So, I thought I’d let you all know that I probably won’t update the blog until the move is settled. I just want to make sure that we don’t lose anything during the move.

But yes, I’m still entertaining queries/offers on the Blog Sale. Just send an email to shaicogginsATgmailDOTcom (replace AT with @ and DOT with .). I respond to all queries within 24-48 hours. If you’ve sent me an email about the blog sale, and you still haven’t heard from me, chances are: I did not receive your email. Please feel free to re-send and bug me about it.

In any case, thanks for your patience as I make this move.

If you’re not running Chitika | Premium Ads yet, now might be a good time to try. Especially if you can come up with interesting ways to display your ads.

You see, they are giving away a total of $200 for “the most interesting/cool/unique placements of Chitika | Premium ads”.

What does it mean to have a cool/interesting/unique ad placement? Well, according to Chitika, “a good way to place these ads is by placing the ads inside the content (right after the first paragraph) - which will generally earn a very high CTR/eCPM. But since it will only display to search engine traffic, it will not display to your regular readers (they won’t be annoyed by ads in the middle of their content!).”

The one who can come up with the best placement will receive $100, and 2 runners-up will receive $50 each. To enter, email specialprojects@chitika.com with a link to your interesting Premium ad implementation. Chitika asks entries to include a sentence or 2 about the ad setup. Deadline for this is on 12:00pm US EDT on Monday, November 10.

Good luck with it!

One thing I realised is that while I’d love some quick cash, it’s more important for me to find the right buyer under the right circumstances. So, at this stage of the sale, I’m cool with taking my time. I’m not sure yet when I’d feel otherwise.
Anyway, as I’ve been sharing the steps I’ve been taking to sell this blog, I thought I’d share this next step with you -

Step 3: It’s all about the Data

While collecting the necessary data may only take 30 minutes to an hour for some people who are selling their sites, I’m actually finding myself stuck on this one for longer than I’d like to be. This is due to 2 main reasons: 1) I don’t have direct access to the raw data of ads that are running on this blog; and 2) The affiliate sales from this blog are all over the place.

But, I do have a checklist of things that I’d like to collect, so I can offer the data to prospective buyers -

• Traffic (page views, etc) - This is probably one of the most asked questions by prospective buyers: How much traffic does your blog have? Right now, I’ve got this data using AWStats only.
• Ratings/Metrics (Alexa, Google PR, etc) - This is the sort of data that adds value to a blog. Of course, the better the ratings, the higher the premium for the blog. I currently have my Alexa, Google PR, Technorati ranking, + lists that this blog is on right now.
• Sources of Revenue - People want to know how your blog is making money, just so folks can gauge how much to offer for your blog and/or to know if what you’re asking for your blog is reasonable. Normally, you share screenshots of all ad revenues from various places over the last year. This blog runs the following ads: Direct advertising, Google Adsense, Chitika, TLA, and text links from b5media textpod. And, if you make money from affiliate ads (and JMMO does), then showing the revenue from such affiliates will be useful too.
• Miscellaneous Data - Any other data that might be interesting for prospective buyers - such as top search terms and pages, awards received, etc.

So, what about you? If you sold a blog or website before, what type of data did you share? Did you have a fixed price for the sale of your blog - or did you accept offers based on valuation?

If you’re someone who would consider buying a blog or website, what types of data would you like to have?

To read more about this feature, see:

• This Blog is For Sale
• Selling JMMO Part 1: Learning How to Sell a Blog
• Selling JMMO Part 2: Let’s Talk About a Blog Sale

But yes, I was happy to find a writing job online that enabled me to do something I love - and get some extra cash at the same time. There were not a lot of those types of places back then. Especially because at that time, the web was primarily a “free” place. So, a lot of online magazines and e-newsletters offered just “free promotion” if you wrote for them.

About a year or so later, Suite101 ceased paying their writers for a certain period of time. I guess, they must have been re-assessing their business model at the time. During that period, I left Suite101.

A couple of years later, I believe they re-introduced a new payment scheme for their writers. And, that’s where they are at the moment.

Basically, as a Suite101 freelance writer:

• You get to choose a specified area of expertise/interest.
• You are expected to write approximately 10 articles every 3 months.
• You receive some “free writing training”.
• You get paid a revenue share, based on the advertising that are running on your topic.

Since I’m no longer affiliated with Suite101, I’m not quite sure what the “revenue share” really entail. And, how much money a typical Suite101 freelance writer gets in a month. However, I do know that some of my online writer contacts who are still writing for them and seem quite satisfied with their working and payment arrangements.

If you’re a Suite101 writer and/or someone who has written for them in the past, I’d love to get your feedback. Let us know what you think about what it’s like to be a Suite101 freelance writer.

If you’re interested, check out the Suite101 Freelance Writer’s Guidelines.

It’s another proud moment for us at b5media as we launch our second portal - Bizzia. Yes, we now have a “one-stop destination for relevant and timely business information, insights and news, powered by 30 established b5media blogs.”

Bizzia comes with a partnership with yourBusinessChannel (a company that creates business TV shows for entrepreneurs and business people who want to hear the latest tips and advice from acknowledged business experts) - so you can get some great business-related videos.

According to b5media CEO Jeremy Wright: “Bizzia.com not only serves as a destination for users to get their fill of business news and advice, but provides a forum for intelligent discussion and reader engagement as well.”

The first b5media portal was launched last month, a mega entertainment site called Starked.

Admittedly, the reason I’m sharing this particular affiliate programme is due to the fact that I have recently bought a Developer’s License for the theme. And, I decided to use it when I updated the look of my personal blog. I guess, that’s why I’m quite excited about it. I actually bought and used the product - and like it.

If you’re someone who’s looking for a clean, simple theme to use for your Wordpress blog, then you might want to try Thesis out. And, if you’re someone who’s in touch with people who might be interested in buying Wordpress themes, then you might like to sign up as an affiliate here today.

Not anymore.  Google adense is now working with Google analytics. You can now see data about your adsense earnings even down to how much you make per hour, for every day of the month.  You can also see what pages make the most money: Keyword Junkies REJOICE!

Also for bloggers it should be fun to see what content makes the most money and then start cranking out more content that makes more money

Unfortunately it’s being rolled out slowly and you will see an invite in your adsense account.  I’m not invited yet ;(

Here’s what they say about the news:

By integrating your AdSense account with a new or existing Analytics account, you’ll have access to in-depth reports about user activity on your site. In addition to the wealth of metrics already available in Analytics such as unique visitors and visitor language, you’ll now have access to granular reports that break down AdSense performance both by page and by referring site. Armed with this new data about user behavior, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions on how to improve the user experience on your site and optimize your AdSense units to increase your revenue potential.

Read more from the source

The major consideration when picking an air miles credit card is if they can accommodate you for the major airline in your region of origin. Another is the program itself and how easy it is for the member to get the benefits without too many qualifications.

There are airline-sponsored credit cards but these are of course, exclusive to the airline that issued it. But, if that airline is the major one in your city, then that could be a good choice for you since it will give you more benefits in terms of convenience.

Some banks also issue credit cards that count miles to cater to frequent fliers. These are the more flexible options since the benefits will cover more airline choices. If there is no airline that dominates the place where you’re from, then this is a good choice for you. Probably one of the better advantages of the bank-sponsored card is that they require minimum mileage.

Every major credit card offers programs for the frequent fliers. The concept is for the member to use the credit card in making any travel arrangements so that eventually their number of miles qualify them for free airline tickets, upgrades, and other perks that can benefit the member.

Read more from the source

Are there any ground rules you should layout first?  Should everything be 50/50 from display of ads to decision making or some other share?

My brother might take an interest in the real estate site I’m starting to build and this would be the first time I’ve done any online project with a family member.

Even though my brother might not know how to program or much about internet marketing, I’m looking forward to the perspective he can provide and to having someone else to cover half of the legwork

Do you do any projects with family members?  How does it go for you.

(aside: the poll I ran the other day about the domain name homeshortly.com was 17 for and 17 against votes and then the site went down and is still down so no domain was chosen yet.  I will never use blogpoll again.  In other news I saw Wordpress Just bought PollDaddy.com so I’ll try there next)

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Step 1: To Sell or Not To Sell?
This is the very first step, and yet it’s probably one of the hardest things that I’ve had to do in this process. I love this blog - and I really feel very torn about giving it up. So, making the decision to sell was definitely a hard one.

If you’re considering selling your blog, some of the questions that you might want to ask yourself include:

Why do you want to sell your blog? - The answer to this may be different for various people. It can be a change in direction, an opportunity presented, a need for an injection of cash, etc. They’re all valid.
Are you prepared to go through the process of selling? - Selling any property is never simple and straightforward. Although I’ve never sold a blog before, I’ve been in the business of selling since I was 10 years old. And so far, the toughest sale I had to make was the sale of my first house. What an ordeal that was! And, I imagine selling a web property will be similar. So, if you’re not prepared, figure out what you need to do in order to help ensure the success of your sale.
Is your blog ready to be sold? - Sure, there might be people who are willing to buy blogs with not a lot of history in terms of traffic, subscribers, revenue, content, etc. However, those types of sites usually don’t seem to sell for a lot of money (if at all) - unless you’ve managed to build a site or blog with a lot of potential in a highly sought after or specialised area. Most people who like buying blogs/sites tend to choose those that have some decent background.
Can you identify people who might be able to help? - Help can come in different forms - from spreading the word and promoting your sale to providing leads and giving some selling advice. All types of help are useful!
What’s your timeline? - How long do you plan to go through the process? Are you willing to wait weeks - or even months - to complete a sale? Different turnaround / timeline requirements will most likely need different approaches to selling. In my case, I would like to see some results within the next few weeks. 2 to 3 months at worst. If, by then, there are no acceptable buyers, then I will have to re-assess my options.
Do you want to handle the sale yourself - or hire someone to do the sale for you? - Of course, there are pros and cons to both approaches. And usually, you will have to factor in your hired broker when it comes to thinking of your profit margins.
Where are you planning to sell your blog? - There are not many places to sell a blog. Other than direct contact sales, some sites that you might look in to for selling blogs include SitePoint and eBay (you can’t list on both at the same time).
What are your expectations from the sale? - Are you simply looking for any buyer at all with the cash, or would you be more choosy on who to sell your blog to?
I’ll share more about the process of selling this blog in the next installment of selling JMMO

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