Every time I think about writing, I get a little excited. Ideas start swirling around in my head. What shall I write this time? Sometimes I really don't know the true content of what's in my mind until I log onto this site and start typing away. Speak from the heart, and the brain will follow, or something like that. Before I know it, it's a long read. But my hope is, it's a good read.
I think about money a lot. How much my bills cost. How much living costs. The cost of healthcare, not only for myself, but for my family...and our dogs. Seems like every time theres a problem, a vaccine is due, or just time for an annual physical, it's a hundred bucks a pop. My car's almost paid off. Almost. Just another 10 months or so. It'll be nice to have "extra income" to focus on paying off these damn credit cards.
It seems so unfair how critical money is. There's been talk that the middle class is disappearing as the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. I've never considered myself materialistic, or even a lover of money, but it would be absolutely wonderful to live comfortably without throwing darts at bills to see which ones I'll pay first. I don't live extravagantly, but I am living paycheck to paycheck. I know I'm not alone.
Then, I hear stories about people who seem to have an endless supply of cash. The creator of Facebook is worth billions. And he's in his mid-twenties. There's another kid who generates over $300,000 a year for being the best video blogger on youtube. Then this boy did something the media has dubbed the "trading game" where he used a site like Craigslist and traded up from a paperclip to a HOUSE. Just by finding people who were interested in doing a trade from an item of little monetary value for something that was valued a little more. Time and time again.
Seems like the internet offers an endless supply of opportunities on striking it rich. It appears it's entirely possible to do so using the tools that others have created. It's all right there, in front of us. If you can read these words I'm typing, you already have access to this very powerful tool. But just how realistic is it that I, or anyone else, for that matter could make big bucks by using modern technology.
Within the past few years, I acquired a taste for online surveys. Companies seek out real people to see what their likes and dislikes are when marketing a new product or service. Online survey sites such as Harris Poll and Zoom Panel offer incentives for people who help them out. Surveys take minutes to complete, and you're awarded on a point system to redeem for prizes. I've gotten gift certificates for Amazon, a 4-slot toaster, a blender/smoothie maker, magazine subscriptions...the list goes on and on.
I know to award all these prizes, there's some major incentives for the sponsoring websites. I'm sure they get paid handsomely by advertisers and other conglomerates to use the service. And I get small appliances. A fair trade off, I suppose. Just a few moments of my time each day. No big whoop. There's another site with tons more prizes I recently discovered. It's called Swag Bucks and there's lots of great things people are saying about it. In the few days I've been a member, I've acquired quite a few points. If you're interested in signing up, you can do so by going here:
I think about money a lot. How much my bills cost. How much living costs. The cost of healthcare, not only for myself, but for my family...and our dogs. Seems like every time theres a problem, a vaccine is due, or just time for an annual physical, it's a hundred bucks a pop. My car's almost paid off. Almost. Just another 10 months or so. It'll be nice to have "extra income" to focus on paying off these damn credit cards.
It seems so unfair how critical money is. There's been talk that the middle class is disappearing as the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. I've never considered myself materialistic, or even a lover of money, but it would be absolutely wonderful to live comfortably without throwing darts at bills to see which ones I'll pay first. I don't live extravagantly, but I am living paycheck to paycheck. I know I'm not alone.
Then, I hear stories about people who seem to have an endless supply of cash. The creator of Facebook is worth billions. And he's in his mid-twenties. There's another kid who generates over $300,000 a year for being the best video blogger on youtube. Then this boy did something the media has dubbed the "trading game" where he used a site like Craigslist and traded up from a paperclip to a HOUSE. Just by finding people who were interested in doing a trade from an item of little monetary value for something that was valued a little more. Time and time again.
Seems like the internet offers an endless supply of opportunities on striking it rich. It appears it's entirely possible to do so using the tools that others have created. It's all right there, in front of us. If you can read these words I'm typing, you already have access to this very powerful tool. But just how realistic is it that I, or anyone else, for that matter could make big bucks by using modern technology.
Within the past few years, I acquired a taste for online surveys. Companies seek out real people to see what their likes and dislikes are when marketing a new product or service. Online survey sites such as Harris Poll and Zoom Panel offer incentives for people who help them out. Surveys take minutes to complete, and you're awarded on a point system to redeem for prizes. I've gotten gift certificates for Amazon, a 4-slot toaster, a blender/smoothie maker, magazine subscriptions...the list goes on and on.
I know to award all these prizes, there's some major incentives for the sponsoring websites. I'm sure they get paid handsomely by advertisers and other conglomerates to use the service. And I get small appliances. A fair trade off, I suppose. Just a few moments of my time each day. No big whoop. There's another site with tons more prizes I recently discovered. It's called Swag Bucks and there's lots of great things people are saying about it. In the few days I've been a member, I've acquired quite a few points. If you're interested in signing up, you can do so by going here:
If you sign up with this link, I'll be on your buddy list automatically!
Still, I crave more. Why make someone else rich when I'm just as talented as the next guy? It's not lack of motivation or creativity. I have both of those. It could be lack of opportunity. At what point did the quarter-million-a-year youtube sensation realize he had made it? I'm sure he started off kind of slow, maybe he even never entertained the thought he'd be the highest paid earner on the site. Who even knew you could make money posting videos? I didn't.
A couple years ago, my partner started creating bottlecap pendants. He called them "juju caps". Juju is a term for supernatural powers. It's derived from West African origins. His goal was to sell these on Etsy and become known for them. I wanted to help.
Dressed as a character I dubbed "Lady Juju" I created mini-commercials for the product, and posted them on youtube. The ads are hilarious at times, especially if you know me personally. Complete with my signature goatee and donned in makeup, I transformed myself into this outrageous character. Other characters soon followed. I contacted radio morning shows via email in hopes they'd direct their listeners to the site. The campaign fizzled.
We deleted the video spots from the website, but I had them archived on my hard drive. Although the Jujucaps website no longer exists, I've decided to entertain the world with my many ads for the campaign. Here's one of my favorites:
Still, I crave more. Why make someone else rich when I'm just as talented as the next guy? It's not lack of motivation or creativity. I have both of those. It could be lack of opportunity. At what point did the quarter-million-a-year youtube sensation realize he had made it? I'm sure he started off kind of slow, maybe he even never entertained the thought he'd be the highest paid earner on the site. Who even knew you could make money posting videos? I didn't.
A couple years ago, my partner started creating bottlecap pendants. He called them "juju caps". Juju is a term for supernatural powers. It's derived from West African origins. His goal was to sell these on Etsy and become known for them. I wanted to help.
Dressed as a character I dubbed "Lady Juju" I created mini-commercials for the product, and posted them on youtube. The ads are hilarious at times, especially if you know me personally. Complete with my signature goatee and donned in makeup, I transformed myself into this outrageous character. Other characters soon followed. I contacted radio morning shows via email in hopes they'd direct their listeners to the site. The campaign fizzled.
We deleted the video spots from the website, but I had them archived on my hard drive. Although the Jujucaps website no longer exists, I've decided to entertain the world with my many ads for the campaign. Here's one of my favorites:
Depending upon response from this video, I may just repost all the old videos and create some more. But I gotta give the people what they want if I'm to become the next youtube superstar. So, what do you think? Do I have what it takes?
Oh yes, you have what it takes :)
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