Did you ever walk into one of those old mom-and-pop hardware stores, the sort of place where piles of dusty boxes filled with metal things are stacked from floor to ceiling and nothing's got a label on it? You walk up to the counter, explain what you're trying to do and the store owner nods, starts bringing down boxes and in no time at all finds exactly the widget you were looking for. Those people... Continue Reading

Now this is incredible. And when I say incredible, I mean INCREDIBLE! Like most marketers, I have not been able to find an email solution that guarantees my newsletter will arrive in the inboxes of my customers. Even the best autoresponder service has problems getting my emails through to AOL.com, Yahoo.com and hotmail.com. That's why I am doing backflips over Instant Whitelist! Continue Reading

It was a communal moment. I was thirteen-years old, and I remember standing in line with all the others. We were eagerly waiting... anticipating... fully aware that we were about to experience something that would be groundbreaking and revolutionary. Oh yes, there was a great deal of buzz. And we knew it. It was just a matter of time before we would be able to take our seats in the theater... ... and enjoy seeing... Continue Reading

I like to keep things short. I know that you're busy. I know that you've got a million things to do today. And I know that if you're reading this, you're not building your online publishing business. So I don't want to take up too much of your time. That's why I tend to keep my posts brief and to the point. In general, my philosophy is that if I can't say what I want... Continue Reading

You knew it would happen... Corporate America is making its way into the Internet Marketing community. This industry is growing up! The doors just opened on a partnership between three Fortune-100 internet corporations and a software tool for online success. The new software is called Rip2it, the brainchild of Sean Roach and Nathan Anderson and the company's corporate partners. Continue Reading

You've probably already noticed it. The look of your AdSense units has changed. No, you didn't push the wrong button and accidentally wipe out all your formatting. And no one hacked into your code and played with your Web page. Google has redesigned its ad units. The changes aren't radical but they do offer a couple of small advantages. First, the "Ads by Google" tag is now at the bottom of the unit instead of... Continue Reading

Ever since Google changed its Terms Of Service to allow other contextualized ad systems on the same pages as AdSense, I've been busy taking another look at its competitors. And what I've found was that Kontera has been pretty busy. Kontera has created an ad system that turns keywords on a Web page into double-underlined links. When users mouse over those links, they get a floating tool box containing an ad. It's unobtrusive and looks... Continue Reading

Clutter. Our lives are full of it. And to be honest, I've never experienced more clutter in my life than right now. As I type this, movers are hauling my "stuff" into my new home in Colorado... ... and I can't believe how much stuff there is. I feel like I am being overtaken by boxes and furniture. And just when you think they've brought it all in, there is more. Clutter. Continue Reading

I've been looking back at what's been happening in the world of AdSense over the last ten months or so... and I've been amazed at what I've found. I was able to count at least fifteen innovations that could affect the way publishers earn through AdSense. Some of those changes, such as larger image ads, are relatively minor. Others, such as video ads and multiple channels for ad units, have the potential to radically change... Continue Reading

It was a pretty exciting day yesterday. The UPS man dropped four boxes at my front door. I instantly knew what they were. Carrying the boxes insides, I quickly found scissors and gently cut the tape that sealed the cardboard boxes. It was just as I had expected. Books. Dozens of copeis of the same book. My book. It had finally arrived... Continue Reading

I've never been a huge Oprah Winfrey fan. I've probably watched three entire shows my whole life. But I do appreciate the positive spin she has taken her show these past years. Instead of doing the Jerry Springer "dregs of society" type shows, she has sought to elevate her show by featuring encouraging and inspiring stories. From time to time, she has been known to provide her entire audience with a year's supply of dogfood... Continue Reading