Our iPhone development team is responsible for some great apps in the iTunes app store. iVote Mobile was in the first batch of 500 apps that were released in the app store when it first went live in Summer of 2008. Last holiday season, iFart took the world by storm. It has gone on to become one of the most frequently mentioned iPhone apps in the world. Our team was among the first to develop... Continue Reading

We knew it would happen. It always happens. Not long after Twitter's popularity hit the stratosphere, the spammers began swarming. Now direct messages boxes are packed with Mafia invitations, follower lists have been infiltrated by pornbots, and I had to put up with dozens of impostors trading on my name before my verified account was able to show who's really me. Whenever something gets big and successful on the Internet, you can bet that there... Continue Reading

Creating a successful Internet business is all about bringing in users and turning them into cash. The more of those users you can convert, the more money you'll make. Your clickthrough rate - the percentage of users who click on an ad - is a measure of your ability to convert your users. A good website will have a clickthrough rate (or CTR) of around 3 percent. Or to put it another way, even a... Continue Reading

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

Since I've been online, I've seen some amazing changes take place on the Web. Perhaps the biggest though is how easy it's all become. Building a website used to be a chore that took months of planning, preparation and coding. By the time you'd finished putting it all together, the programming language was out of date, the design was old fashioned and it was time to start again. These days, you can put up a... 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

I've got a question for you. What do you want to be when you grow up? No, I am not asking this question of children. Heck, as a child I went through a phase where I wanted to be a dentist. Nothing against dentists, but I can't even begin to imagine myself in that profession! You know, it's sad, but many people can't answer this question. I've accomplished a lot in my forty-five years, But... 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

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

I've made a lot of money out of Internet marketing. I live in a beautiful home in a wonderful part of the country. I work with some fantastic, clever, creative people who together generate more profit-making ideas than we know what to do with. And most importantly, I have an amazing family and while I do have a busy life, being my own boss gives me the freedom to enjoy time with them. I feel... Continue Reading

By now, you know that I am the creator of the world's most-talked about iPhone application, iFart Mobile. Although most people know me these days as the best selling author of "Twitter Power - How To Dominate Your Market One Tweet At A Time" and a successful internet entrepreneur, my staff and I eagerly jumped into iPhone development as soon as the app store launched. If you have been following me on Twitter, you are... Continue Reading

I love meeting new Internet entrepreneurs. I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes, the passion for their new businesses and their drive to succeed. I think it's great that people know where they're going. It's fantastic that they understand it is possible to build a successful online business, something that can give them a stable six- or even seven-figure income, and it's wonderful that they're determined to get there. Continue Reading

What do users really want? It's a question that publishers ask themselves all the time. We look at the comments our articles receive. We review our stats. We check the popularity of keywords. We ask for ideas on Twitter. And we do all sorts of other things that try to second-guess what's going through our users' minds so that we can deliver content that interests them most. But maybe we're asking the wrong question. 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

I love it when academics launch studies of the entrepreneurial world. Sometimes, they come up with truly valuable and fascinating information. I can't think of any off-hand, but I'm sure they must do sometimes. More usually though, the buffoons claim that their observations have discovered something truly amazing and revolutionary... something that those of us who were actually doing it knew all along. While the prof. is getting another publication and a nomination for a... Continue Reading

I've been talking about social media a lot lately and one of the questions that comes up time and time again is how effective it is. It's not an easy question to answer. Ask me how effective an AdSense placement is and I can open my AdSense journal, look at the stats and tell you exactly how much extra I earned when I moved an ad unit on that page from here to there. I'll... Continue Reading

There's a rumor going around. It's growing. It's dangerous. And I think I may have encouraged it. People are starting to believe that Twitter is a sales tool. They see the site as a valuable resource that allows them to broadcast their sales messages and land new deals. 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 doing a lot of traveling lately. I've been from California to New York, to Utah and Seattle, and to Denver more times than I can count. In theory, none of that traveling should be necessary. Twitter, after all, is the ultimate networking tool. I can be sitting anywhere and by firing up Tweetie on my iPhone, find myself swapping tweets with Tim O'Brien of the New York Times or exchanging ideas with best-selling... Continue Reading

In my book, Twitter Power, I describe a number of different kinds of tweets that twitterers are posting on the site. I talk about news tweets and customer service tweets, random thoughts and feedback, and a whole lot more besides. I explain how businesses are using them, why they work and how to make them work for you. You don't have to use all -- or any -- of those tweet models if you don't... Continue Reading

I consider myself very fortunate. I have a beautiful home with a beautiful view of the Rockies in a beautiful part of the country. I also have a great office staffed with fantastic people. And the two are separate. That isn't everyone's goal. I've met lots of people whose dream is to give up the commute and start working from home. I can understand that. I've done that. 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

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

Now that my book, Twitter Power, is moving up the charts (#15 on Bookscan last week!), I have a lot of people asking me how effective Twitter actually is for business. Certainly, it is difficult to put a price tag on relationships that have been built on Twitter. It's also very hard to quantify the effects of branding on a Twitter profile page correctly designed. But the question remains... Does Twitter use convert to sales? Continue Reading

This week, I had the pleasure of being asked to speak to Microsoft employees on the subject of Twitter. Eckhart Boehme invited me to talk about how businesses are using Twitter, demonstrating that Microsoft is taking a very engaged position on social media. I was treated quite well by Eckhart and his team, and I met a number of very bright Microsoft people. The campus is ENORMOUS. I saw buildings numbered all the way up... 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

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

Whenever I sit down to write a book or prepare a talk, I always have one goal in mind. I want to make it easier for other people to achieve success. That's easier... not easy. I know my limitations. And I know Internet marketing. And I know that there's no such thing as a successful Internet business that was built easily. 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

I wish I hadn't done it. And I wish I could tell you all the things that I wish I hadn't done but there are too many incidents to remember them all. I probably smack my forehead about a dozen times a day and wonder what I've let myself in for. I know lots of people say that they have no regrets. They might even be telling the truth. But that doesn't mean that they've... Continue Reading

There are lots of great things to say about being an Internet entrepreneur. You get to be your own boss, setting your own hours and working from home if you want. You get to define your own goals and connect your earnings directly to your efforts. And you get to be in full control of your life, instead of working a J.O.B. that you just can't stand. All of those things are true but there's... 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

It shouldn't be a difficult question. If you want to know whether your site is a success, you don't have to look further than the last line in your AdSense stats. If you're happy with the amount that's going to appear on Google's check this month, you're successful. But what if an advertiser asked how successful your site is. What would you say then? You wouldn't tell him how much you're earning each month, would... 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 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

Yesterday I posted a video of my brother-in-law's legendary karaoke performance. Many have asked if I was going to post my performance. Being a high-profile marketer, I should no better than to do that. After all, why would I want people to see how badly I sing? But I thought about it and decided that transparency is a good thing. In fact, the more you share your life with your customers, the more they have... Continue Reading

I just returned from a one-week cruise to the Mexican Riviera with my extended family. We enjoyed a wonderful week aboard the Norwegian Star. I'll be providing more details of the cruise in the future, but for now I want to focus on the first video that I've uploaded. In what can only be described as a legendary performance, my brother-in-law Michael Costantini dominated the Karoaoke floor one evening with his rendition of this classic... Continue Reading

It's all changed. It happened so fast, we hardly even noticed. But looking back, it's incredible how different everything is today. When I started out in Internet Marketing, no one had any idea who I was. No one needed to. All they had to do was know where my websites were and enjoy the content I was putting up. It was impersonal and it worked both ways. My users might only have thought of me... Continue Reading

I said I was going to go into silent mode regarding our sales, but so many people have asked me what happened through Christmas Day that I have decided to release stats just one more time. We left off December 23rd with stats current from our release date on 12/12 through 12/22. Everyone is curious about what happened next. You may be shocked. I know I was when I saw the numbers. 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

A few days ago I became the first app store developer to reveal sales-to-rank data. Some other sites have confirmed an interest in this data, such as The UnOfficial Apple Weblog. With iFart continuing its move up the charts, I want to continue sharing data with you, especially since something very interesting has happened since we broke into the top ten apps in the world. Continue Reading

How many people REALLY use Twitter? And what percentage of people account for most of the activity on Twitter? These are questions I posed on Twitter today. I asked "Would you say that 1% of Twitter members do 99% of the tweets?" Some answers from my followers and some of my own research has uncovered some interesting data. Continue Reading

"Focus on what's meaningful, not what's measurable." I wish I'd said that. It wasn't me though. It was Warren Buffet, a man much smarter -- and a great deal wealthier -- than me. And not surprisingly, it's great advice and it's especially important for online marketers. The Web gives us access to all sorts of figures. Our AdSense stats tell us our clickthrough rates, our eCPMs, how our channels are doing and of course, our... Continue Reading

There are two ways to write a blog. The first is to sit at the computer and type up the first thing that comes into your head. If you have interesting ideas, fun experiences and can write well, that can certainly work. There are plenty of bloggers who make a good income writing about themselves, their lives and their families. But it isn't easy. Continue Reading

On September 11th, 2008, I received an email from Matt Holt at John Wiley and Sons Publishing. Matt asked me if I would write the definitive guide on Twitter for business. And he wanted me to write it FAST. As in, we have to have the manuscript in a couple months so we can release it by February of 2009. Wow, that IS fast! Continue Reading

It happens even before your site really starts to make money. You post articles, market your content, pick up comments and find that other sites are talking about you. All of a sudden, you've moved from being one person with ideas you want to share to being the center of a community, part of a circle of online friends with a keen interest in what you have to say. Continue Reading

I'm fed up. I've really had enough. I've just seen it too many times. Again and again, I meet people who wonder why they aren't Internet millionaires yet. When I ask them how long they've been online, they say "Three months, and it's just not working!" It takes about ten minutes to buy a computer and another two minutes to turn it on. Continue Reading

If you've got nothing nice to say, say nothing. It's a great rule to follow when you're offline. Online though, saying nothing just isn't an option. As an online publisher, you have to publish. You have to keep a steady stream of new content appearing on your website so that your users will keep coming back, your ads will keep appearing... and your money will keep rolling in Continue Reading

There's a huge amount to learn when you set up an online business. You have to know how to build a website, how to bring in traffic, and how to monetize your visitors so that your site gives you an income. There are plenty of very experienced experts around who can teach people how to do all of those things. There's one thing though that no one ever has to teach a new business owner. Continue Reading

It took me a while to figure it out. It took me a little longer to accept it. (My wife, by the way, was way ahead of me on this one. She'd been telling me this for years...) I'm not... Continue Reading

Online publishing has all sorts of advantages. You become your own boss, you have your own schedule, you get paid to produce content and bring in users. It's all great fun... and you can do it without leaving your house or having to cope with office politics. It's those last benefits that can look so appealing and be a little dangerous too. Social networking sites have made it so easy to chat with other people... Continue Reading

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

Google AdSense. Over the years, I've generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in passive income with this incredible program. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who have no idea what it is all about. The fact is Google takes in $15 billion (that's Billion with a B!) dollars each year in advertising revenue. The best part is that they are sharing a portion of that revenue to people like you and... Continue Reading

I've written a lot of content since I became an online publisher. I'd like to think that I've got better and better as the years have gone by but sometimes I'm not so sure. Although there are plenty of posts that still make me proud when I read them again, there's also no shortage of articles that really make me wince. They might have sentences I want to rephrase, points that aren't made clearly, and... 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

There are two reasons that people will visit your website. They'll visit to read great content. And they'll visit to feel part of a community. There's one way in which you can add valuable content to your site, get that content for free and build up your community at the same time. By receiving comments. 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

This is a hugely exciting time to be an online publisher. It used to be the case that if you wanted to earn from ads on your website, there was only one thing to do. You signed up to AdSense, pasted in the code, optimized the units and brought in traffic while following your stats. You still have to do that. But these days that's just the beginning. Continue Reading

I'm going to tell you a secret. It's the secret of continued success that every successful publisher knows and benefits from them. Here it is... The secret of continued success is.. to be successful. I know, it doesn't sound very helpful, does it? 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've got no idea how many blog posts, articles and pages of content I've written for the Internet. I've been doing it for years, so if you're wondering if there are ever times when I sit in front of the computer and wonder what I can write about today, the answer is... Yes. 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

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

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

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

What is hype? From dictionary.com, one definition is "exaggerated publicity" For example... "The amazing super-duper fantasmagorical stapler can save thousands of dollars each year in lost time and help you lose 30 pounds in three minutes!" Ok, that IS over-the-top hype. What about where Internet marketing products are concerned? Is there hype? Continue Reading

Growing up, I did a lot of things with my older brother, Michael. He's got two years on me, so I was frequently wanting to hang out with him and his friends. We don't see each other much since he lives in Illinois, but he just came to Colorado for a visit. What do you I do with my guests when they come to town? Invite them to join me on my show, of course! Continue Reading

I'm currently in Los Angeles for the annual Book Expo America, otherwise known as BEA. Why BEA? I have a book coming out on August 1st and I showed up to support my publisher and do some networking. Now I must confess. I am a trade show junkie. I love the vast conference centers with aisles and aisles of vendors hawking their goods and services. I'm especially a sucker for the freebies and swag. It's... Continue Reading

I boarded my flight from Dallas to return to Denver yesterday morning, hungry and certain that my first class seat would get me some sort of meal. As I boarded the plane, I asked the flight attendant if there would be food service. He informed me that there would not be and I quietly expressed my disappointment. I didn't really ASK for food, but I did make it known that I was hungry. 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 am out of town today, so I asked The Graphic Mavericks to host my show. Rob and Danny thrashed my set and talked about internet marketing, movies, and a whole lot more. Continue Reading

I've been blogging since 2003. That seems like an eternity in Internet years! If you aren't blogging yet, you are missing out on a KEY component of your Internet business and online presence. The thing is, many people are totally and completely intimidated by the thought of blogging. You may even be reading this and thinking, "I'm too embarrassed to tell Joel that I don't even know what a blog is!" Don't sweat it. You... Continue Reading

Everyone has heard of Chicken Soup for the Soul and the zillion titles that were derived from this massive best-seller. What you don't know is that I am friends with the man who helped make that series so huge! His name is Rick Frishman and he knows a few things about getting attention. ;-) Rick has just released a new book of his own called "Where's Your Wow?" that reveals 16 ways to make your... Continue Reading

I recently had the privilege of spending time with Mike Filsaime. The guy is one of the most brilliant marketers in the world, and he told me how he is "moving the free line"... again! Mike knows viral marketing unlike anyone else and he understands the power of providing free high quality information to people. He also understands the power of branding the reports and allowing others to give them away for you. Continue Reading

In March of 2006 I attended Yanik Silver's Internet Marketing Underground seminar in Washinton, DC. It was a life-changing date with destiny, for it was there that I met my future JV Partner, Eric Holmlund. I was also impressed by the high caliber of people who attended this seminar. It seemed that there was an awful lot of success in the room filled with over 300 people. Two years later and Yanik does not disappoint... 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

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'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

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

I get a lot of questions from people who are eager to start Home-Based Businesses. They wonder if they can afford office equipment, pay for outsourcing, purchase expensive courses, and go to Internet Marketing Seminars. What many people don't realize is that having your own home-based business offers many tax advantages that will really help you with these expenses. Whether you're joining a Network Marketing Company, starting a commercial website or plan on being a... Continue Reading

There is a lot of talk about niche marketing strategies. What are the things that smart marketers do to get their site listed high on the search engines? Well, things online have changed dramatically since I got started in 1995. Back then you could register killer domains for a song and be the first kid on the block to have a site established in a major niche. But as the years have passed, certain sites... Continue Reading

I consider myself a fortunate person. Every day, I sit in a beautiful office, surrounded by great people and look out of my window towards a fantastic view of the Rockies. I think it's a great thing. Not everyone agrees with me. I know that lots of people want something different. They want to work from home. 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

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

Yesterday, I blogged about my experiences with American Airlines Aadvantage desk in regards to a change I needed to make with a ticket. Thanks to everyone who empathized with my plight. It appears I am nowhere near alone. Apparantly, Google is showing me some love. Check this out. Continue Reading

Blogging is a huge opportunity... and a lot of people are missing out. They're missing out for one reason. They don't believe they can write. They might have slept through their English classes at school. They don't know what a semi-colon is for. And since entering the workforce, they might never have had to write anything longer than a grocery list. And now I'm telling them that they can make their living -- and more... Continue Reading

At conferences, you can spot them a mile away. They're shaking hands with everyone they meet. They're passing out business cards like they're free hundred dollar bills. They attend every talk and scribble notes furiously through each of them. And you can bet that when they go home they'll spend every waking hour -- which might be twenty in a day -- sitting in front of their computer working on their site, building traffic and... 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

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

Did you know Google is on track to make $14 billion in ad revenue this year? And while no one knows the exact percentage they are paying out to AdSense publishers, it is estimated to be in the ballpark of 60%-70%. Only Google knows for sure. And you know I am big fan of AdSense. I've made a lot of money with it. BUT, and that is a big BUT... ... there ARE alternatives to... Continue Reading

I don't know about you, but I am still stuffed from the Thanksgiving meal! Anyhow, today is Black Friday. It's not a holiday, but with all the crazy shopping, you would think it is. You know how I always talk about building sites that interest you? Well, back in 1999 I was big into saving money online with coupon codes. 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

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

I'm not a big sports fan. I used to watch a lot of baseball when I was a kid. And I watched a good bit of football in college. But as an adult, I just haven't made much time for sports. Continue Reading

A few years ago, making money on the Internet was a breeze. All you had to do was open the dictionary, register each of the words you saw on the page as dotcoms and sell them to someone in California for the price of a South American country's national debt. It doesn't quite work that way any more. These days, domain name buyers want to see figures. They want to know how much traffic a... Continue Reading

I recommend a lot of products to people, and sometimes I get emails from readers complaining that they can't possibly buy everything I recommend. I don't expect you to. Not all of the products I recommend suit everyone. All of them though will help someone. If you decide not to buy a product I recommend, that's fine. Just make sure that you're not turning down something that could genuinely help your site to grow and... 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

There's no doubt that Google is challenging Microsoft's dominance of the desktop. Search, office applications, email... the list goes on. But here's a surprise that was discovered as an easter egg hidden in Google Earth... ... The Google Earth Flight Simulator 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

I've been doing a lot of radio interviews lately. The media is very interested in The Next Internet Millionaire and I feel like I am spending hours on the phone! Well, I just got off the phone for a radio interview and was asked what is the first thing that anyone who wants to create an Internet business should do. My answer came with great clarity and without hesitation... 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

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

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

I've Got Three Little Words To Say To You... No, not those words (although I'm sure you're very nice). I mean these three little words... Just do it. I know, Nike got there first. But they were right. You get nothing by doing nothing. Back when I started out on the Web, becoming an online publisher meant buying a book about HTML the size of the Yellow Pages. It meant spending half a year reading... 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

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

Recently, I told you that I was pulling out of the Bookwise program. It looked like a good opportunity -- it still does look like a good opportunity -- but when they objected to the domain name I was using to profit from it, I decided to leave. One door closes... and another one opens. I've been playing around with AuctionAds, and I have to say, I've been very impressed. AuctionAds lets you put eBay... 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

Pssst. I've got a secret. Actually, I've got a LOT of secrets. Do YOU want to know the secret? No, not THAT secret. "That" Secret is the biggest bunch of nonsense served to the public on a shiny platter all year. But that's a topic for another newsletter. ;-) Continue Reading

I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of my brother and his family this past weekend. They live in suburban Chicago, so it was a treat for them to come to the mountains and enjoy a little slower pace for a few days. By the way, you'll want to watch for my bro. He is a brilliant CPA with some keen insights into money management. I foresee a website and a book in the... Continue Reading

It's one of the biggest challenges of building a profitable online publishing business. It's also one of the most important. Generating traffic. There's no easy way to do it. Yes, you have to have good content. Without that, you're never going to get the sort of traffic that arrives naturally, comes back and gives you referrals. But even good content isn't enough. It doesn't matter how good your content is if no one knows you... 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

Thank you to those who submitted questions on my blog yesterday. I really appreciate your input and will be sharing some exciting news with you soon. By now, you probably know that I like to provide as much free information as possible. There is a lot of worthless junk passed off as valuable in the Internet marketing niche, and I like to make sure you get good stuff for absolutely nothing when possible. In celebration... Continue Reading

Darren Rowse's blog at ProBlogger.net is always worth a read. He's a guy who's making a great income out of online publishing, and he's not afraid to share his knowledge. Recently, Darren put up a very interesting post about giving a second chance to old content. Sometimes, he points out, you'll put up a post that you're sure will get lots of traffic only to find that it dies away without doing anything special. There... Continue Reading

It's a basic AdSense strategy. One page. One topic. One group of nicely targeted ads. But what if your website covers more than one topic? Suppose you have a blog that's about cars, for example, and occasionally you like to write about satellite radios or travel destinations. Is it enough to put an off-topic post on a separate page or should you put it on a whole different website? You'll need two pieces of information... Continue Reading

OK... We all know most people are concerned about hackers and the safety of shopping online. And we all know that trust seals can help. But is there a best seal program to address this problem? Are there any real, proven benefits of one over the other? HACKER SAFE is proven to be the most effective trust seal... Ever! Think about it for one minute... * Used by over 75,000 websites * Seen on over... 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 like to think I've come a long way. It didn't happen overnight and it didn't come easily. But there's a world of difference between where I am now and where I was when I put up my first website. For one thing, I've now got more than one website. For another, I have a lot of speaking appointments, a small staff to help me and I've written a lot of books that -- best... 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

I'm impressed. I don't say that much these days. While on the hunt for the absolute best resources and services that actually help people make money online, I find myself wading through a lot of nonsense. A LOT of nonsense. When a friend told me about a new product called "My Affiliate Store", I had to laugh. Continue Reading

Internet publishing is a strange thing. On the one hand, you can do everything yourself. It doesn't take two people to write a blog post. It doesn't take a team to design an attractive website. And it doesn't take an entire office to optimize your ad units. But on the other hand, it does take thousands of other publishers to place links to your site on their Web pages to push you up the search... Continue Reading

Work in any industry long enough, and you'll find that there's a knack to it. Get that right and it doesn't matter what else you do, you'll always make money. For retailers, the rule is to treat the customer as king. For racing drivers, speed is king. For Internet publishers, content is king. And for Squidoo publishers? Well, that's a little different. I've been having a lot of fun with my Squidoo lens recently. I've... Continue Reading

Last week, I wrote how my World of Warcraft account was compromised over a wireless network while at a hotel in Washington, D.C. My entire account was emptied of my hard-earned gold and loot. I was left without anything. I wrote to the support team at Blizzard with complete details of my account and what had happened. They wrote me back telling me that my case would be escalated to the investigation team, and that... 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

It seems like everywhere you turn, people are talking about Web 2.0. What's the deal with Web 2.0 and why should we care? In the past weeks, I have shared with you how I built my lists, increased my visibility and made more sales by using Squidoo. Many of you have written me thanking me for the free report on the topic as you are seeing results from using this new web technology. But did... 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

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

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

I love the way Google works. The company has created a fantastic system for turning space on Web pages into fat checks. Even though it's got a bunch of competitors all with their own methods of delivering contextualized ads, Google is still top of the pile. But not everything Google does is as big a success as AdSense. Its referral programs, for example, never brought me a great deal of revenue. I haven't heard of... 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

There’s More To Marketing Than SEO... It’s the first thing most online publishers do. Right after they’ve built their site, picked the images and added the content. They start optimizing for the search engines and working a million hours a day to get the top spot at Google. Search engine optimization is always going to be an important part of marketing your website. After all, the only thing better than targeted traffic is free targeted... Continue Reading

I'm always going on about the importance of great content. It really is the most important thing you'll put on your website. Sure, the way you format your AdSense units is important. The affiliate products you choose to promote will affect your earnings. The design and layout of your page will determine whether it looks professional and invites users to stick around and come back for more... or send them screaming back where they came... 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

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

Building a successful website doesn’t happen overnight. You have to create the pages, write the content, optimize your ads, drive traffic. You can be up and running within minutes but to earn the sort of revenues that make the whole thing worthwhile (and more) you’re going to have to invest time. And much of that time is going to be spent troubleshooting. A poorly-designed, badly-optimized site might make a little bit of money. A site... 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

There’s something to be said for monopolies. Obviously, they’re great when you own one but they have another advantage too. They make life easier. They don’t make life better. But they do make life easier. Just think how much time you’d save if you were to walk into a supermarket and find only one type of bread and one brand of laundry powder and one sort of breakfast cereal. The bread might taste like chalk... 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

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

For those who were online in 1999, you may remember the very first "Get paid to surf" program. It was called AllAdvantage. Basically, by displaying the AllAdvantage toolbar while you surfed, you got paid. And when you referred people to the program and they surfed, you got paid. It worked VERY well, except that the management team at the company messed up the opportunity. Don't get me wrong. I earned THOUSANDS with this program. And... Continue Reading

When I first started playing around with AdSense, I knew nothing. Now, I like to think that I know a few things about AdSense, but I am still learning. Want to design direct-mail flyers? Don’t ask me. I haven’t a clue. Need to know how to fill a restaurant to the rafters every night? Never owned a restaurant. Not my thing. Want to build a deck? Follow my advice and you’ll just end up with... Continue Reading

The business-in-a-box. You've heard of 'opportunities' like this before. Usually, all you get is a box... ... and no business. When Paul Smithson (of XSite Pro fame) approached me with his "Build an Empire" business-in-a-box, I was VERY skeptical. In fact, I ALMOST didn't it listen to what he had to say. However, when he mentioned an industry that I happen to know is one of the fastest growing industries next to digital music, he... Continue Reading

We live in a reciprocal Universe. All of us are trained at a very young age to take. Hopefully, we are also trained to give. Give and take. Someone asks you how you are doing... ... and you ask them how they are doing. Someone gives you a gift... ... and you are more likely to give them a gift in the future. Give and take. That's the way the Universe operates. Continue Reading

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

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

I've been getting a LOT of email about Google's new policy change related to their AdWords program. Thousands of advertisers had the prices per click raised DRAMATICALLY overnight. It has been very costly for some, perhaps unfairly so. Are you one of the people that got hit by this Google "slap"? Are you still trying to recover and to find your lost traffic? Many people have pleased with Google to let them have the lower-cost... Continue Reading

Eric Holmlund has been telling me about HyperVRE. He's like, "Joel, this is perfect for your AdSense students... and it's free!" I said, "Reeeeally..." So I took a look at it. And I am impressed. Eric said that I could show you his video that demonstrates exactly how this free tool works. HyperVRE 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

Search the web for AdSense and you will find an absolute avalanche of products and services related to Google's popular contextual advertising service. Most of the these products are software or tools designed to game the system, taking advantage of the weaknesses in the search engines in order to generate a quick buck with AdSense. You know what I am talking about. These are the tools that build "garbage" pages that exist for no reason... Continue Reading

If you've been following my life at all, you know I've been working with my mother to help her build her website, TravelsWithSheila.com. Acting on my advice, my mom has issued a press release today. Continue Reading

The Sony PSP is a handy little gadget. I've been getting a lot of entertainment mileage out of it while traveling miles across the country. It acts as a great diversion to pass the time on an airplane. From Hawaii to Orlando to Vegas, I've enjoyed playing Daxter and have just about finished the game. But the PSP is good for more than just playing games. Whether you want to listen to music, surf the... Continue Reading

I'm just back in town from Michael Penland's Internet seminar in Orlando. It was a great seminar with two dozen fantastic speakers. I know the attendees must have gotten alot out of the time spent there. I want to take a moment to tell you about a guy I met in Orlando this week. His name is Keith Wellman. Continue Reading

I received this question via AskJoelComm.com Joel, I can't find my passion. I have been a workaholic my whole life in areas that I do not enjoy. I don't even know what I enjoy doing. To make matters worse, my experience is not something that can become a product unless I compete with the top corporations. I have gathered and researched a lot of information on how to market, sales pages, setting up websites, etc... Continue Reading

Here's a copy of the news release that went out on PRWeb today. Edmond, OK (PRWEB) May 9, 2006 -- With Internet publishers looking for ways to monetize their sites, Google has become one of the most revered sites due to their contextual advertising program, Google AdSense. This text-based ad service is generating four, five, and six-figure incomes for many website owners. With this increased interest in this revolutionary revenue-generating program, site owners are looking... Continue Reading

As you might imagine, I get LOTS of email. Questions, questions, questions... and most of them are good! What do people want most? They want to see exactly how to implement AdSense properly on their sites. Did you get that? They want to SEE... 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

I offended Vern Troyer, the actor who played the role of "Mini Me" in the Austin Powers movies. Why would I do such a thing? I didn't mean, to, but it happened anyhow... If you've been following my blog, you would know that I've been in D.C. attending Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar. Yanik was very clever in putting the seminar together. He gave the entire thing an "Austin Powers" secret agent feel, which each attendee... Continue Reading

Spore is Will Wright's latest computer game, and it is set to revolutionize the PC gaming world. Creator of Sim City and The Sims, Spore is unlike anything else you have ever experienced in computer gaming. Due out in 2007, Spore will offer an open-ended gameplay style that will appeal to a wide variety of gamers. Continue Reading

John Reese has done it again. This time he has surprised the Internet marketing community by releasing a FREE copy of The Reese Report, John's ezine absolutely packed with incredible tips and strategies that he uses to build his Internet empire. John is offering a free copy and I wanted to pass it on to you... Click here John is very smart and you will learn alot from reading his stuff. Continue Reading

Ok, so it's February 18th. But the snow is blanketing the ground in the Oklahoma City area and it finally feels just a little bit like Christmas. Well, winter at least. Just two days we were enjoying temperatures nearing 70 degrees and sunshine. The cold front blew in and the temperature dropped 30 + degrees in a matter of minutes. Continue Reading

It's time for my blog to "grow up". This coming week, I will be updating joelcomm.com with a brand new design. It will have remnants of the old and a whole lot of new. Watch for it and let me know what you think! Continue Reading

It's been a fascinating weekend. I've been hanging out at Harlan Kilsteins Copywriting Workshop and have met some fascinating people. I presented advanced Google AdSense strategies to the group today and was excited to see the light bulbs go on over so many heads. I am pleased that a select few have decided to join my AdSense Apprentice program, and excited that they will be jioning me on a series of telecourses scheduled to take... Continue Reading

I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year! May your year be filled with good health, prosperity and lots of laughter. :-) I have a New Year's gift for you to get things off to a good start! You may download your very own FREE AdSense Buddy, a very useful tool to help you keep track of your AdSense statistics without having to login to Google's site! You can check stats by... Continue Reading

Several months ago I was going through email from readers. As you might imagine, people have a lot of questions, not just regarding AdSense, but also related to other areas of Internet business. I began noticing a recurring theme in these emails. 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

We awoke at 8 am so, preparing for our Thanksgiving journey to Chicago. You won't believe how smoothly that journey went. 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'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Of course, all hotels are beginning to look the same to me. Though were it not for the fact that I looked out the window of the airplane and took in a spectacular view of the Smoky Mountains, I wouldn't know the difference. Continue Reading

I'm heading to Charlotte, North Carolina this coming weekend for Robert Puddy's Focus 4 the Future Seminar. I'm speaking at this 2-day seminar designed to help people build profitable web sites. I'll be teaching alongside of some of the best-known names in Internet marketing, including Mike Filsaime, Craig Perrine and Gary Ambrose. It's going to a fantastic event, so try to attend if you are in the area. Continue Reading

I don't know about you, but I spend lots of time developing my web sites. I put my heart and soul (not to mention money) into creating great sites that will generate traffic and AdSense revenue. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not respect other people's work. And they will STEAL your site. I've seen it happen. Continue Reading

It's one of those days. My eyes are watery. My nose is stuffy. My body is achy. And I don't want to do anything. The common cold strikes once again. Continue Reading

Mary was out of town at a conference yesterday, so I wanted to find something fun for the kids and myself to do together. Last week, I found out that a new place opened up on Northwest Expressway in Warr Acres, OK, where an old Wal-Mart used to be. It is called "Incredible Pizza". I asked a friend about it and was told that they opened up about six months ago. They described it as... Continue Reading

Let's play a word game. I'll say the name of a popular camera-hogging celebrity, and then I'll say the first word that comes to mind. Yeah, I know. Not much fun for you, but it's not your blog. Here we go. I say "Reverend Jesse Jackson" First word? "Racist" "Al Sharpton" Racist Kanye West "Stupid Racist Punk" Oops, that was three words. I guess I lose. Actually, the minorities in America lose when these so-called... Continue Reading

Building a web site is easy. Getting traffic to it is a whole different beast. Google, Yahoo! and MSN rule the roost of the search engine market, but figuring out how to show up at the top of the results is no easy task. My friend, Rick Butts, has come up with a killer tool that I starting using today. When I say killer.. I mean killer. If you have a web site, you've got... Continue Reading

I was 13 years old in 1977. The release of Star Wars that year had whet my appetite for sci-fi space movies. So when Disney released The Black Hole in 1979, I had to go see it. I can't remember if I liked it or not, to be truthful. I recently purchased the movie on DVD, thinking it would fondly remind me of my childhood. Instead, it put me to sleep. Seriously. Waaaay asleep. Mary... 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

A few months back I really got sick of my computer always being slow and having system errors. As it turned out, many of the problems I am having are related to the Internet Explorer browser (surprise, surprise...) Some friends told me about a new browser called "Firefox". Continue Reading

As one of my frequent readers recently noted, our world is filled with people living in poverty or under a totalitarian government. While we do have many poor people in America, our version of poor looks rich by the standards of many third world countries. And even with money, some countries treat people as disposable objects. In China, boys are treated as worthwhile, but girls are unwanted. The orphanages are overrunning with children, most of... 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

I love my blog. I love that I can share whatever thoughts and ideas come my way and that people actually enjoy reading it. And I guess it really doesn't matter who reads it. I just enjoy blogging. It's my little corner of the web. However, my site is about to get a face lift. I have deciding to test the waters of Internet consulting. After all, I've got ten years of Internet experience and... Continue Reading

Well, my new dating ebook is almost ready to go. In fact, I have a web page up for it now and it is actually available now. It still needs a little fine tuning, but I think it is a great value for the money! If you are single and interested in online dating services, you'll definitely want to pick up a copy of Online Dating Secrets: The Guide for Real People Who Want Real... Continue Reading

I've had the privilage of spending time with Brad Fallon this past week. For those who don't know Brad, he is an expert in search engine optimization. Essentially, it is the fine art (or is a science?) of learning how to get your web site in top placement on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines. Brad is a true expert on the topic and I now can wholeheartedly endorse his 10-CD package, "Stomping the... Stomping the Search Engines" href="http://joelcomm.com/stomping_the_search_engines.html">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

We have just returned from Spring Break vacation with the kids. It's good to be home! We spent the week in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a quaint village in the southern Rocky Mountains. Near the base of Sierra Blanca (elev 12003), Ruidoso is a blend of old west charm, mountain wilderness and desert atmosphere. Known for being the stomping grounds of Billy the Kid, Ruidoso is also home to the Mescalero Apache Indians (who operate the... Continue Reading

If you have followed my blog at all, you know that I am a long-time Tivo user. I have been a subscriber for approximately five years, making me an early adopter. Tivo has been going through the ringer lately and it looks like they have just made a deal that is going to seal their fate as a household brand. Today, Tivo announced that they will be creating a custom-built digital video recorder for Comcast... Continue Reading

Why is dyslex so hard to spell? Why do airplanes have flotation devices instead of parachutes? Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime? Do pediatricians play miniature golf? How can a house burn up while it burns down? Why is it called "after dark" when it is really after light? What do you do about an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants? I would just like to know... Continue Reading

I just got back from seeing The Aviator with Leonardo diCaprio as Howard Hughes. I believe Leonardo has gotten a bum rap as an actor for some time. I liked him in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. I thought he was perfectly cast in Catch Me if You Can. And whatever else you say about Titanic, his part as Jack Dawson will go down in history. But as eccentric inventor/businessman/aviator Hughes, diCaprio should be awarded an... Continue Reading

A friend pointed out an incredible thing to me today. There is a guy on eBay who is renting space on his forehead. HumanAdSpace.com is one person's 15-minutes of fame. Basically, for a fee this guy will tattoo a company logo or website url on his forehead for 30 days. He is getting a lot of media attention and is actually going to be appearing on Fox News Live. As of this writing, the bid... Continue Reading

I've been reviewing the log files from this site and found out some interesting stuff. Following is a list of the most popular blog entries, along with reasons why the entry received lots of reads and/or comments. Tsunami Video - I originally linked to a video which was then taken offline. But people searching the web for the keywords "Tsunami Video" found my site and visited by the thousands. The Passion: Mel Gibson's Labor of... Continue Reading

This has got to be one of the most heart-breaking stories I have heard in a long, long time. It is one that actually had me weeping after seeing the video. It's a story of God's grace and of gratefulness for how good the majority of us have it in this life. Jeannie Blaylock of First Coast News in Florida reported this story of a baby girl born without a face. Here are some excerpts... 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

Sitting in the parking lot at Pier One imports, waiting for Mary while she "runs in for just a minute" to pick up something or other. The kids are bickering in the back seat, alternating with making strange noises. We're going to take a family photo for our Christmas letter today, if we can get the dog to be still long enough. Later this week we head to Chicago for my nephew's Bar-Mitzvah. It's going... 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

Way back in July 2004, Disney released America's Heart and Soul without any fanfare. I reported about the release of the movie and indicated that I was eager to see it. While the film received virtually no screen time, it is now available on DVD. I finally viewed the movie tonight and I am perplexed as to why Disney did not put some promotion muscle behind this brilliant and inspiring picture! America's Heart and Soul... Continue Reading

The Incredibles is Disney/Pixars' latest cash cow. Can these people do no wrong? Pixar has animated toys, bugs, monsters and fish. But one realm they had not covered to date was people. The wait is over. I took the kids to see The Incredibles yesterday and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The Incredibles is a story of super heroes who have been exiled by the government and the people, due to ever-increasing litigation incurred as... Continue Reading

A few months back, BlockBuster Video sent me a press kit encouraging me to try their new online DVD rental service. I had used Netflix once before, but wasn't too thrilled with their service at the time. I decided to give BlockBuster a try. After two months as a member, I must confess that I am terribly impressed with BlockBuster's service! Here's how it works. You pay a monthly fee of $19.95 which allows you... 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

After the somewhat scathing replies I got regarding my review of the Christian film, Gone, I am somewhat reluctant to step up to the plate again. Regardless (or irregardless if you want to annoy people), I will now attempt to convey my thoughts on a film I viewed today. Six: The Mark Unleashed is a futuristic end-times thriller focusing on the coming one-world government and the ubiquitous "mark of the beast" which must be taken... Continue Reading

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

Mary and I just got back from the theatre. There isn't much out there worth seeing, so we sat in for a viewing of I, Robot, with Will Smith. I have never read Isaac Asimov's both that inspired the film, so I cannot comment on whether or not it was true to the original. On it's own, the story was very average, with few surprises. The special effects were incredible. I just can't imagine how... Continue Reading

I came across a fun little game a few days ago and have enjoyed diverting a few moments of my spare time to playing it. It is called Marble Blast and it is a simple yet addictive! Using the ASWD keys and your mouse, you simply roll your marble across a suspended platform, attempting to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. Obstacles, such as zero-gravity space, stairs, ramps, bumpers, mines and more, are... Continue Reading

We left Keystone yesterday and decided to head home. As it would turn out, it is monsoon season in Colorado, and the rain just keeps coming. We drove to Burlington, CO and spent the night in a cheap motel. Now we are on the road, about 40 miles west of Salina, Kansas. There is just a whole lot of nothing to see out here. We passed up the opportunity to see the world's biggest prairie... Continue Reading

I'm wiped out. It's not that we did a LOT today, but combining the altitude with the activity seems to have taken its toll on me. We started the day with a complimentary breakfast at the lodge. Bread, cereal, fruit, etc. Then it was off to the Steve Jones Stables for horseback riding. We scheduled a one hour scenic ride. All four of us are a bit more seasoned riders than we were a few... Continue Reading

One of my all time favorite movies is The Truman Show. In fact, when I get around to it, it is the next movie due up in my series of The 15 Best Movies Ever. (Yes, I am LONG overdue...) This past week, I was in Borders Books and I wandered into the sci-fi aisle. I've been doing a lot of non-fiction reading lately, so I thought it would be a good time to find... Continue Reading

Admit it. You've always wanted to create your own personal G.I. Joe doll. Herobuilders is offering the world's first on-demand custom action hero tool. Visit the site and you can customize your action hero's eyes, hair, clothing, abd accessories for a small fee. You can even get a matching t-shirt for YOU to wear! It's great fun. If you use coupon code WV-1 when you checkout, they'll give you 5% off your order. Continue Reading

I have been wanting to find a new PC game to play, of the massive multiplayer style. I went through my Star Wars Galaxies addiction last year. I played City of Heroes for about 3 weeks recently, before getting bored. And I am having a difficult time finding something new that peaks my interest. I tried the Sim onlines for about 10 minutes when it came out last year. Yawn. I downloaded a free trial... Continue Reading

I have been sick for three weeks now. I'm not complaining. I rarely get ill, so this is just unusual. I don't know that I have ever coughed my head off like I have been these past few weeks. Tried decongestants, antibiotics, vitamins, hot soup and lots of sleep. I've got what I call a "hanger-onner". It just doesn't want to let go. So, its a rambling day for me as I sit in bed... Continue Reading

A Review of the IBIZ Virtual Keyboard Up until now, portable keyboards for PDAs have been clunky and fragile This review is being written on a device the size of a cigarette lighter with a keyboard that is invisible. I am speaking of the IBIZ Virtual Keyboard, a new device from IBIZ Technologies that combines infrared and laser technology to deliver a keyboard that is both functional and portable. Using a standard laser, the VKB... 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

Call me Mr. Wonderful. No, its not Mary's pet name for me. And no, I don't have a super-inflated sense of self. Mr. Wonderful has been my alter-ego these past two weeks in City of Heroes, a massively multiplayer online game recently released by Cryptic Studios. The fictional location of Paragon City has had a difficult time lately. What with an alien invasion and several gangs of thugs battling it out for control of the... Continue Reading

It happened. It was bound to sooner or later. Actually, it happened right on schedule. When I was a young lad, a teenager, I remember thinking that forty was a long way off. I did the math in my head and realized that I would be forty in the year 2004. Wow, that was an eternity away. Welcome to eternity. Yesterday was my 40th birthday. I took the day off from work (do I really... Continue Reading

It's gonna get heavy folks. Hang tight. On the heels of Sunday's "Pro-Choice" march in the nation's capitol, I continue to be dumbfounded by the rhetoric of these people. Underneath the surface of "women's rights" lies multitudes of women wounded by their choice to kill their own babies. Let's face it. This argument is NOT about abortion. It is about whether or not the "fetus" in the womb is a life. If it is not... Continue Reading

I just haven't had a lot to say lately. I've been working on developing some new sites. Check these out. QuotesPlace.com - interesting quotes from famous people, movies, books, proverbs and more. Smartpedia.com - Online encyclopedia with tons of books on a variety of topics. I am planning on getting to #8 in my 15 Best Movies Ever series. Soon. Continue Reading

Ashley Revell is a British man who was vacationing in Las Vegas. He decided to sell ALL his possessions, including his clothing, and wager his life savings on the spin of a roulette wheel. The 32-year old man took $135,000 to the Plaza Hotel last month, did some low-stakes gambling, and then proceeded to bet the whole amount on Red. With a little less than 50/50 chance of winning, due to the two green spaces... Continue Reading

I don't know why, but this sad story got my attention. A couple idiots took someone's 2-pound Yorkie and punted it like a football, killing the poor pup. A Priest Lake man killed his neighbor's 2-pound miniature Yorkshire terrier by kicking it into the air like a football, police said, and authorities have charged him with animal cruelty. Jelani Lewis and Jessica McKenzie say they are outraged at the death of their 17-year-old pet, Gizmo... Continue Reading

He's back and he's as dour looking as ever. Ralph Nadar appears to have sucked on too many lemons, but that isn't stopping him from raining on the Democrat parade by deciding to run for President of the United States as a candidate for the Green Party. What a riot! The Dems have attempted to persuade Ralphie not to run, but to no avail. He is going to have a hard time getting on the... Continue Reading

I've been dabbling with the domain name industry recently. Back in the Internet boom, people were buying up domain names and reselling them for a bucketload of cash. After the bubble burst, domains weren't worth what they used to be. However, they are coming back with a vengeance. A few weeks back, some guy sold "mens.com" for over a million bucks. That links takes you to a story. I don't recommend going to men.com though... 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

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

I have been wanting to get my hands on a PDA/phone that would allow me to have wireless access to the web and email. The technology is finally at a level where the download speed is tolerable, so I have been shopping around for a unit. Today, I took a leap of faith and purchased a T-Mobile Sidekick. T-Mobile allows you to try out their products for 14 days. If I am not happy, I... 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

Oops, they did it again. Once again, MoveOn.org has posted a commercial spot created by one of its members depicting George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler as cut from the same cloth. The Simon Weisenthal Center has condemned these ads and is demanding an apology from MoveOn.org. I hope my Jewish friends out there take note of this extremist act and vote accordingly in the next election. Democrats do NOT stand with you or with... Continue Reading

Well, here we are in 2004. So far, it feels a lot like 2003. We had a great time with friends tonight. In fact, the last guests just left for the evening (It's 3 am!) We missed the ball in Times Square, but we did get to view the celebration in Oklahoma City at Midnight. Here is a cool panoramic view of Times Square with Dick Clark and a cast of thousands. Continue Reading

Fred Langa is a staple on the web. The guy has been writing technology articles since dirt was new... well, for a long time anyhow. In fact, he used to write for the now-defunct NetGuide Magazine and featured WorldVillage.com as one of the web's best Family friendly site. Fred's mailing list, the Langa List, is a weekly digest featuring useful info and links for a general audience (that's you!). I highly recommend signing up to... Continue Reading

Things have been hectic lately. Lots of traveling. One month on the road with family. One week in Chicago with family over Thanksgiving. Three nights in Boulder, Colorado for an Internet conference. And now its time for the Christmas rush. Jenna's birthday is next week. Gotta buy gifts. Gotta work. Gotta remember to stop and smell the roses. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Deep cleansing breaths. Inhale. Exhale. There, don't you feel better? #13 in my Best... Continue Reading

I have never been one to hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving. I have heard about the craziness, but never experienced it myself. It always made way more sense to wait until a more reasonable time to shop. I know there are some great deals for those willing to shop at 6 am, but I also know good deals can be found year 'round if you know where to look. For example, smart shoppers... 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

After spending time in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C., I am more persuaded that the system of government that we operate under is as close to perfect that can be had on this planet. However, it is people that corrupt the system through their greed and selfish motives. Tonight, the Republican Senate majority has called a 30-hour session to bring a serious matter to the attention of the American people. Over the course of the... Continue Reading

We checked out of the Red Roof Inn around 9:30 or so and drove a few miles to Paramount's King's Dominion Theme Park in Doswell, Virginia. I purchased tickets online last night to save a few bucks. We checked Socrates into the kennel at the park and went on our way. Our first stop was the Spongebob Squarepants 3-D attraction. It was a standard theater/simulator ride with 3-D effects. The ride was very jerky, but... 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

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

Slowly I turned. Step by step. Inch by inch. Well, you don't have to remember the old joke to appreciate the awesome Niagara Falls. Once more, I say Awesome. That is the word that best describes this natural wonder. 600,000 gallons of water per second rapidly rushing from the upper Great Lakes into Lake Ontario. Standing at the top of the falls, you almost feel like you could be swept away with the rapids towards... 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

Well, we are pulling it all together for the BIG ROAD TRIP! We are due to set out for our first stop, St. Louis, on Monday morning. I hope you will follow along with us on our journey as I intend to Blog and photojournal every day. Please let me know if we are in your stomping grounds or if you have any suggestions en route. Lots of packing to do, so I'll catch you... 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 one should prove to be lots of fun! See if you can manipulate the Great Manipulator into as many hilarious contortions as possible! Simply click a point on the photo and drag away. More fun than sliced bread. (Sorry, you need a Java-capable browser to view AlexWarp.) AlexWarp applet by Alex Rosen - http://www.axlrosen.net/ 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

What a busy day! Jenna and I started the day with a one-hour horseback ride. She rode Questa and I rode Buck. They took us 600 feet up the mountain on a sometimes precarious trail. It was a great deal of fun. Socrates got to meet one of the horses as well. He wanted to see them until he got up close. He must have been thinking, "That's the biggest dog I've ever seen!" Afterwards... Continue Reading

I have finally gone and done it. I have purchased my first Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game for the PC, Star Wars Galaxies, from LucasArts. I have dabbled with the game for a few hours today and have found it to be quite entertaining. I am beginning to see the appeal of this genre. Certainly, there is a fair amount of battling to be done. But most impressive is the interaction with other people simultaneously... Continue Reading

We decided that the continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn had a lot to be desired. Fortunately, there was an IHop not far from the hotel. Just can't beat a belgian waffle with lots of butter and syrup! Afterwards, we headed to Leonardo's Adventure Quest, a very cool hands-on science museum and the largest outdoor fort/playground you've ever seen. The kids had a great time and we spent the better part of the day hanging... 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

Sprung for a new computer game today, Enter the Matrix. Of course, it is based on The Matrix world and released to coincide with The Matrix Reloaded (which Mary and I intend to see Sunday evening). Cool - the Wachowski brothers wrote and directed the game, which is virtually unheard of in game production. Tons of additional footage was shot using principle actor JUST for the game. So it should add a lot to The... Continue Reading

Went to Steak and Ale for dinner with the lovely and engaging MrsMayor. Our waitress was very annoying. Her style was phony and patronizing (in a bad way). Food was good though. The movie, on the other hand, not so much. I like stupid movies, but this one had few good laughs and a lot of tasteless humor. Of course, the teenagers behind us were yukking it up. I was totally disappointed with the ending... Continue Reading

Well, we used the underground storm shelter I had put in the garage tonight. The tornado was about 6 miles from here. Remember I said my mom and step-father are in town visiting? The tornado went right by the hotel they are staying at! I just heard from them. They have no power in the hotel, but no one is hurt. I told them they got a big "Welcome to Oklahoma!" greeting. I wonder if... Continue Reading

Well, here we go again. A massive tornado just ripped through southern Oklahoma City, about 20 or so miles from here. Did alot of damage, as you can see from the photos. Hopefully that will be the end of it today. What a shame... some of the homes hit may be the same ones that were hit in the barrage on May 3rd a few years ago... Continue Reading