Twitter Marketing Giveaway

Merle here. How's it going? Check this out..

I was invited to be part of this great JV with a TON of ebooks and software. It is expected to get about 5000 members in just a few days. Who knows, maybe up to 10,000 new members. The promotion will hopefully have over 200,000 visitors injust a few days. So the exposure will be great.

The promoters, Bob Tompkins Todd Gross & Reed Floren have asked me if I knew anyone that would want to participate in this venture...

I think you will really like what they are doing here and I know you will jump on board like I did ASAP. To get the "by Invite Only" private JV details, just go here. http://twittermarketinggiveaway.com/go/578/jv

There are only a few days to get involved.

Thanks,

P.S.They made it so easy. It's all dynamic. You set the text and logo's yourself it it is automatically andinstantly added to the sales pages and members area..

Yahoo and Microsoft Strike a Deal

Have you heard about the new deal between Microsoft and Yahoo Search? "Yahoo will become the exclusive search advertising provider for Microsoft’s search engine, Bing" -In this interview Danny Sullivan shares his thoughts on what it all means.

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"Size Really Does Matter - At Least When it Comes to Twitter"

Back in the days when newsletters first hit the Internet, they were usually published in text format because many email clients did not support HTML email just yet. One of the problems many publishers faced was long URL's being split in half and not being clickable to the reader. To solve this problem, shortening services started to spring up that would take a long URL and cut it down to a reasonable size.

With the popularity of Twitter and the confines of 140 characters, URL (link) shortening services are in high demand once again. When you have such a small amount of space to work with, no one wants a long URL cutting into thatprecious real estate.

There are a variety of shortening services to choose from, each having their own specific features and benefits. Most of them do work hand in hand with Twitter, allowing you to Tweet the link once it's been shortened. If you're an avid Twitter user this is a useful feature to have.

Some only offer a basic shortening service, but many allow you to view stats and metrics on your newly shortened links if you register. If you're doing any form of social media marketing, it's nice to be able to see if anyone's actually clicking on all the links you're sending out to the "Twitosphere", or posting on Facebook and other sites. Tracking will give you an indication that you're being heard and that people are actually paying attention to what you have to say.

Another important thing to look for is whether or not the shortening service uses 301 redirects. This is the most search engine friendly, and forces the search engine to look at the destination URL, not the domain of the shortening service itself. A 301 stands for a permanent move, not temporary. What this means is, you want the links you're sending out to be given credit by the search engines, not the shortening service itself. Make sense?

Many allow custom URL's, which allows you to use your name or company name in the links you create. This is great for branding purposes. Think of it as a vanity license plate. Instead of being just a regular URL it's your own special creation.

Let's review a few options:

1) http://TweetBurner.com- A bare bones tracking service which
allows you to shorten any link and then share it
instantly with your Twitter followers or Friendfeed.
Basic stat tracking is available so you can see
how many people clicked on your link.

2) http://Cli.gs - A shortening service which includes full
analytics. You can create links that include your brand
in them. Free to use. It's easy to send your links to
Twitter with one click.

3) http://Bit.ly - This is Twitter's default shortening
service and used by Tweedeck.com. It allows you to
track performance of your links in real time. Easy to
share generated links on Twitter, Facebook, even Gmail.
It also offers many extra tools and plug-ins such as a browser
bookmarklet and browser sidebar.

4) http://MyTwitterToolbar.com - Free to download and comes
complete with a massive list of URL shorteners as well as over
50 Twitter tools. Also includes 100 Twitter tips.

5) http://www.TwitClicks.com - A fairly simple service
that allows you to shorten a URL immediately and tweet
it. Can also see complete stats. Detailed stats show
percentage of browsers used and locations of those
who clicked. Check out a short video on how to use
it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ScPeCd6X4

6) http://www.ExpandMyUrl.com - This service takes
a shortened link and gives you the true URL that
it points to. Perfect for the paranoid individual
who wants to know where the shortened link will
send them.

7 http://www.TwitPwr.com - A short URL service
which also includes analytics and stats. Their
home page shows the top 25 users with the most
TwitPwr and also a "hot URL" list of those URL's
that get the most clicks. Free to use.

8) http://1link.in - A multiple link shortening
service. Simply type in a list of links and get
one link back for all. If you click on the newly
shortened link it goes to a page showing details
of what sites that link points to, and asks if you
want to open them all. If you answer yes, multiple
windows will open for each site.

9) http://Go2.me - A different type of link shortening
and discussion service which creates shorter links
which also contain a chat window to exchange comments
with your readers. It's also easy to share on Twitter,
Facebook or email with one click.

10) http://Tw.itter.me - You can customize the
shortened link with your name or company name.
From what I saw no stats are available.

11) http://budurl.com/ - Another popular service
which shows you a real time view of your inbound
clicks. This free service allows you to track
up to 250 Budurl's. They offer 3 pay levels of
service from $4.00 a month to $49.00 a month. There is a
21 day free trial on any paid service. You can
start out free and upgrade your account at any
time.

12) http://Tr.Im - Trim those long URL's and
instantly share them on Twitter. If you want
stats, you'll need to register. Offers many
different tools and extensions to make for
easier sharing, such as a Firefox extension
that allows you to view your tr.im stats and
tweet your new links quickly.

13) http://short.ie - Keeps all your shortened
links in one place. Tracks clicks and allows
you to instantly share your list with friends.
It can also be connected to your Twitter account
for more features. Customization of URL's also
available.

14) http://hootsuite.com: Not really a URL
shortening service, but has the ability built in.
Hootsuite is a "Twitter Toolbox" loaded with
features which are all free. They use ow.ly
as their built in link shortener.

If you've never tried a url shortening service, you'll want to find one that fits your needs and start to really utilize it in your online marketing activities.  Finding out who's clicking on your links,time of day, where they're from and other information will be very valuable in your ongoing efforts as an Internet Marketer.

Remember, when it comes to social media marketing T.M.I (too much information) is a good thing,
unlike when your Aunt Ethel wants you to sit with her and go over every detail of her latest
vacation <grin>. One is helpful, the other just downright painful.

Is Social Media Marketing Worth Your While?

Is social media marketing really worth your time? Find out in this enlightening video that tries to answer that question.

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If You Tweet- You Need TweetDeck

Do you Twitter? I have to admit I'm addicted. As soon as I log in online one of the first places I check is Twitter. But I don't log into their site and use the online interface, I use a third party free software called Tweetdeck.

With Tweetdeck I can see everyone's tweets, retweet other people's tweet, send direct messages and more. Tweetdeck makes it so easy to interact with those I follow and those following me. Another nice feature is being able to see my friends updates on Facebook from within the same interface and I can post my messages to Twitter and, if I want, send them to Facebook all at the same time. This is a real time saver. I love it.

So if you're a Twitter user and not using a third party solution for monitoring and posting I'd strongly suggest you download Tweetdeck http://tweetdeck.com/beta/

"Get Paid to Blog with Review Sites"

By Merle

Have you ever imagined getting paid to post to your blog? Yes, you heard me right. Get paid for writing on your blog. There are many bloggers that are making a steady stream of income by utilizing "review sites". Here's how it works. 

There are plenty of advertisers out there looking for bloggers to write about their products/services. Review websites bring both parties together, usually in exchange for a cut of the profits.

Before choosing a service to sign up with, make sure you read the terms of service to ensure you're picking one that's a good fit. If you use Google's Blogging service, some review sites won't accept you  as they'll only take blogs hosted on their own domains. It's smart to read their terms of service first before wasting your time submitting. Research how you'll be paid and also how you'll be notified of new review opportunities.

Remember to maintain your blog's integrity by only blogging about quality products and services you believe in or might use yourself. Be honest in your reviews. You'll also need to disclose somewhere on your blog that some of your postings are paid for. Failure to disclose could possibly get you in trouble with the FTC who are looking at putting new guidelines in place. Take a look at-
http://www.clicknewz.com/1891/ftc-to-regulate-social-media/

Let's review some of the more popular services-

1) BloggerWave.com- http://www.BloggerWave.com

Open an account and submit your blog. You decide what "jobs" you want to take on. You'll be paid via Paypal. Once your reviews are submitted Bloggerwave checks your work. Postings must stay on your blog for at least 30 days.

2) LoudLaunch.com- http://www.LoudLaunch.com

To apply, your blog must be at least two months old and you need to have a verified Paypal account. Add your blog for review. Once it's approved you can search through the database for available jobs and choose those that fit your website.

3) BlogVertise.com- http://www.Blogvertise.com

Register and submit your site for approval. Once approved your blog goes into what they call the
"assignment queue". You'll be assigned tasks that you can accept or deny. The current payout is $4.00 to $25.00 per posting. Most blogs fall into the $5 to $15.00 range.

4) PayU2Blog.com- http://www.PayU2Blog.com

This service is looking for honest reviews by quality bloggers. Payout every two weeks via Paypal.  Blogs must be at least 90 days old. It takes 2 to 3 days for the approval process.  If you don't hear from them you were not approved.

5) SponsoredReview.com- http://www.SponsoredReview.com

Looking for honest reviews on many different types of products and services. Bloggers must disclose "sponsored review" somewhere in the post. Advertisers can find you or you can search for advertisers directly. Constructive criticism is encouraged in your reviews and payout is every two weeks via Paypal.

6) Blogitive.com- http://www.Blogitive.com

After the submission process, it takes about two days to find out if you've been approved. Once approved  you can log into the site to see what jobs are available. Opportunities are varied and include cost per post advertising and soon ghost blogging, paid RSS and comment moderation.

7) Reviewme.com- http://www.ReviewMe.com

If approved, your blog will be listed in the marketplace and clients will purchase reviews from you. It's up to you if you want to accept those jobs or not. Payout ranges from $20.00 to $200.00 per review. Payout is monthly.

8) PayPerPost.com- http://www.PayPerPost.com

No approval process here. All blogs are welcome. Once in the system you'll begin to get offers. Bloggers set their own pricing, per link, per word. All offers will be emailed to blog owners. If a job is accepted you have three days to complete it. Payout is every 30 days for any monies earned.

9) BuyABlogger.com- http://www.BuyABlogger.com

Advertisers are not charged to use this service. Blog owners decide on what opportunities to take or not take. Once your blog is listed, you just sit back and wait for the offers to come rolling in. Your blogs pagerank and Alexa stats are displayed in your profile.

10) BlogPostsForSale.com- http://www.BlogPostsForSale.com

List your blog and then look through the marketplace for open jobs. You'll be paid via Paypal. If you like, you can add a badge graphic to your blog that says "Hire Me" to quickly find those who want you to write about them on your blog.

11) Smorty.com- http://www.Smorty.com

Smorty offers two ways to earn an income. Bloggers can write an opinion of products and services, or they can publish pay-per-click ads on their blogs. Your blog needs to be over 30 days old to be approved. The approval process takes about 72 hours. Blog owners can list up to 10 blogs under one account. When accepting a job you have 24 hours to write your post. Payout per posts range from $6.00 to$100.00. Posts must be a minimum of 150 words and not over 400. Bloggers are paid weekly via Paypal.

As you can see there are a multitude of services to choose from when deciding to earn some cash by providing paid reviews on your blog.

Remember, don't sacrifice your blog's integrity by blogging about something you really don't believe in. If it's related to your blog, and you think it's something that may be helpful to your readers, by
all means that's the route to take.

Bloggers also need to add to their blog disclaimers that some posts are paid for, or some services require full disclosure from within the posting itself. You want to be ethical and honest, because if you lose your online reputation, you really have nothing left. If your readers stop having faith in you, they'll lose interest in your blog. It can take years to earn a reputable reputation and it can all be lost with one careless post. Just something to think about.

Goodbye Michael

When I first heard that Michael Jackson had died it was on Twitter. The news ran rampant online before the news media even picked it up. First they said he had a heart attack, but 5 minutes later they said he was dead. Wow! The news stunned me and hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember exactly what I was doing when the Tweets started, and probably will remember for the rest of my life.

Now let me clarify. I am by no means what you would call a “Michael Jackson” fan. I never went to his concerts or even spent one dime on his music. The only way I related to the man was with my childhood. I remember the Jackson 5 and this young kid singing his heart out. They were cool. They even had their own TV show for awhile and I remember liking their music. It would be many years later that Michael would branch out on his own. So to me, losing him, was like losing a piece of my childhood. Another chapter closed.

It was a different era back then so unlike the hostile cold world we live in today. People watched out for each other. Neighbors kept an eye on the neighborhood children and everyone said hello and called out your name. I don’t think they have “neighborhoods'” anymore. People are so transient and move so much, people don’t even know who their neighbors are anymore let alone speak to them.

Still there was something so sad and strangely moving about this man dying. Why did I feel so strongly about someone I never was a a fan of? A piece of my childhood went with him I guess. I’m sure this will date me, but there’s something sad about watching the people you grew up with slowly dying. It’s as if you realize your own mortality and know your time could come next. When you’re young you think you’re going to live forever. As we age, we start to worry about things you never thought about in your youth. Things like dying and death.

Michael Jackson was a master marketer. He fashioned his own life after PT Barnum who founded the Circus. Which we know of today as Ringling Brothers. They say he read PT Barnum’s autobiography and even told his PR people to read it as he wanted to fashion his life after the book. A lot of the strange stories that ran about him over the years actually were put out there on purpose by his PR people. Michael thought any publicity was good. The problem is unlike PT Barnum who promoted “freaks”, Michael slowly became one. I think he had the best of intentions, but somewhere along the way his “plan” backfired. Somewhere along the way his marketing message got skewed and like a runaway freight train once it started moving in the wrong direction, he was powerless to stop it.

There are many that “think” he molested children. I for one do not. I do think he was like a child himself and had a strange fascination with kids since he never got to be one himself, but I don’t think he ever would molest one. He just wanted to be a kid so badly he got wrapped up in the fantasy. When you think about it, it’s really sad. Sad that he never got to be a child. Sad that he was forced to grow up in the public’s eye. Sad that he never knew what “normal” was. Yes, he had a rough childhood and he said his father was strict, but back then parents were strict. My own mother spanked me with belts and paddles. Back then it was acceptable, today she’d be serving 10 years in prison for child abuse. Oh, how times change. What’s acceptable today is not tomorrow.

I know everyone is sick and tired of hearing about Michael Jackson. At least that’s what I hear from those around me. But let us not forget the sheer talent this guy had over decades. He was a master entertainer and a great humanitarian. Let’s try to focus on the good and forget some of the bad things we read in the press over the years. You can’t believe everything you read. He really did a lot of wonderful things and gave to many charities. Even in death he left 20% of his estate to charity. How many people do that?

I watched his memorial on TV which was only suppose to be 2 hours that ran almost 3. It was so touching. I could not stop watching it. I was literally glued to the screen. I’m not a softie and this type of thing generally has no affect on me. But this time it did. If you’re a human being, this service reminded you of what it means to be human. I hate to admit it but it brought tears to my eyes a few times. The powerful people who had such kind things to say about the King of Pop was mind boggling.

To the public he was “Wacko Jacko”, but to his family he was a loving father, a brother, a son. Let us not forget when we idolize people that they too are human and make mistakes just like everybody else. No matter if you hated the man or not, his death marked an end to an era and the world will probably never again see such a talent. It was a tragedy that came about way to soon.

Goodbye Michael, I hope now you can rest in peace without the media hounding your every move. May you find the peace in death you never knew in life.

Photo above courtesy of : http://www.flickr.com/photos/buda_fabiomori/sets/72157604002969010/

Dog and Orangutan are Best Friends

"This is video footage of Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the dog who became best friends upon meeting each other"- Video courtesy of http://www.rarespeciesfund.org/ This really is the cutest video...You have to see it to believe it.

"Beginners Guide to Using and Marketing with Twitter"- Free PDF

Do you use Twitter? I was a skeptic when I first heard of it but over the months I've been slowly sucked in to the point I can't stop. This micro blogging service is highly addictive and fun. If I need to get any work done I have to promise myself not to open Tweetdeck. You can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/msmerle

If you don't know te first thing about it download this free 31 Page PDF guide and learn how to get started. If you like it feel free to pass it on to others.

http://www.merlesworld.com/e-books/Twitter_Fast_Start.pdf

"Social Marketing Gifts Giveaway"

The one and only Social Marketing Gifts Giveaway has just opened it's doors...

... now you can download hundreds of social marketing tools and products for zero, zilch, nada

==> http://www.socialmarketinggifts.com/members.php?id=2277

This year's Social Marketing Gifts event is hosted by 2 of the Top Marketers in this industry: Guido Nussbaum and Stephanie Mulac.

They both have a huge experience in running giveaway events... so what happens when they'll team up? That's what they were asking themselves...

So we'll see if they together can pull out the Biggest Giveaway we've ever seen...

... we'll see...

So make sure you don't miss this one... as you might know, Social Marketing is currently the Hot Topic on the net.

What Comes Next in Social Media?

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Free Ebook- Over 500 Internet Marketing Strategies

Free ebook for your downloading pleasure "The Winning Way", the ultimate checklist of over 500 Internet marketing strategies. At 118 pages long it's loaded with helpful information to assist you with your online marketing. You will need to subscribe to the newsletter in order to download.

Some of what you'll find inside:

1) How to Optimize your website for the search engines.
2) How to build links to your website
3) Increase your Blog Subscribers
4) Increasing Traffic through: social media, local search, pay-per-click marketing and much more.

Download your copy now.