Boldness

I went to Legislative Day in Albany, NY today, and it was an incredible experience. I got updated on what was going on in the Legislature, met several senators and a few assemblymen. One of the speakers had us keep repeating that we needed to have boldness, and he was referring to having the courage to approach our representatives about how we feel about key issues that are coming up for a vote.
How does this impact my writing to make money on the Internet?? Quite a lot, actually. I decided to practice boldness on that speaker, and among the large crowd of people milling around, I was actually able to approach the speaker where he stood in the hallway, and using BOLDNESS, I approached him, and in less than 30 seconds, explained who I was, what I was doing, and got PERMISSION to scan information he had handed out, write an article on it, and post it on the Internet, linking to his site!
What that means to me is several articles, and maybe a separate blog about politics, which is right up my alley, and I was using HIS idea, in more ways than one!
The lesson I walk away with today is that there is an opportunity everywhere for an article, or articles, and if you practice boldness, you might get a more positive response than you imagined! The worst that could have happened is that he might have said no, and I wouldn't be any farther behind than I started!

About Associated Content

I've already made $2.75 on Associated Content. Now, I know that you're probably snickering just a little bit to hear that, but keep in mind that it was weeks before I made my first six cents on eHow, and the Examiner is a bit quicker, but I've been on Associated Content less than a week, and only have two articles there, so this IS cause for celebration! I'll keep you posted!

Associated Content

On the recommendation of a friend I have mentioned before, Dena Bolton, I have signed up to write for Associated Content, another Internet source of income. Writers can get paid for content published elsewhere (I can post my eHow articles and New York Examiner articles), and you can get paid even more for original content, which you give them exclusive rights to.
Check it out, and let the earning begin! Dena said that she was earning more money at the Examiner and Associated Content, inspiring me to follow after her. Thanks Dena!!

Free Mandated Reporter Training

NYS OCFS is offering free online mandated reporter training. I thought this was too good an opportunity to pass up, and have posted related articles on my daycare blog, on the New York Childcare Examiner, and on eHow as well. If you are considered a mandated reporter in any capacity, this two hour video clarifies NYS law regrading your responsibility to report, as well as helping you to brush up on your abuse, neglect and maltreatment info.

Maria O'Brien and Ehow Podcast

As I've shared with you before, I follow Maria O'Brien aka Writergig on ehow, and try in some fashion to emulate her, as she's making big bucks on eHow, and I would like to.
Someone on eHow emailed me a podcast of Maria, and today I discovered that TalkShoe offered a button to embed in my blog, so that I could share it with you!
At the right, in the dark blue box that says ebay selling coach, click on the down arrow by the drop box that says "past episodes", and select "episode 22:ehow and passive income". The podcast is a phone call between ebay selling coach and Maria O'Brien, where Maria shares some of her eHow tips.
Maria's e-book, "How to Earn Passive Income on eHow" is also listed for sale $25 at the right if you click on "buy now" it will take you directly to her check out.
Listen to the podcast...it's free, and has lots of great tips!

Another Source of Income

I recently stumbled over another source of income. My friend Tonya told me that Wal-Mart had an affiliate program with which to monetize your blog. I went to investigate, and to enroll in Wal-Mart's affiliate program, you first have to enroll in LinkShare, which is a meeting place for many, many affiliate programs, and they organize them for you! You even can become an affiliate for them; take note of the link on the right!
I have no idea of the income potential; some of the programs offer as much as a 20% payout (flower.com; link on this blog) from your referrals! I believe it will make me feel like I have much more control over my blog advertisement when I get to pick the programs, instead of google or adsense picking them. We'll see!

Dena Bolton & The New York Examiner

I have been following another eHow writer who is a garden specialist, Dena Bolton. To any of you who know me, this must seem really strange, considering that I can even kill silk plants, but Dena is a good writer, and was someone going ahead of me who was/is willing to share tips.
I checked out her website, and found that she was writing for the Nashville Gardening Examiner, and is making more money writing 3-4 articles per week than she is on eHow. She recommended this to me, and so I applied, submitted a new, unpublished article to prove I can write well, passed a background check, and was accepted as a New York Examiner who specializes in Daycare.
I look forward to the writing experience, as well as another source of income!
I don't know if they have an affiliate program, but I made sure that I gave credit to Dena for referring me in case they wanted to pay her a million dollars, or something! I will certainly keep y'all posted regarding the payout, and if you decide to apply, remember me, just in case they want to give me something besides indigestion!