RECENT PODCAST

Before we headed out for Affiliate Summit West last month, we recorded a podcast where we ask the question, “if you died today, what would your Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn status updates say about you for eternity?” And just to swing the pendulum wide, we also talked about using the iPhone for business. How’s that for an odd combination? Shortly after we recorded the show, we... [Read more...]

GETTING STARTED

Pictures taken at a party can look odd when taken out of context. Even if you aren’t doing anything wrong, people you know may get the wrong impression once they see them outside of an event. A good friend of mine recently found this out the hard way after he attended a belated Christmas party along with his wife where someone thought it would be funny to pass around an inflatable young lady... [Read more...]

Upsells are everywhere. Don’t believe me? Look at out current trip to Las Vegas. Even before we could make it through airport security we were hit with an upsell offer for first class setting on our flight. Then at the indoor skydiving we were offered an option to buy a DVD of our time in the wind tunnel. Look for that video as soon as we can rip it and pull out our shots. Toff did not scream... [Read more...]

Never before have we lived in a time where someone can have an idea, set up a website, and turn it into a profit all without leaving their home. These days, with a little bit of focus and effort an industrious person can make money online, no problem. To help emphasize this point, here are some of the ways we’ll discuss as part of a new article series on making money online. Affiliate marketing... [Read more...]

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson I had a very smart individual, Jon Cartier, once tell me that you should always choose who you work with based on Attributes rather than Skills.... [Read more...]

I just had a friend of mine call me up to ask whether or not something was a scam. He had clicked to purchase a $3 informational brochure. The brochure wasn’t great, but it was probably worth the $3 he paid. He decided that continuing with that company really wasn’t going to give him what he wanted, so he left and didn’t buy anything else from them. Sounds simple enough, eh? Two... [Read more...]

I want my money and success now. I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to work for it and I certainly don’t want anyone telling me that I have to get up out of my Barco-lounger in order to win big. I have clients who use the term “dire need”. They ask for instant success and won’t listen to anyone tell them that they need a long term plan much less me telling them... [Read more...]

BLOGGING & PUBLISHING

Color Theory for the Color-Blind “Sweetheart, does this match?” “No it doesn’t. You’re not really going to wear that are you?” Color is not my thing. My wife, on the other hand, is a graphic designer. When we were getting carpet for our house, she brought out 3 samples and asked me which one I liked more. “The beige one.” “They are all beige,... [Read more...]

Have you ever wanted a WordPress widget to show only on one page or post? It’s extremely useful to be able to limit widgets based on where a visitor is in your blog. Not only does it help you preserve and manage your valuable screen real estate, but it also helps you organize information for your website visitors. A good example of how this might work limiting ads to relevant pages. Let’s... [Read more...]

We always seem to want information from people who visit our sites. Online forms are a basic component for collecting this information. Contact forms, registration forms, or help requests all require a site visitor to input their information. After having a client complain about an existing WordPress form plugin on his site, I went looking for alternatives. What I found was the CForms WordPress plugin. CForms... [Read more...]

How would you like to record a podcast interview with a portable open air microphone and still get studio quality sound without spending more than a couple hundred dollars in the process? Well, if you use the H2 Zoom Recorder you can do just that and more. The H2 Zoom runs on double AA batteries, has VCR style controls, and takes standard SD cards for additional storage space. Here is a close up look... [Read more...]

MARKETING

Note: This post should have been published a week ago, but I’ve been absolutely buried creating video lessons for the membership so this article was overlooked. You should probably read the last post on the topic of Twitter if you haven’t already. So, here we go… Like donuts, Twitter can make your stomach churn like the cheap glazing that envelopes it. I jumped into Twitter this... [Read more...]

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m new to Twitter. Really, really new. I’m not using any of the automatic tools. Some of the things I am noticing are not impressive. Twitter isn’t bad itself, but how people are using it begs the question, “are you joking?”. For instance, today I searched for a topic I was interested in learning about. I saw 3 people with good comments, so I followed... [Read more...]

Is your business thinking about creating a mobile app to build your online brand? A lot of businesses are beginning to discover that they can reinforce their brands and interact with consumers at a more intimate level using mobile apps. This has fueled a lot of interest in Mobile App development. However, one of the problems that has existed up until now is that most developers don’t have the... [Read more...]

The message is what’s important. The internet is just a vehicle for that message. When you want someone to fix your car, don’t ask for a wrench. You will end up unhappy because your car isn’t fixed and you will want to hit someone with your new wrench. I like to tell people to focus on their message. Don’t focus on the technology, focus on what you want to say. A good message... [Read more...]

Is social media all about connecting online or can it be used to keep people connected to what’s happening in their local community? I say it can do both, and here’s my story to back it up. Our small East Texas town of Sulphur Springs is running a campaign to revitalize our historic downtown area. Last year our Main Street was been repaved with beautiful red brick and black ornate street... [Read more...]

MAKING MONEY ONLINE

Yesterday I spent a few hours researching Affiliate Summit West, getting to know more about the history behind the event, and planning the activities that I want to be a part of. Affiliate Summit in general has continued to grow in attendance and notoriety since 2003, so I’m very excited about going. It should be a great experience. According to the ASW website, the event almost doubled in size... [Read more...]

If you’ve been thinking about going to Affiliate Summit West this year, you may have to wait for some cancellations to happen for spots to open up first. I saw a Twitter update this morning from @MissyWard that Affiliate Summit West 2010 is sold out. According to the website, the ASW crew is busy processing cancellations to open up spots, but with the event being less than two weeks away, I would... [Read more...]

This is the first of eight articles that cover making money online. Is it really possible to make money online? Sure it is. The most important elements are belief and understanding. It’s not rocket science. All you have to do is understand how things fit together. So, to kick off the series we’ll start by talking about making money online using affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is... [Read more...]

Never before have we lived in a time where someone can have an idea, set up a website, and turn it into a profit all without leaving their home. These days, with a little bit of focus and effort an industrious person can make money online, no problem. To help emphasize this point, here are some of the ways we’ll discuss as part of a new article series on making money online. Affiliate marketing... [Read more...]