A slightly changed rhythm
March 31, 2007
I love travelling, but it is amazing how comfortable it is settling into the one place for a while. That is kind of how I feel now. I have been in Koh Chang for around two weeks now. I have found a place with pretty fast and reliable free wi-fi (and air conditioning), so I have been able to get a bit of work done on my websites. I just wrote a review which I get $30 bucks for - which is around 4 nights accommodation where I am currently staying at.
It is a good place to come to during the middle part of the day when it is hottest. Most Thais are smart and avoid the sun around this time, or even have a little kip. I think that Thai people are masters of polyphasic sleep without even knowing it. I must admit having an afternoon nap, makes you so refreshed. By around 4 p.m. it is much cooler and the perfect time to go for a swim and a walk before taking up a spot on the sand to watch the sunset.
Daily Domainer - leading source of the latest domain news
March 31, 2007
Disclosure: The following is a paid review. If I have access to the internet, I will generally try and accept all reviews that I receive. A review on this blog costs just $60.
I am happy that Daily Domainer has asked me to review their site. As regular readers of this blog will know, I enjoy following the world of the domain industry.
Except for the occasional article in the mainstream press, domains are largely ignored as a serious form of investment. I believe most webmasters, don’t pay enough attention to domain related issues as they should. The domain of your website is a valuable asset, which webmasters and companies need to recognize. Making money from domains is not so difficult for people who are prepared to do a bit of research, follow the latest domain news and can think a little creatively.
The Daily Domainer is an excellent source of domain related news. The articles are well written and cover all of the major issues related to domains.
One of the original and most widely known domain news site is DNJournal. DNJournal has a longer history, but the site seems to only use straight html files, with no visible RSS feed. Daily Domainer is run on a Word Press platform, making it easy to navigate for people who are use to the format.
They have some very good domain tips which all webmasters and potential domain investors should be familiar with.
They have an excellent article on domain tasting. You read about this issue all of the time on webmaster forums. Someone has an idea for a site, finds a good domain, but for whatever reason delays registering the domain, only to find out later when they try register it, the domain is no longer available.
The archives of the site go back to January 2007, so I hope the site is able to continue and grow into the future. I have heard the author of DNJournal speak a couple of times and I know he only encourages domain industry news sites from starting, rather than trying to compete. The Daily Domainer has the potential to become a leading source of domain news.
One suggestion I have would be to create an ‘about’ page, so visitors can get a bit of background on the site and more information on the author.
The site seems to presume people are already familiar with the domain industry. I know the site is still fairly new, but I would suggest they should try to have a few more articles on domains for beginners and for people looking to get started in the industry. This information is only going to help promote domains as a mainstream form of investment and monitored like stock market indexes.
Life of Pi
March 29, 2007
I just started reading ‘Life of Pi’. I really like this quote from it:
I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he’s not careful.
I couldn’t agree more!
I love wireless internet
March 27, 2007
Over the past couple of years I did most of my work at home and never bothered using my laptop much. I am writing this now from Koh Chang Island, Thailand. Koh Chang is National Park with several beautiful beaches. It is just after 6 pm and in a restaurant on the beach watching the sunset go down.
It doesn’t get much better than this! I don’t want to make people slaving away at their jobs, but hopefully it can provide inspiration to people who want to do the same thing.
Currently reading:
Reaching out to established webmasters
March 26, 2007
I have been getting a few emails lately asking if I will either link or write something about their new website. It is sometimes hard to write something about a new blog that just has a few entries. I exchanged links last year with a few different blogs and I went back a few months later and found that on some of blogs I was linking to hadn’t written had been updated for a long time.
It know it is very difficult getting links to a new site and it reminds me of when I started trading on Ebay. When you join Ebay, you have zero feedback. Feedback is Ebay’s system which buyers and sellers use to judge people on their worthiness as a buyer or seller. It is very difficult to sell something if you have zero positive feedback. So people generally go and buy a few things to get their positive feedback up. You make sure you pay your money quickly for the item and write some good feedback for the seller. Once you build a reputation as a good and fair trader, you then tend to get people following your trading and can often sell your products for higher prices.
Websites or blogs are no different. It is getting more difficult for new people starting out on the Internet to get noticed. No matter how good your content is, you aren’t going to make much money without any decent traffic. One good way is to reach out to more established webmasters. You can try drawing attention to sites or articles you have written, or ask for a link. However, link requests are probably going to be sent straight to the trash.
If you really want to get noticed, you need to become an active part of that website’s community. On most blogs you can leave comments. If you become a regular contributor to the site you might be able to help out the webmaster in some way.
Some ideas could include:
- becoming a moderator in a forum
- contributing articles
- designing a new logo
- signing up to an affiliate program through their link
Some people might think, that it looks like a lot of work just to get a couple of links, but what you are doing is building a valuable relationship with a higher profile site. Like any relationship it takes time to build. If you are the one with zero feedback, you are going to have to do a lot more of the giving than the taking. Once you establish a good relationship with the higher profile site, it is going to be much easier to ask for a favor back.
The picture says it all
March 25, 2007
I can help but smile when I came across this while walking along the beach.
Is there anything you want to know about me
March 21, 2007
I have come pretty close to my original goal of my website: to write my own account of being able to “retire young and wealthy”.
I would still be happy with a little more money, like most people I am sure, but at least now I am able to live as I please for now. I am currently writing a new ebook, which should be able to help answer some questions as to how I have gotten to this stage.
If there is anything however, that people would like to know, about what I have been able to achieve thus far, please let me know, as I would be happy to answer.
Buying an existing site
March 21, 2007
I think that one of the most successful decisions when it comes to the internet was buying an existing website. At the time it was a lot of money for me to spend and seemed very risky at the time, but I have been fortunate to be able to make my money back severalfold.
It could be a lot more difficult buying an older site now, as most website owners know of their site’s worth. I was lucky enough to find a site that the owners had not yet known of Google Adsense. With a bit more work, I was able to increase the earnings of the site.
Since then I have tried to do similar deals, unfortunately to no avail. I have found it difficult to find web sites that are old, have good content and under-monetized.
Buying a website versus starting one from scratch is definitely one of the best ways to jump start your online presence if you have the cash available.
One week on the road
March 19, 2007
It’s been one week now since I left Australia. I have already stayed in about five different places. It feels so much longer though. I haven’t done too much “work” but have been having a great time.
I am currently working on a new ebook, which is a good way to work if you don’t have an internet connection. I have ideas for two more, but they are going to take a lot more research.
Keeping in touch with the affiliate world
March 17, 2007
It is only due to the current technology that I can do what I am doing now. I knew I had a two hour bus ride today, so I downloaded the latest Shoemoney show from Webmaster Radio.
It was a pretty weird feeling travelling on a cramped mini-bus toward the most western point of Thailand on a very windy road, while listening to Shoemoney on my ipod.
There was a small girl across from me who was not taking to the windy roads, so was a good way to keep my mind focused on something else.
I remember when Shoemoney started his blog, and is just amazing how fast his blog and his companies are growing. He did admit on show however, that his currently working 16 hour days.
