Over the past couple years, information marketers have come under greater scrutiny by the United States Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has taken several companies and individuals to task for deceptive Internet marketing practices. As the largest seller of information products online, Clickbank.com is now issuing clearer guidelines for the types of products and/or marketing practices that will be more closely scrutinized going forward. In other words, they are going to be working harder to... Continue Reading

I recently wrote a few articles that created quite a bit of response from my readers. Where is the Integrity in Internet Marketing? challenged many of the all-too-common tactics used by unscrupulous marketers. I invited my readers to share their thoughts and experiences related to these issues, and the comments that followed were both insightful and instructional. Let's face it. When it comes to selling a product or service, marketing approaches are all over the... Continue Reading

While I have been doing business online since 1995, I entered the Internet marketing arena in 2005. When I began selling an ebook detailing my strategies for making money with websites using Google AdSense, I found myself at the forefront of the marketplace. In the years that followed, I was sucked into a swirling vortex of product launches, live events and teleseminars. I met many other Internet marketers and developed relationships with some. Over the... Continue Reading

It's not entirely new and it's not entirely unique. Third-party providers like TwitterAnalyzer and Klout had already been providing some statistical feedback for Twitter for some time. CrowdBooster, a new service, promises to do even more. But the launch of Twitter's own Analytics service is going to change everything. Continue Reading

Someone recently sent me a link to an information product suggesting I look at their sales letter. It was a typical "make money online" pitch with a well-dressed guy sharing his story of how he went from zero to hero using strategies and methods that he would share with us at the designated price. There was the big house, the pretty girlfriend and the sports car. Ooh. I'm impressed. (Note the touch of sarcasm, please... Continue Reading

Coca Cola calls itself "The Real Thing." Rappers tell each to "keep it real." Teenagers are told to "be true" to themselves. Continue Reading

A few years ago I heard people in the Internet marketing circles talking about "The Secret." I was told it was an amazing film featuring successful people demonstrating a "law of the universe" that had been hidden from the majority of mere mortals. Starring in this film based on a book by Rhonda Byrne were such people as Joe Vitale, James Arthur Ray, Michael Beckwith, David Schirmer and Bill Harris, among otthers. I decided to... Continue Reading

Apple has finally given the final word on their app store guidelines. Well, not final. They can still do whatever they want to do. But for many in the iOS development realm, it's nice to receive some clarification on what they are looking for, as well as to understand why there are so many hiccups in the approval process. As part of their public statement, Apple was quoted as saying "We have over 250,000 apps... Continue Reading

I had the privilege of welcoming "The Queen of Facebook", Mari Smith, to my offices. She was in town to speak at the Northern Colorado Social Media Social, so we had an opportunity of spending the afternoon together before the event. Mari and I both purchased the newly-released iPad from Apple. We decided to do a live broadcast from my studio. In case you missed it, the replay is below. Not only did we discuss... Continue Reading

So you have signed up with Twitter account and uploaded your profile picture. You've even tweeted your first tweet. Pretty soon you'll be hooked. Or maybe you are a Twitter veteran, with scads of followers hanging on your every word. Either way, make sure you aren't overlooking one of the best features that Twitter has to offer... The ability to create your own Twitter background! Continue Reading

Nearly one year after the release of iFart, the app continues to sell like clockwork. I believe that iFart is also the most-referenced app in iPhone history. It seems like every week one media outlet or another is referring to it. A Google search for iFart now turns up 106,000 results. Continue Reading

Last week the FTC dropped a bomb on the marketing world. They released new guidelines for the use of testimonials and endorsements in marketing. I immediately contacted my attorney, Kevin Houchin, to get his take on the latest guidelines. With Kevin's permission, I am republishing the entire text of his interpretation. It is essential that all marketers, online and offline, pay attention to this content. And understand that if you have ANY questions, you should... Continue Reading

By now, you know that I am the creator of the world's most-talked about iPhone application, iFart Mobile. Although most people know me these days as the best selling author of "Twitter Power - How To Dominate Your Market One Tweet At A Time" and a successful internet entrepreneur, my staff and I eagerly jumped into iPhone development as soon as the app store launched. If you have been following me on Twitter, you are... Continue Reading

This week, I had the pleasure of being asked to speak to Microsoft employees on the subject of Twitter. Eckhart Boehme invited me to talk about how businesses are using Twitter, demonstrating that Microsoft is taking a very engaged position on social media. I was treated quite well by Eckhart and his team, and I met a number of very bright Microsoft people. The campus is ENORMOUS. I saw buildings numbered all the way up... Continue Reading