Gregg H. Hawkins

This post is well over due; however I would like to share this information with you! My brother made a post on his blog a while back about receiving our very first Google Adsense check, but I don’t think many of you read his blog. Here is an overview of our earnings for our Newport Harbor Fans website for the first month and a half (end of September and all through October). The picture below show’s our first Google Adsense check, it’s not $1,324.07 because some of the money we earned carried over.

Earnings Overview
Google Adsense: $1,324.07
Kontera: $126
Neverblueads: $18
iTunes: $243.53
Total: $1711.60

We made a total of $1,711.60 dollars in a little over a month’s time period. It’s kind of crazy how one simple idea can lead to making a couple thousand within a few months. I hope this can motivate some of you who have ideas to take and put them into action. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain.

The earnings for the site have decreased quite a bit, however it’s earning us well over what it costs to pay for our web hosting plan. There’s really no point in taking the site down either because a second season is already in the making.

Website Statistics
Since October we’ve averaged over 10,000 unique visits and 250,000 pageviews per month. What’s so great about those statistics? My brother and I put in the hard work for the first few weeks we had the site up. Now, we hardly do anything with the website and people keep coming back. It’s also because re-runs of the show and special episodes are being aired on television. We’ve also managed to rank #3 in Google for the term “Newport Harbor” and we still hold many top spots for other keywords and phrases related to the show.

Future Plans and Ideas
Before our Christmas break ends, my brother and I plan on redoing the WordPress design so hopefully we can sell the whole website it in the near future. Why would we try to do this when it’s brining in a good cash flow? Because we can’t be sure how many seasons of Newport Harbor will air. If there’s a willing buyer who offers us something for the website, it’ll probably be the best offer we’ll get.

What This Has Proved
If you’re discouraged of pursuing something you wish to do, especially online, my brother and I have just proved that knowing very little about coding and anything related to websites doesn’t matter. We don’t know how to code websites and we don’t know how to do a lot of things related to making websites. Who cares if you have to use WordPress. WordPress works like a charm. Make the most of what you have and you will be successful in pursuing any of your endeavors as long as you put 100% of your effort into them.

Merry Christmas!

I was browsing the internet the other day and ended up on YouTube. This video has over 1 million views already so chances are you may have already seen it. If not, take a look! This guy is amazing fast at…tetris. It gets kind of boring, but if you watch the whole video you’ll definitely be amazed. He even does it when the blocks aren’t visible! Apparently there’s a lot of people  who are considered ‘professional’ tetris players, but there isn’t any money to be made in that profession.

I was cruising the streets of downtown San Luis Obispo the other day and saw this card in one of the shops. I didn’t have my camera with me so I went online and found it. I thought it was a pretty neat card, especially for us computer people!

Note: Click thumbnail for a larger view!

7,556 total visits, 5,694 unique visitors, and 61,096 pageviews. No, these aren’t the monthly stats for my blog as I went over those in my earnings for August post. These are the stats for the Newport Harbor fansite my brother and I created. Those numbers were generated in 16 days of the fansite’s life. We also generated a fair amount of money in those 16 days with Google Adsense. By taking these numbers and doubling them, is what we expect the statistics to be for September.

The Traffic Statistics

• 7,556 Total Visits
• 5,694 Unique Visitors
• 61,096 Pageviews

As I mentioned earlier in the post, those are the traffic statistics for the first 16 days of the fansite ending the month of August. Visitors spent an average of 6 minutes and 57 seconds on the site generating an average of 8.09 pageviews per visit. So how did these visitors reach the site? Direct traffic accounted for 9.05% of the traffic, referring sites accounted for 7.90% of the traffic, and search engines sent us 82.60% of the traffic.

Total Revenue
We’re still tweaking the ads and testing out different revenue sources for the site. However, for the first 16 days we generated $91.54 in Google Adsense alone. We implemented Kontera the last week of August, which only generated $2.19.

By getting accepted into other PPC and CPC programs we hope to double if not triple our total earnings for September. We tried out AuctionAds for a little while, but those weren’t performing at all. We’ve also applied to AzoogleAds, Vizu (create polls), and a few others. Our main goal is to generate enough traffic in September so that we can get accepted into TribalFusion’s network. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it!

Overview of August
I made a post about generating a passive income the other day. I think it relates to this fansite very well because all of the hard work is done (to some extent). The hardest part of the fansite was getting it up and functioning within the first 2 days. After getting all of the content and whatnot for the site, we only spend about an hour a day updating it. Generating $5-$10 dollars a day by doing basically nothing adds up at the end of the month. Though, we know it will take much more hard work to double that amount earned per day and that it is possible if we try hard enough.

The first few days were an absolute scramble to gather all of the information we wanted to include, cast member biographies, and photos. It was also hectic finding the perfect WordPress theme and finding all of the perfect WordPress plugins for the website. Looking back and viewing the first 16 days of statistics makes me smile because it’s truly a success.

I’ve been teasing you guys with posts about 150+ uniques and 850+ pageviews the first day our website was up than another post about 220+ uniques and 1,300+ pageviews the second day our website was up. With 80% - 90% of that traffic coming from Google’s search engine, Google has been a main player in the success of our website. However, with the lack of knowledge on how to properly monetize a website, we’ve only made $9.05 in the last 4 days. I’m guessing that if we were Tyler Cruz, Nate WhiteHill, or Zac Johnson, whom I consider true professionals at making money online, my brother and I would have probably done a lot better in the revenue department. Do you think you could have done better?

The Lucrative Hobby Revealed
Is the suspense killing you? Well, here it is. By now, you’re probably jumping up and down in your seat eager to find out what my brother and I have been keeping secret these last 4 days. I’ll be honest, it’s nothing special and there’s no special way to do this kind of thing; we just thought of it at the right time and were also lucky.

What we did was create a fan site for MTV’s reality show Newport Harbor The Real OC. We were fortunate enough and also amazed that the domain (www.newportharborfans.com) was still available for purchase. This is the first season of Newport Harbor, but it is considered the fourth season because it replaced Laguna Beach.

How did luck play a role? We quickly did our research and found that there were no other serious fan sites on the market. There are a few other fan sites and forums dedicated to Laguna Beach, The Hills, and Newport Harbor, but there were no fan sites solely dedicated to Newport Harbor. We wanted to get a WordPress theme up and running as quickly as possible and get listed in Google so we could hopefully rank in the top 10 for a lot of popular search terms. If you read the first post you know that it paid of pretty well.

Click on images for larger view.

Setbacks of About Our Fan Site
My brother and I didn’t want to use a WordPress theme, but we had no other choice. We don’t know how to code html, php, or use css to create a website. We believe that this will provide us great experience running a fan site such as this for future endeavors. We also believe that if we professionals and knew exactly what we were doing and how to monetize a website, that our revenue would have been much greater. Even if we don’t make a lot of money and our fan site fails miserably, it’s better to have tried than not have tried at all.

Future Plans and Monetization
There are many things we would like to implement on the fan site. We would like to implement a Google search bar where our current search bar is located so we can hopefully increase our revenues through searches on our website and we would also like to implement an Adsense block above the grey sidebar. Another goal of ours is to integrate a forum on the website because we believe that will keep people at our site longer and would equal more potential clicks on ads. We aren’t sure whether or not we want to integrate a forum in the website now, or wait a little while to build a loyal fan base. Other than that we hope to provide the latest news, gossip, and pictures about MTV’s Newport Harbor’s cast members.

Feedback and Opinions
We would greatly appreciate your feedback and opinions on the fan site. Maybe even Tyler Cruz, Nate Whitehill, or Zac Johnson will take time out of their busy schedules to drop by and make a comment or two about Newport Harbor Fans. We know that we’re not professionals, but we believe that the potential factor on this fan site could be great if we play our cards right and monetize it correctly.

After writing a blog post I usually search the internet for a picture to include in my post. I found a picture that I wanted to use for my post 10 things customers shouldn’t do and edited it in Photoshop. After editing the picture in Photoshop I logged into my Flickr account to upload the picture. Now, for everyone who has a Flickr account you know that it shows the upload photo option, your photos, and everyone’s photos on your main profile page. To my pleasant surprise I was exposed to tmiller14441’s male genital area aka penis, aka shlong or you can even call it big wangeth. Although to say that it was a “big” wangeth would be an overstatement.

I thought Flickr screened these types of photos as “restricted” so the public wouldn’t see them unexpectedly and so they wouldn’t also show up in user’s searches on the website. Unfortunately, I can’t find tmiller14441’s profile so I’m assuming that it was deleted earlier today.

I never knew that the Flickr administrators allowed members to reveal themselves in the nude. Out of plain curiosity, and plain curiosity only, I clicked tmiller14441’s profile and was direct to a page with more shots of his shlong and tmiller14441 in a black man thong. Let me tell you, he was pretty hairy - everywhere! Don’t worry, I quickly redirected myself from his profile and viewed the groups that tmiller14441 was in. I was surprised that Flickr allows such groups to be on the website, but I guess that’s why there are privacy and safety level settings for every user.

I forgot the group names, but there was a group called “something bears” where there were more male community members who also posted pictures of themselves in the nude. Do these guys seriously have THAT much time on their hands to take photos of themselves in the nude and post them in groups on Flickr? I’m assuming they took them with the timer shot on their digital cameras because I doubt any ladies would find these men attractive - more like creepers or perverts! Why do I say perverts? Because there was another group where males were posting pictures as well as requesting young girls to post home camera shots of their selves. The requirements for photos to appear in the group was that they must be home taken amateur looking photos and that the girls had to be “good” looking or their picture(s) would be denied. Are these guys future stalkers or something?

Well, that was my experience with Flickr today. I’m not really offended nor am I jealous of tmiller14441’s size, but I’m just appalled that tmiller14441’s photo got past all of the safety level settings and administrators. At least I know how to greet people in Swahili now! Jambo!

In the past few years we’ve seen many people make a name for their self online and become internet superstars. Some are dead sexy, some can’t sing or dance, and others well, make a fool of themselves. Whether they’re sexy, can’t sing or dance, and make fool of themselves we’ve seen it all on popular websites such as YouTube. Would you trade your life for internet and global fame?

Top 10 Internet Superstars

1. Gary Brolsma - Numa Numa Kid
   His great looks, enthusiasm, and horrible lip syncing got Gary Brolsma the number 1 spot on VH1’s top 40 internet superstars. He posted a video of himself in 2002, when he was 18 years old, lip syncing to a Romanian song “Numa Numa.” Hey! I think I’ve heard that song being played in Abercrombie & Fitch before!

2. Ghyslain Raza - Star Wars Kid
   Honestly, I don’t know how this one made number 2 on VH1’s top internet superstars list. I’ve seen it before, but I guess people just like this kind of stuff! This guy must be a Star Wars fan? I think I saw him at the local Star Wars convention…maybe not!

3. Denny Blaze - The Average Homeboy
   Denny Blaze finally got his big break on the web many years later. His 90’s rap audition that he says was just a demo reached the number 3 spot on the internet superstars list. I’ve never seen this one and won’t watch it again! Just wow.

4. Jessica Rose - Lonelygirl15
   I guess Jessica Rose was depressed about her parents. It’s great that she’s concerned abut their relationship, but now it’s all over the internet! By the way, we get a great shot of her left knee for about half of the video. I’m guessing there’s quite a few lonely male bloggers out there who may have a chance with Lonelygirl15!

5. Tila Tequila
   

   
   

   Ouch! I think I just burned myself! Tila is taking up the online realm by storm. This Myspace superstar has taken online fame to the next level. Tila Nguyen a.k.a. Tila Tequila has her own clothing line, cell phone endorsement, and has appeared in Stuff Magazine and Maxim Magazine. She now has over 2,000,000 Myspace friends. Her website Tila’s Hot Spot used to be a domain where, I’m assuming mainly males, could register as a member for a monthly fee and see her topless pictures!

6. Perez Hilton - Gossip blogger
   I never knew about Perez Hilton until this last year because so many girls were talking about how they couldn’t go a day without visiting Perez Hilton’s website! I didn’t even know it was a him! I give props to a man who used to work as a writer for gay magazines and now makes bank posting the latest celebrity gossip.
   

   
   

7. Chinese Backstreet Boys
   Are these guys my long lost brothers? Man, these guys got rhythm! I wonder how long it took them to practice the hit Backstreet Boy’s song “I Want it That Way.” Huang Yixen and Wei Wei (crazy names) have become the Chinese biggest hit! Their video may be a reason why asians still get made fun of…

8. OK Go
   I can’t believe it only took the group of guys 15-20 times to perfect this video. It’s simply amazing and well choreographed. I first saw it on (I believe) MTV’s music awards. Their YouTube video has now become one of YouTube’s most downloaded video in YouTube’s history.

9. Tom Anderson - Myspace Tom
   The “creator” of Myspace. For some odd reason Tom appears as everyone’s number 1 friend when they register an account at Myspace. He is the “face” of Myspace. Myspace definitely set the standard for social networking websites. Tom now has millions of friends! Even more than Tila Tequila!

10. Ask a Ninja
    This is another group I hadn’t heard of until this year either. Two ninjas answer questions sent in by their users. They’re animated and very amusing. I don’t think I know any grown ups that dress up in ninja suits…

There are more than the 10 internet superstars I’ve listed in my post. VH1 put together a list of the 40 Greatest Internet Superstars that you can view by going to their website. These internet superstars have shown that success may not always be planned out. Others have shown the world that being unique and just plain weird or crazy can also bring fame to your name. Whether you’re a lonely girl, crazy asians, or supermodel, anything is possible. Are you the next internet superstar?

Lately, there have been many milestones reached in Major League Baseball. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Tom Glavine are future hall of famers that shouldn’t be missed. They’re all veterans of the game and deserve respect for their hard work and contributions to the baseball, despite any acquisitions against them.

Barry Bonds Hits Home Run #755
The other day August 4, 2007 Barry Bonds hit home run #755. He is currently tied on the all time home run list with Hank Aaron. Barry Bonds hit his 755^th career home run against San Diego Padres pitcher Clay Hensley in the 2^nd inning. Barry Bonds drove a 91 mph fastball up and away on 2-1 count into left centerfield.

In the press conference after the game Barry Bonds said that he appreciated the support from his family. He also mentioned that he will not be included in today’s lineup (August 5, 2007) because he will be celebrating with his family. He also stated that he called Alex Rodriguez after hearing he hit home run #500.

Alex Rodriguez Hits Home Run #500
Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to ever hit #500 career home runs. He’s the 22^nd player to have accomplished this feat and will probably be joined by Frank Thomas, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome later in the year.

“I acted like a goofball running around the bases, but you only hit 500 once.”

Alex Rodriguez stood in the box watching the ball to see if it would stay fair. It sailed just right of the left field foul pole and he ran around the bases with his hands up in the air. Rodriguez is expected to be the next player to break the all time home run record.

Tom Glavine Gets Career Win #300
Tom Glavine joined pitchers most prestigious club and received his 300^th career win today against the New York Mets. Glavine, who is (10-6) for the season is the 23^rd pitcher to ever reach 300 career wins. Tom Glavine is the 5^th 41 year old left handed pitcher to reach 300 wins.

There’s a lot of hype about a certain record to be broken this year. In fact, it could happen any day now. Do you know which record I’m talking about? Barry Bonds is on the verge of breaking Hank Aaron’s all time home run record. Currently (as of July 30, 2007) he’s 1 home run shy to tie the record and 2 home runs will put him at the top of the home run list. There are many topics flying around the media of whether or not Barry Bonds should be credited as the all time home run king, whether or not he should be inducted into the hall of fame, and whether or not steroids played a role in his success. However, there are other records to be broken.

You may have not heard about this record because of all the media hype surrounding Barry Bonds. This record isn’t necessarily a record that everyone aims to break either, which may be why there isn’t anyone covering it except for ESPN. This record would be the player hit by most pitches during his career in major league baseball.

Hit By Most Pitches
Craig Biggio has been with the Houston Astros for his whole career, which began in 1988. It’s very rare to see a player stick with one team his whole career these days, especially over 20 years such as Craig Biggio has done. In those 20 years playing with the Houston Astros, Craig Biggio has been hit by a pitch 267 times, which ties the record held by Don Baylor.

Craig Biggio said, “I take a lot in the back or the butt or the arms, stuff like that, they moved all over, but they don’t hurt as bad if you score. That’s the truth.”

When Craig Biggio gets hit by a pitch, it usually creates some controversy by the other team. He’s only been called back 1 time for not attempting to get out of the way of a pitch. A lot of people. players and coaches, complain that he leans into the pitches rather than attempts to move out of the way. “I don’t ever go up there with the intent of trying to get hit by a pitch; I just try to get on base,” stated Biggio.

He also mentioned that he told his children that if they see daddy on television walking to first base after being hit by a pitch, that means it hurts like hell. If they see him jogging to first base it hurts, but he’s fine.

Craig Biggio doesn’t really know what to make of the record. He says that’s it more of a funnier record that will be remembered, but it’s not like an on the field ceremony will occur when he breaks it.

Yellowcard’s newest album, Paper Walls, was released on July 17, 2007. For those of you who don’t know who Yellowcard is, they’re an alternative rock band which formed back in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida. Yellowcard has a very unique and distinct sound to their music, mainly because a violin plays in most of the songs. One of Yellowcard’s biggest hit albums was titled Ocean Avenue and was released in 2003. Their album, Ocean Avenue, captured many listeners as their hit songs Ocean Avenue, Way Away, and Only One hit the top spots on music charts.

Yellowcard got their name from a phrase they used at high school parties. Whenever someone did something “stupid” at a party, such as dropping a beer, they enforced soccer rules and would give that person a yellow card for committing a party foul.

Previous Albums Released by Yellowcard
In 1997 Yellowcard released their first album titled Midget Tossing. Sean Mackin wasn’t a full member, but was featured in some of the album’s songs. Their second album, Where We Stand, was released in 1999. After the release of Where We Stand, Ben Dobson lost interest in the band and left. In April of 2001 their third album was released, which was titled One For The Kids. Their hit album, Ocean Avenue was released in 2003 and reached Platinum two times. Ocean Avenue was followed by Lights and Sounds 3 years later in 2006, which reached Gold.

Members of Yellowcard
Ryan Key - Vocals and Guitar
Peter Mosely - Bass
Sean Mackin - Violin and Vocals
Ryan Mendez - Guitar
Longineu W. Parsons III - Drums

Paper Walls Track Listing

1. Takedown
2. Fighting
3. Shrink the World
4. Keeper
5. Light Up the Sky
6. Shadows and Regrets
7. Five Becomes Four
8. Afraid
9. Date Line (I Am Gone)
10. Dear Bobbie
11. You and Me and One Spotlight
12. Cut Me, Mick
13. Paper Walls

I personally like all of Yellowcard’s albums and songs. I found out about Yellowcard about 6 years ago and have listened to them ever since. I really like and enjoy their sound and lyrics. I can’t describe how much I like their newest album Paper Walls. I got their newest album yesterday and can’t stop listening to it. My favorite song off of Paper Walls is track #6 titled Shadows and Regrets. If you haven’t listened to them before I strongly suggest you do!

Official Website: Yellowcard Rock
Official Myspace: Myspace Profile