Listed in Google!

Waow! I can't believe it, my blog is listed in Google!

I was feeling a bit depressed today when I checked my "how much is your website worth" gadget, as the value had dropped from $197 to $180 but I thought this was due to the fact that I hadn't written on it or added any links for 4 days.

Then I started writing posts every day and adding links to Freebie websites and this morning my blog's value had dropped to $175! This was a big disappointment for me so I decided to do something drastic (well not really, it's just something I should have done a long time ago): I added my blog in some Irish blog directories, since I am in Ireland.

I know these last submissions haven't got time to kick in yet but just by curiosity, I typed "Internet Junkie" in my Google toolbar and on the second page, at number 13 to be precise (13 is definitely a lucky number), there it was, as listed by BlogCatalog.

So submitting to blog directories does pay off, well I haven't seen any money yet but imagine the thrilling sensation of being listed in Google! (OK, now I sound like a total nutcase to anybody who has never tried to advertise a website, nevermind, I am happy!)

Freebies Websites

Since we are so close to Christmas I thought it would be a good idea to provide my readers (wherever they are hiding) with links to sites where they (and I!) can get free stuff.

Unfortunately for me most of the freebies are only available to U.S. residents but if I search well I am sure I can find some that I can get in Ireland.

Watch this space because I will try to update it as often as possible (yes, I also have some shopping to do!). Make sure you keep an eye on my "Freebies" heading in the navigation bar.

Any comments are welcome, especially if you can share some sites that I don't know about. If you have received some freebies, I would appreciate your feedback on the products you have got.

Get Free Personalized Stationery With Vista Print

Freebies, Freebies, Freebies! Are you up for it?

When you sign up with Vista Print, you can design your own stationery, whether you have a business or just for fun, it's always nice to have personalized stationery and you can also use them as Christmas gifts!

Yesterday I ordered €74.43 worth of stuff for free. Of course I had to pay for postage but that is still a huge saving compared to what I would have to pay otherwise.

Here is what I ordered (remember this was all for free!):
- 1 white T-shirt, personalized with caricatures of my family members (I think my sister will love it!),
- 250 business cards with my website's URL but you can design them for your own needs,
- 140 return address labels (with my own designed caricatures),
- 25 business cards magnets (well, my kids love all sorts of magnets),
- 10 sheets of A4 letterheads,
- 2 different sets of 10 personalized note cards with enveloppes,
- 1 sticky note pad,
- 1 rubber stamp with black ink,
- 1 note pad (handy for the babysitter).

That is all I was able to put in my shopping basket, but I could also have got free Christmas cards (I never send any, do you?), a free photo calendar (with my own photos) and Vista Print regularly sends me emails when they have special offers. I think I will use them again, I had great fun designing all the items anyway!

If you want to avail of the Freebies too, join Vista Print, I am sure you will love it too!

P.S. Just so that there is no misunderstanding, I get €1 anytime I refer someone to Vista Print.

Don't Get Caught In The Credit Card Trap

It is almost Christmas and some (or should I say most?) of us are relying on our credit card to help us get through it.

Of course you already know all the tricks to avoid paying too much interest on your credit card but you may need a reminder:

1- Only put small amounts on your credit card so that you can pay the balance in full next month and not pay any interest (easier said than done).

2- If you can, switch credit card companies, transfer your outstanding balance on your new card and you will pay no interest for a specified period (typically 6 or 9 months).

3- Use your savings account to repay your outstanding balance (interest on credit card balances range from 9% to 19% whereas a savings account will only give you between 3% and 5% interest: do the maths!)

I had never paid too much attention before today at how the interest is being charged on credit card balances:

If you balance is paid in full each month, no worries, no interest is charged (I am only talking about purchases, cash withdrawals are different).

If you only pay part of your balance, interest on the full purchase amount is charged until the balance is fully paid, on top of the interest on the reduced outstanding amount. What does this mean in plain English?
If you spend €1000 in December 2007 and you decide to repay €200 each month for 5 months, you will pay interest on €1000 until May 2008!

"La morale de cette histoire": have a good Christmas but don't overspend, remember there is going to be another Christmas next year!

Who is going to have the best Christmas? Banks! Now, here is how they can afford to give away free calendars (I think I'll take a few ones for the kids!)

Little Buttons

Phew! I spent most of yesterday trying to add those little buttons that you can now see at the bottom of each of my posts.

It started by a visit to the StumbleUpon website: after I signed up in another effort to promote my website, my blog and my articles, I tried to follow the website's instructions on how to integrate the famous button to my blog so I went and edited my template's HTML but I just could not find the tag they were talking about!

So I searched the web and after a lot of trial I error I finally found a post called How to Share your Blog in Blogger Site.

I am sharing this link here because this seem to be a problem a lot of bloggers come accross. I am not a computer geek but I managed to follow the instructions as you can see (look down!).

So now, feel free to share my blog!

How Much Is Your Website Worth?

I don't seem to be doing too much these days, I like to tell myself that I am learning, but in fact I am really reading a few interesting blogs.

Working on the outbound/inbound links thingy, this morning I came accross an interesting blog, actually it is something similar to what I would like this blog to be like, also from a girl (sorry guys!).

This is where I found the link for the Website Value Checker (it also works for blogs), I just had to get it! On the same website, I also found the Cynical Magic 8 Ball: I had a lot a fun with it, not quite the answers I wanted to see, especially when I asked "Will I be rich soon?" but probably what I should have expected!

Promotion

So much time spent trying to promote everything, from this blog to my articles and my website!

I could easily write one good article per day but what good would that do if nobody reads them? So, for the moment I will spend some time promoting my stuff. Once I have used up all the channels I can think of and worked out my own advertising routine (which could take a while), I can write again.

Yesterday I spent some time on Facebook, posted all my articles on my page, joined a few groups, wrote a few messages, because I have to participate as much as I can to make myself known on the different networks. The aim is to get people to check my Facebook profile, where they will see my posted items (=articles) and hopefully click on some of the links. Also, I can join in some interesting conversations or just have a ball posting in the most ridiculous dicussion boards!

When I know exactly what I am doing, I will write some more detailed posts on how to advertise on different channels, so keep watching this space!