Keep plugging “I can’t do it,” “It will never work,” “The economy stinks,” and similar messages into your head and before you know it, you’ll be feeling quite negative about life.
The constant negative programming will wear you out. Pretty soon, you won’t feel like it’s worth it to continue to achieve your goals. You’ll start to believe it’s impossible to make money on the Internet.
That’s why I’ve been on a media fast of sorts. I don’t choose to get caught up in that type of thinking.
A blog authored by “Spirit Warrior” offers a unique and wonderful solution … Flip the switch. Give it a positive spin.
For example:
THIS JUST IN: You can now buy stocks in most companies at 1995 prices!
THIS JUST IN: Employment Rate is still at 92%.
Flipping the negative news by giving it a positive spin definately changes your outlook. Check out the other examples.
U.S. Federal Court Awards Largest CAN-SPAM Act Damages Award in History.
In November this year, the largest damages case for a CAN-SPAM Act violation was awarded by a U.S. federal court to Facebook. The defendant, a Montreal resident named Adam Guerbuez, was charged with $873 million in damages. It is unlikely that Guerbuez has that kind of money, but the message is clear: Don’t spam. Facebook reportedly plans to take a look at virtually every asset Guerbuez has in trying to collect on its award.
An interesting aspect of this case is that even though the defendant lives in Canada, Facebook had to use United States law to prosecute him. Canada’s anti-spam laws are not currently as restrictive as those of the United States and do not offer the same legal remedies as the CAN-SPAM Act.
Guerbuez employed the oldest trick in the book: Phishing. What he did was to spam millions of e-mail accounts with a message purporting to be from Facebook. The email message instructed the recipient to follow a link that appeared to go to Facebook and to enter login information. This gave Guerbuez access to the users’ accounts and he was able to blast at least 4 million sexually explicit spam ads across the social network.
Canada Is Stepping Up With Its Anti-Spam Laws.
Canadian legislators are drafting anti-spam legislation that might go into effect before Christmas. According to the website Deliverability.com:
Businesses who also knew they were being promoted by spam would be liable unless they took action to stop the messages or to notify authorities. My thought on this — What will this do to affiliate marketers who use email lists to promote products?
Penalties range from a fine of up to $500,000 (or two years in jail), to a fine of up to $1.5 million (or five years in jail) for repeated offenses. Additional fines equal to the profits from a spamming operation could also be imposed.
Those harmed by spam would also be empowered to seek damages from the perpetrators in court. My thought on this — The bulk of Internet users will not know how to track the origination of offending email and may try to prosecute companies whose domains were deceptively cited in the spam email.
Under the Canadian anti-spam law, charities, political parties, polling firms and businesses that have a pre-existing relationship with an email user would be exempt, although they would still need to allow users to opt out of further messages.
Israel’s Anti-Spam Law.
On December 1 2008, Israel’s anti-spam law went into effect, making it illegal to send advertisements by email, fax or cellphone text messaging without the explicit consent of the recipient. Email advertisements must have the word, “Advertisement,” in the subject line. Anyone receiving a message against his or her will can sue the sender and receive compensation.
Common Sense for Email Users.
Any time that you receive an email that is supposedly from Paypal, your bank or even a social networking site, such as Facebook, that asks you to log in and enter your user name and password, do NOT click the link that is in the email. Instead, if the email has scared you into thinking that you have to update or confirm your account information, go directly to the known website. For instance, if you get an email from “Paypal security” (many of these are cleverly disguised so that the average user thinks it is an official Paypal communication), go directly to Paypal using your web browser and log in using their secure interface. Never, ever use the links in emails, especially where your financial information may be at stake.
Common Sense for Mom and Pop Businesses.
Something that I’ve noticed time after time when working with mom and pop businesses or small home-based businesses who have launched an Internet presence is their unwillingness to take CAN-SPAM seriously. I can completely understand the need to budget, but when it comes to spam — or allegations of spam — the business could be financially wiped out in defending itself or paying punitive fees or damages. Examples of what I have seen are:
The site owner visits dozens of websites that he or she thinks could be good clients, and then sends an unsolicited email with dozens of recipient address in the “to” line.
Instead of using a reliable opt-in/opt-out newsletter and email autoresponder program, the new site owner simply adds a link such as “Keep in touch by emailing us at news@mywonderfulwebsite.com.” They then “blast out” emails to everyone in their address book by including the email addresses in either the “to” or the “cc” line. There is no proof that the recipient agreed to receive email, let alone has the option to “opt out” of the email.
The fledgling website does not have a privacy statement that includes information about email solicitations.
For the mom and pop business owner, I highly recommend a service such as Aweber. Although it costs a little bit (but it is affordable), it’s much better to get the Aweber service now instead of losing your home, your business and maybe your shirt in defending yourself in court because of spam allegations. They have a free trial that you can use to see if the program will work for you. I highly recommend it, particularly in today’s IT climate that is increasingly regulated.
Engineer Ivy soraya gives readers a wonderful, personal perspective of life in Indonesia in her blog, Dreamlover. Her blog covers her travels, her spiritual insights and business life.
The view from the author's "home tower" in Banda Aceh
The blog journey begins with Ivy’s spiritual awakening in Banda Aceh, where she learns to temper her business stress. Throughout the months, Ivy’s blog gives a written and photographic tour of various destinations, such as Sabang Island, the Lhoong waterfalls, and some entertaining fishing expeditions. She writes about a car accident in one of her adventures and describes the hospitals and health care system.
American news lately is filled with gloomy tales about the mortgage crisis, the alleged failed economy, taxes and so forth. These American woes are comparable to similar tales in Indonesia. Ivy writes about her struggles with finding employment and other economic challenges she faces in her country. She admits that she does not understand real estate mortgages but, from an Indonesian perspective, tells her readers what is involved in paying vehicle taxes and trying to get a name change on her license. Taxes and red tape are something that we can all relate to! For those interested in religious customs and traditions, her stories about mosques, fasting, religious prayer and wedding traditions give a unique perspective that you won’t find in a text book.
An Anai artist at work on the bride's special wedding decor -- the woman will need to remain still for the rest of the night for the artwork to set correctly.
Here in the States, we tend to think that our way is the only way. For those who like a broader view of life, blogs such as Ivy’s Dreamlover blog give a personalized perspective on other cultures, religions and life. Because it is a foreign blog, the writing style is not in perfectly written English grammar … but then again, I’d say the majority of us native English-speaking writers do not use perfect grammar, either.
Personal blogs such as Ivy’s demonstrate that all of us, no matter what the religion or culture, share most of the same “issues.” For instance, Ivy writes about her relationship issues, her employment situation, and her understanding of faith. One thing that stands out in Ivy’s blog entries is her genuine love for her family. The topics that Ivy writes about in her blog represent universal core values that all of us deal with at some point or another.
I watched television news for the first time in months this weekend and was appalled at some of the rhetoric in our own political process. One lady who was interviewed as part of a political poll opined that anyone who is a devout Muslim is “dangerous.” The “race card” was brought up constantly and I think it was on CNN that they showed a clip where a couple of voters were passing around their twisted version of the “new food stamps” that showed images of Obama, fried chicken and watermelon. Others seemed to blame Bush for virtually everything wrong in society and indicated that all rich people are bad and that there needs to be a cap on how much a person is allowed to earn. I’m neither Democrat nor Republican and found the level of innuendo and bigotry slung about not by the campaigns themselves, but by the voters who professed to be aligned to the right or left, very shallow minded. They tend to put people into “boxes” instead of seeing any kind of commonality. Rich people go in one box, Muslims in another box, blacks in another box, gays in another box, Born Again Christians in another. This only fuels judging others as the causes of problems and refusing to look at our inner gunk.
In my opinion, the biggest gift of the Internet is access to information, news and insight that goes beyond what is offered on mainstream television that tends to put people and issues into little compartments that we can judge from afar. Perhaps the way to transcend limited “us vs. them” thinking is to start spending more time online and reading personal blogs. Blogs such as the one from Ivy soraya offer a way to think outside of our little judgment boxes and to understand humanity by reading people’s personal stories.
Iva offers some timeless advice in one of her posts:
The “basic” appearance of the Alacahost blog can be deceiving. At first glance, it’s just another WordPress blog that uses the basic theme that comes with the script installation. The “about” page remains a template page that still has the script language; i.e., “This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information . . .”
Normally, I click out of a blog in which the templates have not been updated. However, I decided to take a closer look because I’m interested in the subject matter.
Selecting a web host is the blog’s focus, which includes some helpful information. For instance, if you run a PHP script of any kind, it is possible that you have run into CPU overload problems with some hosts. Alocahost explains this problem and tells you what you can do about it. The blog also discusses bad web hosts (invaluable information for bargain hunters) and the problem with spam on some hosting services.
While the earlier posts on this PR2 blog were pretty focused and helpful, many of the posts seemed to have shifted to unrelated product and site reviews. If more posts are written about web hosting, this can be a very helpful blog for mom and pop business owners who are thinking about going online or expanding their online presences.
As far as web hosting is concerned, I am still recommending at this time the $40-for-10-years deal, where customers receive the types of services and scripts that normally come with a big name hosting company. You can get the details here.
The average American is getting sick and tired of the status quo. Before the Internet, there may have been some protests. Other discontented folks wrote letters to the editor. Some chose to run for office. But the bulk complained at the dinner table.
The Internet has changed all of that.
The Ron Paul Movement
This year’s election may be determined by alternative media and the swell of quotes, links and opinions blasting across the Internet.
Photo by Afagen (click for Flickr Stream)
This year, it started with the Ron Paul Revolution, when an unassuming, Libertarian-leaning Republican that no one really heard of triggered a storm of blogging, shouting and commentary in the cyberworld when he launched his presidential campaign. In fact, much to Paul’s surprise, his following grew so passionate that he shattered all previous Republican and Democrat fundraising efforts, earning over $6 million in one day.
Other Causes
Although the American presidential campaign is getting most of the attention right now, other causes have received some action due to the Internet. Les Scammell, an educator and business manager who lives a small town in SE Queensland Australia, launched what he calls “My Radical Blogs.” One of his projects is the Protest Against The Slaughter Of Whales that has a goal of getting 1000 bloggers to add their blogs to his “1000 Blog Protest Against The Slaughter Of Whales” campaign. So far, he has a little over 150 blogs that have added their URLs to his blog.
CAPTION: The 1000 Blog Protest
In response to the massive government buyout of distressed assets, http://www.buymyshitpile.com launched with the message, “What Happens on Main Street Affects Wall Street.” With a more serious tone, Downsize DC has over 23,700 members who receive email “dispatches” about pending bills in Congress that will increase wasteful federal spending. These members in turn call and fax their Senators and Representatives and give them an earful about pending legislation that would normally be obscure because it is simply not reported in mainstream media.
Organizations such as FreePress.net with thousands of online activists have been making an impact in Internet and other media. An example of one of their recent success stories has been to let the average person know about the arrests of journalists who were reporting on protests at the 2008 Republican convention. Thanks to their efforts and the work of other grassroots organizers online, over 60,000 letters were delivered to St. Paul demanding that no charges be pressed against the journalists. They won. Charges were dropped.
Mainstreet America Roars
As to the current political campaigns, more than ever before, the common voter is getting to have his or her say. It’s not just a handful of voices. The volume has turned into a roar. It’s unknown whether politicians actually pay attention to what the people are saying (for instance, voters were saying “no” to the massive bailout with a ratio of 300-to-1, but it looks like it’s going to pass anyway). What is known is that the average Joe gets immediate gratification for publishing his opinion, and that opinion will undoubtedly translate into what voting lever Joe pulls.
Twitter has been around since March 2006, providing a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. It’s no surprise that the Twitter platform has been integrated into numerous political forums. Read about politics and Twitter at the Twitter blog. It’s amazing to watch Twitter’s own election updates, with “Tweets” scrolling through every second.
Mainstreet America is highlighting information about the politicians and their compaigns that the average voter would never know about from the mainstream press and television coverage. For instance, this little clip about Sarah Palin showed up in one of the Diggs I’ve received. You’ll never see this on TV:
Of course, we can’t forget YouTube as a way for the average person to be heard in today’s political climate. YouTube as an “Election Channel” that covers all kinds of political races, including the presidential race. You’ll find the less mainstream videos by searching through the main site.
Here’s where it’s really going to get intense. Although it is still perfecting the tool, Google has launched “inQuotes,” which allows you to find the candidates’ quotes on just about any topic. “Flip flops” and lies are going to be revealed at the speed of the Net, thanks to Google.
What’s to be Learned from This?
Voters who want to know more than what is presented in media soundbytes are definitely going to be researching the candidates and the issues online. With more information readily available, there’s going to be a greater accountability than ever facing candidates, and this will affect activist issues and politics.
From a small business perspective, there is a lot that can be learned about social media and marketing. Check out all the links above to see how they are used, and how your business can participate.
On the good side, we can take advantage of social media to get the word out about our offerings. Conversely, our business reputations and the reliability of what we sell can be made or broken by opinions on the Internet.
Aside from the never-ending stream of political stories, there were some real interesting “Diggs” that were shouted this week.
CAPTION: Screenshot of Optical Migraine Movie
One of them answered a question I had for at least ten years. Several times a year, I can’t see because of a kaleidoscope of colors spinning around my line of vision. Eventually, these colors merge and I can only see out of a “pinhole,” so to speak. It can get very disconcerting — some people would probably take drugs just to experience this effect! Mine come totally drug free and no doctor has ever been able to explain this experience to me. A blogger using the name “Known Johnson” made a short video about this very phenomenon and at last, I finally know what it is: an optical — or visual — migraine. It turns out that a lot of people experience this sensation. In fact, Known Johnson’s blog kept going down because it kept exceeding its bandwidth with people constantly “Digging” the article and watching the demonstration. The blog is back up right now, so take a look at his short flash movie clip. Like me, you might learn something new, too.
Blogging from Indonesia
CAPTION: Blogger Lukman F
Though not because of a Digg shout, I also visited Lukmanf’’s Tips this week. Self-described as a famous Indonesian blogger, Lukman blogs about a variety of subjects, from the Internet to education and to writing. Judging by the photo slide show on his “about” page, it’s evident that Lukman is a world traveler. He has been to Holland, Egypt and of course, visited various Indonesian sites.
While Lukman is a prolific writer when it comes to product and blog reviews, some of his most interesting material comes from his own culture and observations. For instance, he has a lengthy comparison of Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian girls. After talking about their differences, Lukman concludes that Indonesian girls may be the best, citing advice from his junior high school teacher who had admonished students to “love what is made in their country.” Indonesian girls are, after all, “mostly made in Indonesia,” concludes the writer.
Perfectly Preserved – Why Can’t They Come Up with an Anti-Wrinkle Solution Like This?
Back here in America, obesity and diabetes are big health problems, and fast food is often blamed as the culprit. Another Digg shout sent me over to the “A Hamburger Today” blog, which had a shocking photo comparing a 12-year-old McDonald’s hamburger with one purchased in 2008.
CAPTION: Photograph taken by Karen Hanrahan
I am not going to spoil the surprise by telling you which one of the above burgers is a dozen years old – you’ll need to visit the Hamburger Today blog to find out!
Giving with a Twist: Non-Charitable, Non-Tax Deductible Donations Needed
And finally, a friend of mine took his first stab at a blog and wants comments and donations. He’s made some political opinion videos for his “Anthill Industries” blog that are quite funny. This is one of the few blogs where both hateful comments and generous donations are welcome! Here’s one of his videos:
So visit Anthill Industries, write a bunch of comments for backlinks, and send a dollar or two. You won’t get anything out of your donation, but maybe you’ll feel good about your generous self.
Blog Buzz about Taxes & Politics
Anthill Industries is not the only blog that’s talking about politics. The huge bailout, McCain’s suspended campaign, the debates and taxes are, of course, generating a lot of commentary on blogs across the spectrum. The National Taxpayers Union took a look at the spending proposals by the presidential candidates and published its analysis on September 25. Here’s a quick look:
It’s election time again and many people will be tuned into the debates. McCain has announced that he will participate, so everything’s a go. From a tech perspective, there are some awesome developments.
Micro-Blogging the Debates with Current and Twitter
Current and Twitter have partnered in what they call the “Hack the Debates” project, which will broadcast as many of debate tweets as possible right over Obama & McCain, in real time, on their live broadcast. Learn more about this and how you can add your “Tweets” at Current’s site.
CAPTION: The Blogging the Debates Project
Another cool online feature comes from Voter Watch, which is sponsoring the Blogging the Debates project. In the days following each debate, Voter Watch will feature expert commentary from Dick Morris, Cynthia McKinney and many others in its special “Voter Watch Media Player.” Voter Watch partnered with Current to air a recap of the Current/Twitter debate footage (complete with Tweets) following each debate — so if you want your opinion and Tweets heard, check it out by visiting Blogging the Debates.
A Bit of Background and Reason’s Live Counter Debate
People who study how presidential debates are conducted over the last several election cycles are aware that ever since Ross Perot, they are now controlled by the Democrat and Republican parties through an organization known as the Commission for Presidential Debates. Previously, they were conducted by the League of Women Voters who became so disgusted with the scripted questions and behind-the-scene games that they threw up their hands in disgust.
After the Perot experience, the bipartisan CPD blocks all legitimate viewpoints other than those presented by their two parties. This has angered many voters who would like all candidates who have achieved significant ballot access to participate.
The way it is now, there is a nebulous polling requirement that a candidate must have a 15% approval in the polls before he or she can participate in the debates. The CPD does not specify who gives these polls, when the polls are to be taken, and does not address the very practical issue that most polls only list the two major parties’ candidates and “undecided.” It is impossible to get 15% in the polls when your name is not in the poll. A more factual and unbiased qualification would be based on ballot access throughout the states.
The strongest third parties having ballot access this year are Ralph Nader and Bob Barr. A recent Zogby poll indicated that 55% of Americans wanted these alternatives to participate in the debates. Given the economic climate today, this only seems fair to the American voter. The third parties offer insight that is very different from the same old routine given by the Democrats and Republicans.
Reason is going to interject live responses in its real-time debate coverage. Here’s how Reason describes its event:
Please join reason, either in person or online, for a live counter-debate on Friday, Sept. 26, with Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, who will respond to John McCain, Barack Obama and moderator Jim Lehrer in real time. We will be live-blogging Barr’s responses at Hit & Run, and videotaping the whole proceedings, which will include a brief post-debate Q&A with reason staffers, bloggers, and other interested parties. The fun begins at 7:00 PM, the debate starts at 8:00 sharp, and the drinks will be provided by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. In a year rich with libertarian politics, the only place you’ll hear a candidate talking libertarian ideas will be in reason’s Washington headquarters.
If you’re interested in hearing more than just the usual rhetoric tonight, be sure to visit Reason.
Injecting another party — live — into the debate should prove to be an Internet technology wonder. If for no other reason, it’s worth watching Reason’s version of the debate to see how this will work.
Whether or not we think the current debate process is fair or biased, the web is quickly becoming an awesome tool for live participation. I know I will have a couple of Firefox windows open tonight so I can see how Web 2.0 will play a role in the debate coverage.
Writing from Singapore, blogger Makoy describes himself as a pinoy blogger, whatever that means! What is clear is that this 26-year old systems developer and programmer knows how to blog, and to blog well.
Makoy, a certified blogger
Writing about blogging tips, political news, and entertainment buzz, Makoy’s daily rants and raves have earned him a Google Page Rank of 2 and over 63,000 backlinks.
Makoy’s SEO (search engine optimization) section of the blog is fascinating. He shares the most searched keywords in his blog and, get this, his very own contest for writing about his blog. In April, he was paying $50 for the winning posts about his blog.
Makoy shares useful blogging tips, such as how to create a Favicon, how to get easy advertising and how to increase your web hits.
SEO and blogging tips aside, Makoy’s greatest contribution to the blogosphere is his entertainment news. His movie and music reviews have been regularly posted for over two years.
A blogger using the name “Wishbone” says that blogging is an obsession. Judging from the content of his blog, technology can also be an obsession.
My Life with IT is one of the most comprehensive tech review blogs I have seen in a long time. There is a huge selection of reviews about the latest games and gaming tricks. There is an equally impressive selection of advice about programming and web application development, plugins for Wordpress and, in the gadget spectrum, some of the latest ripoffs when it comes to ringtones for a cell phone. Currently a developer, Wishbone shares his experience when he first started out in the IT industry as a customer support representative and some of the most common customer support questions.
I don’t think this blog is geared for “newbies,” but for the surfer who has an interest in programming and development, this technology resource will be of interest and a great research tool.
The moleskine blog discusses a variety of money-making opportunities available to bloggers, and delivers insight about web hosting and contests available to bloggers.
While the blog writer appears to use English as a second language, the Molkeskine and Me blog has some helpful reviews on shopping cart designs, working with headers in Blogger templates, and Google privacy issues. You’ll also discover how to win a Porche by blogging and how to make at leat $10 per post using other blog sponosorship opportunities. Molkeskine and Me does not appear to have been updated for awhile, but some of the tips are timeless.
From time to time, you can get huge discounts on quality software or memberships that are not publicly announced. For instance, our special VIP list will give you a $57-per-month discount at Niche Rockets. The only emails you will received from this list will be for discounts. To protect you from spam, this is a double opt-in list, meaning that you'll need to confirm your subscription.
