And it’s not even over yet. I could easily do, say, five more hours of blogging without stopping. I could go through every blog on my blogroll and leave a comment, then visit every person who has befriended me or joined one of my neighborhoods in any of the five social networking sites I have joined, I could spend a good hour going through the message boards at PayPerPost, easily. I may have to make a pot of coffee, and it’s almost ten o’clock at night!
Lots of exciting things going on here at Table for Five. I’m continuing to get comments and links to my post “Why I cried at BlogHer. Twice.”, and I’m trying to answer each of them, but each answer turns into a post-length comment. I’m going to exceed my bandwidth at BlueHost soon, and it’s only the second week of August!
Just before BlogHer I got an email from a website called Peopleized, inviting me to check out the site. I did, and I created a profile, and then right before I left, I got an email saying that someone called, um, Moosh in Indy (huh? MOOSH?) wanted to interview me. Peopleized is People interviewing People, and here’s the link to Casey’s interview with me. I’m so glad I opened the email and checked out the site, or I might not have ever met the adorable Casey! Who hates me because I took these two photos of her, which for some reason she doesn’t like, but which I LOVE to show people 
Photo 2 – dark, needs Photoshopping
Yes Casey, I know, you have Photoshop too, and you have photos of me. BRING IT ON.
Did you notice people at BlogHer taking lots of photos and muttering something about a scavenger hunt? Well, Cool Mom Picks had this Photo scavenger hunt contest for BlogHer, and we worked with a partner to get as many of the photos as possible. Me and my partner Dana won third place! For our prize, we each get a beautiful stainless steel pendant from Blend Creations, made with a piece of silk-screened Japanese paper! I chose white flowers on gold, although I almost went with the Ladybug pendant because of Kaitlyn’s nickname (Katiebug). Thank you CMP and Blend Creations!
Lastly, I would like all of you to know that I haven’t ignored any of the advice I have received over the last two weeks regarding paid blogging. It’s obvious that we are not going to all agree that there is only one way to monetize our blogs, and that’s fine, but people “in the business” have taken it upon themselves to share some secrets about advertising budgets. Specifically, that there are MILLIONS OF DOLLARS out there, waiting to be spent on paying for blog posts. Millions, people. I might not like it, but the truth is, people who say that if we only accept $5.00 for a post, that is all we are going to get.
Before I left for BlogHer, I had enrolled myself in PayPerPost Direct, which is a direct link between the advertisers and the bloggers. The advertiser chooses the blogger they want to work with, and deposits the money with PPP. Then, PPP takes care of contacting the blogger with the details, then once the post is written, submits it to the advertiser and if it is done correctly, PPP pays the blogger right away, instead of waiting 30 days like with the Marketplace. The advertiser pays a smaller fee, so the blogger gets more of the money. I’m telling you all this so it will make more sense when I say that before BlogHer, my rate for a post on Table for Five was $25.00, and on MomReviews it was $15.00. After reading all of the comments and emails I received, and thinking to myself why NOT “shoot for the stars”, and set a rate that I REALLY think I deserve, I raised those prices to $60.00 and $40.00.
Within two days, I had been hired at each rate on each blog.
I’ve also been hired by another company similar to PPP, to write 200 words, for $60.00. I’m worth it! If I don’t ask for it, I WON’T GET IT. So to everyone who suggested I stand up for myself and ask for what I deserve, THANK YOU. Thank you for giving me the push I needed, for helping me see that I am worth it, because I wouldn’t have asked for it otherwise. Thank you for sharing inside tips about marketing and advertising, about search engine marketing, about freelance income. I hope you understand why I still have the PPP badge on my sidebar, though.
In fact, after this, I have a post to write about the 2007 Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, which I will probably participate in if there is a walk in my city. No one in my family has suffered Alzheimer’s, thank the gods, and hopefully if enough money is raised for research, no one will ever have to suffer from it again. I still think that sometimes, if it’s for a good cause, you take a little less than what you would normally ask for, just to get the word out there.
Edited to add: Oh! And I have four Blogads running, for friends’ sites! I’m hoping to attract some paying advertisers soon, so if anyone reading this has a business and some ad dollars to spend, click the links in either of the two Blogads adstrips, depending on which sidebar you would like to appear in. Yay, Blogads!
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I had missed all the controversy re: the PPP. I’m sorry I didn’t see you get upset. I would have found you too.
You are a champ! And a force! And be damned what others say. You do what works for you.
And I completely understand the desire to stay up for hours on the blog.
I. must. step. away. from. the. computer.
Busy doesn’t even begin to describe a bloggers life does it?
We write, we leave comments, we write more, leave more comments. I can easily spend up to 20 hours a day just taking care of the blog world…LOL
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
ML- Thank you, those are kind words indeed! In fact, I think I need a t-shirt for next year that reads “I am a force to be reckoned with”, don’t you think? Or would it be wrong for me, the grammar police, to have a shirt with a saying that ends in a preposition? *LOL*
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Kat- I know, isn’t it nuts? The writing, the replying to comments, the leaving of comments, the writing of emails, the replying to emails, not to mention all the friend requests from the social networking sites, the uploading of photos, the looking for paying gigs…aaarrrggghhh!
You know when you read about first-year lawyers who work 18 hours a day six days a week at their law firms? Yeah. If only we made THOSE kinds of salaries!
Well done, Elizabeth! I know the PPP controversy upset you, but you’ve done well financially, and made a lot of friends along the way. Table Of Five is coming to a lot of people’s attention!
I think I would have loved BlogHer, but I’ve just recently started blogging myself. It IS addictive, isn’t it?
Hey, and did you notice they opened up BlogHer ads again? I thought of you.
Twitter: dawniemom
says:
Alzheimer’s has affected my family, unfortunately, and my son is having a lemonade stand again tomorrow to raise money for it. I look forward to reading your post.
Yeay You. You KNEW you are worth more and you had the guts to ask and you GOT it. And of course, YOU ARE SO WORTH IT, WOMAN! So happy for you and proud of you…
As for Blogher… I didn’t know you had cried. I’m so very sorry. But I have a feeling you weren’t alone in feeling that way….
Twitter: soleflormom
says:
I’m glad you’re doing well on blogging world and that people are paying your real value.
I’m going through tough times with my father’s Alzheimer and I look forward to read your post about this disease that affects all family. I also intend to write something about my experience with a family member with Alzheimer’s.
And yes, I love blogging, I just wished I had more time to write and that I could make a living of it.
I know what it’s like to not have enough time to get all the blogging-related things done you want.
And I am jealous of your success with PPP Direct. I have not even had a nibble.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Graham- Thank you, that is kind of you to say. I hope Table for Five will come to the attention of some advertisers who want to pay me the big bucks pretty soon!!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Mara- There were women at BlogHer who hadn’t even started a blog yet! Some of them came to my WordPress for Beginners lab session and created blogs on the spot. It was pretty cool
Hopefully BlogHer will be announcing the venue for next year’s conference soon, so you can decide if you want to go.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Landismom- I have decided not to run BlogHer ads, and I’ll tell you why. While I do think it is a great way for bloggers to get ads running on their site, I do not agree with the rules imposed by BlogHer Ad Network regarding the content of my site if I want to run their ads.
I can’t have any other paid content on my blog if I run BHAN. That means, no paid posts of any kind. You can have all the text link ads you want, you can have affilliate badges up the wazoo, but no links in a post for which you were paid. I do not support that. I fail to see how it is okay to link to Company Z from your sidebar but not within the body of a post. The post drops off the page in a few days, the sidebar is there forever! It seems like a direct attack against PayPerpost, Blogsvertise, Smorty, PayU2blog, and other paid blogging sites, and i don’t support it.
Secondly, if I were to run BlogHer Ads, I would not be able to accept any product for review if the cash value was $40.00 or more. But no one can tell me what it is about items worth $40.00 that make them unacceptable. If the value was $39.99, that would be okay? It’s ridiculous. It’s almost censorship, and I don’t like it.
I was accepted to Blogads. I set my own rates for how much I charge per week or per month, and I choose who I accept as an advertiser. And as long as the ad is in the top 400 pixels of the page, there are no other restrictions. I LIKE THAT. Go Blogads, GO!
Hi Honey. I am amazed at the insight I have read from you about the paid blogging stuff. What do you say you put together some of those tips you’ve been receiving for those of us that are new to paid blogging? Yes, that’s right, I’ve decided to go ahead with it. And you can take full credit for the decision. I actually have my “deciding story” on my blog, mentioning you and how great you are. (Now I’m wondering if I should remove the link to your blog, since you are already getting close to the limit…)
Anyway, I’m glad you are doing well. *hug* Love ya Elizabeth.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Dawn- I’m sorry to hear that Alzheimer’s has affected your family. I can only hope that research will continue to develop better medications that will relieve or even halt the symptoms some day. I have new posts up at both Table for Five and MomReviews, with links to my donation page on the Alzheimer’s Association website. My goal is to raise $200, and I will be walking a 5K on the M.S.U. campus. I hope your son had good luck with his lemonade stand!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Lisa- Thanks for that cheer of support! And no, unfortunately, I know I wasn’t the only blogger who walked out of that State of the Momosphere session unhappy. Next year I’m sticking to Business and Technical sessions, that’s for sure.
I love how you are doing that Photobucket slideshow on your blog! Hey, I saw myself!
I have a Photobucket account but I didn’t know I could do that with my photos, I’ll have to check it out.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Laura- Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that your family has been affected by Alzheimer’s. I’ve got posts up both here at T45 and at MomReviews about the Alzheimer’s Association and the 2007 Memory Walk. I’m walking at Michigan State University, my alma mater, in a 5 Kilometer walk. My goal is to raise $200.00 for Alzheimer’s research. I’ll keep your family in mind as I walk. Thanks for the comment.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Mr. Fab- It took me a while to get the first job, too. I re-wrote my Bio a bunch of times. Try working your PageRank into your bio, that was one of the things I added. Also, I’ve had 42 views of my listing and only 4 jobs on Table for Five, so it’s really just luck I think. Oh, and not that many people have a photo with their bio, I think that helps too. Makes it more personal. I’m sure you will get one.
Twitter: pz5wjj
says:
Good for you Elizabeth! You do deserve it! And you are worth it! If you don’t ask, you don’t get. And, the worst thing is the advertisers can say is “No.” Good job!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Mimi- Thanks! Now I just have to continue to believe in myself, instead of worrying that no one will hire me at the rates I deserve, and go back to taking $5.00 jobs just for the money. I AM worth it!
Hi,
You are very active with LinkWorth. I bet it has brought you more money.I hope to get more links from LinkWorth too…;D
With PPP’s geographical segmentation recently, we are looking for other greener pastures.One of them is LinkWorth.Some of the bloggers like Lilian and Ah Pek have been doing well with LinkWorth.
I am still having headache as to how to instal my rotating ads…;D