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

You've hopefully heard that the point of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook isn't just to amass followers. You could have totally healthy numbers and still not see much of a return in terms of sales or clicks or engaged readers. So if the goal isn't just numbers, what is it? Some of the signposts that you are doing things right: People retweet your tweets. People comment on your blog posts and on other... Continue Reading

Twitter can be a great branding tool. If you are not already using Twitter to get the word out about your business, you probably at least know that you should be. There are lots of benefits to using Twitter, and some things that you should definitely avoid. And in the end, everyone needs to decide for themselves what kind of role Twitter will play in their lives and businesses. It's perfectly fine for your Twitter... Continue Reading

A couple days ago I blogged about the lack of integrity amongst some Internet marketers. The post attracted thousands of readers and many comments were posted. Clearly, this topic is one on many people's minds. It almost feels like picking at scabs because there is a great deal of wounding in this area. While I appreciate the kind words people shared, this issue is NOT about me. This is about an industry that has been... Continue Reading

It's a new year and more than likely you have new ideas, goals, and plans for your life. And if you're reading this right now, you probably have more than a few goals for your online business. But where are they in terms of importance? Have you prioritized them to take precedence over your goal to lose weight or embark on international travel? Not to take anything away from your desire to be healthy or... Continue Reading

The holiday season can be pretty intense -- presents to buy, social events to go to, cookies to eat, and through it all you are still running your online business. But don't forget to take some time out to sit down and reflect on the year that's passed and the one coming up. Doing so can bring your business and your efforts into sharper focus and help you know what you want to shoot for... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) I'm going to get up on my soapbox for a little bit here. You see... I consider myself to be a good programmer. Now, I don't mean the BEST programmer, just a good one. I know there are so many things that I have yet to learn out there. In my days I've come across both good and bad programmers, and I could probably write a decent book on... Continue Reading

There is a lot that goes into running your online business. SEO, shopping carts, web design, social media promotions, information products, building an email list, and on and on. It can be tempting to get wrapped up in all of these things, and there is no denying that they are all very important to your business. But oftentimes people get so focused on and distracted by these things that they lose sight of what is... Continue Reading

Once upon a time I said that I would never get a tattoo on my body. I didn't object to others getting one. They just weren't for me. Besides I'm allergic to pain. I break out in screaming. That's why no one was more surprised than I when the idea came to me just a little over a month ago. I was making my "bucket list" and the idea of having a tattoo suddenly seemed... Continue Reading

You are probably catching on to the fact that I am not promoting many products these days. That's because most products and services coming out are not worth promoting. When you see the proliferation of traffic products, social media products, list building products and all the other rehashed same-old, same-old coming out, I'm sure you'll agree that there aren't many original ideas out there right now. So when I DO have something to share with... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Joel Ownby) Accepting payment online for your products and services sounds like a pretty simple endeavor, and at a low level it is. Understanding what is happening behind the scenes is an entirely different proposition. Understanding the nuts and bolts of payment processing will grant you the ability to provide better customer service, generate more accurate cash flow and projection data, help you to better understand technical issues involving payment processing... 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

We talk a lot on this site about the ins and outs of creating and selling your own information products online, but what about all the information products that are already out there? How do you decide which ones to spend your hard-earned money on and which ones to let go? There is no doubt that there are lots of valuable information products out there that can help you meet your business and personal needs... Continue Reading

Whether or not your online business plans include you writing anything, there is a lot to be said for developing a consistent journaling habit. Many, many people (especially those who have to be creative on a daily basis) attest to the fact that doing a morning "brain dump" of all of your worries, ideas, plans, etc. by writing them down helps to clear you out to do your best work later in the day. This... Continue Reading