Some Things New Triond Members and Online Writers Ought To Know

So you’re new in Triond and Online Writing?   Welcome! 

I, myself,  am  less-than-a-year-old at Triond,  and I can say it’s certainly  been a captivating,  exciting, mountainous  walk.  I had to discover a lot of things by myself,  researching and learning things along the way. 

I’d like to share with you a few facts  (including the links where I got them)  that a new Triond member needs to know. 

You need to have a blog before you can have a Google Adsense account.  Part of Triond’s familiarization (or would you call that orientation?)   is that a writer can integrate  his Google Adsense account to Triond and maximize his earnings  once he has submitted his 5^th article.  But what they didn’t say is that you can’t do that without a Google Adsense account.  And you can’t have an Adsense Account without a blog. (And yes,  Triond leaves all that to us to figure out.)    

When I was just starting out,  I really thought I’ll just make myself five articles, and voila!... I’ll have Google Adsense and increase my earnings.  So the minute my 5^th article went through,  I went to the Adsense link and applied for an account.  I was surprised when Google asked for a URL link.  (I was really so naïve I gave them my Triond profile’s  URL, which, of course, was not accepted.)  It was not until I read an article  about  having a blog first that I knew about this.  Triond expects us to know this stuff and would not guide us step by step.    (You can read  the following helpful articles by other Triond members Rhodora Bande and Tvnrstar :  Integrating Google Adsense Is Easy,   Blogger Tips.)  

In creating a  blog,  take to heart Google Adsense’s rules.  So I learned about the blog, and went to blogger.com and came up with my own website.  I was denied by Google three times.  The first time that they disqualified me was because “the blog was under construction.”   That was really my fault, because  super-inexperienced me accidentally submitted it without any content at all (sigh).   A week  after,  I resubmitted it with some three personal articles, and I got denied again, the reason being “excessive keywords.”    I have to be honest,  I am really not so familiar with online writing --  so keywords,  search engine optimizations, LSI’s and the likes were very foreign  to me.  I researched  about all these until I got a clearer understanding of it all.    (You can read my articles Keywords Play A Crucial Role In Online Writing  and   Online Writers: Understanding LSI.) 

I resubmitted my application three weeks after and got really mad and frustrated (and challenged!)  when I got my third denial, this time, because of  page type, saying  that  “my website is a type of website that they do not currently accept into their program.”

I emailed some of my Triond friends who already have Google Ads and asked for their URLs, checked out their blogs, and saw that each of them has their specific   niche, their blogs focused on relevant articles.   (You can check out the blogs of  Papaleng,  Stable and J.M. Lennox)

  

So I conceptualized and found my niche,  spent hours and hours working on my blog for a month,  increased my viewership (I didn’t want to take any chances)  and finally got my very own Adsense account.

Our biggest share of audience are our fellow-Trionders.  When I had my first article, I got really excited when I saw that someone commented on my article, thinking that he was someone from  the outside, and just randomly happened to read my work.  I didn’t know that the very first people who get to read our work are those who are currently logged on to Triond, those who  are also currently working on their own articles and happened to check on their dashboard.  So I suggest you be nice to everyone (unless you already have a stable audience at Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites) because they’re the ones who could help us too.  

The friends we add are only one-way friends.  I thought that if I add a Triond member as friend, that person has got my name on his profile wall as his friend too.  No, it doesn’t work that way.  You add him as friend, and you’ll see his name on your wall. But you will not be his friend (and will not be on his profile wall) unless he adds you. 

We return favors.  Comments matter to Google, increasing our article’s worth and searchability.  Our network of friends comment on each other’s work, making sure that we are helping each other.  You can’t expect someone to continually comment on your articles  if you don’t do the same for them too.

Manage expectations.  When I started here, I had two great motivators :  to earn extra income and to have a venue for writing.   I actually thought I could earn a substantial amount of money in online writing on my first month or two.  It was only later on that I learned that bigger money comes after a while,  not during the first few months,   as what we are  banking on here is passive income.  (One veteran writer once told me, “just write and write and write – as much and as many as you can.”   He’s been writing for Triond since 2008 and he now earns  $300 - $400 a month in passive income.)   But then, as early as my first month on Triond I already realized that  I’m not just here for the money but for the love of writing.  And for the vibrant community that Triond has.  I am, in fact, for lack of a better word to use, addicted to Triond.  (You can read my article What Is Passive Income?  and Lmonline's  I Confess How Much I Earned in Triond In One Month.)

If you have further questions, feel free to ask people at Triond (believe me, they are always helpful).  I can also send you a few links that would answer whatever question you have.   Why did I post  my article here and not on Triond?  Because Triond chops long articles to several pages, and I don’t want to be chopped this time.  I also want to have my own lay-out.

So there.  I purposely wrote this for you (the mother and teacher in me emerging)  to guide,  to help, to lessen frustrations, and to ensure success.  (and I’m still working on the latter too.)      Have fun writing!






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And now, five months after I wrote this piece, I would like to give you an update.  


I was able to find an online job that allowed me to earn a legitimate income, with great help from Triond, and I just think you need to know.  I found oDesk.com, also referred by one good Triond friend, and now I earn as much as $200 a week working at home and writing articles.  If at some point, you still want to earn bigger than what you're currently earning at Triond, then perhaps you can follow my lead.  :-)  


If you want to get help on how to get started, read THIS. 

Again, I would like to emphasize that I wouldn't have been successful at oDesk if I didn't have my Triond articles to back me up.  So being at Triond was really worth my while.  :-)  I hope it's worth yours, too.