Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Darn! Missed this before Christmas so didn’t have the chance to get it on my Christmas list (mind you, still not available on the UK Amazon and most of my family draw the line at buying from the US). If you missed Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog last year then you missed a treat and it is definitely worth buying.

This is the result of an online project created by Joss Whedon, his brothers Jed and Zack, and Maurissa Tancharoen - an online musical miniseries about Dr Horrible’s attempts to take over the world and get accepted into the Evil League of Evil. Neil Patrick Harris in the title role is most defintiely one of the reasons this works so well.

As an IM Geek Girl, what I loved about Dr Horrible was how it went viral across the world, mainly through word of mouth and how the creators used social media to promote it and keep fans interested. And you can judge how much of a cult following something has by the number of people who then release their own videos on YouTube in response (the DVD extras includes some of these videos).

Mucho recommended for quirky comedy, catchy memorable tunes and some great characters.

I’m Thankful

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more… Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow” (Melody Beattie)

We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK, but I love the idea of a holiday that represents being thankful for everything you have.

This year has been a fairly crappy one for me in many ways, due to health issues that had a knock-on effect to my finances and business. Yet, through it all I have so much to be thankful for.

I started writing a list of 101 things I’m thankful for this year. I thought about posting it here but decided a list might be a little boring, so here is a snapshot.

I am thankful for: all my family and friends who love me, take care of me and rally round when I need them (I hope I offer as much strength to you as you do to me); all my online friends who I class in the first group as well, but who also offer me daily food for thought, smiles, laughs and occasional tears; my 1st nephew James who was born earlier this year and is the happiest, cheekiest chappy imaginable; Allison Reynolds and Barb Sabathil from SWBN who are wonderful friends and business partners and who gave me something to sink my teeth into at a time when I needed it most…

…my trip to Salzburg last Christmas, which seems like a lifetime ago but which has given me the best snowy pictures for this year’s Christmas card; my brain and ability to make the best of a bad situation; that I am still able to continue working as my own boss and find contracts that interest me and use my abilities to their fullest; my health, which is on the mend and I finally have (close to) my old voice back (I’ve missed it but maybe others have enjoyed the silence)…

…Thirty Day Challenge and Immediate Edge for being wonderful resources and communities; my laptop, which connects me to the world (even if it is a pc and not a mac); the books I have read, the music I have listened to and the movies and tv shows I have watched that have left me feeling uplifted, relaxed or enriched in some way; my day trip to France and drinking cafe au lait with friends in a small cafe overlooking the cathedral square; my beautiful, completely unfinished disorganised home (with so much potential)…

…chocolate, champagne, good food, new friends, flirtations, freedom, life, love and lots and lots of laughter!

Anyone who has read a book or watched a dvd about the Law of Attraction will know that having an Attitude of Gratitude is considered incredibly important. Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, gratitude is a powerful and positive emotion.

So, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving today or not, I hope you will spare a moment to think of all the things for which you are thankful and grateful.

Are Product Launches Dead in the Water?

“Oh no, another blog post about that Product Launch Formula,” I hear you cry. “I’m sick of product launches – they’re all the same!”

OK, so just creating a post like this is likely to cause a major backlash, but hear me out.

Is this going to be a blatant excuse to add an affiliate link to PLF 2.1.5+ Ultra Secrets Generator (sorry, after all the Twitter ideas that were sent to Jeff Walker for a name, I can’t remember which one he chose…but one of those has to be right…right)?

Absolutely… I’d be a fool not to add an affiliate link, although in this case it’s not mine. I’m using my friend’s. I’m hoping she’ll buy me a new MacBook Pro for Christmas if she makes enough money. At this stage I’m supposed to say that the money doesn’t matter to me but include the affiliate link anyway, but you know what? The money does matter to me (or my friend…and this isn’t one of those imaginary friends that is really me…LOL…and I really do want that MacBook Pro).

I even have a story to tell about me and my buddy Jeff. Well, OK, we’re not exactly buddies but I did stay up until 4am in the morning once drinking with him at a seminar in London. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember me, and I’d love to say we talked about intense subjects related to Internet Marketing, but I seem to recall the conversation was about whether lap dancing was demeaning to women!

Anyway, back to the subject in hand.

Are product launches a lost cause? Are they dead in the water?

If you have spent more than a few months in the Internet Marketing world you may think they are, but that’s because we see so many of them over and over again. We are inundated with product launches in the marketing world and many of them follow exactly the same pattern (some even use the same emails/sales pages/video formats).

But, if you are in a different market - if you market to a niche that rarely see products launched – then I promise you they won’t have the same reaction to you following a formula for your next product release. Especially if you know your market well and put a slant on the launch that speaks directly to them.

I own Jeff’s original Product Launch Formula and my friend (honestly, she is real) bought the more recent release back in the spring. We have both seen product launches work well in non-IM niches. In my own case I had people thanking me for selling to them…because it didn’t come across as a sales pitch at all…I was offering them something they wanted and the process leading up to releasing it simply built more excitement and value into what I was offering.

So, can I personally say that what Jeff Walker is offering is worth the money? Absolutely. It can and has worked in niche marketing, music promotion, selling homes and businesses, and many other areas. Don’t let product launch saturation in the marketing world stop you from buying this if you are at a stage in your business where you can use Jeff’s expertise and knowledge.

So, clear your cookies and click this (affiliate) link to sign up for notification of the release of Product Launch Formula (2pm today - Thursday 13th) and if you buy you will make my friend’s day (no, really, she DOES exist).

P.S. She really really does exist, and actually needs the money for medical bills (not MacBook Pros). Could I tug on your heart strings any harder? So, if you are buying PLF 2.1+ then we’d love you to use her link, but if not I hope this blog post has provided some light entertainment!

You’ll Miss Me When I’m John: Funny Out of Office Message

I’ve just recieved this out of office message and it made me chuckle so much I thought I would share.

What a great way to take a mundane auto-response message and turn it into something memorable. I’m certainly going to remember John the next time I speak to him (some parts have been removed to protect the guilty - indicated by <>)

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled … was persuading the world … he was … in London for a couple of days.

But don’t despair … I’ll be back on Wednesday.

As will Dave - so ignore the bit below … thank-you.

If you have a query before then, please feel free to address it to my stunt double: Dave <>.

Ring him direct on <>.

Or via our switchboard on <>.

Or you could email <>, but where’s the fun in that?

: )

Cheers:

You’ll Miss Me When I’m John.

When Did You Last Network AWAY from Your Computer?

I was talking to my fellow SWBN geek girls last night and we were all excited about the announcement of the next Over the Edge conference that will be happening in the UK in Spring 2009. We hope this will be an opportunity to finally meet each other face-to-face as well as network with other members of the Immediate Edge who are doing great things in Internet Marketing.

Marketing seminars and events can be great places to make connections and friendships, as well as find people to collaborate with on future projects.

In 2006 I went to an Internet Marketing seminar in London. The training was good but it was the many cool people I met and was able to hang-out with that really made it so valuable: Ed Dale, Robert Somerville, Dan Raine (pre-Immediate Edge), Jeff Walker (PLF), Mike Mindel (Wordtracker), Carolyn McCourtie, Yanik Silver, Andrew Fox, Rob Benwell, Peter Woodhead, Phil Gosling…

Now, I don’t even begin to suggest that these people are all good buddies as a result of our meeting (some of them I have not had contact with since and would never assume to believe they would even remember me), but the time I spent with them gave me new ideas, encouraged me to achieve more, and forced me to “raise my game.” And I do consider one or two of them friends.

When I had the chance to meet Mike Mindel again recently he shared some incredible Squeeze Page tactics with me and invited me to be a beta tester for the all new and improved Wordtracker, Ed Dale and Dan Raine continue to humour me when I ask them for advice, and Caro…well, Caro turned out to be one of the loveliest online friends I have.

Networking offline can be just as important as networking online. Never underestimate the value of meeting someone “in the flesh” and what that can lead to. If you look at the previous two Over the Edge conferences you can see some of the great things that came out of them: Market Samurai (already being developed but probably a very different entity after OTE), the further development of what has now lovingly become known as the Manchester Mob, and the addition of Lynn Terry and Michelle MacPherson as co-hosts on a weekly podcast with Ed Dale and Paul Colligan (4 BIG names in one). I would love to know some of the things that have come out of OTE that we don’t know about.

Of course, not all seminars are created equal. The last conference I went to was very much aimed at beginners…and in huge numbers. Forging quality connections at these events can be much harder (but not impossible).

And if you can’t make it to a national or international seminar then check out the local business events around you. I recently went to a Federation of Small Businesses meeting with a colleague and made some great contacts. It even led to my colleague working with our local Member of Parliament on a topic he has a lot of knowledge about that she wanted to raise in the House of Commons.

Many people complain about the “gurus” of Internet Marketing all hanging our together and promoting each others’ stuff, but it is natural to want to work and mastermind with people you get on with. And how do you think they made friends with each other? Most of the stories I have heard about how friendships were forged between Internet marketers have involved meeting at an event of some sort.

Don’t get me wrong, networking online can lead to some great collaborations too - that’s how Allison Reynolds, Barb Sabathil and I met and decided to create the Secret Women’s Business Network - but if you have the opportunity to attend a seminar I would highly recommend it. For many it will mean taking a giant step out of your comfort zone, but the right event could lead to great things for you and your business.

And if any of you do come to Over the Edge 3 (I don’t have details yet so watch the space) I look forward to meeting you.

The Secret is Out!

It’s been mighty quiet around here lately; I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow by!

I’ve been really busy working on a number of other things, one of which I am extremely proud of and finally able to talk about a bit more.

About a month after I launched this blog I was asked to get involved with a new project called the Secret Women’s Business Network. Allison Reynolds, who I met through the Thirty Day Challenge and Immediate Edge, asked myself and Barb Sabathil to join her on this project to offer other women online an environment to learn, collaborate and mastermind together. I was over the moon about being asked. It is something I have wanted to do for ages, and I knew Allison, Barb and I together could do some great things (honestly, collaboration is the way forward if you are running an online business).

The main site will be heading into beta testing very soon and then we will be good to go! Yesterday our Secret Womens Business Network blog was launched, which will be where we have a strong online presence for anyone to access (not just women) and where you can learn more about us and our business philosophies (and just general thoughts on the world of Internet Marketing).

I’d love you to checkout the blog and add your comments on the posts that are already there. Also take a look at the video explaining exactly what you can expect from us: What is the SWBN?

Now, better go catch up with that tumbleweed!

Take Responsibility for Your Own Abundance

I ended the last post with the quote from Napoleon Hill:

We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.

The main reason I and many others choose to avoid the newspapers and news media as much as possible is because we believe in what Napoleon Hill spoke of often, that “what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Everything we want to create in our lives starts with us and our internal thoughts and beliefs. True success must be created internally before it is manifested externally. So, you cannot create prosperity when you are focused on lack or worrying about what may happen, or what you may lose.

What goes into your brain really does affect what you manifest in your life, so if you are reading the newspapers at the moment and watching endless news stories, you are going to be focusing on lack, poverty, rising prices, stockmarket crashes, doom, gloom, and problems. You are buying into mass beliefs that are being expounded by the media.

Do you really believe that there is less money in the world, all of a sudden? Do you believe that people are going to stop spending?

Instead of dwelling on the terrible news the media is broadcasting, you can choose to ignore it and create your own vision of abundance. Someone told me that more millionaires were made during the Depression than at any other time in history. I don’t know if that’s true, but certainly during times of economic difficulty people are still looking for solutions to problems. And when life is a bit depressing, we all know that people buy more of what they want to make themselves feel better.

Imagine the possibilities for you as a marketer!

You need to make the choice to control the information that goes into your brain, and start believing in prosperity, focus on your goals and take action. Take responsibility for your own abundance.

Is It Time You Went on a Media Diet?

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. - Napoleon Hill

 
I have noticed a number of people recommending shutting off from the media, in order to avoid all the current doom and gloom. And I have seen a strong reaction from others who think this is crazy, especially with the US Election building to its climax and issues with the economy.

So, is a media diet tantamount to sticking your fingers in your ears and hoping the bad stuff will go away, or is it vital to your success and peace of mind?

In my opinion this discussion enters the realms of prosperity and abundance, which I promised to talk about on this blog (and so far have not mentioned).

I have been on a media diet for many years. I refuse to read newspapers or watch lengthy news reports. Am I burying my head in the sand?

Absolutely not. There is a big difference between going on a media diet and ignoring the world altogether.

I still listen to the news headlines on the radio or watch them on TV when I need to. I browse my local newspaper’s website to ensure I am up-to-date with what is happening. And I probably hear all the big news first on Twitter (honestly, I hope Reuters is following the Twitter stream)!

I do not read newspapers because I learned a long time ago that (a) they are not impartial and are governed by fewer laws than broadcast media (at least in the UK) and (b) they sell papers by being doom and gloom merchants. Newspapers are packed full of bad news… unless you read the tabloids, in which case they rarely carry news at all and are more focused on sensationalism and gossip.

Even broadcast media offers a slightly skewed view of the world by choosing what is news and what isn’t.

As if this isn’t reason enough to avoid the news, I realised that the two most negative people in my life are avid newspaper readers and TV news watchers. Is that just coincidence? Perhaps. But their negativity often refers back to the news stories they are consuming. If they were reading self-improvement books instead, or watching uplifting movies, would they be as negative? I’d love to find out. Are their lives more enriched by being more up-to-date on the minutiae of news than I am?

But there is more to my media diet than just my negative view of newspapers, I truly believe that the media plays a huge part in our successes and failures.

I’ll discuss this more in my next post, but if you need any hints beyond what I have already said, think on this other quote from Napoleon Hill:  

We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.

Good Girls Revisited

Donna Fox wrote an excellent blog post last week which prompted some interesting discussions about women in Internet Marketing.

I didn’t blog immediately about it, partly because I wanted to mull things over a little first (i.e. not be reactionary) but also because I made a lot of my feelings known previously in these posts: Where have all the good girls gone? and Celebrate your differences!

But, this topic is slightly different from the focus of those posts, and in light of my new project (Secret Women’s Business Network) with Allison Reynolds and Barb Sabathil, I wanted to highlight one or two things.

As mentioned before, there are simply fewer women in Internet Marketing, although this balance appears to be gradually shifting, especially with so many women choosing to be SAHMs and wanting a career they can pursue from home. The imbalance is reflected in business as a whole – in the UK the latest figures show that the male to female ratio of self-employed workers is 3:1.

Also, many women have a different focus when it comes to their Internet businesses. Their priorities are often dissimilar to men, and hanging out with the top Internet Marketers is not necessarily one of them.

I enjoy male company and most of my closest friends are men (perhaps a throwback to my years in what was a heavily male-dominated career – radio presenting), but I understand that many women prefer to socialise and “hang out” with other women. That’s why SWBN has been created: to offer an environment where women can learn, network and mastermind with other women. This will appeal to some women more than others.

There are all-female business groups throughout the world, established for just this reason, so it’s not fair to suggest that male Internet Marketers shouldn’t have their own mastermind groups and friendships. We are all drawn to socialise with others like us, and we all like to network with people whose company we enjoy. Internet Marketers are no different. This may mean networking with other women, with other men or with a mixed community – wherever is most comfortable.

However, that wasn’t really what Donna Fox was writing about in her blog post. There are women in Internet Marketing who want and deserve to be known for being at the top of their field, and being accepted into the upper echelons of this business is part of that. They have set themselves goals to be the best at what they do. Part of this would naturally include being invited to speak at seminars and be recognised as one of the movers and shakers. And I think that female marketers at all levels need to see that happening – in any career, we need our mentors and role-models.

While I have no problem with the “boys club” within mastermind groups and social networks (none of us has the right to tell others how to pick their friends and associates), at events and programs that are supposed to bring together the cream of online marketers it seems unlikely (and remiss) that this wouldn’t include a number of women.

There may not be as many women at this level as men, but they certainly exist. I set myself the task of naming as many as possible off the top of my head and in just a few minutes came up with 18 (Donna Fox, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Lynn Terry, Alice Seba, Michelle MacPherson, Rosalind Gardner, Julie Perry, Lee Milteer, Coach Deb, Kelly McCausey, Nancy Andrews, Sylvie Fortin, Sydney Johnson, Mari Smith, Liz Tomey, Mila Sidman, Lisa Preston, Loral Langemeier…). I’m sure if I delved deeper into the recesses of my brain I could name many more.

We all have our personal goals in life and our careers. Probably for most this will not include being recognised at Internet Marketing events. You may simply aim to be good at what you do and live the lifestyle that enticed you to online marketing. But for women whose goals include becoming a seminar speaker, writer and/or teacher in this field, it’s important to be recognised for their skills, not because they are women but because they are good at what they do. It shouldn’t be a question of sex, it should be a matter of talent.

And, before I upset all the men I respect in this business, I am happy to report that I have almost always been treated with respect at marketing conferences and meet-ups (not because I am a woman, but because I am a fellow marketer with as much to offer as anybody else). There are those that have patronised me for being a woman, but thankfully they have been the exception not the rule. Frankly, those that have been patronising are not people I want to hang out with anyway.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Secret Women’s Business Network and finding other women to network and mastermind with (or you simply want to learn more about online marketing in a fun and comfortable environment), please sign up for more information from SWBN.

Wordpress Direct - The Review: Multiple Wordpress Blogs in a Jiffy!

Numerous people have been asking me what I really think of Wordpress Direct. I am one of those who has been lucky enough to use this as part of the Thirty Day Challenge, where it enabled thousands of challengers to get new blogs online quickly (and contributed to some excellent and fast rankings). But, with the big launch now taking place, the question I am being asked is, what uses does Wordpress Direct have and is this system right for my needs?

What is Wordpress Direct?

Wordpress Direct is a system that quickly creates multiple Wordpress blogs. You can set them up in seconds, once you have researched your main keywords, and the blogs come with the most useful plugins and are fully optimised. Unlike many other blog creation systems, all the blogs are hosted with your own blog host and you own the domains and overall control of the blogs (should you ever cancel).

Wordpress Direct will also create automated posts for you, legally gathering the information from other websites, so your blog can always look active to the search engines even if you don’t have much time to put into them.

Who is Wordpress Direct for?

Wordpress Direct is the perfect tool for anyone who: wants to create multiple niche blogs quickly and easily; wants their blog to be optimised for their keyword phrases; and isn’t concerned with every post being 100% original.

Who is Wordpress Direct NOT for?

Wordpress Direct is not for anyone who is creating one or two personal/business blogs that they want full control over and intend to write for and build-up over time. While it would still work for setting-up your blog quickly and provides a good optimisation structure, it probably wouldn’t be an effective use of your money. You would be better to pay to have someone create a blog that is unique to you.

Can I Create Multiple Wordpress Blogs like these without WPD?

Yes, these are essentially Wordpress blogs with a number of carefully selected plugins. If you know how to set up a Wordpress blog then you could create multiple blogs yourself (there is even software to enable you to clone previous blogs so you can do it quicker). The automated content is drawn from different places online (Youtube, Yahoo Answers etc.), which you can do yourself or pay someone else to do. You will also need to re-create the linking and blog structure for optimisation.

What Can I do with Wordpress Direct?

Wordpress Direct is perfect for: creating multiple Wordpress sites if you don’t know how and don’t have the time to learn; reviving old websites and/or domains that have been sitting gathering dust but which you don’t have the time or interest to build-up; creating blog networks each focused on a different microniche to build traffic and authority to a niche blog/website/ecommerce/service site. If you

You can then sell the individual blogs or networks based on traffic and/or PR, or use them to bolster your main business.

And, as the Thirty Day Challenge has shown, the system can be used to test microniche keywords quickly for traffic and commercial potential, without needing to invest too much time or money.

What are the Wordpress Direct Membership Levels and are there any other expenses?

The current offer is:

$1 trial for 45 days leading to the Bronze package at $37 per month (up to 10 blogs)

Silver is $97 per month for up to 20 blogs

Gold is $127 per month for 100 blogs

Platinum (currently unavailable)

As well as these subscriptions you will need to pay for domain names and hosting with one of the accepted cpanel hosts (I use Hostgator and Bluehost).

Pros of Wordpress Direct

* Wordpress Direct is quick and easy to set up. Doing this yourself will take a lot of time and continuous effort.

* There is no need to create new, original content all the time (those worried about duplicate content should know that the content is presented in such a way that doesn’t appear to receive any penalty – even if duplicate content is a true issue, which is another blog post in itself)

* Blogs are optimised for you

* You can add banner ads, one-off offers and adsense

* You can still monitor and select the auto content you like (and set it to supervised content)

* There are a number of useful videos that show you exactly how to set-up your blogs and automated content.

* You can easily install Google analytics and track your ranking within the dashboard.

Negatives of Wordpress Direct

* Some monitoring of auto content is needed to prevent odd stuff appearing or suddenly seeing 15 posts appearing all at the same time

* Wordpress Direct can only work with a limited number of hosting companies

* My own support issues were answered relatively quickly and satisfactorily, but I know others that have had genuine problems with the support system.

* There are still quirks in the system that need ironing out, such as multiple themes not working well with the system and/or having funky code in them (Wordpress Direct is working at pulling out or amending the dodgy themes)

* You cannot set up posting to go out at specific times or days like you can with Wordpress blogs (Wordpress Direct have said this feature will be implemented within the next few months)

* Images do not always format properly (I usually have to login to my main Wordpress admin to re-format the pictures).

* This is not a blogging panacea. While I had one blog rank well for a phrase match keyword phrase just from sitting there minus content, this is not to be expected in every case. You still need to implement a backlink strategy.

Would I Recommend Wordpress Direct?

A number of people have asked me this question and I find it difficult to answer, because it really depends on you and how you will use it.

Yes, I recommend Wordpress Direct if you are keen to build your own network of multiple Wordpress microniche blogs and/or revive old sites/domains with minimal effort (both of which I am doing). If your business model require blog clusters and siloing techniques then this is ideal for you.

You still need to monitor the sites and content and you still need to be prepared to build up backlinks and authority in order to rank well for your keywords. You will also need to be prepared to work with the quirks and not expect great things when you require support (that’s not to be unkind to WPD, just to point out that customer service has not been an overall strength so far).

I wouldn’t recommend Wordpress Direct if you don’t have a strategy in place to use the software to its full potential. If you only want a few blogs or hate the idea of allowing automated content onto your sites, then you have probably not grasped the concept and value of the system. These are not the sort of blogs that will gain you problogger status. The blogs are not “pretty” – you are not going to win any design awards for them, and some people can’t bear creating unremarkable websites. That said, they are not “ugly” but the themes are all fairly standard.*

Many people are going to hate the notion of Wordpress Direct because the blogs it creates are not personal, unique blogs like this one. There is no (or should be no) emotional attachment. This is another tool to test niches, build traffic and PR, and assist your linking strategies.

I am happy to recommend Wordpress Direct as a system for creating and maintaining multiple Wordpress blogs if you are going to use the system to its fullest, but if you simply want one or two blogs then I would suggest finding a good Wordpress course (there are some excellent free and paid tutorials available) and/or spending the money to have someone create a blog for you that you can update yourself on a regular basis.

There is a 45 day $1 trial, so if you are still undecided you can trial the system before you make your final decision.

*Since writing this, a number of people have pointed out that Wordpress Direct blogs can be personalised and made to look more ‘pretty’ and have even shown me evidence of this. So, I back down on this one and agree that there is scope for making your WPD blogs unique and personal. This involves logging into your admin panel and playing with the theme design, which will depend on your experience level with Wordpress blogs. I haven’t done much to mine as that isn’t the object of my use of Wordpress Direct.