Gord's Home Biz.com

Does It Matter How "Good" Your Current Article Is?

Gord — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:06:33 GMT

I'm an "action" movie nut and the Missus' can attest to that. When I get all
settled down in my favorite chair and armed with my remotes and watch the
latest action flick on DVD, I lose all concept of time and find it is a total escape
from the pressures of today's world.

With the surround sound cranked up and totally engrossed in the movie, a
faraway sound will make me pause the movie. "TURN THAT STUFF DOWN!!"
The wife is standing in the doorway with fists clenched on her hips, "What?
Are you deaf?"

Movie Night!

One night I was watching Bad Boys II with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
Half way through the movie I had to pause and think about what the first
movie was about. The original Bad Boys was already an old movie and being
buried by all the new releases that came after it.

Of all the people that missed the first movie and only watched the second Bad Boys,
I wonder how many will bother to rent or buy a copy and watch the first movie.

I don't think there will be too many because of that new release by Bruce Willis
or that new action-adventure by Claude Van Damme coming out on the weekend.
People are looking forward to the next latest and greatest, not the past.

So, what's that got to do with my Blog or anyone's Blog?

How much effort and time do you put into a post on your Blog? Traffic building
is an ongoing task with Bloggers and also maintaining that traffic at a level you
want it to be at. Just like movie goers, readers want to see an article that will
peak their interest and hold it enough to come back and read your next article.

Firing off a hurried post with weak content, thinking it will be adequate because
you have great articles in your archives is not going to cut it because that first
impression is like the "trailer" to a movie. A reader will view the current article
and see what the Blogger's theme is about and a sample of what is upcoming in
future posts.

In conclusion, this is a fast paced, hectic world we live in and the average time
a person spends reading an article on a blog is short and it is not very likely
that they will spend the time to read past posts. Your current article is what "rates"
your Blog in the minds of your readers

Fuel Prices Taking It's Toll

Gord — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:19:03 GMT

My company, Jazz Air LP is feeling the pressure of escalating fuel prices and
last week suspended "overtime" in my department as well as company wide.

Yesterday, it was announced that 270 employees will be laid off, which is the
first time the Regional Airline company had to take such measures.

Air Canada has made reductions in staff and flights and this has effected my
Airline here in Canada. When Air Canada flights arrive in major airports across
Canada such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Jazz shuttles people to
destinations within the provinces as well as bordering United States.

Everybody in the airline is praying and upper management is lobbying for fuel
prices to stabilize and drop to a "normal level". What do I call normal? The current
price of oil per barrel is around $144.00 and when all this mess started it was
around $90.00. Still high but it was at a level that companies and people
were accustomed to and the economy was running fairly smoothly.

The big argument here in Canada is that we could rely on our own source
of oil from the rich oil sands of Alberta to vast oil reserves off the coast of
Newfoundland to name a couple. However OPEC is calling the shots but
rumblings from Nation leaders are spurring discussions between Governments
that something has to be done and some sort of International Regulatory body
needs to be put in place.

Currently OPEC denies any oil crisis and although predictions see oil prices
climbing to $250.00 a barrel, they rule it out as pure speculation. The 2275
people laid off with Air Canada and Jazz know first hand that the price of
oil is causing a personal crisis that affects their careers and families.

Having an established Home Business makes more sense now than it ever
has before.

Can Rating A Program Get Your Account Cancelled? Yes It can

Gord — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:16:51 GMT

My Canadian Blogger friend, John, who I have mentioned in a prior article concerning
10DollarsWonder, exercised his right to freedom of speech and print. The outcome was
not pretty.

Rating Programs

I have rated a few programs over the last few months on my blog and on my Lens
in Squidoo. Just recently I reported a slow down in a couple of my programs and
although I did not criticize the program itself, I blamed it on "Program Hopping"
and members not having the foresight and patience to build their business. The old
cliché still rings true "it takes time to build a business". I know a lot of people don't
want to hear it and scurry to make a quick buck but the building of a steady monthly
income takes awhile.

Freedom Of Speech And That Box You Check

You know the little box next to the rules and regulations of a company or program that
you check verifying that you read them all...sometimes that can get you in some hot water.
You fill in all your information and your starting to get a bit miffed with all the information
they require. Aw C'mon...what do they need to know that for! When you finally get to the
conditions or rules you can either check that little "easy" box or "open" them and read
them all...then check the box.

My friend John, who's happy face is displayed in the sidebar of this blog, did his usual "thing"
of rating programs. In one particular "Cycler" he joined, he was advising his readers of his
progress and a reader asked for some personal insight into the program. You can read the
outcome if you click on this link; John's Blog and scroll down to the June 23rd (Monday) entry.

Now, I'm not implying John didn't read the "conditions", because he probably did. He has
a knack for reading between the lines and can see issues that makes him suspicious about
the honesty of a program. I guess I will probably be looking at the "rules" a bit closer in
the future. But then again, that's why I read John's Blog.

What's All This..."Follow Me On Twitter" Stuff About?

Gord — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:41:41 GMT

This is my 3rd article on Autoresponders. The first concerned MLM Affiliate programs
and the second was about Blogs and Autoresponders.

Over a month ago I was reading one of my favorite Blogger's post and in the sidebar
was "Follow Me On Twitter". At first I thought it must be the name of another Blog
the Author has, and made a mental note to check it out later. The worst part of my
mental notes is that after a few minutes, I can't remember any of them.

Later I was on another Blogger's site and seen the same caption. This time I decided
to follow the link and see what this "Twitter" was all about. "Follow me on Twitter"...
I know when my wife's in a twitter I definitely don't follow her, I head in the opposite
direction. I guess that's why my instincts were telling me to not click on that link
in the beginning.

Courtesy of iStockphoto

After signing up and getting in the rhythm of posting updates of published articles on
my Blogs, I began getting some members reading my stuff. In three short weeks, I had
25 people "Following me on Twitter". You have 140 characters to broadcast your
message several times a day and I also receive emails from Twitter informing me
that some one is following me and therefore interested in what I am writing about.
So far I am getting 7 to 8 of these messages a week.

I have added the Twitter widget to the sidebar of this Blog so if you are interested
you can checkout the webpage which explains how it works plus an informative
video tutorial

Blogs And Autoresponders

Gord — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:53:10 GMT

In my last article about "Lists" and Autoresponders I discussed the pros and cons
of building an MLM Affiliate business with leads or prospects.

I get a lot of advise and knowledge from some of the top Bloggers and being busy
with my Biz I don't always get a chance to read what's new or the latest and greatest
traffic building technique. I call it learning from the Masters. In these blogs they have
a subscription form that you fill out and you will be informed be e-mail of new Posts and
updates.

By doing this they are building a "List" of their own. When the opportunity arises they
can send their Autoresponder subscribers, "Affiliate product" offers or ask them to read
a recent post with an "pitch" inserted in the article. There are some people that don't
like being sent advertisements but there are others that jump at the chance at getting
a discounted product that "works" for a popular Blogger.

An example of this was a recent "competition" between two Bloggers in a race to develop
the most popular site and who could sell their Blog for the most money. They were some
great downloads and products used by both camps to cut out a lot of leg work and
a lot of readers opted to purchase these through discounted prices and the Bloggers
benefited through Affiliate commissions. Some were put up as prizes with a chance to
win some expensive tools for free.

In conclusion, I feel a Blogger has a greater benefit through building a List and having
a sizable subscription base in their Autoresponder, than a Blogger that doesn't use one.
Mainly because of the variety of information and products a Blogger can present instead
of a single product or company information package that an MLM Affiliate has to offer.

In my next post in this series of e-mail campaigns I will write about a website that is
gaining popularity by the day, that can replace my need for an Autoresponder and it's free.

A Present For the Missus'

Gord — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:30:28 GMT

This article was supposed to be about Autoresponders and Blogs but I thought I would take
a little break from Business and do some Birthday shopping for the "little woman".

My wife's Birthday is coming up and she is always complaining she doesn't have enough shoes
and boots to match her outfits. So, it was off to the Mall to do some window shopping and see
if anything perks my interest. Eventually I came across a unique store and went in found the
perfect gift...I hope she likes it.

The other day the wife got a bit frazzled when everything started to get a bit too hectic and she
yelled out, "OK!, that's enough! I don't know whether I am coming or going, time for everybody
to slow down!

I can't wait until she opens her present and see the expression on her face, I should be in her
"good" books for another few days.

MLM Affiliate Marketing...Is It "All In The List"?

Gord — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:07:36 GMT

List building is an interesting subject that I have seen debated in Forums. I have
had positive and negative comments about the "List" from my Uplines and Administrators.

The rule of thumb is that a person who sees or reads messages and Ads about an
opportunity 7 times will become more aware of the company or product. Statistics
have proven that a percentage of people will join MLM programs when exposed
to multiple Autoresponder messages.

However in my case it has rarely happened. I remember I joined a program a couple
years back and it was step by step plan to build a downline. I joined a list of Affiliate
programs and a "List" provider with a monthy subscription fee. I followed the "plan"
and spent hours researching the documents the Admin provided about list building.

Spending Money and Buying Leads

I was totally ready and was paying for 90 "fresh" leads a month. There was nothing
could stop me. The "leads" were fed into an Autoresponder and I was on easy street
to getting my first paycheck. About 3 months later, after giving it a fair trial...nothing!

OK, let's sit back and have a look at this. I am shelling out about $150.00 a month
and have a back load of leads in my Autoresponder and I am promoting everywhere
the "plan" told me to but with zero results. Meanwhile the people on "top" were
boasting how their "coffers" were overflowing with money.

Suspicion set in and wondering if this was all just window dressing to entice people,
like me, into their money trap. "You can do it...I have already made a quarter million in the
first two months." I fired off an e-mail to the Admin and asked him what gives?
The answer I received was, "What is your problem, you have a big list there. I don't
see your point." I replied that my point was $500.00 down the tubes and no payday,
plus another month rolling around and I was expected to shell out another $150.00.
I don't think so!

No such thing as...let me put a couple people in your downline to help you get started
since I am making thousands of dollars a month. The thing that puzzled me was that
not one person in my Autoresponder answered any broadcast message that I sent
or joined one of the programs.

Learning A Lesson

As I pointed out in my previous articles, you learn by your mistakes. Doing a bit of looking
around in Forums and getting some feedback from Uplines in my other programs, the
consensus was that buying leads is a complete waste of money and offers of "free"
prospects is a waste of time. I learned that the hard way.

When a person subscribes to my Autoresponder, I send them a welcome message and
if they don't respond in two days I know they aren't interested. I still send weekly
broadcasts because some of my "Active" subscribers are recent members in my downline
and I send them updates and the latest news. These are people that joined my biz but
still were automatically subscribed to my Autoresponder.

Meanwhile, I am not tuned into my e-mail inbox waiting for a confirmation message to
appear that one of my "leads" has joined my biz, because it will be like me winning the
big one on the lottery but then again...you never know when it will happen.

On the flip side of the coin there are experienced Marketers who use their Autoresponder
like a big funnel and send endless messages and occasionally get signups but for me when
people subscribe and get the information about the business that's all I am concerned with.
I am not going to "hound" them constantly.

In my next article, I'll discuss using Autoresponders with Blogs. I welcome any comments
about people's experiences with Leads.

A Father's Stories

Gord — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:58:01 GMT

My Father will be 87 years old next month and he and my Mom are visiting me
here in Milford, Nova Scotia for a couple weeks. Dad has had his share of health
problems in the last couple of years and recently he was diagnosed with a Bone
Marrow - blood problem linked to leukemia. The Doctors are keeping him stable
with regular blood work and the occasional visit to the Hospital for Blood infusion
which brings up his "good" blood and it rejuvenates him

It will gradually worsen over the next months and years but Mom and Dad still
live in their own house and are managing with everything. Dad loves to tell stories
about the "old days" and I listen with fascination at times and lately he puts in
more personal details than he has before. I wrote "at times" because there are those
more memorable stories he recalls where I know the events but I still like to hear him tell it.

The Big One...WW II

My parents were born in Hemsbach, Germany and immigrated to Canada in 1954.
History classes in School taught me a lot about World War II. Reading books,
TV, and watching movies about the war was usually depicted from the Allies
point of view.

Dad told me about a different part of the war. His involvement as a Merchant Marine
drafted as "support division" to the German Navy. He'd pause and seemed like his eyes
would moisten when mentioning about a good friend lost here and a school buddy
was killed there. Death and destruction was a part of everybody's lives that were
involved.

The Bismark

Amazing stories like when his ship was in the same harbor that the great German
Battleship, Bismark was steaming for while being hunted by the Royal Navy. Dad's
ship had a radioman who was sworn to secrecy about messages he was reading that
were sent back and forth between German Command and the Bismark. Years later
after the war the Radioman recalled "Command" ordering the Captain and the crew of
the Bismark not to surrender no matter what. While Dad was on duty on his ship the
Bismark was being hammered by the British warships and sunk 200 miles out to sea.

1944 in the same harbor, the Bismark's sister ship Tirpitz was in port for repairs.
On a Sunday morning, Dad heard sirens that warned of incoming enemy aircraft
and went to his battle station. He heard explosions and a friend next to him fell
to the ship's deck as a piece of burning shrapnel hit him in the leg. The Tirpitz,
a mile across the harbor from Dad's ship had been hit by English bombers and
she lay over on her side critically damaged.

The Tirpitz

These true stories can take Dad up to 2 to 3 hours to tell with a lot of detail and I
take it all in and try to imagine what it was like. This is a fast paced world we live in
today, trying to keep the "wolf from the door" and spending some time with family
and friends. When your parents call or visit and want to share some stories with
you, remember, no one can stop the hands of time. It's too late when they are gone
and wish you had listened to more stories of their past and your heritage.

"You Want A Piece Of Me?", My First Forum Post Raised Some Hackles

Gord — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:06:09 GMT

Just what the Doctor ordered, make four Forum posts and go to bed.

In my last article I learned from yet again, a failed opportunity. This time it was
not the company, it was me getting involved with a downline builder for that
company that I lost faith in. They never delivered on what they "guaranteed" so
I couldn't promote the program because I knew the people in my downline were
not going to get the service that I was promoting. Nope! Just couldn't do it.

My First Forum Post

After looking through the Forum links I was sent, I started at the top with the
MMG forum. After reading some of the rules and regulations and getting my profile
updated I went to work starting a Thread about S4PMI. I repeated that process
with the 4 top forums and was kind of proud of myself.

The next morning I received an email that I had a reply to my post on the MMG
Forum. Holy Mackerel! That was quick. All pumped up and excited I clicked on the
Link to the reply. Apparently, I had started a duplicate thread about the S4PMI
business and the reply stated that the S4PMI's Admin was a bit on the shady side.

Not what I was expecting. I had performed a "search" prior to starting my Topic
and didn't get any results but when typing in the URL, I got an archived thread
about "Search For Profits". OK, the author of the reply was right about that but
he was not getting away with calling the Admin a crook, when I already had been
paid a few times.

What ensued, was a battle of words and ended up with my Thread being deleted by a
Moderator of the Forum. I couldn't believe it...my first posts and poof!...it was gone.
Taking it all in stride, I again learned from my mistakes. On my following thread and
posts I ignored any "baiting" replies and stayed on my course. I came to realize that
the Forum members I had the debacle over where long time MMG'ers and had a lot
of experience under their belts and warning people of programs and companies that
smelled a bit fishy to them. Why one of them attacked S4PMI's Admin I don't know
but I have been with the program for over 6 months and have been paid every time,
and until someone can prove otherwise, he is an honest man.

Surviving My First Month With Forums

Eventually, after a few warnings from Moderators, and getting to know the individual
rules of each Forum, I was into the swing of posting about my opportunities every
second day and having success with inquires about my programs and some signups.
MMG was the only Forum I had initial trouble with but it has been "quiet on the Front"
since then.

After the second month I added the Figbiz to my Forum topics in an effort to build
up that business as well. Soon, I plan to get more involved with Forum discussions
over the various topics as my time table allows. Having my Blog in my signature will
also build traffic and over time, Forum members will respect my comments and replies
as I become more experienced.

A Final Word

Wondering how to get started? The quickest way I can suggest is to visit a popular
Forum and read through the topics and discussion and see how Threads about an
author's opportunity is started and maintained. Don't be afraid and jump right in with
both feet and if you make a mistake, A Moderator or Administrator of the Forum
will let you know where you went wrong.

We learn by our mistakes and be cautious of members who may want to mix it up with
you. Over time you will be recognized by Forum members and they will believe what you
are writing. Your goal is to maintain that trust and post what you truly believe in.
Happy posting everybody!

Affiliate Marketing And Forums

Gord — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:28:04 GMT

I never had any success with the Global Domains International Affiliate program.

I would sponsor people for the 7 day free trial but they would not upgrade...and it's only
10 bucks a month. I think the problem is the 1 dollar factor. For every member in your
downline you receive a dollar a month as long as they are subscribed. Geez...all that
work to recruit someone and only get a dollar a month. When I was shopping around
looking for programs to build my Home Business, I received autoresponder emails
about the GDI compensation plan explaining the "Power Of One", and how those one
dollar bills can add up very quickly and wondered why they kept "pushing" that topic.

So, I figured it must be an issue with some people. When you look at the compensation
plan, you need 10 people just to break even before you see any profit. Where GDI
has already "glutted" the market, the most signups will be coming from "new" people
entering the online business world and recruiting 10 people as a "newbie" is no
easy task.

After a couple months, I got an invitational email to join 3in7, a GDI downline builder.
"Guaranteed" (There's that word again and it got me suspicious back then) to put 3 people
in your downline in GDI in 7 days. You guessed it; never happened. For some reason I
couldn't get it going and and didn't feel right promoting a program that never fulfilled
their "guarantee" to me.

Out of that debacle, I did learn something from a GDI member that was doing great with
the company and attributed his success to Forum posting. Actually he was a Doctor and
building his GDI business as his time schedule allowed. By posting to 3 or 4 popular
Forums everyday or every two days he was and still is building his downline. The first
3 or 4 months there was nothing happening but then slowly he began getting replies
to the posts he was making on his thread, and interest turned to signups.

As members joined his downline he encouraged them to follow his lead and post on his
threads or start new threads if the Forum allowed it. Essentially, his Forum threads
became downline builders.

I decided to try and duplicate his success by using the same method for my programs.
That was about 4 months ago and strangely, just in the last few days I began getting
some interest and response to my Forum posts also a few signups. Just like the Doc
ordered, his prescription was working.

A word of caution that every Forum has different rules and standards. You must read
the rules and regulations for each category within a Forum to stay "legal". Popular
Forum topics also get good ratings in the Search Engines especially if your content
is fresh and original.

In my next article I will discuss Forum posting and how I found out the hard way that
not all Forums have the same format and rules.

MLM With No Hype and No Guarantees...What Gives?

Gord — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:35:09 GMT

Are You Calling Me A Squatter? Them's Fightin' Words! is the title of my last article
and it is about what most Affiliate Marketers have experienced...failure and frustration.

That's where the 95% or so give up on trying to make an income online. Then there's
the other 5% that gets back up on that horse and goes for another ride. Hey, that's
a description of me. Almost every successful Marketer has had their ups and downs,
learning from mistakes, spotting the "cons", and honing their Marketing skills using
methods that produce results.

After trial and error, I learned that evaluating a program or company to see if is worth
advertising is important. What I mean is, after a trial period of bringing people into your
downline, matrix, powerline, or whatever, you need to analyze if it's working out or not.
Are you getting the results that the Affiliate program's Admin stated on his webpage.
Are you going to destroy your credibility promoting something that you know is wasting
your time and everybody that joins under you. Is your downline making any headways.

BINGO! Is your downline making any headways?

That's what Multi-Level Marketing is all about. Where are you without your downline?
Top of your Matrix with a big zero on your backoffice commission report.

After joining the Figbiz back in February, I entered my trial and evaluation phase. The
evaluation was made easy by joining the Figbiz Group Forum and reading about some
long-term members success that have been with Fig for a few years. Stable and producing
results...that's what I like to see in a business. I began promoting and had my initial
matrix filled in a short time.

As I continued promoting, I contacted my downline members and was looking for some
feedback. I still remember that first email I sent out..."How are you doing with the figbiz?"
I hesitated before hitting the "send" button. The moment of truth...

One member quickly emailed back, 'Great, filled my matrix, moved on and joined the
first nutritional company." Huh!!?, Was my reaction. He has shot past me in a week,
which took me over a month to fill my matrix. A quick phone call to Fig admin confirmed
that I will remain his upline in the "health" company when I am ready to join.

There is no better feeling to know one of your members is doing just as well as you
or better. Two days ago a member that joined under me in March, replied to a thread
I started months ago in the MMG (MoneyMakerGroup.com) Forum. Jose is a long-time
MMG member and concurred with what I was posting that Fig works. MMG is not
the place to spread false information or members will descend on you and practically
"run you out of Dodge" and destroy the credibility of your Thread.

So, a big Thanks goes out to Jose in California, USA. In conclusion the biggest obstacle
to overcome in MLM these days, is building trust. That is the reason I only write articles
about programs or companies I know are legitimate. Doing otherwise will only destroy
the trust I have with my members and readers plus my Home Business.

Are You Calling Me A Squatter? Them's Fightin' Words!

Gord — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:53:06 GMT

Back in October of 2007 I joined a new program that looked
promising. I am not going to get into the details of the program
but I punched 6 months and called it quits for various reasons.

The "main" reason is that it didn't live up to it's promotion
of retiring in one year making $4,000 a month. I wasn't born
yesterday and knew this wasn't going to happen but I looked
at the plan and it looked half decent. If I could get up to $500
I would be happy. After 6 months, $38.00 was my monthly income
and people were bailing out of the program already so I knew
my income would drop.

When everybody starting canceling their subscriptions the Admin
made changes to it's Affiliate program lineup which caused an
unorganized race to signup first, not waiting for uplines, which
again miffed members and more dropped out.

Unaware of all this turmoil I thought I would join one of these
programs led by a trustworthy Admin. Now...the email I got was
about joining this new Affiliate program and remain totally passive
and spillover will be filling up your matrix. OK, i'll bite one more
time to give this program another chance.

Two months later I inquired about where all my spillover was
that I was supposed to get. I received an email from the program
in question. We call people who don't promote "squatters" and
overspill might not happen for months. WHAT! He called me a
squatter after they enticed me to join at $20 bucks a month and to
be passive.

That's it! Opened my Paypal account and hit unsubscribe, unsubscribe,
and unsubscribe again. Your not making any money off of me buddy
by labeling people and false advertising.

I guess I got carried away there after I stated I wasn't going to get
into details. Anyway...people don't want to hear about failures so
onward!

FIG

As I was licking my wounds after losing money on my last great hope, I
came across a company called FIG. I can't remember where I seen the
webpage but it was new to me. I looked it over for a month and decided
to join. The company is called Financial Independence Group or Fig and
there was no big hype or promises, just that they could build me a
Home Business passively or actively.

In my next article I will reveal if Fig is another pipe-dream or the real
deal. Meanwhile, if you have a minute, check out my business updates
by clicking on the Squid in the right hand Sidebar and get some details
about my progress with the Figbiz.

Mozilla Firefox 2

Gord — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:39:35 GMT

It's June and I have reached a milestone in my life...the big 50 years old!

The way I got it planned I will live to be a hundred and right now I am half way
though my life span. When it comes to the point where I can't see or hear my
favorite movies anymore, I might call it quits. I'll be too old to do anything
else anyway.

Old Habits Are Hard To Break

I have a set way of doing things and even at work I occasionally buy a new tool
like a ratcheting spanner, which makes taking off that bolt or nut easier but when
it comes time to use it, I'm using my trusty ol' closed-end spanner I have been
using for years.

Online I use Internet Explorer as my Web Browser and have come across a few
cautions that a site will function faster and more efficient if you are using "Firefox".
I don't need that, just another download. I have been using IE for years and if
it worked in the past it will work alright now.

The better part of this week I am working on an Aviation site concerning Aircraft
maintenance. I am using a site builder by GoDaddy.com and last week it was
working fine although very slow at times. I included a widget that I liked and
it was like a door slammed shut on the application. I couldn't edit my pages and
was totally stuck. I tried different tactics like shutting down my Firewall, deleting
my cache', and deleting cookies.

Nothing worked and contacted support and this went on for a couple days trying
their suggestions and fussing with the site off and on between other tasks I had
assigned for myself. I'm proud of myself for not swearing although I could feel my
blood pressure rising a few times.

Try Something New

I was on the verge of canceling the whole website because I was wasting a
tremendous amount of time when I thought about "Firefox". A quick search on
Google and I had it in front of me and it offered a Free download of Firefox 2
by Mozilla. Well, I thought I would give it a shot since I paid for my website
already and hit "download". Within a couple of minutes it was up and running
and "opened" the new browser. In anticipation of failure I brought up my GoDaddy
website and went straight to my page editing application. Before I could blink
my eyes the page was up and WORKING! For 3 days I have been trying to get
the website builder to work and within 5 minutes Firefox had it purring like a kitten.

Default Browser

I now have Firefox on my desktop and only use it to access my Aviation Website and
when I open the Browser it asks me if I want to make it my Default Browser.
I hesitate before clicking the NO button. What about my old buddy, Internet Explorer,
I can't seem to let it go but times are changing and common sense urges me to
go with this new upstart that makes navigation a lot easier and faster. Geez...
now they are coming out with Firefox 3 and I have hardly tried out the "old" one.

Like my trusty ol' wrench, that I'll have to put in the back of my toolbox one of these
days and opt for that shiny new ratcheting gizmo, I will soon click the YES button
to make Firefox my new Internet Browser.

New AME WordPress Blog

Gord — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:48:43 GMT

I launched a new WordPress blog under my own Domain and it's called Aircraft Maintenance
Engineer or AME. My description of the Blog I recently add to my Technorati profile is that it
is the story of Aircraft Mechanics, who are the hardworking, silent minority of the Airlines.
Pretty cool summary I thought but it is a fact.

When people plan their airline excursions for their long awaited holidays their usually think
about the flight itself and probably visualize landing at their destination. They can picture Pilots
and Flight Attendants...."I wonder if I have to pay for drinks?". Engineers and Mechanics are
not on the menu and never cross a person mind unless there is a delay or cancellation
due to "Mechanical" circumstances. "Aw c'mon...canceled!If I could get may hands on that
Mechanic I'd.."

This brings me to a sort of humorous situation that happened in the Halifax International Airport
a couple years ago. A runway was closed down due to upgrading and resurfacing in August.
Flights were on time despite only using one runway on those beautiful sunny days until one
morning on the way to the airport I ran into a wall of fog. FOG? In the middle of the summer!

The fog burned off by mid morning but flights were canceled and people were left stranded
until late at night or the next morning before they got out. This happened three mornings
in a row and hundreds of people turned into thousands having their plans upset by this
construction because the runway that was closed down was limiting flights, that were backed
up, from leaving.

Two of my Maintenance buddies walk over to the Halifax terminal, which is about a quarter
kilometer from the Hangar, and eat their lunch in the Food Court on a regular basis. When
they walked over during this big mess they couldn't get close to their favorite take-out spot
with all the hundreds of stranded people milling around. As they stood there in their airline
uniforms a lady noticed them and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Look! they work
for the Airport and are probably responsible for all this." A hundred heads all turned in their
direction.

My buddies just looked at each other in shock and made a hasty retreat out of the terminal
back to the Hangar and got a few chuckles from everyone when they told their story in the
Lunchroom.

So, if you have a moment, check out my new Blog and read about the guys and gals who
keep those amazing flying machines in the air.

The Knack Of Knowing What People Want Or Just "Smart" Thinking.

Gord — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:45:32 GMT

I have been watching and reading the Cow vs Conn articles on the two competing
Blogs and each are acquiring the same goal but with different methods. Both Bloggers
know what they are doing and have consistently produced money-makers.

The main thing I learned before attempting to start any project Blog is to decide on
the "niche" you are going to build your Blog around. What is everybody "searching"
for and want to buy or acquire information on, which also exposes your readers to
your Affiliate program offers and Ads such as Google Adwords.

Placing your Blog in front of the top rated Search Engine categories is the key
if you want to make money from your site. What if you could predict what people are
going to be looking for in the near future and have your website or Blog setup and
waiting in the wings for that niche to explode? I imagine that would make an online
Marketers dream come true.

There are some that have a knack for this and can predict which way the market or
people "interests" are shifting, most of the time. However, this is a very fluid and
unpredictable basket to put all your eggs in.

Why am I exploring this subject today? Gas prices are soaring at crazy heights lately
and looks like that trend will continue. The affect is making people change their lifestyle
such as canceling that road trip that was planned for the summer, parking that
second car, moving closer to work, and trading in for a more fuel-efficient vehicles,
to name a few.

On the highway I noticed at least 5 "Smart" cars on my travel to the city of Halifax
here in Nova Scotia, Canada a couple days ago. Yesterday I came to the "lights"
and there was another one of those "Smart" cars in front of me waiting for the
light to change. I was thinking to myself...Yep, the people that came up with that
car have just made it into the big time. Two years ago, I saw one of those cars on
the highway maybe every half a year or so but now they are popping up everywhere.

Courtesy of GermanCarScene.com

There you go...someone had the foresight to visualize what people will want in the
near future with the rise in oil costs per barrel; a car that can run a full week on what
you would normally burn in gas in a day in that family van sitting in the driveway.

Of course there is a lot of competition already with Hybrid and fuel cells but these
options are too costly for the average guy or gal out there so the "Smart" car is a
reasonable alternative.

Marketers and businesses have gone under trying to predict these trends but the lucky
few or "smart" ones, who hit a home run will become millionaires overnight.

So..., am I going to spend hours trying to predict the future? Nope! I'll keep on learning
on how John Cow and Garry Conn are so successful at what they do.

Universal Search? - Just When I Was Getting A Handle On SEO

Gord — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:47:41 GMT

How Search Engines Work Now:

I am by no means an expert on SEO and how search engines work but by doing
a bit of research, courtesy of Home Business magazine, they operate by a method
called "vertical" search. When you search for Blog content, the search engine will
look at Blogs initially and then diversify as you look beyond the first couple of pages.

How Universal Search Will Work:

Universal Search will throw a monkey wrench into that system by searching over
a broader plain. For example, if you put in a search criteria for specified content
on Blogs, "Universal" will scan Blogs, videos, news, and catalogs for relevant
information.

What Will This Mean To The Blogger Or Website Owner:

Blogs and sites and that already optimized for "vertical" search will still be included
in the search results but as "Universal" becomes more common rankings will probably
drop a little where more sites will be included in the initial search. However all the
SEO methods you are using now should remain in place and when Universal Search
comes to a neighborhood near you, a bit of "tweaking" may be in order to maintain
your rankings.

Maintaining Your Rankings when "Universal" Comes To Town:

The best method that is forcasted to overcome a drop in rankings due to the Universal
is what Bloggers are already doing and that is add new "fresh" content on a regular basis.
Websites that are "stale" and don't add some flare and updates will certainly lose ground
to their competitors who are "sprucing up" their sites on a regular basis.

Conclusion:

By trade I am an Aircraft Engineer and "change" is a common occurrence in my profession.
As newer advanced technology replaces a component or aircraft I have been working on
for years I have learned to take the changes in stride and after another "upgrade" course,
hit the books which follows with hands-on experience until I am familiar with the workings
of that new-fangled on board computer or flap control system.

I'll treat Universal Search in the same manner and I shall overcome but I still might sneak
over and visit my favorite Bloggers and see what they are doing.

Beware! Your Being Watched!

Gord — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:51:00 GMT

I thought I would deviate from the normal Blog and Biz topics in this article
and get into that"spider-sense" that alerts you that something is not right
or you are being watched.

I'm sure you have had that feeling from time to time when you are alone or
busy with some task and suddenly stop and have a look around because
you thought someone or something was watching you.

A few years back I was alone in the living room in my favorite chair watching
a movie on TV and my wife was upstairs in bed reading a book. There was
a little lull in the action part of the movie and I grabbed a handful of popcorn
when I got this feeling someone was watching me. I paused the movie
on the VCR and had a look out the windows. Nope...nobody around and
sat down again to continue the flick. After another few minutes that "feeling"
returned and I paused the movie again. All was quiet as I slowly looked around.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a flicker of movement and looked towards
the bottom of the stairs. There was a little mouse looking right at me with those
little shiny black eyes. Time stood still as we looked at each other then he took
off upstairs.

I knew I had to catch the mouse or my wife would be up all night. About 2 hours
later I had the little fella' cornered in the bathroom. I closed the door and
locked it. "It's just between me and you now." I loudly called to the mouse
while the Missus' stood outside. I eventually caught the little guy and let him go
in the backyard.

This brings me to a joke I heard recently...there was this burglar who watched
an unsuspecting family leave their home for the evening. Sneaking up to the house
he crawled in through a window and began searching for valuables.

A low loud voice started the crook, "Jesus is watching you". Looking around he didn't
see anyone and continued with his dastardly deed. "Jesus is watching you" a low voice
said again scaring the catburglar. This time he had a good scan around the room
and saw a Parrot in a cage in the corner and went over to it. "Did you just say
that?" the crook said to the Parrot. "Yes" said the Parrot.

The crook laughed and said "What kind of idiot would name their Parrot, Jesus?" After a
few seconds the Parrot said "The same idiot who named their PitBull...Jesus."

Why is 10DollarsWonder still cycling?

Gord — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:02:14 GMT

About 9 months ago I came across a Blog by John Stankiewicz and have been following
it off and on ever since. John is into a variety of online money-making programs including
Cyclers and Affiliate programs. He tells it like it is with "no holds-barred" and not afraid to
get answers from Administrators of these programs if something is not "Kosher"

On his Blog he also displays his findings after trial runs of companies and programs. He
has a knack for reading between the lines and see where there is truth or fiction. What if
he is wrong and steering people away from an opportunity? His track record proves that
he is right most of the time and if can be proved wrong, has posted his findings.

10DollarsWonder came up in a few of his articles about cyclers and to be cautious because
they have a tendency to petter out after awhile and die a slow death. I sent him an e-mail
about the program and he replied that he wouldn't recommend it at this time.

A while later he reported that it was doing well and cycling consistently. OK, that's it! I am
going over there for a look-see. $10.00 a position and I noticed the Admin had a couple Blogs
listed with testimonials about the cycler. After a bit of consideration I threw caution to the wind
and parted with 10 bucks and that is all I have invested into the program to this point.

With my original purchase I have 13 positions by repurchasing when I had over 10 dollars in my
account. To date I am gaining a $1.00 a day being totally passive while I am busy with my other
Business programs. However as you can read in John's Blog, members, as well as himself, are
putting some "major" money into the "Wonder" and gaining back their initial deposit in a short
time and then watch the profits build up.

Looking at some statistics, 10DollarsWonder began on December 26, 2006 with a total running
days of 527. There are currently 14,785 members but still the program remains in the shadows
compared to some. An amazing 5,669,271 times cycled in the last 194 days.

I was driving my son to school yesterday and there was this commercial on the radio about a car
sale and that everyone will be approved for financing. In an echoing loud voice the commentator
said, "Take your left fingers and put it on your right wrist...do you feel a pulse? Yes!...Then you
are approved". I didn't get it first where I was concentrating on the traffic in front of me but
then it hit home and I started laughing.

This original "line" can be applied to 10Dollarswonder. If you got a "pulse" and 10 bucks this
program will work for you. On my Lens on Squidoo , 10DW is one of the programs I update on a
regular basis as I add and drop business opportunies while I evaluate their progress.

My thought on why 10DollarsWonder is still cycling and stable is because of the Admin, who
worked hard in the beginning making sure everyone was getting what was due to them and
putting the clamps on the cheaters. Up to a few months ago, emails were sent out on every
time your positions cycled but this had to be abandoned as the program became more
popular. Dedication and honesty is keeping the program running and it as popular as ever
with it's members.

Dates to Diapers - What's Up With That?

Gord — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:06:17 GMT

Need a bit of inspiration to get those creative juices flowing?

Check out Christine Young's Blog: www.fromdatestodiapers.com and you will see a
site that attracts a large amount of viewers. She originally began a Blog called
Organized Chaos where she shared her experiences of family life and home schooling.
Eventually the word got around and advertisers began inquiring about advertising
on her Blog.

Hey Gord! How come you are into diapers and stuff. What's up with that?

I highlighted Christines's Blog as a motivation for myself and perhaps others. There are
hundreds and thousands of Bloggers out there that are following successful Bloggers,
gathering information about how to achieve the same fame as they are, me included
Why? Because they are packed with information from basic to professional Blog building
and it is free for everyone to read.

However, the one important they tell you about but cannot do for you is...creating your
"own" original material and being consistent in building on your topics. It takes months
and even years to develop a healthy readership. Christine became so popular, advertisers
are seeking her out to place Ads on her blog and I noticed she requires payment if
you wanted to place a widget on there. Probably a bit out of place anyway...diapers and
Aircraft Maintenance but anyway, you get my point, she is creating an income from her Blog.

My point is you have to think "outside the box" and try to get away from the "norm" to
interest readers. That is why I started my project about Aircraft Maintenance. Perhaps
it will only attract a unique audience mainly with aviation but it is becoming a highly
paid career and with minimal post-secondary education. With an aging workforce and
demand for Aircraft Mechanics, a person can earn a healthy income without the burden
of huge university loan installments to pay every month.

That's my plan and I'm sticken' to it!

Recently I StumbleUpon A Site That Can Build Friendships and Traffic

Gord — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:53:07 GMT

StumbleUpon

I learned a lesson yesterday when I read Garry Conn's Blog which I
included in today's article.

When I first came across StumbleUpon a few months ago, I registered
and left it behind in a cloud of dust as I was in a hurry to get back to my
Biz promotions. During that time I read a couple reviews and articles
about getting involved with StumbleUpon and I made a mental note to go
over there and check it out again. That soon vanished and forgot about
it until I read Garry's blog and spent some time evaluating StumbleUpon
myself. Over 5,000,000 members!

For a complete description I recommend reading the article below which
explains what StumbleUpon is all about.

Creating A New Digital Fingerprint In StumbleUpon

Written by Garry Conn on May 30th, 2008

Yesterday I wrote a pretty lengthy article that explained what I think the future will hold for Google and SEO. Today I want to discuss with you how you can build, shape and mold an online identity or digital fingerprint that you can use to help successfully promote your make money online blog.

In this article I will guide you along with with what I did using StumbleUpon.com; however, the advice, tips, tricks and strategy can be used for most all networks. This article can be used as a blueprint or guide so that you can successfully create your own digital fingerprint to use for the niche blog that you have created for making money online.

At the bottom of this article, learn how you can easily score a free $50 dollar GarryConn.com article advertisement!

What Is StumbleUpon.com?

As quoted from the StumbleUpon.com about us page, “StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you click Stumble!, we deliver high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of 5,213,995 other websurfers with interests similar to you. Rating these sites you like () automatically shares them with like-minded people – and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend.”

StumbleUpon.com is very simple to use. After you register for a free account, you’ll be instructed to download a special web browser toolbar which will give you the StumbleUpon tools needed to participate and contribute in their network.

How To Sign Up For StumbleUpon.com

Signing up for StumbleUpon.com is very easy. Simply visit www.stumbleupon.com and click join.

You will be prompted to fill out an online registration form. Simply fill out the form and then click Join and Download Now. On the next page you’ll be prompted to download the StumbleUpon toolbar for your appropriate web browser.

After you install the toolbar you may be asked to restart your web browser. Go ahead and do so. After you reload your web browser, look at the top near the left and you will see your new StumbleUpon toolbar added. From there, simply click Sign-in.

Creating Your New Digital fingerprint

From this point on, I’ll show you how to take your first step towards creating your brand new digital fingerprint that you’ll assign and use towards publicly representing yourself and your niche blog that you have created for making money online.

In this article, I am going to walk you through what I did with my newest niche blog, Debt Consolidation Book, which is being used in a competition against John Cow to see who can sell their blog for the highest amount of money.

Creating Your StumbleUpon.com Profile

Creating a profile on StumbleUpon.com is a very important step in shaping and molding your digital fingerprint on the Internet. Creating a profile on StumbleUpon is very easy, but you need to be careful with the public picture that you paint for yourself.

It all starts with your introduction about yourself that will be seen by everyone within the StumbleUpon.com community. You should write about a 150 to 200 word statement that explains your purpose for joining StumbleUpon.com, about your niche blog and what your goal is for joining.

You will want to include your website address in the form and check the boxes that most accurately explain your purpose for joining. Additionally you will want to upload an avatar which will become a significant part of your niche blog branding. Proceed to complete the profile form as best as you can. Answer as many of the questions as possible.

Adding Your StumbleUpon Interests

The next vital section that you need to update is your interests page. This is a very important part towards shaping and molding your digital fingerprint. You will see a categorized menu on the left side of the page. Each category breaks down into sub categories. Select as many topics that pertain to your niche blog topic.

For me, my niche blog is Debt Consolidation Book. This is a blog that aims to help people learn more about debt consolidation, managing their money, education about credit cards and tips on how to get out of credit card debt. So on my Debt Consolidation Book StumbleUpon interests page, I have chosen the following interests: Banking, Business, Financial Planning and Investing.

What happens next is magical. As you begin to use StumbleUpon and submit various pages that interest you according to the topic interest you have chosen, a section on your public profile page will appear explaining to people what you are interested in with a direct link to this topic categories.

Your StumbleUpon Interests In Action

If you click on one of the links such as in my case, financial-planning, a new page will load up that connects you with people as well as content that is totally related to your topic of interest. On this page, you can thumbs up the content listed on this page and review the people on the page and even add them as a friend.

Your StumbleUpon Interests Exposure

The people you add as a friend will receive an email notification of your request. from there they will review your profile on StumbleUpon and add you as a mutual friend. Depending how how much time you invest into finding friends and content related to your niche, you may find that your digital fingerprint starting to grow very quickly.

In the above screen shot, you’ll see that in only after one hour of creating my account in StumbleUpon my name is featured on the top of the financial-planning page for other members to see and check me out. I was able to land this page successfully after investing a little less than one hour using Google BlogSearch to find pages to add into StumbleUpon that was related to my own niche blog and digital fingerprint.

Making Friends in StumbleUpon

Making friends in StumbleUpon.com is very important towards enhancing your digital fingerprint as well as gaining more exposure to the content that you submit into StumbleUpon. Additionally, the more friends that you have in StumbleUpon.com the more of a chance that a friend will stumble content that you publish on your own niche blog. If that happens, you better buckle in because you’ll go for a huge roller coaster right and score a ton of traffic to your blog.

Keep in mind, it is never a good idea to submit your own content into StumbleUpon. Allow your friends the opportunity of being rewarded with the discovery. StumbleUpon users increase their own branding and reputation when they discover new pages that haven’t already been added by other members. Cheating your friends from this reward doesn’t sit very well with people in the community, so be sure to let your friends take the reward of stumbling your pages and don’t do it yourself.

Finding friends is very easy and making friends is even easier. As explained above, you can find friends by searching for them by your topic of interest. Simply click on their icons and view their profile page to determine if they share common interests with you. Their profile page is much like yours own where they have invested time into writing an introduction statement and have chosen their interests. You will want to only add people who share the same interests as you and also show a trend of submitting and voting on pages that are similar to the pages you publish on your own blog.

This is screen shot of my public home page. You can quickly see that my interests are about banking, business, credit card debt, credit cards, debt and debt consolidation. Additionally, you can quickly see the most recent pages on the Internet that I have either submitted or simply voted on. On this page, you can quickly get a snapshot in determining if I share common interests with you. The same goes for you. When you visit the pages of people in StumbleUpon.com, look at their tag cloud to see what topics interest them the most. Take a glance at the pages that they have submitted or voted on. Very quickly you’ll be able to determine if this is a person that you’d like to make friends with. As I said earlier, it is very important to make friends with only people who share common interests that are related to your own and the digital fingerprinting of your online identity.

Why Use StumbleUpon For Your Digital Fingerprint

You should use StumbleUpon.com for helping create, shape and mold your digital fingerprint simply for the fact that it works. In just a few hours of time you will have successfully planted the seed of your digital fingerprint and believe me folks, if you invest about one hour per day towards growing this seed, it will not only sprout but it will grow into a power house identity in no time. The key to remember is staying on topic related to your niche blog and the digital fingerprint you are creating.

Your StumbleUpon Reputation

The last and one of the most important parts about StumbleUpon.com is your online reputation within the community. Other members within the StumbleUpon network have the ability to add a review on your StumbleUpon.com home page. The more positive and encouraging reviews you get, then more your online reputation and digital fingerprint are enhanced.

At this time, I would love for you to visit my Debt Consolidation Book Stumble Upon profile page and add me as a friend, give me a thumbs up and add a review for my new profile. If you enjoyed reading this post and feel that I have given you some really helpful advice, tips and tricks in using StumbleUpon.com, please visit my profile page and offer me a review.

Win A Free $50 Dollar Advertisement On My Blog!

As a special incentive towards encouraging you to towards adding me as a friend, giving me a thumb rating and adding a review, I have a new advertisement service being offered on www.garryconn.com. As seen in the above screen shot, I have been inserting very customized and styled advertisements in my posts.

I am giving away TEN FREE IN ARTICLE ADVERTISEMENTS WORTH $50 DOLLARS EACH.

Whoever does the following listed above and drops me a comment on this post, I will provide your name will be entered into the contest for a chance to win this service absolutely for free on my blog. This advertisement service will eventually be provided at a charge of $50 dollars. However, you have an excellent chance of getting it free by simply adding me a friend, giving me a thumbs up and adding a review on my new Debt Consolidation Book StumbleUpon.com page.

Remember, TEN PEOPLE WILL WIN! The odds are totally in your favor. I am writing off $500 dollars of free advertising on my blog. Simply drop me a comment letting me know that you have done the above and your entry will be added into the contest. HURRY!!! and act fast, this contest ends on June 3rd, 2008.

Instructions:

1.) Visit my new Debt Consolidation Book StumbleUpon profile page to add me as a friend and give me a review.

2.) Visit my Debt Consolidation Home Page at:

http://www.debtconsolidationbook.com/

to give me a thumbs up rating in your StumbleUpon toolbar.

3.) Drop me a comment and let me know and you’re entered in for a free $50 dollar advertisement on my blog.

All Contests Have A Bonus!!!

As an added bonus, if you would like to have a double entry into this contest, simply download a copy of this article and publish it on your blog. The article has been put into a zip file. Simply extract the zip file copy the HTML code of the article and past it and publish it on your blog. If you’d like to add an intro paragraph, please do. Don’t forget to drop me a comment and let me know if you have a single entry or a DOUBLE entry into this contest.

Thanks Garry for helping me recognize a tool that I overlooked in the past.

Gord