This is the last of some old posts I recently found that were written several years ago.

Originally posted Mar 9, 2006

Although there are hundreds of dating services available already, most are not up to the expectations of their users. MySpace has moved into the lead because of it’s focus on community interaction. Plus it doesn’t cost users anything to create a profile, their own page and interact with others openly.

If you want to get a dating service off the ground in this highly competetive time, it must be free, encourage open interaction with other users, allow users freedom of expression, and generate cash flow through other means than charging the users.

The name of your dating service will have to be catchy, 2 – 3 syllables, incite curiosity, be easily spelled and memorable. Take a look at the top 10 websites in the world. Not only do they offer great services, the domain names all have certain commonalities.

1 – They are either 2 or 3 syllables

2 – They all have less than 10 characters

3 – They are easy to remember

4 – They are easy spell

This brings me back to an earlier idea I had written about, which would allow people to post, as well as search for words by syllables. See my post titled Syllable Words for more information.

My next thoughts are leaning towards a jobs site. More on that later.

Update Feb 6, 2011 – What I find interesting in reading this old post is that, once again I had nailed the core concepts that are prevalent in today’s top social media websites. If only I had been more persistent in flushing out these concepts. Well, maybe I’ll just look down the road a few years and see if I can catch some more emerging trends before they become mainstream.

This is the third post I recently found which was written years ago.

Originally posted Feb 15, 2006:

I recently had another brainstorm that I want to share with everyone. Syllable Words.

The concept is based on Wikipedia where community members can add to, edit or dispute the content published within the website. If you’re not familiar with Wikipedia visit the website and find out more about it. This innovative website is what the future of the Internet will look like.

Back to Syllable Words. I don’t know how many people think like I do when it comes to this but I thought it would be a great idea to have a community where anyone who visits can add their two-cents into the mix by simply adding a word and categorizing it by the number of syllables in that word.

The website of course would appropriatley be named syllablewords.com which as of this writing is still available for registration. Anyone interested in securing this domain can visit VegasDomains.net and register the domain if they like.

Members who wish to contribute must create an account in order to deter spammers and some members would be elligible for moderator status in order to help in maintaining the website and provide minor support for visitors.

This idea is completely open for anyone who would like to take a crack at it, or if you just want to expand on the idea for someone else please leave your comments for others to read.

If you do implement the idea, I’d really like to hear about it.

Thanks for reading.

Update Feb 5, 2011 – Facebook, Twitter and most other popular social networking sites were not even around when I wrote this. Looking back this was a pretty goofy idea, however at it’s root was definitely what is considered today a “social networking” site.

This is the second of several blog posts I wrote years ago, which I’ve decided to republish. Some will include follow up comments, such as this one and others will just be reposted in their original form for your entertainment. Hope you enjoy.

Originally posted Feb 4, 2006

World War One Research

I recently watched the movie Gallipoli based on events that took place during World War one. The movie was excellent and inspired me to learn more about this major world event which is nearing it’s 100th anniversary. As with all major events, there is a ton of information on the topic. Of course my first step was to Google the keywords “world war one” which yielded over a quarter trillion results.

I browsed the first couple sites on the first page and bookmarked one or two (for later reference) then submitted a second search for “the great war”. Strangely most of the websites that came up for this search were the same as from my previous search. So I decided to try a third search, this time with the keywords “war to end all wars”. Well, you might’ve guessed, the results had several sites that were listed in my first two searches.

There are so many articles and resources about search engine optimization and Internet marketing available on the Internet, including my own “Newz from the Studio” that I don’t want to turn this into another SEO article. My intent was to write about my findings on The Great War, but my thoughts took a turn and here I am analyzing the data I compiled from this experience.

My only conclusion, and this may be a week theory since I haven’t bothered to verify my findings with further testing, is that websites that have a large amount of relevant content on a specific topic, and many pages of unique content pertaining to a specific topic will rank well in Google.

I’ll leave it to someone else to prove or disprove this theory. My goal is to provoke thought and entertain your imagination. Take this information for what it is and do with it what you will, and hopefully it will help you further your quest. Good luck and I hope to see you next time.

Follow up (Feb 3, 2011) – apparently my earlier assessment was spot on. Google and other search engines absolutely give higher value to websites that have a large amount of relevant content on a specific topic, and many pages of unique content pertaining to a specific topic will rank well.

Originally posted Feb 13, 2006:

Ever have an idea that you thought “This is such a great idea, I’m sure no one has thought of this before”. Then come to find out that thousands of people are already doing it?

Well, I have those ideas several times a week, and typically I research the idea for about an hour and realize that it’s either too complicated for most people to benefit from it, or there are literally thousands of websites that already have the same idea.

This past week I had one of these ideas, and started researching it to find out if it could be viable. The idea was a website that would allow visitors to post their ideas on “Ways to” do whatever they know something about.

Needless to say, before I got too far, I found several websites with the same concept. My idea was still somewhat unique, because it was open to anyone who had knowledge on a specific topic.

Each member would have their own WayzTo.com website where they could post their ideas and knowledge on their specific topic of interest.

Each member would also have a wayzto.com email account.

The idea took a back seat after I started comparing it to blog communities, where every user has their own web page in which they can post their thoughts, ideas, and ways to do almost anything.

So, although the name was great, the idea needs much refinement. Maybe some day the idea will resurface and come to fruition. If not, no big deal. Or maybe someone will read this message and make the idea a reality.

Coming Soon… Syllable Words; Homelessness; Podcasting

Typically when someone is shopping a website for a friend, I assume there is a tight budget. I don’t really do personal websites anymore unless that person is willing to spend $3000 to $5000 just to get started. Then they have to accept the fact that just having a website is not going to do much, unless you are actively promoting it, with money or time. Most people are looking at their shoes at this point.

I realize that guys like you (he’s a very talented artist) are able to do a lot of things on their own, and I encourage people who don’t have a budget to do exactly that. Many people try, most fail. With that in mind…

This might be something you can achieve using a WordPress solution assuming he’s on a limited budget. Our system (AMI-CMS Pro) is much more customizable and offers more features for end users, but WordPress is a free platform, and you can buy some pretty nice templates for pretty cheap.

If he has a decent size budget I’d be glad to give him a proposal, but I need a lot more info on what his goals are for the website.

If he decides to go with a WordPress solution and needs someone to help him setup the site we can do that. Something like that would cost between $500 to $1000, plus he would need to get his own domain name and hosting account.

Hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any more questions.

Strangely, my friend never replied to this email so I’m not sure of the outcome of that exchange, but I’m posting it here to illustrate a couple of things.

1. If you’re looking for a blogging website on-the-cheap, do some research and find the solution that best suites your needs.
2. Learn all you can about setting up a blog by researching online tutorials.
3. Don’t expect your blog, or website for that matter, to become an overnight success. Just because you’re excited about your idea, doesn’t mean others will be.
4. Become a self-taught expert on the subject you want to blog about and post new content often.

Yes, I realize that last one wasn’t in the email, but 4 is a good round number and the principle is absolutely true.

Most important of all, is to have fun with your blog. Readers will appreciate it even more if they sense you are passionate about your subject matter, and your website will be more successful as a result.

Today I grilled some steaks wearing shorts and tank top, it was 65 and sunny. Learned a new Spanish word (motivado) which is pretty close to the English word motivated. Funny how learning that word in Spanish doesn’t really help me get motivated to work.

As you can see, I’m just writing blather at the moment because nothing meaningful is coming to mind, and I really need to come up with something to write on my blog and newsletter. It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve written anything worth reading, and I want to keep my readers interested.

With that in mind, there is always a few places I like to go to get ideas for new content. Old emails is one of my favorites. I am constantly bombarded with questions, some related to what I do, others not so much, but I always prepare a well thought out response to every question I’m asked via email.

This can sometimes lead to an excellent jumping off point from where I can start an interesting article.

Quickly digressing back to my opening statement for a moment, that is absolutely false what I wrote. It was a thought that was gobbing up space in my brain so I spewed it out onto this page to get things going, and as a result I came up with not one, but two compelling articles. Yes banging away on the keyboard and pitching out junk leads to great content. Sometimes it happens fast, other times it takes a while, but it always works.

Back to my main point, finding ideas for writing good content, or content that people will read, whether it’s good or not . Old emails are usually my first, but not my only source for ideas. I also maintain several online profiles at some interesting online communities, or message boards if you prefer, where I’m actively seeking out questions, in need of answering, on topics that I know well. This is a great source of ideas for articles as well as a very effective form of online marketing.

So out of frustration of having nothing to write I managed to scribble down a couple of ideas that might help some of the readers of this blog. After all, ultimately my goal is to help others, through educating and / or entertaining them with interesting information.

Please feel free to leave questions / comments below. Your interaction is much appreciated.

Consider giving some things away with your book. Digital content is always a good resource and adds value to the purchase of a book. Maybe you have a worksheet or some additional material that will compliment the book. This can all be included as bonus material to help increase the perceived value of the book.

Another helpful ideas is to consider partnering with other authors and content creators. You can either trade some copies of your book for copies of their material, which can then be added to your list of bonus items, or some content creators will be happy to give you content for free in exchange for exposure to their work.

Also consider giving free print material such as a “poster” of artwork from the book. Themed bookmarks as bonus items is also a good idea.

Another good idea is to offer incentives to customers who buy multiple books (3, 5, 10 or more). Either offer additional bonus material for buying multiple copies, or consider having a lunch, dinner or after launch party with customers who buy large quantities. This might seem strange, but if the book is a good resource, many people will consider buying multiple copies as gifts or giveaways.

One of the most common forms of book promotion is a book signing event at a local book retailer or library. While this is well known to most authors, it is often under promoted by the authors themselves. Don’t just leave it up to the venue to announce book signings, take the lead in your own campaign and get the word out through as many sources as possible. Press releases, blog posts, twitter and Facebook announcements are a good place to start and there are many more.

Remember to put a time limit on the promotional give aways. This adds a sense of urgency to the promotion, and also allows you to plan for post launch parties or other events that might be related to the book launch.

Yes, I’m aware that many of you have probably come up with a few or maybe even most of these ideas on your own, but maybe you’re having trouble with the logistics. If that’s the case and you want someone to help please checkout www.MisterWords.com.

• A professional logo represents your company in many different ways. Some you may not even be aware of.
• Your future success depends heavily on the professional image your company presents to your target audience.
• An effective logo will grab your customer’s attention and draw them to your company.
• Customers relate much easier to a business with a strong corporate identity
• A company logo is the most visible part of your professional image.

Read how to design your own logo for more about logos and how they can help you reach new customers.

How has having or not having a logo impacted your business?

This gave me the confidence and affirmation to continue on no matter how many rejections I experienced, I knew sooner or later there would be more people who were “waiting for me to call them”.

After a while I got my timing and my pitch down, so that most of my calls resulted in a short conversation, which led to a meeting with the decision makers and ultimately led to a transaction.

Cold calling is one of the hardest forms of marketing to master, but with a sincere desire to succeed anyone can use it to their advantage.

What strategy did you employ to get your first customer?

My favorite and most used social networking tool is Twitter. I’m constantly sharing links to interesting articles that I read online, as well as articles I write myself. It’s good to stay active in any social network that you become involved with, since others are there for similar reasons. It’s best to approach social networking with a giving attitude, since followers will quickly get tired of self promotion, or lack of activity, and leave you behind for someone more interesting.

Finally, another tool that I use regularly, however it might not be considered social media, is my email newsletter. I publish this once or twice a month and include some unique content so that subscribers feel as if they are getting something no one else has access too. I actually use the content after a week or so as blog material to get some extra mileage out of my content, but the subscribers get first consumption of said material .

With so many tools available, the best thing I can say is for anyone interested to choose the tools you like best, use them often and stay active. Use these tools for enjoyment as much as for promotion and your online network will grow itself.

What social networking tools do you use and how do they affect your campaigns?