Current Trends In Display Advertising: What's Hot

written by: CHICKMELIONfreelance

　
　When it comes to your online advertising dollar, you have to be as effective as you possibly can. It’s certainly not like shooting fish in a barrel is it? Knowing “what works” and “where” is most definitely half the battle. Fortunately there are statistics that have recently surfaced giving you the entrepreneur clearer sights on a more effective and profitable advertising campaign.

There are a lot of influences that determine the shifts in preferences in advertising consumption: technology, consumer word of mouth, fads and trends etc... but one of the underlying and common themes we are noticing in successful ads are the high impact and entertainment quotient that the ad delivers. It runs in line with the now insatiable appetite for online video entertainment and infomercials via Youtube, AllPodcasts, Dailymotion etc... as well as the recent growth in Internet Television viewer ship. It is safe to say that moving pictures have certainly taken advertising consumers by storm. It has dictated the rapid development of Android Cellular Technology.

How does that affect display advertising? Is it going by the way of the ghost? Not necessarily. Though static display ads are grappling with their toehold in the marketplace, more and more animated images are popping up as the new trend in Display Advertising presentation. There is an ever present shift towards GIF, Flash and HTML5 formats and these are the ones that are getting noticed!

Here’s just a quick rundown on the formats before we jump into the stats, just to make sure we are all on the same page. If you are a solopreneur needing to be your own “creative force” your best and most cost effective bet in staying current in your Ad design is with a GIF format. All you need is a JPEG image, a Graphics program to lay out your frames and a GIF conversion program (there are a few relatively inexpensive ones on the market like: “GIF Movie Gear,”) upload your GIF image to a photo hosting service like Photobucket and you will be provided with the URL addresses that will suit various layouts from websites to email .

Flash is a little more complicated, (not impossible mind you) but if you are not familiar with flash it can be time consuming and intimidating to get a handle on it . What you do gain is a little more liberated and smooth flowing medium when it comes to object movements and glitz. To flash or not to flash has always been a sticky and contentious subject. Google’s algorithm program and flash formatted web pages and flash inserts into HTML pages do not play nicely together. You hear though in the wind every once in a while that Google might change their capabilities and policies in relation to being more flash friendly and if more and more webmasters are using flash, no doubt the consumer will dictate Googles “need and speed” to do so. But at the moment the industry as a whole is grappling with what works best for them... to flash or not to flash, that is the question. What is interesting is that WIX.com who allow you to build solely flash websites has recently made a surprising announcement in that it now has the ability to add HTML. Sounds like flash and HTML are learning to co-habitate and accommodate all preferences across the board.

HTML5 is new and still under development. No doubt it is something to keep an eye out for in the future because that is where the future is heading. It is well worth the time to take a look into and get familiarized with, but as anything new in the marketplace consider it at the moment as an expensive, potentially wrinkle laden, and difficult format to consider. In a nutshell HTML5 is currently under development as the next major revision of the HTMLstandard. Like its immediate predecessors, HTML 4.01 and XTML1.1, HTML5 is a standard for structuring and presenting content on the web.

Now let’s look at what works according to information gathered and released by comScore while touting their success with a brand new analytic program that records ad viewer ship among other things. (Incidentally you can get a closer look at their findings on their website.) JPEG display ads still lead the market with a 42.4% share in this grouping of viewer ship and the ever rising in popularity GIF formats now hold a 14.1% share within the JPEG’s stats. Flash and rich media ads combined together represented an additional 40.3 % of all display ads viewed (Rich media includes bitmap images, vector drawings, 3D models, animations, audio and video. ) Leaderboard style banner ads (728x90) were the most commonly viewed display ad type for size.
Another interesting statistic released by: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) will help you find the right placement for your advertisement to get the most punch. They recently released their findings in WebsiteMagazine, (you can read up on the list if you search for “Top 50 Ad Networks To Explore”) and what was interesting to note that amid a fall in advertising dollars spent for the recorded time period, there was a substantial and notable growth in mobile and video advertising networks including: including SpotXChange.com and Yume.com. Something you might want to consider.
Finally in the arsenal of advertising placement options, a new Canadian company has hit the marketplace. Though still in Beta format, statistically speaking this company is signing on clients like a sugar cube calls to ants. Advrtz.com is their name and they are boasted of selling over ten million ad impressions in just under 24 hours. Advrtz is a facilitator between ad publisher and ad spot purchaser. Their mandate is quality! As a purchaser you have options available to hone in on your target market as well as remain within your budget. You can purchase flat rate ads and run of network (CPM ) ads. Well worth taking a look into as well.
Though the medium it’s self is ever changing and ever evolving, there are still some standards that remain the same in relation to your presentation. A well defined target market not only helps you communicate effectively, it will also help to locate their presence online to facilitate the most efficient ad placement. Think visually, think from their shoes and be creative. Finally, keep your own eyes open to the ads around you while you are surfing online. What caught your attention? Take a moment out to think why. We wish you good luck and the best of advertising success!

Making An Animated GIF Display Ad On A Shoe String

written by CHICKMELIONfreelance






Though there are a lot of uses for animated GIF images one of the more common ones popping up lately are with display ads. They work more effectively in grabbing attention than static display ads do and thus have become the wave for the future. Now if you are a solopreneur on a limited budget and have a desire or a need to bump up the image of your ads but have become above all else "your own creative department"... don’t despair... right here, right now we are going to walk you through the process of creating an animated display ad and we are going to do it on a shoe string. So grab your creative juice and let’s get going!

I am for the purpose of demonstration going to assume the role of a "Classic Automotive Paint and Detailing Service," and I think I am going to call it "Detailed Classiczz"

We need to gather a few tools together before hand:

1) Our GIF presentations will be schematically broken down into simple frames, not unlike that of a movie or a video (if you have put together a Windows Moviemaker production, you will know exactly what I am talking about.) These frames will be designed in a graphics/ draw program. Here you can apply your text onto your graphic frames. If you do not own a graphic/draw application you can download : Sherif DrawPlus4.0 for free. It is simple, quick to pick up and very effective for these purposes.

2) You will need a GIF conversion application as well and the easiest and most versatile application we have found on the market which also offers a 30 day free trial and a nominal $30 price tag is GIF Movie Gear.

3) Finally, although GIF Movie gear has the capacity to convert your end result into an URL address, I prefer to upload my GIFs into a photo sharing application like Photobucket and you can open a free account with them. it will keep all your ad designs organized with their URL’s easily accessible.

4) You also may want a graphic in your presentation. Be sure your graphics are of a good quality: in focus, with a clearly visible subject and not washed out in color.) Now there are websites that allow you to download copyright free photos of good quality on about any subject matter you can imagine and here are a few you might want to consider if you have a need: Photos8.com and Freerangestock.com

With our tools gathered together we might want to formulate a bit of a plan of attack. In my own creation I need to know the motivation for designing this ad.
-Is it for the purpose of providing information?
-Is it a call to action... for example:"click here"... to get a reader hot linked to my website?
-What are the dimensions of the ad and how will that effect how things are displayed. (For example, long and narrow banner ads are tricky when it comes to graphics incorporated in them and do not foster the ability for much text per frame without looking too crowded.)

The answer to these questions will determine the elements I need in my design. Keeping in mind that it is ever important not to over crowd the ad with information, we are going to keep details to bare bones minimum. In my ad I am going to let a few photos speak for my theoretical business. Alternately I could have decided to use one graphic and the whole animation concept would center around changes in wording, for example: one frame fo my slogan, one for my address, one for my "induce to action" statement and so on. My motivation however is to draw the viewer to my website, where I can provide much more detailed information and hopefully get them into my marketing funnel. In general, when designing GIFs, the plan is to limit the amount of frames between 2 and 20 for a few reasons: we are not making a movie here, our viewer is going to scan the graphic and will lose interest if it is too detailed, or the animation is flipping frames too quickly and we have memory size to keep a cap on as well.
　
Designing The Frames:
For simplification purposes I have chosen a (3 x 5 inch) dimension for my display ad. Now some publications provide for ad dimensions in pixels and not inches, but if you search: "pixel to inch conversion," you will get the translation you need for the draw program you are working with. When your GIF is complete and uploaded to Photobucket you can again edit the dimensions there to fit exactly to specification of your publisher if your GIF is a few pixels off and your publisher is having issues.

Now that I have drawn my 3x5 frame in my draw program, I am going to make sure that nothing is going to spill outside these dimensions or there will be a very noticeable and unprofessional shift in the GIF image. I will upload the graphics that I choose to use: logos, clip art, photos, click here" button graphic...etc. and I will crop and scale the photos to fit into the frame one photo at a time. Now I am ready to lay my words with their chosen fonts on top of the graphics, always keeping in mind to make sure that everything is easily visible, especially the font size and the font color that overlays the background image.

For my purpose, I have chosen these elements to best suit my design: Name of Business, slogan, and a "click here" button graphic that will induce the reader to click on the image which is hot linked to my website. This is going to be a very simple GIF... three frames altogether. I place my first photo within the frame I drew and then I place the text on top with the button. Once done, I will isolate and export this frame to my computer’s photo album and assign it a JPEG name. I will then replace my first image with both the second and then the third image, repeating the task of exporting with each graphic. I will end up with stationary text and changing background images as my GIF animation plan.

Converting to GIF:
In opening the program, I will choose "insert frames option" and pick up all three frames I had just completed and the program will drop these frames onto a story board. I will then preview the animation and from there slow down or speed up groups of frames or individual frames depending on comfort of readership. I will want to slow things down especially if I don't have enough time to read an entire frame. When things are comfortable for me to view and all information easily processed amid the movement I will save my GIF and title it. This will place the GIF onto my computer’s album again where I can upload to Photobucket easily from there, get an assigned URL for the image and store it for safe keeping, thus freeing up my own computer’s memory.

Now that all is said and done, creating GIF images for the purpose of display ads is not any where near as difficult or expensive as one might think. With a bit of trial and error, patience and creative juice you can come up with some fantastic designs. You can always go to the net and look out for the designs already in the marketplace to get some ideas. Now that you know how to lay out a GIF presentation yourself, you will recognize how the professionals approached their designs and you can then incorporate their techniques into your ads as well. Have fun and good luck with your designs!

classic-carz.wmv

Charting The Growth of A New Solutions Based Search Platform Called FINDSOLVE

by CHICKMELIONfreelance


It seems I just can’t make it a day without being inundated with a news story or press release about SEO tactics and shake ups. My mailbox is filled with webinar offerings and white papers on how to master the SEO monster. And quite frankly, my head is aching from the subject. Every big search engine is working hard to fine tune their products in order to stand above the crowd in directory solutions. Take Google for example, who have introduced “geographical location” now as a search relevance. It still leaves me wondering though, “are the people at the top of the rankings there because they and their product are out of this world.... or.... are they just really good at SEO tactics?

I can’t say, but I do know that pages and pages back in the rankings are fine folks as well who are working hard, offering good products and services at fair prices as well- and we as consumers may well be missing out on these diamonds due to the SEO warfare. Not everyone can be at the top! But whose got the time to thumb through pages and pages of listings looking for our perfect fit? So we may well be settling for less than what we deserve or even want because we (and almost everyone else) just don’t have the time to make it past even page three of the search listings. There’s got to be a better way! This is an issue that has been running through my mind because I am like everyone else whose caught in the myopic hamster wheel called: “gaining page ranking supremacy in order to survive.” You have got to admit the large engines got a good game going!

Then I remembered that way back in October 2009, there was indeed a new game that had landed on the scene. I wrote an article about it at that time and wondered what kind of ripples their approach was making. They introduced themselves through PRWeb as an organization who departed from an address based listing to an all out solution based portal... FINDSOLVE is their name (at findsolve.com)

They have packaged their product in a completely different way. When you think in terms of a web search it is all pretty much generic. Yes you can hone in a little closer on your search with the more key words that you use, however the results are more “self touting” testimonials rather than that of what the marketplace deems as real and true; therefore keying in “best graphics “ at a Google search will net a company who is pretty good at SEO and because of that, it has a lot of hits which increases their rankings even more and thought to use the word “best “ in their title, meta tags, etc... Whether or not their service is excellent, price is fair and they have tons of satisfied clients is not in question with these listings.

Now when I walk downtown to buy at a local store, my search is done a little differently. I may be looking for specific details; like quality, price and may well even be showing up at a storefront on a recommendation. Now Findsolve has figured out how to take this model we use regularly in what we like to call “real life,” and apply it to internet search activities. Cool!

With Findsolve you key in the solutions you are looking for. As in our example you may want the best (meaning well recommended by piers and customers) graphics designers in New York area that offer affordable prices on banner ads. You can do that with Findsolve and you will get what you are looking for because Findsolve showcases products and services like no other directory has thought of doing. Here it is in their own words....

”At findsolve we believe that a business directory should be more than just a list of business names, their contact details, and summarised profiles. With findsolve, businesses are able to list these business essentials as well as create separate searchable listings that showcase their actual offerings - their products, their services, their solutions. ...We help businesses to promote what they offer, to share their achievements, to highlight their success stories, to profile their satisfied customers, and explain the benefits of their offerings from a customer perspective. This provides people searching for business, product, service, solution - a valuable and trusted directory space where short-list decisions and comparisons can be made quickly and easily and be based on parameters that are important to the finder's specifications.”

Now I caught up with FINDSOLVE’s founder Brad Greene in the middle of his "Nth Hemisphere Marketing" tour, (from London UK to LA in 30 days) ... he was just heading in to meet with Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco but took the time out to respond to my questions on his growth and inevitable growing pains. He admits things have been pretty hectic, which is pretty standard and to be expected with all new enteprises, yet he’s finding solutions to make his directory the easiest and most functional source that it can be.

“As you can imagine, we have had quite the journey over the last months,” said Brad, “no doubt fairly typical to the journey most new start-ups take-- we have done some redesign work to the site, added some core functionality which people were requesting and removed some of the stuff that just didn’t make sense.” These changes that were implemented to the “solution directory” have allowed the process to simplier and more user-friendly. That is what Brad Greene claims to be the foundation laid down that allowed the release of the “findsolves friends” platform.

It is quite an ingenious model of “word of mouth” promotion kicked into overdrive. I mean, you as a business want to be a recommendation of a "Findsolve Friend," you just can’t get better and more deserving advertising than that. Simply put industry leaders and pioneers ( whether it be technology, business, communications, design, sports....you name it) who are extremely successful in what they do are identified and contacted to become a Findsolve Friend. They lay out their own foundation of businesses, products and services that they most recommend. These identified entities are then put into the Findsolve solutions directory with the full co-operation of the recommended parties. Now these “newly incorporated “ friends of friends are asked who they would recommend doing business with and the chain of “liked” and “deserving” enterprises continues onward and upward. A model theoretically based on satisfaction of ethics and delivery of goods and services as opposed to successful SEO activities. Brad Greene has noted in parting that through his tour he had been meeting a whole lot of thought leaders and innovators who are agreeing to become “Findsolve Friends”. He says,” the challenge we have now is getting them up on the site as quickly as possible.”

In parting there are a few things worth mentioning. The use of Findsolve as a source of providing a search solution is free, it’s global and it is a time saving effective means of getting business done when you need to outsource. I think it is well worth giving them a try the next time you have a problem that you need to search a solution for. They even provide a handy and compact search box that you can conveniently place on your web page to save you and your own clients the hassle of running around finding answers.

On a side note, after coming out of his meet and greet with San Francisco’s Mayor- Gavin Newsom, Brad got a hold of me, to let me know how things went. He received a pretty glowing recommendation and in Brad’s words, “just wanted to share what the Mayor had to say about Findsolve friends....”possibly the most important website for our generation. A space where the world’s thought-leaders and innovators are able to recommend and endorse businesses and solutions in an environment that is-- more static than Twitter and more open than Facebook.” Wow Brad, I’m jealous! Sure looks good on you though!

At Difference

“To each his own,"the mighty lips did spew,
even though I quite well knew,
that if his way was not the one;
then mine was neither to see the sun.
Yet I “at difference” will always be,
For “at difference” always best suits me.
"To each his own"... I nodded and turned,
all the while feeling his eyes
on me... burn.
With this I knew my fate was sealed.
I could hear his vengeance snapping at my heels.
Yet I “at difference” will always be
For it is who I am and how I remain free.

Honestly With Me

By CHICKMELIONfreelance



Living in a fictitious land,

with most heads buried in the sand,

it is peculiar to me

to see,

Your words spoken openly,

freely,

honestly….

Though I have learned from some and someone ,

to shift my gears to being comfortably numb.

To conceal ,

congeal,

And gird up to survive the surreal.

It is refreshing for me;

absolutely downright sexy,

for you to represent “real ” to me.

As well as

phenomenally

straight up and down steamy.

You are a treasure to me,

Uncommonly,

and splendidly,

a sanctuary.

Even if but momentarily.

Now I clearly hear you,

there are things you must do.

There are things I must do too.

Yet I enjoy each moment I set aside to think of you.

Honeslty....

The Fruit of a Tree

by CHICKMELIONfreelance

I am told that there are many forms of blessings. Some are like the canola seeds. Which springs up quickly, well suiting it’s purpose for the short term. It provides for a season, then has completed it’s task and evaporates into thin air. And yet like any form of life it takes opportunity to replicate it’s self as a positive form of energy rippling outwards bearing further seeds for the next season; awaiting the next time a quick fix is in dire need. These blessings can present themselves as; a lesson learned, an opportunity that presented it’s self, or even as simple as a smile sent your way just at the right time. There is nothing wrong with a quick solution; it has it’s merits for it’s situation. Who hasn’t needed a quick solution now and again?


In contrast, some blessings are not fulfilled with quick and easy solutions. These require long term consideration, effort, dedication, and an apprenticeship of sorts. They have roots to fortify, foundations to develop, and spreading blessings to branch out with. To pay forward with,… and are of great impact not only to the original receiver, but also as a ripple effect outward. These blessings are the fruit tree. You put it in the ground as; a thought, idea, answer to a circumatance, and wonder if it ever will show it’s self..But when it does, it provides fruit consistently, and not only for a season, but for generations. So if your situation is pressing, and your eyes fail for seeking solutions, your voice raw from constant longing prayer, don’t despair!

Though the answers seem to tarry, the situation tells me that you are growing a beautiful and bountiful fruit tree. Something that will give you great joy and reward in it’s own time. Consider then your aches and pains , your patience, and your longsuffering as developing a legacy of sorts. As a bountiful blessing providing shade for not only you but your prosterity as well. That you can sit under and recount how bountiful He has blessed you.

Hope Whispers Freely

by CHICKMELIONfreelance

Fear not and do not fret! There is a plan for everything under the sun, everything has it’s own due time. A time line tailor made and personalized just for us; as part of the predetermined process for us to learn and to do what we must in order to grow into ourselves. Do not fret if something feels unaccomplished, incomplete, or unsettled. Give it time. Universal balance dictates a completion to everything. For there will be nothing hidden that will not come to light, nothing left empty that will not be filled… because the energy from yearning for completion, begs to a universe of boundless energy. And the universe will always answer!

Fashionably Stuffed

by CHICKMELIONfreelance






Reminds me of growing up in the prairies. Growing up with my mum, a German immigrant and a very eccentric one at that! She hated cold and all that was involved with cold: the snow, snowmobiles, being outdoors , not to mention the total loss of fashion sense. I mean seriously how sexy can a pair of long john’s be…("Oh Got …Yohannas! …[He was my dad]…. get dos ugly sings off!” ) Got to understand, this is a woman who though camping meant roughing it in a 4 star hotel.

She could never understand our need to be outdoors playing (my sister and I) but she was determined to protect us from ourselves none the less. She faithfully packed us for safekeeping in the winters cold. I say this both lovingly and sarcastically all at the same time. Mind you in her defense the parries did get cold.

A pair of tights, a pair of long johns, a standard pair of socks, a pair of pants, a woolly pair of socks extended over these, ("Oh my God, I cant feel my toes, my legs…. my circulation's been cut off from the waist on down!…")

A t-shirt, a turtle neck, a sweater pulled over and a button up on top of all that. ("Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?")

Here comes the full length , one piece, suitable to minus 666 degrees of pure hell, snowsuit! Parka in Canadian terms, portable sauna I call it. You getting stuffed in it, there's just no other way to describe it.

Then on comes the toque. Do you remember them ? They were like old fashioned night caps … with 4 feet of ample wool to place on the head and to wrap several times around the mouth, nose and throat with yarn to spare. And don’t forget the fluffy pom-pom on the end that always intrigued the cat. Enticed it to crawl up the back and try to tear off with that fluffy ball; so nicely attached to the toque, wrapped tight around the face and throat…("Damn cat…… if I catch you, I’ll put you in doll clothes again!")

One pair of finger mitts and another pair of wool gloves to top that…..and an insulated pair of skidoo gloves over that. ("Who needs manual dexterity, wasn‘t like I was going outside to play! ")

Now on with the boots.

Look out…lift the chin, she’s gonna zip it up. You remember last time...still got the scars, but the scab is almost gone.

On with the hood and tie it tight. Make it a double knot …no…triple for safe keeping! And speaking of safe keeping, here’s another scarf over the face. The only flesh showing now were the whites of the eyes and if the store sold fabric to cover that too…no doubt I’d be wandering around in the snow blind!

Now I know how the gingerbread man felt. I can’t put down my arms. I can’t bend my legs. If I fall down, I am screwed! All anyone would hear would be a muffled “…..elp!….” Did I mention the dogs I grew up with? Who lived by only a few simple rules. One being, “what ever hit the ground was fair game.” Jumping all over you, kicking snow in the face. Don’t worry they’ll lick it off. Taking a nip here and there..come on it’s all in fun. And they took all opportunity to have fun. They seemed to know I was defenseless. Don’t know what their problem was, I never stuffed them in doll clothes, they were too big! ("Am gonna tie them to my toboggan though…See if I can get a free ride up hill! Gonna fake eating snow, that always lures them in close enough to grab them.")

Getting dressed to go outside was at least a half hour ritual…all according to my mother’s expectations and specifications…no short cuts! And no doubt, as if a ritual as well, when fully clad I would inexplicably and uncontrollably have to yell…

“I got to peeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!”

Indeed it only ends to begin again!


Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAllCustom&friendId=532352154&swapped=true#ixzz0r9LYhQ8N

Beauty and Success By Your Own Creation

by CHICKMELIONfreelance


There is no one who can see you better than yourself. Now is the time to take personal responsibility for the beauty you truly are. Don't wait for others to acknowledge your finer points. Love yourself! and start now!

The more open minded you can be the bigger you dare to think, the greater are the opportunities and possibilities that present themselves before you. This is called creative visualization, a mental technique of using thoughts to change the balance of energy around you which brings changes to your environment in accordance with them. It requires you to first be very aware of the energy you create for yourself. What mood are you in right now, and if your answer is negative.... change it up right away! Your smile is beautiful, flash it around. Your whole vibe and outlook will change along with it!

We have all met one or two people in our lives who seem to exude both confidence and the Midas touch. (I know I have been a bit green eyed over them from time to time.) Their vibe is alluring... magnetic! And if asked, there is a very good chance that this individual would admit to practicing both a positive attitude and visualization techniques. Most successful people use it consciously or unconsciously, attracting the success they want in their life by visualizing their goals as already accomplished. They literally see it through to the end, only they script the ending as being a very successful one, as opposed to leaving all up to chance. And you must practice doing this too. Script yourself a happy fulfilled ending. See it play out over and over in your mind until it becomes a habit that will dictate your focus, your mind and body on a course straight towards that goal.

Does this work? Of course it does! Most of us visualize daily without even paying attention to what we are doing. Unfortunately we all can remember our, “I can’t” moments; they seem to be conditioned as habits where we have told ourselves that we are unlucky, unloved, unattractive, etc, ...actually making these things realities for ourselves. But by thinking of the good things and thinking of them often as a part of our regular routine, we are re-conditioning our subconscious and creating positive energy through guided imagery.

On a final note, when you do realize the success you have worked so hard towards, by all means reward yourself. Again, don't wait for someone else's acknowledgement of your good efforts. Rewards are tokens of encouragement that can spur you onwards and upwards. By you acknowledging your own efforts , you are in control of your own personal responsibility and happiness. Then you will never falling short of recognizing and feeding from the positive vibe your victory created. Use this momentum to propel yourself forwards into a well rounded and beautiful you!

Spamming, Spamming and even More Spamming!

by CHICKMELIONfreelance


You know there are a few things I just don’t do any more thanks to the pit bull like myopic intents of internet spammers and the total reluctance of the large corporations to take full control and responsibility of the situation that they are more than happy to reap financial rewards from. One is to never allow comments on my blog with links that accompany (no matter how relevant or innocent they may appear to be) and secondly I will never recommend Yahoo Business Groups as a viable means of networking and list building. Sorry Yahoo, but the greater tragedy is the blow taken by legitimate groups trying to survive this plague! It seems at the cost of innocent and legitimate business who stand in the middle a scammer and a large corporation as a wall, allowing both to ignore the existence of each other and continue on as "business as usual." Unfortunately the one who pays the price is the one in the middle.

This article is a cautionary note for all internet businesses out there regardless of how small they think they may be. Everyone is seemingly equal when a scam or a spam is in play. However the key similarity that seems to be targeted is BUSINESS.

I serve internet businesses with writing and design products and I was putting together a starter kit for "new to the internet marketing" entrepreneurs . This kit was designed to be a launch pad for email list building and was completely complimentary to all those who needed it. Like the other three kits already designed and marketed, this one was extensively researched. Now when you are talking about email list building, there is no way to dance around the issue of spamming. Every country seemingly has incorporated anti-spamming laws. However as I communicated with industry leaders a consensus kept popping up, "The spam laws are like a blind dog sitting on it’s dentures!" I was told you didn’t even have to participate in spamming activities yourself, just be linked to the wrong server and it is a simple matter of "guilty by association".

In a highly technological and democratic society... that seemed very unrealistic and backwards to me. We can put men on the moon but we can’t hone in and stop spamming? There were suggestions however, on how to negotiate with governing bodies in order to regain "unplagued status." Now it is worthy to point out that in most cases these governing bodies are a group of "volunteer" agencies formulating their own policies... "say what?"

Perhaps the dog put in it’s dentures back in, because spammers have refocused their efforts to a more direct approach. I can’t begin to count the relentless spamming on SKYPE, it’s crazy! But at least I can block and report these. Yahoo doesn’t seem to want to give you much more than a spam folder. In Yahoo mail ( and not in my spam folder either) I am inundated with widows who have millions of dollars just sitting in Liberian bank accounts waiting for some good and caring soul like me to help release the funds to a less war torn country. OMG seriously? Yet I have no means of reporting the email site.

Not all con artists and spammers are so obvious though and these are the ones that can hurt you the most. Though I am getting prolific with spotting and dealing with scammers and spammers on my social sites... the real heart ache comes with Yahoo’s business groups! It was something that was reccommended over and over again in articles for list building activities. "Join Yahoo Business Groups." I always make a focused effort to test try anything I reccommend before hand whether it be a web-site, tool, or in this case group... so I did just that... I joined!

Now I am stepping up here first of all to make sure it is very clear... NOT all business groups on Yahoo are riddled with spammers but it is my own experience that you have to clear a lot of hurdles to find the legitimate ones and in this busy world I can’t recommend an activity high in maintenance and low in reaping rewards. The re-occurring theme however for all the legitimate business groups are; "this group is MODERATED !"

It is as if they had to throw up the iron curtain to protect themselves from the endless plague that surrounds them. Here is an idea of what an unmoderated business group on Yahoo can offer you and this is straight from my in box. This is just one group emailing me a daily summary of activities. I not only deleted all the links first...I also felt obliged to delete what appeared to be legitimate businesses that posted in this digest so as not to tarnish their reputations. (Including the ones that claim 80 to 100% profits with their easy and super fast no work needed giant money making bonanza offer:)....

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Ok! I think you can get the idea and no doubt you are saying to yourself, "well if it is as simple as just moderating then it is the businesses own fault?" Let me remind you that con’s and spammers don't survive changing times by themselves remaining unchanged. They learn the angles quickly and find their way in the back door before anyone realizes it is open. Which leads me straight into the next issue; spamming on web pages.

I owned a Internet Marketing "Business News Blog" where the hot and current trends were posted and discussed. I did moderate the comments and was for a time successful in controlling the spam on the site. Then I started getting comments that were seemingly legitimate.

Comments like, "I come to this blog often, I find the topics useful for my business, I hope to contribute to it soon..." and a web link ended the comment. I didn’t get suspicious until the identical message was posted by two separate individuals (or at least different names) and both with the same link. I followed the link to check it out and discovered it was spam! Though I denied the post, I get this in my email the very next day!
　
"Your blog at ********* has been reviewed and confirmed as in violation of our Terms of Service for: SPAM. In accordance to these terms, we've removed the blog and the URL is no longer accessible."

This is the same situation as with email spam violations, "guilty by association", however in this instance we are dealing with a large corporation who’s claim is to be judge juror and executioner all at the same time. There is about as much negotiation allowed as there was an investigation. In essence, the spammer lives to destroy another day, the large corporation continues to fluff the pillows of the ones they seem to align with and it is the one in the middle left holding the bag. I don’t see how this truly solves the problem. I do however know one thing for sure, when an outcome is truly desired, mankind will go to no ends of the earth to seek a solution. The space Rover on Mars will testify to this. Apparently searching out and locking out spam and halting the con artists is as much lip service as seeking peace in the world. Sounds good, gives a good corporate and caring image if it is touted around a bit in the press and who ever happens to be listening at the moment, but the actions speak louder than words. Hey just a thought!

Now don’t go shedding a tear for me. I am an eternal optimist! I too live to build another day, smart enough not to keep my eggs in a single basket. Though this spammer did not only manage to lock me out of one blog, but all blogs related to my particular email address, (which included the complimentary kits designed to help my fellow entrepreneur to their success;) I see this as building bigger and better! I do have two things I take away from this: I will not recommend Business Groups on Yahoo and I will not allow links on my blog’s comments no matter how good they look; which may be likened to closing the door after the horse got out, because I am sure the scammers have evolved again as you read this and are testing new avenues to feed from hard working citizens.
　
　

The Nuances of Newsletter Marketing and In Essence List building

by CHICKMELIONfreelance

Email/ Newsletter Marketing is not like other marketing activities with respect to the target audience. While most other marketing efforts are geared to solicit prospects to your site, list building it a tool and technique that allows a continuation of servicing the prospect once they are there. There are some very good reasons why you will want to engage in list building and I am not going to quote the rhetoric about the "money being in the list" .

Simply put it is well known that it takes at least 3 to 5 contacts with a prospect before they consider or trust you well enough to do business with you. In addition, it is far less costly to service and maintain current prospects and clients to turn them over to a (repeat)customer as it is to search our new ones. If you establish a rapport with these individuals and companies, they can help your list and your organization to grow by word of mouth and referrals. It is their endorsements that will be your most effective marketing tool of all...

Now list building is wrought with it’s dangers and thorns. Email marketing has taken some blows by unsavory characters looking for the quick and easy engaging in spamming activity, so you are cautioned to work your list building activities ethically and responsibly. No foundation is ever safe or worthy to stand on if it is built quickly and recklessly. The consequences if you don’t could earn you blacklist status and it is far easier to slowly work with a good reputation than it is to repair a ruined one made by haste. But be cautioned, even the most frugal of email marketers and list builders find themselves blacklisted unknowingly. Therefore take the time to look over spam laws, and how to get out of hot water if you inadvertently find yourself there in this kit, so fear not! Check out some of these sites for some help on the subject: http://carlasnmc.blogspot.com/ (copy and paste address to your web browser)



Although Newsletters are not the sole activity of list building and email marketing, it is very important tool because of it’s very nature in fostering a sense of value with your activity, as well as guaranteeing regular contact with prospects. Marketing nowadays gravitates around expectations of the prospect to be wooed by a free sample, gift or token of appreciation in order to gain their loyalty in return. Once your efforts have landed your prospect on your site, you want to keep them there, or in the very least keep yourself in their mind’s eye. A newsletter is a fantastic delivery of gratuitous gifting as well as a direct one on one advertising vehicle.

Newsletters offer the following benefits:
1) They build long term relationships,
2) allow you to gain the trust of your prospects,
3) and establish your authority and expertise in your niche.
　
Now if you are new to the scene, no doubt you are struggling to pull a list together so here are some ideas:
1)Start with friends and current business contacts and always remember to ask them to pass the word on. Theirendorsement is worth more than any paid advertisement. But REMEMBER TO ASK! Very few are going to volunteer
yet even fewer will turn down a polite request.

2)Work your social network

3)Put a contact form on your web page and use your web analytics to determine the readership patterns of your visitors to your web page... put the contact form in the highest visible spot and offer an incentive for them to sign up.

4)If you have a link exchange going on your site you may consider a very polite email to these contacts asking if they would be interested in being a part of your mailing list. An incentive like a link or a mention on your newsletter may help as well!

5)Work a banner ad pitch and/or a squeeze page pitch or even both in unison to solicit potential opt in patrons.

6)If Article marketing it is worth a mention or a pitch in your Author’s Bio... be creative!
　
List building is a very important activity and will be a regular ongoing process during all the life cycles of your enterprise. Although it is not the "end all- be all" it does warrant allotting time and attention on a scheduled regular basis. Here’s to your success!
　

4 Microwave Marvels That Will Make Your Mac’N Cheese Go Hi-Tech

by CHCIKMELIONfreelance

It’s all about the belly, yes it is! Heck what do you think I am working for? Problem is, I’m working so hard I am reduced to simple rip off the plastic wrap and toss in the microwave type cuisine and still I seem far behind the game. I lost count how many times I put a cup of coffee in the box and went back to work hammering on the keyboard... only to forget it there. Sometimes I warm up that same cup of coffee 3 or 4 times and still finding myself drinking it cold. So when I came across some of these hybrid microwave trends ...man ... I have to tell you, it brought a big smile to my face and hopefully it will yours as well. I just know your perfect model is in this pile somewhere, so let’s take a look...

1)Practically Perfect...Perfect Practicality:

I am going to start off with a model that is not too off the charts, but it is one that made me say, "It’s about time!" I am all for convenience and utility wrapped together in one neat little package and LG seems to have appeased both with a microwave that has a built-in toaster slot on the side. Oh I can see the freed up counter space already. Bye- bye bulky toaster along with your messy crumbs. I can "nuke" my eggs and toast my bread simultaneously without wasting a step, now if we can only figure out how to run a cappuccino/drip coffee maker off of the same unit I am breakfast home free... with enough counter space to lay down on and catch a few extra zzzzzzz’s while I wait.

2) But Wait There Is Even A Better Plan:

I have it all figured out. It was quick and painless the minute I saw the "Wavebox Portable," yes I said it... portable! You can take this little baby with you on the road because it can be both plugged in or run off of a 12 volt battery! Now here’s how I have this figured out, I can sleep in an extra few minutes, grab my supplies, head out the door and prepare my breakfast in rush hour traffic, heck if it is one of those mornings that things roll along smoothly I can make my breakfast in the office too, now who can ask for anything more? Extra sleep and warm coffee could almost makes rush hour fun. That’s almost bordering on it being criminal.

3) Micro-viewing:

Speaking of criminal, don’t you hate it when you have to get up and walk away from your TV program to warm up that coffee?. I am a screen-a-holic I guess. I look at a monitor all day long and for relaxation kick back and watch a TV screen. I just hate having wait for a commercial to attempt a 10th try at warm coffee. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some little screen in the door of the microwave to entertain me while I wait? Maybe I’ll finally hang around long enough to hear the box go"ding." Perhaps I will even manage to pull a hot cup of coffee out of the box. What a miracle that would be. Well Marcel Wanders, designer and miracle worker has done just that in co-operation with a relatively unknown and I hear outdated UK electronics company called "HE." My only greatest concern for owning such an appliance, which I hear can also be equipped with a DVD player, is it being heisted by someone who feels it would better suit their dorm room. Perhaps he’s right, that’s why he should go out and get his own.

4)OFFIC(E)-ially We Have All Our Bases Covered...sweet!

This one is my favorite and because I own a laptop so I find myself once again looking at the power of portable macaroni and cheese. With a wireless connection, some summer sun and some sunscreen; my office now has the capacity to hit the great out doors and so does my lunch! It’s called the BrainWave cooker and it is able to connect to your USB port and via keyboard you control temperature, time and type of cooking method, (defrost, reheat, cook....) It is a tiny little contraption, but it will do the trick. Thank you Steven R Gates for that brain child of yours, suddenly having to complete a project over the weekend doesn’t seem so bad any more.

It is amazing how hot coffee and a warm meal can make life, even work life, a little better. No doubt that was on the mind of the individuals who dreamed up the next generation of microwaves. I have to thank them for their considerations. Awwww! Yes I know it only makes good marketing sense innovating the product line to keep ahead of the times, especially in the electronics industry. You know there seems to be a little extra heart put into these innovations though. I sense hard working cold coffee drinkers just like myself, kind of kindred spirits, sticking together to improve our 24/7 work lives.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Top In It’s Class For Spyware Protection

by CHICKMELIONfreelance

Published by Malwarebytes and available for download for free at: malwarebytes.org
　
It wasn’t more than a few weeks ago that my keyboard started acting up and yes I do have a current malware program in my "plague fighting arsenal" however it seemed to have missed this little glitch in a recent scan. This little glitch however caused me to appear no better of a speller than a grade two student and it was absorbing a considerable amount of my time editing and re-editing, as well as coping with the mounting aggravation. Not a good thing when the majority of your daily work is comprised of writing.

Though I was given many helpful suggestions they seemed to fall short of successfully eliminating the glitch and even worse, a few suggested programs froze my computer screen when the application attempted to download, only compounding the situation. Then I was directed to "Malwarebytes Anti-Malware." Now this program has me so impressed I have touted it to my friends on Facebook, on my blog and in my companies newsletter. I am not the only one that is impressed with this very simple yet powerful application. It is being rated as the number one in spyware removers and boasts of close to 40 million downloads since it’s introduction in March 2010.

This application takes only 5.64 MB to download, offers a reasonably quick yet thorough scan and a comprehensive report post scan with a list of available actions to take. The free version of this product is impressive, what you are missing from the package is the " real time protection" which is disabled, as well as the ability to schedule scans and product updates. Not that these are unavailable to you, but you will have to remember to take care of yourself.

The cost of the product is fantastic though for what you are getting. For a nominal $24.95 your real time protection is unlocked. You can enjoy such features as: Scan Scheduling featuring real-time updating, compatibility with Remote Desktop Control (RDP) for corporate users, as well as a malware protection module that blocks malicious processes before they even start. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is clearly worth the investment and 40 million users seem to agree giving the product a 4 and a half star rating.

GoView (BETA)

by CHICKMELIONfreelance

Capture your computer screen and audio with GoView (at goview.com) then instantly share your recording online and best of all for FREE! This is a cloud computing application brought to you by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems Inc who also offer reliable products like “GoToMeeting” which you have no doubt used if you have attended a few webinars recently.

Whether you plan to share a desktop demonstration, layout a presentation , or highlight an issue for technical support, GoView is one of the simplest user friendly on screen recording applications I have tried with very impressive results. It was quick and easy to pick up and the end product was of a crystal clear quality.

You are good to go once you download their screen capturing application. An icon rests in your systems tray and takes up only 2.51 MB of your disk space. That is all of the weight you will be carrying as the videos you record are stored on GoView’s website. When you have completed your recording, it is uploaded to the website for processing. There is really nothing for you to do at this point as it is all automated. The GoView website will open on screen for you while your video is completing it’s processing. Next task is to edit your piece if you so choose. You have available a very comprehensive yet easy to perform editing functions. You can choose to trim and even insert titles into your work before saving.

When all is complete your video will be assigned a URL address for sharing. You can also choose to convert the recording to MPEG4 file format to and in uploading your video to Youtube or Photobucked for example. (The end result however is of a lower quality with the focus being grainy .)

I have looked at screen capture applications before often wondering how often I would use them to justify holding their weighty applications on my computer to collect dust, but I do have to admit that I have found a need for this application a few times and was grateful for the ease of use and ability to post the end result almost anywhere on the net I choose, as well as a share via email option .

If you would like to see this application in use paste the following link in your browser:
goview.com/?id=9ac2ed53-ad43-40a6-bdb0-764aac8089da

Here you will see a simple demonstration of wonderful little paint program called Paint.NET v3.5.4 .Don't forget to hit the full screen button for your optimum viewing pleasure and enjoy!