This past week or so has been very interesting. There are several “new” things out there all being promoted like crazy. Funny how some are very successful (for the affiliate owner) while others just languish into nonexistence.

However, this is not a post of praise. Sure there ARE many fine, young and old, upstanding affiliate program owners out there who really give a damn if their affiliates are successful. You can tell these individuals from the crap (sorry but it’s true!) because they are fully involved in ensuring your success. They offer lots of tools upfront for advertising and marketing, and keep things fresh and current for newly arriving individuals.

What burns my butt is (more…)

Today, while reading my horoscope in a really oddball local magazine, I was struck by how much this particular one makes sense. Here’s what it said:

“The composer Stravinsky had written a new piece with a difficult violin passage,” writes Thomas Powers, quoted in the book Sunbeams. “After it had been in rehearsal several weeks, the solo violinist came to Stravinsky and said he was sorry, he had tried his best, the passage was too difficult, no violinist could play it. Stravinsky said, ‘I understand that. What I am after is the sound of someone trying to play it!’”

It goes on to inform me to keep this message close to the heart in the coming week in order to have “the proper perspective as you go about the work of doing the best you can, at a task that is virtually impossible to perfect.”

Now doesn’t that sound exactly like internet marketing?!

We each do our very best with the methodology at hand, but never do any of us truly “perfect the art” because the art of being online is so fluid.

However, it’s not in the getting it perfect where we succeed, it is in the trying and applying where we shine.

We’ve known our share of online entrepreneurs who take a direct course of action and willingly try their hand at all new proposals (or revisit “old” ones to fine tune them). Conversely, we’re also familiar with some would-be online business people who seem too shy to get out there and give it a go.

Maybe what holds some back is that feeling of “I won’t get it right.” There is no getting it wrong (other than blatant spamming of course). The beauty is in the doing!

Keep this message in mind as you go about your week (each week!) and put yourself out there! Meet other people in the social communities, write that article you’ve been putting off and post it in Hubpages and article directories! You can do it!

Here’s to sweet music to you in all your endeavors!

It’s late, but I don’t want you to think that’s what has me slightly grumpy, it’s not. What got me was a short piece written in the Webpronews.

Writer David Utter, in his featured article Beware Social Networking Ad Buzz does another one of his quick looks (without much fact) and provides a sweeping opinion (without declaring it is opinion) on whether or not social media sites like Facebook and Myspace are really designed to help online businesses grow. He (continues) to insist that these sites are filled with college-types not much interested in anything business related. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him say this very same thing… and it drives me nuts. Every time I read his absolute-sounding statements I wonder what he’s basing these statements on? Statistical fact or personal opinion? Because statistically he’s wrong.

I’m not about to disclose my age but suffice to say college has been several years in my past, yet I frequent social media hot spots and I’m aware of numerous individuals my age and older doing the same.

Social media communities are filled with all kinds of people, of all ages. A trip around any of them, checking profiles and seeing who’s who, can show you that much. Facebook even provides demographics for heavens sake…!

After reading his article, it became apparent to me that the person most “in the know” was the first commenter to his article, Lyn Mettler. Lyn wrote:

“I personally think that the way to go online is not to pay to have a presence but to actively get involved, such as by setting up a page for your business on MySpace or Facebook and using that as a tool to reach out to your target audience.

I’ve never been convinced that paid advertising online fares much better than paid advertising in traditional media. It’s much better (more credible and authentic) to get a story about your business published in the newspaper than to pay for an ad, and similarly it’s better to have a page on MySpace than to pay for placement there (excluding pay per click).

One other point, these social networks are definitely not just for the 20-something, college-age crowd. All age groups are getting on in huge numbers. A couple stats I found:

More than 50 percent of all MySpace users are now over the age of 35, according to comScore Media Metrix.

Between May 2006 and May 2007 the number of unique users on Facebook over the age of 35 grew 98% to 10,412. — comScore Media Metrix”

Hats off to Lyn for stating so clearly the reason for any internet marketer to venture into the social media arena. “To actively get involved” is the key phrase there. Clearly social websites are not the place to go barging in and spamming the living daylights out of all and sundry. Common sense, a sense of community and fair play, and above all an understanding of these communities can and will take any online entrepreneur far.

Seems like David needs a wake up call - and a research partner. Give it a rest David

(I did weigh in, couldn’t leave Lyn just hanging there alone lol)