Deciding Where the New myLot Fits in My Online Life Now

@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
August 4, 2015 7:23pm CST
When I first joined myLot years ago, I was active on Squidoo and HubPages and there really wasn't much else besides Gather. I also had a couple of blogs and a book business that occupied a lot of my time. Gather and myLot changed radically and neither paid anymore. But you know that. When the old myLot stopped paying, I was one of the first in the mass Exodus to Bubblews, and it paid so well at the beginning that I didn't miss myLot or Gather too much - except for the people, many of whom joined me at Bubblews. Bubblews was equally addicting. Of course, Bubblews is now paying almost nothing and I suspect it's struggling to stay alive. Squidoo also died, and so did Zujava, another content site I wrote for. Seekyt, another site I just started on in April, is also transforming itself under new ownership and it's a mess right now. I suspect HubPages is also struggling to stay alive. But when one site dies, or no longer is worth writing for, others pop up. Persona Paper came along as Bubblews was starting to go down, and then along came tsu and 3tags, social networks that share revenues. So many sites to keep track of! It didn't help that I started three new blogs and started redoing my book selling website when I retired from selling physical inventory at the end of May, so that my selling would be affiliate, instead. I also became a contributor to a review blog started by some ex-Squids. I had pretty much quit Bubblews at the beginning of this year but went back about two weeks ago after things had seemed to be turning around. I like the new myLot better. But I still have all the other online commitments to keep up with. Usually to relax I go to Persona Paper or tsu, but social networks seem disjointed and the discussions don't seem too original. They are great for sharing photos, but it is easy to spend hours on them. What I like about myLot is that it's just people talking to each other -- no theme days like Wordless Wednesday, or A-Z challenges or other writing prompts. Just people who have something to say saying it. I hope I'll be able to spend some time here again daily, but I still have to keep up with my blogs and site development. Something else will have to go, and I suspect that something will be Bubblews. It would not surprise me that as word spreads, those who migrated to Bubblews from here will be returning. Then I won't need Bubblews anymore to stay in touch with them. Things seem to have come full circle. I'm hoping the new myLot will rise quickly in the online world now that people are coming back. I just can't afford to become addicted again.
13 people like this
18 responses
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Aug 15
I'm glad to see that mylot is back in a similar manner to what it used to be and I'm excited about getting into it again. However, for me, it is a different balance that I need to figure out. Before I didn't work outside the house and now I do so I need to figure out where mylot will be able to fit into my life now.
5 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
A lot has happened in a lot of lives since we were active here before. Those who aren't employed or busy juggling a number of other sites won't have as much adjusting to do as those who are still working a lot of hours a week elsewhere.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
5 Aug 15
Like many other ex-mylotters I joined Bubblews in 2013. I stayed there for two years, and in the beginning I got paid. When they cancelled all payments requests in November 2014 I lost $200. I deleted the 1500 articles that I had written during my stay there, and started writing on Persona Paper instead. Now I write on Persona Paper and myLot.
3 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
5 Aug 15
@thesids Nice to see you, too It is great to be back, and I am happy to see many old friends here...
2 people like this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
5 Aug 15
Hello Dear :) Pleasure seeing your Avatar and You back at MyLot
1 person likes this
@much2say (53960)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Aug 15
I struggle with this at the moment - there's only so much time we have in a day to commit to any of these sites! I definitely hope to find my place here again - to what extent - only time will tell.
3 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
That's just it. Since most sites have a payment threshold, if you spread your efforts too thin payouts will be few and far between. That's one reason I like this new myLot.
2 people like this
@much2say (53960)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Aug 15
@bagarad Yep! With non-writing sites, I had to sift it down to a select "couple" so I could concentrate on them - otherwise it would take forever to make it to payout. And with writing, I don't want to experience a burn out writing for tons of sites! I keep my fingers crossed about this place - the potential is there!
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Aug 15
You are right, it looks like a circular move. I joined Bubblews to stay in contact with friends who migrated there, but I have never been very active : I got two payouts only before they decided to pay peanuts to members not living in US/CA/UK. I am at $12 of a payout that I will never get there. On the other hand, I always enjoyed myLot and never left it, but... quite everybody was gone. I am really happy to see old members coming back and I hope that it will last long.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
5 Aug 15
@bagarad I have 35 dollars there!!
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Aug 15
@bagarad I never found it very friendly. It was impossible to have real discussions like here. Most of the time, the members who were commenting back several times were old myLot's members. I made a mistake when I joined : I joined under another user name, so it was difficult to find and follow me. 1 penny for 3 posts? I was thinking that this kind of "payment" was just for people outside US/CA/UK. I see that it is not the case.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
I am in the USA and have almost $20.00 in the bank at Bubblews. After three posts with views and comments in the past two weeks I've earned one penny. I'm making more than that on my own blogs and on Persona Paper. There are still Bubblews friends that won't go to other sites, but I just may have to leave anyway. I'd rather be here.
2 people like this
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
5 Aug 15
I am crossing my fingers on this--that Mylot would stay forever. I have joined other writing sites after Mylot and most of them closed up. Experienced not being paid by a few sites and just luckily I was invited to become a contributor for an inspirational site where I earn a few bucks a month, not that huge but happy enough to have something on my Paypal each month.
3 people like this
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
5 Aug 15
@bagarad It is! And it is just like talking to a person in front of me...that is how I feel.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
Sites certainly are coming and going. I'm glad you found that inspirational site. It sounds interesting.
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
5 Aug 15
Nice!!! I knew you would fall right back in here. I still like Bubblews. And I will continue with them. I do have a lot invested there as far as posts. MyLot is obviously my new number one site again. It didn't take long for that. I also think that Persona Paper members might start migrating here as well. That could hurt them badly. But only time will tell how things all work out. And lets face it, both, Persona Paper and bubbles have to worry about the new MyLot. if they want to stay in the game, they will have to up the anti somehow.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
I'm not sure they can raise their pay rates. And we still don't know how much myLot will be able to pay. Funny, I feel no loyalty to Bubblews, but I hate to let Persona Paper down.
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
5 Aug 15
@bagarad I feel loyalty to all of them actually. And I do intend on staying in all. But this one, being my first site ever that I wrote on, I feel mostly loyal to.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (157546)
• United States
6 Aug 15
@inertia4 MyLot was my first site as well. I loved it here and it is so easy to fall back in with my other friends who are returning.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157546)
• United States
6 Aug 15
I am still bubbling a bit. I like your description. We are here to have a little talk, to share our lives with each other or just say "Hi".
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
6 Aug 15
It's relaxing not to have to post something special that has to be a certain length. We can just talk to each other, without having to wade through a lot of commercials like we do on Facebook, and what we say to each other is original, not just sharing photos that others have made.
@celticeagle (158958)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Aug 15
I work in a cycle anyway. I usually have all my sites up and work on one until I get bored or tired of it and then move on to another one. Take an occasional break on FB and back at it. Works well for me.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157546)
• United States
6 Aug 15
@bagarad I use facebook mostly in hopes my family will post.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
I use Facebook mostly for its groups. The groups are good for getting support and helping with promotion.
1 person likes this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
11 Aug 15
I am also hoping not to get addicted.. I didn't realize there were so many sites that popped up after MyLot stopped paying. I didn't go to Bubblews but I did find a few people on Facebook and tried to keep in touch. I went the other way in terms of earning. I invested a little more time in Zazzle and then a few sites similar to it popped up. I tried to get a little more into the artistic side of me, rather than the writing side. I tried a couple other sites, like OArtTee and Nuvango.. not a lot of luck there.. Zazzle changed their payout which sucked so had to keep trying -don't put all your eggs in one basket - you know? So then I found Society6 and so far I love them.. there was a learning curve I had to over come in sizing my images as they want different sizes for different items, Unlike Zazzle which only requires one.. but now after just a few months I am making about the same as Zazzle monthly. Well, I average about $50 a month on Zazzle and about $40 a month Society 6. but always looking for extra ways to make a few more bucks. So willing to give Mylot another try and see what happens. it is so great to see so many familiar faces here again!
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
12 Aug 15
@bagarad Well, Zazzle used to pay 7% extra on earnings after the first $100 earned. people used to make big bucks. I used to make about $20 extra or more a month during the holiday months. and I didn't rely on this for my livelihood. others made thousands and paid all their bills with their earnings and this cut some people back by 50-75% of their earnings. now you can earn a measly 1% and it is harder to get referrals.. I actually used my previous years earnings to buy 3 new cameras, a new computer and a new TV. this past year.. Nothing... it was depressing.. It seems to be going a little better this year, and now with Society 6 i think I may be able to save a little money from this Christmas season. At least I hope so.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
12 Aug 15
Glad your're doing so well with your designs. Maybe I should try Society 6 if my camera is good enough. In what way did the Zazzle payout change? I see little difference in earnings there, but I never earned much to start with. Glad to see you back here.
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
5 Aug 15
When I joined MyLot, I met many and developed great bondings with most of them. The mass Exodus got all of them dispersed. I had already realized that I am not meant for such sites. I mean, I dont bother about payout. What I bother about is my connection with friends. I suffered emotionally when people left MyLot and I was almost the last to leave... Luckily, I found some of my friends at FB (yes, I rarely visited it prior to this Exodus) but now, it is a regular habit. I miss many no doubt, but then, am also happy that I am connected with many via FB. Thanks to Lamb aka @PhredWreck for statring a group on FB for all ex-MyLotters and that really helped stay connected.
2 people like this
• Canada
6 Aug 15
I am glad to see MyLot back too. I work from home and right now some of the sites I make income on have little work so fitting this in will be easy. I just hope I can remember to show up each day.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
6 Aug 15
It's great to have a site where we can pop in and out and earn a few pennies as we relax.
• Melbourne, Australia
5 Aug 15
A great article and I can relate to searching around trying to find the best websites for writing. I also spent a lot of time on Bubblews and it was a great time but the amount of time I was spending there just didn't add up when it changed. These sites are great but we all need an income. Happy writing.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
When I first returned to Bubblews it appeared earnings were on the way up again. They they just stopped for almost two weeks while I was writing and posting. The tough thing is that you never quite get answers to certain questions about earnings. One I've not been able to get answered to my satisfaction is whether they still pay for views on old posts. For a while they didn't. I don't know if they do now or not.
1 person likes this
@eliabu (34)
• United States
6 Aug 15
This is the best place to spend your time, share ideas, knowledge etc
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
7 Aug 15
It's certainly more profitable than a lot of other places.
@sofssu (23662)
12 Aug 15
Thist is a fair summary of your E journey. I have been in almost all these sites just to see them fail one after the other .I wonder if my decision to go back to Bubblews was any good. I was hoping to see things turn around, earning wise but nothing seems to be happening.I am just hoping that Mylot will do better than Bubblews.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111154)
• El Paso, Texas
31 Aug 19
Mylot is a heck of a lot more fun than any of the ones mentioned although I still miss Gather.
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
5 Aug 15
Wow, I didn't realize so many have popped up, though I am a member at a few that you mentioned.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
5 Aug 15
Seems myLot is here to stay and this happens when anything gets back a second time. I think most of us have gone through what you have experienced.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Aug 15
I'm not sure that making a comeback means something will stay. Take a look at Gather today. It came back totally different. But we can hope this version of myLot will stay.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Aug 15
I already made my decision. I was getting much interaction on Bubblews or personapaper, so I only sign in once a day if I have time, but the rest of the time I will be here..
1 person likes this
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
5 Aug 15
Cool post Bagarad. What sites are you currently using that generate revenue? What sites do you find are worth using? Thanks! -Zero
1 person likes this