Uh… hi? Hello. Long time no see, I know. Yeah, anyhow. First things first, while I will always & forever love Anya, I’m actually pretty happy with Whitney’s win of this cycle of America’s Next Top Model. Conspiracy theories and whatnot aside, she’s gorgeous, a damn good model, and she’ll make a great Cover Girl. Congratulations, Whitney!
I finally ended my reign of terror as the #1 do-nothing slacker of the internet last week. Refilling my Adderall prescription is a good idea, you know? It’s nice to once again be able to think, like, COHERENTLY. As much as I really do hate it (I’ve always been one who prefers being in complete control of my own mind - thus why I’ve never even really been tempted to try drugs - and why I was so reluctant to try Adderall in the first place… also, it costs so fucking much - $100 a month for GENERICS), I can’t deny how it tends to bring all my scattered-ass thoughts back together. But still, the idea that I’m somewhat reliant on these pills to make my brain work properly kind of bugs me. Then again, without them I tend to forget words and/or what I was talking about or what just happened. So, yeah.
Anyhow, Creepypasta is still rocking it out, averaging about 300 hits each day. I’m loving how many people are leaving comments, too. It may not be a huge moneymaker (although Google AdSense and WidgetBucks ARE bringing in some revenue), but it’s still a lot of fun.
I decided to expand into a (completely) new (to me) niche as well: witness Tales Of Hentai. I’ve never really been into anime & such, although I do remember having to watch Spirited Away for my East Asian Humanities class in college and liking it… but anyhow, I noticed that even the text links I’d thrown up as an afterthought on Super Hero Fetish tended to convert well, so why not try out an entire site dedicated to the hentai/comic genre? So far it’s looking good - it’s only a few days old (don’t be fooled by my backdated entries, ha) and has already brought in three sales. Let’s hope that those conversions are a sign of success to come, right?
Lastly, is anyone else out there watching Top Chef? I need someone to talk about Richard’s awesomeness and Dale’s hotness with, thanks.
For those of you who were interested in seeing creepypasta.com once it was up & running - it exists now. I’m still playing with it, trying to figure out exactly how it should look & how to monetize it without making it look too yucky/tacky. If anyone has any favorite creepy/paranormal websites that I should add to the link section, definitely let me know!
That’s all for now - I really have nothing terribly fascinating to report right now; I’ve pretty much been spending all my time slacking off & playing Tales Of The Abyss
We’re at the official halfway point of the month, and my profits for March ‘08 have broken $1K as of this morning. I’m so excited! That’s solely from my adult websites… the mainstream sites have been holding their own as well, though, especially since I’ve been paying them a lot more attention lately & getting paid posts left and right. So a big thanks to J, Tashina, and Jaimee for showing me the ropes & helping me get started.
I think after a few months of learning my way around the PPP companies, I’ll make another section of this site where I review & rate the different sponsors… similar to the FAQ/How-To guide about adult sites that I have planned. But for now, sign up for LinkWorth… I just completed my first post for them, and I’m really liking their service so far… not only was it the highest-paying post I’ve done yet, but it seems like they hook you up with advertisers who specifically choose your site as a place they want there post featured at… so it’s easier to make the topics fit, kind of.
But for now, I really need to get my booty down to work on some of the XXX websites… Steve has alerted me to a few awesome new girls that I’m really excited to try promoting. Wish me luck!
So, redesign time for notapornstar.com! How does everyone feel about the new theme? It might make me kinda weird, but I’ve loved the look of fiberoptics since I was little… I always wanted any toy that involved them. I guess it was the beginnings of my deep, dark secret which I’m only now starting to figure out - I may be a bit of a science nerd. But that’s neither here nor there… point being, there’s a new neon/techy-inspired layout in town, and I’m fishing for compliments! Gimme!
I have to agree with Tashina - so far it looks like PayU2Blog is going to be a nice, reliable source of income for the mainstream blogs. So far I’ve completed two assignments for them, and it seems like a new one pops up 1-2 hours after I’ve finished the previous blog. Nice.
Also, as per the request of the lovely J, within the next week or so I will be putting up a section where I outline what exactly it is that I do in the online adult industry, and how any interested parties can get started. Obviously, I don’t know everything - I’m not quite a ballllllllerrrrr yet - but I can at least explain the basics decently enough after doing this for about a year and a half (albeit with a forced 6-month break in the middle when my computer went boom - my sites were still up, but I couldn’t update them).
Lastly, can anyone recommend me some decent personal blog directories/networks for me to join? I’d love to increase my reader base a little bit… not that I don’t love y’all, but I’m really enjoying meeting new people as they stumble into my little portion of the internet.
I am in a completely fantastic mood today: not only has the weather outside gone from super-snowy to sunny and almost warm, but it’s only 2:00 PM and I’ve already made $174 today, not counting any mainstream paid posts/advertising profits. Holy shit, right? I’m kind of in disbelief… but SO excited. I know this is probably just a fluke, but I like to imagine someday this will be normal. How amazing would that be?
The paid posts have been rolling in - you can check them out at my mainstream/shopping blog here. I’ve mostly been writing via Smorty, although as previously mentioned, I’ve gotten a few assignments from Blogsvertise as well. I just got approved by PayU2Blog (thanks, Tashina) and LinkWorth (if you aren’t registered with them yet and you do paid posts, please please PLEASE sign up through that reflink - I will love you FO-EVAH! They help you sell both paid posts and text links, among other things). Still waiting to hear back from PayPerPost, though.
I’m going to cut out here, because my internet connection is being seriously bitchy. But I did just want to put it out there that I’m looking for mainstream/personal blog link trades for Posh Vice, Gamer Hero, and of course, this one. If you’re interested, comment here or e-mail me: sarah AT notapornstar DOT com. Thanks in advance to anyone who decides to partner with me, and now I’m going to go enjoy the sun some more!
A few things, since I’ve been slacking on the personal blogging front:
-February was a milestone month for me, profit-wise. I did the math, and I made 150% of what I did in January, and finally broke the 1k mark. I’m very excited, as it seems that all the advice and lessons I was given by Steve & Kimo have really been helping. I have high hopes for March; we’re one week into the month and I’ve already broken $400. Of course, watch me have completely jinxed myself by bragging about it! Keep your fingers crossed that I can beat February - that is my new goal: every new month is a chance to beat the previous month.
-Things with Cash Uncovered were taken care of to my satisfaction. Kudos goes out to Phil; he handled all the drama very professionally and made an extra effort to ensure that things got smoothed out between us.
-I launched three new websites, although they’re all still very much in their early stages. The first is a mainstream blog that has to do with animal care and pet products; the other two are adult blogs - Pink Glam Girls, made primarily as a place for me to push softcore like Playboy and its ilk; and Hustle Honeys, which will feature black women and interracial hardcore. The name could be better, but it’s all I could think of… blame Katt Williams.
-I’ve started using pay-per-post websites to aid in monetizing my mainstream websites; currently I’m approved at Smorty and Blogsvertise. I’ve written three “sponsored” posts thus far, and it’s incredibly easy money - I tend to be a really quick writer, so I’m enjoying getting paid for what amounts to, at most, five minutes of work. Here’s hoping the opportunities keep coming! If you know of any good PPP services that I haven’t listed here (FYI - I’m currently in the pending stage at PayPerPost), feel free to comment with your referral code & I’ll sign up under you.
Last but not least - and this is completely unrelated to blogging, but oh well - a hearty “fuck yeah” goes out to Christian Siriano’s win of Project Runway this past Wednesday. FIERCE.
Nice. I made the AWE top webmasters list again last period - this time for having the second highest average purchase ($141.42) - of course, I only had seven sales, but still… I love seeing my name on that list, makes me feel like I can actually succeed at this whole game. The person under me had an average of $124.67 with 77 sales. Can you IMAGINE. Some of these people make bring in a quarter of a million in sales every 15 days (top sales amount for last period: $254,133) - it’s just so hard to wrap my mind around that much income in such a small period of time.
The month’s just about half-way over and I’ve already beaten January’s income. My overall conversion ratio isn’t too bad - 1:491 for February. Really, the only discouraging thing this month is the eerily low rate of CCBill sales this month - I’ve had only ONE new signup for any CCBill website, and last month I was averaging at least one new CCBill signup each day. I’ve been pushing CCBill sponsors just as much, so it’s kind of strange. Good thing other sponsors have been converting in their place, I guess.
I’ve got a few goals for the next day or so: I need to think of a domain name for either a black girl or interracial niche blog. I already have Latina and Asian niche sites, but for some reason I’m just drawing a blank when I come to domain names for these two niches… and I have so many gorgeous black chicks I want to promote! Interracial has always converted well for me when I put it on LLO, too, and according to Psychic Search, my readers REALLY want more.
Also been working on another mainstream website - it’s not yet live, so no links just now. But it’s on a topic that I’m quite adept at rambling about, so hopefully that helps with prompting me to update it more frequently than a few of my other mainstream websites.
Alright, I know I’ve put off the promised blog about the latest announcement from Net Audio Ads, but forgive me… I just got Xbox Live and it’s addictive as hell (if you want to play Uno or any other random game with me, leave a comment with you gamer tag & I’ll add you)… you wouldn’t believe how fast time can fly by when you’re playing Uno with strangers. Crazy. Anyhow, on to business. Here’s an from the latest Net Audio Ads blog & my thoughts.
NetAudioAds has made an addition to the back office that will allow you to sign up to sell advertising.
We are having no trouble lining up the big advertisers but we need small niche advertisers like Joe’s Pizza (fictitious example). NetAudioAds is good at procuring the big advertisers but may be missing opportunities at the local level that you may be able to tap in to.
Imagine Joe’s Pizza announcing their 2 for 1 special to a single zip code. How many small businesses out there thrive on local walk in traffic. What if you can help them to increase their business through “micro targeted” audio ads on the Internet.
Of course Joe’s is a fictitious example and there are many, many other businesses out there that can benefit. Especially the ones that are already advertising on the radio. You can offer advertising that is much more targeted than radio advertising and provides “measurable” results. In other words the advertiser can pick what type of website to be heard on, when to be heard and where (geographically) they will be heard.
Simply put, I LOVE this idea, because I know it would work on me. When it comes to food, movies, new bars & clubs - the power of suggestion is very effective on me. I mean, how many times have I been sitting on the couch and seen an ad for a pizza and then decided that’s exactly what I want? Too many times to count. So harnessing that power and putting it to work for internet addicts is just an all-around fantastic idea.
I especially like that they’re going for the local businesses & plan to serve zip code specific ads. Their example that they give really illustrates the idea wonderfully; but to expound on it a bit more… I live in a campus area, with about 40 small pizza/sub/gyro places that are open until 4AM for the college crowd. Imagine a local internet addict, surfing at 3AM after the bars have closed… he/she has the munchies but is too drunk/lazy/tired to actually cook. The website they visit plays a LOCAL advertisement for one of the all-nighter pizza joints, complete with a special coupon code for people hearing the web ad. Case closed, deal made, customer sold.
This idea has HUGE potential and it may have just taken me from on the fence to an avid supporter of Net Audio Ads. If this takes off, you can bet that I’ll be taking advantage of the “selling advertising” part of the program and hitting up some of the underrated all-nighter places around here… this could be amazingly effective. I know it’s got me excited!
I originally read about the new Net Audio Ads affiliate program via the Art Of Money blog, and was reminded of it again today by Michael Aulia’s post on the same subject. I’m both intrigued and turned off by the concept. While the premise of a no-click-needed money-making affiliate program is definitely appealing, I can’t help but wonder if an ad on auto-play being the first impression a website to a new viewer is really that smart of an idea.
I mean, one of the most-hated aspects of websites like MySpace is when people leave their songs on auto-play. Is there anybody out there that actually enjoys being essentially jumped via audio? It makes me suspicious that any first-time viewer that visits my website will hear the auto-play, and immediately close out my site, never to return again. I mean, I know my reaction to embedded audio tends to go that way - I either click out of the site, or if it’s a site I know has something specifically desirable on it, I immediately mute my speakers. The first course of action hurts both the publisher and advertiser of the audio ads, while the second just makes the ad a waste of effort.
The Net Audio Ads website addresses some of these issues, and rather than force you to go find their FAQ, I’ll just post the ones that are most relevent to my concerns:
QUESTION: Will this offend or cause people to not come to my website due to the audio ads?
ANSWER: We are currently running these ads on 550,000 web pages, because the ad spot is only 5 seconds, complaints have been rare.
QUESTION: How have these 5 second audio ads been performing for advertisers?
ANSWER: We have consistently outperformed, radio, television and paper ads plus the fact that we spider the website just like Google does, we only deliver ads that are directly related to the contextual nature of the site.
QUESTION: Will the PPP ads be targeted to the content of my website?
ANSWER: Yes, we will crawl the “readable” content of your website to determine what kinds of ads to play. The ads that play will be targeted to your market or niche.
QUESTION: Does the visitor have to click on anything for me to get paid from an audio ad?
ANSWER: No, audio ads automatically play when a visitor enters your website. When the audio plays you get paid, no clicks necessary.
QUESTION: How is it that publishers get to keep 100% of their traffic (by not requiring a click)? Aren’t you losing money?
ANSWER: This is a common misunderstanding and this is why PPP is so revolutionary. The advertiser has paid to have a 5 second audio ad played on your website. You are paid just for the ad playing, no clicks or action from the website visitor is necessary. We are not losing money, we actually make more because the ad is triggered on 100% of the website’s traffic. In essence the website owner is then paid for 100% of their traffic. Best of all, the visitor never leaves your website so you have the chance to monetize even more. All other forms of media require a click or some kind of action that leads people away from a website. As you can see PPP is quite different.
I’m pretty much undecided about whether I think this is a good idea yet. Obviously, although Net Audio Ads seems to have no rules against putting the ads on an adult website, that strikes me as a very stupid/inconvenient-for-surfers move, so I doubt I’d ever put the ads on any of my porn websites. The last thing I want is for someone to get put in an embarassing/awkward situation due to my websites, because then they probably won’t return.
As for my mainstream websites, who knows? I may give them a test run and see how they do for me; as I said before, the idea of making money off a surfer without them having to click off your website is extremely appealing. If I do end up using Net Audio Ads, I’ll definitely post about it and let everyone know how it’s working out - the service goes live on February 1st, 2008, so it’s rapidly approaching decision-making time.
EDIT: I’ve decided to at the very least put the code on THIS website, as it’s mostly directed at other webmasters, so we can all see what it’s like. Right now it just plays a bit of white noise, but ads will start on February 1st as previously stated. Please feel free to weigh in on how intrusive you think the ads are, and if you personally will be promoting them.
Happy New Year, everyone! My new year has already gotten off to a good start - at least luck-wise. Adult Webmaster Empire has a drawing every pay period for their active webmasters (read: those sending in sales) and I was just notified that I won $250. Free money is always good! I love AWE, though. Their camgirls are probable in my top three moneymakers, I even made their top 50 webmasters list once. For a small-time webmaster like me, that was awesome.
I’ve been dedicating a good amount of time to my newest website, Gamer Fetish. I’m actually incorporating some all-text posts into this one, trying to make it a tiny bit more than just another porn website. The galleries feature, of course, hot chicks playing video games naked (or in other states of sexiness) and most of the text posts are either reviews of games/gaming websites or recaps of cool shit I find across the internet that would probably interest a gaming crowd. It’s been fun thus far, though I’m surprised more solo girls don’t have photo sets of themselves playing video games… it seems to be something guys find really hot.
Mainstream websites have been slowly but surely drawing income; Amazon’s Omakase widget seems to be the best converting tool I’ve used thus far. Basically, it shows products that the surfer has either recently viewed, or products related to the website the widget is on… so you get people seeing something they’d looked at earlier and being all, “hmm, I should really buy that after all”… and boom! Sale. The fact that the mainstream websites are making money at all is REALLY impressive, because honestly… I have yet to find a really good source of traffic (other than google search engine) for any of them. So the traffic is miniscule, but targeted, at least.
I’ve got to get back to work on my newest project, so I’ll be back soon with more absolutely FASCINATING! posts and ramblings. Don’t miss me too much.