Forum Moderators: martinibuster
"I work at home on the Internet as a web publisher." They then usually ask what I mean by "web publisher". Followed by "Who pays you to do that?". And, finally, they come up with a creative way to ask "How much money do you make doing that?".
On one particular night of being asked what "I do" over and over, I decided to just say that I owned a computer related business. But, this just made things worse. "Oh computers! My brother works for a software company and makes good money there. So, what exactly does your company do in regards to computers?" Then, I was just back to square one, but with more explaining to do.
What do other Adsense full-timers, possibly with employees, say when asked this question? I'm just curious, thanks in advance for any comments.
I work in my underwear.
If that doesn't stop the next question...
nothing will.
I work in my underwear.
So do I ...
... always a bit of a shock when the window cleaner comes ;)
(for both of us).
My "line of work" as described by my family to people who ask them:
"She builds computer programs" (couldn't if you paid me)
"She works on the Internet at night" (two years later, I found out the person who was told that thought I was some kind of Internet adult star from that comment)
"She does something with Google" (hardly, and I'm sure the Google staff would really have appreciated hearing that one)
"She's like a car salesman, only on the Internet" (an uncle's apparent interpretation of my explanation of affiliate marketing)
"I think she runs something on the Internet dealing with sugar, but I'm not sure how she makes money" (an aunt who confused my email address with my profession)
I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
I wonder what they'd think if you said you worked in a bedroom?
Doing clerical works with no prospect of promotion and challenge is pretty boring. That is why I'd rather quit my old boring job.
Now, I am working fulltime either with the desktop in my bedroom or lying on my bed with my notebook or sitting at Starbucks whole day looking cool with my WiFi notebook.
Recently, I met my ex-colleague during lunch time. He pitied me for being unemployed for months and treated me lunch. I hope by the end of this year I would be able to treat my ex colleagues a 12-course Chinese dinner and still have spare dimes to buy a pajama which will be my official working uniform. Currently I can't even afford to buy a pajama. :{
How nice it would be to post on a "Google gift" thread at the end of this year during Christmas time to tell everybody that I received a gift from Google - a pajama with Google logos imprinted.
So, for the rest of the weekend, I had people coming up to me and asking how the porn business was because they heard it was great. I thought it was hilarious (I was half drunk most of the weekend), but a few people accused me of being morally bankrupt. A couple of ladies (used to be girls 30 years ago) actually gave me lectures about the evils of pornography and their kids, etc....
So, now, when people ask, I usually just say I do internet advertising. It's easier and doesn't get me in trouble, though many of my high school mates think I'm now rich. Ha, ha. Got Porn?
What really drives me batty is that my cousin recently put up a website of her own... Everybody here know that kind I mean... HUGE underlined text... animated graphics everywhere,, so on and so forth... so now at family gathering when I say webdeveloper they all say "oh Angie does that to"... drives me insane to know -KNOW- that inside their little heads the 9-5 job I hold down doing it professionally and the evening-weekend work I do for my personal cliental providing their custom design work/ecomm solutions etc... ... well it is all the same as that poor little ugly website that my little cousin has... thanks a ton geosucks
Should start a thread on this subject
I can't count the times I hear this from friends and family.
For background, I have an associates in computer science. Have been working with php/mysql and what not for years. I have a business license for web developing. I spend 60+ hours a week working (I include time on WW as work :) ).
My mother-in-law constantly goes on about her nephew who, as a second job, runs the web in his home town. I finally got the url and found that he has a five page FrontPage website. She constantly tells people when they ask what I do, "he does the same thing my nephew so-and-so does. My nephews website is www...".
My mother-in-law constantly goes on about her nephew who, as a second job, runs the web in his home town. I finally got the url and found that he has a five page FrontPage website. She constantly tells people when they ask what I do, "he does the same thing my nephew so-and-so does. My nephews website is www...".
Nothing great about being a web developer. RFOL
My 6 year old little nephew is also a web developer. He has a web site at Geocities. RFOL
That is the reason why I decided not to tell others that I am a webmaster.
I was going to tell you to bust her chops, and tell her that his site is a toy that you could create in 15 minutes. After all, why should she get to irritate you and not vise-versa...
But on the other hand, he could actually be a good developer hiding behing one simple, dull site for the sake of avoiding his family's curiosity and protecting his adsense account.
Lord knows I could be put into that category.
Freq---
if I'm not feeling talkative I say I'm an insurance salesman -
if I am feeling talkative I say I'm a trainee zookeeper -
if I'm touting for work that's when I really start to bullsh**.
I've spoken with my family about Adsense (at which point even my lawyer brother-in-law suggested click fraud haha). I explained to them the repercussions of doing that and told them I wouldn't want them to do it as it would only cause problems. Some people don't realize that the anonimity of the Internet isn't as big as they'd imagine.
As someone else said, sometimes I'm spoken of having "some Google business."
He's always asking me "So, who did you steal from today?"
when I say webdeveloper they all say "oh Angie does that to"... drives me insane
But on the other hand, he could actually be a good developer hiding behing one simple, dull site for the sake of avoiding his family's curiosity and protecting his adsense account.
LOL, that never crossed my mind. The guy lives states away and I have never met him. It gives me a good idea.
I should make an affiliate page for amazon or something and have an automated counter at the top that says how much money I have made. I could make it randomly go up one to ten dollars every half hour. So everytime they look at the page they will see me making money. They'll never know the difference. It'll say i'm making just enough to afford to live but not so much that they start asking me for money. I'll even get a business card promoting it :)
I suppose telling them you are a bill collector might shut down most of the conversations.
then they usually say.....
"ebay?"
I say:
"NO not on ebay! On my own websites!"
Why does everyone assume you sell on ebay anyways? Do they think every single website online is some 5-story office building type operation with 300 employees?
Tell them anything, they'll only be looking out the window.
RJ
According to my daughter (3yo), when I go to work I am a "bouncer at a speakeasy".
I'm glad to hear others say "web publisher" which is my response. People get it more now than they used to, when they'd just say "OK, I understand you are an internet publisher, but what do you _DO_?"
I usually qualify it with "travel publisher" to make it clear I'm not peddling "offensive" stuff on the internet.
My parents, bless their hearts, still don't get really get it.
Daddy, do you work?
ugh!
If you make your living with adsense I guess you get paid by Google. Tell them you work for Google and watch their eyes light up!
Yes, the "owen" was on the card. Along with a couple other type-os I can't remember. Poor guy had been suckered into some scam (pay us to make you a website where you'll make millions!).
Far too many people hear about affiliate marketing and just think you sign up and money comes out of your computer like an ATM.
Few realize we really do have to work...sometimes...maybe.
