Widgetbucks Pays as Promised!

Anyone currently running Widgetbucks on your blogs or websites? If so I'd like to assure you that Mpire, the company behind the Widget does pay up! Their FAQ states payments are made to Paypal within 45 days of the last day of the month you clear $50 total. I cleared that in June, and like clockwork Widgetbucks payed me August 15th.

An extra $54 isn't too shabby for blog income, but it takes quite a bit of traffic to generate. Now my decision will be do I continue running the widgets, or remove them and try a new advertiser? The Widgets have been known to slow down site performance a bit. There's plenty of options out there to replace the ads with as well.

Additionally, the Monetizer continues to wait for Ximmy.com to get their act together. After an effort to promote their site and earn referrals, I still wait for a payment, months later. If anyone out there has heard from them or seen a payment, feel free to comment!

(Note: For everyone using Paypal, consider ordering the Paypal Debit/Credit card if you don't already own one. You can then apply for the 1% cash back opportunity and every time you purchase with the card, you receive money back. Granted, it's 1% but it all adds up!)

Is There a Formula for Success?

Many books have been written upon the topic of "Success" and just what it takes to achieve it. Everyone from philosophers to authors to presidents and athletes have published their own take on "what it takes". But there seems to be some recurring themes going on amongst all the works that people can take away and perhaps translate to their own success.

1 - Have a vision - Whether it be creating your own successful business, making a certain sports team, graduating college, getting the perfect job, dating a supermodel or whatever, the goal must be clear and in mind. Without a goal, what are you really working to be successful at? Make sure to define the goal, even write it down and keep it around in sight.

2 - Use visualization techniques - Athletes, businessmen and many others who have achieved success seem to use this technique alot. It's the idea of taking that vision or goal from step 1 and seeing yourself as "already there". Believe you've achieved it already and imagine how you feel, what it looks like. This makes movement towards that goal even more easier because it's fixed in your mind.

3 - Stay positive - Keeping the right mental attitude is the absolute key to success in life. While some try to argue that "oh he's just lucky" or "all millionaires inherited their money", the real key is that people who make it are those who keep a positive mindframe. You have to learn to bend with adversity and overcome it. Learn from it, and you'll continue to grow in leaps and bounds. Stay positive at all times as you work towards your vision.

4 - Be a constant learner - Constant learning is also essential to your success. Whether it means continuing to read blogs about making money, or devoting an hour a day to reading success and personal development books, you've got to continue to expand your ideas. Reading is probably the best way to do this, but a lot of success books also suggest the idea of finding a mentor to guide you towards your vision.

5 - Be a giver - Successful people learn that giving back is probably the greatest benefit of their success. It's not the money or the toys you buy, or the home you live in, but more so the ability to help out others. It's a satisfying end to all that hard work of achieving your vision.

Now these above principles are 5 very simple techniques to guide yourselves down the paths of success. The Monetizer never purports to be the guru or all knowing source on success, but believes these 5 concepts continue to show up in much of the literature written on the subject. You can find more within various books, but the 5 above seem to be the most common and widely used practices. Start applying them today and see yourself soar!

Feel free to add your own ideas below of the principles necessary to achieve success.

Also check out a great list of 50 Success Classic books to start on your journey!

Can Cuil Outdo Google Search Engine?

There's a new search engine in town and it vows to be bigger, badder and just plain better than its mentor Google. The site was in fact created by formal Google employees, looking to outdo the monster search engine we've all grown to know and love, and use on a daily basis..

Here's a bit more About Cuil.com:

Rather than rely on superficial popularity metrics, Cuil searches for and ranks pages based on their content and relevance. When we find a page with your keywords, we stay on that page and analyze the rest of its content, its concepts, their inter-relationships and the page’s coherency.

Then we offer you helpful choices and suggestions until you find the page you want and that you know is out there. We believe that analyzing the Web rather than our users is a more useful approach, so we don’t collect data about you and your habits, lest we are tempted to peek. With Cuil, your search history is always private.

Cuil is an old Irish word for knowledge. For knowledge, ask Cuil.

If you haven't tested it yet, stop by Cuil.com and enter some search queries. You may find some of your top search terms and blog site names already ranked. You'll also notice it's got a different look and feel than Google, and perhaps will continue to improve itself in the future. For now, most of us will continue relying on Google until the new kid on the block becomes the powerhouse of the net.

Learn more about Cuil's features here.

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...