Darren Singleton

Still Searching for First Home

Darren — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:08:54 +0000

Back in August 2009, I posted about how I was going to be moving out of the family home. This all fell through, thanks to the vendors deciding they weren’t going to continue with the sale.

I am once again on the look out for a property of my own. I’m finding it quite difficult at the moment, having not much money currently saved towards a deposit. A few people have mentioned to me about renting somewhere for a while.

In my mind, the problem with renting is illustrated with the image to the left. By renting a property you are essentially paying off somebody else’s mortgage. I understand that there are situations where people are not able to get a mortgage – generally due to bad credit scores or even (as in my situation) not enough money to put together a 10% deposit.

I’m currently saving money wherever possible along with looking online and in estate agents windows in order to book viewings in as many properties as possible.

My reason for this post is mainly to discuss my ideas on property and being a home owner. I hope to be able to discuss my journey on this blog and keep everybody informed with what is happening.

Image Credit : Property Investment Project

This post has originally been published on Darren Singleton .com. Darren Singleton is a Blogger, Webmaster and Internet Entrepreneur posting about his experiences of making money online on a daily basis.

Still Searching for First Home

UK-based Classifieds Website

Darren — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:57:10 +0000

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Treidr.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I think of Classified sites, the first that comes to mind is CraigsList. When looking for a classifieds site in the UK, there are not that many that I can name. A London-based start-up called Classified Media Corporation Ltd have recently launched treidr.com. At first, I found the name of the website hard to remember, but it is much like the word ‘trader’ and once I had remembered this, I found it easier to type out the name again.

With treidr, UK residents can post free classified adverts to a huge number of categories and, for an extra level of exposure, users can upgrade their listings with optional paid extras. Each advertisement added to the website can be tracked by the poster and statistics such as number of ad views and hits can be seen within the control panel.

As with any free-to-list website, there will always be people who try and use the service for criminal or immoral reasons. In order to combat fraud and abuse of the website, treidr has a page dedicated to tips and advice for people when using the site.

Overall, I feel that treidr is a nice looking website that has the ability to become very popular. At the time of writing this review, there are a total of twenty items currently listed in seven different categories – if the website is to survive, the userbase needs to grow quickly and the website be filled with listings for people to view.

Have you ever used an online classifieds website? What were your experiences?

Personal Goals for 2010

Darren — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Following on from my post about my goals from 2009, I have put a lot of thought and time into deciding what I want to achieve from the next 365 days. I have listed three goals specifically related to my online endeavours and three that are much more personal.

1. Increase Twitter Followers to 500
The only goal that was achieved during 2009 was increasing my Twitter followers to 200. Continuing this trend, my goals for 2010 is to increase this by 250% and achieve 500 followers over the year.

2. Post Regularly to Gifts4Men
The main focus of my attention during 2010 will be my gifts for men blog. The first goal in relation to Gifts4Men will be to post five new articles a week showcasing different products. Upon calculating the number of weekdays during 2010, this would require 261 new posts over the year.

3. Develop three blogs/websites with passive income streams
With only a limited number of hours in a day, developing passive income from multiple sources can be the easiest way to generate an income online. The goal would require the websites to earn revenue with little further involvement from myself. The development of these websites/blogs will be discussed in much more detail as they are in progress.

4. Save for Own Home
Back in August 2009 I posted about the fact that I was moving out of the family home. The purchase of this house actually fell through, but moving out is something I still want to do. My goal is to amass £10,000 in a savings account during 2010 to cover the cost of a deposit and any associated fees with purchasing your first home. For this to happen, I need to reign in my expenditure greatly; eating food that has been prepared by myself rather than at a restaurant, stop purchasing domain names (as mentioned in my random facts post) and just generally tighten my purse strings.

5. Greatly Improve my Fitness Levels
Over the past few years I have slowly gained weight and although I have attempted to shed a few pounds, my weight always rises again. Using a great service called Skinnyr, I am able to chart my weight progress and display it on a graph. You can set goals and over time it is possible to see your monthly averages and how well you are progressing. I don’t have a specific weight loss goal, it is more of a visual rather than statistical thing for me. On January 1st I will be taking a photograph to use as a comparison throughout the rest of the year.

6. Broaden my Film Watching
I am a big fan of films. The main problem I find is that I have missed out on so many that were released prior to the past ten years. Throughout 2010, I hope to make my way through the IMDB Top 250 along with watching many films recommended to me by others. My goal is to watch 150+ movies throughout 2010 which would average approximately 3 films per week.

If you have set any goals for 2010, I would appreciate you letting me know in the comments. This blog is going to have some improvements made during January to make it much more personal and be much more focused towards my goals and how I can achieve them.

Revisiting Goals from 2009

Darren — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:52:09 +0000

At the start of 2009 I listed a set of goals that I wished to achieve during the course of the year. The four goals were easily defined as the following:

1. Post at least once per day
2. Earn £2009 (GBP) from this blog for the year
3. Write one guest post each month
4. Reach 200 Twitter followers

With each of the above goals, I went into a little more detail about them, how they would be achieved and how they would benefit both myself and this website. Below is my explanation of how well these goals were met and an explanation of what went right and what went wrong.

1. Post at least once per day – Failed
Looking back, I should have realised that this was not achievable. Including this post, there have been a total of 55 posts, 310 less than I had planned to achieve. I am not too concerned by this although the amount of posts ~~could~~ should have been much higher, I always try and post when I feel I have something worthy of posting.

2. Earn £2009 (GBP) from this blog for the year – Failed
Nowhere close. It’s more like £29 and at the moment I don’t have the exact figures. Early in January I will be able to post a full report on revenue for the blog and the other projects that I am working on.

3. Write on guest post each month – Failed
I managed a total of two guest posts, one of which was aimed at bringing traffic to my male gifts website. I let the ball drop on this one early in the year, but the importance of guest posting is something I believe in and I would like to encourage anybody interested to take a look at Blog Synergy – a community where you can trade guest posts with other members in a simple, easy-to-use system.

For the people who are waiting for guest posts, you will have them early in the new year. Each one has been planned out and I will start writing them shortly.

4. Reach 200 Twitter followers – Achieved
This is the only goal that I actually achieved during 2009. My current follower count stands at 261. I have slowly increased my Twitter followers by being active and providing links to resources that I believe my followers would be interested in.

2009 Summary

Throughout 2009 I have let my mind wander on too many different projects, spending days working on something for it to never be completed. Throughout December my mindset has changed and I have been more focused on producing content for websites that have the potential to go places. I want 2010 to be successful and, as I progress into the new year, this blog will be my record of what goes right, what goes wrong and how well I am achieving my new set of goals. My goals for 2010 will be posted on New Years eve, which means, starting January 1st 2010 I will have my sights set on other things and a successful year in the process.

What goals have you set? Do you set goals? Do you think a year is too long of a period when working online? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

A Kick in the Butt Gets You Out Of Your Rut

Darren — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:33:49 +0000

Is your site tired, run-down, listless?

Does it poop out at parties?

Is it unpopular?

The answer to all your problems is… give yourself a kick in the rear. *

Get out of the rut you’re stuck in. That’s easy to say, but it’s
excruciatingly difficult to do at times. The thing about being stuck
in a rut is that the longer you keep plowing on and trying to make it
work, the deeper your rut gets, like a scratch in a record, and the
difficulty to escape becomes exponentially worse. You need something
to boost you up, give you a kick in your pants, for you out of that
stuck place. You need to do something crazy, something out of the
ordinary. Literally “extraordinary”. Here are some suggestions:

1. Change the subject – If you have a one-topic niche blog,
it’s easy to feel like you’ve looked at your niche from every angle
and described what you see ad nauseum. And maybe you have. Try adding
something new, maybe start a new category. If this doesn’t work for
your blog, do a guest post for another blog about something you’re
interested in or know a lot about that is not related to your blog.
If you usually blog about technology, take a break and write something
about poetry or your children. Even if you don’t post this anywhere,
it’s a change and unlocks a new part of your creativity.

2. Take a trip – Whether just under a tree in your backyard, or
half way across the world, change your environment. See something
new, and you can see yourself in a new light. Take the time to notice
the scenery and people around you. Are there things you haven’t
experienced in your own neighborhood? What are you waiting for?

3. Become someone else – See your site and yourself through
someone else’s eyes. Change yourself in a radical way. Get a
piercing, a tattoo, or a new haircut. Take up an extreme sport, learn
pottery, take some risks. Become the person you’ve always wanted to
be, but have held yourself back from becoming.

4. Change your tune – Get a friend whose tastes you admire to
recommend a CD, something you wouldn’t normally listen to. Listen to
it, really get into it. Come to appreciate why this artist performs
the way they do, and what issues are important to them. What is their
motivation? Why did they chose their style? Then write from your new
perspective.

5. Get a buddy – Ask a friend for suggestions. And then LISTEN
to those suggestions. This friend could be online or offline,
preferably someone who knows a bit about your niche, but is still far
enough removed from your site to be objective and like a regular user.

6. Be a mentor – It’s so much easier to give someone else help.
We can see the spinach in their teeth, but not how our own hair
sticks up in the back. Give good advice, and constructive criticism.
Give encouragement, and when someone asks a question, help them if you
know the answer. But while you’re doing this, listen to yourself.
What did you just say to them? Isn’t that what you should be doing
with your site too? Hmm?

7. Change your medium – There are all kinds of writers, just
like there are all kinds of sculptors and painters. Artists use a
number of mediums – paint, clay, stone, metal, ink, wood, etc. If one
medium- a computer, for instance- isn’t working for your creativity,
try another. I prefer using my laptop to write, but sometimes there
is nothing better than a beautiful journal with a fountain pen to get
ideas coming. Other people use notebooks, index cards, or a
typewriter. Whatever works for you. If you’re into presentations and
teaching, you can even make your notes on a marker board, talking as
if to an audience! Maybe physically writing isn’t the best thing for
you at all. Get a tape recorder (or a very good friends with typing
skills) and talk it out. A bit of video blogging or audio blogging
might be just the thing to fix you up, too.

8. Challenge yourself – Challenge yourself to write for a set
amount of time, or a set number of words, without stopping. It
doesn’t have to be “good” or make sense. Just the act of writing
words down on paper can clear your mind of all the “stuff” that is
clogging your brilliance. You can always go back and glean out the
good stuff from the crap. This is actually a great exercise to do on
a regular basis, even when you’re not having problems.

9. Go on a diet – Not necessarily a weight loss diet. But
change your eating habits for a while, even just for the day. Eat
something healthier than usual, quit binging on fast food. Or treat
yourself to a luxury you don’t get often – European truffles, smoked
salmon, an exotic fruit. Treat yourself to a 5 star restaurant.
Whatever your definition of luxury is. Why? Two reasons. It’s said
that eating a healthier diet, and especially large amounts of raw
fruits and veggies can help you feel energized, clear-headed and less
stressed. On the other hand, eating chocolate or other treats can
make you happier overall. If you’re happier, with less stress, it’s
easier to write. So either way, you’re covered. Maybe some chocolate
covered fruit?

10. Time for change – Change the time of day that you do your
writing. If you’ve found yourself staying up until 2 AM trying to
finish an article, flip it. Go to bed early instead, and wake up at 6
AM for a change. You’ll be amazed at what you get done. Of if you
feel like you’re getting up way too early and your brain can’t
function, have an extra coffee and write when the kids have gone to
bed and the world is quiet. Whenever you write, be sure to set aside
a time with no distractions. Switch off the TV, ask your family to
leave you in peace for 30 minutes, put the answering machine on and
turn the ringer off. If e-mails and instant messages are distracting
you, disconnect from the Internet. Or go to that pad of paper for the
ultimate non-multimedia writing session.

Hopefully these tips have given you the kick in the pants you need to
set you up a notch and get into the next gear. The nice thing about
habits and ruts is that they can work positively, too. If you can
establish a set habit of writing everyday, it feels weird to not do
so. It will become as second-nature as brushing your teeth. Just
don’t neglect it.

*roughly adapted from “I Love Lucy”’s famous monologue

This is a guest post by Leighann Garber of The News Base. Leighann is a 28 year old blogger, mother, wife, WWOOFer, cook, gardener, gamer and much more. You can find out more about her here.

Random Facts About Me

Darren — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:35:09 +0000

As this is my personal blog, I felt it would be appropriate for me to post a list of things about me. So here goes, twenty three things that you, most likely, did not know about Darren Singleton:

I once swallowed a marble
I have owned three cars, all of which have been Vauxhall Corsa’s.
I own a private registration starting with DAZ
I am awful at parallel parking
My middle name is James
I have a younger sister @jo_singleton
I spend way too much money on domain names
My favourite snack is Seabrook Prawn Cocktail crisps
My ringtone is currently MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
For years, I have had problems sleeping
I have lived in the same house for over twenty years
I hate tomatoes
I cannot stand the taste of eggs or milk
I love the taste of Ginger Beer
I have two fish tanks, but currently no fish!
My GMail inbox currently contains 1787 unread emails.
I have a 100% positive eBay rating with a feedback score of 119
I love watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
I read books whilst in the bath
I work for a local web video production company
I would love to learn to cook and eat much more healthy
I have a BSc (Hons) Computing
I really struggled thinking of twenty three facts!

And, just in case you were wondering, I chose twenty three because that is how old I am currently. If you write a post like this one please let me know in the comments, I would love to find out more about my readers. Is there anything you would like to know about me, please feel free to ask me!

1000 Tweets

Darren — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:35:51 +0000

Yesterday, I posted my 1000th Tweet. Since signing up to Twitter, I had posted an average of 3.7 tweets per day of which majority have been made on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Below, I have posted an updated version of my Twitter Word Cloud which still heavily features ‘blog’, ‘updated’, ‘twitter’ and ‘rt’ though this content is becoming much more diverse as time goes on.

To mark my 1000th Tweet, I used TwitRand to generate one of my followers at random. If you are running a contest or giveaway on Twitter, this is HIGHLY recommended. I will be sure to post a complete review of the service later this week! The lucky follower to get picked out was @gamebrit who promptly received £15 GBP from myself as a thank you. I hope to perform more giveaways in the future using Twitter, so be sure to follow me and make sure that you keep a look out for contests in my Twitter feed in the near future.

Weekend Links #2

Darren — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:26:15 +0000

Here is the second weekly round-up of links. My goal is to actually post other content during the week, however this week it just hasn’t happened that way.

How I Created IncomeDiary.com – Income Diary
Can You Start Affiliate Marketing from Nothing? – Tyler Cruz
Little Known Ways Darren Rowse Makes Money Blogging – Blogussion
5 Ways To Become A Better Writer – Teen Blogger Kid

I have felt that there haven’t been as many high quality posts this week that have drawn my attention. Please feel free to let me know of any I may be missing.