Some folks get an urge to buy cheap sunglasses … I’m yearning for a new cheap fountain pen!

More to come …

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Wow, been a long time since I’ve updated this!

Ed Dale’s Thirty Day Challenge is undergoing some changes this year and be called The Challenge for the 2010 effort.

More on that as we get closer to the kickoff on July 1!

30 Day Challenge, The Challenge | No Comments »

In spite of the gloom and doom associated with the economic meltdown, we are quite busy at the J.O.B.  That’s good in the sense that I still make my living working for “da man”.  I don’t recall if I have lamented this here before, but how can I make a fortune when I have to make a living!

Anyway, cool news today is that Jay Berkowitz of TenGoldenRules.com has posted Episode 30 of his great podcast series.  And, I think for perhaps the third time, you can hear me stumble through a call-in comment on the show.  This comment is about the necessity of having multiple online personalities for dealing with different aspects of one’s life.  I’ll expand on this here at a later date .. have to get a quote rolled out for a eager account manager right now.

Jeff

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I regularly listen to podcasts during my driving time, although the Sirius channel’s AC/DC Radio has captured a good bit of my listening time as of late (however I just might be approaching saturation soon).

One of my favored podcasters is Heather Lutze.  Seems she took a break from podcasting for a bit probably while preparing her new book (which is available for pre-ordering)
The Findability Formula: The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing (yes, a shameless Amazon affiliate link!).

To the point, I visited her site and found a podcast posted way back in April where Heather is discussing domain name registration with Matthew Rosebrook of Sedo.com.   Definitely a must-listen-to podcast, The Value of the Perfect Domain Name – Sedo Interview.

The Affiliate Thing podcast is another production that I’ve been enjoying as of late.  I have been aware of the effort for quite a while, but it seems the show was only available from a paid subscription source?  Set me straight if I’m wrong, I’d love to access the show archives!  Now the show is available under the banner of GeekCast.fm and usually takes the form of a casual discussion of current topics in online marketing and internet related items in general, featuring Shawn Collins (Affiliate Summit) and Lisa Picarille of Revenue magazine with assorted other guests.

The double play show that I am commenting on today is a solo effort by Shawn where he talks about the development of his politics-oriented niche site.  His intent was to do a quick, less than fifteen minutes podcast, I guess as a short offering while Lisa is away at a conference.  But, instead of just being a “filler” show, it is a little jewel of info on niche site development.  I’ve just finished listening to it for the second time … Anatomy of a Niche Affiliate Site .

If you found your way to this secret web site, please take a moment to register and leave a comment.  I’d like to hear from you!

Jeff

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I have been a fan of Jay Berkowitz’s Ten Golden Rules podcasts ever since I discovered them last year.  I even have a couple of call-in “appearances” on the show.  Maybe they can heard in the archives if Jay hasn’t edited me out!  I’ll have to figure out which episodes.

My purpose in writing this today is to note the premier of the Marketing Ropes site.  This site is an ongoing lesson in online marketing web site development.  In an earlier episode, Loukas Koufodontes called in to the podcast call-in number and volunteered to be a TGR “intern”, and be schooled by Jay in how to go about developing an online marketing presence. 

Marketing Ropes is Loukas’s creation that resulted from that concept and the first lesson in site development was presented in Episode 28.

The Ten Golden Rules podcasts are great listening anyway, but the Marketing Ropes project will be a wonderful practical exercise in site development and online marketing.

Maybe the Pig can be a footnote in the history of the effort!

Jeff

Online Marketing | 2 Comments »

About 2 weeks have passed since the Thirty Day Challenge for 2008 came to a close.  My head is still spinning with all sorts of ideas.

No, I didn’t make a sale before the end of the challenge, but I tweaked a little site that it should make some post-challenge sales.  It is not performing like I think it should, not showing any sales, but I suspect that there is a problem with the affiliate program or at least my account with them.  I’ll continue chasing this today.

Met some great folks during the challenge by joining a 30DC team, and that core of people is now growing into an active post-challenge team of IMers sharing ideas and providing support for niche market site development and social marketing efforts.

The Pig is in need of a bit of a refresh … I have some links to sites that have become inactive, so I’m looking for fresh items that fit my pursuits here.  I lke to have links to useful tools, some links to “authority” sites, but I really like some good links to folks who are trying to “do it”, making money through Internet Marketing , maybe leaving their J-O-Bs behind to earn their living doing something more fulfilling and hopefully much more profitable.

I do have a million other things in my head (I’ve registered at least three site names in the past week that should be a fun efforts).  So I should have a lot to comment on as things progress.

Of course, it sounds like the Thirty Day Challenge will be perpetual from now on!  I started having Groundhog Day-like flashbacks when I received a couple of random 30DC day announcements in the day or two after the end.  And I’m still receiving random old emails announcing content from back when the challenge was active … auto-mailer malfunction or part of Ed’s post-challenge marketing plan?

Jeff

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I’ve heard the analogy that the Thirty Day Challenge is proceeding along like a runaway train, if that’s the image you like then I’m hanging on the rail at the rear of the caboose flapping in the wind trying just to tag along. Wow! A wealth of information has been shared along with some pretty amazing tools to use.

Can you jump in now and get caught up? Personally, I think it would realistically be a challenge … but I’ll encourage you to jump on and grab the rail real tight. You have nothing to lose by getting involved NOW, and some things you can acquire while the challenge is active far exceed the price of admission (which is FREE, that’s why I said it in that manner)!

Yes, the link I provided above associates me with your visit. If that gives you heartburn, just Google 30DC and get busy!

Jeff

30 Day Challenge | No Comments »

Well, it wasn’t TOO painful but certainly not easy! I duplicated the old Flying Pig content from www.theflyingpig.ws to this new site www.theflyingpig.info. Now, I need to spend some time getting ‘er updated.

Jeff

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Besides links to “authority” sites and sites with tools and other goodies, I want to include a section of links to fellow journeyers.

So, if you are a relative newbie to Internet Marketing  and you are out there “doing it” with blogs, PPC campaigns, social marketing efforts,  SEO techniques, afilliate programs, and all and have a site where you “talk” about what is and isn’t working for you, please drop me an email or comment here.

Jeff

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In the previous post I wrote about having some affiliate dollars flowing in. I received a courtesy phone call (you know it’s gonna’ be something not-so-good when you get a call prefaced by, “Hello, this is John Smith of XYZ Company, I am making a courtesy call to inform you …) telling me that the facet of the affiliate program I was working would no longer be supported, and even being terminated in just a couple of days.

Well, due to the required lag between sale and compensation to allow for returns, I still had a couple of checks in the queue. But when those process through, that’s it. Boy, I’m going to miss those checks! I have to shift that business effort to a conventional online affiliate model and it should be good for a few more bucks!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been dabbling with the Build A Niche Store (BANS) software package. I have created a few partial sites as I’m learning how to do it. I would LOVE to have a week away from the J-O-B and other distractions (like filing taxes) to be able to focus on finalizing these sites and creating more.

As these sites become ready for public viewing, I’ll have to venture into the world of PPC. Seems that PPC is probably just one of those things that you can’t get a feel for it until you just go ahead and do it. I’ve seen lots of info about keyword searches and such, but I’d like to see a step-by-step description of creating a PPC campaign and monitoring it through a cycle.

If any of my accidental readers know about such a course, please comment here or use the email link.

Jeff

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