Get Paid to Fart

Found a New Writing Site: ‘Work-Online’…

2009-07-08T00:12:00.014+01:00

Now, I don't usually go for low-paying writing gigs, uh-uh, but I have my reasons for going for this particular one (which I'll explain later).

So, what's this Work-Online thing, then?

Work-Online's a site that pays you to write stories (owned by a UK-based company called Re-Route). Each story has to be a minimum of 350 words and must have a certain number of keywords. One keyword has to be used at least once and three keywords have to be repeated at least 3 times throughout the story. So, for example, if your task is to write about Bubblegum, you'll be given 4 keywords to use:

- sugar
- pop
- strawberry
- teeth

Now, in your story, you have to use the word 'sugar' at least once, the word 'pop' at least 3 times, the word 'strawberry' at least 3 times and the word 'teeth' at least 3 times.

That's it. Apart from that, you can write whatever you want, however you want it.

Can anyone join?

You know what? I don't know. I've checked through their site and I can't find anything about it. It's definitely open to UK residents as I’m one myself and had no problem joining. If you're non-UK, you can either try contacting them or just try joining and see what happens. However, I'm thinking the fact they pay via Paypal might mean it's open internationally. Don't quote me though.

A nifty little in-built word processing program...

Work-Online has an in-built word processor on its site. When you log in, you'll see a list of writing tasks available. Then you select the one you want to write about. Once you do that, it takes you to the word processor. As you type, the processor keeps a count of how many words you've typed in and how many keywords you've used. You can also do a spell check. Plus, you can save what you've typed as a draft and come back to it later.

What topics does the site give you to write about?

Well, the topics I've seen since I've joined cover Technology, Transport and Adult. You have to opt-in for the Adult topics to be listed (and obviously it's meant for 18+ writers).

And what's the pay like?

£0.50 (about $0.80) per story. After you've written the first 100 stories, you get paid more, but I'm a bit confused over the exact amount 'cos there are contradictions on the site. On the 'tell me more' page, it says:

"You will receive 50p for the first 100 stories you write, 75p for the next 200 stories, and £1 for every story thereafter"

But when I log in, on the 'Help' page, it says £1 per story after the first 100 stories - so I'm not too sure on that front. However, I'm not that bothered for now as I'm nowhere near that amount of stories yet.

Referrals?

If someone joins through you, you get 10% of whatever they earn when they write (applicable to the first 100 stories only).

Minimum payout...

...is £10.00 which can be paid via cheque (UK only) or Paypal.

The pay ain't that great, not what I usually go for, but...

- curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know if the site really did pay

- I found the stories super-duper easy and quick to write. Less than half an hour per piece

- it's a great way to warm myself up before moving onto higher-paying writing gigs

- I also find it makes for a good stress reliever/ mind break

"You type, we pay" is Work-Online's motto, but DO they really pay? Really?

Yes, I can confirm that they do. I'm relieved that they do as I was a bit cautious at first and it soooo would not have been cool if it had turned out that I'd written 20 stories for nothing. When I reached payout (£10.55) and requested it, it was with baited breath. On their site, it mentions that Paypal payments can take up to 14 days, so I was quite surprised to get mine 2-3 days after I requested it.

I'm holding onto this one, I think...

For me, for now, Work-Online's a keeper. As long as I keep finding it painless to write the stories and it doesn't start to feel like a chore or a bore, I'll stick with it.

Things to bear in mind if you plan on joining Work-Online:

- Your stories have to be unique, coherent, fairly well-written and free of typos.

- Once you submit your stories, it has to be approved by the site administrator. You'll receive an email letting you know if it's been approved or not. Only when it's approved will you get paid.

- For the Adult topics, keep it mild.

- There are times when there are no writing tasks available

- If you have Paypal business account, you could get charged a fee by Paypal when you receive payment from Work-Online. Mine was £0.56.

To join...

Go to http://work-online.org.uk/join-now. It would be fab if you used my referral code - WOR:0059 – but you don't have to.

(p.s.: On the joining-up form, year of birth only goes back as far as 1980. It's cool - if you're older than that, pick 1980 and complete the registration).

Is it a bird, is it a plane, no, it's a fried-egg sandwich...

Ebele.

Online Earnings: June - Best Month So Far...

2009-07-02T12:11:00.005+01:00

img credit: ivalladt

June's been a rather interesting month as my income streams were more diverse.

- GetaFreelancer: I got an active referral through the review I wrote about GetaFreelancer and earned $71 in total.

- Used Books: I've been getting rid of my books on Amazon and Green Metropolis. I sell the odd one now and again, but for some reason I sold more than usual in June netting me £31.70 in total.

- Linkworth: I joined linkworth some time ago but had hardly ever earned from it. However, a few months' ago, I received a request to put a link on one of my dormant blogs. The money for that came through this month. ($27.81)

- Surveys: I've joined so many survey sites that there are some I don't even remember joining. Anyway, I won a £2 voucher on one (it's a site called Gfk WISAD - WISAD means 'What I Say and Do'). The other survey came from a school of business - they send me surveys every now and again. Can't even remember or find the URL for that one, but I got £2 for doing a survey with them.

All in all, here's a rundown of my online earnings for June... (some of these were originally in pounds but I'm showing everything in a dollar currency)

Blog writing (private client) - $288.00
Affiliate earnings (GetaFreelancer) - $71.00
Used books (Amazon, Green Metropolis) - $51.58
Link on blog (Linkworth) - $27.81
Surveys (Pinecone, WISAD, business survey) - $11.54

TOTAL - $449.93

Compared to what I made in May ($72.46), I'm pretty happy with that.

I can't believe we're half way through the year already. Strewth.

Whatever y'all plan on doing this month (as long as it's, erm, legal), have a good one, ya hear?

Over and out,

Ebele.

Hello again, Toluna...

2009-06-15T20:20:00.029+01:00

(I joined Toluna about a year ago, but was never really active on it. So I thought I'd pass by, check if my account was still active, have a snoop around and see what Toluna can do for me [if any]).

What in the hell's Toluna, ey, ey?

Keep your hair on and I'll tell ya, ok?

Toluna's predominantly a poll/survey site as far as I can tell. The polls themselves don't take long at all to complete as they're mostly multiple-choice questions - you just pick one answer and you're done. I've received a couple of surveys, but haven't completed them 'cos at the time, I just couldn't be bothered. When it comes to surveys in general, I sometimes tire of the whole thing and need a psychological break. However, from the few I've received from Toluna, they take no longer than your average survey (i.e., 10-15mins).

You also get to test products for free. However, I feel Pinecone Research is better in that regard as Pinecone pays you to test products.

Who can join Toluna?

As far as I can tell, anyone can join BUT only UK residents are "eligible for rewards" as they point out in their FAQ.

Show me the moneeeeeeey...

With Toluna, everything is based on a points system which you can then convert to vouchers. No cash, I'm afraid.

Vouchers you can convert to include:

- 1500pts: a prize draw ticket (for a £5000 monthly draw)
- 3000pts: free products with Vistaprint (you pay p & p though)
- 10,000pts: a £10 discount on a spaseekers.com pamper day
- 60,000pts: a £10 Amazon voucher

Expect up to 8 weeks for a requested voucher to reach you. That's a preeetty long time. Hmmm. Hopefully, 'up to 8 weeks' means it takes a lot less than that (more often than not).

Points per poll/survey...

Some of the polls pay and some don't, but there are quite a lot that do. To give you an idea of paying-poll quantity, yesterday I completed over 30. Didn't take long and didn't feel like work either. I just did as much as I could tolerate and moved on. I'm not sure if that's the norm with Toluna, whether they usually have that many paying polls. Only time will tell. Maybe they thought "hold up, we have a superstar in our midst – let's lavish her with all the points we can muster". Erm, I don't know.

For the paying polls, you get a minimum of 15 points each. The questions are very straightforward. I've gotten a 30pt and 150pt poll too and those took me no more than a couple of minutes to complete. For the surveys, you get a minimum of 1000 to 20,000 points per completion.

How to build up your points...

- Join. You get 500 points for that.

- Complete the 'Interests Surveys' section. It's the same thing as completing your profile. It helps Toluna find out more about you in order to figure out what surveys to email to you. The great thing is for each survey you complete in that section, you get 300 points. There are 16 surveys in total, so that's a cool 4800 points.

- You also get a 2000pt bonus once you complete all the surveys in the Interests Surveys section.

- Do a handful or two of the mini 15pt polls.

- Do the slightly longer paying polls that tend to pay more. There doesn't seem to be a lot of those though.

- Try doing the surveys you're sent. Don't be like me and pass on them. Alternatively, you can be like me. I'll, like, totally take it as a compliment ('til it starts freaking me out).

Soooooooo.....

I'm at 3,050 points at the mo'. I don't have the patience for 60,000 points, so it's good that there are a couple of other vouchers I can aim for. Think I'll go for 10,000 pts and see what I can get with that.

I'm trying to streamline the amount of survey sites I'm with to just a handful, so I'm not sure how long I'll stick with Toluna. Depends on how effortless I find it, how long it takes me to reach payout and how efficient they are at posting out vouchers when they say they will.

We'll see.

(UPDATE: 23/6 - I've reached 10,535 points now. I ordered a £10 discount spa voucher (worth 10,000pts). I'm keen to see how efficient Toluna is at sending it out. We'll see.)

Have a lovely week, people. Blow bubbles.

Ebele.

Hey, my name's Ebele, nice to meetcha :-)

2009-06-06T20:00:00.012+01:00

When I first set up this blog, I used aliases (2ThePoint, Big Momma) for a couple of reasons:

- it allowed me to tap into a different side of me

- I felt the anonymity gave me a lot more freedom

- I could be whoever I wanted to be without it getting back to the people who knew me

I guess I wanted to separate the me that some people knew from the me that's fascinated with the whole MMO shebang. I didn't think they'd understand my interest in it. In my mind, I imagined that once they found out, their view of me would make me break out in hives of awkwardness and embarrassment. It mattered what they thought (or what I think they'd think) and I just thought their view of me would be laced with confusion and disapproval as they'd have a problem tallying up who they think I am with who I actually am.

But now, it doesn't matter - nowhere near as much as it used to, anyway. I'm still a tad self-conscious but I guess it'll fade in time. And if it doesn't, then I'll cross that Lego bridge when I get to it.

I'll never stop using aliases in some other shape or form on some other blog or offline project as I believe they definitely serve a purpose. However, for this blog, I am... Ebele.

The online world, MMO, blogging and all the drama and excitement that comes with it...has become a big part of who I am.

My name is (what?) ...my name is (who?) ...my name's...fikki fikki... E-be-le.

Mah, Mah, Mah, May: Online Earnings...

2009-06-03T12:41:00.018+01:00

img credit: riarebrand

I'm changing direction in terms of how I make money online - shifting from creating content for other people to creating my own stuff. I also wasn't feeling too well last month. So, bearing that in mind, I made $72.46 online - much lower than what I usually make but, hey, that's ok.

The $72.46 came from:

- blog writing: $48.00
- taking surveys (pinecone research): $13.89 (£9.00)
- selling copies of my ebook: $10.57

JUNE...

This month's gotten off to a fairly good start - I've made $114.45 so far which is great.

It's my birthday next Tuesday (I turn 35) and I've been in a reflective mood, thinking about what I'd like to spend the next 35 years of my life doing (if I live to that).

At the same time, a friend of mine asked me if I could do anything right now, knowing I wouldn't fail, what would it be?

That's been playing on my mind too.

Anyway, I hope y'all have a wonderFULL June. Feel free to share what your plans are for the month.

Too-doo-loo...

ebele.

Whoppeedeedoodaafrikkinyay, I finally reached payout on GlobalTestMarket!

2009-05-28T18:20:00.008+01:00

img credit: lepiaf.geo

About time too.

I only had about 20 points to go, but for some reason, I hadn't been sent a survey from them for what seemed like weeks. So I hopped on over to GlobalTestMarket today, logged on and whatdoyouknow, there were about 4 surveys sitting there waiting to be done.

The thing is I usually receive email notification of new surveys but for some reason I hadn't.

Anyway, I didn't qualify for any of the four surveys, but because you get 5 points even if you don't qualify, it added up and I've now reached 1000 points ($50)! I couldn't have pressed the frikkin payout button fast enough, I tell ya.

Cheque takes 6-8 weeks to arrive for non-US residents, but the last payout I got took just over 4 weeks so you never know. In any case, once I receive it, I'm still standing by my decision to do some survey spring-cleaning and cut GlobalTestMarket loose. It's served its purpose - I'm grateful, but it's not for me anymore. I only wanna stick with a couple of survey sites – no more than 3 – Pinecone Research is definitely one of the few I intend to keep.

Laters.

April: End of Month Earnings (the Reeeally Late Edition)

2009-05-23T17:02:00.014+01:00

img credit: Andrew Mason

I made $403.79 in April, but just never got round to vocalising it on the blog (which is unlike me but there you go.)

Proof of payment (iiiis behiiiind yooooooou).

...erm, is below.

- blog writing: $336.30

- surveys (Pinecone Research): £9.00 ($13.30) - (read more about Pinecone)

- blog commenting: $9.31

- You-Cubez: £3.00 ($4.38) (read more about You Cubez)

- ebook sale: $3.08

- Pickjack.com: $0.06 (I really don't care much for Pickjack anymore - haven't been active on there for months, so I was a tad surprised by this one. I'll do my best not to spend it all at once.)

Payments not reflected in Paypal account as they were paid by bank transfer:

- payment from freelancewriters.info for editing articles – £22.71 ($33.70)

- book sold thru GreenMetropolis.com – was £3.00, but I withdrew £2.50 ($3.66)

I Looked Into That Crystal Ball I Got from the 99p Store and It Said...

...that my earnings for May are gonna be quite low as I shift from creating content for other people to creating my own content – working for myself in the true sense of the word.

See ya.

May a good weekend devour you whole and spit out a more relaxed you.

GlobalTestMarket: Tantalizingly Close to Reaching Payout...

2009-05-13T17:14:00.006+01:00

img credit: Irargerich

GlobalTestMarket ain't testing the market, it's testing my frikkin patience. I'm sooo close to reaching payout, I can almost smell the cheque. (p.s.: GlobalTestMarket's a survey site. More info? Read here).

Minimum payout is 1000 points – equivalent to $50 - and I'm at 975. (her eyes grow bigger as she rubs her hands with glee, grows a beard and becomes Fagin in Oliver Twist).

The other time I reached payout with GlobalTestMarket was back in September, so it's basically taken me about 9 months to reach 2nd payout.

Is it worth it? For me, no, it isn't. Not anymore, anyway. It used to be, but the thought of having to wait another 8-9 months no longer appeals.

So, once I've got my cheque, I'm gone.

Don't get me wrong. If anyone ever asked me which survey sites I'd recommend, GlobalTestMarket would still be on the list as it's one of the better ones out there. However, as always, I'd tell it like it is.

Did someone say it's Wednesday? Bloody hell, where did the days go?

2ThePoint.

Me. Myself. And a Fart or Two…

2009-05-12T19:47:00.005+01:00

img credit: mark i geo

I remember years ago when I thought about the internet, it was with trembling excitement. I saw the internet as an experimental playground. I had tons of ideas and, in my mind, it would be the perfect platform for me to try them out.

Somewhere along the way, I've lost sight of that purpose, that sense of adventure and experimentation. I've forgotten to have fun with the internet, to just put an idea out there and see where it takes me.

I wanna go back to that.

I'm not giving up on this blog. Big Mama just needed some timeout to think.

2ThePoint.

Pinecone Research: Fast Becoming My No.1 Survey Program...

2009-04-09T11:11:00.023+01:00

img credit: roctopus

PineCone Research??? Erm, more info, please...

PineCone Research (UK site | non-UK site) is one of many sites out there that pay people to take surveys. Of course, there are a heck of a lot of dubious sites out there, but from my experience of using PineCone (and getting paid), it does appear to be kosher. I joined up in January (this year) and have done a handful of product surveys since then. All in all, most surveys tend to take 15-20 mins to complete.

Is that it?

Nope. At times, they also send out products for testing. I never thought I'd be privy to that 'til I got something in the post this week! After testing the product, you get paid for completing the follow-up survey for that.

Occasionally, you'll be sent an unpaid survey. Usually doesn't take more than 5 mins to complete. They send it to find out more information about you in order to establish what surveys to send out to you in the future.

Only one member PER HOUSEHOLD can join PineCone.

Countries it's open to?

To be honest, I don't know. Not sure. I've checked through their FAQ and can't find anything. They do have 2 websites: one for UK residents and one for others, but I really don't know the particular countries the latter's open to (re: membership)

How does one join?

That's the tricky part. You can't join directly through PineCone's sites. They tend to recruit through banner ads placed on other sites. It's also placed randomly so there isn't really one site that can be pinpointed. However, you might have some luck if you try one of the following:

- do a search on Google for 'PineCone Research banner'

- check the MoneySavingExpert forum (the Up Your Income section) - on there, forum members usually post links to PineCone banner ads they come across

How much does PineCone pay?

Well, for UK members, they used to pay £4 per survey but it's now £3 per survey (still not bad). I got in on the £3-a-survey boat. For non-UK members, I'm not sure how much they pay, though I've read on some sites that it's $3 per survey.

And how does it pay?

For UK members, it's via posted-out voucher or via Paypal (I think Paypal might have been a recent addition). For non-UK members, it's via cheque or Paypal. I prefer Paypal payments as it gives me more flexibility in terms of what to spend it on, so that's how I get paid.

The great thing is that unlike several survey sites, you don't have to reach a minimum payout figure to receive payment.

How long does it take to receive payment?

All payments are processed the next business day after a survey's completed. Paypal payments take 3-5 days to reach your Paypal account. Vouchers (from my experience) take about a week. I don't know how long cheques take as I've never received one and I can't seem to find anything about it on their site. However, if all payments are processed the next working day, then I suppose it'd take around the same time as a voucher.

How frequently are surveys sent out?

I think it really depends on each individual's income/status/background and what a particular survey is looking for. I'm female, single, in my 30s, with no children and tend to get about 2-3 surveys emailed to me every month. You might get more, you might get less.

And how much have you made so far, Big Mama?

I've completed 9 surveys to date, so I've made £27 (about $39).

COUPLE OF TIPS FOR YOU-HOOOO...

- When you first join, PineCone will send you a survey. It's important that you complete that first survey. PineCone stresses this point in their FAQ section:

"The completion of the first survey assignment is key to active membership on our panel. Those who do not complete the survey are not asked to take part in subsequent surveys."

- Though PineCone's surveys are about different products, the format of their surveys tend to be the same. Once you get used to the rhythm of that, it makes taking them much easier.

So in Conclusion, My Lord...

PineCone Research is fast becoming my top survey earner (and my favourite). The surveys don't take that long, the pay isn't too bad, and I don't have to wait ages to reach payout before I see my money. Win-win situation all round, methinks! Plus, getting the odd product through the post makes me feel a bit special :-)

2ThePoint.

This Month's Plan...

2009-04-06T16:04:00.010+01:00

img credit: powi

My plan this month is to push myself but to be gentle. Instead of working against myself, I plan to work with myself. Instead of forcing myself to work a certain way, in a way I think I 'should' be working, I plan to pay attention to what suits me and work accordingly.

Breaking things up...

I don't like focusing on one article for more than a few hours at a time and yet I've been forcing myself to spend much longer than that for as long as I can remember. What ends up happening when I force myself is I try every which way to distract myself (doesn't take a lot) and then an article ends up taking me a gazillion times as long to finish.

I like splitting my attention over a couple of things during the day. I've therefore decided to write in bits. Work on an article for a couple of hours, then forget about it, take a breather and do something else. Go back to the article at the end of the day or the next day and continue. Rinse and repeat until it's finished.

I tried the above modus operandi over the weekend and it seemed to work. Broke an article up over various times, worked on it a couple of hours each time – sometimes for even just an hour - and it did seem less tedious, less stressful, dare I say a tad more enjoyable.

Change of work scenery...

Google isn't the only way to search for information – there's the local library. I can't remember the last time I was in there. And it's a very nice library too. What's to stop me from looking for info there, from doing my work there? The change of scenery would be a good thing, I think.

Taking work days off...

I feel like I've been sitting in front of the computer solidly for the past year (my butt's shaped like a frikkin chair). If I manage my time a bit better, I won't need to do that. I've therefore structured my month in such a way that I have certain days off where I can do what I want, where working that day is totally optional, where there isn't a deadline to meet, where I can work on my own projects if I choose to, or walk away from the computer and go out and see family/friends or treat myself or completely veg out in front of the TV - where I don't have to switch on the computer when I come home unless I want to.

Soooo that's my plan for April. We'll see how it goes.

(p.s.: it's my day off today!)

What are your plans for the month???

2ThePoint.

Big Mama's March: Online Earnings...

2009-04-04T06:38:00.015+01:00

img credit: Amanda M Hatfield

April? April, already? Ged-outta-here.

Eight more months and people'll start scrambling around for Christmas prezzies like the world's going out of style.

Anyway...hmmm, March ...I was hoping to make a bit more than I did, but I know why I didn't and that's more important, I think. My biggest distraction's me. I'll just leave it at that for now.

Saying that, I did make more than I made this time last year – in March last year, I made $129.50. This March, it's $429.08. It's also an improvement on last month ($349.15).

Earnings breakdown:

Freelance Writing ..... $412.52 (blog writing: $408.02; blog commenting: $4.50)

Surveys ..... $15.60 (pinecone research - $12.80; lightspeed panel - $2.80)

You-Cubez ..... $0.96 (sold a cube)

[PROOF OF PAYMENT]

I think the reason why I did pretty well with surveys in February ($46.67) was 'cos I'd reached payout on a couple of programs. In a few months or so, the trend will hopefully repeat itself as I'm getting close to payout on a few more.

SO....
I'm gonna look back on March in a balanced way - on the one hand, knowing that I've improved; but on the other hand, being aware that I'm capable of better.

Hey, how was your month?

2ThePoint.

What I've been up to...

2009-03-29T14:00:00.015+01:00

img credit: genyae

Wow, where does all the time go?

I know.

Actually, erm, I don't.

Ok, moving on...

What have I been up to??? Well, apart from scratching my imaginary balls, I've been...

Recovering from the poetry workshop I ran at the school...

Near enough killed me. Was bloody hard work, I tell ya. But I got through it (yay, me!). There really wasn't a lot of room for creative expression as the students had to study the work of other poets and certain techniques used. It can be difficult to get someone to peak underneath the skin of a poem to see the machinery working behind it. Studying the machinery isn't something I particularly enjoy doing myself so I don't blame some of the students for not being up for it. However, it was a skill they needed for their exams, so I tried to look for palatable ways to workshop it to them. Wasn't easy. However, I hope some of them left feeling a bit more confident.

Looks like the cheque for that is winging its way to me next week (early next week, I hope). So it's not gonna be as frustrating as the last workshop I ran in a school where I waited over 2 months to get my cheque. (memories. painful.)

Job Schmapplication'ing...

I mentioned I was looking for one or two more online writing gigs. High paying.

To that end, I found out about a UK-based company that's looking for UK and US writers. I had to send my application by email and post. Looks promising. Hope they're for real. And if they are, hope mama gets it. Pay looks good – up to £75 per article - mmmmm (as in 'mmmmm, nice pay' - not 'mmmmm, I wonder').

Got 2 new online gigs...

- Do-follow blog commenting: Got this one via the DP forums. I get to comment on any do-follow blog I want for $0.50 a pop (has to be approved though). I don't have to make it on niche-specific blogs which makes it a lot easier for me. I used to do paid blog commenting a while ago – not much – but it was something I quite enjoyed doing at the time, so I don't mind getting back to it. I find the comments easy to write as I just respond naturally to them.

- Proofreading/light editing: I got this one through a UK-based company called Delegate2 - they own FreelanceWriters.info. Early days yet, so we'll see. Pay's $1 for every 250 words. I do like proofing so I'm glad I have the paid opportunity to do more of it.

Both will make for nice filler-type work.

Erm, so that's me, people.

And how's your week been?

2ThePoint-t-t-t.

Some Flow in my Cashflow…

2009-03-17T16:12:00.008Z

img credit: roctopus

Money's been really tight.

Actually, tell a lie, pretty non-existent.

Depressingly so.

Sniffle. Sniffle.

Which is why I'm pretty darn chuffed about a 2-day poetry workshop I'll be running in a school this week.

It came out of the blue from an organisation I've run workshops for in the past.

The pay's good – I'll be getting £650 for the 2 days, plus expenses are being covered.

It's gonna be a bit of a challenge as I have to be up at 5am to get there for 8am, plus I'll be running 5 sessions per day. The good thing is that each session's with a different group so I can repeat the same format. I'll probably tweak it in places as I go from group to group but that's it. It's still gonna be pretty energy-demanding though, but rewarding too as ultimately it's about creativity and encouraging an understanding and expression of it in others. It's a 2-way thing too as you get to learn a brand-new way of looking at the world every time the participants express themselves.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm a bit nervous, apprehensive – all those teenaged eyes looking to me for inspiration – it's not something I've ever gotten used to. But nervous is good. I'll be ok. I tend to feel the jitters before a workshop. Once I'm in there though, my adrenaline usually kicks in and I pretty-much get down to it. It's afterwards that I feel really drained.

Anyway, wish me luck.

Enjoy the rest of your week, y'all.

2ThePoint.

Dear Diary: I Don't Like Writing on Demand...

2009-03-14T22:38:00.010Z

img credit: jeffisageek

I like writing. I like blogging. But I don't like writing on demand.

There. I said it.

I used to think there was something wrong with me for feeling that way. But now, I don't. I just think it's part of my inbuilt navigation system telling me where to go.

I prefer to write when the mood takes me. Like now.

So where does that leave me with the whole freelance writing thing?

Well, I already have one client I write for. Been writing for his company for a while - since last May. He's SUPER cool, I get to write in my own style, plus the money's good ($50 per post) – so I wanna stick with that for a while.

I plan to apply for a few more high(er)-paying gigs, but one that doesn't require I write x amount of pieces every week. One-offs would be fine with me.

I don't want to write for a rate that's significantly lower than what I'm currently on. In the past few months, I've noticed that I feel a bit funny when I attempt to cheat myself out of the rate I'm deserving of. I know what's possible. If one client can pay me $50 a piece, then there's bound to be another client out there who'll be willing to pay me something close to it or more.

So, apart from my current client and getting one or two more high-paying gigs, I'd rather not take on any more writing-on-demand work. Rather, I'd like to shift my focus to things I really love/enjoy doing.

I realise that part of finding more time to do other things will be down to me and how I organise my time. That will definitely be a challenge as I can be my worst distraction. I'm super special like that. :-)

(p.s.: You know what's probably gonna happen, right? Life will probably test me by sending me a shit-load of writing jobs or something. Ah well, if it happens, and that's a big if, I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it.)

Right now, I'm just aware that there are things lacking in my life and I need to do something about it. I welcome the dissatisfaction I feel as, sometimes, with dissatisfaction comes the energy to change.

Take care, people. I hope you're where you wanna be (or inching towards it).

2ThePoint.

February: End-of-Month - Online Earnings...

2009-03-03T16:24:00.018Z

img credit: fionaandneil

February's been a challenge of sorts. Offline, things aren't looking too pretty. The £500 cheque I waited over 2 months for finally arrived, but disappeared almost as soon as I cashed it. I also decided to step off the school project. Very personal reason. Nothing to do with the project at all. However, it does mean I'm one part-time income down.

Online was different though. I saw an improvement on what I made in January. In January, I made $174.16 online. February, I made around double that at $349.15. Not bad but I could do with making more this month.

FEB'S ONLINE BREAKDOWN:

1) Freelance Writing.......$302.56

- blog writing - $288.30 (private client)
- forum posting - $14.26 (myLot - $11.13; PeazyShop - $3.13/£2.20)

2) Paid Surveys.......$46.47 (originally paid in £GBP)

- MyVoice - $28.66 (£20)
- Pinecone Research - $8.54 (£6)
- MySurvey - $7.10 (£5)
- LightSpeedPanel - $1.46 (£1)
- Other - $0.71 (£0.50)

3) Misc.......$0.12

- Pickjack - $0.12

PROOF OF PAYMENT...
(opens in new window)

(MyVoice & MySurvey pay with vouchers. MyVoice post out theirs - I don't have a camera so can't take a pic of it. MySurvey email theirs. Proof below.)

Have a great March, people.

Over and out...

2ThePoint.

See ya, Pickjack...

2009-02-28T17:52:00.011Z

img credit: L.M. Enrique

Quick Recap:

Pickjack is a site that pays you to create & answer multiple-choice questions. I joined it in early January, really enjoyed the Q & A thang and wrote a detailed review about it. Though I had my reservations about how they operated, I thought I'd see how the rest of the month went.

UPDATE...

I get bored of stuff easily. So, as much as I initially enjoyed creating and answering questions on Pickjack, my honeymoon period with it was over within a couple of weeks. I found that once I got over the euphoria of creating Q & A's, there was really nothing else to keep me there. Not even the money (of which there really wasn't much).

So, although I mentioned in my review that I'd wait 'til the end of January, I honestly couldn't wait for it to come round.

Ok, let's put the boredom part down to me and the way I'm built. However, there were aspects of Pickjack that didn't sit well with me. These were the same reservations I had about them when I first joined and, in my view, I don't think those reservations were cleared up while I was there.

1) Pickjack seemed to be into the habit of changing their payout dates at the very last minute (without an explanation).

2) On 3 separate occasions, I received emails from them confirming that I'd been paid and that the money was in my Paypal account. However, it would be hours and sometimes days before I actually saw the payment in Paypal. I didn't quite understand why PJ did that and why they didn't try to solve it (or give members some kind of explanation).

3) Earnings can be pretty erratic. They can go up or down - sometimes sharply - and sometimes it can be regardless of how active you've been on the site. There's really nothing on Pickjack's site explaining this activity.

Quite a few Pickjack members are also myLot members. I mentioned in my review that every payment period, PJ assigns a set pot of money so the more active you are, the more of a cut you get. However, this was actually an explanation I found on a myLot discussion, not on Pickjack's site. A myLot member had sent PJ an email and that was the reply he/she received from them.

4) I had at least one person who joined through my referral link. It didn't appear to show up in my PJ account though.

5) PJ don't appear to have a central way of updating its members when there are problems. Wouldn't it take a simple 'News' page on their site to do that?

CONCLUSION...

If I hadn't gotten bored with Pickjack, then the way they appear to do things would have put me right off and I would have moved on anyway.

Until they improve (for which I don't plan on sticking around to find out), I can't in all honesty recommend them - even if there can be a fun element to using it.

There are mixed views about Pickjack out there. Some love using it, some don't - and some are just downright confused by it. My personal opinion is I think PJ needs to get its act together so that all members have a pleasurable experience, not just some. (a part of me thinks they actually thrive on the confusion).

Mama says have a great weekend, y'all. That's an order.

2ThePoint.

I Jiggled Mah Boobies and Surveys Came A-Running...

2009-02-21T20:03:00.014Z

img credit: nyki_m

It worked for me.

And it can work for you.

Don't matter if you're a man or a woman. Just shake dem boobies and watch dem paid surveys roll in thick and fast like a swarm of bees at an "It Ain't Funny. Humans Stole My Honey" annual convention.

I generally find paid surveys easy to do, albeit sometimes long and boring. Doesn't take a lot of brain power, just a bit of patience and honesty (and a glass of wine or some munchies for the real tedious ones).

I was already making a bit of money from surveys (about $80 last year) - but towards the end of last year, I set my mind on making more money from them. My thinking was if there were other good dependable survey sites out there that pay, then why not take advantage of them?

Which is what I did.

So far, my survey earnings over the past few months have been as follows:

December '08 - $13.28
January '09 - $69.82
February '09 - $45.76

(p.s.: I actually received the above amounts in pounds. However, I'm so used to working online in dollars that it's easier for me to add everything in dollars.)

I earned it from the following sites:

- OpinionWorld - £5 ($7.36) - not a lot of paying surveys, but a few do pay.

- American Consumer Opinion Panel - £2 ($2.98)

- Pinecone Research - £15 ($22.00)

- LightSpeedPanel - £6 ($8.80)

- Saros Research - £35 ($51.96) - focus group research - few & far between, but pays really well.

- MySurvey - £5 ($7.10)

- MyVoice - £20 ($28.66) - the surveys are quite enjoyable, actually.

(p.s.: Those were the pound-to-dollar exchange rates at the time I received payment.)

OVER THE COMING WEEKS...

I'll be writing a review along with proof of earnings about each of them (apart from LightSpeedPanel and Acop which I've more or less written about).

A COUPLE OF SURVEY TIPS FOR YA...

- Research a survey site THOROUGHLY before joining. Surveypolice.com is pretty good for reading up on some of the survey sites out there. Comments are left by people who've tried them.

- Don't join every single survey site going. Cap it off at 10-12.

- After a while, you'll notice the ones that are really working for you. Concentrate more on those. Get rid of the ones that are extremely inactive (decide whether it's worth holding on to them 'til you reach payout and then cutting them loose – or whether it's not worth waiting).

- Commit to spending up to an hour a weekday doing surveys. No more than that. Ok, 2 hours tops. Point is, don’t spend all your time online doing surveys.

- In my opinion, weekends and surveys tend not to mix. I don't get that many surveys at the weekends, so don't worry if you don't either.

- A lot of survey sites will notify you as soon as there's a survey available. But some won't. In the case of the latter, it's up to you to log on to their site to see if there are any surveys available.

Ok, that's me done.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

May the booooobs be with you...

2ThePoint.

The Credit Crunch, the Manic-Depressive Media. A Match Made in Hell.

2009-02-17T02:50:00.013Z

img credit: Kessiye

I'm a tuna person.

Canned tuna, to be precise.

I don't love tuna. Don't hate it either.

But it's the cheapest meat-substitute to buy on my budget.

Or rather, it WAS the cheapest.

A tin of tuna that I used to buy for approx £0.32 is now double that and up.

Other foods that I normally buy have gone up somewhat and I'm thinking of making my own toilet roll or opting out of shitting altogether. :-)

I know Britain's economy is kinda topsy-turvy at the mo'. Same goes for other economies around the world.

I get that.

But what I can't stand is being constantly bombarded with news about it.

I really don't think the media's helping with their non-stop reportage about the economy. It's almost as if, everyday, they're hoping another company will go under, that unemployment figures will go up further, that share prices will drop again.

I promised myself, when all the news first kicked off about the economy, that I wouldn't listen to it after a while - because I knew the media would get all obsessively gloomy about it - it's what they do - and I didn't want my psyche to be affected by it, I didn't want to absorb the fear, the doom-and-gloomism they were projecting.

And I guess what's pissing me off a bit is as much as I've flicked channels to avoid yet another dose of fear-laden journalism, I've still absorbed their 'oh shit, we're all fucked' mentality to some extent.

I'm gonna keep on shimmying forward though....inspite of it.

Have a grrrrrreat week, y'all.

2ThePoint.

The Wind's Changing Direction...Finally...

2009-02-09T00:24:00.008Z

img credit: roctopus

Hey, people! How you doing? Do tell. I'm all ears (and fingers and stubby toes).

How've I been? Weeeell, it's been hard (cue the violin).

Looking back, things started going downhill from the time I quit my office job in November. Not that I regret it, but it's like when I chucked it in, December and January said 'Oh yeah?'

Those 2 months were VERY dry months for me, both online and offline.

But, thank God, it looks like things are set to change. I'm still broke but things have been happening of late that'll massage my cashflow fairly soon.

Soooo, this is how it's looking this month:

1) Freelance Web Writing: One of my clients who I've been working with for a while has increased the amount of blog posts I'll be writing. There were a couple of time-hiccups where I wasn't really writing that consistently for him, but I took the New Year as an opportunity for both of us to reflect on and re-establish our working relationship.

Whereas I was previously writing b/w 1 & 3 blog posts every one or two weeks (and at times, less frequently), he now wants 5 of those a week.

2) Workshops: I'll be running poetry & performance workshops from this month 'til June as part of a multi-school project. I was on the project some years back, but stepped down from it. Last week, I was asked if I wanted to jump onboard this year. Strange thing is I was thinking about the project the day before I got the call. I'm quite apprehensive about it as I know just how challenging and involved it is and I've been out of the loop for a bit, but I'm telling myself that there are reasons why I've been presented with the opportunity (again).

3) My Frikkin £500 Cheque: Still waiting on that. Yep. It's been almost 2 months now since I ran that workshop in the school and big momma's still waiting. Rather than go into the ins and outs of what's been going on with that, let's just say that school finance departments come in all shapes and sizes and some are laws unto their own. I'll leave it at that, shall I?

4) My Rent: My rent officer's been really cool. I was assuming the worst 'cos I'm quite behind on it, but she's been very understanding and has given me a bit of time to get my act together.

My morale was just about starting to lap up the mud in terms of my financial situation so I'm relieved things are stirring. I don't have to go back to a 9-5 which is great, and though juggling the web writing with the workshops won't be plain sailing, you can give me those over a 9-5 ANY DAY :-)

Have a good week, people. Sugared hope in your pocket.

2ThePoint.

I haven't been thrown out of my flat.......Yet.

2009-01-23T04:23:00.012Z

img credit: solcookie

...because I've barricaded myself in with enough food to last me for the next 6 months.

(p.s.: my rent's past due)

If my landlord manages to crash the door down, he'll have to get through the Cookie Monster first.

I've got it all planned, you see.

Me. Clever. Quite.

AND IN OTHER NEWS:

My New Ebook!!: I've been sitting on a couple of ebooks for a while. Just needed finishing touches. 'Stroodle mah Google' is basically a light-hearted playful reference to Google. It was fun creating it. I'm giving away 3 free copies in exchange for a review so shoot me an email or leave a comment in this post if you're interested in grabbing a copy. (UPDATE: the ebook's now free so if you want a copy, just go over and download it)

Money I'm Owed. Grrr.: I've received the small affiliate payment I was waiting for, plus the £35 for the panel research I did early this month. However, I'm still waiting for the most important one, the biggie, the £500 cheque for the creative-writing workshop I ran at a school last month. Short of sending a reminder (which I've done), I'm just gonna have to wait that one out.

The 9-5 Job Situation: Still looking.

Right, I need to go double-reinforce my front door.

Over and out...

2ThePoint.

Reality Check: I Owe Too Many Bills Not to Go Back to a 9-5...

2009-01-19T01:35:00.003Z

img credit: Just Taken Pics

I hate to admit it or even contemplate the idea, but I'm seriously considering going back to a 9-5 (or even a part-time job).

I don't, for one second, regret quitting my desk job in November. If given the chance, I'd do it again. And I will do it again.

And again and again.

However, my bills are piling up to the point where I can't ignore them anymore. I've buried my big old head in the sand long enough and feel I need to pull my sleeves up and do something about it NOW - and getting an admin/desk/whatever job is the quickest solution for me right now.

I have every confidence that I'll get to where I want to be in terms of making more money online. It's just not gonna be today. This month.

People owe me money, I might be running another workshop at the end of the month, I'm in negotiations with a regular online client of mine for more work, and I've recently picked up a new client (though I'm not 100% sure about him, to be honest). But these are all things I'M WAITING ON. And I can't wait any longer. I have to go do something that's within my power to do instead of waiting for them to deliver.

It's not just about them, though. I know what role I have to play in where I currently find myself. I am my own best/worst teacher/student after all.

I'm not gonna work online for pennies in an effort to keep my head above water because not only will it undermine what I'm worth, but it won't keep my head above water, actually. So, if it means having to go back to a 9-5 in the meantime (much as I really don't want to and I'm struggling with the idea), then so be it.

Unless some miracle occurs in the coming week (like the tooth fairy putting a serious stash of cash under my spit-stained pillow), then Big Mama's gonna have to don her rat-race suit once again.

Anyway, that's that.

Have a nice week, all.

2ThePoint.

Right, I'm Sending Out the Cookie Monster to Go Gobble Up the People Who Owe Me Money...

2009-01-18T02:00:00.016Z

img credit: nickstone333

Yeah, the Cookie Monster might not look scary, but he'll crush you in a heart beat.

Try looking in the mirror and saying his name 7 times. You'll see.

I'm not perfect. I've got bills coming out of my ears.

But what's making the sHituation a whole lot worse is that I'm OWED money too.

It wouldn't pay all my bills if all the people that owed me coughed up

...but it would help.

Heck yeah, it would help.

So who owes me money, ey?

Workshop: £500
In November, I mentioned I wanted to go back to running workshops once or twice a month as the money's really good and it would support my online thang. Well, soon as I thought it, it kinda just fell into my lap. Got an email to run a creative-writing workshop in a school in mid-December – over 3 days. Was real cool. Loved it.

But I'm still waiting for the cheque. And that sucks, y'all. Really sucks. Some schools are kinda sluggish like that.

Website Research: £35
I did some one-to-one research through a London-based company I've been a panel member of for some time. I hardly qualify for their research panels so I was quite chuffed when they called me out of the blue for one. The research was only for half an hour too. They're lovely people, but unfortunately, I haven't been paid because the person who dishes out the payments is sick. (UPDATE - 19th Jan: the money came thru today)

myLot: $11.47
myLot is an online paid-to-post forum. I use it on and off, which is why it took me a while to reach the minimum $10 payout. They pay out every mid-month or so, so I was due a payment around 15th Jan. A couple of days before payout was due, one of the admins sent me an email asking me to change my initial (on my payment details) to my full name which I did fairly quickly. However, they changed my pay date from mid-Jan to mid-Feb, so although I haven't lost the money, it would have come in handy sooner rather than later. That could have covered my hosting cost for this month.

An Affiliate Payment: about $7.50
Ok, it's not a lot, but I sold someone's product as an affiliate and I'm still waiting for that too. (UPDATE - 22nd Jan: been paid)

Altogether, I make that £535 and $18.97 which would SO do me right now.

GRRRR.

Not a happy bunny.

2ThePoint.

Today.com: The Good News and The Not-So-Good News...

2009-01-15T22:41:00.013Z

I'd read about Today.com on several blogs in the past. Seen it discussed on myLot a few times as well as on a couple of job sites. At the time, it was being promoted as a site that pays you to set up and run a blog on their site.

I mainly joined Today.com to find out if it actually did pay - I was reading several blogs that were talking about it and promoting it, but I was yet to hear anyone say they'd actually been paid nor had I seen any proof of payment.

AT THE TIME I JOINED UP...

- It was $1 per post for a minimum of 100 words. Minimum payout, $50. You could post as much and as frequently as you wanted, however YOU ONLY GOT PAID FOR THE ONE POST A DAY. (Sometimes, you had the option to set up a 2nd blog to up your income)

- You also got a cut of their advertising revenue depending on how much unique traffic you drew to your blog. ($2 per 1000 uniques)

- You were automatically signed up to their referral program. $5 per new blogger referred by you (as long as your referral made a minimum of 10 approved posts).

MY TWO BLOGS...

I set up my first blog on there (in September)...

...then I set up another (in December).

I'm assuming Today.com uses a Wordpress platform - looks very much like it - and so I found it quite easy to use as I'm familiar with WP.

I found the member forum really friendly and helpful too. Has a certain sense of community.

ANYHOO, THE GOOD NEWS IS...

I got paid this month!

THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS IS...

- I ain't gonna get paid per post anymow.

You see, every month or two, Today.com assesses a blog to see how it's performing and can INCREASE or DECREASE your payment rate accordingly. Mine got assessed and downgraded to ad-rev share only/referral program status.

My fault, really, as I wasn't posting that frequently and wasn't getting that much traffic.

THE OTHER NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS IS...

- They no longer offer the pay-per-post deal to new bloggers who join. It's now only based on the traffic your new blog receives ($2 per 1000 unique hits).

- Their referral program has also changed for new bloggers. You can only qualify for the program if you've posted a minimum of 20 posts within 20 days.

- If your new blog performs exceptionally well within 30 days of it being set up, it MAY get upgraded to their pay-per-post program.

IS IT STILL WORTH BEING A PART OF TODAY.COM?

Some would say yes. Others, no. If you're already a member of other ad-revenue sites, then Today.com might be another one to add to your list (with the possibility of getting paid per post in the future). Others might think it's not worth the effort and that their time and energy would be best spent on other online pursuits. One reason is no more valid than the other. It's a personal choice/decision.

Since I already have 2 blogs on there, I might continue maintaining them in some shape or form; but I, for one, wouldn't have joined under the new rules. However, my initial curiosity was satisfied - I wanted to find out if they really did pay and, yes, they do. But with their recent payment overhaul, the bar's been raised significantly.

Apply to become a Today.com blogger --- or not.

Until next time...may the Barack be with you...

2ThePoint.

PickJack and the Sexy Quiz Mistress…

2009-01-10T20:16:00.032Z

img credit: s-a-m

Starring Big Mama herself

aka 2ThePoint

aka TickTacToe

aka Sexy Quiz Mistress (SQM)

with her purple 2000-inch fuck-me heels

dark tortoise-shell glasses

and Jackie Onassis wig.

Pulling questions and answers out of her ass with aplomb
...and getting paid for it.

Her new SugarDaddy in question?

They call him Jack. Mr Pickjack.

2ThePoint's imaginary friend: Ok, lady, stop with the role-play already.

2ThePoint: Why should I?

2ThePoint's imaginary friend: Because you're the only one having fun.

2ThePoint: go away

Imaginary friend: go dry-hump your shadow

2ThePoint: Idiot.

Imaginary friend: deluded bitch

2ThePoint: ghost wannabe.

Imaginary friend: Angelina Jolie wannabe.

2ThePoint: Ass wipe.

Imaginary friend: Freak.

2ThePoint: Douche bag.

Imaginary friend: Butterfly poo.

(img credit: purpleslog)

Pickjack is my new mini-hobby! I stumbled across it last week and it's becoming a mild obsession!

How it works...

You get paid to ask and answer multiple-choice questions. You also get paid according to the number of ratings your questions get.

Most of the questions are connected - if you answer a question correctly, you have the option to ask a new question but it has to be related to the one you've just answered. Once you've asked 10 questions, you get the chance to ask a top (unrelated) question on any topic of your choosing – like pumping new blood into the group of questions.

How much does it pay per question?

Well, it apparently doesn't work like that.

Earnings are shared according to how active you are on the site.

Pickjack assigns a set amount of funds to a particular period of time. The more active you are, the more of the cut you get for that period. Therefore, your earnings can peak or dip overnight if you have or haven't been recently active.

I don't think Pickjack explain this particularly well on their site, which merely leads to confusion. Here's what it says on their FAQ page:

"You earn money based on how many questions you submit and how well other members rate your questions. The goal is to be the top money earner by writing the best, most relevant questions."

Is there a minimum payout?

Yep. 5 cents.

Payment method?

Paypal.

When do they pay?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure.

When I log on, it has the next payment date on my member page. But that date has changed several times so I don't know. For January's payment, first the date was Jan 5th, then 6th, then Jan 7th. I got paid on Jan 7th.

The next payment date, for now, is Jan 21st (and they've said it won't change. We'll see.)

How much have I earned so far?

Well, b/w Jan 3rd (the date I first joined) and Jan 7th, I earned 32 cents. I honestly can't remember how many questions I'd answered at that point. Sexy Quiz Mistress was having too much fun!!

MY TWO CENTS (OR SHOULD I SAY 'MY 32 CENTS')...

I have my reservations about Pickjack. The fact that their pay dates were unstable bothers me a bit. Actually, it's not so much the date shifts that bother me. It's more how they dealt with it. For 2 days, they didn't update their members on what was going on and only sent an apology in the Custom Note section of the Paypal payments that were made (explaining the payment delay was due to technical difficulties and wouldn't happen again).

Hmm.

It's the lack of communication that I see as a potential problem.

(Update: 11th Jan - Their top balances are acting wonky at the moment and aren't reflecting each member's true earnings. They've promised to fix it, so we'll see. // 14th Jan: It seems to be working now.)

Saying that, I do like their concept. A lot. It's fun exercise for my brain – a bit like a crossword puzzle break, sotospeak! Reminds me of brainstorming sessions – how one idea can lead to another, then another, then another. The fun element far exceeds the money element but I'd rather get paid for something I enjoy doing than not.

I'll probably tire of Pickjack soon enough, but for now, I'm glad I came across their site. Let's hope (for their sakes) that they brush up on a thing or two. I'll give them 'til the end of the month to see how it goes.

(p.s.: A FINAL REVIEW OF PICKJACK CAN BE READ HERE)

Boop-boop-peedoop...

2ThePoint.