I highly recommend JL Scott’s Newsletter - she tells it like it really IS and doesn’t pull any punches.  Her ezine is actually one of the FEW that I actually take time to read because it always contains helpful and interesting stuff & often a little controversy. 

This week’s issue is about the upcoming governmental changes in income reporting (which I hope gets vetoed) as well as how our privacy gets compromised by far too many dishonest internet marketers who claim to “… hate spam as much as you do” while they’re trying to get you to opt-in, and then those snakes turn around and give, sell, barter or trade your private info so you get even MORE spam!  GRRRR.

Part of the point is that before you opt-in to ANYTHING, take a few moments to READ that site’s privacy policy.  The more honest ones will tell you exactly how your info will be used - and every site is supposed to do that.  And just for your curiosity about mine?  I don’t share… because I respect you.  Sure, it’s less lucrative, but what about ethical marketing?  Surely we can keep that alive…

Here’s an excerpt from this week’s newsletter:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) demands that every web site from the USA - and any that do business with folks in the USA - must have a Privacy Policy posted. We talked about this last week.

What many “top” internet marketers have discovered is this: the FTC does NOT say they cannot sell, trade or give away visitor information. It ONLY states you must clearly post what you plan to do with the information.

THIS is the reason many of them are sharing your information. And, the fact that they are doing it is posted right there in their Privacy Statements. It may be unethical - but, it IS legal.

I know it’s a PITA, but if you’re going to give your email address - or any other information - to a web site, you NEED to take the time to read their Privacy Policy.

If you want to read the rest of this issue - visit i-Cop’s Online Business Trade Journal here.  JL always provides you with useable, helpful information for your business and your life.  If you’re in online marketing, you DEFINITELY want to read what the government is up to now!

Have a great one!

Donna

Internet marketing has undergone a bazillion changes over the past several years and I wasn’t really liking where it was going - or the questionable ethics of some marketers, but unable to really do much about it other than minding what *I* choose to do with my own business.

I have always said that I would ALWAYS make my income online without resorting to lies, BS, hype or any other unethical, immoral ways of doing business.  I did and still do believe that you can market without hurting others and *still* make a profit.  Maybe not as much as a cheating, lying monster makes, but at least those of us who truly care about others can sleep well at night!

Sylvie Fortin (she’s my ’shero’ anyway - plus she’s an amazing lady in so many ways) decided to let it all out, and boyoboy did she - I’m in the middle of her unvarnished ebook about marketing online.  If you are sensitive to tell it like it is language that gets a bit “colorful” at times, don’t bother downloading it.

If you want to become a better marketer and don’t mind the brash, realistic tone of  a really GOOD book - then go here: http://www.internetmarketingsins.com/ and download your copy.

Here’s to you, Sylvie - one outstanding human being!   I hope that everyone who markets online will read this book and realize it’s always best to be an ethical marketer.  The truth will set us all free!

Donna

I just created a new (my first, actually) page there on BlinkWeb to see how the little built-in page editor works. It was an interesting hour… but I posted my first tip about it on my FaceBook page to help others not have to struggle *quite* as much just trying to make a space between paragraphs!

It has its little glitches as all new products do, but basically it’s pretty slick (and you can’t beat the price - it’s FREE). A link to get your own free blinkweb is at the bottom of my page. Really, all they ask for is a page name, password and your email account to send you your lost password and you’re IN! It’s kind of cool of Brad and Matt Callen to do this for you and me and everyone!

Check out BlinkWeb as another FREE one-way inbound link to YOU! My page there on BlinkWeb is about DeadEasy Multimedia Ebook maker - testing the add image, etc. while creating. Sign my guestbook while you’re there?

Thanks & have a super day,
Donna

It’s new and it’s web 2.0 cool beans… and it will benefit YOU.

Today, the best way of getting traffic to your links is by using Web 2.0 (that generally means harnessing the massive power of the social networking sites).

So, today you can discover without cost, a new back-link, credit-driven intelligence engine coupled to a cascading tag-based web directory that is paying 500 promotional dollars for all new referrals for the next 12 hours after you join.

What exactly does this mean for you and your website businesses?

It means that Qassia has the power to change your Web 2.0 online strategies for the better… MUCH better.

At Qassia, you can add your websites for free, and without having to add reciprocal backlinks. You’ll get unlimited quality backlinks (as opposed to “no-follow” backlinks).  If you don’t want to read the rest of this article, jump on over there and see it all for yourself:  http://bizunlim.qassia.com/

You can also add what Qassia calls “intel” and it’s not the same as the chip maker. Short for “intelligence”, intel is a tidbit of information. Qassia rewards users who add intel in three ways…

1.  Backlinks - You get one backlink for every piece of intel you add. Every intel will carry a direct backlink to one of your sites. So the more intel you add, the more backlinks you get.
 
2.  Credit - When you add intel, you also get credit, in the form of Qassia dollars. Your net worth in Qassia dollars determines how well your websites rank in our directory.
 
3.  Revenue -  When your intel is displayed, you get 100% of the advertising revenue generated by that page. That is not a typo, by the way: they give you ALL of the gross ad revenue.

This means that website owners and article writers and bloggers have triple incentive to contribute intel. The contributed intel will allow Qassia to become a vast repository of intelligence, with unrivalled original content. And a vast amount of original content draws traffic like honey draws ants.

Qassia is currently in ‘closed beta’. That means you can sign up (totally free) and view all the cool intel ONLY if you are referred by someone who is already a member (like me!).   Just visit: http://bizunlim.qassia.com/

The search function is not yet available to the general public. But will be available in just a few days, so the time to get involved is NOW.  It’s fun getting in on something when it’s brand new… you get ‘grandfathered in’ in a sense… and you get to be a pioneer of sorts as you help build the site, too. 
*** What can I do at Qassia?

You can add your website(s), and get unlimited quality backlinks. There is no need to pay, nor to link back to Qassia. Websites are processed instantly and ranked by the amount of credits you have amassed.

To earn credits, you can add intel, i.e. small tidbits of intelligence about absolutely anything that interests you.  How cool that it’s not all about one thing… you can share what you are passionate about (within guidelines, of course) and get credit for it!
*** Why is Qassia needed?

Promoting a new site has never been easy, and it’s getting tougher every day. Site owners are forced to spend hours upon hours doing mundane and unproductive tasks such as exchanging links. Many give up and splurge out on advertising - which is why Google Adwords earns it owners $1 billion per quarter.  

Check out Qassia for nada while it’s still in beta: http://bizunlim.qassia.com/
*** How will Qassia generate traffic?

At Qassia, you will get credit for adding your intel to the library that Qassia is building with cool original stuff. The more credit you get, the better your sites will rank.

This provides incentive for site owners to contribute information (on ANY subject) to Qassia, thus harnessing the minds of others.

Qassia is currently free to sign up, no catches, no one time offers etc. While it’s in beta (right NOW, today) it’s still free to join.

Qassia is fantastic because you get credit for sharing your intelligence. The more credit you earn, the better your websites will rank. And you get a backlink to your website for every intel you add - only Qassia gives you unlimited quality backlinks to your sites.

Last but not least, Qassia also has the best ad revenue sharing system on the Internet, so in effect you get paid for promoting your websites. Qassia just simply rocks!

The more people join Qassia, the more everyone will benefit, so give Qassia a spin. Signing up takes less than a minute, so you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.

You want traffic to your web site or affiliate link? Get involved NOW at Qassia.  At the VERY LEAST, get registered before they start charging. http://bizunlim.qassia.com/

[P.S. Because the program is currently in closed Beta, you won't be able to register without using the whole of that introduction to Qassia URL:   http://bizunlim.qassia.com/  so head on over there... it's really quite different & cool.]

Are you already making between $1 and $10,000 per month from your internet marketing efforts?  How about a way to make MORE than you are right now, with very little additional effort?

Internet marketer and web programmer Robert Plank (I just love this guy because he’s brilliant and so are his products) has just released a low cost e-book and video course called Black Hat PHP.  It allows you to turn underperforming sales letters into cash machines that shine and increase your monthly income.

You don’t need to know how to program, all you need to know is how to cut-n-paste and follow simple instructions.  It’s true, I’ve bought nearly all of Robert’s products because they ARE easy to follow, learn from and use… unlike some I’ve found (and I’m sure you have too).

On the other hand, if you are a “get your hands dirty” kind of site builder, he will give you some detailed instructions on how you can totally bend these profit-boosting scripts to your will.
Here is the quick and neat recipe for product creation:

* Step 1: Create (or find) a simple product to promote.

* Step 2: Create a list to funnel leads into, both BEFORE and AFTER a sale.

* Step 3: Write a sales letter to explain your product and take orders.

* Step 4: Drive traffic to your sales page from sources by building authority sites, marketing to forums, buying pay-per-click traffic, or posting to blogs.

* Step 5: Test small changes on your sales letters to turn a trickle of sales into a waterfall of income! (This is my favorite part!)

With these five easy steps in mind, Robert Plank has created Black Hat PHP.
Here is a list of the seven action-packed videos you get that will take your web site to the next level:

Tactic #1: Revisit Reminder: Add A Reminder to Visitors’ Calendars With One Click to Get Them to Come Back to Your Site on A Recurring Basis

Tactic #2: Aweber Auto Submitter: Integrate Any Third-Party Payment System with Any Third-Party Mailing List!

Tactic #3: Link Manipulator: Are You Leaking Traffic? Plug Those Leaks and Avoid Newbie Site-Building Mistakes

Tactic #4: Whitelist Wizard: Re-Capture the 40 Percent of Your List That Never Receive Your E-Mails… Because They Failed to Confirm Their Address!

Tactic #5: Affiliate Link Generator: Use Multiple Sales Letters to Leverage More Profits From Affiliate Traffic!

Tactic #6: Time of Day Personalizer: Subconsciously Connect With Your Readers In A Subtle Way That Keeps Their Attention Long Enough to Hear Your Sales Message…

Tactic #7: Licensed Reseller Script: Reward Top Affiliates With Passive “Loyalty” Income By Ensuring That No Traffic Goes Unclaimed!

AND… Most Of These Scripts Require Zero Customization!  Get Black Hat PHP now!

Some Can Be Running On Your Site In Less Than A Minute.

Just Think… If You Act Quickly, You Could Have A Better Performing Web Site And See An Increased Number Of Sales In No Time At All!

* Each 5 to 15 minute Camtasia video shows the script in action and how to plug it in with no problems.

* The full PHP source code so you can simply upload the files to your site — you don’t have to copy code out of the book.

* A five to ten page PDF installation guide showing exactly how I created the script and how it can be customized to do whatever you want.

* A killer black hat idea that could be the basis for your next product membership site.

Keep reading to find out how you can get your hands on 2 hours of killer videos for the price of dinner:  Grab Black Hat PHP now!  You’ll be SO happy that you did!

To your total online success always,

Donna