While looking for a place to store some of my files for free, I found File Factory. I thought that this might be a good solution to put my files that can be made available for download. This way, I don’t have to host the files on my server, and we won’t get the bandwidth strain.

It seems like a fairly simple service to use. Just sign-up and upload. You get 100 GB of file sharing space. That’s a lot.

There are two types of services available: Basic (Free) and Premium ($12/mo or $99/year).

The basic service has some limitations, such as download limits for your users. When you upgrade to Premium, you take off that limit. Plus, you can also take part in the File Factory Rewards programme, wherein you can get paid for the downloads that your users make. The payments vary, but for power users, they promise to pay about $10 per 1,000 downloads.

Yes, not only do you get your files hosted, you also get paid when people download the stuff that you put up. This is great if you’ve got a popular file that people enjoy downloading, such as music, ebooks, etc. That way, if you’re offering your file for free, you can still be rewarded if you host it on File Factory. Sounds like a great idea. But, I have to admit, I have only tried the basic plan for now. I’ll have to gauge the usage of my files to see how popular they’d be first and then decide whether I’ll benefit from the rewards programme or not.

Try File Factory.

Then, let us know what you think of it!

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

File Factory: Making Money with File Sharing

I’m not a Broadway-wannabe or anything like that. But, for some reason, I came across this Talent Database website offering services to people who wish to break in to show business a couple of days ago. Then, today, I ended up reading this article on About Theater where writer Paul Cozby gives 5 tips for beginning actors on how to get started.

Is someone trying to tell me something?!

Uhmm… well, before you think I’m planning on doing any auditions, I have to say that I’m not. I don’t see myself on stage any time soon. At least, not in a theater production sense.

The reason I’m writing this here is because I thought Mr Cozby’s tips for actors actually may be useful for folks wishing to start making money online too.

In his first tip, for example, Paul says: “Treat it like a job.” And further suggests that people who want to get things done should devote at least an hour a day to do what they need to do in this job. I think that works very well for people who wants to start working online too (or any job for that matter). It’s so easy to say, “I want to make money online” (or “I want to be an actor”) – but never follow through with actions. If this is something you really want to do, then spending an hour a day on the job is worth doing.

You don’t need to quit your existing job (if you have one). Or come up with masses of time just to get things going. An hour to do research, start a web site, experiment on eBay, or talk to people who can help in your business will definitely be useful.

For tip numbers 2 & 3, Paul gave the advice: “Set Goals” and “Make a Career Plan”. I’m big on goal setting and career planning. In another life, I’d be doing goals and career counseling (yes, I was trained in psychology!). I’m a firm believer that people who set goals and create realistic plans attract productivity and success much more.

And yes, I believe that setting goals and career planning also apply to people who wish to become Webpreneurs. It doesn’t matter what area of online business you want to get in to – be it selling, teaching, blogging, or consulting.

Mr Cozby’s additional tips on these topics also are worth reading and using.

Tip #4 mentions: “Acquire Skills and Tools”, which reminds me a bit of the post I wrote yesterday. If there are skills and tools that you lack in order to pursue your hopes of making money online, then work on getting them bit by bit. Even if it’s just reading about website building or taking a course on bookkeeping.

And finally, for tip #5, Paul Crozby says: “Get Beyond Your Comfort Zone.” Doing things the way we know how is the easiest way, of course. But, doing things out of the ordinary usually pays off a lot more. So, for example, in the online business world, if you’ve just been used to simply trying ‘popular’ affiliate programmes like Amazon or eBay – why not venture out a bit more and try affiliates that aren’t as well known? I know that when I started experimenting with a lesser-known affiliate programme, I ended up getting a lot more money than I ever did from Amazon or eBay in the same time span.

So, you see, whether we’re trying to pursue acting – or hoping to be the next Internet Millionaire – we all could use these tips. Right?

Image: Microsoft Stock Photo

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Act Like It Matters { When the Web is like a Stage }

Here are some interesting online money making links from my handy Google Reader -

• Wendy Piersall over at SparkPlugging shared some thoughts, tips, and tools on website name branding/re-branding a few weeks ago. Worth checking.
• Yaro Starak offers a free download of his ebook, “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online“.
• John Cow has a good series on How to Run Contests on your blogs/sites. Contests are good promo tools, so it’s always helpful to learn different ways to maximise them.
• Do you get stuck for things to blog about? Darren Rowse shares 24 tips for you.
• Do you like writing? Here’s a writing contest you might like to join, from WOW-Women on Writing.

What are YOUR favourite online business links this week?

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Sunday Link Lovin’: 10 Aug 08 Edition

I love Flickr. It’s not perfect. In fact, I have a long wish list when it comes to this service – including better protection for photographers and artists. But, in spite of its shortcomings, I’ve been a loyal customer since 2004 – long before it was acquired by Yahoo (and paying for a Pro account every year since ’06).

And, while there are no direct ways to make money online with Flickr, there are ways you can use the site to help you in your business/career. Here are some ideas:

1) Take a photo of a product and put a link to your affiliate link via notes function. To see a sample of this idea in action, click on the photo of books on the right hand side. You will then be taken to the image’s Flickr page. Once you’re there, put your cursor over the books and you’ll see notes with affiliate links to Amazon.

2) Make your picture available as stock photo and put a link to your sales or downloads page. If you use a service like Tradebit, for example, you can mention in your photo description that a higher resolution/non-watermarked version of your photo is available for download.

3) If you sell on eBay, Etsy, or your own shop, you can take a photo of your product and put a link to your store front. Many Flickr crafters tend to use this approach. Flickr then helps to introduce your products to people. One example is artist and designer Elsie Flannagan: when she has a new piece available for sale, she uploads an image like this and mentions that it’s available as a print or original in her Etsy shop. Another example is Mahar Dry Goods, run by Robert Mahar who tend to upload new product photos on Flickr, and his profile reflects the fact that he is the owner of craft gift shop for kids (with a link to shop front).

4) Build your portfolio and market your service/business. Even if you don’t have products to sell, but you have a service to offer, you can use Flickr as one of your online portfolios. This especially useful for artists, photographers, illustrators and designers. Many folks have claimed to have gained new clients based on their Flickr account. One such person is author/illustrator Debbie Ohi. You can see that her profile reflects the nature of her work and that she accepts commissions.

5) When you use a photo on your blog that you uploaded on Flickr, add a link to your blog post or portfolio site. If your blog runs ads, product sales and/or affiliates, then you might get new customers too.

6) Sell them as prints. You can either use a third party service for creating high quality prints, or you can do the printing yourself if you have the equipment and knowledge to do so. Mention that your photos are available as prints in the description and/or your profile.

7) Create products off your photography. Flickr, for example, has a partnership with Qoop, where various products like mugs, keychains and photobooks may be created based on your Flickr photos. You can create them there and resell those products. Another option is making your own image-based products available on Cafepress. Again, you can mention the availability of these products in the description and/or your profile.

Some Bonus Tips:

1. Make sure you upload a good quality image. Otherwise, it will not encourage people to buy your products or use your services.

2. Adding good titles and descriptions are always helpful.

3. Don’t forget to add tags! Tagging helps to get your images to show in relevant searches.

4. Never ever oversell. Flickr users will know if you’re just using the service to peddle your products/services. Don’t plaster “for sale” signs.

5. Join groups and participate in them. Send some of your good images to these groups (within the group rules). Communities help!

6. Add friends and leave comments. Being an active participant is a good thing.

7. Promote your Flickr photos on your blog, your email signature, and anywhere else you can think of.

8. There are 2 versions of Flickr – a Free and Pro version. With the Free one, you have limited number of uploads in a month, plus a few other restrictions. But, it’s still worth using. The Pro version has unlimited uploads and a few other perks – like getting your photos organised in several sets and collections.

So, do you use Flickr at all? And, do you have any other money-generating ideas with the use of Flickr?

Image credit: Shai Coggins

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

7 Ways to Make Money on Flickr (+ Bonus Tips)

When you run a business – no matter how big or small – you end up tied to your work a lot. So, when you fall ill, it’s bound to affect your money making abilities. Yes, even if you’re running an online enterprise.

Good news is that there are some ways to help you “sick-proof” your online business. Here are some tips and ideas to stop your online business ventures from falling apart when you fall ill:

1. Communicate your situation. This is especially important if you’re running a shop and people can still buy items from your online stores, etc. Even when you’re running content or community sites, it’s important to let people know if you’re unable to work your usual hours. It is best to assure customers, readers, or watchers that you just didn’t disappear on them. Send email newsletters, write a quick update on your blog, or post a message on your site/shop.

2. Hire temporary help. Whether you’re running a website, blog, eBay auctions, or online shops, you can hire help during the time that you’ll be away. This is especially useful if you think you’ll be away for an extended period of time – or you’re unsure when you’ll be up to speed with your work. Sometimes, even when you’re only gone 2-3 days from your online business, you might find it overwhelming to catch up on the work that you’ve missed. So, having someone to help you get back to business might be a good idea. If you’re unable to hire someone but can tap on ‘volunteers’ (unpaid help), then good on ‘ya.

3. Manage Expectations. Other than communicating that you’re not well (see #1), it’s also good to manage your customers’ expectations. Tell people when you think you’ll be able to deliver the goods. If there’s a delay, let them know as well. And, if there’s exceptional delay (if you’re ill for over a week or so), it’s a good idea to have regular communication. And perhaps, if you’re in to selling products + services, and there are delivery delays and such, you might consider an extra gift or so as part of goodwill. People will not expect it, but they’ll appreciate it.

4. Have a ‘Vacation Autoresponder’ Message Ready. Make sure you learn how to set up your email autoresponders. And, create different canned messages for various occasions. For your the times that you’re not well, having a message like: “Sorry I’m able to respond to your email right now. I am currently on sick leave. I will get back to you as soon as I’m able to. If this is about an urgent matter, please contact -” (give info of your ‘back up person’ or your temporary help).

5. Train one or more of your family members/friends to do part of the work for you. If you’re a one man/woman show when it comes to your online work, make sure someone in your immediate family (or one of your good friends) may be trusted to step in if you can’t even get up to even send an email during your ‘sick period’. This way, you have someone to help check your messages, send communication on your behalf, etc., if absolutely necessary. Yes, teach them at least to turn on your ‘Vacation Autoresponder’.

6. Create Passive Income Streams. As an online entrepreneur, it’s always desirable to come up with as many passive income streams as possible. You know – the type of money that will keep on rolling in, even when you’re not doing much. They’re paychecks that keep on getting sent, even when you’re sick. If you don’t have any passive income streams online, you really should think about creating them. After all, when you’re in business online, you don’t want your income to stop as soon as you’re unable to work.

So, what about you? How do you prepare your online business in the event that you fall ill? Are there other strategies you use to make sure you protect your income?

Image: lusi, sxc.hu

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

6 Ways To “Sick-Proof” Your Online Business

Just want to share with you some fantastic resources that I found that you might find useful -

• 101 Useful Resources for Online Entrepreneurs – From organising contacts and invoicing to hiring freelancers and finding funding.
• How to Build a Successful News Blog – Maki from DoshDosh shares some resources you can use to create and to make money from niche news blogs.
• How to Use Paypal Shops to find Hot Selling Products – Yaro Starak shares some useful online business tips.
• 5 Tips all Newbie Internet Marketers Must Know – Some down to earth advice to everyone who wishes to get in to Internet marketing.
• Using Social Media to Grow Your Blog’s Readership – I’m all for using social media to promote one’s blog – or any kind of online business/service/product that you might have for that matter. But, it’s not just about signing up for an account, adding people as contacts, and pumping your links/service/etc. Darren Rowse from Problogger’s shares some tips on how to make the most out of social media. Even though this is geared specifically for bloggers, you can keep this in mind for other web services too.

Well, that’s all from me for now. Hope you’re having a good weekend!

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Long Weekend Link Loving: 22 Mar 08 Edition

It’s Public Holiday Monday today here in Adelaide, South Australia. Folks are taking the time off to celebrate the state’s biggest horse racing day – the Adelaide Cup.

I must admit that I’ve never been to a real horse racing event. But, I still enjoy the festivities. BBQs, fun hats, parties…

Anyway, I know that during public holidays like today, I have to do a bit of preparation for my online work, if I intend to take the day off or something. Things like: posting in advance in my blog/s, notifying co-workers/readers, setting vacation mails, etc. may be in order to keep my online work going smoothly.

What about you? What do you do to organise your online business when you go on holiday? What steps do you take to ensure that everything works properly, even when you’re away from your computer?

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Open Mic Monday: Public Holidays and Your Online Business

Fellow b5er and JMMO reader Deb Ng pointed out two important things for anyone who wish to make money online:

1) Do your research. No matter how easy something looks, research every angle. See what others are saying and know the ins and outs, pros and cons. Then decide whether or not it’s worth your time.

2) Do not expect anything to happen overnight or even right away. For many online money making opportunities, money doesn’t even start to trickle in for a few months. Don’t expect to get rich overnight, because the only time that happens is with a scam.

— in response to Your Advice to Someone Who is Trying to Make Money Online; slightly edited from original post for readability

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NOTE:
It’s always great whenever I find interesting comments from readers and visitors to this blog. And sometimes, I wish to refer to those tips and ideas. So, I decided to feature some of the best ones that I found here on Just Make Money Online.

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Reader Advice: Research + Perseverance = Success

JMMO reader Eddy Salomon says:

“Here are few that have helped me quit my full time corporate career this past November and work at home full time as an Internet marketer.

— in response to Your Advice to Someone Who is Trying to Make Money Online;
slightly edited from original post for readability

—————–
NOTE:
It’s always great whenever I find interesting comments from readers and visitors to this blog. And sometimes, I wish to refer to those tips and ideas. So, I decided to feature some of the best ones that I found here on Just Make Money Online.

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Reader Advice: 3 Reminders for Building and Growing Online Income

So, you want to buy some new domains. It may seem simple enough to choose one that you like and go. But, some folks take some basic things in to consideration when purchasing one:

• Branded vs Keyword-Rich – It’s always tricky to figure out whether to get a domain name that can be branded (e.g. Dosh Dosh) or one that’s keyword-rich (Just Make Money Online). There are pros and cons to using either one. Branded domains can be remembered and can be shorter. But, some folks may not know exactly what it’s all about at first glance. Keyword-rich domains tell folks immediately what the topic of the blog or site is going to be. But, it can become a mouthful – and a bit generic.
• .com vs .net vs. others – Which one do you go for? Most folks say that having a .com is still the best way to go. Most people think of websites as .coms still. But, there are still non-.com-sites that have also gained huge popularity, like Problogger.net (incidentally, Darren ended up purchasing the .com version too).
• With or without hyphens? – There are different points of view when it comes to this issue. Is it better to get just-make-money-online.com or justmakemoneyonline.com? To me, it depends. If it’ll visually help to separate the words (or the alternatives are not available), then I think hyphens are okay. As long as it doesn’t become too long. Digital-Photography-School.com is an example of a blog site that uses hyphens.
• How long is too long? – When it comes to domain names, the shorter it is, the better. But, most good short domains have already been taken. So, it’s not always possible to get them. Besides, long domains can still be usable, as long as they’re not too long – and there aren’t a lot of opportunities to make spelling/reading mistakes.
• To localise or not to localise? – You know those domain names that have .uk (for Britain), .au (for Australia), etc.? Is it good to get them? If you think you’re going to serve primarily local audience, yes. Otherwise, if you’re trying to serve a more global market, then you’re still better off with a .com. Unless you want to have a more local feel (e.g., you’re a Philippine merchant wishing to sell local goods overseas, but your goods are primarily Philippine items, then a .ph still sounds good).

Do you have any other domain name tips and ideas?

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Top 5 Things To Consider When Getting a New Domain Name