Back to the OP's original question — I make zero $$ on my website. It is self-funded and nonprofit, intended for the free benefit of those interested in the topic (sig link #1). However, I am a "capitalist" at heart. And I respect what some of the posters above have done entrepreneurially to make a good living. Fortunately, in these my comfortable retirement years, I don't need that extra income, so I'm able to go noncommercial.
Wooo... cool down on the brag about the $$ and the BMW, mate. No offence but I agree with Kwaku. You come across more as a "job" person. Aiming to be dentist is fine but that is more of a professional occupation/job much like lawyer, doctor etc whether it is fixed hours or flexible hrs. I mean look at Robert Rubin who is an accomplished ex-Treasury Secretary who just resigned from Citibank- He is extremely wealthy but he is more of a "job" person- He worked in companies, banks then for government. Not saying there is anything wrong with being a "job" person. IMHO, for ex-jobbers like me and Kwaku who slaved around in office cubicles as Dilberts to incompetent pointy head bosses for years, we want to move on from being a "job" person. I prefer to be boss of company of one instead of being slave to company of one million
Alright then, different strokes for different folks. I'm done arguing about this, it's a moot topic, and I'm just stating my personal view and experience in this industry for others, who may not be successful yet, to learn from and follow. And I don't consider anything I said to be boasting, I have no reason to boast to any of you; I always appreciated inspiration back when I was an amateur webmaster, so posting about my personal success should be an inspiration for others. If you don't consider it inspiration, then maybe you should re-evaluate your mentality towards successful people (read: jealousy), as this is a webmaster forum and we're all here to make money or fulfill some sort of goal. If you feel differently, we obviously come from different backgrounds, maybe even work in different niches. I don't consider myself a "job" person at all, I consider myself a positive leader and entrepreneur. But my experience has shown me that intangible assets like those acquired online can be risky, especially if your entire living depends on it. It only takes one hacking, DDoS attack, server downtime, or database error to severely impact a profitable website. Heck, a Google blacklist or other form of SE indexing mishap, or maybe even getting banned from a source of revenue like Adsense or YPN, for something that isn't really your fault, can do just as much if not more damage. Not to mention the faltering economy, and likewise, an industry that heavily depends on deep marketing pockets, which are one of the first investments that companies will cut in times of crisis, in order to properly function and distribute wealth. I've seen what the dot com bubble was capable of doing, and I see something of the like approaching us in the next few years. Just imagine your CPMs going from $3 to $0.30 or less due to economic factors out of your control, you ain't gonna survive for long. I've dealt with handfuls of high-profile advertisers directly (no ad network doing the negotiating), from movie production companies to gaming and entertainment companies, and I've already seen a dramatic reduction, as compared to years past, of what they're willing to spend to get their products or services publicized, and it ain't pretty. Do yourself a favor and create multiple streams of revenue, before it's too late. Heck, maybe even use your money earned on the Internet to make an offline company of some kind, if being your own boss is so important to you. There are rocky times ahead, and advertising is and always has been an extremely volatile industry, and is the predominant sub-industry of the Internet. Before you toss me aside as a "job" person and become self-absorbed with the "be your own boss" buzz, consider the fact that I am not posting here to boast about this and that, I was just supplying some much-needed food for thought. I've had many years of experience in the Internet biz, and bucket-loads of cash earned from it, and yet I'm still wary of the Internet. Maybe that should mean something.
Awesome- Yes agree with this last part- Diversify Diversify Diversify Diversify revenue streams Diversify business models Diversify online, offline Like you I would not be putting everything on online but also diversify to offline But in all these, one thing will not change- I will be the "entrepreneur" person-would rather be the OMO (One Man Operator) even instead of jobbing for someone else. I said "You're FIRED" to the boss and the job some time ago. Peace and have a great New Year 2009
lol, what a person can buy a car and have it paid for in like 2 months, three months if they have to pay for their morgage. Sounds rich to me. People can make enough money with websites for it to be enough to make it in US and Canada. You can actually make a good living online as long as you've been in the business for awhile, or are some lucky 16yr old. This sounds like a well planned out post. But man, if you are going to go 6 figures you should have the respect for yourself to not go more BMW and go more Exotic supercar, grandpa.
Bottom line is ..there is no guarantee in anything. You can be run over by a truck today!!! who knows...just enjoy while we can.
ha ha nice replies well i was more curious if people on DPF really lived on income from their sites or did it just as a part time income & something they liked to do in their spare time I thought usa was the place for net entrepreneurs
To be honest, anyone making money online will most likely keep their figures to themselves. Someone on here that says they are making $200.00+/month probably made $200.00 so far and it's been a month. Only time you can say you consistently make cash online is after 6+ months.
Being an Indian, located in India, I have limited support for Paypal, and hence I have NO plans whatsoever to monetise my site. I MAY sell links/and or adspace in the future though.
Google has allowed users to post their earnings on the sites. This is a smart marketing move, encourage others to be affiliate with google. It inspires me to work harder!! Why they didn't they allow to do that in the 1st place?
maybe because somepeople would alter & modify stats to do scams well it is a kind of a dilemma wether to reveal ur earnings online is right or wrong ? why should people consider it wrong ?
Most people make a lot of money and are unwilling to disclose that type of information. Those that discuss their revenue and prone to haters and that like. Such as people, reporting them, and stalking the user by asking so many question. I know my business partner grosses $200k a year.
All you have to do is ask for proof like check deposits, websites and other tools. Just don't buy the ebooks!!! ha ha ..now that a scam. Anyway, like anything else, it is up to you to do the checking.