Open Ledger

I'm 78, and I'm trying to get someone to pay me for a skill I already have. Every Saturday I write down what I tried, what came back, and what it earned.

Twelve weeks. 10 October to 26 December. Including the weeks the answer is nothing.

Weeks Published

3 of 12

pitches sent

2 of 12

Earned

$0.00

Start here

How this works

One entry every Saturday. Each one says what I tried, what came back, and what it earned.

Nothing gets left out for being embarrassing.

Week 3 · 24 Oct

Banned for one mistake

TRIED

Got banned on Reddit, moved forums, added two OLSP bonuses

Back

3 helpful Reddit replies. No sign-ups

Pitches: 0

$0

Week 2 · 17 Oct

The pitch I didn’t send

TRIED

Pitched a YouTube channel and posted to Reddit again

Back

One reply, from a bot, No sign-ups

Pitches: 1

$0

Week 1 · 10 Oct

Nothing back yet

TRIED

Pitched a podcast and posted once on Reddit

Back

No reply yet, and no sign-ups

Pitches: 1

$0

Week 0 · 3 Oct

An open isn’t a person

TRIED

Checked whether my 3,456 subscribers were real

Back

151 of 153 were business addresses

Pitches: 0

$0

Want it as it happens?

Retire & RISE goes out three times a week, for people over 50 who want to earn something online. One of the three is this record: I'm trying to get somebody to pay me for a skill I already have, and I'm writing down what happens, including the parts that don't work. It starts with me finding out that my 3,456 subscribers weren't real.

Free. Unsubscribe whenever — the link is at the bottom of every email and it works.

Who's writing this?

I'm Bob Caine. I'm 78. I spent forty years in computer programming and project management, taking complicated things and making them work for ordinary people. I write Retire & RISE three times a week for people over 50 who want to earn a little online. I've chased plenty of shiny objects myself, which is most of what qualifies me to write any of this down.