“How to Create an Engaging Video”

It's sad but true: There are literally billions of other videos, audios, images, and articles competing for your target market's attention. If your video is boring, nobody (except maybe you mother) is going to want to watch it. When creating a video for your business audience you must engage them or your efforts will fall completely flat.    

Creating effective, engaging videos may take you time and practice, especially if you don't feel particularly at ease in front of the camera. These tips can help you on your way to effective video marketing:

Engaging Video Tip #1: Know Your Market

Your target market has similar interests, issues and problems. By knowing, understanding and listening to your target market, you're automatically speaking in their language and appealing to their interests. That makes you engaging!

Engaging Video Tip #2: Keep Your Energy High

If someone is an energetic, charismatic speaker, they could read the phone book aloud and make it sound good. People respond to excitement, so make sure yours is high. You don't want to over-hype it, but imagine you're talking to a group of kindergarteners and have to work extra-hard to keep their attention. Our ears are trained to pick up on change, so give your voice inflection and enthusiasm, varying its pitch and loudness.

Engaging Video Tip #3: Using Effects

Our eyes are drawn to bright colors, beautiful images and motion. See how you can incorporate these elements in your intro and closing. Watch a few videos on Youtube.com to see what captures your attention, and model what works for you.

Engaging Video Tip #4: Eye Contact

One of the most important aspects of person-to-person presentation is eye contact. Talk to the camera like it's a person, a valuable potential client or a friend. Be natural, be real and be yourself. Again, this may take some practice but you'll get it. When you get good at making eye contact you will be well on your way to establishing valuable relationships with your potential audience.

Engaging Video Tip #5: Prepare

You might be one of those rare people with the gift of gab, shooting off a polished presentation with no preparation. If you are, great. If not, then you'll need to prepare to make sure you say what you want to say in your video and get you key messages across. Don't forget to include your call to action so your audience knows exactly what to do after they've finished watching the video.

Creating an engaging video takes work. However, it's well worth the effort as your video will be working for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for many, many years to come.

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"Will using Google Analytics have a negative effect on my ranking? "

If you've ever wondered if using Google Analytics on your website will hurt you in the rankings department, give a listen in as Matt Cutts explains.

Do you use Google Analytics? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below:

“Join Affiliate Programs that Complement Your Business & Help You Grow”

There is a lot to know with online business. You can find out what you need to know if you are willing to put in the time. One way to expand your knowledge base and your business is through affiliate programs.

What are Affiliate Programs?

Affiliate programs are a marketing tool used by business owners and companies to promote their products and/or services with help from other business people. The program owner creates tools in the form of graphics, copy, and more for their affiliates to use to promote those products and services. They provide specially coded links that affiliates use to send their own customers or readers to the program owner’s website. The affiliate gets credit for each person that performs the agreed upon action (a sale, a referral, a click, etc.) in the form of commissions.

Affiliate programs work well for two reasons.

The business owner has a product or service already created and needs more people to help spread the word about it.

The affiliate (that’s you) makes money through marketing, but they don’t have to develop any of the tools or products of their own to do it.

Benefits of Becoming an Affiliate

All affiliate programs are not created equal. It is best to research them to see which holds the most promise for you. Part of that “promise” is a toolbox full of online goodies to help you promote the product. As an affiliate you get to learn how to use these tools.

Many affiliate programs also offer training courses. They provide not only the tools but also articles, eBooks and reports on how to conduct Internet marketing, search engine optimization and other marketing strategies. For the entrepreneur who wants to grow their business but needs additional knowledge to do it, you can get it here for free. And, you can test out what you learn by promoting affiliate products.

Affiliate owners also provide support for their affiliates. They answer questions, publish newsletters and offer incentives to help you grow both as an affiliate and as a businessperson.

This offers you the opportunity of a lifetime for your business. Instead of investing in courses that cost you money that you may not have to spare right now (you can go back and pay for a course later as you increase your business skillset) you can learn from affiliate owners who are perfecting their own business craft and helping you do the same.

Now, the affiliate owner doesn’t want to spend unnecessary money either since they are also in the business of making money. So, they will show you ways to market their products that get the job done with minimum expense and time.

Online businesses can come with a steep learning curve. Offset the cost of learning by getting some “on the job training” through a good affiliate program. As you are earning money, you are also learning skills to grow your business without the high cost.

Looking Ahead in Your Business

Once you get your business to the point you’re ready to grow it, think about starting your own affiliate program too. Harness the power of other business owners to get yourself and you business noticed by more people.

Additional Resources:

If you sell digital products online, as an affiliate or a vendor, you're going to love this new service... Think PayDotCom but with all affiliate payments taken care of instantly and automatically. Click Here

ClickBank Residual Income Free guide, no sign-up needed Why make a ClickBank sale and get paid just once ? When you can get paid month after month for the same sale !! Click Here.

Online Marketers Bootcamp

Free 12 week ShoeMoney Marketing Course course click here.

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“Facebook Looking for Writers”

Remember, the old days of Google Answers? I do as I actually was one of their editors and answered questions for pay.  Google closed up show awhile ago but Yahoo Answers is still alive and kicking at http://answers.yahoo.com/ . It’s a site where people post their burning questions and then hope that someone with deep wisdom will come along and shine some light on it. Sounds easy, right? 

Well, it appears that Facebook may want a piece of that action. They’ve posted a “help wanted” form for writers’ over at http://www.facebook.com/product_application/  You simply answer three questions to the best of your ability and submit for Facebook’s approval. It doesn’t appear that there’s any money involved but if you’re selected you could get a trip to California to tour their headquarters. So, if you’ve got plenty of free time on your hands and don’t care about money, you might want to apply.

"The 10 Quickest Ways to Stop Shopping Cart Abandonment”

Image via Wikipedia

By Merle

If you sell products from your website, you've no doubt experienced "shopping cart abandonment". What's that? Never heard of it? Let me clarify. This is what happens when someone comes to your website, browses, and actually clicks on products to purchase, adds them to their cartbut never completes the checkout process. 

So why does this happen and what can you do about it? I'm so glad you asked. There actually have been studies done that show some of the reasons why people leave in such a rush. By avoiding these things in your check-out process you can help plug the leak, avoid abandonment, and rack up more sales.

Here we go:

1) Make it Clear: Ever bought something online and wondered where you were in the checkout process? Make sure you give crystal clear instructions as to what information is needed and why, and exactly where the customer is in the buying process. I've even seen some shopping cart systems that label the screens during checkout as "step 1 of 3", "step 2 of 3". Avoid confusion for a more confident assured buyer.

2) Shipping Charges and Method of Delivery: Don't hide the amount you charge for shipping. Nothing will make someone run away faster than waitinguntil the last screen and revealing inflated shipping charges. Tell them exactly how much it  will be, don't make them guess or search for it. Also, if you offer multiple shipping methods show them their options. Options on a website are always good. Shoppers like options not surprises.

3) Saving Carts: How many times have you been in the process of buying something online and the phone rings or someone knocks on the door? Offering a "save cart for later" function is a wonderful way to get distracted shoppers to come back later and complete their purchase. Isn't that better then having the session time out and losing them completely?

4) Errors: If the buyer makes an error during the checkout process, make sure to clearly point out what is missing or wrong on the page and what theyneed to do to correct it. Nothing infuriates a buyer faster than to have a step of the checkout process fail and not be shown exactly what it is. Also, if they have to go back and correct something, make sure the information they already entered is still intact, usually done by using cookies. As an added step, you may want to offer a phone number or some sort of online help for those having ordering problems.

5) Guarantee Policy: Reassure the buyer with your return policy, privacy policy  and that their credit card information is safe.  Provide a secure feeling for their personal information by using logos and securing trust seals if you can. Your job is to instill confidence in your website so people feel confident in doing business with you.

6) Too Many Hoops: Don't make buyers jump through too many hoops by limiting the number of steps in the checkout process. If you don't need certain information, don't ask for it. Simple and Sweet is better then long and tedious. K.I.S.S (Keep it simple stupid)

7) Payment Options: When it comes to the web, options are a good thing. Try to offer a number of different payment options such as mail-in, fax or even a phone option if you can take orders that way. There are still some people who don't feel safe entering their credit card information online.

8) Registration: Ever been to a website and wanted to make a purchase but couldn't until you registered, set up a user ID and password? How frustrating is that? Try not to force people to register before purchasing. It's annoying and adds an extra unnecessary step to the checkout process.

If they must register, make sure you point out the many benefits they'll receive if they do. For example, advance notice of any specials or sales.

9) Delivery Time:  Unfortunately we live in an "instant society" where everyone wants everything "yesterday". Make it clear when products are added to the shopping cart exactly how long until they arrive at the customer's door. If it's 4 to 6 days, say so, don't make them wait every day with their nose pressed against the glass for "Mr. Mailman" or the UPS driver. Not a positive experience.

10) Load Time: Make sure your website pages aren't overly bloated and don't take too long to load. Waiting for the hourglass to disappear is sure to send shoppers clicking for their back button.

So there you have it,ten simple ways you can improve your visitor's shopping experience when visiting your website. These tips will not only put more money in your pocket, but make for a happier customer all the way around.

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"How to Add a Like Button to your Website"

Social media is a great way to spread the word about your website. If you've been to any webpage that displays a "like" button and have always wondered how to do this on your own site watch this video and learn how easy it really is. This is a great way to let Facebook users share your content.

"Twitter Power 2.0 on WPIX with Tamsen Fadal"

Joel Comm being interviewed on why Twitter is good for your business.

“How to Set up your own Online Business: 11 FREE or LOW Cost Services you'll need to know about.”

Whoever said you need thousands of dollars to start your own web based business didn't know what they were talking about. If you know where to look your business can be on the web for very little money, and in some cases free.

1) Domain Names:  If you want your own domain name like http://www.sallysshop.com, you may expect to pay anywhere from $10.00 to $30.00 a year to own it.  Some of the cheaper ones are:

http://www.onestop.net 
http://www.joker.com   
http://www.dotster.com 
http://www.nameBargain.com- My personal fav.

2) Free Web Hosting:  If you've been thinking of launching a website but don't want to pay the $20 to $40.00 a month typically charged or hosting it, you don't have to. With a little research, you'll find plenty of places that will host your site free.

Before you get too excited let me tell you the drawback: Most free hosts place a banner at the top of your pages for giving you this courtesy. But believe it or not, I have found web hosts that won't charge you a dime and won't force you to display those pesky banners. Some of them also will take the banners away for a small yearly fee which is nothing compared to paying a host monthly.

Some of the best ones are:

http://www.netfirms.com  Requires banners, but you can
remove them for $60.00 a year.

http://www.crosswinds.net Free hosting, no banners required
http://www.doteasy.com/ Free Domain Hosting, no banners

If you sell product and need a shopping cart, check some of these:

http://www.gta-tech.com
http://www.fatfreecart.com/
http://www.zen-cart.com/

3) Product or Service to Sell: Let's face it -- if you don't have something to sell on your website, it won't earn you any money. The best-selling items online seem to be information products and software, because they can be paid for and downloaded immediately. If you sell a product, you need to factor in  shipping expenses -- both local and international.

If you don't have your own product to sell, no problem. Many Internet companies will be happy to have you sign up and start selling their products for them. They get increased sales and you get a commission on everything you sell. Online these are called "affiliate" or "associate programs." While most are free to join, you should resist the temptation to
sign up with too many. Stick with one common theme when deciding on what to sell. In other words, don't resell software and dog biscuits on the same website (unless your site is targeted to veterinarians and the software deals with patient records). You need consistency, so pick a theme and stick with it.

To find associate programs to join check out:

http://www.associateprograms.com/directory/
http://www.affiliatescout.com/
http://www.whichaffiliate.com/

4) Fax Number: Don't buy a fax machine; now you can get your own virtual fax number These online companies will give you your own  fax number that will send your faxes directly to your email inbox ("e-faxing"). If you travel a lot and need to receive faxes from the office this service is a godsend. Easy to sign up.....and use.

http://www.efax.com
http://www.onebox.com

5) Logo: If you're going to have an online business, you really should come up with a logo. A logo will help to brand your company online. After awhile, folks will come to associate your logo with your products and services.
At least, that's the main idea. So what if you can't even draw a stick figure? There are plenty of online sites where you can design your logo or absolutely free:

http://www.cooltext.com
http://www.thelogocreator.com 

6) Refer a Friend: People love recommending good things to their friends and family. So why not give them the chance to tell someone about your website? This is an easy feature to add to your site. Once you sign up with your chosen service, you paste a few lines of HTML code they give you onto your page and you're done.This is a form of viral marketing, and it works great.

http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles3/tell-a-friend-script.htm

7) Newsletter/Blog:  If you're going to have a website you must publish an ezine or blog. Yep, sorry, hate to break it to you, but if you want to bring people back to your site and remind them of your existence you need to offer an ezine. Luckily, you don't need to set up a tricky list server; use one of the services below.

Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/

http://www.topica.com
http://www.Blogger.com

8) Autoresponders: Remember fax-on-demand? Well, autoresponders work like that but come directly to your email box instead of your fax machine. You'll find many uses for them: from listing your products or services with current pricing, to offering back issues of your ezine. You can even use them to set up a scheduled training course on any topic you choose.

You'll find plenty of free autoresponders if you take a look, like:

http://www.sendfree.com
http://www.FreeAutoBot.com

9) Promotional Items: Once your website is built you'll need a few items on hand to help promote it.

a) Press Release- Keep it short & newsworthy, 4/5 paragraphs tops
b) Descriptions of your Site- Long and short for search engines and directories
c) Banners- animated & static, 468X60 and maybe a button banner
d) Classified Ads- Write a few short ads, 4 or 5 lines, 60 to 65
characters wide to use for online advertising in ezines and blogs.
e) Signature Lines: write a few good signature lines and use them on every piece of email that you send out and at the bottom of published articles.  Try to include something free in it.

Business cards can be made inexpensively at http://www.vistaprint.com

10) Toll Free Number:  If you don't want to add another phone line in your house for your new business, don't! There are many companies online who are just waiting to give you your own toll free phone number. Many of them can be configured to ring on your land line, or transferred to your cell phone if you prefer. You can even set the hours and times you want the calls to transfer to your other  phone number, all done seamlessly. Many of these types of services will also notify you by email when you have a message waiting in your box.

Google Voice http://www.google.com/voice

11) Ability to Accept Credit Cards; No merchant account, no problem! Let's face it, if you want people to order from your site you need to make it easy for them to pay you and that means accepting online payments. Merchant accounts can be costly to set up, especially for a new Internet business. Good thing there are plenty of  third party processors you can use who will take a small percentage of each sale in exchange for giving you this service:

http://www.ccnow.com  Must be a tangible product not a service
http://www.propay.com Low rates, and your email address appears
on the customer's cc statement not the processor.
http://www.clickbank.com Rates aren't bad and allows you to take out of country payments.

Another easy way to accept online payment is PayPal http://www.paypal.com  Free to register and cheap; an easy way to send or receive money.

So there you have it in a nutshell. Don't put off starting your online business one more day because you think you can't afford it. You can. By implementing these 11 suggestions into your new business, you'll have a site that not only makes the sale, but doesn't cost you an arm and a leg to own.

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Should I be obsessing about load times?

By now you've heard that Google is taking your page load time into consideration when it comes to ranking. But just how important is it? Listen in as Matt Cutts gives us a glimpse inside Google's thought process with this new criteria.

"Top 10 Tips for Using Twitter"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

When it comes to social media, no one “gets it” as well as Twitter. According to Econsultancy, as of Jan 2010, Twitter has 75 million user accounts, with about 15 million of that total being active users. Seehttp://tinyurl.com/yetgcru . That's a lot of people sending a lot of Tweets. This micro-blogging service makes it easy for small businesses and entrepreneurs to stay in touch with those who choose to follow them, and stay updated on new products, services, special offers, industry news and more. It's a win-win for both the Tweeter, and their followers.

When it comes to using Twitter, there's a right way and a wrong way to use it. Your messages must be kept short, under 140 characters, and they need to be helpful or informative. Don't carry on about what you ate for breakfast, or the fact that you just brushed your teeth. People will unfollow you faster than they can hit the button, even if you do have good oral habits.

I've been using Twitter for a long time now and here's what I've found works best when participating in this close knit community of few words.

1) Regular Postings: Now I'm not saying you need to post every day, although that would be nice. You do need to make an appearance on a regular basis. It's like school - you need to show up to pass. Be a contributor that your followers get to really know and look forward to your Tweets. If you’re the type of person who needs to plan ahead, you can always use a service that allows you to schedule tweets in advance, such as http://www.socialoomph.com/

2) Retweet: If you see Tweets posted by other users that you think your followers would like, then retweet them. It only takes one click, and you'll also be creating goodwill with other Twitter users at the same time. If you'd like, you can add a personal thought or comment before sending it. Also, make it easy for others to retweet your posts by adding RT buttons to your website or blog. It's easy with http://tweetmeme.com/about/retweet_button

3) Be Helpful: Keep in mind Twitter is a form of social Media, so social interaction is key. It's not all about you. Whenever an opportunity arises to answer a question, participate in a survey, or help solve a problem, do so. In this way you're participating in the community. This also will help your brand and image when others know they can count on you for support or feedback.

4) Don't Be A Follow CopyCat: Don't follow everyone who follows you. This is probably my biggest pet peeve when it comes to Twitter. So many people turn this feature on to auto follow those who follow them. Why would you  want to do this? I'd prefer that those I follow are people and topics I've hand-selected that interest me, and not a mish-mash of followers who may be ranting about things I have no interest in. Be selective in who you follow or your Twitter stream could quickly fill up with junk or spam. For quality people to follow, see-http://followontwitterlists.com/

5) What to Tweet: Make sure that the tweets you post are helpful and/or informative. Late breaking news pertaining to your industry, as well as any specials or sales you may have going on are always good topics. If you find something you think your followers would like, especially if it's free or a bargain, share the love. Plus, if your tweets are good, it will encourage others to retweet them. For ideas see- http://www.artbizblog.com/2009/07/what-to-tweet.html

6) Comment: Particpate in the community by commenting on other people's tweets. If you can answer a question, do so. It never hurts and people really will appreciate it when you take the time to comment on what they  have to say. It lets them know that others are actually listening to what they have to say in the "Twitterverse".

7) Say Thank You: When someone takes the time to retweet one of your tweets, make sure to reply to them with a "thank you". Manners rule online as well as off, and they'll like the fact that you noticed the retweet and took the time to show some gratitude.  It may even inspire them to retweet more of your tweets in the future.

8) Be Personal: Again, I don't need to know what you ate for dinner, but every now and then you should show your human side with a creative thought, quote, or other statement. Let people know you're "real" and not just a lean mean business machine. You want to tread lightly in this area. Too personal is overkill, but a little can help in establishing a connection with your followers.

9) Post Pictures/Video: Remember, Twitter is not just for text. It's easy to post short videos, and pictures too. It's nice to mix it up a little and share content in other formats as well. Here are some resources http://freenuts.com/video-sharing-websites-for-twitter/

10) Talk About More Than Yourself: It's not all about you, so please don't make all your tweets one big marketing message, such as only tweeting about your latest press release, blog posting, or article that was published. No one will want to follow you if you're one big commercial. Yes, some of this is fine in moderation, but you need to walk a fine line and mix it up with other helpful, interesting topics.

Now it's time to start putting these tips into action. Social media is all about participating and listening to what others have to say. It's all about creating and sharing information and becoming part of the community. If you approach Twitter in this fashion, you'll not only have a lot more fun, but your followers will like and respect you -and if that doesn't strengthen your brand, nothing will.

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"How to Set Up Your Own Personal Brand with Google Profiles"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

How would you like to have the top ranking in Google for a particular key-phrase? There are a lot of people who spend hours every week on search engine optimization, who would consider a front page listing on Google's search results as  having their prayers answered. What if I told you it's possible? Do I have your attention now? By creating a Google Profile for your name, that front page ranking is all but guaranteed.

If you haven't heard of "Google's Profile" service, it's a page that's all about you. Created by you, it's sort of like a “mini-resume”. So when someone goes to Google and searches your name, (and sooner or later they will), profile summaries are shown at the bottom of the search results page.To view the full profile, you simply click on the included link.

Now if you have a very common name say, Bob Smith, you may have some competition. Google shows up to four profile links on each page. Now, if you had parents with a little creativity and have an uncommon name, your profile should be the only one displayed on the search results page.

So why would you want to create a profile? Understand that Google does not give these pages any extra boost in ranking, but this is an excellent way to brand yourself and to control what others read about you online. It's your own personal identity, and now you're in charge of the information that's revealed.

The first step in creating your own profile is having a Google account. You'll find simple instructions here http://tinyurl.com/lyrfky .If you already have one, log  into Google Profiles at http://www.google.com/profiles

All of Google's services require a Google account to use them, so it's something you'll use over and over.  Now if your Google account is linked to your Gmail account, this will end up being your profile's URL. If you don't have a Gmail account yet, you'll be allowed to select a username to use in your custom URL. Be very careful here, as once a URL is selected it cannot be changed. A custom URL looks like this http://www.google.co/profiles/username

So what types of information can you include in your profile? Glad you asked. It can include as much or as little as you want. Here are some of your choices:

1) Contact Info
2) Current Location
3) Work Info
4) Embed Photos from Picasa or FlickR
5) About You Bio Page
6) Links to Your Blogs/Websites
7) Links to Social Networks Used
8) School Info

If you're also a "Google Buzz" user, whenever you post, it will also be displayed on your Google Profile page under the "Buzz Tab". Another nice feature is the  ability to receive emails from other Google account users without publicly displaying your email address. This feature is found under "Edit Profile".

If you'd like your profile to display a really slick"verified name badge" ,there's an extra step involved. It's not necessary or mandatory, but by doing it viewers will know the profile they're looking at is really you
and not some "poser".

To verify your Profile, you'll need to use Google's Knol Service http://knol.google.com/k . Once logged in, look under "preferences" from "my profile" and click on the "name verification". There are two options given in order to verify your identity. The first is to type in a credit card number ,and the other your social security number and address. Again, this step is not mandatory and you can set up a Google Profile just
fine without doing it. The choice is yours.

Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes out of your busy day to set up your own Google Profile. Look,people will search for you on Google, it could be a possible employer, an old friend trying to find you, or even a new client who's interested in your products and/or services. Why not make it easy for them to find out a little more about you?  By having a personal profile, it ensures they're getting factual information that you want them to see. Everyone is a brand on the Internet, even you. Time to take charge of it.

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“Main Article: How to Avoid The Big Mistakes”

By Marlon Sanders http://www.marlonsanders.com/

Today I'm going to talk to you about how not to LOSE money.And how to get more of it while doing the same.There's a skill in a non-Internet marketing arena I'm learning. And like any new skill, you're not worried about getting all the nuances to start with. What you want is to avoid the BIG mistakes.  In this article, I'm going to help you avoid the BIG ones. I really hope you read this and think about it. It'll save you months if not years of wasted time and effort.

=======================
Big mistake #1:  Never doing anything
=====================================

This sounds obvious. But it's an EASY trap to fall into because you keep learning, learning and learning. It's easy to fall prey to the fear of making mistakes and the fear of being criticized.  A lot of people never sell big ticket products because they're afraid of being criticized. You know, if you sell a $27 ebook, no one is going to get too upset if they think it sucks. But if you sell something for a G, and people think it sucks, yeah, they'll complain. But you can't let that fear hold you back.  Just try to produce good products.

It's true that if you do something and it doesn't work you could feel like your "dream" will never happen. But it's 100% it'll never happen if you never do anything. Instead of seeing your results as your own personal ability being judged, see your activities as performing marketing tests.  More on this attitude in a second. Law 1:  Do something.

============================================
Big mistake #2:  Trying to sell to everybody
============================================

It's like trying to catch bass in the ocean.  You're probably going to have more success catching bass in a lake. Think of it as fishing in ponds or lakes.  Over here you have bass.  Over here you have something else.

You have to find a LAKE to fish in.Now, I don't fish. So it's not a perfect analogy. But you get the idea. You can look at it as shopping malls. A shopping mall in one part of town is going to have different stores than one in another part of town, right? You don't put the Neiman's or Nordstrom's (high end stores) in the low rent part of town. The point of targeting a specific group of people is it's easier to know what they want and be specific about how you provide that.

Look at marketing like this.  You have a specific group of people and you are performing a marketing experiment to find out IF these people will actually spend money to solve a problem or get a defined result. It's a test. It's an experiment.  You do your research to find out what they are already spending money on. Then you find the next link in the chain as I've taught in other courses.  Then you launch your test out there and see the results. The results are NOT a statement about you nor your marketing. They're the results of a test. Law 2:  Find a pond to fish in.

===========================================
Big mistake #3:  Spending all your money on one high-
end coaching program without really investigating it.
==========================================

I see people spend all their piggy bank money on one high-end program or coaching program without really investigating the feedback on the Internet about it. Be REALLY cautious about spending all your piggy bank on one program that promises the world -- EVEN if your favorite "guru" endorses or promotes it.

In marketing, you do reciprocal mailings for friends. It's almost impossible to avoid.  Or you owe someone a favor. Now, I personally do about 100X less of these than  anyone else.  It's cost me a great deal of money to NOT do these. But I've always tried to put my concerns for my customers first.  But even at that, on occasion I owe a favor to a friend.  And I work hard to only promote good products when I do that.

But do your research no matter who endorses it ... IFit's a very significant chunk of your piggy bank. If it's discretionary money, don't sweat it so much.

For me personally, it was a VERY big breakthrough in 1992 (or somewhere in there) when I spent $5,000 for Jay Abraham's Marketing Protege program.  Nowadays many of the things I learned are common knowledge -- USP, lifetime value of a customer, endorsed mailings. But at the time, NO ONE taught these things. And I learned an enormous amount very quickly, even though the program wasn't structured and was more a hodgepodge.

Then again, that's a bit how Jay's mind works.  And I'm  kinda that way too. So it all worked for me. At the time, $5,000 was a lot of money to me. So I kinda spent my piggy bank.  So I'm not against big ticket purchases.

But some people just buy junk from a high-powered telephone sales pitch and do almost no research on it.... all because the person on the phone says they are calling on behalf of XYZ guru.

Fact is, some marketers sell their leads to telephone sales rooms that call and sell very large ticket coaching programs. You should know that.  I don't do it. But some people do. A lot of these phone rooms are in Utah.  In the biz, it's known as selling your leads to Utah and everyone knows what that means.

There may be good programs there also.  I don't know all of them.  I know that in SOME of the programs, the "coaches" have a noteboook with 50 programs in it.  And they do coaching for all kinds of programs from real estate to Internet marketing. So you can imagine how useful the coaching is. They usually start selling at $10,000 and then just keep going lower till people say yes.  By the same token, I know of one company like this where the marketer goes in and personally trains the coaches then does monthly follow up with them. So I'm not saying as a blanket statement they're all bad.

All I'm saying is be smart. Don't be stupid.  Do your research no matter WHO endorses the product.  At the same time, I see people agonize over a $97 product. You know, come on.  Keep this in perspective.  No one product is going to change your life in all likelihood. Success is the result of an accumulation of know how and skills. Law 3:  Do your research.

====================================
Big Mistake #4:  Not building a list
====================================

Someone commented on my blog just the other day.  "Marlon, I'm finally taking your advice and building a list." They probably bought someone else's program that somehow finally convinced them. I'm just telling you.  If you want to be in the Game 5 or 10 years from now being successful then build a list or lists. The model works.  It has worked for 100+ years and will continue to work. Law 4:  Build a list

======================================
Big Mistake #5:  Searching for the one system that sounds the
easiest with the least possible work and effort.
======================================

Everyone I know who succeeds expends effort to do so including myself.
However, once you get your systems tested and in place, they truly CAN run more or less on autopilot with minimal input and monitoring for substantial periods of time.

Then you may have to create new systems or re-tweak. Sometimes there are fundamental shifts in the market that require a new set of systems to be created and installed. The axe I have to grind is with consumers who search and search for someone who promises them the world with little  effort.

Some people believe this nonsense.  They actually believe you can obtain huge results almost by pushing a button or expending very little effort.  If that's you, stop it. Success is the result of the accumulation of skills and know how and the implementation of the same.  Ultimately, you find one formula that works for you through trial and error. And the money comes when you then repeat that formula over and over in the same market or in various markets.  That's where money comes from.

It takes experimentation on your part to refine that formula. And if every month you're trying a brand new formula you'll never get there. You get a formula and work with it, tweak it, refine it until you get it to work. So you find a group of people who buy a lot of stuff over and over.

You see what they are buying right now. You create something like it but add your own spin and USP or solve a problem or two with the existing products or systems. Then you throw it out there and see if the market confirms that your observations were correct. If not, your test failed.  You either tweak that product again or take another stab at it. I personally like to look for under served people or topics. So here's a group of people who buy lots and lots of stuff but on this one topic, idea or product, there's a lack of supply.

I like to BE the supply to a lack.  True marketing is serving.  You serve people who are under served.  You become the supply for lack. There are always gaps in the market.  Wants that are unfulfilled. But this is only one way to look at it. Others see wants as things that are NEVER satisfied. So if people buy one thing to fulfill a want, they'll buy another and another.

Law 5:  Get a formula and tweak it

==============================================
Big Mistake #6:  Not really focusing and getting lead generation
systems in place and down pat
=============================================

All businesses boil down to generating new customers and making sales.
So you gotta get really, really, really good at that process. Become an expert in it. For Internet marketing this means:

a.  Knowing where your customers hang out at.
b.  Hanging out there with them.
c.  Watching what they talk about and looking for unmet wants
d.  Filling those unmet wants or under-served products
e.  Having a system for continually putting more and more and
more of those people on your list by giving them a really great
reason to get ON your list and STAY on your list.
f.  Sending out emails that provide value and sometimes sell
stuff.

Your whole entire business hinges on your ability to find the people who buy lots of stuff then find some way to get 'em on your list so you can send 'em emails. Don't like getting people on a list and sending them emails?

Then you're on the wrong list baby! That's what I do. Go find someone else.
Law 5:  Get really good at filling your pipeline with new blood

========================================
Big Mistake #7:  Thinking you have to have the perfect product
before you can sell it
========================================

Listen, by the time your product is perfect, the market has changed and it won't sell anymore anyway. Joe Vitale said, "Money loves speed." Provide value?  Yes.  Provide more value than people pay for? Absolutely. Provide perfect products and value?  No. Now, the bar of what people expect keeps moving higher and higher.  That's how business works.  So you always have to get better. But that's ok because you learn as you go.

=========================================
Big Mistake #8:  Never getting good at selling
==========================================

Business as I've said is about finding potential customers and giving them really compelling reasons for buying from you today. You get them on a list and then you sell 'em or serve 'em. Those two ARE the same thing. Selling = serving unmet wants and needs. You may not like to sell.  You may not be good at selling. Get over it. You gotta sell. Now, you can do it by writing stuff.  Reports, sales letters, whatever. You can do it by doing teleseminars or webinars. You can do it by sign language. But somehow.  Someway.

You gotta sell. Stated in more socially acceptable terms, you gotta give people reasons to buy from you. Whatever.  Nothing happens until someone gives you money in exchange for something they want. Law 8: Get good at selling

===========================================
Big Mistake #9:  Hopping on the band wagon
===========================================

Sometimes you gotta hop on the band wagon. Sometimes it's a mistake.
In general, it's better to be ON the wagon before the band get there.  Because by the time the band gets there it's too late. This is especially true with search engine optimization methods otherwise known as seo.

By the time the perfect, user friendly course comes out with all the methods made dirt easy, those things are probably less effective. The money is made early on in most arenas.  You get to the diamond mine BEFORE everyone else finds out about it. This is admittedly double talk and an art.  On the one hand, I like proven business models like list building and I don't like fads that die fast. On the other hand, if you're too late to the party, it's OVER. So it's an art to know what to jump in early on and what to avoid.

What I DO know is that, in general, by the time everyone is talking about it and you have all the social proof that makes you feel comfortable and by the time all the software is perfect and hassle free and by the time there are cheap coaching programs on it and by the time all those nasty kinks and bugs are worked out and by the time it's super simple and easy to learn and do -- by THAT time it's TOO late.

Stop complaining about software that has glitches or isn't perfectly easy to use and processes that aren't all 100% perfectly laid out. Because by the time all that happens everyone else has figured it out also and the party is so freaking over it isn't funny. The money is made early. Money loves speed. If you sit around and debate on it, research it, think about it, mull it over -- it's too late.

By the same token, don't bet the farm on a fad. Which sounds like double talk.  And that's why judgment is involved. Which is GOOD! Once it's a "machine," the party is over. Why? This is a basic, fundamental understanding of the law of supply and demand.  When the supply equals demand, the profit is GONE. Law 9:  Joe Vitale was right. Money loves speed.

==========================================
Big Mistake #10: Doing all the technical stuff yourself
========================================

Outsource your customer service as soon as you can. Find a good technical person (freelancer or part timer) as soon as you can. Find a webmaster and graphic designer as soon as you can. Law 10: Focus on marketing.

=======================================================

Marlon Sanders helps people with hopes and dreams figure
out how to turn those into reality by selling stuff on
the Internet.  http://www.marlonsanders.com/

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“Confessional Secrets from a Bargain Shopper”

I love a deal. Take me to any store and if I see "Clearance Signs", I'm in love. Awwwwhhhhh, the smell of a good deal. I'm no different when I shop online. Anymore if there's something I'm planning on purchasing I do all of my research right online before deciding where to purchase.

My number one weapon of choice for this is Google's shopping search engine Froogle http://www.froogle.com/ Just type in what you're looking for and it comes back with products and prices. By selecting sort order of lowest to highest I can right away see who's got the cheapest price. Nice.

There are plenty of other good tools and fantastic websites that will bring the bargains to you on a daily basis. Just make sure that credit card doesn't get too hot. Here are a few places I check for deals almost daily.

Woot http://www.woot.com/ - This site brings you one daily special every 24 hours something new. Always cool and useful you never know what the catch of the day will be. They have great prices and a great sense of humor, which always helps anything in life. They also have branched off into other mini-specialized sites such as:

http://kids.woot.com/  Just as the domain implies all you'll find here is stuff kids will love. So you don't have kids? Well, I'm sure you have nieces, nephews or your friend's kids that you'll need birthday and or Xmas presents for at some point.

http://deals.woot.com/  A multitude of deals all on one site, deals changing every 24 hours.

http://wine.woot.com/ - Now I'm not a big wine drinker but for those of you who like to be steeped in grapes this ones for you.

Woot really is a great company and I've bought more than my share of products that I've been very happy with. I'm a Wooter!

Now what about Ebay? Consistently serving up the deals but one you may not know about that serves up daily specials is http://deals.ebay.com/ A variety of products go up for grabs usually with free or very low cost  shipping.

Another website to check daily is http://deals.yahoo.com/ click on the "daily deals" tab to see what's up for grabs that day. They feature everything from clothing, jewelry, perfume, electronics to big appliances. You  never know what you'll find.

Before I ever buy anything online I always check to  see if there are any online coupons or discount codes I can use on their website. A fast easy way to do this is to use this site http://www.retailmenot.com/ Just type in the store or site name and it comes back with any promotional deals that store has going on at the moment. Just write down the code and when checking out at the vendor's site type it into the promo code box to reap the savings.

In no particular order here are some other online savings sites and blogs I really like and recommend.

http://www.groupon.com/ - Using their "collective buying power" you can score great deals on products and services. Type in your city to see what's available that day in your area.

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/  The price of food these days has many people looking for a short term loan just to feed their families. The owner of this site does all the hard work of couponing and finding all the deals at  your local supermarket and/or drugstore. All you have to do is login every week to print it out. You can sign up for a free 28 day trial to see how you like it. If you choose to stay it's 10.00 for one store membership every eight weeks, two stores will run 15.00 every 8 weeks, and three stores 20.00. If you have the time to go to the stores and grab the suggested deals you really can save a lot of  money on your grocery bill.

http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/ An informative blog written by a Certified Public Accountant and MBA who left the workforce to become a stay at home mom for her kids.  She shares her money saving tips and tricks so you too can live frugally.

For great deals on electronics I do love http://www.buy.com/ Make sure to sign up for their daily deals newsletter so you can quickly see what's on sale for the day.

Another one that's been around forever but still my favorite for books is Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ If you don't want to pay full  price then always check the used section to see if you can get what you want for less, but many times you can't beat Amazon's free shipping with any 25.00 order for the best savings. I've also turned to Amazon for  my music downloads to. If you sign up for their mailing list you'll be notified of what the daily deal downloads are and even be shown free mp3's you can get. Good stuff Maynard!

Last but definitely not least is http://www.MyBargainBuddy.com/blog Sign up to be notified of all the daily deals or you can follow her on Twitter. Lots of goodies and always a variety of products.

So there you have it. All of my shopping secrets all in one place. So next time you set out to purchase something online, before you hit that buy button, or type in your credit card number, make sure you've done all you can to ensure you're getting the best possible price. From one bargain shopper to another, have fun and snag those deals!

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“9 Article Marketing Tips”

Article marketing can do a lot for your business. You just have to know a few things and here are some tips to help you out.

1. First, you have to make sure that whatever you are writing about is relevant. If you know for a fact that your product could be very useful, then do some research about it and then end the article with a link to your website.  Spell check and proof read it when finished or have someone else do it for you.

2. Just like what you read in the newspaper or see on television, the article must be both timely and newsworthy. This will allow you stay in touch with what is happening in the world. One good way to stay up on current events is signing up with a site that gives you alerts with regards to the latest happenings online. Google Alerts works well for this http://www.google.com/alerts

3. Make writing a regular activity.  It’s best to write one or two articles per week if you can. Make writing a weekly task on your promotional schedule.

4. You should also make your articles viral. What this simply means is allowing other people to publish your article just as long as nothing is changed and you are given credit for it. Another way of doing this is offering your writing services to others which could mean more revenue for you.  It’s easy to compile a list of ezine publishers and article directories where you can submit to on a regular basis.

5. Each article you write must be short and simple. It must be short so that it will not bore the reader. Simple so that they will be able to understand the message you are trying to convey. Less then 600 words is usually best if you want to see it published. If longer then that you can break it up into a article series.

6. Just how many articles must your write to increase traffic? The good news is that you only need 2 to get things started. A good title will be “ how to do something” and “ x number of tips for something.” If this catches their interest, that person will most likely click on the link to your site and then buy something.

7. If you have multiple websites, you can write more articles and then use different resource boxes at the end of each one  to drive traffic to those sites too. 

8. Aside from posting your written work in other websites, don’t forget to also put these in your own. If you have written 10 or more about the same topic, put these together to what is known as an e-book and then pass this along for free. Again, if people like what is written there then people wouldn’t remind reading it several times.  PDF format is generally best for ebooks as it works on Mac or PC. Repackage your articles to get the most mileage out of them.

9. Aside from posting in websites, make use of RSS feeds. There are plenty of them around so make good use of them.

There are two ways to get into article marketing. The first is to write it yourself and just hope that people will appreciate your writing style. The other is to hire someone to do it. Some charge by the hour while others charge per word. It may be worth it if this increases traffic to your site. Another options is PLR, private label rights. This is content you can purchase or sometimes get for free and edit it and use it as you wish. If you need help there’s also software that will help with the writing process.

When article marketing is done as part of a weekly promotional schedule you’ll be surprised at the amount of free traffic you’ll pick up on a regular basis.

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"Download TweetGlide Free"

I just downloaded this Free Twitter Desktop App: TweetGlide

Not only does it make using Twitter a lot more easier because you can easily manage all aspects of your account from one location......it also has a built in traffic network designed to send you free traffic to your website when you post updates from inside the app.

You have to see it in action! It was developed by Mike Filsaime and if you know anything about Mike, then you know that this will be a viral traffic generating machine for you. All you have to do is download it for free and maintain the same Twitter activity you were before you heard about this. Only now, you will get free traffic from it.

Here's how using this App will get you free traffic. It has a similar user interface to popular Twitter apps such as Twirl and Tweet Deck, where you have different panels for the Twitter Stream, your @ replies, and your direct messages. But what makes TweetGlide different, and more importantly, what gets you TRAFFIC is the additional
panel called the "Members Ad Stream"......where your ad (which looks like a Twitter post) that you created from inside the app will be displayed on OTHER TweetGlide users "Ad Stream" panel.

It's credit based and all you have to do is post, like you normally do, and you will earn ad credits which will convert to your ad being displayed in the stream. Pretty straight forward, but extremely powerful. But here's where it gets even better. In addition to getting credits for posting, you will get credits for referring other members, and even more credits for members YOUR referrals get to use TWeetGlide - 5 levels down!

Go download it now and start getting more traffic today.

"Internet Marketing For Beginners Bootcamp"

Are you trying to earn an income online? Take it from someone who's been at it for about 15 years now, it aint easy. There's no secret formula or overnight trick that will do it for you. Just as there's no diet pill that will help you to lose that last 10 pounds and still eat all of those chips. It "aint gonna happen". But, there are plenty of excellent resources and teachers who can take you by the hand and guide you along the right path.

Sign up for this no-charge "Freedom to Be Your Own Boss" weekly instructional emails for Internet marketing beginners, and free report. You'll learn the basics first-it's like boot camp for Internet Marketers. You'll need to learn to walk before you can run so to speak.

You'll have to give up your email address to download the goods. Check it out here.

“Top Internet Business Ideas- Easy to Start”

The Internet offers many business opportunities. You can become a part of someone else’s enterprise, such as with affiliate marketing, or create a business of your own. There are many advantages to starting an Internet business. Being your own boss and working the hours that fit your schedule to name just a few.Here are the top Internet business ideas to help you find that appropriate niche you are looking for.

Every day people search the Internet for all sorts of opportunities. With this economy, the number one search is for ways to make money with low startup costs. Many of the basic equipment needed to begin Internet businesses are in your home right now. If you have a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, a telephone, a desk, and a printer, you can get going right away. Remember, it takes a lot of hard work and you won’t make a fortune overnight, but if you work at it daily eventually you’ll be surprised at what you’re capable of.

1.    Blogging. This is the way to create an online presence without the technical issues of owning your own website (that comes later). Most blogs are offered with free hosting and come with already installed features so set up is easy. Blog about anything that you find interesting and will be interesting to other readers. A blog with a niche will perform better a personal one. Blogs can also make money with programs like Google Adwords and AdSense. Pay per Click advertising also works for generating revenue.

WordPress is the most popular blogging software out there. If you need a nice looking template check this site out.

Affiliate Niche Packs are a perfect way to get started as the research and hard work has been done for you.

Start a Review Blog. or a Craft Blog.

Need Help with your blog content? See Automatic Blogger.

2.    Internet research. Anyone who can navigate the Internet and find out almost anything, can market themselves as an Internet researcher. Large and small companies will pay you to find out information for them, create reports from the research.

3.    Selling products. If you have a hobby like making and selling crafts you can expand your business online with a website. Set up a website that caters to your product offerings. Market these products online to drive traffic to your website.  If you don’t want to start your own site you can use a third party craft site to sell your wares. A few are:

Etsy- http://www.Etsy.com
ArtsEfest- http://www.artsefest.com/home.php
Craft Mall- http://www.craftmall.com/
Artfire- http://www.artfire.com/

4.    Selling on eBay. With this idea, you set up shop on the Internet. You can sell products you created or items you own that you want to sell. Many now make a living selling on eBay. As your business grows, you can expand to involve other product markets.

5.    Freelancing. Many online and offline businesses are looking for help. Freelancers lower the overhead of the company thus becoming more profitable for many jobs than hiring someone to work in the office. Depending on your talent, hire yourself out at a freelance writer, graphic artist, website designer or programmer. There are plenty of websites online where you can post your resume and the type of work you’re looking for.

6.    Virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are the going trend for many businesses. In the beginning, virtual assistants performed the administrative duties of a company from their home. Now, VA’s can be found in all career specialties like medical, real estate, marketing and publishing. They perform tasks above administrative such as website administrator, report creation and Internet research.  How about being a transcriptionist.

7.    Membership sites. You see more of these around these days. With a membership site, you choose a niche, such as online marketing. Customers pay to join at a certain level (gold, silver, bronze) and are rewarded with certain perks for their membership that include newsletters, videos or articles on marketing and services to help expand their own business. You create the website and supply the materials yourself or through outsourcing each month to your members.

For an inexpensive ebook on starting your own membership site that even comes with resell rights go to- http://www.merlesworld.com/Membership_Ebook/membership_ebook.htm

Do you have an idea of what your Internet business idea might be? This list should get you started. Feel free to add your ideas and comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

"Why does Google index blogs faster than other sites? "

Listen in as Matt Cutts answers the question "Why does Google index blogs faster than other sites?"

"Rampant Rudeness on the Internet: What Would 'Miss Manners' Say?"

Give some people a computer and an Internet connection and they think it's a license for rudeness. What is it about the Internet that causes some folks to take all they learned about basic etiquette and throw it right out the window?

Think about it: Just because your reader can't see you doesn't give you the right to be rude, but there are millions of Net users who feel that it does. I've been called names I'd rather not repeat in polite company and have been replied to in ALL CAPS. I'm not deaf.... THERE'S REALLY NO NEED TO YELL.

I attribute this newfound sense of rudeness to the feeling of invisibility one gets while sitting behind the keyboard. I mean, would you really come up to me face to face and call me a "Jackass" when you can't read simple directions on how to unsubscribe yourself from my ezine? I think not.

In this new digital age it appears we've taken everyday common courtesy and thrown it right out the window. Whatever happened to "please" and "thank you?" My mother, who taught me as a child to call all adults 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' would have cardiac arrest over the emails I receive on a daily basis.

Remember the "Golden Rule?" "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you." Translation: before you call someone names, swear at them, report them for Spam  or do any other annoying gesture, stop and think. Maybe you did subscribe to that ezine and just don't remember. Try giving someone the benefit of the doubt before firing off an ugly email message that a real live breathing human being with feelings is going to read. Computers may not have feelings, but people do and there's a person behind every email address and/ or website.

Here are the 'Top 10 Do's and Don'ts' for online communication:

1) Don't reply to someone in all caps; it's equivalent to screaming at them.

2) If you receive a newsletter and can't figure out how to unsubscribe, before threatening to sue or reporting the publisher for Spam, politely ask the publisher to be removed. Any ezine publisher worth his salt will be happy to oblige. We really don't want to hold you captive.

3) Try to reply to all of your email messages within 48 hours. If not, many people get annoyed and will think you're avoiding them.

4) If you publish an ezine or blog make sure you place subscribe and unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of every issue or on your site.

5) Don't use foul language in an email; that will get you nowhere. If you're upset about something, please state the problem clearly along with how you'd like to see the problem resolved.

6) If you visit a website and it's not to your liking, don't fire off a nasty email stating what a loser the site owner must be. Remember what your Mom use to say "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

7) Make sure every page of your website contains an email address to contact you. Please don't make me fill out a long form just to ask you a simple question.

8) When replying to an email, keep the original message intact so the person you're replying to knows what you're talking about. Personally I receive over 300 messages a day, so I need to see your message in context -- otherwise, I may not understand it.

9) If you buy or sell products/services online, make sure you're using an online payment service like PayPal.com in order to move money around quickly. Don't make snail mail your only payment option.

10) Pay your bills in a timely fashion. If you owe someone money online don't make them send out 10 emails telling you your payment is overdue. Pay promptly.

So there you have it; my Top 10 rules for being more polite and less rude online. If you incorporate these tips into your daily Internet dealings you'll find the Net a little warmer and a friendlier place to be.
There's enough road rage in the world, so when traveling the information highway please remember that we're all human. Your computer is just a tool used to communicate with others. Please be KIND to them!

"Must Have Marketing Resources" by Merle is loaded with VALUABLE online resources you need to know about, when it comes to running your web business. Get your copy now at ... http://mcebook.mcpromotions.com/

Download My Tweet Ebook

I love Twitter and spend quite a bit of time finding valuable content to pass on to my followers. It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet others in your industry.

Have you ever thought about making a book out of your Tweets? Yep, you heard me. A real live downloadable ebook. It's easy to do with Tweetbook http://www.tweetbook.in/index.php Simply sign in with your Twitter user name and password and it goes to work. This would be a great little add on for your webpage or blog to encourage others to sign up for your Tweets. The only thing I wish I could change would be to make the links clickable inside the book.

I compiled mine and it's available for your downloading pleasure here.
http://www.merlesworld.com/e-books/Merles_Tweets.zip
Let me know what you think of it and if you plan on creating your own.