Cranial Soup

Freedom Sandwich

2008-07-05T11:30:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, on the anniversary of America's indepencence, I wanted to write a piece on freedom, but kind of got stuck.

At first I wanted to write about the countries that still are not free, like China, where bloggers are now resorting to writing backwards in order to beat censorship and report about what is really going on behind the Great Firewall.

Or perhaps focusing on who is and isn't totally free yet.

Then thinking about the US, the myth of freedom here, and the reality that we aren't totally free as some may believe, maybe focusing on why we are not free, as this report may explain.

Or go more in depth about the freedom of the press, and what responsibilities come along with it in relation to self-censorship and its ethical and moral implications, focusing on the list of censored news stories.

Or perhaps a piece on economic freedom and what organizations like The Green Children Foundation are doing to help people living in third world countries overcome poverty, while still keeping their dignity, in the form of microcredit loans.

Or perhaps how the price of oil can threaten democracy in places where the whole concept of freedom is still fairly new and still on shakey ground. The article is from 2006, when the price of oil was much lower than it is now, so most likely the situation is much worse today than it was at the time the article was written.

Or artistic and educational freedom, and focus on books that have been banned throughout history, for one reason or another.

Or psychological freedom, and how the fear of failure holds so many people back and prevents them from living up to their full potential. (Unfortunately, something I have first-hand experience with)

Or the desire for financial freedom, and the rising number of "get rich on the internet by blogging about how to make money blogging" websites that are popping up every day.

Or freedom of information, and the threat of censorship from ISP's and their desire to do away with net neutrality to boost profits, cut costs, and control what you see and do on the internet, and decide who can and will be able to profit online.

Since I couldn't make up my mind as to what direction I wanted to go with this freedom piece, I decided to give you a little slice of everything I was thinking about yesterday, just in time for lunch.

Enjoy your "freedom sandwich".

Take it slow, one bite at a time, don't eat too fast...it's ok to save some for later.

My experiences with Project Wonderful

2008-02-26T01:41:00.004-05:00

I can't remember which blog I was on, but they had ads from Project Wonderful.

I have been looking for other ways to make money on my blogs and websites besides Adsense. I decided to give it a try.

It has been 16 days since I signed up and I figured I would let everyone know about my experiences with it so far, and some other thoughts I have had about the whole program.

Since one of my sites is an educational site that is accessed by a number of schools, I have to be careful about other sites I link to and what kinds of ads appear on it. Project Wonderful allows me to check each site and decide if I want to approve or reject it. I like this. I won't have to worry as much about who or what is advertising on my site. I can go see myself before the ad ever appears.

So how much money have I made? A big $0.44. That isn't very much for 16 days.

There is something that I have been thinking about though...

Are people clicking the ads that are appearing on my sites? No, not really, but I am clicking them all to check them before approving them. So I am being paid a tiny amount to look at other people's sites. And I look at their site even if they aren't the winning bid. Just the act of bidding, win or lose, will bring in some extra traffic.

Since I am checking all ads before they appear on my site, I have discovered quite a few really nice blogs and a lot of web comic sites, which I have sent the links to my daughter. She is nuts about web comics and is always looking for new ones she can get into, so it seemed like the logical thing to do.

Would I pay for placing an ad to one of my sites with Project Wonderful? Probably not, since the traffic it would generate would most likely be miniscule and not really boosting the traffic enough to make more off the ads that are already on my sites.

But you are allowed to bid and decide how much you are willing to pay per day for placement. And believe this is where the beauty of placing ads with them is. I think if you were to bid on every site where the ads are going for $0, you could do quite well generating some traffic without any cost involved. And at the very least, if you bid on a site that is run by someone that checks all ads, like I do, if you have a decent site you may win traffic from the 'secret traffic source' of Project Wonderful...the webmasters themselves.

If they like your site, it's all worth the no-cost effort. Advertising on a blogger's site and the webmaster liking your site, could turn into even better advertising if they like your site enough to tell their readers about it and give you a nice honest review and send their readers to you. At the very least, even if they don't write about it and you never get a click on your ad, you will have them as a fan, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Would I write about some of the sites that have bid on my ad box? Certainly, if the site excites me enough, and some have.

A few are about to get a bit more advertising than they had anticipated when they placed their bid. Rather than a day or so in a box on my ebook site, they are going to have a permanent spot here in this post.

Here is what I have discovered in the last 16 days that I found quite appealing:

Living on Adsense - A blog by a beginning blogger meant for beginning bloggers, sharing the knowledge he acquires with others, as he learns it, in a style that isn't boring or dry. This isn't the 'How to Get Rich Step-by-Step, Now Buy My Book' that you will find in other blogs of the sort. This guy is for real, and struggling with it, like the rest of us.

If you want to read about real experiences with trying to make money from blogging, this is a good one to read. If you are a little ahead in this game, a bit farther than this guy, maybe you would like to share some info with him and help him out. He wants to make a living from blogging and isn't doing too well at the moment. I think he could use a little advice and encouragement from his fellow "I am still broke & blogging" peers.

High T3ch - How do I describe this one? All I can say is that it is quite visually appealing and interesting. Lots of stuff from the world of science & technology, presented in a way that will appeal to the common person. Don't be afraid or think you aren't smart enough to understand. Dive in and learn a little something new.

impNERD - Nice blog if you are a blogger. Lots of stuff about social bookmarking, blogging, SEO, Wordpress, writing articles, marketing your blog, etc. Hopefully, Chris (from at Living on Adsense) is reading this and checking this one out. ;-)

Calamities of Nature - This is a rather well drawn and appealing web comic. One of the few that I have come across in the last 16 days that I would actually read. It's quite professional. And it seems the artist is starting to get some good exposure. Consider this little blurb of mine, approval, and a bit more publicity to help him out. He deserves it.

Technically Easy - An interesting blog that presents technical stuff in an easy to understand manner that even non-geeks can understand. He also does free website reviews, so if you want him to take a look at your site and write about it, ask him. He's an honest guy that will tell you and the world, the truth...the good, the bad, and the ugly. He scores +100 bonus internet points from me. I like a person with integrity.

So even though I have only made a measly $0.44, I think it was still worth it just to find some cool new sites. Once I have hit the minimum amount needed to place a bid, I'll be making some $0 bids and see if it has the same effect on other publishers as it has had on me.

Best of the Web 2006

2006-12-28T01:48:00.000-05:00

Here is my list of my best website discoveries of 2006:

donationcoder.com

Seriously...that's it!

Nothing else matters. Nothing else can compare, in my mind.

Anybody that has been reading my blog knows I love that site and it has become my online home.

But I am just one person, and my opinions on what is best would only reflect my opinions. If you want a great list of what is best try this one:

DonationCoder.com's Best of the Year 2006 list.

It contains the best

software

websites

essays

debates

flash games

humor

gadgets

programming stuff

entrepreneur related articles

and more

all selected from their fantastic forum postings of the past year.

This isn't the usual single person who just comes along and gives their opinion of what they think is the best...you can find that on any other website.

What makes this list special is that this is a huge community of dedicated enthusiasts that has collectively scoured the internet for the best of everything. No single person could have come up with a list like this, and it sure would have taken them a lot longer than a year to put it together if they tried.

If you would like to become part of the team and possibly contribute to the Best of 2007 list, register on their forum and become part of the community. You won't regret it.

It is my best discovery of 2006.

http://www.donationcoder.com/2006/

Random Links of the Moment

2006-11-01T02:11:00.000-05:00

I added a new feature to the sidebar. Random links.

They change when you refresh the page. I think they are the most recent entries made at clipmarks.com.

I don't know what will show up. Might lead you on click adventures. Might be useful stuff. Might be funny. Might be just crap.

I am clueless as to what will show up. They are not submitted by me. It's totally dynamic.

Have fun.

Any comments about it will be appreciated. They will determine if I keep this or not.