This Blog, Sir, Is Dead

Just keep on writing. It's the "forever mantra" of a plyer of pens. Granted, in the world of blogging, no real pens are harmed. It's all just digital data being sent out in the form of words into the ethers. Wherever that is, honestly.

I ply my wares in other places besides this one. And thank Heaven's I do, because this blog gets about as much traction as a man with no legs. Yeesh. Bad joke? Too soon considering I guess old Pistorius is getting out of prison shortly?

You know, he's that guy with the steel, springy legs who once was a star athlete before he killed his girlfriend some years back.

I said I was doing a little experiment though with this one. Of course, you probably didn't get to read it. Well, because who does? It's a ghost town here, folks. But I said I was going to try to post more often here, and not so much as do a thing to promote any of the blogs I write here, just to see if that will ramp up some algorithm in search land (or maybe wake it the hell up!) or something.

I take that back. I did promote the one just before this one. The one about R.P. Kane. 

But the key is to examine the posts that aren't promoted to see if they get anywhere on their own. Just by doing the one thing that blog writers do. Write blogs and hit the publish button and wait.

My other blogs are not a good gauge since they actually have an audience and can find their own way well enough into the hands of readers. Or eyes. Or whatever.

So far what I have learned is that it is just too early to tell if there is any impact whatsoever since I only started this experiment a very short while ago. So, onward and upward, continuing to write more nonsensical nothings I go.

This blog has always been a bit of dead space. Maybe that's part of the reason this one has not been permitted by AdSense to be monetized. Oh well. Maybe one day I can convince the powers that be at Google, or Alphabet, or whatever it is these days to consider it and bring home a little extra dough from it.

Either way, it's still a fun place to write about just about anything I want to. And I guess if it sucks it doesn't matter since no one will see it anyway.

Hey! Johnny Fever. You out there, man? I feel your pain, talking into the airwaves with not a single car radio tuned into your show. That's me. Here I am. Right there with you, buddy. Only he got paid anyway. Wait a damn minute.

In any event, I will keep on doing what I do here regardless of the outcome. I guess from time to time I will promote one or two or several here and there. For what purpose, I have no idea. Maybe I land an eye or two. Who knows?

But for the time being, this blog is dead.

Like the way I write or the things I write about? Follow me on my Facebook page. Trust me, it's quite a bit livelier outside of here than it is inside of here. Anyone out there? Anyone? Anyone?

A Couple of Experiments Just for Kicks and Grins

Twitter has always been a "funny" place to me in that it's like a ghost town on my profile page. I have enough "followers," but still, getting any real traction on anything I post there is difficult. For whatever reason.

However, I do think some of the stats shown aren't always completely accurate. For example, link clicks, if I am sharing a song or sharing a post, tend to always display as zero. At the same time, if I am posting something to share there, I do also often see a jump in views.

I know when and where I share something mostly. So, where else would the views be coming from but link clicks even if the stats say no one clicked?

I wrote a post yesterday on here that remained at zero. Hey, this particular blog really has no audience and gets very little traffic. I always consider it just a quiet place to write something just to keep the pen moving, have a little fun, and keep the mind fresh and active.

I rarely actively share what I write on here.

But I became curious. Would sharing the former post on Twitter bump up the view count? I am not sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will.

So, I am checking to see if that actually happens. But there is another experiment I want to try out. The fact is that I am not very active adding to this blog. Usually on my main blog I limit my posts to only one per day. I won't get into the details of why that's my rule. I will just say that it is.

So, even if I write two or more posts in a day, I won't publish them right away. Instead I will schedule them in a way to be published so only one per day is added to the blog.

In any event, the second experiment is to see if I post more on this blog, will it push the posts more?

It's helpful to also understand some changes that I could make on my primary blog that might actually be beneficial to it and drive in way more traffic. In the end I have nothing to lose. No one sees this blog hardly anyway. And for whatever reason I have not been able to monetize this one as I have with my primary blog.

Onward and upward and we will see what happens. I will be sure to post my findings even if I am also absolutely positive I might as well do magic tricks in front of a blind man.

No one will see it. 

Hey! Think this blog sucks? Maybe you're right. How about giving me some spins on some of my music that sucks too? I could use the income to keep writing things that suck. You can find my quirky Pink Flamingoes (misspelled on purpose) album on Spotify. If you are so kind, perhaps there is a song or two that makes your favorite playlist?

By the way, the picture that accompanies this post has nothing whatsoever to do with this post. It's just a picture of a 1980 Ford Fiesta, which also happened to be my first car. But mine was powder blue.

Writing on the Journal is Tough

Let me be straight up and say that no matter the audience, I enjoy the process of writing. And that goes for anything I might write about. The mindless drool I write here is not without its level of pleasure and enjoyment.

As I often say about writing, the general thought is to just keep the pen moving. And while The Journal here may not have a strong audience, and for whatever reason Google has decided not to let me monetize it like my other blogs on the Blogspot platform, it is—for all intents and purposes—not a waste of time for me.

But it's tough. 

It's tough because fewer eyes land here. It's tough because—well, let's face it, I want to be able to monetize it. It's tough because it doesn't really advance my other, more serious writing. It's tough because I prefer to share that other writing on my Facebook page devoted to sharing the things I write about.

At the same time, I still don't mind doing it. In fact, there are times when the well runs just a little bit dry. It happens! And just being able to write about anything and nothing at all helps to spark something that maybe leads to something else that is more productive.

And can be monetized.

Just because it is tough does not mean I won't still spend time here, doing what I do. As I have said here and in other places, I almost have to write just as much as I have to breathe. It's a part of me and an extension of me.

It's what I am and what I do.

And ultimately, for whatever it is worth, people actually do still land here from time to time, and I suppose that helps to make it worth it on some level. It's not like it is totally dead here. The Journal simply doesn't get the same fanfare that my other blogs and writing do.

It's tough, but I will continue to do it, for whatever that's worth, and for whatever prying eyes land here to see what I have to say.

And now for something completely different, check out one of my song releases on Spotfiy, "Where Do I Go." https://open.spotify.com/track/7At3eSWGYR47va1nbwDx6m?si=08e896555c124cdc

What The Hell Is The Point of this Blog?

I have been blogging for a long time. While when I started this whole thing—not here on THIS blog—it was a more "serious" approach that I took. My main blog, which gets quite neglected these days, The Springboard, centers around mostly politics, money management, the stock market, and as I like to call it, "the occasional random thought."

One of the things that began to distract me a bit from this more "serious" writing were sites like Bubblews, PersonaPaper, MyLot and others. You can even go ahead and toss in an old site I used to be quite active on that was called WebAnswers.

The thing is, these were sites where you could essentially write about nothing in particular, and yet at the same time still make a fair amount of money.

I am currently on MyLot doing that sort of writing.

What is The Springboard Journal? It's an experiment of sorts. It's a quest to identify if writing about nothing in particular can be effective to attract any sort of traffic here on Blogger. It's a quest to see if a similar amount of participation on other blogs can have the same effect on traffic to any post as it did, or does currently on a site like MyLot.

The point of this blog really is simply to carry over the idea that is the basis of any of those other sites I mentioned and see whether or not it can work in a similar way as it does on those sites, but to also determine whether doing it here instead of there can be more profitable.

At the end of the day it is true that many of us write blogs at all because we like to write. And because we like to write, writing about anything—or in this case nothing—is just an excuse to put words down and play around a bit with the whole process of it. But we also like to make a little bit of money too. Getting paid to do something you enjoy is always a worthwhile venture.

So what really is the point of this blog? Just to see what happens. To write about anything and nothing and just see where it lands.

While writing about nothing, I will do my best to at least try and keep it somewhat interesting.

How To Make A Million Dollars

This is it. Right here, folks. Step right up. Take notice and DO take notes. THIS is how you make your mark on the world. THIS is how you make a million dollars. A MILLION DOLLARS! Yes, you heard me right. 

You CAN make a million dollars with absolutely nothing. Think about it. One of the greatest shows in the history of television made all of its cast MILLIONS of dollars. And the show was about absolutely nothing.

Of course, I am referring to Seinfeld. And Jerry Seinfeld was the mater at making millions out of nothing.

When you think about it one step further, take a look at YouTube. Take a look at Facebook. Hell, throw Twitter into the mix. Throw in any of those other social media sites that have not just made millions but BILLIONS of dollars like Instagram and Snapchat.

Are we sharing anything of value on any of these places? No. Not really. But yet, despite all that, people come in droves. People will come here in droves as well, rest assured. They will come here and drop umpteen thousands of comments. They will click on ads and they will buy stuff, and both Google and I will make millions of dollars.

Something is BOUND to go viral folks. It is all a numbers game. It is all a game of the odds.

And of course there is the sheer entertainment value of what I post here to consider as well. I mean, people want to be a fly on the wall. They want to know what goes on in the lives of otherwise ordinary people. 

Who is this Jim Bauer? What is this foolish but catchy little album Jim Bauer has created called Pink Flamingoes all about, and why is it making so much money when it never receives airplay on the radio and people are going to in droves?

What is this book, edited by Jim Bauer under the penname Ivan S. Graves called Dark Whispers, and why does it attract such a large audience?

Jim Bauer is making MILLIONS OF DOLLARS from nothing. And so will this blog make MILLIONS OF DOLLARS from nothing.

I just have a knack, folks. But so can you. YOU TOO CAN MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS FROM DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. This is the world we live in today. The world of the Internet. And people WILL and DO come in droves to see what you have to say. To dive into the meat of what you had for dinner, what you did yesterday, today, and what you will do tomorrow. They want to know about you. They want to know about me.

I cannot tell you how many times I have cashed a check and thought to myself, how in the hell did I get this money? What in the world did I offer that was worth a dime?

But here we are talking about it, and here I am cashing in those checks.

At the rate I am going I suspect any minute Forbes is going to be knocking on my door wanting to know more. They are going to wanting to know how in the world I have managed to amass such massive wealth from nothing at all? How it is that I have created completely shit music and actually was able to give massive bands like Green Day a run for their money? How I have capitalized on the Seinfeld genius of making money from nothing?

I mean, think about it. This POST is about nothing, but isn't it interesting? Are you still reading? Why are you still reading? Are you inclined now to click on an ad just because you are thinking, man this guy needs to KEEP ON POSTING?

If you want to make a million dollars in this world, all you need to do is come up with something about nothing and people will follow you, want to know more about you, and will come to you in droves. Because again, people want to be flies on the wall. They want to know about your happy and your sad. They want to know about your trials and tribulations, and they want to know about your successes. They want to know your hopes and aspirations, and some just want to know THAT so they can knock you down. They want to know about how much of an idiot you are when you post absolutely stupid shit no one cares about to YouTube like this video.

THIS, my friends, please DO take note, is a MILLION DOLLAR BLOG. In fact, I am writing this post from my yacht as we (the wife and I) are sailing off the shore of the Bahamas. A frequent stop for us.

I'd share a picture of myself standing at the bow of said yacht, but my phone died and it is the only camera I own. But do take my word for it. This is a million dollar blog and if you copy what I do here you too can make a million dollars. 

Now, if you are really interested in my million dollar secret, I would be more than happy to send you my PayPal address. Just send me $5 and I will send you a printed copy of exactly what I have posted here, just so you have a hard copy of this secret.

I want everyone to make a million dollars. I want everyone to be successful. I want everyone to make a million dollars from nothing at all.

It is simply a matter of time before no one ever has to work the daily grind anymore and work for some unruly, asshole of a boss. We can just post nothing and live the good life. We can look out at the rest of the dumb world from the high towers of our multi-room mansions...

Well one of the rooms in MY MANSION is of course a recording studio where I am busy at work writing a follow up to my Pink Flamingoes (misspelled on purpose) album. Onward and upward to my second million dollars.

Was this article helpful? Has it caused you to find your pathway to a million dollars of your own? Do you feel enlightened? Have you fallen for any of this? Are you still reading?

Can You Believe These Gas Prices?

Remember just a short time ago when you looked at your fuel gauge with a little bit of panic? First thought...oh shit. This is going to hurt like hell to fill this tank. AND lucky if I can afford to go anywhere with this gas once I put it into the tank.

But here we are, and gas prices are under $2 a gallon! Granted, like anything, it is probably a short-lived thing. Enjoy it while we can is what I say. It is nice, though, to be able to fill up and not worry whether or not you'll need to mortgage your house to fill the tank—and hell, think of all the extra useless crap we buy with the money we're not spending on gas.

Ah, the wheels of the economy will churn much like the wheels on my car. And I have two of them to fill mind you. An F-150 and an Edge.

What with the lowered taxes and jobs a plenty, raises galore and bonuses galore, things are finally looking quite dandy when all is said and done on the economic front. Let's just hope that for whatever any of this is worth it can last a little bit.

I'd like to see gas stay at under $2 a gallon for as long as it possibly can.

Is This Thing On?

Blogs are a dime a dozen on the Internet. Anyone who has dabbled in blogs for even just a short time knows this little fact all too well.

And then there's this stuff. Blogs containing total useless garbage and horrible writing. I make no bones about it. This blog is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BRILLIANT, and it is not supposed to give James Patterson or Stephen King a run for their money.

It is simply a place to write something and share it.

When I first started writing anything, and honing my craft, one of the very first things I learned is that in order to find your voice, and hone your "craft," is to simply keep the proverbial pen moving. Write something. Write anything. Who the fuck cares what it is you write about? Who the fuck cares if it is any good? And frankly, who the fuck cares if anyone actually reads any of it?

I just started back on THIS blog. A journal I call it. It's a blog really about nothing at all. Will anyone find it? Will anyone read it? Will anyone leave any interesting comments?

I have no freaking clue!

I do think, however, that one way for something like this to get a bit more notice and attention around the Internet is to post often and frequently. Somehow I swear I read somewhere that updating a blog quite regularly helps it to get better placements in search, even if it is about nothing at all like this one is.

We will see how it goes. It is a work in progress. It will probably fall on deaf ears or blind eyes, if it gets found at all. If nothing else I suppose I can just have fun clacking away at the keys here hoping maybe one day it can find a place in this vast world wide web.




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Giving It To MyLot

I TEND TO SPEND QUITE A LOT OF TIME OVER AT A LITTLE PLACE CALLED MYLOT, and I have to say that for the most part is indeed a site that, unlike many others before it—we'll just toss out the Bubblews name here for these purposes—it seems to have its act together when it comes to policing the site and making regular cash payouts to its members there.

I have not missed a payment to date.

While MyLot does not pay anywhere near a site like BUBBLEWS did, I think that is actually a good thing. The fact is that anyone who did not fully come to the realization at the massive payouts Bubblews offered that the entire thing was one giant scam just waiting to come to its very dead end, you just simply could not have been operating with even half of a brain in your head.

It was too good to be true. We all knew it. But so long as the cash register continued to ring, however unrealistic it all was that it could keep on going, YOU kept on going until the cash register stopped ringing.

And it did. Quite abruptly actually.

But I am not here really to talk about the good side of MyLot. I am here to talk about something that bothers me a bit about MyLot.

I said that MyLot polices the site quite well. And that's true. They keep out the riff-raff, and they delete posts quite rapidly when they break a policy. You want that and need that on a site like this, as things can get ugly right quick, and before you know it, advertisers start wanting to pull their ads.

And that's bad because that's the bread and butter of a site like MyLot, and of course what allows the content providers to get paid.

But I do think the site sometimes goes a little bit far on that policing...especially as it applies to what some might call spam. In one way or another, being that we are content providers, and that we are attracted to sites like MyLot at all, we all generally have something to sell outside of just the content we provide on those sites.

Like me, for example. I have an album out there on iTunes and other places. I have a book out there on Amazon which is also sold in a few places. I have this blog and other blogs. I have articles I have written on HubPages.

There's stuff out there that I want to share. Both for the purpose of sharing. But also for the purpose of increasing my opportunities for revenue if I can as well.

Other members of the site write books. Some have little side businesses making designer art, greeting cards, and even lotions and detergents. Not a single one of us expects to get rich doing any of this stuff.

Yet the site seems to warrant anything that even mentions indirectly about our "side gigs" is a post that should quickly and rightly be deleted.

I tend to disagree with this.

Look, if I post a direct link to my album on iTunes, for example (It's Pink Flamingoes by Jim Bauer if you had any desire to look it up) in a MyLot post. Yeah. That's undeniable spam. But if I simply mention, such as I did here, that the album is available on iTunes without providing a link directly to it, and use the post to also share for free a song from the album, to my mind that is not spam at all. It is simply saying to anyone reading the post, here's a song I want to share from my album called X, if you want to take a look at it here is where you can find it...

That is simple sharing.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not outwardly complaining, nor am I calling on the site to change its policies. It's their site, they can do what they want with it, and they can make whatever rules they want to make inside of it. If I want to participate there I have to simply abide by their rules and live with it if I want to get paid anything at all.

But there's part of the thing. I don't need the money that bad. It's not enough money to get my panties all in a bunch over. So, to that end, I do have the ability to cite my disdain for an action they take by taking something from them that they need more than I do.

Money from advertising.

And so that is what I did after they pulled my last post that mentioned my album and where it could be found. I stopped participating. I stopped posting. I made my presence there very nominal.

It has probably not so much as made a slight dent in their revenue, and they probably haven't even noticed my lack of participating over there. Either way.

But it also reminded me of THIS blog I started which was a way of doing exactly the same thing (or something very similar to it) HERE and being in FULL CONTROL of what I post, how it promotes things, and HOW MUCH I can earn overall.

I am at my payout level at MyLot. So, that means that when "checks" are handed out in February for the month of January, I will get one. It will not bother me to continue to boycott the site (mostly) for the rest of this month, and simply focus on this blog to see if there is any opportunity for it to grow and find a place on the Internet where there can be some great discussions about anything and nothing in general, and keep a healthy dialogue of comments and responses.

I will keep anyone interested on how it goes, although I must admit to feeling a little bit like old Jonny Fever at WKRP in Cincinnati.