twhirl Review

Up until today I really never understood why anyone would use twitter. For those that have never used twitter, it is a micro blogging site. Unlike a full blown blog you can make mini 140 characters posts about where you are, what you are doing or anything that comes across your mind.

So today I was reading Miss 604’s blog and she was talking about some fun stuff going on at twitter. So I did a little research on how I should be using twitter by reading various blogs. If you do have a twitter account then it is an absolute must to have a notifier. I went out and started downloading and testing various twitter notifier software’s. I was really disappointed that most of them did not work. Frustrated I posted on my twitter asking what should I be using. A few minutes passed and a local Vancouver designer posted that I should try twhirl. I quickly downloaded it and have been using it all afternoon.

I am extremely happy with twhirl and now see how useful twitter can be. Like a blog you can join or create a community. You can network with people in your niche, local area or interests. Twhirl notifies you when someone posts that you are following, makes it easy to message people and faster to make posts (tweets). If you are not using twitter then I suggest you do. After you sign-up download twhirl and then add me to your twitter.

Meatball Sundae Review

If you have heard of web 2.0 but not sure how these can apply to your business then the book Meatball Sundae is an excellent starting point. As always Seth Godin creates an excellent book chalked full of examples that you can ponder on how to improve your business.

I personally found this book to general for my own specific needs. The book covers topics like the long tail of search, Digg, YouTube and social networking. These trends are all things I am aware so for me the book could have gone in to more depth.

I see this book as a good resource for business that are not very web savvy. If you are an online business then this book might not be much use to you.

The title is a unique metaphor used through out the book. Most companies being meatballs that generate average products for average people are using web 2.0 trends to make their meatballs look more like a sundae. This leaves you with an unappetizing meatball sundae. The general idea of the book is that if you wish to make use of web 2.0 trends you need to restructure your business from the ground up.

If you have read this book what did you think?

iStockphoto Review

I have been asked on more then one occasion where I go to get stock images for building sites. I have used a lot of sites in the past but I have started to exclusively use iStockphoto.com as my only source for images. My main reason for using them is that most of their images for web usage is less then $2.

iStockphoto provides images, vector drawings, flash animations and movie clips that you can use on your site or in print materials. To get started create an account, drop some money in to your account and begin searching.

Once you find a picture your ready to buy choose an image size and click the download. For web use I would suggest sticking to Small or XSmall as these will fit your needs. If your going to use one on a marketing slick you should buy a Medium to Large so that your end product will not be blurry or pixelated.

Next time you work on your marketing I suggest you do a quick search at iStockphoto to find the right image to fit your target market.

What stock image sites have you used?

Build A Niche Store Review

If your like most people on the Internet your trying to make money online. There are many ways to do that but some are easier then others. I have been doing some testing of the Build A Niche Store (BANS) software and so far the results have been surprising.

I purchased 5 domains each with a separate niche that I have an interest in. The domains are pretty generic. These 5 domains I have setup each as a blog that I add one page of content to per week. This way the content on the site is fresh and gives a reason for others interested in that niche to return. Using the BANS software I am selling products that are specifically geared to that niche using the eBay affiliate program. The BANS software creates a store for you which you can easily start selling in a day.

I have had these running for a month now and the numbers so far:

- 4,628 unique visitors to the sites.
- 341 sales through eBay.

Total sales are $314.09.

- 5 domains at $16.95 equals $84.75
- 1 hosting account at $6.95.
- Build a Niche Store software at $97.00

Total expenses for the month are $188.70.

Total profit first month is $125.39.

Traffic to the site is coming from forums, blogs and groups in the respective niche and just posting a few times a day.

So let’s do a bit of extrapolation, the first year would be $3,503.93. That is presuming the current rate of traffic. I predict traffic will go up and that these sites would make $7,000 in the first year with very little effort.

I do recommend the Build a Niche Store software and be willing to help you choose a niche if you do decided to buy it.

Ad Management Review

I got an email today from Mark over at 45n5.com about his launch of ShowYourAdHere (SYAH). This new site helps you manage and sell your site ads. If you sell ads on your site you may want to consider a service like this.

So how does it work?
As a publisher you sign-up and add your inventory of ads space into the site. You then add a widget to your site where that ad would be placed. You will never need to edit the code on your site again as all administration is then done through the SYAH site. You can manage multiple site and ads all in one management tool now.

Once an ad is approved and sold through the SYAH site it will be automatically added to your site. Payment is accepted through the SYAH site and they take a 25% cut of all sales.

Should you use this service?
I think it is good for a site that is just starting out. This will drive marketers to your site and you can start generating revenue. It may not be a lot of revenue but when your starting out any revenue can be good.

Suggestions
I think the domain is not easy to remember and would suggest they buy a domain that is more brandable. I have one that is suitable if they are interested (marketinghunter.com).

The site design is okay but I am not sure it will drive a lot of high-end advertisers in to the network. I would suggest Mark hire a graphic designer to be the ying to his PHP yang.

What do you think of this type of service?

Orange Soda Review

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was one of the top suggested impulse purchase during the checkout of web hosting. We have been starting the search for a partner to team up with, first up is Orange Soda.

I have been testing their service for 2 weeks now and have been happy with the service.

Advantages:

- They have plans that fit small to large marketing budgets.
- You can choose to optimize based on local, national or global.
- Knowledgeable staff do the work so you can spend your time doing what it is you do.

Disadvantages:

- Their site is a bit hard to find answers to basic questions before you sign-up.
- Not a Canadian company.

Grade: B+

Has anyone else used Orange Soda and have an opinion to share on them?