This marks the first income report of the new year. As such, I will also be providing the total income (gross) that I earned last year (2011) from my online business ventures.

If this is your first time here on my blog, first of all, welcome. Every month I do a detailed income report, showing you exactly where my income comes from. This gives you an idea of the various income streams that are available, as I strongly believe you shouldn’t place all of your eggs in one basket.

This is also a way for me to measure my success (or failure) from month-to-month. Each month will vary in income, and that’s all part of working from home as an affiliate and internet marketer. This acts as a motivator for me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.

I hope you find these income reports helpful and give you encouragement that it is possible to make money on the internet.

Let’s see how I did last month…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

• PayDotCom – $56.34
• Google Adsense: $131.03
• Project Payday: $51.75 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
• AdFish – $107.20
• Advertising Sold – $150
• ResponsiveData – $48
  
• Paul’s Backlink Service Affiliate Program – $156

Total = $700.32

Google Adsense Record

I yet again hit a new Adsense record, bringing in $131.03 last month. So far, halfway through January, I’m already past $80, so it looks like I may surpass this record again. We’ll see!

Income from Proofreading/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

• Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $130

Income from My Micro Niche Adsense Site

Google Adsense earnings for this month from the site totaled $4.16. This amount is included in my total Adsense income as reported above.

Total Online Income

Total online income IS…

$830.32

GetBackYourExAdvice.com Niche Site Update

My goal for this year is to branch out into video marketing, as well as continue my content marketing strategy. I will convert all articles written for the site into videos and distribute them via a newly made YouTube Channel. I will have more on this later on in a separate post.

Total Gross Earnings for Year 2011

This section is new and will be continued every January, highlighting the previous year’s earnings. Last year saw a lot of growth, and I look forward to see how this year improves and moves upwards even more.

My online business as a whole brought in a total of: $7,273.24. That’s gross, non-taxed income all earned completely online in 2011. My goal for this new year is to double that amount, at the least. Let’s see if I can do it!

How well did you do last month, or last year?

Let us know by leaving a comment below…

2012 is here, and this year I’m going to start a tradition… a recap of the previous year, highlighting popular posts, and posts I feel are important to visit (or revisit).

2011 brought many challenges and changes, positives and negatives, and ups and downs, for me both personally and professionally.

My online business, including this blog, has seen steady growth. Slight changes were made here and there as needed, and are still being made… not enough to probably notice, though. Income sources have come and gone, as is common with this type of business.

Overall, I am very pleased in the direction my business is headed, and I’m looking forward to growing it even more.

With that said, I once again want to thank you, my readers, for your support and encouragement over the past year(s) and for your continued support. It would be very difficult to be here without any of you, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for your active participation here on the blog.

Your comments, “likes”, +1′s and Re-Tweets are extremely appreciated. It’s because of you that I’m able to showcase some of the most popular posts of 2011.

I also decided, at my discretion, to include other notable posts from the past year that I feel are worth mentioning. These include guest posts from esteemed authors in related fields.

I’ve broken up the posts into categories to make them easier to sift through. Oh, and the posts are in no particular order whatsoever.

I hope you find the “best” posts from 2011 inspirational and helpful as you embark on your journey through 2012.

Without further ado, here they are…

Blogging

Utilize Your Blog’s RSS Feed

What I’m Grateful for as a Blogger

Akismet Alternative

Should You Pay for a WordPress Theme?

Threaded Comments WordPress Plugin

Finance

5 Tips for Financial Planning

5 Ways to Fund Your Retirement

6 Ways to Save Money at Home

5 Tips to Save Money

SEO

Is Google Counting Your Backlinks?

How to Get Your Site Indexed by Google

Google +1 Button is Live

Internet Business

One Online Business Is Not Enough

Google Adsense: Record-High Monthly Income

June 2011 Google PR Update

Entrepreneurship

What You Should Know About Working from Home

Protect Yourself When Working from Home

Funny Entrepreneur Music Video Parodies

Stay Motivated While Working from Home

Recognize Work from Home Scams

This completes the list of the best (based on your comments and my bias) blog posts from 2011 on ReplaceYourSalary.com.

Which post(s) do YOU consider the “Best?”

I’m curious to know which post you liked the most from last year, so scroll down to the comment area and let me know.

Did I leave something out?

For obvious reasons, I couldn’t include every single post. They don’t make computer screens big enough, or attention spans long enough, for that. If you’ve enjoyed a particular post that I didn’t mention, or enjoy reading my monthly blog post roundups or Income Reports, let me know.

Wishing you a prosperous 2012!

December is officially here. Only 24 days until Christmas! Yes, I’m very excited. But, we can’t forget about Thanksgiving which occurred just a week ago. I had a great time spending it with family and friends, and I’m looking forward to doing the same here in the coming weeks.

I went Black Friday shopping for the first time ever. Got a Blu-Ray player and some movies, finally! I apologize for not getting the announcement up about the HostGator 50% deal going on then as I was busy. You can still get an amazing price on hosting by going here and entering “wordpress” into the coupon section during checkout. You’ll get your first month for one penny.

Enough about me, how did you spend your Thanksgiving holiday? Get any good Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals? Share in the comments below.

Okay, let’s get to last month’s blog posts…

November 2011 Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

How to Streamline Your Business with Efficient Digital Asset Management

8 Tips for Using Facebook for Marketing

4 Tips for Keeping Up with Your Online Business while on Vacation

Top 10 Reasons to Like Google+

October 2011 Income Report

Business Lawsuits: How to Protect Yourself

5 Tips to Stay Motivated While Working from Home

TBTrack.com – A Legit CPA Network?

Can You Replace Your Laptop with a Tablet?

Blog Posts Around the Web

Here are some blog posts I’ve found from other bloggers I follow that I hope you will find helpful. I encourage you to take some time to read these as well.

Asher over at BloggersPassion talks about Google+ as a platform and how it’s making way into the social networking scene. While I’m not a huge fan of Google+ yet, I can’t ignore the SEO benefits that come from utilizing Google’s social site.

Over at DailyBlogTips, Elijah discusses some legal risks to be mindful of as a blogger. Definitely worth checking out as well, as people are more sue-happy as ever in this day and age.

Andrew talks about narrowing down a niche to make money online. As you may know, I’ve gotten into niche marketing, and I believe it’s a very viable means of expanding an online business to make more money.

Alex from HowToSpoter provides 7 ways to get backlinks that you may not have thought of before. I cover many different link building strategies here on this blog as links are an integral part of getting organic traffic from the search engines.

Jojo over at TechChunks offers 5 tips on selling ads on your blog. I totally agree with cutting out the middleman. A good portion of my monthly income comes from selling private ads and is a great way to increase the revenue of your site or blog.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more great articles coming soon.

As always, share your thoughts by leaving a comment below…

The following is a guest post by Carol Wilson. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

If there is one thing that you envisioned when you decided to establish an online business and work from home, it’s taking tons of vacations. After all, you have limitless vacation days, since you are completely in charge of your career. What’s more, since you conduct virtually all your business online, you don’t have to just work from home; you can work anywhere there’s an Internet connection, and that includes exotic destinations. Still, even though you may have the luxury of traveling more often than your 9-5 friends, making sure that your business is still running smoothly is absolutely essential, so that you don’t come back and are faced with tons of make-up work.

4 Tips for Running Your Business while Traveling

1. Make sure that your place of accommodation has a good (and free) WiFi connection.

Although most popular tourist destinations do have Internet access everywhere, you’d be surprised that there are some places, even in developed countries, that have a curious lack of speedy internet connections. If you aren’t able to get online whenever you want to, then your business will be seriously hampered since you cannot respond in the event of an emergency. As such, check with your hotel to ensure that you have a solid internet connection that is free, since hotels that charge for Internet access usually charge by the minute, which becomes really expensive if you use the Internet frequently.

2. Set your email account so that it automatically replies and notifies your customers that you are out of town but will respond as soon as possible.

This is an instrumental part of working while on vacation, especially if you have to spend time traveling for many days. In order to run an efficient and successful online business, responding to your client base in a timely manner is absolutely essentially. When your recipients receive emails indicating you are out of town, they will not be left in the dark wondering what happened if you don’t respond for a few days.

3. If you are travelling with companions, work in the morning before anyone is awake.

Of course, you don’t want to completely spoil your vacation by working the whole time, especially if you are with friends and family who are there to relax and explore. The best way to make the most of your vacation is to do work early in the morning, while the rest of your companions are sleeping through till the afternoon, and not much else is going on anyway.

4. If you maintain a blog, use your new and exciting location to inspire you to write new material.

One of the best parts about vacationing in an area with which you are not familiar is to see the world in a new way. This inspiring process can really help you in your personal and professional endeavors. Use all the new sights and experiences to your benefit, and incorporate them into your blog. This is an excellent way to come up with new material if you’ve had trouble keeping your blog fresh and exciting.

These are just a few things you can do to enjoy your vacation while still keeping up with your online business. The most important thing to remember is to take advantage of the fact that your office is wherever you want it to be.

About the Author:

Carol Wilson writes for business insurance reviews. She contributes articles about a variety of marketing, business, stock market, and small business topics. She can be contacted at: wilson.carol24 @ gmail.com.

I’ve been blogging for roughly three years now. I can still remember my first official post on this blog (back in October 2008). Brings back memories. Mainly how little I really knew at that time about blogging, and marketing an online business. Things sure have changed since then.

I spent a lot of time learning and mastering various strategies, some of which have changed during the past few years. That’s what happens when the internet evolves – we must change with the times.

Reflecting back, there is a lot for me to be thankful for, both as a blogger and internet business owner, and as a person. I’d like to think I’ve matured and improved my personal development a bit, and I have. Running an online business and blog has improved my professionalism greatly. It doesn’t hurt to place other like-minded professionals in my life, either.

But honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. I like to joke around a lot (ask any of my close friends). It’s just who I am. I know when to be serious, though.

I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy and am always keeping a positive outlook on life, no matter what obstacles get in the way. Life is just better that way.

I wouldn’t have gotten where I am today if it wasn’t for my friends, colleagues and mentors.

Friends, Colleagues and Mentors

I think we would all agree that life is a lot easier when we have friends by our side to get us through the hard times. They’re also great to have around for the fun times, too. A true friend can never be replaced, and I’m very thankful for the friends I have in my life. They may not all understand what I do with this whole internet business thing, but they at least think it’s cool and support it.

During my time online, I’ve met some awesome people, whether through various forums, membership sites, or social sites like Facebook or Twitter. Some I have partnered with on various projects and endeavors, and others I collaborate with and get input from. Even though we may not have met in person, I do consider you all my friends and a great colleague.

Learning all of this online marketing stuff wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have a few mentors in my life. It’s been an honor being a student of some great minds and highly successful entrepreneurs and internet business owners. The wealth of knowledge I have gained over the years has proven to pay off, and I can’t wait for the next 5 to 10 years ahead.

Free Exposure

If I said I didn’t like free exposure and publicity, I’d be lying. I’m very thankful for it!

I’m honored when people link to my blog posts or my website’s home page. It’s nice to know people find value in what I have to say and share.

I especially love it when people come to me and want to do an interview or share my story within their circle of influence.

I remember my live radio interview with Lynn Johnson I did last summer. I was ecstatic (and nervous, for sure) about the opportunity to share a little about myself and what I do to a whole new medium that I normally don’t reach.

Then there was my video interview with Allan Galang. That was a whole new experience as well, and I’m grateful to Allan for being willing to take the time and do that for me. He set everything up for me, edited the video, converted the video, and even blasted the video to video sites, including YouTube. What a great guy.

And, just recently I was mentioned on Northwest Indiana Times in an article about working from home. I’m guessing they found an article or video I did (maybe even a press release) to get the information and quotes. Either way, I think that’s really cool. Thanks, Patricia, I appreciate it.

Readers and Subscribers

Last, but certainly not least, I’m highly grateful to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, which some of you may be both. I honestly could not make this all possible if I didn’t have your support and words of encouragement. I’m truly touched whenever I have a reader comment on a post, or when a subscriber emails me to tell me that they enjoy the free content I send them because they find it helpful. I think that’s awesome, so thank you, everyone!

These are just a few examples of the things I’m thankful for as I progress on my blogging and internet business journey.

What are you thankful for?

I’ve had the opportunity to be a beta tester for the Google+ project. For those who don’t know, Google+ is Google’s attempt at a social networking site, similar to Facebook. Google+ wasn’t always available to the general public as you had to be invited to join, but now, anyone can join by signing in to their Google account.

My Thoughts About Google+

I’ve been a member for about a month now, and so far, I’m not really impressed. I’ve seen a lot of people, mainly marketers, just raving about it and the “benefits” of using it to market your online business. While this stands to be true to some aspect, with Google’s search being influenced by social voting via the Google +1 button, I’m still not totally convinced.

I have read some people state that they like it much better than Facebook and that it’s more user-friendly. If you ask me, Facebook is very user-friendly and easy to use. Maybe I’m just biased as I’ve had a Facebook account for the past 4 years or so. I use it for personal use as well as use it to promote my online brand.

If you take into consideration that Google+ has a mere 10 million user base compared to Facebook’s 750 million users, then the obvious place to market yourself is still Facebook.

And personally… I just can’t get around the layout of Google+. It’s similar to Facebook in a lot of ways. Almost too similar. Way to be original, Google. I feel like I should spend more time on the site to get more familiar with it, but when I make an attempt, I end up browsing my News Feed on Facebook instead.

Overall, I feel Google has a long way to go before they become any real threat to Facebook. I do see potential, though, and I’m curious to see where things progress as Google+ gains more momentum.

What Are Your Thoughts?

I’m curious to know what others have to say about Google+. I imagine there are those who have similar views as my own, while others are probably thinking I’m a complete moron.

Either way, I want to know your thoughts. Good or bad… share your experience, opinion or idea on Google+ by leaving a comment below.

It seems there has been a PageRank update, courtesy of Google. I noticed the change yesterday on this blog, just as a few blogs I follow started posting about the updated ranking system.

I’m not going to get into the elaborate debate surrounding PageRank or even explain what it is. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, you can always “Google” it.

Why I Care

For me, PageRank plays an importance in my overall online business. This may sound crazy to some, but regardless of what you may think, PageRank does have a role when it comes to my monthly earnings. To give you an idea why, I suggest reading this post and looking over the “High PR Backlinks” section. You may also be interested in reading this post and this post. And, you can always check out my Income Reports and see how much I make from selling advertising space on this site, which is partially made possible thanks to PageRank.

Okay, so now that we know the Google PR of our sites have been updated, I wanted to share how my sites faired in this update. I currently have three websites in my portfolio, and I’ll also include my blog on the list as well. Let’s take a look at them:

ReplaceYourSalary.com

• PR before update – 4
• PR after update – 4

Work From Home Blog

• PR before update – 4
• PR after update – 3

GetBackYourExAdvice.com

• PR before update – 0
• PR after update – 1

Micro Niche Adsense Site (Not Disclosed)

• PR before update – NA
• PR after update – 0

Overall I’m pleased with how things turned out. I’m a bit bummed the blog didn’t fair so well, but hey, nothing I can do about it except continue to post quality content and build quality links.

How Did Your Websites Do?

Did you notice a change in the Google PageRank of your website/s? Let us know by leaving a comment, and I’ll even allow you to post one of your websites so we can all take a look. Just don’t abuse the privilege, as I do moderate all comments.

January flew by very fast. February is quickly headed in the same direction… to me anyway. Exciting things coming up for this site and blog, at least I hope you’ll think so.

Last month was pretty sparse with posts, but the posts we have here are definitely worth checking out if you haven’t done so.

Let’s take a look…

January’s Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

My Guest Blog Posts of 2010

6 Tips to a Workable Home Office

Why One Online Business Is Not Enough

December 2010 Income Report

How to Get Your Site Indexed by Google

5 Useful Tips for First-Time Telecommuters

Blog Posts Around the Web

These posts are in no particular order…

Mavis Nong talks about how to stay focused on your internet marketing business on TechnShare. I know first-hand that this can be difficult on many levels. I’m sure you’ll find some good tips here just as I did.

Andrew talks about his fight against content thieves and what he’s been doing to combat the problem. A must read if you have people stealing your blog content and using it as their own. I wrote about this subject in the past when I started finding blogs stealing my content. I then did a follow-up post about the proper etiquette when using someone else’s content on your blog or website. Those are also worth checking out if you the time.

Daniel provides a list of 20 SEO terms you should know on Daily Blog Tips. This is a must for any website owner as SEO should be a regular part of your website promotion. If you don’t know much about SEO and related terms, then you’ll definitely want to read this.

Chris Pund of Dorm Room Biz offers some entrepreneurial quotes to help motivate and encourage entrepreneurs. I’m a huge fan of quotes and post them all the time on my Facebook Wall and Fan Page. They act as a great motivator and eye-opener and are definitely worth reading if you’re feeling a bit down.

Angie Stewart gives 5 tips for using Google Webmaster Tools to better help you with your on-site SEO efforts. If you haven’t setup a Google Webmaster account yet or have no idea what one is, then you definitely need to read this!

There you have it.

Be sure to check out these posts if you some spare time. You’ll be glad you did.

The following is a guest post by Michael D. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

The internet is probably the most powerful tool ever for those wishing to work from home and be their own boss. What I love so much about the internet is that it doesn’t discriminate… you can be fat, ugly, have a speech impediment, or any other number of obstacles that would cause challenges in the “normal” work world. But none of those matter when it comes to making money on the internet… all that matters is how much work you put into your business!

And, if you’ve put a lot of work into your business and you’re now generating a satisfactory level of income, you may think it’s time to kick back and relax. Think again. If you only have one online business, you’re setting yourself up for failure… regardless of how successful that business may be. The key to sustaining your work from home career is to diversify your revenue streams.

Don’t Make the Same Mistake I Did

I am the founder of Credit Card Forum, which is one of the leading sites for credit card reviews on the net. Before the credit crash of 2008, business was going great for me. But, instead of using that as an opportunity to diversify my business, instead I did the opposite, and dedicated all my time to my credit card business.

You can probably guess what happened next… the “Great Recession” hit, and the credit markets basically froze. Many banks stopped marketing credit cards altogether. Some didn’t “officially” cease their advertising, but they were hardly approving any of the credit card applications coming in, so it was more or less the same. It was so bad that I remember one month where not a single commission was earned! Instead of making money off credit card reviews, ironically I was now staying afloat by raking up debt on my business credit cards!

And just like that, my work from home career was over, and I had to go back to working a 9-5. Fortunately, I only had to do that about half a year because during that time, I began to finally diversify my business into completely different niches. It worked out perfectly because I ended up being fired from that job, but at that point, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel with the new ventures I had started.

What I Would Have Done Differently

No matter what niche you work in, the bottom line is that every niche is prone to an earthquake. For my credit card business, it was the credit crunch. But, if you worked in the health supplements industry, for example, that earthquake could be changes in FDA laws governing the marketing of supplements. What I’m trying to say is no sector is risk-free, so diversity is a must in order to make it through the ups and downs.

When I say diversify, I want to be clear that I’m talking about choosing totally different niches. For example, credit cards and personal loans would definitely not qualify – they’re too closely related. I think that everyone that works from home on the internet should be in at least 3 or 4 completely different sectors.

Last but not least, I also think that at least one or two of your niches should be highly specific (think a niche within a niche). That way there will be less competition, and you will be more likely to maintain your slice of the pie, rather than get squeezed out by other sites down the road. In fact, if I were just getting started today, I might even choose micro-niches for all my businesses.

About the Author: Michael is the founder of Credit Card Forum. Today, he writes the reviews for the business credit cards on the site. He is also the founder of a few other online businesses (in completely different niches, of course).

We got our first official snowfall here a couple of days ago, and with temperatures hovering around the mid-30′s, Winter is definitely here. I really don’t mind this time of year; although, I certainly like the warmer times of year better.

Now that it’s December, it’s time for another blog post roundup. November proved to be a rather busy month, and December is going to be just as busy as I prepare for the new year. Exciting things to come for sure.

What are you doing to prepare for the new year?

While you’re thinking about it, take a look at last month’s blog posts and see if you missed any. Be sure to leave a comment on any posts you’ve found helpful.

November’s Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

HiveDesk – Discover this Revolutionary Automated Tool for Your Outsourcing Needs

Work at Home Business Expo – Nov. 13th – 14th

Working From Home? Here are 4 Bad Habits to Avoid

Niche Site Update

NOW is the Time to Sell on eBay?

Black Friday Web Hosting Sale & My Personal Bonus – The sales have ended, but my bonus is good for a lifetime, so if you need hosting or are looking to switch hosting providers, be sure to check out this post.

6 Reasons Why You Should Have a Blogging Partner

My Interview on The Lynn Johnson Motivational Radio Show

Other Blog Posts from Around the Web

These posts are in no particular order…

The first post comes from Onibalusi, who talks about quitting when your so close to success. It’s a good read for those who feel like quitting or have ever felt like quitting their online business or other endeavor.

If you’ve ever been curious if a particular website has been blacklisted for any reason, Daniel Scocco provides a great resource to check if a website is blacklisted. There are many reasons why bloggers or webmasters would want to do this, so I recommend checking this out.

Ana Hoffman provides a simple, 5 minute process for turning articles into videos. Video marketing is huge, and any extra exposure you can get with your articles is a plus. This is very easy to do, so check out the post to find out how.

Garry Conn offers some great tips on how to use Google Insights to find out the hidden amount of traffic and mystery numbers of searches for keywords. Definitely worth checking out to increase your overall traffic to your site/blog.

Satrap guest posts on Technshare and shares 5 reasons to consider affiliate marketing. As an affiliate marketer myself, I can certainly relate to this article.

That concludes the roundup for this month. Be sure to check out the posts here as I know you’ll find them useful and beneficial for your own endeavors.

Leave Your Thoughts

Now, back to the question.

What are you doing to prepare for the new year?

Leave your answer or share your thoughts below…