Since I will be listening to webmasterradio tonight (Facebook monetization) I will be posting more attempts at promoting affiliate ads via Facebook soon! 

In the meantime, let’s take a look at JWRMedia.com.

On my first impression, I would say that I really liked the theme.  It didn’t appear to be a theme that I have seen in the past, so if it is a custom one, good job!  The owner and author of JWRMedia.com is John Robinson and it looks like he has been doing his part in the online world, one way or another, since 1996.

From the About Me Page

With over 290 websites developed, John has certainly gotten his hands dirty and you can download a 52 page “Flipping Websites” article to help you along the way to making money while flipping sites.  For a limited time it is 1/2 off at $17.50!

I encourage all of you to take  a minute to visit JWRMedia.com and see what you can learn.  I would certainly recommend the Flipping Websites download, because you can never learn too many things about making money online.

Other Stuff

I would also recommend to those of you that are trying to learn to code, check out JWRMedia’s PHP Lessons.

I would also like to mention that JWRMedia.com is having a twitter contest and you can earn hard cash.  Here is the link:  Win Big Bucks With JWRMedia

If you would like to be a featured commentor, simple leave a comment on my blog and I will choose another lucky person to post about in Feb.

The idea is to introduce each new blogger that is commenting here on AffiliateObsession.com.  Obviously I would like to be able to give each and every single person links to their blog or website, but I want to keep it clean and targeted towards readers that I already have.

What I am going to do is write a simple review of the blogger (and their site) based on information I read about on their site/blog.  That way, I can introduce those that are new to Affiliate Obsession, to those that are reading already.

What is the Point?

Well first off, I think it will help create a since of community here and might even encourage others to comment as well.  The one catch is that you will have to comment, leave a web address you are associated with (preferable with an About Me page) and deal with the fact that you will not be getting a link to your blog.  I know the point of a review is sometimes that you get a little link love, but these will not be paid reviews or anything like that.  (No, I will not accept money, I just want more comments!)

So, if you want to play the game, simply leave a review and based on most others that I have, the sites are related to some type of internet, affiliate marketing or blogging, so that topic works great.  I am just trying to increase the exposure for those in my niche.

What can you do to help?

• You can leave a comment like AverageGal did (no SPAM, I am not new to this)
• You can send a tweet to all your friends and tell them how they can get more exposure (minus a link)
• You can email my post to others and encourage discussion on this blog.

It’s is very easy and in case that I get a lot of comments or replies to this post, here is the disclaimer:

I will be choosing the introductions I do randomly, based on the comment itself (se be creative).  Those without websites will not be eligible for this so please, don’t forget to fill in that field on the comment form.

If I get overwhelmed I will NOT give up, but I might only do ONE per week.  If you are missed, I am sorry, but I can only do so much and really hope I can still count on your participation on this blog.  Any questions, please use the comment form.

With that said, here is the intro for AverageGal.com.

I would like to welcome a new reader of AffiliateObsession.com, Rachel Holmgren of AverageGal.com.  She had left a comment on my Kontera post this week.  I like to follow as many bloggers as I can, so I visited her site and I was happy to see some of the things she posts about.

From the About Me page:

She is a married, college grad with 2 children and is hoping to make it big like the rest of us online.  While maintaining a success online business and stay at home relationship with her children, Rachel seems to have a bit of knowledge of things related to affiliate marketing, as well as, blogging in general.

Her blog is fairly new, but I encourage everyone to welcome her to AffiliateObsession and visit her site (from her comment link) to give feedback and support!

Stats via Google Analytics

Everyone LOVES numbers, so I thought I would gather all of mine up so that you can compare, boast about yours, or just enjoy them in silence.

• 109 posts (21.8 per month)
• 169 approved comments
• over 2,300 visits
• over 4,600 pageviews
• 2:16 avg. time on site

Top 4 Referring Sites

• stumbleupon.com – who would stumble my content?
• images.google.com – image of money that gets searched for
• shoemoney.com – commenting on his blog
• entrecard.com – best free way to get traffic to a blog

Posts with Most Traffic (besides homepage)

1. http://www.affiliateobsession.com/make-money/amazoncom-niche-store-free-trial-review/ - top keyword post, too no income on that which surprised me
2. http://www.affiliateobsession.com/advertising/250-in-facebook-ad-coupons/
3. http://www.affiliateobsession.com/cpa-networks/who-wants-entrecard-credits/
4. http://www.affiliateobsession.com/marketing/how-to-get-online-marketing-for-free/
5. http://www.affiliateobsession.com/make-money/facebook-coupon-ppc-campaign-gamefly-trial/

I also had over 1900 new visitors to this blog, but as you can see, not too many of them found the content good (or unique) enough to subscribe.  I understand that part of it.  This blog is very similar to many others on the web, it’s just that this one is MY blog and where I jot down my experiences.  It might not set it apart from all the others, but my situations might create an idea or situation for another.

Some of things I would like to see in the future?

I guess i wouldn’t mind to see about 500 more subscribers for the new year.  I will have to think of ways to gain the readership that other blogs have and that is going to take some serious planning.  I also would like to see more people commenting on my blog.  With at least 15 visitors per day, I would like to think my content would create some discussion with at least ONE of them.

I also plan to get more involved in social media.  I know the traffic isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but the effort it takes to gain the exposure is quite small.  So, I don’t think it was a bad 5 months at all.  The traffic is choppy but on the rise and I have gained subscribers without any type of subscribing contest, so that must mean something.

Wish me luck and I would like to say good luck to everyone in 2009!

The Elite Retreat is a 2 day event that is available to only a small number of entrepreneurs that want to move their businesses to the next level.  The event sells out FAST that is why I am getting you a head start on the invitations.  Starting Monday (17th) you will be able to sign up for this exclusive event, so don’t waste any time thinking about it, tickets will go fast.

The event is held Feb. 18-20th, 2009 in San Fransisco, California.  The cap on attendance is 35!  That is right, you will be in a group of 35 people learning from some of the nets smartest minds.  While learning about ways to improve and advance your business, you will also be learning other aspects of online business.

What does this once in a lifetime event cost you?  Well, the cost is almost $5,000 per person.  I know that sounds, and looks, like a lot to most people, but what do you think it costs to get even ONE of these speakers in a room for an hour?  That’s right, A LOT more.  So, what does all this money get you?  Let’s take a look below at the Elite Retreat Agenda.

Day 1
7:00am-8:00am Breakfast Buffet
8:00am-12:00pm TBD
12:00pm-1:00pm Networking Lunch (buffet provided)
1:00pm-4:30pm TBD
4:30pm-6:00pm Closing Discussion
7:00pm-8:00pm Reception
8:00pm-10:00pm Dinner at Boulevard Restaurant

Day 2
7:00am-8:00am Breakfast Buffet
8:00am-12:00pm TBD
12:00pm-1:00pm Networking Lunch (buffet provided)
1:00pm-2:30pm TBD
2:30pm-4:30pm Group Discussion and Brainstorm
4:30pm-6:00pm Closing Discussion
7:00pm-8:00pm Reception at Waterbar Restaurant
8:00pm-10:00pm Dinner at Waterbar Restaurant

As you can see, you will be spending some valuable time with these guys, can you handle it?  And just so you know, and since you heard it here first, there is an optional 3rd day that is a field trip via limobus to some top silicon valley tech companies.  What a great deal.  If you think you can get all of this for less than $5,000, let me know.  In the meantime, check out the Direct Link To The Photos page on the website for more information.

photo credit: quinn.anya

I have seen a small decrease in affiliate earnings over the last month, but I am not sure if it has much to do with the economy.  My sites seem to be doing great and I have been updating them like normal, so I wouldn’t say that it’s lack of interest on my part.  Today I thought, maybe it’s just that people aren’t spending money like they did a month ago.

I know that it seems far fetched that it would effect even the small affiliate marketing guy like myself, but why wouldn’t it?  Many people are really trying to come to grips with the government bailout, stock market crashing, the price of gas and of course numerous rumors about once highly acclaimed financial institutions.  When the people freak out, many things can change rapidly.

Even companies like eBay have had to layoff employees because times are just that tough.  I have used ebay, in fact, that’s how my internet business career started, and I never thought I would read about ebay having to reduce their workforce.  When there is a crunch for money, employees are always the first to go and that’s the said part.

I am hoping the economy isn’t effecting this 100% and that maybe it’s a misjudge on my part, but only time will tell.  I hope to see an increase at least around the holidays.

Have you seen any decrease over the last 3 weeks in your online income?

Create Time

If you are going to be online, stay away from Youtube until you are done with your “work”.  We all know that going to YouTube can be a 4-6 hour journey, so why not wait until you have gone through your daily checklist, then head over to YouTube for some unwind time?  It will allow you to get your work done and keep you on track.

We all know that once you are off track, or you have too many things going at one time, you tend to only complete some of them.  Keep focused.

Take Notes

I have come across, whether in my head or online, some very good ideas for new projects or ways to increase my affiliate earnings.  You should not sit down and start into them right away.  This is how you get overwhelmed. 

I have been carrying a notepad or at least some paper and writing utensil with me all the time.  I get an idea, I write it down.  This way I can go over all the ideas when I have time to analyze them 100% without distractions.

If you jump into them right away, like a PPC campaign, you will soon find out that research is worth it in the long run.

Try Not to Forget

Sometimes it pays to write down where you left off on a project as well.  You might be in the middle of something and have to run an errand or something.  It takes you an hour and when you get back, you are lost as to what you were doing when you left.

If you write down where you ended your work with each project, it will allow you to pick things back up without wasting more valuable time.

What ways to you keep your mind on track while working online?

What do I Blog About?

I found this question quite haunting when I first started this blog.  I did my normal welcome post and I really wasn’t sure where to go from there.  The best part about having a blog, is that it’s YOUR blog, write about whatever you want.  The key is that if you are going to have a blog targeted to a topic, stick to it!

Most blogs are part of a niche, some small, some large, but nonetheless, part of SOME niche.  That makes it easy to keep readers interested in that topic, but it also makes it harder to find things to write about.  When you have a personal blog, you can write about that one time your alarm clock didn’t go off and that would be just fine.  If you write about your alarm clock on your stock tips blog, it might not go over as well.

Try This

When you are thinking about what to blog, think about the last affiliate offer you tried to promote.  How did that go for you?  Was it a success?  You don’t have to tell your readers every single detail, just jot down what you attempted and let them get the jist of it.  The benefits are including your readers and that you might be able to get feedback from them.  Who knows one of them might have a better idea that you can try next time.

What about advertising?

At first I didn’t want to put a single ad on my site.  I just wanted to have good content and allow my readers to comment and that was it.  The I decided that if I am going to “spread the wealth” I might as well promote the networks that I work with.  This is only going to get me a couple of referrals a month.  Right now, I have a couple of referrals under me at Neverblueads.com, but the most made in one month is a cool 15 cents.  So, that isn’t a huge money  maker, but at least I am getting the feeling that I sent someone in the right direction.

I also went ahead and allowed myself to place ONE ad under my comments section as an experimental promotion technique, but I don’t see that going very well.  Even the least obtrusive ads on blogs can still get in the way.  I wanted to reward other affiliate bloggers with links in my sidebar, but I did think they were worth something.  For that I use the OiO publisher plugin($37).  Right now I am still building up my reader count, but in the future I think that plugin will come in handy.

On to the last part of the series…

Now that I covered your kick ass domain name, some better than perfect hosting and a blog with Wordpress.org, what to blog about and advertising, you can stay tuned and come back in a week or so to see the finish to the series.  I will be covering how to gain traffic, popularity and authority with your brand new affiliate blog.

If you have a blog already, with your own domain name you can skip to step 4.  If you don’t have a blog, you should follow from here.

Get a custom domain name already…

The first thing you are going to want is a domain name.  A good domain name says something about you or what you blog about.  You see some big names just use their names and that works great for them because they are building themselves into a brand.  If you name doesn’t work in your opinion, you will have to do some digging and you might even have to get a little bit creative.  It took me about 4 months to think of this domain name and I am still not 100% impressed by it.

There are about 1,000 places to get a domain name registered, but let’s face it, we all go to godaddy.com.  It’s easy to use, the account back end is nice and you can have all of your information in ONE place.  You can get a .COM for under $10 and I think that’s pretty cheap for a custom domain.  With coupon codes all of the web, you can even save a couple more bucks here and there.

Who is going to host you?…

You will also need some blog hosting.  HostGator.com has some great plans and prices.  If you plan to have more than one website or blog, we all do, then you might want to check out what they offer.  On my plan I can have unlimited domains, emails and storage, just to name a couple things.  With all the sites in my portfolio and projects all over the place, it’s a nice package to have.

You can get hosting anywhere, but for the long run, make sure you know what you are getting into.  Tranferring a domain name and website can be a pain with some hosts.

Now we have a domain name and hosting, what blogging platform do we go with?

Wordpress.org is Best in My Opinion

I started out with a blogger blog, but it wasn’t very long that I realized what Wordpress.org had to offer.  If you are going to blog at all, ever, about anything, just do it right and get setup with Wordpress.  I am not saying that you cannot have a successful blog otherwise, it’s just that Wordpress offers so much more as a blogging platform.

Now we have a domain, hosting and a blog platform all setup, let’s get going on part 2.  If you didn’t already subscribe to my blog, you should do so, that way you won’t miss the rest of this series.

This blog is new and I have been trying to keep up with information regarding my affiliate projects and testing of new things.  The last month or more, I have been on vacation throughout and trying to get my BANS sites optimized before moving forward with any other project.  If this blog has suffered, I am sorry.

I see that my subscriber count is stuck around 10.  What this means to me is that I will have to work on content as a priority.  I will be posted at least 5 articles before posting results or anything regarding a project of mine.  That way, I have some nice information for the beginners and something for the search engines to read.

I would also like to get a couple more video on the blog.  I made the Projectwonderful.com tutorial and I think the feedback was OK.  I will be messing with the video software more and hopefully videos will increase my pages per visit and my subscriber count.

My other projects are moving slow and that is because around here, when the weather is nice, you take FULL advantage, so I have been out of the office a lot.  With the fall season around the corner, I will be spending more time on what I have started this year in hopes it will give me a successful 2009.

How has your summer been and has it affected any projects that you have started?