Category Archives: Blogging

Blogging

How Do I make Money with SocialSpark?

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The number 1 question that I get from bloggers who are just starting with SocialSpark is how they can make money. Well first thing you need to do is get your blog claimed and verified. So if you haven’t done that yet you need to check out my tutorial on How to Claim your Blog on SocialSpark. So, once you get that taken care of it is time to make some cash.

First you need to see what opportunities are out there for you.

Where do you go?

SocialSpark Marketplace

https://benspark.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=7675
Step 1: Mouse Over on Marketplace
Step 2: Select Browse Opportunities from the drop down menu

From here you will default to the Qualified tab, this lists out all the opps that you as a blogger qualify for. This is everything, Sponsored posts, Blog Sponsorships, Cost Per Click and Affiliates. The only thing not listed here are the Sparks because everyone can take any Spark (even though some people try and impose qualifications which is wrong and not in the spirit of Sparks).

There are so many opps

SocialSpark All Opps

Sorting through all the possible ways to make money on SocialSpark can be daunting, especially for a new user. But the tabs make navigation very easy. You can see all of the opportunities available because you have the option of requesting a slot in any campaign. We’ll go into how to go about requesting a slot in an opp. So what types of opps are there?

Sponsored Posts

SocialSpark Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are some of the most effective ways to make money with SocialSpark. You write a post 50 – 200+ words for a set amount of money. Your blog post gets approved and you get paid. It is very important to write well thought out posts and really give it your best. This means grammar and punctuation and doing what is asked by the advertiser. This does not mean that you have to write a sugary coated love-fest post praising something that you don’t beleive in, no you have the right to write whatever you choose.

Blog Sponsorships

SocialSpark Blog Sponsorships

Sometimes advertisers want to sponsor an entire blog for a set number of days. What this means is that if you take a blog sponsorship when someone comes to your blog they will see a pop up screen before your blog loads. This screen will have the advertisers’ campaign on it and your readers will see it decide if they want to read more about this or continue on to your blog. You get paid the set amount each day that the sponsorship is on your blog.

Affiliate

SocialSpark Affiliates

I really like the Affiliate section of SocialSpark because how much you make is really in your court. You can sign up for an affiliate program and promote it using the ad units that are available. This includes text links, Facebook links, twitter links, and banner ads. You could post a link to Twitter or Facebook, you could write a post about the product or service and include text links, you could add banners to your blog. There are just so many things that you can do to promote the products or services. And with each sale or action you receive some money. For example I am an affiliate for XShot and with each sale of an XShot that originates through my links I am paid $3.90. That is a pretty decent payout

CPC

SocialSpark CPC

Similar to the Affiliate program the Cost Per Click opportunities give you various Ad units to use. However with Cost Per Click you are paid when someone clicks the link that you post through your blog, Twitter, or Facebook. You can do a pretty decent amount of money by posting a few links in various places.

Sparks

SocialSpark Sparks

Sparks are opportunities that other bloggers create for free and anyone withing SocialSpark is free to take the Spark. I encourage bloggers new to the system and who are waiting for their blogs to be verified to take Sparks, make friends and build up their readership. A great way to do this is with BlogUBack Sparks. This means that if you take a Spark and write the blog post that is a BlogUBack type then you will get a link back to your blog from the originating blogger. A great way to build links and get your name out there to other bloggers.

So I hope that this has give you a better understanding on how to make money at SocialSpark. If you have any questions please let me know.

Blogging

To Prop or To Drop…

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propsWelcome back for another installment of my SocialSpark Saturdays series. This week we delve into what all those props and drops are about.

Propping in SocialSpark is a way of letting a blogger, advertiser, blog or opp know that you think they are worth your time, you like their vibe, you are excited. Dropping is a way for bloggers to point out bad quality bloggers, offensive content or inappropriate opps. With SocialSpark it is all about personal interaction and choice. Bloggers have the choice to take certain opps and advertisers have the choice to pick certain bloggers for their opps.

Propping and Dropping was part of SocialSpark from the beginning and at that time people were leaving comments on each others profiles to let them know that they “propped” them up or “left u a prop prop me back”. While this might have been a harmless way of saying hello it quickly became evident that there was some prop spamming going on and I think people figured that the more props you had the better your chances of getting higher paying opps, not true. So a prop reset happened. This upset a whole heck of a lot of people. With the prop reset there was also an addition made to the Code of Conduct.

PROPS/DROPS:
Appropriate Prop/Drop Usage:

  • Props should be used to express interest in or appreciation of another blogger, blog, advertiser, advertiser’s campaign, etc.
  • Props should be based solely on merit or personal judgment.
  • Drops should be used if anything deemed inappropriate or distasteful is being displayed by a blogger or an advertiser.
  • Drops should be used if a postie is using poor grammar in their paid posts, or if they are not abiding by the SocialSpark Code of Conduct or Terms & Conditions. (Should someone come across a blogger or advertiser who is violating either the CoC or the T&C please contact Customer Love)

Inappropriate Prop/Drop Usage:

  • Props do not affect your traffic statistics or RealRank within SocialSpark and should not be used in an attempt to increase either.
  • Drops should not be used on an advertiser or opportunity simply because a user is not eligible for the opportunity. It is within the rights of an advertiser to segment their opportunity in any manner they see fit.

Props
Props are a way of giving someone a vote of confidence or high rating. Users have the option, in many areas, to offer a ‘prop’ or ‘drop’ to other users, opportunities, blogs, advertisers, etc.

Drops
Drops are a way of giving someone a negative vote or low rating. Users have the option, in many areas, to offer a ‘prop’ or ‘drop’ to other users, opportunities, blogs, advertisers, etc.

So you see, there is a use to propping someone or something. I personally think my crew deserves to feel good about themselves and I think they did a great job choosing the I’m Not A Famous Blogger Crew so props all around for you guys!

And speaking of how much my crew is a bunch of Rockstars and you should go and check out the Crew Blog. There are Crew interviews and links to crew member’s blogs.