"Should you Freak Out Over the New FTC Guidelines?"

I’m sure you’ve been reading about the new FTC guidelines for bloggers and affiliate marketers. If not, you must be living under a rock. It’s everywhere. I ran across this article written by Marlon Sanders, which sums it all up with his usual sense of humor. I loved it an thought you might too.

Here is Marlon’s views on the new guidelines:
Let's talk about the latest FTC guidelines and how you should respond? You're going to be seeing lots of web sites and ads that say "The average person made .01 cents," or $1.00 or other such ridiculous numbers. Let's talk about WHY this is and what you should understand about it.  There's a bit of sane thinking in this ezine, or I think there is. So you might wanna read it.

The FTC published new guidelines about income claims and affiliate links.  Here's a great link to an interview about it from Fast Company: http://www.TurboProfits.com/tracking/go.php?c=oct10fast

Since I ain't no lawyer, you better learn about this stuff yourself.  But let me give you a marketer's perspective. I in NO WAY am criticizing the law. I'm just stating a marketer's viewpoint and explaining things you're doing to see happen on marketer's web pages, so you understand WHY you're going to see these things. A lot of what I say below is intentionally MELODRAMATIC
and tongue in cheek. But there is a real law and real penalties.  So understand that while I'm making a bit of light of it, there IS a real point here you need to take seriously.

Let's drill down.

 1.  Typicality of results If you use testimonials or endorsements that make a specific claim, you ALSO have to reveal the results the average user gets. So if you read in one of my letters and endorsement or testimonial that says Johnny or Betty used one of my products and paid for a new house with it, you'll ALSO be seeing a disclaimer that says: "The average person who bought this product made .01 cents." I may be exaggerating but that is roughly what you'll be reading quite a bit.

Now, you and I BOTH know (or you should know) that the average person buys stuff and doesn't do a lot with it.  Or if you don't know that or haven't heard it, it is the truth. Then again, the average person reads two books a year, can't spell the word Potato, thinks UFO's exist, and doesn't vote in elections.

So unless YOU are average, this shouldn't be of great concern to you.  Now granted, I had to look up the spelling of potato in Wikipedia. But at LEAST I'm bright enough to do that. A lot of people aren't. HOWEVER -- having said that, about three weeks ago, I published an article FORESEEING what has gone down. I published an article that said basically 95% of people don't do squat at Internet marketing. That statement a few disillusioned souls to refund to my office.

Absolutely phenomenal.So let me break this down for you again at the risk of having other pie-in-sky dreamers freak out over it. Here's what you're going to see: Marketers WILL have statements in their sales materials  that reveal the average results are PATHETIC. Does THAT mean the methods don't work? Heck no. What it means is people don't work the methods. I speak the truth. a.  Very few people read more than five chapters of those books, ebooks and courses they buy.  I know this because I've put tracking links in products and I can tell how deep people read into the product.

So HOW pray tell are the average results going to be good when, on average, NO ONE even READS the product? Should the fact that you're competing against people who can't and don't read ALARM you?  Or should it KINDA make you excited to know that you're competing against people who buy stuff and never even read it?

b.  Out of the people who DO read, there are many reasons people buy products. A LOT of people, maybe even the majority, buy out of curiosity or to do research. They don't INTEND on acting on the information. I do this ALL the time. I'm a curious person.  I buy stuff all the time out of curiosity  with zero intention of doing anything with it.Does that INVALIDATE the information I'm reading and mean it doesn't work because a whole lot of people are just like me and reading for enjoyment, research or curiosity?

c.  Do you really believe you're an average person? Personally, I don't like the attitude that everything should be boiled down to the lowest common denominator and we should protect people who can't read, can't spell (or at LEAST look it up in Wikipedia) and believe stupid stuff like they can push a button and buy a yacht the next week. One way or the other, evolution will eventually weed those people out.  Just not in OUR lifetime. I like to think that God don't make junk and that I got a little something going for me. And I would hope you do also.

d.  Decreased competition is GOOD. This law will weed out some competitors who just don't want to reveal that the people who buy their deal on average don't do squat. This is good. It's the law of supply and demand.  Less supply means more of the pie for the rest of us.  Seriously, this law isn't the end of the world.

I've complied with MOST of it all my career or done my best to.Much or most of this law has been in place for a long time.  People are just now realizing what the law says. My take is, you don't freak out. You just comply.  Ain't no big thang. But when you see some disclaimers that sound outlandish, you DO need to understand WHY they are there and the purpose and intent of them to protect new, uninformed people from making bad decisions.I HAVE seen people who ARE sincere believe extreme hype and spend money they didn't have. Law one:  Do NOT spend money you don't have to chase an uncertain result.  Scared money never wins.  You build a business with money you can afford to lose.

Law two: There is no simple, easy, no-brainer thing you can do that will bring you in 6 g's a month.  Everything in business requires a brain and thinking. Law three: People who are an overnight success were either lucky, inordinately talented or spent a long time preparing for that big moment of success.Law three:  There is no magic ebook or course you can buy that in 30 days or even 60 is going to allow you to pay off those huge credit card bills or buy you a Lambo.  So stop asking for it and  looking for it. You GROW a business over time, not overnight.  Relationships with customers take some time to build.  And some people like my friends Lee McIntyre and Jason Fladlien DO extremely well really fast. But yeah, that ain't average. It took me a lot longer.

=================================
Is This A Hidden Flaw In The Law?
=================================

Now, lest you think this is all rosy, there IS a hidden flaw in the law.Here it is:

What the law SHOULD say is that you have to publish the average results of people who reasonably followed what you taught. This does NOT mean you skirt the law. I'm just saying here is why I think it's misguided.  Now, I'm NOT blaming the FTC on this.
They are trying to protect people.

I understand that and it's a noble cause. They have the right to make and enforce the law and it's our job to comply fully and completely.
But let me give you an example from a marketer's perspective:

The AVERAGE person who buys a beginner's book on how to play the guitar WON'T ever play more than maybe one chord. They read chapter one, and go back to playing video games, eating bon bons on the sofa or reading the National Enquirer. I'm NOT making this up.  This is actually true.  But what's wrong with that?  I have all kinds of books on all kinds of topics I bought for one reason or the other and never did anything with. Like this book over here on my bookshelf on how to design a database.  Like I ever read that!  I mean, it sounded like a good idea at the time!I doubt I made it through one chapter.  No big deal.  And on rare occasion I eat bon bons and read the National Enquirer. So there you go.

Here's what the law SHOULD say through the eyes of a marketer:

What is the average result by the person who actually follows the majority, if not all, of the instructions? Of course, there are so few of those people, it wouldn't make for a very good law. That would expose how ridiculous it is. For example, how many people READ the Bible cover-to-cover or even the New Testament? How about even one whole chapter? And how many of those people can even QUOTE what the 10 commandments are not to mention even take a stab at following them? Case proved.

The obvious example here is the people who buy something off of a TV commercial that helps them drop 10 pounds. Whatever "it" is comes with a little manual that says in addition to using whatever the tool is, you ALSO have to STOP stuffing your pretty little face with pizza, beer, tacos, nachos, pie, cake and  candy, not to mention those piggie blanket things down at the mall I like to chow down on.
Of course, about .00001% of the people actually do that. So we all KNOW what the average results are.   Does that mean whatever was sold doesn't work? It's like Jared on those Subway commercials.  By the way, I think Subway is a trademark.  I probably am supposed to say that. Can you imagine the commercials when they say THIS?

"While Jared dumbped 108 pounds, (or however many it was) the average Subway customer actually GAINS 25 pounds in a period of 5 years because in addition to  eating subs, they ALSO on average consume 512 pizzas, 398 bottles  of beer, 498 pieces of candy, 109 servings of cake or pie and 598 bon bons, not to mention soft drinks  and other assorted goodies." Americans, on average, are considerably overweight.  Eating at Subway ain't gonna change that as long people continue to pig down on other stuff.  Is THAT Subway's fault? So I ate at Subway this week.  I also bought a full pumpkin pie and chowed down on it (albeit a little guiltily).  I had some pizza and ice cream. So on net I think I gained 1 or 2 pounds this week.  None of that is Subway's fault.  By the way, this example if HYPOTHETICAL. Maybe Subway customers lose tons.  I don't know.  It's an example or illustration that's pure fantasy in my head and NOT representative of true, real Subway customers.

Here's my POINT:

Isn't the real question what happens in that rare event when  someone actually FOLLOWS instructions? I think that my results would look pretty decent if you looked at what happens when people act on what I teach.  Like on my Dashboards.  For the people who actually go through all the steps on an icon, I imagine most people get a good result on that ICON.  Thing is,  they don't go through all the icons. And that's the fly in the ointment as far as average results are concerned.

=================
Here's an Example
=================
About 3 weeks ago I published a drop dead ezine issue with extreme specifics on how to do an outline in freemind and record it using software that also is gratus. Out of roughly 50,000 people who got my ezine issue, THREE PEOPLE did anything with it. THREE. What percentage is that? My math is crap (cause I'm "average" at math). But I think that is  .006% average results. If you're one of those 3 people, congratulations. You're the anomaly. The weird, rare person with an ounce of entrepreneurial ability and instinct and the capacity to take action.

People worry about competition. Look at it this way.  For every 50,000 potential competitors, about 3 of them will ever do jack. This is what average is. If you're one of the other 49,997 who didn't do jack, it's OK. You're AVERAGE!  It's normal to not do anything. It's OK that you read my ezines for either inspiration, or for ideas, or for use in the future. A lot of people read this ezine just in case they DO decide to do something in the future.  It's all good. Nothing wrong with that. Fact is, I'd say that's most people. I do the SAME exact thing. I subscribe to, buy and store information of all sorts from all kinds of resources.

=========================
An Example From My Family
=========================

A long time ago when my dad who is 80+ now was a young buck, he took a correspondence course to learn how to fix Television sets, which were the hot new technology on the block. I'm assuming the company sold a lot of those 3-year correspondence courses.
My dad finished the course and they flew him in at their expense to a graduation with two other people That's right.  Two others finished the course that year!  Three total. My dad went on to do very well in the TV service business and at one point serviced the TV sets for virtually every hotel and motel in in the city we grew up. And that was his part time job.

The correspondence course was a GREAT course.  It worked.  It allowed my dad to accumulate substantial assets and support my family over the course of his lifetime. Yet the average person who took that course NEVER made even one DIME because they never FINISHED it.  That's the fly in the ointment with this law.

You know that book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie? On AVERAGE I dare say people who buy that book do NOT Win Friends or Influence people.  Why?  Because it says stuff like you have to smile  at people and consider their point of view and listen. How many people who buy that book REALLY do it?  Seriously.  How many people do you know who listen, always consider the other person's  point of view and who do all the other stuff the book teaches?  Not me!  That's for sure.  And probably hardly anyone I know.  Ain't Dale Carnegie's fault I like to talk more than I listen,  criticize others, and consider my own point of view first. 

2.  Revealing affiliate links  This one is more vague.  But the FTC says that, more or less, you  need to be transparent about this relationship.  No problemo. You tell people it's an affiliate link or you make a commission.  Whatever. I don't think this amounts to diddly squat.  Just do it. Here's my affiliate link:  blah, blah, blah.  Or:  Affiliate link:  blah, blah, blah.

Ain't no big thang.  I'm not sure exactly how you have to reveal them or what's required.  I BELIEVE you just have to state that they're  affiliate links. That's how I read the law. "OMG!  I clicked a link, bought and someone snagged a few bux in their bank account because of it.  The world is coming to an end!" Personally, I make an ATTEMPT to buy via affiliate links because I want to SUPPORT the people who give me ideas and turn me onto cool stuff.   But maybe that's just me. I reckon lots of average folks out there believe that the people who take time to write elaborate reviews on blogs with nice graphic design and perty pictures 'n stuff are just altruistic human beings and doing it without making one penny if they click their little link their, whip out their credit card and punch in the numbers.
So in the spirit of full disclosure, get this NOW!  ALL links to ANY product in my ezines or products  that are NOT my own ARE affiliate links. That means, if you click and pull out your credit card and enter those little numbers on it and push SUBMIT that money is going to appear in my bank account.

If you have a problem with that, then do NOT enter your credit card numbers now, quickly and easily and do NOT push submit.  Not NOW. Please. Thank you very much. If you have been deceived into thinking I'm a charity and I do this out of the goodness of my human heart just because I ain't got nothing else to do with my time, then let me clarify this for you right this second. You click.  You buy.  I profit. How 'bout them bananas?

====================
The Final Disclaimer
====================

In the words of Frank freaking Kern, I ain't a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. That means you're well advised to go read the little law yourself, consult your own legal advice, and, in general, use that little thingy God put in your head called a BRAIN. Now that's a pretty novel concept for a lot of us, myself included. And I DO expect that at least 3 people who read this ezine will do  it. Still, I gotta say that just cause I'm supposed to and it makes me sleep better at night.

=======================
What You DO Need To Do
=======================

As I read the law, here's the scoop:

1. If you publish testimonials or endorsements that aren't typical of average results, you need to reveal what those average results actually are, as pathetic and pitiful as they probably are or will be.

2. If you make claims or promises in your letter, as anyone selling anything does if they hope to make any sale before Christmas, then you need to state what the average results.  I'm not certain the law requires this but I believe it does. Again, you and I both know that in ANY how to product, the average  results will be absolutely pathetic.  Just embarrasing.  So live  with it.

Comply with the law.  There is no choice about this. Personally, I'll probably state that my average earnings from my  buyers are .01 each unless I can get provable stats that show otherwise. Since thousands of my email addresses from thousands of customers in dozens of countries are no longer valid, getting stats OTHER than that won't be easy. So when you see those average earnings from myself and other marketers, understand why they are there and what they MEAN. Oh, if I send you a survey about this, please take it and return
it.

You can also publish testimonials that are fluffy without specific results.  Like "OMG, Marlon is so smart!" Personally, I like to print out and read those testimonials anyway. I try to get other people to let me read them to them but you know...that doesn't go down so well.

3.  Consider publishing a separate web page for non-U.S. customers I'm NOT sure about this one yet.  But I THINK you will legally be able to serve up a different page to non-U.S. customers.

4.  If you use affiliate links, reveal they're an affiliate link. Like honestly, who except the rawest newbie doesn't know this in our industry. So revealing it won't make a dime's worth of difference in your sales. This is NOT the end of the world. People will STILL buy from you if they are educated about the law in the U.S. Average results suck but hopefully YOU aren't average. And if you are, join the crowd.

Oh, and read the law yourself since I ain't no lawyer nor attorney. I'm just an online marketer who likes to sell stuff. I may be wrong as the day is long on all aspects of this law and my opinions. So use your noodle to get the boodle and do a bit of your own sound thinking and research.

By Marlon Sanders

The King of Step-By-Step Internet Marketing and "The Ambassador of Old School Marketing"

P.S. In the spirit of complete compliance, here is my new disclaimer:

Ain't NONE of the results in NONE of the web pages below anything remotely resembling AVERAGE nor typical." People who succeed at stuff possess superhuman, freakish ability and you should NOT assume you fall in that elite class of superhumans.  You' ain't never gonna amount to nothing so just give it up.  That's my disclaimer.  My average buyer earns .01.  And if you work really hard, read well and follow all the instructions you too can end up in this elite class.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Marlon Sanders is the author of "The Amazing Formula That
Sells Products Like Crazy for approximately .00001% of the
people who buy the product and the KING of Step-By-Step
Internet Marketing for those 3 people out of 50,000 who
can actually follow steps.  Everybody else is basically screwed
with no hope of being anything but average -- EVER!"
You can COMMENT on this article here:
http://www.TurboProfits.com/tracking/go.php?c=oct4ezine

To get on his killer ezine list, to get cheat sheets and all kinds
of other goodies every Saturday and during the week, to get simple,
to-the-point Internet marketing know that works real world without
all the hype, go to:
http://www.TurboProfits.com/tracking/go.php?c=9_19_bloglink
and subscribe

Check out all my products here:
http://getyourprofits.com/z/170/CDXXXX (this is my affiliate link)


Marlon posted an update to this rant a few days later. You can read part 2 of that post here:
http://mcpromotions.blogspot.com/2009/10/update-to-marlon-sanders-original-post.html

"Will Google ever Provide Statistics on Browser Market Share?"

Will Google ever provide statistics on browser market share? Listen in as Matt Cutts tackles this tough question.

“Succeeding in Business on Twitter”

Every twitter user at some stage or another has at least asked themselves how they could utilize the web site more efficaciously for social networking. Some people would like to make fresh friends and relationships while the biggest majority wants to advertise their own products and services. Often lauded as the latest opportunity to make easy income from tweeting to their followers, users will be soon surprised because it often involves much work before getting results from a target market.

The Twitter community is very large at 10 million regular monthly users which originate from various backgrounds and interests. The greatest obstacle to overcome for any budding internet marketer is the difficulty of promoting your business with a 140 character limit for tweets.

Once you register and become a member of Twitter, do not fall into the trap of tweeting about your business right at the beginning. Just tread carefully and see how others are very subtly going about online marketing. If you can find other members in your niche you can follow them and even learn from them new knowledge and skills if you want. In doing so, you can obtain vital information about how to promote your business using Twitter.

Be prepared to invest time during this initial stage of induction. Find a group that helps new novice users. There are different Twitter groups that help others with the promotion of different types of businesses. Join the group. This is a method of increasing your contacts and gaining a list of followers. Try to initiate communication with other individuals who work in related niches to your own like employees or business owners. This exchange of ideas, questions and answers may seem boring but is very helpful. It will all be worth the effort even if it resulted in just one new business client, lead or sale.

The tweets from your account no matter what your purpose should be updated regularly. Also just as importantly, do not promote your business all the time. Try to write something more appealing than your business competition. Taking note of what users are saying is also essential, it is a practice that makes them feel that they are valued. People appreciate this empathy and it can build reputation and that belief is the key to winning over new customers. This ability to build good relations is a basic principle that should not be overlooked by any operator, if they are to succeed in any business.

For the most part the people who fail on Twitter, it is because they tend to promote their business rather than give more attention to the needs of the market. Remember to learn from the feedback from clients to determine their needs and wishes. Once you have researched this information it will also highlight any other existing micro niche that is available to be filled.

Twitter is also titled a form of micro-blogging. With the restriction of the short message length, use your words wisely to try to make unique and interesting posts. As tweets are updated for friends, potential clients will also see your human side, further building trust that your business will be able to deliver what it promises. Business success on Twitter is only guaranteed if you are prepared to put in the effort and come to know how to use the site the smart way.

‘The Robots Standard Exclusion‘. Free Ebook

Another free ebook offered up by BloggingTips.com. If you've never been to his blog you really should subscribe. This ebook is called
The Robots Standard Exclusion‘.  It's 36 pages and 6 chapters walks you through taking control of the search engine robots that crawl your blog or website. Download your copy over at http://www.bloggingtips.com/2009/09/23/free-e-book-the-robots-standard-exclusion/  You can thank me later. Leave your comments to let me know what you think.

"A Beginner's Guide: 5 Simple Steps to Start Making Money with Affiliate Programs"

Nicole Dean has put together this free ebook "A Beginner's Guide to Making Money with Affiliate Programs". It shows newbies how to get a blog up and running in five steps. It's yours today and it's loaded with really helpful content. Check it out. Click here to download.

Government to Regulate Social Web

There's a lot of talk lately about the government stepping in when it comes to paid or sponsored ads on blogs and websites, not being clearly labeled as such. What's going to happen at this point is not clear but many bloggers are up in arms at the government taking aim at bloggers and site owners who make a living off of affilate marketing. Watch the video and read over the comments while your there. What do you think?

More WebProNews Videos

"Easy Clickbank Management with the Right Tools"

By Merle

Clickbank has been around for years and has earned an excellent reputation online. They make it easy for anyone to be able to take credit card payments from their websites without the hassle of obtaining a merchant account. Their service also includes a built in affiliate program. For their trouble, they  take a small  percentage of each transaction plus a service fee.

The problem with Clickbank is they're lacking in  the "user interface" department. They have a simple log-in that will show you your sales, but no truly  powerful options to analyze and manipulate your data.
Fortunately, other software developers have stepped up to the plate and come up with some pretty cool options to enhance your life as an online Clickbank merchant.

1) http://CBExtract.com
A powerful piece of software that gives you  several ways to manage and manipulate your sales data. You can analyze sales trends for a specific time period, details of profits for the fiscalyear, even send an email to all of your clients. CBExtract can manage multiple Clickbank accounts and even shows you who your top affiliates are.

2) http://EasyClickMate.com
A Clickbank tool that helps you to manage your army of affiliates. It allows you to give your affiliates unique url's for each different product  that you sell. All of the unique url's will link to your domain (not Clickbank's), which will increase your link popularity -- which is excellent for your search engine ranking.

This product also will give you marketing statistics such as click throughs, sales and conversion ratios for all of your affiliates and show you who your top sellers are. It sends out automatic emails to each of your affiliates every time they make a sale. The cost is only $67.00 (USD).

3) http://CBCourier.com
A free product which is useful for a Clickbank affiliates and merchants to automatically receive sales notifications and associated data straight to your desktop 24/7; 365 days a year. This software is courtesy of http://www.joepro.com/ and sits in your window system tray, where it flashes n icon every time you make a sale.

Merchants can see at a glance who their best affiliates are and affiliates can watch their own progress and keep track of what they've sold. This software also has the ability to change skins, and rebranding is available to merchants for a small fee.

If you'd like to stay on top of the latest ClickBank developments or you have questions about ClickBank I highly recommend  http://www.clickbanksuccessforum.com/ this forum  run by Harvey Segal.

If you're worried about your ClickBank "Thank You" pages being passed around the Net and others downloading your products without having paid for them, http://www.jumpx.com/tutorials/clickbank a no  cost PHP script that will help you with security.

By utilizing 3rd party software with your ClickBank data, you can take a "plain jane" system and turn it into a powerful workhorse, that will in turn help you in your day to day business decisions as an online entrepreneur.
=========================================
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Promotion? Discover everything you need to know
in this brand New Ebook, "How to Use Articles to
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“69 minute Free Internet Marketing MP3”

I just got this from, Ronnie Nijmeh from PLR.me and I had to share it with you. This 69 minute MP3 is full of some MAJOR gems when it comes to owning a profitable internet marketing business.

Listen here (it's free):
http://www.plr.me/id/successcast/msmerle

P.S. You'll want to get signed up to Ronnie's Early Bird list for his Abundance Stimulus Pack.
It's at the bottom of this page:

http://www.plr.me/id/successcast/msmerle
You won't want to miss this PLR pack...

"Google Reinvents the Phone with Google Voice"

By Merle http://www.twitter.com/msmerle

When it comes to "cool tools", Google is the master inventor.  Say what you want about Google, but they know what they're doing when it comes to giving the public what they want and need. Take the telephone for instance. An old invention that now has been given a new twist with "Google Voice"(G.V.).  http://www.google.com/voice Hold onto your chair as I'm about to tell you how to have a lot more fun with Ma Bell.

Google is giving you the ability to manage all your phones with one centralized number. At the time of  this writing, it's only available to those in the U.S., and by invitation only.  Upon registration, you'll be given your own phone number that you connect to any existing phone number. When someone calls the Google Voice number, it rings the phone number that you specified. The option of selecting a word for your personalized number is also given.

Now, if all Google Voice did was send phone calls to your cell phone, that would be great all by itself, but the amount of extra tools and features are truly amazing. When a call is received you can answer it, send it directly to voice mail, listen in on the incoming call to decide what to do with it, or start recording the call upon answering. How's that for a few options?

After receiving a call you'd like to record, hit 4 on your phone to start recording. Different states have different laws when it comes to recording calls, so check your current federal and state laws before using this feature. Currently outbound calls cannot be recorded. Google does provide an automated verbal announcement when the recording starts and stops so the person you're speaking with knows they are being recorded. So much for incriminating yourself (LOL)

Say goodbye to voicemail as you know it. When a voicemail is recorded, you can check it by going to the Google Voice website and logging in, or calling your Google number. You can even be notified by email, or text message of new messages needing your attention. The ability to listen in on voice mails as they are being left is a very handy feature. Voicemail messages can be shared with others via Email, even downloaded as MP3 files and embedded on a website or blog. Messages are also transcribed as text and housed on Google's site for later reading, or sent to you by email. When it comes to voice mail greetings, custom messages can be set for groups or certain individuals.

Google Voice is free for use within the U.S., but does give the ability to make low cost international calls to over 200 countries from your phone or Google's site. You'll first need to purchase credits through Google Checkout before making these calls. Rates vary percountry.

Here are some other handy features:

- Phone spam filters which block calls and mark them
as spam

- Conference Calling

- Temporary forwarding of calls to another number

- Access Google Voice from mobile browsers at
http://google.com/voice/m

- Call Widgets- Easily add a "call me" widget
to your blog or site with copy and paste code
located under setup.

- Do not disturb option which sends all incoming
calls directly to voicemail when you don't want
to be bothered.

So what about when you call someone and want it to appear you are calling from your Google Voice phone number? No problem. The ability to make calls that will display your G.V. number on caller ID can be done in three different ways.

1) Hit call from within Google Voice website
2) From G.V. mobile site on your cell
3) By calling your G.V. number and logging into
the system.

Google will call you at the number you specify and connect your outbound call. It doesn't get much better than that.

The technical requirements to use this service are a computer with Win XP, Vista, Mac or Linux, Internet Explorer 6.0 or above, Firefox 3.0 or higher, Safari, Google Chrome and Flash 8.9.

To request your invitation go to https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/

So, if you thought using the phone was outdated, sign up with Google Voice and put some "FUN" back intoan old relationship. This just might be the best thing old Ma Bell has seen in years.

“Increasing your traffic with Twitter”

It seems every business these days is placing priority on marketing at online social networking websites in attempt get their own slice of an ever expanding pie. Internet marketing campaigns at twitter and other such sites can be a very cost effective way to reach a world wide audience in a targeted manner. Virtually by signing up there and successfully making friends, you have already been able to create a list of potential sale leads. This article will attempt to provide hints and tips on increasing the amount of visitors you get to your site by using twitter.

Three years after its initial creation, Twitter has gradually increased to what is now extreme global popularity. Twitter has the flexibility to allow people to talk about any topic they desire. Some talk about their personal concerns and there are also those who primarily promote their own business. Ordinary people seeking social interaction and communication with peers use Twitter to send  tweets to each other. Then there are the many online merchants who place serious resources into Twitter, seeking to generate traffic to their web sites. Right now twitter is regarded as one of the easiest methods for increasing traffic and build a brand.

Firstly, you need to spread the word of your presence on Twitter. If you are an experienced online marketer then traditionally you will have used email campaigns or niche related blog posts. When you do this style of promotion now, include your Twitter account on all your messages, blog posts, and even on your site. In this way everybody will know that you use Twitter. Another good idea is to be active in the use of Twitter and to send tweets out regularly. When your fans see that you are active, it may lead to them visiting your Web site.

Regular tweet updates can attract active followers from your tweets. However, you must make sure that you post personal tweets as well because sending too many business related tweets can result in losing your followers. There are tools that you are able to use to help publish your tweets automatically, but you must be very careful not to misuse such tools.

By building good relations and trust with your fans will help gain sales of your products or services. But bombard your followers with sales promotions and you may lose them. Alternatively, try to post helpful messages occasionally because the social community will appreciate it more. By investing a little of your time and effort in sending informative tweets and responding to those sent to you, it will increase the profitability of your company in the time to come.

Utilizing Twitter is easy and fun. Many online merchants now use Twitter to build targeted traffic on their site, so why don't you try it? But Honestly it is obvious to say not every twitter member who uses it as a marketing tool is going to have success. You see, it requires time, effort and patience to see results that equate to a big reward. Increasing Twitter traffic for your business organization can be done effectively if you know how to tweet correctly.

"Does Google value its own links for PageRank?"

Listen to Matt Cutts as he tackles the question, "Does Google Value its own Links for PageRank".

“How to Cash in on Twitter”

Due to the popularity of Twitter many business owners are now trying to cash in on the medium by marketing their businesses. An easy to use interface and the convenience of this online networking community has turned many twitter users into twittering addicts. This in combination with mainstream media attention worldwide has lead to the growth of an estimated 10 million regular tweeters. These tweets are best described as equivalent to a short message service (sms) of 140 characters or less that is published to your own custom list of contacts online or via cell phone. With the restriction to this small number of characters, you'll need to communicate your thoughts, feelings or answers with intelligence. Overcoming this hurdle and learning the art of the tweet will go a long way to extracting financial benefit from its die hard fans.

Twitter Search is a very effective tool to research the current state of play for your business industry. Find out what others in your business industry are saying and learn from them. Look out for feedback from its customers, especially negative comments can be invaluable. With this information you may be able to make some adjustments to your companies products or service if necessary and find new markets that will ensure profitability.

Once you build your own list of subscribers known as followers, put in the work to keep them updated on new developments both personal and business related. This activity is essential if you are going to gain heaps of followers and convince them to hang on every word you say. Also take the time to carefully select the people that you choose to follow on Twitter. They do not all have to be related to your industry profession. There may be those users that are also using Twitter for online promotion and this will give you the opportunity to watch what they are doing and learn new skills from observing them.

Making sure the people that you follow also follow back is another vital task. Once you develop a big group of followers, you will be able to now send tweets promoting your organization but try to mix up the content as much possible, by also sending useful topical information on current events or general social chit chat. Don't forget, Twitter is designed to be a social networking site and is not strictly a promotional tool.

Sending out just a few too many tweets promoting your business will soon result in a sharp reduction the number of followers. Gathering and keeping a large number of twitter followers will give you a higher number of successful conversions because like any form of marketing its a numbers game.

Trying to cash in on the success of Twitter can be rewarding, but only if you bother to develop the right skills and know how to do so. The more you invest and try to learn about this social networking phenomenon the larger the return. Follow the gurus and learn from their experience. If you can keep up to date with the latest occurrences and trends at twitter you will giving yourself the best chance at being successful using twitter for marketing purposes.

"Using Twitter to Increase Online Profits" - Free Ebook

Hi Kids,

How was the weekend? Everybody have a little fun and relaxation? Well, it's Monday so snap out of it and get back to work Today I have a free ebook written by Skip Mcgrath. It's 17 pages called "Using Twitter to Increase Your Online Profits".......He's an excellent writer and has written several "real books", so it's good stuff Maynard.

Download it while you can and put a little "Kick" back into your Monday. See ya.

"Twitter & Advertising: Do These Two Really Belong Together?"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

The latest craze sweeping the Net right now is Twitter. This micro-blogging tool has evolved into millions of loyal users who love and use it daily. Twitter attempts to answer the question, "What are you doing right now?"It's very similar to text messaging, but your "tweets" are only seen by those who have chosen to "follow you".

Over the last few years, many have developed third party software and plug-ins that enable users to do more with Twitter. Along the same lines, many have been thinking of ways to profit from Twitter. Of course, since Twitter lets you communicate with people from all over the world, a natural connection is how to advertise to that crowd.

Now, if you asked most Twitter users what they thought of advertising on Twitter, they'd probably give you an evil stare, and no longer wish to associate with you. Yes, the thought of ads popping up on Twitter makes some people angry and does not appeal to the majority of avid
users.

Still, along with the protests, are those that think Twitter and advertising should go together, sort of like birthday's and cake. So what's available if you're interested in Twitter advertising? I thought
you'd never ask.

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

This service offers a variety of advertising options. Publishers can select from CPC (cost per click) ads,  CPT (cost per thousand), which you must have a specific number of followers for, or CPA (viewers must perform a specific action). RevTwt supplies the links and you paste them into your Twitter timeline.

2) Adf.ly: http://Adf.ly

A link shortening service with a twist. Shorten the URL, then post it to Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks, and you'll earn money with every click. The current payout for those in the U.S. is about $1.00 per thousand visitors.

3) Adjix: http://www.Adjix.com

Another link shortening service with an advertising twist built in. Twitter users can choose to embed
ads inside their tweets. Advertisers set the rate they are willing to pay for someone to tweet their
ad. Ad selection varies from a random ad to allowing you to target a specific subject area, for example health. An informative video is available at
http://adjix.com/ddew

4) Be-A-Magpie: http://be-a-magpie.com

A variety of compensation modes to pick from, including pay-per-sale, pay-per-lead, pay-per-click, or pay-per-view.  Enter your Twitter user name to see how much you can earn.  You'll be paid to allow "Magpie" to post tweets to your  account. Tweets sent will be matched to the topic of your usual Tweets, so you won't need to worry about off-topic messages. It's up to you how many ads get posted. It can be set at the default, which is one Magpie tweet for every 10 of yours, or changed. You will need a Paypal account in order to get paid.

5) TwitterAd: http://www.TwitterAd.com

Built using the Twitter open API, just sign up to post your Twitter account to advertisers to sponsor it.  You select the ad duration and price, which can be 7 days, 15 days -even one to three months. Just sit back and wait for the offers to come in. You can accept or deny the ad within 48 hours. The recommended ad size is 211X484 height, 300 DPI for best placement on a Twitter user's background. Payouts are made once your account balance reaches $30.00.

6) PayMeTweets: http://www.PayMeTweets.com

To use this "micro-promotional" tool you'll first need to follow "@PayMeTweets.com”.   Watch for tweets you  like,then “retweet” (RT) them. You'll be paid a set amount for each one.  Payment varies depending on your "influence". Credits you earn can also be used to  advertise your own products/services. Payout per tweet ranges from a few pennies up to $20.00 for those Twitter users with heavy influence.

7) SponsoredTweets: http://www.SponsoredTweets.com

Connecting advertisers with Twitter users to sponsor "conversations". All paid Twitter ads contain a
disclosure to such in order to comply with the FTC.To set up an account you'll need to set your price,
then add a category and keywords. Advertisers come to you, and you'll make the decision to reject or accept them.

You'll be paid within 24 hours of posting Tweets, and you must earn $50.00 before cashing out. Ads are not posted to your Twitter timeline, you must manually post them.

As Twitter continues to evolve and grow, the number of advertising supported services will too. Like it or not, Twitter is a powerful communication tool that allows people to connect with each other all over the world, and marketing to that audience is a natural by-product of that.

No matter whether you like the idea or not, advertising to Twitter users is here to stay. I'm not taking one side over the other, just reporting some of the options. As my Mama used to say "Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Graphics GiveAway Opens Their Doors"

Great News! Today August 18th at 10 am eastern, Eric Tan and Odinn Sorensen opened the doors to their brand-new Graphics Giveaway 2. Last time they ran this in December 2008, the event was a great success and hundreds of people grabbed a ton of nice free gifts in the design and graphics niche.

Join now and get your free gifts At the time I'm writing this, there are 82 Graphics Gifts. You'll even get one free gift right at the door, no signup needed, as a "thank you" just for showing up :-) Here's a taste of what's on offer for free.

- Web Templates
- eCover Makers
- Design Software
- Designer Guide
- Graphic Tools
- Headers- Buttons

... and many more! Join now and get your free gifts
http://graphicsgiveaway.com/members/id/msmerle

Meanwhile the great JV partners are still busy adding even more gifts, so be sure to check back in for more goodies. NOTE: They have a very attractive upgrade offer for members only. You will see it right after you login. You'll be amazed at what you get for just $17 ... Join now and get your free gifts

Have a great day!

P.S. The Graphics Giveaway 2 runs only until September 1st, so you should signup now and secure your free graphics membership in the giveaway, before the doors close to new members. Join now and get your free gifts

“Twitter, good or bad?”

There is little doubt the internet has drastically and permanently affected how the communication sector operates. There are now more methods for people to keep in touch through services on the net than was ever offered in the past. The number web sites based on this social networking model is always growing. Such is the success and affect these social internet communities have on people, they have become a necessity to the functioning of their daily lives. How up to date and knowledgeable are you with sites like Twitter?

This social networking dependency has seen many people wanting to share their lives with anyone prepared to be their audience. Twitter fantastically provides  quick and easy communication with friends and family members.

Before anyone can make use of Twitter, intending members need to make a personal profile for their account. Twitter was designed to publish and alert others of updates or short messages quickly. These twitter alerts are called "tweets" and  are text based of 140 characters in length. Not many people know you can even use a cell phone to send these updates. The updates are sent to followers from  your account user name who choose to subscribe to that Twitter member just as you can choose who you subscribe too and follow.

But is twitter a good to bad thing? Well, that is the question partly answered by its millions of users from all the world who dedicate their time and energy to the site. For the first half of 2009, Twitter ranked third among the most beloved and most visited social network websites, MySpace and Facebook who have been massive successes in their own right. In March 09, after many previous months of increasing traffic, unique hits to Twitter accelerated to grow 131 percent to 9.3 million unique visitors. Success thanks to hollywood celeb “tweeters” and more widespread offline media focus, the site ranked as the fastest expanding web property overall online.

The simplicity of Twitter is the reason for its extreme appeal among people of all different age groups. Users are free to choose how they can receive tweets - by means of RSS, SMS, mobile Web, etc. Specialist web tools such as Twitterific and Tweetie are also popular in helping users keep track of their twittering activities. By means of application programming interface (APIs), you can easily update your profile page without the need to enter the actual Twitter site.

Multiple people use Twitter – actors, musicians, professionals and even political identities. Just about everyone knows that American President Barack Obama used Twitter for his campaigns. Well, in addition to the President,other celebrities such as Oprah, Lance Armstrong, 50 cent and the Jonas Brothers are avid fans of the site. Large companies use the site to promote their products, information updates and client support such as Dell, Starbucks, TheHomeDepot, Ford and Samsung. Even Microsoft, although belatedly, have decided to establish a big presence on Twitter with at last count some 18 genuine accounts which allow consumers and staff to communicate.

Twitter maybe far from a perfect all in one solution but it has many good things to offer at absolutely no cost to its members. No doubt twitters creators will also continue to further develop this social medium which can only further enhance its value for everyone. Go on over to Twitter, try it out now and create your own profile page.

"Publish an Ezine; Your Website Depends on It!"

So you've done all the research, built your website and you're ready to show it off to the world and make your Internet fortune. "Whoa," not so fast there, Mister. If you haven't included an ezine, your site is missing out on a major online marketing tool. Here's why the decision to include one or not can lead to your website's success or ultimate failure.

1st Time Visitors. Let's face it: the first time someone comes to your website, the odds are they're going to be leary and not buy from you right away. By giving them the chance to subscribe to your newsletter you're actually giving yourself another chance to sell to them down the road. Your ezine will givethem multiple incentives to visit your site and make a purchase.

Build an Opt In List. There's a reason why off-line marketers have done direct mailings for years: they work. Collecting email addresses of visitors to your website allows you to compile a list of people who want to hear from you.By signing up for your newsletter, you're given permission to market to these people on a regular basis. Your list will become your most precious marketing commodity.

Establishes Trust. The truth is, your site visitors have no idea if you're an upright business person or some mad hacker in a dark basement out to grab their credit card number. By giving them the opportunity to subscribe to your ezine you'll be able to establish a "relationship" where your subscribers will come to trust and rely upon you. By providing them with helpful information on a consistent basis you'll become someone they turn to when in need of the types of products/services you sell.

Establish Yourself as an Expert. Let's say you're an accountant and I'm considering using your services. How do I know you're any good? Well, if you had been publishing a newsletter with helpful accounting tips and tax saving information all along, you would have established yourself as an expert in my mind.

By sharing your knowledge with others, you'll establish yourself as an expert in your field. An ezine helps you to establish credibility in your chosen subject and distinguishes you from others online who may be working in a similar vein. Be the one people turn to, become the EXPERT.

Sell Back End Products. As long as your newsletter supplies helpful information, you can actually pitch your sales talk softly between the lines. As long as your ezine is not 99% ads, you can use it to plug any product or service you sell. If you don't have your own products/services, you can plug affiliate programs you may be involved with as well. Just try to keep everything you promote related to the theme of your newsletter. If your ezine is health related you should only include health related products to keep it on topic for your target market. As you run sales or specials you'll also want to make your subscribers aware of them. Remember, your ezine is a marketing tool; use it as such.

Drives Traffic. There are millions of websites out there, so what's going to bring me back to yours? An ezine, of course! By emailing your subscribers a newsletter which always includes a link back to your site, you're reminding them to come back again and again -- driving traffic on a consistent basis. How many times have you gone to a website and signed up for their ezine and forgotten about the site? I know I have, but when their newsletter shows up in my mailbox it reminds me of how much I enjoyed their site and usually results in my re-visiting. This is POWERFUL STUFF.

These are just some of the reasons why you need to be publishing an newsletter. A website needs a newsletter and a newsletter needs a website. They just go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. One without the other is a weak link in the online marketing chain. Don't underestimate the importance of your very own ezine. As your list grows you'll have a very powerful marketing tool on your hands, one you can sell to again and again!

Which is more reliable for searching: Google or Twitter?

Is this video Matt Cutts gets put on the spot when he is asked the question "Which is better for search, Google or Twitter?" See how he answers.

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.

More WebProNews Videos

"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.

More WebProNews Videos

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...

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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.

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