"When you are through changing, you are through." - Bruce Barton Change is inevitable. Apart from death and taxes, change is the only thing in this life that we can count on. This past year has found me in the midst of much change. After a number of years as an author, speaker and entrepreneur, I have spent the last year quietly reassessing my life. Taking some time away from work, I've been tending to... Continue Reading

As you know, I've been building websites since 1995. I've always been a big fan of creating content-rich sites that bring value to others. That's why I have always spoken against creating spammy sites designed to game the search engines. It's not a good model for building a long-term business. I've sold a number of my sites over the years. In 1998, Yahoo! purchased my multiplayer game site, ClassicGames.com. Today you know it as Yahoo... Continue Reading

Part of project planning is knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, as a wise man once said. No matter how exciting or cool you might think a project is, some of them just don't become as profitable as you would like. It's important to set some boundaries and budget limits at the outset, so that you don't keep pouring money and effort into something that isn't going to go anywhere. Here... Continue Reading

You've heard the old philosophical riddle "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Raising questions about reality, this question has undoubtedly claimed countless hours of debate in the halls of our colleges and universities. I find it relevant today as I make changes in my business and life. As I pull back from my business, I begin to wonder what would happen... Continue Reading

You know, writing and launching a book is a lot like welcoming a new family member. It takes time, planning and then there is the anticipation. Finally, the moment arrives. Well, that moment is here... Today is the official launch of my new book! Over the years I've released a number of books. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Joel Ownby) In the early days of the Internet, commercialism had not made its entrance and no one was thinking about tracking traffic, much less analyzing it. Nearly a decade later, we had progressed to tracking visitors in the form of "hits," which did not tell you effectively even how many individual people actually visited your site. Now after nearly another decade, we find ourselves in a virtual analytical paradise comprised... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) Confession: I'm a lazy person. I have to continuously work on making myself active and staying productive. I've gotten quite good at that over the years, but there are still areas that I recognize that I need to improve on. One of those areas is the passing on of my knowledge to help others. My boss Joel Comm has been able to master this. He sells books full of... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor David Nour) In my last several prospective client meetings, a consistent conversation has centered on the need for a social media policy. Whether you work for a progressive organization or a conservative, risk-adverse one, it seems that everyone has an opinion on the best approach. Here are some prevailing camps: Continue Reading

Staying current in mobile development can be a daunting task. Fortunately, there is help out there. You may be asking yourself, "What exactly is 'mobile development?'" The answer is simple: mobile development is developing software for mobile platforms. Aside from this "duh" answer, examples of mobile platforms are: Apple's iPhone, Google's Android, the BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile devices. I will provide you with a framework for educating yourself about the mobile development world. The information... Continue Reading

In my years as a web developer, I have had the chance to build many websites and interact with countless websites built by others. I have witnessed very successful websites, and I have witnessed catastrophic failures. I wish to share with you some simple guidelines to follow when building a website. If followed properly, they will help your website be successful for years to come. Continue Reading

I have to warn you now. This entry is not going to be pretty. But someone has got to say something. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Fine... sigh... I'll do it. Continue Reading

I'm at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City, getting ready to make the trek home to Colorado after a week of visiting with family and friends. I've had some time to reflect on the year and would like to take a stroll down memory lane. The year started with a crazy idea. I knew that others had dabbled with the idea of doing an Internet reality show, but no one had really taken the concept... Continue Reading

I'm not a big sports fan. I used to watch a lot of baseball when I was a kid. And I watched a good bit of football in college. But as an adult, I just haven't made much time for sports. Continue Reading

The Million Dollar Template. Is there such a thing? You know I am a big fan of templates. Each month, hundreds of subscribers receive AdSense templates from me so they can shortcut the creation of their web sites and get down to the business of building original content. Apart from the ones I have created, I have not seen any templates that are really worthy of emulating... Until now! Continue Reading