Paula and I recently took part in the James Martell Bootcamp on affiliate marketing.

This was one of the most informative exercises the we have undertaken in relation to our affiliate websites, where we learnt how to rank highly in google.

At the end of the course James and Arlene sent us our Certificates showing that we had successfully completed the course and an ‘Easy’ button.

So now whenever we complete a task we press the button that says “That was easy”. It’s a great little motivational tool that I think everyone should go out and buy one. The easy button is available from Amazon.com and Staples stores.

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One of my favourite blogging communities is Spicy page. The site is full of incredibly interesting blogs of all types. Spicy page allows you to submit your own blog, vote on other blogs, and make friends.

I find I have regulars that I love to check out to see what they are up to. And then there are always the new blogs that arrive on a minute by minute basis, so I go and check out what some of them are about.

Of course researching and reading blogs is time consuming so I tend to pick blogs based on their avatar or blog name. Sometimes it leads to a dead end and is something I am not interested in, so I leave and I don’t join their community as I know I will not want to return. Other times I become lost in the story and spend way too much time becoming totally immersed in a blog.

There are blogsites running commpetitions, blogs with personal stories of triumph and some of despair, blogs about travel experiences and blogs about fame and fortune. You name it, it’s there.

Some of my personal favourites are Crunchy Carpets, Ubertramp, The Career Strategist, Life Cruiser, On Line Shopping Bargains, Bhutan Travel, Survival Wytch. Echoes in the Night, Comedy Plus.

There are many others that I also visit on a regular basis, too many to name really. But if you are looking for a laugh, a giggle, some information, or to share in another persons experiences then join SpicyPage and you have the world at your fingertips.

Just a word of warning to anyone who decides to start working online from home. Beware of the scams.

My daughter has been sucked into a number of schemes simply because she won’t take the time to research emails that are sent to her promising untold wealth if she signs up and sends money.

Unfortunately she refuses to listen to me. I have been working online for a number of years now – but what would I know.

So many hundreds of dollars later and with nothing to show for her effort, she has finally woken up to the fact that maybe her mother does know what she is talking about.

If it appears to be too good to be true, you can bet your boots it is.

Never send bank details to anyone without ensuring that you are dealing with a reputable firm and NEVER send money to anyone offering to set you up with an online business that will make you wealthier than Bill Gates.

Here are some Legitimate Companies that we work with and they have all proved to be totally reliable with both opportunities and payments.

Join online affiliate marketing groups (such as Commission Junction, Linkshare, Shareasale, Link Connector, Amazon Affiliate Program),

All of these companies are free to join and as they are all well known in the online business circuits and have a reputation to uphold so you will get paid for your endeavours.

It takes time and effort to generate a reasonable income online but perseverence will pay off.

Sometimes when we work from home we tend to forget to take care of ourselves. It is very important to continue to keep up decent levels of exercise and maintain a healthy diet.

When you are sitting at the computer all day at home it is very easy to reach out and pick at unhealthy snacks, not realising just what you are doing to your waistline and health.

With this in mind, Paula and I make sure that we get regular exercise at the local ladies only gym. We have been doing lots of stretch and yoga classes so yesterday I decided it was time to up the ante and did the pump class. Well today I am having difficulty walking up and down the stairs. Every step feels like I am being stabbed with a burning knife blade – at least thats how it appears to me.

Having done this many times before, you know what I mean- reach a high level of fitness and then stopping going to the gym for quite some months; I know that in the next day or so I will feel the benefits of this strenuous exercise but at the moment I just want to curl up in a ball with some hazelnut chocolate and make the bad pain go away.

Having said that, it is important to not let the computer take over your life completely. Factor in the breakations and fun times.

A timer is a good tool to have on your desk to remind you of when to take a break, go for a walk or have a healthy snack.

Now where’s that phone book I need to make an appointment for a massage

For anyone involved in internet affiliate marketing a visit to an Affiliate Summit at some stage is a must do exercise.

Paula and I were at the shareasale.com Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas in 2008. This was our second Affiliate Summit and we were much more confident this time around. We were no longer unsure of how to approach Affiliate networks and merchants especially as a few of our sites are on page one of Google which gives us a little credibility.

Affiliate Marketing is an excellent way to earn an income with your website or blog. Simply join up with one of the Affiliate networks such as CJ, shareasale.com, Affiliate Traction, Link Connector, LinkShare.com; join a merchant program that suits your website and place the merchant ads and/or banners on your site. It is certainly a way to gain a bit of extra income.

For those of you who are really interested in getting started in Affiliate Marketing, Paula and I can thoroughly recommend the James Martell method of learning. Everything is outlined in small, understandable sessions and James is a patient, thorough teacher

Paula and I have met and read about some very successful people who rely on paid advertising for an income.  And a very nice income many of them enjoy.

However, with Google Adsense making it easy for anyone with a blog or website to put ads on a page has this led to ad blindness by website searchers and consequently less click through rates?  

We have delved into the arena of Pay Per Click advertising but it is not a cheap exercise.  The bidding on keywords is quite competitive and the price on keywords has now become relatively expensive. It also takes a bit of work to get it working successfully as if you don’t do it right you could easily be up for $10 or more per click.

Nevertheless we have taken steps to give PPC a go since many have had a lot of success with it. We knew we needed help however so decided to purchase an ebook called Beating Adwords by well know internet successes Kyle and Carson from Wealthy Affiliate University.

In fact, we actually purchased this ebook some time back and although the ebook is excellent and we highly recommend it we never really got into giving PPC a really good go.

Now that we have a bit more time up our sleeves we are going to give it another shot.  We will update this blog with our progress.