Yesterday I promised you a truly eye-opening and heartwarming story for this post, but first my recap (rant) of what went down last night during the Vice Presidential debate. As we gathered our pizza boxes and drinks and settled down with an atmosphere not unlike the Super Bowl, here’s my conclusions:

First off, my understanding ever since grade school (no earlier, ever since the first time your parents asked you a direct question), you answer the question. Only kids and people with something to hide dodge a direct question. Frankly, even in marketing, it’s best to say, “I do not know, but I will find out the answer for you!” then to pretend you are either answering it or worse yet saying, “I don’t want to answer that question, instead I want to talk about…”

I wasn’t expecting rocket science from Palin, (more…)

Thanks to MathTeacher’s comments in the previous post, I will stop dreaming of ways to spend all that money and get back to work LOL! Just also shows how much “we the people” would love a bit of help from our government versus the elite always getting a helping hand. The state of affairs worsens as the days pile up. While bailing out single entities (which by the way most of us ordinary people would have landed in jail for), once again the government overlooks the critical component in any scenario. We, the little people, are the backbone of any country. With no money to spend, it doesn’t really matter how many special interests they bail out does it. We end up footing a bill that no one can afford to foot.

While the Birk Economics thing sparked hope, unfortunately, the math doesn’t pan out. Even at the 700 billion dollar level, it’s still peanuts. Can’t anyone think up a way that would put everyone on equal footing, ensure their futures, and help in the here and now?!?!

Okay, coming down of the soapbox (but I think “we the people” had better start yelling and screaming louder!), on to the next bit of news for the day. (more…)

UPDATE: Sunday morning - keep in mind this guy is only talking about $85B while the government is proposing a $700B bailout!

Okay, now just as a whim a good friend of ours sent this email along. It may have started out as a joke, but it’s anything but.

This actually MAKES SENSE - a hell of a lot more sense then anything I’ve heard our government talking about doing.

See what you think - U.S. or not…?! (more…)

It seems a bit odd writing this post because as you read it, you’re already “doing it.” And, if you take the time to comment, you’ll even be putting it into practice (and getting some free marketing all at the same time).

Social media is huge, and blogging is one of the fundamental layers to using social media marketing to your advantage.

Being a blog reader - and again, commenting - also makes you a strategic part of the whole web 2.0 marketing hubbub. (Keep reading to get the stats AND find out what new “toy” is available online… for free!) (more…)

Not that long ago, it was acceptable to stumble one’s own post to get the ball rolling in Stumbleupon. However, the rules of the game are changing as detailed here:

StumbleUpon Has Updated Its Algorithms

If by chance you have been found wanting by the SU team, never fear there is a way to get back into their good graces. Here’s just a few excerpts from the post (linked above): (more…)

For anyone using RSS in any way, shape, or form, it’s always been highly advantageous to turn your feed into a Feedburner feed. With an Alexa ranking of 399, as I write, well that just speaks volumes in and of itself.

However, “recently” Google has acquired Feedburner. Yes, the huge search engine giant has taken over yet another website that started life online in a small way, but built itself up into something as awesomely huge in the RSS feed world as Google is to online searching.

Does this mean the service will suffer?

Well according to (more…)

We’ve been super busy adding a new service to My Wizard Ads.

An option that everyone always has for spreading the word about programs, products and services is ezine advertising. This area of marketing covers classified ezine ads and the often sought-after solo ad. Some guru and program owners may use the term “standalone ad,” but they are one and the same.

So with a new service in place - called the Solo Ad Explosion (packed with real value for the online advertiser) - it’s time to turn our attention to the lighter things in life.

Earlier today, my father sent me a link to a great news story. Granted, if it’s your neighborhood, you might not be that thrilled - time to keep Kitty and Rover in the house for a bit, but here’s the cute picture: (more…)

Okay, let’s just say it straight out… this is not a political blog. In fact, we’ve gone to great lengths to stick as firmly as possible to the things we do best - social media and internet marketing strategies.

However, over the weekend (and though he lives right in the same house), my father sent me a link that’s worth a rousing visit on your part. No matter what side you’re picking, and if you have any sense of humor at all, here’s a song you can be singing as Americans head to the polls this coming Fall:

Click here for your new rah-rah I’m voting song

If anything, it might perk up your spirits and hopefully give you a laugh (which I think we all need!).

(In case you’re wondering everyone gets bashed LOL!)

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Don’t forget to comment! Great free marketing for you, and fun for us

This morning while actively participating in some marketing over at the Firestorm Forum, I came across the ideal post for our blog today

You aren’t aware of this, but I really sweat the typos, grammar, punctuation, etc., while creating and posting a new blog post. Ask Scott how often I read and re-read and tweak and change. Luckily, he’s a patient guy, and also believes we need to post our “best work.”

And, nothing can back me up as much as the blog post I found today. The headline (or link name) This Kid Is Lucky To Be Alive really scared me at first. I was anticipating (horribly) the worst. (more…)