| TrackerMosIA |
On Putting Together
A Newsletter
Anyone who has followed my trek on the internet this far knows that my caustic wit is the only thing that saves me from complete insanity-- that, and an acid tongue (or keyboard, as the case may be). To say that putting together this newsletter has been a pleasure would be a dis-service to all who know me better.
But actually -- apart from a few white-knuckled moments when I was sure I'd lost whatever mind is left to me -- this hasn't been as much of a nightmare as I'd thought. I've managed to find enough background on the news stories (such as they are), survived the research jungle, more or less, and it actually looks like I'll meet my deadline.
Of course, sometimes I think I'm my own worst enemy and this is a good example. Have you seen how many columns I've added? It's ridiculous. I only hope I can fill them and/or hope you'll understand if some are missing some weeks. I will do my best to keep my deadline. At this point, that's a little fuzzy: sometime on Thursdays, for sure. (Anyone who knows what it's like to work online knows how relative time becomes.)
The main issue about creating this report was to create something fresh and relevant for marketers, not just techno-geeks and news hounds. In that, I hope I've succeeded.--mo
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| In A Word |
Get it?
A friend once told me that the use of the word "get" in writing is just plain bad English.
After that, I became very self-conscious about it-- and struggled to replace all the "get's" in my writing. So I no longer ‘got' an ‘A,' I received an ‘A'. (I wish.) I no longer ‘got' going. I began or went. I was not ‘getting' a soda from the fridge, I was "acquiring" a soda.
When I finished any writing, I did a special search just for the dreaded ‘get' -- they seem to find their own way into my work, no matter what I do.
After making this a normal part of my routine, it occurred to me one day that, like any living language, English changes with the times. Does this mean I can use "get" again? Perhaps. Within moderation. After all, many fine authors have been very successful without ever once using the word "get". Of course, most of them are dead now. But, still.
The point is, certain words that have come into common (especially spoken) usage, are still considered "bad" or "poor" grammar. Just as other words or phrases are called "slang" and usually reserved for speech alone. And, while marketers don't want to appear old-fashioned or stuffy, neither should they allow themselves to be considered ignorant or sloppy. Because, sad but true, "get" is still on the "poor grammar" list.
Get it?--mo
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| The Frugal Marketer |
Learn HTML For Yourself
Many marketers shrink from the prospect of learning to edit HTML code. But not only is it easy to do (because when HTML was created in 1993 by Tim Berners-Lee, who wanted it to be a text-based programming language), there are many fine reference places on the web that are happy to supply all the information you need to do it.
In fact, when doing a search for HTML, a marketer will find so many resources, the problem becomes choosing the best. And, even better than that (Frugal Marketer that I am), they're all FREE.
In fact, the only mistake that many new marketers make is in trying to edit html code that's been computer generated by one of those "automatic" programs, like FrontPage. Those have always been notorious for inserting all kinds of unnecessary code, in order to cover a multitude of options.
But this also mystifies the process, leading many to think coding is "hard". But it isn't. And, since it is the basis for all web-based content, it will be around for many years to come. So, go ahead, dive in and learn to code.
By learning to code, marketers free themselves to control their own content, their own site and gain all their own traffic-- no more having to share it with a blog site, or do without it altogether. With that in mind, I've created the following column: (Ta-da!)--mo
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| Site-Seeing |
(Sites Worth Visiting)
Been Paid.com
Like Tracker Mo's Den, BeenPaid.com is an unbiased site which reports factual information about online business opportunities, both pro and con. Unlike TMD, BP specializes in what they call "GPT" (Get Paid To) biz opps, like click-for-bucks, etc.
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| News2U-2: Google Editing Searches Step Over The Line |
Google's latest add-on in their optimization arsenal is a little feature that actually edits the user's search, kicking back any words it deems "too common".
While it's been an established feature of Google to make suggestions for various searches (as with their "did you mean?_____" tool), this recent addition steps beyond the bounds of service into the hazier area of authorization. By doing this Google is, in effect, saying, "no, we won't perform that search." Not, "we can't," but "we won't."
Ignoring all the obvious questions that arise from this quiet revolt, what really matters is will this actually help or hinder the end user's search for their desired information?--mo
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| ON MARKETING |
Work Smarter, Not Harder
SUCCESS IN online marketing, as in any other types of sales, depends on the marketer's ability to optimize his time and efforts to their fullest potential, i.e., to work as efficiently as possible. The following six recommendations all work toward that goal.
1. MAKE EVERY E-TOOL
& SERVICE PAY YOU
With all the affiliate systems out there, it is very possible to use services and tools that pay you. By using these and promoting them, you not only gain free quality services, but can make money at the same time.
And, while there are many sites that SEEM to offer free services, make no mistake: they are exacting their pound of flesh, either by gaining traffic (which is rewarded by a higher ranking) or in some other fashion. And, while this may be an acceptable trade-off, it squanders the marketer's efforts.
2. FOCUS ON ONE SITE
One of the most valuable commodities in internet marketing is traffic. Traffic equals rankings. And this, more than anything else, determine a website's placement in the organic listings of the search engines.
Because of this, it is much smarter to have a website independent of any one affiliate program, edit it, adding all affilite links to it, then focus all marketing efforts on THAT page. (Note: this type of simple editing refers only to adding links and brief comments and can be learned in a very short time.)
3. PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
Out of all the choices in marketing, most people find they prefer one or two above the rest. Yet many marketers, in a mis-guided attempt to be as effective as possible, feel they must use EVERY type of marketing. This is when marketing truly becomes work.
NO ONE can fully utilize every possible form of marketing. At least, not on a regular basis. The result of this is a squandering of energy and efforts and an ineffectual marketing campaign.
It is far better (and much more fun) to choose the a few favored marketing types and focus on those.
4. QUALITY LINKS
The bottom line of all marketing is links, whether through link exchanges, adding links to various site, article marketing, forum marketing. It ALL boils down to quality links. Whatever the choice of marketing, make sure to create the highest quality links possible.
In reciprocal linking, for instance, only link with partners that have compatible (not competitive) sites and that treat your link respectfully (with direct links from the front page to their links page, etc.) and be sure you do, as well.
In article marketing it is better to write one excellent article a month and promote it everywhere than create 20 "automated" articles a day because no newsletter is going to use them. In forum marketing (which, while many have banned links in sig files, usually still allow a link in a profile), being helpful and courteous and gaining a good reputation still brings in high quality traffic.
(Cont'd, next column)
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| ON WRITING |
The Written Word Strikes Back
SINCE THE ADVENT of the television in the late 1940's leading educational and technological experts have quietly agreed that writing, the major form of communication until that point, was in decline. In fact, they declared it would be obsolete by the year 2000.
In response to this, educators began to adapt basic cirriculum guidelines to focus more on mathematics and science. But they all under estimated the POWER OF THE WRITTEN WORD!
Like all great survivors, The Written Word has the key ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment, to grow with those changes, and to not only continue to prove itself useful, but positively indispensible.
As evidence, consider the internet: one of modern man's greatest technological and communication triumphs, in what has been dubbed "The Age of Communication." Yet, in an ironical twist so stupendous as to be nearly absurd, this "greatest feat" relies PRIMARILY ON the written word in order to deliver its actual communications.
Despite all the technology required to develop it, at least 50-75% of the visible portion of the internet is written. And to make this punch even more potent, major search engines determine a website's VALUE based on THIS WRITTEN content!
But where does this leave "little Johnny" who dutifully studied his maths and science, while the written portion of his education was sacrificed and can now hardly read (never mind write), an error-free and grammatically correct sentence? It leaves him able to create a rocket or a bomb or a dynamic compression-- but not able to explain it to anyone out of earshot. It also leaves him at the mercy of some writer who has, of all things!, a mere Liberal Arts Degree.
And, this, you see, is how
"The Written Word Strikes Back."--mo
(Mktg, Cont'd.)
The bottom line about links is, if you take the time to place them carefully, they will return your efforts a hundredfold.
5. WORTHWHILE EXCEPTIONS
While I may have cautioned against free services, sometimes it IS worthwhile to take advantage of some free tools. Alexa's tool bar, for instance, offers a ranking meter that can prove invaluable, especially while choosing the types of sites to partner with, in all of the types of links listed above, in point #4. Another good example is Overture's keyword selector tool, which reports the actual requests made for specific (and relative) terms in the last month.
6. MULTI-TASK
This covers a wide range of possibilites: Everything from talking on the telephone while visiting a click-for-credit site, to uploading leads while editing a webpage. The key factor is using your time and energies as effectively as possible, thereby optimizing each effort to its best result.--mo
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| eMail To The Editor |
Welcome!
With this premier launch of Tracker Mo's Report, I'd just like to extend an invitation to all marketers who would like to ask a question, either about marketing in general or about a specific program or service offered on my website, as well as any feedback or comment about the articles and news within The Report.
Though I will try to publish all relevant emails, the final decision is at my sole discretion and those chosen for publication become the property of Tracker Mo's Report. A simple link (i.e., to one site) will be incorporated with the emailer's name as a thank you. Additionally, past eMails To The Editor will remain archived on The eMails page.
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| Every Day HTML |
Simple & Elegant
While java, java script and, more recently, php have all come up with, essentially are, new ways to do what could always be done in HTML, the best approach when coding is to keep it SIMPLE.
I mention this because, just prior to spending the better part of the last 2 or more weeks creating my site from the ground up, I had wasted many MORE weeks looking around at all the free sites out there, hoping to avoid that very thing. In the process, I discovered that many of these sites are created using Frontpage (or some other program) and, because of that, have endless streams of code in their content.
And, while many programmers as well as marketers might ask, "so what?" and think, "as long as it works, who cares?", there are several real problems with excess coding.
1) For Their Audiences' Sake
There is still a large portion of users that don't have high-speed access. And each time they load a page with either excess code or overly-flashy content, this causes their computers to freeze up. Now, while the internet as a whole cannot stand still until the rest of the world catches up, it should also be noted that, to appeal to the broadest possible audience it is to the coders advantage to keep their site as free of excess code as possible.
2) For Their Own Sake
Excess code just becomes a nightmare to go through. When editing, if finding the right line to edit takes as long as the editing itself, there's too much, even for a complex page like this one.
So the ol' saw,
"K.I.S.S." (Keep It Simple, Stupid) still applies.
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