I have been trying to make a living online since about 1996ish.
Its funny how about everyone I know used to refer to what I was doing on the computer as “playing” all the time. I spent all the time talking with other people online or trying to build sites. And I was having a blast.
Then one day…. about 6 years ago, people started referring to this as me “working” on the computer. Still doing the same things =P
Funny how things work.
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2416 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
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{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
ha, that’s pretty funny… having my nose stuck in a puter, has ALWAYS been playing to me.. BEFORE i started making money online and AFTER i started making money online! I love me some computers!
Last week my son attended a youth baseball training center for a couple specialized sessions. These are guys that played through college and on to semi pro / pro. Now they are ‘working’ with the kids (and getting paid quite well). Didn’t look like they were working to me. I think they were having more fun that the kids!
I hear what your saying. Before for me it was just reading and now its the same as you – working!
The last 4 months I have really started to climb with my income growing about about a pace of 2 k per month – all organic traffic too.
Its kind of a nice feeling to say you have to go to work, put on your robe and head down to the basement – I love it!
I wish I could be the same, I started recently, don’t tell me I need 10+ years to get to where you are now
My wife and kids always accuse me of “playing” on the computer. I am at the beginning stages of building my empire, but until they see more than the random, small affiliate check or occasional website dev check, I guess I am playing. It just is frustrating to be accused of “sitting there playing on the computer all the time”.
Isn’t it though? I’ve actually made enough on my sites for my husband to stop calling it playing, but it was a problem for a while. My goal for blogging was to make enough to pay for the laptop I bought to do it on, now that I have accomplished that, me blogging gets less argument and more respect.
haha..playing and working is the same thing. Depends on how people view you.
as long as your enjoying what your doing, you can call it whatever. Its only “work” for those that don’t enjoy/understand the task.
Very true, most people that I knew always referred to what I did online as a hobby and something that just took extra time when I was not working my “real job.”
They did not understand I was really serious about making a living online until I began doing it full-time.
Of course, they still seem to understand (or care) very little about what it is that I actually do, aside from sit and type all day.
Hi, it’s true i’m working all the time in the computer and everyone says that i’m in the computer as “playing” all the time. When we talk whit people in the computer we can learn a lot…
Good for you Shoe! There’s a lot of us chasing the online “dream” and hoping to get there. Thanks for the inspiration and advise!
Same thing here.
Actually, what drives me more crazy is when people tell me how “lucky” I am.
As if, I won the “build a business” lottery or something.
There’s a lot of us chasing the online income dream that others may not understand. Thanks for the inspirations and advice Shoe!
I can totally relate to that! A few people I know consider what I do as wasting time online. Even my fiance sometimes says things like “I was at work all day today while you were here”. Yes, I was home, and yes I did spent the whole day on my computer, and no, not every minute I spent on the computer was generating money, but I did learn a lot and it will pay back in the future.
When my friends say things like “you spend too much time on your computer”, I usually reply, yes I do but I’m going to Costa Rica for 2 weeks next months and it’s all paid by advertising on my site. Oh yes by the way, I’m going to surf Indonesia for 6 months and it’s all gonna be paid by my computer addiction. What have you done lately? Exactly!
Eh I do a bit of both, playing and working
I guess its not called ‘work’ until it works.
People always said I was playing, until I started getting nicer things!
same here people ask what i do and just dont seem to get it.. especially since i just graduated from college and dont seem to be doing anything related to my degree (and dont plan to)
cheers to avoiding the “real” job
It doesn’t matter if your clocking a 9-5…The only thing that matters is…..CASH
You could have gone to school and put so much time into your career and have something to show for it..Or you could be online making the same amount, if not more and people think it’s all fun and games.
It all comes down to…CASH
I love that I can make money doing what I enjoy. But it’s always funny trying to explain it to friends and family.
Doug
I have a really hard time explaining what I do to most people. I used to go into long explanations and at the end the person would say “So…. you do computer stuff?”.
Now I just cut to the chase and say that I do computer stuff.
Back in 1996 I was in college living with my mom. Everybody in the neighborhood referred to me as the computer junkie, playing all day on his computer. Now when I visit my mom everybody refers to my as “the guy who works from home and making money from the computer”.
Many of my friends go crazy when get to know how I make money online despite the crisis. It’s funny to explain how to build profitable websites.
Can we say “Play and get payed is a good work!”
Some of the timewasting things I do online make money for me…some just waste time…but I’m still having a blast!
Interesting points! I found the internet in 1996 and in those days having internet connection at home was quite expensive and rare, so working online for hours would have been too expensive.When broadband came along things got a lot easier.
Yea, I think a lot of people have the whole “thats not actually working” problem. The whole thing where you got to prove that you can get paid is pretty insane to me. I tried to get my friend to show me his BlockBuster check, because that isn’t a real job.
Ha you guys are right about the perception others have about online marketers ‘playing’ on the computer. The ironic thing is most of those people spend a good bit of their cubicle time on Facebook.
They can call it what they want but apparently these were some productive and interesting games you were playing….it’s great to see what you’ve accomplished Jeremy..so it’s been about 13 years now…good times.
I like that people say I am “playing”, which to me it really is. When the work you do ceases to be playing (or fun) time to move on.
Cheers!
Same thing here, best part was that I felt like I was playing.
My mom still thinks I am playing when I am working on my computer.
I wish I could do the same, Just play all day…LOL
Soooo funny. It true, and for people who don’t do it, they don’t get it. Many times people out side of the industry think you’re just not doing anything. lol.
Yeah, like the computer spits out money. I just laugh.
That’s funny because that’s what i tell my family members when they ask me “What are you doing?” and my response is the same “I am working”. I also get the “Where is the money? from the work you are doing”. I just tell them “It is coming…”.
I guess it is playing. It all depends on how serious you are about it
Here are some wallpapers I found earlier you might like Jeremy:
http://manicho.deviantart.com/art/LOST-wallpacks-Dharma-Temple-116186671
I get the best reaction when people ask me how much do you make per hour, they laugh when i tell them. My comeback is, but I make it every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. that shuts them up. I can see them do the math in their head.
No use explaining how it all works, most people won’t understand.
That is funny shoe having doing that since 1998 people still asking me the same question: what you spend so much time with your computer? I say I make money… And they still laugh about that…
My wife would sometimes get upset at me always being on the computer “playing” as well – until she found out I was making more being online than she was at her day job. She’s more ok with it now. She realizes it is more of a second job..
There’s a lot of us chasing the online income dream that others may not understand. Thanks for the inspirations and advice Shoe!
My mom always used to ask me to get off the computer and stop playing, until the adsense checks started to come in the mail. Now she is a bit more understanding, but still has her doubts.
Yeah….I still can totally play all day…..and night..However, it is nice now that some chips are coming in from my online efforts and the wife knows that my “play” brings in the coins.
So overall there is onething … if you show your family members MONEY than they will realise that you are not playing with computer and will allow you to do whatever you want to do … till money keep coming
Same thing here. It’s true i’m working through the day on the computer and every person says that i’m on the computer as “playing” through the day.
W0W! You’re really successful.. I am always playing too, and now I try my best to be like you.. More power!
It seems like we’re playing on the computer when no chips are coming in, but when a little money starts trickling in, all of a sudden we’re working on the computer!
When someone asks what I do I no longer attempt to explain. I just say “Look, I could try and explain but you’re never going to understand unless you have a website”. This now saves me alot of time. :p
HA HA, love it, I do not consider it work either!
I was in the same place with my parents and friends thinking I was wasting my time.. I feel I have lost a lot of time with my family, but in return we are able to pay bills and enjoy life much more.
That’s so inspiring
It is crazy. It is probably that they now see it as an actual way to make money. Whereas before when you first started they didn’t think it could. Way to prove them wrong.
Happened to me and always hear others saying the same, earning money playing on the computer, lol. When you start making a living then people start to realise.
I just started it last November. Aside from tracking my developments of my financial goals, I educate people on financila literacy and earn at the same time. I hope to make it big as what you achieved in the coming years. Congrats shoe!
Success, from what I’ve seen, goes in stages.
First, many don’t believe you’ll make it.
Second, you make it and they’re happy.
Third, you continue to make, and out come the haters or backlash.
Finally, you either deal with the hate and continue to thrive or let it bring you down.
Continued success.
people called me crazy man now because quit existing job and concentrate as a full time blogger. Really hope can as success as you all ! Help me…to proof all of them who called me crazy is wrong ! i had select the right choice
u reached the extreme point so u can relax and enjoy the things …
Everyone thinks I’m doing the same thing! I’m not making enough money online at the moment for a full time living, but I still live at home and I’m only 19. Each day I work hours on my web projects, they are increasing in traffic and revenue daily. But my parents and everyone around me are still bashing me with negetivity saying to get a real job and to stop doing “stuff all”, as they don’t believe that you can make real money online.
I’ll show them…
Yeah I used to do pretty much the same thing I do now at my job and it was “playing” and learning, now it’s my job… I can’t complain!
Nate
Everybody thinks I’m nuts for putting in the hours I have since last August ‘playing’ on my computer. Since Boeing told us ‘bye-bye’, I’ve gotten serious about making a living online.
Have a goal, a plan and working like my pants are on fire!
I hear you me too! Everybody says all I do is play online it is a little true I love to text!