Making Money Online in Pakistan
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Blogging is no more a new phenomenon in Pakistan. Many Pakistani online users are writing their own and rest are reading others' blogs and interacting in meaningful ways. Their voice is being heard in the blogsphere. Getting paid for blogging is still a new idea in Pakistan though.
There are reasons for this. Ironically, corporate Pakistan is yet not aware of blogs as economical, effective and interactive marketing tool. Like anywhere else, blogs can be a welcome mat for local businesses to reach out across the world but this has not started happening yet. Which is why Pakistan blogsphere can be characterized by only anti-establishment, noncommercial write-ups and rants, mostly. Exceptions aside, Pakistan blogs are mainly personal where bloggers post purely because of their own interests.
There are reasons for this. Ironically, corporate Pakistan is yet not aware of blogs as economical, effective and interactive marketing tool. Like anywhere else, blogs can be a welcome mat for local businesses to reach out across the world but this has not started happening yet. Which is why Pakistan blogsphere can be characterized by only anti-establishment, noncommercial write-ups and rants, mostly. Exceptions aside, Pakistan blogs are mainly personal where bloggers post purely because of their own interests.
One wonder why local businesses have failed to notice the growing readership and influence of these Internet postings and the buzz corporate blogging can create particularly as a process of Search Engine Marketing or targeting online segment of consumers. But this is not about how Pakistani businesses can harness the power of blogs to reach out. This is about the options available to Pakistan bloggers to get paid for their work online.
Payments by most online advertising programs and affiliates are made through Paypal - widely used online money transfer service. Sadly, Paypal is not available in Pakistan so far. This alone puts Pakistan bloggers at a great disadvantage because without Paypal account they cannot join most of the programs.
That said, Pakistan bloggers are exceptionally good (and I am not being ethnocentric here). They have acumen for corporate writing. Their language and blogging skills and networking capabilities can be compared with any bloggers' community in the world. Internet coverage and users ' base is constantly growing. Even trend to shop online is taking off. Given chance, all this can indirectly help in efforts to make making through blogging.
Despite the odds, some of the savvy Pakistan bloggers are already using different methods to make money from blogs; Google AdSense advertising program being the first choice. Google pays through check and is liberal in taking small blogs in their program. Only recently, Google has started paying in Pakistan through Western Union and now bloggers here don't have to wait for 40 long days to get their checks cleared through normal banking channels or pay them $ 12 for every transaction.
Google's AdSense program, which started in 2003, pays Web publishers including bloggers based on how many times advertisements on their sites receive clicks. Google places the ads on participating Web sites using contextual word matching, in an attempt to ensure that the advertisements relate to the content on the page. Users' friendly AdSense also offers the opportunity to monetize site searches while providing a powerful and fast search engine for blogs sites. Google places relevant ads along with search results pages. Clicks on these ads also earn the site owner revenue. Earnings are not big mainly because there are not many local ads in Google's AdWord inventory. "Things are changing," says Badar Khushnud, Google country representative, "as Pakistan businesses have started using AdWord program."
AdBrite and Bidvertiser - both click based advertising programs that make payments through checks - closely follow AdSense.
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Bloggers can also make money through "affiliate networks," which, in contrast to Google's automated system, allow blog writers to choose which advertisements to put on their pages. They also can be paid based on how often ads on their sites lead to sales rather than how often the ads receive clicks. I have experience with Text Link Ads (they pay through check) and it is fun working with them. They sell space off my blogs and I have control over what appears on my multiple blogs.
Bloggers can also make money through "affiliate networks," which, in contrast to Google's automated system, allow blog writers to choose which advertisements to put on their pages. They also can be paid based on how often ads on their sites lead to sales rather than how often the ads receive clicks. I have experience with Text Link Ads (they pay through check) and it is fun working with them. They sell space off my blogs and I have control over what appears on my multiple blogs.
Then, businesses and organizations from all over the world offer to pay bloggers for mentioning them, their products and or services in blogs in order to create an online buzz, get more traffic and better page rank. Many online services like Pay Per Post, Sponsored Review, Loud Launch - paypal required - and Reviewme to name just a few, have come up. These services manage growing demands by advertisers and arrange supply through interested bloggers. Few months ago, I had signed up for Reviewme because they also pay through check. Reviewme offers products or services for review. I write about whatever I like and they pay me fifty percent of what they charge the advertisers. This arrangement works fine for me.
I have tried with merchandising through my blogs as well. Attempt to sell my own books (and the one I had translated) was a good experience. While I did not have a lot of success with merchandising - I am sure other bloggers can see this as an opportunity to make some money from blogs by selling products. That is not all. Bloggers can sell branded products whatever way their entrepreneurial heart desires using CafePress by creating and adding online store's link to blogs and CafePress will do the rest. There are so many more ways to earn money by blogging for those who are interested in earning using blogs. Driven by demand, more advertising programs, affiliates and sponsors and others are coming up every day. Bloggers can experiment with different programs that suit them and can create diverse stream of earnings.
A word of caution; earning through blogging does require persistent postings of quality contents and blog promotion. Best is to keep blogging for joy and monetize blogs on the side; keeping money making expectations realistic. It is a long and slow process. Only "17 percent of most popular bloggers in NYC earn more than thousand dollars a month. That leaves a whooping 83 percent earning less," revealed a NYC Blogger Summit Survey earlier this year. But again these figures are relative.
Some of the sources that pay through check and I have experienced are Google, Link Worth, Earn $$ with WidgetBucks and ReviewMe.
Labels: Blogging, Corporate Blogging, Fine Art of Blogging, Making Money Online
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, June 30, 2010,
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Alexander’s Adventure from Macedonia to South Asia
Friday, 25 June 2010
Read about Alexander’s route to South Asia and camp in the Salt Range.
Labels: Travel
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Friday, June 25, 2010,
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How a Failed State Looks Like?
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Pakistan was ranked the 10th most failed state in the world, just three places below Afghanistan, in a US survey released on Monday. Somalia tops the 2010 Failed States Index followed by Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Chad. Read at Dawn.
Related: Learn Governance from Hazrat Ali (AS)
Related: Learn Governance from Hazrat Ali (AS)
Labels: Governance
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, June 22, 2010,
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New Scam
Monday, 21 June 2010
It all started when I received a call from someone claiming that he was from my mobile service provider and wanted me to shutdown my phone for 2 hours for 3G update to take place. As I was rushing for a meeting, I did not question and shutdown my cell phone.
After about 45 minutes I felt suspicious as the caller had not given me his name or designation etc. I turned on my cell phone and found several calls from my family members. There were also a few calls from the same number that had called me earlier.
I called my parents and was shocked to see that they sounded highly scared and perturbed. They asked me repeatedly if I was safe. It took me time to convince them that I was Okay. They had received a call from someone claiming that they held me with them and asked for ransom money to let me free. The call looked very realistic and my parents even heard \'my voice\' crying out loud asking for help. My father was at the bank waiting for their next call to transfer the money when I told him that I was safe, not pay money to anyone and asked him to lodge a police report. A narrow escape!
Right after that I received another call from the guy asking me to shutdown my cell phone for another 1 hour which I refused to do and hung up. They kept calling my cell phone until probably their battery ran out.
I myself lodged the police report and was informed by the officer that quite a many such reports had been filed with the department. In MOST reported cases the victims had already transferred the money, which was impossible to get back.
Please be careful as this could happen to anyone. The thugs are real professionals and very convincing during the calls.
If you are asked to shut down your cell phone for updates by the service provider, Ask around.
Thanks to Brig Jalal HB Col Riaz Jafri (Retd), Col Islam ul Haq (Retd) and Col Zaffar Iqbal Durrani (Retd)
Labels: Scam
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Monday, June 21, 2010,
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Magnum Publishing Forum
It has been noticed that a large number of writers do not succeed to get their writings (novel, short stories, poetry, auto/biographies, general books) published owing to different hurdles. First of All, amateur writers do not seek guidance as how to turn their ideas into book form. If they succeed to do so in one way or other, the publishers reject their manuscripts by considering their work not worth publishing. Even the great writers of the world had to face the indifferent publishers in the beginning of their careers. Once those writers got their work published, they got response on wide scale and they became celebrity in the short span of time.
What if they had not got their work published? They would not have come to limelight. It is feared that a great number of writers have not yet hold niche in the society due to indifference of publishers from their work.
Keeping in view the prevalent situation, Magnum Publishing Forum has been established to help amateur writers publish their work.
Magnum Publishing Forum offers editing Service to make your work worth publishing. Magnum Publishing is a platform to turn your ideas into a complete book by offering services such as editing, designing, title formation, composing, binding and more. Magnum Publishing Forum has also created a network to spread your work in different cities, / province(s)/ Country. Approach Magnum Publishing Forum for free consultation (Call 0301-4008910).
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Monday, June 21, 2010,
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Sage Advice from Famous Fathers
Sunday, 20 June 2010
To celebrate Father's Day, Council of Dads author Bruce Feiler collects the top ten inspirational messages from iconic American fathers, including Ben Franklin and John Wayne.
Read at the Daily Beast
Previous: Are the Glory Days of Fatherhood Over?
Labels: Clicked This, Fathers' Day
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Sunday, June 20, 2010,
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Pakistan’s Football Industry
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world. And for many, this means great economic opportunity. At one time, Pakistan’s export city of Sialkot was catering to 85 per cent of the total world demand for high-quality hand-stitched inflatable balls.
A workforce of 85,000 was employed to produce 60 million balls per year worth $210 million. In Fifa World Cup years the demand for stitched balls rises by 70 per cent. Consecutive governments however, ignored this industry and failed to plan ahead to tackle the growing competition from China, India and Japan.
For a long time this vital industry also faced criticism from European countries and especially from United States with allegations of using child labour. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry took prompt measures to curb child labour from the soccer ball industry in accordance with the Atlanta Agreement signed with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Unicef in February 1997.
It is estimated that some 93 per cent of child labour was progressively eradicated from this vital industry and necessary steps were taken to provide social protection to children and their families. The children who were associated with this industry were provided with good schooling. The vital steps taken by the soccer manufacturers and exporter were highly praised by the then United States President Bill Clinton in the address at the ILO convention at Geneva in June 1999.
The Sialkot football industry has been contributing millions of export dollars to the national kitty but in the year 2006 the industry’s share in the international market took a significant hit with the entry of new players in the market, notably China and India. Manufacturers from these countries were able to supply balls at a much cheaper rate.
According to industry sources, local soccer ball manufacturers have been able to grab around 30 to 40 per cent of the total orders floated globally for the upcoming Fifa World Cup. This is a sharp decline from the 70-80 per cent bagged during the 1998 and 2002 World tournaments. The local football industry earned $164 million in export earnings in the financial year 09, as against an average of $221 million per annum earned during financial years 2005-08. Power and gas shortage are not making it any easier for the industry, and sources say that a number of business have failed to meet deadlines which has dented their reputation.
Technology was also a major factor in tilting the balance against the local industry. The penetration of machine-made balls hit the Sialkot hand made stitched soccer industry.
And in the present scenario of fast growing globalisation hand-stitched balls will not be able to compete with machine-made footballs. It is important that the local industry moves forward and embraces new technology to meet the needs of the international market.
Industry sources also say that China has received large export orders of footballs from a number of countries ahead of the June 2010 Football World Cup. Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association is rightly concerned over this state of affairs.
According to Arif Mehmood Sheikh, a former chairman (PSGMEA) the shift of a large number of orders to China should serve as an “eye opener” for every one. He said that the factors behind the diversion of export orders to China was a combination of rising cost of production and inability to meet deadlines, which in turn were caused by rising POL prices and unreliable power supply. This has made it difficult for Sialkot exporters to compete with manufacturers in China, India, Nepal and Thailand.
With the government looking for new avenues to bridge the fiscal deficit and the trade deficit, it is very important that measures be taken to build upon the advantages that Pakistan holds in the global market, and not allow others to encroach upon them. The Sialkot exporters have urged the government to come up with some sort of trade related package to stop the diversion of football export orders through the Trade Development Authority, likewise enforcing suitable measures to encourage the export of hand stitched fooballs.
Outdated manufacturing techniques still in use by the local industry is a major hurdle in enhancing exports. This industry for its survival is in dire need of advanced technology and early provisioning of skilled labour. The Sialkot manufacturers and exporters have realised that in the event of a change in the global trend from hand stitched balls to mechanically stitched balls they will also need to make the shift.
In order to cope with the menace of machine made balls, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority has at put in place the final steps for the establishing of the Sports Industries Development Centre. It is expected that this project worth Rs435 million will enable the Sialkot sports manufacturing industry to adopt modern technology, without which there is no going forward.
Labels: Football, Industry, Soccer, Soccernomics, Sports
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, June 10, 2010,
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Jobs Market
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
With today's slow economy, the Pakistan job market is tough. It is tough alll ove the world. Students graduating every year with little or no work experience find it especially difficult to land that first professional job. It is even harder for those experienced professionals who retire, are fired from one job or come back home after serving abroad but still need to find another one.
Attain higher education, engage in deliberate self-assessment to understand the types of industries and jobs that would be the best fit for your skills, write good resume research specific companies and organizations, use a three-pronged approach to identifying viable jobs in that field — reviewing job listings, networking and prospecting - but you still may not find a job. The openings may not be there or if they are, they may be filled up using non standard recruitment practices characterized by safarash, rishwat and or both. Lack of opening is not only typical of Pakistan but economic employment growth has always been a lagging indicator anywhere in the world. Even globalization and Internet are doing little in this case of employable and well conversant with English language workforce available in Pakistan. What to do?
Labels: Education, Higher Education, Jobs
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, June 09, 2010,
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