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Hi everyone…I just want to express my condolences to the family and friends of Bobby Mercer who died today at 62 years of age.  All of Major League Baseball mourns his passing as he was regarded highly among his peers. We’ll miss you Bobby..

To be honest I’m not a big baseball fan. I watch the Championships and know a few of the players but to say I know anything knowledgeable except how to play would be overstating the truth. I can’t comment except to add on the respect I read in every article about Mr. Mercer.

I am a born New Yorker and a Yankee by association.  To read how highly people have held Mr Mercer in their eyes makes me respect him as a person because we all should be lucky to live a life as his and leave such a legacy.

As Goose Gossage said…”It was the way he carried himself. It was his character and the class in which he did everything — all business and no flash. It was the way he treated everybody as a person.” On this day, we should remember his name and go out in the world treating everyone you meet the same way you would expect to be treated, with respect.

Long live Bobby Mercer!

As usual, Jonathan has come up with a service that will help bring more traffic to your website..specifically your Wordpress blog if you have one ShareAPost.com allows you to take summaries of articles in their directory and post them to specific categories on your website.

Why summaries? and why would you risk posting duplicate content on your site? For more details read the full post here. Basically Jonathan goes on to explain that newspapers have been using “syndicated” content for years so what makes this any different.

As in his report “Search Engine Myths Exposed” (which is no longer available…although I do have a copy) he explains that it’s the number of links pointing at the website page that is most important, so even the original article can be outranked by the duplicate one if there are more links pointing to it. You’d be smarter to get more links with a little variation in it and as Jonathan says..what’s the chance someone is optimizing the same article with the same keywords?

Sign up now…before he changes his mind and starts charging for the service. Then test and tweak. I will be using it and seeing the results then discuss it here. Stay tuned.

Hello everyone, I’ve been so busy that I didn’t post during the Blog Classroom launch! I apologize because anyone who didn’t sign up for the FREE stuff they were teaching, well….I can’t say anything if their offer didn’t at least tempt you a little bit

Instead of listing everything please just check it out here:

If you have no idea what it takes to promote on the internet, the lessons they provide you on their blog is amazing. In the past you had to pay exorbitant fees at underground seminars because yes there are things they reveal that used to be secret knowledge among those in the know….and that could be you if you check it out.

Okay, enough of the blatant promotion. Really you shouldn’t go there….less competition for the rest of us, haha. Right now I’m going throw up an article about affiliate marketing to help you understand how to use the power you learn from the blog classroom course

If you are totally new to internet marketing, one of the best ways to learn is to promote someone else’s product. Once you develop the skills to do that, it’s not that much more difficult to create your own product and sell it on the internet using your knowledge of affiliate marketing. Here are some affiliate marketing tips.

Affiliate marketing is a simple concept to understand. Someone creates a product that they feel can easily be sold on the internet then recruit online sellers to sell their products on their own web sites. The benefit of selling one of their products is a nice commission, ranging usually anywhere from 20% to 100% (that marketing tactic is a whole other course on it’s own!) There are plenty of web sites that offer affiliate products up for sale, most online websites usually have an affiliate program. Does Amazon.com sound familiar? The better affiliate sites even help you by listing the best affiliate products to sell, usually listed by the most popular and highest commission paid out. Just pick and promote!
If you are worried about how they track what sales you make know that the affiliate product owner can easily identify who the seller is by the affiliate link that the web surfer clicked. In the link is an embedded affiliate code that matches buyer to the seller.

Okay, you know it’s not that simple but if you learn the business, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest things to learn and there is no risk to you dealing with the heartache of owning the product, handling the merchant accounts, the refunds…you get the picture.

Affiliate marketing is one of the simplest ways to learn internet marketing without getting burned too much. Combine it with what they teach at the blog classroom course and the sky’s the limit!

Hi everyone…If you didn’t read my last Blog Classroom post then look please refer to it. Tonight they are holding a FREE Webinar and they filled most of the spots but if you can get in I recommend you do so now. What will they be talking about?

–> They’re going to spend some time going through the most frequent questions being asked on the prelaunch list.

–> Traffic Generation Strategies

–> Power of Web 2.0 (They are even giving you a peak inside the BC launch)!

I’m sure you are pretty busy and another FREE Webinar is something you don’t have time for, but that alone should be reason enough to sign up and watch it. You won’t believe how easy it is to set up a blog and more importantly find ways to make money with it. Rosalind and Anik have been doing this day in and day out so I stress again that you Do NOT want to miss this one!

I’ll be keeping you updated on specific things I see that are helpful and just wanted to let you know about this Webinar tonight.

Have you ever heard of affiliate marketing? It’s the internet version of selling someone else’s product and making a commission. Rosalind Gardner is one of well respected “super affiliates” and if you do enough research you’ll discover she has quite the reputation.

I’ve read her “Super Affiliate Handbook” and although some of the techniques may be a little outdated, the fundamentals are spot on and if you don’t know anything about affiliate marketing then I’d recommend starting with her book, make that all her books! If you are not technical at all you’ll be relieved when you read this quote from her blog:

Like you (perhaps?), I didn’t know how to build a web site, had no idea what FTP, HTML, ASCII or any of those other terms meant, and I certainly had no interest in selling anything.

Way back then, there weren’t any guidebooks or audio-visual presentations to show new webmasters how to do anything. But I was determined, so I learned, slowly and surely.

Back in 1997, while I was still working as an air traffic controller, I built a small gardening and seed exchange web site. I had a ton o’ fun with that site! There was really nothing special about the site itself, except that I connected with thousands of people from around the planet, all of whom shared my passion for flower gardening.

When I later saw a One and Only dating service banner ad that offered webmasters the chance to make money with their web sites, I knew I had to give it a try.

Even without any technical abilities she became one of the earliest affiliates to earn over a million dollars. Now with the power of blogs, one only has to learn how to press a few buttons and you’re up and running! Combine this with Rosalind’s knowledge and you have a powerful combination. But this is not all. She combined forces with her long time buddy….

Anik Singal is the founder of Affiliate Classroom and I am also part of that group and have nothing but great things to say about his organization. The list of programs he runs and the success of his students is all you need to realize how good he his.

Anik and Rosalind have been working together for many years and in 2006 they held a Blog coaching program and which sold for a hefty price tag. Right now they are holding a prelaunch and what’s crazy is during this you are guaranteed to have a blog up and running even before the course begins! What I think is great is the fact that there is no boring reading as everything is demonstrated through videos. I’ll post my comments on the videos and highlight important points in future posts. Oh, did I mention it’s free to learn about this on their blog. Check it out…even if you know everything about blogs. I’m sure you’ll pick something up.

We’ve been talking all this time about the benefits of using audio and videoconferencing in your business. How these technologies can effectively move your business to the next level in this ever evolving marketplace is clear. Please refer to older posts here if you would like to see those benefits and please feel free to add your own comments. I invite you to register and contribute as it can help improve the whole community.

One of the most important things to consider once you have decided to use videoconferencing is what exactly needs to be done. You need to plan your videoconference in advance. If you have decided employ the services of professionals then the most important thing would be to book studio and satellite time, especially if you don’t have your own studio facilities. You also need to ensure downlinking facilities at receive centers where participants will be sitting. Nowadays, one can use web based services so everyone can listen in so I’m not sure why you’d consider using a studio, but I’m sure that some big corporations feel more comfortable using this so I included it.

On the content front, you need to invest time and expertise in developing graphics, teleprompter scripts, taped roll-ins etc. These should be prepared before the actual videoconference day. The stress must be on developing quality graphics and illustrations to help participants understand the complexities of the subject with ease. Again, if you use the web based videoconferencing route, you still need to plan things out…and using professional graphics will increase the professionalism of your presentation

A good idea is to have local site facilitators. They can work with the local technical staff and ensure that that the videoconference room is ready on time. They can also distribute hard copies of program agenda and graphics to the participants, and take phone in questions to facilitate a smooth interaction between you and the participants. Hiring people experienced in planning and conducting a videoconference is a good investment.

The selection of speakers is equally important. They must be knowledgeable in their respective areas, and should have a good screen presence. Speakers who lisp or are camera shy should not be allowed to go live at a videoconference. Consider taping their presentations beforehand if you think they have something valuable to say.

Another key person is the moderator, who works as the program host and therefore plays an important role in the success of the videoconference. Among other things, the moderator must ensure that the program runs on schedule and ensures that there are no awkward or uncomfortable pauses. This work should be performed by any person who has sufficient on-camera experience, and is quick on the uptake.

There really is no harm in mailing an advisory to the participants and the speakers regarding the dress that they need to wear. Some important things they can be advised on is to wear “warm” colors and avoid jewelry or other material that reflects light. It is also useful to do a touch up on your speakers so that they look good on camera.

You can even consider briefing the first time speakers on basics of videoconferencing which includes informing them of the need to speak to the camera, to be aware of time cues, and to avoid fidgeting as these sounds are picked up by the microphone and relayed to the audience.

One should consider if possible doing a dress rehearsal a day in advance. This is not always possible, especially if your panellists are big names. But a rehearsal helps you smoothen out any rough edges. You get to know if the teleprompter scripts are right, and whether the graphics merge with the program or not. The moderator also gets to know the finer points of the presentation, and can prepare himself accordingly.

In today’s environment…it’s okay to conduct videoconferencing meetings without any “live” people being shown but you still should include pictures of people because they help connect your audience with a person…instead of a cold machine. This can make the difference of a success and failure so planning your videoconference is essential.

We’ve been talking about video conferencing and how it can benefit you and your business but there is one important point we were missing. Videoconferencing has taken the business world by storm. The uses for your business are obvious-the ability to hold meetings at anytime regardless of physical location. The ability to train employees through this technology as well as educate customers about your products/services.

One may be excited to begin but proper planning is necessary to be successful. Of course it is also important to make once everything is set up that you conduct everything properly. There are several points that must be kept in mind while conducting a videoconference meeting. The most important is the quality of audio and video, especially if the videoconference has participants sitting across several remote sites.

Very often the conference organizers pay more attention to video than audio. This may prove counterproductive because a loss of audio can kill a videoconference. The participants can only watch images but are clueless as to what the key speaker is saying or what questions are being asked.

You must also pay attention to connectivity and transmission speeds. A slow speed will reduce the quality of both audio and video, and participants will find it difficult to understand what is happening. This is especially true of multi-point meetings.

It is equally important to have “chair control” meaning that the lead speaker should be allowed to run the meeting. Otherwise, the conference may be drowned in a cacophony of voices with all speakers trying to speak simultaneously. It is also important to let participants based at one location be able to see participants seated at other locations. This gives one the sense of belonging and involvement which in turn will make the videoconference more productive.

Another thing to consider is to go for a lecture-style conference where the key speaker can be seen and heard by all. This speaker can enable or disable other sites from being heard or seen. This kind of videoconferencing is particularly useful in education settings.

You also need to pay attention to items like microphones. They should be of good quality, and should pick up the speaker’s voice effortlessly. Microphones that pick up too much of background noise can be a distraction, and should be removed at the testing stage.

Camera positioning is equally important. If possible, the speakers should be allowed to adjust the camera to project clear images. The same applies to room lighting. There should be sufficient light at all sites for participants to view each other clearly.

It is important that all these “technicalities” be resolved before the start of the conference. This can only happen if a test run is done at least 24 hours before the actual conference. It may seem like a hassle but organizations that do not do a test run may find the going very rough.

In order for a more professional feel, organizers should also consider that they have a moderator to conduct the videoconference. The moderator can be a staff member or hired from outside, and should be briefed in detail about the purpose of the conference, the key speakers, the time allotted to different speakers etc.

It seems like a lot of work to plan a videoconferencing meeting, however the advantages far outweigh this and think of this…it should only get easier the more meetings you conduct. Organizers who don’t pay attention to these details often end up in big trouble and defeat all the benefits of videoconferencing.

In previous posts we’ve talked about the benefits of video conferencing. The proliferation of broadband internet across the globe makes it easier to reach previously difficult territories. Without the limitation of physical location, the uses of videoconferencing for education are now currently being incorporated by many educational institutions.

The benefits of videoconferencing as a classroom tool are not in question. However for videoconferencing to be really successful it will be important to hold training sessions for teachers on the conferencing technology. The sessions need to focus on the development of course content, devising the use of videoconferencing formats and of course the use of videoconferencing equipment.

In order for this to work, teachers must first realize that videoconferencing is merely a delivery tool and won’t work miracles. They need to understand that it cannot be used to deliver information that is not part of their core content. The lesson plan needs to be organized so that the use of videoconferencing doesn’t lead to just repetition of information.

Teachers should first be taught on how to operate the videoconferencing equipment. This training should include the use of both hardware and software, so that they can experiment and get familiar with different formats while developing their course material.

It is important to stress that they run some trial sessions. This effectively gives the teachers an opportunity to determine for themselves how the lectures must flow and how easy it will be once they run some more sessions. The guidelines that they need to lay down for the smooth running of videoconference sessions can of course be worked out during these trial sessions.

The use of videoconferencing of course depends much on the teacher’s lesson plan. It must first be decided which sections of the course content can be actually delivered in this format. Then one needs to identify the audio-visual resources, if there are any experts needed, and whatever else is required to develop the lesson which may include images, illustrations, audio and visual clips. The teacher needs to also interact with the technical team to get a better understanding as to how to put together this material into a seamless lecture.

In order to teach effectively, the videoconference format must encourage interaction. The priority then should be to include question and answer sessions or student-centered discussions that encourage interaction. Students should be asked to prepare their questions beforehand in order for them to take full advantage of the experts or panelists whom the teachers may have invited to add value to the videoconference.

To further add value, teachers may even encourage pre-conference and/or post-conference contact through e-mail, online chat or document sharing. Provide the students with a given timeline so that they will be aware of the time slots allotted for each individual, group, and teacher interaction.

Another requirement to take into consideration for the smooth running of a video conference is to assign responsibilities to students. Depending on the format of the videoconference a teacher can decide to have student group leaders, recorders, researchers, a group spokesperson or a demonstration leader.

It would be useful to pass on the background material as hard copy to students for reference and future use. Remember the success of a videoconference should be assessed by performing a follow up test. The best test would be to learn the amount of information the students have learned. This would give teachers an idea as to how well the students were able to properly absorb the information.

From what you read, one can see plenty goes into preparing for an educational videoconference. We haven’t even scratched the surface but follow the above guidelines and use common sense. If you’re a teacher, think of the advantages you’d have by incorporating video conferencing into your curriculum.

Videoconferencing has taken the business world by storm. The uses for your business are obvious-the ability to hold meetings at anytime regardless of physical location. The ability to train employees through this technology as well as educate customers about your products/services. One may be excited to begin but proper planning is necessary to be successful.

Of course it is also important to make once everything is set up that you conduct everything properly. There are several points that must be kept in mind while conducting a video conference meeting. The most important is the quality of audio and video, especially if the videoconference has participants sitting across several remote sites.

Very often the conference organizers pay more attention to video than audio. This may prove counterproductive because a loss of audio can kill a videoconference. The participants can only watch images but are clueless as to what the key speaker is saying or what questions are being asked.

You must also pay attention to connectivity and transmission speeds. A slow speed will reduce the quality of both audio and video, and participants will find it difficult to understand what is happening. This is especially true of multi-point meetings.

It is equally important to have “chair control” meaning that the lead speaker should be allowed to run the meeting. Otherwise, the conference may be drowned in a cacophony of voices with all speakers trying to speak simultaneously. It is also important to let participants based at one location be able to see participants seated at other locations. This gives one the sense of belonging and involvement which in turn will make the videoconference more productive.

This information may seem common sense to you, but you’d be very surprised how many people really just neglect this and then wonder why there video conference is a total failure! This is why we speak so much about audio conferencing in early posts, because if you can’t handle a simple phone meeting then how in the world can you conduct a proper videoconference?

Just because it’s really “new” and “cool” doesn’t mean you need to incorporate the technology. Sure, some industries and companies lend themselves well to this technology but ask yourself again…are you capable? At least hire someone that is. Your companies image depends on this

In a future article I’ll cover more things you need to cover to conduct a proper videoconference

Once upon a time internet web conferencing was limited to large corporations and government establishments that could afford the obscenely expensive video conferencing hardware (the prices of the past seem crazy today because now there are so many alternatives available). Today, the effect of video and internet web conferencing on communication can be seen almost everywhere.

The reason for this is because web and video conferencing has become much more affordable partly thanks to the development of powerful computer processors and the proliferation of high-speed internet lines. Companies no longer need to spend 50,000 dollars to set up internet web conferencing hardware and now can do so at a fraction of this cost. This of course means that small businesses as well as individuals can use the power of videoconferencing technology.

Some areas where internet web conferencing is currently making an impact are live distance learning, business meetings, sales presentations, job interviews and something you may not have heard of, tele-medicine. Hospitals, especially in the developing world, are starting to make use of videoconferencing to treat patients in remote and inaccessible areas.

Companies are now beginning to realize the value of internet web conferencing in hiring personnel. They are finding that they can now find quality staff much faster, and at a very reduced cost. The same can be seen in sales presentations. It used to be just a pipe dream to hold a professional quality meeting out of anywhere but a big office. Now it has become possible to reach out to a much larger audience from the comfort of your own office. The presentations are now more standardized, hi-tech and easy to conduct.

Education is an area that the impact of internet web conferencing is being felt the most. Schools and especially colleges are realizing the true value of videoconferencing in delivering education. Lesson plans are currently being redrawn, and students are being encouraged to get involved in lesson development as they really have a pulse on the effectiveness of internet web conferencing. Distance education is similarly beginning to change gears, and are now moving to live video-based delivery to distant and remote sites.

Affordability is no longer the only reason for the growing popularity of internet web conferencing. What is amazing is the interactivity that the medium brings. Company heads now have a two-way communication with their sales staff based in distant places. Organizations can regularly announce quarterly results to scores of correspondents and shareholders in real time and judge reactions instantly.

What’s even more important is the communication is not only one-way. Participants are able to ask questions on a one-to-one or one-to-many basis depending on how the business wants to conduct the videoconferencing event. There is also the ability of sharing documents and files thus making videoconferences a collaborative learning experience for all.

The start up of several small and medium videoconferencing companies has given a further push to the availability of videoconferencing. These smaller providers help many first-time users conduct videoconferences across multiple sites and take advantage of the power available. Besides hardware and software support they provide extras such as moderators who can help you conduct a videoconference smoothly.

With the all its features and advantages plus the growing number of smaller providers it is not surprising to see several organizations turn to internet web conferencing as an important communication tool. Be sure to look more closely at how it can help you.