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 have always found that "I'm a computer programmer" leads to a death in the conversation (except with very sad people who are actually intersted in computer programming)
Yes, "computer work" is much less interesting to people than "Internet work", which leads to "what's your web address?", and so on.
This thread [webmasterworld.com] may provide insight into why most of us don't explain "exactly" how adsense works, and why we keep it a "big secret" :) - friends and relatives will try to be "helpful", ex-partners may try to exact revenge!
Indeed, sometimes a problem, especially with a "helpful" friend or relative.
Internet Advertising Consulant
Google Advertising Professional
( I do adwords too, for some clients and use it as a cover up profession )
I have learnt NOT to talk about AdSense - and I have learnt it the hard way. So guys, zip up your lips about your profession
Don't tell others you are a Web publisher because no one has ever heard of that and you'll get more questions than you asked for.
I'm probably much older than most of you posting. I spend a bit of time pondering this because I'd like to go ahead and quit my day job and just be "retired," although I'm a bit young for that. I thought I'd might just tell people that on a lark I made some lucky stock investments (like Google's run up), cashed out, bought an anunity and am living modestly off that. As far as what I do with all of my free time I thought I might just say "I'm writing a novel." That should get them to shut up or else be easy to spin a yarn about.
I have money because of Adsense yet I can't live the lifestyle I can afford because my money comes from Adsense.
Recently my wife came up with the best one so far. She got tired of trying to explain what I do, partly because she really doesn't understand what I do. Now she just tells people that I'm like Chandler Bing and that nobody really knows what I do. People just laugh and don't ask any more questions.
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If it is like a possible Significant other or a TRUE friend I will go a little more in depth and tell them that "I enjoy Web programming and that is what I do for a living."
It usually gets to money and I say "I make anywhere from 5 cents to $5000.00 a month it is quite like the stock market you never know how good it is truely gonna be." I'm sure they only hear the 5 cents because they look very depressed and avoid the subject after that.
"What do you do?"
"I work at home".
"Yes, but what do you do at home?"
"I work with computers - that kind of stuff".
"You mean like fixing them?"
"No. I do web sites and a bit of consultancy ... you know".
"Web sites? Is that like the Internet?"
"No ... actually I am really a comptometer operator."
(Younger people should Google it, even though G thinks it's a spelling mistake ;o)
When I mantioned to my wife that I was thinking of stopping working in the near future - and work from home - she said quote 'but you need a real job as well'. Some people need educating:-)
ricey
"Loose lips sink ships" , like someone else said in this thread, is my motto.
This thread may provide insight into why most of us don't explain "exactly" how adsense works, and why we keep it a "big secret" :) - friends and relatives will try to be "helpful", ex-partners may try to exact revenge!
There are two other groups to be concerned about.
One is the person who doesn't have the motivation to do it himself, but likes the attention he gets from telling other people something he knows that they don't. So in many conversations afterwards, he says, "Joe makes a good living from home with his website example.com" This of course leads to a lot of people considering copying example.com.
Second is the person who does have the motivation and decides just to copy what you're doing.
Or this person will immediately start asking for some "help getting started." If you're easy & willing, this "help" will soon become your giving this person hours of your time in building an income for him.
Trust no one.
FarmBoy
I usually don't have much of a problem avoiding direct answers when it comes to family, friends and acquaintances.
But I'm a single guy and the "What do you do?" question comes up early on when I meet someone. I'm never real sure how to handle that one. I don't want the person to lose interest in me - just to lose interest in the specifics of what I do.
On the day after a date, women want to be able to chat about it with their friends and they want an easy answer to the "What does he do?" question that's always asked. (Sidebar: "What does he do?" in this context means "How much does he make?") If she doesn't have a direct answer they get suspicious and tell her horror stories they've read about.
If you mention the Internet but without specifics, they assume you're into porn, SPAM or something a bit "shady."
So how about you single guys and gals, how do you handle this question with someone you want to stay around?
FarmBoy
If you mention the Internet but without specifics, they assume you're into porn, SPAM or something a bit "shady."So how about you single guys and gals, how do you handle this question with someone you want to stay around?
I do not have the problem, since I am married and have 2 daughters.
But I think "independent science and technical journalist" sounds damned good. A press card to prove this should be also very impressive.
I just say I'm a web designer or web developer. Usually, people hear that and don't follow up with more questions since it seems self explanatory.
This is the one I usually use as well. Sometimes it comes with a follow up question like: "how much do you charge" (to which I make up an absurdly large dollar figure) or "what's one of your websites?" (to which I point them to one of my more known websites that don't have adsense on them)
what an antisocial paranoid bunch that TOS makes us!
Maybe for some people. My concern is about the TOS.
FarmBoy
I just sold my Comptometer in the fall of 2002.
I got $75 for it. oh wait... Maybe I got $60. I was asking $75. With a neat little one-off (I think) wooden stand.
Can you tell me how to find the square root of 75 with a Comptometer? Or how to divide 75 by 32?
:)
1. Does it make any money? - this question basically translates into "oh, so you own a crappy website and you think it'll turn you into a millionaire"
2. "I don't quite understand what you do?" (conversation dies at this point)
After the many sad comments and insults like "oh, right yet another website that'll fail" I kinda say as little about it as I can possibly get away with, either that or lie about what I do - it really saves a lot of crap arguments. And the chances of picking up an actual client in a social setting is practically zero as people are too drunk to remember anything anyway lol.
When pressed for an explanation, I'll tell them if they write an original article for my website, I'll promote it in the search engines. They get free publicity. I get advertising income.
"I work for Comptometer International"
We need something with a catchy acronym.
"I'm a Disgronificator Demolition Technician" (DDT)
Submit other suggestions then we'll have a vote.
FarmBoy
I build websites and hire companies like Google, Tribal-fusion, etc to sell ads for me which I place on my websites.
I'm too lazy to do it myself and they are already set up for it. :)
Only when I am pushed though, otherwise I just SHOW ads for different companies.
