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‘So how does Google Adsense work?’ Lots of people ask me this question along with, ‘how much can you really make from this?’

Well honestly you can really make a good money from good content. There are plenty of testimonies online of people that have made killer money on the side from their regular jobs. Some people look at blogging or maintaining a site as a primary source of income, while others enjoy their gas taken care of from time to time.

Before we get into the income that can be made, lets talk about how this whole thing works.

First you will need to sign up for an account. You can do that here. Typically you can recieve an approval for your blog/site within about 6 hours. Once this is setup there are a few other things you need to do in order to get started.

Now, lets talk about Google Adsense.

Alright, there are 3 kinds of people that make this program work. People who advertise, People who own blogs or websites that are partners, and the people who visit websites.

Advertisers are just that. They are the ones who own businesses and use Google Adwords to advertise. Not only do they advertise in Google searches but also through the Adsense program. After going live with their ad they can also choose to show their ads on sites they feel would give them the best exposure.

Opportunities like this help bring depth and exposure to a brand or a company. Google will take all the information from advertisers through the service called Google Adwords and distribute ads based on the content from websites and blogs who have signed up for Google Adsense.

People who own the blogs or site that participate in the Google Adsense program through placing little ads on their site. This is done through a Javascript based on the type of ads they allow. There is a lot of flexibility on the type of ad that a blog/website owner can place on their page. You can use all sorts of techniques to help blend ads into your site and make it looks as natural as possible.

The people who visit your site also make up the Google Adsense program. I think they are the most important. These are the people who may take an interest in an ad they see and visit the respective site. Its is through this that many people make their money as they are given an percentage of the cost of that click with the owner of the blog/website.

Google bases their program on two factors. One is CPM (Cost per 1K Impressions) and the other is called PPC (Pay Per Click).

Pay Per Click ads are primarily text ads that show on your site based on your content. Lets say a visitor comes to your site and clicks on an ad. At this point the advertiser is now charged for a small amount. Google gets their share and you get a cut as well.

Pay Per Impression ads are typically targeted by the advertiser. Whenever their ad shows up on your screen that is called ” an impression. ” The advertiser is charged whenver their ad shows up on a site. Usually the advertiser can choose what type of sites their ad will show on.

So now that we have a brief description, here is what I do with my account:

Typically I will log into my Google Adsense account and see how things are going with my ads. If I need to I can tailor my ads with specifics or even change  ads to different sizes and shapes.  There is a feature within Google Adsense that I really like. I can actually filter ads that are shown on my site. So if I don’t want a specific ad or company to show on my site I can restrict it. If there is a specific category that I wish not to show on my site I can restrict those as well.

As long as I have an attractive site and good content I should be able to bring back visitors and increase traffic. This can increase the opportunities of making some great money.

Now, what kind of money can you make? Well if you want to make a fair amount of money you will have to give a fair amount of work. Nothing will come free. This will take time and dedication.

I have a friend who is collecting checks for up to $800 a month. Yeah I said $800 a month through blogging. Its possible. What am I making? Well in the first three weeks of my Adsense journey, I have made about $77 so far. Its not bad but its motivation for where I want to be.

Here is the deal. If you want to make money and be successful using Google Adsense, I would recommend a few tips.

1) Quality content. From all the studies that I have read, at least 500 words and utilize your keywords. This will help search engines crawl your site and place you in their rankings. It will take time but can be done!

2) Keywords, Keywords, Keywords. Finding the right ones can pay off well.

3) Figure out who your market is. If it is a niche market that doesnt have alot of exposure.. bring it to them!! Don’t wait for someone else to do it first!

4) SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is so important.

5) Develop linkbacks Internally and externally with other sites. This will help drive traffic to your site and will essentially give you better rankings in search engines. Get your domain name out there!

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If you have been following my other blog you will see some advertisements on that site as you will see on here. Basically its part of Google’s advertising program called Google Adsense. This program targets web users with geographically based advertisements (relevant to content) that are  in websites/blogs that are Adsense Partners.

If you dont know anything about it and have a blog, I would look into it. After taking some time to learn about this whole Adsense thing I decided to jump in and join.

How did I start? Well it will take a few things and I want to share some thoughts  about these things:

1) some upfront costs
2) a domain
3) content
4) drive/ a desire to actually do this..

- Some upfront costs
You will have to get your own domain and hosting. Sure you can find free ones but why have a horrible looking theme or setup. You can spend up to $10 annually for a domain name but I can imagine you will be able to find coupon codes out there for a domain name or even discounts on hosting. Hosting will be about $6 on up for each month.

Now a lot of people are utilizing WordPress as a blogging platform just as I do.  I would recommend it since it is very easy to setup and use. WordPress is free but it will be up to you if you want to use a premium theme on your blog. You can find great themes for between $10-$100 dollars.

- Content
Content is key. This is one of the ways you will drive traffic to your site and bring visitors back over and over again. A lot of people feel like they have nothing to say or nothing at all to offer but I would have to disagree. Everyone has something to share from the mundane to the interesting.

If you are passionate about something.. then you have content.
If you are pretty knowledgable in a particular area then you have content.
If you just ramble like I do… You have content.

This is what brings me to my next point.

- A drive/ a desire to actually do this..

You CAN NOT look at this as a way to make a quick buck because that wont happen. You have to love what you do and see it as a reward for a hobby. I have been through several blogs start-ups but I will say that with http://www.ineedapi.com, I have been the MOST consistent with posts and content. Now I love posting to it. Occasionally I will take a day or two off so I do see a drop off in traffic.

Is this time consuming? It can be but you will get out of it what you put into it.

So how did I do for my first month? Well I haven’t hit my $100 threshhold just yet but lets say I am VERY close. Not bad for being in the program for 3 weeks on my first month. Hopefully February will be a great month!

Next post I will talk about ” How Google Adsense works. ” Don’t forget to click on the Adsense link above and you will see only Adsense posts.

Lets talk, does this topic interest you?

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Making money with Google Adsense? What is this all about?

Anyone interested in learning with me as I go along?  I have made a little bit of money so far. Its not much but for my first month its not bad from what I have been told.

Journey with me as we learn how to make some money through advertising.

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So this story just breaks my heart. Here you have a guy who has a Lamborghini well over $100k and takes it out for a spin and hits two people (minor injuries thank God) and crashes into two other vehicles. Pretty sure he was showing off in this part of Houston at like 2am.

The worst part of the story is that he had no idea what he was doing, and he even admitted to it.  So far, the police haven’t charged him since he wasn’t liquored up and didn’t leave the scene of the accident.

Here is the link to the story.

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This is pretty sweet. Imagine being out for a nice run when… HOLY CRAP! People are flying!!!

Looks like the marketing team from Chronicle did its job by getting attention to the film.

Check out the video.

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So people always joke around with me when we talk about private investigations stuff. There is typically a common phrase that comes up. ” So you basically get to spy on people?”

Well sort of.

I don’t like to look at it that way but I see my job as a way of helping people and answering questions that they may have.

Now, being a spy? That can be fun. Thrill, excitement, the rush are probably some of the things that come to mind when you think of a spy. This comes to my mind as well.

There are several sites that provide various and even humorous ways to become a spy. Check them out: (Disclaimer: Do your own research)

Top Spy Secrets

How to become a CIA Agent

How to be a spy
One day I want to visit the International Spy Museum.

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Brookstone seems to be doing it right when it comes to innovative products. I don’t know about you but I would LOVE to have these. Wearing these can provide a wifi-hotspot after pairing them with your PC. These would be great for sending information discreetly via your smartphone or tablet.

I have seen other cufflinks that are USB storage keys.  They hold up to various amounts worth of data for each cufflink and can really be handy when in a pinch. Here is a list of other cufflinks for you to check out. There are even USB cufflinks that can hold up to 4gb.

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Washington State and Facebook are finally going after the spammers for clickjacking. It looks like an Ad Network in Delaware is under investigation for Clickjacking and spamming people. Its been reported that they were making up to $1.2 million a month!!

What is clickjacking? Wikipedia says - Clickjacking is a malicious technique of tricking Web users into revealing confidential information or taking control of their computer while clicking on seemingly innocuous web pages.^[1][2][3][4] A vulnerability across a variety of browsers and platforms, a clickjack takes the form of embedded code or a script that can execute without the user’s knowledge, such as clicking on a button that appears to perform another function.^[5]

If you are wondering what some examples of clickjacking are, just look at Facebook. Have you ever had a video come across your screen and asked you to “omg – watch this video!!” ? Typically its salacious like this example below:

BUT, in order to watch the video you have to take a survey or buy a product. Sometimes you have to turn on your mic or your cam. Other times it tells you that you HAVE TO share on your wall or follow someone on twitter to watch the video. Sometimes it is shared across your wall without your permission.

Here is a great example of clickjacking

Finally Facebook moves forward and does something to stop spammers and criminals. While it may tackle a little bit of spam on our walls, it will take awareness and effort on our part to just stop clicking on stuff.

Here is the full story

Check out my previous post on the topic of Facebook spam.

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So about a week ago I had an opportunity to visit Motorcars of GA in Roswell, GA.

GREAT PLACE! Meeting Ed Bolian was also pretty cool as well. He was very nice and spent a few minutes talking about the cars there. Very knowledgeable and a great salesman. If you got the cash, they got the flash.

More and more I am falling in love with the idea of having an exotic car. There is something about the car itself.  Speed, Power, and BadAssness ( is that a word? ) come to mind.

Anyhow check out this ride – with a MPG rating of 9mpg in the city and 19 on the hwy this is an amazing car. This 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo has a bodystyle is a  2 door Coupe and has a mileage of 22,024.

One day.. one day.

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If you don’t laugh at this… you have no soul. Just sayin…