GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 29 - July 2014

e-mail account to sign up for some things suchas social networkingaccounts. How do youmanage your “to-do” lists? Do youuse any special software tohelp you out? My “to-do” list is a very basic system. Ihavea listof things that Ineed to doonadailybasis, anda list of “once-off” tasks that I need to complete by a specific date.Mydaily“to-do” list includes things like “reading the forums, answering e- mail, checking the statistical reports, etc.” My “once-off” tasksmight include things like “changing aWeb host or removing a non-converting sponsor.” I keep the lists on a Notepad file on my desktop, and workmywaydown the lists in systematic order everyday. How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drivemore traffic toyour sites? I tend to devotemore time toSEObecause Ibelieve that search engine traffic is more valu- able andmore targeted than socialmedia traffic. I prefer the visitor who foundmy site by typing a specific search term in a searchengine to thevisitorwho foundmy site by clicking on an eye-catching image, headlineor tweet that ispostedona social media site. I do promote my portals on social networking sites because they are important, if only togive theportalsmore exposure, but I do believe that search en- gine traffic is more valuable. However, having content is not something that shouldbeoverlooked if theaffiliatewants to generate more sales and encourage repeat visits. No amount of promotional work canmake a site successful if it lacks quality content. What’s the most difficult thing about running your sites? The most difficult thing would be keeping the sites up to date. If I only had one site, and I had to update something like a set of linking codes for a particular sponsor, then that would be no problem. However, this is not a simple request for affiliateswho are runningmultiple sites. What’s the best thing about running yoursites? I love the freedomofdeciding whom toworkwith, when towork, how often towork, andbeingmyownboss. What do you do to stay in shape – both physically and mentally? I enjoy run- ning and doing the occasional push-ups and sit-ups to stay in shape. I also enjoy spendingsomequiet timealoneeveryday or so, just to relaxand read abook. If someonewerevisitingyou, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see? In Canberra, the most prominent tourist attraction would have to be the Australian Parliament House, which is built on a 32 hectare site, has 4,500 rooms and is avery impressive structure. When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go? I take the family for a longdrive toanear- by city like Sydney and stay somewhere nice, likeDarlingHarbour, fora fewdays. However, I can never totally get away fromwork, because I can never stopmy- self fromcheckingone thingoranotheron myphoneor iPad. What’s your favorite vacation spot? Iwouldhave tosayPhuket,Thailand.The last time I took the family there,westayed in a holiday resort that was a one-minute walk fromPatongBeach.We all loved the island somuch thatwedidn’t reallywant to go home. The restaurants were great, the beaches were amazing, the shopping was very cheap and therewas somuch to see anddo. What’s your all-time favorite movie? I don’t have an all-time favorite movie. I generally lean toward comedy mov- ies starring Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, JimCarrey, Will Ferrell or OwenWilson. There’snothing likeagood laugh to letoff some stress, andbeat theblues of life. If you could inviteanyfivepeople, living ordead, todinner,whowould theybe? 1. ElvisPresley. I’ve always been anElvis fan andhavewatched all hismovies andheard all his songs. 2. Saint PadrePio.He’s avery famous 20th-century ItalianStigmatist priest whoperformedmanymiracles and hadmanymystical abilities. 3. BillGates. Iwould love to seeoneof his bank statements. Thatwouldbe an experience in itself. 4. JimCarrey.He’shilarious andwould be just as funny and entertainingoff camera ashe is on camera. 5.MileyCyrus. I’d like to askherwhat shewas thinkingduring someof her performances. Whatare three things thatnobodyknows aboutyou? 1. I purchased ahouseback in 2001 that turnedout tobehaunted. 2. Iwent bareback elephant riding in Thailand a fewyears ago. 3. Iwas a substitutehigh school teacher before I became a full-timegambling affiliate. 55 GPWA Affiliate Interview Series