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

Some of you may know that I own one of the web's oldest and most popular deal sites, DealofDay.com I've watched the growth of online shopping and deal sites over the years and trust me... it's not slowing down. That's why I was intrigued by the launch of The Blastoff Network recently.  It's a cashback shopping portal which also pays you on the purchases of those in your network.  Continue Reading

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

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

Big changes don't usually happen overnight. There are usually a few quiet moves first -- little tweaks and adjustments that no one really notices. And then suddenly, one more little change makes a huge difference, pushes it over the tipping point and forces everyone to pay attention. Continue Reading

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

Whatever your biggest motivation for starting your business, you want to make your life easier. You want to make it wealthier, happier, freer, more comfortable... but also easier to manage. That doesn't go too well with running a website, even a small one. Being an entrepreneur is difficult, especially at the beginning when you'll be doing almost everything yourself. Even if you hire freelancersfor coding or design, you'll still have to manage their work, set... Continue Reading

One of the most exciting developments that has occurred on Twitter in the months since I put together Twitter Power has been the release of all sorts of statistics about the site. We've learned, for example, that many of the site's users are middle-aged, high earning business types rather than the kids that create pages on MySpace. We've found that only a small proportion of Twitter's users are writing most of the tweets while the... 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'm scared of change. There, I said it. It's not big news though. Everyone is scared of change. Change is a scary thing. It means giving up what you have now for something better that you can only hope you'll have in the future. It's risky. It's dangerous. It's disruptive. It's also thrilling, exciting... and inevitable. Continue Reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are all sorts of reason I love my work. I get to be my own boss. I work with some fantastic people. I get nice checks from Google and others every month. All of those things are fantastic. 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

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

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

I'm getting ready to bust loose with a four-letter word. You aren't going to like it. It might make you cringe. Too bad. It needs to be said. "Debt" There I said it. Do you feel relieved or does the word stress you out? 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

I recently had the opportunity to do a book signing at our local Barnes & Noble store in Loveland, Colorado. The team at the store was very friendly and accomodating, setting up an area for me to do a couple presentations, interact with customers and sign books. They ordered plenty of copies of Click Here to Order and The AdSense Code, so there was enough for everyone. They placed a nice sign on the table... Continue Reading

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

Every Internet business -- every business of any sort in fact -- starts in the same place. In the future. Most entrepreneurs think first of how they want their business to look when it's all set up. They imagine the products prepared, the marketing streams in place and the revenue flowing in while they relax and cash the checks. 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

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

Become an Internet publisher, and you'll need to learn a whole bunch of new marketing skills. You'll have to unwrap the mysteries of search engine optimization, figure out how to make pay-per-click advertising pay for you and get to grips with "link bait," banners and keywords to name just a few. None of it is really very difficult and all of it can be learned but for anyone just starting out, it will all be... 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

If you do your job well, you shouldn't get paid anything at all for it. That doesn't sound fair, does it? But as an online publisher, that's exactly what should happen. Your job is to provide information to your readers. That could be information that educates them. It could be information that makes them think. And it could be information that just makes them happy to read it. If the information that you're offering is... 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

It's been a long time since I optimized my first AdSense ad. Many things have changed since then. Some things have stayed the same. The principles of AdSense optimization have stayed the same. You still have to blend your ads into your site. You still have to produce good quality content. And you still have to bring in traffic to look at that content. The content itself has changed though. Videos are now an important... 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 millions of blogs on the web, but there are only a handful that are creating content of value. I learned about Tyler Cruz a few months back and have been paying close attention to his latest projects. One recent project is proving very useful to those in the affiliate marketing industry. It's called Publisher Spot and it is a directory of Internet ad network companies. It is a valuable resource because it provides... Continue Reading

When I was researching "Click Here to Order," there was a story I kept coming across time and time again. Marketers would tell me how they were down to their last penny, ready to throw in the towel, on their way to looking for a day job... when something happened. For copywriter Michael Fortin, who had already declared bankruptcy by the age of 21, it was the discovery of the power of a well-written sales... 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

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

Question: What is the one of the biggest obstacles that people have to creating an online business? Answer: Building a web site! I have a confession to make. I am NOT an expert at building websites. In fact, I hire out all website design and creation. I am just not good at it. But what if you can't afford to pay someone to do it? Continue Reading

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

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

Can I be honest with you? I have written the first few lines of this entry several times and I just can't seem to find the words to tell you what I want to tell you today. The fact is... I'm so freakin' excited about something I just came across that I couldn't wait to share it with you! Continue Reading

What would you do if you were able to come to my home and office and ask me whatever you wanted? Would you have some questions for me? Dave Woodward did. A few months back, Dave contacted me and told me he was putting together a brand new series called "Legendary Marketers", and he asked if he could come visit with me at my home and office to find out what made me tick. Of... 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

Last summer, Revenue Magazine did an interview with me to discuss The Next Internet Millionaire. Lisa Picarille put together a great piece that you can read here. But one of my favorite things about the article were the photos taken by Alison Rose Williams of Fort Collins. Revenue hired her to come on location and take some shots of me for the magazine. While she was there, I asked if I could pay her to... Continue Reading

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

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

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

I 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've been blogging now for nearly five years. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't get started until 2003. Over the years, my blog has had several designs and the site regularly receive thousands of visits each and every day. But it was time for a face lift. (Not my face, the blog!) Continue Reading

I'm a big fan of Amazon.com. I spend far too much money there but they also give me a fair bit of money too through book sales and affiliate links. I think they've done a fantastic job of selling products online and helping website publishers earn from their content. They might be the Walmart of Internet retailing, but they're definitely not the Apple of whiz-bang gadgetry. Their new Kindle book-reading machine is a great idea... Continue Reading

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

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

I love quick and easy changes that make a significant difference. A few months back, I learned of a contextual advertising service that was compatible with Google AdSense. It took me less than 15 minutes to place their code on my pages. In my first month, I made an additional $1000 just from that fifteen minutes. Not bad! And it gets better... Continue Reading

Before we left Oklahoma, we used to eat at Moe's, a tex-mex fast food joint. It was pretty good. I especially liked the way they trained their staff to yell out "Welcome to Moe's!' every time someone walked in the front door. It made for a friendly environment where they recognized every customer on every visit. As a sidebar, Moe's only played music featuring dead musicians in their restaurant. Interesting... But when we moved to... Continue Reading

I've been paying close attention to customer service wherever I go these days. In my business, I tell my support team to go the extra mile when assisting customers. I believe this pays off big time in the long run. But I am amazed at how many businesses do not pay attention to the simplest of customer service details. In the past few days, I have made observations at Best Buy, Gamestop, Qdoba and... my... Continue Reading

I'm at a loss for words. I've started this newsletter half a dozen times trying to find the right way to share some information with you. Sometimes the words don't come. Eloquence doesn't seem to be in the cards for me today. It's not that the topic isn't interesting. It's just that I've got writer's block. Has that ever happened to you? There are days that I am able to create new content for my... Continue Reading

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

I love keeping my eye out for new ad services that can make you and me money. Google AdSense continues to pay off. Kontera is a winner is my books. And I've had some positive things happen with YPN and Chitika. But I've come across something new which pays off INSTANTLY! Continue Reading

I'm a huge fan of developing online communities for revenue generation. The wonderful thing about community sites is that the members create the content for you. However, it can sometimes be tricky to kickstart your forums in order to get people posting. If you launch forums and people visit only to find that there is no activity, odds are they aren't going to register, post or return. This is the primary reason most forums don't... Continue Reading

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

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

It's a sad moment, but it was easy to see coming. Google has now officially killed off site targeting. The function that allows advertisers to choose to advertise directly on your Web pages still exists. But now it's called "placement targeting." There are two differences. 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

Google is continually looking for ways to put the kabosh on click fraud. It is important that they protect the rights of their advertisers by making sure each click is an intentional click. That is, they want to be certain that the person clicking the ad is doing so deliberatel. Otherwise, the advertiser is paying for a visit that is not purposeful. So it has recently leaked out from a number of blogs that Google... 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

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

Cost-per-click advertising, contextual advertising, cost-per-mille advertising, domain name investing, affiliate networks, joint ventures, resell rights, floating ads, banner ads, video ads... It's enough to give anyone a headache. There are so many ways of monetizing a website these days that it can all get a bit overwhelming. How can you tell which ads would best match your content and which system you should be using to squeeze the most out of your pages? Continue Reading

Episode 8 of The Next Internet Millionaire is now online! In this episode, the contestants start the day with an intense competition where eCOMMerce chips pay off. Next, they are taught the principles of viral marketing by Mike Filsaime. The execution challenge tests their ability to put viral marketing into action, and the episode concludes with a surprising elimination. Things are heating up, so be sure to watch! Continue Reading

Reality TV. The words conjure up images of people doing crazy things for cash. On Survivor its having the endurance to brave the elements and make it on a deserted island with a bunch of strangers. On American Idol its being embarrased before the entire country as Simon Cowell makes you his whipping boy. On The Apprentice its about giving up your well-paying business to take a lower paying job with Donald Trump. And what... Continue Reading

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

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

One penny. One cent. 1/100th of a dollar. Uno centavo. That's all it takes for you to instantly own your own Internet store! Yes, I'm serious. My customers have been asking me for a simple solution where they can tell people about great products and earn easy commissions... Continue Reading

How would you like to be able to discover the all-time top paying keywords for AdSense? Would you like to access search and bid data for over eight million AdSense keywords? Wouldn't it be helpful to locate hot domain names that are still available? It's time to do AdSense smarter! Check out this site now and find out why AdSense Smarter is the best top paying keywords tool available and learn how you can profit... Continue Reading

OK, you know that I love AdSense... it's a great way to build a business. But if you've been watching me, you know that I like all kinds of different online businesses. And one type of website that has COMPLETELY transformed MY business is membership sites. Or another fancy term for this is "continuity programs". Continue Reading

If you missed out on my Instant AdSense Templates VRE Building System in October of 2006 (we SOLD OUT in under a week), then you missed out on one of the biggest turn-key shortcuts I've ever seen to starting your own online business and receiving monthly paychecks from Google and other income streams. Check this out... 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

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

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

Whenever I see a news story about Google's development plans, I usually give it a read, make sure it's not going to affect my AdSense earnings... and daydream for a minute or two about running a multi-billion dollar business. Google's recent spat with eBay though caught my attention. It was one of those rare times when Google's news could actually affect my income. In case you missed it, Google scheduled a party to promote its... 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 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

When Google takes action, they really take action. The forums have been buzzing recently with news that Google is in the middle of a content "quality initiative." There's nothing about it in the AdSense blog, but Jennifer Slegg of Jenstar.com has reported that a number of publishers have received emails telling them that they have "an unsuitable business model" and that their account will be closed within two weeks. They will be allowed to keep... Continue Reading

"Take this job and shove it... I ain't workin' here no more" And so went the lyrics of the popular country-western song belted out by Johnny Paycheck. It is a common practice to place a phone call to a local radio station and ask them to play this song when you "fire your boss" Let's face it. It's a fun tune. And more people than ever before are telling their bosses to "take this job... 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

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

A few days back, I told you I was working on some very significant projects. I am now prepared to reveal the first of them. What I am about to show you will be valuable to you on several levels... 1) When you see what it is, you will immediately want to use it on your web site. 2) Others will want it as well, and I will pay you 100% commission to share it... Continue Reading

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

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

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

Ever since Google changed its Terms of Service to allow publishers to place other ad programs on AdSense pages -- provided those other ads don't look like Google's ad units -- publishers have been wondering how to make the most of this bonanza. It's like telling a child he can put as many different types of cake on his plate as he wants. On my blog for example, I'm using Kontera's text links to supplement... 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

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

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

I love it when people add comments to my posts. Sure, I write a blog to share my information and tips... and to tell the world what I think sometimes too. But it helps to know that someone out there is actually reading what I'm saying. It helps even more to see what they think about what I'm saying! But comments at the end of articles aren't just a nice boost for the writer of... Continue Reading

You already know that ad units placed above the fold tend to get the most clicks. But did you also know that Google automatically places the highest-earning ads in the first ad unit on the page? That's very helpful. Before you've done any optimization, you're already getting the most valuable ads in the best spot on your page. The problem comes when you start optimizing. Continue Reading

There's something you should know about me. It's kind of embarrassing, actually. I am terrible with my hands. More specifically, I am not mechanically inclined. In simple english, don't ask me to build stuff. Don't get me wrong. I can fix absolutely anything 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

I'm going to do something I've never done before. No, I'm not talking about sky-diving or bungee-jumping. I'll leave those for my friend, Yanik Silver. I'm talking about giving you an opportunity to resell one of my best-selling AdSense ebooks... ... and keep 100% of the profit! Here's the deal... Continue Reading

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

It's Sunday and I'm getting ready to head to church with my family... so I'll be brief. In fact, I usually don't mail on Sundays, but it is to your benefit that I do so today. I'm going to let you in on a little secret that can put cash in your pocket today. Continue Reading

Road Trip! I remember when those two words were shouted out in my college days. It meant, "grab what you can get yer butt in the car and be ready for anything hurry up the engine is running dude good times ahead!" hehe... Fortunately, none of us every got arrested. ;-) Continue Reading

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

I'm sure you've heard the 'buzz' about social networking and Web 2.0. Millions of people have signed up for their own MySpace site, including me! Have you actually discovered how to make *REAL MONEY* with it and generate TONS of free traffic with MySpace and other social networking sites? Recently I managed to get hold of a "private" two-hour telephone conversation featuring two 'under the radar' experts discussing how they are driving BIG traffic and... Continue Reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I've got three little words to say. No, not those three words. They aren't about love, but I do love them. Here are the three little words... Ready? 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

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

Traffic. It is the one thing that anyone with a website hopes for again and again. You can have first-site site design. You can have incredible content. You can make sure your pages are totally optimized to be search engine friendly. Continue Reading

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

I've had a BUNCH of people ask me if Brad Fallon and Andy Jenkins' product, StomperNet, is a bunch of hype... or if these guys and their product is the 'real deal'. I've known Brad Fallon for six years. He and I have shared many meals and spoken at length about what he does... and what he knows. I can say without a DOUBT, that Brad is THE leading expert on search engine optimization on... Continue Reading

I met Eric Rockefeller this past summer at an Internet marketing summer. This young guy was full of energy and questions. He was catching the vision of what is possible on the Internet, and he began telling me that he was working on his own product. Well, it's happened. Actually, it launches TODAY. The List Monster Eric has succeeded in putting together an incredible series of interviews with some of the world's very best list... 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

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

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

Omakase is a Japanese word meaning 'leave it up to us'. It is commonly used in Japanese restaurants for a meal where the chef uses their experience and knowledge to select and prepare the meal for a customer without specific directions. And with the beta launch of Amazon.com's new contextual ad service, Omakase takes on a new meaning. DId you just say, Amazon.com and contextual ad service in the same breath? Yes... yes, I did. Continue Reading

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

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

Internet entrepreneur Joel Comm and his new book: "The AdSense Code: What Google Never Told You About Making Money with AdSense." reveal how anyone can generate passive income on the Internet. Since only those books that appeared on Oprah ranked higher, Comm figures Oprah and her audience would find his Internet income strategies the real story. Read on for today's news release... Continue Reading

I feel a rant coming on. Yes, it is time for "Joel's pet peeve". So what's my beef today? It's fast food restaurants that treat you like a second class citizen if you request water instead of a soft drink by giving you a special cup for your water. And this cup is different than the regular soft drink cup. It's always smaller than the smallest soft drink size. Continue Reading

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

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

There are two things you can't avoid in life. Death and taxes. And McDonalds. Ok, THREE things you can't avoid in life. Out of the three, one of them signifies the end, one of them tastes bad and one of them becomes more prominent every April. I hate taxes. But I am a good citizen and I pay my taxes. "Render unto Caesar" ... yada yada yada If you haven't filed your return yet, April... Continue Reading

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

If you are an AdSense publisher, you have undoubtedly heard about top-paying keyword reports that promise to give you the keys to the AdSense kingdom. Some of these reports have been worth the money, but most have been a total waste of time. AdSense Publishers ALERT! I just got finished doing an interview with Roxanne McHenry, co-creator of a revolutionary AdSense tool that EVERY AdSense publisher needs to know about. I have been in the... Continue Reading

I am extremely impressed with the folks at TextPayMe.com. Not only is their "send funds by cell phone" service ultra-cool, but they have made good on their free Xbox 360 offer in record time! Continue Reading

If you are an AdSense publisher, you know that Google tells you very little about your ads. They tell you how many ads you have displayed. They tell you how many ads have been clicked. And they tell you how much money they are paying you. If you use channels, you are able to gather a bit more data regarding the success or failure of a page or an ad to deliver revenue. But other... Continue Reading

Yesterday I wrote about TextPayMe and their free service that allows you to send and receive funds from any cellphone. It's like PayPal, only more 21st century. I also mentioned that they have a cool referral program. Simply get 36 other people to sign up with their service and they will give you a FREE XBox 306. The people who sign up get paid $5 just for signing up as well. This morning I received... Continue Reading

You've undoubtedly seen offers for free XBox 360's all over the web. Most of them make you jump through all kinds of hoops in order to get the goods. I just found an offer that anyone can take advantage of and win a free XBox 360! Seriously, read on... Continue Reading

I love finding promising online businesses and bringing attention to them. Last year, one of my clients introduced me to a product that he was creating called Got-Zip. As a long-time affiliate to many merchants, I took special interest to this new service as it turned the affiliate system on it's ear. Instead of paying out commissions for sales that orginated on a link through your web site, Got Zip levels the playing field and... 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

About two weeks ago, I told you about a new advertising service called Chitika. What makes Chitika unique is that they have implemented features which make it completely compatible with AdSense. That means you can run it on the SAME PAGES as AdSense. I have been testing Chitika for these past weeks and I have come to the following conclusion... Continue Reading

I've been keeping my eye on this one for some time. GreenZap is a new idea in online payments. They now offer $50 in web cash just for signing up when you follow this link. Web cash allows you to buy stuff from online stores at a discount. Plus, you can earn real cash as part of the program. It's free, so I signed up. How about you? GreenZap Continue Reading

Finally! After way to long, the Bush administration has finally spoken up regarding the massive influx of illegal aliens into the United States. I have no problem with people going through the proper channels to become citizens of this great country. But I have a serious problem with people entering the country illegally and living off American taxpayers. Continue Reading

Since I became an Ebook author, I have realized the importance of each detail in the process. The topic, sales letter, price, marketing plan and other choices all have a significant bearing on whether or not the ebook will succeed. One commonly neglected area is the graphic design for the cover of the ebook. I am very pleased at how my covers have turned out, and I cannot recommend highly enough the designer who created... 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

I received an 8 1/2" x 11" envelope today addressed to my business. Real official looking stuff. I open it up and it is a notice of estimated cash payment and claim form for a class action suit. Apparantly, my company is a member of the Class in the Visa Check/MasterMoney Antitrust Litigation. Don't ask me how I got in the class. I have no idea. The cash payment that I am entitled to as... Continue Reading

Yesterday, I received a press release announcing a new book that my readers might find of interest. The book is called "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" by Katharine DeBrecht. Being a solid conservative, I got a laugh out of the title and had to read on to find out what the book is all about. Since I haven't read the book myself yet (but have ordered it), I will just post this... Continue Reading

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

Netflix, Blockbuster, Wal-Mart and many others have entered the online DVD rental game. It is a very competitive market with each merchant bringing something different to the table. Today, I ran across a novel approach to DVD viewing. Peerflix.com invites you to TRADE DVDs instead of renting them. It's a pretty spiffy idea, and they have a free DVD offer which is very attractive. Here's what they offer: - Risk-free trial today. - Free DVD... Continue Reading

I came across an interesting new site today. It is called GreenZap.com. Basically, GreenZap is looking to be an alternative to PayPal, providing for online payments of merchandise through their system. But what's interesting about them is that you can also earn Webcash just by referring people to them. If you click the link below and sign up for a free account, they will deposit $25 in Webcash in your account. No strings attached! Check... Continue Reading

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

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

I finally took the plunge. I ordered a Delphi MyFi XM2Go portable XM satellite receiver from the Amazon.com marketplace. Continue Reading

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

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

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

And the award for Scumbag of the Year goes to Michael Schiavo, a reprehensible man that may be the very person responsible for his wife, Terry, being in the state she is in today. Ask yourself these questions... 1) Why won't Michael Schiavo divorce Terry and let her parents take care of her? 2) Why does Michael Schiavo care so much about Terry now when he is with another woman? You would think his current... Continue Reading

Want to know how to make money with Google Adsense? I am going to be sharing my secrets in an EXCLUSIVE FREE Teleseminar hosted by Ezine Marketing Expert, Christopher Knight. The live teleseminar is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 at 7 pm CST. If you have a web site, you'll want to sign up for this FREE live event that will cover: An overview of why Adsense can work for your site Who typically... Continue Reading

A few years back, I was into selling on ebay big time. Since I am collector of old computer games, I found a market for like-minded collectors on ebay, reselling some of my $1 floppy disk software for as much as $50. It was a sweet deal. But I also learned a little bit about how the collector's market works on ebay, and I began looking out for retail products that would eventually become collector's... Continue Reading

This year, WorldVillage.com turns ten years old. Yup, that's TEN big ones. An eternity in Internet years. For all that time, I have been giving of myself to millions of visitors. Giving, giving, always giving. And what do I get? Email complaining about this feature. Posts whining about that web page. Blah blah blah. (Oh, I get paid a few dollars for advertising, but does that count?) Now people can really show their appreciation for... Continue Reading

In spite of the increasingly hostile environment by the hyper-sensitive political correctness mob, Christmas is ALIVE and well in America and around the world. Place aside the insanity of not allowing children to eat red and green M&Ms at school. Forget the silliness of removing manger scenes from public places. And disregard the bizarre attitudes of department stores and other merchants that feel it unsafe to wish anyone anything but "Happy Holidays". Jesus Christ was... Continue Reading

A few days ago I wrote how Target stores have decided to no longer permit the Salvation Army from collecting donations in front of their stores. Big mistake. Today, the headline read Church Leaders Announce Christmas Boycott of Target Stores. Now, I do not necessarily believe that it is the Church's responsibility to boycott businesses as I don't think it really provides a witness that says to the world, "Hey, we want to have what... Continue Reading

Off the top of my head, here is what I would love to see take place during Bush's second term... Finish the war in Iraq within the first year. Level Fallujah if absolutely necessary. We MUST show strength and send a message that we are serious about taking out terrorists before they take us out. Mr. President, it is time to CLOSE our borders to illegals! There are over 20 million illegal aliens living off... 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

The Kerry campaign has repeatedly criticized the President for his tax cut which they claim gave tax breaks to the wealthy. (Which they DESERVE, incidently). So what do we learn from Teresa Heinz-Kerry's release of her 2003 income tax report? From Newsmax.com... Heinz Kerry Hiding $45 Million in Income, Paid Just 1.2% in Taxes Teresa Heinz Kerry earns approximately $50 million in annual income, ten times what she revealed on tax forms released late Friday... Continue Reading

Do you have a fax machine? If so, has your number been released to the spammers of the fax world? Once it has, your fax machine will never be the same. Junk Fax has cluttered my fax machine for nearly two years. I get several junk faxes a week, promoting the latest penny stock, travel club or health insurance scheme. I have been throwing away the faxes as the removal numbers at the bottom seem... Continue Reading

I came across some very interesting information regarding the history of charitable contributions for the President and Senator Kerry. Check this out. John Kerry's charitable contributions from 1991-1995 Kerry's returns from 1995 and earlier, before his marriage to Heinz, have sometimes attracted criticism over the issue of charitable giving. In 1995, according to published reports, Kerry reported a taxable income of $126,179, and charitable contributions of $0. In 1994, he reported income of $127,884, and... Continue Reading

There has been a great deal of talk about outsourcing jobs to other countries recently. I never thought that I would have an interest in the topic, but I was wrong. I have been looking for a talented programmer and web designer to tackle some new Internet projects. I found a site called elance.com, a fairly comprehensive site for finding professionals to do just about any computer/internet related job. Logo design, web design, programming of... Continue Reading

A few years back, I purchased a Pioneer DVD recorder for my home PC. I enjoyed burning a handful of videos onto disc (home movies), but I haven't really gotten much use from the unit. Incompatibility problems, buggy drivers and other obstacles have made it a bit less attractive then when I first purchased it. I've had my eyes on a DVD recorder for my home theater ever since that time, pining for the day... Continue Reading

Earlier this year, I went to my local T-Mobile store and purchased a Sidekick, a unique cell phone and PDA that is pretty slick looking. T-Mobile has a 14-day trial period, so I took advantage of it, not really sure if I would want to keep it. Plus, I had already decided that I would be returning this phone as I found I could get it cheaper on Amazon.com. The phone retails for $350, but... Continue Reading

Remember the good old day, when you could easily register the domain name you wanted? It was no sweat to grab a great .com domain name. Who knew that everyone and their dog would want to build a web site, thereby dwindling the supply of good domain names? Times have changed and the domain name industry is BIG business. Whether .com, .net, .org, or the newer extensions, .us, .biz and .info, individuals, businesses and... Continue Reading

Over the past few years, Google has come on strong as a leader in the Internet search engine industry, giving Yahoo!, MSN and AOL a run for their money. With an initial public offering just around the corner, can anything stop this behemoth? I hope not. I love Google! One of their most recent additions to the site is their pay-per-click advertising program, Google Adwords. Here's how it works. You advertise your site on Google... Continue Reading

I hate dealing with insurance. When you pay a premium, you are betting that you will need to make a claim. With health insurance, you are betting that you are going to get sick! About eight years ago, I bought a policy with Fortis, one of the world's largest banking and insurance companies. At that time, we decided that all we needed was a major medical policy. So we choose a $2500 per person deductible... Continue Reading

My investment in GameZNFlix.com is starting to pay off. Trading as GZFX on the OTC bulletin board exchange, this little penny-stock company has got guts. As mentioned in a previous entry, Ben Curtis of "Dude, you're getting a Dell" fame was on CNBC Wednesday afternoon and he talked about the company. He will be featured in three commercials to be broadcast nationally in early May. The stock hit a high of .14 today and is... Continue Reading

The Republican National Committee launched a new web game today that illustrates the massive tax increases required to pay for John Kerry's promised spending. Earlier this week the RNC unveiled the Index De Le Miserables, which calculated Senator Kerry's promised spending, promised tax increases, and unidentified tax increases. Senator Kerry's IDM was 20.46 the same as Carters MI in 1980. "John Kerry has promised $1.9 trillion in new spending and that’s just on the... Continue Reading

This is hilarious. Wal-mart cashiers are not necessarily the nuclear physicists of the world (and neither am I), but Alice Regina Pike of Georgia apparantly believes they are dumber than a box of rocks. The 35-year-old woman tried to pass a $1 million bill at one of Walmart's superstores. The Covington Police Department reports that Pike was attempting to pay for $1671.55 in merchandise with a $1,000,000 bill. The Wal-Mart clerk called over her manager... Continue Reading

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

Interesting things you find online. Ever heard of a structured settlement? Lets say you had a large sum of cash due you from a lawsuit or personal injury case. A structured settlement is "An agreement in settlement of a lawsuit involving specific payments made over a period of time. Property and casualty insurance companies often buy life insurance products to pay the costs of such settlements." Receiving large sums of money at once can be... Continue Reading

Mary and I rarely go to the movies these days. I hate going to a crowded theater with people who talk during the film or make incessant noises as they scarf down their popcorn and jujubees. We are far more likely to enjoy a film in the comforts of our own home. We rarely see a film until it has come to DVD. Last night, we watched Seabiscuit. While I did not live through the... Continue Reading

A few interesting links for casual viewing... Spongebob Arena - All things spongy, yellow and funny GoldNCrackle Bread - A surprisingly tasty treat! The Amazing Send Me a Dollar Web Site - You can look, but don't touch. If you want to send someone money, it should be me. The Fawlty Towers Multimedia Page - the funniest British comedy... ever. The Movie Spoiler - why pay when you can read the whole story line here? Continue Reading

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

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

Christmas. It evokes thoughts of Santa Claus, reindeer, snow, presents, wrapping, shopping, a warm fireplace on a chilly night, children anticipating the big day, and time spent with family and friends. My hope for you is all of the above. But even moreso, my hope for you is that the real meaning of Christmas will land smack dab in the middle of your heart... and never leave. Christmas is Jesus. Christmas is the birth of... Continue Reading

Oh, this is rich! The very people who preach "tolerance" as a virtue... those bastions of all that is good who want to outlaw the beast known as "hate speech", are putting together an event that reveals their blatant hypocrisy for all to see. From the Drudge Report: HOLLYWOOD DEMS GATHER FOR 'HATE BUSH' MEETING AT HILTON Top Hollywood activists and intellectuals are planning to gather this week in Beverly Hills for an event billed... Continue Reading

We got to sleep in a bit this morning. After the kids did their schoolwork and I did some work, we went to lunch. Next stop was the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Museum and Library, south of the city. It is a beautiful building designed by I.M Pei. I was only two years old when President Kennedy was assasinated, so this was a great opportunity to learn more about this man that was much loved and... Continue Reading

We left the Best Western in Niagara Falls this morning and I had a brief run-in with the general manager. When I looked at my itemized bill, I noticed that I was being charged $5.00 for each local call I made. He explained that local calls are free, but any call over 30 minutes was subject to a $5.00 charge and that this information was clearly printed in the hotel information. Well, I had called... Continue Reading

Yes, it's true. I sell Tupperware and I'm not ashamed! There are plenty of men who sell Tupperware. Stop snickering. Buy some now. Actually, I don't have to do much of anything. I signed up as a rep you NEED Tupperware and I pay a very sweet lady to update my site, PlasticBargains.com. I sell a fair amount through this site spend all your money, and I end up winning Tupperware prizes. Mary has... Continue Reading

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

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