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

There's about a million and one reasons why I love Internet marketing. It pays, of course, and that has to be important. It's fun too. I'm having a ball doing this and it's rare that someone can say that about their work. But one of the things I love the most about Internet marketing is that it's democratic. Anyone can do it. And I really do mean anyone. 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

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

There are a lot of worried people out there. You might even be one of them. People are losing their jobs, seeing their wages cut, watching their revenue charts change from a steep hill to vertical cliff. These aren't great times. But they are times of opportunity. When I was researching Click Here to Order, there was one story that I came across time and time again. It was the story of the entrepreneur whose... Continue Reading

I'm glad I broke it. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't broken it. No, I'm not talking about a vase I won in a church raffle. And I certainly don't mean the world 100 meter sprint record. I didn't break a nail, though I could probably use a good manicure. And I didn't break a vow of silence. I'd have to be silent for more than ten minutes for that to take place... Continue Reading

I wish I could tell you that becoming a successful AdSense publisher is easy. I wish I could tell you that all you need to do is sign up to AdSense and hey presto... at the end of the week, you'll be lighting your barbeque with hundred dollar bills and using fine china dishes as Frisbees. But it doesn't work that way. Optimizing your AdSense units is hard work. And it's work that never ends. 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 recently saw a post on a forum that described me as an Internet marketing "guru". I had this picture of me sitting on a mountaintop in the lotus position with a line of inquisitive people waiting to ask me my secret for making money online. Then I had a good laugh and realized how ludicrous the term really is. I'm not a "guru". I'm just a guy who found success online and now pass... Continue Reading

Darren Rowse has an interesting post over on ProBlogger.net. He explains the most common reasons that users unsubscribe from blog RSS feeds. Can you guess which reason came out on top? Nope, it wasn't poor content. (That came in at numbers 6 and 7.) It wasn't the advertising. (Only three people said that.) And it wasn't too much selling. (That was number 14 on the list.) It was too many posts. 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 just got up from the television set to come write this entry, abandoning the program I was watching. I've been a fan of The Apprentice since the first season. I thought Trump's choice of Bill Rancic as his first apprentice was solid. Since then, the show has had fewer truly qualified contestants. I thought a new location would be an interesting twist on previous seasons, so I began watching the first episode of The... Continue Reading

Don’t you just hate it when someone comes along and spoils all the fun? For a long time now I’ve been recommending that publishers put little images next to their AdSense units to draw users’ eyes. So if you were showing ads for televisions and cameras, then you could put pictures of televisions and cameras right next to the ad unit. Your unit would have all the eye-catching attention of a graphic ad without the... Continue Reading

Are you overwhelmed? I don't know about you, but I can get involved in so many projects that I occasionally feel like my brain is going to explode. Someone get the duct tape! The reality of the situation is that there is more opportunity on the web than anyone can possibly grasp. You may already be succeeding online... ... or you may be struggling. I've been both places at various times in my life and... Continue Reading

Last night, my family and I went to see Glenn Beck at the Mabee Center in Tulsa. For those not familiar with Beck, he claims to have the third most popular radio show in the country. I guess that would be behind Limbaugh and Hannity. I started listening to Glenn a few years ago when his program began airing on our local radio station. He says that you need to listen to the show for... Continue Reading

Stop the presses! Jeremy Gislason just sent me an email telling me that the Marketing Main Event 2 is now available for 1000 people. What is the Marketing Main Event? Only the largest collection of membership reseller licences, private label rights, master rights, resell rights, contributed products, instant sales pages and sales links, exclusive joint ventures, special offers, V.R.E. content generators, training and learning zones EVER! 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

I believe there are insidious forces at work in America to tear down the fabric of this great nation. I believe these forces primarily reside in the extreme leadership of the Democrat party and the mainstream media. I believe these forces are the ones responsible for swaying public opinion against our brave men and women fighting the war on terror. These people despise our President and the tremendous successes he has had in this war... 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

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'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

Oh, the humanity! Man Allegedly Assaults Taco Bell Employee With Chalupa DES MOINES, Iowa -- A man who claimed he didn't get the taco he paid for has been charged with assault for allegedly pelting a Taco Bell clerk in the face with a chalupa. Nancy Harrison told police she was working the drive-through Thursday night when Christopher Lame, 24, ordered some food. He later came into the store, complaining he didn't get the taco... Continue Reading

From the "Don't try this at home" department, this story from the Reuter's news wire... A woman in Mexico gave birth to a healthy baby boy after performing a Caesarean section on herself with a kitchen knife, doctors said Tuesday. The unidentified 40-year-old woman, who lived in a rural area without electricity, running water or sanitation and was an eight-hour drive from the nearest hospital, performed the operation when she could not deliver the baby... Continue Reading

Not be confused with my groundhog day rant a couple weeks back, this entry concerns itself with the title of the Bill Murray film from 1993. Caddyshack was funny. Ghostbusters was trendy. The Razor's Edge was dramatic. But Groundhog Day is Bill Murray's finest hour and comes in at #10 on my list of The 15 Best Movies Ever. Groundhog Day is the story of Phil Connors (Murray), a cynical weatherman who feels he is... Continue Reading

I was listening to talk radio this morning on the way to work and the host began discussing a story that I had heard about on the Glenn Beck Program the day before. The story centered around a Cleveland, Ohio TV news Anchorwoman and some indiscretions that occured when she was in Florida with her husband several months earlier. Essentially, this "anchorette" got blotto and entered a wet t-shirt contest at a local bar in... Continue Reading

Found this one while surfing the web. It's a George W. Bush talking doll! Apparantly, these things are selling like hotcakes. The company has added some new dolls to the roster. You can now order talking Donald Rumsfeld, Dennis Miller or Ann Coulter dolls. I guess Ann Coulter is the closing thing to a Barbie (only Ann has brains in her head), but it is likely there will be more men wanting to find this... Continue Reading

We left Philadelphia early this morning and jumped on the highway towards Hershey, Pennsylvania. The kids have been looking forward to our visit to Chocolate World for the whole trip, so the anticipation had been building. Hershey's Chocolate World was just plain fun. Pulling into the parking lot gives you the feeling of, "Uh oh, there goes the diet!" The first thing we did was check out the free Chocolate Tour Ride, a Disney-style track... 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

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

'CBS Evening News' Hits Ratings Low NEW YORK - "CBS Evening News" marked a low point in a storied history last week - its smallest average audience in at least 10 years, perhaps ever. The evening newscast with Dan Rather, for several years third in the ratings behind NBC and ABC, has lately been losing even more ground to its rivals. Awwww... I feel SO bad for Mr. Blather and his liberal cronies that wouldn't... Continue Reading

Well, I ended up losing 5 pounds last week. I think I hit my first plateau and I'm fine with that. Ended up pigging out on Chinese food over the weekend. I even had a friend egg-roll. Yum! I am back on track this week and hope I can ditch an additional 5 pounds. Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me with your comments. I am walking on the treadmill an hour a... Continue Reading

... and counting. I know I can't keep up with losing a pound a day, but it sure is fun in the early stages of weight loss! I'm getting ready to go hit the treadmill right now. I still haven't decided on a health club and intend to visit a couple more today. The kids and I are also going to see a movie this afternoon. Continue Reading