I was not sure how my first contest was going to turn out, but for the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised. While I did not get hundreds of entries, I did break into the double digits.
Congratulations to Michael Kwan for winning contest number 1. Michael is a fellow freelance writer, and runs Beyond the Rhetoric.
For the rest of you guys and gals, no need to worry. I have more contests lined up, and they are sure to be even better than this one. Keep an eye out for contest number 2 in the near future!
How do you test the updates that you make to your blog? If you are tech savvy you may simply know that what you did will work. But for me, or anybody else who does not have a lot of tech skills, this can be a bit difficult.
Although I am working hard to learn a bit more about the technical side of blogging, I am still far behind. It only takes me a minute or so to get plugins working, but when it comes to more difficult tasks such as changing code, I am still working on my skills.
I guess the only way to test blog updates, as well as tech skills, is by trial and error. Until my skills improve, this is the way that I will have to do things. Unless you have a better idea of course?
Once again, it is time to check out my Associated Content stats for the past month. Last period I only managed to earn a total of $93.61. And while I thought that was bad at the time, this past month has been even worse.
Luckily, the reason for the bad stats this time around has nothing to do with AC. Instead, it is in direct relation to the lack of time that I have put into submitting. Not only have other freelance writing projects taken up tons of time, but growing this blog is obviously a lot of work as well.
Since I have not submitted any new work lately, I figured I would post my numbers a day or so early. Here are my AC statistics from July 15 to August 13
Articles submitted: 4
Article accepted for payment: 4
Waiting for acceptance: 0
Total acceptance rate: 100%
Total payment received: $19.35
Highest offer: $5.90
Lowest offer: $3.25
Average offer: $4.83
Performance Bonus: $23.15 (3 months)
The best lesson you can learn from these numbers is that AC is a nice side income, but as far as doing it full-time, you need to have complete devotion. I love submitting to AC to make a few hundred extra bucks each month, but my current workload has not allowed for it.
Use AC however you see fit. If you do not have any time (like me this month) it is alright to slow down. But of course, if you are lacking work, you should ramp up your submissions!
