One of the advantages of using WordPress as your CMS is the ability to easily add themes and completely change the design of your website. And if you’re as incapable as I am in creating a wonderful design for your website, there are plenty of talented indivuals who can assist you. I owe my thanks to for this theme to Tammy Hart. If you’re looking for a uniquely designed WordPress theme, then visit her design site.

Just like me to simply neglect making at least a simple post to this blog during the past several months. Hard to believe my last post was way back on July 1… so time to start posting again.

The past 3 months finds my network of sites growing, but not nearly enough to achieve the goal of 100 sites by years end. Mainly because, my partner and I have worked extremely hard at improving some of our larger existing websites, instead of acquiring a bunch of smaller websites as we had done for the first half of the year. Just adding 1 section of content can take posting up to 50 new pages online or more. Easy enough to account for a couple smaller sites. But my goal for us was 100 sites, irregardless of content amount, and while that is still possible, I do believe its slipping away.

Perhaps next year I should set a goal for the number of ORIGINAL CONTENT pages I’ll build/buy, instead of requiring 100 new sites.

Since we’ve had some new sites for more then 6 months I’m starting to get an idea of where I would like to take our company in the future. Always changing, always adapting… that’s the way to win online…

Anyone who uses goals as a barometer of their success, are often dissappointed in their results… thereby taking the negative attitude of exactly what was accomplished. A mid year update is often looked at with trepidation of the results being put to paper. Did I meet my goal?

We’re now half way through 2006 and as I look at it on paper, I am quite pleased. The goal to buy or build 100 new sites by the end of the year is exactly on target. We presently have acquired or built 50 new websites. Our list of websites is getting quite extensive!

My main concern with it though, is that most sites were purchased, and not built. I find that a site built by us has a better chance of success, then a site purchased, for the most part. There have been a few exceptions to that, and a couple of those 50 new sites, are already cash flow positive.

Some of the better cash flow websites built or purchased this year include:

Genealogy Books
First announced in this post, this was a no-brainer for Judy and I. Built using an Amazon AWS script, we were quickly able to build a book site devoted to genealogy using Amazon. While this has already proven to be a profitable move on our part, I want to continue adding deep links to the content of the site, to make it even more profitable. The monies made from this particular website, are going directly into Access Genealogy to aquire additional content. This site has now obtained a PR of 4 in the latest Google update.

Native American Gifts
Native American Gifts was another no-brainer for Judy and I. An extremely large portion of the audience for Access Genealogy are Native Americans, or Native American Wannebee’s (those who are trying to prove their Native American Ancestry.) We call this the Wannabe Tribe. Built also using an Amazon AWS script (a different one this time), this website has produced sales for us, albeit, at a dissappointing rate.

Diet Help Files
I’ve mentioned this website many times here, as it has been a great success for us. While still not profitable, due to a higher then normal cost, it has proven to be a great jumping off point for deep linking into Track Your Diet’s, Diet Book Section. More then just diet books though, also featuring health books on various subject matters, I can utilize other websites for further deep linking. The content of this site is original, and is its strong point. Almost all traffic to it, is natural SERP traffic. My goal in the next six months for this website is to continue building credible back links to it, and adding additional original content.

Track Your Diet
Our largest expense so far this year, Track Your Diet has been a great success. I don’t expect to break even on this site for some time to come, but I’ve taken major steps in reducing costs, while still building the user base, and ad revenue. My projection is at the rate we’re going we’ll begin making money on the purchase of this website in early 2007. Part of the success in this website, has been my ability to get free traffic from search engines, where in previous times the traffic was almost all paid. The greatest expense for the website, was the paid search listings. Removing that obstacle to profitability, has made this site a great income producer.

Depression Help Files
An article site providing basic knowledge of Depression, and how to cure or cope with it. Depression is not an active search online, and I never expected this site to be a raving success. But I am finding that it manages to eek out a profitable amount each month, even while we contine to use MSN’s Ad Network with it.

StatsCode
A website counter site can be an easy method for a webmaster to establish a tool that naturally gains PR. This is what the PR ranking of Google is suppose to be about. The quality and quantity of links to a particular website are suppose to reflect the strengths of that websites content. A free counter site, by its very nature, builds quantity in linking, because every counter, whether visible or invisible, produces a link back to the website. The ability for StatsCode to provide an invisible counter script with a whole host of features, has allowed this website to produce numerous sales this year.

I routinely monitor various words and domains using Google Alerts. This tool enables you to allow Google to notify you by email when it comes across your keywords in a web page or a news article. I like to do it for my own domains, and for certain topics which interest me such as my last name “Partridge.” Unfortunately, over the past 24 hours I’ve received 5 blank emails for Google Alerts, all of them purportedly for the word Partridge, but no content. Obviously, even the big boys have trouble sometimes…

Amazing how a simple statement such as “my growing scheme of buying and building websites that have nothing to do with genealogy” hints to some that I while I diversify my websites I might wish to divest of mine and Judy’s genealogy websites. The answer is quite simply, NO!

I have had three legitimate requests to purchase one or more of my genealogy websites over the past couple of weeks. All of those making the requests, have also read this blog. Coincidental? I don’t think so. Legitimate? Yes, in each case I’m aware of the individuals making the request; and am assured they would buy the websites if I would offer them up for sale.

So to save any other readers some time… No. I’m not selling my genealogy websites!

It appears that MyFamily.com has made the decision to conduct sweeping layoffs of its employees again today. This is not their first time; they having done so in 2000 and 2004. It remains a tragic loss for the employees and families involved as they find themselves suddenly without income. Those that remain, if 2001 is any indication, will find themselves overwhelmed with work as they try to do 2 jobs at once.

Not only do I have acquaintences employed there, but also friends. Some were kept on, while others were let go. All in all, this day goes down in the books as one dreary day…

A website devoted to me, may at the outset seem superficial, but I hope as it progresses you find it unique, tasteful, and enlightening.

I have many personal reasons for the development of a blog; if anything, to keep my thoughts straight. In the hectic realm of today, I often find myself stretched to the limits on time and energy, and in a constant state of being scatter-brained. Too many thought processes running through what little brain I have, and no system by which to organize them. This blog, I hope, shall become the system which enables me to bring structure to my work, and vision to my life. It’ll also provide me an outlet to rant, something you’ll find, I like to do.

If you’re a web entrepreneur like myself, visit often, you’ll find a wealth of real material for your use.

If you’re friend or family, and wonder what I really do with all that time I spend online, you may get some real ideas here. And hopefully, none of them get me in any trouble…

So pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy… If you have something you’ll like to contribute, you can always do so using the comments on every post.