Each year, we all set some goals that we want to accomplish. Some do New Year’s resolutions and others just set goals so they can push themselves to accomplish that feat, cross it off and then continue onto the next. Well, each year I set my goals so I can focus on them then look back to see how well I did. So, what are my 2009 goals going to be? But more importantly, what are yours going to be?

Last year around this time, I posted just a couple of minor goals that I wanted to accomplish online. It was nothing big and quite frankly, when I read it today, I feel as though I wasn’t even taking this online entrepreneur stuff seriously.

And I wasn’t.

One year ago, I started this blog and didn’t think it would grow as much as it did. Matter of fact, I didn’t even take this blog seriously so why would I assume it would? I lost track of a bunch of projects I worked on, favored certain aspects of my online business more than others and I set my goals pretty damn low which lead to less determination and motivation.

Last year, I set three minor goals that I wanted to accomplish in 2008 – increase my RSS Feed subscribers to triple digits, get some sort of Google Pagerank and increase my Technorati authorities to triple figures.

Can you tell that I obviously didn’t have too many serious goals?

Well, at least not when I wrote that post. And to think, those simple goals were shattered as I - increased my RSS Feed subscribers from the 50’s to nearly 700, I went from PR0 to PR4 back down to PR3 and at one point my Technorati authorities were over 1,000! Of course, since then it fell because we should all know Technorati is based on a 3-6 month cycle.

I didn’t even mention anything to do with revenue because I wasn’t really focused on making money online. Then when I started to make a decent amount, I was like “Damn, I can make money online!”

So, let’s get to some of my 2009 goals and expectations I have for myself so I can look back in one year and complain about it again:

1. Increase my RSS Feed Count to 1,500 or More – Last year, I wasn’t even specific on a number. All I said was I wanted to increase it to triple digits which could have been anywhere between 100 and 999. Well, in 2009 I’m aiming to double my current count and set an achievable goal of 1,500.

2. Make a Consistent $1,000/month from this Blog Alone – I’m not sure what my exact figures are but I think I make between $400 and $600 from this blog monthly. Even though I host my design work here, that is not included in the figures. And keep in mind that does not include the various separate projects I have going on either.

This is definitely an achievable goal since my private ads bring in a few hundred dollars alone. And recently, more and more sponsors have been contacting me for paid reviews which I will probably continue to do but no more than once a week because I don’t want to overwhelm my readers.

In addition, I plan to implement some referral sign ups so I can make some money and you guys can do the same exact thing simply by signing up.

3. Make a Total of $60,000 in 2009 Online – Again, another achievable goal here. There are some people who might aim higher when it comes to total revenue but before I just jump into random figures without thinking out the realistic issues, I want to preach consistency.

If you’re making, say, $500/month online now, after 12 month you would have made $6,000. Now if you think setting your goal to $100,000/year is good, well, more than likely you’re going to head for some disappointment. I mean, you would have to make more than your projected yearly amount each month. And we should all know making money online has its ups and downs.

So, rather than setting such a high goal for myself, I’m just aiming for consistency. $5,000/month is definitely a reasonable amount when you factor in all my online projects. And $60,000 is more than what most people would make at a regular full-time job.

And if you have a fairly high goal, I’m not saying you won’t or can’t make it, I’m just saying it will be extremely hard especially if you don’t make much now.  But again, it is doable so don’t let me get you down.

4. Partner with Other Online Entrepreneurs – I’ve already partnered with a couple of people on projects that have been pretty successful and I continue to expand my horizons and partner with multiple entrepreneurs.

I have already mentioned my site flipping team(s) which is still being worked out. But in the big picture, I want to network with others, build relationships, make some money on the way and more importantly, I want to learn. You can never stop learning and if you continue, success should just be right around the corner.

5. Revisit Old Projects I Keep Putting Off – When I have an idea, I tend to run with it. I don’t want to forget about it so I get it set up, for the most part. But when another idea comes up, I sometimes just jump into it and leave my other project hanging.

And as some of you guys know, I tend to procrastinate so currently, I have about 5 projects that haven’t been finished that I need to work on. Projects that will make some easy revenue come my way with very minimal work.

I’m sure once I finish these up, I will have more ideas, more projects and probably more procrastinating and postponing. But I will definitely revisit and hopefully complete all of the ones I hold off on.

Now, I have a lot of goals but I’m not going to list every single one here. And I don’t know if you guys noticed but I didn’t add the small things like increasing my Pagerank or anything like that. I’m not saying those aren’t important, but I feel as though those type of stats will just eventually come over time.

So, what are your 2009 goals? I’m definitely interested in hearing what you guys have set for 2009. With that said, if you create a 2009 goals post, let me know and I’ll add it to this post. Of course, if you want to send a backlink to this post, that is also welcomed!

Check out some of the other 2009 goals posts I have already read:

“My Goals for 2009” at TylerCruz.com
“Ryan McLean’s Goals for 2009” at Smarterwealth.com
“Balkhi’s New Year’s Resolutions” at Balkhis.com
“My Internet Goals for 2009″ at Improvingtheweb.com - Nice new blog btw Wesley!
My Goals for Standoutblogger in 2009 at Standoutblogger.com - Damn Tom, your blog has really grown! And to think, you was going to sell it!
New Years and Some Luv at Havocdynamics.xtreemhost.com - Some nice goals and thanks for the link love appreciation!

I think I’m going to start to get a little more organized here at DatMoney and with that said, I will start (or try) to provide weekly updates so you guys know what to expect for the upcoming week, changes and projects I have going on.

I figured not too many bloggers or online entrepreneurs update you guys enough on what to expect from their sites or even with themselves. Plus, wouldn’t you be interested in the type of posts or events I have coming up as teasers?

Since this is a short introduction of my weekly updates, I’ll try not to make this too long (but no promises).

Password Protected Posts - I probably won’t have too many of these but there are just some posts too valuable to give out to some random person who stumbles over here. But if you are an e-mail subscriber, you have first preference.

Though, I usually send out the password to everyone at once, so for the stranglers or anyone that never receive the password, shoot me an e-mail (from the e-mail address you subscribed with) and I’ll hook you up.

I’m still getting people asking about the $100/Day Adsense Password, please send me an e-mail (with the same e-mail you subscribed with) once you subscribe.

New Contest – I will be launching a new contest on Monday which is the same type that has been circulating around the Blogosphere already. But don’t worry, the prizes are still good and it just gives you more chances to win. Look out for that because it’ll be pretty easy to enter!

Brand New Mascot/Toon/Logo – I’m currently working with a great designer to try to get myself a mascot/toon to use here. I figured it’s finally time for me to separate myself from others and get myself branded so whenever my toon is seen, it’ll remind you of DatMoney.com.

I’m sure a lot of you guys are wondering why I don’t just make one for myself, well, I’m not good with mascots/toons when it comes to designing. Plus, it takes a lot of work and time.

Considering Discontinuing Designing 125×125 Buttons – I’ve been considering this for quite sometime now but I’m still up in the air with it. It’s going to be almost a year since I officially launched the idea of creating 125×125 buttons and I’m sure my long-time followers may remember my $1.00 design promotions, right?

I’m just getting too many requests and I don’t charge too much for them to begin with. And being as busy as I have been, it’s tough trying to fulfill all these requests. Though, I think I will continue to work on logos/headers but it probably won’t be as quick as it was before.

Q&A Session, Ask a Question and Receive a Backlink – I barely promoted this but it looks like not too many people were interested in asking me a question or getting backlink in return. Well, it’s still up if you want to ask a question or get a backlink. I’ll probably have those answers by mid-week.

Looking for a Team – I’m sure you guys remember that I was in a site flipping group and it went well (we sold our site for $2,000) but now I’m looking to continue a team. I currently have two members and I’m just looking for one or two more people to join.

You don’t have to be an expert but then again, I’m not looking for a newbie. I’m mainly just looking for someone that can participate, be dedicated and good at communicating with others. I know we all get busy and it’s understandable but if you think you’ll make a good team member, shoot me an e-mail.

Upcoming Posts – Besides launching my new contest and the Q&A answers post, I will probably discuss some marketing techniques as well as various niche site ideas and strategies.

My Birthday is Next Week – Yup, it is. It’s on December 19th but I don’t think I’ll be doing anything special. Matter of fact, I might do something to celebrate with you guys here. But I guess you’ll have to stay tuned for that!

Anyways, those are a few things to expect in general as well as for the upcoming week. Hope you guys check back or at least consider subscribing to my RSS Feeds.

Have you ever needed a new avatar and/or a character to separate yourself from the thousands of other bloggers out there? If you didn’t know, there are tons of avatar and character creators out there that can help you in a matter of minutes.

Avatars are a good way of making you distinguished and recognized by the masses. It can even get the attention of those who may not have even known your site existed.

I’m not going to lie to you; ever since I put up the BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog widgets there have always been certain avatars that stand out more than others. For instance, as I wrote this post I saw an avatar of a female’s ass. I mean literally, a female’s ass on one of those widgets.

Normally, I’d be curious enough to click on it to see who BlogCatalog approved to have an ass as their avatar. Luckily for me, I can just move my cursor over the image and the title tag states “Sexy Celebs Celebrities”.

Eh, probably not my type of site to visit. But do you see how important it could be? I would have never known about that site if that avatar didn’t stand out like it did. I’m sure cartoon characters are just as good, especially the fact that it will be remembered by most if it’s unique.

If you are cheap (or too poor, or maybe just don’t think it’s worth it) and don’t want to spend $600 to get one professionally done for you, just make one yourself with the various free avatar and character creators on the web.

I’m sure you have seen a lot of people with personalized Simpsons or even South Park avatars before, well, you can make one as well in a matter of minutes. Just go to the South Park avatar creator page and just pick out what you want created.

I made one myself just for the hell of it and you can see it below. For the record, no it’s not one that resembles how I look, how I dress or whatever.

I made a random avatar in which the character just came back from laser tag, so he’s smokin’ while taking a break and holding up a sign on who he supports (sort of like the presidential elections). Oh, and he has a hoodie on because it’s winter time.

Read the rest of this entry »

I thought the first Q&A session went pretty well so I figured I’d take my shot at round 2. Of course, not only will you get your answer but everyone who asks a question will also receive a backlink. So, basically it’s a win win situation for you guys.

I seem to get a few e-mails asking me specific questions on my $100/Day Adsense post, examples of my other sites and so on. I figured it’d be beneficial for other readers to check out my answer so I don’t need to answer the same question a bunch of times.

Now in my last Q&A session, I mentioned you can ask me any question that you have whether it’s about my personal life, making money online, hobbies, my opinions on certain bloggers, or even if you just want to ask me who I think will win the next football game, feel free!

For the record, if you want to ask me about my NFL football picks for the upcoming week, I’ll be glad to give my input. If the Carolina Panthers win tonight, I’ll be 15-1 for this week with the only loss coming from the Cowboys vs Steelers game.

And we all know who should have won that!

Anyways, shoot me as many questions as you want, I’m not putting any limit on the number of questions you can ask. Again, it can be about anything! Though, if you ask about personal issues I have the right not to answer some. But I’m pretty open so you never know.

So, what questions do you want answered by me? What, none? You don’t want a free backlink for 10 seconds of asking?

Ask already!

Don’t worry, nothing really happened to Jason a.k.a. The University Kid just incase you guys were extremely worried. But it’s sad to say, The University Kid… dot com, will not be the same. Why? Well, Jason is finally selling his blog and already has it listed on Sitepoint (he even gives DatMoney a quick shout out! Though, it’s like “Where’s Waldo?” looking for it).

With all good things always comes an end. I’ve been reading TUK for quite sometime now, way before he even hit triple digit subscribers. Matter of fact, if you’ve been following his blog for as long as I have, you might have remembered he was offered $6,000 BIN for TUK in which he turned down.

Was he crazy? Yeah, a lot of people thought so. But obviously he proved to people that he is a true online entrepreneur because of all the knowledge he shared with his readers on making money on and offline. He made a name for himself at the A-list level and out of any MMO blog, he actually goes into detail to help people with proven tactics.

And get this; he never tried to make money off his readers. Well, maybe an occasional purchase of hosting for $0.01 or an eBook for cheap. But you can’t beat that, can you?

Let me ask you, has John Chow ever actually helped you make money online? Probably not. He might tell you about a new product or something you should try out that may or may not help you but that’s about it. Plus, he’s probably being paid to do a sponsored review on that product anyways.

On top of that, TUK will more than likely double what it was offered before. I mean, he made close to $1,000 from that blog just last month with absolutely no promotion whatsoever! And if you purchase it at the BIN price, he’s also going to give you his popular Blog Premiere forum.

I know what you’re thinking… damn, Jay is freakin’ sucking up to TUK! Lol nah, not really. Just telling it how it is.

It’s a shame that we won’t have the luxury of reading the killer posts once Jason is gone, but who knows, maybe the new owner will actually be better.

Though, that almost never happens.

Anyways, check out this Blog Sale post and his auction at Sitepoint. Make sure you tell Jason that Jay of DatMoney.com referred you!

Oh, and don’t worry, he has a collaboration blog that will be just as helpful.