Exactly what are these terms?
Why are they important in your everyday marketing strategies?

What is PR or Page Rank and why is it so important?

In a nutshell, its a quality score attained by a search engine,  namely google or bing or yahoo or ask but mainly referred to google since they’re the leading SE. search engine.

• The better you’re quality score, the more respect the SE’s give you.
• The better you’re quality score, the easier it is to get placement on SERP’s.
• The better you’re quality score, the more visitors you can attract.
• The better you’re quality score, the more oomph you can give to other pages or websites.
• The better you’re quality score, the greater your odds are at attaining higher earnings.
• The better you’re quality score, the greater your odds are at making any sales at all.

So, it would behoove you to do all you can to increase you’re quality score or Page Rank.

Some may argue that PR doesn’t matter.. and those shiesters are more than willing to make exhaustive claims to this matter, when they know damn well, they have done enuff backlinking from Hi PR sites to their single pages or whole websites just to get noticed by the engines, it’s what ( I ) did and…

Hell, its the first damn thing on their list of strategies for promoting their new sites.

The saying “If build it they will come” always comes to mind when I go over
these things with friends, prospects & clients. I was looking at some competing PR last year and I thought I’d share the results… If you can reverse engineer any of these cases, you can do better than all these sites…

For a Marketing Example:

PageRank Results		Order by (pagerank): Relevance PageRank Results (30): 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Showing search results in order of pagerank 577,000,000 results found MarketingVOX – The Voice of Online Marketing /10 Jul 16, 2009 … Online marketing, internet advertising and e-marketing news for media buyers. http://www.marketingvox.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites marketing (business) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia /10 Britannica online encyclopedia article on marketing (business), the sum of activities involved in directing the flow of goods and services from producers to … http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/365730/marketing View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites marketing: Marketing Project Home Page /10 OpenOffice.org: The Free, Open Source Office Suite. http://marketing.openoffice.org/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Marketing :: WetFeet /10 The four components of marketing are product, price, promotion and place. … For marketing positions in other industries, your best bet may be to network … http://www.wetfeet.com/Careers-and-Industries/Careers/Marketing.aspx View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Careers-in-Marketing.com: Your Guide to Marketing Jobs /10 Careers-in-Marketing.com brings you free information on key careers and jobs in marketing. http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Agricultural Marketing Service – Home /10 Includes six commodity divisions – Cotton, Dairy, Fruit and Vegetable, Livestock and Seed, Poultry, and Tobacco. The divisions employ specialists who … http://www.ams.usda.gov/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing /10 Direct marketing news, research, conferences and jobs. For people doing direct, database, and interactive marketing. http://www.the-dma.org/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites LCB – Department of Marketing /10 Information about the department, research, faculty and programs. http://lcb.uoregon.edu/departments/marketing/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Guerrilla Marketing Online – The Official Site of Guerrilla … /10 Guerrilla Marketing Online the official site of Guerrilla Marketing and famed author, Jay Conrad Levinson. It is an online magazine for small business, … http://www.gmarketing.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites FMI | Food Marketing Institute | Home /10 Food Marketing Institute represents food retailers and wholesalers by developing and promoting policies, programs and forums supporting its members, … http://www.fmi.org/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Internet Marketing News | Marketing Pilgrim /10 Jul 13, 2009 … Andy Beal writes on search and internet marketing. http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Explore Rising Documents in Business & Law/Marketing | Scribd /10 Marketing plan for the iPhone 3GS – Entering the Chinese Market. … Learn how to optimize your marketing operations so current resources can generate … http://www.scribd.com/explore/Business-Law/Marketing View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Flickr: “marketing“ /10 Explore and refine this marketing list with our wonderful clustery goodness! … Award-Winning Email Marketing Used By Obama & 355k Small Businesses. … http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/marketing/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Web Marketing Today — E-Commerce, E-Mail Marketing, Internet … /10 E-commerce, e-mail marketing, and web marketing information for small business entrepreneurs, researchers, non-profits, and merchants interested in Internet … http://www.wilsonweb.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites marketing talk radio podcast /10 Listen to live and archived marketing talk radio podcasts on Blog Talk Radio – the leading talk radio network. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/marketing/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Email Marketing Solutions from Constant Contact /10 Email marketing software that makes it easy to create professional HTML email campaigns with no tech skills. Sign up for a 60-Day FREE trial. http://www.constantcontact.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites KnowThis.com: Marketing Tutorials, News, How-to and More /10 Jul 15, 2009 … Since 1998 offering FREE detailed tutorials, news and resources for professionals, academics and students in marketing, advertising, sales, … http://www.knowthis.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Marketing.com – Interactive Marketing – Online Marketing … /10 Make it Happen with Marketing.com – Distinctive Domain Name venues from different sectors to dynamically reach your target markets. http://www.marketing.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Business Marketing – Small Business Marketing /10 Business marketing – Read everything your need to know about small business marketing. http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/index.html View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Marketing Power – American Marketing Association /10 Marketing and advertising articles and tips, thousands of companies and firms, careers and jobs, and more from the official American Marketing Association … http://www.marketingpower.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites All About Marketing /10 Before you learn more about marketing, you should get a basic impression of what marketing is. See What's "Advertising, Marketing, Promotion, … http://managementhelp.org/mrktng/mrktng.htm View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Marketing – Marketing Strategy – Marketing Plan – Marketing … /10 Learn about marketing careers, the stages of developing a marketing plan, how to begin marketing research, create a marketing strategy, and how to market a … http://marketing.about.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites CDC – Health Marketing /10 Feb 9, 2009 … CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health Marketing site. http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites MarketingSherpa Home /10 Resource that publishes useful news, case studies, and best practices data about internet and integrated marketing. http://www.marketingsherpa.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, and Sales … /10 In small firms, the owner or chief executive officer might assume all advertising, promotions, marketing, sales, and public relations responsibilities . … http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos020.htm View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites BidVertiser – Pay per click advertising on sites of your choice. /10 Pay per click advertising – online advertising directly on sites of your choice, internet marketing solution for online advertisers. http://www.bidvertiser.com/bdv/BidVertiser/bdv_advertiser.dbm View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Sales Jobs / Marketing Jobs / Advertising Jobs /10 Search thousands of professional jobs from across the United States. Find jobs in sales, marketing, and advertising. Jobs from entry to executive level. http://www.marketingjobs.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites MarketingProfs – Marketing Resources for Marketing Professionals /10 One source for online marketing resources, marketing articles, online seminars, case studies, conferences and events for Marketing Professionals. http://www.marketingprofs.com/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Home – Business Marketing Association /10 The Business Marketing Association (BMA) focuses on the field of business-to- business marketing. http://www.marketing.org/ View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites Marketing – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /10 Jul 14, 2009 … Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing View META Data – View Inbound Links – Analyze Links Cached Version – Similar Web Sites

End Marketing Example

Obiviously I’m considering trying to rank for some very daunting and extremely competitive keyword phrases here… Some of which I’ve actually no control of ever getting unless I’m like stellar aggressive in my marketing prowess… Which I can be if put to the task… just google [things to know about angels] or even [Focus Coach] Competition in the millions, but those were just personal challenges… Marketing phrases though are another matter which takes a bulldozer or better yet a linkdozer to push the barriers…

Now… I’m not big on doing reviews since the end result means a pitch at the end… And I don’t make reference to resources lightly. I know the shelf life of items can be pretty short. But this damn program is off the charts.

Seriously.. if you have a VA or a limited staff and you need to get some niche market sites up real fast?

Link Dozer does that and a whole lot more. It Easy! Its Fast! And its Killer Affordable!

But don’t take my word on it, check it out yourself. If it doesn’t look like the cats meow?  I don’t know what does…

Moving on…

Keyword stuffing [don't do it] is not being used in this case and I don’t recommend doing it..
There is a trick some have been doing in leu of that tactic though.

It’s the hidden <div> container tactic.

This tactic is crazy. If used properly it can do some very strange things for your rankings..

1. It helps if you have a student in a college with a .edu blog account or web page on such..
2. Get a boat load of relevent keyword rich articles with suacy titles. (I do mean a boat load)
3. Get the kid to post those articles on his site in some obscur folder.
4. Get some bizarre script that makes the browsers crazy thinking there’s something very suspicious with that webpage and warns you of a threat or possible malware attack being present and insert it on to those articles. (google still reads it fine, but prying eyes will get queezy and walk away no more the wiser)
5. Get all the links to those juicy article titles and line them up nicely in a div container with a coordinate off the page like div align=”-2200px” . In the code for the page you want to rank for, that container will never be seen…

But big G won’t even bother giving such a thing any notice because its just not there.
This is a black hat version of ranking for terms that white hatters use for ranking a site in every state by utilizing the hidden field for the 52 states listed in a drop down form for they’re KWF.

Maybe they’ll catch on eventually, but the iframe thing that BH’rs have been using got killed last year and this seems to be the prevailing get around for that…

Anyways.. the more pages you can generate a decent PR with the better you can develop a network of authority for your keyword phrases… This includes using 2.O properties.

Thinking of building an SEO Sniper training report, you interested?
Let me know.

Technorati Tags: internet advertising, marketing marketing, marketing news, marketing project, marketing strategies, pagerank, sites marketing

cert-of-authenticity

Authenticity or Authentic may refer to:

* Authentication, having passed the tests thereof
* Authenticity (philosophy), a particular way of dealing with the external world, being faithful to internal rather than external ideas
* Authentic performance refers to a movement in classical movement also known as historically informed performance
* Authenticity (reenactment), in historical reenactment, a measure of how close an item, prop, action, weapon, or custom is, to what would actually have been used or done in the time period being depicted

The Authentic Self:

Authenticity is a technical term in existentialist philosophy, and is also used in the philosophy of art and psychology. In philosophy, the conscious self is seen as coming to terms with being in a material world and with encountering external forces, pressures and influences which are very different from, and other than, itself. Authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite these pressures. Different types of Existentialist philosophers see this process in different ways.

Integrity

Integrity-Meaning

Integrity in ethics

Ethical meanings of integrity used in medicine and law refer to a quality of “wholeness” that must be present in the human body and in the body of law, respectively. Such wholeness is defined by “sacred” axioms such as unity, consistency, purity, unspoiledness and uncorruptedness.

In discussions on behavior and morality, one view of the property of integrity sees it as the virtue of basing actions on an internally-consistent framework of principles. This scenario may emphasize depth of principles and adherence of each level of postulates or axioms to those it logically relies upon.[citation needed] One can describe a person as having ethical integrity to the extent that everything that that person does or believes: actions, methods, measures and principles — all of these derive from a single core group of values.

One essential aspect of a consistent framework is its avoidance of any unwarranted (arbitrary) exceptions for a particular person or group — especially the person or group that holds the framework. In law, this principle of universal application requires that even those in positions of official power be subject to the same laws as pertain to their fellow citizens. In personal ethics, this principle requires that one should not act according to any rule that one would not wish to see universally followed. For example, one should not steal unless one would want to live in a world in which everyone was a thief. This was formally described by the philosopher Immanuel Kant in his categorical imperative.

In the context of accountability, integrity serves as a measure of willingness to adjust a value system to maintain or improve its consistency, when an expected result appears incongruent with observed outcome.

Some regard integrity as a virtue in that they see accountability and moral responsibility as necessary tools for maintaining such consistency.

In the context of value theory, integrity provides the expected causation from a base value to its extrapolated implementation or other values. A value system emerges as a set of values and measures that one can observe as consistent with expectations.

Some commentators stress the idea of integrity as personal honesty: acting according to one’s beliefs and values at all times. Speaking about integrity can emphasize the “wholeness” or “intactness” of a moral stance or attitude. Some views of wholeness may also emphasize commitment and authenticity.

Subjective interpretations

In common public usage, people sometimes use the word “integrity” in reference to a single “absolute” morality rather than in reference to the assumptions of the value system in question. In an absolute context, the word “integrity” conveys no meaning between people with differing definitions of absolute morality, and becomes nothing more than a vague assertion of perceived political correctness or popularity, similar to using terms such as “good” or “ethical” in a moralistic context.

One can also speak of “integrity” outside of its prescriptive meaning, in reference to a person or group of people of which the speaker subjectively approves or disapproves. Thus a favored person can be described as “having integrity”, while an enemy can be regarded as “completely lacking in integrity”. Such labeling, in the absence of measures of independent testing, renders the accusation itself baseless and (ironically) others may call the integrity of the assertion into question.

Integrity in modern ethics

In a formal study of the term “integrity” and its meaning in modern ethics, law professor Stephen L. Carter sees integrity not only as a refusal to engage in behavior that evades responsibility[citation needed], but also as an understanding of different modes or styles in which discourse attempts to uncover a particular truth.

Carter writes that integrity requires three steps: “discerning what is right and what is wrong; acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong.” He regards integrity as being distinct from honesty.

Twitter

twitter_bird_bigger

Get short, timely messages from Twitter.

Twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information. It’s easy to stay updated on an incredibly wide variety of topics.

Once reneowned by the users as the place where adults could talk to adults when there weren’t any local adults  around. In such a manner acquainted friends followed each other on twitter, helped each other on twitter and became popular on twitter.

danlopez2012-on-twitter-grader-top25

This must have pissed a lot of twitter originators off, because their users were becoming celebrities on their service while they were frantically trying to keep the fail whale at bay. The explosion of users was and still is alarming the attention of press and media alike.

But the poor originators couldn’t quite grasp a foothold for prospective buyers.

What does all this have to do with Authenticity and Integrity?

Dunno…  in fact I could freakin care less..  All I know is that there honestly seems to be a prevailing wind of  automated horseshit from once notables in the twitter community that were stalwarts of same…

Now rubbish and crickets abound the delirium once known as the peoples community.

Damn that sounds hateful.. I don’t hate twitter, its been very good to me. Made great friends and even best friends on there. But my mentors of marketing are all on a mass exodus… And to me, that means either they don’t get social media marketing, or they can no longer afford to waste their time there.

I’m guessing a little of both but enuff for an extreme change… and since focusing means changing or altering your perception wholly on the task at hand…  I’m going to take a hiatus from the delirium and crickets.

Peace out…

Technorati Tags: authenticity, integrity, sincerity, truthfulness

I have a handheld ham radio.. and the memory’s internal battery died…  So, instead of getting a perfect replacement I bought an equivilant and tried to solder ends to it…

Mind you, this battery is the kind that looks like a quarter…  I killed the new one with all the heat from the soldering iron… well, not exactly killed it.. but it drained below the fresh voltage of 3Volts down to 2.9volts … so… what do I do?

I grab the old one and solder the new and the old together with a wire between them.. increasing the voltage to 4+ volts… but its only feeding memory and not the unit as a function, so damage would be nil???

Fingers crossed annnnd… done with all the soldering and the unit now holds the configuration after turning on and then off and then on again… Whoalla! Violla?

Old Ham radio is running once again…
A moral to the story????
Communication? err… umm no,,, not quite..

More like, thinking outside of the box and taking risks..
If I messed this up.. I basically killed a $200.00 radio.. that you can probably get for $50 on ebay… But still.. I’d be short one damn good handheld if I screwed it up.. I needed to take the chance though…

The chance to gain an inner feeling of determination, fearful courage and inner resolve to the task at hand… I’m mean, not just anyone can go and rip a radio apart, fix the damn thing with something other than required parts…

Sure.. it was a small victory, that many may concede to..   But with that said..
Just how many small victories do YOU experience a day?
How many chances do YOU take a day?

Angels With Dirty Faces…

Technorati Tags: angels with dirty faces, courage, ham radio, small victories, thinking outside of the box

Nominated for an Oscar and for a BAFTA award, Jasper Morello is a short feature made in a unique style of silhouette animation developed by director Anthony Lucas and inspired by the work of authors Edgar Alan Poe and Jules Verne. In the frontier city of Carpathia, Jasper Morello discovers that his former adversary Doctor Claude Belgon has returned from the grave.

When Claude reveals that he knows the location of the ancient city of Alto Mea where the secrets of life have been discovered, Jasper cannot resist the temptation to bring his own dead wife Amelia back. But they are captured by Armand Forgette, leader of the radical Horizontalist anti-technology movement, who is determined to reanimate his terrorist father Vasco.

As lightning energises the arcane machineries of life in the floating castle of Alto Mea, Jasper must choose between having his beloved restored or seeing the government of Gothia destroyed. Set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, this gothic horror mystery tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his Plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself.

Whaddya Think?

Dear Business-Builder,

Discouragement …

Feelings of self-doubt, insecurity and vulnerability …

Despair and depression …

Stark fear and blind panic …

It’s no secret that these and many other negative emotions are now haunting many of our prospects’ daydreams and nightmares.

Who knows?  Maybe yours, too.

It’s to be expected that so many people would be feeling poorly at a time like this.

But toxic emotions are business-killers … career-killers … income-killers.  Because whether we admit it or not those emotions – NOT reason – are the cause of most decisions we make; most things we do.  And when we’re feeling negatively, we tend to make poorer decisions:  Decisions that result in financial losses, lost jobs, bankruptcies.

Worse:  Scientists say toxic emotions also depress our immune systems, significantly increasing the incidence of fatal diseases among depressed people.

And of course, poisonous emotions also cripple us with deadly depression – the primary reason why last year, U.S. suicide rates began rising again for the first time in a decade.

What makes these unthinkable events even more tragic is that they are so needless … pointless … uncalled for … so unnecessary.

Because nearly all of the thoughts and feelings
that trigger these tragedies are outright lies.

I’ve often written about where emotions come from …

1. An event – something that happens to you or that you see, hear, taste, smell or remember – occurs.
2. Your brain passes information about that event through a “belief filter” you may or may not know you have about events like this one.
3. What comes out after your belief filter analyzes the event is called a “thought.” Sometimes, you’re aware of that thought.  Other times, it’s gone so fast you never consciously notice it.Depending on how accurate your belief filters are, that thought can either be fairly rational and accurate or wildly wrong.
4. Every thought – right or wrong – leaves a footprint in our bodies by causing our brains to release certain chemicals.  You and I experience those chemicals as emotions.

This is important stuff for marketers to know because, as I’m also wont to point out, the vast majority of the purchase decisions our prospects make are based on emotion; NOT on logic.

All they really need to survive is a lean-to, a fire and a recently deceased critter to cook.  Pretty much everything else they buy is to satisfy an emotional need.

This is why I often say that copywriters who focus exclusively on making rational arguments …

But who never give a thought to the prospect’s emotional state before, during and after reading a promo …

Are like a gaggle of gunfighters stampeding off to the O.K. Corral but leaving 90% of their ammo back at the saloon.

Now, though, as each of us processes a new daily tidal wave of bad news about the economy, it’s also time to consider how each one of your belief filters – and the thoughts and emotions they’re serving up – are affecting your businesses … your career, your income and your future.

Are your Belief Filters helping you?

Limiting you?

Or maybe even dooming you to failure?

The big secret most shrinks know is that the vast majority of positive emotions are rational; appropriate.  But the vast majority of negative emotions are just plain baloney – triggered by false beliefs we have about ourselves and the world around us.

Now, if you know anything at all about me, it’s probably that I am definitely no Pollyanna.   I’m hardly known for pulling my punches or gilding the lily.

For more than a year now, I’ve been warning you that the business environment stinks – and that the stench will only become more overwhelming in the months ahead.
Ironically, though, I consider myself an optimist when it comes to how this crisis will ultimately affect my family and my business.

Because I’ve taken inventory of my belief filters.

I’ve discarded beliefs I held that were misleading, false and outright lies.  And I’ve replaced them with beliefs that are more accurate and rational and therefore, helpful.

The belief filters I was given by my parents, my school and my church once told my brain that I was inconsequential; powerless in determining my own future.

According to them, I was little more than a pawn.  A victim.  “Fate” or “the gods” determined the path of my life.  Any success I achieved was little more than a lucky break allowed – whether intentionally or accidentally – by Providence.

And that meant it was probably only a matter of time before some outside force would destroy any success I’d achieved, render me a victim and give me what I really deserved:  To be dirt poor and alone again, much like I was growing up.

Imagine looking at  today’s business environment through those mud-colored glasses!  Imagine the toxic emotions I’d be having right now!

Lucky for me, some 20 years ago, my #1 client was sold to a bunch of drooling morons who began systematically killing the company and endangering my sole source of income.

Lucky for me, the disaster got me so depressed, I sought out and found a great man to help me deal with my depression.

Most of all, it was lucky for me that this great man helped me identify my idiotic belief filters … disabuse myself of them … and replace them with rational, realistic, accurate, HELPFUL ones.

That done, I suddenly realized that I have enormous powers of self-determination.  While outside events and other people may have some influence on my life, I and I alone have the greatest say – by far – in its ultimate outcome.

I also realized that the vast majority of events that others think are negative are really only chances for a new beginning … exciting changes … and new, probably even greater opportunities.

And most importantly, I realized that at any given moment in my life, I am far better equipped to deal with and triumph over even The Worst-Case Scenario than I was 40 years ago, ten years ago, or even yesterday.

The glass, she is much more than half full …

It would be dangerous enough if the problem was all in our heads.  If simply exchanging inaccurate belief filters for accurate ones was enough to vaporize depression and give us the positive outlook we need to succeed.

But in most cases, the events we witness are not even real events!

Think about it:  The simple truth is our perception of the world is almost entirely derived from what we see on TV, hear on the radio and read in the papers.

And because the media relies on sensationalism to sell subscriptions and get ratings …

And because negative news is far more sensational than positive news …

It’s no wonder that most of us have a distorted perception of what’s really going on around us!

Have you ever taken a moment to consider how many times politicians and the media have screamed “CRISIS!” at us during our lifetimes?

Well, let’s see …

In my lifetime, there was The Cold War crisis … the Cuban Missile Crisis … the Arab Oil Embargo Crisis … the Kennedy, Kennedy and King Crises … the Vietnam Crisis … the Summer of Crisis in ’68 … the Inflation Crisis of the ‘70s … the Iranian Hostage Crisis … the Reagan Budget crisis … the stock market crisis of ’87 … the AIDS crisis … the global warming crisis of the ‘90s … the crisis in Bosnia … the “Asian Contagion” crisis … the Oklahoma City bombing crisis … the bursting of the tech bubble crisis … the 9/11 crisis … the anthrax crisis … the twin war on terror crises in Iraq and Afghanistan … and now, of course, “The greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.”

Wow.  That’s a LOT of crises!  And I even left out some.

I’ll bet, if you were an alien looking at this list, you’d probably wonder how we managed to survive them all …

Let alone the impending crises that dominate cable TV; the “comet-or-asteroid-hits Earth” crisis … the “Yellowstone-super-volcano could erupt-crisis … the “massive-earthquake-could-render-all-life-in-the-Pacific-Rim-extinct” crisis … and more.

I’ll bet you all those crises have caused plenty of aliens to abandon their plans to invade and dominate Earth.

For one thing, the place is clearly a death trap.  And for another, they figure any species that could survive all those crises would surely kick their slimy little green arses all over the solar system!

Want to know a secret fantasy of mine?  OK, here goes:  I’d love to get hold of a major news outlet for one day just to see what effect reporting the positive side of the news might have …

• NEWS EVENT: The Commerce Department reports that retailers are cutting prices to attract customers and that profits are declining …MY HEADLINE: Consumers snapping up the bargains of a lifetime!  Saving 50% or more every time they open their wallets!  Most retailers still turning a profit!
• NEWS EVENT: Car companies and high-end retailers issue their earnings reports; they’re losing money …MY HEADLINE: Profits SURGING at job search companies like Monster.com … home-based business firms like Avon … and discount retailers like Amazon.com!
• NEWS EVENT: The Labor Department reports that unemployment has just hit 7.2%.  11.1 million American workers are now unemployed …MY HEADLINE: 92.8% of American workers getting paychecks!  139.9 MILLION are bringing home the bacon AND being paid up to 90% more than their counterparts overseas!

My point: The vast majority of all events are neutral.  It’s the media’s incessantly negative spin combined with our own negative belief filters that delude us into accepting a negative view of the world in general and our future in particular.

And that negative outlook and the toxic emotions that spring from it paralyze us … sap our creative energy … make us afraid to take risks … discourage us from doing what we must to triumph.

Everything changes once you change your focus.  Look for the silver lining; it’ll be there.  Look for opportunity when others are panicking; chances are, you’ll find it.

Become obsessed with finding the bright side; you’re gonna need shades!

Something to think about…

Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,

Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

This was just Too Good NOT to share with my readers..

Technorati Tags: discouragement, self doubt, toxic emotions

When you have a file full of facts at your fingertips, writing good copy is easy. You simply select the most relevant facts and describe them in a clear, concise, direct fashion.

But when copywriters don’t bother to dig for facts, they fall back on fancy phrases and puffed-up expressions to fill the empty space on the page. The words sound nice, but they don’t sell because the copy doesn’t inform.

Here’s a four-step procedure I use to get the information I need to write persuasive, fact-filled copy for my clients. This technique should be helpful to copywriters, account executives, and ad managers alike.

Step #1: Get all previously published material on the product.

For an existing product, there’s a mountain of literature you can send to the copywriter as background information. This material includes:

• Tear-sheets of previous ads
• Brochures
• Catalogs
• Article reprints
• Technical papers
• Copies of speeches
• Audio-visual scripts
• Press kits
• Swipe files of competitors’ ads and literature

Did I hear someone say they can’t send me printed material because their product is new? Nonsense. The birth of every new product is accompanied by mounds of paperwork you can give the copywriter. These papers include:

• Internal memos
• Letters of technical information
• Product specifications
• Engineering drawings
• Business and marketing plans
• Reports
• Proposals

By studying this material, the copywriter should have 80 percent of the information he needs to write the copy. And he can get the other 20 percent by picking up the phone and asking questions. Steps #2-4 outline the questions he should ask about the product, the audience, and the objective of the copy.

Step #2: Ask questions about the product.

• What are its features and benefits? (Make a complete list.)
• Which benefit is the most important?
• How is the product different from the competition’s? (Which features are exclusive? Which are better than the competition’s?)
• If the product isn’t different, what attributes can be stressed that haven’t been stressed by the competition?
• What technologies does the product compete against?
• What are the applications of the product?
• What industries can use the product?
• What problems does the product solve in the marketplace?
• How is the product positioned in the marketplace?
• How does the product work?
• How reliable is the product?
• How efficient?
• How economical?
• Who has bought the product and what do they say about it?
• What materials, sizes and models is it available in?
• How quickly does the manufacturer deliver the product?
• What service and support does the manufacturer offer?
• Is the product guaranteed?

Step #3: Ask questions about your audience.

• Who will buy the product? (What markets is it sold to?)
• What is the customer’s main concern? (Price, delivery, performance, reliability, service maintenance, quality efficiency)
• What is the character of the buyer?
• What motivates the buyer?
• How many different buying influences must the copy appeal to? Two tips on getting to know your audience:
  • If you are writing an ad, read issues of the magazine in which the ad will appear.
  • If you are writing direct mail, find out what mailing lists will be used and study the list descriptions.

Step #4: Determine the objective of your copy.

This objective may be one or more of the following:

• To generate inquiries
• To generate sales
• To answer inquiries
• To qualify prospects
• To transmit product information
• To build brand recognition and preference
• To build company image

Before you write copy, study the product – its features, benefits, past performance, applications, and markets. Digging for the facts will pay off, because in business-to-business advertising, specifics sell.

Robert W. Bly
Guest Contributor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Technorati Tags: business copy, copywriter, information product, marketing plans

But one issue can derail your progress just about indefinitely.
That issue is family drama. Lord knows we have enuff distractions in life. And with this crazy economy, the last thing we need are more distractions.

The ones we create ourselves are bad enough. The ones from colleagues we can pretty much throttle with a teeny bit of discipline. The ones from our family though…..
Those are the ones which can be carried throughout our days, travels and even right in front of our prospects.

These “slices of life” as I call them are mostly fraught with disagreements, minor pressures [over-exaggerated] and in-law visitations… But some, are very serious even medically unsound.
I will not minimize the fact that families are not always perfect.

Enter the magic of indifference. No, I’m not saying to ignore anyone,
to lock yourself away or even kick your cat. You see… vying for attention is a human characteristic which will always be with us.
Without proper guidance and a few mental tools to cope, we are at the mercies of our family’s daily drama.

Some families, more than others..

With indifference, or detachment, we can allow ourselves to engage from a point of no emotion. To some, it may seem as though we deal with family with an empty head. Nothing could be further than the truth. Because I’m not a genius, I look up these things to make sense now and again.

de·tached  (d-tcht) adj.
1. Separated; disconnected: a detached part; a detached plug.
2. Standing apart from others; separate: a house with a detached garage.
3. Marked by an absence of emotional involvement and an aloof, impersonal objectivity. See Synonyms at cool.

in·dif·fer·ent  (n-dfr-nt, -dfrnt) adj.
1. Having no particular interest or concern; apathetic: indifferent to the sufferings of others.
2. Having no marked feeling for or against: She remained indifferent toward their proposal.
3. Not mattering one way or the other: It’s indifferent to me which outfit you choose.
4. Characterized by a lack of partiality; unbiased: an indifferent judge.
5. Being neither too much nor too little; moderate.
6. Being neither good nor bad; mediocre: an indifferent performance.
7. Being neither right nor wrong.
8. Not active or involved; neutral: an indifferent chemical in a reaction.

As you can see;
It’s not a bad thing.. its a neutral stance which can defy distraction
and rally you into action once your audience is no longer required from the family. Stay focused on your goal and plan of action, keep a list of distractions and apply a modest amount of detachment and indifference when needed.

Always forward
Dan–

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give — Winston Churchill

Technorati Tags: detachment, distractions, family drama, indifference, objectivity

Washington Had Vision of Trials Facing Nation

For many years copies of Washington’s vision at Valley Forge as related by one Wesley Bradshaw, told to him by Anthony Sherman, have been in existence. The earliest publication was in 1859, 1880, in 1931 and is being printed once more. THE STARS AND STRIPES, December 21, 1950.

The last time I ever saw Anthony Sherman was on the Fourth of July, 1859, in Independence Square. He was then ninety-nine years old, and becoming very feeble. But though so old, his dimming eyes rekindled as he gazed upon Independence Hall, which he came to visit once more. “Let us go into the hall,” he said. “I want to tell you of an incident of Washington’s life — one which no one alive knows of except myself; and if you live, you will before long see it verified.

“From the opening of the Revolution we experienced all phases of fortune, now good and now ill, one time victorious and another conquered. The darkest period we had, I think, was when Washington, after several reverses, retreated to Valley Forge, where he resolved to spend the winter of 1777. Ah! I have often seen the tears coursing down our dear commander’s care-worn cheeks, as he would be conversing with a confidential officer about the condition of his poor soldiers. You have doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going into the thicket to pray. Well, it was not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort from God, the interposition of whose Divine Providence brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation.
“One day, I remember it well, the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly, he remained in his quarters nearly all the afternoon alone. When he came out, I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual, and there seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of the officer I mention, who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command, said to the latter:

The Vision

“I do not know whether it is owing to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire into the cause of her presence. A second, a third, and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of her eyes. By this time I felt strange sentiments spreading through me. I would have risen, but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to address her, but my tongue had become useless, even thought itself had become paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could do was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor. Gradually, the surrounding atmosphere seemed as though becoming filled with sensations and luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarify, the mysterious visitor herself becoming more airy, and yet more distinct to my sight than before. I now began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany dissolution. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move; all were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion.

“Presently I heard a voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn,’ while at the same time my visitor extended her arm eastwardly. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay spread out in one vast plain all the countries of the world — Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific. ‘Son of the Republic,’ said the same mysterious voice as before, ‘look and learn.’

“At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy being, like an angel floating in mid-air, between Europe and America, dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand. He sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left hand he cast some on Europe. Immediately a dark cloud raised from these countries and joined in mid-ocean. For a while it remained stationary, and then moved slowly westward, until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashes of lightning passed through it at intervals, and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people.

“A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean, and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose heaving billows it sank from view. A third time I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them. Again I heard the mysterious voice say, ‘Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn.’

“At this the dark, shadowy angel turned his face southward, and from Africa I saw an ill-omened spectre approach our land. It flitted slowly over every town and city. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking, I saw a bright angel, on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word “Union,” bearing the American flag, which he placed between the divided nation, and said, ‘Remember ye are brethren.’ Instantly the inhabitants, casting from them their weapons, became friends once more and united around the National Standard.

“And again I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia, and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: from each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were joined into one. And throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of the cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns, and cities that I beheld were springing up. As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ When the voice had ceased, the dark, shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth and blew a long and fearful blast.

“Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel, upon whose head still shone the word “Union,” and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens, attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well-nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle. Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious.

“Then once more I beheld the villages, towns, and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice, ‘While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.’ And taking from his brow the crown on which was blazoned the word “Union,” he placed it upon the Standard, while the people, kneeling down, said, ‘Amen.’

“The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappearing, I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, ‘Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted: Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, passing which the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land, and the Union.’ With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat, and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.”

“Such, my friends,” concluded the venerable narrator, “were the words I heard from General Washington’s own lips, and America will do well to profit by them.”

Technorati Tags: stars and stripes, stars and stripes newspaper, washington at valley forge, WASHINGTON'S ANGELIC VISITATION

The disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior
involving putting your cranium up your rectum. Many victims contracted it in
2008 . . . but now most people, after having been infected for the past 1-2
years, are starting to realize how destructive this sickness is.

It’s sad because Gonorrhea Lectim is easily cured with a new drug
just coming on the market called Votemout. You take the first dose in 2010
and the second dose in 2012 and simply don’t engage in such behavior again;
otherwise, it could become permanent and eventually wipe out all life as we
know it.

Several states are already on top of this, like Virginia and New
Jersey , and apparently now Massachusetts , with many more seeing the
writing on the wall.

Please pass this important message on to all those bright folk you really care about.

- the wealthy and so called royal families, along with well hidden secret power structures and the banking/oil/media cartels. He’s coined the phrase Problem-Reaction-Solution to describe how a hidden hand manipulates events on a mass global scale for an intended effect. One of the agendas of this so called global elite, says Icke and others, is the fulfillment of a vision for a New World Order, the same one mentioned often by George H.W. Bush while he was President. The outcome for average people and the simple minded folk of the world under this plan is not a sunny one. It’s the plan for increasing control over a peaceful, small population that is cut off from its awareness of divine potential. Crazy? People used to think so, more are finding out that there’s a man behind the curtain & things that seemed random, could actually be orchestrated events.

Technorati Tags: 2012, 2012 Interview, david ick, David Ick Interview, New World Order