April 2019 - I'm Back

I've not been active on this blog for a while, and it's amazing how much my personal life has changed in that time. For now though, it's time for me to share some data with you.

Computer Quiz Pro Sales

Last Three Months

Jan 2019..........$16
Feb 2019..........$2
Mar 2019..........$16

Highest Ever

May 2018..........$61

Computer Quiz Pro AdMob Profit

Last Three Months

Jan 2019..........$6
Feb 2019..........$10
Mar 2019..........$8

Highest Ever

Oct 2017..........$19

So although the numbers haven't greatly improved, I have still got a product that is making me some extra money, with a small investment of  time on my part. My computer quiz apps are starting to look a little shabby though - the user interface looks amateur, the layout isn't intuitive, some of the questions are out of date and it really does need a good overhaul in order to maximise profit.

These are the steps I'd like to complete with the app right now:
1. Tidy code which is hard to read, unsafe or inefficient
2. Improve the user interface
3. Update the questions and add some new ones
4. Improve my Google Play store listings
5. Promote my apps
6. Monitor profits

I'll be working hard for the next few weeks to get my apps up to scratch, and I'll make posts here to fill you in on any useful developments.

March 2015 Profits - Let's Talk Money

Hello and welcome back again.

I've been busy with the apps again, and my profits are starting to reflect that. Since I included the house ads back into the free Computer and IT Quiz, my sales for the full version of Computer and IT Quiz are slowly on the rise. Profits are still very small, but we're going the right way.

Here are the details so far this month:

March 2015 Sales: ~$21

OK so I'm not going to retire on this, but when you look at the previous two months, you can see this month has seen more that a 50% increase in sales:

Jan 2015 Sales: ~$9
Feb 2015 Sales: ~$9
March 2015 Sales: ~$21

I've also added a new feature to the quiz - the player can select their own category of question. The feature is only available in the full version, so the player is prompted if they try to access this feature from the lite version. Hopefully this will inspire a few players to opt for the full app.

Enjoy your weekend.

Mike

Latest Computer and IT Quiz Release

Hello all and thanks for returning.

I recently released my app with house ads included in the free version again (I say house ads, it's just a banner link asking for you guys to support me and buy the full version of the app.)

So, thanks to those of you who have bought the app - I've only had a couple of sales since that release so that's a little disappointing, but I've started to add more questions now, and have just released again.

Thanks again for reading, I'll post again very soon.

Mike

Computer and IT Quiz - Updated

Hello and welcome back.

Another nice quick update today to mention I have a new update for my Computer and IT Quiz apps.

You can find the free version here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=quizHarness.quiz

...and the paid (but still a bargain) version here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spiderdog.computeritquizpro

I'm having a few issues with AdMob so the ads are currently disabled (hurray I hear you all say, but I need to have some reward for all my hard work!)

I've put a lot of effort into this quiz lately, much of which has been learning things about Android development and really getting down and dirty with Android Studio.

Thanks again for reading, and please feel free to Flattr me with the button at the top of this page :)

Oh, and thanks to everyone who liked my Facebook page - I'm now at over 100 likes, which was one of the goals listed on my About Me page, so that's excellent news!
Check out my other goals on my About Me page.

Enjoy your weekend.

Mike

Latest Release of Computer and IT Quiz for Android

Hi again,

Nothing particularly exciting for the end user in this release - I've been working again on the background features, so it's nice and easy for me to add questions to the quiz, and I've been working on the question database a little too.

A few bigger changes to the database and some other improvements, including minor bug fixes that have been e-mailed to me over the last few months, will be arriving in the next release.

I'll post then.

cheers!
Mike

An update on my plans for my Android business

Hello all once again!

As I mentioned recently, I'm back working hard on my Android projects in the spare time I have, and will soon be releasing an update for the Computer and IT Quiz.

I've spent some time getting loose ends tied off, organising plans for this particular project and going through the large number of e-mails I received from fans of the quiz (thank you for all your suggestions and comments, they are very much appreciated).

I'm almost at the stage now where I can pick up and start working on a whole bunch of new questions, there are a lot of new topics I want to cover, mainly to bring the quiz up to date with some of the amazing technology available today for IT professionals and fans.

I may separate off some of the Windows XP questions (due to the system becoming very outdated) and allow you guys and girls to select question categories you do/don't want to answer questions on. The old questions won't ever be fully removed from the app though - computer history and legacy systems are very interesting and can be a lot of fun).

That's my update for you anyway - lots of exciting stuff to look forward too, and I hope you computer fanatics are going to enjoy to enjoy the improvements as much as I am.

Thanks again.
Mike.

Release - Computer Quizzes

Hello again all.

I've now just released the Computer Quiz Lite and Pro versions again, after tidying up the code, removing some bugs and also migrating over the Android Studio (I was formerly using Eclipse, but as I am starting work again on my projects, I thought it best to move over to the new system now).

Things are going well, I've got a lot of planned changes, all scheduled in for different release dates, so please keep an eye on my apps on Google Play.

Once I've got into a regular release cycle again, I'll start posting my profits again so you can enjoy reading that each month.

thanks again everyone,
Mike - aka Spiderdog Software

Back in Business

Hello everyone - I'm officially back in business, devoting much of my spare time to Android development.

I've got a fair bit of work to do to get my apps ready for updates again, but rest assured I will be working hard.

I will keep you updated, but if you would like to, you can Like Spiderdog Software on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/spiderdog.spiderdog

Thanks again, more updates coming very soon.

February 2014 Profits

Hello and welcome back to my blog, all about my dedication to making my living developing apps for the Android platform.

Good results for this month again - still hovering around the same number but that's fine by me as I still have not had time to finish off the updates to the app and push them out.

Earnings for Computer and IT Quiz Pro: $17.87

If you look at my my goals page, you can see that I have now hit 2 more of my goals:

• Earn $10 per month for 3 months in a row.
• Earn $15 per month for 3 months in a row.

No Facebook 'Like' goals reached by the end of Febuary, but I'm sure I'll hit one next month with the help of you folks (thank you!): Spiderdog Software Facebook page.

Thank you again for reading - time to get on with some coding!

Mike.

January 2014 Profits

Good morning and welcome.

I hope you are all enjoying the start of your weekend - I need a good rest after such a tough week at work.

So, as always with the profit reports I publish, I'm going to keep things fairly brief. Good results for this month - I wasn't actually expecting much as I haven't released any update for a while due to working on a couple of features for the Computer and IT Quiz, but take a look yourself:

Earnings for Computer and IT Quiz Pro: $21.76

If you look at my my goals page, you can see that I have now hit 2 more of my goals - that's really cool and I'm extremely pleased about this -if I can keeping hitting at least one goal a month, then I'm going in the right direction:

• Earn $20 in a single month - achieved.
• 30 likes on Facebook - achieved.

The money achievement is great, but I'm also pleased to get more likes on Facebook - thank you to everyone who has hit the Like button so far, and for those of you who haven't, please please please do - it means a lot to me: Spiderdog Software Facebook page.

Good luck once again to everyone who has similar dreams to me - thanks for reading. I'll post again soon.
Mike.

All the Small Things

Over the past few weeks I've been organising my life using a number of various tools to achieve what I need. I've done pretty well using such tools (and there are plenty out there to meet everyone's needs). Using organisational methods and tools I have:

• Organised my Android development workload and successfully broken it down into micro pieces of work.
• Stopped smoking (since December 29th 2013).
• Started losing weight.
• Sorted out my finances.
• Kept on top of small things that always seem to need doing (changing car bulbs, cleaning, DIY stuff).

If you don't already keep on top of your life in this way, and particularly if you often forget to do certain tasks (in your personal or work life), then I'd recommend you give it a try.

Trello is extremely useful and allows you to create lists of tasks in various categories, and you can drag them out or archive them when they are complete. You can share these tasks with others and work on them as a team, or keep them for yourself. I use this to organise so much stuff that I don't know how I got on without it!

For an example of the sort of tasks I might create, see this:

Don't smoke whilst out having drinks

Stop smoking for 1 day

Stop smoking for 2 days

Stop smoking for 3 days

Stop smoking for 5 days

Stop smoking for 1 week

Stop smoking for 2 weeks

Stop smoking for 1 month

Don't smoke whilst on holiday in Florida

Don't smoke for 3 months

Don't smoke for 1 year

You can see how small I have gone with these tasks - one day at a time, and it's great. At the time of writing this, I haven't smoked for over three weeks. OK, a little willpower is needed, but if clearing a list of items that need doing spurs you on, then this is the way to go.

You may be thinking now 'This is supposed to be a blog about Making Money with Android Apps, and right you are, but to be successful you need to stay on top of your workload, and by creating tiny tasks like this, you can.

Oh, and if I get 1 more Like on my Facebook page, that gives me a total of 30 - another one of my mini goals achieved!

Many thanks for reading.

Mike.

December 2013 Profits

Good afternoon.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's eve.

This post will cover my profits for December 2013 - I have also updated my 'About Me and My Goals' page to show which goals I have achieved and which ones I have left to reach, so please take a look.

So, without further ado here are my profits for December 2013:

Computer and IT Quiz Pro:  $15.84

This is a lot healthier than last month, and the price increase doesn't seem to have impacted sales which is great. I have also hit two of my revised goals:

Earn $10 in a single month. Achieved December 2013
Earn $15 in a single month. Achieved December 2013

I have a lot of development work to be getting on with now - hopefully I can achieve another goal next month, so I will leave this post now and get cracking with that.

Once again, I very much appreciate all the Likes I have had on my Spiderdog Software Facebook page - eight more likes and I achieve another goal, so please please head over and hit the Like button. Many thanks!

Speak to you all soon.

Mike.

What's new?

I thought I'd provide an update as to where I am currently in my efforts to make money from Android development.

I am currently working on a new feature for the Pro version of Computer and IT Quiz, which should hopefully entice a few players to move to the Pro version instead of the free version.

That will be my next app update, so it may be a week or two before I get that released, depending on spare time etc.

You may also have noticed that I have now exceeded my original deadline of earning my living by my 30th Birthday (which was on the 13th December 2013), but as I have restructured my goals, it's all good. I will post when any of my goals have been reached.

Lastly, please remember to Like my Facebook page - I only need one more Like and I hit 20!
https://www.facebook.com/spiderdog.spiderdog

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all have a great Christmas.

Mike.

Another price adjustment...

I've decided to lower the price of the app in US dollars. At first after putting in the price in GB pounds I roughly went with the auto-conversion price, but it does seem a little high, and the last thing I want is to put people off buying the app.
That's pretty much all I have to say today. Off to Blackpool Zoo shortly!
Thanks for reading.
Mike

November 2013 Profits

I was expecting a low payment for November. This was before I picked up the pace again, and so I only have myself to blame.

The grand total from app sales for November 2013 is:
$5.78 ...wow!
Well, I can't live off that now can I?

I had a grand total of 3 sales of the Computer and IT Quiz Pro app. I have also noticed a drop in total installs of the Computer and IT Quiz Lite app, which I use to promote the Pro app, but I am hoping this will again pick up now I have started work on the app again.

I suppose many people would give up at this point, but I will not give up because I want to reach my goals so much.

Watch this space - I just hope the app price increase I implemented earlier today won't put people off downloading.

Please remember to go over to my Facebook page and give me a 'like', I would really appreciate that.

Thanks for reading,
Mike

Latest app release and price increase

Hi folks.

I've been quite out of tune with how much I am charging for the pro version of the Computer and IT Quiz app.
I took a look this morning and had a good think about raising the price up a bit, and have decided to do so.
I have actually more than doubled the price of the app, and am hoping this will still be low enough for those kind enough to buy the pro app. It's not exactly expensive, but it is quite a bit jump relatively speaking.
I just hope it will help me to earn more money from my apps - in my opinion if someone is willing to pay $1.99 for a decent app, then hopefully they would be willing to pay $4.99 for the same app, if it's good (and of course they can try it and get a refund if they don't like it, or use the free version if they so desire).

We shall see.

Moving on to development, I have been making great use of the morning time I have now, just for adding questions to the quiz, sketching out ideas for new apps, research etc. It's a brilliant time of day to work with very few distractions.
When I do end up working full time as a self employed developer, I may just find myself starting work very early and getting what I can done before everyone else wakes up!

Thank you very much for reading today's post - please check out my Facebook page and hit that 'Like' button.

Cheers, Mike.

Making Money with Android... and Facebook

Good morning,

I have spent more time on my Facebook page, and would love if you could pay a visit and 'Like' it - if you have enjoyed reading this blog, using my apps etc I would really appreciate it.

My goals for Facebook, which I can use to promote app releases etc, are as follows:
20 likes (currently 17)
30 likes
40 likes
50 likes
I will put these on the About Me and My Goals page.

My intention for Facebook is to release new app information, release information, and other information relative to earning a living with Android, and I am hoping the updates will be interesting and fun, as well as great for getting the word out about my apps.

As you can see, I am working harder than ever on my project to earn a living from Android, and only time will tell if I will be successful, but I do need all the help I can get.

Thanks again and the link to my Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/spiderdog.spiderdog