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

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

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

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

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

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

Thousands of people start businesses every year. And thousands of people fail miserably at their businesses every year. The reasons for failure are wide and varied. But more often than not, the problem comes down to marketing. After all, a useless or inferior product can be made quite popular with the proper marketing. 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

The writer Anne Lamott likes to tell a story of how her brother had to create a school project describing a huge number of different birds. He didn't know how he was going to complete it. Lamott's father had some wise advice. He told his son to do it "bird by bird." Lamott used that analogy to describe the process of writing a book. You can think of it as a way of creating a... Continue Reading

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

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

As a follow-up to my previous entry on Mel Gibson's The Passion, their site now has the official movie trailer. Warning! It is quite graphic. It may even leave you in tears. I can't wait to see this movie. Finally, an realistic representation of what Christ went through on the day He died. Continue Reading

Finally, a movie that depicts the last day of Christ's life in a realistic manner. Mel Gibson has gone against the flow of Hollyweird, stepping out to produce and direct The Passion, a project that has been close to his heart for many years. This movie depicts the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. And it isn't going to be easy to watch. Just about every Jesus flick I have seen shows... Continue Reading

Back to the story... just jumping in? Catch up here... You'll forgive me if the order of events is not completely accurate. Around this time, Ken and I met with an attorney who shall be named Hal. We sat down with Hal to pick his brain and discuss raising capital. Essentially, we shared our over-inflated plans to take over the world via our little web site. We had put together a business plan reflecting the... Continue Reading

Alright.. been at this web site thing since 1995... that's ancient in 'net years. Still, I struggle when asked to explain what I do. Typical conversation goes like this... "What do you do?" "I have an Internet business" "Oh, you build web sites. My cousin's sister's twice-removed great aunt wants to have a web site. Can you help?" "No, I don't build web sites. I have my OWN sites." "Oh. So, what do you do... Continue Reading