Ask the Readers: Do You Make Money Online?
Two days ago I resigned from my part-time job. Starting towards the end of January my income will be completely online based. I’ll be living pretty frugally for a while as I re-invest my time in writing an eBook. Once the eBook is done, I’ll re-invest my time in writing more content for Skelliewag (something I’m really looking forward to).
I’m not sure how the eBook will fare but I want to make it as value-packed and affordable as possible. If things don’t work out I know I have freelance writing to keep me afloat until I can re-take another part-time job. While I’m taking a risk on this, I won’t be betting the house on my success.
My commitment to keeping Skelliewag ad and affiliate free is something I don’t see ending. To wrap up my answer, I do make an income online but in a relatively unorthodox way.
This week’s Ask the Readers question (the last one!) could be very simple or very complicated. It’s this:
What’s your attitude to making money online?
I’ll also be picking out another favorite commenter this week. Here’s a quick summary of what I’ll be looking for:
- A useful and insightful answer — something others can learn from.
- Engagement with other commenters and reflection on their answers.
- Active participation in the discussion.
What I won’t be taking into consideration:
- Names, identities and affiliations. I’ll be judging by comments alone.
* * *
Last week’s question — what would you do if time didn’t matter? — asked readers to imagine what they’d do if time management was no longer an issue. It was fascinating (and a little saddening) to see what the constraints of limited time are preventing us from doing.
It’s no wonder that everybody is thinking about productivity at the moment — and no-one is seemingly content with the productivity they have (it could always be that little bit better).
One comment that particularly resonated with me this week was from Dan who blogs about engineering.
[With unlimited time] there will be endless possibilities of interaction with your readers. Although this can be a good thing, for a person who doesn’t say ‘No’ often, I am afraid I’ll end up becoming a Matlab tech support, and over-stretched and over-committed to too many readers’ projects.
Don’t get me wrong, interacting and showing interests in readers with a personal touch is one of the most important thing in growing your blog. Developing your blog community requires a strong vision large enough to incorporate readers interests and focused enough so that you are not aimlessly wandering.
I see myself in a lot of what Dan has said. Though I’ve always done my best to help everyone who asks, I occasionally get weighty requests for help via email which would require a big time investment on my part (more than I have to give). Knowing when to say no and how to value my time is still something I wrestle with.
Dan joins Paidtwice, Spicepuppy, Keira Peney and Alfa King in the running to win a one month featured link in the sidebar. The prize will be awarded based on contributions across all the Ask the Readers discussion threads. I’ll be deciding on a winner during the week.
This week’s discussion will be the last Ask the Readers thread (for now). Not due to any shortcomings (I’ve really enjoyed these discussions), but because I’d like to experiment a little bit with this content slot to work out what readers find most useful.
The question again:
What’s your attitude to making money online?
