Work Yourself Up!

Pulling Back the Curtain...

Wouldn't it be great to see somebody pull back the curtain, so you could see how his online business really works?

Check out this video from Mike Filsaime.  Looks interesting...

If nothing else, make note of the launch.  Have a feeling this will be a big one.

Most Hyped Online Marketing Video Ever?

I have been getting tons of emails and calls about this video...

Have you seen it yet?  It's the one where this guy and his wife are making $5 Million PER MONTH online.

If you haven't seen it, it's worth taking a look.

Any thoughts?

Sex Education

Another great spam email just came through...

Did you know 99% of men think they satisfy their partner?

Did you know 9 out of 10 women complain their partner can not satisfy them?

Think you have it, there is more?

Lonely, this is for you to.

Reminds me of the "Do you make these mistakes?" letters that often pop up in direct marketing.

Hmmm...  I don't know.  Do I?  Better not take the chance.

Perry Marshall Goes to India...I Disagree with Him

Perry Marshall, the guy best known for his work with Google Adwords, is in India right now, doing work with an organization called Children's Relief International. 

He's sending out updates on his trip via a special email list.  Having an interest in India, I got on it.

What i received today...

David,

Yesterday we went to see the "rock people."  The rock people
are folks - mostly entire families - who make a living
breaking rocks with hammers, next to a rock quarry in
Rajahmundry.

I had said to Melody (my sis-in-law, who co-directs CRI) the
day before, "I guess if there was one thing that's been a
bit surprising to me, it's that there's not as much grinding
poverty in India as I had expected."

She says, "Well Perry, you missed Calcutta."

Yes honey, that's right.  But the rock people aren't a lot
better off than the folks in Calcutta.  Kids make 25 cents a
day doing this fine job.

Per team leader Jason's instructions, we stopped at a bakery
and bought some sweets for the kids and showed up in our
rickety blue bus.  Got out and started handing stuff out.

We were instantly mobbed with kids, who grabbed the candies
and muffins out of our hands as fast as we could hand 'em
out. We had extra for the adults and though they were pretty
shy about accepting our gifts, none turned us down.

The rock people look just like anybody else here - the girls
wear lovely saris (I have to say, Indian people are just
beautiful, especially the girls in their brilliantly colored
traditional dress.)

But you know what the kids wanted more than even candy and
sweets? PHOTOS.  And handshakes and human contact.  I got
mobbed, Jeremy got mobbed, Lindy got mobbed, Jason got
mobbed... everyone with a camera got mobbed.  Kids wanting
to pose for a picture and then see it on the display after
we took it.

The web connections are real slow here but eventually we're
going to find a way to post them so you can see pics of
these beautiful kids.

I was thinking.... you know, these kids don't look like
"rock people." They don't look like "poor people".  They
just look like kids.  And having been to six continents now,
you know what?

Kids are kids are kids are kids.

No matter where you go.  When Jesus said "Let the little
children come to me" I think I know what he meant.  He meant
mor than just permit them to hang around.  He meant, open up
and embrace them. Be as open to them as they are to you.

I first met my wife Laura 21 years ago.  She was singing in
a choir and I was the sound man.  I gave her a microphone
and lured her into my world with reverb.

"I love the way you make my voice sound," she said.

I grinned from ear to ear.  She fell in love with me and I
with her. She's been my sweetheart, my Twilight Dawn, for 21
years and 18 years of marriage this July 22.

During the concert she had this solo.  She sang - in her
creamy alto voice that is hers and hers alone -

"Love was more than just a pretty word to say

When the savior gave his life upon the cross one day

And all the pretty songs could never take the place

Of a cup of water given in His name."

When you come to a place like this you wonder what you can
do. What is going to make a real lasting difference for
kids.  For orphans.  For rock people.  For untouchables
(yeah, that's a whole 'nother side trip from the day before
yesterday, I promise to get back to that soon).  For the
people of India.  And all the other places where CRI has
projects.

As you'll discover as we go along, there are a lot of things
in the realm of material assistance that are being provided
for these kids. But there is another element that I think is
more important, that's crucial to making a long-term
difference for these people.

Hinduism teaches the concept of reincarnation and that
depending on the Karma of a past life, some people are born
into different castes - some are destined to have lives of
privilege, some to be working class, and some to be
"untouchable."  So untouchable, in fact, that one need not
even help the poorest of the poor because, after all, they
are only getting what they deserve anyway.

Babies die of starvaton.  Families live in filth.  Children
break rocks with hammers for 25 cents a day.

I know this will offend some people but I'm going to say it
anyway: This belief is nothing more than a lie that has
victimized untold millions of people.  Hundreds of millions
of people have nothing, have no ability to do business with
other people, and are cut off from the rest of the world
because of this false belief.

I would like to detour for a bit of a history lesson so that
I can make an important point.

The United States Declaration of Independence makes a
world-shattering declaration that transformed the modern
world:

"We hold these things to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal and endowed by their creator with certain
inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness."

In his book "Democracy in America" (1835) Alexis de
Tocqueville traces this statement and its idea of equality
backward through history and lands at Galatians 3:28, the
words of St. Paul: "In Christ there is neither male nor
female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free.  All are equal in
Christ Jesus."

Before Paul said this, NO ONE had ever made such a bold and
sweeping statement.  No one.  Not the Jews, not the
Babylonians, not the Egyptians, not the Greeks, not the
Chinese.  The concept of equality came first from Paul.

This idea got planted in western civilization and began to
grow and develop, little by little dismantling slave trade,
sowing the seeds for democracy and spurring technological
and political progress.

If you live in a democracy and you're thankful for the
ability to vote, if you're thankful that people generally
consider you and themselves to be just as good as anybody
else, then thank Paul.

Because despite what the Declaration says, equality really
is NOT self evident.  At least it wasn't to any of the
ancient world prior to 2000 years ago.  On the surface,
we're all different.  Some are stronger. Some are smarter.
Some have more money.  Some are politically connected.  Some
are more savvy.

And some people get the scraps.

But when Paul said this, he was declaring that there is an
underlying *spiritual* reality, that yours and my true
identity doesn't come from accomplishments or money or power
but from our Heavenly Father.  That once we know that true
identity we're no longer slaves to money and power and
accomplishments and the 'natural' order of things.

So what are we gonna do for the rock people?

We're going to appoint a pastor to live there at the quarry
and minister to them.  To do what Jesus did - to "Let the
children come to me."  So that they too will know they're
just as good as anybody else.  They're not untouchable.
They're children of a King.

That minister will be able to see where the needs are and
help them find medical care, clothing (we saw a street
vendor there at the quarry, selling shoes but he had no
shoes on his feet), food, care and concern.

CRI can set up a minister like this for less than $100 per
month.  (More about CRI at www.childrensrelief.com.)

I've gotta get going now (other people are waiting to use
the computer) but I'll send out another update soon.

God Bless.

Perry Marshall

P.S.: Rants?  Raves?  Rude asides?  I'll be happy to hear
back from you. If you reply to this email you'll get an
email back that says we didn't get it, but I will check that
email box anyway and I will see your comments.

This is going out to over 3000 people and I have no idea how
quickly I will get back to you.  But your voice will be
heard....

Just for the record, I like Perry.  We always chat when I see him at live events and he has been very kind to me every time we've connected.  And I like that he's doing work which he feels will benefit people, both in his business and personal life.

However, I feel like he's got a few things wrong when it comes to his understanding of India, Hinduism, and the general situation of which he spoke.

I just sent this response to him, but as there are 3000+ people on his list, probably a lot of the people who read this blog, I'm posting it here.  Not exactly online marketing related, but I think it's important for this to be seen as many of us deal with people from India on a daily basis.

Whether you agree with me, or Perry, or neither of us, I hope this will stimulate discussion on the topic.

My response...

Hey, Perry.  Interesting email.

I'm sure what you've seen in India is disturbing at times and
probably overwhelming.  But how about some empathy and
looking at it from beyond your perspective?

It IS possible to live in extreme poverty and still be happy. 
And just because these people are not living within YOUR
value system doesn't mean that they're deprived.

If you look at the definition of karma, it simply means
"what is."  It's neither good nor bad.

The "rock people" are learning a spiritual lesson, just like
you and I are, just like the prostitutes, just like the rich,
and just like the drug addicts.  As hard as it may be to see
somebody dying, or selling themselves, or whatever else,
there is a lesson there.

And perhaps the lesson they're learning is for YOU.  Maybe
they're taking up life as a kid breaking rocks, so you could learn
what you needed to.

Whether you agree with the caste system or not, it's not really
your place to comment.  This is their culture; not yours.  And it's
their choice to live in that culture.  And please realize that not
everybody in India follows the caste system, just like not
everybody in the US is racist or refuses to do business with
blacks or Mexicans.

If you want to say something has "victimized untold millions of
people," perhaps you should look into our culture and what people
have done with Christianity.  The "us and them" mindset many
Christians hold is no different than the caste system.

Christians say they love, but many times it's conditional.  For
example, if we're all "children of a King" as you say, why is it
that people aren't allowed to live their lives their way, without
judgement and without somebody trying to bring them over to
YOUR belief system?

If God knows everything, He'll understand.

Something to chew on...

David

Thoughts?

Top 20 Social Bookmarking Sites

Digg - Digg was created by Kevin Rose.  Its claim to fame is allowing users to submit stories they want others to see.  It also allows users to comment on these stories, giving them the opportunity to contribute their two cents on a topic.  They have the biggest user-base compared to any other social website.

Digg is a great site for anyone to use.  It has a huge user-base, which filters out stories that no one wants to read.  Also, the commenting function is fast and easy; the comments can be rated too.

Netscape - Netscape allows users to submit stories onto its site.  This site has more formal and serious news topics that its competitors.  It’s focused on the average online web-browser more than a certain demographic.

Netscape is a little bit too formal for average blog posts.  Its focus is about serious news topics; nothing that’s laid back.  In many ways, it’s a mirror of Digg - all the ranking and commenting systems are very similar.

Technorati - Technorati is a search engine focused on looking up content from over 75,000,000 blogs. They also have incorporated a search on YouTube. This site also gives users a chance to see topics that are currently popular.

This site is great, if you love blogs.  However, if you aren’t interested in blogs, just use Google or a more common search engine.

Del.icio.us - Del.icio.us allows users to share their bookmarks with other users.  It also lets users find more sites that relate to their interests.  The “hotlist” on the site makes it an effective conveyor of popular online trends. 

Del.icio.us is very simplistic looking but brilliant for bookmarking.  You can see the top bookmarks, without having to navigate away from the front page.  It also has a global search engine, which allows you to see all the bookmarks relating to your topic. 

StumbleUpon - StumbleUpon is an add-on to web browsers, which lets users find other sites that they are interested in.  They get their database of websites from other users, who tag the sites and provide descriptions of the content of those sites. 

You can spend hours on this site, thanks to the sheer size of their database.  After you enter in your interests, you will be taken to a site that interests you every time you click on the StumbleUpon button.  They also have StumbleUpon video, so you can create a non-stop stream of videos that you would love to watch.

Reddit - Reddit is a site dedicated to news sharing.  The clean, simplistic look of the site is the major factor that distinguishes it from other social websites. This site attracts the attention of more technical web surfers. 

Reddit is Digg’s more techie and more modest counterpart.  This site is for people who want to just see the story headline and a lot of stories at the same time. However, if technology doesn’t appeal to you, Digg is a better option.

Slashdot - Slashdot is for the science and technology lover, instead of the average online user.  Unlike other sites, this site’s editors check all the stories, which allows the site to control what the feel and tone of the website is.   Slashdot was one of the first sites to incorporate a commentary section, a forum in this case.

Slashdot is a geek’s paradise.  All the articles are reviewed by moderators, keeping it oriented to tech-related topics.  The flip side of this is that you can only see stories that moderators approve of, so most of the site’s content is biased.

Fark - Fark basically summarizes news articles from different newspapers.  These articles are submitted by users and then are approved by the site’s moderators. Fark also has PhotoShop contests to determine the best graphical representation of their name.  One drawback is that to gain full privileges of the site, you must pay a fee of $5 per month. 

The major advantage of Fark.com is that you can see news articles and comment, without any trivial points.  The commenting system is nothing special, just people posting a few lines.

BlinkList - BlinkList is like Del.icio.us, in that it allows people to bookmark sites. Its applications include being used as a classroom tool, where teachers can post the websites that they want their students to visit.  Like some other sites, BlinkList is an add-on on to your browser.

BlinkList is yet another bookmarking site, but it has a good site layout and good features.  Also, you can modify your account to suit your needs.  The add-on for bookmarking is quick and easy to use.   

Newsvine - Newsvine is a website that shows news articles and allows users to comment on the stories.  This site had a good reputation, since people from other newspapers have cited sources originating from Newsvine.  This site also gives users the ability to tag stories that are relevant. 

The layout of Newsvine makes it look like an established newspaper. The stories are serious but still chosen by the users. The commenting system has nothing special. This site is for people who want serious news articles from various sources that are filtered through their peers.

Furl - Furl stands for File Uniform Resource Locators. The purpose of this site is to store documents and allows users to access the documents of other people. The site also allows them to get the citations of these documents in various formats.   

This site will be the savior for many groups.  The ability to post a document and allow other people to reach it, without directly sending them the document or a URL, is great.  For students who want resources quickly and to be cited as soon as they get it, this site is great.

Blogmarks - Blogmarks is a site that allows users to control and maintain their bookmark collection.  Like all other bookmarking sites, users can also submit websites and tags.  Unfortunately, this site doesn’t keep a record of currently popular topics.

Blogmarks is a good site for people who want to see other people’s bookmarks.  Also, the little preview for the link is terrific.  Besides the nice layout and design, this site has nothing much to offer to the casual bookmarker. 

Shoutwire - Shoutwire is an online newspaper site, which gives users the opportunity to submit new articles, videos, pictures, and also stories directly into their blogs.

Shoutwire is an average news-sharing site.  The news articles are a mix of serious and humorous ones. Its claim to fame is its ability to let users view clips and pictures.  I would recommend this site to anyone looking for the picture-version of Digg.

Simpy - Simpy is a bookmarking service that, like other sites, allows users to tag and share sites, as well as notes and groups.  An advantage of this site is that it searches the entire text, not just the metadata file. They also take pride in not requiring payment and having no advertisements on their site.

Simpy is another one of your average bookmarking services.  The fact that it searches the full text instead of just major categories or titles is a unique aspect of this site. However, the minimalist style doesn’t work for them; the bad scaling of the columns and headers does anything but enhance their site.  It’s just another bookmarking site in the sea of bookmarking sites.

Spurl - Spurl is a bookmarking site, which allows users to upload their bookmarks.  The site publishes hotspurls and newspurls, which show the most active and the newest bookmarks.  Unfortunately, the hotspurls and newspurls are prone to spamming.

Spotplex - Spotplex is a site that allows users to post the stories that they want to post.  Unlike other sites, Spotplex ranks sites on the basis of views, not votes.  This site also provides a list on the popular tags.

Spotplex will become very popular soon.  The way it rates stories, with the number of views, is unique.  This site has similar sorting features as Digg and also shows the most popular tags.  Watch for this to become a major bookmarking site in the near future.

MyBookmarks - MyBookmarks is a site that allows users to bookmark sites.  This site has a function which exports bookmarks back to the browser, as well as importing the bookmarks from the browser to the site.  Unfortunately, this site does not have public search options for the entire site.

MyBookmarks seems too basic.  One good point is that it can put your favorites back into your browser.  One drawback, however, is that you cannot do a global search; you only can search one person’s profile. Another drawback is that its bookmark organization is clumsy and old.  This site has nothing special and can be easily surpassed.

Spotback - Spotback is a site that allows users to vote and rank sites.  Spotback then recommends other sites based on these total rankings and filtering.  Webmasters can use this tool to see how popular their sites are compared to those of their competitors.

For an ordinary websurfer, this site is full of hidden links.  The rating scheme is better then most competitors out on the market.  If you are a webmaster, it is essential that you incorporate this site into your own. Not only does this site compare your site, it allows you to compare yourself to other online competitors.

Clipmarks - This site allows users to share “clips” or pieces that you can “tear out” of websites.  This can be used to transfer information in a quick and easy manner, or it can be used to send family and friends articles from or pieces of other sites.

This site is great, since its allows you to rip out parts of webpages.  I can send a page to my friend in India and show him the part I want him to see, instead of just giving him a URL.  I greatly recommend this site for anyone trying to send people straight to the point information.

Blue Dot - Blue Dot is a social bookmarking network. When users log in, they’ll see a summary of “dots”, which represents their bookmarked pages.  One of this site’s goals is to become integrated in the everyday lives of its users.

Blue Dot wants to be your homepage. This site is very user-friendly, since it has pretty much anything and everything a person would want on their homepage, be it news, music, or blogs.  Anyone who wants an all-inclusive homepage, Blue Dot is the one to have.

Like this list?  Bookmark it via one of the links below and check back often for updates.

Top 20 Video Sharing Sites for Online Marketers

Google Video - This easy-to-use video sharing site, because it's owned by Google, is recommended to help get traffic via search traffic on Google.com.  It is simple, well organized, and has a huge database of various videos from different categories like comedy, animation, music videos, TV shows, and sports.  Look to these different niches and upload your video with related keywords to attract traffic.

YouTube - Also owned by Google, YouTube is the most popular video sharing website in the world. Its colossal database attracts millions of visitors everyday and sharing videos, either via email or web site, is easy. If you upload your content to only one web site, it should be YouTube.  Videos may be rated and comments on videos are encouraged.

MySpace - As a marketer you're probably already using MySpace to promote yourself.  Videos uploaded to MySpace may be shared and posted to MySpace profiles other than your own, so take advantage of this by uploading your content and letting your circle of friends know.  The majority of people on MySpace are not using video, so take advantage of this by claiming your place on personal pages now.

Blip - A great site for video bloggers, users can set up your own "blog" quickly and drive traffic to it by posting videos from several different categories.  Because of this, your video needs to be here.

AOL Video - The video section from aol.com contains a large variety of videos from both commercial and non-commercial providers.  Very easy to use, due to the simplicity of its design and strong search options, AOL Video easily allows users to find the latest news about their your favorite musicians and bands.

Revver - A video-sharing platform built and committed to the artist, Revver has the best sound and video quality of any video sharing site on this list. 

Vimeo - Another free and easy service for sharing videos with friends and family. Recently launched, this website unfortunately does not bring anything new to the table.  Still, as part of a complete promotion, it's a good idea that you post your video here.

MetaCafe - Metacafe is another popular media and video sharing community. Unlike other major video-sharing platforms, Metacafe offers a desktop application, mainly targeted at users who are downloading several videos per week.

Daily Motion - Nothing special here, but worth noting. The videos are sorted in groups, which make it easy to browse and find what you are looking for.  Simple by design, Daily Motion contains a numerous variety of videos, from music videos, to non-entertainment topics such as science & technology.

EyeSpot - Not your average video sharing website. Besides a variety of videos EyeSpot offers its users the chance to play with copyrighted media, without having to download elaborate software or learn new skills. This platform will allows you to edit, mix, and remix your favorite videos, photos or music.

Grouper - Dedicated to video-sharing, this website is devoted to three things: watching, creating, and sharing.  Just like all the other sites on this list... 

JumpCut - Another video-sharing platform that allows you to edit and mix your videos. You can easily upload your videos, photos, and audios, but what’s more interesting is that you can make your own "movie" with Jumpcut editor.

VideoEgg - With a variety of video formats, VideoEgg contains a section where you can easily blog or share your Flash videos. VideoEgg currently has almost 20 million unique viewers each month.

BuzzNet - Primarily for music videos, BuzzNet also gives users access to the latest news in the world of music.

Vmix - This attractive, easy-to-navigate site has several options which are great for promoting independent music.  If you like to create your own slide shows, you can get an easy-to-use creator, Photo Jockey 180. Uploading videos is very intuitive, as well.

Blinkx - Blinkx is a video search engine which allows users across the world to search through the entire Web for the videos they want. Users can also browse through a large variety of categories like world news, entertainment, business, sport, and user generated videos.

Veoh - Veoh offers free downloads of all videos posted. There is a section for music videos. Veoh.com is not that special from other video-sharing platforms, but it offers the chance to get the VeohPlayer, so users can download videos from thousands websites and watch them at anytime.

ClipShack - ClipShak is a video-sharing site that looks a lot like YouTube. Not as much popular as YouTube but with the same feedback options. Users can post videos, restrict the videos to a select group, post videos to their blogs, and lastly, have access to Google Maps so that you can map your content and search by location.

vSocial - vSocial enables content owners, site operators, and online marketing organizations to custom brand, target, virally distribute and monetize their message via video.

BigContact - This is a publishing and promotion platform where users may publish audio and video podcasts, customizable streaming mp3 and video sites, news feeds, shareable streaming radio channels, and more.  A free FeedPlayer is available dow download, which can play, share, and promote podcasts immediately.

ADDED ON 6/5:

GoFish - From the site... "Tired of someone else deciding what's hot and what's not? (So are we.) GoFish wants you to have a shot at being famous, so we're looking for talent, and we want to see yours on GoFish. GoFish and get seen."

Like this list?  Bookmark it via one of the links below and check back often for updates.