Expat Chronicles Store

Posted on 02. Dec, 2011 by in uncategorized

My last post, the End of Expat Chronicles poll, asked which most likely reason would mean the end this blog. At the time of this writing, only six people have voted “Career – Colin goes back to corporate or other employer who insists on sterile online persona.”

This is the most likely reason because the nature of this blog is increasingly becoming a liability on my ability to earn. It recently got me fired for the THIRD time this year. This employer knew about the blog and tours before hiring me, but underestimated the amount of pressure he’d have to endure to employ me. That pressure ultimately proved to be too much.

I’m almost at the four-year point with this site. It’s shit-or-get-off-the-pot time. I know my writing’s interesting, but I’m not sure it’s interesting enough to earn a living. Given the nature of my content negates my ability to earn a living, I’m dedicating these next 12 months to monetizing this blog. If I can’t eek out on a Latin American cost of living by then, it’ll be reassessment time.

My first angle is launching the Expat Chronicles store. I got the idea from hilarious blog 27b/6. Unfortunately, unlike 27b/6 I don’t have a massive global audience. So (a) I can’t rely on a tiny percentage of readers buying something and (b) I can’t mark my items up only a few dollars. I need almost every reader who doesn’t want to see Expat Chronicles shut down to buy something nice. With each product you buy, $10 goes to keeping Expat Chronicles in business.

I worked all week to get this store up in time for Christmas. It has some great gag gifts, plus some you may want to be seen with yourself. CafePress ships worldwide, and not too expensive outside the US. Below is a gallery of some selected products. Visit the store.

BTW – anything not in the color / form you’d like, let me know and I’ll add it.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Related posts:

  1. New Comment Policy on Expat Chronicles SUMMARY: Outlines the new comment policy on Expat Chronicles....
  2. End of Expat Chronicles SUMMARY: Discussing the end of this blog....
  3. South Florida: Expat Returns SUMMARY: My first return to America for a sales show in South Florida....

Tags:

8 Responses to “Expat Chronicles Store”

  1. JB

    02. Dec, 2011

    Just placed my order!!

  2. Andrew Meyer

    02. Dec, 2011

    I like the graffiti on the glass. Any chance of getting a couple mugs with graffiti on them?

    I did take two of the glasses.

    Andy

  3. Rubio

    02. Dec, 2011

    Bro I have never heard the word “brichera” in Colombia :P

  4. Chuck

    02. Dec, 2011

    Write a book about the Mick, dammit. That shit is gold (or at least bronze) and you know it.

  5. David

    03. Dec, 2011

    It is awful that you can get fired for writing a blog.

  6. andy

    03. Dec, 2011

    Colombia is a very conservative country and even if things may be dirty and sleazy sometimes the people there always try to maintain a clean-cut profile at any cost. Honor and reputation is everything. It would even cause you trouble if you were your own boss running your own company down there.

    I guess you can still write about everyday life there, culture, sports and even nightlife. Just leave out the gross stuff, the drugs and raw sex I’d say.

    They don’t appreciate it at all.

  7. Samuel

    05. Dec, 2011

    I’m gonna shoot straight with you, amigo.

    Since the DAS came down on your blog and you lost that first job, this blog has lost its ‘zing’.

    Seriously, I regarded the ex-pat chronicles to be the best blog on Colombia ANYWHERE but since the content changed, that is no longer the case. It has already gone sterile.

    I don’t mind that, because I know what blogging can do to a man’s real life. I get it. I am going to order something here from you on principle, and to say thank you. But frankly, as long as the censorship is going on, you’re pretty much headed out to pasture anyway.

    I would recommend going anonymous so that situations with employers or DAS do not interfere with you posting anything you damn well want to. That way, you can do what you want, get the good readership you want (and monetize THAT since readership is the key to monetization and its falling off with the innocuous posts)

    Downside? Can’t post pics of yourself, or your real name. I’d say that’s not such a bad thing either. That will keep you out of trouble with the girlies, because if you find a girl that you want to keep, and she blows you out because of your blog, that’s worse than the DAS or employers messing you up- chicks you actually want to keep are hard to find.

    If you need to take this comment down, I won’t be offended. I’m just saying- going anonymous will solve your problems, help your monetization AND facilitate supplemental jobs.

    NOT going anonymous- you’re toast eventually. Probably sooner rather than later. That would break my heart, man, because I LOVE your stuff.

    As to the guy above, assemble that book on The Mick. I’d buy that shit in a hurry. You gotta have products, and that one would rock tits.

  8. Rawley

    06. Dec, 2011

    Fuck it .. raise your money and do your thing.

    Come back later but don’t be so damned honest about who you are. Don’t blog at work, stay off your employers radar / network and just dcut the blog back to night times / weekends posting.

    Good luck

Leave a Reply