Uncategorized

Harry Potters Reversal of Destiny

What if Harry Potters last chapter was totally flipped on its head. Here’s an alternate ending to get you thinking.

Chapter Nineteen: The Unforeseen Truth

The Great Hall was shrouded in an eerie silence as Harry, Hermione, and Ron made their way down the long tables. Shadows danced across the stone walls, lending an air of foreboding to the already tense atmosphere. Dumbledore stood at the head table, his tall figure illuminated by the flickering torches. His gaze was grave, his expression solemn, as he watched the trio approach.

“Please, everyone, take your seats,” Dumbledore’s voice resonated through the hall, breaking the heavy silence. The students complied, their eyes fixed on the trio with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

Harry exchanged a worried glance with Hermione and Ron as they took their places in front of Dumbledore. Something was amiss, and he feared what the headmaster was about to reveal.

“It is time,” Dumbledore began, his voice low and solemn, “for the truth to be revealed.” His words hung heavy in the air, anticipation crackling like static electricity.

The trio leaned in, their hearts pounding in anticipation of what was to come. What truth could Dumbledore possibly unveil that would leave the entire school in such a state of unease?

“Many years ago,” Dumbledore continued, his voice carrying the weight of centuries of history, “a prophecy was made. A prophecy that foretold of a child who would bring about the downfall of the Dark Lord. That child, as you all know, was believed to be Harry Potter.”

Gasps echoed through the Great Hall as Dumbledore’s words sank in. Harry felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. Was it possible that everything he had believed about his destiny was a lie?

“But what if I were to tell you,” Dumbledore continued, his voice steady but tinged with regret, “that the prophecy was misinterpreted? That the true Chosen One was not Harry Potter, but another.”

The trio exchanged stunned glances, their minds reeling with disbelief. If Harry wasn’t the Chosen One, then who was?

“It is time,” Dumbledore repeated, his voice echoing through the hall with a sense of urgency, “for the true Chosen One to step forward.”

All eyes turned to Dumbledore, waiting with bated breath for the revelation of the true hero who would save them all.

And then, from the shadows emerged a figure, his features obscured by the dim light. As he stepped forward, the torches flickered, casting eerie shadows across his face. It was none other than Draco Malfoy, his usually haughty demeanor replaced by a steely determination.

Gasps of shock rippled through the hall as the students struggled to comprehend the unexpected turn of events. Draco Malfoy, the boy they had all dismissed as a coward and a bully, was the true Chosen One?

Dumbledore’s gaze softened as he looked upon Draco with a mixture of pride and sorrow. “It is time,” he said, his voice filled with quiet resolve, “for the truth to be revealed. Draco Malfoy, you are the true Chosen One.”

Harry felt as though the ground had been pulled out from beneath him as he struggled to come to terms with the revelation. How could it be that his sworn enemy, the boy who had tormented him for years, was destined to defeat the Dark Lord?

But as he looked into Draco’s eyes, Harry saw a flicker of something he had never noticed before. It was a fire, a determination that burned brighter than any curse or hex. Perhaps, he realized, there was more to Draco Malfoy than met the eye.

With a solemn nod, Draco turned to face the assembled students, his voice steady and resolute as he addressed them for the first time as their true leader.

“My friends,” Draco began, his voice ringing out with a newfound sense of purpose, “the time has come for us to unite against the forces of darkness. Together, we shall vanquish the Dark Lord and restore peace to our world.”

Cheers erupted throughout the Great Hall as the students rallied behind their new leader, their faith in Draco Malfoy restored by the revelation of his true destiny.

And as Harry watched Draco stride confidently out of the Great Hall, his heart filled with a newfound sense of hope. Perhaps, he realized, the prophecy had not been wrong after all. Perhaps, in the end, it was not the circumstances of one’s birth that determined their fate, but the choices they made and the courage they showed in the face of adversity.

As Draco led the students out of the Great Hall, Harry felt a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him. He couldn’t shake off the disbelief that Draco Malfoy, of all people, was the true Chosen One. Yet, as he pondered the events of the past years, Harry couldn’t deny the glimpses he’d seen of Draco’s character, moments where his actions hinted at something more than mere arrogance and cruelty.

Hermione’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Harry, are you alright?” she asked, concern evident in her eyes.

Harry shook himself out of his reverie and forced a smile. “I’m fine, Hermione. Just trying to wrap my head around everything.”

Ron chimed in, his tone incredulous. “Draco Malfoy? The Chosen One? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

But Harry could see the gears turning in Ron’s mind, the realization dawning on him that perhaps there was more to their former nemesis than met the eye.

As they made their way through the corridors of Hogwarts, whispers followed in their wake. Students exchanged curious glances, their minds buzzing with questions and speculation about the revelation that had rocked the school to its core.

Outside, the sky had darkened, casting the grounds of Hogwarts in an eerie twilight. The Forbidden Forest loomed in the distance, its ancient trees whispering secrets of times long past.

Draco led them to the edge of the forest, his steps purposeful as he gazed into its depths. “This is where it begins,” he declared, his voice ringing out with determination.

Harry felt a shiver run down his spine as he followed Draco into the forest, the shadows closing in around them like a cloak of darkness. But he pushed aside his fears, focusing instead on the task ahead.

As they delved deeper into the forest, the air grew thick with magic, a tangible presence that seemed to pulse with every beat of Harry’s heart. Strange creatures lurked in the shadows, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

At last, they reached a clearing bathed in moonlight, a serene oasis amid the darkness of the forest. Draco turned to face them, his gaze unwavering.

“We must summon the Dark Lord,” he said, his voice low but resolute. “Only then can we confront him and fulfill our destiny.”

Harry felt a surge of apprehension at the thought of facing Voldemort once more, but he steeled himself, drawing strength from the unwavering resolve in Draco’s eyes.

Together, they formed a circle, their hands clasped tightly as they chanted the incantation that would summon the Dark Lord from the depths of his lair.

A gust of wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it a sense of impending doom. And then, he appeared, his form coalescing from the shadows like a specter of death.

Voldemort’s crimson eyes glinted with malice as he surveyed the group before him, his lip curling into a sneer of contempt. “What is this?” he hissed, his voice a serpent’s hiss. “Have you come to grovel at my feet, Draco Malfoy?”

But Draco stood tall, his gaze steady as he faced the Dark Lord without flinching. “I have come to fulfill my destiny,” he declared, his voice ringing out with a strength that echoed through the clearing.

Voldemort’s laughter filled the air, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Harry’s spine. “You, a mere boy, think you can challenge me?” he sneered, his eyes blazing with contempt.

But Draco remained undaunted, his resolve unshaken. “I am the true Chosen One,” he proclaimed, his voice echoing with power. “And I will not rest until you are vanquished and peace is restored to our world.”

With a flick of his wand, Voldemort unleashed a torrent of dark magic, the air crackling with malevolent energy. But Draco stood firm, his wand held aloft as he summoned the light of his own magic to meet the darkness head-on.

The two forces collided in a dazzling display of power, sparks flying as they clashed in a battle of wills that threatened to tear the very fabric of reality asunder.

But Draco held fast, his determination unwavering as he fought with all his strength and courage. And slowly, inexorably, the tide began to turn.

With a final surge of power, Draco unleashed a blast of pure magic that engulfed Voldemort in a blinding flash of light. And then, he was gone, his form dissipating into nothingness as the echoes of his laughter faded into the night.

The clearing fell silent, the air heavy with the weight of what had just transpired. But amidst the darkness, a glimmer of light shone bright, a beacon of hope that illuminated the path ahead.

Harry looked to Draco, his eyes filled with newfound respect and admiration. “You did it,” he said, his voice filled with awe.

Draco smiled, a weary but triumphant expression crossing his features. “We did it,” he corrected, his gaze sweeping over his friends with a sense of pride.

And as they stood together in the clearing, bathed in the light of their victory, Harry knew that no matter what trials lay ahead, they would face them together, united in their quest for justice and truth.

For they were not just friends, but warriors bound by destiny, destined to shape the future of their world for generations to come.

As the echoes of their victory reverberated through the clearing, a sense of peace settled over the group. The darkness that had once loomed over Hogwarts had been vanquished, replaced by the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

Draco turned to Harry, his eyes filled with a newfound sense of camaraderie. “Thank you,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity. “For believing in me, even when no one else did.”

Harry returned Draco’s smile, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. “We’re in this together,” he replied, his voice filled with conviction. “No matter what.”

Hermione and Ron joined them, their faces alight with relief and gratitude. Together, they had faced the greatest challenge of their lives and emerged victorious, their bond stronger than ever before.

But as they prepared to return to Hogwarts, a voice called out from the shadows, stopping them in their tracks.

It was Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with pride as he stepped forward to address the group. “You have done what few thought possible,” he said, his voice ringing out with warmth and admiration. “You have brought hope to our world in its darkest hour.”

The group exchanged grateful glances, their hearts swelling with pride at the headmaster’s words.

“But remember,” Dumbledore continued, his gaze sweeping over the clearing with a sense of gravity. “With great power comes great responsibility. The fight against darkness is never truly over. It is up to each and every one of us to protect the light and uphold the values that define us as wizards and witches.”

His words struck a chord deep within Harry’s heart, reminding him of the weight of the responsibility that came with their newfound victory.

Together, they returned to Hogwarts, their heads held high and their spirits lifted by the knowledge that they had faced their fears and emerged stronger than ever before.

As they walked through the castle corridors, students cheered and applauded, their voices ringing out in celebration of their heroes’ triumph.

But amidst the revelry, Harry couldn’t shake the feeling that their journey was far from over. The darkness may have been vanquished for now, but there were still battles to be fought and challenges to overcome.

And as he looked to his friends, their faces radiant with joy and determination, Harry knew that no matter what the future held, they would face it together, united in their quest for justice and truth.

For they were not just students of Hogwarts, but warriors bound by destiny, destined to shape the future of their world for generations to come.

And as they stood together in the heart of Hogwarts, bathed in the light of their victory, Harry felt a sense of hope swell within him, knowing that as long as they stood united, there was nothing they couldn’t achieve.

The End.

Harry Potter is copyright J R Rowlings. I made this without permission and I don’t know if it is legal or not to make something like this. I just hope it doesn’t piss anyone off.

50 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About “Stairway To Heaven”

Greetings, music aficionados and seekers of knowledge! Today, we embark on a journey through the timeless masterpiece that is “Stairway To Heaven.” Led Zeppelin’s magnum opus has enthralled listeners for generations, but beneath its iconic melody lies a tapestry of hidden gems and intriguing secrets. Prepare to be enlightened as we uncover 50 captivating facts about “Stairway To Heaven” that might just surprise you:

  1. Recorded in 1971: “Stairway To Heaven” was recorded in 1971 at Island Records’ Headley Grange studio in England, during the sessions for Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album, commonly known as “Led Zeppelin IV.”
  2. Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant: The songwriting credits for “Stairway To Heaven” go to guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant, the dynamic duo behind many of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits.
  3. Epic Length: Clocking in at over eight minutes long, “Stairway To Heaven” is an epic journey through various musical movements, ranging from gentle acoustic passages to thunderous rock crescendos.
  4. Opening Chords: The iconic opening chords of “Stairway To Heaven” are among the most recognizable in rock history, evoking a sense of mystery and anticipation with their descending progression.
  5. No Released Single: Surprisingly, “Stairway To Heaven” was never released as a single in the United States, yet it remains one of the most requested and played songs on classic rock radio stations.
  6. Lyric Interpretation: The cryptic lyrics of “Stairway To Heaven” have sparked endless debates and interpretations over the years, with theories ranging from spiritual allegory to references to occult practices.
  7. Allegations of Backmasking: Controversy arose in the 1980s when rumors spread that hidden messages were encoded in the song when played backward, leading to allegations of Satanic messages. However, the band denied any intentional use of backmasking.
  8. Live Performances: Led Zeppelin’s live performances of “Stairway To Heaven” were legendary, with extended improvisations and solos that showcased the band’s virtuosity and improvisational prowess.
  9. Concert Staple: “Stairway To Heaven” became a staple of Led Zeppelin’s live shows, often serving as the grand finale to their concerts and eliciting thunderous applause from adoring fans.
  10. The Song’s Structure: Structurally, “Stairway To Heaven” follows a distinct progression, starting softly with acoustic guitar and building to a powerful climax featuring electric guitar solos and soaring vocals.
  11. Jimmy Page’s Guitar Solo: Jimmy Page’s iconic guitar solo in “Stairway To Heaven” is hailed as one of the greatest in rock history, showcasing his technical mastery and innovative approach to the instrument.
  12. John Bonham’s Drumming: Drummer John Bonham’s thunderous drumming provides the backbone of “Stairway To Heaven,” driving the song forward with precision and power.
  13. John Paul Jones’s Bassline: Bassist John Paul Jones’s melodic bassline adds depth and richness to “Stairway To Heaven,” weaving seamlessly with Page’s guitar and Plant’s vocals.
  14. The Flute Interlude: A haunting flute interlude, performed by John Paul Jones, adds an ethereal quality to “Stairway To Heaven,” transporting listeners to otherworldly realms.
  15. Acoustic Section: The tranquil acoustic section of “Stairway To Heaven” provides a moment of respite amid the song’s dynamic shifts, allowing listeners to catch their breath before the climactic finale.
  16. References to Tolkien: The lyrics of “Stairway To Heaven” contain subtle references to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” with imagery evoking themes of journeying and transcendence.
  17. Influence of Folk Music: “Stairway To Heaven” draws inspiration from traditional folk music, incorporating elements of Celtic and English folk ballads into its musical tapestry.
  18. Inspired by “Taurus”: There have been claims that the opening riff of “Stairway To Heaven” was plagiarized from the instrumental track “Taurus” by the band Spirit. However, these claims have been disputed and remain contentious.
  19. Chart Success: Despite never being released as a single, “Stairway To Heaven” reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, propelled by its popularity on radio and its enduring appeal.
  20. Cultural Impact: “Stairway To Heaven” has left an indelible mark on popular culture, with references and homages appearing in films, television shows, and even video games.
  21. Controversial Awards: Although “Stairway To Heaven” was never officially released as a single, it received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year in 1973, igniting debates about its eligibility for the award.
  22. Legal Battles: Led Zeppelin has faced several legal challenges regarding the authorship of “Stairway To Heaven,” including accusations of copyright infringement. However, the band has successfully defended the song’s integrity in court.
  23. Cinematic Soundtrack: “Stairway To Heaven” has been featured in numerous films and soundtracks, enhancing dramatic moments and adding emotional depth to cinematic storytelling.
  24. Cover Versions: Countless artists have covered “Stairway To Heaven,” putting their own unique spin on the classic song and paying homage to Led Zeppelin’s enduring legacy.
  25. Digital Age Success: In the age of digital streaming, “Stairway To Heaven” continues to captivate audiences worldwide, with millions of streams and downloads across various online platforms.
  26. Legacy in Guitar Pedagogy: The guitar solo in “Stairway To Heaven” has become a rite of passage for aspiring guitarists, with countless students learning to play the iconic solo note for note.
  27. Adaptations in Other Genres: “Stairway To Heaven” has been adapted and reimagined in various musical genres, including jazz, classical, and even heavy metal, showcasing its versatility and enduring appeal.
  28. Symbol of Rock Ascendancy: As one of the most iconic songs in the rock canon, “Stairway To Heaven” symbolizes the pinnacle of rock music’s artistic and creative achievement, earning its place in the pantheon of musical greatness.
  29. Global Anthem: Across continents and cultures, “Stairway To Heaven” has transcended linguistic barriers to become a universal anthem of hope, longing, and spiritual exploration.
  30. Fan Interpretations: Fans have offered countless interpretations of “Stairway To Heaven,” analyzing its lyrics, dissecting its musical structure, and debating its meaning with fervent passion.
  31. Inspiration for Artists: “Stairway To Heaven” has inspired generations of musicians, songwriters, and performers, serving as a touchstone for creativity and artistic expression.
  32. Emotional Resonance: The emotional resonance of “Stairway To Heaven” lies in its ability to evoke a wide range of feelings, from nostalgia and introspection to awe and transcendence.
  33. Transcending Time and Space: Across decades and generations, “Stairway To Heaven” has transcended the constraints of time and space, resonating with listeners from all walks of life and captivating audiences around the globe with its timeless beauty and profound message. Its universal appeal knows no bounds, crossing cultural barriers and bridging generations to unite music lovers in a shared experience of awe and wonder.
  34. Cultural Immortality: “Stairway To Heaven” has achieved a level of cultural immortality, transcending time and space to resonate with listeners across generations. Its enduring popularity speaks to its timeless appeal and universal themes.
  35. Parodied and Referenced: The song’s iconic status has made it a frequent subject of parody and reference in popular culture, with comedians, television shows, and even advertisements putting their own humorous spin on its lyrics and melody.
  36. Iconic Guitar Riff: Jimmy Page’s opening guitar riff in “Stairway To Heaven” is universally recognized and revered, cementing its place as one of the greatest riffs in rock history and inspiring countless aspiring guitarists.
  37. Evolving Performances: Over the years, “Stairway To Heaven” has undergone various reinterpretations and performances, with artists adding their own unique touches and interpretations to the classic song.
  38. Synchronized Light Shows: The epic nature of “Stairway To Heaven” lends itself well to synchronized light shows and visual spectacles, enhancing the song’s impact and creating mesmerizing audiovisual experiences for audiences.
  39. Wedding Receptions: Despite its contemplative and introspective lyrics, “Stairway To Heaven” remains a popular choice for wedding receptions, with couples embracing its romanticism and timeless appeal for their first dance.
  40. Influence on Future Generations: Led Zeppelin’s groundbreaking work on “Stairway To Heaven” has had a profound influence on subsequent generations of musicians, shaping the landscape of rock music for decades to come.
  41. Top Song on Classic Rock Radio: “Stairway To Heaven” consistently ranks as one of the top songs played on classic rock radio stations, attesting to its enduring popularity and status as a staple of the genre.
  42. Epitome of Progressive Rock: As a quintessential example of progressive rock, “Stairway To Heaven” embodies the genre’s ethos of musical innovation, artistic experimentation, and thematic complexity.
  43. Live Concert Encores: The electrifying energy of “Stairway To Heaven” makes it a favorite choice for encores at live concerts, eliciting cheers and applause from audiences eager for one final musical journey.
  44. Cultural Milestone: “Stairway To Heaven” represents a cultural milestone in the evolution of rock music, marking a shift towards longer, more complex compositions that pushed the boundaries of traditional songwriting.
  45. Interpretive Dance Performances: The evocative imagery and emotive power of “Stairway To Heaven” have inspired interpretive dance performances, with dancers interpreting the song’s themes of ascension, transcendence, and spiritual awakening.
  46. Revival in Popularity: Despite being released over five decades ago, “Stairway To Heaven” continues to experience periodic revivals in popularity, with each new generation discovering and embracing its timeless appeal.
  47. Iconic Album Art: The album cover of “Led Zeppelin IV,” featuring a mystical hermit holding a lantern, has become synonymous with “Stairway To Heaven,” adding to the song’s mystique and allure.
  48. Epic Music Videos: While no official music video was made for “Stairway To Heaven,” fan-made videos and animated interpretations have proliferated online, offering visual accompaniments to the song’s ethereal beauty.
  49. Cinematic Soundscapes: “Stairway To Heaven” has been featured in numerous films, television shows, and commercials, its cinematic qualities lending themselves to dramatic storytelling and visual storytelling.
  50. Enduring Legacy: Ultimately, the enduring legacy of “Stairway To Heaven” lies in its ability to transcend the confines of time and space, touching the hearts and souls of listeners across generations and leaving an indelible mark on the annals of music history.

Conclusion: “Stairway To Heaven” stands as a towering monument to the power of music to inspire, uplift, and transcend the limitations of the human experience. Its ethereal beauty, timeless appeal, and universal themes have solidified its status as one of the greatest songs ever written, ensuring its place in the pantheon of musical greatness for generations to come. So the next time you find yourself lost in the mesmerizing melody of “Stairway To Heaven,” remember that you are embarking on a journey of spiritual ascension—an odyssey of the soul guided by the transformative power of music.

Yours in musical enlightenment, Anthony

50 ways to leave your lover

50 ways to leave your lover

1. Slip out the back, Jack.
2. Make a new plan, Stan.
3. Hop on the bus, Gus.
4. Set yourself free, Lee.
5. Change your name, Jane.
6. Hit the road, Toad.
7. Fly away, Ray.
8. Take a hike, Mike.
9. Drop off the key, Lee.
10. Pack your bags, Craig.
11. Go catch a train, Lane.
12. Leave a letter, Heather.
13. Change your address, Bess.
14. Join the Peace Corps, Doris.
15. Sail off to sea, Dee.
16. Get on a plane, Lane.
17. Take a long drive, Clive.
18. Move to Tibet, Bette.
19. Dance in the rain, Wayne.
20. Embrace your zen, Ben.
21. Start a new job, Rob.
22. Build a rocket, Pocket.
23. Join the circus, Cirrus.
24. Take a hot air balloon, June.
25. Walk off into the sunset, Brett.
26. Disappear into the night, Dwight.
27. Vanish into thin air, Claire.
28. Go live in a tree, Lee.
29. Learn to speak Swahili, Lily.
30. Take up skydiving, Irving.
31. Become a hermit, Kermit.
32. Escape to Mars, Lars.
33. Swim to a deserted island, Ireland.
34. Ride a motorcycle into the sunset, Brett.
35. Hide out in a cave, Dave.
36. Disguise yourself, Elise.
37. Find a wormhole, Nicole.
38. Hike the Appalachian Trail, Gale.
39. Stow away on a ship, Chip.
40. Learn to juggle chainsaws, Ross.
41. Join a monastery, Montgomery.
42. Take a solo road trip, Skip.
43. Hide in a secret bunker, Duncan.
44. Time travel to the future, Luther.
45. Disguise yourself as a penguin, Wren.
46. Become a ghost, Frost.
47. Become a secret agent, Sage.
48. Dig a tunnel to freedom, Liam.
49. Go on a solo safari, Raffi.
50. Find a time machine, Gene.

Chipotle Rewards – the fastest way to a free meal at Chipotle!

📲 Calling all Chipotle lovers! Before you take your next mouthwatering bite, we have a fantastic proposition for you: Click here to Install the Chipotle Rewards app on your mobile device, and we’ll unlock a whole world of benefits, exclusive offers, and incredible savings. Here’s why you should join the Chipotle Rewards program right away:

1️⃣ Earn Points, Earn Free Food: By simply enjoying your favorite Chipotle meals, you’ll earn valuable points with every purchase. As you accumulate points, you’ll reach exciting rewards milestones, such as free burritos, bowls, tacos, and more! Who can resist the allure of complimentary Chipotle deliciousness?

2️⃣ Skip the Line, Order Ahead: Imagine walking into your favorite Chipotle restaurant, bypassing the line of hungry customers, and finding your order ready and waiting for you. With our mobile app, you can easily order ahead, customize your meal to perfection, and have it prepared precisely the way you like it. No more waiting – just grab and go!

3️⃣ Exclusive Offers and Promotions: As a Chipotle Rewards member, you’ll gain access to exclusive deals and promotions that are reserved only for our loyal app users. From special discounts on new menu items to limited-time offers, you’ll always stay one step ahead when it comes to enjoying the best Chipotle has to offer.

4️⃣ Birthday Rewards: Celebrate your special day in style! As a Chipotle Rewards member, we’ll make your birthday even more memorable with a mouthwatering surprise. Because who doesn’t love free birthday treats?

5️⃣ Stay in the Loop: By installing the Chipotle Rewards app, you’ll be the first to know about exciting announcements, new menu additions, and events happening at Chipotle. We’ll keep you updated with the latest news, ensuring you never miss out on any exclusive opportunities.

6️⃣ Give Back: Join Chipotle in making a positive impact on the world! For every purchase you make as a Chipotle Rewards member, we’ll contribute to supporting various charitable initiatives. You can indulge in your favorite flavors while knowing you’re contributing to a greater cause.

Ready to embark on a flavor-filled journey with Chipotle Rewards? Installing our app is quick and easy – simply head to your mobile device’s app store, search for “Chipotle Rewards,” and follow the instructions to get started. Within minutes, you’ll unlock a world of culinary delights and benefits!

So, before you take that first bite of your next Chipotle masterpiece, don’t forget to equip yourself with the ultimate tool for Chipotle enthusiasts – the Chipotle Rewards app. Join today and elevate your dining experience to a whole new level!

🌮📲 Join Chipotle Rewards now and savor the rewards of flavor! 🎁🌯

Valvoline Oil Change 25% Off

When it comes to maintaining your vehicle’s performance and longevity, regular oil changes are a must. And now, you have the opportunity to experience the exceptional service of Valvoline at an unbeatable price. With a limited-time offer of 25% off on oil changes, there’s no better time to give your vehicle the care it deserves.

Drop by this site here for all the details at living social.

Valvoline’s Expertise and Professionalism At Valvoline, your vehicle is in the hands of trained technicians who excel in their craft. With years of experience and a dedication to professionalism, Valvoline ensures that your oil change is performed with precision and care. You can trust their expertise to keep your engine running smoothly.

Quality Products for Superior Performance Valvoline is renowned for its top-quality motor oils and lubricants. Engineered to exceed industry standards, their products deliver optimal performance, improved fuel efficiency, and extended engine life. By choosing Valvoline, you’re investing in the long-term health of your vehicle.

Comprehensive Services and Inspections Beyond a simple oil change, Valvoline offers a range of additional services to keep your vehicle in top condition. During your visit, their technicians will perform essential inspections, fluid top-offs, and tire pressure checks. This comprehensive approach ensures that potential issues are identified early, saving you from costly repairs down the road.

Exclusive 25% Off Discount Offer Valvoline values its customers and wants to make vehicle maintenance more affordable. For a limited time, you can enjoy a generous 25% off discount on Valvoline oil changes. This exclusive offer allows you to save while receiving top-notch service from a trusted brand.

Customer Testimonials and Satisfaction Don’t just take our word for it – hear from satisfied Valvoline customers. They have experienced firsthand the quality of service and attention to detail that sets Valvoline apart. These testimonials speak volumes about the level of customer satisfaction and the trust customers place in Valvoline. You can see the testimonials here.

Easy Appointment Booking and Convenient Locations Valvoline understands the value of your time. That’s why they make it easy to book an appointment at a nearby service center in Portland. With multiple locations, you can find a convenient spot to get your oil change without hassle or delay.

Conclusion: Valvoline is your go-to destination for exceptional oil change services. With their unmatched expertise, quality products, comprehensive inspections, and the exclusive 25% off discount offer, Valvoline stands out as the best choice for maintaining your vehicle’s performance and saving on essential maintenance. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity – book your appointment today and experience the Valvoline difference.

Precision Tune Auto Care 57% off Discount Oil change

The oil change deal can be found here on living social.

Precision Tune Auto Care is an automotive service company that offers a wide range of maintenance and repair services for vehicles. With a location at 6920 Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard #C in Vancouver, it provides convenient access for customers in the area.

Precision Tune Auto Care is known for its expertise in maintaining and servicing vehicles to keep them running smoothly and efficiently. They offer services such as oil changes, brake inspections and repairs, tire rotations, engine diagnostics, and general vehicle inspections. Their skilled technicians are trained to work on various car makes and models, ensuring that customers receive quality service tailored to their specific vehicles.

In addition to routine maintenance, Precision Tune Auto Care also handles more extensive repairs, including engine repairs, transmission repairs, electrical system diagnostics, and other major automotive issues. Their goal is to provide reliable and efficient solutions to keep vehicles in optimal condition.

As a reputable auto care provider, Precision Tune Auto Care focuses on customer satisfaction. They strive to deliver exceptional service, transparent communication, and fair pricing to ensure that customers feel confident and well taken care of. Whether it’s a routine check-up or a complex repair, Precision Tune Auto Care aims to provide reliable and trustworthy automotive solutions.

Ignite Your Vehicle’s Performance with Expert Oil Change Services

Are you ready to unleash the true potential of your vehicle? Look no further than Precision Tune Auto Care for your next oil change in Portland and Vancouver. Our team of skilled technicians stands ready to ignite your engine’s performance and keep it running at its peak. Visit us today at [address] and experience the precision that sets us apart.

Section 1: Precision Oil Changes in Portland and Vancouver At Precision Tune Auto Care, we understand that your vehicle deserves nothing but the best. That’s why we offer precision oil changes in both Portland and Vancouver. Our expert technicians have mastered the art of oil change, ensuring that every drop of oil brings out the true power and efficiency of your engine.

Section 2: Addressing Your Engine’s Needs Your engine craves the nourishment of clean, high-quality oil. Neglecting regular oil changes can lead to a sluggish performance and increased wear and tear. But fear not! Precision Tune Auto Care, located at [address], is here to address your engine’s needs and restore its vigor.

Section 3: Unleash the Power Within Imagine your vehicle roaring with power, effortlessly conquering every road. With our precision oil change services, we unlock the hidden potential within your engine. Say goodbye to sluggishness and embrace the smoothness and responsiveness that come with a fresh oil change.

Section 4: Unmatched Expertise and Reliability At Precision Tune Auto Care, our technicians are not just mechanics; they are engine whisperers. Their unmatched expertise and attention to detail ensure that each oil change is performed to perfection. With us, you can rest easy, knowing that your vehicle is in the hands of professionals who prioritize precision and reliability.

Section 5: Convenient Locations in Portland and Vancouver We understand that time is of the essence, which is why we strategically positioned our Precision Tune Auto Care center at [address] for your convenience. Whether you reside in the bustling streets of Portland or the vibrant neighborhoods of Vancouver, our location ensures that top-quality oil changes are just around the corner.

Section 6: Unleash Your Vehicle’s Potential Today Don’t let your vehicle settle for mediocrity. Unleash its true potential with an oil change at Precision Tune Auto Care. We are not just an auto care center; we are the guardians of your engine’s power. Book your appointment now and experience the precision that will revolutionize your driving experience.

Closing: Precision Tune Auto Care invites you to join the league of drivers who refuse to settle for anything less than peak performance. Fuel your vehicle with the power of a precision oil change in Portland and Vancouver. Visit us at 6920 Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard #C, Vancouver18.7 mi and embark on a journey where every drop of oil counts. Your vehicle deserves the precision and expertise that only Precision Tune Auto Care can deliver.

Making Money on YouTube: A Comprehensive Guide

Description

Discover effective strategies for monetizing your YouTube channel in our comprehensive guide on making money through YouTube. Learn how to optimize your content, engage your audience, and turn your passion into a profitable venture. Start your journey towards YouTube success today!

I. Joining the YouTube Partner Program

A. Meeting eligibility requirements: To start monetizing your YouTube channel, you need to meet certain criteria set by YouTube. These requirements typically include having at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months.

B. Applying for the YouTube Partner Program: Once you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program. This program allows you to monetize your videos and access various monetization features.

C. Understanding the monetization policies: Familiarize yourself with YouTube’s monetization policies to ensure compliance. Adhere to their guidelines regarding content suitability and copyright infringement.

II. Creating Engaging and High-Quality Content

A. Identifying your target audience and niche: Define your target audience and understand their preferences. Identify a niche that aligns with your expertise and passion to establish a dedicated following.

B. Developing a content strategy and consistent posting schedule: Craft a well-thought-out content strategy that focuses on providing value to your viewers. Plan your content in advance and maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged.

C. Leveraging storytelling techniques to captivate viewers: Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect with your audience. Incorporate compelling narratives, personal anecdotes, and emotional hooks to make your content more captivating and memorable.

III. Optimizing Your Videos and Channel for Discoverability

A. Keyword research and incorporating relevant keywords: Conduct thorough keyword research to understand what your target audience is searching for. Use these keywords strategically in your video titles, descriptions, tags, and captions.

B. Crafting attention-grabbing titles and thumbnails: Create enticing video titles that pique curiosity and accurately represent the content. Design eye-catching thumbnails that compel viewers to click on your videos.

C. Writing compelling video descriptions and tags: Craft informative and keyword-rich video descriptions that provide context to your content. Utilize relevant tags to improve search visibility and ensure your videos reach the right audience.

IV. Monetizing Your Channel with Ad Revenue

A. Enabling monetization on your YouTube channel: Once accepted into the YouTube Partner Program, enable monetization in your channel settings. This will allow YouTube to display ads on your videos.

B. Understanding different types of ads and ad formats: Familiarize yourself with the various ad formats, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and overlay ads. Understand how each format impacts user experience and revenue potential.

C. Maximizing ad revenue through viewer engagement and retention: Focus on creating engaging content that keeps viewers on your videos for longer durations. Higher watch times and increased engagement contribute to higher ad revenue potential.

V. Exploring Alternative Revenue Streams

A. Leveraging channel memberships and exclusive perks: Consider offering channel memberships, where viewers can pay a monthly fee for exclusive perks such as badges, emojis, and access to members-only content.

B. Showcasing merchandise and utilizing the merchandise shelf: Create and promote branded merchandise to your audience. Utilize YouTube’s merchandise shelf feature to showcase and sell your products directly on your channel.

C. Collaborating with brands and sponsored content opportunities: Forge partnerships with relevant brands for sponsored content opportunities. Collaborate on product reviews, sponsored videos, or brand integrations to earn income through brand partnerships.

VI. Utilizing Affiliate Marketing on YouTube

A. Selecting relevant affiliate products or services: Identify affiliate products or services that align with your channel’s niche and audience interests. Promote products you genuinely believe in to maintain trust with your viewers.

B. Incorporating affiliate links and disclosures in video descriptions: Include affiliate links in your video descriptions to direct viewers to the products or services you’re promoting. Ensure compliance with FTC guidelines by disclosing affiliate relationships.

C. Optimizing affiliate promotions to drive conversions: Craft persuasive and authentic recommendations for the affiliate products. Highlight the benefits and provide valuable insights to encourage viewers to make a purchase through your affiliate links.

VII. Building a Strong and Engaged Community

A. Engaging with your audience through comments and interactions: Respond to viewer comments, questions, and feedback to foster a sense of community and build a loyal audience. Encourage discussions and create a welcoming environment for your viewers.

B. Encouraging likes, shares, and subscriptions: Remind your viewers to engage with your content by liking, sharing, and subscribing to your channel. Call-to-action overlays and end screens can prompt viewers to take these actions.

C. Utilizing social media and cross-promotion strategies: Leverage social media platforms to expand your reach and promote your YouTube channel. Cross-promote your content across different platforms to attract new viewers and subscribers.

VIII. Analytics and Performance Tracking

A. Utilizing YouTube Analytics to gain insights into your channel: Dive into YouTube Analytics to understand key metrics such as watch time, audience demographics, and engagement data. Use these insights to optimize your content strategy.

B. Analyzing viewer demographics and engagement metrics: Identify your audience’s demographics, including age, gender, and geographical location. Analyze engagement metrics like average view duration, likes, and shares to gauge audience response.

C. Adjusting your content strategy based on performance data: Continuously analyze and interpret performance data to identify patterns and trends. Adjust your content strategy accordingly to capitalize on successful elements and improve underperforming areas.

IX. Continued Growth and Adaptation

A. Staying up-to-date with YouTube’s policies and algorithm changes: Stay informed about YouTube’s policies, terms of service, and algorithm updates. Adapt your content strategy to align with the evolving platform guidelines.

B. Experimenting with new video formats and trends: Embrace experimentation by trying out new video formats, styles, and trends. Stay innovative and adapt to the changing preferences of your audience.

C. Engaging in continuous learning and improvement: Invest time in learning from industry experts, attending conferences, and seeking educational resources to enhance your skills as a content creator. Embrace a growth mindset and consistently strive for improvement.

Conclusion

Making money through YouTube requires dedication, passion, and a strategic approach. By consistently creating high-quality content, optimizing for discoverability, diversifying revenue streams, and building a loyal community, you can unlock the potential of YouTube as a source of income. Embrace the opportunities, stay committed, and enjoy the journey of sharing your talents with the world while earning a living from your YouTube channel.

What is important, if you just want to make money online?

Not being sure what to write about, after starting my blog, I decided to share in the technical issues that have blocked my way, as I try to make money online.

However today this idea crept into my head as I walked my dog,

“Is tech where my attention should be?
I mean WHAT is it that actually makes the money?

So I decided to make a mind map of all the things that I thought might be important, and this came out.

But what I really want to know is., what do I do next? Where do I need to apply my time and energy and what can I let go?

I actually cant see anything here that I’d be able to just ignore. At some point I’m going to have to skill up and / or address every one of them.

So three main areas seem to stand out. Marketing, Technical and Product.

But something seems a bit off here where is my attention actually going?
Now I find myself spending lots of time solving tech issues and working out HOW to do things, but no time at all sourcing products or marketing anything.

I realize, I’m not actually marketing to anyone, and I don’t actually have a product. I have a vague idea that I will be some kind of affiliate marketer. But of what product and to who?

So I made another mind map and tried to consolidate, and this came out.

  • Who is the ideal customer?
  • Where do they hang out?
  • How can I reach them, in terms of messages and locations?
  • What problems do they have that I can solve?
  • If those solutions exist as products, then how can I add value to them?

Only when I can answer the questions above do I begin to need to solve the technical question of…

How can I Deliver and Support?

Then I wondered, “is this all just a bunch of fluff?”. You know like the garbage that sells books by the droves by well meaning gurus.

Well I don’t know, but it seems like a good idea at this point to find a customer with a problem I can solve, define it well, and maybe then things will fall in place.

So what do I think is important?

Find and Define a Customer, the problem and the solutions.

Then you can build a list

Yeah yeah that’s awesome.. … so back to Operation Procrastination.

See you tomorrow.

12 Tips for Multiple Self Hosted WordPress Sites on one Server.

In this article I go over 12 considerations for setting up multiple sites running WordPress, on a single self hosted server. I look at what kinds of hosting options you have and how you can reduce your monthly costs to less than $1 per site. Briefly I cover the architecture needed to support multiple domains, without being nickle and dimed to death. Then I look at how to protect yourself against attack, shutdowns by your host and expensive bandwidth costs.

1. Overall System Design for multiple self hosted WordPress sites.
When I began my blogging adventure the first problem I wanted to solve was, "How do I spawn lots of different WordPress sites, quickly and easily, without spending a whole lot of money?". And by that I mean, next to nothing but my time and energy. But I also had another Legacy Software problem. I was running 3 servers at the time, and wanted to consolidate, to save money, so I was going to have to support several different versions of PHP and Mysql.

I had a total of 32 sites that needed a home, with many different types of apps and software.

The goal was to be able to spawn as many sites as I could imagine, surely that's a good thing, right?

How much time does it take?
Starting from scratch with a little prior experience and barely a clue about the new tech. It took about 2 weeks and 4 hours per day, to get up to speed. So maybe 80-100 hours setup time. You might do it quicker, but I had to set up 32 live sites and make sure their plugins and server features were all working.

So here's how I solved the hosting problem.
The ultimate solution for me was to use Docker with Nginx-Proxy on the front end. With the right container setup you can mimic any environment. But more importantly I could consolidate multiple databases and architectures into a single machine. This allowed 2 versions of PHP and 2 versions of Mysql to co-exist. That allowed older WordPress sites to reside with newer wordpress sites, so I could upgrade them when I had the time to.

Self hosted server configuration using docker for multiple WordPress sites.

So this is a general map of how I handled the problem.

The main server is a collection of docker containers which hold.

  •  Nginx-proxy
  • 2 Flavors of PHP
    - PHP 5.2
    - PHP 7.4
  • 3 mysql Databases
    - 1 x mysql5.5
    - 2 x mysql5.7
  • 32 domains
    - multiple WordPress sites
    - several legacy PHP sites
    - several other types of apps

On the main host are several utilities for managing 

  • SSL renewal automation
  • Automated New Site Creation
  • Anonymous proxy
  • Auto backups
  • Firewall
  • DDOS and exploit protection
  • Updating and maintenance

Advantages of this set up
These tools and scripts give us the ability to spin up new WordPress sites in a matter of seconds, including all the SSL cert setups, and database setup, Apache, Docker and Nginx setups.

Offsite, there are bandwidth reduction strategies like Cloudflare proxying

We reserve the option to move the databases off server.

I moved the mail server off to another machine. So I'll talk about that elsewhere.
We use a combination of Amazon SES, a private mail server and Google Gmail to reduce auto-responder expenses to about $5 per month + 10c per 1000 emails. Google provides spam filtering, while Amazon provides cost effective bulk mailing to lists.

2. Minimum Hardware Requirements as related to price.
Docker requires at least a 4GB system, and when you're dealing with virtual hosts, the 4GB, 2CPU, 80GB SSD with about 3TB-4TB of bandwidth is a standard for $20 per month.

That's good for up to about 100k visitors per day (3 million per month), PROVIDED you can keep your average page load under 1mb per page. To do that, we can employ the help of FREE Cloudflare proxying, and keep auto streaming videos OFF our landing pages.

The mail server only needed a $5 server with 1GB Ram and 1 vCPU. Just make sure you get your swap file setup, because they're not always present on a virtual host. If you dont have a good swap file setup, you can easily crash when you run out of memory.

3. What type of Self Hosting should I use, Shared, Virtual, Dedicated?
Dedicated  Hosting Services
So by Dedicated I mean a physical bare metal server machine sitting in a facility somewhere with disk drives and all your hardware in a box. Then there's virtual, on cloud infrastructure hardware of many flavors. In both cases you can have shared resources or private, dedicated is more commonly private.

Shared Hosting Services
With shared services you're going to have hundreds if not thousands of other people taking up resources on that server with you. It only takes one clueless person and you're all in trouble. You can get by here, but you can very easily be disappointed.

Private Hosting services
are going to give you less headaches if you should have any kind of success or if you are developing and experimenting. Shared resources are going to be much cheaper, but if you do anything that resembles the stress of success, you're going to be strangled and squashed and forced to upgrade.

Virtual Hosting Services
Now I chose to start with Virtual hosting, again because I'm just not big enough yet. It gets down to how much traffic you think you'll be throwing at your sites, and that's because of the potential for bandwidth overage to run your bills up. Most virtual hosting services give you a quota, and then charge around 1c per GB on overage,  Heads up though with Amazon AWS, they will charge you 9c per GB so that could get insane. This I found out, AFTER I had everything set up on AWS.. oh dear :(. So if you are on Amazon, you are going to have to keep your finger on the pulse of that one.

4. Which hosting company should I go with...
So I started out by checking out the big virtual hosts,
 DigitalOcean,

 Amazon LightSail,
 Linode, 
 Upcloud,
 Vultr,
 and even  ArubaIT, (cheap for EU)
 Kamatera, (worth checking out)
 Hetzner (check their auction)
 and Rackspace (no longer the bargain basement).
 I also checked out SSDhosts (Which I hate to mention because they look terribly scammy - seriously avoid that one).
 And the last but most impressive place I looked was PhoenixNap,
 which, if you're going for dedicated servers and not virtual, looks the best of them all in terms of bandwidth AND memory, AND processing power AND distribution.


At $20 per month, does it even matter which hosting company?
What I concluded after days of research was that if price was the issue, then it didn't really matter who I went with. Even with 32 sites, I just wasn't going to be big enough at first to have to worry about problems of scale. That's because my daily traffic was still under 3000 visitors per day and the price and performance of 4GB virtual machines, are all about the same.  That's about $20/month. Any cheaper and there would be business affecting trade offs for sure.

So for these reasons I chose to start and stay with Amazon AWS on Lightsail, even though I think all the other virtual hosts are a little more competitive.

5. Does server Location matter? Where should I host? 
So you want fast load times and fast responses. An important part of that is distance that your electrical signals travel through the internet to your actual customer. This often gives the measurement of round ping times, a measure of latency between your server and a client location. From USA to USA this is often under 50ms, but USA to Australia or Asia or even Europe and you can have 250ms round trips or worse. Basically for those who want fast responsive websites, every millisecond counts. 

Cloudflare to the rescue again.
Cloudflare is a DNS service, with some extra features, like proxy and cache. This can be great for hiding your IP and lowering your bandwidth. But they can also give you a distributed edge by serving your Euro or Asian content from servers in USA to US residents. This can give you the advantage of low cost offshore hosting, with a US presence. Does it actually work like that? I'm not sure actually, but that's the idea. Best thing is, the price is free and the DNS servers are very fast and easy to deal with.

Cloudflare simplifies SSL certification registration and renewal.
Cloudflare also have some very easy to set up SSL scripts that work with letsencrypt, so you can automate your certificate renewal. I was able to set these up in minutes and create a simple script to place my keys and certs where nginx-proxy can handle them.

My location consideration example...
I wanted to target US markets, so really I want a server in the middle of USA, maybe Dallas, possibly Phoenix, but I don't really want to be stuck in a corner of the country, Miami, LA, NY, Seattle, Chicago. All along the top of USA is very congested, and the corners just have terrible ping times. The big data centers however, they go where the electricity is cheap, like along the Columbia River in Oregon where they have wind and water turbines. But from this location you're kind of far away from EVERYONE. So ping and round trip latency wont be the best. But it's cheap!

Many of those competitive virtual hosts (DigialOcean, Linode, Vultr) are in places like Singapore. And you think ping time and latency is bad from Oregon? LOL. ArubIT is in Italy, and SUPER cheap which is great for hitting Europe, but what about L.A?  Same deal with Hetzner, great for Europe. 

6. What bandwidth requirements do I have, should I worry about overage?
Now I started to worry about bandwidth,  so went into my logs and records and found that because I wasn't streaming videos or mpgs or big files, and just serving images and static pages, plus I cached pages through Cloudflare, I didn't even burn .05TB (terrabyte) per month.

If your average page load is about 1mb, you're going to burn 1GB per 1000 visitors and 1TB per million visitors and with the average plans we're going to consider we will have 3TB-4TB up our sleeves. 

What does all that mean? Well, if you can keep your average page load under 1mb, then you're good for up to around 100,000 visitors per day. That means without caching or anything you'll come in under 3TB. Now add in a proxy service like Cloudflare and the simplest load balancing techniques (like round robin on your images and videos) and you won't need to worry about keeping out of trouble.

So this is why I say..  "If you're starting out, just go virtual, with a plan to switch to dedicated servers when you start hitting say 25,000 - 50,000 unique visitors per day.  That'll keep your budget down around $20 per month, until you're ready to crank it up. "

7. what is the best WordPress self hosting plan when starting out? 

"Short Version: If starting out low volume, just go Virtual then switch to dedicated later."

Well for the money, dedicated are way more more powerful than virtual, but they're less flexible and they really have a $100/m minimum entry fee. Virtual give you the ability to expand and contract instantly to meet demands, but that's an expansion strategy you can also keep up your sleeve for later. Like say if you had a big live event and needed to stream, you could spawn virtual machines to handle it but keep your main processing back on your main server.

Phoenix Nap looks the ultimate hosting choice, if you're established.
This is where I found the relatively unheard of, PhoenixNap to be the best, for several reasons. 
  1. They're super webmaster friendly. Almost unheard of in mainstream, but they're a top 10 player in the mega high traffic realm of the adult entertainment sector, because they're related to CCBill. So they wont go Nazi on you if you actually try to put their systems to work. (Like virtual shared hosts will).
  2. Great prices and deals on dedicated servers.
  3. Great 15TB base bandwidth quotas.
  4. Only 0.0035c per GB on bandwidth. 1/3rd the cost of the average.

The catch with PhoenixNap, is that while you can get a cheap server around $40, such a machine is no good for our purposes until around $100 per month. Unless you only need the server to host images and don't need CPU.

At that price you start dealing with NVMe drives and compute benchmarks over 12,000 with 6+ core CPU's. That's pretty much 3x-6x the power and bandwidth that you'll get at any of these other hosting companies.
But again, when you're starting out, you don't need all that, so wait until you've hit 25,000 unique visitors per day.

Disclaimer: I'm not associated with PhonenixNap nor do I get anything for referring you, I've just been a long time customer of these guys. For over 10 years, and they're a seriously solid operation.

Here's their link and why PhoenixNap are awesome.
https://admin.phoenixnap.com/wap-pncpadmin-shell/orderForm?bmbPath=/order-management/order-form?currencyCode=usd

Check the current deal on an E-2186G with 32GB ram and a 480GB SSD for $90/month.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E-2186G+%40+3.80GHz&id=3346
That's a 6 core CPU running at 13.5k benchmarks.

This deal also comes with a standard 15TB transfer with 0.0035c overage.

Now compare that to any of the big virtual hosts or Amazon Lightsail. They're not even close.

However, once again, here's the problem... If you're just starting out, there's no way you're going to need to service 300,000 visitors per day. So you just don't need that kind of horsepower.

8. How can I lower bandwidth bills if I need to?

Bandwidth TIP #1: You can cut them down to about 1/3rd of average, just by going with this host...

So 1c per GB is $10 per GB. But here's another reason why PhoenixNap crushes. They only charge .0035c per GB on the overage! OMG! After dealing with AWS, that's awesome. The big adult companies use them to push sites that serve up millions of images and videos per day.

The problem with PhoneixNap Virtual services are that they've just announced (in July 2020) they're getting out of virtual hosting. So you can only use dedicated servers with those guys. 

That's not too bad a thing though, you can set a cheap dedicated server up to only serve images, with no PHP or anything and load balance through them. Its worth exploring if you're getting big enough that bandwidth cost is your problem. You can get a $100/m server with a 15TB allowance and 0.0035c overage per GB. Try doing that at the big 1c/GB virtual hosts like DigitalOcean, LightSail, Linode, Upcloud, Vultr, and even ArubaIT, Kamatera or Hetzner.

"I'll talk about load balancing and proxying to save money on bandwidth in another article, but it's an easy problem to bring bandwidth down, by just putting your images on another server away from your PHP, you can reduce your loads by 80%-90% easily."

Bandwidth Tip #2: Don't host your own videos at first, to keep within a budget.
If you want to add video streaming off your server though, you'll need to pay attention to the average size of file, and length of views, Take those numbers and work out an average load transfer per month, you can quite easily bust your quota's with video. If you're lucky Cloudflare might cache it for you, but I wouldn't count on it, its more likely they're going to cache HTML and javascript like a virtual CDN. I just cant imagine them taking on the load of your videos if you start pushing 25000 visits per day. Youtube will though, so just embed your videos from their servers instead.

9. How do I know which hosting service is more powerful?
Most hosting services seem to like giving you worthless metrics like vCPU cores, Storage and RAM. I like to use benchmarks on the CPU's themselves from Passmark and places like that. Amazon AWS for example uses a 9 core Xeon E5-2666 V3 dual CPU with an impressive 20k - 25k benchmark.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E5-2666+v3+%40+2.90GHz&id=2471&cpuCount=2

Now keep in mind, 1 core is only going to give you a fraction of that, maybe 2000-4000. And that just so happens to be about on par with a little $30 dedicated machine like this one... The 4 Core Intel Xeon X3440 @ 2.53Ghz which benchmarks at 2566.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X3440+%40+2.53GHz&id=1288
So this is why CPU and core counts are kind of meaningless without knowing what kind of CPU you're delaing with.

Benchmarks are more meaningful for performance than CPU and RAM.
Consider that a virtual host like Amazon is going to deliver a benchmark capability of  2000 per core. BUT and it's a big but, if you use more than 20% of your capacity they will throttle you off the server. So you might as well be on a 400 benchmark machine. (I think they call that a Commodore 64)  This is why Amazon scores poorly on relative benchmark tests with the other hosts.  Don't be surprised if any virtual shared hosts do anything similar.

"So on Amazon, you can only burst CPU for a few minutes, but then you die."

On your dedicated machine, you can at least run at 60% for an hour and be fine. Why would you want to do that? Well you might if you're running a heavy update or an image spider or auto thumbnailer.  Run those on shared hosting, and you will be in trouble, if not flat out banned and booted. WordPress sites can get pretty hungry for CPU when they're running lots of updates and plugins. You will need CPU and you cant afford to just go dark when resources overload.

10. How can I get my Autoresponder Price down?
It's smart to have some kind of Autoresponder and email capture strategy for all your sites . Now, while you *could* load this all into your main machine as well, you don't really want to do that. 

"Mail machines are their own unique beast with all kinds of compliance and security problems. These will differ from a web server, so better to dedicate an IP and server to it. In this way you can have the correct reverse IP lookup for your mail server.

But mail machines also don't need to be insanely powerful. I'll talk about how you can set that up in detail elsewhere, but for now, we solved it with a $5 virtual host at AWS, a subscription to SES, and by handling the mail reading through Gmail.  This brings your cost of mailing out down to 10c per 1000 and will force you thourh the compliance steps needed to inbox effectively.  Try doing THAT with Mailchimp or GetResponse.

Which auto-responder plugin for WordPress?
The actual mail software I chose for WordPress is Mailster. I chose this after checking serveral mail systems, but I liked how this one integrated easily with Amazon, and managed bounce and campaign subscriptions for me.

I will have to make another post to talk about how to setup your WordPress autoresponders through Amazon. It's not a terribly difficult thing to do, and if you're running your own servers, you might as well set up your mail server too.

11. Do I need a DATA BACK UP PLAN?
And the last problem you will not want to skimp on, unless you like to live dangerous, is a data backup plan. On Amazon AWS I use several layers of defense. First I just use weekly snapshots. The snapshots cost $2+$4 for each server so a total of $6 per month, and the storage device costs $1.60 for 16GB.

I don't have a lot of data to deal with right now, so a script to tar up the HTML folders and then a script for the databases, packs it all down nicely and stores on an external device. This storage can then be taken offline, so if some hacker gets into the server, they cant touch the backups at all, even with a root  kit.

12. How do I protect against DDOS Attacks?
You might not know it yet, but you're going to need a defense against DDOS attacks, because eventually you'll upset someone with the capability to launch one on you. And they can expensive and difficult even for the biggest players in the game, because there are bot networks out there with millions of machines in operation that can be targeted anywhere with malicious intent.

There are several attack vectors, one is just your server, and knowing your IP is the first part of the attack.

So here's how I handled it. Near the top of the map, you can see there's a 4 stage protection plan in place.

1. Cloudflare at the top.
2. Amazon AWS firewalling
3. Fail2ban
4. Firewalld firewall

Cloudflare
At the very top of our system, we have Cloudflare, which can be used to lower bandwidth through proxy and cache. They also have the means to protect against ddos attacks. Of course this requires that you hide all your IP's from the outside world through Cloudflare.

FirewallD
is a decent alternative to iptables, and seems to work great. It's simple enough to administer through command line and config files.

Fail2ban 
watches the logs for brute forece attempts on multiple ports, then automatically adjusts 
Firewalld to handle it. Fail2ban is our 2nd line of defence within the server.

Amazon Lightsail Default Firewall 
Amazon have an external free firewall into the building and in front of your machine which is part of all instances. You can use this to IP restrict critical services, without fear of losing access to your machine. This is great for defending against ICMP attacks.

ICMP DDOS ATTACKS
You might want to just block all ICMP access to your server, vIa the Amazon Litesail firewall. This is because ICMP attacks are one of the most simple and common attacks for running your bandwidth bills up and disabling a server. ICMP attackers construct large packets and fire them through ping requests. This ties your server up by having hundreds and thousands of requests flood into your server from multiple locations. 

Now many hosting services have protections in place to deal with ICMP on the front lines. But if you're going for a self hosted WordPress setup, ICMP will probably be your problem to deal with now. This is where Fail2ban, FirewallD and Amazon and Cloudflare all work together to protect you

The greatest challenges
The biggest problems I faced were that standard docker instances just didn't have all the pieces I needed, so I had to modify a lot of configs and fix a lot of compatibility bugs. Also running updates can be processor intensive. This almost used me to give up on virtual hosting, because Amazon did not like the high CPU loads and kept shutting me down.
 Docker is not without it's problems, one big issue is that when you run lots of containers you will run into local network resource problems. Be prepared for a lot of Google searches and keep a close eye on your log files.

Conclusion of initial hosting considerations for self hosting a Multi site WordPress Server
This introduction covers 12 of the basic considerations that I went through when setting up my first multi-site WordPress server. I just touch upon the topics, and I feel I will need to expand upon these ideas more in future posts. 

All in all, Docker on a cheap $20 4GB virtual host provides for an awesome set up to get you started with the ability to spin up multiple WordPress sites almost instantly. I am super happy with how Docker is working out​. Docker is like having a virtual hosting setup, within a virtual hosting setup.

Stay tuned, as I work out how to blog, and share more details on how to manage the challenges of running your own server.

Hello World ! Watch me start a blog in 2020

Hello ! and Welcome. Have you ever wanted to work from home and make an above average income? Yeah me too 🙂 So I thought I'd try to start a blog in 2020, because ... well, why not? I have time and can afford it..

But how do you actually make money as you start blogging? I have no idea, all I know is that other people do, and maybe I can too. so I've decided to try.

Well whats the first step?

I suppose get a website up and running. Get a domain and all that stuff, Google a bit..

Having no idea, I have done what all clever people do, I went out and found a mentor.... SCREEECH! no I didn't, LOL. No, I'm going to guess and assume, and just jump in and do things, I haven't even really watched any You Tube videos yet. But I will... eventually. LOL

This is the first post on a new adventure.

This really is a recipe for disaster, but as long as I keep trying to move forward, I'll eventually get it right. Right?

LOL, this could end up being really bad...or really amazing.. we'll see..

So what's my uneducated, clueless guess at what it will take?

Coming in after the 2020 Corona Crisis while everyone is going digital, seems a bit late to the game. Maybe having all the tech in place is going to make it easier. WordPress has evolved, I wonder if it's become really awesome, or if it's like a bloated antiquated mess. We will see.

These are the areas I think I need to tackle as I get started, and some questions I will need to address.

  • Server set up (The machinary)
      - Whats needed?
      - What's cost effective?
      - Whats best?
      - What to avoid?
  • Blogging Application Setup (WordPress)
      -  WordPress extensions and plugins
       - Whats needed?
       - Whats best?
  • Affiliate Set up (Getting paid)
      - Who is essential?
      - Who is best?
      - Who to avoid?
      - Do I need approval?
  • Advertiser Set up.
      - Who is essential?
      - Is more better?
      - Who is best / Good?
      - How Do we set it up?
      - Multi site , is there a universal system?
  • How will I get traffic ?
      - Is advertising an option?
      - Is SEO a doable thing in 2020?
      - Who is my dream customer?
      - Where are they dream customers?
      - How do I bait them to my site
  • Marketing
      - What do I need to know?
      - Who is the dream customer?
      - Once I bait them, what do I sell them? 
  • Optimization?
      - Whats the best way to create Search friendly articles?
      - Whats the best way to put ads on your site?
      - Delivery Speed
      - Cost effectiveness.
  • Other?
      - Become less clueless somehow (Educate)

Besides all the technical stuff of getting an actual server to work, I need to get paid somehow. I think the technical stuff will actually be the easy part, you can Google anything. 

The tricky part in my mind is coming up with an effective strategy that will actually cover costs and generate a profit for years and years. Or at least coming up with some way to generate revenue over the short and long term. How do you get that going?

How much can we make blogging?
My guess is that one of the best ways to get paid, is from clicks to advertisements. I don't know if there's an option to get paid by impressions, I doubt it, that's a good way to get ripped off. Back around 2002, the average search engine PPC clicks were about 1c-7c each, but now they're 10x-100x that. Average click costs on places like Google ad network and Facebook pages is up over $1.  Well let's see, Google says, Wordstream has some of the best data and articles on this.
OMG! Search click costs are insane. Check this one...  The top 20 keyowords are between $27.80 and $54.91 per click.
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/05/21/how-much-does-adwords-cost#:~:text=In%20the%20US%2C%20if%20you,clicks%20can%20get%20much%20pricier.

Take 'hosting' for example, $31.91 per click. Are hosting services actually paying that? I guess they are. And Google rev-shares like 60% to you of the click, apparently on the Display network, which is different to search network, maybe you get 1/2 there, I don't know, but you get less for sure.

Okay so before we get all excited here.. back to earth..

So Wordstream tells us the average CPC on the Display Network (my site) would be under $1, so I would say, budget for myself 50c per click. Alrighty.

So now we know we're splitting the revenue with Google 60/40, we're going to get about 30c per click.

I have no traffic, but let's assume I can generate 1000 visitors somehow, over some time period. 

Now I need to get click through rates up on my ads. I guess that's another tricky science. And if I don't get click through rates up, I need to get exposures up to each visitor I attract. So I'll need to capture and profile and content match them. I'll work all that out later. I'm thinking some kind of dynamic lander system that changes content depending on what we know about the visitor. Like maybe they came from a car site, and we can add car adverts. In addition to landing on some type of page. I'm getting way ahead, but I'll work that out later.

Delayed advertising....
Well I know from experience that putting stuff up on the landing page gets more clicks, but here I'm in a quandary, because I really want to capture this visitors interest first so I can get value from them in future. I mean, I don't want to just send them away. But lets say I give them a way to share email and contact info, AND then I enable adverts on my site. How would I do that? I might have to make that. . Maybe people will buy it as a WordPress plugin?  Maybe there's some kind of WordPress plugin. already There has to be. I hope it's not a pain in the butt to use. I will document it when I work it out.

So what is the CTR click through rate on the display network? I'm going to assume the first number I get from Google.. let's see.. whats "average CTR for blogs on Google Display network?" GOOGLE?

Okay, so 30c * 1000 * 0.1% = 30c

LOL, that's pathetic. WTH?  I must have something wrong. People are willing to pay $50 for one click, and I get a 1000 visitors and make 30c.

Let me double check that.. Yeah 0.1% would be 1 click in 1000. OMG, I'm ready to quit right now.

Heck, maybe that's just the reality of this game. But don't You Tubers make like $3 per 1000 visitors?

Alright.. I need to continue this later. But I would hope to get about $3 per 1000 at least. There must be a lot more to monetizing a blog.

So maybe I can get 100 visitors per day on a new site. Seems ambitious right now, but that would put on par to make about $0.90c per month. Oh that's just incredible, I can't wait, Lets see I should be able to pay off my first Ferarri in about ... umm.. "hey you got a bigger calculator, this one only has 12 digits."

It seems to me then, that the way to treat Adsense clicks on your site, is just as gravy. It probably makes more sense to create pages that lead to offers, or that are offers, and create reviews and information that answers problems and questions that people who are on a mission (for whatever reason) will find of value.

Maybe my strategy should be... "if you're looking for this (benefit XX).. then here it is over here ---> YY" but if you go through my link here ---> LINK <--- you'll get all these bonuses [problem solved 1]  [problem solved 2] [problem solved 3] an extra $XXXXX value just for following my link...  (because I'm going to get paid for sending you somewhere, so thank you for supporting me)

Look, I don't know, but 30c per 1000 visitors when you would have to pay like $500-$1000 to get them to come visit your site, yeah that's nuts. I have some homework to make sense of this stuff.

Biggest problem to work out right now, I think, is.. "who do I serve, and how do I bring value to them?",  if I can work that out, then it seems all the other pieces will fall in place.

Right now, it seems like the person I serve, is the person who, like me, wants to start a blog, wants to know if it can make money for them, and if it's something they can do with their skill set and time. If they are like me, then they're stuck in quarantine or having to deal with the whole world going insane over fears of a virus that is killing people that are almost dead already and sparing those who are healthy without incident. Whatever the case that leaves us having to support a family from our home in a world without jobs. Yeah, if that's you, then I hope this site becomes a resource and a beacon that can guide your way. And if I be not successful, you will at least know what doesn't work.

Meanwhile.. Welcome to my Journey,  I have a list above of questions that I will be exploring over the next weeks and months as I work this blogging thing out.

For anyone experienced in this kind of thing, do have a good laugh, because I'm sure there are some glaring holes, and some fundamentals that I am missing. But it will be fun to work this out.

Actually, leave me a comment.
Are you a new or experienced blogger?
Are you trying to do this stuff too?
What do you find is the most difficult problem.

Please share your 2c worth.
Regards Tony