I offer a lot of different products. Some of those products I create myself. Others have been created by people I know. All of them, I firmly believe, can bring real benefits to the people who use them. If I wasn't 100 percent convinced that someone who is prepared to use the ideas contained in my books and products, and in the products that I recommend, couldn't achieve massive success, I wouldn't offer them for... Continue Reading

Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear about a new Twitter app, web tool or other utility created to make the use of Twitter easier or more interesting. It's pretty hard to keep up with them. And it's pretty rare that I endorse a tool or app. Just as I wait to see new sites pick up steam before jumping on board, I usually don't start using new tools until they demonstrate widespread... Continue Reading

I seem to spend a lot of time on the road these days. I've been up and down the country, backwards and forwards, and from state to state. I've even been to the other side of the world and back. It's hard work, with lots of jet-lag and too much time away from my family. That always hurts. But I enjoy it. I like speaking. The people I meet at events and conferences tend to... Continue Reading

What do people see when they look at you? Initially, they see your physical appearance. However, I believe our bodies are really a small part of who we really are. Man is a three-part being. We are body, soul and spirit. The body is just a casing (or an earthsuit as John Eldredge likes to say) to give our real selves something to walk around in during our brief stay on this planet. And yet... Continue Reading

In the beginning there were blogs. And yea, God saw that they were good. After all, what a fantastic way for anyone to become an online publisher. Sure, the word "blog" doesn't roll off the tongue. It sounds more like you are about to upchuck yesterday's hot dog. But being short for "web log", it does work in a "oh well I guess it will do" kind of way. Continue Reading

Everywhere I go, people ask me how they can make money online. Every time I show up at a conference, I am swamped with people interested in owning their own Internet business. My Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts receive contact from people on a regular basis. Emails, tweets and submitted forms are always asking what tips I can provide for those who want to learn my strategies. Yes, even my email box is regularly under... Continue Reading

Last week the FTC dropped a bomb on the marketing world. They released new guidelines for the use of testimonials and endorsements in marketing. I immediately contacted my attorney, Kevin Houchin, to get his take on the latest guidelines. With Kevin's permission, I am republishing the entire text of his interpretation. It is essential that all marketers, online and offline, pay attention to this content. And understand that if you have ANY questions, you should... Continue Reading

Twitter isn't the only microblogging service on the Web. It's not even the best microblogging service on the Web. In Twitter Power, I describe a number of sites that also let members post short notes to tell friends and followers what they're up to. Plurk, for example, is alive and kicking, and it looks great. It has neat icons, a clever, horizontal timeline and all sorts of add-ons and gizmos that make it look a... Continue Reading

Affiliate products make up a large part of my income. They're one of the revenue streams that I use on my websites and I often recommend selected products to the people on my mailing list. I use them for all sorts of reasons - and money is only one of them. Sure, an affiliate commission will always be worth more than an ad click but that's only the start of it. I also like the... Continue Reading

It's all your fault. I'm not going to beat about the bush. Nor am I going to try to save your feelings. I'm going to be brutally honest because I think direct is always the best way to go - and because you can handle it. It's all because of you. Continue Reading

Twitter divides people into two camps. To those who use it, it's a whole new Internet. There's the Web of pages and content, and there's the Twitter of people and connections. Both are valuable and both are enjoyable, but they do different things and they do them in different ways. To people who aren't on Twitter though, the service looks completely bizarre. It's a place where people go to tell strangers what they had for... Continue Reading

I have to warn you now. This entry is not going to be pretty. But someone has got to say something. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Fine... sigh... I'll do it. Continue Reading

People create Internet businesses for all sorts of reasons. Some of them are looking to give up their J.O.B.s. Some dream of being of being their own boss. And others can't wait to make tons of cash, retire to their private island and leave the work of traffic generation, content production and ad monitoring to their staff. That's all fine. I don't have a problem with any of those reasons. Provided they're all accompanied by... Continue Reading

Apart from Twitter's own terms of service which prohibit obvious things like harassment, transmitting viruses and spamming other members, there really aren't many rules to the site. You can essentially use Twitter however you like. However, for people and businesses who want to use Twitter successfully (eg: build a following and grow their circle of influence), there are a number of best practices that can be observed. I cover many of these in my book... Continue Reading

Have you ever asked a child what they want for Christmas? They'll tell you exactly what they want, describe it in glorious detail, even point it out to you in the store so that you don't make a mistake and come home with the wrong version. Then on Christmas morning you get to see their eyes light up as they open the wrapping. It's a thrill... until New Year's Day when the toy is lying... Continue Reading

When I was working on Click Here to Order, I had a problem. How could I describe all of the accomplishments achieved by the people I was interviewing? Although each of the marketers I spoke to was usually best known for creating one unique model, which they were now sharing with others, almost all of them had hugely rich pasts as well. Continue Reading

The people behind Twitter were incredibly lucky. They weren't lucky because they had a great idea. They weren't even lucky that no one else had thought of their idea before them. They were lucky that the system took just two weeks to build. My staff and I get together for regular brainstorming sessions. We toss out ideas left, right and center. By the time we walk out of that room, we've got a white board... Continue Reading

I'm not much of a celebrity-watcher. I don't read tabloids and I couldn't care less who's dating whom in Hollywoodland. But I'm still pleased to see that so many celebrities have chosen to use Twitter. I'm pleased because those celebrities are bringing lots of regular folk like you and me with them. Those people might have come to chat with Oprah or Ashton Kutcher but they'll hang around and talk with the rest of us... Continue Reading

I've been an Amazon.com Associate since the beginning. I'm not sure when they started their program, but it's been over ten years that I've promoted Amazon's products and services. Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Andrea, an Associates Account Specialist (is that for people who can't get jobs with the post office? I'm kidding.. relax...), that informed me my account was being closed. First of all, let me say this. I am... Continue Reading

A recent question in USA Today by Steve Strauss in the "Ask the Expert" column asked the question, "Should Entrepreneur's Twitter?" Mr. Strauss answered the question with a definitive "No" and gave several reasons. One must wonder how someone who so clearly does not understand Twitter was able to speak as an "expert." As a true expert on the subject, I wish to set the record straight and dissuade entrepreneurs from acting on Mr. Strauss... Continue Reading

When I started work on Twitter Power at the end of September 2008, I had about 5,000 followers. That was a pretty good amount back then: it was only a year ago that Twitter's blog was reporting that anyone with more than 80 followers was among the site's top ten percent of users. Boy, have things changed! Continue Reading

Here's something you're not going to hear too often these days. I'm glad I don't have a job. I'm happy that I don't have to commute to someone else's office, make nice to the boss, wonder what I have to do to move up in life... and hope and pray that I still have my job next month. That's the situation for many people these days, and I'm so happy that I've discovered that it... Continue Reading

Twitter has experienced massive growth in the past year, with the number of people signing up each month accelerating. It has also become the media darling of the day. It seems that everyone is Twittering. However, with only 10-12 million people on the site, its clear that everyone is NOT Twittering. Don't fret. They will be soon. So where is the media paying the most attention to Twitter? You guessed it. It's all about the... Continue Reading

With Twitter becoming such a powerful force on the social media scene, there are those who get it and those who don't get it. There's a certain number of the "don't get it" crowd who will invariably take an outright aggressive posture and make a statement like this... "Twitter is a waste of time. Who cares what you had for breakfast?" Many on Twitter will hem and haw about the content of the question, almost... Continue Reading

Every time I go to a conference or take part in a seminar I meet a bunch of amazing people. I meet people who are experts at marketing. I chat to entrepreneurs who are wizards at search engine optimization. I swap ideas with other bloggers who are making six-figure incomes on the strength of their posts. Every one of those people is special. But they aren't successful because they're special. They're special because they're successful. Continue Reading

I do not use my Gmail.com account for business. It is my personal account that I use to correspond with friends, family and close business associates. But I DO use the account and have a number of messages that I have saved for one reason or another. Around 2 pm MDT I went to check my Gmail account and was SHOCKED to see that my inbox was EMPTY! I thought, "surely this must be a... Continue Reading

I remember when Guerrilla Marketing came out. I was so excited. Here were a bunch of different methods to run powerful marketing campaigns without spending a dime. It was revolutionary. At last, the average Joe could build a business even with a marketing budget no deeper than his pant pockets. The philosophy laid out in that book still holds good. It is still possible to sell products without buying a 30-second spot during the Superbowl. Continue Reading

I love coming up with new ways to demonstrate the power of Twitter. With such a massive network of users, it's fun the push the boundaries and see what is possible. I decided I would make myself available to anyone who wanted to interact. I had to set aside time to do this because its just not possible to answer every @ reply that comes your way. So around 2:20 pm MDT today, I decided... Continue Reading

You've heard the saying about not being able to fool all the people all the time. You probably also know then that you can't please all the people all the time too. It's an impossibility. It doesn't matter how good your content, how wonderful your website or what a great job you do, you're always going to get people who write in and complain. Continue Reading

I love giving things away. I know, I'm supposed to be a marketer. I'm supposed to know how to get the full value for everything I supply. But every year, I give away tons of fantastic freebies. I give away content, e-books, videos, training sessions, teleseminars and all sorts of other wonderful things. If I had to calculate the total value of the goodies that I pass out for nothing every year, I'd need to... Continue Reading

I can't tell you how many times I've done it. I reach a website, enjoy the content, then head for the search box to look for more. I type in the keywords, hit the Search button... and find that I'm searching in the subscription field. Now I have to look for the search box and start typing all over again. Or more likely, I'll give up and look for another website. Putting the RSS subscription... Continue Reading

Many of the people who turn to Internet marketing do it because they feel that their career ladder has got stuck. They work hard, they're ambitious, they know they've got drive, skills and talent but their boss isn't giving them the breaks they need or their company just doesn't have anywhere higher for them to climb. So they start dreaming of branching out on their own. If they build their own career ladder, they think... Continue Reading

Whenever I see a picture from inside the Oval Office, something always strikes me. Yes, I'm struck by how much nicer the President's office is than mine (although I think I've got a better view). But mostly I'm struck by his desk. It's big and old and it's nicely decorated... but that's not really what I'm getting at either. What's most striking about the President's desk - and this is true of the workspace of... Continue Reading

Wow. I should probably just end the blog post with that one word, as I am speaking about Tweet-a-Thon 2009. Just wow. But you know I can't stop there! It's the morning after. I am still exhausted. But I am basking in the afterglow of what I shall remember for the rest of my life. Continue Reading

My team and I came up with the idea for an iPhone fart application in summer of 2008. We knew it would be a hit. We just needed to develop it. We took great pride in developing iFart Mobile. It was more than another iPhone application. It was a true entertainment machine with a unique interface. It didn't LOOK like an iPhone app. When we submitted the application to Apple, it was put "in review... Continue Reading

Online publishers wear all sort of different hats. They have to be marketers and managers. They have to be programmers and designers. They have to be buyers and sellers. And they often have to be dog-walkers, soccer coaches, family cooks and 9-5 day workers too. But perhaps the biggest challenge is that they have to be content creators as well. That's a very specialized job and because it's at the heart of what makes a... Continue Reading

Here's a confession... Not every idea I've had has been golden. In fact, I can say that many of the business ideas I've tried have managed to bring me... well, let's just say something was funding one or two lunches per week. That's one of the advantages of marketing. Everyone gets to know about your successes but your failures just fade away. Continue Reading

As I'm sure you read on my blog or elsewhere on the web, Facebook had suspended my account. After sending a few emails and having some friends with contacts at Facebook work on my behalf, my account has been reinstated. Here is the email I received from them... Continue Reading

You've probably noticed that some of my websites don't have any AdSense units at all. Some people certainly have. They find it surprising. After all, I make a living teaching people how to use AdSense. I get fat checks from AdSense every month. I think that AdSense is the greatest money-dispersing invention since the automated telling machine. And yet I still don't put AdSense on all my sites. Neither should you. Continue Reading

I've been a fan of Facebook for a couple years. I think it's a great way to network with others and build your business. I've used the site create my own groups, build a fan page, post videos, interact with family, friends and fans, and basically enjoyed its functionality. I've always abided by their terms of service, even though thousands of people break the rules every day. I'm a credible marketer with a 15-year history... Continue Reading

I'm sure you've heard all the reasons for working for yourself. You can set your own schedule. You can be your own boss. You won't have to commute. You can work in your underwear. (Does anyone ever do that?) Yada yada. All true, all wonderful (except maybe the underwear bit) and all good reasons for setting up your own business. Bu there's one reason that no one ever talks about, and that's very strange because... Continue Reading

You've probably noticed that I'm a big fan of video content. I don't think text is going to disappear from the Web completely but I do think we're going to see more and more video content appearing on the Internet. I also think that users now expect to find clips on the sites they visit. I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Google obviously thinks so too, which was why it bought YouTube... Continue Reading

You know what I like best about Twitter? It isn't the fact that it's easy to use and a ton of fun (although those are important). It isn't the fact that I can communicate with some fantastic people, get answers to questions and pick up information and advice that I couldn't have learned any other way (although those are important too.) And it isn't even that it's a fantastic marketing tool that drives traffic, builds... Continue Reading

AdSense has a weakness. It's not very good at handling images. Fill your blog or your website with pictures of your cat, your family or your vacation in Yosemite and you might please your readers, but Google won't know what to make of it. Unless you have a sizeable amount of text on your Web page, its robots won't be able to decide what you're talking about. You'll get Public Service Ads that don't earn... Continue Reading

I've seen it. It's a glint in the eye, an intensity in the look, a feverish scribbling of notes during a talk. It's the desire for passive revenue - to set up a system that produces money while you spend the rest of your life on a beach in Cancun, occasionally checking how much you made today while doing nothing. I love to see that desire because, frankly, I have it too. That's why it's... Continue Reading

I believe that anyone can make money as an online publisher. I've always believed that and I've seen enough people set up websites and generate income to keep believing it. But I know there's something wrong with this picture. I'm not going to kid myself and it would be plain wrong to try to kid anyone else. Some publishers are going to have an easier time than others. Continue Reading

I had the privilege of speaking to one thousand people at a seminar this weekend. One the things I hear from attendees again and again is how "real" I am on stage. I take that a compliment, because to be otherwise would be to act "phony." After considering these kinds of comments, I wonder how many people aren't "real" on stage or some other part of their lives. I think one reason that speakers/performers struggle... 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

Did you feel it? It was just a tremor, but the effects are global. In fact, I'll say this... The world just got smaller. Alright, Joel. WHAT are you talking about? Continue Reading

I got an email from someone the other day asking me which "gurus" they should listen to. There are SO many people teaching how to make money online. How DO you know who to trust? Here's a checklist for you to help you determine the answer to this question: Continue Reading

Online publishing is a business. Like any business it requires work. It requires paying taxes. And it requires investments of cash to keep going. That last hurdle is the one that many people stumble over. They think that because the only equipment they need to set up an online publishing business is a computer, that's the only expense they'll ever need to pay. Wrong. Continue Reading

What would you say if I told you that you can boost your profits by typing just 140 characters? (That's about the length of this paragraph.) If you're smart, you might say "Which ones?" If you're really smart though, you'd say "I know." That's because the power of Twitter isn't a secret any more. CEOs are using it. Bloggers are using it. Marketers are using it. Everyone's using it (including me) and not only are... Continue Reading

No, this isn't another invitation to a webinar. (There will be another of those along soon, don't worry.) And it's not about another live video release. (There will be another one of those soon too.) In fact, it's not about me at all. It's about you. Continue Reading

Stuck for a blog post? Fed up writing how-tos and list posts? Want to write a piece of content that will not only be original, unique and genuinely interesting but which is almost guaranteed to deliver at least one return link from a targeted traffic source? So try Continue Reading

There's a reason that online publishing is profitable. It's a fantastic reason and it's one of the things that makes earning income as an online entrepreneur so enjoyable. People want to learn. They want to know how to be a better gardener, a better dad, a better soccer coach, a better entrepreneur too. Anyone who can provide that information can make some money -- and help others too. And anyone can do that. You might... Continue Reading

Just because the economy is suffering doesn't mean you have to. Thousands of people are supplementing their income by learning how to make money online selling ebooks. I've been selling my own ebooks for a few years. But I've been selling OTHER peoples' ebooks for a decade! How do you find out what ebooks sell? Continue Reading

I don't go to the movies much. I enjoy movies, I just don't enjoy the theater experience. Why pay top dollar to sit in a crowded cinema with chatty teens and people noisily crunching popcorn and nachos when I can buy or rent the DVD for less and enjoy the peacefulness and comfort of my home theatre. I choose to go to the Metrolux today in order to get a glimpse of An American Carol... Continue Reading

Recently, I wrote a post laying out what I think of multi-level marketing (MLM). I thought long and hard before I wrote that post. I knew that there would be a lot of people who wouldn't like it. I knew that some people might even stop reading my blog as result of it. And I also knew I wanted to write it. Continue Reading

Click Here to Order continues to sell very well and is showing up in more and more stores. I'd love to hear your CHTO Sitings if you spot it in your city or town. However, thanks to my friend Michael Copeland, I've discovered a way that you can read my new book for free and get some extra bonus material along the way! How can that be? Continue Reading

If you were publishing a newspaper, you wouldn't care who read it. As long as the number of readers was nice and high, it wouldn't matter too much to you whether they all read one article or absorbed everything from cover to cover. That would be true even if you were publishing a free newspaper. Continue Reading

There are easy ways of bringing traffic to your website, and there are hard ways. Most people focus on the hard ways. They spend hours playing around with their keywords and their Search Engine Optimization. They spend vast sums on AdWords and other forms of advertising. And they send out email after email in an attempt to swap links and create exchanges. That's fair enough. It's all part of the job of being an online... Continue Reading

I'm always going on about the importance of networking at conferences. That's because I don't know of any strategy that can improve an online publishing business's success rate faster. Networking puts you in touch with opportunities that you can't find any other way. It builds the sort of business relationships that can last for many profitable years. It really does make running a business fun. And there's just no better place to do it than... Continue Reading

It sounds like a terrible idea. You spend ages thinking up an idea for an article, doing the research and writing it out... then you give it to someone else to put on their website. They get all the ad revenue and you get... what, exactly? Well, you get a link and if the site is good that could be worth more in steady streams of traffic than Continue Reading

There are millions of blogs on the web, but there are only a handful that are creating content of value. I learned about Tyler Cruz a few months back and have been paying close attention to his latest projects. One recent project is proving very useful to those in the affiliate marketing industry. It's called Publisher Spot and it is a directory of Internet ad network companies. It is a valuable resource because it provides... Continue Reading

You've probably noticed that I'm often talking about seminars and conferences. That's not just because I talk at some of them. It's because I think that they're essential stepping stones to online business success. I'd like to believe that's because the information that I and other marketers provide at these seminars is more valuable than magic-encrusted gold dust. As soon as someone takes it home and applies it to their business they immediately become an... Continue Reading

Google. Amazon.com. eBay. Yahoo! MySpace. Facebook. Everyone has heard of these Internet giants. These companies have generated billions of dollars in revenue and made their founders multi-millionaires. The mainstream media talks about them religiously. But ask yourself a question... Continue Reading

We had a great time in Glenwood Springs. From taking a Segway tour of the area and a day at the world's largest hot springs pool to downtime for rest & relaxation and a trip to a rain-covered Snowmass, my family and I enjoyed our brief vacation. I may put up some video once I get the chance. But I've had a lot of people curious about how the return train ride went on Amtrak... Continue Reading

I was all set. Today was going to be the day. I knew from the pre-orders on my new book, "Click Here to Order: Stories of the World's Most Successful Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs", that we were on the verge of making history with an instant best-seller. And then... it happened. I received a call from my publisher, David Hancock. David is not one to be given to overexcitement, but there was something in the sound... Continue Reading

Social Media is all the buzz right now. It started with MySpace, continued with YouTube and has brought about Facebook, Twitter and a host of other sites promising the help people interact in new ways. These sites have become very popular and two were purchased for a tidy sum. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp purchased MySpace for $580 million and Google bought YouTube for for $1.65 BILLION. I'm sure the boys from Facebook and Twitter have... Continue Reading

While attending an Internet marketing conference in Chicago, I spent a lot of time networking with my peers. As I sat at the dinner table last night, I noticed that a bunch of us were twittering on our handhelds. Simon Leung, Donna Fox, Eric Farewell, Anik Singal and several others had their PDAs or phone out and were twittering away... sometimes to each other other, even though they were sitting across the table from each... Continue Reading

What do you do if you are 38 years old and told by a doctor that you have just one year to live? That's exactly what happened to my friend Sylie Fortin. Shortly after getting married, Michel and Sylvie were face-to-face with the horrible diagnosis of breast cancer. But if you know Sylvie, you would know that this is not something she would take lying down. She pursued radical treatment and is alive two years... Continue Reading

Thor Schrock is catching a lot of heat over his online reality program, The Top Affiliate Challenge. I remember when Thor first told me about his idea for the show. I encouraged him to do it, but I warned him that it would take a miracle to pull off a quality show on a daily basis. When Eric and I produced The Next Internet Millionaire, we filmed for two weeks straight and had a two-week... Continue Reading

Have you ever wondered what people did BEFORE they become Internet marketers? It's pretty cool to see that the greatest success stories are people just like you and me. I will tell you this about me. I used to be a DJ. Yup, I worked in the nightclubs to begin with, but then the entrepreneur in me discovered that there was more money to be made in playing music at private events. So I started... Continue Reading

I've been frustrated lately. Here's the thing... As you know, I speak at a number of conferences. At these conferences, I teach people how to make money online and many of them purchase one of my products to help them build their online business. I know that what I teach works and that the products I offer have value. I know this because I receive testimonials from people all the time. But its the ones... Continue Reading

I need to back up a bit because I left out Sunday from my journal. On Sunday, I spoke at Chris Howard's "Ultimate Wealth Symposium" on the grounds of the Sydney Olympic Park. I had a fantastic time sharing my story with 800 or so people. I've got to say, the Aussies are a bit difficult to get moving, but I think everyone had a good time and learned a thing or two. I also... Continue Reading

What is it that makes successful people stand out from the crowd? Or perhaps I should ask the question this way... What are the things that successful people DO that everyone else does not do? I believe we are all dealt a hand in life. On very rare occassion that hand is stacked with a full house, but in most cases we're fortunate if we are dealt a pair of twos. And whether or not... Continue Reading

I love giving things away. I know, I'm supposed to be a marketer. I'm supposed to know how to get the full value for everything I supply. But every year, I give away tons of fantastic freebies. I give away content, e-books, videos, training sessions, teleseminars and all sorts of other wonderful things. If I had to calculate the total value of the goodies that I pass out for nothing every year, I'd need to... Continue Reading

Several years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a gentleman who I have sinced dubbed "The nicest guy in Internet marketing." His name is Ken McArthur and he is the chief architect behind the highly successful JV Alert Live conferences. You see, Ken is incredibly successful because he continually pours himself into the lives of those around him. Whether it launching careers of other marketers or freely sharing his knowledge and expertise with anyone... Continue Reading

I came into the world without a goatee and mustache. Surprise, surprise. But sometime after I got married, I decided to give the goatee and mustache a try. It must have been around 1992, I believe. As it turned out, my wife really liked it. So I decided to keep it, rarely shaving it off over the years only to grow it back again. But times have changed... Continue Reading

Ah, Kauai. The tropical breezes. The sunshine. The gorgeous vistas. I love it here. But just because I am on vacation doesn't mean I cancelled my weekly show. On the contrary! Continue Reading

While I'm still enjoying my family vacation here in Hawaii, I wanted to take a moment to let you know about a ground-breaking new tool that is guaranteed to increase your sales. Part of the reason I am able to enjoy vacations like this is because I've leveraged technology and employees to keep my business running, even when I'm away from it. Most people understand the concept of hiring employees, but many people don't understand... Continue Reading

There are those who start at the bottom of a company with the aspiration to rise to the top, and there are those for whom the words upwardly mobile do not apply. I encountered Mr. Latter attending to the United Skycap station in LAX today. My associates and I bring our bags to the guy and we go through the regular procedure. "What is your destination?", "Show me your identification" and "How many bags will... Continue Reading

If you were publishing a newspaper, you wouldn't care who read it. As long as the number of readers was nice and high, it wouldn't matter too much to you whether they all read one article or absorbed everything from cover to cover. That would be true even if you were publishing a free newspaper. You'd just want know how many people your publication reaches so that you can charge advertisers the right price. Online... Continue Reading

I'm not a big fan of the major airlines. In fact I have written several entries that demonstrated poor customer service by United and American. However, I had a uniquely good experience on United a couple days ago and wanted to share it with you. I was traveling to Los Angeles with Joel Ownby and Tim Prince, en route to Yanik Silver's Internet Underground conference in Los Angeles. The three of us board the 737... Continue Reading

Be careful... If you don't add the right amount of each ingredient, you could ruin the entire meal. Easy now... If you mix those chemicals incorrectly, it could be explosive. Watch it... If the calculations aren't perfect, the shuttle may never make it off the launching pad. Many things in life demand precision. There are some absolutes that do not allow for the least bit of give. One wrong step and the greatest ideas can... Continue Reading

Behind closed doors. It's terminology that says "you weren't invited and you'll never know what was said." That's too bad, because some of the biggest secrets are spilled behind closed doors. No one likes to be shut out, but that is precisely what happened to me. Continue Reading

So I've got this great idea for a screenplay. The story goes like this... Due to severe beatings she had received as a child, a thirty-something year old woman develops a strange phobia and doesn't leave the bathroom for two years. I know, bizarre, yes? It gets more interesting. The woman spends the majority of her time on the toilet. Yes, on the toilet. In fact, she spends SO much time on the toilet that... Continue Reading

I'm about to share a hard truth with you. I hope you are sitting down, cause here we go... Most of the people reading this newsletter will never make money online. Ouch. Sure, read it again. You heard me right. Now before you go questioning me, calling me insensitive or flat out cursing me out, let me say this... Continue Reading

Wow, what an incredible day! Wait until you hear this. I thought it was going to be a day like every other day. But you never know what kind of curve balls life is going to toss your way. Here's how it started... First of all I wake up and find this email in my box from a producer at a MAJOR cable network ... "Congratulations on your show, 'The Next Internet Millionaire.' We've reviewed... Continue Reading

Whenever something big happens in the world of online advertising, I'm left scratching my head and wondering what it means for me. It doesn't get much bigger than Microsoft offering tens of billions of dollars for Yahoo!. So what does that mean for me... and for you too? At the moment, nothing. Yahoo! has rejected Microsoft's bid and probably holding out for more money. If the deal goes through, it won't happen overnight. Even then... Continue Reading

I regularly receive joint venture proposals from people. A small percentage of them have some really good ideas and products, but the majority of them are not good at all. Today I received an email from a couple gentlemen in Australia. I hope the email and my response will be instructive for the recipients and for others as they seek to do joint ventures. Continue Reading

You can have a great idea for a web site. And developing the site can be a very rewarding experience. But without one thing, it doesn't matter how nice your site is... That thing is traffic. Traffic is really the "life blood" of our business. Without traffic you can't make sales, you can't generate affiliate commissions, you can't build a list... (you get the picture). So today I want to focus on traffic, and tell... Continue Reading

I've just spent an incredible three days in Las Vegas at the Affiliate Summit. This gathering of nearly 3000 people was one of the largest concentrations of affiliate marketers in history. While I did enjoy some of the workshops, the greatest benefit was from networking with others in the industry. I finally got to meet famous bloggers such as Amit Mehta, John Chow, Andrew Wee and Zac Johnson, just to name a few. All these... Continue Reading

I've been wanting to meet Jason Calacanis face-to-face for some time. For those that don't know, Jason is the co-creator of Weblogs, Inc., which was sold to AOL for $25 million. I'm at Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas where Jason Calacanis delivered the keynote address this morning. I really didn't know anything about Jason as a person, so I was looking forward to an insightful talk with fresh ideas. Wow, was I in for a... Continue Reading

I'm in Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit and am looking forward to the a few days of networking and learning. And while I have nothing to say about the conference yet because it hasn't started yet, I do have an experience to share with you. As you know, I enjoy blogging about my customer service experiences... especially the bad experiences. Why do I do this? I place a very high value on customer service and... 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

A few months back, I launched this groundbreaking Internet marketing course to the world... The Secret Classroom ... and the feedback has been fantastic! I regularly receive emails from people telling me what an impact this course has had on their online business. I wanted to take a moment today and share one of these emails with you. I think it says way more about the value of The Secret Classroom than I could ever... Continue Reading

Today's entry may be one of the most important ones I have ever sent out. Why? Because your response to this newsletter is going to help guide the direction of all future newsletters! This is the day that I am asking for participation from every one of my readers... ... and I am counting on you! 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

I just got done having an email conversation with my friend, Jeremy Gislason. We communicate via email because he is in Japan and on a totally different schedule. Anyhow, Jeremy and Simon Hodgkinson have been working on putting together a new member site that has tons of great content to help you build your member site! Basically, this site teaches you everything Jeremy and Simon know about building member sites... and they have over 100,000... Continue Reading

Psst... want to know a way to get tons of free users to your website instantly? And when I say tons, I mean the sort of numbers that will crash your servers, send your page views spiking through the roof and make you dizzy when you look at your AdSense stats. Here's how to do it... Just get your Web page on the front page of Digg.com. I didn't say it was an easy way... Continue Reading

I wish I had thought of this. It's so simple, yet it's brilliant. If you are like me, you own a few domains. Ok, you may own a LOT of domains. I own approximately 400 domain names. The problem is that most of the those domains do not have a web site on them. They are "parked" pages. Continue Reading

I've had several people ask me what I'm going to be up to in 2008. I'm very excited, because this is going to be a breakthrough year for many people who will increase their online revenue. AND, I am excited because I am going to be doing several things that have never been done before! That's kind of a mantra with me. I don't like to do what everyone else is doing. You have to... Continue Reading

"Get Google Pay-Per-Click Ads for Free" was the title on the report that promised an amazing way to advertise on Google AdWords without having clicks ding your wallet. This ebook was #1 on Clickbank's Marketing & Ads category, so curiousity got the best of me and I paid $97 to see what it was all about. Want my honest assessment? Read on... Continue Reading

I make no secret of it. I am a 43-year old man who loves playing computer and video games. And why not? I was a teenage when Space Invaders, Asteroids and Centipede took over the arcades. I was sixteen when I bought my first computer, a TRS-80. It was great for primitive gaming. And I've got a great collection of old computer software in a special room in my basement. Perhaps I'll do a video... Continue Reading

Happy New Year! It's officially 2008, and you know what that means. It means I'll probably mess up a bunch of checks by writing 2007 as I get used to the idea of the new number! But it also means the holidays are over. Time to get back to work. It's a good thing I enjoy my work! How about you? Maybe you've bought revenue-generating training material and software but you aren't using it. Is... Continue Reading

I'm at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City, getting ready to make the trek home to Colorado after a week of visiting with family and friends. I've had some time to reflect on the year and would like to take a stroll down memory lane. The year started with a crazy idea. I knew that others had dabbled with the idea of doing an Internet reality show, but no one had really taken the concept... Continue Reading

'Twas the Night Before Christmas An Internet Marketing Adaptation for 2007 ----------------------------------------- 'Twas the night before Christmas and all cross the 'net Marketers were hoping that clickthroughs, they'd get. The products were finished and ready to go outsourced and prepared by those "in the know" Continue Reading

With 2007 almost gone and 2008 on the way, I am doing quite a bit of reflecting on where I've been, where I am going, and how I can best serve you in the upcoming year. So this is going to be an interactive newsletter, because I am counting on you to tell me what you would like to accomplish in 2008, and perhaps give me an indication of how I can best help you... Continue Reading

I don't know where I'd be without joint ventures. I'd still have my AdSense income, which is nice, but I'd certainly be a lot poorer. I'd have fewer friends. And the people who acted on my recommendations would be a lot worse off too. Joint ventures are a vital part of my business. They should be a vital part of yours too. I still say that the best place to find joint venture opportunities is... Continue Reading

The day has arrived! I don't think there has ever been such excitement over one of my product launches, and I am excited to say that the excitement really has nothing to do with me! Instead, this product is all about YOU, and the opportunity you now have to receive the Internet marketing education that can last a lifetime. The Secret Classroom It's not an ebook that overpromises and underdelivers. It's not a software tool... Continue Reading

You've heard this phrase a thousand times. "It's not what you know, it's WHO you know." Do you believe it? It's true! At the age of 17 I got a dream job at the local computer and video store... ... because I knew the owner. At the age of 20 I got a summer job at an advertising agency and learned a ton... ... because my mother worked there. At the age of 24 I... Continue Reading

A few months ago I wrote an article discussing why I dislike network marketing. One of the main reasons is because many organizations suggest that you recruit your family and friends to join you in your quest to get rich. Bah. I just don't like that. BUT, as I mentioned on my blog, the Internet now affords an opportunity to get involved in network marketing without having to sell to your "warm" market. Continue Reading

Hey Are you sitting down? I hope so. It would be strange to check your email standing up. The reason I ask is because what I am about to show you is going to absolutely blow you away! How would you like to receive of $10,000 worth of bonuses for the price of one absolutely incredible book? Seriously. Continue Reading

What if I told you could pick the brain of a former Google employee for $100. Would you seize the opportunity? Frankly, I can't imagine anyone with even the slightest curiousity not taking advantage of that offer. What if I told you that this person was on the original Google AdWords team? I don't know about you, but I'd pay over $1000 to hear what this person has to say! Well, I've got some bad... Continue Reading

What motivates people to buy? Is it true that there are "triggers" that cause people to take action? What are the secrets that the gurus know that can multiply your bottom line? I am really thrilled to share this with you today, because it has the answers you need... ... and it was created by Jordan Hall and Laura Martin! Continue Reading

The blogging world is cursing the big "G" and scratching their heads as their Google pagerank has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Not unlike a stock market tumble, this change caught everyone off guard and has left many bloggers and content-based sites wondering what they did wrong. The pagerank algorithm has been a supposed indicator of the authority and value that Google has placed on a web page. On a scale of zero... Continue Reading

Last month I was in Atlanta for the Big Seminar. Now usually I'm not much of a morning person, but when I took a peek at Friday's schedule, I knew I had to wake up early... Over the past five years or so I'd been hearing the first  speaker's name over and over again... "Joel you've got to check out this young kid Jermaine. He's from the inner-city, but Corey Rudl is taking him under his... Continue Reading

Are you an entrepreneur? From Dictionary.com, an entrepreneur is "a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk." Considerable initiative and risk. Because of this, entrepreneurs expect to win some and lose some. But one thing an entrepreneur will never do is stop trying. Continue Reading

I know I am opening myself up to criticism for this post, but it's been on my mind and I really just want to put it out there. I dislike the way multi-level marketing has been done by many companies. I don't dislike multi-level marketers, mind you (well, most of them anyway). I just think that business model has proven destructive to many individuals and families. Continue Reading

If there's one thing I keep saying time and time again, it's that anyone who wants to make lots of money online needs to go to conferences. And every time I say it, I see some people looking back at me with blank faces. I understand. Conferences cost money. If you're just starting out, it can feel like they cost a lot of money. And if you've never been to a business conference before, it... Continue Reading

Facebook. The first time I heard about this site had to be over a year ago. I was told it was a social networking site for college students, so I didn't give it much of a look. After all, I've been out of college for many years. (I won't tell you how many!) But about a month or so ago I started receiving invitations to use facebook from some friends and associates of mine. Hmmm... Continue Reading

I did it. I bit the bullet and picked up an iPhone. I've been a faithful Treo 650 user for two years, but the buzz regarding Apple's new device won me over. So I ponied up $599 + shipping and tax to get one of these puppies in my hands, though I was unsure of what I would find once I actually got to try it out for myself. I may now render the verdict... Continue Reading

Everyday I receive emails from people telling me that they have the best product since sliced bread, and asking me to do a joint venture with them. It is physically impossible for me to promote every product that comes my way. In fact, I am becoming more and more selective, making sure that I only share products with my customers if there is great value. Honestly, you wouldn't want to see a lot of the... Continue Reading

There are lots of things to enjoy as an online publisher. There's the thrill of creating content. The pleasure of meeting friends at conferences. The sheer freedom of being your own boss and setting your own schedule. And then there's publicity. That's a whole other world of fun. Not every online publisher uses publicity to drive traffic to their website. Some think it's a bit like a lottery. You'll send out hundreds of press releases... Continue Reading

Bada-bing bada-boom. You know what I'm sayin'? Yeah, probably not. But it seems like everyone is talking like a New York mafia thug in all the emails I have been receiving about The Site Stealer. It's all in good fun, of course... ... but it's fun with a purpose. Continue Reading

It was fall of 2005. I was in Charlotte, North Carolina, preparing for my very first public speaking engagement. I would be speaking before an audience of 25 people who had paid to hear me and a handful of other Internet marketers share how we make our millions online. It was at this time that I had begun preparing the manuscript for my first traditionally published book. But I was lacking a title for the... Continue Reading

I am freshly returned from Hawaii, slighty tanned, somewhat rested, and ready to share some great stuff with you! Please read all the way through as you aren't going to want to miss any of this... First of all, we have officially announced TWO of the contestants for The Next Internet Millionaire. Want to meet them? Meet the Contestants Be sure to join the discussion on the forums with your comments as we look forward... Continue Reading

I've got some. In fact, I've got a few. They've helped me get to where I am today, and they keeping me moving forward all the time too. Know what I'm talking about yet? Role-models. Continue Reading

Aloha! As you know, I am on vacation in Maui. As I write this, I am watching the sun rise behind the mountains, listening to the waves crash and enjoying the small birds that are landing on my balcony railing. Yes, it is just another day in tropical paradise. And yet, I am compelled to write... to share what is on my mind. Because with all the success I have enjoyed, I am reminded that... Continue Reading

We arrived on Maui on Tuesday afternoon, snagged our rental car and made our way to the hotel. We're staying on the west side of the island in the Ka'anapali area. It's absolutely gorgeous here. From my fifth floor balcony I can see the ocean, the mountains, palm trees, sandy beaches and a beautiful landscape. It's 6 am Hawaii time as I blog this (my body says it is 10 am MST) and I've enjoyed... Continue Reading

Let's play a game... Simon says start your own website. Simon says sign up for Google AdWords. Start building your list. Hey, I didn't say "Simon says!" Continue Reading

How long is a piece of string? No one would ever ask such a stupid question, would they? Well, I get asked some pretty silly questions sometimes. Like "How long will it take before I become a successful online publisher?" There's no one answer to that. Not just because it depends on the number of hours you work each day, the quality of your content and your skill at generating traffic. But also because it... Continue Reading

It's one small change for Google. It could be one giant leap in your income. Or at the very least, a nice little increase. Google has changed its policies (again). Want to know what the change is and what it could mean for your revenue stream? Read on... Continue Reading

I can't take it any longer. I've seen a few trends taking place in Internet marketing lately, and I don't think they are right. It's time to take off the gloves because I've got something to say. I'm throwing caution to the wind because I think someone has got to stand up and speak the truth. If I take heat for it, so be it. Here goes... Continue Reading

"It was a dark and stormy night." That may as well be the beginning of this newsletter, because I have started writing it five times now. I get past the first line, read it, and delete it. So I figure you just can't go wrong with "It was a dark and stormy night." Well, perhaps if I was writing fiction... The fact is that I've got a lot to tell you this week and I'm... Continue Reading

Writer's block. Like the cement barricade at the end of an unfinished highway, the writer's block stands before me... mocking me... challenging me... It happens to everyone, but I sure didn't expect it to hit today. Because content creation is such a critical part of making money with your blog, writer's block can be the site owner's worst nightmare. What do I write about today?!?! Here's how I handle writer's block. Continue Reading

Here's a hot tip... Actually, TWO hot tips! First... If you want your website to have lots and lots of traffic, you need... links. Okay, that didn't sound so hot, did it? But it is hot, because so many people ignore it. I'm not talking about incoming links. Everyone remembers that they have to work their fingers to the bone to get those. I'm talking about outgoing links. Continue Reading

I'm sitting at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, awaiting my return flight to Colorado. After living on the front range for nearly three months, I already find myself missing the beautiful mountains and am eager to get home. I wanted to send this newsletter today because I have just spent the last few days at Big Seminar #9, where I had the privilege of speaking to four hundred attendees and teaching how anyone can make... Continue Reading

What is The Secret? No, no... not THAT Secret. That's an email for another day. MY secret is actually going to be revealed live at Armand Morin's Big Seminar on Friday morning. And the buzz is building. Everyone is asking me "What IS it, Joel?" My reply? You'll have to wait until Friday to see... just like everyone else. Continue Reading

Nickelmania strikes again! Right, I know. What the heck is Nickel-Mania? It's the brain child of Gary Ambrose. Basically, Gary releases one of his tremendous products and starts the price at a nickel. That's just five cents! And with each person that purchases, the price of the product goes up a little bit at a time. Continue Reading

There isn't a day goes by that I don't receive at least two or three emails asking me to do a joint venture. Everyone and their mother (and their mother's dog?) has a product, ebook, software, telecourse or some other idea that will make me a zillion dollars. Now don't get me wrong. I am all for people pursuing their dreams and fervently believing in their product. It's just that I can't possibly look at... Continue Reading

Financial Success - Purpose = Meaninglessness It's a formula you can't deny. If your goal is just to succeed monetarily, but you don't have a real reason for wanting that success, what's the point? I don't really discuss how I choose to spend the money I earn. That's between me and my God. But you should know that I have goals that go beyond earning a few bucks. It's not the money that is the... Continue Reading

Friday the 13th? This is your lucky day! I'm not superstitious, and I believe that this Friday the 13th is going to be a huge winner for you! Why? Because I've just had the opportunity to speak with Brad Fallon of Stomper fame, and he is doing something that is about to rock the Internet marketing world! (And it won't cost you a dime, so breath easy, ok?) Continue Reading

They say variety is the spice of life. I have to agree. I love variety. It keeps things exciting. It's why you see me doing multiple projects and always coming out with something new. I just can't sit still. (My wife says it is ADD, but I think she is.. Oh! Look at the butterfly!) ;-) Well, you know how I teach people to find a niche and become the expert in that niche by... Continue Reading

As an AdSense publisher, I've become accustomed to earning passive income. And in doing so, I've trained myself to watch for revenue-generating opportunities. Late last year, I told you about Agloco, a new company that would be releasing a viewbar that would pay you to surf the web. The naysayers thought it would never happen. Continue Reading

I recently received an email from a reader. May I share it with you? "Joel, I appreciate your newsletters and great tips. Out of all the so-called gurus, I feel like you deliver more real value in your email than anyone else. But I am feeling very confused about all the different ways you discuss to make money. You tell us about a new software tool that is the supposed answer to our problems, but... Continue Reading

Everything has changed. I remember when I first discovered computers. I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer. I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard... Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-) Oh, those were the days. Continue Reading

I am currently in the Nation's Capitol for an Internet marketing conference and I am the victim of a crime, even a felony. It happened while I slept. I was robbed and left for naked... and didn't even know it until late in the afternoon. Amazingly, there isn't a bruise on my body. Nor have I lost any material possessions. So what happened? Read on... Continue Reading

I love to write my own newsletter. It gives me an opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings with you in a very personal way. However, my friend Eric Holmlund has written such a brilliant piece that I have asked him if I can reproduce it in its entirity. Being a great guy, Eric said no problem. With no further ado, here is Eric's post... ---------------------- I want to tell you about a young woman... Continue Reading

Vince Lombardi once said, "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." Take inventory of yourself... Are you where you want to be? If not, why not? Continue Reading

Important. Urgent. Critical. Essential. Crucial. There are so many words I can use to describe how imperative it is that you read today's email, and listen to what I have to say... REALLY listen, because this comes from the heart. Continue Reading

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I tend to say exactly what's on my mind. Sometimes, that will have nothing to do with AdSense or Internet marketing. It might be something to do with my life. It could be something that happened to me. Or it might just be one of my occasional rants brought on by... well, anything really. I'm not what you would call "politically correct... Continue Reading

There are over 29 Billion web pages in the world. There are over 108 Million web sites in the world. There are over 85,000 Squidoo sites in the world. And mine is now #3... ...in the world! Continue Reading

Momentum. From Dictionary.com... "A force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events: The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films." Let me throw in one more example... Continue Reading

NOTE! - This issue has been resolved by American Furniture Warehouse customer service as of February 22nd. Please see this blog entry for the rest of the story. We now return to you the initial entry as originally posted... American Furniture Warehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado is officially on my "naughty" list. I write this entry today as an open letter to Jake Jabs, owner of this furniture chain. Since we moved to Colorado this... Continue Reading

It's Sunday and I'm getting ready to head to church with my family... so I'll be brief. In fact, I usually don't mail on Sundays, but it is to your benefit that I do so today. I'm going to let you in on a little secret that can put cash in your pocket today. 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 hope it got your attention, because what I am about to share with you can be HUGE. And I have THREE things I need to share with you. So be sure you read all the way to end or you might miss out on the best stuff! Ok, here's the deal (pardon my excitement, but this really is big!) As you know, AdSense is not the only contextual advertising service on the web. Google... Continue Reading

There's a look that I've seen way too many times. It doesn't happen often, but even once is enough. I'll be standing in front of an audience at a conference or teaching a class, and I'll see my audience's eyes glaze over. Instead of looking at me, they start looking at the conference program or at their watch or at anything but me. It's a look that says I've lost them. Whenever that happens, I... Continue Reading

I love checking my server stats. It always turns up a ton of great information. Sure, I can see how much traffic I’ve received, where my users are in the world and, more importantly, how they reached my site -- and all of that information is hugely valuable. But mixed into all that data is often a bunch of details that just have me scratching my head. Like the search terms that have brought people... Continue Reading

People have been asking me three questions about the AdSense program, and their new terms of service and AdSense support team have now clarified all of these issues. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Question 1) Does Google allow other ads to run on the same page as AdSense Ads? Answer 1) The official word is a qualified "yes". You may not run ads that are designed to resemble AdSense ads. For example, Yahoo! Publisher Network ads look very similar... Continue Reading

I hate it when it happens. I'm sure you do too. You've set up your site, you've optimized your ads, you've watched your income rise and at last you're getting your rewards. Each month you receive a nice fat check from the generous people at Google. And then all of a sudden, the numbers start to shrink. You haven't changed a thing. Your ad units are still in the same places. You're still discussing the... Continue Reading

Ack! It was the only word uttered by Bill the Cat of Bloom County fame. If you don't know who I am referring to, here's a quick refresher course. Bill the Cat And now that we are on the same page, I felt a bit like Bill the Cat yesterday when I received questions about my Monthly Templates membership program. They were very GOOD questions. And I can't believe that I blew it by not... Continue Reading

Take a look at your calendar. You probably have it marked up with important dates. Many calendar manufacturers do us a favor by including holidays and other special days preprinted for convenience. Christmas New Years Day Valentine's Day President's Day Groundhog Day Yes, they take time to remind us of the furry little rodent that somehow is able to predict the weather every February 2nd. Whatever. Now, I don't suppose the calendar's will ever come... Continue Reading

Pssssst... I've got a secret... For those who are pay close attention to my newsletter, you know that I am a STRONG believer in attending live events in order to take your business to the next level. STRONG believer... Many of you understand once you actually attend a live event. I see how networking with other successful people has changed many lives! And I want everyone to experience this for their business. So it's time... Continue Reading

Yesterday, we went to church for Christmas Eve service. And the pastor put a twist on the message that I hadn't really considered before. He asked "How many of you believe that Jesus is the reason for the season?" Hands went up throughout the sanctuary. And then the room when silent when he said, "Jesus is NOT the reason for the season!" Continue Reading

I love this time of year. It remind me just how fortunate I am. While many people across the country will be looking forward to spending some extra time with their families over Christmas, I get to spend as much time with my family as I want every day of the year. That was always one of the big motivations for me as an online publisher: I wanted to be free to decide when to... Continue Reading

How would you like to get 10 hours of EXPERT Internet marketing coaching for just $25? And what if you knew that your small investment would not only help put money in your pocket, but would also benefit a very worthwhile cause? Read on, my friend... For many, Christmas morning will be met with the joy of exchanging gifts and seeing the smiles on the faces of children. But there are many children who won't... Continue Reading

Deck the Halls with boughs of holly... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way... Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul... You'd better not pout, you'd better not cry... You get the idea! Christmas is coming! And you can spice up your AdSense blocks with a little holiday cheer using their "themed ads". Want to know how? Continue Reading

I'll be the first to admit that I have made some mistakes in my life. Hey, I'm human and I don't expect to always get it right. It was a mistake for me to tell people about Mike Filsaime's report, "The Death of Internet Marketing" before it was actually time to do so. Ooops. My bad. Sorry, Mike. It was a mistake to accidently use another marketer's trademarked name in reference to a different marketer's... Continue Reading

He beat me to it. I'm not angry... it's not my style. But I am just a little.. bit... um... er... envious? Ok, I said it. I'm envious. And I think I have a right to be. Continue Reading

The information age really does move at the speed of light. Technology is advancing faster than we ever conceived possible. I've been online for 26 years now. In 1980, I bought my first computer, a TRS-80. This machine had 4K of RAM (not 4MB... 4K) and a cassette player that was used as a storage device. There wasn't even a floppy disc drive! I owned a 300 baud modem that I used to dial into... Continue Reading

Video... video.. video... I know. It probably seems like I have been harping on about video a whole lot lately. Well, there's a good reason for that. And if you haven't caught on yet, I'm hoping that you will now. Think about this. Continue Reading

I’m always going on about the importance of great content. I don’t apologize for that. You can have ad units that are perfectly optimized, blended completely into your site and packed with high-paying ads. But if your content’s garbage, no one’s going to click on them because no one’s going to come to your site. I meet so many people who dream of getting rich with AdSense but never give a thought for building a... Continue Reading

Like most things on the Internet, marketing can be divided into two distinct periods: Before Google and After Google. Before Google, getting a link to your site on other sites took a huge amount of work. You'd have to write to each publisher separately. You'd have to try different CPC networks until you found one that worked for you. And you'd have to create a new Web page just for reciprocal links. After Google... well... Continue Reading

Remember the hype about "The Death of AdSense" a few months back? Of course, that turned out to be a load of silliness because AdSense is more alive than ever before. So what are we to think when Mike Filsaime releases a free report called "The Death of Internet Marketing"? At first glance, I thought Mike was going to give away this report and then try to sell me something. Guess what? Continue Reading

I regularly receive questions from my readers and subscribers. In fact, I get WAY too many questions to even begin to address them all. Today, I have a question for YOU! In fact, I am soliciting your input. First, a little history... Continue Reading

As I travel to conferences and receive email from people, the questions I am asked have a recurring theme. One of the most frequent questions is not so much about technology as it is about individuality. The question is, "What kind of web site should I build to make money online?" And that, my friends, is the wrong question. The right question is not about web sites or keywords. The right question is about you. Continue Reading

One of the most frequent comments I got during the launch of Instant AdSense Templates was how good the copy on the page was. Tons of people told me that the offer was just irresistable and that the copy sizzled! Some of the best Internet marketers have learned what they know about writing copy from Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer. Continue Reading

It's here. And it's a work of art. Not like a DaVinci or Rembrandt. But a work of art nonetheless. Three months ago I took a survey of my customers and asked many questions related to Internet marketing. In particular, I was interested in what they wanted in a revenue-generating product. Continue Reading

I can't believe what I am about to tell you. In all sincere honesty, I can not believe it. But it's all true. I have just totaled up the data size of Instant AdSense Templates... Continue Reading

Hardly a week goes by that you don't hear about the newest/latest/greatest/world's-best-thing-since-sliced-bread ebook, software or member site. I confess, I do like to share quality products and services with my readers, but there are many that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Why not? Because they aren't in your best interests. Yes, there is money to be made in selling "stuff". And while I have no problem with earning commissions, my reputation is... Continue Reading

Tick... tick... tick... Can you hear that? It's the sound of the countdown clock leading to Tuesday, October 10th. At 12 Noon EST on that day, I will be revealing my greatest AdSense product EVER! Continue Reading

Listen... Can you hear it? It's the sound of panic. Hysteria. It's the sound of fearmongers, making as much noise as they can... to scare you. I can hear it. Can you? Continue Reading

There are many exciting and life changing events happening all over the calendar this fall that will help you grow your businesses and take your business to a higher level of profit and development. Attending seminars and meetings and talking with the speakers and attendees there, is one of the main methods I have used to be able to take my businesses to the next level. Continue Reading

My friend Dr.Mani is a heart surgeon who innovatively uses online marketing to help kids born with heart defects. On Saturday Sep.9th, in a very special event called the Heart Kids Blogathon, he is blogging non-stop for 24 hours to raise funds for the 'heart kids'. The fundraiser is off with a bang, with over $3,700 donated already. Every $2,500 raised means an additional operation can be funded - so please try and help, in... Continue Reading

Citibank credit cards - I have them in my wallet. Why Citibank? Because these are American Airlines Aadvantage credit cards, and I charge absolutely everything in order to earn as many air miles on American Airlines as possible. I do a lot of traveling and enjoy flying free or upgrading to First Class when I can. But I am really upset with Citibank at the moment. Continue Reading

Once upon a time I promoted an offer from Ray McNally. I've only met Ray virtually and it was my understanding that he would do as promised. Due to the number of complaints received for his "pay once hosting" offer, and the apparant inability for people to contact Ray for support, I have redacted my support for the offer. I am leaving this entry online because of the comments only. Continue Reading

Bionicles. A Lego creation that has an incredibly rabid fan base and has spawned numerous made-for-DVD videos and a comic book series. Why am I writing about Lego Bionicles? Because my son has been collecting them for years. And because he just dropped over $100 on the newest sets to hit the market and is incredibly upset. So much so that he is returning them to the store, disheartened and disappointed. I suggested that he... Continue Reading

When I give talks explaining how people can use AdSense to earn high revenues, I focus on some very specific strategies. I do the same in my book. I explain which ad formats work best, discuss where to put them, how to blend them into the page and how to influence the ads that appear so that you can make sure you’re always earning the highest revenues possible. Continue Reading

I picked up a copy of Crash on DVD this week because I had heard that it was a fantastic movie. Mary and I watched it last night. I really wanted to like it, but I feel like it fell short. When I learned that it was awarded "Best Picture" by the Academy, I was amazed once again at how out of touch Hollywood is. Continue Reading

Who knew one week ago that my 500Words.com site would have caused such a stir? Take a look at all the places that are buzzing with news of the site... Revenews Warrior Forums Digital Point forums It's interesting to see people's reactions to the site. Some are knee-jerk and others are very well thought through. Anyhow, here's the good news... Continue Reading

On the road again... Just can't wait to be on the road again... ... that is as long as I am either on vacation with my family or traveling to a seminar! And that's what I am doing tomorrow... heading to Philadelphia for Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live seminar, where I will be joining other speakers and attendees for three days of intense learning, brainstorming and networking. I absolutely love going to seminars. Want to... Continue Reading

Did you know that I have been doing business online since 1995? Many people assume that I came out of nowhere with my AdSense training materials, but the fact is that I've been online creating profitable websites for eleven years now! (Wow, has it been THAT long?) One of the ways I generate revenue is with affiliate programs, that is, where I make a commission on products that I sell for OTHER merchants... Continue Reading

Who would have thought that my post about Arbonne would have generated so much discussion? Admittedly, it does get heated from time to time. But I have allowed the post to be a forum for free speech as long as people keep it clean and don't abuse each other. If you try to read it, expect to spend at least an hour... it just keeps going and going... A few months ago, I put up... Continue Reading

About six years ago, I met a guy named Todd Vinson. Todd is one of the most incredible people I have met in my life because he has dedicated his life to serving others. In particular, he has a heart for helping teenage boys who are displaced or whose families are in crisis by providing a long-term home solution where they will be properly cared for. This happens at Willow Springs Boys Ranch in Chandler... Continue Reading

First you are born. Then you go to school. Year upon year upon year of the best public education your tax dollars can buy. After twelve years, you hit a fork in the road with a choice to make... Do I get a job or go to college? For many, the decision to go to college seems clear cut. After all, we're told that you need a college degree to get a good job in... Continue Reading

I am leaving Las Vegas after speaking at Carl Galletti's Internet Marketing Superconference. It has been a great weekend of learning, networking and hanging out with friends. Before I spoke on Saturday, I ordered some breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The portion was very large and I just didn't want to eat it all. So when I took the platform to speak, the first thing I did was ask if anyone was hungry! A lady... Continue Reading

Deal or No Deal. Admit it. You watch it too. It's like the irresistable black light of a bug zapper, drawing you in to the flavor of the day... Howie Mandel, the briefcases, the ladies, the contestants and the banker. It's Deal or No Deal. Continue Reading

When I look at the Internet marketing landscape, I often see a vast wasteland of "me too" products and services. It seems many people are simply trying to capitalize on someone else's success. However, every now and then I see an ORIGINAL product come along... and I am excited to share it with you! Today I want to tell you about ZipSense, the world's first ZBook! Continue Reading

So here's the deal. I met this bloke in Charlotte, North Carolina last November. I can call him a "bloke" because he is decidedly British. His name is Robert Puddy... Continue Reading

There are so many ways to promote business online. Adsense is a focus for me, because it has been so lucrative, and because there are so many businesses building their brand through the Adwords program. What's very interesting is that there are entire worlds of promotion outside of the Adwords Pay Per Click model. "Sponsorship" type programs are one example, which can bring traffic to not only your web site, but to your brand, through... Continue Reading

Last week, I wrote about my encounter with Vern Troyer, the actor who portrayed "Mini Me" in the Austin Powers movies. It didn't go all that well. Regardless, I just received the photo that was taken with Vern and I want to share it with you... because I know how much you care. :-) Continue Reading

I am currently in a top-secret location with an unnamed group of people. What do we have in common? We are all online entreprenuers. Why gather? Because when people get together and begin discussing their lives, powerful stuff takes place. Continue Reading

I got invited to the beta test of the MSN AdCenter a month or so ago. Not many people have had the opportunity to advertise via MSN, so I thought I would give it a a try. I finally got around to running a test campaign to promote my AdSense ebook using their contextual ad system. MSN rejected my ads! Continue Reading

I occassionally receive email that looks like this... "Dear Joel, I have purchased your ebook and applied your strategies to my web pages. It's been a week and I am not making any money. It just doesn't work" Welcome to our microwave society. We want our popcorn done in sixty seconds. And if we can get someone else to put it in the microwave and prepare it for us, all the better. So what is... Continue Reading

As you may know from my blog, I am currently attending Yanik Silver's Underground Internet Marketing Seminar in Washington, D.C. I'm meeting so many brilliant and fascinating people, and I'm constantly learning more about ways to grow my business, and ultimately help YOU grow your business online! Anyhow, I just got back from lunch at Subway. Subway is NOT my restaurant of choice. I ate there by default. You may like it, but it's blech... Continue Reading

I can't tell you how many times people have walked up to me at Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar and said, "You're Joel Comm!" Usually, I get a dumbfounded look on my face, look down at my badge to confirm their suspicions, smile, and look back up them... saying, "why, yes I am!" It's an incredilby humbling experience, actually, because I'm the same guy that I was before anyone thought of me as the AdSense guru... Continue Reading

I am just thrilled with my mom right now. A few days ago I wrote about her new blog, TravelsWithSheila.com. Since starting her blog, she has been dilligently working hard to create new content and understand the entire blogging process. I love the way she has taken the bull by the horns and is really wanting to excel with this project. Continue Reading

Courageous people take courageous action. I applaud South Dakota for being the first state to stand up for women and the unborn in the battle to put an end to the culture of death. I have no doubt that the history books in the future will reference two points when discussing abortion in America. Continue Reading

Ok, so Dick Cheney accidently shot a guy. The mainstream media has had a grand old time focusing on absolutely nothing. I figured by this weekend it would be over. Not so. Continue Reading

It doesn't always feel like Christmas in Oklahoma. The temperature on Christmas Eve peeked at 58 degrees. There is no snow on the ground. It's a far cry from my childhood in the freezing Chicago lakefront suburbs. And yet, Christmas really has very little to do with snow. It has little to do with jingle bells. And it has little to do with the materialism which drives our economy at this time of year. Continue Reading

When I was at the Big Seminar, it seemed every speaker from the stage was talking about a hot copywriter Harlan Kilstein. Even mega-copywriting star John Carlton singled him out as someone to reckon with. All that put a smile on my face because Harlan was one of my Adsense coaching clients. Continue Reading

I remember a story on the cover of Time magazine about ten years ago. It had the following headline which was just a tremendous shocker to me. It said... Continue Reading

An intoxicated couple en route from the U.K. to Jamaica caused quite a stir in their attempts to join the "mile-high" club. The British Airways staff became suspicious when the couple's moans of pleasure were all-too-obvious. Continue Reading

I just received an email from Mike Filsaime. For those who already know Mike, you already know he is an Internet Marketing legend. For those who don't know him, you are about to find out WHY he is a legend. Continue Reading

The numbers are bad. If you are fan of the television show, Lost, you know exactly what that phrase means. However, in my case it means something entirely different. Continue Reading

"Bush is stupid" is always a great way to start a conversation. Seriously... bold, definitive statements are the doorway from which we can expand our knowledge base and increase in wisdom. Continue Reading

I am sitting in Chicago O'Hare airport reflecting on this past weekend. Yes, I am taking the long way home from North Carolina, but you do what you gotta do. Anyhow... Continue Reading

I just got back from one of the the most educational and inspiring seminars of my entire life. My friend, Jeff Walker, suggested that I go to Armand Morin's Big Seminar in Los Angeles. On his advice, I registered just a couple weeks ago. It cost $2000, but I trust Jeff and took his advice. Words cannot describe the weekend I just experienced. Continue Reading

In an unprecented political maneuver, Senate Democrats invoked "rule 21", overriding the Republican majority and sending the Sentate into a closed door session, purportedly to discuss pre-war intelligence. Nonsense. Continue Reading

My favorite Aunt in the whole world is my Aunt Joan. She is my mother's younger sister and I have some fantastic memories of her from my childhood. She was always bubbly, gregarious, fun-loving and pleasant to be around. She loved her parents, her sisters, her children, her nieces and nephews and her grandchildren with a passion. Everyone knew when Joan was in the room. Her laugh was something akin to a "cackle", and she... Continue Reading

In news that has the left side of the aisle stunned, the President's economic policies are validated once again as the Federal Government reports INCREASES in tax revenue that have caused a decrease in the U.S. fiscal deficit. Continue Reading

Random thoughts for today... I'm finally starting to see through the scam known as "insurance". What ticks me off most is health insurance. It doesn't matter how healthy you are. Once you are accepted by a company, they religiously increase your rates every premium period just because they can. So what to do? Change insurance companies. My premium got cut in half when I did this. Of course, in just a few years, it will... Continue Reading

All you hear from the liberal democrats these days is "Bush lied... no weapons of mass destruction... Get out of Iraq... Saddam was not tied to terrorists... etc and so forth." I came across this series of quotes from the beloved liberal leadership that should make anyone who has supported them in the past go "hmmmm" Their own words nullify their objections with this administration, and make clear that they have absolutely no platform to... Continue Reading

In a move that has brought criticism from both sides of the political aisle, President Bush has nominated White House lead counsel, Harriet Miers, to the highest court in the land. Though Ms. Miers has no paper trail related to judicial decisions (as she is not a judge), she does appear to be a pro-life Christian, and one with definitive views towards the Constitution. Continue Reading

So what was the deal with hurricane preparedness in Louisiana? Who was really at fault? Perhaps this article from the L.A. Times can shed some light. Louisiana Officials Indicted Before Katrina Hit Federal audits found dubious expenditures by the state's emergency preparedness agency, which will administer FEMA hurricane aid. By Ken Silverstein and Josh Meyer, Times Staff Writers WASHINGTON — Senior officials in Louisiana's emergency planning agency already were awaiting trial over allegations stemming from... Continue Reading

Here we go again. A federal judge in California (9th Circuit Court of Appeals) has ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it includes the words "Under God". This highlights the reason that it is critical for Bush's appointee, Judge John Roberts, to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. We need strict constitutionalists sitting on the bench, and not activists judges who rewrite the law in order to promote their own agenda. Roberts... Continue Reading

Slowly but surely, the truth about abortion is coming to the surface in the American mindset. More and more women are speaking out about how abortion has hurt them terribly, leaving a wake of destruction in their personal lives. So many of society's ills can be traced back to an abortion in someone's life. Drug addictions. Eating disorders. Sexual dysfunction. Depression. There is a cause and effect link between taking the unborns baby's life and... Continue Reading

Liberal democrats and the mainstream media have been incredibly quick to bash President Bush and the Federal Government for their handling of the rescue efforts in New Orleans. Sid Blumenthal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and Molly Ivins shots off condemnation pieces within 24 hours of this tragedy, revealing their true colors once again. Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for a 9/11-style investigation of Katrina, seeking to point fingers and cause disruption for the President... Continue Reading

Finally, we have an Ambassador to the United Nations. The liberals and mainstream media are going nuts because the President assigned John Bolton as a recess appointment, while Congress is out of session. The recess appointment is nothing new. Clinton did 144 of them during his two terms. Reagan did around that many as well. Bolton had the needed votes in the Senate, but a few radicals filibustered and would not allow the vote to... Continue Reading

My post on the Arbonne business has continued to generate a great deal of interest. So I've decided to post my take on multi-level marketing in general here to start a new thread. What are the problems with Multi-Level marketing? 1) Most people are not mature enough to work the business truly looking out for other people. Greed is a huge motivator in MLM. There is the facade of "I have something to tell you... Continue Reading

By now everyone knows the news. It is a tragedy, without any doubt. Innocent people once again slaughtered at the hands of animals. And we knew this would happen. It was just a matter of time. Make no mistake. This was not an attack on London. This was an attack on Western Civilization, which these animals despise with every fiber of their being. Perhaps this will silence the Chucky Schumers, Howard Deans and Dick Durbins... Continue Reading

The music world rocked this weekend as Bob Geldof's 20-year follow up to Live Aid pulled together the largest gathering of musicians across the globe than ever before. The cause was to rally around the richest nations, petitioning them to bring an end to poverty. I haven't seen much of the concerts, but am heading AOL to check out the Pink Floyd reunion. What do YOU think? Will the largest live concert ever make any... Continue Reading

Tonight, I grudgingly sat through War of the Worlds. I went with Mary and another couple because we wanted to do something and all the other movies looked like garbage. The movie promised that I would be "on the edge of my seat". And I was. But that was only because I was slumped so far into my chair that my butt was hanging over the edge of the seat. With the exception of some... Continue Reading

Here's a site that grabs you by your psyche, tosses you about like an emotional spin washer and causes you to marvel at the tremendous pain in the world. The site is called Post Secret. What is it, you ask? Imagine your deepest, darkest secret. Imagine that you couldn't tell a soul. But what if you could create an image on a postcard and anonymously mail it to a web site where your secret could... Continue Reading

I've been in a Las Vegas this week, participating in Affiliate Summit, a conference for Internet merchants and their affiliates. I dragged a couple friends along with me and we're having a great time. Monday night we went to see Blue Man Group at the Luxor Hotel (the big pyramid...) What a fun evening! Continue Reading

I do. I love Howard Dean. Yes, THE Howard Dean, former Vermont Governor. Left-wing extremist. Defeated by John Kerry in 2004 Democratic Presidential Primaries. (how does one lose to John Kerry???) And now, Chairman of the Democratic National Convention. I love Howad Dean. Why? Because he guarantees that Democrats will continue losing major elections. Check out what this bozo said yesterday. "You know, the Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're... Continue Reading

The schizophrenic thinking of our increasingly sick culture continues unabated. Check out this story from Texas. Teen Gets Life Sentence For Helping Girlfriend End Pregnancy 19-Year-Old Stepped On Stomach While Girl Punched Self LUFKIN, Texas -- A 19-year-old East Texas man faces a life prison sentence for causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins, even though she wanted to end the pregnancy. Gerardo Flores was accused of causing the miscarriage by stepping on his girlfriend's... Continue Reading

Are you reading my blog? I know. Silly question. I ask because I ran into a friend at IHop yesterday and I found out that he reads by blog from time to time. (You know who you are!) I guess he must be really bored, or perhaps it is some sort of punishment. Nevertheless, I guess I need to pay attention to what I say because you never know who is reading these words. If... Continue Reading

One of these days, I'm going to have to write a book on my Internet experiences. WorldVillage.com turns TEN this July (2005) and I have ridden more ups and downs than a rollercoaster at Coney Island. Seriously, I have watched my revenue go sky high and sink to the depths of the earth repeatedly over the past ten years. Just when I think I've got things figured out... WHAM! I can't complain because the ride... Continue Reading

A long time ago in galaxy far, far away, a thirteen-year old boy discovered a new world of action and adventure which had captured his imagination unlike anything before. Star Wars hit the theaters in 1977, and I still remember sitting in the very front row, completely in awe by the images on the screen. I probably saw the film ten times in our local cinema, and waited patiently for George Lucas to churn out... Continue Reading

I have been in Atlanta, Georgia since Monday, attending an Internet conference. On Monday, I played golf with some of the guys, if you can call it "playing golf". I really stink at the game, but I had fun. The rest of the week I've been attending workshops and hanging out with some very cool and interesting people. Tomorrow I head back home. Anyhow, today is my birthday and I have been receiving phone calls... Continue Reading

Howard Dean as head of the Democratic National Convention. Could this be any more fun? The Democrats are imploding and it is a joyous site to see. Check out this story... Dean Says Democrats Will Make Schiavo Case an Election Issue Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Friday that his party would wield the Terri Schiavo case against Republicans in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but for now needed to stay focused battling President... Continue Reading

I've been slaving away attempting to make sense of this thing we call the Internet. In order to put things in proper perspective, I have composed this paper which I hope will prove useful. Continue Reading

I am sick to my stomach after reading this story about some High School punks sexually abusing a 16-year old disabled girl while other students stood by and watched. Rather than rehash the incredibly disgusting story (and the castrated administrators and teachers who have NO business being in the educational system), I want to address the real problem. Our society has not only become to permissive, but corporations and many leaders are now endorsing immoral... Continue Reading

After a long drawn-out fight, Michael Schiavo has succeeded in his goal to starve his wife to death. Terri Schiavo is dead and has entered eternity. Michael Schiavo must live on with the consequences of his murderous choices. It is a dark day in American history. We have been tested ethically and morally, and have failed as a nation. We are moving towards the European model of euthenasia, where other people decide whether or not... Continue Reading

I've ignored satellite radio up until this point, but it is finally getting my attention. I don't know much about it, but I would really like to try a service that offers quality broadcast, a wide range of music and talk channels (I could care less about sports) and hardware that will work in my car or on the go. I am beginning to research the two leaders in satellite radio, XM and Sirius. XM... Continue Reading

It is true. I am an Arbonne consultant. (Actually, that may be past-tense by the time you read this...) For those unfamiliar with Arbonne, they are a fast-growing company focused on health care and skin care products. They claim the products are all natural and most of the people who try them truly love them. The downside is that they are ridiculously expensive. Still, you get what you pay for. For the record, I have... Continue Reading

I love finger food. There's nothing like the simplicity of enjoying cheese sticks and chicken fingers off the platter. But Wendy's has apparantly taken finger food to the next level. SAN JOSE, Calif. Mar 23, 2005 — A woman's meal at a Wendy's restaurant brought a whole new meaning to the term "finger food." The woman bit into a portion of a human finger while eating a bowl of chili Tuesday night at the San... Continue Reading

Finally, a documentary about the left that I can't WAIT to see. This just in from Drudge... HBO MOVIE SHOWS RADIO 'AIR AMERICA' CHAOS HBO is set to air a behind the scenes look at the launching of liberal radio network AIR AMERICA. The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained a director's cut of LEFT OF THE DIAL, a grossly entertaining docu-drama of life on the other side of the AIR AMERICA microphone. The doubts. The lies... Continue Reading

Galoshes. Mukluks. Gazeebo. Macadamia. Blubber. Baluga. When you read those words, you either know what I am talking about and are busting out laughing, or you think I am totally insane and should be committed (well, you may be right on both counts). Continue Reading

I am a Type-A personality. My mind typically goes 100 MPH and I tend to thrive on being busy. I may even be somewhat addicted to stress, as I do some of my best work under pressure. Because of this, my blood pressure has tended towards borderline and I don't always chill out so easily. My next-door neighbor at work is Dr. Mark Morgan. Mark is a chiropracter and practicioner of alternative medicines. He has... Continue Reading

Who would have thought that the rubber faced wildman from In Living Color would become an accomplished actor? While not crazy about Ace Ventura, I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Carrey in The Mask. I even appreciated the dark turn he took in The Cable Guy. But it was his part as Truman Burbank in The Truman Show that caused me to truly respect Jim Carrey's talent. With a superb screenplay, excellent cinematography and a top-notch supporting... Continue Reading

Is Ted Turner relevant to anyone anymore? Listen to what this buffoon had to say at the National Association for Television Programming Executives's conference Tuesday. "While FOX may be the largest news network, it's not the best." (sour grapes because they are beating Turner's CNN?) He followed up by pointing out that Adolph Hitler got the most votes when he was elected to run Germany prior to WWII. He said the network is the propaganda... Continue Reading

Are we creating a generation of mutants? While reality TV may be hazardous to our health, I am talking about a different danger. Recent studies have shown that electromagnetic radiation from cell phones may be causing permanent physical damage. What they are finding is that there is a significant break to single and double DNA strands when animals are exposed to this form of radiation for extended periods. Think about it. We are continually wearing... Continue Reading

Over the years, many atheists and agnostics have enjoyed mocking Christians and people of religion who choose to believe in God. The most frequent criticism is that belief in God is unscientific, therefore it is foolish. What many people don't realize is that the Bible and the stories within have an incredible amount of evidence to support them. More and more scientists are recognizing that the complexity of the universe necessitates a divine Creator as... Continue Reading

I am ticked off at Target. We shop there regularly, but not today. You may ask "why Joel, why?", and I'll tell you. For years, the Salvation Army has stood in front of various department stores and chain outlets ringing their bells, spreading good holiday cheer and collecting funds for very worthwhile causes, such as feeding the hungry and clothing the poor. When I was at Target earlier this week, I remember noticing the absence... Continue Reading

On Thanksgiving Day, I did what any respectable guy would do. Besides stuffing my face, I took some time to browse the sale papers for Friday's big bonanza. I found the usual suspects. Circuit City, Comp USA, Best Buy and Ultimate Electronics. Even Target's ad got a once over from me. Many of the bargains looked quite appealing, but there was no way in the world I was going to get up at 5:30 am... Continue Reading

It is political correctness and anti-God behavior gone nuts. From the Reuters news wire... LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence. Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship... Continue Reading

The day is nearly upon us. After an excrutiatingly lengthy campaign season, the American people will go to the polls tomorrow to decide the next President of the United States. This last week, I went to a conference and met with others in the Internet industry. I was surprised to find some small-business owners supporting John Kerry. I was even more surprised to find out that an extremely intelligent gentleman was an "undecided" voter. One... Continue Reading

Me and my family spent the last four nights in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, one of our favorite places to visit in the fall. The Ozarks rise to almost 2000 feet and are a touch of natural beauty only a few hours away from the plains of Central Oklahoma. Eureka Springs is particularly beautiful because it is a small town (population 2900) nestled in the mountains. Many of the streets are reminiscent of San Francisco, with... Continue Reading

For the majority of my life, Heinz ketchup has been a staple in my diet. It's good on hamburgers, hotdogs and french fries. But ever since discovering that Heinz ketchup is owned in part by the wife of Senator John F. Kerry, Heinz Ketchup has left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I don't support Democrats. Why should my ketchup? Or so ask the creative folks at W Ketchup. What you have here is little... Continue Reading

About fifteen years ago, I started using bulletin board services online. These were pre-world wide web servers that ran out of people's homes. You would dial up the BBS on your 1200 baud modem and connect to a text-only based site. These sites would provide forums for discussion, information for reading and programs for downloading. Some of the more progressive boards had games you could play online, text only of course. Way back then, I... Continue Reading

Mary and I had the opportunity to enjoy a "date night" on Friday. First we enjoyed a nice dinner at Johnny Carinos Italian restaurant. Next we went to the mall and pigged out on ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery (superior to Marble Slab in case you are wondering). Finally, it was on the cinema to take in a showing of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. I received a great deal of chastisement... Continue Reading

I watched the President last night and was inspired. It is so refreshing to have a man in the White House who is "real". I know, I know. The Dems will scream about how "stupid" I am for believing the "lies" of the Bush administration. Save your breath. Your comments will be deleted. After surviving eight years of the worst Presidency to ever curse the White House, I can spot a liar and a con... Continue Reading

Amazingly, there are still liberals and democrats repeating the "Bush lied about WMDs" mantra. Let's put it to rest once and for all. Before we went to war in Iraq, what did DEMOCRATS say about the connection between Saddam and WMDs? "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb... Continue Reading

The culture of death continues to make inroads into all that is good and decent about America. Take this latest item now available at the Planned Parenthood online store. I won't link to this site because I refuse to send them any traffic. But take a look at what they are selling! I am skeptical that many people would buy this shirt, let alone actually wear it, but just the fact that Planned Parenthood is... Continue Reading

One of the reasons we wanted to get out of Oklahoma and visit Colorado was because of the intolerable heat. Ninety degree days just don't agree with us. Wouldn't you know it... Boulder is having a heatwave! According to the temperature gauge in the minivan, it got up to 98 degrees today! Needless to say, we didn't feel much like hiking of being outside. However, since it is so beautiful here, it is hard to... Continue Reading

Have you seen Fahrenheit 911? I won't see it because I am certain the lies and anti-American propoganda will enrage me. Have you bought it hook, line and sinker? Read about the 56 documented deceits of Fahrenheit 911. Afterwards, you'll either support Moore even more, which only died in the wool liberals can do, in spite of evidence. Or, you shall feel duped by his pack of out and out lies. The 56 Deceits of... Continue Reading

I just finished reading Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor. I bought it for my son to read and he really enjoyed it. On his recommendation, I gave it a read. A fantasy novel with a spiritual twist, Shadowmancer turned out to be a pretty good read. In the past, authors such as Frank Peretti and Randy Alcorn have managed to write some excellent Christian fiction that dealt with the spiritual dimension, that being the world of... Continue Reading

I get ticked off with my cell phone from time to time. Spring PCS is not always "free and clear". Just 1/2 mile from my home in suburban OKC is a dead zone. Makes me crazy. Apparently, some guy in North Dakota lost it in a Verizon store. Man Hurls Phones, Causes $2K Store Damage May 14, 2004 11:40 a.m. EST FARGO, N.D. - A man who said he was fed up with his cellular... Continue Reading

Why? Because I care about you! Todays News - updated throughout the day - headlines and categories Internet Filtering Software - to protect your family online Fun Pages Mesothelioma - resource for those who know what it is or want to know what it is Tupperware - It's all about the "burp" Continue Reading

It's fun to be right. It really is. Last month, I predicted the early demise of Air America, the liberal radio network featuring the very unfunny Al Franken. This story appeared on Drudge Report today. After just two weeks on the air, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, appears to have encountered serious cash-flow problems. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE is developing a story, insiders tell DRUDGE, on how... Continue Reading

Admittedly, my tastes run a bit eccentric. I don't enjoy odd films just because they are odd. Maybe I am odd. Anyhow, I ran across a documentary that I just had to have. It promised thrills, excitement and all the fun that is inherent in a National Spelling Bee contest. For real! Spellbound is a fascinating and fun film that follows eight children in their quest to become National Spelling Bee Champion. The eight children... Continue Reading

No entries this week because I have been out of town. In Texas, actually, feeding one of my hobbies. I am a collector of old computer games. I grew up playing on my TRS-80 and dos-based PC, and am quite nostalgic about the oldies from the eighties and early nineties. I have not found any stores in the OKC area that buy or sell old computer games, but there are a handful of places in... Continue Reading

Contrary to the hysterical claims that The Passion of The Christ would cause rampant anti-semitic acts, instead we have a story of a sinner coming to repentence after viewing the film. From the Houston Chronicle Detectives say the death of a 19-year-old woman originally ruled a suicide has turned into a murder case after a repentant man who'd watched The Passion of the Christ confessed to killing her because she was carrying his child. Fort... Continue Reading

The Passion of Christ continues to dominate the box office for its third week straight. This amazing phenomenon has grossed over $267,000,000 in the U.S. in the first 20 days of its release. It is now #22 in all-time box office gross. It would not surprise me to see it pass the $400,000,000 mark by the time the dust settles. If that happens, it will be challenging Spiderman for the #5 spot. Box office numbers... Continue Reading

What happens when you combine one the best-selling rock albums of all time with one of the best films of all time? Strange stuff. Filmed in 1939, The Wizard of Oz is an enduring classic from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Who hasn't delighted in the wonderful tale of Dorothy Gale and her journey into the weird and wonderful land of Oz? Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the... Continue Reading

I saw The Passion of the Christ last night. I have to agree with something Glenn Beck said after viewing the film. It's unreviewable. Yet, there is so much to say. I hope you will endure my babbling to find something worthwhile in the words to come. By now, you have heard about this movie. I have been writing about it for nearly 9 months now as the opening day has drawn closer. One entry... Continue Reading

I've been following the coverage of Mel Gibson's upcoming film, "The Passion of Christ", with great anticipation. Unfortunately, Mel is being castigated by some people for being anti-semitic in his portrayel of the Jews in the film. I find it amazing that the same people who have been subject to people attempting to rewrite history (as far as the holocaust is concerned) are now attempting to rewrite history as to an accurate account of the... Continue Reading

Carl D. Atwood, a 73-year old man from Indiana, won $57,000 on a lottery TV show. He taped the program for later broadcast and headed home. On his way to the grocery store where he had bought his winning ticket, a black pickup truck rounded the corner and ran into him. The impact caused head injuries which led to Mr. Atwood's death. Ouch. Read all about it Continue Reading

Ladies and gentlemen, we now have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that God exists, and that He has an incredible sense of humor! This story from the Drudge Report... In what political watchers are calling possibly the biggest gaffe in years, former Vice President Al Gore is set to give a speech on Thursday on the perils of global warming -- on what is expected to be the coldest day in New England... Continue Reading

Groundhog Day? Not the movie, the holiday. (Thought I WILL be talking about the movie as I continue my series on The 15 Best Movies Ever). Why talk about ">Groundhog Day today? Because from what I just learned, the great majority of you have no earthly idea what day it falls on! Somehow, Mary and I got into a discussion about Groundhog Day and she asked me when it was? I said, "Seriously? You don't... Continue Reading

I have love. I just don't know where to put it. What can we forgive? It's been a couple weeks since my last review in the series titled, The 15 Best Movies Ever, but I now know why it has taken me so long. Initially not on my top 15 list, but a runner-up, I have been wanting to watch Magnolia for several weeks. Tonight I finally got the opportunity to do so. It is... Continue Reading

Another great Walmart story brought to you courtesy of the "whats-in-it-for-me" crowd... A Mt. Pleasant Township couple wants Wal-Mart to pay for foot and toe injuries they claim were caused by canned goods and condiments that tumbled from an overfilled plastic grocery bag. According to a two-count civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Westmoreland County, Brenda and Ronald Sager contend a plastic bag they brought home from the East Huntingdon Township store last month was deficient... Continue Reading

Pinch me. I must be dreaming. As if suing McDonalds for hot coffee isn't bad enough, check out this story... Cable TV made a West Bend man addicted to TV, caused his wife to be overweight and his kids to be lazy, he says. And he’s threatening to sue the cable company. Timothy Dumouchel of West Bend wants $5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle... Continue Reading

When I look back on the past few years of technological advancements, several computer-driven products cause me to wax eloquently. My iPaq 3835 has been a trusty PDA for almost two years. But it has lost its shine and there are newer models that have stolen my affections. My Dell laptop rocks, but in a mere few months I am certain its big brother will find me coveting at its front door. My Pioneer CD... Continue Reading

Hello. My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. By most standards, The Princess Bride should have been no more than a mere blip in the history of cinema. The fairy-tale story of the handsome hero, of the beautiful damsel held against her will by an evil prince, and of the sappy happily-ever-afters undoubtedly attached to the end has been endlessly repurposed by Hollywood again and again. However, when Rob Reiner... Continue Reading

What is the nature of memory? How accurate is your memory? Is it possible that your memories didn't really happen as you remember them? These are just some of the questions you may ask yourself when you get past the initial "wow" factor after seeing Memento, one of the most original thrillers ever put on celluloid. Memento is the story of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man who suffers from the inability to make new... Continue Reading

We start my list of the Best Movies Ever (from my personal DVD collection) with an unlikely candidate. That Thing You Do (1996) makes the cut at #15 because, well, it just makes me feel good! Written and directed by Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do manages to take a trite, cliched storyline, add a perfect supporting cast and a hook that won't let go, and turn it into pure movie magic. The film tells... Continue Reading

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. The liberal media is once again, allowing Senator Ted Kennedy to get away with murder. No, it's not another Chappaquiddick. No, this time Senator Kennedy has put his foot in his mouth with incredibly racially insensitive comments. Regarding the President's judicial nominees, Janice Rogers Brown and Miguel Estrada (African American and Hispanic, respectively), Senator Kennedy called them "Neanderthals"! Kennedy is not apologizing and the liberal media is not holding him accountable. If... Continue Reading

And I thought only the liberals in our government were interested in punishing achievers. I have been a Tupperware representative for over a year. In that time, my online business has managed to sell a good deal of product and I have recruited several dozen new salespersons. Tupperware has created a web site system whereby any rep can have a Tupperware sales site. Every site begins with "my.tupperware.com" and is followed by the representatives name... Continue Reading

Today we visited The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As a Jew, I have been wanting to see the museum for a long time. I knew it would be a "must see" if I ever made it to Washington. I'm not sure I can put my experience into words, and perhaps it is best that I don't even try. I don't want to minimize my visit into simple cliches. I'll sum up by saying this... Continue Reading

Sunday. Lazy day. We slept in, laid around, watched TV, had breakfast and laid around some more. The nice folks at the Conwell Inn allowed us to use their washer and dryer, so we did laundry for free. Later in the afternoon we hopped in the minivan and attempted to find civilization. We were all pretty hungry and were looking for something we recognized. We drove, and drove and drove. And you know what we... Continue Reading

I am so exhausted after today! We walked the "Freedom Trail" in Boston with our friends Ro and Kyle. Starting at the Bostom Common (the first public park in the U.S.) and ending up at the Bunker Hill monument, the Freedom Trail meandered, twisted and turned for over two miles through over a dozen historical sites that captured the essence of the struggle for our Nation's Independence. We started by driving to the mass transit... Continue Reading

Mary and the kids needed to take some extra time for school today, so I dropped them off at the Cleveland Public Library. I then excitedly drove down the street to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I've always want to visit this place and was thrilled to have the opportunity. The architecture of the building was very cool with a wide open atrium and six levels of exhibits. I only had a couple... Continue Reading

Man, am I beat. It has been a LONG day, but quite enjoyable. The kids did a lot of their school work in the room this morning while I took a walk around the area. I am determined to continue exercising while we are on this trip lest I move up a waist size. We got going around noon and set course for St. Louis. I did not realize that the mountains/hills went this far... Continue Reading

Here's the story. A sick cartoon in which cuddly characters are maimed and decapitated is coming to UK audiences. Happy Tree Friends features a series of happy-go-lucky woodland animals which end up ripped to shreds in pools of blood in each short episode. Click here for full story There is an image from this cartoon, but I did not put it on the main page because it really is disturbing. Feel free to click here... Continue Reading

Mary and I had a date night on Friday and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Having grown up with the DisneyWorld ride that the movie is derived from, I was curious to see the film. While reviews have been mixed, the public has spoken by making it a summer blockbuster. I went with an open mind, very much wanting to be entertained. I wasn't. I was downright bored... Continue Reading

This bit of disgusting news hit the wire today... Bill on Hil: It's a maybe His hint she may run in '04 shocks Dems Clinton loyalists were startled yesterday to hear former President Bill Clinton suggest that his wife hasn't made up her mind yet about running for the White House. Asked in Monterey, Calif., on Tuesday about chatter that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) might join the crowded Democratic field, the former President hinted that... Continue Reading

Holy Moses. If this isn't BIG BROTHER attempting to claw away at your privacy with his big hands, I don't know what is. This from the Washington Post. Fliers to Be Rated for Risk Level New System Will Scrutinize Each Passenger, Assign Color Code In the most aggressive -- and, some say, invasive -- step yet to protect air travelers, the federal government and the airlines will phase in a computer system next year to... Continue Reading

What's that? You like your greasy cheeseburgers and french fries? Gasp! Don't you know you are contributing to the ongoing trend of obesity in America? And don't you realize that you are responsible for the exploding costs in health care? What kind of person are you, anyway? You should be punished! Or so say the liberal, wacko extremists that want to find another way to place restrictions on your Constitutional freedoms. Fortunately, they have lost... Continue Reading

My faith in the American public is slowly being restored with this news from the Hollywood Reporter newswire. Fox News gains, other news networks fall NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox News Channel was the only cable news service in August to grow in viewership from a year ago, gaining 20% in primetime and 29% across the entire day, according to Nielsen Media Research. By comparison, CNN fell by 9% in primetime and total day... Continue Reading

President Bill Clinton had the opportunity to stop, catch, or kill bin Laden more than twelve times during his presidency, a new book set for release this week claims! And on at least two occasions through Drones and Global Positioning Systems the Clinton Administration knew exactly where bin Laden was -- and refused to take him out well after knowing he was as a national security threat. The book is called Losing Bin Laden and... Continue Reading

The slope continues to get the grease. This from Fox News. MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Espousing his reverence of God above "earthly authorities," Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore (search) said removing the Ten Commandments monument (search) from the state judicial building is just plain wrong." I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans have been deceived into believing two erroneous assertions... 1) "The separation of church and state" appears in the U.S. Constitution 2) That... Continue Reading

We discovered a great new game yesterday. Using nothing more than a GPS device (Global Positioning Satellite), our car and the cooperation of other fun seekers, we participated in an anytime sport known as GeoCaching! Essentially, people all over the world create the treasure that others would see. Take an old shoebox and fill it with various knickknacks. Find a place to stash it, often a public park. Get your hands on a GPS device... Continue Reading

I am completely dumbfounded by the heat that Mel Gibson is catching for his film, The Passion. In an age where "tolerance" is preached as a virtue and the First Amendment is wielded as the rationalization for every kind of aberrant behavior, I am amazed at how intolerant and oppressive some people are being in regard to Mel's upcoming movie. I've covered this some, here and here, but this latest news chaps my hide. The... Continue Reading

Here's one that makes me so angry I just couldn't pass it up. From the web site, The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation... Terri was 26 years old when she suffered brain damage from a sudden collapse. Terri receives her food and water by means of a food tube, commonly referred to as a "straw." Terri’s other bodily functions are physically stable. Terri smiles, laughs and cries. Terri recognizes voices and responds. At times, she vocalizes sounds... Continue Reading

I decided to go check out the new Aspen Athletic Club that is opening just 1.5 miles away from our house. Mary and I have been talking about joining a club for a while, so I thought I'd stop be on my way to work. The actual club is still being built, but they have a temporary facility set up where they can sell memberships. I don't like long sales pitches and I had more... Continue Reading

Pre-order Indiana Jones DVD trilogy. No DVD collection is complete without these. Pondor feedback left by you regarding our plans to take a one-month family road trip. Stop. Smell roses. Or something similarly fragrant. Work less. Work smarter. Life is short. Be a friend to someone today. Do the hokey pokey. Because let's face it. That's what its really all about. Continue Reading

From the Sydney Morning Herald Man killed for singing Sinatra off-key June 25 2003 A 25-year-old Filipino man has been stabbed dead for singing a Frank Sinatra classic out of tune during a birthday party. Police officer Noel Albis said the victim, Casimiro Lagugad, was asked to sing Sinatra's popular song My Way during the party in the Manila suburban city of Caloocan on Sunday. "Witnesses said the suspect, Julio Tugas, 48, one of the... Continue Reading

After the week I had last week, the icing was put on the proverbial cake yesterday afternoon. I found that I have been paying way too much for my health insurance thanks to my agent at Al Boenker insurance (The link is there so you know to avoid them). He is no longer with the company, but I was ticked just the same. I left the office at 2 pm and came home to find... Continue Reading

First-time visitor? You may want to Click here to read the story thus far. I can not recall where we met the guy who would be our first link to the net, nor can I remember his name. All I remember is the company was called "Powernet", and they had a multi-level marketing scheme for Internet dial-up accounts. I think I have blocked out much of what took place with these people because they left... Continue Reading

Just picking up on this story? You may wish to click here to read so far So Ken and I created The National Software Review (not very pretentious, huh?). Ken did a great job on the design and interface, but I have to laugh in retrospect. We coded a password scheme into the interface so that you would have to email us wih a randomly generated code in order to access the magazine. It was... Continue Reading

The critics are all over the map on this one. MetaCritic has opinions ranging from 20 to 80 (out of possible 100). I give it a solid 80. Here's why. Bruce is a story of faith. It is a journey of coming out of darkness into the light. It paints a wonderful picture of prayer as a vital means for communing with God, and most certainly causes people to reflect on their own relationship with... Continue Reading

Went to see The Matrix Reloaded this evening. Following are some brief thoughts on the film. WARNING! There are spoilers here, so you many not want to read if you haven't seen it! . . . . . . . . . . Naturally, The Matrix Reloaded faced many challenges, not the least of which was being the sequel to The Matrix. With that said, the film was a disappointment on several levels. 1) The... Continue Reading

And so much to do... I just got off the treadmill. It's my goal to dump 20 pounds over the next 8 weeks. I guess I am keeping myself accountable by announcing that here. How will I do it? No special diet. No special pills. It's going to take self-discipline. Basically, eat less and exercise more. And it will take a little divine intervention as well, because I've got a sweet tooth as big as... Continue Reading