I received an email from Google, informing me that the AdSense referral program is officially kaput. Unlike the major “make money online” blogs out there, I never had much luck referring people to the Google AdSense program. As you know, making use of affiliate and referral programs like this can be a great source of passive income, but it does take a little bit of work to get people to go through the application process.

Even then, it may be challenging to make that much money from the Google AdSense referral program in the first place. I didn’t follow it too closely, but I remember hearing that they revamped the program not that long ago, effectively cutting into the incomes of many online entrepreneurs. This was around the same time that they adjusted how AdSense ad units — like the one embedded in this post — were displayed and operated.

Is Google getting a little too cocky for its own good? Does it know that we rely on its services a little too much? Maybe. In any case, check out the email that I received below. If you are an AdSense publisher, you should have received the same note. It goes through some of the alternate options you may have and the steps you should now take.

Hello,

Thank you for participating in the AdSense Referrals program. We’re writing to let you know that we will be retiring the AdSense Referrals program during the last week of August. We appreciate your patience during this transition and here are some alternative options to consider:

* Google Affiliate Network: As part of the integration of DoubleClick, the DoubleClick Performics Affiliate Network will now operate as the Google Affiliate Network for advertisers targeting users located in the United States. Similar to the AdSense Referrals program, the Google Affiliate Network enables publishers to apply for advertiser programs and get paid based on advertiser-defined actions instead of clicks or impressions. For further details, please visit: www.google.com/ads/affiliatenetwork.

* AdSense for content ads: If you have less than three AdSense for content ad units on a page, you may wish to replace the referral ad units with standard AFC ad units.

If you currently use referral ads, either to promote Google products or offerings from AdWords advertisers, AdSense Referrals code will no longer display ads beginning the last week of August. We encourage you to take the following steps before the product is retired:

* Remove the referral code from your site(s): Please take a moment to remove all referral code from your sites before the last week of August, so you can continue to effectively monetize your ad space.

* Run and save all referrals reports on your desktop: Create and save all reports related to the referrals program on your desktop, so you continue to have access to your valuable campaign information

Why is this happening?

We’re constantly looking for ways to improve AdSense by developing and supporting features which drive the best monetization results for our publishers. Sometimes, this requires retiring existing features so we can focus our efforts on the ones that will be most effective in the long term. For this reason, we will be retiring the AdSense Referrals program. If you have any additional questions, please visit our Help Center: http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=14882

Sincerely.

The Google AdSense Team

Your thoughts?

If you want to keep dealing with Google AdSense, then it is in your best interest to take a nice long look at their new Terms of Service and agree to it. I wrote about one of the most notable changes — the requirement for a Privacy Policy — in a post earlier this year.

The Beyond the Rhetoric Privacy Policy has been drafted up and published. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it should be sufficient. You can also find a direct link to my privacy policy in the footer of this blog.

You have until May 25, 2008 (that’s less than two weeks from now) to accept the new Google AdSense Terms and Conditions. To accept, log into your AdSense account and you will be presented with the AdSense TOS. Near the bottom of this page, you will be given the option to accept.

Below is the email reminder that I received from Google. Note that they don’t want you to ask them any questions about the AdSense TOS. Instead, they recommend that you consult an attorney. Wow.

Hi,

As you may know, we recently updated our AdSense Terms and Conditions to reflect upcoming product changes and ensure that they’re consistent with policies across Google.

We noticed that you haven’t yet accepted the new Terms and Conditions. To review them and indicate your acceptance, please log in at http://www.google.com/adsense and follow the instructions. Please be aware that all publishers must accept the new Terms and Conditions in order to continue their participation in the AdSense program.

You can find more information about some of the changes in the new program terms by reviewing [this page]. Unfortunately, we’re not able to further interpret the meaning of the Terms and Conditions for you. If you have additional
questions, you may wish to contact an attorney.

We appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

You’ve surely noticed that there is some advertising on Beyond the Rhetoric and while it’s far from providing any sort of full-time income, it’s nice to have a little pocket change at the end of the month to spend on Vietnamese noodles or whatever.

The mistake that many bloggers make is that they sign up for Google AdSense and rely on the big G to provide them with the entirety of their blogging income. That’s a mistake. If you want to make money blogging, you need to diversify.

Down with Kontera ContentLink?

I’ve tried out a few different advertising networks on this blog and some have performed better than others. Kontera ContentLink has been implemented on this blog for some time now and while it’s doing a little better now than when it was first implemented, it’s still making a lot less money that I would have hoped. It’s not as much of an issue anymore, but it was also a downer to discover that Kontera is not compatible with PayPerPost. Some people have also said that the ContentLink ads take away from the overall user experience.

Another issue that has come up is that the ad code for Kontera ContentLink can slow down the loading of a webpage. Shoemoney went to see how much of an effect Kontera has on the loading of a page and found that Kontera loads 68 different things. These loading issues can be terribly problematic.

The Alternative: LinkXL In-Text Advertising

As you may recall, I wrote a review of LinkXL last month on John Chow dot Com and LinkXL appears to be a possible alternative to Kontera ContentLink.

Instead of selling contextual in-text advertising like Kontera, LinkXL sells text links in a marketplace like TLA. The paid links are in-text and the thing is that they are are supposed to leave zero footprint. In this way, the paid links are supposed to look “natural” to search engines. LinkXL publishers can also choose whether to have the links as nofollow or dofollow.

In the review that I did for John Chow dot Com, I said:

Although I realize this may sound a little hypocritical, I personally find that LinkXL is too deceptive for my tastes. How you feel on the matter is up to you.

Time to Make the Switch?

Well, it’s time to be a little hypocritical again, because I am contemplating the possibility of implementing LinkXL on this blog. To maintain the best user experience, I was thinking that I would open LinkXL to older posts in the archive. This way, current readers would not be exposed to the additional ads, whereas visitors coming from search engines and other sources would.

What do you think? Should I ditch Kontera ContentLink and opt for LinkXL instead? The affiliate program is easier with the latter too (as you may have noticed).

I saw this video posted up on John’s blog and thought it was pretty interesting. Some of the different ways that people count money around the world just don’t make as much sense to me as the way that I count my money, which isn’t exactly like the way it is depicted for North Americans in the video.

Then again, seeing how I can be considered a dot com entrepreneur, I don’t really deal all that much with physical cash anymore. It’s all about numbers on a computer screen and lines in a credit card bill. The only time that I deal with a large amount of cash would probably be when I play poker, but even then, I’m small potatoes compared to some of the other people at the table.

But I digress. I’d love to hear from some international readers as to whether the above video is accurate. Jorge? Etienne? Your thoughts?

As I’m sure you know all too well, there are countless ways for you to spend your money. You could invest in the stock market and hope that your money grows into, well, more money. You could donate to charity and help your fellow man. Or you could just blow it on something stupid, like gambling in the casino. The irony is that sometimes the best ways to spend your money are also the worst.

I previously described the 10 best ways to spend a dollar, but what if you have more than 100 cents to spend on something? Let’s have a look at the top 5 best (and worst) ways to spend your money. Yes, they’re the best and the worst at the same time.

Cars and Car Modification
Some people are perfectly satisfied with a vehicle that can get them from point A to point B in a reliable fashion, but why is it that these same people are known to swoon over features like air conditioning and an MP3-playing car stereo? Auto enthusiasts will remind you that there is no better feeling that ripping down a race track in a Ferrari F430 or some other supercar. It’s a thrill and it’s enjoyable.

At the same time, cars can be the worst way to spend your money. Nearly all cars significantly depreciate in value the moment they leave the dealership. An even worse investment are some of those car modifications that people like to do — exhaust systems, engine swaps, body kits, and so on — because these lose their monetary value almost immediately. And let’s not forget about gas prices. Even so, you can’t deny the pleasure derived from having (and driving) a hot ride.

Decadent Food and Drink
Might I interest you in a $60 burger? Or how about some duck confit and Larry Albright trout? They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and let me tell you, I love to eat. There isn’t much that makes me happier than a nice dinner.

At the same time, isn’t it a little hard justifying the cost of a $60 hamburger when you know that money could be spent much more wisely elsewhere? That money could be used to invest in the future, help the less fortunate, or pay for something a little more necessary. Fine dining is an exercise in excess, but it’s one that I simply must indulge in.

Consumer Electronics and Gadgets
I don’t recall the exact figures, but consumer spending on electronics, gizmos, and other gadgetry is very much on the rise. People are spending more money on their iPods, high-definition televisions, cell phones, and other personal electronics than ever before. I guess I should be thankful that I review technology for a living, because I get to enjoy new tech toys without paying for them.

While considerable enjoyment is derived from having the latest cell phone, this enjoyment quickly diminishes when said cell phone becomes obsolete in 2 months. Piling up with electronics is a considerable waste of money and it can’t possibly be good for our landfills. But you just can’t help but to want a new camera, new stereo, or new computer accessory, can you?

Travel and Holidays
What are you doing when you go on vacation? You’re spending money left, right, and center! When you start to think about the flight, the hotel, the dining out, the excursions, the transportation, and all the other costs associated with taking a holiday, the Vegas trip starts to sound pretty expensive. And that’s before the gambling and the loss in wages! (Don’t forget about opportunity cost.) In the end, you typically have nothing physical to show for your spending other than some random tourist-themed trinkets.

Ah, but the memories are invaluable! If it wasn’t for worldly travel, I wouldn’t have eaten life-extending black eggs or survived the Great Wall of China. It is important to experience cultures other than your own, if only to truly realize that not everyone speaks English.

Designer Clothing and Shoes
For the life of me, I cannot justify buying a $100 t-shirt. Yes, there is a distinct difference between a finely-tailored Italian suit and one that you get off the bargain rack at the thrift store, but for everyday clothing, it’s largely unnecessary. The cheapest clothing will be of poorer quality, but you can’t tell me that your $200 pair of jeans is five times better than my $40 pair.

When I was younger, I loved getting new shoes. These days, while I still enjoy getting new shoes, I’m more about scoring a deal on last year’s style at the outlet mall. Maybe that’s just me. In any case, it’s fine to indulge in a luxury item now and then, but some people really stretch their budgets just so that they can buy a Gucci purse. Talk about status-obsessed!

Where Do YOU Spend Your Money?
I’d love to hear about your vices and how you decide to spend your money. Are you terribly frugal or are you an absolute spendrift?

No, this post has nothing to do with the unforgettable Seinfeld episode. Instead, I’m taking a look at another way that you can earn a living online. Beyond the Rhetoric tends to focus on blogging and freelance writing, but there are several other strategies that you can take to make money online. If you’ve ever wanted to be your own boss, but you could never convince yourself to invest a huge amount of capital, an online business might be the way to go.

Some people try arbitrage and others may attempt to cash in on affiliate marketing, but have you ever considered running your own domain registration and web hosting company? The Domain59 reseller program can get you started with a fairly minimal investment.

Wanna Be a Dot Com Mogul?

Ah, the life of a dot com mogul. You can work when you to, where you want to. That’s the kind of lifestyle that could be waiting for you when it comes to running an online business. As blogging and website ownership become more popular (and affordable), more people are going to want a website of their own. The two necessary components for this are domain registration and web hosting.

The reseller program offered by Domain59 essentially puts you in charge of a website that sells these two crucial elements. The basic reseller plan, which I will further differentiate from the pro reseller plan in a second, costs sixty bucks a year. Depending on where you go, this can actually be less than how much you are already paying for basic hosting for your personal blog. In this way, reselling domains and web hosting is very approachable. The best part is that it can be mostly passive income.

Getting Down with GoDaddy

If you think that the Domain59 system looks familiar, you’re absolutely right. That’s because it is really just the GoDaddy reseller program. I think that they should have done something to further differentiate themselves, perhaps with some better branding. As it stands, Domain59 seems pretty generic.

Domain59 resellers are offering customers the exact same products as GoDaddy. The keys to your potential success with Domain59, then, are getting the traffic and setting your prices appropriately. Set them too low and you’ll make minimum profit. Set them too high and you won’t get any customers. Just like Goldilocks and her porridge, prices have just be juuuuust right.

These affordable domain registration prices hit the sweet spot quite well. A .com domain sells for just $7.49, whereas the same domain would cost $9.99 through GoDaddy. The reseller nets a profit of just under a dollar with that single purchase.

Basic vs. Pro

There are two reseller plans available. In terms of features and what you are able to sell, there does not appear to be any difference between the two other than the extra $100 you have to fork out each year.

Both come with a pre-built, fully customizable web site that is hosted on their own data center. Both let you set your own prices and don’t require any deposits, advances, or revenue sharing. Both completely handle the billing and customer support on your behalf. Why, then, would someone be at all interested in a Pro Reseller plan?

The difference is that the buy rates for those with the basic reseller plan and those with the pro reseller plan are not the same. For example, the rate for hosting is $3.15 with the pro plan, whereas it is $3.35 with the basic plan. SSL certificates are $1.50 more with the basic plan than they are with the pro plan. This directly affects your profit margin. Whether you choose to go with the basic or the pro plan will depend on your level of volume. Shown here are the buy rates for the pro reseller plan compared with some competing reseller programs.

Make Money Online with Domain59

There are just as many ways to make money online as there are to make money offline. Working as a reseller of domain registrations, web hosting, SSL certificates, and other related products through Domain59 is one avenue that may be worth exploring, especially since your initial investment can be as low as just $59.99 for a year, including everything that you’ll need to get started. Heck, they even throw in some credit for use with Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter (more credit with the pro plan).

Remember that impossible is nothing. If you set your mind to it, you can totally make a decent income online. Selling domain registrations and web hosting plans through the Domain59 reseller program might be worth a try if the professional blogging thing isn’t going so well.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE DOMAIN59 RESELLER PROGRAM