Year-end reports are starting to sprout like mushrooms already. And I bet more are to come before the year literally ends. On that vein and just so readers know what Career Mom Online had gone through in 2011, here’s my year-end report.
The year that was
August 8, 2011, I penned my first ever blog post, My BLOG-tism of Fire. Career Mom Online started with the aim of satisfying my penchant for writing. I used to be a novelist, but since writing a novel takes a whole army of concentration, effort and time (on my part, at least), given the fact that my hands are tied and time is a luxury I cannot afford, with the help of well-meaning blogger friends, I embarked on a journey to the blogosphere.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It was something I didn’t understand, the puts and takes, SEO, numbers, statistics – they all were so mind-boggling for a greenhorn like me, I decided not to give much emphasis on them. All I did was write to my heart’s content.
The journey
Choosing a template was a painstaking process. The incorporation of widgets here and there, I did from scratch. Learning the ropes was something that just couldn’t happen overnight. It required a lot of work, I didn’t even know companies that would be willing to setup my blog for a fee existed then.
Career Mom Online, as we know it today, is not perfect, I know. But what the blog has emerged into is sheer product of labor of love.
The mentors
My mentors have all advised me to put ads into my blog as it was already getting a steady stream of visitors. I tried Google Adsense, but I guess the bots are sometimes too good to be true. For reasons ranging from page violation to non-compliance of Adsense or webmaster policies, I couldn’t get accepted into the program. Still, I continued to write.
Earning on the side through blogging, although something I seriously considered as well, wasn’t my #1 priority. No matter what others think, I think of myself a writer, and once a writer, always a writer. Besides, providing people with information about health, kid stuff, parenting, financial literacy with the help of this blog isn’t bad at all, in my opinion.
The progress
Three months later, from a page rank of 0, Career Mom Online moved up to PR 2, something I just couldn’t believe actually happened. If you ask me now, I have no idea how that came to be. I guess I can say I simply listened to Jomi Dasmariñas. The technical stuff I couldn’t fathom, he, alongside Marvs Correa and several other bloggers, took care of. For that, I am ever grateful.
For the year 2011, Career Mom Online has been awarded the Liebster Blog Award two times, thanks to One Pack Guy and Psychables. And once, the blog was nominated into the Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011. Thanks to ISP101 for that.
Last month, despite the Panda update, news of bloggers here and there being kicked out of Adsense for no rhyme or reason, I tried Google Adsense for the third time – no such luck. The reason? Unacceptable content.
Unbelievable.
But hey, that’s the way things go. Google can cite all the reason it wants, it has the last say anyway. After all, who makes the payment? Google. So no hard feelings at all, Google.
December 22, 2011, my post, LBC and JRS Volunteer To Ship Donations For Free, marked my 75th post. Not a lot, by some bloggers’ standards, but I only get to blog regularly on weekends and on days I’m off work. So that’s kudos to the inspiration you, my readers, give me on a regular basis. For that, thank you so very much!
The gratitude
And before I end this report, from the very bottom of my heart, let me just say merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year to one and all!
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Like your page and join in your circle hope that you do the same thanks
Try Smowtion po…I think they are not as strict as Adsense. Just keep on blogging, Blog about your passion and make blogging your passion, yan lagi ko sinishare na principle ko
Hey, Semidoppel, thanks for visiting. Yes, I tried it once, but for some reason, I get the “cannot be parsed” error over and over, so I guess I just have to try again another day. 😀
Wow, that is an awesome feat. Plus, I like your style of writing. It’s clear and straight to the point.
Let me just say, blog but don’t give up on being a novelist. We need better novelists in the Philippines, and you may be one of them.
But you’re also good at blogging so just do what you want to do
don’t give up your hope with google adsense sis, try again applying next year 🙂
i like reading your posts, you have a unique writing style that i admire 🙂
Happy New Year!
Jonathan, thank you for visiting my blog, and for the kind words as well. I am actually thinking of writing again. I just don’t have the right concept yet. And you, too, have a clear and concise point of saying what’s on your mind. I stopped by your blog just a few minutes ago. 😀
Joy, thank you so very much for the kind words. Happy New Year to you and your awesome family as well!
You’ve presented your year-end report for 2011: you’re a writer per se. You blog for it is too tiresome to write a novel. You got an award for your blog for you’re a good listener, obedient to your blogging friends/advisers. And you’re apt to write more and more for you’ve now a captured readers/followers. Keep it up. On blog monetizing, it is not an easy one to avail of, for handlers/providers are strict and meticulous of protecting their advertisers because of numerous unprecedented fraud online and worse the hackers are lurking somewhere waiting for the chance to get into the scene and enjoy the booty.
From RandomThoughts!
Gil, thank you for gracing my blog with your presence. Yes, I agree with you on the monetizing part, and I totally understand where that sentiment is coming from. It can get frustrating sometimes, but hey, this is the real world. We can’t have it all. 😀
Hello Maricel,it’s my first time to be here, I just saw your post at PPB.Knowing your predicament in Adsense I could only recommend you to try Nuffnang ads, InfoLinks and Chitika ads in your blog.They’re not excellent like Adsense but high earning greatly depends on your traffic.
Just keep on blogging and I know you will reap again right in time…:)
Hey, Bennix, thanks for visiting my site. I now have Infolinks and Chitika. But Chitika is kind of getting me stumped. I seem to not know how to place it on the side bar. All it managed to do is appear at the very bottom of the page. I don’t know how to move it around. I’ve tried Bidvertiser once, but the ads are something I wouldn’t want to see on a blog if I were the reader. As for Smowtion, well, that one is for the books. I can’t just do it right. Me and my dumminess. 😀
what a very comprehensive year end report and a reflection of curve for learning to blog. With or without ads, let’s blog!!!
Shirgie, you’re right. With or without ads, let’s get it on!
Hi Cel! thanks for adding me on your link, I’ll do the same.. 😛 –> http://metalpigs.com/links/ under Freelance writers
Keep on sending your Adsense application on Google, who know’s 2012 is your lucky year… 🙂
Don’t loose hope on getting your adsense for approval after getting some supports in FBW finally I got it on my fourth attempt goodluck, and thank you for visiting my blog
Chrisair, wow, that sure is a morale booster. I have three failed attempts already, so I guess on the fourth one, I might get lucky, too!
And Chrisair, I am now following both your Raketer Mama and From Wala to Okay blogs through FB. Cheers!
Mommy Gel, just keep on blogging! Just imagine, you got PR 2 in a very short period of time! You are a very good writer; you deserve it! Thanks for the mention! God bless! =)
Hey, Metalpig, thanks for dropping by. You bet I’ll do that. 😀
JM, that I will do. And thanks for the kind words, and your never-ending support as well. 😀
I cant believe google adsense did not approve your application… your site got great contents, has a proffesional look.. my blog is very mixed up applied more than 5 times then it got approved… I got an idea put a sitemap in your blog, and adsense will be approved… just try 🙂
http://dustent.blogspot.com
Thunder, same here. Can’t believe Google wouldn’t accept my site to the program. LOL! Well, it’s their call. Better luck to me next time, I guess!