Cash Crate Crash & Customer Service

For the longest time, the Monetizer has been promoting the popular "Get-Paid-To" survey site known as Cash Crate. Personally I've earned at least 5 checks from them sent via US mail as promised and found their company to be reliable. Unfortunately for at least a month now, my attempts to use the Cash Crate site have been met with:

"You tried to access the address http://www.cashcrate.com/, which is currently unavailable. Please make sure that the Web address (URL) is correctly spelled and punctuated, then try reloading the page."

It appears the wonderful and reliable paying site has officially crashed, with no mention. At least you'd think the company would have some sort of announcement on the site, but there is none. It could be a sign of the times, but it's definitely a sign of inadequate service.

When I add this in with my recent experiences with Ximmy.com (they've yet to pay Monetizer for referrals, and aren't responding to emails about it), it goes to show that these days any online business must be serious about its customer service. Even if you're a blogger, you have a duty to respond to emails of your "customers" so that they realize their importance to your brand and or business. For some reason Ximmy and Cash Crate don't have this aspect handled, and there's plenty of other websites out there that make it pretty impossible to get a question answered. Amazon.com seems like one, as it doesn't offer a good email or online communications system.

The lesson to be taken from all of this is the concept of valuing your readers, site visitors and customers. Keep these considerations in mind with your own blog or website and avoid the trap of becoming a site that ignores its customer base...

Using Opportunity & Setbacks

There's two important concepts The Monetizer wants to contemplate today when it comes to making money. The first is one I touched on here a few weeks ago, finding opportunity. A great example of this recently surfaced with the current gasoline price situation. Mygallons.com is a recent website started which included a member's fee. The premise behind the site is members could "lock in" a current price per gallon for gas and then not have to pay above that if prices move up again. Don't rush out to join the site just yet though. According to a news report, the bank connected with the website backed out, leaving the site temporarily unable to fulfill its promises. Despite the fact the site is in a state of limbo, it still has a chance to be successful. Should they find a good bank to back the concept, this could be a highly profitable website based on a current problem people face: how to get the best deal on gas to save money. Most great ideas are born as a way to solve a problem or address the need of people, so it's possible to think up something else which could help people in these trying economic times.

The other concept to keep in mind is setback, or failures. A recent episode of "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsche" on CNBC discussed making comebacks. If you just suffered a job loss, or a business you were running went bad, the idea is to learn from the failure rather than wallow in it. In fact, many amazing businesses were born due to failures, including Henry Ford's highly successful automobiles. It's the idea of "try try again" which really drives many an entrepreneur. To allow one setback to ruin your spirit and possible success in making money could be the biggest mistake you make. That's not to say keep pouring money and time if you have a seriously failing business venture, but it is to say that if you re-evaluate, regroup you will eventually find success with the right plan. It's not so much about luck, but more about drive and determination.

The same goes for online money-making. If you're not reaching the minimum with Google Adsense, consider adding a few more blogs into the mix using the Adsense code. Or consider using other monetization strategies such as Widgetbucks, Shopping Ads, Chitka Mini Malls or even try for Affiliate marketing. Through experimentation you'll find what works best for you and be on your way to more money online.

To Blog or Not to Blog about MMO?

To Blog or Not to Blog about Making Money Online? That is the question...

The Monetizer continues to see differing opinions about the whole MMO niche and whether it needs anyone else to speak on it. There are those who will tell you it's a lousy niche to be in, because competition is high and there's thousands of MMO blogs already. They'll tell you that there's no room for growth and no reason to be talking about such a crowded blog topic. They'll convince you to give up on blogging in the niche before you've even given it a second thought!

The Monetizer tends to take a more optimistic and opposite opinion. While the niche may be crowded, there's millions of internet users with more added daily. To think that these internet users immediately flock to John Chow, Shoemoney, Darren Rowse or the other big names is preposterous. If you play your cards right, you'll be able to build your own audience.

Playing your cards right means 2 things:

1)Bringing something new to the MMO niche - Put your own very, very unique spin on Making Money Online. New ideas will attract a new type of audience. Remember there's plenty of internet users to attract, so target unique audiences. (example: an MMO blog devoted to senior citizens might be one way to go) Currently, there's MMO blogs devoted to people trying to get out of debt, MMO blogs for kids, and MMO blogs for newbies. Consider an untapped audience for your new ideas in making money online.

2)Establishing good SEO early on - This can be the toughest aspect of MMO due to competition. You'll need to find ways to really compete with the major players in order to attract your own audience. Consider going after money making terms that the others aren't looking at. There's plenty of internet users who love money making survey and offer sites, so that's just one aspect to consider for search engine positioning.

This blog post is mostly food for thought and hopefully inspiration to not give up on a niche before you even try. There's no reason to fear the MMO niche if you feel you've got plenty to say about it, and can bring your own unique perspectives. It will take many parts hard work along with creativity to get yourself noticed, but the end results are well worth it!

No matter what your blog topic, the Monetizer agrees on one thing. It should be something you have a good feel for and won't get bored with. A lot of MMO blogs tend to copycat the rest and eventually suffer from blogger's burnout. If you wisely choose a subject you really have a passion for, you're less likely to fade into the blogosphere, and more likely to establish an audience who can make you money!

(Note: You may have also noticed a less frequent posting rate here at the Monetizer blog. Due to some recent issues, posting won't be daily here, but still expect more of the same great Monetizer rants, content and info about Making Money Online!)

4 Ways to Expand Your Blog

You'll find it repeated on many of the make money online blogs, the concept that your blog is a business. As a business you want the blog's audience and income to grow. Someone like John Chow did this successfully, going from about $300 a month to $30,000! I'm a big fan of Google Adsense, which everyone uses these days to produce income, but I'm always looking for ways to add even more income to blogs I run. Eventually you may find that your blog's earnings hit a plateau, and you want to increase them. While it could included more advertsising and marketing costs, you can also consider ways to expand your blog as a website. Here's 4 ideas to consider.

1) Add a forum - The obvious choice, and a great idea for all those who love Adsense. Adding a forum to your blog gives readers and passers by another spot besides comments to leave opinions. It also can help you keep readers around, and attract them to your latest blog entries. Adsense and other advertising or affiliate programs can work well with forums, in addition to your blog.

2) Offer an online course - If you have a particular area or subject you want to teach readers, offer enrollment for a class. This may be one of the New School ideas for adding additional income to your site. It's something that John Cow & Garry Conn both have employed in their blogging battle, to teach readers. Make sure you've prepared materials for the course in advance, and syllabus, so that you can give readers what they pay for. Affiliate programs tend to work well as you include references to them in your ebooks or other course materials.

3) Offer catchy extras - The best example here involves social media sites. Offer readers applications they can use on Facebook, graphics for their Myspace or anything else you can think of. With Facebook it will take some skill, but many claim building useful applications is where the big money is to be made. Another option involves the ebook which could include affiliate or referral links to produce more income.

4) Merchandising - Some may view this as egotistical, but consider your blog site as a brand just like Coca Cola or GE. You can easily create catchy items with your logo, phrases and URL over at Cafepress (using art programs to design). If you don't have the graphic design savvy, enlist someone to help. This is a great offline way of expanding your blog into new areas. It makes you visible in the "real world" and if you design something catchy enough, it just might become a big moneymaker offline.

Keep these 4 ideas in mind with your blog site. A smart approach may be to invest in web hosting early on that will also give you a forum and other extras. Setting this up early on may give you plenty to work with in the future as your blog audience grows. The last thing you want is to hit an earnings plateau!