Posted on November 29, 2008 08:00 AM
Whenever I attend a conference I always try to listen to as many of the other speakers' talks as possible.
I can't think of a single talk that hasn't taught me something.
But some of the most powerful and valuable information that I've learned at conferences didn't come while sitting in front of a professional marketer. It came while sitting in the café afterwards and chatting with my students.
Continue Reading
Posted on November 25, 2008 07:59 AM
I got an email from someone the other day asking me which "gurus" they should listen to.
There are SO many people teaching how to make money online.
How DO you know who to trust?
Here's a checklist for you to help you determine the answer to this question: Continue Reading
Posted on November 20, 2008 08:00 AM
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
Posted on November 13, 2008 08:00 AM
There are times when I really don't like surfing the Web. I'll toss a search phrase into Google, get a list of results that look interesting and when I click on a link... I'll get a junk page that's stuffed with ads. Back I go to Google to try again. I know, I could have clicked an ad. I could have done, but I didn't. In fact, I often won't even read the content on... Continue Reading
Posted on October 13, 2008 08:00 AM
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
Posted on September 20, 2008 06:58 AM
I've got some pretty exciting news. I've been asked to write the definitive book on Twitter for business by a major publisher! I just got done with the launch of Click Here to Order, but I have already begun writing this new guide. There's a great demand for it and the time is right. So, would you like to help in my research? I am looking for stories of how you have used Twitter to... Continue Reading
Posted on September 15, 2008 08:00 AM
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
Posted on September 9, 2008 08:00 AM
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
Posted on September 4, 2008 03:46 PM
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
Posted on August 13, 2008 01:31 PM
I was joined today by my friend, Nathan Anderson.
Nathan is famous for developing MetaWebs.com and is now the owner of SEO Club.
Rule #1 of SEO Club? Don't talk about what you learn in SEO Club!
On today's program we discussed search engine optimization, answered questions and had a great time.
Check out the episode below! Continue Reading
Posted on August 5, 2008 08:56 PM
When it came time to plan a summer vacation with my family, Mary and I decided we would just do a local Colorado trip rather than fly somewhere. I researched places that would be within driving distance and came upon Glenwood Springs, a popular tourist destination smack dab in the middle of the Rockies. They are famous for having the world's largest Hot Springs pool and it is a beautiful location. Instead of driving, I... Continue Reading
Posted on July 17, 2008 11:13 PM
What do you do if you are 38 years old and told by a doctor that you have just one year to live? That's exactly what happened to my friend Sylie Fortin. Shortly after getting married, Michel and Sylvie were face-to-face with the horrible diagnosis of breast cancer. But if you know Sylvie, you would know that this is not something she would take lying down. She pursued radical treatment and is alive two years... Continue Reading
Posted on July 11, 2008 08:55 AM
The long-awaited day has arrived. Not only is Apple releasing the brand new iPhone 3G phone, which promises to do everything but do your dishes, but they are also releasing the new iPhone 2.0 firmware which promises to bring new functionality to current iPhone hardware. I woke up early today and plugged in my iPhone to find that the 2.0 update had rolled out to my area. I told iTunes to download v2.0, backup my... Continue Reading
Posted on April 27, 2008 10:38 AM
I was helping my wife clean out the closet yesterday and I've got a feeling I didn't pick up a box correctly.
Yesterday afternoon, my lower back began hurting... all the way down at the base of my spine.
I tried heat. I tried ointment. I tried advil.
I managed to sleep through the night without any trouble, but man am I hurting today! Continue Reading
Posted on April 13, 2008 11:04 PM
Shopzilla is one of the largest online shopping sites. You've probably used them before for their price comparison tool. Recently, Shopzilla has been beta-testing a contextual ad program that would allow site publishers to place Shopzilla ads on their pages and get paid every time someone clicked on an ad, in the same vein as AdSense. I'm impressed with their program and I decided to research them further. My research led me to write a... Continue Reading
Posted on March 16, 2008 05:50 AM
I've long been a proponent of using contests, sweepstakes and giveaways to drive traffic to web sites. In fact, if you do it correctly, you can get others to provide all the prizes in exchange for a link back to their site!
Gyutae Park of WinningTheWeb.com has done just that.
Gyutae has pulled together over $7600 in prizes and I am guessing that the amount will grow as more people catch wind of this contest. Continue Reading
Posted on March 10, 2008 01:32 AM
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
Posted on March 6, 2008 12:02 PM
Whenever something big happens in the world of online advertising, I'm left scratching my head and wondering what it means for me. It doesn't get much bigger than Microsoft offering tens of billions of dollars for Yahoo!. So what does that mean for me... and for you too? At the moment, nothing. Yahoo! has rejected Microsoft's bid and probably holding out for more money. If the deal goes through, it won't happen overnight. Even then... Continue Reading
Posted on March 4, 2008 03:58 AM
Do you ever go to Google to search for your name?
A search for David results in 719,000,000 web pages. Zoiks!
A search for Brenda presents 31,500,000 results.
And search for Fred will get you 120,000,000 results, including a stock chart for Fred's, Inc, whoever that is.
Last year, I Googled my name to see where I came up in the results. Continue Reading
Posted on February 29, 2008 12:57 AM
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
Posted on February 25, 2008 05:54 PM
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
Posted on February 18, 2008 10:13 AM
I am finding Facebook to be a great tool for networking and connecting with people. Since I started using last fall, I have connected with old friends, family members, new associates and some pretty big names. With Facebook, you can make contact with people who might otherwise be very difficult to reach. I've added over 1000 friends, started a handful of groups and have discovered how to post items so others can see what I... Continue Reading
Posted on February 15, 2008 01:20 PM
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
Posted on January 31, 2008 12:07 AM
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
Posted on January 25, 2008 05:46 AM
I've had several people ask me what I'm going to be up to in 2008. I'm very excited, because this is going to be a breakthrough year for many people who will increase their online revenue. AND, I am excited because I am going to be doing several things that have never been done before! That's kind of a mantra with me. I don't like to do what everyone else is doing. You have to... Continue Reading
Posted on January 21, 2008 01:17 AM
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
Posted on January 9, 2008 11:57 AM
Which of these would you say is true? A) Google Knows All and Sees All B) Google Will Not Rank Duplicate Content C) You Must Get Links From Related Subject Sites to Rank D) Your Site Must Focus On One Subject To Rank E) High PageRank Means Good Rankings F) To Maintain Good Rankings, You Must Add New Content G) Ranking In Google Is Hard! H) All of the above I) None of the above... Continue Reading
Posted on December 29, 2007 07:05 AM
I'm at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City, getting ready to make the trek home to Colorado after a week of visiting with family and friends. I've had some time to reflect on the year and would like to take a stroll down memory lane. The year started with a crazy idea. I knew that others had dabbled with the idea of doing an Internet reality show, but no one had really taken the concept... Continue Reading
Posted on December 5, 2007 10:00 AM
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
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:13 AM
The blogging world is cursing the big "G" and scratching their heads as their Google pagerank has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Not unlike a stock market tumble, this change caught everyone off guard and has left many bloggers and content-based sites wondering what they did wrong. The pagerank algorithm has been a supposed indicator of the authority and value that Google has placed on a web page. On a scale of zero... Continue Reading
Posted on September 11, 2007 12:46 PM
I know I am opening myself up to criticism for this post, but it's been on my mind and I really just want to put it out there.
I dislike the way multi-level marketing has been done by many companies.
I don't dislike multi-level marketers, mind you (well, most of them anyway). I just think that business model has proven destructive to many individuals and families. Continue Reading
Posted on September 3, 2007 12:06 PM
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
Posted on September 1, 2007 12:34 AM
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
Posted on August 28, 2007 11:34 PM
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
Posted on August 13, 2007 07:08 AM
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
Posted on August 9, 2007 02:11 AM
Put a Google search box on your website and you'll give yourself an opportunity to pick up some extra revenue. You'll also give your site a bit of extra functionality by letting users search your old posts. But you'll also be granting yourself a golden opportunity to create some joint ventures that could land you some finely targeted traffic. When you generate the code for the search box, you'll be asked if you want to... Continue Reading
Posted on June 20, 2007 07:13 AM
Let's run down the basic flowchart and checklist for creating a money-making website.
1) Do you have a website?
If so, go to #2.
If not, you need to start right there. The fastest way to get started is with my training, tutorials and templates.
Joel's System Continue Reading
Posted on June 8, 2007 12:31 AM
I've been pretty lukewarm about Google's referral products. They've been pushing them pretty hard but I haven't been impressed. I'm not convinced that the Google Pack contains anything worth writing home about. I don't care enough about Mozilla to recommend that everyone downloads Firefox. And the commissions that Google is offering for its downloads just aren't big enough to take up real estate on my Web pages. I'd rather put together a joint venture with... Continue Reading
Posted on May 23, 2007 12:03 AM
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
Posted on May 22, 2007 05:56 PM
"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
Posted on April 16, 2007 12:33 AM
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
Posted on March 29, 2007 01:03 AM
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
Posted on March 19, 2007 11:58 AM
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
Posted on February 26, 2007 07:51 AM
There are over 29 Billion web pages in the world.
There are over 108 Million web sites in the world.
There are over 85,000 Squidoo sites in the world.
And mine is now #3...
...in the world! Continue Reading
Posted on February 24, 2007 10:37 AM
Saturday morning ramblings.
I know, it might be Saturday afternoon or Sunday... or even Monday, when you receive this. Nevertheless, it's Saturday morning as a write.
So there. :-P
Here come the ramblings, kind of a stew from me to you :-)
Continue Reading
Posted on February 14, 2007 08:58 AM
Take a look at some of the most famous web site brands online today. Imagine that it is 1994 and the World Wide Web is a new novelty. What would you name a store that would sell books at discount prices? How about Amazon.com What would you name a site that would become the world's largest garage sale. How about Ebay? What would you call a site that would become a premier portal to the... Continue Reading
Posted on January 25, 2007 03:27 PM
Here is a tip especially for those who own a Sony Playstation portable (PSP). I love that you can download video to your psp, but I was getting tired of having to download video to my computer to transfer them to my psp. With the help of Joel Ownby, I now have a way to pull video direct to the psp memory card by using the RSS feed feature. As long as you have a... Continue Reading
Posted on January 21, 2007 11:21 PM
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
Posted on January 17, 2007 10:59 AM
I hate it when it happens. I'm sure you do too. You've set up your site, you've optimized your ads, you've watched your income rise and at last you're getting your rewards. Each month you receive a nice fat check from the generous people at Google. And then all of a sudden, the numbers start to shrink. You haven't changed a thing. Your ad units are still in the same places. You're still discussing the... Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2007 09:43 AM
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
Posted on December 28, 2006 09:05 AM
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
Posted on December 20, 2006 04:19 PM
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
Posted on November 21, 2006 07:17 AM
The results of my experiment are in! Over the past week, I've told you a bit about the power of video to get traffic to your web site. Now I can demonstrate conclusively that video does indeed work to get your pages listed higher in the search engines, thereby driving more traffic to your sites. Watch this 4-minute video that shows you exactly how I got over 2700 new visitors to my web site in... Continue Reading
Posted on November 15, 2006 05:07 PM
Nintendo Wii? Sony Playstation 3? Which is better? And does it really matter? Watch this for my honest assessment and to find out why this video is WAY more important than which game system is the best. Wii or PS3?
Read on for my review... Continue Reading
Posted on November 10, 2006 08:51 AM
Finding what you want online is a daunting challenge. The search engines are PACKED with billions of pages on every conceivable topic. That's why I'm pleased to announce a BRAND NEW search engine just for Internet Marketers! Whether you are looking for information on AdSense, AdWords, copywriting, search engine optimization, traffic generation, product creation, shopping cart systems, content creation or any number of other topics related to making money online, you will want to bookmark... Continue Reading
Posted on October 23, 2006 12:54 AM
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
Posted on October 15, 2006 11:20 PM
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
Posted on October 5, 2006 12:21 PM
Time to dig into the mailbag and answer questions from readers... Question 1) I've got ads on my site that I don't want. How do I block other sites from showing their ads on my site? Answer 1) That's easy! Go to your AdSense account at www.google.com/adsense and click the "AdSense Setup" tab. Then click the "Competitive Ad Filter" link. Simply enter the url that you want to ban and it will disappear within a... Continue Reading
Posted on October 2, 2006 11:41 PM
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
Posted on August 23, 2006 10:38 PM
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
Posted on July 12, 2006 11:40 PM
The Link Sizzler has set off a firestorm of word-cloud sites, with sharp site owners picking up a word link and capitalizing on the traffic these sites can generate. 499Sites.com is a new word site that does something the other sites don't do... allow you to claim entire keyword phrases! Not relegated to just one word, you can select your favorite search term and link it to your own website. For a short time, you... Continue Reading
Posted on June 23, 2006 07:13 PM
Remember the pixel ad craze started by milliondollarhomepage.com last year? It was definitely a novelty that fuled a huge windfall for the owner of the site and a bit of notoriety for some of the sites that bought pixels. However, there was ultimately no linking benefit to the sites that paid for the pixels. Enter 500Words, a site that takes linking to the next level... one that should be of far greater interest to those... Continue Reading
Posted on June 15, 2006 09:21 PM
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
Posted on June 13, 2006 10:42 AM
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
Posted on June 10, 2006 12:40 AM
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
Posted on June 9, 2006 12:42 AM
I met Scott Hildenbrand in the WorldVillage chat room in 1996... that's an eternity in Internet time. I got to know him and found out that he was a talented young programmer with an affinity for basset hounds. Scott has since done a great deal of work for me and I am proud to have him on my team. He has launched his own site with some very interesting content. Scott discusses a variety of... Continue Reading
Posted on May 29, 2006 12:05 AM
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
Posted on May 28, 2006 05:22 AM
So, I am at this conference in Orlando and Paulie Sabol says, "Joel, you have the most recognizable face on the Internet". He is referring to the fact that my face appears as an avatar on Yahoo! Games. Recognize this guy? I'm pretty amused at the thought. I know that Brad Fallon is the coolest guy in the world (go ahead, Google the term "coolest guy in the world", but I hadn't heard of anyone... Continue Reading
Posted on May 16, 2006 10:00 AM
A few weeks ago, Andrew Fox phoned me and asked if I would speak to him for a bit about my AdSense strategies. I've known Andrew for a bit, having met him at Big Seminar in Los Angeles last year. (Remember, I always say how important it is to network at these seminars?) Anyhow, Andrew is a great guy... and he's pretty darned smart, too! Beating me to the punch, Andrew has put together a... Continue Reading
Posted on May 15, 2006 04:24 PM
One of the biggest attractions of becoming an online publisher is that you get to become your own boss. You can work from home, at the hours you want... and completely alone. Well, the first two at least are right. Optimizing your ad units is certainly lonely work. It’s a task you have to do yourself and it involves no one but you, your computer and your stats tables. But playing with your ad units... Continue Reading
Posted on May 7, 2006 11:29 PM
Lara Croft is back. And this time she means business. Back in the late nineties, Lara Croft came on the scene in the game Tomb Raider. A female "Indiana Jones"-style character, Lara spelunked tombs in ancient ruins of Rome, Mexico, Egypt and Atlantis, fighting off creatures and bad guys while on the hunt for priceless artifacts and treasure. Rather than just shooting to kill stuff, Tomb Raider challenged the player mentally with a series of... Continue Reading
Posted on May 6, 2006 12:09 AM
Got a question? I've got an answer.
I'm not promising the RIGHT answer. But I do have an answer.
If you ask me who won the World Series in 1978, I'd have to do a little research.
But if you ask me a question about the best affiliate programs online, I could tell you off the top of my head.
That's why I have launched AskJoelComm.com Continue Reading
Posted on May 1, 2006 09:49 PM
Whenever I do teleseminars and publicly speak, I tell people that we are entering a new age of the Internet. Internet v1.0 was the beginning of the web. Money was tossed about like confetti as venture capitalist waved millions of Benjamins at anything with a dotcom for a suffix.
Then the bubble burst.
Enter Internet v2.0. Continue Reading
Posted on March 14, 2006 10:30 AM
It probably isn't easy to get a job with Google. But Tom Vendetta was determined to secure a position with the search engine giant. According to a press release sent out via I-Newswire, this 15-year old boy was hired by Google, and his salary would be placed in a savings account for his future education.
Kudos to Tom!
Oh, I may have failed to mention this... Continue Reading
Posted on March 12, 2006 11:26 PM
When I was sixteen years old and purchased my first computer (A Tandy TRS-80), my mother asked me "What are you going to do with a computer?"
Many years later, she now knows exactly what I will do with a computer...
My mother has been slow to adapt to new technology, but I have nudged her along gently and she now can't imagine not using the Internet to research her adventure travel escapades. Continue Reading
Posted on February 27, 2006 04:21 PM
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
Posted on February 24, 2006 11:33 AM
Three months ago, I told you that my cholesterol levels were high. My LDL (bad cholesterol) was approximately 138. My total cholesterol was 214. My primary care physician immediately wanted to place me on Lipitor. I told him that I was not eager to get on this medication as I heard it had some long-term side effects. I also do not like the idea of becoming dependent on the chemical compound du jour. So I... Continue Reading
Posted on February 8, 2006 11:53 AM
Ever since I attended Armand Morin's Big Seminar in Los Angeles last November, I have been telling others about the incredible experience and value of this bi-annual Internet marketing event. I can say with no reservations that Big Seminar CHANGED MY LIFE! The conference opened my mind to new possibilities and revenue streams that I had under my nose all along. And the networking opportunities... the people I met... were the most valuable part of... Continue Reading
Posted on January 30, 2006 10:26 PM
What are people searching for? The Google Zeitgeist knows all.
The Zeitgeist examines all searches made through Google and examines patterns, trends, and surprises. You can check the site regularly to see the most popular searches aroundt the world. Continue Reading
Posted on December 8, 2005 11:48 PM
I finally get it. It took me some time, but I finally understand podcasting.
Now that I have an iPod (which I won in an online sales contest!), I have begun downloading the latest "Lost" podcasts and searching through other available shows to see what interests me.
And now, I have my own podcast! Continue Reading
Posted on November 28, 2005 11:37 AM
Are you going to Affiliate Summit? This is the PREMIER event for webmasters and merchants online. My friend, Shawn Collins, tells me that the event is nearing sellout and record attendance. I would love to see you there! Continue Reading
Posted on November 23, 2005 11:05 AM
I regularly receive email from people wanting to make money online, but aren't sure how to go about doing it. Building a website can be a daunting task for someone who has never done it. Learning HTML, search engine optimization, affiliate linking, marketing and all the other areas of the business can be complex and overwhelming. Continue Reading
Posted on October 31, 2005 07:53 AM
Here's a cool way to find all kinds of information on just about anything you can think of. The site is called HelpFox. Go ahead, click the link and enter something in the search field. You'll instantly have access to pages that contain the term in a number of categories, including encyclopedia, news, links, blogs, shopping and more. Your term will be highlighted in yellow everywhere it shows up on the page. Continue Reading
Posted on October 13, 2005 01:32 PM
Uber-Geek, Chris Pirillo, has done it again.
His new service, Gada.be, is a fantastic new meta-search that allows you to get results on any terms. You can save time and keystrokes. You can pull the results to your mobile device without much load time. You'll see results from Google, Yahoo, Amazon and many more with just a few easy keystrokes.
Try it out! See what happens when you click http://joel-comm.gada.be
I Gada Be Me! Continue Reading
Posted on October 10, 2005 12:34 AM
All you hear from the liberal democrats these days is "Bush lied... no weapons of mass destruction... Get out of Iraq... Saddam was not tied to terrorists... etc and so forth." I came across this series of quotes from the beloved liberal leadership that should make anyone who has supported them in the past go "hmmmm" Their own words nullify their objections with this administration, and make clear that they have absolutely no platform to... Continue Reading
Posted on August 24, 2005 12:06 AM
You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. There is Yahoo Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Aol Instant Messenger and ICQ. Now, the Big Dog of search engines has entered the instant messaging market with Google Talk. The beta is now available for download. Google Talk has a colorful and simple design, similar to their web site. Your Gmail account name is your Google Talk login. Not only can you instant message friends, but... Continue Reading
Posted on August 19, 2005 08:01 PM
So much of having a successful Internet business is dependent on getting your sites indexed on the search engines. When someone types a keyword into Google or Yahoo, where does your site come up on the page? Many people make a living in the search engine optimization (SEO) field, helping sites optimize their pages to be more search engine friendly. So how do you get to the top of the search engines? Here is a... Continue Reading
Posted on August 16, 2005 12:54 AM
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
Posted on June 17, 2005 01:09 AM
Do you like word search puzzles? I've just launched a new site where you can find and print word seach puzzles or make you own to share with the world. The site is called Word Search Fun. I invite you to help build the site by creating a word search that you think others would enjoy. Continue Reading
Posted on May 7, 2005 11:25 AM
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
Posted on May 2, 2005 08:57 AM
As a Christian, I occasionally struggle with the truths of the faith. It is normal and healthy to wrestle with God, continuing to seek Him and coming to know Him better.
A recent conversation with my good friend Ken led him to recommend a book to me. The title is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Continue Reading
Posted on April 15, 2005 12:01 PM
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
Posted on April 14, 2005 12:18 AM
In 1996, Eidos Interactive came out of nowhere with a game that has become one of my all-time Top 10 computer games. (Maybe I'll do a top 10 series if I ever finish my 15 Best Movies of All Time) Continue Reading
Posted on April 12, 2005 12:12 AM
Since my ebook has become popular, I have been inundated with emails from people wanting me to look at ebooks and Internet tools. Many of them are a waste of time and money. But occassionally I come across something of real value. Today's entry is about one such tool. The tool is called Search Automator and, to be candid, it is one of the most incredibly useful, and powerful new tools I've seen this year... Continue Reading
Posted on April 6, 2005 12:44 AM
I believe abortion is genocide, a modern-day holocaust of Biblical proportions. Slowly but surely, people are coming around to recognize the obvious truth. However, what many people have not recognized is that more than one person is hurt by abortion. It is true that an innocent life is killed before it has a chance to truly live. But what about the woman who commits the act? What about the husband who either encourages or stands... Continue Reading
Posted on March 30, 2005 11:33 PM
I've ignored satellite radio up until this point, but it is finally getting my attention. I don't know much about it, but I would really like to try a service that offers quality broadcast, a wide range of music and talk channels (I could care less about sports) and hardware that will work in my car or on the go. I am beginning to research the two leaders in satellite radio, XM and Sirius. XM... Continue Reading
Posted on March 29, 2005 06:40 PM
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
Posted on March 7, 2005 09:45 PM
What makes people tick? Why do we respond to certain words, images and advertisements, while others seem entirely invisible to us? My friend from down-under, Sean D'Souza, has done a vast amount of research into the human mind. His site, Psychotactics, contains a wealth of free information that is beneficial to anyone who wishes to sell a product or service. But his information is also useful for discovering how to strengthen your relationships. Sean offers... Continue Reading
Posted on March 5, 2005 10:04 PM
What are the hot topics of the day? Clay Aiken? The Bible Code? Tsunami? Michael Jackson? Whatever it is, you can read all about it at Information Please. News headlines centered on the most popular topics and issues of the day make finding information much simpler. Scroll down the left-hand side for the most searched-for topics, or explore categories of music, tv, movies, sports and more. Pretty cool stuff. Continue Reading
Posted on March 2, 2005 09:44 AM
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
Posted on February 28, 2005 06:10 PM
Have you ever Googled your name? I just did a search for "Joel Comm" and Google spit out 44,300 results. Of course, this is nothing in comparison to some other names. Take, for example, my friend Chris Pirillo. 241,000 results. Not bad, Chris. Then there is Bob Rankin, driver of The Internet Tourbus. Bob outdoes me with 55,200 results. How about my man, George W. Bush? 12,200,000 results. Whoa. Even John Smith has a good... Continue Reading
Posted on February 1, 2005 12:00 AM
Who would have thought that the rubber faced wildman from In Living Color would become an accomplished actor? While not crazy about Ace Ventura, I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Carrey in The Mask. I even appreciated the dark turn he took in The Cable Guy. But it was his part as Truman Burbank in The Truman Show that caused me to truly respect Jim Carrey's talent. With a superb screenplay, excellent cinematography and a top-notch supporting... Continue Reading
Posted on January 21, 2005 11:40 PM
It is with much fondness that I bid adieu to World of Warcraft. I've been playing my character, Riathamus, for just over a month, and I have experienced a great deal of what the game has to offer. However, the game is so enormous, so huge, and so seemingly endless, that I am in turning in my two-handed mace and calling it quits. This game is simply too good. It's too beautiful. It's too much... Continue Reading
Posted on January 6, 2005 02:07 PM
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
Posted on December 17, 2004 03:28 PM
Look out folks, another anti-arthritis drug has been linked to cardiovascular problems. Pfizer says a new study found an increased risk of heart problems with the painkiller Celebrex. Last month, Vioxx was withdrawn from the market. You know what this means, doncha? Unleash the ambulence chasers! The sue-happy attorneys now have more red meat with which to deepen their pockets and chase the price of medical care and drugs higher and higher. Essentially, the study... Continue Reading
Posted on November 11, 2004 12:00 AM
Ask the average American which constitution the phrase "separation of church and state" appears in and the majority will look at you as though only a moron wouldn't know the answer to the question. The most common reply will be "The United States Constitution". Imagine the surprise of these same people when they discover that not only does the phrase NOT appear in the U.S. Constitution, but the words DO appear in a version of... Continue Reading
Posted on November 10, 2004 02:37 AM
Over the past few months, I have helped several family members, friends and associates remove spyware from their computers. Often, people don't even realize they are infected with this insidious stuff. All th