smorty – a review

As I previously mentioned, this weblog is exploring some alternate means of funding itself – after all, webspace is not cheap, and someone or something has to pay for it all. One of those alternatives particularly relevant to weblogs is to find a way to get get paid to blog. Yes, indeedy, there are companies and organizations out there who will quite literally pay you to do what you already do – write posts on your weblog.
One such company goes by the name of “Smorty“. In all honesty, I have absolutely no idea where the name came from, but, in the end, the name is really not important. The basic premise is thus: First, you have to open an account and get it approved – this requires the presence of your weblog on the internet, as well as a few other minor details (you have to have your own domain or sub-domain name, your site has to be indexed, your webpage actually has to have stuff on it, it cannot have gratuitous amounts of profane language on it, etc.). I will give Smorty credit for this part of the process – they were remarkably swift in approving my webpage… less than a 12-hour turnaround time. Second, Smorty sends you ad campaigns you can write about. Third, you pick out the ones that interest you, write a weblog post about it within 72 hours, and ensure you include certain key phrases or links, as the advertisers desire. Fourth, you submit the post to Smorty. And, fifth, and the most important part in my mind, they pay you. Of course, that payment is dependant upon whether or not your post meets their requirements, but that is hardly difficult to do. The biggest hitch for me is the word cap.
Of course, they also cover the flip side of the spectrum, and have systems set up for blog advertising and the like, if that suits your fancy. At any rate, if you would like a little extra cash for doing what you already do, take a peek here and see if you like what they offer.