4 Hour Work Week, SEO and EBooks

 

I decided to slink back to the Warrior Forum. I thought about it and I’m not going to let some invisible grumpy pooper from Canada scare me away. It appears that many of the members there are making money. Then there’s some people who aren’t making any money. I stayed there all day and read about all sorts of opportunities.

What amazes me is how many different ways there are to make money online. One guy is advertising in his signature on the Warrior Forums that he will write and research a 20,000 word ebook for only $1500.00. I wonder how often he gets an order. That seems like something I’d like to do. I think it would be fun to write an ebook and sell it online. Or write one for someone else. It wouldn’t be too hard to write 1000 words a day. A good ebook could be written in less than a month.

I’m not sure if it’s better to write a bunch of smaller articles or to concentrate on a larger project like an ebook or Kindle book. I guess I should start small for now and work my way up.

I ordered a few books from the library that I thought would be helpful. One of them is The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. Just flipping through it, I can see it has a lot of useful information and tips about personal productivity, online marketing and life management.

I also got the Yahoo Style Guide. It has great advice for people who want to write for the web. I have good writing skills, but I’ve already learned some new tricks just skimming through it. It has a chapter on SEO writing. I’ve read that you have to be good at SEO if you want to be a successful online writer.

It’s all a bit complicated. When I read the forums, I’m still not sure about all the lingo. I don’t know what backlinks or meta tags are. I may have to get one of those “Internet Marketing for Complete Idiots” books.

Thankfully, I didn’t see any more awful worms today.

Scolded at The Warrior Forum

 

I finally managed to get on the Warrior Internet Marketing Forums today when the electricity came back on. I decided to make some forum friends by trying to be helpful to other members. The Warrior Forum has a special bonus paid membership forum called The War Room that is supposed to be very helpful for people wanting to earn money. It costs $37 for a lifetime membership and members report that it is well worth it.  I didn’t want to join The War Room as a stranger, so I went to the regular forums first.

I saw a thread that was titled, “So Lame...” The poster was having some trouble making money online and was upset that he spent all of his available cash. He said that he didn’t even have enough money to buy his daughter a birthday present for her first birthday. I felt sad for him, so I answered his post. I asked him if he knew how to write well. I thought it may be a good idea for him to write some articles to make some money. From my limited research, writing seems to be the best way to start out if you don’t have any money to invest. You don’t need any cash to begin to write. I posted my suggestion and some mean forum member from Canada flames me! He told me that my advice was lame and the last thing the Warrior Forum needed was more lame writers. And then, to make me feel even worse, another forum member named thanked him for his “very helpful post.” It’s helpful to yell at a new forum member who was trying to help another member? Sigh…

I don’t understand why forum owners allow older members to be so nasty to the new people. He could probably tell that I was new by my low post count. He could have just ignored my post if he didn’t like it.  He could have been nice, but he chose not to be.

Now I’m not sure that I want to go back there or join The War Room. My feelings are hurt. I should just ignore it, but I can’t. Maybe I’m too sensitive, but I burst into tears when I read his post. I really need to toughen up. I need to find a place to learn that is friendlier. I may continue to read The Warrior Forum, but I don’t think I’m going to be posting again for a while.

I decided to explore another forum called Work At Home Mom.  Their forums are located at www.wahm.com. I signed up for a user account and checked out their sub-forum about blogging. I found some good tips right away that I’m going to explore in the next few days. Members seemed helpful and friendly.

On an exciting note, my blog made 2 cents today. I didn’t think that anyone would find me yet, but a few people did. The stats said that I had 37 page views. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I want people to read my blog, but I’m also embarrassed of my “loser rants.”

The Grass is Always Greener

 

I’m not getting too much accomplished today. I had planned to research some more business opportunities and maybe even post a gig on Fiverr.com today. However, as usual, my day took a tragic turn. I took a shower, combed my hair and sprang into action. I booted up my computer, sat down at the kitchen table and proceeded to load some business websites. As I looked towards the wall, hoping for inspiration, I saw something else. Something sinister. A worm! A horrible ugly worm was inching up the kitchen wall behind the table. It was the larvae of the Indian Meal moth (or pantry moth). A few years ago, we unknowingly brought home some infested rice from the store and tossed it into the pantry. A few months later, the pantry had 1000’s of worms in it!  I cleaned everything out and thought the problem was taken care of. Until today, at least. I frantically checked the cupboards and pantry out with a flashlight. I didn’t see anymore worms and hopefully, I won’t. The last time, these things just appeared overnight, so I’ll be on “worm patrol” for the next few weeks.  

I settled down at my computer again and the electricity went out. My first thought was that I may had forgotten to pay the electric bill, but then I saw my neighbors outside looking bewildered. I’m not sure why the power went out; it’s a beautiful and sunny New York day. We weren’t affected by Hurricane Irene. It’s been off about 2 hours now and I still have about an hour left on my laptop battery, so I decided to do a blog posting. I really want to stay on top of my blog postings.

What I got accomplished today: Nothing!

So, I guess I will blog about my awful marital relationship again. It does make me feel better to blog about Mr. B. I hoping that I’ll meet some caring readers who can offer me advice, help, encouragement, sympathy or kind thoughts.

I enjoy watching celebrities interact in their marriages on reality television programs. I watched the last season of Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels with great interest. I’m not sure how it actually feels to be Shannon Tweed, but from an outsider looking in, it sure doesn’t look so bad. Shannon Tweed is in a long term relationship (20+ years) with Gene Simmons of the rock band, KISS. Gene Simmons doesn’t believe in marriage and Shannon Tweed has no ring.  They have two older children, Nick Tweed-Simmons and Sophie Tweed-Simmons. Gene Simmons has a wandering eye. This bothers Shannon, and she finally leaves him after seeing a picture of him (behaving badly) posted on the celebrity gossip website, TMZ. Shannon just can’t take his whore-mongering anymore. To Gene’s credit, he does propose to Shannon in the season finale of Family Jewels. I wonder if she will say yes. I think she should. A girl could do a lot worse than Gene Simmons, that’s for sure.

However, the relationship has provided some perks for Shannon Tweed. Her children were raised in luxury, never wanting for anything. She lives in a big and beautiful house. She has everything that money can buy. She can travel whenever or wherever she likes. It looks like Gene spends a lot of time away on tour, so she can enjoy some personal time for herself. Even though Gene may be emotionally neglectful, she has received benefits from the relationship.

Another couple that I watch regularly is Teresa and Joe Giudice, of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Joe Giudice can be a real grouch, but he’s got that sexy, Tony Soprano alpha-male thing going on. He doesn’t seem to work much, yet he always has a lot of money. He deliberately tries to sabotage Teresa’s relationship with her brother. He often embarrasses Teresa at family functions or refuses to go at all. His business dealings have recently forced the family into bankruptcy. However, Teresa mentioned in an earlier season that they have a real good sex life. Even though Joe is legally broker than broke, they live in a gorgeous mansion in New Jersey. There still appears to be plenty of cash for clothes and high living. If this is bankruptcy, where do I sign up?

I guess my point is: In every marriage or relationship, there has to be some good with the bad. Teresa Giudice gives Joe Giudice a pass for his caveman-like behavior because he provides her with great sex and a luxurious lifestyle. Shannon Tweed put up with Gene Simmon’s philandering because he’s a wonderful father and an excellent provider. Oh, and these women probably love their men and hope they’ll mend their ways eventually. I doubt anyone has a marriage that provides them with everything they need.

But what if your marriage has plenty of bad and none of the good? Yep, I’m talking about my marriage. I sat down earlier with a piece of paper folded in half. I put “Good” on one side and “Bad” on the other. After a half hour, I needed a second sheet of paper for all of the “Bad” stuff, but I couldn’t find anything to put under “Good.” I deal with all of Mr. B’s psycho crap and mental abuse, without none of the perks. Heck, I don’t even have air conditioning in my 900 square foot hovel. Finally, I found one “Good” thing to write: At least he doesn’t beat me.

Shannon and Teresa, your partner may be a cheat or a crab, but at least he isn’t Mr. B. Gene and Joe are knights in shining armor compared to my husband.

Researching Business Ideas

 

Today was the first day of my self-improvement journey. I decided to spend it investigating some work-at-home opportunities. Working at home would be ideal for me right now as I really have no way to get to a regular job. It’s hard enough for me to get a ride to the grocery store. I don’t live close to a bus line either. It would be great if I did. I used to love to take the bus downtown when I was younger. Downtown is also where the good jobs are. If I could learn to drive, this wouldn’t be a problem. There is also the matter of my creepy skin condition. This may make employers less likely to hire me because they’ll think I have something contagious. My panic disorder and anxiety don’t help either. Okay, so for a lot of reasons, I really should try to find a way to work at home.

What kind of skills do I have? I’m a good writer. I have good grammar skills. I’m good at spelling. I get good grades at college. I can type really fast, about 90 wpm. I know how to use many computer programs such as Microsoft Office Suite. I even took a class to learn Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel. That’s all I can really think of at the moment.

First, I visited Warrior Forums. This is a big and busy forum where internet marketers hang out and brainstorm money-making ideas. There was so much information on this site that I thought my brain would explode. I found a thread where they were discussing the best free software programs. I am not organized at all (to say the least) so I thought I should try a few of the personal productivity software programs they mentioned. I downloaded XMind and Evernote.

Xmind is a mind mapping program. I thought mind mapping may help me organize my goals and thoughts. I was very pleased with Xmind and spent over an hour playing with it. I made a mind map and it really did seem to help bring out some repressed creativity. I like how I could have it open on the bottom of my computer screen and click up the map in an instant. If I saw a good idea online, I could quickly add it to my map instead of forgetting it or having to grab a notebook.

Evernote is a program that helps you organize your notes, recipes, lists etc. I have a real paper clutter problem. I am always losing important paperwork because I have too much of it. I’ll jot a recipe on a piece of paper and never find it again. Slips of paper with phone numbers and addresses on them just disappear into my abyss of disorganization. I haven’t tried Evernote yet, but it’s downloaded on my computer and ready to go for future use.

Next, I stumbled across an amazing website called Fiverr. The basic premise of the site is that you buy or sell a job for 5 bucks. The job is called a “Gig.” I’ll admit that I wasted almost 2 hours reading the entertaining gigs that people were proposing. People were offering everything from $5 articles to witchcraft spells! Hmmm, maybe I can buy a spell to turn Mr. B into a toad! Some of the gigs were very funny. I signed up, but I’m not sure what kind of a gig I’ll post. I’ll have to think about this for a little while. You actually only get paid $4.00 per gig because Fiverr takes a 20% cut. Many people really offered unique and useful services. It looks like a fun place to make some money, but you’d have to have a steady stream of gigs to make a decent wage. Some members of the forum mentioned that they’ve had gigs up for 6 months and haven’t sold one. I guess the competition is pretty tough. I’m planning on trying it though. You could easily spend all day there; I had to force myself to stop browsing the gigs!

I felt a little better after reading the forums. It was nice seeing that so many people are making a nice income working at home. It gives me some hope that I’ll be able to do it too.

From what I’ve researched so far, it appears that internet marketers are making money from writing ebooks and putting up websites with affiliate links. I added some Adsense links to my blog. You have to have tons of traffic to make any money with affiliate links and I don’t have any traffic yet. Other people on the forums sell their writing talent to marketers who need content for their website. I may try doing that; the pay isn’t too great, but it adds up.

So, I’ve got some ideas to contemplate and some new software to work with. I’ll go to sleep dreaming of gigs and mind mapping. I’m going to spend some more time reading the forums tomorrow and see if I can come up with a list of achievable ways for me to make money.

Plenty of Obstacles to Overcome

 

I have a lot of obstacles to overcome if I’m going to become free of Mr.B.

Money, of course, is a big obstacle. I need to make some money.

I need to finish my degree in order to get a job that I could actually support myself with. A minimum wage job isn’t going to cut it. I’m taking some classes towards my degree this semester (Fall 2011) so hopefully I’ll do well. I’m a little nervous about classes starting up. One of the classes (an elective) is a career preparation class that it supposed to teach you all about resume’ writing and interviewing skills. It sounded like it may be a beneficial class given my current situation. Classes start on Tuesday.

I need to learn how to drive. I know it’s crazy, but I’ve always had a terrible phobia of driving. I’ve had a learners permit for over 20 years (although I recently let it lapse). I just can’t muster up the nerve to learn. I’ve got to just buck up and try, but I’m such a coward. It’s hard to always have to depend on someone else for a ride. I’ve got to renew my permit at the DMV and sign up for driving lessons.

I need to lose some weight. I’ve put on a lot of weight in the past few years due to depression and the medications that I take. I think the main problem is my sluggishness. I need to exercise. I’m going to have to work on a diet and exercise plan. I can start small with exercise and gradually work my way up to a real workout. I’m really out of shape. The other day I attempted to ride my bicycle and I was gasping for air by the time I was halfway down the street. It scares me that I’ve let my health go like this.

Speaking of my health, it’s not good. My blood pressure is sky high. I’m on 3 different medications for blood pressure and it’s still 160/120. I have agoraphobia, panic disorder, depression and anxiety. I wonder if I’m actually depressed or if a lot of the symptoms aren’t related to my situation. I need to get healthy fast or I may have a stroke. I also have some sort of mysterious (and disfiguring) skin disease that no one can identify.

Depression can really take away your energy. I used to be creative. I used to love to do things. Now I just want to do is lay around and cry all day. I wish I could have that back. Most days, I don’t get dressed or even comb my hair. I don’t even have the energy for that. I just need to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

My self-esteem isn’t good. Twenty years of verbal and emotional abuse can really take a toll on a person’s self-esteem. I’ve felt so unworthy for years. I’m scared that people will laugh at me. I feel like everything I say is stupid and undeserving of an answer. When I leave the house, I feel like people are pointing at me and calling me ugly and fat. I get extremely panicky when I have to go anywhere.

Possessions-Like most people, I have tons of clutter. I have leftover merchandise from a closed business. I have lots of clothing that is old, ragged and too small. I don’t know why I save it. I think I need to sell the prime stuff and add the money to my freedom fund. And throw away or donate the rest of it. I’ve heard that people feel better when they eliminate many of their possessions. Even if I don’t feel better, the house will be neater. And I’ll have fewer things to bring with if I find a way to get away from Mr. B.

I guess I’ve got a lot of things to work on and overcome in the coming months. I thought blogging about my situation may be helpful and motivating. I’ve been inspired by Julie Powell of The Julie/Julia Project. I recently watched the movie and blogging seems like it would really be therapeutic. It sort of feels a bit like talking to an invisible friend. Julie Powell described it as a “regimen.” I think I’m in desperate need of a regimen. She set a deadline for herself. I think I’m going to have to set one for myself too. A year sounds reasonable. Can I accomplish all of the above goals and start a new life for myself in a year’s time?

By the way, Mr. B came home at midnight –the witching hour! My heart sank when I saw that big black (hated) Nissan Titan pull into the driveway. I guess my vacation from Mr. B is officially over. It was nice while it lasted.

Darth Vader’s Theme: The Imperial March

 

I finally did fall asleep around 7:30 AM, but I didn’t sleep well. I had disturbing dreams all night. When I woke up, I swear I could hear “The Imperial March” from Star Wars playing in my head. You know, the song they play right before Darth Vader shows up. This is the ultimate melody of impending doom.

It’s 3:45 PM and Mr. B hasn’t returned home yet. By the way, I don’t call my husband “Mr. B” because his name is Bill. I’m sure you can figure out what the “B” stands for.

It’s cloudy and cool and depressing outside. I’m just sitting here watching the coverage of Hurricane Irene on MSNBC and waiting for that awful moment when he returns. I really don’t even know what time he’s coming home. Our marriage is too broken for us to share even the most basic of information. I wish I knew for sure that he wouldn’t be home until late tonight. At least then I’d know I had 5 or 6 more hours of Mr.B-free living. The anticipation is tearing me up. At least Hurricane Irene didn’t do as much damage as was originally predicted. Still, the news said that 14 people have lost their lives and that’s a terrible tragedy.

I think I’m going to spend a few hours looking over some work at home forums. I’m going to look into some ways that I can make money for my “freedom fund.” I’ve found a couple of large, busy forums where people seem to know what they’re talking about. Maybe I’ll be able to find some good ideas.

More later…Thanks for listening.

I’ve Reached the Bottom (I Hope)

 

It’s 5 in the morning and I can’t sleep. I’m sitting here crying because my husband, Bill, is coming home from a trip today. I don’t want him to come home. It’s been so nice and peaceful while he’s been gone. There is a lovely energy in the house and I’ve felt so relaxed. I wish it could always be like this. Of course, there was also the underlying feeling of dread because I knew he’d be coming back eventually. When he returns, it will be like a dark cloud converging on my life. Our marriage is so awful that I just want to scream. He’s the worst husband in the whole world.

I’ve got to figure a way out of this marriage. The problem is that he saps all of my creative energy and strength with his horrible black energy. I’ve had to take medication for anxiety and depression for the past few years. I used to be a happy, energetic person. Now I feel like an empty husk.

No one really knows how truly unhappy I am. I’d just give up and die if it wasn’t for my youngest son. He really doesn’t have anyone other than me. Bill is very cruel to him too. And I still have a small amount of hope that I may be able to get out of this marriage and be happy again someday. I just need to figure out a workable plan.

Bill has treated me badly almost since the day we’ve gotten married. He constantly denies me affection and sex. We haven’t had sex in nearly 7 years. The last time we had sex was in 2004. He wanted to buy a new Nissan Titan truck and gave me a few nights of romance so I’d agree to it. Like a fool, I did. Now every time I look at the truck, I feel shame. And I feel used.

I don’t understand why he didn’t leave me. If he didn’t love me, why did he have to stay and make my life so miserable? I dread every second with him. If we have to go grocery shopping, I have terrible anxiety and panic for days before. Just the sight if him makes my blood pressure go up. He’s been extra mean lately and I’m afraid.

I’ve got a bunch of obstacles to overcome before I can obtain freedom from this marriage. I’ll explain these obstacles in the next post. Maybe someone will read this and have some good advice for me.