Check out this video on base jumping and wingsuits …

Going to add this to my bucket list

Tired of checking for new posts? - Just subscribe to my RSS Feed!

Jon Volk and Linda at 5 star affiliate programs both recently posted about the crack down on fake blogs or flogs and the selling of Acai.

Apparently the Attorney General of Connecticut wants to sue the owners of these sites for fraud. While I definitely do not condone that type of marketing, isn’t this tactic already done in many mainstream industries?

Take big pharma for example, how many times have you seen on TV, some big drug company pushing their new drug just released with a chorus of testimonials and doctor approvals. I highly doubt there are not a few paid actors in there if not all the above. What is the difference?

Case in Point

Ever seen that drug commercial for lowering your cholesterol called Lipitor by Pfizer? Well the main spokesperson, Dr. Jarvik has no medical license and was just hired by Pfizer to do the commercial. They finally pulled the ad after 2 years because it came under scrutiny. In one part of the commercial they even had a stunt double ‘row’ for Dr. Jarvik?! Thus the image. You can read all about it here

So how can they do this? I think it boils down to deep pockets and lobbyists… hey maybe we affiliates need to form a lobbyist group haha I guess also they list all 101 possible side effects to cover themselves.

Either way, someone should go after those companies that start charging your card for no reason. That is just wrong. Anyways, I just wanted chime in on the topic, and would be interested to know what you think about this …

Tired of checking for new posts? - Just subscribe to my RSS Feed!

With everything competing for your time, it can be smart to outsource your work. Especially those tasks which are tedious, time-consuming, and the ones that you are not very good at. Below are 5 things that can be outsourced with not too much effort. Remember, the whole purpose is to free your own time so you can be more effective…

1. Content, Copy, and Blog Posting

This is the easy one. Writing copy and content for your affiliate sites and blogs is something you should not be doing. (Except for your personal blogs of course ). Hire someone, at $5 – $10 a post or article, this is money well spent. Try elance, getafreelancer, or guru.

2. Graphics, Images, and, Design

Setting up your site or landing page is another good task to pass along. Let someone else fool with the CSS formatting, and finding the perfect image for your header. Apart from the previous 3 sites I mentioned, 99designs is another good resource.

3. Programming or Anything Excel/Data Related

Extracting keywords over the web, formatting them nice and pretty, or other excel macros or tools can save you boatloads of time. I have this one little tool built for me that takes all my keywords, ads, and text, and with the push of a button, makes them ‘upload ready’ for Adwords editor with split test ads and all.

4. Bookkeeping

Yes, this is sensitive data, but keeping track of your daily costs, revenues, profits, etc … can take up a lot of time. Choose a more reputable firm for this, I’ve heard good things about brickwork, personal friday, and tasks everyday. Or you can just hire your wife

5. Accountant/CPA

This is probably the most important hire you can make. Having a CPA to do your taxes is a huge load off your shoulders. Not to mention how much money they can save you. You will probably want to go local for this so you can visit and talk in person. Also, if they can help you setup your business entity, it makes it much easier for you come tax time.

Yes, with all outsourcing there is a learning curve, and you will probably hit and miss a few times. But taking this step can really cause your business to grow! Be interested to know what other crucial tasks you guys outsource …

Tired of checking for new posts? - Just subscribe to my RSS Feed!

(Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with PPC or affiliate marketing, and is just my humble opinion )

Yesterday there was so pretty significant news, that shows how bad the economy really is. The FED announced that it would be buying up our own long-term Treasurys as will as other mortgage-backed securities about 1.2 Trillion worth.

And the market rallied, as the government and the FED step in to save the day … again. Yippee everything is OK, right? I don’t think so, and don’t let the media fool you either. While I don’t want to sound like Mr. Doom, it is only prudent to act and protect your wealth and savings and NOT depend on the politicians of our day.

So, what does this mean?

Think about it, no other country out there wants to buy our debt anymore which keeps our economy running, so the FED says, that’s no problem we will buy it … the problem is they just print the money out of thin air. That does not create any value but destroys it. It destroys the purchasing power of your dollar and ultimately the value of it. It doesn’t matter if you have 100 grand in the bank, it is all getting diluted.

And this is on top of all the other silly things they’ve done since the start of this mess, the bailouts, stimulus packages, buybacks etc…. The only stimulating that is going to do is stimulate massive inflation down the road.

Now the US is no Zimbabwe, but take a look at their inflation over the past several years … Started off with a 200,000 dollar note and just recently issued a 100 trillion dollar note!! That’s nuts!

Ok enough of the rant, just mad when I continue to see all of this happen as it WILL affect everyone whether you are following this or not. Just wanted to let my readers be in the know … protect those PPC profits!

Tired of checking for new posts? - Just subscribe to my RSS Feed!

Everyone has the same amount of time in a given day, I have 24 hours, you have 24 hours, even Obama has 24 hours, no more no less. What we do with it is a different story. As an affiliate marketer everything is competing for your time and energy, both good and bad.

Here is something I read from the 4-hour Workweek, excellent book by Tim Ferris, you guys should check it out. He also has a blog, which is a pretty interesting read.
The question is are you more efficient or more effective?

Efficient

Being efficient just means that any task you do regardless of importance you do in the best and most economical possible manner. You can spend countless hours optimizing outlook to get all your emails to go directly to their assigned folder, reading and checking your emails, RSS feed, and twitter.

Just because you do something extremely well and efficient does not make it important

Effective

What matters most is effectiveness. As an affiliate marketer, all things being equal, building and testing campaigns is probably the most effective thing you can do. It’s funny though that sometimes we got bogged down by all these little unimportant tasks that get in the way of what really matters.
(Kind of the reason why I put this blog on pause for awhile)

Is there something in your life that needs to be paused and pushed aside? Something to think about, because this hit home with me…