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Does Monster Energy Drink Hate America?

2009-10-19T13:28:00.004-05:00

Would you believe me if I told you Monster Energy drink hates America?

I know it would be hard to imagine that an American company that has made its way to the top of the capitalist system by working hard and trying to provide a product people want to buy would decide that they no longer want the same entrepreneurial system that gave them their chance to be available to everyone else but it seems that may be the case with the corporate giant that owns and produces the monster energy drink products.

I know this seems hard to even imagine. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it even as I'm typing this but, like it or not, it sure does look like the Monster Energy drink people are doing their dead level best to push a small mom and pop company out of business. The really crazy thing is, and this is the part that makes me truly wonder if Monster Energy Drink hates America, the little mom and pop company they are trying to squash is not a competitor. They are a tiny little brewery that make BEER.

I know, that's what I thought. Beer is the opposite of an energy drink. First of all, it actually tastes good. I mean, do you ever sit down in front of the TV on Sunday afternoon to watch the game and ask your significant other to bring you a Monster Energy drink? Of course not, unless you are really weird, you ask for a beer. As a matter of fact, I don't know anyone who drinks any kind of energy drink for the taste because the honest truth is, they all suck.

Monster Energy Drink Sucks!

Of course, that's just my opinion but that's what I think. And I don't mean just their taste, which really is bad, but their business practices make me want to puke too. As a matter of fact, I think Monster Energy Drink sucks so bad that I wanted to bring this to your attention and take the time to publicly thank Allyn Hane from Blogger Illustrated for bringing it to my attention so I could bring it to yours. If you haven't been introduced to Allyn's work you should check him out he is really into video blogging and is quickly perfecting the art. As a matter of fact, I've decided to add his site to my sidebar blogroll. Check him out. By the way, some of his stuff may not be safe for work so turn the sound down a bit ;)

Video Gamer Confessions

2009-10-01T13:38:00.002-05:00

OK, It's time to admit something to you guys;

....

...

..

I'm a gamer.

No, I mean a GAMER. I love it. I can spend literally hours and hours with a wireless controller in my hand. I sometimes even forget to eat for two days when I'm really into a new game.

I know, it really is pathetic. Now, I'm not asking for any kind of sympathy from you guys. I'm just trying to explain why I don't have time to hang out around here as much as I used to. I'm also writing to explain why I may not be around much for a few months because there is something all gamers know; this is game season. All of this years games have been coming out over the last month or two and over the next month the rest will be coming out.

The funny thing is, my preference is for the sports games instead of the first person shooters. (Although those are pretty cool when I'm in the right mood) I like Tiger Woods golf OK, but I really have come to be absolutely addicted to FIFA Soccer and NHL Hockey. The crazy thing is that I absolutely hate to watch both soccer and hockey. What's up with that? I love to watch football and love to play baseball but don't particularly care to play any of those sports games. Crazy, right? I know.

And those of you have been around here reading this drivell for a long time, you are well aware that I can't possibly be expected to play my video games without using some of those sneaky and fun little cheat codes. The problem with using game cheats is that once you get used to using them you don't want to ever play a game without them.

So, anyway, I knew some of you guys were probably gamers too and may have been looking around for some cool game cheat sites. If you are like me, you have found that most of the game cheat sites out there are just a bunch of garbage that looks like nothing but ads for you to click on instead of any real content. That's why I wanted to bring a couple of sites to your attention so you don't have to wade through the junk to find the good stuff.

So, here you go. If you like soccer (or maybe if you don't) go check out FIFA 10 Cheats. They have information for several gaming platforms including a few downloadable PC cheats. If hockey is more up your alley then you might want want to click over to NHL 2K10 Cheats and check out what they have to offer. Of course, if you prefer the EA Sports variety of hockey then you would want to check out NHL 10 Cheats. Both of these hockey cheat sites have pretty much the standard cheat code fare of achievements, trophies, cheats, etc. but they seem to just be presented in a friendlier format that doesn't seem to be trying to cram an advertisement down your throat.

I just wanted to poke my head in and let you guys know about those sites so you wouldn't have to go through all of the hassles I have wading through the junk sites out there to find them. Hope it helps. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to grab a sandwich, use the bathroom and crawl up in my bean bag chair for a few hours of intense video game immersion.

Keyword Elite 2.0 Reviews?

2009-08-27T13:33:00.003-05:00

Have you been getting bombarded with all of the spam email garbage telling you how wonderful Keyword Elite 2.0 is? I know I have and I'm getting sick of it.

Here we go again with some "guru" releasing some new "make money on the internet" product that is supposed to show all of us budding moguls all of the secret tricks and back doors that the "big boys" use to make their fortune online.

I mean, doesn't it always seem to be all of the same usual suspects that are trying to palm this crap off on us? You know the group Filsame (sp?), Katzenwhozit (The idiot that bought JohnCow.com), and, of course, the horses mouth himself, Brad Callen. (Nope, no links here for these guys.)

So, anyway, I do make a bit of money online by using SEO and backlinks to gain natural search results to my sites. For this reason I was initially interested in finding out some real information about this new product, so I whipped out my trusty Google search bar and typed in Keyword Elite 2.0 Review only to find the entire first page covered up with the same old garbage of fake reviews that are full of affiliate links and sales pitch from someone who hasn't even tried version one of Keyword Elite, much less the new and improved version 2.0 of the awesome, money making, software suite.

I would love to hear from someone who actually has tried the product. Preferably someone who is not an affiliate for it. I have to be honest though, everything I have heard or read about it so far in the sales pitches sounds like total BS designed to trick noobs into thinking they are going to take over the internet and secretly make a fortune.

There is one question I always ask myself when I am evaluating a product that is supposed to help me make money online; Why is this person selling this?

The answer is simple; because they can make more money selling it than actually using it.

If they actually held the keys to Make Money Online success, why wouldn't they be sitting back, quietly becoming the next Warren Buffett or Bill Gates and just let you spend all of your money and get out of the game?

That's right, because the shiny keys to success that they are trying to get you to lay out your hard earned for are a complete bullshit scam that will not make you any money but will actually cost you a lot more in the long run than you spent for their crap product.

Aside from all that, I really am interested in hearing from anyone who has first-hand experience using the new Keyword Elite 2.0 software. Just leave a comment on this post.

Site Build It Scam Reviews

2009-03-20T16:22:00.006-05:00

Have you heard of Site Build It, or SBI for short?

I vaguely remember hearing someone talking about it about a year ago in a private forum I was on. Basically the conversation was about how this person didn't recommend it because it was so expensive and was really geared toward absolute beginners that didn't know anything at all about web sites or having any kind of internet presence, much less how to make money online. Basically this person was just advising the other person to not get involved.

That was really the last I heard about the subject for the longest time, until recently. It seems that maybe there are more and more less than enthusiastic former members of the $300 per site, per year club. (Yeah, that's what I thought too when I heard it.)

Anyway, I've been hearing a few more comments around advising people to not buy in. There was also talk of an unruly mob coming swooping down with torches and pitchforks when anyone would make a negative comment about SPI in a blog post or forum thread. To be honest, I didn't care. I mean, we've dealt with the onslaught of trolls around here before. I've even written about how to use Stumble Trolls to your advantage.

Mobs of angry, slobbering trolls is just something that, while exiting the first time it happens, really just gets boring. Not to mention all of the comment moderating you have to deal with and all. Frankly, I'm just too lazy for that much effort, usually. Heh, heh.

So anyway, I have been reading this blog lately by a really smart Australian lady. Yes, she's a MMO blogger but that doesn't make her a bad person, does it? Well, she wrote a post about looking for a Site Build It Review. Essentially, she had been doing a little research online about SBI and couldn't come up with anything except a bunch of scam "reviews" that were really just affiliate sales pages. No real reviews at all. Never anything remotely negative. Now, if you have spent any time online, you know there is no such thing as a product or service that someone isn't happy about.

Stick with me here, it's just getting good :)

To put it bluntly, her post was not favorable about SPI and it did not take long for the mob to gather. I've got to tell you folks, it was surreal. These people are way more committed to this product than those tame little Stumble Trolls are. Stumble Trolls just give you a thumbs down, write how they hope you die of genital warts and then go away. They might take the time to write a rude or vulgar comment but that's about it.

These SiteBuildIt! people are different from that. They are consumed by some kind of feverish passion that, when stoked up by their leader, Dr. Somethingorother, they descend on a blog and leave 500+ word comments about how wrong the person is that wrote the original post.

Some are reasoned and maintain their composure but others are down right mean and bullying, and...pathetically naive. You could tell these weren't high schoolers in the basement like the Stumble Trolls, this was stay at home moms and retirees that had an education and time on their hands. When Doctor Watshisname put out the word on their private forum, they came running with their keyboards cocked and aimed, ready to take down this non-believer and convince them to change their ways by argument or by threat of lawsuit or worse.

Silly really, but they are too naive to understand, I guess. They don't seem to accept the concept that this is the internet and free speech is king. They don't understand that it is perfectly OK for someone to write on their blog that they think a company or product seems rather shady because you can't find anything negative about them or a real review that doesn't have affiliate links in it.

It is so glaringly obvious that they are almost all just a bunch of manipulated noobs that really don't know anything. Do you remember how it was when your mom fist got a computer and internet access? Remember how she would forward every cute picture and sad story email that she got for the first couple of months? Yeah, they're like that.

It was really hilarious though when Vic, you know Vic, he's the guy that writes that blog that tells you how to make money blogging. Anyway, Vic, who really knows his stuff, deconstructed one of these torch bearer's sites and just chewed him up showing for the world that he was all talk and didn't actually make any money. You've got to see his, SBI Noobs Are Funny, video. (Beware: Graphic language) ***Vic has posted a follow-up Site Build It Review article you shuld check out.***

So, anyway, even though I have absolutely no first hand knowledge of the Site Build It product or company, I am going to wholeheartedly recommend against anyone within the sound of my voice getting involved with this outfit in any way. These people are myopic and cultish. I've seen their, pathetically, private forum where they build themselves into a frenzy. There are no negative comments about the product allowed. For God's sake, they quote Chairman Mao about uniting together for the common good. Are you kidding me? Mao? What about Marx, or Stalin, or Lenin, or Hitler?

My opinion is, anyone with just a small amount of motivation and intelligence can easily do everything they offer for substantially less and not have to toe the party line to receive help. For that matter, if you are looking for some eye opening understanding about the internet and earning a living from it, you should check out one of the best sites I've found. A guy that goes by the handle, Grizzly, writes a fantastic MMO blog. The difference between him and the MMO bloggers you know of is, he's actually making money online.

Well, that's my assessment of the whole, Site Build It Scam Reviews subject. Of course, I could be completely wrong, go read the post and comments for yourself.

***** Follow-Up*****

Wow! Has this gotten bigger! I thought I would tale the time to come back in and give you some links to a few of the MANY related posts on the topic as well as an excellent video SiteBuild It Review. Enjoy, and if you are really considering buying into the whole SiteBuildIt! thing, take a little time and really investigate it.

When 'Site Build It' Zombies Attack - by RT Cunningham

Site Build It Review: Is SBI a Scam - by Ditto

Site Build It Review - A Follow-Up Post by Lissie

Site Buildit Review from Allyn Paul on Vimeo.

Remember this if nothing else. Never trust any review of a product if it contains affiliate links, Period.

American Idol Is Rigged?!?

2009-03-17T10:16:00.002-05:00

I can't believe what I've been reading. It seems to be spreading all over the internet like wildfire. Let's get real, we all probably thought at some point that the producers of American Idol might be pulling some kind of behind the scenes shenanigans to manipulate the scores and influence which contestants got to stay on the show but this is a little bit different.

The New York Daily News started all of this with this story. The story has now been picked up by American Idol fan sites like this one for Adam Lambert and this one for Danny Gokey. According to the source quoted in the news article, the producers of the show have already chosen the final four contestants and are trying to manipulate the results to control the final two.

If this is true it may deal a serious blow to the credibility of the whole American Idol system by knocking down the public perception of their votes actually influencing the outcomes of the process. Time will tell but this looks to be pretty serious to me. There have always been the rumors but this is the first time an inside staffer has actually said that the American Idol contest was rigged from the beginning.

Have You Seen the Movie Bitten?

2009-03-15T17:09:00.002-05:00

Holy crap! Have you seen Bitten the movie? You know, the movie with Erica Cox and Jason Mewes. This thing is HOT and I mean, HOT with like four syllables. Of course I happen to think Erica Cox is one of the most sultry actors there is even though most people haven't even ever heard of her. Jason Mewes is his own Hollywood bad boy story all by himself and it shows in his eyes...

...sorry, got distracted there for a sec, or three...whatever.

Anyway, this movie, Bitten, is about a paramedic and a vampire. Yeah, he's the paramedic. Anyway, blah, blah, blah, hot movie, blah, blah, blah, Holy Crap!

That's what I'm talking about here. So, anyway, if you haven't had a chance to catch it yet you should...if you're into that kind of thing...I guess I am...yeah, anyway, go see it. If you want to see some pictures of the people I'm talking about, Erica Cox and Jason Mewes, you should check out this cool Bitten Movie fan site I found.

Making Money Online With Physical Products

2008-08-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

This is part 4 of a continuing series about making money online. Please feel free to check out the earlier entries at the links below.

Part - 1 / 2 / 3

How To Make Money Online With Physical Products

Buy Low - Sell High

Any questions?

Ok, ok. Here's the real article.

Selling physical products is one of the oldest methods of making money online there is. Its roots go back to the very earliest days of personal computing when a person had to dial up the local server on the telephone, then place the receiver in the cradle of the modem and read the local message board on their Commodore 64. They could then read the postings about someone across town selling their old Vic 20 or the cassette tape drive they had finally outgrown.

Times are not that much different now than then. People still supplement their income, or even make a living, selling physical items online. Granted, things have changed and mostly for the better. Now, instead of seven geeks reading the bulletin board, there are countless millions trolling the internet looking for that special item.

When it comes to making money online with physical products, you basically have three options for getting your item in front of people; create your own web presence, use online advertising or use an online auction service.

Your Own Web Presence

Having your business' own web presence could mean having your own site, complete with a catchy domain and hosting. (Considering the very low start-up costs associated with this, it's almost a no-brainer.) It could also mean having a mini-store for your wares in an online shopping site like CraftMall.com or Qflea.com. This would be the equivalent of a table or booth in a craft mall or fair.

Having your own web presence is a great option (Some would say necessity) if you are trying to make money online with physical products you have created, but can also work well if your physical product is something you acquired, especially items of a collectible nature.

Online Advertising

Online advertising of physical products includes a couple of main options. The most obvious example would be the purchase of banner space on websites catering to your target market. Banner advertising is best used as part of a larger advertising plan. Unfortunately, banners by themselves are only marginally effective at best. This tends to result in too low a return on investment for most entrepreneurs on a limited budget. In other words, not enough bang for the buck.

The other primary form of online advertising to make money with physical products is websites devoted to classified ads such as CraigsList.com. Through these sites you can usually post a limited ad for a short term for free or nearly free, or you can pay more for better placement, size and time frame. This type of ads seem to work well for acquired products like cars or furniture but can work reasonably well for created items also.

Online Auctions

Of course the grand-daddy of all online auction sites is eBay, with literally millions of potential buyers trolling the hundreds of thousands of listings at any one time. No matter what kind of obscure physical product you are selling, you can rest assured people will see it.

EBay is by no means, however, the only option for online auctions. Just as niche-mania has taken over the blogosphere, thousands of small niche-targeted auction sites have sprung up online. These auctions are often formed along side forums or other online communities. While these sites don't have anywhere near the traffic or exposure of eBay, they do usually have a close-knit community of highly targeted shoppers.

* My direct experience with online auctions has been strictly as a buyer but one of the guys I have been learning at the feet of lately, Terry Gibbs, is considered an auction guru and is extremely well known in the collectible toy train market. In fact, he literally wrote the book on how to run a successful eBay business. The book is titled, The Auction Revolution, and if you are considering using online auctions to build your business, it will be one of the best investments you ever make.

Go ahead, take the quiz on this page and see how much you don't know ;)

The fact is, anyone making money online with physical products needs to seriously consider using an online auction site. The shear volume of targeted traffic can give your business the level of exposure you couldn't begin to hope for from organic search in a competitive niche. With a little effort, a good portion of this targeted traffic can even carry over to your non-auction web presence pretty easily. This makes auctions perform, not only as an income generator, but effective advertising as well.

Next time we'll discuss...

...to be continued.

Stay up to speed and Grab My Feed!

Making Money Online - Now What?

2008-07-31T11:58:00.001-05:00

This is the 3rd post in a series. If you haven't already read them. please check out the previous entries.

Making Money Online - How To Begin

Making Money Online - Priorities

OK, We've had plenty of time now to consider the last article and decide if we really want to be serious about building an online business.

So, What do you think?

Can you set aside a few hours a week to devote to your success?

If not, that's cool. Hang around anyway. Maybe you'll get inspired and change your mind.

If you answered, Yes! (and were serious), Congratulations! You've crossed the first hurdle and are on your way. There are more obstacles ahead but making the mental commitment is crucial. Way to go!

Now What?

First we need to decide how to go about creating an income. There are four primary categories of profit streams online. Let's look at them briefly.

Information

This category entails all forms of information transfer, from blogs or websites, to ebooks and videos.

Physical Products

These would be any physical products you might create or purchase and sell online from crafts to cars.

Service

The service category covers everything from virtual assistants, web designers or SEOs to software products and WordPress plugins.

Advertising

Advertising is the symbiot of the four categories because it simply cannot survive on its own. It must be closely attached to at least one of the others for it to work.

Conversely, Information, Service and Physical Products all require Advertising to allow them to gain exposure and be successful, even if it's only word of mouth.

While it's entirely possible, even probable, for an income stream to cross over and fall under two or more of these divisions, everything will fall somewhere under the umbrella of these four.

Next we'll break down each of these categories and discuss how to make money with them.

No two individuals are alike. Neither are any two Internet marketers. Understanding the possible avenues of profit available online is important to deciding how best to approach building your business with methods that work for you.

to be continued...

Don't be a DWEEB! Grab my feed!

Making Money Online - Priorities

2008-07-19T16:42:00.001-05:00

In the last post we looked at a few important questions someone has to ask themselves before striking out on their journey to making millions online.

Let's take a minute to look over those questions again.

How much money do you need/want to make?
How much time are you willing to spend to make it happen?
How much money are you willing to invest?

Now that you've had a chance to review the questions, answer this: Which of these is the most critical to your success?

Think about it this way:

You can spend a ton of money trying to make a ton of money but if you don't put in the time and effort, it just won't work. The people telling you about making a fortune online with just a point and a click are almost always selling you the magic product that will make it happen.

But how much is enough?

Realistically, you need to be able to devote 4 to 6 hours a week exclusively to your money making endeavors. This time should be allotted in 1 1/2 to 2 hour blocks. If you can only spend 30 minutes at a time you'll never get anything done.

This time has to be above and beyond your other internet activity. In other words, reading MMO blogs in your feed reader, writing posts to your own blog and checking stats does not count.

Why so much?

Look, if you can't spare 4 to 6 hours a week to build your new business, you probably need to reconsider how serious you are about this whole making money on the internet idea. If you can only spend a little time here and there when the mood strikes or there's nothing else to do, you'll just waste all your time and energy getting back up to speed and remembering where you were when you left off the last time. Essentially, you're just running in place.

Where can I find the time?

Everyone's priorities are different so this is one of those things you have to decide for yourself but I can make a couple of suggestions. First, cut your feed reader back to about 10 to 15 blogs or less. Next, consider reducing your blog posting frequency from every day to a couple of times a week.

If you are an active blogger, these two steps alone will easily free up 2 or 3 hours a week (probably more) for you to use building your business.

OK. So now you have decided you are willing to invest the necessary time to give yourself a chance at being successful, what about the other questions?

To be continued...

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Making Money Online - How To Begin

2008-07-10T06:27:00.001-05:00

So, you have decided you want to start making money online.

OK, good. Now what?

Start a blog about making money online and put AdSense ads on it?

Hah! Good Luck!

Seriously though, there are a couple of questions you need to really think about first.

What kind of money do you want/need to make?
How much time are you willing to budget for this endeavor?
How much money are you willing to spend to be successful?

Essentially, you need to decide if your internet business is going to be a lemonade stand, a yard sale, or a small business.

Each of these levels are completely doable. It's just a matter of making it happen. It is, however, important to decide what you want to accomplish so you can make a plan and set reasonable goals.

Having a plan with specific goals will help you stay on track to achieve the success you want/need.

Now we'll discuss what it takes to make each of these levels reachable in your journey to online success.

... to be continued.

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The Slacker Way

2008-06-29T15:07:00.001-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here. Time really does fly when there are so many "life" things going on. Well, I guess I'll try to start rectifying that.

I told you a while back that I would discuss the online projects I have been doing and their success or failure. So, while I'm waiting to get to the store for a copy of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, I'll start sharing things with you guys.

My online money making odyssey began with keyword targeted niche blogs but soon progressed onto a completely different path when I became acquainted with a couple of successful internet guys, Terry Gibbs and James Jones.

Most of you are probably familiar with James. He's the guy who invented Micro Niche Finder. Terry has been very successful in eBay related products. These two guys put their heads together to write an ebook called The Slacker Way that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of an online income.

I had to pay for my introduction to this unique perspective to making money online but now Terry and James have decided to make their book available for free to anyone who wants to download it.

I don't know about you but I hate going to the trouble of downloading an ebook only to find it stuffed with affiliate links and worthless information. It just makes me mad and a whole lot less likely to trust the author. I can tell you that one of the most noticeable things about The Slacker Way, aside from the new eye opening perspective on making money, was the lack of affiliate links.

I know. What a concept, an information product that actually contains useful information. These guys are real pros, not fast talking, slick salesmen.

You guys know I don't endorse many products but I can tell you I have no problem here. This is a free download from two professional businessmen that will probably give you a new perspective about the possibilities of the internet and your ability to exploit it to make an income.

Download it for free and read it, then come back here and tell me what you think of it.

I'm not going to promise to post every day but I am going to start discussing my successes and failures online. I look forward to getting back into the blogging habit. See you soon!

Does Anybody Remember DealDotCom?

2008-04-05T13:32:00.001-05:00

What was it, like six or nine months ago when the blogosphere lit up with all the hype about DealDotCom? I jumped in and made a post about it back then and took a little bit of heat from a certain Welshman for being such a sucker.

I don't think I've written anything about it since even though I have actually made some money from it. I've also bought a couple of deals through them. If you're like me, you look at most of the stuff they offer on there and instantly think, "Scam" or "Junk!" or "Why in the world would anybody ever buy that?".

Today is different. I'm sure you have probably heard about OIOPublisher, the WordPress plugin that cuts out the middleman and puts your ad management on autopilot. This is the one Andy Beard, John Cow, Adnan (from BlogTrepreneur) and Mark Fulton (from DotSauce) among others have been absolutely raving about.

This thing usually sells for $37 and everybody says its a steal at that price but I was always too cheap to buy it. Well, I checked today's deal and it was for the OIOPublisher plugin for only $15. I figure I can make that much back pretty quickly so I bought it and immediately came over here to alert you guys to it.

I'm sure you know the deal with DealDotCom, the deal only lasts for 24 hours. That means this deal on the OIOPublisher plugin will end at noon tomorrow or when they sell out. So, if you've been considering buying this thing but didn't like the price, jump on it now before it's gone.

NIche Marketing Tools

2008-03-11T12:17:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! I'm not through with my sabbatical yet but something came up and I wanted to share it with you before it was too late. (Don't you love how life has no respect for your plans?) I'm learning so much it's hard to describe but I'm taking tons of notes for future blog articles.

Niche Blogging

I know most of you guys have probably figured out I have been working really hard for the last couple of months exploring how to make money on the internet. The fact is, I am making money online. Granted, it's not yet enough to live on but I'm making considerably more than I'm spending.

One of the ways I've been making money is through creating targeted Niche Sites with click ads and affiliate links or ads. This sounds simple enough but there is one pretty huge hurdle to making it work and that's finding niches that aren't already saturated.

Keywords

When I started setting up these sites I would pick what I thought would be a nice profitable niche and build a site and go nowhere. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I did all my research; finding keywords and keyword phrases (The long tail) with a decent amount of searches. All the things you're supposed to do.

I finally broke down and spent a little money and things started changing. I learned that the information I was getting from the free online tools like Free Word Tracker and the Digital Point Keyword Tool was OK at best but often completely wrong. I also realized they left out some vital information. They didn't tell me how competitive the niche was.

Don't get me wrong, these tools are perfectly fine for some simple research but if you are considering spending money to try to make money, you need to use a professional tool.

Micro Niche Finder

I had seen a software tool called Micro Niche Finder being recommended by several people who I knew were making a living online but I didn't want to spend the money. Well, I spent the money. Oh, what a difference it makes to act like a pro!

By using the information from this tool I was able tool build sites that started making money almost immediately and I have long since made more money from using the tool than it cost.

Why Now?

The whole point of my rushing to get this article posted is because things are about to change and soon. Through a twist of fate, I have been beta testing the next release of Micro Niche Finder (pictured below) and there are some excellent updates with this release.

One of the new tools is called "Brainstorm", it brings up a list of random keywords. I used this tool to find the niche in the image above. As you can see this niche is just waiting to be exploited. Another cool addition to this new version is the "Ad Cost" column. This tells you if it's worth trying to rank for the keywords. (Imagine how much traffic you need to make money if the ads only pay 4 cents a click.)

A big money and time saver is the "SOC" column tells you the Strength of Competition for the keyword or phrase. This keeps you from wasting time and money trying to rank for keywords that you have no realistic chance in. In other words, this tool points out the low-hanging fruit.

Who would have thought you could get $.75 - $2.00 a click on a site about Storage Boxes?

Enough Already, What's The Deal?

I just got word yesterday that the new version of Micro Niche Finder is going to be released very soon (probably THIS week). The reason for the rush is: when the new version comes out, the price is going up to $97 but anyone who owns the present version will get the upgrade for FREE.

That means, if you purchase this awesome software today for $67 you will get the upgrade for free when it comes out in a few days.

I know some of you guys have already heard about this software and have been considering buying it. This is the time to get off the fence and save yourself $30.

So that's the deal. I wanted to bring this to you guys early before the price went up.

P.S.

I just want to remind you guys that I use this tool and can promise you, it has not only helped me find profitable niches that have made me money, it has saved me a ton of money on domains and sites that I had no chance of being competitive in.

Alive & Kickin'!

2008-02-28T08:58:00.001-06:00

Hey guys!

Man, I've been missing our conversations. I can't wait to get back in the regular flow of things.

I just wanted to drop a line here to let you know I was still around. Nothing has happened to me, well, nothing BAD has happened to me ;) Along side my regular life stuff I'm participating in a mentorship/coaching program.

This program is locked so I can't really go into the specifics too deeply right now but I can tell you it has already changed the way I see things online. My eyes are just beginning to open to the real possibilities. I always thought I saw the big picture and was dreaming big. I am coming to understand I have been thinking small all this time.

I am learning so much and, to be honest, the intense part hasn't really started yet. I can't wait to share the things I'm learning with you guys. I'm making tons of notes for future blog posts but I want to wait until my perspective has matured a little before I go throwing information at you.

As I progress, my understanding changes, so I don't want to be proclaiming opinions about things until I can completely see the whole picture. All that to say, you guys are going to have to wait a bit more for the complete dish, sorry. Just know that when it comes, it'll be fully cooked and well seasoned.

There are a few of you guys I really wish were going through this with me. I think you would really be excelling at this. I'm still reading reading your blogs and commenting when I can, just not as much as in the past.

Thanks for your patience. I can't wait to get back and share all of this great stuff I'm learning with you. Remember, the easiest way to keep tabs on me and not miss my triumphant return is to grab my feed!

Taking A Break

2008-01-23T14:07:00.001-06:00

OK, so here's the deal; I'm currently buried in a big project. As my dad would say, I'm so busy I don't have time to catch my butt with both hands.

The fact is, I've got some great post ideas but simply don't have time to develop them properly.

My project involves the internet and I am looking forward to reporting on it when I'm done, or at least done enough to have the time to actually be able to organize a competent article.

I'm in the process of implementing many of the things I've been learning over the past six months. I look forward to reporting back to you with my results. I plan to give credit where credit is due about what has worked and what has not. I think when I'm this portion of the project is complete, I'll actually be able to help you guys with some honestly tested information and step-by-step guides.

So I'm going to relieve myself of the stress of not posting regularly here by announcing that I'm taking a short break. I may post at any time but regular posting is on hold for a short while. (I know, it's already been on hold for a while ;P)

I can't wait to report back to you on my success or failure. Grab my feed and you won't miss a thing.

Spoke Too Soon

2008-01-16T18:48:00.001-06:00

Well, I think the stupid internet is finally up again for good. I thought everything was fine the other day and then it crapped out again. It's been coming and going ever since. Up for an hour and a half, down for three and so on and so on.

After a while it goes from being really frustrating to being just down right silly. It's kind of pathetic how much we depend on the internet to accomplish anything isn't it? I really feel sorry for the companies that require access to operate.

My insurance agent has been having a fit. It seems they are not allowed to keep hard copies of anything anymore. All of their records are stored digitally online. According to him, a digital copy is as good as an original if the original does not exist. So, they scan every document and upload it to the corporate server then shred the original. A very 21st century concept, right up until the internet goes down, then you have no files. Ooops!

Oh well. I've been adjusting pretty well. At least the electricity wasn't out all this time. That would have been catastrophic. If the power had been off I wouldn't have been able to practice Guitar Hero 3 or find some cool cheat codes during the internet up times ;)

I promise I'm not ignoring your comments and emails. This time I'll attend to them before I attack my feed reader.

Cold Turkey!

2008-01-13T18:24:00.001-06:00

And I don't mean holiday leftovers, although I think there may be some turkey left in the freezer...hmm...

...No, No, back to what I was saying. I just lived through a terrible and ground shaking experience. I'm talking anxiety, cold sweats, lack of sleep, the whole thing. This is an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone, much less a friend.

I have spent the last 2 1/2 days without any internet access. NONE. Period.

Everything was just rocking along in Trackerland Friday morning. Before I got out of bed I had planned out all of the wonderful internet things I needed to get done that day (posting here for one), then I turned on the computer and tried to check email........nuthin', I tried to get online with my browser......nuthin'.

That's OK, not to panic, I've seen this before, I'm a windows PC user. I go through the usual process of resetting routers and modems, disabling wireless cards and rebooting computers, all in different orders, hoping to stumble on that secret magical combination that brings the internet back to my fingertips.

Nuthin'

OK, my ISP (the only option in town) is the small, local phone company. They've gone down before, usually only for an hour or two at most. (Although there was that time a few years ago when some idiot with a back-hoe took out a fiber-optic trunk line and killed our long distance and internet for 3 days, but that was only once. Surely something like that couldn't happen again.)

I'm relaxed, I'm calm. It doesn't do any good to fret about the things you can't change, right? I'm sure it will be fine... soon, very soon.

Nope

I checked, the whole town was out. I tried to get online every hour all day Friday and Saturday. I had given up hope for getting online this weekend. I figured whatever it was that had plunged me kicking and screaming back into the 18th century was probably serious enough to require some widget or gadget that would take till Monday to get in.

And then...dear Lord, hallelujah! "website found....waiting for download.."

Someone had opened the shutters on my window to the world! I take back all those mean things I've said about the people at the phone company and not just the things I said this weekend either. All of them.

So, that's where I've been. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go answer some email, respond to a couple of comments and check my feed reader. (I'm not looking too forward to that one.) Talk among yourselves, I'll be back soon.

If you enjoyed your read, grab my feed!

How Does Anyone Do This?

2008-01-07T15:06:00.001-06:00

My time has become extremely short right now. I seem to have gone from running this one little blog, to a whole stable of partially finished sites in just a couple of weeks, leaving me wondering how anyone is able to do it.

I mean, some of you guys like Mark, Christine, Michelle and Tish, actively operate more than three blogs (Some, several more), yet, your posts project an air of absolute calm and sanity.

Then there are people like Garry who maintain over 100 sites. (WHAT?!) Granted, I think he sometimes is teetering on the edge, but for the most part, even he remains fairly lucid.

Me, I buy a domain name and start working on building the site only to look up three days later and the site is only half finished and I haven't even thought about writing a blog post, much less actually developing any good ideas into real articles.

Of course, it would all probably be more efficient if I didn't spend hours hacking up the CSS code so I could re-install it and do it again every time I made a change.

Or, if I didn't have to google how to do every little thing!

But hey! I'm learning how to build a WordPress blog. Heck, I've got one I've built three times!

I'd love to hear some tips from you blogging machines.

I am about to come to the conclusion that this Making Money Online thing is only for people who don't require sleep.

If you enjoyed your read, grab my feed!

2008 Iowa Caucus Winners

2008-01-03T14:21:00.001-06:00

The frozen Midwestern state of Iowa has been inundated by presidential candidates from both political parties and their associated entourages of media, aides and campaign workers for almost two solid years.

This circus appears in this mostly rural state, seemingly overnight, every election cycle and, immediately after caucuses, it disappears like a vapor. It happens every time but it's always a jolt.

No more hotel bars full of reporters in Des Moines. No more campaign caravans running up and down the back roads at break-neck speeds. No more prima-donna candidates piling into every decent restaurant and cafe so they can pretend to eat the favorite local sandwich and stiff a waitress out of a tip. Most importantly, no more campaign ads from Hillaboma or Romkaby. (At least until October)

So, after the thousands of gallons of coffee, hot chocolate and probably some adult beverages are consumed at the caucuses. After the neighbors and friends go through the kabuki theater of arguing passionately for their candidate and then changing sides (Sometimes two or three times) before finally voting. After the media announces which candidates received the most votes. The real winners will emerge.

On January 4, 2008 it is obvious to all still around to see, the real winners of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses are the citizens of Iowa. The citizens of Iowa are the true winners because the caucuses bring the end of what seems like a never ending intrusion into life by people who will blow in and back out, never to return.

Now, back to life!

If you enjoyed your read, grab my feed!

To Post or Not To Post?

2007-12-27T17:49:00.001-06:00

That is only one of the questions.

As I check my feed reader I see most bloggers not posting very much real content. Just some light content posts and such.

I've got a few good ideas for posts but I honestly don't want to use them when nobody is online. I mean, I know how I am when I check my feed reader after a few days and it's got tons of posts in it. I scream through them and barely read anything.

I think I'm going to just hold off on the real content for a little while. Besides, I'm pretty busy with a couple of other projects I'm working on ;)

I hope everyone is enjoying this slow time and getting some quality family time in.

If you've enjoyed your read, grab my feed!

Awesome Teen Bedding

2007-12-26T14:48:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful time of year to spend curled up in a warm bed while watching TV and blogging or some other spectacularly unproductive activity.

Adults are happy with just about anything on their beds as long as it is warm and fluffy. It will usually have some generic flower print or geometric design.

Little kids will be content with the latest offering of princess or fairy motif for girls and cars and trucks or camouflage for boys.

Teenagers are a whole different ball game. They want to be able to express their individuality in everything they are associated with especially their bedroom and its decorations. This is where Vision Bedding comes in. They offer some of the most unique and exciting Teen Bedding I have ever seen.

Not only do they have some very cool stock patterns available, they even offer the ability to completely customize your design to fit your teen's tastes with personal designs, photos or anything else your teen can come up with.

You know, letting your teenager design their own bedding probably wont solve all your household arguments but it will eliminate at least one gripe, right?

Universal Wishes

2007-12-24T13:38:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I have to remind myself I'm not just speaking to an American crowd. Some of you guys are from places I would probably not feel safe traveling in. Of course, that's nothing against you personally, it's just a fact.

Recent history has shown us instances of entire cultures going into uproar over perceived insults and I wonder, as we approach the time of year Christians find sacred, do people of other faiths feel offended when a Christian wishes them Merry Christmas?

I can only speak for myself but I would find no offense in a Muslim wishing me a Peaceful Ramadan, a Jew saying Happy Hanukah or even a Pagan wishing me a Happy Solstice.

I don't see these wishes as being some form of proselytizing or forcing their faith on me. I see it as someone simply sharing the good will and love of their faith with another person. In that spirit, I wish you all a

Merry Christmas

Almost Christmas!

2007-12-24T11:06:00.001-06:00

Well, it's almost Christmas. Everyone is really getting geared up and the tension level is rising proportionally.

I'm not quite done yet myself. I'm going to make one more shameless money grab before I take a couple of days off.

Tracker on the Trail

2007-12-20T01:25:00.001-06:00

It's traveling time for the Tracker. I'll be unplugged for a few days but I should be back before Christmas.

Make yourself at home, keep your feet off the table and replace whatever you eat out of the fridge. I'll see you in a few days.

Instead of having to check in all the tie to see when I'm back, you could just grab my feed. Then you wouldn't have to worry about missing anything ;)

The Blog Before Christmas

2007-12-18T08:57:00.001-06:00

This is a wonderful rework of "The Night Before Christmas" from a blogger's perspective. Since I was tagged in this meme I have the right to reprint this outstanding work from one of the smartest and most humble guys in the blogosphere, Mark Sierra from Me And My Drum. You can see the original post here.

'Twas My Blog Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the ’sphere
Me and some bloggers were spreading good cheer.
All the ads were hung in my sidebar with care
In hope that my readers would soon click some there.

I wrote a few posts and scheduled ahead,
Awaited my traffic, while I was in bed.
Next morning I woke to find my stats low.
“What happened?” I cried, “Why didn’t they show?”

When I asked Adsense Tracker for her to help me
She said “Stumble Trolls are the answer, you see?”
So I stumbled and stumbled, then stumbled some more
I searched for one hundred, but only found four.

Scary they were, all angry and wrinkled
Some consumed donuts (some of them sprinkled).
“Can you bring me my traffic, and make it real high?”
I awaited their answer, while swatting a fly.

“Get lost, little blogger, we serve only ourselves.
If it’s help that you want, find some blog elves!”
“Blog Elves” I repeated. Do they really exist?
So I sailed to Kyle’s Cove, to see what I missed.

“No Blog Elves are here,” Kyle said with a grin.
“What you need my good man is a WordPress plugin.”
I scratched my head thinking who else I should ask,
I began to fret over this challenging task.

My adventure it took me to a friend I call “K”
So I stopped at his home page to see what he’d say.
“Glad you asked me, good buddy, I have lots I can mention,
But what you need now is a browser extension.”

I said, “Thank you, friend K, but I have far too many.”
So I sailed and I paid the toll man his penny.
Penny! That’s it! The answer is money!
So I went to the man whose wife calls him “honey”.

Security was tight and the line was quite long.
To close on my goal, I had to stay strong.
When I finally approached his shiny gold throne,
I felt very small, I felt so alone.

“Excuse me, kind sir”, my voice it was squeaky,
“Can you help my young blog?”, I said rather meekly.
The man, he walked toward me, I quickly grew wary.
When he stopped just before me, his name tag read “Garry“.

“Dude, what you need is my frequent reminder.
It’s a very cool tool called Micro Niche Finder.”
And laying a finger aside of his nose,
His jet-pack flared on, up the chimney he rose.

I peered out the window as he floated and flew.
“You need awesome content and Google AdSense, too!”
So I went back to blogging, and wrote this here post,
Not knowing to Google if I would play host.

Would search engines find me? Would people stay here?
Would the Feedburner chicklet go into high gear?
Blogging Gal Tish and some ThingsbyMike
Had blogs that they love, but mine would they like?

Then finally it happened. There arose such a clatter,
I ran to my blog, to see what was the matter.
G’Analytics showed numbers aglow.
I was thrilled and ecstatic. Oh what a show!

Readers left comments, told friends far and wide.
Even Bush stopped to say, “That is quite a tide
Of traffic you have here, my gosh that’s so cool!”
I love it when I have caused others to drool.

But I know that to keep it involves lots of work.
Keep writing good posts and not be a jerk.
So as this year closes, I say to the ’sphere,
Thanks for your comments and coming back here!

The man on his jet-pack, I could hear flying by,
And as he drew near heard him utter this cry:
“Now Christy, now Bobby, now Colin, and Baron,
On Christine, on Marzie, on Tish and now Aaron”

These are the bloggers who I travel with most.
And to each I assign this “Twas” Christmas post.
Just copy and paste, and tweak as you like,
Remember to link to others you like.

Merry Christmas everybody!

And for those of you who aren’t tagged, feel free to copy and paste and modify with blogs you like.

Created by MeAndMyDrum.

If you liked this, and I know you did, why not go over to the original post and show Mark some Stumble love? While you're there subscribe to his feed so you don't miss any of his great posts.