One Dollar Forty-Two Cents

There it is, somehow I've made $1.42 from this blog. I added a little ad thing as a lark to see if it would work and I just got confirmation from Google that it was up and earning money. I'm not sure what the rate of return is but I know I make more if you go to the link and visit the sponsors so please do. It's amazing how easy it is to set up something like this. I know it was possible before but Google's program ad sense really makes it extremely easy. The adds are also amazingly targeted as they keep coming up for things like visa services and teaching in Korea. The ads you saw on websites used to be so much more general. I've told people before that I believe that as the specificity and power of internet ads grow the revenue of the internet as a whole will increase.

The internet is a place basically driven by advertising so these sort of small adds makes it possible for everyone to get in on the action. I don't know specificity how they square it with blogspot, the people who host this blog, but I imagine they give them a cut also. I'm also surprised how much money there is in it the $1.42 comes from about 130 view and maybe 1 real click, thanks Dad, so that seems to be a pretty large amount for so few people. Also I think that currently ranks as the second most money I've ever made from writing, behind the Colter Bean article, thanks Mom. Though interestingly both things were driven by me creating web pages.

Teddy had us sign our contracts today and we're finally having a meeting tomorrow to discuss teaching arrangements, but in truly Chinese fashion we were only told where and when this afternoon. I asked Teddy yesterday if there were some guidelines for what we'd be teaching and he basically said that there was no book and we could just use our imagination. We'll probably be starting the semester Monday, the Chinese teachers have already started. Steve who is a Chinese English teacher has already started work. I've been told he's a little bitter about how he, a real teacher, gets paid less, works more, and is in crummier accommodations then us "foreign experts," but he's still a really nice guy and very helpful.

I'm not sure if it's a cultural difference or what but Chinese people tend to sort of camp out in your apartment. They don't really pick up on the little body language hints that you want them to leave. Some want to practice their English and some just like hanging around. Teddy for example showed up when I was cooking dinner last night and didn't leave until well after I had fished eating. Clark told me that he once had to kick Steve out when he asked if he could take a nap on Steve's couch. More pictures are up on Flickr.