Since Apple has opened the iTunes App Store, my company has released a number of applications. iVote was one of the first 500 apps released. iFart has gone on to become what is perhaps the most-often referenced app in iPhone history. And we also had the pleasure of creating apps for Mashable, Charles Trippy and MC Hammer, among others. I love creating apps and we've got some pretty cool stuff on the way. Continue Reading

Nearly one year after the release of iFart, the app continues to sell like clockwork. I believe that iFart is also the most-referenced app in iPhone history. It seems like every week one media outlet or another is referring to it. A Google search for iFart now turns up 106,000 results. Continue Reading

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

The Internet has grown at an incredible rate. Online business is big business. And wherever there is big business there are bound to be scam artists. Due to the sheer number of people being deceived by unscrupulous marketers (though I hate to even call them marketers), the Federal Trade Commission has seen fit to intervene with a new set of regulations due to go into effect on December 1st, 2009. If you do ANY kind... Continue Reading

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of traveling to London to speak at Andrew Reynold's Entrepreneur Bootcamp 2009. For the past few years, Andrew has put on an annual event that has dwarfed other marketing events in both size and scope. This year sought to outdo them all with a massive two-day event at the London O2 Arena. Continue Reading

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

What do people see when they look at you? Initially, they see your physical appearance. However, I believe our bodies are really a small part of who we really are. Man is a three-part being. We are body, soul and spirit. The body is just a casing (or an earthsuit as John Eldredge likes to say) to give our real selves something to walk around in during our brief stay on this planet. And yet... Continue Reading

In the beginning there were blogs. And yea, God saw that they were good. After all, what a fantastic way for anyone to become an online publisher. Sure, the word "blog" doesn't roll off the tongue. It sounds more like you are about to upchuck yesterday's hot dog. But being short for "web log", it does work in a "oh well I guess it will do" kind of way. Continue Reading

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

Everyone and their grandmother is calling themselves a Social Media EXPERT these days. I'm not sure what the term really means any more. While I still use the term from time to time (even on this blog for SEO purposes), I fancy myself more of a Social Media EVANGELIST. I'm out there beating the drum to get businesses to use social media as part of their marketing mix. Continue Reading

Twitter isn't the only microblogging service on the Web. It's not even the best microblogging service on the Web. In Twitter Power, I describe a number of sites that also let members post short notes to tell friends and followers what they're up to. Plurk, for example, is alive and kicking, and it looks great. It has neat icons, a clever, horizontal timeline and all sorts of add-ons and gizmos that make it look a... Continue Reading

Alright, so maybe it wasn't the legal dispute of the century. But you've got to admit, for two little iPhone flatulence apps, we sure did make a stink! As you may recall, the fun and games began when Air-O-Matic, the creators of Pull My Finger, contacted me with a demand for $50,000. Why? They claimed that my use of the phrase "pull my finger" in a small portion of our online marketing campaign was responsible... 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

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

It's all your fault. I'm not going to beat about the bush. Nor am I going to try to save your feelings. I'm going to be brutally honest because I think direct is always the best way to go - and because you can handle it. It's all because of you. 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

Twitter divides people into two camps. To those who use it, it's a whole new Internet. There's the Web of pages and content, and there's the Twitter of people and connections. Both are valuable and both are enjoyable, but they do different things and they do them in different ways. To people who aren't on Twitter though, the service looks completely bizarre. It's a place where people go to tell strangers what they had for... Continue Reading

I have to warn you now. This entry is not going to be pretty. But someone has got to say something. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Fine... sigh... I'll do it. Continue Reading

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

People create Internet businesses for all sorts of reasons. Some of them are looking to give up their J.O.B.s. Some dream of being of being their own boss. And others can't wait to make tons of cash, retire to their private island and leave the work of traffic generation, content production and ad monitoring to their staff. That's all fine. I don't have a problem with any of those reasons. Provided they're all accompanied by... 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

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

In Twitter Power, I described blogs as one aspect of the social media revolution. I think that might have surprised some people. Blogs, after all, pre-date the kind of interaction that we can see on Facebook and LinkedIn. They're more like old-fashioned publishing, in which information comes down from a publisher instead of being created and shared by contributors. But there is one aspect of blogging that's often forgotten by Internet publishers, and it's incredibly... Continue Reading

Apart from Twitter's own terms of service which prohibit obvious things like harassment, transmitting viruses and spamming other members, there really aren't many rules to the site. You can essentially use Twitter however you like. However, for people and businesses who want to use Twitter successfully (eg: build a following and grow their circle of influence), there are a number of best practices that can be observed. I cover many of these in my book... Continue Reading

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

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

When I was working on Click Here to Order, I had a problem. How could I describe all of the accomplishments achieved by the people I was interviewing? Although each of the marketers I spoke to was usually best known for creating one unique model, which they were now sharing with others, almost all of them had hugely rich pasts as well. Continue Reading

I'm not much of a celebrity-watcher. I don't read tabloids and I couldn't care less who's dating whom in Hollywoodland. But I'm still pleased to see that so many celebrities have chosen to use Twitter. I'm pleased because those celebrities are bringing lots of regular folk like you and me with them. Those people might have come to chat with Oprah or Ashton Kutcher but they'll hang around and talk with the rest of us... Continue Reading

Everyone needs a motto to live by. For some it's "do unto others as they do unto you." For others it's "get all you can while you still can." And still for others it may be "eat, drink and be merry!" I'm good with whatever works for you, but I've been settling into a motto of my own. Continue Reading

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately. I've been from California to New York, to Utah and Seattle, and to Denver more times than I can count. In theory, none of that traveling should be necessary. Twitter, after all, is the ultimate networking tool. I can be sitting anywhere and by firing up Tweetie on my iPhone, find myself swapping tweets with Tim O'Brien of the New York Times or exchanging ideas with best-selling... Continue Reading

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 have a hard time keeping up with my tweets. I just get so many each day. I have an ever harder time keeping up with Direct Messages on Twitter (DMs). I usually don't read them. However, I took a peak at my DMs tonight and I came across something highly unusual. 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

Here's something you're not going to hear too often these days. I'm glad I don't have a job. I'm happy that I don't have to commute to someone else's office, make nice to the boss, wonder what I have to do to move up in life... and hope and pray that I still have my job next month. That's the situation for many people these days, and I'm so happy that I've discovered that it... Continue Reading

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

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

There are times when I've sat in a conference, looked around a room full of bright, hopeful entrepreneurs and wondered how many of them will become successful. I don't mean how many of them will be successful this time next year or how many will be millionaires in five years' time. I mean how many will be successful at all. Continue Reading

In a landmark decision that will be sure to usher in a new world Internet order, a World Wide Web judge has just granted Internet marketing guru and entrepreneur Joel Comm the exclusive trademark rights to the ".com" web address suffix, placing all websites everywhere with a ".com" domain under the jurisdiction and discretion of Joel Comm. The decision came about when Joel Comm successfully sued Al Gore, who had previously laid claim to "inventing... Continue Reading

I do not use my Gmail.com account for business. It is my personal account that I use to correspond with friends, family and close business associates. But I DO use the account and have a number of messages that I have saved for one reason or another. Around 2 pm MDT I went to check my Gmail account and was SHOCKED to see that my inbox was EMPTY! I thought, "surely this must be a... 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've been a fan of UStream.tv ever since I discovered them a little over a year ago. Every Wednesday, I do a live show with my co-host Dan Nickerson. It's called Joel Comm LIVE! UStream has proven to be innovative as they continue to add cool features for broadcasters, including the ability to bring in co-hosts from other locations, add titles and also play YouTube or local videos within your program. Continue Reading

I've seen some really clever things done with ads on the Web. I've seen some pretty dumb things too, like whack-a-mole banners and flashing skyscrapers that make you want to look anywhere but at the ad. But some of the ideas have been incredibly creative. When Kontera first wheeled out its system, I loved the fact that its ads were so unobtrusive. When Chitika created its eMiniMalls and then its Premium ads, I thought the... 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 recently attended a mastermind event featuring some of the greatest thought leaders of our generation. Attendees included Tony Robbins, Alex Mandossian, Les Brown, Tony Hsieh, Ivan Misner, Chet Holmes, Bill Bartmann, Stephen Pierce and many others. It was a fantastic three days of learning, networking, and building relationships. On Saturday evening we were told that we had a surprise speaker. It turns out that Janet Atwood has a friend that knows Paula Abdul. I'm... 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

A year or so ago, I started my own book publishing program. Essentially, my goal was to provide opportunity to a select group of new authors who I felt needed greater exposure. Made Easy Publishing has accepted a handful of manuscripts and I'm pleased to announce that our newest author has just hit #1 on Amazon.com! My friend, Ewen Chia, has just released his book "How I Made My First Million on the Internet and... Continue Reading

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of enjoying a weekend in the mountains with my family. We stayed in a neighborhood called Summerwood, located in Dillon, Colorado. It's about two hours from Loveland, where we live, and it was an absolutely perfect retreat for the weekend! Just a few minutes from Dillon AND Keystone resort, you could spend the entire weekend inside this massive home and do nothing but enjoy the spectacular views... Continue Reading

Wow. I should probably just end the blog post with that one word, as I am speaking about Tweet-a-Thon 2009. Just wow. But you know I can't stop there! It's the morning after. I am still exhausted. But I am basking in the afterglow of what I shall remember for the rest of my life. Continue Reading

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

When John Wiley & Sons asked me to write the definitive guide on using Twitter for business, I knew we would have a best-seller on our hands. The pre-orders on the book are strong and the buzz is spreading without me doing any real promotion. So I've decided to do something very special to celebrate the launch of Twitter Power. On Thursday, February 19th, I will be conducting the world's first live broadcast Tweet-a-thon! The... 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

A few weeks ago when iFart was at the height of its popularity, I was contacted by Rob Walker. Rob writes the Consumed article for the New York Times Magazine, published every Sunday. He thought that the success of iFart was an interesting barometer of American pop culture and asked if I would do an interview. Of course, I was delighted to provide whatever information he wanted. The article was just published in today's edition! Continue Reading

Here's a confession... Not every idea I've had has been golden. In fact, I can say that many of the business ideas I've tried have managed to bring me... well, let's just say something was funding one or two lunches per week. That's one of the advantages of marketing. Everyone gets to know about your successes but your failures just fade away. Continue Reading

On today's broadcast Dan and I discussed the latest goings-on at InfoMedia HQ. We messed around with the co-host feature of uStream.tv and found out how difficult it can be to have a discussion with a 20-second delay! Dan created a new list featuring the top ten worst ideas for iPhone applications. It's funny stuff. Watch the replay below and be sure to leave your comments! Continue Reading

As I'm sure you read on my blog or elsewhere on the web, Facebook had suspended my account. After sending a few emails and having some friends with contacts at Facebook work on my behalf, my account has been reinstated. Here is the email I received from them... 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

You've probably noticed that I'm a big fan of video content. I don't think text is going to disappear from the Web completely but I do think we're going to see more and more video content appearing on the Internet. I also think that users now expect to find clips on the sites they visit. I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Google obviously thinks so too, which was why it bought YouTube... Continue Reading

It doesn't happen often. But it does happen. And when it does, I have to shake my head and wonder what some people are thinking. What am I talking about? Well, let me set the stage for you with a little anecdote. Continue Reading

You already know that most small businesses fail. It's a warning that's been given out to every entrepreneur with an idea, drive and the imagination to succeed for as long as people have been saying, "I should be working for me." Well, here's something you probably don't want to hear. Most blogs die too. People start them with the best of intentions. They tell themselves that they'll write every day, they'll pick up masses of... Continue Reading

The start of any new business always contains the scariest moments. On the one hand, you're never going to feel more enthusiastic about your idea than during those first few months. You'll get to see your plan take flight and discover whether it really does have wings. On the other hand, you also have to cope with the fear that it's going to fail -- that what you thought was going to bring you a... Continue Reading

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

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

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

I often hear grumbling from people who tell me how hard it is to make money online. And then I see a 16-year old kid do it and think "huh... maybe not so hard after all?" That's exactly what happened with my friend, Stanley Tang. Stanley understands the power of mentors... following those who have gone before and modeled the success you want to achieve. As a result, Stanley has found success on the Internet! Continue Reading

Putting together a conference is no simple task. In October of 2008, my team and I conducted our first live event, Elevate 2008. People from eight countries joined us for a three-day intensive in which we revealed strategies and techniques for building a successful online business. Take a look behind the scenes in part 1 of this video series. Be sure to leave comments, especially if you were an attendee! 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

Life must be hard for television executives. To decide how much to charge advertisers and whether they should commission another season of a show, they have to know the size of their audience. The only method they have to do that is by using a survey. The Nielsen ratings track what television viewers watch and then, based on demographics, make certain claims about what everyone else was watching at the same time. Those figures could... Continue Reading

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

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

"What's the secret to creating a successful online business?" I probably get asked that question about a million times a year. Here's the answer... But first, I should warn you. You're not going to like it... In fact, you're probably going to hate it and run off to Google to look for something else to read. But I have to give it to you straight, so here it is Continue Reading

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

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

It was a very special 2-hour broadcast live from my first Internet marketing conference, Elevate 2008. Streamed and filmed before a live studio audience, the show was packed with great content, a trivia showdown, questions from the audience, flying monkeys, prizes and special guests. We had a great time and I'm sure you'll love watching as well. We lost the stream at one point, so the show is available in two parts. Continue Reading

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

I often talk about the different tools that you can use to complement the AdSense units you put on your site. Sure, AdSense is always going to be the most effective ad system on your pages. But you also want to earn for your impressions, and from affiliate links too. A mixture of different revenue generations systems will help to increase the value you receive for your users. Continue Reading

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

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

Click Here to Order continues to sell very well and is showing up in more and more stores. I'd love to hear your CHTO Sitings if you spot it in your city or town. However, thanks to my friend Michael Copeland, I've discovered a way that you can read my new book for free and get some extra bonus material along the way! How can that be? Continue Reading

It's probably the most important decision you can make as a publisher... What are you going to create a website about? So much depends on your choice: The value of your ads. The pleasure you get out of writing your content. Continue Reading

It's been two years in the making. Finally, Blizzard Entertainment has announced the long-awaited expansion pack to the world's most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft. Wrath of the Lich King is set to hit stores on November 13th, and I expect it to be another huge best-seller. Some people are surprised to find out that I play computer games, but I like to work hard AND play hard. Those who know my story would know... Continue Reading

Everyone was talking about the Beijing 2008 Olympics this summer. Phelps and others stole the headlines with victory after victory. However, in the midst of this global competition, another competition was completely ignored by the mainstream media. It is now my pleasure to bring you exclusive coverage of the InfoMedia, Inc. First Annual Flying Monkey Office Olympics. The sporting world will never be the same... Continue Reading

I've got no idea how many blog posts, articles and pages of content I've written for the Internet. I've been doing it for years, so if you're wondering if there are ever times when I sit in front of the computer and wonder what I can write about today, the answer is... Yes. Continue Reading

New media may be taking over the world, but millions of people still listen to their radios everyday. I listen on my way to and from the office, usually to talk-radio. A few weeks back I had the pleasure of meeting a living legend of radio, Dan O' Day. A former disc jockey and leading radio guru, I instantly connected with Dan and invited him to come spend a day with me and my team... Continue Reading

It sounds like a terrible idea. You spend ages thinking up an idea for an article, doing the research and writing it out... then you give it to someone else to put on their website. They get all the ad revenue and you get... what, exactly? Well, you get a link and if the site is good that could be worth more in steady streams of traffic than Continue Reading

Oh, now this is a RIOT! Sarah Palin has taken the political world by storm. Whatever you think of the woman, Conservatives are pumped-up about her being on the ticket. So check this out. Sarah Palin is now an action figure. Yes, you heard me correctly. An action figure! Continue Reading

We had a great time in Glenwood Springs. From taking a Segway tour of the area and a day at the world's largest hot springs pool to downtime for rest & relaxation and a trip to a rain-covered Snowmass, my family and I enjoyed our brief vacation. I may put up some video once I get the chance. But I've had a lot of people curious about how the return train ride went on Amtrak... Continue Reading

I was all set. Today was going to be the day. I knew from the pre-orders on my new book, "Click Here to Order: Stories of the World's Most Successful Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs", that we were on the verge of making history with an instant best-seller. And then... it happened. I received a call from my publisher, David Hancock. David is not one to be given to overexcitement, but there was something in the sound... 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

Today's show featured Jason West, my friend from the U.K. Jason has a knack for launching niche ecommerce sites and making great profits. In today's program, there is a Q&A with Jason, a new Top Ten list, some new toys, flying monkeys and more fun. Be sure to watch for the latest news about my new book, "Click Here to Order" Continue Reading

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

Thor Schrock is catching a lot of heat over his online reality program, The Top Affiliate Challenge. I remember when Thor first told me about his idea for the show. I encouraged him to do it, but I warned him that it would take a miracle to pull off a quality show on a daily basis. When Eric and I produced The Next Internet Millionaire, we filmed for two weeks straight and had a two-week... Continue Reading

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

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

Several years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a gentleman who I have sinced dubbed "The nicest guy in Internet marketing." His name is Ken McArthur and he is the chief architect behind the highly successful JV Alert Live conferences. You see, Ken is incredibly successful because he continually pours himself into the lives of those around him. Whether it launching careers of other marketers or freely sharing his knowledge and expertise with anyone... Continue Reading

I came into the world without a goatee and mustache. Surprise, surprise. But sometime after I got married, I decided to give the goatee and mustache a try. It must have been around 1992, I believe. As it turned out, my wife really liked it. So I decided to keep it, rarely shaving it off over the years only to grow it back again. But times have changed... Continue Reading

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... I can't write computer code. It's true... I can't code my way out of a paper bag. Well, maybe that's not a big surprise, but here's another secret... I can't do graphic design. That is, unless you count stick figures. I can draw those. May I tell you another secret? Continue Reading

I remember seeing Ben Stein for the first time in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Who could forget the monotone deadpan teacher repeating "anyone... anyone... Bueller... Bueller". And then there was "Win Ben Stein's Money", a campy television quiz show that demonstrated Ben's ability to stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. I sure would have liked to have seen him go up against Ken Jennings. As a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a... Continue Reading

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

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

Ah... Kauai. We were here two years ago and had a great time. I think we did all the touristy stuff that week. Helicopter ride. Driving around both coasts... etc. Last year we went to Maui, and although beautiful, it doesn't match Kauai for beauty. Maui was also way overpriced and I can't see going there again just for a vacation. Anyhow, I don't think I've ever been in such need of a vacation and... Continue Reading

It was fall of 2005 when I was scheduled to speak at Robert Puddy's Focus 4 the Future Internet marketing conference. It was the first time I had spoken at an event and I was on a roster with Mike Filsaime, Gary Ambrose and Craig Perrine. Yes, I was nervous. But why should I be? My AdSense ebook was a huge success and my name had begun to spread in the Internet marketing community. The... Continue Reading

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

There are those who start at the bottom of a company with the aspiration to rise to the top, and there are those for whom the words upwardly mobile do not apply. I encountered Mr. Latter attending to the United Skycap station in LAX today. My associates and I bring our bags to the guy and we go through the regular procedure. "What is your destination?", "Show me your identification" and "How many bags will... Continue Reading

Be careful... If you don't add the right amount of each ingredient, you could ruin the entire meal. Easy now... If you mix those chemicals incorrectly, it could be explosive. Watch it... If the calculations aren't perfect, the shuttle may never make it off the launching pad. Many things in life demand precision. There are some absolutes that do not allow for the least bit of give. One wrong step and the greatest ideas can... Continue Reading

I love to experiment with technology. And on Wednesday at 1 pm EST, I am going to give you an opportunity to experiment right along with me! You've participated in teleseminars... And you've participated in webinars... But now I invite you to join me for the very first "Joel Comm LIVE!" TV show streaming direct to you over the web! During this one-hour program, I will be answering questions from viewers in real time. Simply... Continue Reading

I've got a pretty colorful past. I got my first job when I was fourteen-years old, working behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant at Northbrook Court shopping mall in Northbrook, Illinois. After all, I needed to save up money to buy a TRS-80 Model I computer from Radio Shack! Once I acquired my driver's license, I worked in the health & beauty department at Venture. Yes, I was a stockboy. At the age of... 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

Here we are knee-deep in the political season. Who will be the next President of the United States? Regardless of the results, you can rest assured that the political discourse will not cease. I used to spend a good deal of time discussing politics online. But I had a hard time finding sites where people would not flame each other. Continue Reading

So I've got this great idea for a screenplay. The story goes like this... Due to severe beatings she had received as a child, a thirty-something year old woman develops a strange phobia and doesn't leave the bathroom for two years. I know, bizarre, yes? It gets more interesting. The woman spends the majority of her time on the toilet. Yes, on the toilet. In fact, she spends SO much time on the toilet that... Continue Reading

I try to be very transparent about the ways I make money on the web. It's really no secret and I've nothing to lose by sharing this information with you. I don't like to hold back as that doesn't contribute to your success at all. So I'm about to reveal one of my biggest secrets for profiting online. Ok, it's really more along the lines of "incredibly obvious", but I'm amazed at how many people... Continue Reading

Google is a behemoth that continues to swallow everything in its path. Back in April 2007, Google offered Doubleclick over $3 BILLION to buy them out. Today the transaction is complete... I received this email from Kim Malone at Google today... 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 have a confession to make. I love shopping online and I love using online coupon codes. I've been doing online shopping online since Amazon.com launched in 1995. In the early years, merchants would regularly offer fantastic discounts on merchandise in order to get new customers to their stores. For example, Reel.com (nbow defunct?) used to offer $10 off coupons on a regular basis. So I would buy DVDs for approximately $5 each. What a... Continue Reading

Wow, what an incredible day! Wait until you hear this. I thought it was going to be a day like every other day. But you never know what kind of curve balls life is going to toss your way. Here's how it started... First of all I wake up and find this email in my box from a producer at a MAJOR cable network ... "Congratulations on your show, 'The Next Internet Millionaire.' We've reviewed... Continue Reading

I regularly receive joint venture proposals from people. A small percentage of them have some really good ideas and products, but the majority of them are not good at all. Today I received an email from a couple gentlemen in Australia. I hope the email and my response will be instructive for the recipients and for others as they seek to do joint ventures. Continue Reading

I'm in Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit and am looking forward to the a few days of networking and learning. And while I have nothing to say about the conference yet because it hasn't started yet, I do have an experience to share with you. As you know, I enjoy blogging about my customer service experiences... especially the bad experiences. Why do I do this? I place a very high value on customer service and... Continue Reading

The Pink Floyd classic album, Dark Side of the Moon, is though to be the greatest rock album of all time. I might support that assertion. If you listen all the way to the end of the album, Roger Waters says, "There is no dark side of the moon. Actually, it's all dark." I know, it's profound. Still, the album is an absolute classic and one for every music-lover's collection. And speaking of the moon... Continue Reading

World of Warcraft has now occupied a part of my life for three years. No, I am not one of those people that plays hours each day, let alone every day. But I do enjoy the game and am eagerly anticipating the next expansion set titled "Wrath of the Lich King". Apparantly I am not alone. There are now over 9,000,000 people around the world who play World of Warcraft. Continue Reading

My new blog has been up for over 24 hours now, and the verdict is in! Visitors to this site overwhelmingly approve of the look and feel of the new JoelComm.com. In fact, many people are asking me questions as they want to know how I put this new site together. Well, I've got nothing to hide and I will tell all... 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

I just got done having an email conversation with my friend, Jeremy Gislason. We communicate via email because he is in Japan and on a totally different schedule. Anyhow, Jeremy and Simon Hodgkinson have been working on putting together a new member site that has tons of great content to help you build your member site! Basically, this site teaches you everything Jeremy and Simon know about building member sites... and they have over 100,000... Continue Reading

I wish I had thought of this. It's so simple, yet it's brilliant. If you are like me, you own a few domains. Ok, you may own a LOT of domains. I own approximately 400 domain names. The problem is that most of the those domains do not have a web site on them. They are "parked" pages. Continue Reading

"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

Does American Airlines have good customer service? Once again, I find myself on the "I can't believe this is happening" end of a telephone conversation with a customer service rep. Here's the story. I had booked a flight using reward miles to fly someone from Dallas to Denver in a couple weeks. As it turns out, he is going to drive here a few days early and won't require the initial leg of the flight... 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

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

Well, here we are on the brink of another New Year. I've recapped the highlights of 2007 on my blog As we enter 2008, I am more committed than ever to provide you with the best content... the best books... the best software... the best reviews... the best sites for making money online... the best of everything! 2007 was a groundbreaking year in many respects, but 2008 is shaping up to be even bigger. I... 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

Twitter this. Twitter that. Twitter, twitter, twitter. I must confess. I'm still not sure what the point is of Twitter. Basically, Twitter allows you to tell the world what you are doing at any given moment, embed a clever little widget on your site so they can keep up with you, and you in turn can see what they are doing. I'm not sure I get it. Nevertheless, apparantly millions of people do get it... 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

It was only a matter of time. Google is coming out with their own phone. But Amazon has beat the Big "G" to the punch with their own electronic device. It's called Amazon Kindle, and it appears to be a contender for the coolest device of the 2007 holiday shopping season. Imagine being able to access thousands of books wirelessly and read them on a crystal clear display anywhere you go. Continue Reading

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

The finale of "The Next Internet Millionaire" reality show is now online... ... and we have a winner! Charles Trippy and Jaime Luchuck are the two finalists in the world's first competitive Internet reality show, vying for a $25,000 cash prize and the title "The Next Internet Millionaire." Who won? 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

Do REAL people make money online? Well, I consider myself real people! Let's face it, before I became known for my AdSense ebook, I was just another anonymous Internet entrepreneur. It's true! Now my success story may seem out of reach... ... but it's not. No way. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it. Trust me. I know myself and am still amazed that people consider me an Internet "celebrity." Continue Reading

If you aren't doing video.. ... do I really need to finish this statement? Ok, I will. If you aren't doing video, you are missing out on one of simplest and sure-fire opportunties to promote your website, business, yourself and your services. Missing out. Those who keep an eye on hot trends know that video is it! This is why I want to you to RUN, don't walk, to the site I am going to... 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

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

I finally persuaded my mother to buy a video camera to take with her on her adventure travel excursions. She bit the bullet, got a Sony camcorder, and shot some video on her recent visit to Tibet. She has been visiting me this weekend, so I helped her make her first videos and get them uploaded to YouTube. Check out her YouTube Channel here. Continue Reading

Episode 6 of "The Next Internet Millionaire" is now online... ... and in this episode, tensions are rising as the seven remaining contestants battle it out in a challenging immunity task and a team challenge that tests their sales ability. Special guest teacher Brad Fallon instructs the contestants on principles of business and ecommerce, and someone gets a special night on the town courtesy of Brad! Continue Reading

It's one thing to have consenting adults eat worms on a reality show. It's a totally different story when children are being exploited for entertainment. And that is exactly what is taking place with Kid Nation, CBS television's much-hyped reality show. Continue Reading

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

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

What do poker, real estate and product launches have in common? Find out in episode 3 of "The Next Internet Millionaire", now available online! Last week found Laura and Steve joining Carly and Debbie in the"sandbox." This week, all four sandboxed contestants will have an opportunity to get back in the game. Will they succeed or fail? Continue Reading

I did it. I bit the bullet and picked up an iPhone. I've been a faithful Treo 650 user for two years, but the buzz regarding Apple's new device won me over. So I ponied up $599 + shipping and tax to get one of these puppies in my hands, though I was unsure of what I would find once I actually got to try it out for myself. I may now render the verdict... Continue Reading

Everyday I receive emails from people telling me that they have the best product since sliced bread, and asking me to do a joint venture with them. It is physically impossible for me to promote every product that comes my way. In fact, I am becoming more and more selective, making sure that I only share products with my customers if there is great value. Honestly, you wouldn't want to see a lot of the... Continue Reading

1990 - Tim Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web 1993 - The Mosaic web browser is released... The Internet is on the rise 2000 - Survivor is on television and the reality tv crave begins 2002 - American Idol hits the airwaves and reality programming numbers surge 2005 - YouTube launches and eventually is purchased by Google for $1.65 Billion and now... Continue Reading

I have just come from the office where I have seen the rough cut of Episode One of The Next Internet Millionaire. WOW! This thing looks great! The intro is cool. The music is awesome. The teaching is solid. The storyline is compelling. The cast is entertaining. I am absolutely sure that you are going to love this show. Continue Reading

May I get your opinion please? I am giving away a FREE autographed copy of my book, The AdSense Code, to one person who will give me feedback on a one-minute video I have created. This will literally take just a couple minutes. Continue Reading

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

Did you miss it? A couple weeks ago, I did an exclusive webinar with one of the world's most traveled women. She is a grandmother who has been in almost every country and knows how to travel on a budget. She has camped at the base of Mt. Everest, rode camels through the desert, interacted with the gorillas of Africa and gotten lost in Siberia. Continue Reading

It's history in the making... ... and you will be able to say that you were there! For several months, I have told you I was very serious about producing the world's first competitive Internet reality show. Sure, there were those who questioned what this would actually be. Continue Reading

This is big. No, seriously. This is REAL Big! I am on the set of The Next Internet Millionaire, where I am currently in between scenes... thought it would be a great opportunity to tell you what's going on. Well, as much as I CAN tell you :-) Continue Reading

There are lots of things to enjoy as an online publisher. There's the thrill of creating content. The pleasure of meeting friends at conferences. The sheer freedom of being your own boss and setting your own schedule. And then there's publicity. That's a whole other world of fun. Not every online publisher uses publicity to drive traffic to their website. Some think it's a bit like a lottery. You'll send out hundreds of press releases... Continue Reading

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

You are invited to a one-of-a-kind webinar that you are going to love! On Tuesday, July 17th, you have the opportunity to listen in and watch as I interview Sheila Simkin, a seasoned world traveler who has been just about everywhere and knows how to travel the world on a budget. There is no one quite like Sheila. Not only does she blog her adventures on her site, but she provides tips that even the... Continue Reading

I'm not a negative person. Generally, I've got a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. But the moment I got off the plane in Miami for Affiliate Summit, I felt like I needed a shower. No offense intended to any of my subscribers or friends that live at the tip of Florida, but I found it to be just a notch below absolutely miserable. Continue Reading

It was fall of 2005. I was in Charlotte, North Carolina, preparing for my very first public speaking engagement. I would be speaking before an audience of 25 people who had paid to hear me and a handful of other Internet marketers share how we make our millions online. It was at this time that I had begun preparing the manuscript for my first traditionally published book. But I was lacking a title for the... Continue Reading

I am freshly returned from Hawaii, slighty tanned, somewhat rested, and ready to share some great stuff with you! Please read all the way through as you aren't going to want to miss any of this... First of all, we have officially announced TWO of the contestants for The Next Internet Millionaire. Want to meet them? Meet the Contestants Be sure to join the discussion on the forums with your comments as we look forward... Continue Reading

Google's referral programs have never impressed me very much. Although the commissions are now fair, they started out very low. But even at the new(ish) rates, few sites are going to benefit from them. They're only good for publishers who aim their content at other publishers. That's always been the problem with Google's referrals: there were too few products aimed at too few topics. But Google has been working on a whole new referral system... Continue Reading

We arrived on Maui on Tuesday afternoon, snagged our rental car and made our way to the hotel. We're staying on the west side of the island in the Ka'anapali area. It's absolutely gorgeous here. From my fifth floor balcony I can see the ocean, the mountains, palm trees, sandy beaches and a beautiful landscape. It's 6 am Hawaii time as I blog this (my body says it is 10 am MST) and I've enjoyed... Continue Reading

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

Running your own business and making money online is fun. But if you don't stop to enjoy the blessings that come from having financial freedom... well, what's the point? I've spent the better part of this year setting up shop in Colorado, creating new materials to help you make money, traveling and speaking at seminars, and preparing to shoot the world's first Internet marketing reality show. Let's face. I've been busy! And now I am... 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

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

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

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

I can't take it any longer. I've seen a few trends taking place in Internet marketing lately, and I don't think they are right. It's time to take off the gloves because I've got something to say. I'm throwing caution to the wind because I think someone has got to stand up and speak the truth. If I take heat for it, so be it. Here goes... 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

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

Thanks for reading my blog today. I've got a problem and I really need your help. The problem is that I receive SO many questions about making money online there is simply not enough time in the day to answer them. So I realize that I need to focus the direction of my site to make sure I am serving as many people as possible in the time that I have. I sincerely want to... Continue Reading

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

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

Writer's block. Like the cement barricade at the end of an unfinished highway, the writer's block stands before me... mocking me... challenging me... It happens to everyone, but I sure didn't expect it to hit today. Because content creation is such a critical part of making money with your blog, writer's block can be the site owner's worst nightmare. What do I write about today?!?! Here's how I handle writer's block. Continue Reading

Now that I am settled in to my new office in Colorado, I thought it would be fun to show you our new space and to introduce you to my staff. Yes, it is Joel unscripted and unplugged. Watch for a special appearance by the cows, and see if you can count how many times I give the "thumbs-up" sign. It's not exactly Masterpiece Theatre, so keep your expectations low. ;-) Continue Reading

Financial Success - Purpose = Meaninglessness It's a formula you can't deny. If your goal is just to succeed monetarily, but you don't have a real reason for wanting that success, what's the point? I don't really discuss how I choose to spend the money I earn. That's between me and my God. But you should know that I have goals that go beyond earning a few bucks. It's not the money that is the... Continue Reading

You've probably already noticed it. The look of your AdSense units has changed. No, you didn't push the wrong button and accidentally wipe out all your formatting. And no one hacked into your code and played with your Web page. Google has redesigned its ad units. The changes aren't radical but they do offer a couple of small advantages. First, the "Ads by Google" tag is now at the bottom of the unit instead of... Continue Reading

They say variety is the spice of life. I have to agree. I love variety. It keeps things exciting. It's why you see me doing multiple projects and always coming out with something new. I just can't sit still. (My wife says it is ADD, but I think she is.. Oh! Look at the butterfly!) ;-) Well, you know how I teach people to find a niche and become the expert in that niche by... Continue Reading

I was on the phone with Armand Morin last night, and I've been thinking about something he said ever since. We talked about the great ebooks that are out there... We talked about some of the cool software tools that are now available... And of course, we talked about AdSense. But here's what he said that stuck with me. Continue Reading

The Million Dollar Template. Is there such a thing? You know I am a big fan of templates. Each month, hundreds of subscribers receive AdSense templates from me so they can shortcut the creation of their web sites and get down to the business of building original content. Apart from the ones I have created, I have not seen any templates that are really worthy of emulating... Until now! 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

Everything has changed. I remember when I first discovered computers. I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer. I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard... Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-) Oh, those were the days. Continue Reading

I treat my online businesses pretty seriously. I have to. They feed and house my family and that's a pretty serious business. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not missing something. Just surf at random around the blogs at Blogger.com and you'll come across a bunch of sites that have been put up for no other reason than to make the people who write them smile. They might make the half-dozen or so regular readers... 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 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

Andy Warhol once said that every person gets their fifteen minutes of fame. I don't know if that is true, but I do know that every person has a story to tell. I am in the process of writing a new book centered around Internet marketing and individual success stories... ... and I am looking for real life stories to include in the book! So what's your story? Continue Reading

Last time I visited Arizona, I had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Canyon. Undoubtedly, one of the most moving experiences of my life, there is absolutely nothing on the face of the earth that compares to standing on the edge of the canyon face and looking down one mile into it's deep, deep enormity. It was an experience that actually moved me to tears. (Hey, when you spend the majority of your life on... 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

Let's play a game. Take the following quiz by filling in the blanks... 1) A _______ in the hand is worth two in the bush. 2) A rolling stone gathers no _____. 3) A penny _______ is a penny earned. 4) A stitch in time saves ______. 5) Without ________, you can't make any money with your website. Continue Reading

Important. Urgent. Critical. Essential. Crucial. There are so many words I can use to describe how imperative it is that you read today's email, and listen to what I have to say... REALLY listen, because this comes from the heart. Continue Reading

Google is very protective of its AdSense code. Start changing bits here and there and you can't expect to keep your account open for very long. But there's one exception to that rule and it's a very important one. You can put this code on your Web pages: <script type="text/javascript">    var random_number = Math.random();    if (random_number         //your first ad unit code goes here     } else {         //your second ad unit code goes here     } </script> <script type="text/javascript... Continue Reading

Do you remember the television commercial for a hair shampoo where the key concept was viral marketing? The phrase in the commercial went... "They'll tell two friends... and they'll tell two friends... and so on, and so on..." Yes, it was a very clear example of viral marketing. And whether we are talking about shampoo, automobiles, candy bars or web sites, viral marketing still works! If you were able to take your next visitor and... Continue Reading

Five days ago, I wrote about my experience with American Furniture Warehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was not a glowing moment for their customer service team. This morning, my home phone rang and my wife informed me that American Furniture Warehouse wanted to speak with Joel Comm. I had been anticipating a call from them. Surely they monitor the web for mention of their name, and just 48 hours after blogging about my experience... Continue Reading

Momentum. From Dictionary.com... "A force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events: The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films." Let me throw in one more example... Continue Reading

I've got a room with a view! My family and my office staff are finally settling in to our new home in Colorado, and it is stunningly beautiful. Every morning I awake to a new view of the mountains and every evening the sun sets behind them. This isn't heaven, but it will do for now. :-) I've put a webcam in my office, so you can see just a small portion of what I... 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

Clutter. Our lives are full of it. And to be honest, I've never experienced more clutter in my life than right now. As I type this, movers are hauling my "stuff" into my new home in Colorado... ... and I can't believe how much stuff there is. I feel like I am being overtaken by boxes and furniture. And just when you think they've brought it all in, there is more. Clutter. Continue Reading

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

I hope it got your attention, because what I am about to share with you can be HUGE. And I have THREE things I need to share with you. So be sure you read all the way to end or you might miss out on the best stuff! Ok, here's the deal (pardon my excitement, but this really is big!) As you know, AdSense is not the only contextual advertising service on the web. Google... 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

Change. It's one thing in life we can depend on. And it can be the thing that frightens us most. I've known people who don't like the least bit of change in their lives. They are most comfortable in keeping the status quo. Change implies risk. And risk... well, sometimes things don't turn out the way we hope they will. And sometimes they do. 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

Creating a successful online business is tough. Sure, creating a site is simple. You can buy a domain name, find a hosting service and use a template to have your site up and running within a day or two (or even less) of first thinking up your business idea. Affiliate systems and contextualized ad programs can then have you earning without ever touching a product or a shipping form. That's the easy part. The hard... Continue Reading

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

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

Ack! It was the only word uttered by Bill the Cat of Bloom County fame. If you don't know who I am referring to, here's a quick refresher course. Bill the Cat And now that we are on the same page, I felt a bit like Bill the Cat yesterday when I received questions about my Monthly Templates membership program. They were very GOOD questions. And I can't believe that I blew it by not... Continue Reading

It was a moment in time... ... and it went by in a flash. Did you miss it? Don't feel bad. Thousands of people did. Three months ago, I leveled the playing field as much as it could possibly have been leveled. On October 10th, the Instant AdSense Templates VRE Building System hit the web with a fury, and became one of the most-talked-about and valuable products of the year! On October 15th, the product... Continue Reading

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

Well, Christmas is over and 2007 is just around the corner. I hope this has been a great year for you. But regardless, we must now look forward to the coming year and all that it has in store for us. I'm not a huge fan of resolutions for the new year. I find I'm not that great at keeping them. But I see nothing wrong with taking stock of where I am in my... Continue Reading

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

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

I love this time of year. It remind me just how fortunate I am. While many people across the country will be looking forward to spending some extra time with their families over Christmas, I get to spend as much time with my family as I want every day of the year. That was always one of the big motivations for me as an online publisher: I wanted to be free to decide when to... Continue Reading

I've got a Christmas gift for you! No strings attached. It's a gift, pure and simple. :-) As you are probably well aware, Google AdSense is not the only way to generate money on your site with contextual ad services. I've written a brand new report called: "Contextual Ad Systems: Earning Beyond AdSense" And I want to give it to you for free... Continue Reading

Deck the Halls with boughs of holly... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way... Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul... You'd better not pout, you'd better not cry... You get the idea! Christmas is coming! And you can spice up your AdSense blocks with a little holiday cheer using their "themed ads". Want to know how? Continue Reading

He beat me to it. I'm not angry... it's not my style. But I am just a little.. bit... um... er... envious? Ok, I said it. I'm envious. And I think I have a right to be. Continue Reading

As an AdSense publisher, one day can be much like another. Each day, you update your content, check your stats and make sure that your traffic is flowing freely. With users coming, clicking and giving you income all day every day, it can be very easy to forget which day, week or even season it is. That’s a waste of an opportunity. It’s also not true that Internet time is separate from real time. You... Continue Reading

I am blogging from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where I am my family are awaiting an 8:55 pm departure to Oklahoma City. We've been here since 1 pm and our first flight was cancelled. With bad weather in Chicago and OKC, I'm not sure we're going to make it home tonight at all. Such is life, right? So I thought I'd make the best use of my time and write for a bit. In particular... Continue Reading

Alright, we are now headlong into the holiday season, and I wonder... Would it be ok with you if I follow a rabbit trail today? I just want to get something off my chest. It may just end up being instructive, but right now I just need to... um... well... er... rant? Yes, that's it. I need to rant. So, if you aren't interested in my little hissy fit, go ahead and delete this email... 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

You know, I haven't always taught people how to make money online. In fact, I didn't write my first ebook until January 2005. But I've been creating content-rich sites since 1995. One of my most popular sites is perfect for this time of year when everyone is looking for great deals and coupon codes DealofDay.com has become one of the web's leading bargain-hunting sites. With dozens of new coupons, bargains, discounts and special offers added... Continue Reading

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

Audiobooks are the best thing since sliced bread for people who just don't have the time to read. You can download them an burn them to a CD or put them on your mp3 player. Take them with you on the go and you've got a constant source of literary goodness. Audiobook Overload provides a HUGE library of audiobooks that you can download instantly. From best-selling fiction and business books to children's novels and foreign... Continue Reading

Can I simplify the steps to succeeding online? 1) Find a niche 2) Create a web site featuring a product or service in your niche 3) Sell to your market 4) Repeat Step 3 Ok, I know. That is WAY simplified! What's missing? Continue Reading

Most new businesses fail. It’s a fact we’re all familiar with... and as entrepreneurs, one we all ignore. It’s easy to do. For one thing, online those statistics probably aren’t that bad. With AdSense, you’re almost guaranteed some income. Use the right strategies and techniques, and there’s no reason why that income shouldn’t be very good indeed. Continue Reading

Can you believe how quickly this year is flying by? 2007 is approaching VERY quickly. What changes have you made this year that are going to impact your life and business in 2007? Among the changes you make, I hope you are working on building your list. I know you've heard me say that the money is in a relationship with your email list. It's true! 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

It's just been an incredible month for new revenue-generating resources! First we had the SEO product of the year, The Stomper from Brad Fallon. Then Instant AdSense Templates helped people get a site up and running quickly. Next, Anik Singal and Rosalind Gardner launch their Blog Classroom, which is only available for a couple more days, by the way. If you haven't signed up yet, visit Blog Classroom And now, there's this... Continue Reading

One of the most frequent comments I got during the launch of Instant AdSense Templates was how good the copy on the page was. Tons of people told me that the offer was just irresistable and that the copy sizzled! Some of the best Internet marketers have learned what they know about writing copy from Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer. 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

I'm blogging from my office PC... only I'm not in my office. I am, in fact, in the American Airlines Admirals Club at D/FW International Airport, awaiting my flight to Oklahoma City. With GoToMyPC, I can login to my office PC from any PC in the world. It's pretty cool stuff! And I must say, the Admirals Club is awfully nice. I'm on a one-time visit pass and am not sure it's worth the annual... Continue Reading

2007 is really just around the corner. Can you believe it? And as sure as Christmas displays are starting to pop up in select stores, it is time to start shopping for your 2007 calendar. I've used this site to find my calendar for the past couple years, so I thought I'd recommend them to you as well. Continue Reading

Today is a day of reflection. I can't believe it has been five years since Islamo-fascist terrorists barbarically hijacked airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Time really does pass by in an instant. As we remember the destruction wrought by evil people, lets take time to remember the lives that were lost and the impact that it has had on so many other people. I'm sure that the trauma... Continue Reading

On September 27th, I am going to award FIVE people with a free one-year membership to the Premier AdSense Coaching Club, my members-only site designed to help people increase the profitability of their web sites. How can you enter to win one of these five memberships? Easy! I present you with... The AdSense Code Sightings Contest! Here's the deal... Continue Reading

Alright, it's time for some fun and games. Are you familiar with the abundance of "tycoon" games on the market? You know the ones... Lemonade Tycoon Sim City Mall Tycoon Rollercoaster Tycoon etc... I thought it would be fun to put together an online game focused on making money with AdSense, and I'm pleased to invite you to come and try out The AdSense Game now! Be sure to follow the instructions so you can... 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

When I give talks explaining how people can use AdSense to earn high revenues, I focus on some very specific strategies. I do the same in my book. I explain which ad formats work best, discuss where to put them, how to blend them into the page and how to influence the ads that appear so that you can make sure you’re always earning the highest revenues possible. Continue Reading

On the road again... Just can't wait to be on the road again... ... that is as long as I am either on vacation with my family or traveling to a seminar! And that's what I am doing tomorrow... heading to Philadelphia for Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live seminar, where I will be joining other speakers and attendees for three days of intense learning, brainstorming and networking. I absolutely love going to seminars. Want to... Continue Reading

Everyone has their pet peeves, present company included. Being Saturday, I had to go to the store for a couple different things. I needed to pick up a framed poster at Hobby Lobby and I took my son to Best Buy so he could spend a gift card. At Hobby Lobby, I approached the checkout lanes and found there was only one girl handling all the customers. I took my spot in line behind the... Continue Reading

I've known Russell Brunson for a year of so. He is an incredibly smart young man who has become very successful online in a very short amount of time. Wildly successful. How has he done it? He has learned how to master the power of affiliate marketing. And now, Russell is offering a FREE CD called Affiliate Inferno. Continue Reading

If you have a site and want to get your visitor's attention, this is really cool stuff... Over 86% of web surfers have some sort of popup blocker installed. If you want to gather email addresses or request your visitors take some other action, popups have become ineffective. Until now... Impact Popup gets around popup blockers to display a very slick popup that you can install on your site in a matter of moments. Continue Reading

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

I 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

A week does not go by that I don't get an email from someone telling me that their AdSense account was closed. Most often, the email from the AdSense team starts with... "It has come to our attention that invalid clicks have been generated on the Google ads on your site(s). We have therefore disabled your Google AdSense account. Please understand that this step was taken in an effort to protect the interest of the... Continue Reading

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

I love to play games with my family. Board games, card games, party games. We like them all. Sure, sometimes we have a hard time agreeing on what to play. But once we get going we usually have a fun time. We are always on the lookout for new games to play. And with so many choices, how do you know which games will give the biggest bang for the buck? Continue Reading

I recently received a phone call from Jason Dinner, an associate of Mike Filsaime's. Since Mike is a superstar in my book, I wanted to hear what Jason had to say. As it turns out, Jason and Dennis Mecca are putting together a fantastic, content-packed, live educational teleseminar series. And it won't cost you a dime. (I like free!) The series is called the Accelerated Success System Continue Reading

With over 65,000,000 members, Rupert Murdoch's My Space is a juggernaut in the online world. Sure, it is largely a wasteland of 18 to 22 year olds trying to "hook up" with each other. But I can see where the networking tools of the site can be used for those who aren't just looking for a "date". Continue Reading

I am currently in a top-secret location with an unnamed group of people. What do we have in common? We are all online entreprenuers. Why gather? Because when people get together and begin discussing their lives, powerful stuff takes place. Continue Reading

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

I was flying at 30,000 feet, gazing out at the horizon and the cities below. I was somewhere between Raleigh and Memphis, but I wasn't sure where. I wondered exactly what city I was looking down upon from so high in the sky, and I thought of my recent dabbling with Google Earth. If you haven't used Google Earth yet, you are missing out on an extremely cool application that allows you to soar across... Continue Reading

Courageous people take courageous action. I applaud South Dakota for being the first state to stand up for women and the unborn in the battle to put an end to the culture of death. I have no doubt that the history books in the future will reference two points when discussing abortion in America. Continue Reading

I had two telephone consultations today. One of them was scheduled with a client. Another was spontaneous with a contact that I met at a seminar a few months back. But both of them had something in common. Each person was trying to figure out how they could create a profitable business online. Continue Reading

About eight years ago, a friend turned me on to the music of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Their work can be described as bombastic and theatrical rock and roll with a distinctly classical feel created for the Christmas season. Continue Reading

An intoxicated couple en route from the U.K. to Jamaica caused quite a stir in their attempts to join the "mile-high" club. The British Airways staff became suspicious when the couple's moans of pleasure were all-too-obvious. Continue Reading

Republicans and Conservatives are having a great time this week as the far left continues to repulse more and more Americans with their extremists views. Continue Reading

Yesterday morning, M told me she didn't feel well. Around 11 am, I realized that I didn't feel too good either. By 12 noon I left the office and wasn't sure if I was going to make it home without getting sick. Continue Reading

"Ready for some $13 pancakes?", I asked M as we made our way to the hotel lobby. Continue Reading

"Bush is stupid" is always a great way to start a conversation. Seriously... bold, definitive statements are the doorway from which we can expand our knowledge base and increase in wisdom. Continue Reading

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

I am sitting in Chicago O'Hare airport reflecting on this past weekend. Yes, I am taking the long way home from North Carolina, but you do what you gotta do. Anyhow... Continue Reading

I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Of course, all hotels are beginning to look the same to me. Though were it not for the fact that I looked out the window of the airplane and took in a spectacular view of the Smoky Mountains, I wouldn't know the difference. Continue Reading

I just got back from one of the the most educational and inspiring seminars of my entire life. My friend, Jeff Walker, suggested that I go to Armand Morin's Big Seminar in Los Angeles. On his advice, I registered just a couple weeks ago. It cost $2000, but I trust Jeff and took his advice. Words cannot describe the weekend I just experienced. Continue Reading

I am currently in Los Angeles attending Armand Morin's Big Seminar, an Internet marketing conference unlike any I have previously attended. This is Armand's sixth conference of this nature (he does them bi-annually) and you can tell that he really loves what he does. There are over 400 people here and the atmosphere is absolutely electric. It is a top-notch, classy operation. From the hotel to the speakers to the food and everything in between... Continue Reading

If the radical Islamofascist plan for the world is not evident now to everybody, it will never be. The President of Iran has called for Israel to be "wiped off the face of the map". Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made comments on Friday during an anti-Israeli rally. Continue Reading

My favorite Aunt in the whole world is my Aunt Joan. She is my mother's younger sister and I have some fantastic memories of her from my childhood. She was always bubbly, gregarious, fun-loving and pleasant to be around. She loved her parents, her sisters, her children, her nieces and nephews and her grandchildren with a passion. Everyone knew when Joan was in the room. Her laugh was something akin to a "cackle", and she... Continue Reading

Did you know that just about anyone can make money online? With knowledge, discipline and persistence, the Internet can be a pot of gold for anyone willing to pursue their dream. Let's face it. Even though the world wide web is about ten years old, it is still in its infancy. And it is NOT too late to claim your piece of the Internet pie. Continue Reading

Random thoughts for today... I'm finally starting to see through the scam known as "insurance". What ticks me off most is health insurance. It doesn't matter how healthy you are. Once you are accepted by a company, they religiously increase your rates every premium period just because they can. So what to do? Change insurance companies. My premium got cut in half when I did this. Of course, in just a few years, it will... 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

I've had the privilege to meet quite a few people in the Internet industry over the past ten years. I've had the pleasure of turning many business associates into dear friends. One such friend whom I am honored to know is Dave Taylor. Dave is one of the brightest, thoughtful individuals I know. And that's on top of being a super nice guy! Dave is also a "go-to" guy when it comes to blogging. In... Continue Reading

One of my friends recently said to me, "I'm surprised you haven't written anything about Cindy Sheehan." Truth of the matter is, I have felt sorry for this woman. She is clearly being used as a pawn of the far-left radical socialists. She is allowing the tragic death of her son as a platform to advance anti-American ideals that are incredibly damaging to the war we are fighting. Here she is being carted away by... Continue Reading

Slowly but surely, the truth about abortion is coming to the surface in the American mindset. More and more women are speaking out about how abortion has hurt them terribly, leaving a wake of destruction in their personal lives. So many of society's ills can be traced back to an abortion in someone's life. Drug addictions. Eating disorders. Sexual dysfunction. Depression. There is a cause and effect link between taking the unborns baby's life and... Continue Reading

Growing up with the Muppets, I did not hesitate to buy this DVD. After watching 30 minutes of it with my 10 year-old daughter and wife, we turned it off in disgust. My daughter said, "This is NOT the Wizard of Oz". And my wife and I repeatedly exchanged glances as we could not believe the inappropriate humor that was laced hroughout this movie. Jokes about being sexy... jokes about nipples... jokes that do NOT... Continue Reading

I don't understand spanish. But when I was approached by a gentleman from Latin America asking if he could translate my Google AdSense ebook into his native tongue, I said "sure!". So now, I am going international. I have also been approached by a person from Italy and another from Japan, so I've got those editions in the works too. Still waiting for someone to show an interest in the Swahili edition... Lo Que Google... Continue Reading

In the midst of a global war on terror, it's good to see the President coming out for some of the battles on the home front. WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush reignited debate over evolution by advocating teaching concept of intelligent design in schools. That view promotes the idea that an unseen force is behind the development of humanity. Scientists claim intelligent design has no supporting evidence and is an attempt... Continue Reading

When I first heard that Tim Burton was doing a version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I thought "Oh no. He's going to butcher it." Don't get me wrong. For the most part, I like Tim Burton's work. Yes, he is bizarre, and probably somewhat twisted. But I like his creative flair. I enjoy his unusual characters and camera angles. But I also have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and thoroughly enjoyed Willy... Continue Reading

Tonight, I grudgingly sat through War of the Worlds. I went with Mary and another couple because we wanted to do something and all the other movies looked like garbage. The movie promised that I would be "on the edge of my seat". And I was. But that was only because I was slumped so far into my chair that my butt was hanging over the edge of the seat. With the exception of some... Continue Reading

Last week, I was contacted by a gentlemen asking me if I would take a look at his product. He claimed that his CD presentation would help anyone start a web business by following his simple instructions. I said, "sure, go ahead and send it" I now have previewed a copy of EZ Web Business Builder, and I have to say that it is a truly fabulous product. The author's name is Jim Daniels, and... 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'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

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

I am sick to my stomach after reading this story about some High School punks sexually abusing a 16-year old disabled girl while other students stood by and watched. Rather than rehash the incredibly disgusting story (and the castrated administrators and teachers who have NO business being in the educational system), I want to address the real problem. Our society has not only become to permissive, but corporations and many leaders are now endorsing immoral... Continue Reading

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

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

Have you caught any of the recent news stories about (the lack of) Internet security for people with Windows PCs? I have and it concerned me enough to actively seek help. Frankly, there are some frightening threats out there that you need to be aware of. For instance, are you familiar with "Spyware?" This is monitoring software that is secretly copied onto your computer without your knowledge or consent. Its purpose? To record as much... Continue Reading

After a long drawn-out fight, Michael Schiavo has succeeded in his goal to starve his wife to death. Terri Schiavo is dead and has entered eternity. Michael Schiavo must live on with the consequences of his murderous choices. It is a dark day in American history. We have been tested ethically and morally, and have failed as a nation. We are moving towards the European model of euthenasia, where other people decide whether or not... 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

People are truly amazing. Sam Kimery of Seattle has created a little device that screws into the back of your TV set. It's purpose? To block Fox News from appearing. Seriously. He's a disgruntled Republican and felt the need to make a statement. Of course, he doesn't even use it on his TV. The funniest part is that 100 idiots have actually purchased one of these devices. Psst. I have FREE advice for you people... Continue Reading

I love finger food. There's nothing like the simplicity of enjoying cheese sticks and chicken fingers off the platter. But Wendy's has apparantly taken finger food to the next level. SAN JOSE, Calif. Mar 23, 2005 — A woman's meal at a Wendy's restaurant brought a whole new meaning to the term "finger food." The woman bit into a portion of a human finger while eating a bowl of chili Tuesday night at the San... Continue Reading

You may be wondering, "What happened to Joel? How come he isn't blogging?" Then again, perhaps you could care less. It's called "a vacation'. Sure, it's a novel idea, but one I like to test from time to time. See you when I am rested. Or if I just can't stand it and have to say something. Continue Reading

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

You know the kind I am talking about. The wife is sick, so I am up early to take them to school. The server is crashing, so I am on the phone with my webmasters attempting to resolve it. The call comes from school. My son may have chipped his tooth. He can't eat anything solid, so I pick him up and buy him a bowl of soup and take him to the dentist. Overwhelmed... Continue Reading

I am a Type-A personality. My mind typically goes 100 MPH and I tend to thrive on being busy. I may even be somewhat addicted to stress, as I do some of my best work under pressure. Because of this, my blood pressure has tended towards borderline and I don't always chill out so easily. My next-door neighbor at work is Dr. Mark Morgan. Mark is a chiropracter and practicioner of alternative medicines. He has... Continue Reading

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

If you haven't shopped at Amazon.com, you probably aren't reading this entry. Let's face it, just about everyone has made a purchase from Amazon.com at some point. But have you ever tried to contact Amazon customer service? I challenge you to find a phone number on the Amazon.com web site. Go ahead. Look. You won't find it. Why not? They don't want you to. Amazon would rather deal with customers via email. But that doesn't... Continue Reading

The biggest earthquake to hit planet earth in 40 years hit Southeast Asia with a vengeance today, triggering tidal waves and tsunamis that have killed thousands of people. JAKARTA, Indonesia - The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across southern and southeast Asia on Sunday, killing more than 7,200 people in six countries. Tourists, fishermen, homes and cars were swept away by walls... Continue Reading

And I thought it was going to be as simple as getting on an airplane... Our flight home was initially scheduled for 6:30 pm, putting us into OKC around 8:30 pm. However, our schedule for the day was clear, so we decided to head to the airport early in hopes of catching an earlier flight on standby. We arrived shortly after 12:15 pm and attempted to book on the 1:11 pm flight. It had been... Continue Reading

On Thanksgiving Day, I did what any respectable guy would do. Besides stuffing my face, I took some time to browse the sale papers for Friday's big bonanza. I found the usual suspects. Circuit City, Comp USA, Best Buy and Ultimate Electronics. Even Target's ad got a once over from me. Many of the bargains looked quite appealing, but there was no way in the world I was going to get up at 5:30 am... Continue Reading

Stop whatever you are doing. Really. Unless you are caring for your sick mother, desperately need to go to the bathroom or there is a tornado heading for your house, stop whatever you are doing. I have just installed one of the coolest applications I have seen in a long time. I'm sure you will agree. Earlier this year, I wrote about Microsoft's Terraserver, which give an ariel view of the US using USGS topographic... Continue Reading

Some sites I have recently bookmarked... Oklahoma City Astronomy Club - My son has become increasingly interested in the planets and stars, so I believe I am going to look into checking these folks out. American Oddities - You have got to see this unusual collection of photographs of homes and office buildings. What's My IP? - Need to know your IP address? Not sure what an IP address is, or why you would need... Continue Reading

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

Me and my family spent the last four nights in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, one of our favorite places to visit in the fall. The Ozarks rise to almost 2000 feet and are a touch of natural beauty only a few hours away from the plains of Central Oklahoma. Eureka Springs is particularly beautiful because it is a small town (population 2900) nestled in the mountains. Many of the streets are reminiscent of San Francisco, with... Continue Reading

Charles Krauthammer, writing for the Jewish World Review, has come out with an article that precisely nails down the problem with John Kerry and John Edwards. Highlights from Krauthammer's article... This is John Edwards on Monday at a rally in Newton, Iowa: "If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up... Continue Reading

From today's edition of FamilyFirst... Today's Family First site is one that seeks to help level the playing field in current political climate. Sort of a ying to the more liberal yang that seems to be cluttering the airwaves, print media, and bandwidth of the Internet. While some of you may scoff at the material presented on this site, call it lies, hateful deception, and other things that can't and won't be repeated here, just... Continue Reading

The most requested DVDs of all time are finally going to be hitting the retail shelves today. Faster than you can say, "Use the Force, Luke", The Star Wars Trilogy DVD set will probably break all records for DVD sales. I know that I will be contributing my $45 to George Lucas's pocketbooks as I plan on picking up my copy on my way to work today. If you can stand to wait a few... Continue Reading

There is just too much to talk about today. I'm not sure where to start, so I'll just hit the highlights... RatherBiased.com has been documenting the extreme liberal bias of Dan Rather and CBS news for several years. Memogate is the icing on the cake and hopefully the end of this radical evening newscaster. John Kerry and the Democrat party is imploding faster than you can say "Vietnam". Hurricane Ivan is slamming the Florida panhandle... Continue Reading

Teresa Heinz Kerry has put her foot in her mouth again. Liberals are always accusing conservatives of "hate speech". According to a story in the Associated Press, Teresa Heinz Kerry says "only an idiot" would fail to support her husband's health care plan. But Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, told the (Lancaster) Intelligencer Journal that "of course, there are idiots." Kerry's proposal includes health care subsidies for children, the unemployed... Continue Reading

I have nothing personal against Al Gore. I'm sure he's a very nice person if you get to know him. I think his policies are attrocious and I can't thank God enough that he lost the Presidency. But he's in the news again and its a humorous story. A police officer in Oregon pulled over a speeding vehicle, only to find out it was none other then the former democratic candidate for President. Most of... Continue Reading

It was just like any other day. I booted up my computer and started to check on my web sites. And as happens from time to time, my sites were not coming up quickly or at all. My first thought is that a server is down. I test another server and see that it is not communicating either. Now I start thinking my T1 to the office is down. So I apply the test to... Continue Reading

The California Supreme Court got one right. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday voided the nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned in San Francisco this year and ruled unanimously that the mayor overstepped his authority by issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The court said the city violated the law when it issued the certificates, since both legislation and a voter-approved measure defined marriage as a union between a man... Continue Reading

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

We checked out of Beaver Creek around noon today, leisurely packing and enjoying the remainder of our stay. Jenna wanted to try the bungee trampoline, so we let her bounce for a few minutes before we left the resort. I think the height intimidated her, but she had fun. The drive from Beaver Creek to Keystone was less than an hour, but we stopped in Frisco en route to get something to eat. We enjoyed... 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

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

Several years ago, I remember going to the theatre with Mary to see a Martin Short film called Clifford. It took us about 15 minutes to walk out of the theatre and request a refund, something I had never done before or since. It was THAT bad. We just got done watching a movie that makes Clifford look like Shakespeare. Over the years, Christian film-makers have lagged behind secular filmmakers for lack of creative scripts... 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

For all who have gone before to ensure our freedom and libery, I offer you a heartfelt "thank you". Thank you for your sacrifice. It has not been in vain. Glenn Beck did an incredible audio essay on Vietnam, but it is very appropriate for a day such as today. It is ten minutes long and worth every second. Have a tissue handy. Click here to listen Continue Reading

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

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

Admittedly, my tastes run a bit eccentric. I don't enjoy odd films just because they are odd. Maybe I am odd. Anyhow, I ran across a documentary that I just had to have. It promised thrills, excitement and all the fun that is inherent in a National Spelling Bee contest. For real! Spellbound is a fascinating and fun film that follows eight children in their quest to become National Spelling Bee Champion. The eight children... Continue Reading

Oh, this will be a riot. Al Gore, the tree, is close to finalizing his cable TV channel deal. Imagine, Al TV, 24/7, in stereo. First, we get a liberal radio network. I'm sure people will be tuning in Al Franken to listen to his obnoxious voice and unfunny commentary. NOT! It only gets better. Read about Gore's attempt to launch a "hip" TV network. I like this. The more money liberals pour into doomed... Continue Reading

For your entertainment pleasure, I present five fun sites to liven up your surfing experience... Chicken Shoot - a barnyard blast! Home of the Underdogs - Download old computer games Just Adventure - a dying genre of computer games Yahoo! Games - Look for my face as an avatar in the table games Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - play the original Douglas Adams/Infocom text adventure online Continue Reading

What happens when you combine one the best-selling rock albums of all time with one of the best films of all time? Strange stuff. Filmed in 1939, The Wizard of Oz is an enduring classic from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Who hasn't delighted in the wonderful tale of Dorothy Gale and her journey into the weird and wonderful land of Oz? Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the... 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

Finally, the day has arrived. While I won't see The Passion of Christ until Sunday, I have watched the Primetime Live interview with Mel Gibson as well as The Making of the Passion which showed on PAX TV this evening. It's not like the ending can be spoiled. The reviewers are beginning to chime in, and sure enough, the folks at The New York Times just don't get it. But who expected they would? As... Continue Reading

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

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

I have love. I just don't know where to put it. What can we forgive? It's been a couple weeks since my last review in the series titled, The 15 Best Movies Ever, but I now know why it has taken me so long. Initially not on my top 15 list, but a runner-up, I have been wanting to watch Magnolia for several weeks. Tonight I finally got the opportunity to do so. It is... Continue Reading

Here are a handful of links for your surfing pleasure: Free Online Lookups - very cool stuff - find out which of your neighbors donated to a federal election campaign, get a zip code based on phone area code, and locate the post office nearest to any location. Like I said, cool stuff. The Daily .WAV - download sound files for your PC Word Spy - Just what IS bluejacking anyway? I Work with Fools... Continue Reading

On the first day, God created the heavens and earth... and so goes the first words of the Bible. Take an animated multimedia tour through the first seven days of Creation through this very cool flash movie. The Art Mill has produced several other animations on the page, so be sure to check out several of them. Be sure not to miss the one titled "The Arrival" as it is highly appropriate for the Christmas... Continue Reading

M. Night Shyamlan is a modern day Alfred Hitchcock. To date, he has made several films, including Unbreakable (with Bruce Willis) and Signs (with Mel Gibson). I thoroughly enjoyed both of these pictures, but it is his first film that has stayed with me as unforgettable. I am speaking of #12 in my series of The 15 Best Movies Ever, The Sixth Sense. In this film, Shyamalan proves he is the new master of suspense... Continue Reading

Hello. My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. By most standards, The Princess Bride should have been no more than a mere blip in the history of cinema. The fairy-tale story of the handsome hero, of the beautiful damsel held against her will by an evil prince, and of the sappy happily-ever-afters undoubtedly attached to the end has been endlessly repurposed by Hollywood again and again. However, when Rob Reiner... Continue Reading

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a fellow 'net pioneer this week. Barbara Feldman of SurfNetKids, one of the best kid sites writes a nationally syndicated article, writes books and keeps up with a handful of web sites. She is a really neat lady with great ideas! Barbara's latest feature is an inspirational flash movie called Light an Educational Fire. If you are parent, teacher, grandparent or if you are in any category that... Continue Reading

When we were on our month-long road trip, one of our key stops was in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the place where the pilgrims first set foot on the continent after disembarking the Mayflower. Click here to read about our journey to this historic location. And click here to learn more about the first Thanksgiving. One of the stops on our trip was in Niagra Falls, Canada. While we were there, we visited a church. As it... Continue Reading

Mary and I had the opportunity to escape for a rare "date night" last night, and what a great night it was! We started the evening with dinner at Cascata Ristorante, a fine Italian dining establishment in Edmond. The atmosphere was charming and it was a pleasure to be waited on by a very professional wait staff. It all looked quite good so we decided to order two plates and share them. We ordered the... Continue Reading

About six years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a new Christmas CD by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For those not familiar with the band, they are all rock and rollers, many with a heavy metal background. Their first album, Christmas Eve and other Stories is unlike anything I've ever heard before. It's a rock opera. It's spiritual. It's progressive rock. Simply put, it is an album that captures the essence of Christmas better... Continue Reading

Today we visited The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As a Jew, I have been wanting to see the museum for a long time. I knew it would be a "must see" if I ever made it to Washington. I'm not sure I can put my experience into words, and perhaps it is best that I don't even try. I don't want to minimize my visit into simple cliches. I'll sum up by saying this... Continue Reading

I'm not sure how to put today's experience into words. As i reflect on our visit to Gettysburg, I feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of information and emotions that I have yet to fully assimilate. We started the day by checking out of the Red Roof Inn in Harrisburg and driving to Gettysburg. It was around 1 pm when we arrived at the visitor center. I examined the CD audio driving tours and settled... Continue Reading

Our time at the Conwell Inn has been great. The room is very nice and they have had some sort of breakfast downstairs every morning. When I took the dog out this morning, I was pleased to see a hot waffle iron and cups of batter. I surprised Mary and the kids with fresh waffles to get the day off on the right foot. Unfortunately, Mary hasn't felt good the past couple of days, so... Continue Reading

So long New Jersey. Hello Pennsylvania. For the second time on this journey, we are in Pennsylvania. The first time we passed through the west end on our way to Niagara Falls. This time we are stopping for four nights in Philadelphia. There is so much history here and we are going to attempt to squeeze as much in as possible. I had a very hard time finding a place to stay in the city... Continue Reading

We did not want to go through the trial of commuting into NYC again today, so we took it nice and easy. We opted for a leisurely lunch at the food court at the mall, the kids did their schoolwork and I had a little playtime on the computer. I haven't said much about Socrates in my blog, but he is having a great time "running with the pack". He's a good dog, except when... Continue Reading

We had a horrible night at the Quality Inn in Lyndhurst, NJ. It was supposed to be a non-smoking room, but the odor was there just the same. I went to the front desk and they gave me an ionizer to use in the room. We gave it a shot, but it didn't do the trick and the odor was giving Mary a headache. It was late and the kids were already falling asleep, so... Continue Reading

Today was a driving day. We left Boston, MA, and drove through Connecticut and New York on the way to Lyndhurst, New Jersey. If the weather holds up, we'll be visiting Ground Zero tomorrow. Now then. On with the contest! Win a software collection Here's how to enter. So far, we have staying in Jacksonville, MO; Champaign, IL; Dayton, OH; Cleveland, OH; Niagara Falls, Canada; Bennington, VT; Bernardston, MA; Saugus, MA; and now Lyndhurst, NJ... Continue Reading

Day of rest. Laundry. Eating. Walking the dog. Packing for tomorrow. Leisurely time at Barnes and Noble. That was our day. Tomorrow we head for New York City! Continue Reading

We started the day at Ro and Kyle's Bed and Breakfast. What great people these two are, and what a blessing it was to spend the night with them, enjoying good food and conversation. They are planning on driving to Boston on this weekend to spend more time with us exploring the sites. We hit the road around noon and set course for the Boston area. We weren't in a hurry and figured that we... Continue Reading

Finding a church to worship at while out of town is always a challenge. You just never know what you are going to get. As it turned out, I opened the yellow pages, placed a call to a church, asked a couple questions and decided that I had found a place. Redeemer Bible Church is a medium-sized church about five miles from the falls, just off the highway. The church placesa high emphasis on music... Continue Reading

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

Man, am I beat. It has been a LONG day, but quite enjoyable. The kids did a lot of their school work in the room this morning while I took a walk around the area. I am determined to continue exercising while we are on this trip lest I move up a waist size. We got going around noon and set course for St. Louis. I did not realize that the mountains/hills went this far... Continue Reading

Around 3 pm Sunday afternoon, Mary came into the office and said something like, "If we would have thought of it, we could have just left today." I stared at her for about one second and spoke, "Well, why don't we?" I don't think she realize what she got herself into! We furiously gathered everything together and packed up the van. Just when I thought it was full, Mary pointed out another item that needed... Continue Reading

As we prepare for our trip next Monday, we have nailed down most of the major locations for our journey. We will be leaving Edmond, OK and staying in several cities for more than one night. These cities include: Niagara Falls Boston, MA Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC New York City, NY There are plenty of other locations that we'll stay for one night, to be discussed later this week. We've got plenty to prepare for... Continue Reading

Say hello to Mr. Jeffies, the dog with the largest ears in the world as now recognized by the new 2004 Guiness Book of World Records. Mr Jeffries is a Bassett Hound, and his ears measure 11.5 inches each! He lives with his owner, Phil Jeffries, in West Sussex, England. The dog's full name is Knightsfollie Ladiesman and he is the grandson of Biggles, the face of Hush Puppies shoes. His ears are insured for... Continue Reading

Mary and I had a date night on Friday and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Having grown up with the DisneyWorld ride that the movie is derived from, I was curious to see the film. While reviews have been mixed, the public has spoken by making it a summer blockbuster. I went with an open mind, very much wanting to be entertained. I wasn't. I was downright bored... Continue Reading

Stick another notch in the belt of pro-lifers as the fight for the unborn continues. Check out this story. SMILING FROM THE WOMB Pioneering scanning techniques have produced astonishing images from inside the womb which show babies apparently smiling and crying. Experts believe the breakthrough could lead to advances in baby health for a whole range of conditions, including Down's Syndrome. The pictures offer a new insight into foetal behaviour. The ultra-sound scanning techniques capture... Continue Reading

Holy Moses. If this isn't BIG BROTHER attempting to claw away at your privacy with his big hands, I don't know what is. This from the Washington Post. Fliers to Be Rated for Risk Level New System Will Scrutinize Each Passenger, Assign Color Code In the most aggressive -- and, some say, invasive -- step yet to protect air travelers, the federal government and the airlines will phase in a computer system next year to... Continue Reading

Named after the episode of Happy Days where the Fonz jumped a shark on waterskis, Jump the Shark is a guilty pleasure that can consume many hours of your time. The term refers to an exact moment in time where a television show took a turn for the worse. Reminisce with others who think Seinfeld was perfect up until the very last episode. Disagree with others who think the Brady Bunch went downhill after Cousin... Continue Reading

Finally! The third sequel to the best-selling adventure series, Myst, is gearing up for release. Unlike its predecessors, Riven and Exile, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is going to be massively multiplayer online role playing game. The game will have both single-player and multiplayer components, taking place in a a myst-like environment, surrounded by places to explore and puzzles to solve. It is a very ambitious project, to be sure. Continue Reading

Ok, so now Al Qaida is taking credit for the blackouts on the East coast. The one paragraph that really stuck out to me was this... "The statement, which Al-Hayat obtained from the website of the International Islamic Media Center, didn't specify the way the alleged sabotage was carried out. The communiqué read: 'let the criminal Bush and his gang know that the punishment is the result of the action, the soldiers of God cut... Continue Reading

We discovered a great new game yesterday. Using nothing more than a GPS device (Global Positioning Satellite), our car and the cooperation of other fun seekers, we participated in an anytime sport known as GeoCaching! Essentially, people all over the world create the treasure that others would see. Take an old shoebox and fill it with various knickknacks. Find a place to stash it, often a public park. Get your hands on a GPS device... Continue Reading

Tonight, Rusty and I are going to see Weird Al Yankovic in concert. Ever since having heard his eBay song, my friend has been playing it over and over. Since Rusty's birthday is coming up (sometime this year), I am taking him to see the show as an early present. I'm not sure what to expect, but I bet it will be zany and madcap! Continue Reading

I decided to go check out the new Aspen Athletic Club that is opening just 1.5 miles away from our house. Mary and I have been talking about joining a club for a while, so I thought I'd stop be on my way to work. The actual club is still being built, but they have a temporary facility set up where they can sell memberships. I don't like long sales pitches and I had more... Continue Reading

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

We got a late start this morning, but isn't that what vacationing is all about? Jenna is so excited about going horseback riding, so we walked to the stable and made a reservation for tomorrow at 10:30 am. She will be riding a black and white horse named Questa. Every time we passed the stable today, she pointed out Questa to all of us. Took a photo of Jenna out front of the lodge. For... Continue Reading

I slept in this morning and Mary didn't feel great, so we planned on taking it easy today and not doing anything too physical. We jumped in the van and set out for Taos, about 45 minutes away. On the way, I was reading about things to do in the area and asked Mary to take a detour. About 20 minutes later, we found the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River Recreation Area. It was... Continue Reading

The kids were up at the crack of dawn, around 6:15 am. But we didn't mind much as we all slept through the night pretty good. I usually don't sleep my first night at high altitude, so it was refreshing. I was still tired, but it was fine. We lazed around the room for a good while before jumping in the car to explore. We decided to drive to Questa, about 10 miles west of... Continue Reading

We left Edmond mid-morning, around 9:30 am, and head for Red River, New Mexico. It was a VERY hot day for a drive, with temperatures reaching 102 degrees in Texas. The scenery is mostly plains and desert... not much to see. However, we DID see the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. This sucker was huge. And you can kind of see it in this photo, except for the truck that blocked the view as... Continue Reading

Mary and I just finished watching a television series called Manor House. This 3-part, 6-hour PBS series aired in 2002 and is now available on DVD. Manor House ranks as one of the best TV shows I have ever had the pleasure to watch. This was reality television at its very best, putting Survivor and Big Brother to shame (well, they are pretty shameful to begin with.) Basically, nineteen volunteers from the modern world move... Continue Reading

Recently, I have been looking to get some inexpensive web design for new sites I am developing. A friend referred me to DesignOutpost.com. What makes this site so unique is that the client (that would be me in this case) runs a contest to have graphic design and html created. You simply post a message with the specifications for a site and offer a prize bounty for the winner. The bounty is pre-paid to designoutpost.com... 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

Ok, they are very cool to look at. And I am grateful for their contribution to nature. But I can't stand them buzzing around me. Glad I'm not in Claycomo, Missourri today. Imagine MILLIONS of bees on the loose. Be sure to watch the video. Continue Reading

What pooch doesn't love to go for a ride with the windows down? Apparantly, the automobile ride is quite popular amongst canines. Jerome Turner maintains Dogs in Cars and claims that he still "has a life". I'm not sure about that, but his site is a hoot. The site is exactly a titled, photos of dogs in cars. There are several hundred photos on the site as of this writing. Visit the "about" page for... Continue Reading

Today, I am eight-years old for the second time. Sure, I carry myself in the body of a 39-year old. I'm hairier and heavier than the last time I turned eight. But make no mistake. Thanks to the magic of eBay, I am reliving my childhood in a very meaningful way. I submit to you photographs of my favorite childhood toy animal. It was a kangaroo puppet named Foopy Doo. Lest you think I have... 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

While on vacation in Enid, OK, we took the kids to see Finding Nemo. It may just be the BEST Pixar animated feature to date! As they have done with several recent flicks, Pixar first taunted us with a short film. Knick Knack was their very first computer animated short film. This story of a snowman in a snow globe pining for the disproportionate blond from Miami had me in stitches for several minutes. 'Nuff... 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

Once again, if you are just joining us on this story, you may wish to click here to read so far. After the incredibly overwhelming reception (about 8 emails) I received from my print publication, I knew I needed to do something to get more exposure. It was then I met Ken Burge. He and I met around 1994 and instantly enjoyed discussing all things computers. I believe he was working for Texas Instruments at... Continue Reading

Staying on track with a pound a day. It sure sounds tempting to go get some pizza. Instead, I'm going to mow the lawn and hit the treadmill. Continue Reading

This is getting old REAL fast. We just came out of the storm shelter. We had some rotation go right over our neighborhood. Fortunately, no twister dropped down out of it. Weather throughout central and eastern Oklahoma is bad today. I'm ready for tornado season to be OVER! But I sure am glad I put in the storm shelter last year. Continue Reading

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

It was touch and go early this week as the shocking news hit the wires. News so terrifying, so insidious, and so darned ridiculous that many were questioning whether or not the pod people had taken over. Of course, I am speaking Stephen Joseph, the moron (re: attorney) in San Francisco (where else?) who filed to BAN Oreo cookies in California. Why? He said the popular cookie contains a life-threatening compound called trans fat. EEEEEEK... Continue Reading