I ate a dead rat (or at least it feels like it) and have not been able to do this week’s multi-media tip. Sorry.

I’m down for the count with a stomach virus I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy… will let you know when we get back to a normal publishing schedule.

Jim

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Avoid “Bad” Manners While Blogging

– by Jim Edwards

© Jim Edwards – All Rights reserved
http://www.IGottaTellYou.com/blog/
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Blogging, the hottest trend in online publishing right now, is currently spreading like wildfire across the Internet.

A cross between an online journal and a bulletin board, everyone from rock starts, politicians, business leaders and your average “Joe” or “Jane” can instantly become a center of influence online using blogs.

But, as with any social interaction, certain rules apply (my grandma calls them manners) in order to be viewed as behaving “properly.”

One of the things that gives blogging such strong appeal as an online publishing method revolves around “comments.”

Blogs that allow “comments” enable readers to respond and elaborate on the information posted by the blog owner.

These comments and the free exchange of information, opinions, links, and new ideas creates the dynamic and growing content that makes blogging such a popular online activity for both publishers and readers.

However, rules and unwritten customs about the proper use of “comments” on a specific blog are also where most of the problems and controversy will arise.

Since a successful blog eventually becomes a community of people (albeit in cyberspace), proper social behavior is critical to be an effective and accepted member of the community.

Keep these basic rules in mind when approaching a new blog that allows commenting by readers so you won’t find yourself on the wrong end of a scolding by people who operate with a different set of rules than you.

As with any social circle, violating the group’s rules and customs will instantly cause a negative backlash.

** Keep It Relevant **

Stay on topic with the post you’re commenting about in a blog.

Nothing will earn you the wrath and disdain of your fellow posters and the blog owner faster than posting an off-topic comment.

** Watch What Others Do **

Different blogs operate under different rules. What rates acceptable in one blog would earn you a verbal thrashing in another.

Before posting (especially if you have not posted to a specific blog before), look to see the types and quality of posts others make regularly.

Are they long or short?

Do they contain a link to the person’s website?

Is there a “signature” under their name?

** Be Polite **

It’s fine to disagree with people when making a comment, whether it’s the blog’s author or a comment made by another reader.

It is not, however, acceptable to launch a personal attack on anyone or make nasty comments in someone else’s blog.

If you feel the need to do so, do it in your own blog.

It’s the same principle of you can say whatever you want in your own house, but when you’re in someone else’s house, you act right (and better than you do at home).

** You Can’t Respond To Everyone **

If you operate a blog and someone asks a question, try to respond, but both sides should understand that you can’t respond 100% of the time.

We all get busy and a blog, unless it maintains a paid membership, is often supported as a labor of love.

–
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website, affiliate links, or blogs…

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Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website, blog or affiliate links?
“Turn Words Into Traffic” reveals the secrets for driving
Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate
links… without spending a dime on advertising!
Click Here> Money Making Ezine Articles
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Jim,

Thanks for being there! As a subscriber to your newsletter as well as Paul’s Front Page Tips I appreciate what you’re doing to help us “newbies” out.

But I have a question regarding your sales letter for the www.minisitecreator.com

I’ve noticed that these letters (I get them from Joe Vitale and others, too) are all VERY long. They go on and on down the page with so much verbiage and reasons and value statements and testimonials that, by the time I get to the bottom of the page, I’m tired of reading! – I just want to cut to the chase.

OK, you sold me. . . now how much is the dang thing!!!

It seems to me that you’re overselling and I wonder if you wouldn’t you get better results by reducing the sales letter down a bit?

You’ve been doing this a long time and have some great success at it so there must be a reason for the lengthiness(?) of them ‘cus it seems everybody does it.

I’m getting ready to market our first online e-class and will probably order the Mini Site Creator course, but I wanted an answer to this question first.

Your response would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Karen

——

Hi Karen,

Bottom line: long form sales letters work.

The purpose is to sell by remote control… especially since you can’t stand there and look at someone as you would selling face-to-face.

A long form sales letter is actually a complete sales presentation in print.

By writing one of these, you’re trying to respond to every objection every person with every background and communication style will respond to…. that’s where the length comes from.

You try to provide various paths for people to read (subheads, p.s.)… but bottom line you’re trying to answer all questions and objections in advance.

Also, you’re trying to communicate what exactly comes with the product so that they KNOW what they’re getting in no uncertain terms.

People buy benenfits… not features.

If this were not the case, then you could just list off a bunch of bullets describing what the product is (size, weight, etc.) and everyone would buy it.

I can tell you that I used to try selling without long-form sales copy… and my results were not nearly as good.

Hope that helps

Jim

PS – if you really (and I mean REALLY) want to put your copywriting on steroids, check out Yanik Silver’s http://www.UltimateCopyWorkshop.com

Thomas Pierce and I were discussing how trackback links work.

I will fully admit I’m still a novice when it comes to all the aspects of how blogs work and proper blog etiquette.

However, I think it’s really interesting to see how different people react to advertising messages and how they are either “good” or “bad.”

The reality of life is that, if you can’t make a profit… you can’t stay in business.

If you don’t stay in business… you can’t help anyone.

The attitude that blogs should be clearly non-promotion or without “hype” (which I assume is *any* advertising to the blogging purist) is unrealistic…. it ain’t gonna happen.

What we all need to do is find a happy balance between commercial and content… but to think that blogs won’t advertise is folly.

Look back at email… it all started out as geeks communicating back and forth across networks.

But once something like this enters the mainstream public consciousness, there must be an eventual inclusion of commercial messages and content… or it cannot expand to benefit everyone.

My 2 cents about what will eventually drive blogs.

Once it comes out of the basement and there is demand for people to spend full time providing content to an audience.. it stops being a money-hobby… and as such, it requires MONEY to come into the person publishing the blog, otherwise they can’t support their “habit” of sharing quality information.

Bottom line:

1. Blogs and ads will be going hand in hand.

2. Depending on the audience you’re targeting, the types of ads you run will vary. What’s seen as an acceptable ad in one market will be viewed as a completely ineffective ad in another.

3. I think we all need to respect each other’s opinions and experiments as this medium evolves… but I expect the “purists” will hold on and cry and moan that they have the ONLY answer and anyone who does it differently is WRONG and BAD. (And everyone is entitled to their opportunity to be the topic of a Friday Night Smackdown)!

4. … and that’s how the world moves forward

To Your Success!

Jim

Here’s a reader question about how to get testimonials:

>> Question: What are some of the techniques you and others use to ask for testimonials?

#1. ASK (most people never ask… and never get). If you want a testimonial, you must ASK people for them. Just ASK.

“Hi John,

I know you’ve really enjoyed our (product / service). Would you mind giving me a blurb I could post on my website along with your name and company to show people this really does work?

Thanks

Jim”

#2. Strike while the iron is hot (ask for the testimonial right after they have gotten a result).

Many people will email you or call to say thanks… make sure you ASK right then if you can use their comments to help you promote the product. Since they already told you they love your product, the VAST majority will say “sure!”

#3. Borrow success (find someone who has used the techniques you teach and have them say they used the techniques (didn’t learn them from you) that you teach in your book, they work, so if someone wants results they can learn the technqiues from your product!

Hope that helps

Jim

Jim Edwards here with an article about Google (below) that I think you’ll really enjoy

It’s about Google’s “secret lab” that most people don’t even know exists!

By the way…

On Thursday, Feb 17th, it’s Jim’s turn in the “HotSeat!”

You know how much I love to do hard-hitting interviews with other people. Well, on Thursday night, my friend and colleague, Dr. Jeanette Cates, is going to *grill* me for my “Mini-Site Secrets”.

On this call I’m going to reveal:

~ How I took a 30+ page website, converted it to a “mini-site”… and watched my sales go up over 250% literally overnight!…

~ The 4 types of mini-sites, and how each one plays a specific role for making you the money you want online…

~ The single biggest mistake people make with “affiliate” mini-sites that costs them thousands of dollars…

~ … and a bunch more!

You can sign up for the free “Mini-Site Secrets” call now:

=> http://www.ebookfire.com/mini-site-secrets.html

Bottom Line On this FREE 60-minute Call: you’ll discover more about mini-sites… how to use them to make money and build your business online… than you’ve ever heard anyone reveal before!

To your success,

Jim

PS – Even if you can’t make the “Mini-Site Secrets” call Thursday, sign up anyway so you can be notified when the MP3 is available… and if enough people sign up, I’ll even pop to have it transcribed into a PDF

=> http://www.ebookfire.com/mini-site-secrets.html

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Does Google Hire “Mad Scientists?”

– by Jim Edwards

© Jim Edwards – All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
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Online search giant, Google, often tests the waters for new services by rolling out a “beta” (first) version of an idea to gauge public reaction.

By employing this strategy, it’s easy to imagine a building full of creative, “mad scientist” types cooking up the latest and greatest online gizmos.

In fact, you can take a peek at what’s cooking at Google by logging on to http://labs.google.com.

There you’ll find glimpses of the true “bleeding edge” technology Google thinks will shape the way we use information on the Internet in the very near future.

** Online Video Search **

Log on to http://video.google.com to see the next step in Google’s quest to become the world’s foremost repository of online and offline information.

This first attempt at providing searchable data about video is currently restricted to recent television shows.

Unlike the video search at rival Yahoo! (http://video.yahoo.com) which provides a searchable database of actual video clips available for viewing right online, Google’s video search results take the browser to a page with still frame images and text transcripts of the show.

Since it rates much easier to search text than video, this particular format of transcript combined with still frame should win out over the straight video clip method (at least for now).

** Help With Keyword Searches **

One problem everyone encounters periodically online involves wanting to find something, but not knowing exactly how to phrase the request to a search engine.

You sort of know what you want, but aren’t 100% sure how to phrase it, or the results you get from the phrases you use don’t give you the results you want.

Log on to http://labs.google.com and click the “Google Suggest” link (currently third link from the top on the left side of the page).

This link takes you to a search page where, as you type in your keyword phrase, Google will make additional suggestions on related search terms you should consider.

Other gizmos in the Google “lab” include: Google Maps. Google Desktop, and Google Scholar.

** Recent Graduates From The “Lab” **

Some recent graduates of the Google Lab include:

“Web Alerts” – Log on to http://www.google.com/alerts to receive an email notification any time a new web page or news article enters the Google database containing a search phrase you specify.

This provides an excellent means to quickly find new sites that mention anything from your favorite movie star to use of a trademarked product name you want to monitor.

“Search By Location” – Log on to http://local.google.com to find local businesses and other interesting information based on geography.

A search on “printing” in “norge, va” immediately brought up the Printwell printer I use, and a search for “mexican” in “lightfoot, va” turned up my favorite Mexican restaurant.

Also, a search for “museum” in “williamsburg, va” turned up some very interesting places I didn’t know existed, even though we live in a tourist town.

I actually doubt that Google hires mad scientists, but by the looks of all the projects they have going, it’s safe to say they hire extremely creative people who like to push the boundaries of technology.

–
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
to use free articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website, affiliate links, or blogs…

-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website or affiliate links?
“Turn Words Into Traffic” reveals the secrets for driving
Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate
links… without spending a dime on advertising!
Click Here> Make Money With Ezine Articles
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners **
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your
ezine, on your site, or in your blog so long as you leave
all links in place, do not modify the content and include
our resource box as listed above.

Feel free to substitute your affiliate link in place of
our link in the resource box.

Earn up to 50% on every purchaser you refer!

Affiliate details are available here:
http://www.ebookfire.com

If you do use the material please send us a note
so we can take a look. Thanks.

© Guaranteed Response Marketing, LLC