Other Things Besides That

The last few months I’ve been getting deeper and deeper into SEO and blogging for dollars (to put it lightly). I’ve joined some forums, read a lot of posts and used a couple of different services¹. I don’t think I did as well as some, but not as poorly as others. I like what I’m doing currently, but it’s not making me rich (though I have paid a couple of bills this month- thanks). But the drama² sucked me in.

After Google penalized bloggers for doing paid posts, there was much teeth gnashing and hair pulling. Then bloggers started turning on each other. One company assures it’s contractors³ that they are going to eliminate Google’s algorithm from their segmentation. This has many of the more vocal supporters of said company dancing happily while waiting…and waiting…and waiting. Anyway, it’s a mess and I don’t even know why I care. That’s the problem.

So, I went back into my bag of tricks and found a couple of more things that work for me. One of them is Brijit⁴. For Brijit, you pick from the available articles and write a 60-100 word synopsis (abstract) of the article. They have 3 slots, but only pick one article. So, it’s kind of a competition, the best one written gets published and you get $5. After publication, the Brijit staff then cleans (edits) it up to make it more palatable for the site⁵ . The more abstracts you write, the more likely you are to get published. And if you look at the articles/videos that are due the soonest, find one with 3 open slots, you’re more likely to get chosen. It’s not guaranteed, but if you’re a good writer then you can make some money at it.

As an example, here is one I did today (it was published today):

I Don’t Believe in Atheists –

Wilder talks to Chris Hedges about his new book, I Don’t Believe in Atheists, and his ongoing debates with New Atheists such as Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. Hedges candidly explains why he believes that New Atheists are just as bad as Christian fundamentalists; both groups are full of hate and bigotry. As for the blow-by-blow, he calls Harris “intellectually shallow” and Hitchens “amoral.” Hedges’ insight is in-depth and revealing, and Wilder does an excellent job of drawing out his ire.
in Salon by Charly Wilder, 13 March 2008
This abstract was edited by Brijit. Read more here…

I use this as an example of other supplemental income. I recently saw a post by a young lady lamenting her loss of PageRank and how this could potentially threaten her health. She mentioned different companies that pay for PageRank and that Google has effectively taken away her livelihood. I thought that was way off the mark, simply because Google never agreed to pay her anything and it was the companies that contracted her that hurt her by depending on PR. Someone mentioned that fact in the comments⁶ and I almost asked if she did anything like Brijit.

If you’re burnt out on the SEO thing and not making enough off of your blog (or are writing for literally a dozen blogs) then you might consider something a little different. Even as a supplemental. Brijit is just one example. For other resources, the WAHM.com message boards are full of information. It’s more than just “not putting all your eggs in one basket” at this point.

1. I don’t consider myself an “employee” per se, nor do I believe I am considered an employee, but that’s an argument for another time [↩]
2. I cannot believe the drama [↩]
3. They too are not employees [↩]
4. This is not a referral code. [↩]
5. If Needed. [↩]
6. I thought it was cold-hearted considering the nature of the post- but it was factual [↩]