Sitesell introduces Site Build It! version 2

October 28, 2009 by John Dilbeck · 2 Comments
Filed under: Sitesell and Site Build It 

Normally, I would have jumped on the introduction of Site Build It! Version 2.0 last week, but I was busy with an offline project that had a real deadline I had to meet.

Today is the first time I have the time to talk about this new version of SBI.

Although they finally decided to call it version 2.0, SBI is actually much farther along than that; they’re just recognizing the value of changing the version number to indicate a serious upgrade.

If you’re not an SBI webmaster, you don’t realize that the great folks at Sitesell are always upgrading and improving all that SBI offers. The beauty of this is that it is all done behind the scenes and, unlike upgrading a WordPress blog, it doesn’t require any work on our part.

New features just appear on a regular basis.

Ken Evoy and team recognized this, and with a few major upgrades last week decided to call this SBI version 2.0.

It’s about time.

In addition to all the upgrades to the help files, the Action Guide, SBI tips, and other things that help us keep current and on-track, they introduced a couple of pretty major changes.

Brainstorm It! version 3.1

With this upgrade, the keyword research tool gives us more features and we can add new filters to make our research faster and more efficient.

Within a few hours of finding the upgrade active, I added several new filters and saved them as custom tasks. Now, some of the things I had to do manually after a new brainstorming session are automated and I can click a button and do in a matter of seconds what used to take a significant part of an hour to do.

I’m sure, as I get more experience with what I can do with all the filters, that I’ll get even more efficient with this new version of the tool.

Content 2.0 is now free

I’ve been wanting to add the Content 2.0 features to my SBI sites, but haven’t had the time to do it the way it needs and, therefore, could not justify the additional $99 per year cost of adding the module to my sites.

As of last week, however, that cost is no longer a consideration. Now, I just need to make the time to rebuild some of the pages of my site to use C2.

What is C2? You can learn more about it on the SBI version 2.0 page.

Conclusion

Continually added and updated tools on a regular basis along with a drop in price(!) means that SBI is a better value than it was the last time i raved about it.

Thanks to all the people at Sitesell.

Now, I have a couple of SBI-powered sites that need some work so I can take advantage of the new tools.

Act on your dream!

JD

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How do the new FTC guidelines affect affiliate marketing?

October 6, 2009 by John Dilbeck · 15 Comments
Filed under: Advertising and Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Opinions 

Yesterday, October 5, 2009, the FTC published their final guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials. This ruling will affect celebrities, bloggers, testimonial advertisements, and probably more.

The press release is here:

FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials

The actual guidelines are in a pdf file that I have tried to download several times, but, so far, have only been able to get a portion of it.

The actual guidelines are described as:

16 C.F.R. Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising: Notice Announcing Adoption of Revised Guides

They are available as a pdf file:

Text of the Federal Register notice

As I said, previously, I have not been able to read these new rules, yet, so I’m just wondering out loud at the moment.

How does this affect affiliate marketers?

Are blog posts with affiliate links covered under these new guidelines? How?

(Disclaimer: I am not now or ever have been a lawyer. I do not give legal advice. I don’t even play a lawyer on TV or the Internet.)

I can read from the press release that anyone who is posting sponsored articles to their blog will be affected. Since I don’t do that, I haven’t given the ramifications much thought.

I almost never receive a freebie in return for writing a review, but I have no problem disclosing that fact when it happens.

Most of us would never fall under the label of “celebrity” and never get paid huge sums of money to endorse a product on a talk show or in social media, but if you do, now you have to disclose that fact.

Still, how does this affect bloggers who are affiliate marketers?

Does every link have to be disclosed as a possible money-making link?

Will it be enough to add a few lines to our disclosures page?

Are we even covered by the new guidelines?

What about you?

Will these new FTC guidelines affect how you run your business and how you advertise and market products and services?

Act on your dream!

JD

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Why do I accept or delete comments?

October 2, 2009 by John Dilbeck · 11 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, Musings 

Even though I have had little to say on this blog for the last month or so, I’ve been here reading the comments that have been submitted, and I’m sad to say that the great majority of them have been deleted. Some have been submitted to Askimet as spam.

I don’t like doing that.

I deliberately set up this blog to follow comment links and I think that’s fair if you’re going to take the time to contribute to our discussions.

However, the word “contribute” is the key word in that sentence.

A one sentence response telling me I’m doing a good job just isn’t contributing to the conversation, and I delete those. I’ve deleted several dozen of these non-helpful comments over the last month.

Trying to spam this blog with off-topic comments, especially when they link to sites I’d never link to, is a good way to get sent to the spam page where your comments will be deleted and reported to Askimet.

If you want me to approve your comment and welcome you, then there are several things you should do.

Tell me who you are.

Either use your name as the link back to your blog or sign the comment with your name. Preferably first and last name.

A marginal comment with a name in the link and the comment will generally be approved.

However, if you use keywords or the name of your site in your link, that’s one strike against you.

If you don’t use your name in the link and don’t sign your comment, that’s a second strike against you.

If your comment is marginal and you have two strikes against you, I’ll delete it. This isn’t baseball, so I don’t have to wait for three strikes.

On the other hand, even if you have two strikes against you and your comment is relevant, useful, and adds to the conversation, I will usually approve it.

I like talking to real people, not keywords and not site names.

I’m going to be even more strict about this in the future.

As much as I enjoy discussing these topics, I hate not knowing to whom I am talking.

There are other reasons I would delete a comment, but I don’t feel a need to go into all of them here.

Once I get back on track to where I feel like I can add information related to affiliate marketing, I’ll resume posting here.

I’ll be looking forward to your comments and discussions, as long as you are a real person who treats me like a real person, too.

Act on your dream!

JD

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