Success Story - Casting the Net for money; From hobby to a steady 5-figures
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/N...cle/index_html
Quote:
2007/05/11
Spotlight :Casting the Net for money
Samsul Zamzuri Abu Bakar, who works up to 12 hours a day on his laptop, has a monthly five-figure salary.
KUALA LUMPUR: Fed up with day jobs and measly pay, a small but rising number of people have become full-time Internet entrepreneurs, some raking in five-figure salaries, often in the comfort of their living rooms.
A popular Internet income generator is through the sale of advertisement space in websites and blogs. Others sell anything from e-books to software, either authored themselves, or through an affiliate programme.
There are no statistics on the number of Malaysians who have gone full-time into online money-making ventures, although anecdotal evidence suggests more are doing so.
However, before Malaysians start jumping on the Internet income bandwagon, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has a word of caution: Beware of online scams.
"Surfers should not fall for get-rich-quick scams that are aplenty online. MCMC continuously monitors and acts on them," said a spokesman from the regulatory body from the communications and multimedia industry.
But for those who have struck gold online, the returns are generous, not only in terms of pay.
Most work from home, which means they do not have bosses breathing down their necks, don’t have to get stuck in traffic jams and can spend more time with their families.
Liew Cheon Fong, who runs a technology blog (www.liewcf.com), claimed he was the first Malaysian to go into blogging full-time in 2005 in what started out as a hobby to share computing tips with friends.
The Kluang-based 27-year-old computer science degree-holder posts a few entries in his blog daily. He needs to keep his entries interesting to attract web traffic, failing which his income could dip.
One of his sources of income is Google Adsense, an online advertisement programme run by Internet giant Google. Liew gets paid whenever visitors click on advertisements placed on his blog.
Website operators who sign up with Google Adsense display advertisements related to their websites. For example, a blog on pets may feature ads on dog shampoo or pet grooming services.
Often, revenue generated online is in US dollars and credited into e-commerce facilities like PayPal. While Malaysians cannot withdraw money from PayPal accounts, many use them to make online purchases instead.
Unless you earn a monthly five-figure salary like Samsul Zamzuri Abu Bakar, 32, a Sungai Buloh-based Netpreneur (see accompanying story). He has opened an account with a United States bank which allows him to withdraw earnings credited into PayPal.
Then using his ATM card, he withdraws his money here.
But Samsul, who co-runs several blogs on gadgets like handphones and digital cameras, said many people have the misconception that entrepreneurs making money over the Internet involve "just working a few hours a day and spending the rest of the time watching their money roll in".
Samsul spends up to 12 hours in front of a computer, either liaising with his co-bloggers, marketing his blogs or simply surfing the Internet for ideas or to keep abreast with the latest developments in technology.
There are also drawbacks when your sole income is derived from such unconventional means. A common complaint is erratic income.
In Samsul’s case, revenue peaks during the Christmas and the US summer seasons when sales of technology items go up, while for the rest of the year, earnings can be slow.
Last June, Liew’s income was badly hit when Google dropped his blog’s ranking, resulting in a drastic reduction in the number of visitors to the site. Liew has since recovered after Google upgraded his ranking. Now, almost a quarter of a million visitors go to his blog per month.
Gobala Krishnan, 27, who sells e-books and software online, said it was more important to plan ahead and follow it through. Otherwise, his earnings would be affected in the long-run. He claimed to be making RM20,000 to RM30,000 per month.
How does one identify online cheats, especially since some of the operators are based overseas?
Krishnan offered his rule-of-thumb: "If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. Just like any business, Internet business takes capital, time and dedication."
|
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/N...085449/Article
Quote:
2007/05/11
From hobby to a steady five-figure income
Email to friend Email to Friend Print article Print Article
SAMSUL Zamzuri Abu Bakar, 32, gets puzzled looks whenever he tells people about his profession.
He blogs, but for most people, blogging is a hobby, not a job. The economics graduate also does marketing but his neighbours don’t see him leaving home smartly dressed to meet clients with briefcase in hand, like most marketers.
In fact, Samsul Zamzuri is often at his home in Sungai Buloh. He is one of a small but rising number of Malaysians who earns an income solely through the Internet.
It started off in 2003 as a hobby for the technology enthusiast, then working as an internal auditor. His first website offered free downloands of software allowing Windows-run computers to have a Apple Macintosh interface. Both are rival operating systems.
"After a while, my friend suggested I put up advertisements there. I signed up with Google Adsense and my first US$100 (RM350) cheque came six months later," said Samsul Zamzuri.
As he devoted more time online, traffic to his website soared — and so did his income.
By 2005, while earning about RM2,000 from his day job, Samsul Zamzuri was already chalking up between RM7,000 and RM8,000 in advertising fees from his stable of websites and blogs.
In August that year, he took the drastic decision of quitting his job to focus on his online ventures.
Now, he owns more than 15 websites and earns a five-figure salary. Some of the websites are on gadgets like handphones and digital cameras. He hires bloggers from countries like the United States, New Zealand and Ecuador.
Samsul Zamzuri bears the costs of running the websites and shares the profits with his partners. All his marketing (to get companies to advertise) is done online.
His top revenue earners are directory websites where companies pay to get listed, and are then ranked higher in search engine results.
His number two money-earner is his first website (www.osx-e.com), the one which got him hooked into online forays in the first place. Samsul Zamzuri claimed he had been offered up to US$20,000 for the website, but declined the bid for sentimental reasons.
His advice for those who want to follow in his footsteps?
"When you start, don’t think of making money first. Treat it like a hobby. Be patient and hard working. The rewards are sweet."
|
Liewcf's Blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewcf/493537610/
http://www.liewcf.com/blog/archives/...ney/#more-3088
Quote:
The interview I did with New Straits Times (NST) has been published in today’s newspaper on Page #12, “Casting the Net for money“.
NST Interview: Casting the Net for money
Image: NST: Casting the Net for money
The article interviewed three full-time Internet entrepreneurs in Malaysia: Samsul(Alang), Gobala and me(LiewCF). In the article, we share our stories and experiences of making money online.
Read the article online at here and here
Advice to make money online
“When you start, don’t think of making money first. Treat it like a hobby. Be patient and hard working. The rewards are sweet.”
Thanks, Alang. I totally agree. 
What you might not know behind the article
I was contacted by Mr. Chow for the interview first and it had been delayed for sometime. Chow asked me for recommendations of other Malaysian full-time Internet entrepreneurs. I gave him a list and apparently he picked Alang and Gobala.
Alang is my idol. He taught me a lot about Google AdSense. He was making $100 per day when I was still only $10 per day. Although Alang’s main income is not from blogging, he still inspired me a lot and has always been my target.
To your surprise, both Gobala and me are from Kluang, Johor - a small town in the middle of Johor. So, move to Kluang and your children will become Internet entrepreneurs too! :P
Gobala is a successful Internet Marketer as you can read in the article. He is making RM20K to RM30K per month. By the way, I haven’t met Gobala before.
I was told by Chow that he is leaving NST. Wish him luck in his new journey. No, he is not becoming Internet entrepreneurs after interviewing us. 
Read also:
- Kisah saya di NST (Alang)
- NST Internet Home Business Interviews (Gobala Krishnan)
P.S. Jenny How pointed out that www.liewcf.com is the only URL in the whole article. Strange.
|
|
13-05-2007, 12:48 AM
Wow. They are definitely admired.
Linear Mode
Similar Threads
