Google pays me for your visits

We all hate stumbling onto ads when we are surfing the Internet, don't we?  And yet, I allow ads on my blog, although I don't have to have them here.

For several years, I had no idea it would be possible to get paid for my ordinary, mundane blogging.  I've never had a huge group of readers... it's rare if any entry gets read by more than 100 people.  This blog got a lot more hits when I shared each individual entry on Facebook, but I quit doing that except for rare entries when I'm telling a story I think will be of particular interest to Facebook friends.  It seemed too much like a cry for attention; maybe that's what blogging is anyway, I don't know... but I stopped doing it as a general rule.

Somehow it came to my attention several years ago that if I put ads on my blog, Google would pay me for it.  It didn't look like the ads would be too intrusive, and I decided to try it.  If you ever wondered how much an ordinary, run-of-the-mill blog can make, I'm here to tell you it isn't much... but it's more than I expected when I signed up.

Google pays my earnings whenever the amount reaches $100.  I am now ready to receive my third payment.  About every three years I get a little over $100 just for doing something I would be doing anyway, so as far as I'm concerned, it's a nice situation for Google and for me.  Let's face it, Google owns us all anyway, if we are online.

I had a bit of a problem with my current payment because I had changed banks since my last Google payment came in.  They couldn't get my earnings into the bank, and sent me emails repeatedly, informing me of this.  

I'm sure the problem was on my end.  They would ask for a different account so I could collect, but I didn't have another checking account.  Finally I took out all the bank information I had given them and re-entered it; this morning I got a verification notice letting me know I will be getting my earnings.  I must have had some detail of my bank information entered wrong.  

One hundred dollars every three years doesn't sound like much, but when it comes as a surprise each time it shows up, that's a gift, as far as I'm concerned.  So I'm thankful for it.   It doesn't take much to make my day brighter.  And I'm thankful for the folks willing to read this drivel I spew out day after day, because every time you come here, I get paid.