Saturday, November 26, 2022
Currently, I handle all of the advertising management efforts for QiSoftware sites:
- qisoftware.com (main business site)
- hosting-q.com (hosts many of my applications to alleviate resource burdens on qisoftware.com)
- reginadenisethomas.com (resume site)
- reginathomas.studio (real estate site)
- wired-shops.com (e-commerce site)
A brief discussion about advertising resources I use with my sites is provided in this blog post - QiSoftware Advertising & Utilization of sellers.guide.
Allow me to step back for a moment and discuss an old advertising management resource aptly named BlogAds. Years ago, I used BlogAds to handle advertising for the blogs I maintained on qisoftware.com.
Today, I use any number of resources to handle advertising for all areas of my sites, not just the blogs. Is this complicated? In my opinion, yes and I understand why most businesses and bloggers use advertising management services to handle their advertising needs.
Did I say complicated? Some of the advertising resources I use:
- Header bidding for all areas of qisoftware.com (the only, of my sites accepted by the service I use)
- Google Adsense all sites and areas (reginathomas.studio was initially rejected earlier this year however has since been accepted)
- Google Ad Manager (also a requirement of the header bidding service I use)
- Various affiliate marketing partnerships (I develop applications for my affiliates using their API resources, e.g. Amazon's Product Adverting API, CJ's API using GraphQL, and Best Buy's API)
- Google Analytics
- Social Media
Let's start with a less complicated advertising management effort. For years I have been an Amazon Affiliate and I purchase a lot from Amazon. That said, only recently have I started providing feedback in the form of product reviews. So I decided to provide my Amazon customer profile link.
I research quite a bit, and try to provide feedback for the cost conscious consumer. I also purchase a lot as a small business owner. It might be worth your time to follow me as an Amazon customer. Does this assist with my advertising efforts? Yes.
Another less complicated advertising management effort involves Google Adsense and something called Brand Safety. I recently researched this area, made some changes, and have noticed a slight increase in my Adsense revenue.
Now let's discuss a more complicated advertising management effort. Header bidding. I started integrating header bidding into qisoftware.com site areas in October 2018.
I continue to learn new things about online advertising management, and new features are coming online daily. In 2018, when I first started using header bidding, sellers.json and Floors were terms not used. If you decide to manage advertising for your sites, you have to stay on top of the new technologies and features. Any number of variables can affect ad revenue.
This is not meant to be a tutorial. Recently, I have been tweaking a lot of variables in all areas of my advertising game with some positive results. I have to admit, it is rather complicated. That said, it may have been the route I chose to integrate the features I wanted to experiment with for publisher advertising.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
It has been a hectic November. Along with shopping, cooking, and normal business activities, I have had a number of unusual issues that required immediate attention.
Software issue #1, Freddie Mac discontinued a number of stats having to do with mortgage loan rates and discount and origination fees making it imperative that I update my software. Relatively easy fix that is reflected here and here.
On November 17, 2022, Freddie Mac changed the methodology of the Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The weekly mortgage rate is no longer based on a survey of lenders. For more information regarding Freddie Mac’s enhancement, see their research note. See more here.
Changes to the FatSecret API required attention, even though my software app is not installed on the WiredPages Health page. The FatSecret API provides nutrient information about specified foods. I periodically check all of my applications (even those offline) to ensure they are operable.
My access to the Amazon Product Advertising API is again available (based on sales). I have become used to the Native Ads that appear when the API is unavailable, so I decided to make that the default when a page using the app is requested.
WiredPages hosting one of two applications which use the Amazon Product Advertising API:
The difference now, the applications provide search results provided by the Amazon Product Advertising API.
It is Thanksgiving week and I began cooking this morning. I ran errands yesterday, and expect to be in, at least until Friday (day after Thanksgiving).
I am one of those people who researches and plans. So already, I have plans that have gone awry. I am expecting everything else to go as planned. Also hoping to get some rest. For some reason, all of these unexpected issues, including one or two not mentioned- are throwing me off kilter.
Hope your holiday plans are going as planned.
Friday, November 18, 2022
With the end of the year quickly approaching, I have more to do than normal. In addition, because my 2010 WindowsXP Acer Netbook is beginning to have problems, I have had to move most of the computing resources on that platform to other systems.
One of the resources on the Acer platform was the Microsoft Access Database I use to maintain addresses. Over the years, I added custom features to my version of the address database that shipped with some of the earlier versions of Access.
I use Microsoft Office 2000 Professional on the Acer Netbook so I had to convert the database to the 365 version of Access for use on the mini PC where the database is now maintained.
Though not a difficult conversion, it was not as straightforward as I had hoped. It took less than 10 minutes yesterday afternoon to convert the database.
I have installed a licensed version of Microsoft Office 2000 Professional on one of my Windows10 Pro mini PCs, however now that I have a licensed copy of MS Office Professional 365, I prefer to use the later release.
Microsoft Office Professional 2021 | Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, PowerPoint, Outlook
I have been developing and using Microsoft Access databases since 1993, the same year I purchased my first version of the software. Though I could have used a workplace copy, I was so impressed- I purchased my own copy of the software. I consider Microsoft Access to be an invaluable resource.
Monday, November 14, 2022
In a recent blog post, I discussed issues I noticed with my FICO score when I applied for the Amazon Store Card.
This post provides a bit of an update in that my FICO score, as reported by Mint- as of November 9, 2022, based on the TransUnion VantageScore® breakdown, increased by 7 points to 766 from the low of 759 after the application process for the Amazon Store Card.
What happened on November 9, 2022? There was another credit inquiry from Chase Bank because on that day I applied for the Amazon Signature Visa Card. So why did it go up? I am researching all of this.
Why was I applying for credit cards, anyway?
- Credit reporting agencies contend negative data because I did not have enough debt or credit cards. Only one Mastercard and several personal & business debit cards.
- Rewards on existing Mastercard not as attractive as offerings from other banks.
- Amazon Signature Visa offers rewards, not the Amazon Store Card I applied for on Oct. 6, 2022. In both cases I received Amazon Gift cards when my applications were approved for a total of $160.00.
Why do I share this type of information? I need total transparency. Odd things happen to me. Recently (Sept. 30, 2022) I received two invoices via PayPal claiming I owed $299 each for something to do with Microsoft applications. Had no idea why those invoices were sent to me.
When I tried to have Paypal correct these issues, they indicated I could just ignore them. That said, the invoices are still showing on my dashboard and I cannot seem to report I did not order any software from Microsoft.
I use PayPal for my ecommerce shop, and most other payment options. I have had some pressure to switch (not sure why since I get no hits on WiredShops), however, my business bank and other payment options are not as cost effective as PayPal at this time. I am not sure if this is why I have noticed more odd issues than normal.
Prior to that, for some reason, Facebook decided QiSoftware was no longer a legal business entity. Instagram thinks QiSoftware is a business, my banks, PayPal, etc. all consider QiSoftware a business entity. Facebook recorded QiSoftware as a business entity in 2008 when I first joined.
In June 2022, they decided QiSoftware was not a business. I can ask them to reverify, however during the time of the verification process I was getting strange calls on my business line from characters with heavy accents. It may have been one of those calls that determined I was not a legit business, however I am not sure what happened. Just not in the mood to argue about this with Facebook. After I have my banks and Maryland update my business address I will look into this again.
I should also provide, in April 2022 QiSoftware was again verified as a business on Facebook and then in June 2022 for some reason they requested a reverification. It failed. If you are a Facebook developer you may know they do this a lot with applications. Why do you need those permissions, etc? I can easily prove QiSoftware is a business entity so I was surprised they did this.
Other minor issues that seem odd. Decided at this time, I want full transparency.
Saturday, November 12, 2022
I am always looking for cost cutting business moves, so last month when I decided to move my business address from Columbia, MD to Hanover, MD I knew I had several tasks to complete- in preparation for this change. Cost cutting? Since I reside in Hanover, MD I am making the trip to my business address much shorter.
My original attempt to notify the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation of the address change failed because I used the wrong form and did not remit a $25.00 payment to have the amendment recorded. The check was debited from my business checking account on November 10, 2022.
Another of my business cost cutting moves? In July 2016, I decided because I seldom write checks, to start printing my own for both my business and personal checking accounts. I discuss my custom check templates in this July 2016 blog post. See the image below for more on the blank checks I ordered.
Recently, I mentioned the keyboard on my Acer Windows XP Netbook is malfunctioning, so I am moving tools to other platforms. I developed the custom check templates using the Publisher version that came with Microsoft Office 2000 Professional version. Happy to report, had no problems converting the custom check templates from Office 2000 Publisher to Microsoft Office 365's Publisher version. See the illustration below.
In the above referenced blog post, I mention I use the Sunset version of Microsoft Money for Business (no longer available online for download). I used GNUCash for many years, however had too many issues so decided to use Microsoft Money for Business instead.
I mention this because I have been researching Quickbooks both as a developer and for use with my business, and believe I have the most cost effective solution for my business and personal finances.
One of the big advantages of Quickbooks over Microsoft Money for Business, is its ability to interactively communicate online with all of your banks to ensure account synchronization. I use both the Net Worth service offered by my personal primary bank (Bank of America) and my online Mint account to ensure all of my banks align with my offline copy of Microsoft Money for Business.
At this time, I do not mind I have to input some of the data to MS Money. Recurring debits, transfers, and deposits are automated, however a lot of the data is not. Bank of America and Mint use automated processes or aggregators to access real-time account balances from external account references.
I also use the non-business Sunset version of Microsoft Money to maintain financial and tax information for someone close.
I have to say, without Microsoft Money the cost to maintain these financial records would be a lot. I have cash assets that I need to be able to move quickly, especially now with the Fed's moves on interest rates. I am able to maintain this financial data effectively and efficiently with the Sunset versions of Microsoft Money.
Below, an illustration of some of the accounts and features I use with my version of the Sunset version of Microsoft Money for Business.
When will the business address change go into effect? The state has not updated the online business information, however I have begun to add the new address to some of the many areas I will need to update.
Friday, November 04, 2022
Yesterday, the applications on the WiredPages Business page that retrieve economic data and press releases from the FRED St. Louis API resource (fred.stlouisfed.org/)- went down.
Since other applications using the same resource running on WiredPages were not experiencing the same issues, I decided to go to bed and investigate today. There are many applications running on WiredPages using the FRED St. Louis API resource. The difference with the applications on the business page? Those are hosted directly on qisoftware.com.
This quick post only to notify that I am aware of the problem and the qisoftware.com web hosting service is investigating the issue.
