zerotomed.com

Boy, it has been a long time since I updated this blog. And the truth is, I have no real excuse other than the fact my other blog has become a bit more important to me. Zero to Med was never really meant to make any money for me. It was meant to document my journey from nothing to something and that is what I am going to fall back on. I am going to document how things are going for me and primarily use it just to post rambling. If I don’t get any readers, that’s fine…That’s not what is important to me. What is important is for me to document what I have been doing so I can look back and see how things have been.

But, where have I been? I’ve been working primarily on DormEarning.com. I have been trying desperately to get that blog really up and running because I know that if I can get past the threshold that damages so many bloggers, I can really begin to see an increase in profits. I am still working on getting a theme for the blog and once that happens, perhaps I will find myself increasing my profits. But, that’s where things have been primarily in that respect. But, this is where I’ve been in other fields…

Microbiology and Organic Chemistry are finally coming together for me. On both of my lab exams for each of those classes, I got an A, so I am really on a roll. And on top of that, I got an A on my last Calculus quiz, so things are really looking up. For a while, I was beginning to question if I would even get into medical school. From the look of it, if I continue to keep my grades up like this, I will definitely make it into medical school. And that is definitely amazing because that is my dream. This semester has been hell, but I have to say, things are looking up. I can’t guarantee a daily post, but I will let you know how I am doing from time to time. Thanks for staying loyal to my journey from Zero to Med.

On Dorm Earning, I have found that if I remove the counter, I begin to see an increase in the number of daily readers of my blog via the RSS feed. For a blog that only three days ago had no readers, when I took the counter off and added just a button for them to click, it began to go up rather fast. And that is with no marketing really other than a few blog comments. It brought me to a conclusion that I intend on studying farther with my two blogs: Dorm Earning and Zero to Med.

My hypothesis is: There is no difference between when I use a counter and when I use a normal button. Now, that is called a null hypothesis. What I am trying to do is prove that statement wrong. If I find that there is a difference, the hypothesis will not be supported and thus, I will be one step closer to successfully determining what gauges RSS readership. So many people think that a hypothesis is an ‘if, than’ statement, but null are really the ones scientists use.

The point is this…I have really been hoping for an increase in RSS and if this experiment works, I will finally be there. I want to be at 100 by the end of October for Dorm Earning and I really think that I can get there. If anyone here likes the blog, feel free to subscribe by going to the blog. If you don’t, that’s okay. But, I am really excited about the growth and I expect some great things in the future. Stay tuned for results on this experiment. Thanks.

Since I am always trying to drive some more traffic to my sites, I thought I may show you guys some of the top debates currently on Debateful. The topics are all extremely random, but I have to say, they are all really interesting. They bring up some very interesting points and I really hope that you may find your own opinions wanting to be expressed. But, I suppose that’s the point of this post…To, perhaps, invite some more people to the site and to get them to post their arguments. But, anyways…Here are a few of the top debates I am currently enjoying.

• Gun Control - A very basic debate about whether there should be tighter rules on guns or looser rules on guns. Really enjoyable.
• Child Soldiers - A very interesting debate about child soldiers. Should a child be allowed to fight if they want to fight?
• America vs. Saddam - This debate started as whether or not America should be a militaristic country and have mandatory military conscription, but turned into a debate between this guy and me. It is really quite detailed.

These are just three of the debates currently going on. There are a ton others and more are being added often. If you like to debate and feel argumentative, you ought to stop by and get your opinion heard. Debating can be addicting, but I think that it can be a healthy addiction. Better than smoking, drinking, or staying up late playing flash games when you could be working. So, check out the debates and if you have your own opinion, get it heard.

I finally reached the one hundred dollar mark. For those that don’t know, I have never actually received a check from Google. Most of my money each month came from my freelance writing, so I was still bringing in a few hundred bucks a month, but when it comes down to it, I never once got a check from Google and that finally broke about a week ago. I finally pushed over the $100.00 hump and I am excited about it. It has given me the motivation to continue with what I am doing and try to expand what I am doing.

Now, the question that comes up is what can I do with this money? It is only a little over $100, but the truth is, with that money, I can do some very good things. If I were to use the money to get some links on some important blogs, I could definitely get a bit of a boost on traffic. One hundred dollars is exactly what I would need to also purchase one of those Million Dollar Wiki pages. Some people don’t think that they are a good idea, but frankly, I think they are a brilliant idea and I am already gathering the funds for two or three of them. My theory is that if I can highly competitive terms and start to make a profit from them, I could really make a good money.

I am anxious to get the check from them. If all goes according to plan, that $100.00 will turn into $200.00 and then $300.00. I know it can take some time to make money, but we’re entering the better months for earning and I might really see things take off. But, we will just have to wait and see…Stay tuned for another report on how my earnings are doing in another week or so and perhaps some things that I want to change to really ensure that my earnings continue to go up. Until then, I bid thee farewell!

Today, I come from Microbiology lab. I come from an Organic Chemistry lecture where I learned about Alkanes and how they can be sorted. Today, I came from lunch, where my friends and I were laughing. I ate lunch at twelve forty five. But six years ago, I was not laughing. Six years ago, America was silent. Six years ago, the world was silent. A nation that had for so long had offered freedom to those that had come here had been attacked in the most ruthless of ways. It was not an attack on our military. It was not an attack on our government. It was an attack on the innocent lives of America.

Six years ago, I remember walking into my Spanish class in 8th grade. I remember walking in and one of the kids I know, his name was Arnold, running around class yelling, “we’re going to war, we’re going to war, we’re going to war!” We were thirteen years old, or I was barely thirteen (my birthday is September 22). We did not understand war really. And then we watched on the news, in Ms. Murphy’s third period Spanish class, the planes flying into the towers for a second time. And it hit us. We realized that we had been attacked. We realized that something that had not happened in close to sixty years had happened again. We had been attacked.

I remember riding my bike home as fast as I possibly could to find out if anyone I knew had been killed. I live an hour and a half north of New York City on a direct train line right into Grand Central Station, the main station in Manhattan. Manhattan was a big place for a lot of the people in my city to go to work. And I wondered if anyone I knew was there. I wondered if my Grandparents, who were going into the city to get my Grandfather’s chemotherapy for the day were alright. I don’t think I have ever ridden my bike home faster. I don’t think it is possible…

On September 11, 2001, we, as a nation, came together as one. People who hated America even put flags up because they realized, even if for only a day, that we as a PEOPLE had been attacked. It had not been a move of war nor had it been a move against our government. It had been a move, a decisive attack against the PEOPLE of this nation. And it is because of that we came together. I now give thanks to those that helped to clear the rubble, to take the bodies out, and to offer help to those in need of it. I remember wishing I was five years older and able to go down. If it had happened today on this year, I would be there already helping…

We are one nation. We are a nation brought together under one basic belief and that is freedom. We are a free nation, where anyone, from the lowest class individual to the highest class individual has the chance to become something better. And that is what makes so many people hate us. And yet we are still strong. I ask for all my fellow bloggers to give only a moment of your busy work schedules to remember those that died and for those that are still dying. We are at war. We are constantly fighting terrorists. London was attacked. Madrid was attacked. We are still at war and we will be at war forever. But so long as we are fighting them, they will not be able to get to us. Remember today. Never forget.

I said in the beginning of September that it did begin a new era. I had all the intentions in the world to make Dorm Earning grow and ladies and gentlemen, it really is beginning to grow. I have getting a semi-unique theme (it’s only be downloaded once and it costs money to get it), so I am really getting rather anxious to have access to it. I am getting it for free, but that’s another story for another time. The point is, Dorm Earning is pushing ahead and there are some really good things planned for it.

Over at ProBlogger, Darren mentioned that he is looking for people to donate prizes for his blogs 3rd year birthday. Now, I thought about it for a moment or two and I have really been thinking about maybe offering him $50.00 or maybe even $100.00 as a prize. People love cash, so the money would definitely get accepted I am sure. And, with that, a link to Dorm Earning would be guaranteed. Now, on top of that, as people start to blog about the prizes, I may get more links and that is important to me. That’ll drive even more traffic. But, I want your opinions: Do you think that this is a good move for me or should I save the money for something else?

I have begun to dabble in free article services for article submissions to push traffic to Dorm Earning. I did one today on a rather nice blog (you’ll see if it you go visit JonWaraas.com) and I am excited about the potential traffic. I’ll be doing more for Jon as well as doing them for other FAS (Free Article Services). They are not that great, but if they can guarantee me some link love, I can’t deny the potential for some nice growth.

My Alexa is what I am really pleased about. The Alexa on Dorm Earning continues to drop lower and lower and that is really great. I give that, in part, to the fact that the number of posts I make has increased and I am beginning to comment more on other blogs. And, since I am giving link love to people more freely, they are beginning to reciprocate. I sent out a couple of e-mails to people about one of my articles about blogging being like football and I am looking forward to some responses and maybe some links. Hopefully, huh?

So, as you can see, Dorm Earning is beginning to get some push towards it. It is ranking decently for the keyword Make Money Online on Google (Page 4) and I am hoping to maybe get that to page 3 or even 2 if all goes according to plan, by the end of the month. Even if I don’t, the site is really beginning to grow and I may actually start to see an increase in earnings by the end of the month. Maybe I am on the right track to become a successful blogger. Who knows, huh?

I have an addiction. No, it’s not heroin. No, it’s not alcohol (although a beer every once in a while is nice *hint hint*). My addiction is blogging. I do it all the damn time and I am always thinking of new ways that I can expand my blogging experience. I now write two blog posts a day for Dorm Earning rather than only one. I read tons of blogs a day and I regretfully say, I sometimes neglect studying because I am reading a blog. I am studying a lot more this semester, but damn, those blogs are just so damn interesting. I think from when I started to now, my addiction for blogging has increased tremendously. I love to do it. I love writing and I love thinking up new things to make my blogs better.

75%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Are you addicted? Do you think that in another six months, I may be even more addicted? Who knows? All I know is this…I love to blog and I am going to continue blogging for as long as I can. Or until I shoot myself in the head from so much stress. Probably the former though.

Like the title says, September begins a new era for my online ventures. What this means simply is now that I have slacked tremendously at the end of August, I now want to focus on two things: my earnings and my schooling. This begins a new era for me, but there are a few specifics that I intend on changing during this new era. There are a few things that definitely need changes and then there are a few things that I think are nice things to change, so let’s just go into detail about those few things.

• I intend on putting adsense back onto Zero to Med. I will be putting it at the end of each post simply because it is not used for anything else. While it may not make much money, I think that it is still beneficial and with people investing more in advertising now that the summer is over, I think it might allow for some profitable days/weeks/month.
• Dorm Earning NEEDS to get an increase in posts. I have slacked on that since school started and that’s fine because I know that once I start posting again, I’ll get the traffic back again. But, I know that I need to really work on getting that blog up to two posts a day minimum. I’ve already changed where the Adsense goes on there and I have added Kontera. That blog, if all goes according to plan, will be getting a brand spanking new theme. I want one that gives me more options and allows for some really nice growth. But, we’ll see.
• Content Writing is going to become a necessity. I tasted the sweetness of instantaneous gratification and I have to say, I really love it. I intend on increasing the number of articles that I write tremendously and I am hoping for a really good turn around each and every month. If I had it my way, I’d make a few hundred a month just by doing that and use that money to invest in the growth of my other sites.
• Now that school has started, Science Chats really is going to get a kick in the ass to start going. Since I beginning to meet a lot of the incoming science majors at my school, I think that I could get a good following. I’ve thought about mentioning it to my professors, but since I have to slightly dumb myself down to increase activity, I don’t want my professors thinking I am a moron. What I speak about on the forum and my actual scientific knowledge are two totally different things. But, I have to ensure I write in a way that people with just a general interest can understand it. If I started talking about the chemical make up of a particular protein in the deoxyribonucleic acid using massive words, people may have no idea what I was saying.
• In the same breath, I intend on giving a good push for Debateful. I figure if I can talk to some of my friends, I may be able to convince them to join up and see what’s going on. If I can get about ten of my argumentative friends to sign up, it’ll be golden. I’ll be able to increase productivity and definitely see a profit. But, that’ll just take some time. But, with both this and Science Chats, the school months might really help.

So, as you can see, there is a lot going on right now. I have the sites that I love going for me, I will be getting my first Adsense check soon (things started REALLY slow), and I can finally start saying that things are looking up. I’m looking forward to these next few months and I hope that with an increase in work, I may be able to see an increase in profits. But if all else fails, content writing is a sure buck.

For those that don’t know, school has started for me. Classes have yet to begin, but I volunteered to be an orientation leader. That means that I will be doing a lot of work from 7:00AM until 12:00AM. As you can see, I will be working for about seventeen hours in one day, but I am alright with that. The only downfall with doing all of that work is that I will be unable to GET any website work done. I mean, my websites are going to lag, but I think it’s alright. August will be coming to an end and that’ll leave me a chance to make September amazing.

First and foremost is Dorm Earning will be getting a minimum of two posts a day. This is important because it’ll really increase traffic. Content is king and that is imperative. I am hoping that I can also get the RSS up as well as the PR to something other than 0 so I can get it some good link sales as well as some good reviews written. I intend on kicking out the middle man if this other program gets up and running. I wrote about it on my blog all about removing the middle man.

In the end, all that happens is that I will be working heavily on trying to increase the profitability of that blog. Since I am not going crazy on small content sites like I had intended at the end of last semester because it will be too much work, I have to ensure that the larger sites get even larger. I’d love to have a unique theme for Dorm Earning by the end of September, but I may not have the money. If I do, that is where my money will go without a doubt. But, in the end, what I need to do is get the site’s traffic doubled. But, this weekend I will be away, so the start of September will definitely be eventful. Let’s hope for the best!

A few days ago, I began to get to work on a few changes to Dorm Earning to try and expand the profitability and the growth of the site. If you go there and look now, you will see a few new things. The first is that you will see a totally new design. My mentality was that if I got a totally new design for the site, it might give it some unique feeling. I was unable to buy a custom one, but I did try and find one that wasn’t downloaded all that much. I am having a few problems with it, but I am sure if I tweak it and all, I will get it fixed.

The next thing that I did was change the adsense. The important thing to do is always experiment with ad placement. The original box was doing nothing, so I decided to make it easier on the reader’s eyes and put the ad at the bottom. It may not convert as well, but it might still convert well simply because it is in a different location. I think that since they will be done reading the article, they might click an ad. More likely, in my opinion, to click an ad when the text was finished being read than when they first started reading the article.

There are only a few things that I need to get done for the blog to really become profitable. The first that I really want to do is get some links sold. I am selling them for $15.00 a piece which is sort of expensive, but I think it might be a good price, especially if the PR does change during the month. The other that I would like is to get Kontera on there. Now, if I could get their manager to e-mail me back, I’d greatly appreciate it, but alas, you can’t always get what you want. The point is this…I really want to add a series of profitable programs to it and try to expand my profits. It’ll really make things easier. Oh well. Let’s hope for the best!