Different Perspectives...

Last Thursday, Armand Morin railed against Internet Marketers who seem to be trying to profit from the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

He lambasted one marketer who required a name and email address prior to gaining access to a site about a collective effort by internet marketing types.

I agreed with Armand... in part.

I saw the site, and thought that it would have been better to leave the site completely open to let people see the scope of the project, allowing those who want more information to give their names and email addresses.

However, I tried to view it as an attempt to build a list of the well-intentioned, with whom the webmaster could share ongoing strategies for victim relief.

I was correct in my assumption... (this time).

I spoke with Ken McCarthy, the site's webmaster, and he made the following points:

1. Relief is needed NOW. It takes time to build a site, and he put up that page while he was building the rest of the site, and was looking for others to assist him with ways to garner support for disaster relief.
2. The people to whom he sent a message about the site were already on his list. He wasn't gaining addresses.
3. The site was completely OPEN to public 12 hours after his original message went out.

I talked with Ken at length, and his passion for helping is clear and true.

Lesson Learned: Don't be too quick to judge. It was only an email address after all.

Visit Ken's site at:

SystemFundraiser.com

Don't be Fooled...

Armand also raged over what he calls the "Buy My Crap and I'll Donate" marketers.

He suggested that in some cases they don't do what they say they'll do.

While I believe that to be true sometimes, I also know those who DO keep their promises.

However, I DO suggest that if you want to donate, then give directly to the source. You won't have any question about whether or not the charity is receiving your donation.

I was Blown Away...

I was blown away this week (no pun intended) by some who objected to my suggestion that we donate to the American Red Cross to assist those devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Most cited political reasons and were surprisingly, primarily from the U.S.

While I understand how the current U.S. administration offends many, making disaster relief a political issue serves no good or useful purpose.

In fact, it creates REALLY bad karma.

However, I recognize for each person who takes the time to write, there are a thousand more who feel the same way.

So, here's a thought...

Animals Can't Vote.

If you're an animal lover, please give what you can to the Humane Society of the United States and help save a pet.

Humane Society of the United States

Help Needed NOW

Donations AREN'T pouring into the Red Cross and other organizations as quickly as they have for other disasters. The money certainly isn't coming in as quickly as it is needed.

Instead of helping, a lot of breath is being wasted critizing anyone and everyone.

And...

• Yes, federal aid was FAR too slow in coming to the aid of people on the Gulf Coast.
• Yes, the head of FEMA, Michael Brown, should be fired.
• Yes, U.S. troops are in Iraq and unavailable to help Katrina victims.
• Yes, 400 - 500 New Orleans police officers fled the scene and haven't been seen since.

But SO WHAT?

Using those excuses not to help, is like being first at the scene of an accident where one CAN help, and then blaming the 'officials' for the victim's demise because the ambulance didn't get there in time.

The thought makes me absolutely sick.

People in the region are STILL dying. A million displaced people will need ongoing help to rebuild their homes, businesses... their lives.

Money is needed NOW, and We CAN help now.

If you haven't already done so, please give what you can TODAY. No donation is too small.

How YOU Can Help...

If you are a marketer who wants to help, without the perception that you are making money off the deal, consider this approach:

Offer a free copy of your product to those who provide proof of a charitable donation.

If you'd like to help in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by placing a Red Cross banner like the one above on your site, please go to:

The Redcross

This is a comprehensive list of groups that are in the region and doing what needs to be done right now.

http://www.interaction.org/katrina

Again, please take the time to make a donation if you haven't already done so.

Lemon Aid...

OK, let's get down to business...

Now Serving You Better...

After re-installing my sites following the server crash last week, replacing email filters became absolutely crucial.

In the half hour after my sites were back online, I received 200 spams sent to generic addresses, ie. anyone@mydomain.com,

TWO HUNDRED! e-Gads.

Worse still... my customers weren't being served.

So, I acted on another great suggestion made by both Len Thurmond and Holly Cotter, and had the Kayako helpdesk system installed here at NetProfitsToday.com.

To use the Helpdesk, you simply submit a ticket (question) via the site, and we don't have to worry about spam filters eating your messages, because we read and respond to them right on the site.

We're still building the Knowledgebase, which will give you answers to many frequently asked questions about affiliate and Internet marketing.

Easier and more effective... my kind of system.

Check it out at:

http://NetProfitsToday.com/support/

... and don't forget to write!

Speaking of Questions...

Here's a NPT reader question.

Rosalind

In order to find my niche, which tool would give me supply demand and bids on keywords? It seems that Wordtracker, Overture and Nichefinder make you join to do so. How do I find the bids on keyword without having to join?

~ Mike H.

Overture's (now Yahoo! Search Marketing) Keyword Selector Tool is still free to use, but only the the number of searches performed during the previous month is returned.

http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

To see how much advertisers are paying for keywords, visit http://Overture.com, type in a keyword, and then click on 'View Advertisers Max Bids' in the top right-hand corner of the page. After entering a security code, the page with all the bids for that keyword is returned.

Yes, it's a tedious process when you have a lot of keywords to research, but if you're trying to save some money, it works like a charm.

Nichefinder now offers a free demo which has a few limitations, compared to the full version:

200 keywords per request (500 in full version);
10 authorization tickets (unlimited in full version);
You can't save or copy the results in demo version.

Otherwise, the Nichefinder demo is same as the full version. But note, Nichefinder doesn't show you bids, but the number of ads currently running for each keyword at Google and Overture.

Wordtracker will also supply you with demand (number of searches) for free. But you're right, you need to pay to gain access to all of Wordtracker's features, which allows you to choose keywords with high popularity and low competition.

Many of us now purchase a 1-day Wordtracker package, and set aside that day to do all of our keyword research for many different topics.

The 1-day package is only $7.57 US.

I hope that helps!

$100 SBI Deal - Offer Expires Sept. 6th at Midnight

Sorry about the last minute notice, but if you've been thinking about getting the SBI package, now's the time to buy it.

Ken's offering a second SBI for just $100 more, but the offer ends midnight September 6th.

Site Build It! is STILL the perfect site building option for those who don't want to learn HTML as well as anyone who wants to save time and money by buying all the website building necessities in a neatly packaged bundle.

Check out Site Build It!