Buy, Sell and Hold: Javascripts for my blog, and Yours!

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I recently added up the number of Javascripts and Plugins that are on my blog… It’s like 20 plugins and 17 javascripts. So, if you are noticing a slowdown, and longer page loading times, then I apologize. I have to cut down some of the less essential ones. I am awarding grades out of five for verdicts to help figure out what is a ‘buy’, what’s a ‘hold’, and what’s a ‘sell’.

All my javascripts are listed here:

  • BlugRush – I was enticed to readd this with the promise of better quality traffic. So far, BlogRush shows lots of traffic, but I didn’t see ANY click throughs directly from BlogRush. … still I will leave it right now for a while longer, even though it is mostly spewing spam blogs with nothing but links to articles. Verdict: **/5
  • RealTrafficExchange – I recently added this as a way to generate additional traffic, but it’s a waste of time. My blogs haven’t been approved at all. Verdict: */5.
  • ScratchBackWidget – I can’t make up my mind on this javascript, I took it down, then replaced, then took it down again. Then I replaced it. I guess I’ll keep it. Verdict: ***/5. I’m looking for this to improve with age.
  • ADDTHIS – Definitely keep this. In fact I have three on each page. Is that too many? Verdict: *****/5.
  • Forbes – I joined this ad network because of its supposedly prestigious advertising connections. But it seems to be turning into a lame duck for me. Unprofessional. Sharon Gitelle sent out the first code for the badge: it wasn’t even HTML or Javascript. Bad… Out. 350 impression, and only showing one network ad. I also have the blogger badge. This slows down the loading. Verdict: */5.
  • MyBlogLog: Actually, I have three scripts installed from them apparently: my bloglog widget, my bloglog profile, and my bloglog visitors (at the bottom). That’s likely two too many. Overall, the verdict: ***/5. I’ll keep one of them.
  • Blogmad: BlogMad is a network of Bloggers who operate a traffic network system. I like to show my blog in there amongst blogs of a similar category. It helps to build traffic and visitors.
  • Alexa: A largely inaccurate way to measure traffic and visitor depth to a website as an objective measurement. Seriously inaccurate for all but the biggest sites as its data sample is far too small. I keep it for measuring some traffic as its generally the only independent measurement of some standing. Still. It is not worth more than – Verdict: ***/5.
  • RealRank: Another way to measure the traffic to a website, it was first touted by Payperpost (later Izea) as an answer to the Google RankSpank. Well, it’s now available, but SocialSpark is not. Useful but not worth more than – Verdict: ***/5.
  • NetAudioAds was purported to be a new concept in ads that allowed an ad to be played when a visitor went to a particular page. Unfortunately, it has been beta-testing for quite a long time. We keep being promised a roll-out, but all I can say is Verdict: */5 largely for tardiness.
  • PPP: This code allows me to participate in the PayPerPost Network. Since I haven’t had an opportunity to write about anything there (not even ones that I set up), I’m considering removing it, but haven’t gotten around to it. Also, since PPP isn’t no_follow yet, this presents a conundrum. Verdict: before: *****/5 now */5. Who knows about tomorrow?
  • Google Analytics: Essential code for making sense of the traffic that visits your blog or website. Highly recommended, even if it’s from the Google Grinch. Verdict: ****/5

I guess I’ll be removing most of these in the next few hours. Why weigh down your blog? Eh…

PayDay Loans: Should you use or avoid them?

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Payday loans, when used sparingly and in true emergencies, can be financial lifesavers. A payday loan is funds borrowed from a lender with a promise of repayment, usually from the borrower’s next paycheck. Hence, the name payday loan.

With a payday loan, there are no credit checks, no up-front costs, no sharing your financial information with others and you get the funds within 24 hours. Those are distinct advantages in a crisis. If your car won’t run or it’s the middle of winter and your furnace breaks down for the last time, payday loans can fill an urgent need especially for those whose credit would preclude short-term bank loans.

Finding a payday loan isn’t hard; it seems they’re on nearly every major street corner these days and they’re worldwide. They have longer hours than banks and credit unions and they also cash checks for a small fee.

However, what if payday comes and you’re unable to pay back the loan in full? Payday loans will roll over to the next paycheck and the next and the next—each time adding interest which averages $15 per hundred. Therefore, if you’ve borrowed three hundred dollars for the cheapest water heater you could find but can’t pay the loan back for two months, that water heater has cost you the original price plus 4 cycles of interest. You’ve paid $180 in interest, over half of the amount of the loan!

There are definitely advantages to payday loans if you can meet the original terms of service and get the loan on a truly “payday” basis. However, if you have any doubt that you can pay back the payday lender, you should consider other sources for loans. Better yet, try to plan and provide for financial disasters before they occur.

You can use the little calculator below to calculate your interest rate over a longer period.

It is updated automatically.

February, 2008: Financial Results – a quiet month

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After January’s stellar month, February has really settled back and results are only approximately half of January’s. That is of course to be expected.

I had hoped that my free download would entice visitors to download the top twelve subscriptions. Well, it hasn’t quite worked yet. But I’m going to keep plugging it, because I think it’s a useful way to promote this blog. I’m planning to up the number to 20 subscriptions, but so far I only have six more good suggestions. So now, I’m running a poll for the remaining 2 positions in the list. Do vote!

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So let’s deal with the money, first this month. Parts 2 and 3 will deal with the traffic, and challenges. But I’ll post these over the next few days.

Income this month has been less, but the variety of sources is quite impressive. I’m pretty sure now that I could easily extend both the range and the depth of each source, if I had more time to do it.

* Bank Interest: $26.25
* Dividend Income: $78.22
* Consulting Income: $250.00
* TLA – $74.49
* LinkWorth – $63.50 (for three sites)
* TopSpots – $1.00
* Blogging – $96.25
* Total = $589.98*
*there are a few other residual sources but they generally don’t generate much, like Voxant, NetAudioAds, etc. that generate only a few cents a month. In addition, some sources that generate a lot one month, but nothing the next are not included.

Unfortunately, I’ve not been very aggressive in getting extra interest generated. I have nearly $150,000 sitting in the bank, and another US$2500 sitting in a broker’s account, and still another $700 sitting in another account earning 0%. I’ve not invested these at all. So that’s pretty dumb. I don’t know why I haven’t got around to doing that, but I DO know that it’s costing me at least 2.5%pa now (or $16pm). And that’s not including any capital appreciation. This is a situation I will rectify.

Also the list of sources of income isn’t complete. For example, some of my customers buy hosting from on my server: no accounts have become due this month; nor have I had any new customers. According to my plan, developing a part-time income from work is important. I have had several contacts for part-time work in Taipei, but it isn’t something I’m able to do just now. I’d love to switch my teaching load from full-time to part-time, but it’s not possible. So…

Total Income Generated

Naturally, this means my total generated by blogging now jumps to $9020.37. Also, my revenue from writing reviews and buzzes has dropped from over $200 per month to just $96.25. In fact, last month I only wrote two reviews in February. It seems the Google Grinch is still out and about.

Expenses

The blog currently only has a few expenses such as hosting through Dreamhost’s VPS system and it works well. Of course, Domains and I own about ten or so all need to be paid for annually and Paypal Fees. I currently don’t advertise, though I may do so soon again.

* hosting – $49.50 (est.)
* Fees – $6.15 (Paypal, Commissions, etc.)
* Content, Development, and Traffic – $89.00
* Total = $144.65*

*These figures are estimates as final figures haven’t been received for some, and other commissions are invisible having been deducted at source.

Other factors that are beginning to affect me more directly now is the weakness of the dollar vs. the NT$. In fact in the past week, the NT$ has dropped by nearly NT$1. It’s now trading at a little under NT$31 to the US$. I’ve been using the value of NT$32.5 for a long time and I found it a good approximation. But no longer.