Thursday Tidbits

Technically Speaking

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that of my technical difficulties are over.  I have been reading and commenting on blogs without any problems this morning.  I haven't done anything differently or changed any settings, but everything seems to be working.  Let's hope it lasts.


Raking It In

We live in a small town so there are far more teenagers looking for jobs than they are jobs available.  Especially considering that so many adults are currently out of work and willing to take jobs that were formerly done by teenagers.  So when my son's girlfriend was looking for a way to earn some extra money, she looked into jobs that can be done online.

I'm always skeptical about work from home opportunities so I did a little research.  I spent some time googling the names of the companies that promised to pay for online help to see if the were legitimate or scams.  In my search, I came across a website that investigates and reports on the very same subject.  It's a pretty interesting website with lots of information.  There are also links to the websites that have been found to offer legitimate paying jobs.

I told her about the website and some of the jobs that looked worthwhile.  She got started working for a few of them right away, and suggested I give it a try.  I've been pretty busy lately, but I figured it couldn't hurt to see what it was all about.  I signed right up.

Here's how it works.  This website is basically a discussion site.  There are hundreds of different topics for discussion and can choose any one, or as many as you like (cooking, television, movies, music, etc.).  You can start your own discussions or join discussions others have started.  That's it.  All you have to do is chat with other people and you get paid.  The pay scale isn't clearly defined, but you are apparently paid more for long posts than for short ones.  There are a lot of rules you have to follow, too, to keep your posts from being deleted (no duplicate posts, no flaming, etc.).  Apparently, the website pays it's members which increases membership, and therefore attract more advertisers.

So once I figured out how to start and join discussions, I got involved in as many as I could.  In between working on other things, I popped in and posted something.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it was fun (some of the discussions were literally lowering my IQ), but it was interesting.  Your earnings are updated every 24 hours so I was excited to see how much money I made. 

I hope you're sitting down, or at least bracing yourself against something when I tell you what was posted to my account.  Are you ready??  Wait for it.......seventeen cents.  Yes, you read that right, several hours of posting added up to the whopping total of seventeen cents.  So if you don't hear from me for a while, I'm off on an indulgent shopping spree or relaxing on a tropical getaway with my loot.

~~To be fair, I spent a few minutes here and a few minutes there while I worked on other things.  If you have the time (and the inclination) to sit for longer periods of time chatting with people, you may be able to earn more.  If you'd like more information, email me at thisstopwilloughby@yahoo.com.~~


Seen Around Town

Every day when I'm driving through town I see signs that make me laugh.  I've been hoping to find enough of them to fill an entire post, but since they change so often, I thought I would post a few before I forget about them.  I'm sorry that I don't have pictures, but I'm really bad at driving and zooming at the same time!

Our local ATV dealer also has a penny candy section.  There is a sign near the road that says:  "Old Fashioned Candy Helmets".  I understand that they sell candy as well as ATV helmets, but the sign makes me wonder what a candy helmet looks like.  Is it a helmet made of candy or a helmet you should wear while eating candy?

The dentist office has a huge banner plastered in front of the building that says "Professional Dental Tooth Whitening - In office only".  Does this mean you can't have it done in the parking lot?

A restaurant in town has a sign out in front that says "Voted best crab legs in town".  I'm sure they are.  It is the only restaurant in town that has crab legs on the menu.

And finally, this isn't from my little town, but from the state Facebook page: "Remember its Free Fishing Weekend, Statewide, February 13-14, 2010 - Now’s the time for everyone to try their luck at catching the big one. All Michigan fishing license fees are waived on inland and Great Lakes waters (fishing regulations apply)."  Whoo Hoo!  Free fishing.......in February.....in Michigan.  Unless you have ice fishing gear, the only big one you'll be catching is frostbite.

Willoughby