Volume 1 Issue 46 2-23-07

For those who would like to read this in HTML format, this issue of Boomer eZine is posted on the Boomer eZine website at http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I46_022307.htm and on the Boomer eZine Blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com.

Please pass Boomer Video eZine on to a friend. They will thank you for it.

Table of Contents for this issue.....

1. Authors Comments
2. Q & A, Suggestions and Comments
3. Web 2.0
4. Becoming the Spider: Next Generation SEO Tactics

Author's Comments

Issue Theme

The theme of this issue is Web 2.0. What is it and how do we use it to our advantage? Read on for the answers.

Problems with the Survey from Last Week

We use Askdatabase.com for the surveys that we conduct and it let us down last weekend. We set up the survey and tested it Friday night. Sometime after we went to bed, the Askdatabase server shut down. It was down all weekend and was finally restored after 9:00AM on Monday.

As I said in the mid week reminder email, this was beyond our control.

Some readers did go back and complete the survey and that is sincerely appreciated. If you did not, please complete it now. It is quick and clean and will take less than a minute of your time (on broadband).

Thanks in advance for your input. We really value it so we can shape Boomer eZine in the future.

Please complete the following short survey at

http://tinyurl.com/2eez4k


Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

Change of Style

I have been chastised by our most faithful reader that I did not need to change my writing style. She said that she felt that I was “shouting at her”. You know what? Linda agreed with her. What can I say when two intelligent ladies tell me to change my ways?

I wrote a review page for the Only the Best section on the Boomer eZine website, and I asked my son, Justin, to critique it for me. He told me that I used BOLD so much that he became desensitized to it.

OK. I promise to tone down the use of BOLD in the eZine. Thanks to all for their feedback. I am always mindful that you, our readers, are whom I am trying to please. And I will write to do so.

Here is an email from Calum Nairn, one of our new subscribers

HI

I am sure this is not a new one to you guys but, I have just started (4 wks of 4 hrs per night) to look into working at home opportunities.

As you will know there are millions a promising huge numbers and wealth. I am looking to replace a modest income (but would accept more). am more than happy to spend 6/8 hrs per day working at it. So it would seem that I am one of millions looking for "the way" everyone it would seem wants money up front to show you "the way", where is one to start? Also all this talk about big money and millionaires, is it possible? I know from a retail point of view that the internet has the "potential" to allow more Traffic to browse your store, which intern has the potential of turning into sales. So I guess that would lead to the question to where is the proof, can it be delivered via the internet in a believable way, I guess the one that can do that is the millionaire.

Yours Sincerely

Calum (lost in hyperspace)Nairn

John’s reply …..

Calum,

It seems that the entire world is searching the Internet for the pot of gold. I can see from your email that you have discovered that it does not exist.

I do not have the magic pill or I would be taking it myself.

My advice is to continue to do your research and spend the time studying the various legitimate business models on the Net to see which one fits you and your lifestyle the best. Don’t be charmed by the get rich schemes that are a dime a dozen. The only person getting rich is the crook that is selling them.

Our site at www.retirement-jobs-online.com gives a good overall education of the various choices for online work. From it you can probably narrow down your choices and experiment with some of the options.

You may have read the article that I published in the Boomer eZine http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I41_011907.htm called Plan for Starting a Business on the Internet. It was in answer to a subscriber who wanted to jump start a business, but you can get some ideas from it.

The two quickest ways to get started on the Net are on eBay and as an affiliate using the Google Adwords program. eBay is fairly low risk. Adwords has risk associated with it, but you can limit the risk by setting daily budgets so you do not loose a lot of money if your campaigns do not take off right away.

I just finished reading Chris Chandler’s “Google Cash” ebook and it might help you with your research on starting with Google Adwords. I wrote a review about it in the current eZine. I have used the book for about two years for the campaigns that I run.

Good luck. Good luck comes to those who work hard and smart. It sounds like that fits you.

End of reply

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please go to http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm and give us your input. With your input, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.

Web 2.0

You have probably seen the term “Web 2.0” in newsletters and in information that you have read on the Net recently. Let’s explore this revolution that is sweeping the Internet.

There is great debate over the actual definition of Web 2.0, but the term implies a new generation of activity on the Internet.

The term was coined by O’Rielly Media in 2004 to refer to a perceived or proposed second generation of Web-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. (Information derived from Wikipedia).

I perceive the start of Web 2.0 as the point where applications began to allow the user to easily publish information on the Internet. To many, this would be the advent of blogs which revolutionized Internet publishing. No longer did you have to have a domain or a website to publish on the Net. Just establish an account on Blogger.com and you were publishing on the Net in 15 minutes.

Some people point to Amazon as a starting point for self-publishing. Amazon allowed readers to publish reviews on its site as early as 1995.

The applications under Web 2.0 have multiplied at an amazing rate.

We now have the following (to name a few) that loosely fall into Web 2.0:

• Blogs
• YouTube and other video posting sites
• Del.icio.us and numerous other social bookmarking sites
• Onlywire.com for automated posting to social bookmarking sites
• Technorati.com - a blog search engine
• Really simple syndication (RSS)
• Podcasts

We discussed many of these Web 2.0 applications in the Boomer eZine without actually mentioning that fact that they were a part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

Just for a quick review, here are the topics and the locations of the information.

Blogs and blogging http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I12_063006.htm

RSS http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I13_070706.htm

Del.icio.us and social bookmarking sites

http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I38_122906.htm
http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I39_010507.htm

Onlywire.com http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I39_010507.htm


The key to success on the Net is to recognize an opportunity and capitalize on the opportunity.

The applications included in Web 2.0 all present tremendous opportunities for online entrepreneurs.

Guest Author - Titus Hoskins

I read this article about Web 2.0 on the Site Pro News. It fits well with our issue theme of Web 2.0

Becoming the Spider:
Next Generation SEO Tactics
By Titus Hoskins © 2007

Just when you believed you had all your SEO tactics figured out, the web goes and changes on you. Not just the rules of the game but it takes the whole web platform right out from under your feet and changes it. What's a poor webmaster to do?

Web 2.0 changes the whole ballgame. It not only places the Internet user squarely in the middle of things, but it gives that user the means and power to create and manipulate data. Web 2.0 dramatically changes how we view and use the web. Actually, in many respects, it creates a whole new Internet.

What Is Web 2.0?

Just what exactly is Web 2.0? What does it mean? Is there a precise definition that all webmasters can get their heads around and understand? Not really, many believe Web 2.0 is just another one of those contrived buzzwords, signifying mostly marketing hype!

However, perhaps the simple definition can be found in the word "you"! Time magazine probably summed it up best by making reference to the "you" in user generated content. Web 2.0 is basically all the platforms that give us this brave new user-powered interactive Internet, generally referred to as 'social media'.

Web 2.0 can be seen or manifested in such sites as YouTube, MySpace, Del.icio.us, Digg, Squidoo... Web 2.0 uses scripting languages such as Python, Perl PHP, RSS... to construct interactive platforms that websites can use to create all this user-generated content.

Many refer to these evolving formats and scripting platforms under the name AJAX and no this does not refer to the popular cleaning agent under your kitchen sink! This AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScrípt and XML) comes from Google and takes web based interactive programs such as Google Maps, something that's usually associated with desktop applications, but is now being applied on the web. If you have used Google Earth, you will realize how powerful and revolutionary these new applications can be, not to mention, they are a whole lot of fun.

Where Did The Name Web 2.0 Come From?

Many point to Tim O'Reilly, the constant innovator of many technological changes on the web. O'Reilly has been at the forefront in discussions and conferences on the nature and substance of the 'meme' open source platforms dominating the new social media.

How all this new media plays out is anyone's guess, but all webmasters should optimize their sites for this new Web 2.0 and take full advantage of all the SEO possibilities presented by this brave new Internet.

Here are a few SEO suggestions you can try:

1. RSS/Blogging: You must place a blog and RSS feed on all your sites. This is a fairly simple procedure to do with frëe server-based programs such as Wordpress. Having a blog and RSS feed will place your site into the whole tagging process. Each category you create in your blog will be seen as a tag by such sites as Technorati. RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication' and your RSS feeds will get your content distributed across the web. A simple and easy way to tap into the new Web 2.0 universe.

2. Create some Google Juice!: Join as many of these highly interactive sites as you can: MySpace, YouTube, Del.icio.us, Digg, Wikipedia ... my favorite is Squidoo, where you can create Lenses on different topics that interest you. User driven content that's utilized by all the major social media sites. Of course, link back to your sites in your posts and creations in these user-created content havens and watch your PR ratings go way up.

3. Use Interactive Scrípts: Place interactive JavaScrípts and platforms on your own sites. Have membership forums, polls, blogs, feedback forms, user-contributions... to build unique content driven sites. Become the spider!

4. Tagging (Folksonomy): Be constantly aware of the tags (keywords) you're creating with your blogs and sites. This can have a very beneficial effect on your traffíc and rankings. Closely relate these tags to the content on your sites and build higher rankings in all the major search engines.

5. The Long Tail: Especially important for affilíate marketers, you need to cover special niches where there is less competition and content. These narrow niches make up a large portion of the whole vast web, creating content in these unique areas will get your site included in the search engines a lot quicker and keep them there a lot longer.

6. Holistic Web 2.0: Be constantly vigilant in placing your sites in the whole 'Interactive Game', building links and partnerships with the important YouHubs: MySpace, Del.icio.us, YouTube, Digg, Squidoo... the more connections you have, the more your own sites will prosper.

Be The Spider!

No doubt, Web 2.0 will play an ever increasing role in the development and evolution of the web. Make sure your sites are optimized and in the 'You' game. Create blogs, RSS feeds, interactive forums, membership areas, user-generated content and truly make your sites interactive havens in their own right. Just remember to tag everything and your sites will reap the benefits of this new Web 2.0 generated SEO gold rush.

About The Author

The author is a full time Internet Marketer with numerous sites on the web, including two niche sites on Internet Marketing. His main site is Internet Marketing Tools. For the latest and most effective marketing tools try: Marketing Tool Guide Copyright © 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed with box intact.

That wraps up our issue for this week. Until next week, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe
www.boomer-ezine.com
www.boomer-guru.com
www.boomer-entrepreneur.com
www.boomer-marketplace.com
eBay Boomer Retirement Store
(http://stores.ebay.com/BOOMER-RETIREMENT-STORE)
Boomer’s Amazon Store
(http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

Administrative Details …………….

If you are changing email addresses in the future, put a note on your calendar to send us a blank email after you have changed your address. Send the blank email to: boomerezine001@aweber.com. We want to remain in contact with you!

It is OK to go ahead and join our subscriber list with more than one email address. You never know when an email will be blocked by those tough SPAM filters. They are getting tighter and tighter and are blocking many legitimate emails.

If a friend sent you this newsletter and you would like to receive your own issue next time, send a blank email to boomerezine001@aweber.com and we will send you your own copy on the next issue.

Copyright 2007 John Howe, Inc.

Volume 1 Issue 45 2-16-07

For those who would like to read this in HTML format, this issue of Boomer eZine is posted on the Boomer eZine website at http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I45_021607.htm and on the Boomer eZine Blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com.

Please pass Boomer Video eZine on to a friend. They will thank you for it.

Table of Contents for this issue.....

1. Authors Comments
2. Q & A, Suggestions and Comments
3. Review of Chris Chandler’s “Google Cash” - Third Edition
4. Price Index for Keywords on the Internet

Author's Comments

Well, this week I am in sunny California for the week at a trade show so I am working in my hotel room to prepare the eZine.

This week’s issue will focus on affiliates.

I just finished reading the update (Third Edition) of Chris Chandler’s ebook, “Google Cash”, and he really put a lot into the update. I first purchased the book in 2005 and read it several times. From this education, I jumped into PPC affiliate programs and found that the book did a good job of educating me for competing as a affiliate using the Google Adwords PPC program.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

In last week’s issue, we changed the style of the Ezine based on what we learned from “Make Your Words Sell”. We are considering changing the organization of the eZine.

We need your feedback so we can design the eZine to please you, our readers.

Please complete the following short survey at

http://tinyurl.com/2eez4k

John took the survey and it took 20 seconds to complete so please give us your time and complete it.

The survey asks three multiple choice questions.

Your answers will help us plan the future of our weekly online magazine.

The survey is located at http://tinyurl.com/2eez4k

Many thanks in advance for completing the survey.

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please go to http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm and give us your input. With your input, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.

Review of Chris Chandler’s “Google Cash” Third Edition

“Google Cash” was first published in 2003. Chris has constantly updated it and kept it current with Google policy and with trends in the industry.

Free Lifetime Updates

One of the advantages of buying Chris’ book (other than solid information) is that he provides free perpetual lifetime updates and does not come back and make you pay for revisions.

He sends the updated book free to anyone who purchased a previous revision or edition of the book from him. I just recently received his Third Edition via email.

The Definitive eBook about Google Adwords

I read a lot about Google during my early education on the Internet, affiliate marketing, and pay per click (PPC) advertising.

When I first read “Google Cash” in 2005 I realized it was the definitive ebook about using Google Adwords pay per click advertising program.

The book gave all the instructions and examples to help:

• Register as an advertiser on the Google Adwords site.
• Do the research to find niche markets in which to advertise.
• Take the steps to set up a PPC campaign.
• Evaluate the profitability of the campaign.
• Monitor the campaigns.

When I received the email from Chris announcing the release of the Third Edition, I immediately downloaded it. I read it and compared it to the 2005 edition during the three-hour flight from Houston to California.

Review of “Google Cash - Third Edition”

The basics for conducting a campaign have not changed. The examples early in the book are the same in both editions. His example for his Autotrader campaign, his eBay Germany campaign, and his mortgage site campaign are the same. He uses these well to show the mechanics of determining a niche market and setting up a campaign.

I have always felt that most authors show their most spectacular results, and I think Chris is no exception. His first two examples are impressive. In copywriting you shoot your biggest guns first and don’t hold back.

How to Become an Affiliate

The book then takes you through the steps of signing up for Clickbank and Commission Junction. Third Edition has two videos of six minutes each to show you how to sign up for Clickbank and Commission Junction.

The e-report “Adwords Chump to Champ” by Chris’ partner, Jeremy Wilson, is still included as a bonus with the Third Edition. This might also be titled “Confessions of an Adwords Newbie”. It is a classic confession by Jeremy about his first Adwords campaign and how he failed miserably at it. The good news is he learned from his expensive mistakes and went on to be one of the top Adwords PPC affiliates.

Keyword Research

Chris has updated some of the tools that he recommends for keyword research. Overture has now become Yahoo Search Marketing and he has dropped some old tools and added new ones.

The same excellent videos still explain how to do effective keyword research.

Ad Writing (Copywriting)

The section about writing ads has been expanded by seven pages. In my opinion, this section was weak in the previous editions. I am glad to see it improved.

Sidebar: The improvements incorporate many of the techniques that are taught in the “Make Your Words Sell” ebook that was discussed in V1 I44 last week.

Tracking Profitability

The tracking Excel spreadsheet that previously was only offered to members of the AdwordsMentor.com membership site is now available as part of the purchase of the Third Edition. This helps track the profitability of your campaigns.

A very detailed section on “Advanced Tracking” has been added along with three help videos.

Suggested Concepts for You to Try

The “Concepts You Can Try on Your Own” section is now “Two Concepts You Can Try on Your Own” and it contains eight additional pages of helpful information about ideas for setting up campaigns. The whole section has been rewritten to give you a step by step guide to get started.

Bonus Section Expanded

In the bonus section, (all ebooks have bonuses!), the 2005 addition has only the Perry Marshall “How to Profit from Google Adwords” PDF and audio files. The Third Edition Appendix A contains this resource for starters along with all the following items:

Appendix B contains a Quick Action Guide flow chart that shows how to set up and evaluate a campaign. Chris created this at the request of many of his readers.

Appendix C explains Google’s rules regarding affiliate links. Google is constantly upgrading the users search experience and if you are working in the PPC arena, being current on the Google rules means survival.

This appendix also explains how to work within these rules so Google does not “slap” you.

And that leads us into Appendix D entitled “The Google Slap”. Google updated its policies in July 2006 and November 2006. These have become known as Google Slap and Google Slap 2. This appendix goes on to explain what they are and what caused them.

Appendix E covers how to avoid being slapped by Google and if you are slapped, how to reverse it.

Appendix F is an outline of the e-report “Adwords Rumors Crushed” by Jeremy Wilson. This report can be downloaded free with the purchase of the “Google Cash – Third Edition”.

I read this on the flight back from the West Coast on Friday. It is a revealing piece of work. If you read “Google Cash” this report takes you to the next level.

I think that the title is for shock value since it is really a rambling response to the fifteen top questions that the readers of “Google Cash” have asked Chris or Jeremy. This report really boils down the key points of how to compete in PPC advertising. It is available on audio also.

Appendix G is an outline of “Landing Page Brain Dump” by Jeremy Wilson. In this report, Jeremy answers 49 questions about landing pages that were submitted by “Google Cash” readers. He covers all aspects about creating and maintaining landing pages. He talks about the types of landing pages and the pros and cons of the various types.

I appreciated that Jeremy confesses that he does not know about “squeeze pages” and does not try to present himself as an expert on the subject.

I also read this on the way back from the West Coast and it is a “must know” to be effective in the PPC arena. The download is included as a bonus with the “Google Cash – Third Edition”. It also comes in audio format.

Appendix H covers “Additional Resources, Readings, and eCourses.

Appendix I covers “Hosting, Blogging, and Web Building Resources.

Appendix J covers “Keyword Research and Blogging Tools”.

Daddy, Are We There Yet?

Whew! That took some work to read and compare these two books. The 2005 edition is 135 pages long. The Third Edition is 201 pages long so you can see that a substantial amount of content has been added to the Third Edition.

I hope you can see that purchasing this ebook is an investment in your continuing education for the Internet. Since Chris constantly updates his material and since you get the updates free when they are released, you only pay once and Chris keeps you current.

If you do not already own “Google Cash”, I recommend that you purchase this book for $67.00 if you have any desire to enter the PPC – affiliate business. To me, this is the best business model on the Internet.

• You can do it on your own schedule.
• Once you set up a good campaign, it is on autopilot. (You need to monitor it and update it periodically).
• You have no customer service contact problems.
• It works for you 24/7.

Click this link for more information. If you like what you read about “Google Cash – Third Edition”, you can purchase it for $67.00 at the end of the sales page.

Click here ---> http://tinyurl.com/246uvv

This is not a get rich quick promotion. It describes a way to establish a legitimate business on the Internet.

I am sure that you will agree with me that this is a real value for all the information that it provides.

Price Index for Keywords on the Internet

Since pay per click advertising is part of the affiliate business model, the trends in the price for keyword advertising is a major consideration for the profitability of the model.

Fathom Online publishes a Keyword Price Index, which can be used to track the trends in the cost for bidding on keywords on the major search engines. This can be handy if you are using pay per click (PPC) advertising and want to see the trend in the overall market price for PPC advertising. Read more about the index at www.fathomonline.com.

The definition of the Keyword Price Index as quoted from the Fathom Online site follows:

“About The Keyword Price Index®
The Keyword Price Index is a weighted average of more than 20,000 active keyword prices across all major search engines covering a broad range of industries, including automotive, computing, consumer services, electronics, finance, healthcare, media, entertainment, retail, telecom, and travel. The Keyword Price Index® is designed to be a representative sample of keyword prices. Actual market prices for keywords often vary widely and depend on demand, competitive bidding and other market factors. The Keyword Price Index® should not be used to make financial projections or be considered a proxy for the financial state of the Search Marketing industry.”

The article published 2/6/2007 on the Fathom Online site stated:

“After rising sharply in the third quarter, the average keyword price paid by online advertisers rose just 2% percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 to $1.51, according to the Keyword Price Index® from Fathom Online, a leading provider of Search Marketing and technology services to the Fortune 1000.

The 2% increase in the fourth quarter followed a 16.5% jump in the third quarter of 2006, when prices climbed to $1.48. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, keyword prices were up 4% from $1.45. In the second quarter of 2006, the average keyword price was $1.27, down from $1.39 in the first quarter of 2006.”

(See the entire article at http://www.fathomonline.com/020607.html)

The Keyword Price Index can be used to compare trends in the pricing for your PPC advertising. If PPC is a part of your business model, bookmark this site for future comparisons.

That wraps up our issue for this week. Until next week, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe
www.boomer-ezine.com
www.boomer-guru.com
www.boomer-entrepreneur.com
www.boomer-marketplace.com
eBay Boomer Retirement Store
(http:/stores.ebay.com/BOOMER-RETIREMENT-STORE)
Boomer’s Amazon Store
(http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

Administrative Details ………

If you are changing email addresses in the future, put a note on your calendar to send us a blank email after you have changed your address. Send the blank email to: boomerezine001@aweber.com. We want to remain in contact with you!

It is OK to go ahead and join our subscriber list with more than one email address. You never know when an email will be blocked by those tough SPAM filters. They are getting tighter and tighter and are blocking many legitimate emails.

If a friend sent you this newsletter and you would like to receive your own issue next time, send a blank email to boomerezine001@aweber.com and we will send you your own copy on the next issue.

Copyright 2007 John Howe, Inc.

Volume 1 Issue 44 2-9-07

For those who would like to read this in HTML format, this issue of Boomer eZine is posted on the Boomer eZine website at http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I44_020907.htm and on the Boomer eZine Blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com/.

Please pass Boomer eZine on to a friend. They will thank you for it.

Table of Contents for this issue.....

1. Authors Comments
2. Q & A, Suggestions and Comments
3. Make Your Words Sell – The Copywriting Bible
4. Living Above the Fold
5. Using Excel as a Mini-Database (Video)

Author's Comments

I had a life changing experience this week. I should qualify that to say that it changed my Internet life.

I told you in the last issue that I was reading “Make Your Words Sell” (MYWS) by Ken Evoy and Joe Robson. Well, I finished it and sat there and asked myself “Why didn’t I read MYWS two years ago”?

You will see a change in Boomer eZine because of it. We will employ the copywriting techniques we learned from MYWS in all that we write.

Obviously, we are not going to rewrite all the past issues of Boomer eZine, but I plan to rewrite most of the Retirement Jobs Online site using MYWS as my “bible”.

We are also considering changing the email newsletter so it gives summary information on each article and then links to the full article on the website. The copywriting techniques are best employed in HTML on the webpage and not in a text email document.

We will conduct a survey of your reaction to the new format and also determine the number of readers who prefer the text email newsletter.

I did a test on the last four newsletters and the average load time for the Boomer eZine at dial up speed of 28.8KB is 33 seconds. As long as we leave pictures and graphics out of the body of the page, the load time is not too long.

Boomer eZine is Published Late this Week

The Boomer eZine is late the week. Sorry! We had guests in for a hunting weekend and that absorbed my time. Also, I was not originally satisfied with the video that is posted with this issue and I edited it several times.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

Ana Young has to be our best reader! We love her.

She asks the best questions, and I can post our email conversations and help write the eZine.

Hi John,

Very good issue this week! I'm getting mighty crowded
with all your issues I have to store in various files, depending on their topics. I'll just have to go through them again and delete at least some! ;-)

My Answer

Even though I am flattered that you are keeping information from the eZine, I would suggest that you not worry about keeping the various issues or articles. Rather, just set up an Excel sheet with the topic and volume/issue.

Another option is the search function on the Boomer eZine website. It works very well and you can go back and find old articles by keyword. I use it quite often since I can't remember when I wrote on a specific topic.

End of Reply

Ana asked me to expand on the idea of the Excel spreadsheet and I do so in an article below. I have also produced a video for a quick lesson on Excel and how to use it for a mini-database.

Another Email from Last Week

I received a follow up email from Mike telling me that I had his website URL wrong.

Hi John,

It was cool seeing my questions to you and your answers on your latest newsletter. I also appreciate you putting a good word in about my website along with the address. One thing though about the newsletter on your site; my web address has a typo, it's written as http://www,everything2dvd.com/ so it can’t link to my site.

There went my 15 minutes of fame.

My Reply (5:00AM 2/3/07)

Mike,

I first publish the eZine on the blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com/. I check the links in it before I publish the website or the email newsletter. I caught the comma in the URL and fixed it. I then went back to my source Word document and corrected it (so I thought). I specifically checked your URL in the email newsletter so I knew it was correct.

I am up early this morning to take my dogs out and train them. I read your email and I have already changed the webpage with your URL on it. People read the eZine over a period of time so your corrected URL will still be seen by the majority of our readers. I apologize for the error, but I expect that you now have 14 minutes of fame coming.

Mike, with this extra exposure, I expect that you got 20 minutes of fame because of the wrong URL.

Thanks for being a subscriber.

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please go to http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm and give us your input. With your input, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.

Make Your Words Sell – The Copywriting Bible

Well, I thought I was pretty good at sitting down at the keyboard and pounding out content that would entertain and sell. Then I read “Make Your Words Sell” (“MYWS”) by Ken Evoy and Joe Robson. I now realize that I have been a “babe in the woods” publisher on the Internet.

All writers must start their writing project knowing what they want their reader to do at the end of the project.

The first thing before you put a pen to paper, establish your most wanted response (MWR) that you want from your reader. Then create and write to get that MWR. Keep focused and write only to accomplish that goal.

The MWR may be a click of the mouse on the Buy button. It may be the click on the Subscribe Now button for your ezine. Bottom line – the MWR is the action that you want your reader to take.

Sell Benefits versus Features

Like so many writers, I tend to focus on features in my writing. Not on the most important thing that an Internet reader wants.

And what, pray tell, is that?

Benefits, that’s what! Readers are looking to solve a problem. They are looking for benefits that will solve a problem.

Write to Sell Benefits!

SWAT Method

There is a great trick taught in this book that is so obvious, so simple, that solves the feature versus benefit issue. When you want to list a feature ask yourself “So What?” about the feature. Answer that question and if the answer leaves room for another “So What?”, answer that question. Keep doing this until you cannot ask the “So What?” question again. (“So What?” = SWAT).

When you reach the point where you can not SWAT it again, you will have the true benefit that you need to use in your copy.

Sidebar: I hope you think that this is as brilliantly simple and effective as I do.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Another major point that the book stresses is to establish your unique selling proposition (USP). Your site must be unique. You must establish this very quickly with your reader. If you do not, your reader will click right on past you since you are just another site floating along on the sea of the Internet

Establishing your USP is sometimes a difficult task. The book helps you drill down to the basics and establish your USP. You cannot sell your site well without knowing your USP.

Write for a Scanner

No, not for a computer input scanner. For a reader who scans your copy instead of reading it.

The book has two chapters, Copywriting 101 and 102. These cover the basics of writing on the Net. This is an absolute must for anyone who writes for Net publication. Writing for the Net is very different than writing for printed text – and why is that?

The answer is your reader is not reading, but is scanning your wonderful copy that you have slaved to create. (That frustrates me when I worked so hard to create this brilliant work). Be that as it may, that is a fact of the Net. Write to appeal to the scanning reader.

Sidebar: You will notice a difference in the style of this newsletter. I am applying some of what I learned in MYWS. (Why pay $29.95 if I do not use the information that I learned from the book?)

Headings

You can write for the scanner with well placed headings that tell the outline of the content. In fact, the author says that the headlines should tell the basic story if the reader does no read anything in between.

Use BOLD in sentences

Bold in sentences attracts the eye to the key words and thoughts in a paragraph. The scanner will usually pick these up.

White Space and Paragraph Length

Vary paragraph length and leave plenty of white space. A full page of black text stops a reader cold from scanning any further. A little variability of paragraph length looks interesting.

Cut to the Chase

This is the best book I have read about writing copy for informing or selling on the Internet. And it only costs $29.95. It is easy to order, and it will pay for itself many times over in future sales that you will realize by using the techniques that it teaches.

You know that Linda and I are very careful about the recommendations that we make, but there is no hesitation whatsoever on this one.

To get your copy and immediately (after you have read the book) start to use these techniques, click on the following link.

Buy MYWS now and improve your writing for the Net many times over

Your purchase is backed by Ken Evoy’s iron clad guarantee. If it is not what you expected and does not improve your copywriting skills, request your money back from SBI and you will get it.

When you land on the MYWS sales page, you will see the usual sales information. (Remember that the sales page was created by the same people who wrote the book). Study the copywriting techniques as you scan down the page. See what you can learn as you move toward the link to buy the book.

A major reason for people failing on the Net is procrastination. Don’t be a victim of this terrible disease. Order MYWS now and immediately change the effectiveness of your writing on the Net.

Living Above the Fold

Above the fold is the term used for the top part of a web page that is visible when the page first loads. Conversely, the part of the page that you have to scroll down to see is “below the fold”.

Your really “grabbing” content must be above the fold to really be effective. Otherwise, it is invisible unless you have some really strong content that entices your reader to scroll down below the fold.

Where the fold falls on your page is dependent on the screen resolution of the monitor that your viewer is using. A resolution of 800X600 will make the fold higher up on the page than a resolution of 1024X768 since more information will fit on the monitor with the higher resolution.

If you remember in V1 I42, we wrote an article “Interesting Statistics” in which we gave stats on the screen resolutions for our viewers. Only 22.45% used 800X600. The rest used a higher resolution. The largest group was 1024X768 at 49.94%.

With approximately half of your viewers using 1024X768, use that as the target resolution for your pages. The fold will move down the page for the other viewers with higher resolutions.

Put the real meat of your content in the first paragraph and even the reader with the 800X600 resolution will see that above the fold.

We can personally attest to the power of position above the fold.

Our top two keywords for the Retirement Jobs Online site are “retirement jobs” with 82 searches per day and “jobs for retirees” with 32 searches per day (Wordtracker data).

Yet, in January 2007, we received exactly the same number of visitors on our site from each of these keywords.

Statistics say that the visitors to our site should be in the same ratio as the Wordtracker search data.

Why was that?

Our position for the “retirement jobs” keyword is seventh on the Google search engine results page. This puts it below the fold.

Our position for the “jobs for retirees” keyword is fourth. This puts us just above the fold of the Google results page.

When people are loading and reading a web page, they are scanning and moving quickly. They scan what the page holds and move on to the next page. Unless they are really taking time to study and examine below the fold, they will not see you.

Remember

Live above the fold ----- Die below the fold.

Using Excel as a Mini-Database (Video)

Judging from the large market share that Micosoft has of the Internet, a large majority of Internet users have Excel on their computers.

I personally find Excel to be a great, versatile tool. I use it for any number of uses.

Many people consider Excel as a program for number crunching and formulas. It is much more than that.

I have an Excel workbook (contains more than one worksheet) that I use to record interesting information or websites that I want to find later. Nothing is more frustrating than to discover a great site with super content and not be able to find your way back to it.

I created an icon for the sheet and put it in my “Quick Launch” area of the tool bar on the bottom of the page to the right of the Start Button. If I am browsing and find a “gem”, I can quickly open the workbook and record the gem and its URL. This workbook stays open a lot of the time that I am on the Net.

To use Excel as a database, make each row be the entry in the database and each column will be the field in the record contained in the rows.

You enter the information for an item in each row. You can then sort all the information, use the Find function to look up an entry by search term, delete a row, insert a row, etc.

I have created a video to show you how I use Excel to organize my topics and website locations. (Video length 24:32).

To effectively use the video, download the example Excel workbook from Boomer eZine. To download it, right click on the link below and select “Save Target as”. Save the spreadsheet on your hard drive where you keep your important files.

http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Downloads/Info_Reference_Example.xls

We will use this workbook for our practice lessons in the video and you can use it for your mini-database.

Now, about the format of the video. I will cover a short topic and then halt the video so you can practice the same steps on the workbook.

If you want to go back and review something in the lesson, you can use the slider at the bottom of the video.

When you are satisfied that you understand the content and you are ready to proceed, click on the arrow in the video to continue.

I find this Excel workbook handy to organize my data. You may have other ideas and methods. If so, please share them with us so we can all improve our business methods on the Internet.

Please use this form http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm for any suggestions -- Thanks.

Click here to view the video about using Excel as a mini-database

That wraps up our issue for this week. Until next week, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe
http://www.boomer-ezine.com/
http://www.boomer-guru.com/
http://www.boomer-entrepreneur.com/
http://www.boomer-marketplace.com/
eBay Boomer Retirement Store
(http:/stores.ebay.com/BOOMER-RETIREMENT-STORE)
Boomer’s Amazon Store
(http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

Administrative Details …………….

If you are changing email addresses in the future, put a note on your calendar to send us a blank email after you have changed your address. Send the blank email to: boomerezine001@aweber.com. We want to remain in contact with you!

It is OK to go ahead and join our subscriber list with more than one email address. You never know when an email will be blocked by those tough SPAM filters. They are getting tighter and tighter and are blocking many legitimate emails.

If a friend sent you this newsletter and you would like to receive your own issue next time, send a blank email to boomerezine001@aweber.com and we will send you your own copy on the next issue.

Copyright 2007 John Howe, Inc.

Volume 1 Issue 43 2-2-07

For those who would like to read this in HTML format, this issue of Boomer eZine is posted on the Boomer eZine website at http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I43_020207.htm and on the Boomer eZine Blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com.

Please pass Boomer eZine on to a friend. They will thank you for it.

Table of Contents for this issue.....

1. Authors Comments
2. Q & A, Suggestions and Comments
3. Creating Great Copy for Your Website
4. TinyURL
5. “Free” is Not Free

Author's Comments

Food poisoning on Sunday night has really slowed me down this week. I finally gave up and went to the doctor. He gave me some meds and put me on a BRAT diet. I had never heard of this before. It stands for bananas, rice, apples, and toast.

I hope I get well quickly. The cure is almost worse than the disease.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

We received this mail from Mike:

Hi John,

I’m enjoying the great information that you provide in your ezine. I have a question for you;

You said “Once the blog is established, start working on your website.” (This is from your last newsletter)

What would you put on your website that you couldn’t put on your blog?
If you establish your blog first should you set it up in a sub-directory?
(I.e. Domain.com/blog) So this way you could eventually set-up your website?
Do you feel that it’s best to have a website and a blog?

My plan is to pick a baby boomer niche and set-up a website/blog to cater to that particular niche with quality content along with AdSense and affiliate products.

Here is my reply to Mike

Good question.

I wrote the article with the idea in mind of getting a blog started very quickly. This would entail the use of Blogger or some public blogging site where you can create a blog in about ten minutes. Blogger is owned by Google so entries to it seem to get spidered quickly.

If you build a blog on your own domain, you will have to set up a website to host the blog. Unless your web host provides pre installed blogging software, you will also have to learn how to manage blogging software like Word Press or Movable Type. All this will take time. If you compose your blog entries in Word and load them to Blogger, you could keep them on file and when you set up your website later, you could establish your own blog on your site and load the back issues of your blog to your own site.

My feelings are that you eventually need a website. You are limited in what you can do with blog. Also, a website indicates that you really own a piece of “Internet real estate” and that you are a mature operation.

It is easier to post videos for viewing, post an ebook to be downloaded, post pictures for your viewers on a website than a blog. You can create landing pages for pre-selling on your website. You can forward from a webpage. The list goes on and on.

For more information and a comparison of the various blogging software packages check out

http://asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm.

For a review of Word Press, Movable Type, and TextPattern go to http://www.sitepoint.com/article/blog-software-smackdown-review.

I am more oriented to having a website so I would build the website with the blog as a sub-directory. I did a little Google research and the people who work with blogs say if the website is strictly a blog, then put the blog in the root directory. If it is a website with a blog attached, use a subdirectory.

If you put the blog in a sub-directory, you can put the first few lines from the latest blog entries in summary form on the home page and the reader can click the summary to go to the full entry in the blog in the sub-directory.

Mike, I ask your permission to print your question and my answers in the Boomer eZine. I will not use your email address.

John Howe

P. S. Mike and I exchanged several emails and he gave me permission to mention his website. He has a very good looking site at
http://www.everything2dvd.com/.

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please go to http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm and give us your input. With your input, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.

Creating Great Copy for Your Website

I am a great admirer of Ken Evoy, the man who developed Site Build It. He has an uncanny perception about doing business on the Internet. He and Joe Robson teamed up to write “Make Your Words Sell” (MYWS) which is hailed as a masterpiece about copywriting for the Internet.

I have read several books on copywriting, but they were all written about copywriting for the offline world and then adapted to the online world. The transition does not always work well.

I purchased a copy of MYWS and I am reading it now. I am very impressed with the book and with what I have read thus far.

The introduction to MYWS is as follows:

Look at any e-commerce website.

Take away the words.

Could it sell without the words?

Nope.

Now take away the graphics.

Could a no-graphics site sell?

Sure.

Time to focus on something that gets sales.

Words.

All you have to do now is

Write to sell.


The Internet is all about information. Information is conveyed by words. Words and how we weave them is what sells. We must become great copywriters to be successful on the Internet.

Look for a review in a future issue.

TinyURL

TinyURL is a website you should know about. It can save you time and money. It will take any URL that you give it and convert it into a URL that is much shorter. When the shorter URL is clicked, the person browsing will be redirected to the original URL.

Let’s look at this example. We will convert the URL for this week’s issue of Boomer eZine to a Tiny URL.

Before: http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I43_020207.htm

After: http://tinyurl.com/29ouzt

If you click on the Tiny URL, you will arrive at this week’s issue of Boomer eZine. Try it.

“So what?” You say. Why do this?

One reason is that sometimes you have to include a very long URL in an email. The URL gets broken up by the wrapping of email formatting. When the reader of the email clicks on the URL, it does not work.

You can go to Tiny URL and create the smaller URL to send in your email. When the reader clicks on the Tiny URL, the browser goes to TinyURL.com, matches with the link that you set up and is forwarded to the correct long URL.

The most important reason to use Tiny URL is to conceal or to protect affiliate links. When people see a long URL, they suspect that the URL contains an affiliate link and will not click it. Even though you provided them good information and a service, they do not want you to make money off them.

Even worse, some people will steal your affiliate commission. How do they do that? If the person reading your material is a member of the affiliate program provider such as Clickbank, they can substitute their affiliate name in place of yours before clicking. In effect, they buy the product at a discount since they pay the full price for the product, but are paid back the affiliate commission. That was your commission and you need to protect it.

Tiny URL is a good tool to have in your toolkit.

“Free” is Not Free

“FREE” -- You see it everywhere on the Net. When you dig deeper, you always find that whatever the offer, it is not really free. It will usually cost you your name and email address on a sign up form for a newsletter or some such offer. At the very least, it takes your time to even check it out.

A classic use of “free” on the Net is in web hosting. There are many sites that advertise free web hosting. Now who can turn down a bargain like that? Being a frugal person of Scots heritage, I for one considered it until I really dug down past the top layer.

“Free Web Hosts”

Historically, many of these hosts have started up and disappeared quickly. Poof, there goes the hard work you invested in setting up your website. Now you have to find another host and go through the process again.

Another group of the free web hosts began as free hosts, and then started charging for services with the hope that the users would pay rather than go through the hassle of moving their website.

Still others require the right to put some form of advertising on your web pages. This does not project a professional image to your viewers.

This is still not the major hidden cost of a free web host.

The Real Hidden Cost

The real hidden cost of a free web host (or a budget web host) is the lack of services that the host provides.

Put yourself in the position of the CEO of the free web host. How much can you pay for support personnel if you are not charging the user for your services? How solid a hardware system can you afford to host the websites? How much can you invest to guarantee no downtime on the servers?

If the web host does not provide the services as part of your hosting agreement, then you have to provide the services yourself. This causes you to pay for the services or work long, hard hours to compensate for the free web host. Your time is worth money. You should be realistic in your accounting for your time as part of the costs of your business.

If you are not familiar with SEO (if you do not know what SEO means, then you definitely need support); if you do not know how to program in HTML; if you do not know about Google site maps; if you do not know what the new XML sitemaps file at Yahoo looks like; if you do not know about blogging; (the list goes on and on); then you should not be on a free web host.

Unfortunately, if you remain on the free host, odds are you will find that you are included in the over ninety percent of individuals who start a business on the Internet and fail.

The ideal web host should provide you with a multitude of services that all but guarantee that you will be successful. Do you think that a free web host will do that?

The old adage, “You get what you pay for” applies on the Net just like anywhere else.

If you have a small website that is a personal toy, then perhaps a free web host is your answer.

When your website is a commercial site that you intend for your income for years to come, be realistic, bite the bullet, and pay for the services that will give you every chance for success.

That wraps up our issue for this week. Until next week, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe
www.boomer-ezine.com
www.boomer-guru.com
www.boomer-entrepreneur.com
www.boomer-marketplace.com
eBay Boomer Retirement Store
(http:/stores.ebay.com/BOOMER-RETIREMENT-STORE)
Boomer’s Amazon Store
(http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

Administrative Details …………….

If you are changing email addresses in the future, put a note on your calendar to send us a blank email after you have changed your address. Send the blank email to: boomerezine001@aweber.com. We want to remain in contact with you!

It is OK to go ahead and join our subscriber list with more than one email address. You never know when an email will be blocked by those tough SPAM filters. They are getting tighter and tighter and are blocking many legitimate emails.

If a friend sent you this newsletter and you would like to receive your own issue next time, send a blank email to boomerezine001@aweber.com and we will send you your own copy on the next issue.

Copyright 2007 John Howe, Inc.