Yesterday I scared little children around the world with photos of me at 225 pounds. I did warn you beforehand, so please don't send me your psycho-analysis and therapy bills. For the past three months I have been on The Joel Comm Diet, which is not a diet at all. Instead it combines common sense with a plan that works for me. I am pleased to say that three months later I have lost 35... Continue Reading

If you look around at successful online businesses, you will see many things that they all have in common. Maybe they have a good design, have a well-written blog, convincing sales pages, or some combination of these and other characteristics. But many successful sites an businesses share another characteristic: they know and take advantage of the power of a unique business idea. Because let's face it, you can have all the other pieces in place... Continue Reading

Yesterday, I introduced you to Help a Reporter, a site/newsletter that offers a wealth of opportunities to find publicity. HARO has well over 100,000 subscribers watching for opportunities to get interviewed. That means while the opportunities are ripe, there is a lot of competition to get noticed. Today's site is far less popular, but still offers quality leads for experts wanting recognition. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Sarah Beek) Sometimes the simplest idea is also the best. The winner of the BetaCup Challenge was announced this week. The BetaCup Challenge was a contest sponsored by Starbucks (along with others) to find a sustainable alternative to the ubiquitous disposable paper (or worse) coffee cup. The winning idea wasn't a coffee cup at all, but rather a very simple tool with the goal of motivating people to bring their own... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Sarah Jane Griesemer) Having an idea, product, video, or marketing plan go viral is something of a holy grail for online marketers. Sure, everyone wants it to happen to them, but how do you do it? What is the magic formula for a successful viral marketing campaign? The answer, unfortunately, is that there isn't one. You know a good viral campaign when you see one, and since by its very definition... Continue Reading

Recently there has been a lot of discussion of female bloggers and how a recent Technorati report found that 67% of all bloggers are male. I would venture to guess that an even higher percentage of Internet marketers and online entrepreneurs are male. Which is not to say that there aren't some great ladies with the entrepreneurial spirit out there. Here are some of the top female online entrepreneurs, in no particular order: Continue Reading

One of the best things about the Internet is the speed and ease with which we can share the things that we find exciting, inspiring, or hilarious with other people. Social bookmarking and sharing tools makes this as easy as the click of a button, and quite frankly, if you are not already using content sharing buttons, you should be. After all, why wouldn't you want to make it as easy as possible for... Continue Reading

I seem to spend a lot of time on the road these days. I've been up and down the country, backwards and forwards, and from state to state. I've even been to the other side of the world and back. It's hard work, with lots of jet-lag and too much time away from my family. That always hurts. But I enjoy it. I like speaking. The people I meet at events and conferences tend to... Continue Reading

I'm currently in Los Angeles for the annual Book Expo America, otherwise known as BEA. Why BEA? I have a book coming out on August 1st and I showed up to support my publisher and do some networking. Now I must confess. I am a trade show junkie. I love the vast conference centers with aisles and aisles of vendors hawking their goods and services. I'm especially a sucker for the freebies and swag. It's... Continue Reading

I'm sitting at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, awaiting my return flight to Colorado. After living on the front range for nearly three months, I already find myself missing the beautiful mountains and am eager to get home. I wanted to send this newsletter today because I have just spent the last few days at Big Seminar #9, where I had the privilege of speaking to four hundred attendees and teaching how anyone can make... Continue Reading

Saturday morning ramblings. I know, it might be Saturday afternoon or Sunday... or even Monday, when you receive this. Nevertheless, it's Saturday morning as a write. So there. :-P Here come the ramblings, kind of a stew from me to you :-) Continue Reading

Bionicles. A Lego creation that has an incredibly rabid fan base and has spawned numerous made-for-DVD videos and a comic book series. Why am I writing about Lego Bionicles? Because my son has been collecting them for years. And because he just dropped over $100 on the newest sets to hit the market and is incredibly upset. So much so that he is returning them to the store, disheartened and disappointed. I suggested that he... Continue Reading

Who's Matt? Just some guy who likes to dance. Well, he likes to dance and he likes to travel. In fact, he likes to dance in the places he travels to. Sound confusing? Continue Reading

Two totally conflicting stories out of Hollywood today that explain absolutely everything you need to know about how out of touch Hollyweird is with the American mainstream. Continue Reading