Ask Me Why… Work From Home

Here’s why I love working from home… it’s called FLEXIBILITY.

Having spent more time relieving the folks at the Senior Center, and getting a very clear understanding of their position, I’ve been encouraged to plan for their retirement, and for me to take over the account.

The main question of whether my body will stand up to the work load has been answered with an affirmative, especially when I know I have to very able assistants.

That means I’ll be resigning from the BookWise opportunity. I’m doing this as I feel I can’t really juggle the farm, a network marketing business, and writing “our story”, as well as working three days a week.

I am continuing to maintain an online presence, mostly through blogging.

With all the changes in EntreCard, rather than try to completely update with “old stats”, I’ll comment more on the updates and changes… all for the betterment of blogworld.

Yeah, looking back at my last four posts (three weeks time), it appears I’ve been obsessed with Entrecard. Well, yes… I have, but now I’m over it and ready to move forward.

No, I’m not leaving Entrecard, I’m simply working it “smarter”… and you should, too.

I’ve been slapped to my senses by some good friends at ChainDrop. Dane got slapped, and he’s forwarding the favor… so Dane, I’m doing my part.

It’s a case of remembering how your mother always hounded you to send “Thank-you notes” for gifts you received, and deeds done on your behalf. Ya’ know, that applies even more today, as we’re constantly bombarded with rudeness, apathy, and downright ignorance.

What’s that got to do with Entrecard, and my BookWise business?

Everything. Let’s see if I can keep this promise. I’ll lay it out here to show accountability.

I have begun responding to ad requests on my blogs through Entrecard with a personal thank-you note sent through the system.

I’ll also be thanking regular card droppers. Who knows, they may be readers, but the stats won’t tell me. I can see the “Top Ten” regulars, and I can also see the sites (Top Ten) that sent the most traffic by way of my purchased ad on their site. They’ll get notes, too.

Now that I’ve been with Entrecard for just short of a month, I’ll be passing out more frequent “link love” by way of site reviews (especially if you’ve ended up in my favorites folder), and sites that reference very handy tools.

After just over two weeks, things are finally coming together for me. I’ve spent countless hours dropping cards, reading other blogs where folks are discussing various Entrecard systems, and analyzing ad results.

Here’s what I’ve come up with. It will work for me for a while until it becomes time to tweak. If it works for you, great. I’m happy to share the information.

I run four blogs. I believe that when you have more blogs you can drive more traffic. Do you need four? Probably not. How many are too many? If you can’t keep adding fresh, original content on a regular basis, to each blog, you’ve got too many.

I’m still struggling to develop a “quick” way to drop cards. I go to Categories, first selecting my own category and visit all my “competitors”. Then I go to closely related categories and do the same. In the very large categories, I alternate starting at the top of the list, or the bottom of the list, or in the middle. My goal for each blog is to drop a minimum of 100 cards.

I do not “chain drop” by clicking on the ad on any given site. My personal position is that leads to “inflated ad returns” and dilutes the quality of the traffic. I’ll discuss more on this later.

Thanks to some other bloggers, I’ve discovered it’s acceptable to transfer credits from one account to another. Therefore, I’ve now begun moving my credits each morning to one of the four blogs.

Since two of the blogs are about my business, I’ll be transferring two days of traffic to each of them, and then one day each to the other two blogs. That leaves me one day’s traffic that I’ll probably use for my fifth blog.

With this new pool of credits (in excess of 500 daily), I purchase first from “the most popular list”. Then I go to my own niche and purchase the highest value ads possible. If I run out of ads (small niche, like “Books”), I purchase from closely related blogs.

I do keep an eye on the “most recent” list, although I’ve learned to take the time to investigate them for quality just as soon as I make a purchase. There have been a few times when I’ve canceled ads after looking at blogs. Either they’ve been very low quality (splog type), or have contained content that offends me (not in violation of the TOS).

For accurate analysis, I’m using Google Analytics. I’ve found that by drilling down, I’m able to get statistics at the advertiser level. There is a minimum of 24 hour delay, but I’ll get used to it.

If you have “systems” that are working for you, drop your link here, and maybe we can help each other (as well as our readers). My goal is to make Entrecard work for me. By that, I mean drive quality traffic to my blogs, which in turn will lead to sales and associates in my BookWise business.

Entrecard, another one of those programs I heard about at least two weeks before I got around to looking at it.

I got my first icon up for Shari’s Gone Country on Dec 20, a mere 10 days ago. So far, my I can see from cPanel that I am getting about 20% more visitors. What’s really nice is the time on my site… 24% spend more than 30 seconds and the average is 370 seconds… over 6 minutes.

My second icon went up for my BookWise blog… Success Notes on Dec 21. This is a very new site (old domain name… gathered up my “lost traffic”). The response is even greater here, as Entrecard is the “primary” traffic driver. Average daily visits have doubled, from 25 to 50 and the average time on the site is 313 seconds… over 5 minutes.

The Entrecard for this blog went up on Christmas Eve. Again my average traffic doubled from 30 t0 60 average unique visitors per day. One visitor liked the article on “Chat Netiquette” so well, he “Stumbled” it… and that resulted in a spike of another 175 visitors. Even with that, I have better than 20% who spend more than one minute and the average is 248 seconds, or just over 4 minutes on the site.

My latest blog… a fun one just went up on Dec 28. It’s a blog I’ve maintained “off and on” for the past two years. This is where I report my PGA Tour Fantasy Golf results. I love the statistics of golf, and really enjoy the challenge of playing fantasy golf. Since it’s on a “blogger” platform, the stats will record differently. At this point, it’s too early to report any meaningful statistics.

So, what can I do with all this increased traffic?

It’s my responsibility to provide my readers/visitors with quality original content. Each blog is specific.

Shari’s Gone Country journals my life here with three other “boomer” women as we labor to build our little homestead in the desert. I’m using it at the basis for a book I’m writing… blog-style, called “Four Country Gals“. I know… it doesn’t have an Entrecard icon and I’m not sure it ever will… if you want to read it, be sure to bookmark the link, and then grab the feed.

Success Notes is where I can elaborate on my BookWise business and experience. It’s where you can get a more in-depth look at the business, as well as where you can pose questions for me. I want it to be interactive… BookWise is as much an experience, as a business.

Of course this blog, Ask Me Why… Work From Home is my commitment to you. I didn’t come out of retirement on a whim. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life… it’s what Zig Ziglar says… “If you help enough other people get what they want in life, you’ll have more than you could ever want in your life.”

That is why I am committed to sharing whatever I find with you. From time-to-time I’ll share an affiliate link (and please… honor it if I do). Often I’ll simply post a root link, as I’m not here to “make money off you”, rather, to “make money with you”.

Ask Shari About PGA Tour Fantasy Golf is just plain fun! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Yes, I have “monetized” it using Google AdSense, but that’s more to make the template “balanced” than anything else.

Now… one last thing… when you run across the little “Buy Me A Beer” icons, if you like what you’re read, learned and enjoyed, please… take the time to buy me a beer. I promise not to drink and drive.

It’s that time of year when I look forward to the next year. I take the time to analyze what worked this year ( and am therefore keeping), and what has not worked this year. Yes, I give things a few months to show signs of life before moving them off my site.

First, things that are going bye-bye…

Blogrush, I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. I know, I never referred anyone, but how could I… you’ve yet to really get going. I’ve given you prime sidebar real estate that can be better used this next year. So, over the next few days, you’re being eliminated from all my blogs.

“Help me Blog for a Year” may have stimulated some return traffic… but the contest is ending on December 31, 2007. I got a late start and was reluctant to stomp around at Blog Catalog where the obvious leader had established her territory. I’ll be finishing in 30th place, and happy that I got that far along, having had a mere six months to do what others have done over the past 18 months.

BlogSkinny… maybe you’re good for someone… but I can’t figure you out. Every time I go there I have to request my password. I can’t find my stats… You are next to impossible to navigate… and that’s not something my readers like… so, you’re going bye-bye.

So, who stays?

BlogCatalog stays. They are awesome! I’ve gotten meaningful traffic, and have gained much knowledge over the past months. The site is well-run, the widget works as advertised, and it looks good on my blogs.

Entrecard is a recent addition. This one requires work on my part… but ya’ know what? I’m enjoying it! I’ve met many other bloggers I’d never had seen if it weren’t for the “drop cards” requirement. I’ll be writing more about this traffic tool in time.

What’s coming?

I’m restarting “Shari’s Golden Nuggets”. This is a newsletter I maintained for 5 years prior to my retirement. It’s on a “blogger” platform, but I think I’ll move it to a wordpress platform… not sure yet if it rates it’s own domain name. Plans are for me to write a monthly (just like I used to) newsletter that covers just two or three things in greater depth. It will also allow me to publish quick bulletins as necessary

Ezine Director is my newsletter provider and I am able to segment my list. That’s good for you as it lets me make sure you’re getting what you want… and no more.

I’ll be continuing my presence at MySpace, BizzyBlog, and working to figure out FaceBook. At this point, it’s too early for me to write anything really coherent about these experiences.

I’ll be writing about how to work highly targeted forums through posting and commenting. This is a very viable method as long as you are contributing in such a way as to establish yourself as an expert on something. That doesn’t mean you’re always leaving a “sales message”.

Will I be doing audio and video? Probably not. I know, it’s all the rage… but being from the “old school” I’ve learned that just because something is the rage doesn’t make it right for what I’m doing.

Don’t look for any auto-loading audio or video here. If I do that, it will be at MySpace, or maybe BizzyBlog.

You’ll see more posts here about network marketing as I move forward with my BookWise opportunity. I’ve been doing a lot of work in the background with my sponsor. We’ve updated our business opportunity sites. I’ve created a specific blog to augment the business site. The guys at corporate are working feverishly (involves leaning really hard on some vendors) to get to phase two and three… that’s when the good stuff shows up.

I’m not yet ready to talk about what comes in phase three, since they’re relying on third-party services. There’s just not enough control for me to be comfortable promoting something coming in the future… but, ya’ gotta know… I’m riding the BookWise business until it fades into the sunset… and that’s gonna be a long ride!

If there’s one thing that will sink your business like a rock, it’s the temptation to work your business in your spare time.

Hello!! There’s no such thing as spare time.

There’s wasted time… and there’s down time… but spare time is a myth.

What I’m going to do is share my schedule with you. Sure, I don’t commute to a job, but I do have things that could be considered a job… these are tasks I much do each day at a certain time (pretty much like your job, eh).

Beyond that, there are family commitments.  Just because you have a home-based business, that’s no excuse to isolate yourself from your family. You’re gonna need all the support you can get, so don’t alienate them.

There’s also “down time”. That’s when your brain has pretty much said “I quit for the day”. Don’t panic. We all have down time… in fact we need down time so our brains can recover. I use down time to watch my favorite TV programs, to sleep, to play with the dogs, etc.

So, what does my average day look like?

Wake up the first time is generally around 6 AM. I stay in bed (the dogs want morning love). I use this time to mentally reinforce my “to do” list for the day. I’m out of bed around 7 or 7:15 depending upon which one of us three who share a bathroom needs to be out of the house first.

By 8:30AM, I have had my coffee, talked with my roomies, confirmed any last minute schedule changes, played with the dogs, and maybe had breakfast. It’s time to hit the computer, where I spend the first hour and a half.

This is the time I check e-mail, and answer e-mail. I also check all my stats. I post to several forums, so I’ll often swing through quickly and post as necessary (typically only replying to my active threads). I also use this time to read the news (Yahoo and a local TV station news).

About 10AM, it’s time to feed our animals. If I’m by myself, this chore takes up to an hour, depending upon whether I have to haul hay, clean and refill water tanks, and maybe clean the horse corral and stable. If Cindy is here to help, we’re generally done in about 30 minutes or less. This job gets done seven days a week.

After chores is my most creative time. This is from about 10:30 or 11AM until about 2PM when another room mate returns home. I use this time to update blogs, write advertising (will post it later), and research.

In the late afternoon, from 2 until 4 I read, generally online… the stuff I gathered from research… this is that daily two hour block I use for learning new things.

By 4pm it’s time to feed again and then we have dinner. I’m generally away from work for up to 2.5 hours during that time.

In the evening, I return for another hour or two, generally attending conference calls, or taking time to do some “social interaction” at some online chat locations.

By 8pm, I’m ready to “surf” for an hour before calling it a night.

Weekends are generally reserved for family activities and work around the farm. I may take a weekday off once or twice a month to travel to the city to shop.

So there you have it… a schedule that fits my natural day.

Wow… Howdy from the SW Utah desert… covered in better than 3″ snow, and barely above freezing.

Hey, Santa called and said he’s shopping here. Said you should shop here, too!

I’ll give you the same deal I’m giving him… up to 42% discount on new books, CD’s, and DVD’s. Plus… I’ll eat part of the shipping… sending your precious packages to you by 1st Class USPS, but you’ll pay the Media Rate.

Here’s exactly how to get the same great deal. Go to “Four Country Gals BookWise Bookstore“. In the top area… “register for an account”… no cost, and no obligations. Just for doing that, I’ll give you your choice of audio or ebook… “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.

Yeah… sometime Saturday, I’ll have a brand-spanking new bookstore online. Called “Bookwise”, and my store in particular called “Big Book Store”… you’ll discover much, much more than Amazon will ever offer.

Here’s why you’ll want to shop at my store… and no, you don’t have to spend money to take advantage of a couple of really neat free gifts.

You see, at my BookWise Big Book Store, just for becoming a “Preferred Customer”, you’ll get the BookWise Classic Books Package… just for registering… no purchase required. I’ve seen where you can even get up to a 42% discount on NEW books. We’ll also have CD’s, DVD’s, and eventually games, too.

I just checked, and as of right this minute, you really can’t see my store… (they’re stocking the shelves and getting all gussied up)… but come Saturday, December 1, 2007… you can be the first to see it.

How come you’ll be first?

I’m volunteering at the Enterprise UT Senior Center. It’s our Annual Senior’s Christmas Bazaar, and I’m the grill chef. This time I’ll be wanting to stay by the grill, as we’ll be lucky to be above freezing. Heck, we’re even expecting snow!

Want to get the link to my bookstore, so you can be first to see it?

Get on my list… see the side bar… just fill that in. It goes to my newsletter list and I’m loading up some announcements so you can get in on the goodies, even if I’m not around.