Backup Your Data Online with Carbonite

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carbonite for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there.  Tell me if this hasn't happened to you.  After a long night of working on important documents, you save your files, you shut down your computer, and tell yourself that you'll finish it up tomorrow.  You get up, ready to tackle the task at hand when your computer starts making funny noises.  Beeps abound, you use all your tech knowledge to try and get the computer to start up.  And then....  nothing.   Lastly, you scream in frustration when you realize that not only are you losing all of last night's work, but pretty much all your data files on your computer.  You feel like crying.  Scary thought, no?  Well guess what.  It happens more often than not and it's heartbreaking when it does.  Years of stored pictures and years of stored music...  gone forever.  This is why it's important to have a quiality back up plan in case your computer decides to call it quits and our good friends at Carbonite have your back.

Phone Lost or Stolen? Sprint has your Back with the Total Equipment Protection App

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Hey there.  Many moons ago, I was a Sprint customer.  I was happy at first, but then I needed to contact their customer service and the relationship between me and Sprint went downhill.  Sprint has been on my blacklist for quite some time, they were that bad.  The key word there is "were".  Recently, Sprint has stepped up thier game and have since improved their customer service and their overall image.  How serious is Sprint in satisfying their customers?  They have now rolled out an app that use your phone's GPS to locate lost and stolen phones!  Not just that, but if the phone was stolen, you can sync your contacts to another phone or computer and you can remotely wipe clean the phone.  That will eliminate your photos and personal data from being used maliciously AND you you won't lose vital contact information.  How awesome is that?

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income July 2011

Hey there.  July is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:


Squishy Cash - $19.37
DragonBlogger - $23.67
Dad Central - $75.00
Blogsvertise - $64.00
Reach Network - $18.51
Total for July - $200.55
YTD Total - $1471.91 (+$480.24 ahead of pace)

Review the Web Host Before Buying

Hey there.  Some of you already know that I've been looking for a fair price web hosting agent for quite sometime now.  The only thing holding me back is change.  It's the same reason why I haven't really pressed for a new blog lay out, a new blog logo, or a new blog host.  I'm comfortable with what I have but I know that I need an upgrade.  I have many blog friends with several different web hosting agents and each has their pros and cons about them.  I don't ask for much, I just need to make sure it works.  I don't want to deal with outages and interruptions in service because my web host is having issues.  I need to make sure that what I go with I am comfortable with.  This is why I strongly suggest you review the services thoroughly.

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for June 2011

Hey there.  June is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:

Mylikes - $1.44
CMFAds - $1.88
Sponsored Tweets - $30.01
DragonBlogger - $19.12
Dad Central - $100.00
Blogsvertise - $89.00
SocialSpark - $66.50
PayPerPost - $31.00
Total for June - $338.95
YTD Total - $1271.36 (+$421.36 ahead of pace)

Some Thoughts on Satellite Internet

Hey there.  We live in a digital world and I began to wonder exactly how far we've come in keeping people connected via the internet.  You can find the internet almost everywhere.  Offices, libraries, and even some fast food places have wifi hot spots for customers to use.  Now, I hear that even rural areas getting connected via satellite internet.  That's right.  Internet via satellite.

Attention All Geeks! Use Geek Alerts for All Your Geeky Needs

Hey there friends.  I'm a geek at heart.  I love all things tech, I'm the "computer guy" of the family, I play video games, and I love geeky movies like the Cube series.  So when I stumbled across Geek Alerts, I knew I found a new home to satisfy my taste for all things geek.

Finding the Best Price for Your Old Cell Phone

Hey there.  What are your experiences with recycling your cell phones?  I've heard of the service before and even some big name chains are beginning to offer recycling service but I don't think I know anyone that has actually done.   Friends and family usually just hand down their cell phones to family. A cousin of mine makes a living selling cell phones and I'm not sure that he recycles them. Well, I decided to look into it, since I have a few old cell phones that are collecting dust in my closet.  The best that you can hope for is getting money back for your old phone.  Especially since they can be so expensive.

Great Father's Day Gift Ideas at Walmart

Hey there.  Father's Day is near!  What have you picked up for your pops?  Nothing?  Oh man... No worries, I'm about to show you some pretty awesome stuff that you can pick up at your local Walmart for your dad!  But before getting into that, let me tell you of a time before iPad 2's and Blackberry tablets.  I'm talking about the 80's where a VCR was the main tech attraction.  You see, I was born in 1982 and I only had my dad for 9 short years before it was time for him to move on from this life.  I didn't get the chance to shower him with some of the awesome technology we have today.  Most of my gifts for dad included hand drawn cards and pasta encrusted creations.  Sincere, loving, and always from the heart.  It would have been cool to grab my dad a GPS navigator (we got lost a few times... I know that for a fact) or an awesome big screen TV for the big fight or game.  Even though he's no longer here, this Father's Day, I will be getting my pops a gift, it just won't be of the tech variety.  And kids... I know you're reading this.  Use this post as the "Unofficial Daddy's Wishlist".  lol

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for May 2011

Hey there.  May is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:

Mylikes - $8.84
Sponsored Tweets - $25.75
Sponsored Reviews - $100.00
DragonBlogger - $23.67
Dad Central - $50.00
Blogsvertise - $71.00
Total for May - $279.76
YTD Total - $932.41 (+$224.08 ahead of pace)

Nintendo Drops the Ball with Their New Console: Wii U

Hey there. I just wanted to get my initial reaction down before going in depth.  Nintendo really dropped the ball here.  Their new console, the Wii U, is meant for the more hard core gamers while retaining their youthful fans.  Most third party devolpers will provide games that are already available on PS3 and Xbox 360 for the Wii U but I cannot see how it will appeal to hardcore gamers.  Nintendo has the reputation of "child's play" and it will be difficult to shed that and if this was their asnwer for the hard core gamers, it is an epic fail.

PSN Attacked Again! (05.18.11 Post Update)

Hey there. The Playstation network has been attacked again!  This morning, once everyone was beginning to feel all warm and cozy over the mass Emailing that Sony sent out to their customers, the hackers got to work and infiltrated the "new and secure" PSN.  Now, the service is down while Sony works on fixing it.

Xbox 360 Update May Kill Your Console

Hey there.  If you're a gamer, than you know what the deal is with the PS3 and Sony's PSN being hacked and all.  I guess Microsoft didn't want all the public scorn to fall on Sony so they have announced that the mandatory 360 update (set to release tomorrow, May 19th) may completely brick your 360.  What?!?!?  Yup, the new firmware update is supposed to prep the console to read a new disc format (hmmmm...) and the update may cause console's to permanently stop reading discs.  What is a gamer to do?!  Either I go with Sony and risk my personal information be compromise or I go with Microsoft and get a useless system.  Ugh... 

Blogger Still Not at 100% and Posts are Missing... Is Jason Behind this Firday the 13th Mayhem?

Hey there.  As many of you may have noticed... Blogger had been down for approx. 16 hours or so and it's still not 100% back up.  After checking the status of Blogger, I find out they had to "temporarily remove" posts that we posted after 7am Wednesday morning.  I noticed that something was wrong yesterday when I could not log in to leave comments on other blogs.  That's when I decided to log on my own to see if it was just select blogs that were having issues or if all blogs were having an issues.  When I couldn't log on because the "service was not available",  I was upset.

The first thing that came to mind was the whole PSN hack thing.  I wondered if there was an "unauthorized user" roaming the Blogger servers creating havoc.  I quickly dismissed that idea, though.  I don't think there would be anything to gain, other than being malicious and posting your own stuff.  Then I got a little upset.  I usually have scheduled posts lined up for Funny Fridays, but that's not gonna happen since I can't browse the internet today for Friday funnies.  Then it hit me...  IT'S FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!!  Is Jason behind all this Blogger mayhem???  Did he finally trade in that machete for an ultra fast Alienware laptop???  hahahaha!

"I'm done slashin' and started hackin'!" - Quote from Friday the 13th: Jason Infiltrates CampCrystalLake.com

Anyways, it looks like Blogger is back up and running but posts are still missing.  I guess it's better to be able to continue with the service but I really hope those missing posts come back soon.  I also began to wonder what happened to my give a way poll (PS3 game) and how many potential comments I may have lost.  Well...  as long I didn't lose ALL of my posts, I can't be too upset and it's not like it was down for almost a month before getting any material news on the service.  C'mon Blogger, get those posts back up!  Later!

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for April 2011

Hey there.  April is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:

Mylikes - $9.74
DragonBlogger - $9.41
CMFads - $1.88
Blogsvertise - $132.00
Total for April - $153.03
YTD Total - $652.65 (+$85.98 ahead of pace)

Not too shabby, my friends.  I'm glad that I'm still exceeding my monthly goal of $141.66, even though it's just barely.  I'm still disappointed in my lack of participation in dragonblogger.com.  It's an awesome and I've been given an awesome opportunity to be an author there but I just can't seem to capitalize on it just yet.  I have been dealing with some personal issues and it has eaten up my time to write articles.  I have been fortunate enough to be offered what I like to call "insta-post" and that's what's keeping my name on DB.com at the moment.

I am a little disappointed that I didn't cash anything out for Izea for April, but those funds will be cashed out in May which will make May a pretty good month.  I also received a huge offer from an unexpected source so I'm hoping that May will be the best month of the year so far.

The giveaways have been going great.  Because I'm made my fair share of money from this site, I've been giving a monthly prize away to my readers.  I'm hoping that you guys are enjoying that and take as a big thank you for stopping by and reading. 

So there you have it.  My online source of income revealed!  It's not much to toot about but hey, it's better than nothing.  Was thinking of using some of that money for some Lakers finals tickets.... but that rant is for another time. lol  Feel free to check out my affiliates at the links above and hope that you'll be able to make some spare change online the way I did.  Later!

Helping to Find a Good Web Host Rating

Hey there.  I feel good today.  Why?  Because friends consider me a "online veteran."  lol  Not that I've dealt with wars or anything of that sort online, but because I'm in the blogging game and friends and family come in and ask questions about how to get started and how much work is involved to maintain a small following.  Just last weekend I was talking to a cousin that wanted to start their own business and came to me to ask about domains and web hosting. 

I made it pretty simple, I told her that she could start online for free with many free blogging and web design  platforms but I strongly recommend that she go out get her own domain and then look for a good web hosting site.  She needs something cheap and easy and after a quick search, she may end up going with Web Hosting Hub.  Looking their rating, it seems like the perfect fit for someone that's just starting out.  It's seems easy to navigate and it's cheap. 

I know that I'm not an online guru, but I like that people come for me for advice.  It tells me that at least some people think I know something about something.  lol  Later!

Are Pro Accounts on Sponsored Tweets a Red Flag for Izea, Inc.?

Hey there.  I'm a big fan of Izea, Inc.  They have opened the doors for me to make some money while blogging and sending out tweets.  I have nothing but sincere thankfulness for them.  With that being said, the fact that they are now offering "pro accounts" on Sponsored Tweets is alarming.  If a monthly fee, you're twitter account will get this neat "pro account" symbol attached to it and will be pushed up the queue, ahead of basic accounts, when advertisers are looking for potential tweeters.  I understand that it's an optional service and it's not necessary, but the fact that they are offering it raises some red flags for me.

First off, I don't see the need for pro accounts.  At least on the outside, Izea is doing wonderfully.  Their many platforms are alive and active within the online community.  It's hard to find an online entity that is not associated with one of the many services that Izea offers.  So the fact that they are trying to squeeze out money for pro accounts tell me that 1) Izea is not doing as well as we think they are or 2) they've turned into a bunch of greedy bastards.  lol  I doubt it's the second one since they've all been more than awesome when I've spoken to them, so I'm more inclined to say it's number 1. Then again, it could be that the company is expanding and is looking for extra income to fund upcoming projects.  I don't know, but I'm not so sure if the pro account thing is the way to go.

I've always looked for Izea to come up with fun and innovative ways to make it easy for average Joes, like myself, to make some money online.  I really don't want to hear that Izea may be having some funding issues.  I'm hoping that my observation is wrong and that they're doing it only as a means to further fund their expansion not because they are strapped for cash.  Especially when you consider the amount of online companies that did not make it.  I hope you guys know what you're doing and the same fate doesn't come down on you.  Later!

PSN Hacked

Hey there.  I know that the news of the hacking of the Playstation Network has been out for some time, but it's time to throw my 2 cents in.  I think it's horrible that Sony did not act swiftly to protect the information of their users.  I understand that they're looking into it, I understand that they haven't yet figured it out, what I don't understand is why they would wait well over a week before notifying their users that their private information may have been compromised.  That includes their credit card information!

High profile people have displayed their displeasure with Sony for not sending out a notice right away about the breech in their network.  Instead, they announced that it was "maintenance".  Then the maintenance turned into "network issue".  And now, it turns out that an "unauthorized user" gained access to the network.  Unauthorized user meaning, HACKER!  If they knew from the get go that something was amiss with their network and info could have been stolen, they should have manned up and just let everyone know.

The console wars going on between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony may have played a part as to why Sony was so hush hush about it.  They don't want the negative publicity coming with a security breech but I think they may have hurt their image more by staying quiet over a serious matter.  Over 50 million users will be affected by this and that's a lot of people to upset.  I think this will be a black on mark on Sony for some time but will most likely recover, the way Microsoft did when they had their Xbox Live snafu.  The console wars are heating up and are fierce among the players.  Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all have an image to uphold and this incident will not only damage their PR outlook, but may damage the loyalty of their die hard fans, and that's something that will be hard to gain back.  Later!

A Review of InkGrabber.com

Hey there.  You know, it's kind of tough to find quality printer ink without paying a lot of money for it.  This is one of the reasons why I've been out of a printer for so long.  I simply refused to pay so much money for ink.  But you know what... I have realized that I need a printer.  Especially now that my oldest son is in JR High and there will be a need to print out reports and essays.  So I'm on a mission to check out websites that sell printer ink to see where I can find the lowest price.  I'm not looking for cheap ink, I'm looking for ink that's cheap.  First stop:  InkGrabber.com

Right off the bat, I'm liking this site.  They have a listing of ink by brand on the left hand side while showcasing major brands right in the middle.  And to make it even better, they proudly display a coupon code on the right hand side to save me money on printer ink.  If a store is willing to give discounts right off the bat, I'm  definitely interested.  Upon clicking on a brand, a whole slew of printer models come up.  If they don't have what you're looking for, I'd be extremely surprised.  They seem to have a vast array of inkjet cartridges available for all kinds of printers.  That is a huge plus.  I distinctly remember having to buy ink cartridges at a store for my mother's printer and it was hit or miss on whether or not the store carried it. 

After browsing around, I like how the site is organized.  You can clearly point and click on what you need and most importantly, the prices are more than fair.  And again, they offer discounts, not only through their ongoing promotions, but through Facebook as well.  Ordering is fairly simple and I like that there's a toll free number to call if you need assistance or looking for an update on your order.  All in all, a very decent online store for ink.  I definitely recommend you guys check it out for all your printing needs.  Later!

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for March 2011

Hey there.  March is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:

Mylikes - $13.14
DragonBlogger - $13.96
Sponsored Tweets - $23.00
Blogsvertise - $97.50
Total for March - $147.60
YTD Total - $499.62 (+$74.62 ahead of pace)

Not too bad, right?  I managed to make a little more than my estimated monthly average of $141.66.  That increased my YTD total to stay on course to exceed my $1700 goal for the year.  Blogsvertise continues to be my bread and butter and it may finally take Izea's spot as my top sponsor.  I am still getting offers from Izea, but I haven't hit the cashout mark just yet.  Also, I am happy that I have earned a few bucks from my articles on DragonBlogger.com but am disappointed that I missed the 4 article quota (yet again) for the month to earn a percentage of the income that is earned from the site. 

Overall, another solid month for Metallman's Reverie.  YES!  It is possible to make money online!  It's not easy, but it's definitely possible.  And because I've been able to be semi-successful at blogging, I started a monthly give a way.  I just shipped out the first prize today and stay tuned for April's prize.  Also, I'm thinking of revamping my logo/avatar.  Maybe modernize it a bit.  If you guys know anyone that is willing to make a new Metallman logo for me, send them my way.  I'm willing to pay cash or free advertising (maybe both?) depending on the quality of the design.  Thanks friends for all your support!  If you are blogger and looking to make a few bucks, check out my links above and check it out for yourselves.  Tell them that Metallman sent ya!  Later!