Internet Marketing | Lead Generation

This has been around for quite some time - but I still find people who don’t benefit from the FULL power of GOOGLE

Check it out: Google Help : Cheat Sheet

It is that time of year again - when if you are lucky, people buy you presents

I am afraid, I’m a terrible person to buy presents for - ask my children!

Nothing quite as bad as buying a present for someone (especially a family member) and then see them never using it. For this reason, it has usually been books, CD’s, DVDs and socks for me, but as my lovely children have pointed out, that is just a bit too predictable and boring.

So this year, I am being a little bit more cooperative - and even have done “online browsing” and come back with I hope some pretty good ideas, of things I might actually use / want.

Top of the list so far, is something that covers two of my passions - Travel and the Internet - see it here: VisiBone Country Chart

Claims to be the world’s first map of internet country codes PLUS Phone codes, alphabetic and numeric lists too.

So if you are one of those “hard to buy for” Internet Entrepreneurs or Webmasters, perhaps the above could be that “something different” present for you.

Quite a number of people have asked me recently about “how do I find websites for sale”.

One method I use is discussion forums such as Digital Point and SitePoint

Now, I will not say this is the best way to find the BEST sites fullstop! - But it sure is a good place to start.

A friend of mine has actually wrote a good number of articles generally about buying and selling websites and frankly, he says it so much better than I can. Have a look at his website: All you need to know when you’re looking to sell a website

In particular I like: Top ten tips to sell your site via Site For Sale forums

All in all, a very good read - this site even includes an Example of Non Disclosure Agreement for sale of a business or website - and best of all, IT IS FREE

I recently made a new online friend (Dean Hunt) - who interestingly had some similar ideas to me about buying websites.

Turns out we both have issues with this magic word that sellers like to use called: Potential

Dean has made a great posting on his Blog which frankly says it all a whole lot better than I can.

Read it at: Web site POTENTIAL

Excellent reading for both sellers and buyers of websites - the examples used are some what UK based - but whatever country you are in I am sure you will be able to draw similar comparisons

Read Deans Blog at: Deano’s World - Internet, Marketing, Madrid, Life, Humour & More.

As some of you know - I do occasionally invest is some domains (usually generic domains) - sometimes to develop into websites and sometimes just as an “investment”

Of couse some of these “investments” are suspect and the old saying that something is only ever worth what someone else is willing to pay remains true - but I do know I am going to have a RESULT one day? (Please ! Please !)

Anyway for those of you who may be interested in this “domaining thing” - the following websites explain more:

Masters of their Domains

The New Cybersquatters

You might be a domainer if…

1. When somebody on TV makes up a phrase you check to see if the .com is available.
2. When you type in a URL and get a 404, you check the Whois.
3. You own your own personal name as a .com. (thats me!)
4. You own your own personal name as multiple extensions.
5. You don’t know what GOOG is trading at, but you know the highest reported domain sale of last week.
6. You were involved in the highest reported domain sale of last week.
7. You have more domains than friends.
8. You purposely leave the .net available for registration so some sucker will develop it and indirectly send traffic to your .com of the same name.
9. You register the .com as well as the .net, and then sell the .net without mentioning that you also own the .com, for reasons stated in #8.
10. You have spent enough money on domains to buy a nice house. (Or two)

CREDIT: My friend Joe of Sundaybrew Media referred me to a posting with the above 10 suggestions - which were originally posted by his friend Andrew at a discussion at the DNForum called You might be a domainer if

It really is an excellent read - and it also features many more suggestions that the 10 above

Also worth a read: You might NOT be a domainer if

interesting article - some tips on how to save yourself some money

10 things you shouldn’t buy new

Wow !!

So some bloggers actually make money?

This is awesome - and well done

Blogging for Dollars

A fine example of top quality content attracting a following and paying of BIG TIME

Just an interesting link - with some key points about motivation. Sure, we may well know a lot of these, but it pays to be reminded occasionally

http://www.motivation-tools.com/elements/seven_rules.htm

In particular - I liked this one

#7 Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.

Just saw this interesting article in the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/09/MNGSVIO7NG1.DTL

apparently:
California took in a record $11.3 billion in personal income tax receipts in April, $4.3 billion more than it collected last April. It’s almost certain that a significant chunk of April’s haul came from Google employees — perhaps one-eighth or more of the tax receipt gain.

Awesome!

But then most things related to Google are Awesome!

If you are an internet marketeer - then the following is I think very interesting. Indeed, this is valuable information for all marketeers

This was a facinating read:

The wealthy, those earning £75,000 or more a year, use the Internet almost as much as they watch commercial TV - 104 minutes and 107 minutes a day respectively

Also have a look at the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) website for this fascinating read:

TouchPoints SURVEY GIVES NEW INTEGRATED PICTURE OF CONSUMER LIFESTYLES, BEHAVIOURS AND MULTI-MEDIA USE

Interesting “titbits” include:

Only 13% of all written communication is now using pen and paper; 49% is via email, 29% via SMS text, 10% via Internet Instant Messaging

30% of the population are prepared to spend more to save time with this being true for those aged 15-24 (39%) and the least true for those aged 65+ (21%)

and this made me laugh:

Whilst texting, 32% of 15-24 year olds are also watching TV, 18% are also listening to the radio, 10% are also browsing the Internet and 6% are also reading