08/13/09 Updates

Geesh, I have so many updates and so little time to write them in! I had a very relaxing two-week California vacation, and now I'm jumping back into the swing of things.

1. Helium
Not writing here anymore. Nothing against it, and I'll continue to collect my ad income and rate once in a while, and visit it for article ideas, but the pay is just too low for my self-esteem and need to build a freelance writing income.

2. Swagbucks
I'm up to about $50 in claimed Amazon.ca gift certificates, and waiting on another $5. I'm two thirds of the way to another $5, too! I'm not doing codes and stuff much anymore, I just don't have the time right now. The occasional search and my referrals will have to do!

3. Constant Content
This is the biggest success. I've earned $234.65 USD, ~$255.18 CAD from this site so far. I was just chosen for a huge project worth several hundred dollars. I'd like to keep the details private until it's complete, but suffice it to say I'll double my next CC total. I also have another private client who wants to work with me on a regular basis in the future, but I'm not sure yet how regular that will end up being. The client whom I wrote five articles for, unfortunately, never did open that private request. :( So I submitted the five articles, sent her an email to let her know I did it, and moved on!

I'm also working on getting 100 random (brainstorm) articles that aren't for public/private requests accepted on Constant Content before the end of August, since statistics show that 100 articles is the "critical mass", at which point you'll begin regularly selling articles. Sounds good to me!

Also, I'm trying to help two of my friends get into CC writing. I'm really hoping at least one ends up doing it!

4. Web Perspectives
I have earned over 2,500 points total. For each 1,000 points, you can get $10 on Paypal. Not all the points are added to my account yet though, some are still pending, grr. I had enough to redeem one $10 Paypal payment, and I'm waiting to get the other points so I can redeem another $10 (and then I'm halfway to a third payment!). I won't get it until September or October, but still... not too bad for free money!

5. TNS Interactive
$20 in Amazon.ca gift certificates total so far... not too bad, if I do say so myself. Their surveys are rare, but I always do them because they always have a $5-$10 gift certificate reward.

6. Hubpages
I've earned about $1.90 so far from one Hub with Google Adsense, thanks to the affiliate program all set up there already. (Nothing from Amazon, by the way.) So it isn't the be-all-and-end-all, but it is giving me some interesting ideas and the chance to write some "fun stuff" that I might not write for articles.

7. Blogging for cash
About $0.43 in Google Adsense from this blog, which is surprising! I never expected to earn anything from people clicking on ads here, so a big "thank you" to whoever did so, haha. :D I have another blog set up here: Ur Finances. So far, no earnings, but I'm continuing to add content in the hopes that I'll help someone out, at the very least. :)

8. Bookmooch
I've received eight books and sent out seven. I have 5.8 points, enough for 5 Canadian books or 2 foreign books and one Canadian book. I'm pretty happy, overall, with this site. :)

9. Private Clients
I've been looking at freelancing ads and applying for some worthwhile jobs. No bites yet, but hopefully I'll see results at some point. I'll keep applying!

I have a crazy two weeks lined up.

Packing for university, writing about 80,000 words including my articles, and a novel and short story I'm doing, saying goodbyes to friends in this town, applying to new jobs while working on current projects...

Needless to say, I won't be around here much, but I'll update (and calculate amounts earned) whenever I can!