Showing posts with label Web. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Web. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

I Need a Vacation!

Hey there.  I need to get out of the office for a few days.  Recently, I've felt like a slave to the desk.  Files upon files are beginning to pile up and I swear that if I wanted to, I could build a fort with them.  lol  I'll only need to gut it out for a week or so more since I'll be getting my vacation (or time off) starting on April 18th!!!  Don't think I'll be heading anywhere, but it sure will be nice to not worry about the office politics and what not.  I've already told myself that come next vacation time, I'll be taking 2 weeks and we'll be heading off to some foreign country.  Maybe someplace in Europe, like Germany and feast my eyes on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
I've never traveled to a place where I don't know the language so I've been advised that it would be wise to get some important documents, like your passport and birth certificate, translated to the countries language.  This way, if you're in a bind, you'll have documents that local officials and offices can easily read.  There are many translation services online and on mobile devices, but they won't provide you with a printed translation.  It's almost a necessity to have all your document translation in tow before heading out to new lands. 

I think I'm ready to venture to a foreign land and explore it's culture and beauty.  I've even gone on and tried to learn some German.  It's not as easy as I would have hoped but as long as I know some of the basics, I should be alright.  Guten Tag!  Guten Morgen! Übersetzungsdienst! (That's translation services in German  lol!!!)  You gotta be well prepared my friends.  Later!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Looking for Scrubs with Friends

Hey there.  You know, I have a few friends in that are nurses and I recently asked them as to why the scrubs tend to be burgundy or light blue.  It's almost as if it's a uniform code that many of us don't know of.  The answer between my friends was pretty unanimous in that it's because it's the easiest to find.  I figured that if color and pattern was not mandatory and you had choices, I'd go and rock out something with skulls!  But then I realized that if I'm working with sick people, skulls would be the last thing they would want to see.  lol I don't think they'll be very good for morale.

Anyways, finding discounted scrubs is not very hard.  Especially once I directed my friends over to Blue Sky Scrubs.  I mentioned to them how they seem to have an awesome selection.  Whether you're looking for cotton scrubs or more fancier scrubs, they seem to have them in stock.  My friend seemed to enjoy the fact that they also have medical lab coats.  After reminding him that he's just a nurse, he says, "It's not for work.  It's for 'extra curricular activities."  lmao!  Whoa, whatever fantasies he has should stay in where they are.  lol 

So a day looking for scrubs turned into a fun time for us all.  Who knew that looking for work attire can be entertaining.  Later!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Looking to Start Your Own Store?

Hey there friends.  So have you have a chance to check out the great offers that SMC corp has to offer?  If not, then you definitely need to check it out.  I've expressed how easy it is to get started and how they offer all the tools to help you succeed.  Low prices, business management help, and online help are just a few of the services provided, but I would say that the best part of it all is the way they make you feel secure.  They are willing to address issues such as the specialty merchandise corporation complaints that they receive.  Most companies would hide their complaints and show only all the positive responses and reviews.  So for a company to expose themselves and say, hey we're not perfect this may not be for everybody and we're letting you know about it, is simply awesome.  It makes me feel like you are working with people as opposed to a bureaucracy.

If you have any questions as to how SMC, specialty merchandise corporation, works, you can always check out their website or reviews from their customers.  Many have strong testimonies that state that they had little to no online business experience but with the free help from SMC, they were able to make their dream of being their own boss a reality.   Feel free to check it out.  There have been many SMC money makers out there and after reading their story, you know that an average Joe such as yourself can make it too.  Go online, read up on reviews, check out their products.  You'll see that you'll definitely find positive words to describe SMC and once you've had a chance to review their products, you'll find something that you'll want to have in your store.  Later!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Do Your Hosting HW with Web Hosting Geeks

Hey there friends.  You know, when I was searching for a domain name, I also went on the hunt to find a good web host for my blog.  Most you know that I already have a difficult time with change but the domain one was an easy choice.  Metallmans-reverie.blogspot.com  Really?  That's too long and there's a hyphen in there.  I needed something quick and easy.  Metallman.com was available and I jumped on it.  Then it was time for the web host.

I went through many a web hosting directory and I couldn't find what I was looking for.  A great rating system, easy pricing guide, features, etc. etc.  Not until I found the Web Hosting Geeks site that I was satisfied with a directory that showed everything that I needed to make a wise decision.  Just take a look at this Fat Cow review.  It has everything you need in a very organized star rating system to assist in your web hosting decision.

As for me, I'm still being hosted by Blogger.  The domain change was an easy decision... the web hosting, not so much.  I've gotten used to the layout and how Blogger works that jumping ship may make it difficult for me to learn how to use and get accustomed to a new host and layout.  Then again, I might do something crazy one day and just do it.  If that day were to happen, at least I'd know where to look to make sure I don't make a dumb mistake and over pay for web hosting!  lol  Later!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Start Your Own Business with SMC

Hey there.  You know, I just dawned on me that being your own boss should be the goal of every man.  Now, I don't mean man as in men, but man as in mankind.  When you take control of your business, you own profits, your own growing pains, you learn the true value of money as well as how to run a business.  Not all of us will be successful, but you'll never know unless you try.  This is why I love that SMC (Specialty Merchandise Corporation) is allowing you to be your own boss. 

They  have been around for over 50 years and have helped many realize their dreams of owning a private business.  So how does it work?  Simple, you buy products from SMC at a low, low, price and you in turn sell those goods in your store, online shop, or private business.  And their selection of goods is huge.  Anything from garden to toys to home decorations.  And the best part is that you don't have to drive around to get to work.  Work can be anywhere you want it to be.  No more traffic, no more stubborn bosses, no more annoying coworkers.  It's you, and you're business savvy, working directly with potential customers.  And if you don't think you can do it alone, no worries.  SMC also offers business coaching for new business owners, and guess what... IT'S FREE for the first few weeks.  Just enough help to get you motivated and confident that you can run your business.

Now, many people will digress and say that this is nothing but a scam.  Many have filed SMC complaints and SMC addresses the complaints head on.  You have to admire and respect a company that listens when people are not happy.  In my opinion, when I through the complaints, I noticed that the people that were complaining had failing businesses and to be honest with you, you really can't put that on SMC.  It's human nature to place the blame on someone or something then we fail.  But on the other side of the coin, there are those that have had huge success using SMC.  If you're still iffy on the whole thing, feel free to read this SMC review to get a better understanding of how it works.  There are many SMC money makers out there.  If you're willing to take that leap into being your own boss, do it with a company that has your back and will guide you through it.  It's better to have someone by your side to guide you, then to jump head first.  Later!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

What's Going On

Hey there.  March 1st, that's today.  It is exactly 12 days away from finishing my 3rd year of blogging.  I can't believe that it's been close to 3 full years already!  I  was thinking of maybe doing some kind of give a away.  Maybe a game?  Maybe some cash?  Maybe some kind of prize?  I don't know just yet.  I've been thinking about it, I've just haven't decided what it will be.  Any suggestions?

Best workstation ever!
On a side note, I just wanted to fill you guys in and what's been going down on my side of computer.  My geek side has been pretty busy.  I unlocked my cousin's iPhone last night, I am working on fixing 2 more PS3s, and I have an XBOX 360 coming my way later tonight for me to take a look at.  I'm sure my wife is not thrilled about it.  I'm one those people that gets a little geeked out by this kinda stuff and will spend hours non stop working on all things tech. My wife made a comment to my cousin and his wife how she should dress up as some broken tech device so that I would pay attention to her.  lol 

Things on the blogging side have been going well.  Just not as well as I would like.  I managed to get the computer at home working but I haven't been working much at home.  My time online has been tight and I manage to churn out a post or two.  I need to get on the ball with that and spend some more leisure time on improving my online stats.  I've also made a conscience effort to provide more comments on blogs.  I've been horrible at letting know that I've stopped by so that's being improved upon.

Midnight snacks are the best!
Working out has been good to me, I guess.  I missed my exercise check in last week (damn time restrictions) so I'll make sure that I have one in this week.  Most likely be done tomorrow or Thursday.  I don't feel as winded as I have before and the wife says that there is some subtle differences in my body.  But, I don't know if I'm helping the cause by having ice cream at midnight.  lol

I also had a so called "man date" this Saturday with the compadre and a friend.  That adventure will be detailed in an upcoming post.  lol 

I know I'm forgetting some stuff but I'm sure that'll just come to me later.  So what's going on with you, friends?  What's new in the life of you?  Hope to hear from you soon.  Later!

Monday, February 21, 2011

What's Your Website Worth?

Hey there.  Have you ever wondered how much your website is worth?  You hear big numbers from some of the more popular sites but for us small time blogging folk, how would we be able to determine how much our small piece of internet real estate is worth?  I went on a mission to find out how much metallman.com is worth and let's check out some of the numbers.


Website Outlook
Estimeted worth of metallman.com is USD 13074.3 according to websiteoutlook (Not so sure how much faith I can put in a site that misspells Estimated)

Urlappraisal.net
Your Estimated Site Worth Is: $8,020.21  (Not bad, I guess. Let's see what else we get)

Bizinformation.org 
Metallman.com Valuation $465,795.6  (Whoa! Check please! Wait... Paypal only!!!)

Webarbiter.com
Estimated value of the metallman.com is 73912,5 USD (And apparently that's the equivalent of 21 camels!  lmao!)

Well... as you can see, if you check the wrong the site you'll think that your site is worth a fortune!  It's tough to gauge how much the site is really worth.  Especially when it comes time to sell your domain.  I wouldn't sell my domain (unless bizinformation sends that half a million to my paypal account right away!).  Once you start blogging and have been doing it for several years, it's more of a way of life than a hobby. 

So, tell me friends.  What sites do you use to check up on your stats, worth, and visitors?  I'm curious to see what sites are accurate and which are not. As much as I would LOVE to believe that this site is worth half a mil, I know it's not.  I would love to be able to find that one site that would be able to accurately gauge where I stand.  Where I would know, just for the sake of knowing, how much I could potentially sell this site if push comes to shove.  Let me hear it friends.  Later!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Undecided About Web Hosting

Hey there.  You know, one of the best things I ever did for my blog get my own domain name. It shows that I was serious about my site, serious about the dedication that I plan on putting into the site, and it opened up many business opportunities for me.  The second step is getting a good web hosting plan.  I'll be honest with you, I'm still hosted on a free platform, but I've been feeling pressure from blogging buddies to try a different hosting platform.  I'm still on the fritz about it, but I know that it's also costing me opportunities since some jobs will not accept blogspot hosted blogs. 

For those of you are still looking, WebHostingFan.com offers deals and news regarding different web hosting platforms.  The great thing about it is that it eliminates the need to search the web for deals when the best deals are readily available on the first page.  Another awesome part of the site is the reviews.  They do their own review of the hosting site and rate it based on value, technical support, customer service, etc. etc.  Just check out their BlueHost review to get a good idea of how it works.

If you're in the market for web hosting, save yourself from searching the web and go directly to webhostingfan.com for the latest in deals and offers in web hosting.  I think I'm afraid to transfer my blog, but I wouldn't put it past me if one day, Metallman's Reverie is hosted somewhere else.  Later!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Create a Stronger Bond with Yaptime

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

Hey there friends.  Ever tried to have a group conversation on Facebook?  It's kind of difficult to keep it for select members only and it usually turns into a public discussion.  It's not really the ideal situation when you're trying to let family members know of Junior's next basketball game.  With this free service, YapTime,  you can create group chats and have only the members of that group posting in that particular chat.  This will completely get rid of the pointless clutter of posts that would interrupt that discussion.Yaptime

Just imagine, you're on a football team.  Create a Yaptime chat with only your football team mates and now you have a private medium where only your team can get updated schedules, talk over plays, and overall build a stronger camaraderie.  Or use the calendar to create events and have only family members in your group who can respond to it.  It's a perfect way to introduce young ones into the world of social networking.  With Yaptime, you can get rid of "pseudo" friend requests and know that the people you friended are people that you actually know. 

So for the teacher that wants to contact their students for homework assignments, the coach that wants to update his team on the schedule, or for the family that just wants to keep in touch, YapTime may be the answer for you.  You have nothing to lose with this free service so give it try and let me know what you think.  Later!

Visit Sponsor's Site

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Do You Rate Local Busniesses?

Hey there.  Do you guys rate businesses in your area?  I mean, by going to some website online and providing some kind of ranking to show your displeasure or satisfaction to a service or business that you recently visited?  I ask because not too long ago, I started seeing these suckers on drive thru windows:
Now this is interesting.  Usually great burger joints are passed on through word of mouth but now I'm seeing that more and more are being looked at online.  My problem with Yelp.com is that it's mainly a rating system and is new to the "search for" world so I wonder if Local.com is the way to go.  I did a quick local search find that it's more of a hybrid of several rating and search systems.  Find a business and rate it, all in one location.

I say that Local.com would be a better place to go to search and rate.  I'm not knocking on Yelp.com.  I think that what they're doing is great.  I'm just saying that Local.com is doing it better.  Do a quick local search yourself and let me know what you think.  Who knows, maybe we'll start seeing more decals across business windows with the below logo.  Later!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Getting the Girls Some Clothes

Hey there.  You know what's great about being an adult?  Besides doing all the great things adults can do legally as opposed to the younger generation.  lol  It's the fact that once I buy clothes, it's almost guaranteed to stay in my closet until 1) I manage to destroy it with paint, cement, holes, etc. etc. or 2) I gain/lose too much weight.  It's a given that clothes will last you when you're an adult.  The same cannot be said for kids.  Especially young girls, who want to follow in their mom's footsteps and have a variety of clothes as their wardrobe.

With that being said, we have always been on a mission to find stylish and affordable girls clothing.  With 2 growing young ladies, what they own is quickly donated when it no longer fits and all that clothes needs to be replaced.  A new favorite of the girls happens to be Tea Collection's latest collection, Viva La Artista.  Especially since my oldest is looking to be an artist. It's definitely worth a look if you're into stylish and affordable clothes for your young ones.  I'm certain that you will find something that caters to your taste.  Later!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Find Your Dream Car with TheCarConnection.com

Hey there.  You know... I've never really been a car guy.  I always figured that as long as I had a vehicle that can get me from point A to point B, I would be happy.  I don't need a big, flashy car to show off.  But boy, wouldn't it be nice to have one.  lol  I stumbled across this site that will not only show you pictures of the cars, but will give an estimated market value and a little history behind the car.  That's pretty impressive.

I checked out the Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt, to get a glimpse of something with speed. My brother in law has an Evo and he's constantly raving about how awesome it is, so I had to check out the Mitsubishi family to see what the fuss was about. Then I checked out something that screams American, the Chevrolet Corvette.  I can definitely see myself in one of these bad boys but I don't see myself coming with a $50K windfall anytime soon.  lol  After clicking a few links, the Gmc Sierra Sle came up. I don't see myself in a truck... It's simply not my style. And that's when I realized that a Mercedes-Benz Cls550 would be luxury sedan for me.  Stylish and classy, a car that looks sleek, but not over flashy.  Kind of like me.  lol 
ll in all, it was cool to read up on today's cars and their history.  It's new and definitely informative.  Once I'm at the age (and have the cash) I know I'll be able to compare cars and make a wise decision the one that will take me to destinations in my wonder years.  *sigh*  A guy can dream, no?  Later.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Google Gods Have Blessed Metallman with a PR3

Hey there.  The new Google Page Rankings are now out and I'm happy to announce that Metallman's Reverie now has a PR3!  Whoo hoo!  For the first 2 years I was stuck with a dreaded PR0.  I didn't care much about it since I have my small following and rankings really didn't matter to me.  This last year, I was blessed with a PR2.  I was pretty stoked about that since that dreaded 0 was dropped.  Now that I am about to embark in my 4th year blogging (wow... really?  It's been almost 3 full years already?!?!?), I have earned a PR3!  Pretty damn awesome!  I have come to realize that a strong PR shows that your dedication and hard work is appreciated by the online gods.  Starting off 2011 with a bang.  I love it.  Thanks to all my readers.  You guys are making it happen.  Later!

Check out your updated Google PR here.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for 2010

Hey there.  2010 is gone and we are kick starting 2011 with last year's income report.  A common question that I get asked is, "How do I make money online?"  The answer I usually provide is, "With a lot of work!" but to be honest, that hard work is not to make money, but to build an audience that will actually visit your site, providing you with that opportunity to make money through ads, page views, and sponsored posts.  Once you've managed to have a small following, then you can turn your focus on earnings.  Here's some of the highlights (and lowlights) of my year:

  • October was my best month.  Total income that month was $161.37
  • May was my worst month.  Total income that month was $2.80
  • IZEA, Inc. (Sponsored Tweets, SocialSpark, Payperpost) was my my biggest money maker.  Total income for the year was $563.76.
  • Mylikes was an up and coming earner for my Twitter account.  I started using it in June and made $110.01 for the year.
  • Blogsvertise was an up and coming earner for my blog.  I started using it in October and made $187.00 for the year.
  • Total income totaled $1,074.95.  Well short of my goal of $1,500.00
All in all, I want to deem 2010 a disappointing year.  I made approx. $1,200.00 in 2009 and was hoping to increase that by a modest $300.  I believe that I would have exceeded my goal if I didn't have a few months where I was out of sync with my blog and didn't post or work as much as I should have (I'm looking at you, MAY!!!!).   However, I am excited about a few opportunities that have opened up to me.  Especially, the spot I have earned as a writer on DragonBlogger.com.  I have three articles written there and my quota is 4 a month.  It's tough to get it done when you don't have a working computer at home!!!  But I'm excited about it and I need to get the ball rolling on that. 

So there you have it.  A total of $1,074.95 made from my modest, little blog.  Not bad, no?  Short of my $1,500 goal for the year, but that's not stopping me from increasing my goal yet again.  $1,700.00 for 2011!!!  Whoo hoo!  Let's do this!  Thanks, friends, for making it happen.  Later!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Final Fantasy: Type 0 in the Works?

Hey there.  When G4 announced that the name and logo for Final Fantasy: Type 0 was trademarked, it immediately grabbed my attention.  Square Enix might be releasing a new Final Fantasy game!  It may be a spin off... it may be a continuation of an existing Final Fantasy title.  As of right now, it's way to early to tell.  G4 doesn't have info on the project but they're willing to spill what ever they do have.  Check out the brief announcement here.

Intrigued?  Yes.  Excited?  Not so much.  Not until we receive some more details.  For all we know, this is Square Enix trademarking POTENTIAL names.  And even if they are, I would assume that because they are trademarking anything Final Fantasy, some sort of product will become of it.  Until then, later!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Great Jackets From Zappos.com

Hey there.  It's been a fairly cold autumn here in Los Angeles.  In my opinion, it's a welcome surprise.  We're usually sitting in high 70 degree weather and the sun is still shining down, warming up our city.  But recently, we've been in low 60 degree temperatures coupled with cloudy skies and low 40 degree temperatures at night.  That's pretty nippy, if you ask this home grown California guy, so I started to look around for a jacket to buy and that's when I stumbled upon these north face jackets from Zappos.

I don't own many jackets but I wouldn't mind owning something like this.  It's not bulky, it doesn't look heavy, and it seems like I would be able to wear it during some not so cold days.  Seems perfect for a guy like me.  And the price is not bad either.

I'll admit that I used to associate Zappos.com with shoes.  I'm not the shopper of the family so it's pretty obvious that I didn't know any better.  I can pretty much score some Zappos jackets for the wife and kids as well.  It just comes to show you that you need to live in extremely cold weather to find some pretty awesome and affordable jackets.  Just in time for the holidays too.  Later!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Looking for Some Kick Ass Advertising

Hey there friends.  You know, maybe business have a hard time looking for publicity or advertising.  I think that I've been fortunate enough to be able to find a small audience that I engage in for this site.  I'm not a big company that needs all sorts of exposure, but if you are an up and coming business looking for a great advertising team, you definitely need to check out THAT! Advertising Agency

This is definitely an agency that thinks outside the box.  That is apparent by it's awesome tabs on their home screen.  When you see tabs labeled as "kick ass advertising" and "mad marketing", you know that you are not dealing with your typical advertising agency.  And when one of their slogans is "THAT! + Advertising Agency = Kick Ass Success" , you have to take a look and see if this is for you.

I'm in the blogging business.  I don't think that I would benefit much from this kind of advertising.  But you're in an industry that requires some publicity, some ad space, and some over all buzz, THAT! Advertising Agency may just be for you.  Plus,. they're giving a 1 hour free phone consultation so what is there to lose?  Call em up, see if they can get a kick ass package for you and if you don't like, you can simply say no thanks.  Check it out, my friends.  When a company this awesome comes about, you're almost inclined to check them out.  Later!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

My Day as an Extra

Hey there.  I missed all the football games this Sunday.  All of them!  I wasn't anywhere near a TV because my son and I were off being extras in a Comedy Central show.  I received an Email requesting inviting me to take part as an extra and I pretty much said why not and took my son with me.  It was video game based so I figured that we would enjoy it.  There was a lot of sitting around, but we did manage to get some TV time.  My son was positioned right behind the speakers, as an audience member, so he should be seen on air and I was cast in a small role as a security guard!  Whoo hoo!  We were told that we cannot post pics or give away any info other than that so hopefully I'll be able to post more details once they've become public.  What I can say is that some of people responsible have their hands in other video game related shows such as The Guild.  I can't wait to see the episode on air!  It will be fun to see how much my son and I actually show up on the screen.  I'd also like to know how the episode plays out since we only heard  few lines here and there.  I'm sure it's going to be great.  Until then, later!