While viewing my Twitter stream, I encountered a tweet from an associate that included an expletive. We're talking the F-bomb. I've heard this person speak before and I was reminded of how often he cursed in a keynote before thousands of people. While I have great respect for this indivdual and what he has accomplished, I couldn't help but wonder if he knew how much of his audience he was alienating. I put out a... Continue Reading

Social media has changed everything. When the Web first took off, it wasn't clear how anyone could make money by putting words on a Web page. Then Google brought out AdSense, competitors rushed in with their own programs and people who produced good content, paid attention to their ads and worked hard and patiently at building their sites got to see their incomes take off. But it was all pretty impersonal. Early websites provided information... Continue Reading

There has been a lot of discussion and controversy related to tactics marketers use to get people to take action. Much of the controversy is related to a method called "forced continuity." This is where buyers will sign up for a trial or shipping-only price offer, and end up in a monthly billing program that they may or may not be aware of. Over the years I have seen it all. There's nothing wrong with... Continue Reading

It's great to see how Twitter has grown in the time I've been using it. But what's really impressive is the way that people are using it. Sure, there are spammers leaping on hashtags and trying to attract attention but they're a minority. And they're easily blocked. For the most part, people are using Twitter the way it should be used: as a way of building a community, broadcasting a brand and making valuable connections. Continue Reading

Whenever I teach people about making money with AdSense, I make sure to let them know how easy it is to get started. Once they understand that their original content can translate to a revenue stream, they usually want to know what to do. For someone who has never blogged before, I recommend they set up a Blogger account. Not only is it easy to use, but it is also free. And since Google owns... Continue Reading

How did Facebook ever get to be so big? Honestly, the site is chock full 'o so much garbage that it has become the new MySpace. But beyond all the stupid vampire and zombie games, there is a solid social media site that can be useful for businesses. For over a year, I have peaked at my 5000 friend limit. However, people close their accounts or unfriend me from time to time. So I've always... Continue Reading

WARNING: Today's post is going to rattle cages and put a spotlight on a potentially dark side of Internet marketing. Yeah, I'm probably going to tick some people off. That's life. I'm more concerned with speaking the truth. This is #2 in a series called The Truth About Internet Marketing. Part one was called "The Long Form Sales Letter. For some time it has been suspected that there is a "secret cabal" of Internet marketers... Continue Reading

When blogs first came out, no one really knew what they were for. They were supposed to be diaries, but diaries are meant to be private so why put them online? And if you did put one online, why would anyone want to read it? And if someone did want to read it, how you could earn money from those viewers? Continue Reading

Social media is a revolution in marketing. It allows businesses to identify their most important leads, understand what interests them the most, and talk to them en masse while still making each person feel like an individual. If that sounds like the kind of thing that a good speaker does, there's a good reason for that. Social media and conferences have a great deal in common. Social media marketing doesn't deliver the kind of depth... 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

As December was coming to a close, I began to think of how I might help inspire you in the new year. I knew I would write something and post it on January 1st. But it didn't happen. In fact, January first found me uninspired. I was enjoying hanging out at home with my family and doing absolutely nothing. I thought to myself, I'll just write something on the second instead. Guess what? It didn't... Continue Reading

You can now create a website in about five minutes. You can sign up at a blogging platform, write your first post and read it online instantly. The next day, you can receive your approval email from Google, and the same day see your very first AdSense click. The first building blocks of your Internet business can be incredibly fast. But don't let them fool you. Building that business so that it has firm foundations... Continue Reading

I've now been on Twitter since May 2007. When I wrote Twitter power, I had about 5000 followers. Fast forward to late 2009. I hit 83,000 followers, but that's nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands or millions of followers that some members have acquired. It's been an interesting ride, but a number of things have happened that have caused me to reevaluate my Twitter strategy. Continue Reading

Our iPhone development team is responsible for some great apps in the iTunes app store. iVote Mobile was in the first batch of 500 apps that were released in the app store when it first went live in Summer of 2008. Last holiday season, iFart took the world by storm. It has gone on to become one of the most frequently mentioned iPhone apps in the world. Our team was among the first to develop... Continue Reading