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

If you are a chronic consumer of information about Internet businesses and making money online, but have yet to do so yourself, this post is for you. What are you waiting for? Lots of people are waiting for that perfect idea, or maybe for a way to find extra time. Here's the thing: no idea is perfect and in the time it just took you to unnecessarily check your email for the fifth time in... Continue Reading

Recently I went to one of my favorite restaurants for a quick lunch. I called in an order of Chicken Tortilla soup to-go and went to pick it up. While I was there I observed that the restaurant was not busy. It SHOULD have been busy, being lunchtime. But it wasn't. It was then I asked to see if the owner was there. I wanted to speak with him for his benefit. He came out... Continue Reading

You've come up with a business idea you believe will rock the world. You have built your website... it's so beautiful it brings a tear to your eye. You are the expert in your field and you've got something to say. Now you just need someone to say it to! It's no surprise that the best way to become recognized is to be interviewed by others who want to leverage your expertise for a newspaper... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Chris Harper) When I was about nine years old, my parents won a drawing for a $1000 shopping spree at a local store in my hometown and decided to use the money to buy a camcorder. As I recall, there were only about six to choose from, and they all recorded onto VHS tapes. The only differences to consider were brand, size (though none were small), and ease of use. Needless... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Joel Ownby) Contactless payments are certainly the wave of the future. They're already a huge trend in Europe and Asia. Contactless payments are poised to revolutionize commerce in the United States. Many of the largest chains have already adopted cashless payment systems and many "touch and go" devices are now available from the largest merchants, credit card companies, and mobile telecommunication service providers. Wikipedia has the following to say about contactless... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Joel Ownby) Advertisers and business owners are starting to understand the value in direct response mobile marketing because the response rates are too high to ignore. TextCastLive is a new service that has taken the rules taught to us by direct marketing mediums like e-mail autoresponder systems and direct mail and applied them to SMS text message marketing to provide a robust, platform-independent, scalable, enterprise-class mobile marketing solution. At the highest... Continue Reading

I'm going to try something new. Typically, I write articles designed to inspire or educate. Occasionally I'll discuss a product or service I think you'll find valuable. And from time to time I share a little bit of my own life with you. I have an idea for a weekly "roundup" of sorts that I'll use to discuss things that are happening with me, my business, in the industry or whatever else crosses my mind... Continue Reading

One of the most frequently asked questions that seems to surface again and again is "How do I start an online business with very little money?" Unlike brick and mortar businesses that frequently require retail or office space, inventory of products and an in-house staff, an online business can be run from home with no inventory and outsourced staff. This entry will lay out the absolute bare essentials needed to start your own online business... Continue Reading

The French call people who use the Internet "Internautes." I like that. It makes us sound like explorers seeking out new life and new civilizations in cyberspace. When I open my browser, I half-expect to bump into a French Captain Kirk. It's certainly a better term than any of the words we have in English. "Users" makes our readers sound like drug addicts. "Surfers" makes them sound like Californian beach bums. And "readers" doesn't work... Continue Reading

The Internet has opened up business in all sorts of ways. It costs nothing to start a website. Anyone can write a blog. Putting ads on your pages takes minutes and requires no selling, no effort and almost no work at all. And the revenues can be fantastic. Millions of people have joined the Internet business revolution and have either swapped their day job for days of writing articles, or are enjoying some useful extra... Continue Reading

There's a fun game people like to play that goes like this. Take any sentence or phrase and add the words "in bed" as a suffix to make it funnier. For example, "John ate a steak... in bed" or "Jill picked out the latest hat to wear... in bed" It's especially fun with fortune cookies, where the game has become part of our pop culture. For example, "You have very good skills and exceptional talents... Continue Reading

Admit it. You are passionate. Oh, I don't know what you are passionate about. But I guarantee that you are passionate about SOMETHING! You may be crazy about parakeets. Or perhaps you know more about bonzai trees than anyone on the block. Maybe you are one of the world's leading experts on Mt. Everest. Or it could be that you make the best french silk pie in the hemisphere! The point is that everyone is... Continue Reading

I'm a big fan of Amazon.com. I spend far too much money there but they also give me a fair bit of money too through book sales and affiliate links. I think they've done a fantastic job of selling products online and helping website publishers earn from their content. They might be the Walmart of Internet retailing, but they're definitely not the Apple of whiz-bang gadgetry. Their new Kindle book-reading machine is a great idea... Continue Reading