Story of an Internet Sweatshop Worker

[ComScout.com]

I am sure this story will ring a bell with alot you members!

Some days I spend over 12 hours on the internet working on my websites, trying to make a living off the internet, most days now it is usually around 5 -6 hours a day in between my other hobbies, such as metal detecting and gardening.

Isn’t is so frustrating when you are battling to make $10 a day through google adsense, and have been doing this for around five years now. I am sure there are millions of other webmasters with great websites and are in the same boat as me.

I remember when I was averaging around three dollars a day with adsense, that was a couple years ago and now I am in the two digit average per day! Wow great money isn’t it? NOT!

Don’t get me wrong, $10 a day adds up to a few hundred dollars a month and it comes in handy, paying for my web Hosting, site upgrades, banners and so forth.

But after five years with one website at Page Rank 4, another site at Page Rank 3, and the others Page Rank 1 and 2, you’d think I’d be making at least $20 a day with my click throughs going at about 100 clicks a day and 10,000 plus impressions per day.

I put so much work into my websites, I have tried everything, adsense, adbrite, ebay partner network, commission junction, click bank and many other affiliate programs.

Some people earn around $10,000 a month using google adsense, I’ve earned that in five long years … alot of money and I don’t know where I would be without it, but I have invested way more than $10,000 into a couple of my websites. Maybe one day it will pay off for me. I hope so.

Earning money off the internet has a big advantage, if you lose your job at least you have the internet to fall back on.

I am closing on to my late 30’s now and sometimes I wonder if I will be doing this internet stuff when I reach retiring age … will I still be selling domain names when I reach 80 years of age? Will I still be running my ute website when I am 80, modering young kids who sign up for the love of utes?

Maybe I will be, but when I do retire and I am living off my pension, and if I am still blogging on the internet and selling domain names, at least I will still have a side income coming in.

But right now I have to admit, I am lucky to be earning a proper wage, however just like alot of webmasters I would rather be making a full time wage from the internet, from my domains, blogging and from my discussion forums, working from the comforts of home.

Having my domain name portfolio helps a bit also, especially when I am struggling a bit for money, I have more domain names to turn too, and it is a bit of coincidence when I am really struggling that all of a sudden I will get an offer for one of my domain names, usually I will one one or two serious offers a month for my names.

But right now what I earn off the internet is no worse than what a person in an Asian Sweatshop earns a day, $10 lousy bucks.

Lets hope one day I get look back on this post when I am making $100 a day, if I am, I’ll let you know and in the meantime I am seriously considering moving to China to work in a Nike Sweatshop, it sure pays better than this internet working!

[Tia Wood]

I definitly understand your frustration. The key is to try different things with your sites to see what works. And update them in some way every few months.

[alliance]

Nice Lost Treasure site.


www.namecollector.com

[draggar]

I'm not even making $10 a month but that's in part of having niche sites with extremely low paying keywords (odd how the average "product" in this niche can sell for $2000 and all the way up to $100,000 each - and people can sell 5-25 of these in a year.

But - I maybe spend 10 hours a week working on my sites since I have a FT job that takes a lot out of me. :(

[stock_post]

Most of the members here are doing this as part time.
The ones that are doing this as full time are making 6 figure income.

So, you need to find a job and use the experience and use this as a hobby.

[KING dot NET]

Most of the members here are doing this as part time.
The ones that are doing this as full time are making 6 figure income.

So, you need to find a job and use the experience and use this as a hobby.

Reality check .... Those people in 6 figures income has premium domains, parking company (which we help them get rich and treat us nobody), and owner of thousands .com .net .org domains.

With new extension popping up, I don't know what will be the value of our domains. If the supply is up, demand is low = cash is low.

I'm now looking domains as one of my hobbies added to playing halo with my kid.

[Rockefeller]

With new extension popping up, I don't know what will be the value of our domains. If the supply is up, demand is low = cash is low.

.com and the other "new" extensions are not substitute goods. Nothing will ever be as valuable as .com, .net, .org and even .info, so even if the supply of new extensions crowd the market ("supposed increase in supply") its not going to lower the demand because no one wants them, no one is demanding the new extensions. More and more people are coming onto the internet everyday and that will only increase day by day so don't worry, your domains will always be valuable. Picture the kid in India that is signing onto the internet for the first time, do you think he is going to type in a .tel domain name? Highly doubtful.

[KING dot NET]

The India government is starting to impose .in within their country. The .com .net or .org will only a redirect for them in the future. The .CN is doing the same thing.

Even we don't like a new extension. This will continue to flow because the gate is already open. I guess that's the way they think to organize the Internet. Check google in other countries, they will show the local website based on IP assignment not the domains (keyword).

[Albert Tai]

$10 per day is pretty decent. 90% of the webmaster I believe don't even earn $1 a day from adsense.
Look at it this way. If you don't really need to spend 1-2 hr or more on a site in one day thats income. You could get a regular job and come home and know each day you got $10 dollar cash income.
But if you start working alot on the site like you said above that kind of sucks.

Adsense pretty much......well they probably earn 50% or more so basically your getting paid half.
Also have you tried selling links? your page rank is a bit high try selling links and also put traffic stats people pay even higher.

~Albert Tai

The India government is starting to impose .in within their country. The .com .net or .org will only a redirect for them in the future. The .CN is doing the same thing.

Even we don't like a new extension. This will continue to flow because the gate is already open. I guess that's the way they think to organize the Internet. Check google in other countries, they will show the local website based on IP assignment not the domains (keyword).

Is it time to invest in .in domains then?

[ComScout.com]

Thanks everyone for your input and thanks Alliance for your compliments on my Lost Treasure website

[dog]

Billy - refocus your efforts on selling "stuff" not advertising. When I did this I increased my cash flow and was able to look at other domains for development. Google Adsense is not going to make you rich.

And... if you have to park domains move them all to Dotzup.com. They have the best quality portfolio and Yahoo rewards them with premium pay out. I haven't found any company that can beat their avg ppc.

[Carter]

.com and the other "new" extensions are not substitute goods. Nothing will ever be as valuable as .com, .net, .org and even .info, so even if the supply of new extensions crowd the market ("supposed increase in supply") its not going to lower the demand because no one wants them, no one is demanding the new extensions. More and more people are coming onto the internet everyday and that will only increase day by day so don't worry, your domains will always be valuable. Picture the kid in India that is signing onto the internet for the first time, do you think he is going to type in a .tel domain name? Highly doubtful.

Well said.
I think the same.

I am sure this story will ring a bell with alot you members!

Some days I spend over 12 hours on the internet working on my websites, trying to make a living off the internet, most days now it is usually around 5 -6 hours a day in between my other hobbies, such as metal detecting and gardening.

Isn’t is so frustrating when you are battling to make $10 a day through google adsense, and have been doing this for around five years now. I am sure there are millions of other webmasters with great websites and are in the same boat as me.

I remember when I was averaging around three dollars a day with adsense, that was a couple years ago and now I am in the two digit average per day! Wow great money isn’t it? NOT!

Don’t get me wrong, $10 a day adds up to a few hundred dollars a month and it comes in handy, paying for my web Hosting, site upgrades, banners and so forth.

But after five years with one website at Page Rank 4, another site at Page Rank 3, and the others Page Rank 1 and 2, you’d think I’d be making at least $20 a day with my click throughs going at about 100 clicks a day and 10,000 plus impressions per day.

I put so much work into my websites, I have tried everything, adsense, adbrite, ebay partner network, commission junction, click bank and many other affiliate programs.

Some people earn around $10,000 a month using google adsense, I’ve earned that in five long years … alot of money and I don’t know where I would be without it, but I have invested way more than $10,000 into a couple of my websites. Maybe one day it will pay off for me. I hope so.

Earning money off the internet has a big advantage, if you lose your job at least you have the internet to fall back on.

I am closing on to my late 30’s now and sometimes I wonder if I will be doing this internet stuff when I reach retiring age … will I still be selling domain names when I reach 80 years of age? Will I still be running my ute website when I am 80, modering young kids who sign up for the love of utes?

Maybe I will be, but when I do retire and I am living off my pension, and if I am still blogging on the internet and selling domain names, at least I will still have a side income coming in.

But right now I have to admit, I am lucky to be earning a proper wage, however just like alot of webmasters I would rather be making a full time wage from the internet, from my domains, blogging and from my discussion forums, working from the comforts of home.

Having my domain name portfolio helps a bit also, especially when I am struggling a bit for money, I have more domain names to turn too, and it is a bit of coincidence when I am really struggling that all of a sudden I will get an offer for one of my domain names, usually I will one one or two serious offers a month for my names.

But right now what I earn off the internet is no worse than what a person in an Asian Sweatshop earns a day, $10 lousy bucks.

Lets hope one day I get look back on this post when I am making $100 a day, if I am, I’ll let you know and in the meantime I am seriously considering moving to China to work in a Nike Sweatshop, it sure pays better than this internet working!

I've appreciate your honesty and I understand your frustration.
Keep your head up.

This is the reason because I don't really enter full-time in the development process...why you have to struggle for earn $10 a day with Adsense when you can do the same amount of money (and more) if you hand-regged a domain today for $8 and flip it tommorrow for $20?

More easy, no stress.

I've thinked many times about the feelings you explained in your post and I've told myself that domain flipping is the easiest way to make money.

This works for me.

Sometimes I think the easiest things are the more remunerative.

[ComScout.com]

Billy - refocus your efforts on selling "stuff" not advertising. When I did this I increased my cash flow and was able to look at other domains for development. Google Adsense is not going to make you rich.

And... if you have to park domains move them all to Dotzup.com. They have the best quality portfolio and Yahoo rewards them with premium pay out. I haven't found any company that can beat their avg ppc.

I do sell stuff cheers mate

Well said.
I think the same.



I've appreciate your honesty and I understand your frustration.
Keep your head up.

This is the reason because I don't really enter full-time in the development process...why you have to struggle for earn $10 a day with Adsense when you can do the same amount of money (and more) if you hand-regged a domain today for $8 and flip it tommorrow for $20?

More easy, no stress.

I've thinked many times about the feelings you explained in your post and I've told myself that domain flipping is the easiest way to make money.

This works for me.

Sometimes I think the easiest things are the more remunerative.

Thanks Carter... will look into that for sure!

[hello1984]

Ok so you posted this back in the spring - can you tell me if things have improved?

For someone just starting out here, reading that sounds like a real bummer.

But when I think about it if you can work full time at another job - you can take that 10 dollars a day put it right into savings. 10 * 365 put into a retirement savings yearly. That's pretty decent with some time factored in... right?

Anyway, can you tell me if things have improved? I hope for the best!

[mediawizard]

I am sure this story will ring a bell with alot you members!

But right now what I earn off the internet is no worse than what a person in an Asian Sweatshop earns a day, $10 lousy bucks.

I know what you mean and can empathise with you entirely. For the amount of page views we serve, our adsense earning is pathetic. Their revenues are going up while publisher payouts are going down, guess how.

We're exploring alternatives, but for a hands off approach, adsense is the easiest atm.

You need to either goto your advertisers direct and cut out the middle man or look at alternative advertising options, only way you'll make a decent payout from your sites.

The India government is starting to impose .in within their country.

Care to elaborate? I missed the memo it seems.

$10 per day is pretty decent. 90% of the webmaster I believe don't even earn $1 a day from adsense.

That is correct. Adsense pays out around 20% - 75% to US / UK / EU / Aus based publishers. Its between 3% and 26% to people from other countries.

[victornumber]

wow...I thought most web publishers made quite a bit of side money....

[mgstudent]

I agree with everything said so far: too much time spent, not enough income, revenues slipping, domain landscape changing...

But then I have to stop and think - sure the dream is to be able to make a living out of it. But for most of us, I'd say we enjoy doing it. That this is hobby.

Sure it might be a hobby that's 8 hours a day - but it's fun/interesting/challenging isn't it?

So the other way to think about it is that you could go to the driving range and hit balls for fun... that would cost you $15, or you could build websites and be paid for it.

I'm not trying to undermine your original point, I do agree with you. But if you're like me, you're addicted and while $10 a day isn't what's keeping me hooked, maybe it's the challenge of making more (or the fact it's fun/interesting and a hobby which takes too much of our time).

Most of the domains on Dotting are my unfinished/unstarted projects - i just wish there were more hours in the day.

[fab]

All of this sounds very familiar to me. When I get some more time, I'll read these posts in more depth.

[bobovia]

"the internet ruined my life." bobovia(November, 2009)