Vince Runza Online

Can You Guess How Long I Had to Wait at the DMV?!

2011-10-28T06:48:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my day to renew my photo id at the local PennDOT office. Based on past experience, anecdotal evidence and tons of jokes about the wait, I assumed it would be long and more or less painful.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into the office -- and was the ONLY customer there! Total wait time: 0, zero, nada, zilch, none.

According to modern physics, "Everything not forbidden is compulsory", on a quantum level. Apparently, that's so on a macro level -- if you live long enough.

Birth and Death

2011-01-24T05:21:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Three days before that was my father's deathday. According to my spellchecker, there's no such word as "deathday". I won't correct it, since we don't really have a need for such a word.

We celebrate birthdays far more often and for far better reasons. Even the most entrenched nihilist would have no reason to observe his or her own departure from life -- unless that person had precognition.

RIP Vincent S. Runza, Sr.: born November 7, 1922 -- died January 20, 2011.

This is the way I will remember Pop -- animated, rumpled and engaging. I think he was explaining something to Mom. I won't put up the photo of her, sticking her tongue out at him. Yet.

Snowy Weather = French Toast?!

2011-01-12T08:38:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday, I'm at the supermarket for my regular Tuesday morning shopping trip. Imagine my surprise at the crush of people (most with a thousand-yard-stare) clogging the aisles and chatting on cell phones.

I did see the weather report which predicted snow for today -- 3-4 inches. However, east of us, folks will be inundated with up to 2 feet of snow. A change in the wind, and my area could get a lot more than is predicted.

However, this isn't Miami Beach. The Poconos (and the skiing they provide) are very close. Folks should be used to dealing with winter snow.

All righty, then: why was everyone stocking up on eggs, bread and milk? Is French Toast the best comfort food for when you're snowed in?! Or is it just that "panic shopping" doesn't lead to the best decision-making?

Sheesh!

How to Go Viral: Content Is King, Hallelujah!

2010-12-11T01:00:00.012-05:00

My dear friend Jackie Dawson passed along this video via Skype. It's a "Flash Mob", sort of. Actually, Chorus Niagara rehearsed this, on site, very early Saturday Morning, November 13, 2010.

Then, around noon, they let loose:

This actually brought tears to my eyes.

Merry Christmas.

ED Spammers Just Love Me! Why?!

2010-05-09T19:02:00.006-05:00

While I'm no spring chicken, I have no need of medical help to raise the flagpole over my desires. Yeah, I'm a guy who has sufficient hydraulic competency without outside help of any kind.
So why are spammers (predominantly Russian) sending me a daily spate of ads for medicine from Pfizer and others to "pump me up"? Did I make a mistake in actually mentioning my age when filling out profiles in places like Facebook and the like? It can't be because I asked for that kind of help online. I didn't and probably won't.
In fact, what I ask for online has nothing to do with my health. Money, marketing info, clients, etc., are what I seek. Still, I have to dedicate a portion of my time weeding out the ED spam from my email accounts. I won't go into which accounts -- that might aid and abet these scurrilous snarfs in their evil plot to mess with my junk!
It's the weeding out that annoys me. I have to check my spam folders for possible mistakes in classifying real requests for my services or communications from those needing a specialist (note that the bold, italicized text is also the name of a popular ED remedy).
Listen up, Russkies! I'm just fine without ya! I know it's bad and dumb to ask you directly to unsubscribe me via your websites. You'll just know, for sure, that your spam is getting through to another hapless, "rich" Amerikanskie. So, hopefully, this message will somehow reach the innards of your automated software and give it pause.
Nah, fuhgeddaboudit!

Personalized Party Favors and Gifts | Engraved Favors and Gifts for Events

2009-10-09T08:15:00.011-05:00

A special event like a wedding party, prom or holiday get-together is one way we celebrate our connection to those we love. Mementos, keepsakes and other things we save are another way to connect, emotionally, to these people. They remain in our hearts and minds through little trifles we keep that have a powerful emotional impact.
You may be starving, but I bet you won't eat that piece of wedding cake you have tucked away in the freezer! In the same way, all the favors and gifts you saved to remember special moments in your life will be the last things you give up, even if their monetary value is small.
Personalized party favors and gifts can be more than just sappy, sentimental items. A bridesmaid's gift like an engraved pink hip flask:

can bring back memories that outshine a hunk of wedding cake – especially if that flask is delivered full!

    CreateAFavor.com specializes in gifts and favors for special occasions that are personalized for you and those you give them to. Whether it's a wedding party, corporate event, holiday feast, or family reunion, the favors and gifts you get from CreateAFavor.com will be an affordable way to give your guests a memento that they'll treasure.
    Best of all, personalization and engraving of these favors and gifts is free! If you have a special logo or design you want to use, there's a modest one-time setup fee.
    Go to: http://createafavor.com/ or call 1-866-FAVORS2 today and get started on creating those memories you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Ghostwriting, Content Creation and Write-for-Hire Work.

2009-05-15T12:11:00.006-05:00

The current economic climate is like the proverbial "weather" -- everybody complains about it but nobody does anything to change it. Mind you, I'm not talking about governmental influence (and wads of cash and credit being flung at too-big-to-fail businesses). I'm addressing those of us who are doing business or looking for work.

My own work with promoting local businesses here in Scranton, PA has suffered from a nearly complete lack of faith on the part of business owners. They just don't think they're ready to grab a bigger market share with proven marketing techniques that "cost money".

Never mind that their ad spend isn't giving them proven (or even measurable) results, in most cases. They want to stick with what they know, rather than experiment with something that fear tells them is just confusing. "The confused mind says NO!"

I know from comments and feedback from my colleagues that many areas and locales are not burdened by this narrow view of things. In fact, some local and regional markets are eagerly implementing Direct Response Internet Marketing methods to increase their market share now, before the economy recovers.

Since that's true, I've returned to my roots, offering write-for-hire services. Rather than limit myself to working solely through the Warrior Forum for Internet Marketers, I've chosen oDesk as my platform for freelance work.

I'm actually looking forward to sharpening my skills in Social Media Marketing, SEO and SEM. Perhaps I'll stumble across a like-minded content buyer who actually needs my full array of local business promotion tools. Until that happens (or the economy warms up), I'll be doing what I do best -- creating written content that works hard in the search engines.

McFarlane Sports Picks | Collectible Sports Figures

2009-04-21T18:01:00.004-05:00

McFarlane Sports Figures, until recently, meant nothing to me. If you had shown them to me, my immediate reaction would have been, "So, you collect dolls, huh?"

Upon closer inspection, these scale model, articulated and lifelike sculptures are really amazing! The attention to detail and presentation is far beyond what one might expect from mere "action figures".

Todd McFarlane, the creator of SPAWN, launched McFarlane Toys in 1994. In addition to creating meticulous sculptures of movie characters, McFarlane also produces rock stars and video game characters. He has acquired the rights to produce action figures for all four major North American sports — baseball, hockey, football and basketball.

That's where this story picks up a head of steam. Ron Johnson, a fanatical collector of McFarlane sports figures, has his own website for collectors. In addition to specializing in sports picks, he has a service that will create a custom figure for you, based on photos you send. How about immortalizing a family member as a Major League sports figure?!

You can check out the #1 collector of McFarlane Sports Picks in Colorado Springs online at http://www.figurefanatic.com/.

Scranton SEO | From Search Engine Optimization in Scranton to Total Domination

2008-09-18T03:26:00.015-05:00

In June of 2008, I had an idea about local Scranton business promotion that looked good. In fact, it looked so good I just had to show it to other Direct Response Internet Marketers. They flipped out! Dozens of them subscribed to a “live” case study of the process I was going through.
    The process itself is deceptively simple: seek out and dominate local search terms with cool backlinks that all point to a single focus. That focus is what I call a Front Door Page. Think of it as the place where a given business can promote the most profitable parts of their business or profession (or any underused capacity thereof).
    Naturally, since the prospective business isn't there yet, the focal page has to be a plain vanilla “placeholder” page, like this one for Scranton Golf Equipment. [Note Well: this is a blog post. By the time you look at that page, it may well have changed to a Front Door Page!]
    The real kicker of this whole approach is how easily one can dominate very profitable niches in Scranton local search, like Chiropractors, Cosmetic Dentists, Fences, Paving Contractors and Plumbers.
    Not every one of these particular niches has the #1 spot in Google every day for a given backlink, placeholder or Front Door Page. They simply dominate the first page of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP's). Practically all the other links on the page are classified listings of one sort or another. That means they have no content value.
    With a combination of blog posts, Web 2.0 references and high Page Rank classified ads (and the right keyword combinations), just about anybody who knows more about Internet Marketing than a rank beginner can do this, too! I call it Total Search Engine Domination: using local SEO to do local SEM (Search Engine Marketing) for “rich niche” businesses and professionals. Have a look at this Web page for more information: Money-Making Websites, LLC

Are We Excited Yet?

2008-07-14T14:22:00.009-05:00

Any time you push yourself out of the "Comfort Zone" into the "Learning Zone," you get at least a little excited. Once that new location becomes a bit familiar, however, the excitement can fade. Only the work remains, for the moment. Ahead lies the reward, tantalizingly out of reach.
    In a way, it's like ripening fruit, which is a bit bitter to eat right now, but will be sweet and juicy in time. Life is like that. The things which are sweet at first often become sour after a while, like cotton candy in the mouth. The things which are sour at first become not only sweet, but nutritious. It's a maturing process.
    Hammering out the kinks for the Scranton Front Door Pages is just such a chore. Each of the "placeholder" listings is bouncing around in the search engines like a superball thrown by an overeager 6-year-old. They are literally changing from moment to moment, which makes promoting them something for the near future, but not right now. The only stable references to the listings themselves are through blog posts from "seasoned" blogs like this one and the Wordpress blog that I left laying fallow for many months (but is now revivified and flourishing).
    The willingness to see past the present and envision the future is one of the measures of maturity. Positive consequences are an example of that kind of maturity. Indeed, those who are up to their rump in alligators (who set out to drain the swamp) have a pasture to look forward to. It's fending off the alligators that can diminish enthusiasm for the moment.
    Nevertheless, having the sure and certain knowledge that Bessie the cow will be thanking you (in her cow-like way) for the sweet grass your nascent pasture will provide is just one of the perks you can enjoy. Think of all those alligator steaks you can put in the freezer!

Broomfield Concrete Contractors: Colorado Vacation Fun!

2008-07-02T05:20:00.007-05:00

Check Broomfield Concrete Contractors in Google, and whaddya get? The same thing I'd probably get back in Scranton:

Google Local Listings that all look very good -- and fade into the background
Google AdWords spots that try to steal attention away from the pins in the Google map
A bunch of classified ads in the SERP's.

Every organic search result is for somebody else's copy of a Yellow Pages listing for the keyword phrase.
    As an exercise for the class, guess what happens when this post about Broomfield concrete contractors gets indexed and shows up in the SERP's?
    The real value of this effect is for local search in Scranton. Never mind that there's no real competition in this niche -- yet. A local concrete contractor could really clean up if a Direct Response Internet Marketer were to promote his or her business online. That's because Yellow Pages have been surpassed by search engines, when it comes to services. That's right: more than 50% of folks Google for services, rather than haul out the YP book!
    If you're a concrete contractor in the Scranton area, you'd be well advised to check out http://vincerunza.com/scranton/contractors/concrete/ and see if your competition has snapped up this Front Door Page!

California Artisan Wine from My Cousin Frank Ashton: Downhill Winery

2008-06-24T15:20:00.008-05:00

Our grandfather made wine for the family, lo these many years ago. He made "artisan wine" way before the term "artisan" became a buzzword. In fact, I've got an old photograph of "Pop" pressing grapes -- not with his feet, but in an old winepress. Sebastiano Runza made wine a part of everyday life because that was the way things were done in the Old Country. It's nice to know that feeling and tradition continue today, albeit in California, not in Sicily or Queens, NY.
    Frank (or perhaps he should be thought of as Franco) Ashton does not press the grapes with his feet, either. Quite the modern "artisan" wine maker, he marries the old and new in winemaking to craft vintage and blended wines that represent the finest grapes this side of Old Europe. He works closely with growers to ensure delivery of only the best grapes for winemaking.
    I can remember the good old days, when he was at Cal-Poly SLO. He had grown and harvested a field of fine carrots. I volunteered to help him at some fair or other, washing and peeling carrots for him while he pressed them into carrot juice, one glass at a time. I don't know if he hit his goal for sales, but he sure loved serving up the sweet drink to appreciative customers.
    He's come a long way from there. Go to Downhill Winery and you'll see what I mean about some of the finest California artisan winemaking.
Alla famiglia!

Finally! A Scranton Portal Website that Targets Profitable Local Search Traffic

2008-06-23T18:40:00.011-05:00

I'd been examining the idea of doing a local business portal, but all the ones I saw didn't fit what I was planning to do in the local market. This was one of those times where it was either do-it-yourself or pay somebody too much for what you really don't want. Most local portal programs are pre-built with all kinds of things in mind, except one: targeting local traffic that's looking for profitable businesses and professions. I have yet to see anyone making portals for professionals, contractors and other local businesses that spend a ton of money on advertising to people with lots of money to spend. Further, these businesses and professionals spend major ad dollars with very little in the way of measurable results to show for it.
    The common lament from most businesses is, "50% of my ad budget is wasted. I just don't know which 50%! That's because Yellow Pages, billboards, radio & TV spots and the like are not trackable. Sure, you can put in a coupon on your YP ad, but how many dentists are willing to do that? Can you imagine a General Contractor offering a coupon? For what? A free ice crusher?
    Enter the Scranton professional and business portal for targeted local traffic. This portal doesn't have what all the others have -- tons of "feature rich" stuff that doesn't enhance the real value to users or the businesses they want to patronize. Instead, this portal has pre-built template pages that are keyword optimized for specific, profitable local niches where the only competition is business directories, YP listings and classified ads. These are laser-targeted niche pages with SEO techniques and methods that are usually reserved for highly competitive broad markets. In English, that means the pages show up near or at the top of the Search Engine Results Pages almost immediately as is, and will rise to the very top with just a bit of tweaking.
    Now comes the cool part. Those that wants to see what it's like to have that SPOT in the SERP's can see their own website show up there with a simple "call forwarding" change of code on my server (302 redirect -- temporary). It's that kind of result that "sells" the service. As soon as the business pays the extravagant rental fee I will charge, their own portal page will occupy that spot in the Search Results. I'll even throw in a free Google Local Listing to go with it!
    There will even be "metrics" for the performance of these landing pages as they are. Each one has a little poll the user can participate in -- which leaves a complete record in the server's stats for the site that SOMEBODY CLICKED A LINK ON THE PAGE -- and it wasn't me! When local businesses see that kind of measurable result, they rejoice -- or they ought to. Try getting that from a Sunday edition newspaper display ad!
    I'll even revamp their existing site (if they have one) so that they keep the good ranking in the search results. If they need a website, I have colleagues who do that sort of thing for me. The important part is my continuing support and maintenance of their sites' SEO -- Search Engine Optimization. I'm from the school of SEO that treats it as a blood sport!
    That whole Kevin Costner "If you build it, they will come" thing is wrong! In this case, "If you rent it, they will keep coming" is more like it!

Local Targeted Traffic for Scranton in the Search Engines

2008-06-21T19:35:00.004-05:00

After a year and a half of slugging it out in the Search Engines for affiliate marketing and promoting my info-products, I realized something: dominating local search for targeted traffic is a breeze! In fact, some of the heavy-handed stuff we Direct Marketers do to cover all our bases can actually cover the whole first page of Google. It's like swatting a fly with a house!
    Naturally, there are very competitive niches that don't respond to a nudge or a tickle from a single, well-crafted keyword phrase on a landing page or a Social Networking site. Those broader niches need a bit more push, since they attract a lot of "browsers" who aren't looking to take local action. It's the motivated-to-act search terms that are so easy to get.
    For example, [ Scranton restaurants ] have a lot of good competition, but try going ethnic (see the post before this). Put up a blog post and you get on the first page in less than an hour! That beats Old School 1-hour photo developing and rush dry-cleaning!
    Even better, you can slide in a one-way backlink in your post for your intended target and give that domain a bit more authority. Going all out with classifieds on the "secret list" of Direct Marketing classified sites, Social Networking pages & bookmarking services, "geo location", additional blogs with posts, a press release and an article on ezinearticles.com and you've blown away all the Yellow Pages listings, business directories and local portals in one, fell swoop!
    I swear, I'm going to start giving workshops to the local professionals and show them how to use this stuff to drive motivated seekers of their services through their doors...

A Brazilian Restaurant in Scranton: Ipanema Grille, My Neighbor.

2008-06-21T17:06:00.005-05:00

It's usually more than a short hop to a very good restaurant, no matter where you live. In this case, I walk half a block and I'm at Ipanema Grille. This is Scranton's best restaurant to enjoy a novel service: Rodizio. It's roasted meats on skewers that are presented and carved right at the table for you. It's all part of the traditional Brasilian Churrascaria (Steak House) experience.
For the less adventurous, you can also get great American cuisine and a taste of Northern Italy, too! This is a family owned and run business that takes great pride in good service. The bar is fully stocked -- I recommend you try a Caipirinha or the Sangria. Desserts are sumptuous: try the cheesecake (Pudin de queijo) or Brazilian Chocolate Liquor Cake! I had an out-of-town guest with me when I first tried the place, and that cake was amazing!
They're open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Call for reservations, especially on the weekends. Take a peek at their website for contact information, the menus, the pictures and full explanation of what Rodizio is all about: Ipanema Grille.

Sincerely, Vince Runza

A Squidoo Lens for Local Business Websites in Scranton and Beyond

2008-05-09T13:32:00.010-05:00

Along with blog posts like this one, having as many alternative ways to find your working Web page is a very important part of SEM -- Search Engine Marketing. One very effective way to add to your marketing efforts besides having websites is a Squidoo lens that points to your business. Along with the "social networking" exposure, Google loves Squidoo!
    Local searches for products, services and the like are actually outperforming "Yellow Pages" type publications and other print advertising. Plus, websites for local businesses that are keyword optimized and don't come across as "spammy" to the spiders can outrank major business directories in the SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages). This includes social networking site pages like Squidoo lenses.
    A local business located right across the street from me got a rude shock when he viewed his latest edition of the Yellow Pages. The listing misspelled his company name in the display ad, the alphabetical listing and the White Pages listing, too! A "hat trick" of mistakes that can't be repaired until the next edition, next year. With a Squidoo lens, if you goof it up, fixes are a snap and get published immediately!
    If you're a marketer who uses an online presence to promote your business (just your websites) and you don't know about Squidoo -- shame on you! You're leaving money on the table, dude! If you haven't tried to promote your business online in any fashion and want to try yourself without committing to a website, hosting, fancy content or paid SEO services, try a lens! Click on the title of this post and you'll be whisked away to Squidoo's lens on this subject. You can get more info about your online presence for both local, Scranton business websites and everywhere else here: http://money-making-websites-llc.com/index.html

Local Websites, International Reach -- Niche Website Creation

2008-01-29T14:39:00.002-05:00

It's a bit tough to hit the streets and approach local businesses about building a website if you don't like "cold calling." Unless you have an existing relationship or a referral from a current client, you may very well be treated like a salesman. The fact is, you're a fellow business owner who happens to make websites that make money.
Looking at this from a different perspective, there's a way to do this business on an International level -- target a niche of businesses and specialize in building websites for each local area you can reach. Think about this: if you pick accounting, for example, you can seriously consider making a website that's SEO friendly, powerfully directed with a call to action and with backlinks from authority websites for just about every locality in the world! Further, you can develop sub-niches like business accounting, personal finance, tax accounting, etc., for each area. Obviously, there's more to business than accounting. Find a niche for yourself that has these sub-niches, and you'll be golden!
Here's how I'm starting to develop this business model: Money-Making Websites, LLC. If your online business efforts are not up to your expectations, may I suggest you explore this method of monetizing your knowledge, expertise and experience with helping a niche of businesses get online with a direct marketing approach.

Local Small Business Websites in Scranton, PA, Made by a Marketer!

2008-01-15T07:54:00.005-05:00

If you have a local "brick and mortar" business (in Scranton, PA, for example) and a website built by a designer who wins awards for design, be afraid -- be very afraid! While your site may look beautiful, can people find you in Google for your products or services? If your designer doesn't really understand SEM (Search Engine Marketing), chances are when people search for what you sell locally, your competition's websites come up first.
    Think about it. If you train German Shepherds as guard dogs, what will people see if they go to a search engine and type in "guard dogs Scranton", for example? Even if they find you, does your Web page have a call-to-action for your readers? It's more likely your page just "We We's" all over them: "We do this and we do that and we are great, etc." Go here for a test of your Web page's customer-centric focus. Just a simple change from being self-referential to other oriented can make your online presence more attractive to people looking at your business's websites for the first time.
    How about getting your readers to contact you? Do you give a phone number that's actually answered by a person who specializes in helping people? Could you use the email address, phone number and mailing address of your readers? You'll need to have an effective way of capturing that information in a way that doesn't scare off readers. After all, giving up your email address to the wrong folks means tons 'o spam.
    Fortunately, there's a solution for local business owners in my area -- me! Marketing savvy + connections to Web professionals = a great way to make your online efforts profitable. You don't even have to be in Scranton, PA, to benefit from this kind of optimization of your business's websites. Pay a visit to my International portal for this service over at Money-Making Websites, LLC.
    Oh, yeah -- if you're an IM pro who doesn't do this kind of thing for local businesses, you're leaving some serious cash on the table (that's IM speak for, "You're an IDIOT!")

Happier New Year!

2008-01-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

While it's de rigueur to wish all and sundry a Happy New Year, may I suggest an upgrade? Why not have a happier one? Chances are, last year you were wished a Happy New Year -- and did so, because you were told to do so! Being obedient and obliging, you chose to make 2007 happy. Right?
Here's a thought: instead of striving to meet last year's happiness quotient, target a new plateau. Go for happier. Seriously, any fool can grab ahold of regular, standard happiness and make it their goal for the year. Isn't that a bit banal? Seriously, out-of-the-box happiness is as inspiring as that fruit cake you received that you suspect was re-gifted.
Demand more from 2008. Insist on a measurable increase in happiness (or any other positive metric you choose) as part of your New Year's Resolutions. Become highly resolved to raise your expectations for yourself and your pursuits. Push yourself out of your "happy" Comfort Zone and stretch out your arms towards a Happier New Year. You'll thank me next year.

I Upped My Income!

2007-11-19T18:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a bit of extra work, I've been able to upgrade a few things in my life:
•My computer
•My venue for Thanksgiving via an airline ticket
•My business plan for 2008 -- since I've proven my ability to produce income.
It still amazes me that I can just about reach out and pluck money from thin air. Even better, some of it happens automatically, thanks to the platform of the Internet.
I'll keep this short. I upped my income -- UP YOURS!

Setting the Next Goal Point

2007-08-29T00:17:00.000-05:00

The funny thing about success is the progressive nature of it. Once you reach certain goals, you have to think ahead to the next point on the way. What had been a dream or vision has now become a reality, and you must dare to reach higher or farther than before. In my own case, going from broke to solvent happened gradually, then it exploded into disposable income. Not millions, mind you, but next months bills are not an issue for worry.
    I had a visit from an old friend I knew from my high-school days. We toured the local sights and ate immodest amounts of food. While she was willing to pay for everything, I felt free to chip in liberally and not make a big deal about it. This was actually the first time in years I was able to fork over money for fun and not wonder if I was busting my budget or risking future meals for present pleasure.
    Best of all, September promises to be my best month yet. I have major marketers lined up to either review my products ('cause they got a freebie from me) or offer testimonials ('cause they bought them at retail). It's one thing to know you can produce quality. It's even better when the Big Dogs bark in your favor! I may throw them a bone and offer ghostwriting at a discount...
    My new goal points are to buy a new computer, made by the guy who saved me back in July when the old one was killed by lightning; get cable TV and Internet access; schedule a trip to Colorado and visit the Old Folks at Home; acquire my learner's permit for driving and refurbish my wardrobe. Modest goals, by some standards, but pure luxury for me, considering my previous plight.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Self-Employed Ghostwriter

2007-07-16T07:14:00.000-05:00

While I’ve always had an entrepreneurial bent, it’s only been in the last few months that I realized how liberating self-employment truly is. Not only do I do what I really want, with very few demands on my brain and time; I get paid well for it. The pressure of being someone else’s pet dog, performing on demand is gone. I choose with whom I work and set the terms according to my plan.
    This brings up another point: planning. Without a serious business plan, I was spinning my wheels. All my past endeavors were lacking this element. A sound, from-the-beginning plan makes all the effort focus on the bottom line, which is not necessarily making the most bucks. In my case, it’s getting the best information out there on the ‘Net via my customers.
    What I find most fulfilling, almost unbearably so, is that my life is my own. I can afford my frugal lifestyle without having to do for someone else’s dream or vision. I’m fulfilling my own vision and getting paid for it. Admittedly, I must keep working at finding enough work to sustain me, but the Warrior Forum is enough of a source for that. All in all, I am so free, it’s almost a dream.
    Finding my core competence, writing content for articles and reports, allows me to do my thing at my own pace. I can devote long hours to writing, or take days off without concern for my well being. It all comes together in a natural way. Even the recent death-by-lightning of my old computer was only a two day glitch. The orders for work continue to come in and my first venture into PLR content is successful enough that even though I was cut off from the Internet, I made some money!
    Ahh, life is sweet…

Success Through a Positive Application of Effort

2007-06-09T06:20:00.001-05:00

I'm a firm believer in a positive mental attitude. My life experience backs up my belief. There is a catch to PMA -- you have to back up your attitude with action. Not any old, "keep busy" action, either; action based on a solid plan, stripped of all unnecessary time wasters.
    I was one of the "success stories" of Bev Clement's business plan experiment. She provided the basic information for creating a business plan, and helped those that followed through with the support and advice to make the plan effective and workable. Sadly, of the fourteen folks who started, only three of us finished.
    There's a powerful lesson from this little experiment. Positive talk and promises to be faithful and hardworking are nice. Actually being faithful and working hard are much better. The former looks good at first blush. The latter is where the results pay off.
    Bev keeps threatening to create a full business planning course with an affiliate program. As soon as she releases it, I'll put up my affiliate link on my niche marketing blog and business to business Web site. I can honestly say she provides full value and excellent support because I have first-hand knowledge of same. She works as hard as she demands of others.
    P.S. I haven't been posting here due to the application of effort to build one aspect of my business that was languishing. Now that I'm up to speed with that, I'll be around here more often. Maybe...

PayPal Validation vs. Consensual Validation

2007-04-11T11:19:00.000-05:00

I've got to admit that I'm happy when others say, "I see what you're doing and you're on the right track." Validation from those "in the know" and who've lived through the uncertainty of building something from scratch is pleasurable. However, the "Most Glorious Make Rich Encouraging" statement for me has been from PayPal regarding "Payment Details".
    Patience is a virtue only as long as it's necessary to exercise it. Once you get what you've been longing for, it's time to celebrate, briefly. Then, it's time to set the next goal point. From what I've seen and experienced, there's not much worse than a great start and then, nothing.
    Follow up is important. Follow through is vital. The momentum behind a success makes more success. Allowing friction and drag to wear away at that positive inertia turns it into static inertia.
    I still like the buzz from getting paid well... :)

A Trend Worth Following and Heeding

2007-03-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

What do you say to a bald guy with an occasionally extremely long nose and who drinks out of a purple milk carton? "Hi, Seth." Seth Godin is one of those who makes the world a better place by helping it to think, without being as abrasive about it as, say, I am.
Good old conspicuous consumption is taking a bit of a hit, these days. Sure, you can get on line (or go online) to try and get Luvaglio's million dollar laptop (no, they don't have an affiliate program -- I asked, I did!), but more and more, it's getting tiresome to be seen as grasping. In this post he points out a trend that all marketers who target the rich should consider.
Those who have much seem to be learning to spend it without leaving a trace, rather than flaunting it. Funny, how a bit of Old School thinking is finally re-emrging: don't make a spectacle of yourself. It fits right along side of Seth's philosophy of making yourself as conspicuous as a Purple Cow. When selling, flamboyant. When purchasing, plain brown recycled wrapper, please.

Want Information on Marketing a Product?

2007-03-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

I get a few folks dropping by from The Warrior Forum, wondering what I'm blogging about. Obviously, it's more than just Internet Marketing and peddling affiliate products. I've even got my LANDLORD checking in every once in a while, to see what I'm up to!
Since this is my anchor blog, I'm keeping the number of posts much less frequent than my marketing blogs. I want this to be more personal, more thoughtful and more valuable to those who know me.
Of course, I'm not above hawking my wares and affiliate links -- don't get me wrong, I've got a deep desire to make money, too! In fact, one of the newer marketing blogs is aimed at IM types with a desire to produce their own info-products. Create Niche Products That Sell gives you a view of the actual tools, techniques and resources you might need to create profitable niche products yourself. I say "might need" because plenty of Warriors can (and do) write the book on their area of expertise. Keep checking back at Create Niche Products That Sell, because I have an offering in the works that will definitely point the way to which niches are destined to be the hottest! It's being edited now, and will be reviewed by some of my more experienced IM friends.

An Interesting Market Niche

2007-03-10T22:23:00.000-05:00

Rich people. Those with money are more than an interesting niche: they're exerting a disproportionate economic impact on Internet sales. In 2005 alone, they accounted for only 2% of online shoppers, but contributed 7% of the money spent online ($12 Billon). Plus, wealthy shoppers are 36% more likely to use a credit card online than a bargain shopper.
I'm fascinated with the pathological trance many IM folks are trapped in. They only seem comfortable selling to other IM folks. While some are very rich, most of their customers are not. They quibble over whether to price yet another eBook at $7, $27, $97, but fail to grasp that producing a product and service worth $9997 will actually be easier to sell if it's worth it.
Trying to get inside the mind of a customer that's worried about getting 50 bucks by the end of the month is actually tiresome. I'd rather contemplate the concerns of someone for whom a bargain is a kick, not a dire necessity. The luxury shopper who seeks comfort and exclusivity is generally happier than the bargain shopper scouring the 'Net for a few bucks off the price of a staple item. I've decided who I want to spend my time contemplating. Like I said, it's an interesting market niche.

Key for Writers - It's Not on Your Keyboard

2007-02-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

The real key for this writer is patience. I get frustrated with my old PC sometimes. The mouse has been hurled at the screen of my monitor so hard, that the ring that holds the mouseball in place is totaled. If I lift the mouse up, the ball rolls away! Using a boat anchor of a computer makes one long for a better machine, if only to avoid wasting time on chores that a real computer wouldn't force you to do.
I'd also like a keyboard that isn't missing a very important key -- the FU key. That one comes in handy when spam arrives in your inbox, your latest article was sent back for a rewrite, or you've gotten to the very end of doing something and the computer just hangs, freezes, crashes or dies. Being able to press that key and have all the crap go away would be Heaven!

Is Content King on the 'Net?

2007-02-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

After surfing around lately, I’m beginning to wonder if folks who write don’t get that what they write will be read by others. It’s as if the basic ideas in their heads never gets past their own “take” on something. Even worse, the writer has attempted to “build” an article that’s “keyword optimized” in a way that smacks of pandering. It’s one thing to try to get a keyword-rich article published – quite another to try to stuff your keywords into the reader’s gullet.
    I’m all for monetizing your writing. That’s what I’m about. I’m also willing to write about something without worrying if it’s going to make me a dime. I write because I write. I think, therefore I think (apologies to Descartes). I think.
    If what you write embodies a willingness to achieve something resembling “good”, then you’ve done the job properly. Never mind “excellent”, that’s in the eye of the beholder. Doing a good job means you’ve taken what you know, crafted it with purpose and checked for errors in your grammar and spellinx.
    I’ve been a member of the Grammar and Spelling Police, but I’m retiring from that post. The raft of incomprehensible, misspelled and generally crappy stuff I’m seeing every day means I’d have to give up making good writing. Policing the Internet’s illiterati is a full-time job.

Hallelujah! I'm a Bum!

2007-02-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank Travis Sago for all his help. His “Bum Marketing” idea and method is exactly what I was looking for when I set out to find a way to build an online business on a used shoestring.

Bum Marketing is so named because it’s easy enough that a bum off the street could go to a public library with Internet access, implement a few simple, free ideas and start receiving affiliate income. The methods are rather clever and can be generalized to just about any type of marketing that draws people to a Web page or blog.
I'm using blogs as "mini-site" landing pages for my affiliate products. Each niche has articles pointing to that landing page, published at EzineArticles (like you couldn't have guessed that). The niches are diverse, including Facts and Tips for Losing Body Fat, Poker Strategy, Tells and Tips, Agoraphobia, Anxiety and Panic and A Review of Winning Lottery Systems, to name a few.

For free info, go here: http://www.bummarketingmethod.com/

A Mighty Force of Slow Growth

2007-02-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

A simple acorn isn’t much to look at, really. I used to find tons of them as a kid. The wonder that this little “nothing” could become the giant tree that produced it really didn’t hit me until I was at least 10. By then, I had my own garden, and knew full well how long it took a carrot seed to become a little carrot.
    Over the years, I’ve been involved in businesses and hobbies that proceeded much the same way. Progress is painfully slow at first, with bursts of activity and growth, followed by what appear to be plateaus. I say, “appear to be”, because underneath, things are happening which are not visible to the eye. Much like a plant sends down roots, seeking water and nourishment, ideas and endeavors need to dive down into the subconscious, the “Matrix”, the whatever-the-hell-it-is that comprises our reality.
    It’s that might force of slow growth that moves mountains. There’s this mushroom called an Ink Cap. It’s very delicate, doesn’t last more than half a day, wilting in the noonday sun. Yet the underground body of this evanescent growth can crack concrete.
    It’s the same for new ideas, businesses, creations. On the surface, they may appear to be nothing special. Underneath, they’re changing the foundations of the World as we will perceive it. Day by day, bit by bit, they grow strong enough to rock those foundations.

The Seduction Files

2007-02-02T13:34:00.000-05:00

For a while now, I've wondered if telling people I'm part of that community that knows how to effectively seduce women was a good idea. The feedback I've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, even from middle-aged housewives. Once I explain the participatory methods I use, folks just want to hear more.
Naturally, "How to Pick Up Hot Girls and Get Laid Fast" is not exactly a PC headline, but that's what I know how to do. Sugar coating the message just might make someone feel mislead when I reveal all the secrets, tips, pitfalls and methods for bypassing the whole "dating" dynamic and getting to the really fun part. The women who participate invariably say they wished more guys knew this way of interacting effectively, without fumbling or misleading. Hey, hot girls need sex, too!
I have another blog on this subject -- mature audiences only, please. This is the real thing, not just a "dating tips for lonely hearts" checklist. No guesswork, no locker-room tales -- just the resources for finding and using field tested and proven tactics, techniques and strategies for getting results. Enjoy.

Writers Who've Starved Long Enough Learn to Adapt

2007-01-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

One of the advantages of age over youth is having no shame in learning from the mistakes of others. I certainly made plenty of 'em (and will continue to do so), but I'm much better at "course correction" now. You might like me to give you all the dish on what and where I've screwed up, but that ain't gonna happen!
    In my previous post, I mentioned Desperate Buyers Only, a publication by Alexis Dawes. I found it (and her) at the Warrior's Forum, a resource for Private Label Rights publications, Marketing, Joint Ventures, etc. Anybody interested in producing, selling, marketing (as a primary or affiliate) or learning more about Information Products needs to go there. Not this instant! Soon...
    The funny thing to me is how many writers haven't asked themselves the question: Have I starved long enough? They keep running through the same steps they've done before, with no results. They keep writing about general topics, "hot" niche markets or, worst of all, follow the advice to "Do what you love and the money will follow.” Unfortunately, they resist noticing that the money has not followed. If we lived forever, perhaps that method might work. We don't.
    By targeting products for desperate buyers only, you put yourself in the enviable position of having people standing in line with their wallets out, ready to buy. In fact, the greater the urgency, the more of a premium they'll pay. It's essential to provide full value for what you're offering, or you'll not only eat a lot of refunds, you'll have an angry mob chasing you with torches and pitchforks!
    These folks come online to search for the answer to their urgent, burning questions. That means they believe there's an answer "out there". If YOU are there, you can become the answer. If their problem is as urgent as a painful toothache, these desperate buyers will not only pay, they'll pay your top-dollar price and, perhaps, ask you for more!
    If you want to get run over by a fast-moving vehicle, wander on the Freeway, the Autobahn or the Interstate. If you want to get run over by people with too much money and not enough answers, supply those answers! Target desperate buyers ONLY. Or, perhaps, you're not hungry enough, yet.

A Desperate Need -- and a Solution that Pays

2007-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Today marks a turning point in my marketing focus. Until today, I really didn’t have a methodology for getting my profitable (more than 99 cents US) items listed and presented in a way that would motivate buyers to buy. Sure, those items are worth the price I charge (In My Not So Humble Opinion), but only a select few were eligible for top dollar. Those items have one thing in common: they fill a need, not a want.
    Ironically, my “bestseller” is a recipe book for Fruit Smoothies. That’s not exactly a burning need, and promoting it would have distracted me from focussing on selling the items that can help pay the bills for listing, store fees, etc. Fortunately, I found a resource that explained, explicitly, what gets people to spend.
    Desperation creates a desire for action. It also creates an emotional reaction that is reliable, predictable and dependable. That emotional reaction is a sense of urgency: either to move closer to something good or away from something bad. You MUST get to a dentist to have that tooth pulled. You MUST find out if you can learn to attract that one, special person you’ve been pining over. You MUST find a way to get rid of the smelly foot odor problem you have. You MUST increase your income SOON.
    I had been wondering what to create in the way of how-to information that would be profitable. Looks like that question is answered: target desperate buyers. Now I must produce genuine value, not just sucker people into buying by playing on that sense of urgency.

Web 2.SLOW?

2007-01-21T23:55:00.000-05:00

[As his Squidoo page loads, Vince mumbles, “Bloated code crap! Why am I ‘waiting for Squidoo' to download its stuff?!!! It's a freakin' machine! Shouldn’t *IT* wait for me?!!! I'll give ya a freakin' "drumroll"!]
    Obviously, dealing with these “feature rich” environments means a certain amount of aggravation. Just because you *can* do something doesn’t mean you should.
    As I’m editing this post in Word, because typing it into the blogger interface is jumpy, kludgy and annoying, I can’t just type a *, then a word, then another * without Word deleting both *’s. So, I have to type the word, add the * then move back to the beginning of the word and insert the second *.
    Undoubtedly, some genius (who passed up a promising career path in packaging technology) decided that little function was useful, just like the genius who decided that jumpy JAVA inputs were a good idea.
    I wonder if those two met the genius who makes me insert “nbsp’s” so I can indent my paragraphs, instead of hit the freakin’ TAB key and have it WORK?!!!
    Going to either Squidoo or Wordpress to even log into my dashboard is a waste of time, as all the “feature rich” crap loads without even the courtesy of showing a splash screen. Attempting to modify or update either one is boring: I can go make coffee waiting for the new screen to load, stop back to enter [YES] to tell the thing to stop running a script that’s broken, go shave, then come back and try to do something useful.
    This is clearly a case of reach exceeding grasp. The only question is: will we live long enought to see the time when all this “feature rich” crap will actually work in something resembling real time?

Feeding at the same trough - Google

2007-01-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

My sister is an employee of Google, working on the "plumbing", as she calls it. Her work involves the machinery and codes to run it, from the BIOS on up. Next time you "Google" something, it's the work of her, her team and many others that make that search happen in a gazillionth of a second and return umpteen million "hits". Never mind weeding through all that stuff for the answer you really want.
    She's a supporter of my efforts at publishing - even bought my DEVIL'S DICTIONARY for quotes she can foist on others! Here's her current favorite:

QUOTATION: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.

While I'm still new to this whole business of monetizing myself, my blog, my RSS feeds, etc., I still had the dumb luck to put up Google AdSense advertising here. It's not a roaring success yet, but I'm learning every day.
    Furthermore, I've invested a bit in eBooks on using AdSense in an effective manner. They're actually helpful, as opposed to all the fluff pieces out there that cover general information and have TONS of links to other products the author insists one must have.
    AdSense for Beginners, The Google Adsense Empire Handbook and AdSense Revenue Exposed will be offered separately and as a "bundle" for a bit of a discount. Even though they're intended to boost the income of the publishers, they all offer real value, simple explanations and useful links that aren't going to make the publishers any real money.
    Now that I'm getting store traffic, it's time to put up products that'll get me some real income, not just pay for their fees and expenses incurred by opening a store!

The Book of the Day Club

2007-01-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Now that I’m a publisher, I can actually fulfill an idea I had years ago: use my knowledge of typesetting and layout to produce sellable information at a very low cost. Not only am I producing self-help material based on my research and experience, I’m getting out Literature that’s in the Public Domain! I can bang out a well-edited book, complete with cover art, in about two hours. That includes listing it on eBay!
Current titles include THE ART OF WAR, THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY, DRACULA and A STUDY IN SCARLET, the very first Sherlock Holmes adventure. I’m already working on a list of authors like Edgar Allen Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Herman Melville and Jane Austen to start (in no particular order), along with more by Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Any suggestions are welcome as to classics you’d like to see made available as finely wrought .PDF files. Yeah, I forgot – FANNY HILL is on the to-do list, too~!

TGIJ

2007-01-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

January is normally the slowest month for retail sales. Thank God! Ironing out the kinks of a newly created anything is tough. Ironing out the kinks of this new store is especially taxing, since the combination of slow download/upload speed, even slower PC performance, entirely new area of eBay I’m unfamiliar with, new interface rules to remember, etc., means I have little time to spend on customer service.
Yes, I’ve made a couple of sales. The first was to a total newbie, from Italy, no less – first purchase, no feedback. The second alerted me to a major goof-up in my instructions for downloading eBooks, which meant revising all my listings to give the RIGHT instructions for downloading my files.
Now I’m off to the bank to open another account for PayPal micropayments on sales of less than $12 US. I’m sure there are more headaches ahead, but I’m looking forward to the eventual automation of so much that I am doing by hand – and foot!

Escape velocity

2007-01-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

It’s amazing how fast things are proceeding, now that my overload of information has “jelled” in my mind. I’m rolling out with listings that seem to have been good sellers for others. I also add on value with my own contributions, such as typesetting (I knew that printing business knowledge would eventually pay off), image creation, sales copy writing, etc.
Here’s the real hoot: due to the way eBay Store Manager calculates your inventory, my dozen plus listings (with 10,000 of each item available) is now valued at over $200,000 US! My markup at retail (the percentage of the selling price that’s above my cost of buying) is over 99%!
Life is good and keeps getting better.

Liftoff!

2007-01-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

I’m now in the process of opening an eBay Store to sell information products – eBooks, articles and the like. I found a terrific source of free information from a guy who walked-the-walk and is doing what I intend to do. His Guides on eBay pointed out my current flaws, showed how to correct them and suggested a cost-effective course of action. It should be noted that a few of the Guides need revising with respect to eBay’s rules for selling eBooks, i.e. BIN only and a few other minor points. I gave all his Guides a + vote. :)
Boy, were my eyes opened to the possibilities of getting real results NOW, with the current batch of resellable books on my hard drive, along with my own eBooklet on making your own glass cleaner. Also, I can use my typesetting abilities to re-format public domain books and put them up for sale. I can quickly build an impressive list of titles in Children’s, Science Fiction, Historical Romance, History, etc. There's also a bevy of Foreign Language books that can be put up as special auctions upon request.
I’m excited about being able to ramp up my eBay efforts without spending more than a couple bucks right now. Further, I can get some income to fund any expansions I deem necessary. This is self-organized criticality at work! Now, all the cross referencing, re-editing, adding modules - ah, well, at least ONE of my items is already showing up~!

The mixed blessing of an inheritance.

2007-01-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

I’m receiving my inheritance in batches – the stereo and hundreds of records and cassettes my wife (and I) bought. It’s a cumbersome mess, and I’ve only gotten the first batch. Two more batches are on the way. While I really love music, moving this much stuff without a couple of roadies and a truck is miserable.
The good part of it is the inventory itself. I was looking for a product source to sell that would allow me to pay-as-I-go and learn. Here it is, in my new warehouse/house, with more coming. I’m already boning up on how eBay buyers want a record listed, what pictures are important, did the seller provide a song list, etc.
I’ve also got my business partner, none other than the USPS, delivering a batch of 25 boxes appropriate for shipping albums. Free boxes, free shipping. I have no shame saying I work with the Government!
Persistence is paying off.

The Hannah Montana Fans Blog

2007-01-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

I found this interesting blog at MyBlogLog: Hannah Montana, and felt it deserved some attention. While I am not an avid television watcher, Hannah Montana is a name that I recognize. Obviously, there's more to this than simple name recognition.
I'm very curious to see if this particular link will affect my ratings at Technorati, since links determine authority, and I DESPISE authority, other than my own and those I respect.
I'll pop over to my Squidoo lens and add the link there, along with my WordPress mirror. [Vince dons a lab coat and takes up a clipboard] Let the experiment begin!

Zeroed in on a Web host.

2007-01-06T01:30:00.001-05:00

After some serious searching, I've decided to give my money to HostMonster. At first, BlueHost looked good, but a blog entry from a guy who researched the two found out they are the same - except HostMonster is bigger, faster and with newer equipment for less money. A no-brainer.
It’s $6.95/mo. if you sign up for the two year package. Okay, it’s all payable in advance, but there’s no contract and you can receive a pro-rated refund if you decide it isn’t for you. Plus, you not only get unlimited domains for free (no fee, yearly or otherwise, as long as you're with them), they have a blocking feature that prevents the nosy from finding out who owns your domain. There’s a ton of features available, so check ‘em out at the link below V.
CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP FOR HostMonster.COM NOW, and I'll pick up some change for recommending them. Also, feel free to give feedback if you're already using them. UPDATE: I've been using them for a while now, and I've got no complaints. Customer service has been good. When I had questions about certain things not working, they "intuited" I had been playing around with settings better left untouched.

This blog is MONETIZED!: Update...

2007-01-05T07:44:00.000-05:00

So, I'm checking my bank account online when I come across this line:

01/04/2007 ACH CREDIT GOOGLE ADSENSE REVENUE SH $0.64

Now, as it turns out, that money was to verify the payout account. Their haven't been any REAL clickthroughs yet. So, to help that along, I'll be putting up some affiliate links that I've researched.

More soon.

Where's the beef?

2007-01-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

The late Sarah Peller, (in)famous for the line in the title, nailed it. When you want something of substance, you ask for it.

I just posted a blog entry over at eBay - you'll probably see it in my eBay blog links on the left. In it, I was asking for feedback (but avoid using that word in eBay blogs - you get a lot of comments about EBAY feedback, which is a touchy subject to many) on two listings I am testing through Sunday.

The silence was deafening. IMNSHO, most bloggers over there are social animals, beggars for bids or compleat lunatics. The notion that I would ask a marketing question to a bunch of marketers and buyers and get NOTHING is telling.

Perhaps postcards2go will notice and respond to that and this.

[Sigh]

Another customer service tale.

2007-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

After a busy, productive day with much good feedback from others online, I drop by the corner market just before work. I chat with the counterman, who's the spitting image of a guy who is the most miserable person I've known in quite a while. As I turn to leave, Bill, the counterman asks, "You have a minute?"

My default response, when asked this is, to silently start counting down: 59, 58, 57, until I reach 0 and cut 'em off in midsentence. Bill reaches into his pocket and says, "You made a purchase a few weeks ago." He pulls out his wallet. "You forgot your change." He handed me a five dollar bill.

This made my day. Talk about each employee being a "brand manager"! And his name! Oh, the irony/synchronicity!

ARRGH! I forgot I'm choosing my own fonts to display Web pages! The horror! The Horror!

2007-01-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

Gee, I thought I had "tweaked" the look of my background, link colors and fonts. Then I noticed the blog title font didn't change when I switched it to Georgia, just to see how it looked. I had forgotten that I used the "impose my will upon all Web pages" checkbox in my browser.

Being a former letterpress printer, I'm very conscious about font selection, appearance and "typotecture". The font I "force" upon all Web pages is Franklin Gothic Book (18 pt., for technical reasons which have to do with how Web designers can really screw up typesetting). When I switched off the Franklin Gothic Book and saw how I was being *actually* displayed, I was amused/horrified. The closest to my favorite font was, allegedly, according to the Fonts menu in Windows, Trebuchet. That's the font I had chose for most of the layout.

ARRGH! Wrong! It looked awkward, adolescent, stringy! Arial to the rescue, since I can't import my font (at this point, anyway - I've got too much else to do and worry about). Trebuchet as the sub head to the Blog Title. That's it. Heh, the default was the best, for the most part.

Yet another chore for the punchlists of 2007 - wrestle creative control over Web pages, blogs, etc.

The "Theory of Everything" T-Shirt slogan.

2007-01-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

Physicists are striving to quantify the four forces of physics, a "Theory of Everything". Without boring you to tears, they want a single equation to explain gravity, electromagnetism, and a couple of subatomic forces you can look up yourself: Strong & Weak. One noted scientist explained that it would be an equation you could fit on a t-shirt.

Self-branding is about the same thing, without the clipboard and lab coat. One strives to sum up everything in a pithy, well written sentence. Or two. The trick is to understand what the strongest brands have that I don't - yet. And, no, it ain't a slogan. It's congruency.

Coming up with that slogan means you are committing to it. Choose wisely - the less congruent you are with it (and it with you), the weaker your brand will be. Contrariwise, selecting the perfect slogan in advance (cart-before-the-horse methodology) means you will grow towards each other in an organic, meaningful way. There's no guaranteeing you won't outgrow each other. Hope that it's you that's doing the outgrowing!

Already tried and rejected by me, as Vince Runza Online:

~~It's the customer, stupid.~~
~~I'm not for everyone, but that can be good!~~
~~Always Busy~~ (saw this one chiseled into the facade of a building in Downtown Scranton)
~~Good Products, Good Service~~
~~Bootstrap entrepreneurship~~
~~It's not work if you love doing it. It's even better if you get paid for it!~~

Okay, it's a work in progress. Feedback? Smart-alecky responses welcome!

Happy New Year.

2006-12-31T17:25:00.001-05:00

Traditions are a good thing. Despite the floccinaucinihilipilification (sorry, it's the perfect word) of those that figure January 1 is just another number, I find a positive value in holidays, special days and National Pickle Week (yes, that actually exists).

I remember seeing a cable access show hosted by a rabbi. Being a lapsed Catholic, I'm fascinated by all takes on religion. The import of this episode was the real value of Jewish holidays. Being forward-looking is a key to being happy and well-adjusted. All those holidays (which many Jews can't even spell) are designed to create a healthy sense of anticipation.

New Year's Day can really bum out those who have nothing to look forward to, aside from a few broken resolutions. By contrast, I'm actually impatient to get past this day. I've got a helluva lot to do! Let's do this!

[pop] A toast! Happy New Year!

Love,
Vince

Which superhero are you?

2006-12-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk

75%

You are a wanderer with
amazing strength.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

I'm very glad my Female Superhero ratings were below 50%! LOL

Growing by leaps, bounds and short hops - not necessarily in that order.

2006-12-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

Hit several landmarks today. In eBay:
•Made the Top 5,000 Reviewers - funny, that makes the little icon thingie smaller. How about the top 000,000,005,000?
•Got my new feedback "star". I am unsullied, at this point. No negatives.

From eBay:
•Found a self-financing business strategy which I had posited MUST exist. Replies from the Universe can be swift and apposite.
•Got some more eBooks with resale rights that actually appear resellable. Found others that showed me what NOT to do in terms of listing, re-branding, etc.
•Met a crazy guy from the Netherlands that practically fell all over himself to oblige me, customer service-wise. See post below this one.

The biggest leap forward is the change in type and kind of attention I've been getting, both here and in other venues. At first, it was friends and family. Now it's those who are new to me, curious, a little wary and much more experienced in dealing with open online environments. Most of my online experience was in static domains, where I was a big fish in a small pond. Here, one needs to be more circumspect and definitely less arrogant than I am accustomed to. I may have a lot to be arrogant about, but myriads upon myriads here trump me!

Hmm, maybe the humility thing is the biggest leap. Nah, I'll tackle that tomorrow!

A customer service tale.

2006-12-30T19:34:00.000-05:00

It's nice when you get more than you paid for. It's even better if you find an "aha" moment, and connect with someone. I was poking around eBay in the eBook category, and found a listing for 9 recipes for 1 cent. I duly made my purchase, only to find that the "eBook" was actually a list of links to the seller's Guides for recipes. I was a bit taken aback, then intrigued. This seller had just monetized his Guides. See my post below, "2007 - I'm ready".

After a bit of messaging back and forth, the seller gave me a 99 cent refund! That's 98 more penny eBooks I can buy! I also contacted eBay about the listing, wondering if it's okay to auction off your own Guide. The thought never occurred to me. I hope he PUTS THOSE GUIDES BACK UP, PRONTO! The Guides weren't any kind of violation.

It turns out the seller is a young guy in the Netherlands, who is addicted to eBay, generally buys and has a Chinese eBay store. I don't think he's Chinese - offering an eBay store in Chinese is free for a year! Plus, he's a bit NUTS! I like him a lot. Anybody who has an animated .GIF of Einstein can't be all bad!

If it turns out that auctioning off your own Guides is legitimate, I may have found a self-funding income stream. I just won't call them eBooks. That's neither here nor there, really.

The real value of this whole experience is the connection. The world really is flat.

Influence and persuasion in a Web 2.0 world.

2006-12-29T12:03:00.000-05:00

Social networking is a form of "Social Proof". Unfamilar with the term? It's one of the six principles explained in "Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini. Many people with malign intent use the princples of persuasion to get at those who are vulnerable. In an open climate like Web 2.0, those who try to misuse persuasion can be exposed for what they are.

I've learned and field-tested all of the principles outlined here and can attest to the fact they work. I can also tell you that an insincere person will get less out of using them than one who is honest and forthright. The influences themselves may act in a covert way, but the motive of the influencer influences the influenced. You can't fool all of the people all of the time, especially in an open network where negative feedback spreads like wildfire.

What is truly important for anyone who intends to use their social networking efforts to promote a business, idea, point of view, etc., is to make sure your approach is congruent with these principles. If you stray from the key points, you may be undercutting your efforts.

We could all be really wrong about everything we know - but that's not the way to bet!

2006-12-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Wasn't it Bernie Taupin who wrote (for Elton John) about Levon who called his kid Jesus, because he liked the name? Well, I like Richard Dawkins, because I like his brain. Check out this commentary on creationism, evolution violating the Second Law of Thermogoddamics and the age of the Earth being, roughly, 6,000 (six thousand) years.

2007 - I'm ready.

2006-12-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

When I jumped into eBay back in November, I really didn't know where it would lead me. Frankly, I never could have imagined it. The amount of information I have crammed into my head in such a short time amazes even myself. Despite a nagging feeling that I don't know what the hell I'm doing, there are outward and visible signs I'm doing SOMETHING right:

I've gotten that Top 10,000 Reviewer logo already. In fact, I'm currently number 5,901 - I jumped twice today! My new guide on making your own glass/hard surface cleaner got two votes almost immediately. If it was "monetized", it'd be a breakout seller! I've got an idea for a guide that'll put me in the Top 5,000, irrespective of new votes on the other guides. I'm learning how to hit different markets with each guide.
I'm getting some blogger.com attention outside of eBay - and I'm not just talking friends and family!
Many of the concepts, strategies, tools and tips I've absorbed are becoming less opaque. I think I'm reaching what Stuart Kauffman referred to as spontaneous order arising from sufficient complexity (see Stuart Kaufmann's AT HOME IN THE UNIVERSE for much more on the ideas of "order for free", self organized complexity and co-evolution).
Plus, I'm primed to exploit opportunities I had no idea even existed a month ago.

More soon,
Vince

Occasionally, someone wanders into the lion's den!

2006-12-27T01:59:00.000-05:00

I found this link on a blog written by a female visitor here:
Serenity Quest: No, I don't want to get into your pants!
Check out my answer in the comments. I leave it to the gentle reader to imagine how this interaction might end...

Vince

1. What is Squidoo? 2. What is a lens? 3. What is the meaning of life?

2006-12-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

1. Squidoo is a social networking site. If you're familiar with MySpace, imagine it without the rowdy teenagers running amok. It's a focal point for your interests, pursuits, charitable work, pet peeves or whatever else you imagine. Each member can have as many focal points as one wishes, called lenses.

2. A lens is a focus on a given area - expertise, opinions, business, charity, etc. You can have as many lenses as you want (and have time to maintain). The lens itself is a jumping off place to websites, blogs, physical destinations, communities and so on. Here's an example: suppose you search on Google for information on a given subject. You get 2,000,000 possible links - but which ones are best? A Squidoo lens is pre-screened info on what you may be looking for. If it ain't there, maybe YOU need to fashion a lens and become the "inpert" (like an expert, but in one focus) on the subject.

3. Depends. Here are two contenders:
a. If it's a first offense, with good behavior, you're out in 10 years.
b. "The purpose of intelligent life is to shop!"

Share what you know, learn what you don't.

2006-12-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

Spreading the wealth around can make the difference between ho-hum and WOW! For example, even though I'm new to eBay, I write Guides for members to read. So far, they deal with business basics. Far too many of the people I blog with over there are innocent of running a business with an eye to the bottom line.

By sharing what I know with that community, I get "helpfulness votes", positive or negative. I'm batting 1.000 - no negatives. Even though I have a small number of votes (the Guides are very new), that ratio puts me in the Top 10,000 Reviewers. 9933, to be exact.

Soon, eBay will put a little icon next to my ID, showing that I'm in the Top 10,000. They update such things "periodically".

I may eventually put together an eBook on running an eBay business with sound business practices and sell it. For now, giving away what I know gets me more than money: I've got credibility.

BTW, rumors that my sister's vote put me over the top are unconfirmed.

No, really!

The Aggravation Index - a measurement tool for actual cost of anything.

2006-12-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Many things in life are aggravating. In fact, one could argue that life itself is aggravating. However, for the purposes of this discussion, let's deal with aggravation as a cost of doing something. We'll measure it via AI = Aggravation Index:

VL = VERY LOW
L = LOW
M = MEDIUM
H = HIGH
VH = VERY HIGH

Here's an example: you find a Web site with thousands of free eBooks, titles only. Aggravation Index - VH. You'll have to download and parse each one to find out its value. Despite the fact they're free, many may be worse than useless - they'll be wrong, outdated or simply waste your time.

Here's another: you grow tomatoes in your garden, with all the work involved to make them excellent. AI = VL. You find the physical work relaxing, the chores are a time to reflect and enjoy being outdoors, the bugs and weeds are part of the process, and the result is delicious. Even if you never sell one for profit, you still get the full enjoyment of them for yourself and those who receive them. Sometimes, giving away your best is enjoyable.

The next time you think you've found a bargain, examine it for AI. You might find you've saved yourself some time, effort and, yes aggravation. Also, feel free to share your AI knowledge with others. I've actually rated myself as AI = M. I feel I have a Constitutionally protected right to annoy others, but not to excess.

HTH,
Vince

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T11:55:00.000-05:00

Best holiday wishes to all! Now, what the devil am I doing, posting on Christmas Day?!!! Off with the computer!

N.B. Moderation of comments is OFF - comment freely - and assume your mother is reading it!

2006-12-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

Just ironing out the wrinkles. Feel free to comment, but consider your comments as if they were face-to-face. Don't MAKE me take off my hat!

Vince

A "little" eBay business? There's no such thing!

2006-12-24T03:40:00.000-05:00

While some people think eBay is nothing more than the biggest yard sale in the world, the truth is that no business is a "little" business. That mindset means that you don't think much of yourself, your customers or your reputation.
     If you have no previous retail experience, it's understandable that you might not believe that you are as important as the biggest retailers - but you are! For one thing, your customers are the same - they are people. These people have one thing in common: they are the most important people in the world, to themselves. They expect (and demand) to be treated as if they are the most important people in the world. In other words, "the untrammeled selfishness of the retail customer cannot be underestimated."
     It used to be true that being a "go-getter" was the most important mindset for a person who wanted to succeed in life. That's changed. The most important mindset is that of a "go-giver". The more you offer your customers in good value, help, freebies and good communication, the more you can expect return business. Fast replies to questions, reasonable return policies and generosity of spirit make you valuable to those who not only buy from you, but recommend you to others.
     Take the time to hunt around for information on retailing, managing a business, doing research, etc. Take a course or seminar on running a small business. Talk to business owners about their business (especially if you frequent thrift shops, flea markets, consignment stores and the like). Find out what the day to day concerns of face-to-face business owners are, because they'll often be the same for you.
     Perhaps you might take a step back and ask yourself, "What am I trying to accomplish?" Most of the things we do are means to an end. What are your end values? Mine are Harmony, Trust and Fulfillment. Struggling to find out what, in the end, is most important to you is a worthwhile struggle. The end result will inform you as to the best way to use eBay to reach your end values.

I sincerely hope this helps.
Vince

Starting to sell on eBay on a (used) shoestring...

2006-12-24T03:33:00.000-05:00

While you, yourself, may not be in the same boat I am, there are new people coming to eBay every day that have little or no resources to start up their business. And, yes, it is a business. Even if you only intend to peddle one or two items from your attic, the more businesslike you are in how you do it matters. For one thing, those who might buy from you expect you to be as professional as the biggest online stores.
     I suggest you hunt around and find every free resource you can get your hands on. I already have a dozen free eBooks on marketing, managing auctions, finding merchandise, planning and research. Plus, every tutorial I've taken at eBay University has helped fix in my mind what I need to know about the various steps I have to take to become fluent in "eBay".
     Spread the word that you're on eBay, especially if you've taken the plunge and sold something. In one day, I had three different people ask me about helping them sell something they have, but have no idea how to "do eBay". Use your common sense: one person had a car he wanted to unload and have the buyer take over his payments. I don't know cars well enough to tell if it's worth taking, much less how to structure an auction that would work!
     Also, NEVER assume that what someone tells you about the value of the item they may want to sell is anything more than wishful thinking. They may think it's the same thing they saw on Antiques Roadshow, but do a little digging. Compare the exact item (if you can) with recent closed auctions, paying careful attention to what it sold for, how many bidders there were and how many other similar items are currently available. Trying to push an item into an overcrowded market when you're new to the game is a recipe for failure.
     As for finding wholesale merchandise to sell, you can bet there are plenty of offers here to tempt you into parting with your hard-earned dollars to get EXCLUSIVE SECRET EXPLOSIVE access to wholesalers. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Even if it has a 100% money back guarantee, you can't get back the time you wasted finding out it ain't for you. Hunt around for Certified eBay Solution Providers.
     I have some wholesale experience in my past, and know how wholesalers like to work. They like dealing with people who are prepared: they have a tax ID, they pay up front (pro-forma) and/or apply for a business account where you pay after you receive the goods (net 30 = you pay for merchandise and shipping within 30 days of receipt).
     Dropshipping can be very convenient, but in most cases you'll pay more for merchandise than if you bought it in a wholesale lot, stored and shipped it yourself. The exception is when you find a manufacturer who will drop ship for you directly from the factory. It may take some serious hunting around, but finding one can transform you overnight into a steady business. This presumes you have people who want to buy and buy again - there really isn't a big market for repeat sales in coffins!
     You must understand the concept of due diligence. It means you do your homework, proceed cautiously and take nothing for granted. If you decide to go with a dropshipper you have no previous experience with, list one or two items, wait to see how the customer reacts to the sale before you roll out with 150 listings in a brand new store. Imagine the negative feedback you might get from buyers who are either not shipped or who are shipped a defective product. You don't need a "dropshipper" who ships slowly, can't be reached on the phone or by email if there's a problem and tacks on "hidden" fees you never agreed to.
     This brings me to a very important point: when in doubt, DON'T. Don't open a store because you kinda sorta think you should. Fees for selling in a store can break you if you aren't prepared for them. For example, eBay gets 10% of your final selling price in a store, rather than the 5.25% for a simple auction listing. Then there's the monthly fee for keeping it, etc. NEVER spend an extra cent you cannot justify to your mother-in-law!
     "When in doubt, don't" also means avoid doing anything that even hints of evading the rules and regulations. Why go to the trouble of setting yourself up in business, only to get kicked out for playing fast and loose with the rules? This goes for collecting sales taxes, keeping good records and paying your income tax. Can you say, "IRS audit"? Sure you can! You just don't want to!

I'd appreciate your opinions, ideas and ways to improve this guide.

Regards,
Vince
P.S. Drop by and vote for this Guide on eBay.

You have to start somewhere - here will do!

2006-12-24T01:26:00.001-05:00

Greetings,
After struggling for a while in a 1.0 Web world, I've pushed myself to create a Web 2.0 life. I'm currently on eBay as vincerunza53 (not a total newb, but still suffering from information overload). You are, most likely, friends, family and/or eBayer.
In the near future, I'll be expanding into more markets (there, I've said it - I'm in marketing for myself), and will be looking for opportunities to create a vast empire that will rule the world...oh, wait, my sister's got that covered. She just got a job at Google, working the hardware end of things. I'll just stick to marketing. :P