Welcome to our new theme, Polished from ElegantThemes.com. We love the professional look and the easy customization of this great new theme. What we don’t love is the corrupt backup file that prevented us from transferring our images from our previous web host. We’re in the process of re-uploading and re-tagging the dozens of images we’re using on the site, so apologies for the fact that you’ll still find empty...

Call me Scrooge, but I hate online video. I know, I’m the only one. More and more internet marketeers are relying on video squeeze pages for one simple reason: they work. Adding a video to your squeeze page can give you a measurable boost in response rates. So, what’s my beef? Here are the peculiar, ideosyncratic reasons why I will not watch the video on your squeeze page: I can’t skim it. I see a blurry still shot of you...

I tend to be a late adopter in everything except science fiction TV franchises (see “Firefly.”) I’m very content to have the world do the beta-testing, and get back to me when the thing is finished. So I was pretty late to the Twitterverse. But back in January I started reading about it in earnest, when more and more clients started asking me for my Twitter name. Eventually I integrated Twitter into a promotional campaign...

Hypnotherapist Scott Sandland created his own social network, HypnoThoughts.com, rather than rely on sites like Facebook or MySpace. I learn SO much from my clients. If it weren’t for them, I’d probably be the last person on earth to dive into social networking. That’s why I’m glad to be working with Scott Sandland, a genius hypnotherapist who also happens to be an expert in creating community online. When it comes...

Bearded, bubbly pitchman Billy Mays passed away today in his home in Florida, according to press reports. It was stunning news–Mays was only 50 years old, and kept up an intense schedule of travel and (of course) pitching. (My condolences go out to Mays’ family, friends and colleagues.) Perhaps most famous for his OxyClean commercials, Mays pitched a long list of products and services. There’s probably a Billy Mays...

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Okay, time for some major horn tootage. I’m a big fan of Peter Shankman’s “Help A Reporter Out” service, which helps link journalists and expert sources. HARO struck again last week! A reporter from the Wall Street Journal was looking for vacationing folks who had ended up staying at more business-oriented hotels. Since I fit the bill perfectly, I pitched myself and ended up in the Wall Street Journal’s June 5,...