Posted on February 03, 2010 by Jim Fitzsimmons

As all my twelve readers a day are aware, this site so far is mostly unfound on the web, save for some family members and friends that read. (Thank You, dear friends and family members), and I’ve really given up on using this site to make any money. It’s just been fun and entertainment for me for the most part, and it also instills a good habit of writing every day, which is always good practice and can’t hurt any. Besides, this has been kind of fun and it keeps me focused on the debt freedom thing, which is a long haul, even if you just read it’s good to know I have some support in my fight.

But yesterday, oh yesterday, this happened:

Holy. I haven’t done much luck with adsense over the years as I never seemed to make any real money from it. I think I’ve had mostly clicks at 20 cents or nickels or dimes – never dollars.

So, of course this got me to thinking… What if instead of just navel gazing and blogging about me me me, I actually started to research and write about debt reduction. This would be beneficial to me as it would provide me with an education on the proper techniques and resources available about debt reduction and better money management

A few articles off the top of my head I could write:

RRSP’s explained.
How to compare credit cards
How to go bankrupt.
Local resources that are available for debt reduction.
Are all debt reduction companies the same?
and so on…

The information is already out there – I would just have to do the research, and write about it and post it. This might actually provide real value to somebody searching for that data, and I’ve found I do my best learning my writing. And I’d be writing about all these topics in more detail, Heck, over time I might actually learn something, or even be considered an expert.

Now this pie in the sky dreaming is one thing and it’s fun to see the two dollars in my income statements, but this won’t be any easy money. And it’s not going to be easy. One article on the value of RRSP’s or the benefits of hiring an accountant won’t change things too much but it would be an interesting case study to see what sticks and what doesn’t in the eyes of the search engines. I mean, who would have thought that I would rank in the search engines for “I’m woth stupid? . My point being that you never know what people search for, and find you, and if your content is relevant to what they’re searching for they might be more inclined to click which equals more income, which would mean I could pay my debt off faster. I think it would be a hoot to actually earn a living and pay off my debt with this site. Mostly, because it would be a great story to tell, which is what I value most, and if you think about it, why enjoy this blogging so much (even though twitter is the new darling) is that I get to tell my story.

The only problem with telling my story is…except for a few people that are important to me, or people searching for stupid people, nobody really cares about me. I have no unique experiences so far. I’m just another dummy who didn’t turn off the spending tap in time and now is carrying a credit card balance. This isn’t a poor me sentence, but if I really look at this site there’s not a lot here for you if you’re a stranger at this point in the game. But maybe if I started to write real content (read: hard work) than both reader and writer would come out ahead. Reader would find the information they were searching for, and writer would get rewarded with clicks on ads or sales of products maybe down the road.

So, we’re going to give this a whirl. Not tomorrow, but I would like to think by March 1 would be good a day as any to start. I’ve got a few other projects on the go and I don’t want to be distracted by yet another great idea, only to fizzle out after a few days.

Now, If I write it down – it will be true, so here goes:
I want aim to write 100 articles about debt and debt reduction in march. That’s 3 a day, and a manageable number and challenge I think. It will also be a good number to test with, so if a percentage are duds, that’s OK as I think SOME of the mud should stick.

This isn’t going to be an easy task. It’s not like I’ll be able to write and write and forget about it. I’ll also have to promote this site through various venues as debt reduction is a competitive niche and there’s lots of money in credit and debt, as I’ve found. I’ve sure picked a tough nut to try and crack. It would be easier if I wrote about smaller niches such as, I dunno a certain type of bonsai tree, but there’s no challenge in that. (and not much demand, I would think).

I’ve got a month to do some research and get things in order. In the meantime, you’re stuck with me and my navel gazing..

More Bad News

1. A change of plans
2. I’m not writing about debt, I’m in debt. Isn’t that enough?
3. Debt Freedom Plan. 90 days down and 910 to go.
4. A story about telling stories
5. Bank of Montreal BMO Bank Credit Cards