate links. Feel free to browse it and make large purchase and any of those store. Don’t worry, I have no idea who does or doesn’t access them. I am a mere tiny cog in the system that they run.

Darcy

As I have previously lamented, I’ve been out-casted from Adsense. Although I am still trying to appeal my case and regain entrance, it’s given me the opportunity to try out some of their competitors.

My first trial has been Bidvertiser. Their ads appear very similar to Adsense. They have two major differences, however. One I like, a couple I don’t like.

Let’s start with what I like: they don’t recognize multiple clicks to an ad or continuous clicks on the same ad. One common complaint I’ve read about from Google is that instead of not recognizing multiple clicks on the same ad, they consider this click fraud–an event that gets you banished from their program with no warnings. This also means that a competitor, an enemy, or sometimes even a helpful friend might click on your ads repeatedly either to help you out or shut you down. Once this happens, you have little recourse. While I’m sure there are disadvantages to this system, at least I don’t live in fear that I’ll fall prey to sabotage one day and have all my earnings yanked away from me.

The first thing I don’t like about Bidvertiser is they don’t use keywords to display ads. I’ve found that instead of displaying a lot of different ads, they are displaying the same ones over and over on my pages. I’d much rather have a variety of ads being displayed because it would increase my potential of gaining revenue from them.

The second thing I don’t like is they only pay per clicks. With Adsense, you gained revenue through both CPM and CPC. CPM means cost per cost per thousand (remember M is the Roman numeral for thousand). With a program that pays CPM, you get revenue simply for displaying the ads. CTC (Cost per click) programs only pay you if someone clicks on the ad.

However, I’ve noticed that Bidvertiser seems to pay more per click than Adsense did. But I’m only about two days into my Adsense exile and I’m sure I’ve a ton more to learn.

Hopefully, I’ll receive a positive answer from Adsense soon. I hope that it comes tomorrow, but I know it could take a week or even more.

I hate waiting.

Darcy

It didn’t take long for me to grow very tired of looking at Paid to click/Paid to read sites (aka PTC/PTR. What I find most distressing is that they are done haphazardly and look horrible, yet people trust them with their bank account numbers and such.

Out of almost 200 sites, I have found only a handful are worth close inspection. However, I’m quickly finding out that even the free offers are not quite as free as they would like you to believe. I wasn’t looking for something amazing from these sites; I just wanted to see something different.

I went through the list of surveys and they were a lot different than the PTC/PTR sites. I don’t feel that these are worth anyone’s time and if I hadn’t spent so much work on them, I would be tempted to take them off my site. They really aren’t “work.” Well, I guess they are work–just not paying work!

Onwards and upwards as they say. I’m going to look into more substantial offers from here on out!

Darcy

I’ve been going through my list of several hundred pay for action sites, aka pay to read or pay to click sites, trying to find the good ones.

There must be a PTR template out there, because most of them look extremely similiar. That wouldn’t be so bad if they at least looked halfway decent. But they are amateurish and cutsy and basically I wouldn’t trust them with my garbage let alone trust them with my personal information.

And I’m only up to the C’s. I have 23 more letters to go through. This is just ugly. What’s even sadder is that I’ve set aside a place to list my top picks and so far I haven’t found any!!

I suppose I’m a little fussy, but darn it, I’m tired of doing work and then not being rewarded for it. I’m not going to recommend any company–even if they are free–unless I can ensure that they are what they say they are. I’d love to hear about anyone’s successes here. Although, if I feel you’re spamming or full of it, I’ll delete your post.

Best Wishes,

Darcy