About a month ago I Twittered about the Reddit mascot. At the time I thought it was a robot and thought it was a really cool mascot or logo. As a regular user of Reddit I highly recommend their web site. The point of this post is that the Internet is a great way to share information, but also to make connections. It turns out that Alexis Ohanian the co-founder of Reddit found my original Twitter post and set me straight that the mascot was not a robot it’s an alien. Well not only did Alexis correct my view of their mascot, but he also went ahead and sent me a USB stick in the shape of the alien.

This has to be the coolest USB stick I own. The stick is 4GB and the top head part comes off as a cap. Since I tend to lose my USB sticks it’s nice to have a slightly larger stick that I can throw in my laptop bag and is easy to find. Wait there’s more everyone who has seen this USB stick keeps asking me where I got it. It’s available in the Reddit Store for $25 for this unique styled USB stick. Again I would like to thank Alexis for the surprise FedEx delivery and not only am I a lifetime user of Reddit I will also treasure this USB stick.

Look for a future post on the Reddit service and how to use it for your online business.

The banning of Google Adwords accounts in December has created a demand for other traffic sources. As many affiliate marketers found  that their account had been banned by Google, a search for traffic was on. Many affiliates have been trying media buys. There are also many PPC networks to try and test. The only way to figure out if a PPC network works is to test it. It is going to cost a bit of money up front and you will have to do some work with your campaigns. If it all works out you found a great traffic source then it’s well worth the cost of testing. If it failed and you just can’t get any conversion then it’s time to move on. Since my ban from Google I would estimate my spending on different traffic sources around $1500 with mixed results. There were a few networks that just did not convert and a few that did convert, but not enough to be profitable. It’s all about the testing. If you can mange to get just one traffic source that converts well at a low cost per click then you will make up for your losses. Keep trying and look for reviews and case studies from other affiliates, but remember that no one is going to reveal a winning PPC network with fear of competition. You will be on your own to test and find networks, but it always pays to have a bit of information before you spend any money.

Selling merchandise from your blog is a great way to make some extra money.

No matter what topic your blog about, there is a product you can offer your readers. If your site has a neat logo you can offer T-Shirts or other branded products. There are web sites like www.cafepress.com that can place your logo on many different items. You just need to create a shopping area on your site and place links back to Cafe Press. The nice people at Cafe Press can will make the item and ship it for you. Since each item is produced on demand you do not have to carry inventory or spend any money up front. That is the nice thing about using a site like this. You only get a product made when a customer requests it and pays for it.

Many blog owners use Cafe Press or other online service to make a little extra money on their site. This is a little different then affiliate marketing. You are encouraging your readers to support your blog and content by wanting merchandise with your brand. The merchandise is also an expression for your readers, they want people to know that they have topic they are passionate about and want to share it.

The benefit to the blog owner is not only in the money collected from each sale, you will also be getting free publicity. When someone buys an item with your brand on it a wears it in public it’s like having a free billboard walking around.

This idea is not going to make you a millionaire over night, but a few dollars here and there is always a plus.