One of the main goals when people try to blog is to make money. Well, I’ve recently been asked to try out a service that might not be so new anymore, but I think is really innovative and can really help blogs make money. If you want, you can try it out for yourself here: TNX.net: Sell links on every page of your site to thousands of advertisers!

1. It gets more people involved in the TNX.net system, allowing many more publishers to earn money or points whereas a system like Text-Link-Ads is geared towards specific sites.
2. You get links to pages that have the PR you specify, allowing you to gain “natural” links on those pages, and hopefully increasing your own PR.

Now how have I done with this system myself? Well here is a screenshot of what I’ve managed to earn over about a month, without much effort at all. As you can see, I’ve earned about 8160 TNX points in just about a month. It translates to about $7 if you were to sell out the points. The selling system is pretty interesting, with a set amount of payback per points sold back to TNX. Right now, the payback is at 0.82 per 1000 points. This doesn’t seem that high, but it is supposed to get better as more publishers and advertisers sign up.

The real value, I believe, lies in using these points to campaign on other blogs and websites. I’ll be trying this out soon, and letting you know the results. You should be able to increase the ranking of your page this way, if the ads are placed properly on the site. That is my one big issue with TNX.net. It doesn’t appear to have a wordpress widget, which can make it kind of difficult to place, especially for XHTML and CSS doofuses like me.

Overall, I believe that TNX is a viable solution for those who haven’t been accepted to Text-Link-Ads, or as an alternative for those who don’t want to use TLA. It’s very cost efficient for advertisers, and very easy to use for publishers. Give it a go, and let me know what you think!

What I’m suggesting that you do to overcome this blogging obstacle is to take what holds you back, think of the reasons why, and think up of solutions.  It is, after all, up to you to help yourself in this regard.

For me, as I stated before, its TIME.  Here are the reasons why:

•  I Moved - This wasn’t something that I could prevent.  The time needed to be taken in order to imrpove my lifestyle, and hopefully in the end improve my motivation.  I will take advantage of the additional space and nicer facilities to work harder at blogging!
• Too Many Blogs - I spread myself too thin between 6 blogs.  As a result, I wasn’t able to post with the frequency that I liked, and I let some of them get too far.  While I’m not abandoning them, I need to get back to what made me want to blog in the first place, and reestablish the blogs that started it all.  I’ll make sure that I post more frequently on these specific blogs until I feel comfortable to move onto regular posting on an additional one!
• Work - Unfortunately, I don’t make enough money online to not have to work (yet, anyway).  I’ve been putting in a ton of hours at my two other jobs so that I can pay all the bills that have been coming in for the new home, and plenty of other things that I want, such as the 52″ TV I just bought!!!  I’ll tell you guys more about that later.  To overcome this, I’ll see what I can be comfortable with in terms of posting, and try to stick to that schedule.

To help motivate yourself through these goals, allow yourself small rewards if you meet one of them.  For example, if I post 5 posts in each of my blogs in a week, I will buy myself a DVD or something.  Or I can buy one and have a contest!

Do you have things that hold you back?  If so, what will you do to overcome it?

I had barely released the brake when… disaster.  Some lady decided that there was enough room between me and the parked car for her to squeeze through, and she was going forward as I started to go backward.  Getting out quickly to examine the damage, I saw a pretty bad dent in my bumper.  Adding to the frustration was her attitude.  She must have been speeding because when I pulled in there was no one behind me.  I do agree that we both needed to be more careful, but she apparently felt it was all my fault.

When she saw that it was just a dent, she said “that’s all I care about.”, and sped off.  So I was left with a dent in my bumper, angry, and late for work.  I called the dealership and found the body shop that they use, and I was going to call for an appointment.

After arriving at work, I came out to inspect the car once again… and the bumper had popped back out!  There was no visible damage, and I was pleased to say the least!  It made me so happy that I wouldn’t have to blow the money to fix it!

So… let it be a lesson.. even if you have a backup camera, be careful of other drivers around you.  You may think you’re the best, but being the best doesn’t matter when those who can hit you are crappy drivers.  Also, stay calm in these situations, and don’t let them escalate.  Kind of a lesson I learned when blogging.  Try to help out everyone you can, be happy with your successes, and take the failures in stride.  Don’t let things get to you too much and they will turn out just fine!

I’ve heard that there are new bumpers that fix themselves when dented… maybe I have one of those?  Anyone know?

It’s a really nice new home, and I’ll try to put up some pictures as soon as I get a chance.  If you  still need to get in touch with me and I haven’t responded to you, please send your email again or use the contact form.  Again, I apologize, and I’ll get things back on track tonight if possible!

Anyone else who reads here moved recently?  Was it a good experience?  I think our move took way too long, and it really just means that we needed to be more organized!  Well, it’s a learning lesson anyway.  I’ll talk to you all soon!

Winner of the 1st place prize is…….Collin at Your World Gallery!

Winner of the 2nd place prize is …. Techotic!

Winner of the 3rd place prize is ….SEI Designs!

Please email me with your details so that we can set you guys up with reviews, blog designs, and ad space!!

Thanks to everyone who entered this contest.  I will be starting another one next week, with hopefully as great prizes as I was able to get this time!  If you are interested in sponsoring the contest, please let me know.  Until then, I hope you had fun, and keep on blogging!

Also, I’ve added Project Wonderful to this website!  You can place an ad for as low as $0.05 right now!  That’s a great value, so feel free to check it out if you get a chance.  Perhaps this is a great advertising possibility for your blog too.  I’ll be sure to discuss more of this later… probably shouldn’t do too much blogging while I should be programming!

Good luck to all entrants in the contest!

There are currently 9 entries, so you’ve got a pretty good chance to win if you’re entering… check it out!

More updates to come later on today!

What Brand/Model Cell Phone Do you Use?

I received several responses, and I’d like to share them with you, along with what I think their cell phones can tell you about them and their blogs! I was actually surprised with how related their choice of cell phone could be related to their blogging style and business sense.

Jeremy Schoemaker - Shoemoney.com

Jeremy uses a Sprint Treo 755p. I’m proud to say that this is the same cell phone that I use! Now what does this phone tell you about Shoemoney? Well, the Treo is a smart phone, and really helps to manage a busy schedule. It’s also one of the latest in technological advances.

Shoemoney is just like this in that he is an extremely intelligent guy, and while he won’t claim to be an expert in making money online, everyone who has read his blog, or visited any of his endeavors such as Auction ads (now ShoppingAds) and nextPimp knows he is definitely a smart and busy guy. He’s also into the latest of everything, trying to branch out into all sorts of things. His next endeavor is into the world of MMA, something he loves. Having a great cell phone is also shoemoney like in that he made it big first in the cell phone ringtone market!

Having a 755p is a very smart investment. You can use it to go online, easily send text messages, compose emails, take pictures and videos, all stuff that is really important to a blogger. If you want to become a more successful blogger, keep up with the times like Shoemoney and me, and get a 755p!

John Chow - John Chow dot com

John Chow is another equally succesful blogger, and when he got back to me with what cell phone he uses, I was a bit surprised. However, after thinking about it a bit, it really makes sense what phone he uses, as it fits the personality of his blog very well.

The phone that John Chow uses is a moto Razr. Now you might be thinking… that’s not one of the greatest phones there is out there, and I’ll give you that. However, if you think about John Chow and his blog, you know he always leaves everything out there for you, and tries to keep it simple. It’s good enough that people keep coming back for more without being overly complicated. The Razr is just like that, having everything you need in a cell phone while being simple enough not to overwhelm a new user.

Also, like the Razr, when he first made it big, there were many impersonators.

Bryan Clark - One Man’s Goal

Bryan Clark is one of my favorite bloggers. I always know that I’m going to get a quality article from his blog. Hopefully he finds a few on some of my blogs as well. Anyway, Bryan uses an iPhone, which perfectly suits his blog and business sense.

The iPhone is an innovation. It received a lot of hype when it came out. When Bryan first hit the blogosphere, he himself garnered a lot of attention from other top bloggers like Darren Rowse and John Chow. Before he knew it, everyone wanted a piece of One Man’s Goal, and he managed to sell it for quite a hefty profit. He even had the good business sense to buy BACK his blog when the person who purchased it was unable to keep up with it.

Who does that remind you of? Someone who got out and got back in right where he started. That’s right… Steve Jobs of Apple.

So there you have it. The first three bloggers that got back to me on this. I think it’s really cool that they got back to me, and I really appreciate it. What do you think… do any of you share the same traits and cell phones as these top bloggers? I guess I just have to work a bit harder, and I’ll be just like Shoe! I have a good start, we have the same phone

• John Chow - Google putting the Screw on it’s Affiliates
• Darren Rowse - An Open Letter to Adsense

These two have illustrated how Google has recently changed their policy towards referrals, and is lowering the payout on referrals.  They’ve also changed the locations that they’re allowing people to refer to them from.  While this does seem like a huge blow to their program, it is because they are trying to post good numbers at the expense of their affiliates.  I don’t think this will last for too long, as Adsense is a huge source of income for Google.  They’ll come around, I think.

I’ve also read a recent very interesting article from Bryan Clark on why you should remove your Adsense Code.  He makes very good points about Value Pricing:

• A low click thru rate leads to value pricing, where the value of a click is reduced to 10 percent of its value.  A click worth 50 cents might be reduced to 5!
• It decreases the value across all of your blogs, placing all of your code in the value pricing category.

While Bryan makes some very good points, I still think that Adsense is very useful to new bloggers.  While new bloggers are highly at risk towards being placed in this value pricing category, not all hope is lost.  If you’re going to Blog for a Bravia like I am, you have to make use of all the moneymaking opportunities you can use, and Google Adsense is an easy one to implement.

I’ll agree that being placed in the value pricing category can be frustrating, but don’t give up.  Use it as motivation to drive more traffic to your blog, and thus lead to more clicks.  With enough quality content and good traffic heading towards your blog, your CTR is going to increase, which should pull you out of the value pricing category.  I know that it’s possible, because I’ve had some really good days recently, and I’m sure it’s because I got out of the value pricing category.  It helps you all around.

Finally, has anyone else noticed that good is now providing ads that have a “more” link in the bottom?  We all noticed when Google had their arrows leading towards more ads showing on their ads, and I think this is another way that Google is looking towards increasing CTR.  This one is not particularly effective in my opinion, because it opens up the ads in the same window, driving people away from your site….. let me know what you think!

I’m going to send Darren Rowse an Email about this… maybe he’ll pick it up!

• Contest Beat
• Blog About Your Blog
• Blog Struk
• Silken Hut
• Bud Calabrese

Blogger King, I’d like to take your entry but I can’t get your page to load, it keeps coming up with a 404 error.

Anyway, there is still plenty of time to enter the contest, and it’s really easy!  A reminder that it does end on the 15th of February.  Please check out the contest page for more information.

I also thought I’d update you as to how the blogging for a Bravia is coming along.  I had to put it a bit on hold, or behind schedule rather because of an unfortunate occurance.  I broke my glasses, and had to pay up a small fortune for a couple new pairs (so that I’m not stuck with no glasses if it happens again)  Thankfully I do have health insurance and they should be reimbursing me for the eye exam that I had to take.  I’ll take some pictures with the new glasses on when they’re both complete, and you can let me know which ones you like better!

It also means that I’m going to have to step up the game a bit to get my Bravia…. I have the utmost faith that I will be able to blog for it still, and hopefully help you guys out too!

To enter to win your copy of the Block Magazine theme, all you have to do is create a blog post about the contest, and link to the contest page.  You’ve also got to provide a link to Adii’s page using the link that I have put above… and that’s it!  The contest drawing will be made on January 28th, so get your entries in.

I really like the block magazine theme.  It’s easy to edit, and is very functional.  It also looks awesome, which is why I chose it for my blog.  Since I already have the theme, if I win this contest, I will start another contest to give it away to another lucky reader.  In the meantime, check out my own contest to win an exclusive theme from Unique Blog Designs!

Hopefully, you have reached your first $100.  For those publishers that are still trying, I wish you the best of luck!

There are things I like about adsense and things that I hate about adsense.

I like:

• How easy it is to implement.
• The reporting system.
• You don’t have to sign up each site individually.
• The image ads, when they are displayed.

What I hate:

• How slow it is to earn.
• People have become ad-aware to it.
• Low CPC a lot of times.

I’m sure there are many more things that people can find that they like and don’t like.  So please, leave a comment with any tips or thoughts on what you think about Adsense, and your first Adsense $100.

1st Prize:

• Your choice of Exclusive theme from Unique Blog Designs!
• A 125 x 125 banner ad here for 1 month.
• A 125 x 125 banner ad + Review from Total Web Review.
• A Bloggeries.com review provided by Rob!

2nd Prize:

• A 125 x 125 banner ad here for 1 month.
• A review by me!
• 250 Entrecard credits - That’s good enough for an ad on Problogger!

3rd Prize:

• A 125 x 125 banner ad here for one month.

It’s really simple to enter! All you have to do is subscribe to my RSS feed, write a quick blurb about the contest on your blog, and leave a comment on the contest post!  So far there is only one entry… so it looks like he’s set to win everything!  Are you going to let that happen?  The contest ends on Feb. 15.  Every entry will receive a link back at the end of the contest, so there is something in it for everyone.

With enough popularity, you know that there will be more giveaways for you guys.  Hope to see all of your entries!

My family is going to be moving soon, and I’m moving into my own room, one that is MUCH bigger than the room I’m currently in.  As it is, I want to be able to furnish it with the best possible TV I can get.  You should do that, right?  Well I’m going to be doing it anyway.

As I find different ways to help myself towards this goal, I’ll try to provide the tips and breakdown as to how much I’ve made towards this goal.  The estimated price of the TV is about $3000, so it’s quite the goal.  Not so much if I were John Chow, but alas I’m not.  Of course, this year is not all about helping myself, so you can also check out the contest I’m running right now, to win a free Exclusive Theme for your blog!

What sort of tips do you have towards making money online?

Edit 2: I’ve just received another prize to give away.  Thanks to Rob over at Bloggeries Blog Forum for his generous donation of a Bloggeries Review! This is a great way to promote your blog, as Bloggeries is one of the biggest Blog Forums out there!

Folks, here is the contest, as promised! Nate Whitehill, Unique Blog Designs and I have teamed together to provide an exclusive theme for one lucky reader of Webinfiniti dot com. The main goal of the contest is to get the word out there on my blog, so there will be three requirements, all of which I feel are pretty simple!

• Sign up for my RSS Feed.
• Blog about this contest on your blog, with a link to this post.
• Leave a comment here on this post.

That’s it! The contest will run for approximately one month, depending on the amount of entries. The winner will receive their choice of exclusive theme from Unique Blog Designs. You can check out their exclusive themes here.

That’s not all! While there can be only one winner of the exclusive theme, second place will receive a review here, and a 125 x 125 advertising spot for one month, that’s valued at $25! Third prize will be a 125 x 125 advertising spot for one month, valued at $10.

The winner will be randomly drawn from all contest entrants in approximately one month, again, dependent on the number of entries. Unique Blog Designs has great designs, and this is a great way to get a free exclusive theme. I know that I’m loving the Block Magazine theme that has been provided for this site. This could be a great way to jump start your blog, as I know its made me love this site all over again.

I hope to hear from many of you! Good luck in the contest!