Entries Tagged 'web2.0' ↓

One of the best things about having been a part of a number of Internet Marketing communities (in particular the Immediate Edge and Thirty Day Challenge) and making some talented friends and acquaintances along the way, is that I have the opportunity occasionally to Beta test cool new tools.

Recently I have been a Beta tester for 2 tools that have got me really excited. The first is Market Samurai, which I was able to Beta test as part of the Immediate Edge and is now being used within the Thirty Day Challenge. If you aren’t a part of either of those communities then you will get the chance to buy it soon and I will explain more about it then (incidentally, when it’s released it looks like they are majorly undercharging for it – this tool is outstanding for keyword and market research).

The second tool I have been Beta testing is called Traffic Android. This has been created by a talented young guy called Nathan Ridley to make the process of social bookmarking a whole lot easier.

One of the problems with social bookmarking is the time it takes to manually bookmark a web page to a multitude of sites AND make it appear natural and organic. The temptation is to go crazy with the bookmarking and post to every site in a short space of time because otherwise you forget to return to it, or you lose track of where you have and haven’t posted.

Social bookmarking is a useful method for getting search engines to notice your blog posts and web sites (and in some cases attract referral traffic) but the sites need to be used in a natural way in order to avoid being labeled as spam.

Traffic Android has a number of things going for it that I haven’t seen elsewhere:

• Creates a timeline for posting to each social bookmarking site based on your preferred time delay (you can spread it over a whole week if you want)

• Shows you which sites you will need to manually post to (due to their anti-spamming measures) and enable you to do this by bringing the security captcha to you

• Saves all your information in project and campaign files so you know what and where you have posted (this alone is a gem for me, as it avoids having to keep pages of notes or create spreadsheets)

• Posts to each site while you are happily getting on with other tasks

• Enables different account profiles so you can spread your bookmarking among a number of accounts

• Offers a choice of which sites you bookmark to, with information on each one, such as which have follow and no-follow links.

All you need to do is fill in a little basic information on your web page, as well as a short description.

At the moment you do need to create your own profiles with each of the bookmarking sites, but Nathan is working on automating that for you too. In fact, the best is yet to come. More features and bookmarking sites are being added all the time and buyers receive all future updates.

Now for some technical info.

Traffic Android works on a .net framework so it does require running a Windows program (which is possible on some Macs). The interface is very clear and easy to use (being a technical dummy myself I asked Nathan to make sure the instructions was extremely clear).

I’ll warn you now that this is priced at $197, but there is a free trial in order for you to assess its usefulness. I think you have to weigh the price against what you would normally spend on your bookmarking. Not just the financial cost (if you outsource this, it will cost you upwards of $10 a time for one user account to approx. 30 sites so you’ll be breaking even pretty quickly) but also the cost of your time.

Traffic Android definitely has my seal of approval and I have used it to bookmark a number of different web pages now with great success.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. This post is something I’ve wanted to express for a long time. So grab some popcorn and your beverage of choice. You’re in for a long one.I was recently called out and attacked by Mark Hopkins over at the blog Mashable with his latest post, Is Twitter Vulnerable To Marketer Attack?Mark apparently got his motivation to make such a post after reading blogger Duncan Riley’s recent post (also directed at me and showing a recent email I sent to my list) Pending Sign Of The Twitter Apocalypse: It’s Being Talked About By Internet Marketers.

Wake Up Call: Web 2.0 Wouldn’t Exist Without Internet Marketers

If there is one thing guaranteed to get people to read and comment on your blog it’s to write something absolutely flaming about someone or something other people respect. That happened over at Mashable today with established Internet Marketers (in particular John Reese) being “called out” for their (mis)use of Twitter.

Interestingly, it was a Twitter post by Mashable that ensured readers saw the blog post quickly and Twitter that enabled the buzz surrounding it to spread quickly.

I’m not going to go into great detail about the Mashable blog post or John Reese’s response (please read them for yourselves), except to say that I’m glad John did respond. Many times the big names in Internet Marketing get slammed online and they choose not to respond because it stirs up a hornets’ nest, raises the profile of the person who called them out, and leaves a distinctly bad taste in readers’ mouths (not to mention that life is too short to constantly battle the dissenters). But in this case it was a strong personal attack written on a well-read blog, and by targeting John Reese they were also slating a whole lot of other people who make their money online (themselves included).

Apart from the unnecessary, unprovoked and un-researched attack on John, my own feelings after reading the Mashable post are:

• what right has anyone (apart from the owners of Twitter) to say whether someone is using Twitter in the right or wrong way? If people feel like someone they are following is hard-selling them they simply STOP following them. It’s as easy as that.
• what makes what Mashable do on Twitter any different from me, John Reese or anyone else who has an online business? They build a relationship with followers by posting some personal stuff, some useful stuff, some links to interesting sites and some links to their own blog/website (where they make money). Interestingly I stopped following Mashable because I felt bombarded by them…but I still follow John Reese.
• what is wrong with being an ebook seller? The Mashable post made it sound unethical and so many people act like selling ebooks is ripping people off. I sell ebooks and know many others who sell them too. When done right, they are well-written, informative and helpful. They enable people to find help on topics that are time sensitive or not profitable enough to warrant a physical book. One of my ebooks has less than a 2% refund rate so the buyers at least believe they got value for money.

I suppose my point is that I feel a little miffed (a weak way of saying p**sed off) that someone believes they have taken the high ground on something when they have no right to take it (especially as they did it poorly on popular blog). Writing a blog and making money on it from advertising and affiliate products is no different from promoting voiceover or writing services online, or selling ebooks on growing tomatoes, or making money on ebay, or… It makes us all Internet Marketers. It’s time to get over thinking that Internet Marketing is solely about ripping people off.

OK, I think I’m done. I need some chamomile tea now to calm me down (and I hate chamomile tea)!

Like others who have commented on this on their blogs I am simply contributing to Mashable’s traffic by mentioning it here, but if you want to find out where this originated then by all means go check it out, but also have a look at John Reese’s blog reply Wake Up Call and I enjoyed reading Alice Seba’s blog post on this too: Marketing Blogs: Hollywood Tabloid Style (Alice is always the voice of reason).

Lisa

P.S. To follow me on Twitter go to http://twitter.com/audiomarketing

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tags: johnreese, mashable, internet marketing, internet marketers, twitter

It’s starting all over again very soon. The Thirty Day Challenge is back for its 4th year and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.

So, why should you consider taking part this year? 

1. It’s the best FREE Internet Marketing Training available

Actually, scrap that. It’s the best Internet Marketing training available…period! Ed Dale and Dan Raine are two of the best brains on the planet when it comes to this stuff. These guys know how to create businesses (very important – this isn’t just about affiliate marketing or Web2.0 or SEO…this is about long-term sustainable businesses) and practice what they preach. Both have been highly successful in creating businesses.

2. It’s cutting edge

A year ago all the Internet Marketing “gurus” laughed at Ed and Dan for promoting the wonders of Facebook and Twitter. They took it in good grace and now they are the ones laughing. Suddenly all the “gurus” have discovered Twitter and Facebook and are claiming them as their own.

Almost always, without exception, the things Ed and Dan teach will be picked-up and taught by others in 6-12 months time. The groundbreaking G-Trends keyword research method from last year’s Thirty Day Challenge is now the standard.

Creating long-term businesses is vital, but on the Internet you need to be ready to use the latest tools to aid you in your business. Jump on the wagon before it picks up the band!

3. It’s tried and tested

Ed and Dan never teach anything they haven’t tested and tested again. Dan is the king of stats and Ed has his own lab testing everything before rolling it out. They are currently testing 2 methods and the best will be used for this year’s Thirty Day Challenge. This is definitely not just theory.

4. You’ll Make Money

OK, it might not be a lot by the end of the 30 days but if you can make $1 you can rinse and repeat and improve so that you can make more (this is more realistic than the get-rich-quick suggestions of many online marketers). But some people have made a significant amount more than $1 in past years.

5. You Can Pick Some Great Brains

People who have done the Thirty Day Challenge before come back year after year to learn more and lend a helping hand. You’ll find some extremely talented people on the forums – especially Caro (always there with a detailed answer, lots of enthusiasm and a kick up the bum when we need it), Nez (Mr Tech) and Man Hunk Pete Williams, to name but a very few. People who have been successful and had their lives changed by the Thirty Day Challenge feel this overwhelming desire to give something back, and it’s worth taking advantage of it.

6. You’ll Make Friends

People in the Thirty Day Challenge come from all parts of the world and all walks of life. It’s a fantastic community of people and if you throw yourself into it you will make friends. Joining a team will help you keep on-track with the challenge and meet new people who could become friends for life.

7. You’ll Have Fun

It’s true. The whole event can be a bit exhausting and you’ll be running on adrenaline for most of it (while trying to remember what your family looks like and when you last saw the sun) but it’s so much fun it’s positively addictive.

Have I convinced you yet? If I have then head over to the Thirty Day Challenge and get signed-up. Pre-season starts 1st June, which is a leisurely amble towards August, helping you get comfortable with the tools and technology, find a team and settle-in before the madness begins.

Hope to see you there.

Hi All,

Sorry I have been away for a while. Things were all moving along nicely with the last blog and then suddenly the blog host deactivated the account. Said I’d added an illegal plugin or something (actually, the word illegal wasn’t used but can’t remember the exact term).

As it couldn’t possibly have been me who added the plugin (since I’ve only just discovered how to do that) I was at a loss at what to do. And the guy who created the blog for me didn’t seem keen to resolve the issue for me so I figured I’d better learn how to do it myself.

If I’d known how easy it was to create a WordPress blog I would have done it AGES ago, but as always with this techie stuff, I need someone to give me the dummies’ guide and lead me through step by step.

Thanks to Caroline Middlebrook for providing that dummies’ guide in her free ”How to Develop Money-Making Niche Sites with WordPress” ebook. I already had an account at Bluehost, so I simply pointed my nameservers there instead and followed her guide step by step. Caroline, you are a star!

I spent hours searching the template stores for the perfect template, and then ended up using a free template. I just liked the Web 2.0 feel of this template. I may change it down the line if I find another I prefer, but I’m pretty happy with this one.

This blog is a work in progress as I discover new things I can do with WordPress but the content will be very much geared towards audio marketing and internet marketing, with an opportunity to guide you towards some of the (free) audio and videos I have created for you. Plus, I always think any blog is a bit more interesting if the blogger adds the occasional personal post to prove they are human (or nearly human!).

Oh, and some of the articles from the previous blog will appear here too gradually, incase you missed them first time round.

Good to be back!

Lisa