Countdown to AdTech New York
Less than a week now before I head off to my first adTech where I’ll be moderating the “The Evolution of Affiliate Marketing” panel on Thursday, november 8th, from 4:15pm - 5:15pm.
The panel description from the adTech site is “Last year, MarketingSherpa estimated that affiliates worldwide earned $6.5 billion in bounty and commissions in the areas of retail, personal finance, gaming and gambling, travel, telecom, education, publishing and forms of lead generation other than contextual ad networks. Far beyond revenue sharing, today’s affiliate marketing channel is evolving more and more into performance marketing and playing a larger role in online marketing strategies. Discover which industry sectors are the most active for affiliate marketers and those that are poised for the greatest growth. Learn the pros and cons of running affiliate programs in house versus using third-party services to track referral traffic or sales. And understand how advertisers are connecting with publishers through affiliate networks and how to extend, and protect, your brand through affiliate marketing.”
Our panelists include:
- Michael Hines, President, North America, Zanox
- Josh Greene, Director, Online Marketing and Business Development, DiscoveryStore.com
- Chris Henger, VP of Affiliate Marketing, DoubleClick Performics
- Jivan Manhas, President, Advaliant, Inc.
I am also scheduled to do a book signing on Wednesday November 7th between 2 and 3PM… so bring your book or buy a book there! Tell me you’re an NPT’er and I’ll do my best to make my signature legible. 
(Who knew that I’d lose the ability to write after 10 years in a computer / Internet business?)
Too, if you are in New York, the Expo takes place from Monday, November 5th until Tuesday, November 6th and a Exhibit Hall is free when you register before November 4th!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Humanscale Freedom: My New Office Chair
Ever since my car accident in late August, I’d been having trouble sitting in my standard office chair for more than about 20 minutes before my back and shoulders would start to ache.
Considering I like to put LOTS of time in at the computer when I’m working, so I can take LOTS of vacation time when I’m not, I had to rectify the problem ASAP.
The solution came from Gabriel-Ross and their Humanscale Freedom Chair - Saddle Seat which comes with numerous frame, textile, caster and base color options. (I got the bright red one.)
The design forces you to keep your back straight when used properly — i.e. sitting in a ”saddle” posture, which lowers the thighs and puts the spine into a lordotic curve. Although I’ve caught myself using it like a standard stool, more often than not I’m using it properly now, and voila! no more back pain! Yee-ha!!
Another benefit of the ”saddle” posture is that it allows users to get closer to their work — which is great when your eye-sight is diminishing (no doubt due to too much work at the computer) and you refuse to wear reading glasses. I guess those will be the next purchase.
You can see the chair in action in my Home Office Video.
Popularity: 10% [?]
NPT Digest: My Cannes Film Festival Entry
OK, don’t laugh… or try not too… but here’s my Cannes Film Festival entry… NOT.
I put together a little video tour of my home office (7 minutes, 55 seconds) during which I show you exactly how low-tech an internet / affiliate marketer’s office can be.
You’ll see all of the equipment I use - including my computers, printer, keyboard, backup power unit, external hard drive and even my chair (hey! don’t laugh.. your desk chair is one the most important pieces of equipment! :-)) and hear what I really think of some of the stuff I’ve bought…
Anyway, it’s all proof positive that you don’t need a lot of stuff to operate a highly successful home-based businesses on the Internet! Enjoy!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Video Tour of Rosalind’s Home Office
OK, don’t laugh… or try not too… but here’s my Cannes Film Festival entry… NOT.
I put together a little video tour of my home office (7 minutes, 55 seconds) during which I show you exactly how low-tech an internet / affiliate marketer’s office can be. See the equipment list here…
You’ll see all of the equipment I use - including my computers, printer, keyboard, backup power unit, external hard drive and even my chair (hey! don’t laugh.. your desk chair is one the most important pieces of equipment! :-)) and hear what I really think of some of the stuff I’ve bought…
Anyway, it’s all proof positive that you don’t need a lot of stuff to operate a highly successful home-based businesses on the Internet! Enjoy!
Popularity: 9% [?]
Dell Affiliate Program: They Love Me, They Love Me NOT
The Dell Affiliate Program recently migrated from Linkshare over to Commission Junction. During the transition, I received the following 3 emails from Dell, encouraging me to sign up for their new program.
- August 17, 2007 - Dell Home Migrating To Commission Junction!
- October 10, 2007 - Dell Home: You are missing out on great commissions! Join the Dell Home Affiliate Program at Commission Junction Today!
- Ocotober 11, 2007 - Dell Home Affiliate Program: Still haven’t migrated? You could be missing commissions!
The following snippets indicated that Dell really wanted affiliates to continue the relationship and move over to their program at CJ.
- We are excited about the new opportunities joining Commission Junction will bring our publishers and look forward to an even more successful relationship with our affiliates.
- Please let us know if there is anything that we can help you with regarding transferring over to the new Dell Home Affiliate Program or the program itself. We would be happy to help you.
- As one of our dedicated LinkShare affiliates, your application will be fast tracked for approval during this time, so that you can begin to adjust your promotions accordingly and earn commissions right away!
Well, I gotta tell ya, I’m not convinced. I applied and my application was summarily rejected. Despite sending 2 emails in reply, I have yet to receive a response.
Gee… do you think that this experience - after nearly 10 years as a very enthusiastic Dell customer who has sold umpteen Dell computers by word-of-mouth alone - might influence the brand that I buy when it comes to getting my next desktop?
Hmmmm… It might just be time to check out Sony’s other computer offerings. after all, I liked my first VAIO so much that when airport security in Toronto wrecked it, I replaced it with another one.
Oh ya, and that link to Sony? It is an affiliate link.
Popularity: 7% [?]
20/20 Challenge Update
John Cowburn commented “If anyone completes the challenge successfully within the 20 days (or even 30, 40 days) AND he isn’t a GURU, let’s hear about it. Expect silence!” re Michael Green’s 20/20 Challenge.
Fair enough to be skeptical (despite the money-back guarantee) I suppose, but to the cynic I’m happy to report that it’s been just over 20 days and Michael sent out an email with feedback from successful 20/20 Challengers like this from Sarah Coates in Concord, New Hampshire:
“Michael, boy was that fun. I took your 20/20 Challenge seriously and feel like I’ve really put my back into it, but 20 Days later and I’ve achieved my dream of earning enough money online not to have to work the day job anymore. Thank goodness” Thank you - Sarah Coates, Concord, NH, USA.
And this from John Speck in San Fransisco…
“$20k in 20 days? I’ve just done it and then some Thanks Michael. I never really thought it would be possible, but you’ve (or perhaps that is I’ve) proved myself wrong. I’m very grateful.” John Speck, San Fran, USA.
Proof positive that when someone wants something bad enough and believes they can make it happen, they WILL.
Click here to see if there are copies of the 20/20 Challenge left.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Paid Traffic: Is Your Site Ready for Visitors?
New affiliate marketers often fixate on getting “traffic, traffic and yet more traffic” to their sites.
However, in their rush to start earning commissions, some affiliates make costly errors when they launch sites that are not yet ready for visitors.
To learn which (7) conditions MUST be met on all affiliate sites before launch, read Paid Traffic: Is Your Site Ready for Visitors?
Popularity: 11% [?]
The #1 Fatal Internet Marketing Mistake
What’s the WORST (and typically first) mistake made by people who are trying to start an online business? Any guesses?
Here’s a 6 minute 22 second video (free to watch) in which Derek Gehl, CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, not only details the mistake but discusses the correct course of action in nice, easy-to-understand concise terms. He’s 100% right on the money with his explanation.
In the video, you’ll also see 2 web sites that are earning extraordinary income and probably be blown away by their simplicity. Watch it and learn.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Rosalind’s Speed PPC Review
I finally spent some time over the weekend playing with Speed PPC by Jay Stockwell, a qualified Adwords professional.
As stated on the sales page, Speed PPC “requires that you have at least a basic knowledge of PPC marketing” and as a result “we can’t give advice and don’t provide training on PPC basics“.
I concur with the first statement completely. The software is definitely not for those who are completely new to pay per click marketing. However, as he obviously knows PPC marketing inside and out, I do think that Jay would have done well to include a basic PPC guide for those keen to learn and take action using his handy software.
And although I’m not sure that Speed PPC will actually help experienced search marketers build their pay per click advertising campaigns “72,500% faster”, it will save users a big whack of time… once they master the software.
Read the rest of my Speed PPC Review and check out Jay’s $100 discount offer for NPT readers here…
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Feel Like You’re Up Against a Brick Wall? Watch this Video
Do you sometimes feel like you’re up against a brick wall or have trouble taking action to accomplish your goals?
Then the video lecture I stumbled across online this morning (and then had the good fortune to see presented again on Oprah later in the day) will kick you into high gear.
The video is of Professor Randy Pausch, giving a ‘last lecture’ before a packed house at Carnegie Mellon University on September 18, 2007. “Last lecture” is apparently a common theme for college lecture series, in which professors deliver a hypothetical final talk about what they’ve learned and want most to impart to others..
Randy Paush’s talk wasn’t hypothetical however, he is dying of pancreatic cancer.
During his talk entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch discussed his lessons learned and shared advice with the attendees on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
Seriously, if you do nothing else today, watch this video. It is brilliant, inspirational and to the point. And if you really do feel like you’re up against a brick wall, take special note of what Dr. Paush has to say about why those brick walls are there in the first place… it should give you insight into how to break them down.
The YouTube version posted below is just shy of 10 minutes in length. If you would like to see the whole lecture (1 hr. 44 mins), it is available here on Google Video.
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