I understand the economy sucks and that link directories have faded away since Google banned all of our PR, however for the first time ever, even during these bad times my link directory: www.addyoursitefreesubmit.com hasn't had a premium sale since the 18th. I have never went more than two days without a sale, so it makes me wonder what is going on.
You think thats bad? until recently, my last paid submissions had been around middle of march. Economy is definately a factor in this, if those submitters are not getting as much business too, or still are getting business but have worries for the near future then it makes them nervous about using up their marketing budgets too quickly.
I think it is more serious for me since I rely on internet payments to survive. Man why did the economy have to suck now? I was saving every penny after bills and putting it away in my 5% money market. Then Google banned PR from just about every non-corporate site and we went into a recession two weeks later. I believe Google is to blame since I was doing business with people from all over the world. Thousands of dollars trading hands to multiple countries was a good thing.
You must not think only of yourself, you're not the only guy making online business their full time income. Regarding recessions and all that stuff, it happens, its a cycle, google hasn't banned pr, and pr changes are not as you're suggesting. Google is nothing to do with worldwide economy changes and recessions in various countries. You need to ride it out, theres nothing you can do to force things for the time being, it will lift, it will improve, it always does. If you're wise you will use this time to look into new ventures online, make your plans now for the future while you have time. Put it this way, you're not starving, some people actually are.
I agree with pipes. You need to focus on your business model and keep plugging away every day. Then take some time to determine what you can do to improve your business during slow times. Don't just sit back and worry about money not coming in. Try to find a way to expand your income instead.
and the best advice is never to rely on one area for your revenue keep working on your directory but experiment with other ways to bring in revenue which will help you get through the quiet times you are having with your directory
i almost am going to the deepest point right now, no doubt the revenue must drop for all web directories...
Times are definitely not good and even the best have seen a dip in their income, but times like these give us a chance to look for other opportunities and innovate.