Success Story... Pizza By the Slice

I confess... I don't get it.

A pioneer in this "dynamic new... industry" says, "instead of selling just one pizza for one price, we're able to sell eight slices for ninety-nine cents a piece. That means more profit for us..."

What planet is he living on?  On my planet, large pizzas under $8.00 don't exist (and I assume it's a large pizza they're cutting into eight slices).  So where's the extra profit in making EIGHT trips for EIGHT dollars?

Here's the story.  This is obviously higher math, so maybe I'm just doing something wrong.

Luv,

MaaMaw

The Most Comprehensive Internet Marketing Course On the Planet

News Flash... Google Changes Afoot!

This just in:

"Google appears to be actively cleaning its listings by targeting sites using suspicious link-building techniques.  A couple of well-known search engine marketing sites have vanished..."

Read the article here.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Technorati Tags: google, seo

Scam Alert... Targeting Online Resumes

At least one foreign company is contacting people who have posted their resumes online.  Apparently they offer a job collecting money for notebook computers.  The numbers make no sense, so hopefully most people will be turned off from the git-go.

Here's the poop.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Internet Marketing -- What Really Works?

MarketingExperiments.com is an "online laboratory with a simple (but not easy) five-word mission statement:  To discover what really works."

They actually "test every conceivable marketing method on the internet," and you can subscribe to their Marketing Experiments Journal free.

Whoa doggy!

Luv,

MaaMaw

Fundraising Ideas

I tripped over this old thread at SowPub with a truckload of great fundraising ideas.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Technorati Tags:  fundraising

Good Copywriting vs. Intellectual Gobbledygook

Gotta love this article.

Nothing makes me grind my teeth (sorry, my dentition) louder than a written piece (any written piece) that's "pretentious" and "laden with jargon... a case of trying to impress, rather than express."

Build a sales pitch around such silliness and it's no longer merely obnoxious -- it's downright disastrous (and annoying as hell).

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Technorati Tags: copywriting, marketing

AOL'ers... Reporting Forwarded Spam

For anyone who uses AOL and reports spam, this is a MUST READ.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Opportunity Doesn't Knock

Here's a really good article about getting off your hiney and hunting down the perfect opportunity because it ain't gonna come huntin' for you.

Luv,

MaaMaw

MaaMaw's Favorite Last-Chance Scam-Proof Business Opportunities

Spotting Biz Op Scams

Here's an article from the Washington Post that brought up a twist I haven't seen before (maybe because the scumbeezles hadn't thought of it back when I jumped in head first, or maybe because I was lucky)...

A man signed up for an envelope-stuffing program, thinking it would be a good way for his 18-year-old daughter to make some extra money.  It seems "the instructions for the project stated he should put his Social Security number on each envelope" and "the company began deducting $65 every month from his checking account."

A double-whammy!

If you're looking for a business opportunity, proceed directly to Scams 101 and read it cover to cover. 

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Technorati Tags: scam

FTC Charges Internet Kiosk Scammers

Wheeeee!!  I love it!

Clicky-doodle.

Luv,

MaaMaw

IRS Targeting Small Employers

Ick.  That's all... just ick.  Oh, and I'm glad I'm not one anymore.

Click here to read the article.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Become an eBay Trading Specialist

I just saw this article about a lady in San Francisco who is building a nationwide network of "eBay Trading Specialists."  She claims they can make between $200 and $1,000 a week, and everyone coming into the company is mentored. 

NOW HEAR THIS!  I am NOT endorsing this opportunity.  I'm telling you about it so you can do your own research if you're interested.  You DO have to pay for the business kit (but on not-so-close inspection, it seems to include quite a bit of equipment).  I have no idea if you can get your money back.

To give you a head start, there's a long discussion about this on the eBay Forums.

Again, I have no opinion about this.  I am posting it FYI only.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Protecting Your Social Security Number Online

I always knew there was a chance that evil hackers could steal my Social Security number but it seems it's even easier than anybody thought.

What's the solution?

Just say no:  "Sometimes, it takes a lot of nerve to say no to a creditor asking for that information.... You've got to be pushy and refuse.... The mobile-phone company does not need your Social Security number."

Luv,

MaaMaw

Spammer To the Slammer

Wow.

Nine years.

That's more than some people get for shaking a baby to death.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Tips for Safe Blogging

Tips on how to blog safely.

It pretty well boils down to common sense, like everything else on the net.  I have a friend who posts countless pictures of her kids (as do bzillions of other people), and I confess, it scares me to think who might be watching.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Gearing Up for Women

Hey, Retailers... time to get your hineys in motion to be ready for the anticipated influx of female buyers:  here's the article.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Never Underestimate Word-of-Mouth

According to this article, "Word of mouth is becoming a profession instead of a thing."

I find it hard to believe, but they claim "...27 percent of all conversations include a word-of-mouth recommendation, whether it's the 411 on a twisted graphic novel, hip restaurant, or hot baby stroller."

Hmmmm... maybe I can create a buzz about my petrified brownies.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Promoting Your Blog

What a positively great(!) article about building traffic to your blog.  Neat, organized, and complete.

'Nuff said.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Technorati Tags: blogging, promotion, traffic

More On the Technorati Bookmarklet

Ooops... I just found this.

In my last post I told you about a little bookmarklet doohinky that easily creates your Technorati tags.

It turns out you can style them so they look different than your other links.  Here's the poop.

Spiffy!

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Bloggers... A Technorati Bookmarklet

Forgive me if this is old news, but I figure there has to be another blogger somewhere who didn't know (hello? anybody?).

On my other blog, Google is having a devil of a time serving up appropriate ads.  I know, I know -- it's my fault because I don't include enough keywords in my bloggies, but if I write for keywords I end up not saying what I mean, and I won't sacrifice what I wanted to say for ads. 

Will adding Technorati tags help? 

I have no idea, but I figure it's worth a shot, and I do know they've brought in a few new readers.  (I tried adding keywords with meta tags and the Blogger template ate 'em.)

If you don't know about Technorati tags already, this article explains the whole thing. 

Here's the fun part:  This article offers a little "bookmarklet" thingy that makes tagging easier.  A word of warning though:  I used it while I was in the middle of my post in Blogger and, of course, when I finished, my post was vaporized.  I'm off to try it from another window and see how it works.

Update:  It worked great!  It gave me a nice little code to paste in.  (Of course if I'd been writing my post in a notepad instead of right in Blogger, it wouldn't have vaporized in the first place, but I can't seem to remember that.)

Luv,

MaaMaw

MaaMaw's Favorite Last-Chance Scam-Proof Business Opportunities

Technorati Tags: Technorati,, tags,, blogging

Your Online Business... Getting It All Done

I'm struggling to prioritize and take one step at a time so I don't get bogged down and end up doing nothing (again).  That's why this article by Willie Crawford jumped out at me.

Lots of good ideas about prioritizing, overcoming procrastination, and avoiding time-wasters (my personal bugaboo).  Nothing earth-shattering, but plenty of things I need to be reminded about often.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Connecting with Linked-In

Here's an article about a nifty service called LinkedIn.  From what I can tell, it's a system that allows you to connect with professionals in any field through someone you know and trust, who knows and trusts someone else, who knows and trusts someone else else else...

It's free, so no harm in checking it out.

Luv,

MaaMaw

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Profitable Niche Sites

Just a reminder that Mike Long is continuing his step-by-step instructions on building profitable niche sites.

Have you been keeping up?  I got way behind, but let me tell you, it's well worth taking time to catch up.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Want To Make Money On the Net But You Don't Know Diddly?

Ad Placement 101

This is an absolutely GREAT article about where on the page you should be placing your ads.

Luv,

MaaMaw

Don't Fall Into the Sandbox!

Of course... it had to happen.

I finally work up the nerve to at least think about starting a niche site or six and up comes this story about the Google Sandbox.

It's a "probation" of sorts -- but the good news is, there are apparently ways of avoiding it altogether if you time things just right.

Woe is me.  I no sooner get my brain wrapped halfway around a concept than some smart alec makes it more complicated.

Luv,

MaaMaw

The Most Comprehensive Internet Marketing Course On the Planet

Newbies... Bleed-You-Dry "Opportunities"

Some admit to being MLM, and some swear they aren't -- but it doesn't matter, because they're all designed to bleed you dry.

Here's a rough translation of their promises.

While we're on the subject, not all MLMs are evil.  Some are product-driven (as in, you make your money by selling products, and if you never recruit anybody, oh well).  Watkins and Mary Kay come to mind.  There are others.

Luv,

MaaMaw

The Most Comprehensive Internet Marketing Course On the Planet

Ebay As a Business Builder

Quite frankly, Ebay gives me hives.  I've had some bad experiences as a buyer and even worse experiences as a seller.  I can't stand taking pictures, writing listings, answering endless questions, waiting for payment, packing stuff, and going to the P.O. to make five bucks (and that's only on those exceedingly rare occasions when something actually sells).

But that's just me.

Jim agrees that with few exceptions, most people aren't making a lot on Ebay, but he highly recommends using it as another method of online advertising.  This is how he does it.

Luv,

MaaMaw

P.S.  P.S.  If you get "No Message," it's in Ye Olde Archives -- just type archive1/ right after board1/ in the URL.