Big Adsense Earners , do you share what you do with friends or You keep it secret?

I tell my family about it only if they ask, even then I don't talk about how much I make. I think the only person who has a good idea of what I make is my father. I used to really get into it and mention some profit margins, but I didn't like the response I got from people. Since then I've kept it pretty low key.

However, I do force content publishing/adsense on certain people if:
1) They are making significantly less than they could be and don't have job security.
2) Hardworking personality types with time on their hands, currently being wasted (gaming/drinking/sleeping in excess)
3) They are a good friend. That's part of knowing schmeg007, you get the whole package, even if you don't want to hear about it.

I had a two-week bootcamp with a friend after he finished up college and he's doing pretty damn good now.

It's too bad that the people I tell about internet business opportunities don't really need it. I'm sure they'd be succesful at whatever they choose to do. It's just nice to have some close friends that share the same interests as you do, so I'll keep pushing my agenda on those I care about

 

I'm quite open about what I do for a living. I've tried to teach literally dozens of friends (and a decent bit of my family) how I do what I do. maybe two or three of these people have really made any decent effort to get into the business. those that have are all making money.

it's funny, people tend to be so envious over the fact that I make good money at my age, I don't have a boss, I don't even need to leave my computer to earn a living, etc. they generally say they wish they had it that easy-- I tell them there's no reason they can't.

once I get through explaining the ins and outs of how to be successful at this, they generally stop thinking it's so easy.

 

so far i have earned $4.79 from ad sense is there any minimum amount to be reached for a pay out?

 

I usually get "So you get paid eveytime someone goes to your site?"
Adsense is not my main income but I have just give ballpark figures rounded down when asked.

 

And after explaining the system to family and friends, you have to tell them not to click your ads at least three times. Many of them want to do you "a favor."

 

I make pocket change from adsense or at least what I call pocket change. I need some of you people as friends to help me out that's for sure.

 

Will .. your 15k/month is it based on multiple sites ? Or do you have one big heavy hitter? Can you teach me? My IQ should be satisfactory!

thanks for sharing!
Frank

 

I read this question as having two sections.

The first section is deciding to tell family and friends. The answer to that question is a flat out no! Tell your close family members if you must, but never tell your friends unless you really, really trust them.

I have made this mistake and it is not something you want to deal with. Some of your friends may not understand the electronic world and will see the money as easy cash.

They work hard for their money and yet you kick back making the easy money and rub it in their faces with new purchases and a change in lifestyle – that is how some of them will view it, never understanding the late nights and mental anguish a webmaster goes through during Google’s updates.

Many will ask you for money, you’re their friend after all and their situation is an emergency or warrants it in some way. They feel awful having to ask you, but ….


The second part of the question is do you share your webmaster techniques with others? Yes, but I do so being very selective. These friends are willing to make the same sacrifices I have (or close) to make their site a success. As a group, you can blow away the competition because the majority of people out there refuse to share, so the burden of saying ahead of the game is on their shoulders and not the groups. You can achieve SO MUCH MORE if you share, but it must reciprocal!

Sometimes you give more than you get back. If you’re the first one to be making the money and on top of everything, then those you help will take more than they give – at first.

If those you have shared with are excited and share their ideas with you, then you’ll grow at a phenomenal rate! However, if it seems you’re always the one with the ideas or your friend(s) never volunteer information, then be very careful about what you give out – it’s a good sign they are not the sharing type and only doing so because they have to.

The hardest part about sharing is being on the same topic / keyword. This can get very heated. If you already have the topic and a site built around it, then it’s yours. Sharing is up to you and if you decide not to, then your friends should stay out of it.

A common argument is that by asking your friend to stay out of it, you’re asking them to forfeit potential money that complete strangers will benefit from. If they didn’t know you, they could have jumped on the keyword – it’s hard.

You can always put them to the test by turning the tables; ask them for permission to start a site about a topic they have or that they think is hot. It’s the reaction that counts and will tell you how that person really thinks!

If the topic is new and something that was brought up in discussion, then everyone can go for it, just DO NOT tell one another how you are going to design the site, promote it, etc, until all the sites are completed. This works out great and everyone will have a blast trying to get to the top without damaging relationships.

I could go on forever talking about this, but the best overall advice would be to keep it secret and tell only those you truly trust. If you have multiple sites, keep a few of the gems to yourself and share the rest – you’ll be glad you did

Money, it makes the world turn and at the same time, holds humanity back from achieving our true potential. People get weird around money so resist the urge to tell others of your success and be humble.

 

Lol thats completely true it took me about 15 min to get this lad to understand that i do not want him to click on my ads.

 

I have tried to get many friends and family involved even my wife but they have hard time grasping it or they say well set me up a site .... well setting up the site is the hardest part and gettign the traffic why would i want to do all the work then just give you free money.... I try to share and do especially with friends that have helped me with my sites....

Me and friend took in some nice money for a few months on an idea we had and we both profited

It takes time effort and ability to think out of the box of 9to5 to make it on the net
I wont post what i make but its enough

 

Formula for giving away x amount of money is:

x + (x times tax bracket)

So the next time someone asks you for a lump sum, remind them of what you're really giving them.

Perhaps it's better to set up a one page site for them, have them apply for Adsense and then stick their ID in your adsense code until they reach x amount. This way, you have less income to report and they have to deal with the taxes.

 

I will share with friends/family if they really ask and show a genuine interest in the process and do their own research as well. I'm not going to give away everything, but I'll certainly help them along the road. If they are truly interested and motivated, they will make it.

 

Dont tell anyone who is not already an online earner anything, why create more competition for yourself?

 

i ahve a story that might be relevant.

a friend of mine approached me and asked for help in adsense, because he found adsense and then noticed im using adsense. so i sat down with him for an hour going through the TOS and giving him advice from what i've learnt from DP. he understood.

few weeks later he came across my site, which i placed ads in between articles. he accused me of being a hypocrite ("you tell me not to click on my own ads, but here you are squeezing an ad in the middle of an article, tricking people into clicking it"). i told him while clicking your own ads directly violates the TOS, placing ads in between articles is not. moreover the Ads by goooooogle is clearly visible.

he says "it's bloody hell unethical, i thought it was a link. if you can do that, then i'm damn sure i can click on your ads too".

i shot off an email to google giving them the transcript of our conversation online. waiting for reply now.

now, i don't 'help' my so-called 'friends' indiscriminately anymore. this one episode scares me.

 

because having good friends in the industry is a hell of a lot more valuable than trying to prevent more competition from showing up?

 

My take on the whole adsense income earnings... is simple

Adsense is like a club...

If you are a member no explanation is needed
If you are NOT a member no explanation is possible

Most of my family and friend know of my site as some are Elvis fans, however, have no idea how the adsense system works... and I like it that way, Lea

 

It is so true that most people don't understand what we do for a living. I have explained it many times but my husband still asks me "Is this real money?" Doesn't stop him from spending it though...

I do help people although the level of my answer usually varies on the level of knowledge and commitment involved (you can usually tell by the way the question is phrased).

I do this for a couple reasons:

1. Good karma
2. Often thinking of an answer to a good question sparks something for me or reminds me of something I meant to do
3. Good questions often spark an idea for a blog entry or article (and answering the question gets me halfway there!)
4. In my years on the internet I have regularly experienced the supportive, community nature of the web. Sure there are lots of people out to make a quick buck but there are also lots of people who freely share info and help with others and I have benefited many, many times from those people. It seems only fair that I do my share to contribute to the community.

 

My wife did not believe until checks knocked my door...
When I introduced some relatives, they did not understand the full concept or maybe they think: INTERNET=EASY MONEY=FRAUD

$x,xxx is not easy money I still have my day job, and somethings I get up
4 a.m. to provide maintenance to my sites...

 

Erm most of my family and friends arent exactly technically minded... My girlfriend didnt believe me when i told her google was fully automated, she thought that all the sites were reviewed by hand and that the people at google voted to see which ones should come top

I just tell people i do a bit of web design in my spare time. Everyone knows what web design is so it saves me from having to explain in detail.

 

That explains it all! It WILL come back to you!!!