A Year In The Life of TDW: A Cautionary Tale

[ynuahayt]

Thanks for your answers/input Preacher!

I understand you viewpoint in regards to the tabs thing - but the way I look at it the harsh truth of starting a Link List to day is that most submitters either seem to submit to the top 30 link lists or they use the shotgun approach with submitting to 200 hundred where my LL gets included.

Therefore I'm having a hard time going the route of stroking my submitters dick (we're in adult ) because frankly I'm not sure they'll stick around because I can send 10 hits more their way.

When I look at things now it seems a bit crazy to be spending like half an hour every day on reviews + time on adding sponsors/keeping up with your links and then bam - $1k after one year of that. I know we're building for the future but right now my payment/hour looks pretty bad .

My advice to people thinking about starting a link list: Do not start a standard Link List with just free sites - rather make some kind of hybrid site that has more pages and more ways for you to get traffic.

[ponygirl]

Originally Posted by ynuahayt

the way I look at it the harsh truth of starting a Link List to day is that most submitters either seem to submit to the top 30 link lists or they use the shotgun approach with submitting to 200 hundred where my LL gets included.

Therefore I'm having a hard time going the route of stroking my submitters dick (we're in adult ) because frankly I'm not sure they'll stick around because I can send 10 hits more their way.

I think hanging around/posting here helps, I get submitters that wouldn't know me except from here, and I submit myself to sites that may not send the most traffic but it's more of a relationship than just getting traffic.

The other thing, as I think Preacher pointed out, is that a lot of LLs start then die for one reason or another within the first couple of years. What that means to me is that the ones that stick around will only grow more with bookmarkers and submitters that know who's here to stay.

I agree, a LL is not the way to make quick bucks here, but that's what freesites/galleries are for. LLs are more of a labour of love (or hate lol) but you really have to WANT to do it, for the surfers and the submitters. Otherwise, you're better off with hubs.

ps I always liked the look of your LL, ynuahayt

[Lemmy]

Jumping in late here. First of all, great thread, lots of great info. Thanks for sharing Preacher. Kudos to you for getting your numbers straight. I know I'm making sales from my LLs, but really couldn't say how much since I don't have the willpower, energy or time to track down every sale, nor do all sponsors have the facilities. But I'm getting checks from sponsors I don't promote anywhere else and for now that makes me happy.

In addition to all the other great advice given here I can add the following (chilling) personal observations. There's been a lot of talk about making some money (profit) within a year or two or three. But there's money and there's money. Guess what? IMO there will never be another LOR, PenisBot or Hoes. Unless the top 15-20 biggies suddenly decide to become Zen monks and shut down their sites the rest of us are doomed to a life fighting over scraps and leftovers.

So why do I do it? Well, I still believe there's money to be made, and unless I want to be a serf the rest of my life (and I use that term in the best possible meaning ) I need to build some sort of network where the traffic is mine. The lion's share of my income is from sales from freesites, but each month a greater portion is from traffic I generated myself.

Specifically from my LL experience I would offer the following advice to anyone planning on jumping on the bandwagon: Have a plan. Sounds simple, but many people (myself included) just go out and buy a script and hope for the best. Mistakes you make right off the bat can be very hard to correct later.

I also agree with ynuahayt. Think outside the box. The more pages you put out there, the better.

So if you think you have what it takes (a spouse with a high paid job, stubbornness bordering on stupidity, a healthy appetite for Ramen and a willingness to burn the midnight oil) go for it, the sooner the better. It's not easy to get a foot inside the door, but the longer you wait, the harder it's going to get.

[iMan]

What a great thread!
Thanks for sharing, Preacher and everyone else.

After many hours of searching for link lists to submit to and seeing how many nice looking ones are dated and dead, I'm not too surprised by all this.. and I guess I shouldn't put too much energy into my own future LL at this point...