« Hot-chocolate-pouring-into-a-mug USB Desk Lamp | Home | Emu Ivy Pouf »
September 26, 2012
Checking my traps*
William Gibson called it "Internet ablutions" or something similar.
It's a routine I go through quite happily first thing every morning after opening my laptop, the websites I proceed to visit with morning tea (Earl Grey — heavily sugared with lots of milk).
1. My Comments section to see who said what while I was sleeping.
2. Amazon Associates to see what commission income I earned yesterday.
3. Twitter to see who followed me while I was sleeping and what tweets were retweeted/responded to.
4. Facebook to see if anyone made any comments or remarks on/additions to my page.
5. Google AdSense to see what income came in yesterday.
6. Sitemeter to see what my visitor traffic was yesterday and where it came from.
*"Checking my traps" was the phrase used by one of my fellow anesthesiology attendings at UVA to describe the process of every 15 minutes or so getting up off the comfortable couch in the Ready Room to visit each of the two or three ORs each of us were responsible for to make sure everything was steady as she goes.
September 26, 2012 at 10:01 AM | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c5dea53ef017d3c51cf21970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Checking my traps*:
Comments
I'm glad the adult massage toys I bought aren't listed under my name. And my shoulders aren't embarassed about it either but still. Not sure why 'adult' and 'massage' were in quotes when I bought them from amazon either. But they work.
Posted by: clifyt | Sep 26, 2012 4:23:38 PM
Tam,
Amazon separates buyers from Associates — i.e., me — with an impenetrable wall, as it should.
Anyone buying anything via my Amazon link gives their information only to the company.
I am able to see only what is bought — not who bought it.
I don't even bother with that.
I keep score with one number: the previous day's total commission.
Over the four years I've been with Amazon as an Associate the daily take has ranged from zero to $90, that one day giving me visions of riches and quitting my day job passing gas.
Alas, it was a distant outlier.
I average $8-$10/day.
Posted by: bookofjoe | Sep 26, 2012 3:10:18 PM
Do you see where the commissions come from? Do you know which of your minions buys what? Are you big brother or can I shop with impunity, knowing I line your coffers anonymously? Not that I have anything to hide....
Posted by: tamra | Sep 26, 2012 2:28:45 PM
I realize you're not quitting your day job for the affiliate fees, but I'm curious, you check Amazon daily? Do your commissions add up that much? You do run a very well researched and thus popular site, but I'm curious mostly because sometimes people "between engagements" ask me if there's any way they could tide themselves over with online writing, and I would LIKE to say, "Well, if you do your research and you can write in a compelling way, like Book of Joe for example ...." filling in the blanks is obviously a wide ball park, but is it enough for cat food?
Long time ago, back 1996-98 I think it was, when affiliate commissions were higher and there wasn't the competition for reader attention like there is now I had run an online book-review site for books about Morita Therapy and Naikan and my commissions then were on the order of maybe $100/month without really trying and selling only really to mental health care professionals, so it was inviting. Unfortunately Amazon slashed the commissions which meant I'd actually need to WORK to make money, and as time went on all those books started showing up on other book sites; by the time I gave it up revenues were in the tens of dollars per year ;)
Posted by: mrG | Sep 25, 2012 8:15:48 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
