Working at Home on the Internet

Help Me Get Organized…

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I started writing a post the other day about organization. Eventually, it will get finished. But, in writing it, I started thinking of the layout of this Blog.

I think putting the navigation at the top of the sidebar was a good idea. However, in doing that, I found out how disorganized my blog really is. I am closing in on 200 posts that I have written and of course many are related in one way or another.

Something I see all the time on the Blogs and Websites I visit is they all have categories for previous articles. Since I use Blogger, there is no way I have found to list posts in that manner. The closest is having Articles in Previous Posts or Archives.

Neither is really a good way to let visitors view anything in particular they may be looking for. As an example, if you wanted to see my posts on the Basics you would have to go all the way back to October. How would you know where to look?

I know that most of those other sites use different Blogging Platforms, But I still think at this point that I really need to improve navigation on this site.

The only way I can think of to improve navigation with various posts in particular categories is to create separate posts for links in the various categories. This will be the hardest and most time consuming way of doing things. (It’s even hard to explain).

So, if any of you are familiar with the inner workings of Blogger and have a way of setting up a Category List, please let me know. If not, I will just have to do it the hard way.

March 31st, 2006 at 11:45am | Posted by Joe | Organization, Suggestions | reader remarks | Print This Post

Consider Ad Types

Ad Placement may not be the most important thing to consider when you choose an Ad for your site. You must make sure they fit your page and style.

Recently, I took the Chitika E-MiniMall ad out of the prominent position of “Top of Page”. I replaced it with an AdSense link ad. The results were immediate, and did not detract from the secondary ads at the end of the posts.

The reasons for making this decision are many, but the main consideration was there were so few clicks on the ads. The type ads displayed also was a major factor. Most all of the ads were related to computers and components, as the choices for Work at Home products are very limited. It was time for a change.

On this type of page, it seems the more information I can provide the better. If the ads are placed correctly and are relevant to the subject of Working at Home on the Internet, the CTR increases.

Your considerations should be similar. Depending on the type of site you have, Chitika may be a good choice, ie a Tech site could do well with Computer ads or a Health and Fitness site with Vitamin ads.

You may consider AdSense as your primary advertiser if your site is based more on information. Since AdSense will use keywords within posts to determine the type of ad shown, this may be your best option.

As I have said many times, in many posts, don’t be afraid to experiment. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to change if something doesn’t work for you.

I have provided a list of the advertisers I have been affiliated with in the links below.

Related posts:
Ad Placement
Using Ads on Your Blog or Website
Advertisements

March 29th, 2006 at 02:58pm | Posted by Joe | Advertising | reader remarks | Print This Post

Feeling Guilty for Taking Time Off

I thought about just taking the day off today. The first really nice day in a couple of weeks. It has been cold and miserable since I posted about a similar day a few weeks back.

Then, I started to get this guilty feeling, like I was abandoning my post. I really do need to take some time, and I know it, but still have all these things that need to be done.

I tried pre-writing posts as suggested by all the Professionals, but when I write them, I usually post them right away. I have been writing ideas down with a few sentences on which direction I should go in the post. But, what made sense yesterday, doesn’t always translate well today.

So, I thought I would share this New Wall I have hit in the Grand Scheme of Working at Home.

It’s not writers block, I have plenty of subjects to write about. It’s not that I haven’t worked hard for 6 months without a day off. It’s not lack of projects that need to be done. There are more than enough things to keep me occupied.

It’s Spring Fever… It hits around this time every year. Can’t help it, Spring is my favorite season. So, after I finish this post, I will dig out the lawn furniture, rake the lawn and not feel guilty for doing it.

Related Posts:
Refresh Your Mind
Overcoming Isolation

March 29th, 2006 at 12:36pm | Posted by Joe | Attitude | reader remarks | Print This Post