Marketing Cowboy

Opportunities Are Everywhere If You Know Where To Look For Them

Steven — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:42:00 +0000

You need to be receptive to ideas from those around you who may not know as much as you do about marketing. I was recently contacted by my mortgage broker. I have used him for over 10 years to finance two homes and several consolidation loans. He's a great guy, very successful, but he does not understand all the ways the Net can be used. So we had lunch last week, and he presented me with an opportunity to generate leads for him. At first I was not interested because I am not a telemarketer and hate direct sales.

But when I explained the concept of online lead generation through squeeze pages, autoresponders, and newsletters, he became very interested. The next day I launched two squeeze page sites to help generate more leads for him:

http://www.besttulsamortgage.com
http://www.besttulsaloans.com

In the weeks ahead I will try to push these sites to the top of the search engines for the phrase "best Tulsa mortgage" and "best Tulsa loans". I'm doing this for nothing up-front to put my skills to the test, and for a lucrative backend commission structure. If it doesn't generate anything, no harm done since I am always trying to learn from my mistakes, but if does generate even one lead that turns into business, then the few hours I put into creating these squeeze pages will be well worth it.

So be open to sharing your marketing knowledge with others. You never know what will develop.

Marketing Cowboy - Killer Copywriter for Hire!

Steven — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 17:08:00 +0000

After years of writing copy in the corporate world, I’ve decided to throw my cowboy hat into the ring, and offer my copywriting services to the online world. The way I see it, there are two things you need to look for in a copywriter:

1. You need someone who knows a little something about writing.

I've been spinning stories since I was a kid. It's what I studied in college, it's what I've done for a living, and it's also how I relax. Writing is my passion.

My Bachelor's and Master's degrees are both in Creative Writing.
I received two awards from the City University of New York for my writing in 1982 and 1983 -- in poetry and fiction. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: what does poetry and fiction have to do with writing sales copy? Everything. Good sales copy understands line breaks and rhyme and rhythm as well as tells a story.
I taught college writing for three years at Queens College (New York). I understand grammar and punctuation and spelling. You're not going to wind up with poorly written copy when you use my services.
I've ghost-written books on multiple subjects, published my own series of ebooks, in 1983 Harper & Row published one of my essays right between the works of Stephen King and Woody Allen, and every week over 10,000 subscribers read my newsletters about marketing, mini sites and publishing.
My network of over 100 web sites receive well over 1,000,000 hits a year, many of my sites appear in the top 10 on the major search engines, and my product reviews frequently appear in the top 3 positions across Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL. I understand the art of online promotion.

2. You need someone who knows a little something about marketing.

I'm a 20 year marketing veteran with experience in traditional, Internet and cable television marketing. In the past, I have held the position of Director of Marketing for these three Fortune 500 companies:

WilTel: I helped build the brand that turned this little Tulsa company into a $2.5 billion empire. From 1991 to 1995 I built and ran my own in-house advertising agency with a staff of 20 and was responsible for a $10 million annual marketing budget.
WorldCom: From 1995-2000 I helped take this company from Jackson, Mississippi to the board rooms of Wall Street, and along the way I became a sales expert and automated the entire sales force of over 2000 sales reps and their managers across the country.
Gemstar-TV Guide: Starting as a writer-producer, I executive produced multiple promotional spots for the nationally televised TV Guide Channel, and later became the director of marketing operations in 2003 over-seeing direct email campaigns, web promotion and much more.

None of my competitors have my credentials. To learn more about my background and services, and to take advantage of some very low introductory prices, please click here.

Is Progressive Insurance Really That Progressive?

Steven — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 16:39:00 +0000

Don’t know about Progressive advertising in your part of the country, but here in Tulsa, OK they have a big office and their ads run like crazy. Finally, last Saturday night, after seeing one too many Progressive insurance commercials, I sat down in front of my PC at midnight and went to their web site to see how much money they could save me on my car insurance.

While their site is intuitive and friendly, you need to invest quite a few minutes in entering your personal data and driving history into their multi-page form. The more forth-coming and detailed you are, the better they can estimate your rate and projected savings. This is understandable, but a real pain in the ass to do at midnight when you are half brain dead.

I entered all the data requested, and clicked Submit, gleefully awaiting their report of how much they were going to save me. Their commercial says they will provide you with a quote, and even give you quotes from competitors if they are not the lowest. Well, that’s only half right.

While they did present me with a quote pretty quickly, they did not provide me with any other quotes from competitors. They said there was no further data available for my profile in my part of the country (where they have an office) and with my precise driving record and history (which is probably far better than most).

I thought their quote was higher than what I am currently paying. Their quote is interactive, so you can adjust the types of coverage required to get the price down. That’s handy and the price did go down quickly when I whipped out my existing policies and compared exact apples to oranges. Progressive over insured me. Once I dropped and minimized the coverage, their numbers were better, but not earth-shattering. I invested an hour in this process.

As I drilled down further into their site, I learned how they derived my rates, and was surprised to see that my credit history has a direct impact on my insurance rates. Did not know that. They gave me a summary of my credit report in comparison to other people who fit my profile, and I was surprised by what was in my credit report.

Progressive also suggested that while they know many people bundle their home and car insurance to save money, that I might be able to save more by unbundling my insurance and looking for the lowest prices in both categories. That’s more work than I am willing to do to save a few hundred dollars a year.

All in all, I was not bowled over by the Progressive site or the results delivered, and I have not changed insurance companies . . . yet.

When Good Marketing Gurus Go Bad

Steven — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 16:39:00 +0000

Like most folks involved with Internet marketing, I subscribe to many newsletters published by folks who call themselves gurus. I’m not sure what qualifies someone to be called a guru. I’ve been involved with marketing for over 20 years, and I certainly do not feel like I know it all. However, folks with far less experience have made millions of dollars through their online marketing ventures, and they call themselves guru. I helped position the companies I worked for to make billions but I guess that doesn’t count.

Did you ever receive the same special email announcements from your favorite marketing gurus in one day? They all start the same: hyping some new product or service from another guru. Then they tell you to order through their affiliate link to receive some special “fast mover bonuses.” Often the list and purported value of these bonuses is far greater than the actual cost and value of the item they want you to buy. And so the focus is moved away from the product they want you to buy and all of the attention is shifted back to the guru and their incredible bonuses. This makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

What boggles the mind is that so many gurus send you similar emails with the release of every new product or service. Soon they are no longer teaching you anything about marketing, but rather are totally engaged with promoting the products of other pseudo-gurus. At this point, the guru’s newsletter no longer contain valuable content, but rather becomes an ongoing series of promotional emails about other guru’s products and services.

These emails come in many forms. Today I received a long email from JR who spent 75% of the email talking about how other gurus have blatantly cloned his marketing techniques. He also has a pretty good rant about gurus and what makes a guru and what separates the real gurus from the pseudo gurus. And then he shifts gears radically to tell you about the latest product that EVERYONE else is promoting and offers you a personal business analysis that could be worth $100,000.00, and it’s yours, if you just order the recommended product of the day through his affiliate link. This is coming from a man who is widely respected and testifies to earning millions of dollars per year. So why lower yourself by going down the same road as all the other gurus out there?

I’ve decided to stop subscribing to so many marketing newsletters published by the gurus. All of their newsletters are beginning to sound alike as they all blatantly go down the same affiliate/joint venture marketing path. I want to make money, too, but at least I try to impart some wisdom to my subscribers. I don’t take my subscribers, prospects and customers for granted. I know they have limited time and bandwidth. They expect quality content. A little commercial between content is expected, but when a newsletter becomes nothing more than a glorified commercial with little to no content, then it is no longer a newsletter.

The Butterfly Marketing Manuscript Comes Out Of Its Cocoon

Steven — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:39:00 +0000

After spending almost 10 years marketing online, and having purchased tons of marketing ebooks and software, I'm naturally somewhat skeptical and jaded when a new product is hyped by every Internet marketer in existence. I don't claim to know it all nor to have even seen it all, but there's a lot of garbage out there.

I first heard of Mike Filsaime about a year ago. I purchased an affiliate link tracking script that I could never get to work. Not his fault. I lacked the know-how and needed someone with more script experience to help me. Mike sensed my dissatisfaction and refunded my money without an argument. He even offered to install it on my web server at no cost, but I had already lost interest.

Then during the summer of 2006, when I started to receive dozens of emails from every top marketer on the planet about Mike's new Butterfly Marketing script, I once again prepared to tread lightly. The script purported to implement a new and improved marketing strategy that was capable of boosting your revenue and your affiliate base for a new product or service. When I found out the script cost $1500.00 I gasped.

Who would buy such an expensive script? I don't know, but Mike sold around $1 million worth of software in a matter of days. Somebody thought it was worth it.

Then sometime in August 2006, Mike Mograbi, the creator of VIP Profit Zone and IM Newswatch suggested I read the less expensive standalone Butterfly Marketing manuscript. I scoffed at the price, but when Mograbi offered to cover half the cost, I knew he must have had good reason to want me to read it. I took him up on his very generous offer, and imagine my surprise when I found myself reaching for a highlighter and then a pen and pad to make notes. This was good stuff -- better than I had imagined. Very powerful techniques he was teaching. He explained everything his $1500.00 script did, and how to implement it. He lifted the veil and what it revealed was nothing short of miraculous.

His manuscript is filled with credible examples of his butterfly techniques in action. And judging by the huge army of Internet marketers who have purchased his $1500.00 script and have created hundreds of sites using his automation, I must say I am impressed.

Whether I agree with all of the techniques covered in the Butterfly Marketing manuscript is relatively unimportant. Like popular business books such as Think and Grow Rich, the Butterfly Marketing is liable to become a necessary purchase for anyone seeking to do business online in the future.

All I can say is my thinking has been drastically changed, and I have begun to change the way I market my products and recruit new affiliates for them. I am certain the Butterfly Marketing manuscript will have a significant impact on my present and future projects. Click here to download a free chapter from the manuscript or here to visit the Butterfly Marketing Manuscript web site.

Sometimes People Amaze Me ...

Steven — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:48:00 +0000

People sign up for your newsletter, then they:

1. Never add your email address to their SPAM filter. So every time you send them an email, you receive a challenge email from Earthlink or AOL or some other SPAM filtering service that asks you to verify your email and type in stupid little numbers and letters that only the blind can read. And your message still remains unread because you have to go through this same process every week.

2. Send you a threatening email complaining that you are spamming them and that they never signed up for your stupid newsletter in the first place and if you don’t stop emailing them they are going to sue you for $1100 for every SPAM email received. Then you send them a copy of their original opt-in request — you do save those, don’t you? — and then they shut up and apologize.And they still don’t read your emails.

3. They never check their ISP email box and let it stay full and over quota all the time. Then the second you remove them, they re-subscribe under a new email address from another free ISP. And the problem goes on and on and on.

God, help us. And we want to use email for marketing? Even if you have a large list, and even if your autoresponder gets more email through than you can on your own, you still face the same problems. There has to be a better way to get your marketing message into the hands of your target audience.

But you can’t call them unless they provided that info when they opted in. And besides they would probably put you on the do not call list anyway.

Pony express anyone?

Ebook Cover Artist Debuts

Steven — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:34:00 +0000

Over the years, I have repeatedly stressed the importance of having a cover graphic for your book. It's like going to a job interview without any clothes on. You always want to put your best foot forward when trying to convince somebody to buy you or your work. People judge people by their appearance and they do judge a book by its cover.

I receive many inquiries about the best ways to create a cover --- hire someone or do it yourself. For the do it yourself crowd I send them to http://www.ebookcovercreator.com to read my reviews of the top graphics tools and to see samples of artwork created with them.

But now, for the folks who want to hire someone to design their cover for them, I have just launched a new site called http://www.EbookCoverArtist.com. After spending years working with authors and creating covers for their works available on EbookoMatic.com, I decided to create a site dedicated to providing graphic and web design services, too.

Please visit this site today to learn more.

http://www.ebookcoverartist.com

What Really Burns My Butt...

Steven — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:16:00 +0000

What really burns my butt are membership sites that place the Forgot Password link right after the password field instead of after the Submit button.

Why is this such a pain? Simple. If you are like most people, once you enter your login name and password, you hit Tab and then the Enter key. If the Forgot Password link is placed after the Password field, what usually happens is that you get prompted to change or retrieve your password. PayPal is a perfect example of this design error. Visit their site and look at their screen. This is not the way it should work.

Now look at one of my sites, EbookoMatic.com. I’ve placed the Forgot Password link after the Submit button so these types of accidents don’t happen.

It may not seem like much, but it’s my small contribution to help make the Internet a better place to visit.

The Best Solution for Online Video

Steven — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:59:00 +0000

About a year ago, I wrote a review about Instant Video Generator, a new tool brought to market by Armand Morin and his friends, the same team that brought AudioGenerator.com to market a while back.

I enjoyed playing with it during my free trial period (21 days for only $1.00). It was extremely easy to use. All I did was login, and started recording. Then I clicked a button to produce the code that was required to add the video to my web page. Instant Video Generator took care of everything else. It saved my video and Flash encoded it on the fly within a few seconds. No rocket science here. Since that time I have experimented with a variety of new video production tools. Here’s what I found:

Serious Magic is incredibly powerful (and expensive), and with it you can produce studio-grade videos with animation fairly easily; however, you need a honker of a PC to do it. Folks with older PCs like me will either need to upgrade their video, audio, processor, RAM, and drive space or more simply buy a new PC! I had a helluva time making this application work.
Lesser tools offer less automation and it takes a greater number of steps to produce your final Flash encoded video. The quality of the video may be sub-standard, and you need to consider storage requirements when recording the video on your PC and server requirements when streaming it over your own server. Bandwidth issues may present themselves if the video is particularly long.

So I guess it is no surprise that when I made the decision to start implementing video more widely across all of my web sites that I needed a tool that was easy to use, did not require me to upgrade my PC, created high-quality video, and removed the concerns over bandwidth and video streaming. In this regard, Instant Video Generator is worth its weight in gold.

Instant Video Generator takes care of the encoding and compression.
It does not require anything other than a cheap webcam and microphone.
My videos get stored on their servers not mine.
They provide a very generous monthly bandwidth allowance.
Adding video to your web page is cut and paste easy.
They provide you with an on-screen teleprompter so you can look into your camera and maintain eye contact with your audience.
They also provide a number of other tools such as templates and postcards you can use to send videos via email.

All in all, I have to rate Instant Video Generator as a very cool tool. I invite you to check it out for 21 days for only $1.00. You’d be crazy not to at least try it. My bet is you will get hooked on it.

Promo Code Secrets by Jordan Hall Takes The Gold Award

Steven — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 03:06:00 +0000

OK, I admit it. I approached this product hype with a great deal of skepticism, but after getting it installed on my server, I am quite amazed by its simplicity and power. In short, if you are looking for a unique way to drive sales, this tool may be it.
This really is a two-part product and review. When you first arrive on Jordan Halls Promo Code Secrets web site, you are really getting a pitch to purchase a brief ebook he wrote about the subject of using special promotional codes to drive sales and list building.
The ebook is straight to the point without a great deal of fluff. The author gives you one brilliant idea after another for a myriad of ways to use promotional codes on your site.
Think about it: if you have a product that's been slowing down in sales and want to re-introduce it to your list, you can implement a special promotional code form on your site.
If the casual visitor plays with the form, they won't get anywhere, but if your subscriber enters a special promotional code you send them, then they get to buy the product at a specially reduced price or as part of a larger bundle, etc.
Certainly the use of promotional codes within traditional marketing has been proven time and again to work wonders. Surely it can do the same in online marketing.
Now once you are done with the ebook, there is an embedded pitch for the software. The Promo Code Secrets software is a small and easy to install PHP script. Once installed on your server, you will be able to generate unlimited forms with unlimited keywords.
You can even set the promotional keyword to expire after X days or have the form link to a special coupon page with a keyword that is only good for that particular transaction. Using this software there are an unlimited number of ways to use this approach to drive your sales.
I was truly surprised by this combo ebook and script, especially given the author's relative youth, and I think Promo Code Secrets is worth every penny I paid for it. I look forward to using it, and don't be surprised if you receive an email from me with a special promotional code for one of my products! Click here to learn more.

Re-launch of Blog

Steven — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 01:54:00 +0000

Greetings to all. I’m re-launching my blog and re-branding it all at the same time. Having spent a little time reading this week, I’ve learned that I need to use my blog more seriously in my Internet communications. Beginning this week, I will be re-publishing editorials and reviews from my many newsletters.

In case you don’t know, I publish and distribute weekly newsletters to almost 10,000 people across a variety of niches including marketing professionals, web site designers, affiliate marketers and product resellers, ebook authors, professional magicians, sales automation specialists and more!

To help segment my content, I’ll be creating multiple blogs for each niche, and then interconnect them through hypertext links. Hopefully this will drive traffic and create a growing audience for my work. Until next time, Happy Trails.

Scam Warning: YP.com

Steven — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:09:00 +0000

The other day I received a check in the mail for the amount of $3.25 from YP.com -- a local yellow page online listing service. At first I thought it was an affiliate check and was prepared to add it to my weekly deposits, but careful reading of the reverse side of the check revealed it was a scam. By endorsing the back of the check for deposit I was agreeing to be billed in the amount of $27.50 per month for an online advertisement. It gave a third-party, Telco Billing, Inc., the right to either debit the account to which the check was deposited or add it to my monthly phone bill. Furthermore, it says I agree to be bound to terms which are conveniently omitted from the check. Lastly, refunds are given within the 120 days which means that a) my funds are tied up and b) they make money on the float (earn interest on my funds until they return my funds to me). If you receive a check from this company, be forewarned.

My site is still rising on Alexa like a rocket!

Steven — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:46:00 +0000

In February, I quietly released a new ebook called Rocket Science Revealed which explains in over 40+ pages how and why my site, CoolToolAwards.com, continues to soar in Alexa, and why my product reviews jump to top 5 positions across Google and other major search engines.

When I started writing this ebook in February, Alexa had the site ranked at 82,708. As I continued writing the ebook, it jumped to 82,021. By the time I released the ebook, the site was ranked at 79, 207. A month later it is at 66,122. What have I done to improve my Alexa ranking? Why do my reviews jump to #1 on Google? You'll need to read the ebook. You can learn about it here:

http://www.rocketsciencerevealed.com

Check Out The Mural Factory!

Steven — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:12:00 +0000

I’ve just learned about a really neat company that specializes in the creation of custom murals. These aren’t your everyday, off-the-shelf murals either. And we’re not talking fancy signs either. These are highly personalized to your decor. They can provide corporate and consumer solutions. You won’t believe what they can do with a child’s room! Check out their site here.

The Death of the 30 Second Spot

Steven — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 18:20:00 +0000

I’ve begun reading a great book about television advertising and the need to rethink what we’ve come to accept as the norm — the 30 second spot. So far it is an excellent read and really forces you to consider new options using new media to promote products. Highly recommended.

Are You Guilty As Charged?

Steven — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 16:17:00 +0000

You know that feeling you get when you walk into a store to browse, and one salesman after another approaches you to ask if they can help you? God, I hate that feeling. I feel bombarded. I just want to be left alone and go find what I am looking for, OK?!

In some stores they not only bombard you with too many salesmen, but they also make it difficult to find what you are looking for. Imagine that! How frustrating! I don’t know about you, but when this happens to me I turn around and walk out. That's a lost sale for the store.

Well, guess what? Most web sites are designed the exact same way. They bombard you with too many ads, links, and graphics. And then they make it difficult to find what you are looking for. Net result: you leave the site without finding what you want. That's a lost sale for the webmaster.

These are two of the biggest reasons why people abandon web sites within the first 15 seconds of their arrival:

Too much garbage distracting you
Lack of simple site navigation

How does your web site measure up? Are you guilty as charged? Check out The Big Picture for a solution.

This Must Be The Place!

Steven — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:42:00 +0000

Introduction

Whether intentionally or by accident, you’ve reached the blog of Steven Schneiderman. Within these pages I will share my experience and wisdom about a variety of things including marketing, automation and development, and magic — three chief areas where I am somewhat of a subject-matter expert. It’s my hope that you’ll benefit from these random rants and riffs on ideas. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to see future rants highlight a particular subject.

My Background

To start off, I’d like to familiarize you with my background. I’ve been online since 1983 starting with CompuServe. I first started studying the Internet back in 1995 when it was still in its infancy, and the majority of surfers were either academic types or developers creating sites for the adult film industry. Remarkably, the folks developing those early adult sites laid the groundwork for the wave of cyber-marketing that eventually followed.

Over the years I have held a variety of marketing, sales and operations roles for some very large companies including Worldcom and TV Guide. In addition to my day job, I’ve been consulting for years, mostly to start-up technology companies, and developing web sites and Internet tools to make it easier for people like you and I to bring their ideas to market and market them online quickly and easily.

My Network of Sites

I presently manage my own network of over 100 web sites. They are primarily separated into two areas of interest: electronic publishing and online marketing.

I first created EbookoMatic in 1999 with the help of the development team at Astra Mascon, who are located on Pune, India. EbookoMatic.com is the only place in the world where an author can instantly publish, promote, distribute and sell unlimited ebooks across multiple web sites. EbookoMatic is an entirely automated business requiring little to no manual intervention. It works 24 hours/day quiety publishing new authors, selling their ebooks, and maintaining itself in a completely automated fashion. It is supported by a network of 20+ retail ebook sites, mostly divided by genre.

The other half of my sites share my cumulative experience across a variety of subject matter where I have some degree of expertise. Other sites also sell ebooks and products that I have created with the assistance of my talented developers in India and Pakistan. To learn more about these sites, click here.

I use BlogJet to manage by blog. You can find out more here.

Long Live BlogJet!

Steven — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 15:46:00 +0000

To make managing and publishing my blog easier, I have been using BlogJet. I’ve taken the time to write an extensive review and included som screen shots. Go check it out here.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Consulting

Steven — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:15:00 +0000

I’ve released another free ebook on my Consulting101 site. This site now contains the contents of my 25+ page ebook about starting a consulting career. Using my own life experience as an example, I explain how I got started in consulting, and what real-life decisions you need to make before embarking down a similar path. The site also includes links to resources I use in my daily life that should be helpful to anyone thinking of starting a consulting career. Enjoy!

Check Out Free Excerpt of Make Your Ebook Sell

Steven — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 16:46:00 +0000

I’ve decided to to gradually release free excerpts from my ebook, Make Your Ebook Sell. Check out the introduction to learn the premise behind my writing the ebook in the first place, and to see if it’s something you might be interested in reading further.

I’ll be adding more free excerpts in the weeks ahead. Check it out. It’s good reading, even if I do say so myself!

Free Sales Force Automation Site

Steven — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:06:00 +0000

I’ve recently decided to make some of my older ebooks available for free online. If you have an interest in sales force automation or are involved in supporting or implementing customer relationship management at your company or for your clients, I recommend you visit this site: SalesForceAutomation.net.

The first ebook to become available for free is called The Ten Commandments of Sales Force Automation. This brief white paper highlights what I consider to be the 10 most critical things you need to know to have a successful implementation. It’s based upon my 5 years as director of sales force automation at Worldcom.

I’d love to hear your comments!

Stuff I'm Reading This Week

Steven — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 17:14:00 +0000

I’ve broken out the ole wallet this week and purchased a number of software packages and ebooks. Here’s what I purchased, what I am reading, and why:

Michael Campbell’s Revenge of the Mininet

Michael Campbell is the undisputed SEO champion. What this guy knows about lifting your sites’ ranking in the search engines is nothing short of amazing. I’ve purchased all of his ebooks in the past and relished them. The best value for my marketing dollar. Every little tweak I have learned and applied has resulted in positive impacts to my web and sales activity. If you don’t know anything about Michael Campbell, click here to learn more. At the very least, you need to subscribe to this guy’s free newsletter. It’s published about twice a month, and it contains a wealth of free information, not just affiliate links stuff. Worth its weight on gold.

Paul Myers’ The List Machine

Paul is another old-timer, relatively speaking, with a rambling writing style. He is very opinionated but right on target. His advice has helped many people to improve their online marketing tactics and rack in the bucks through increased traffic and sales. This particular ebook focuses on how to build your list. I’ve just started reading it, and I am excited by what I am reading. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! Click here for info.

Love My Monitor!

Steven — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 16:47:00 +0000

Well, all good things come to an end, and the display on my old, huge 20 inch monitor was slowly turning green. I needed to replace it fast. I started looking in all the local consumer electronic stores and found this great LG monitor: L 1920P.

The only problem was it cost $460 before the $100 in-store and manufacturer rebates. Since I didn’t have that kind of cash handy, I went to my family’s junk closet (consisting of old toys, games, clothes, etc.) and quickly posted a bunch of stuff to eBay. Within a few days, it all sold for — guess what — $350, exactly what I needed to cover the cost of the monitor!

This monitor is often reviewed as having the brightest image possible for a 19 inch LCD flat screen. It is bright. I can actually work by its light in a dark room. I use two networked PCs with a switcher to share the mouse, keyboard and monitor, and despite the advice not to do this by one store clerk, it works FINE.

Want more info on this monitor? Click here for LG’s product page.

Web Pages Made Easier With XSite Pro

Steven — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 21:18:00 +0000

I love this new software I have been playing with called XSite Pro. I stumbled upon it by accident, and now everyone is shouting out about the joys of owning this new software tool designed to make it easier to create and maintain web pages and web sites.

Here’s some of the things that make this software so cool to use:

– Easy as pie interface helps you get up to speed quickly

– Exhaustive tutorials and user manual leave nothing to the imagination

– Designed for the non-techie but has plenty of juice for the tech-junkies

– Single click addition of Google AdSense and Affiliate links to your page

– Ability to update look and feel of entire site with a few clicks

There’s so much more. I just read the tutorial last night. For years I have been using Micrsoft FrontPage, and while I can churn out pages quickly, I am always looking for ways to gain time and accelerate my bringing new sites to market. XSite Pro looks like a winner to me. Check out my review XSite Pro Review.