Show Me The Money

For those that are interested, you can see up to date income and traffic statistics for this site here. 

 

Show me the Money. Isn’t what essentially all websites do – or ask? 

Most sites are about money. But I’ve got it backwards. I’ve decided to display TO YOU on MY front page MY TOTAL EARNINGS from this site. The boss thinks I’m nuts, btw. 

Why? Why not? Why is it what a site or business makes is such a secret? The internet is all about people. not computers or machines or cables, but people.  And, we’re all in this together. This is me helping you. In exchange I make it no secret that I ask you to help me. All the info on this site I provide is free. Some of it you may not agree with, or you might even laugh at my stupidity for doing this, or maybe you’re still laughing at me for washing my perfectly good iPhone. 

First off. I’d do this for free. I would. It’s the thrill of starting something from nothing and risking it all. What am I risking? Chance of failure, a little bit of cash and whack of  time. My name is all over this thing. This site could be a complete waste of time. But it’s the thrill of creating it that gets me out of bed before the alarm goes off to report the latest news, find the latest deals, or just writing about photography in general. I love it. I can’t help it. I do. 

I haven’t had a day job in years and I don’t plan on starting now. And to be honest, that’s all I want from this site is a living. I have no dreams of grandeur or getting rich quick.  just a living. I have the schooling, and experiences to make this site a success. I’ve shopped for a living for over ten years and have fixed other peoples photography  mistakes for close to another ten. I’m combining those 20 years of experience here at PDN to hopefully make you save, laugh or even learn. Maybe all 3 if I’m really doing my job well. 

So please. IF YOU CAN, and are willing to.. buy something. online. from here.  That’s where the money is so far as I can see, but it’s the internet. Things change. Nobody clicks on banner ads and the google ads are a waste of time I think, but I’m still giving them a bit more time. I think google is gaining more from my efforts. Please note I said IF you can. I know the economy sucks, and we’ve all been hit, and hard. So only if you can afford to buy something. And please tell your friends and come back tomorrow. Even if you don’t buy anything that’s just fine. Stick around. Leave a comment. Send me a note. Tell a friend. Link to me. Say Hello.   

I don’t expect this to be an overnight success. In my research it could take close to a year before this site takes off  - if at all. I’m not the only guy with a site on photography and digital cameras. I may be too late to the party. But,I’d rather have fun failing than not tying at all. I can tell you this site made $18 in affiliate commissions yesterday, and I’m thrilled. A month ago Photo Daily News was nothing more than a half-baked idea in my head. A few weeks later, it makes money. Not much, but it’s a good start and half the fun is watching the progress. 

So, Let’s treat this as the ultimate case study: Can Jim Fitzsimmons make a living from blogging about photography? Time will tell.

Wish me luck and thanks for stopping by. 

Best, 
Jim

Related posts:

Full Disclosure Friday. Vol 1, Issue 1.

I just coughed up $100 for a memory upgrade

I made $640 on my new blog in a month. I show you how

Total Earnings for the weekend: about $10

Earnings and Stats. November 9 2008