Blogging Moods
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeDo you find you prefer to write for your blog (or blogs) when you are in a particular mood?
Have you noticed that some blogs will lean toward a particular “style” of post as the most common type of post? For example, some bloggers seem to write when they’re in the mood to rant and rave. Some will post as a way of expressing frustration or sadness. Others tend to be focus on humour or write in a more “positive” mood.
Of course, you’ll also get bloggers who’ll write all of the above and then some.
I’ve been thinking about this of late because I’ve been really struggling to write. I think I prefer to write when I’m feeling energetic and good. When life gets busy or stressed, I find writing much harder.
What about you? Do you think you have a “mood style” when it comes to blogging? If so, what mood do you prefer to be in when you write? Do you think this reflects in your style of writing?
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The Motive Network - Powered by Advent 2.0
As someone who is open to learning about new ways to create an income via websites and blogging, I have been investigating a new advertising network, Motive Interactive.
First Impressions
My first impression as I go through the sign-up process is that Motive Interactive has quite a tight set of conditions which must be adhered to by publishers. This I view as a positive. Strict guidelines protect the quality of the company which will attract more advertisers and is therefore good for the publishers working with said company.
According to the Terms Of Service Agreement, Motive Interactive requires publishers own their own website (ie it’s not open to those using a free web-based hosting service). It also states that personal web pages are not allowed which makes me a little unclear whether the network is an option for those bloggers who write a personal blog.
Minimum Payouts and Publisher Size
Minimum payment threshold is $50USD which gives me the impression they are looking for medium to large publishers. Personally, I prefer minimum payouts to be set at a lower figure than this to encourage smaller publishers that are just starting out. A further indication that Motive are targetting medium to larger publishers is the condition that indicates you need to reach $50USD within a 6 month period. If you don’t reach this minimum, you will be paid what you have accumulated to date but your account will also be terminated.
While this sounds a little daunting, at least it’s something you can try for 6 months, knowing you’ll be paid for whatever you generate. Unlike other companies where you can have money tied up for an unknown period of time waiting to reach the minimum payout threshold.
How It Works
It would seem that this is basically an affiliate company. You are able to choose campaigns you’d like to promote and payment is based not just upon people viewing these campaigns but taking some kind of action.
However, it’s not simply a “buy this and you get a percentage of the sale” type of campaigns. Many of them pay out on lead generations which means if you find someone who is potentially interested in what they have to offer, you still get paid for that lead irrespective of whether or not they actually buy. Of course, each campaign is slightly different so it’s important to read what the offers are when decided which campaigns to promote on your site.
Signing Up
I had a little hiccup when attempting to sign up with this company. Based in the US, it provides the option of signing up if you’re outside of the US but would not allow me to progress without a social security number. At this stage I have used zero’s to progress to the next stage. How this will play out though, I’m unsure at this stage.
To get a sneak peak into what your account will look like, what information is available to you as a publisher and for more understanding on how to work your account, you might find the following you tube video helpful:
Overall Impression
I’m not someone who’s easily impressed by details such as the Advent 2.0 system being used. Not that it isn’t important, just that I prefer to leave these kind of details to someone else. What I want is something that is easy to use and understand and pays out. I can’t comment on the payout until I give is a proper try but my impressions so far are that it is a system that is easy to use and follow. You are also given access to a campaign manager to provide assistance as you go.
My biggest concern right now is the $50 minimum payout and the 6 month threshold for this. Time will tell if this is a company that will work well for me on this site.
If you decide to give The Motive Network a try, let me know how you get on.
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SunRice FREE Recipe Club
One of the things I love most about the internet is the plethora of FREE stuff available out there. I mean, who doesn’t like FREE right? Of course, many free things come with strings attached. Or maybe it’s MOST free things come with strings attached?
Free recipes are one thing that you can certainly find an abundance of all over the internet. So perhaps they’re not something to get all that excited about. In fact, many companies have their own websites where you can find all kinds of recipes and ideas for using their products. And why wouldn’t they? It’s a great marketting technique.
I have recently come across the SunRice Recipe Club and have to admit that it’s one I feel is worth being a part of.
Why?
1. It’s FREE. And who doesn’t like free right?
2. You can find lots of great recipe ideas for a variety of tastes.
3. You can save those that appeal to you into your own recipe folder to make them easier to find next time you visit.
4. Activity on the site gives you points (through surveys, contributing recipes, entering barcodes and inviting friends) which can be exchanged for free recipe books, competition entries and sample products.
It’s a great resource that I’m sure many of you will find some value from.
And did I mention it’s FREE? 
Top 100 Australian Blogs Index Updates
Having been away from my regular computer routine, I don’t have a weekly wrap up of posts for this week. My poor reader is still bursting at the seams with unread posts.
I did however, want to give a “shout out” congratulations to the following blogs added to the Top 100 Australian Blogs Index in the September update:
The Inquisitr
CopyWrite
The Inspiration Room Daily
Down to Earth
Hoyden About Town
Housewife Hiccups
Three Ring Circus
Save…Save…Save
A number of these blogs are on my “regular reads” list and there are a few I’ve not heard of. While the Top 100 type lists are really a bit of fun and subject to conjecture in regard to algorithms used (different formulas giving different results), those that do get listed tend to be top quality blogs and well worth checking out. Of course, not every blog topic is going to suit every persons interests but if you’re looking for new blog reading material, the Top 100 lists are a great place to start.
First Experiences of Blogging on the Road
Well, my first attempt at blogging while travelling was met with mixed success. I suspected it would be which is why I decided not to try and update all my blogs while away. That and I knew time would be a factor. Life is always busy when on holidays and I didn’t want to spend half my days trying to blog.
Before we left, I checked out the Free Wifi website. Funnily enough, this website has more paid wireless interent listings than free ones but it was still a very handy resource.
My biggest hurdle was the fact that our laptop is getting quite old and the battery is all but useless so I could only access internet where I had power. In fact, I didn’t end up even trying to find wifi spots and simply paid for internet access at the caravan park we were staying at in Canberra.
Before we head away on our 3 month trip, I plan to purchase a much smaller net-book style laptop so that I can:
a) compose blog posts in the car driving along
and
b) attempt to access more free internet. We really don’t want to be paying $20 a week for our internet access while away
One thing I have noticed is that there seem to be a number of caravan parks in Queensland that offer free wifi access. I think I’ll make myself a list of potential caravan parks as they could well be a deciding factor in staying there or not. It would be nice if we only needed to pay for internet connection some of the time rather than as a regular expense. As we’re planning on using the internet as a way of the kids keeping in touch with their class back home and as part of their school work, we will need to be able to access the internet at least once or twice a week.
Windows Live Writer was a FANTASTIC tool for blogging on the road. Especially for the kids who can take an hour or more to type up their blog posts. It meant they could write their post offline and it only took me a matter of seconds of internet time to post it. It also meant I could write blog posts without a connection and publish them at a later time with ease.
I was really disappointed with the quality of the internet connection we paid for at the Canberra Motor Village. The first two nights it worked fine and after that the reception was patchy and I lost quite a bit of time with losing internet coverage part way through a session. This meant that I lost 15 minutes as it had to auto-log-off which it only does after 15 minutes of inactivity. We probably should have complained but in the end the 5 hours we paid for was enough to do what I needed in the week we were there. I only hope that it isn’t a problem we encounter on a regular basis while we’re travelling next year.
So, my first attempt was met with a few hurdles but at least I got a taste for it which will hopefully help me get organised with what I need before we head off next year.
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