Sitesell 5 Pillar Program changes how cookies operate

September 30, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 2 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Sitesell and Site Build It, Webhosting 

I’ve been thinking about this for almost two weeks, before I decided to write about it — and I’m still not exactly sure what I’m going to say here.

In the private 5 Pillar Forums, Ken Evoy, Founder of Sitesell, announced on September 18, 2011: 5 Pillar Program Switches To First-Exposure Cookie.

You must be a Sitesell affiliate to gain access to those forums.

So, how is this different, and why is it important?

The announcement about the change is rather lengthy, as are the reasons for making the change.

I’m going to summarize parts of that announcement here, but — for the full story, including background information — you’ll need to read what Ken wrote and then all the questions and answers that followed.

To give just a little background, the 5 Pillar Program was founded when Sitesell had one product: Make Your Site Sell!

(You can go to that site and read about it, and download it for free, if you’re interested. I keep a copy of this book on the desktop of my work computer and still refer to it on a regular basis.)

That was when I joined Sitesell’s affiliate program — in the late 1990s. I bought, studied, and implemented what I learned, and then I told more people about it. Even now, nine years after the last revision, I still use and recommend that book.

Here’s some of what Ken said about that…

Before SBI! existed, 5 Pillar Affiliates were all “Internet Marketers” (“IMers”). They reached people who were looking for information about SEO, or affiliate marketing, and so forth.

They promoted “Make Your Site SELL!” to them, followed by each book in a a growing range of Make Your __________ Sell!” books. Those were the pre-SBI! days.

Today, half of all SBI! owners become 5 Pillar Affiliates. They speak of SBI! with first-hand experience and with passion. Their sales cycle is different.

They are “regular” people who reach more “regular” people, folks who are specifically looking for information about Anguilla or turtle-breeding (or whatever). IMers’ audience seeks info about starting a business online or SEO or social marketing strategies, etc.

This shift in sales cycle dynamics happened slowly over time. As SBI! grew, more SBIers reached more “regular” surfers who were NOT seeking information on SEO, for example.

I’m in both categories. One of my SBI sites has nothing to do with Internet Marketing and the other has a few sections where I talk about it (or will, when I get all the pages written). On those sites, I have the “Powered by SBI” footer on most pages, and that’s an affiliate link.

I also actively promote SBI on other sites, including here. (I bet you’ve already noticed that!)

Before September 18, 2011, the 5 Pillar program used a last-visit cookie. When it was mostly IMers promoting the system, it pretty much averaged out. I might have lost a few commissions that should have been mine, and I may have received commissions that should have gone to someone else.

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with Sitesell’s management and tracking. It’s just a natural way that affiliate commissions work with any program that uses exclusively first-visit or exclusively last-visit cookies to track commissions.

Sitesell has always had a hybrid system. It basically worked like this…

If you click on a link on Site A, Sitesell sets a cookie on your computer that shows affiliate A as the referrer. That’s a pretty standard first-visit cookie, but it’s also a last visit cookie.

If you then go awhile and click on affiliate links on other sites, each click will generate a new cookie that links to that affiliate (the last one you clicked on).

So, if you spent three months reading about SBI on this blog, but finally decided to purchase after clicking a link on the other site, the owner of that other site would get the commission.

Fair or not?

I think that’s fair. The last visited site that got the click earned the commission.

At the point of sale, things changed. As soon as you purchased Make Your Site Sell!, or, later, SBI, Sitesell wrote a permanent cookie on your computer. If you happened to purchase from one of my links, then you were permanently cookied to me and I would receive residual commissions when you purchased other products or renewed an SBI subscription.

To summarize, the affiliate whose site was last visited (and whose link was clicked) before you purchased earned the commission and was awarded the permanent cookie and a new lifetime customer.

Pretty cool, huh?

Over the years, however, as the number of SBI subscribers grew, the majority of them were not Internet marketers. They were regular people building websites about topics in which regular people are interested — people who may never have considered building an online business.

As time went by, some of these people (who are also affiliates) would spend time telling interested people about SBI and would set a cookie at the time, but, later, when the sale was made, would not receive a commission.

Why not?

Because, more often than not, the last click before purchase would be on an Internet marketer’s site.

Did the IMer deserve the commission? One view is that they did, because they closed the sale. Another view is that they didn’t, because the other person introduced the new subscriber to SBI and may have spent some time discussing it with the new subscriber, who just happened to make the final purchase decision after clicking on the IMer’s site. The “regular” SBI subscriber who did the introductory work did not receive a commission for their effort, and many of them felt it was unfair.

Sitesell could have changed to a first-visit cookie, but that would also be unfair in a different way. IMers could do lots of promotion and set cookies on lots of prospects’ computers, and even if someone else closed the sale months or years later, the original person would get the commission.

That’s not fair either.

(I’m not going to go into the discussion about a lot of the factors that apply due to the rather long sales cycle for SBI conversions. That’s covered in the announcement I linked to at the top of the post.)

So, this month, Sitesell went to a hybrid system that is more complicated, but may prove to be more fair for all affiliates.

That’s one of the things I really like about Sitesell. The people in charge really care about their customers and their affiliates and those who fit into both categories. So, they decided to correct this emerging and ever-more-unfair path to conversion of prospects to customers…

A while back, we realized that the current cookie arrangement, “last exposure gets the commission,” was not fair to SBIers who were 5P affiliates.

When we first chose “last-exposure” instead of “first,” it really did not make much of a difference since all affiliates were IMers. They generated their own traffic, “competed” for that last-exposure. There’s no perfect system, but it all worked out fairly in the end…

Sometimes, you might get the last-exposure just before a purchase. Sometimes, you might lose it to someone else.

In the long run, it all evened out.

But, now that the 5P Program has two different groups, it no longer evens out…

Net marketing professionals reach people who are much closer to purchasing a business-building solution. They are often just a click away from purchasing.

SBIer-affiliates reach folks who do not even know (yet) that they want to start an online business. Some of those seeds start to germinate, of course. Months later, sometimes, years later, they purchase.

First, though, those prospective SBIers search for information related to IM. And that is when they encounter an IMer, one of tens of thousands of 5P affiliate who focus their efforts on some aspect of IM.

As a result, many of these about-to-become-SBIers (originally exposed to SBI! by “regular” SBIers) have their cookies “overwritten” by IM affiliates.

The median time for conversion of “first-time exposure” people is 9 months. They would not otherwise have been interested in building an SBI! business.

Whereas it used to “all even out,” it no longer does since folks interested in Net marketing do not head in the opposite direction (ex., towards SBI! sites about Anguilla — SBI! sites that MIGHT be on the pathway go onto a no-overwrite list).

They considered several alternatives, including splitting the commission between first visit and last visit cookies, but that would have been a nightmare to track, because of the resulting permanent cookies and lifetime customer status that is assigned at the time of purchase.

The solution is rather complex, but is essentially this…

The first time someone clicks on an affiliate link, they receive a cookie, but, instead of being a temporary cookie that will be overwritten by any subsequent clicks on other affiliate links, it results in a fixed cookie, and that cookie will not be overwritten for nine months — approximately the time it takes for most sales conversions from first exposure to the sale.

So, this gives all affiliates a more equal opportunity to get a commission, if the sale occurs within this nine month window.

After nine months, the cookie changes from fixed to temporary and will be overwritten by any other affiliate’s cookie, until the sale is made, like the original system.

There are some other conditions in the new arrangement…

If a visitor with a FIXED cookie clicks on a link of the same affiliate some time later, the FIXED date is extended to 9 months from the date of the NEW exposure.

For example, suppose Affiliate A is a “first exposure.” 90 days later, suppose that the prospective customer clicks on another link BY THE SAME AFFILIATE. The date of expiration of that cookie is now 9 months FROM THAT MOST RECENT EXPOSURE.

However, as usual, once the 9 month period has expired, the next RR URL link that the person clicks will overwrite the previous cookie to the NEW affiliate’s cookie.

You can see that this is a more fair arrangement for the “regular” SBI owner who is an affiliate, since it increases the likelihood that he/she will receive a commission.

It should also be remembered that this also helps the IMer who actively promotes SBI, because their first visit cookie can be extended indefinitely, if subsequent clicks happen during the nine month term of the fixed cookie, or the new nine month term, if it is extended.

After the fixed cookie expires, then the commission is “up for grabs” by whomever generates the final link that results in a sale.

I think this is a rather elegant solution to a problem and I like the fact that Sitesell’s management analyzed the situation and came up with a solution that may very well be more fair to all affiliates.

Most companies would not go to the bother. Most use either a first or a last visit cookie and most have very short time spans for being credited with a sale.

If you are a 5 Pillar Program affiliate, you should read the thread and follow through Ken’s longer and more detailed explanation.

If you would like to become an affiliate, then you can apply for the 5 Pillar Program.

As I’ve stated many times, I am a very satisfied Sitesell customer and affiliate. I use the products and I’m happy to recommend the service and the people behind the service. They are one of the best groups of people with whom I have had the pleasure to be associated.

This is a rather long and complicated post. The main point I wanted to get across is that changes have been made in an attempt to correct what had become an unfair system. I think it will make a difference.

If you are an SBI affiliate, what do you have to do differently?

Nothing. The affiliate management team and programmers did all the work. Your links will continue to work as they always have, except that you may receive more sales commissions.

It’s too early to know for sure how it will work. I’m optimistic.

I’m going to leave the last word to Ken Evoy, the man who founded the company and conceived of SBI. It has changed the lives of thousands of customers — including me.

Act on your dream!

JD


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Dan Kennedy – GameChanger DNA Webinar Videos

September 30, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Marketing, Success and Failure 

Today, I’m going to do something I almost never do. I am going to suggest something to you that I have not purchased and tested for myself.

It takes a lot to get me to do this, so let me tell you the back story…

Dan Kennedy is a marketing expert and is rapidly approaching the status of marketing legend.

I have read several of his books and I’m right in the middle of reading his “No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent” book, as part of my planning on rebuilding my marketing business, now that I’m recovering from my illness and I’m getting back to work.

I trust his advice and I know some of the back-story of how he has helped a lot of people over the years to build very nice incomes.

Yesterday afternoon, while doing some research for my new marketing plan, I took a short break and was playing on Facebook. That was a lucky thing for me.

Here’s why…

I have been following Dan Kennedy on Facebook and he sent out a very short status with a link. Out of curiosity, I clicked that link, and it changed the rest of my afternoon.

(Dan is known for not liking, nor using, modern technology, even though he understands it, so I doubt that he was the one that published the status update. Most likely it was an employee or someone he influenced to do it for him.)

That link took me to a video about the launch of his new GameChanger DNA product. As far as I know, this is the first time he’s used a big product launch like this for his own products, but he has been involved behind the scenes helping with others. (I’m almost, but not quite, positive that I have my facts straight here.)

Anyway, to cut a long story shorter, I dropped what I was doing and watched those videos. It was the first time I’d seen Dan on video and I enjoyed watching it. I also enjoyed observing how they were doing the marketing for the new product.

Note: This product is not the normal kind of product I promote. I don’t think it’s right for most of my readers. If you balk at paying a few hundred dollars for using a tool for a year, you’re going to cringe when you see the price of this product.

However, if you are already a business owner and you want to learn how to distance yourself from the herd of competitors in which you are surrounded and you want to learn how to raise your prices and earn more profit, then this is an indispensable and very valuable collection of information, techniques, and expert tips that Dan has spent 38 years learning and developing.

I’m almost sure that you could not afford a single hour of Dan’s consulting time, but you can get this package for a fraction of his consulting fee — a small fraction, at that.

So, since I know Dan by reputation and I know him from reading his books, I did some checking and applied for his affiliate program this morning. A couple of hours later, I was accepted, and an hour later, I’m writing this.

Again, this is not cheap, but it is very valuable information.

Now, even if you have no plans to purchase it, set aside a couple of hours (I’m not sure how long it is, because I wasn’t watching the clock yesterday while I was watching the videos), and open your mind and pay attention.

Even if you know a lot about marketing, I bet you’ll learn some new tips or look at some of what you think you know with a different viewpoint.

If you don’t know a lot about marketing, stop what you’re doing and watch these videos.

There are a lot of people out there who claim to be experts. Dan Kennedy is the real deal. He’s the one the experts hire when they need a consultant to help them.

I am not under any illusion here. I don’t think you’re going to buy this. But, if by some wild outside chance, you do, make sure you take the time to study it, absorb it and then implement it!

I have not tried this product.

I just wanted to reiterate that. This is one of the few times I’ll recommend something to you that I have not already bought, used, tested, and proven that it works for me.

Even if you’re not interested in buying. Watch the videos.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day for this promotion, and I don’t know if the videos will remain online, or not. If you want to watch them, don’t delay.

(That is not me trying to build artificial urgency. I honestly don’t know how long they will be available. They may be there from now on, they may disappear at the end of this promotion tomorrow night.)

Here’s a prewritten letter that affiliates can use to promote this. Normally, I would not send it, since I prefer to write my own copy, but I’m passing it along to you because I have to leave, and my driver is tapping his foot as he impatiently waits for me to post this.

So, any typos are mine. I just wanted to get this out before I leave.

Subject: Early Warning: The “GameChanger DNA” Finale is here

It made me sad to see Dan Kennedy’s last “GameChanger DNA” video today. :(

Here it is:

Screen from Dan Kennedy video

Click on my link or on the image above to see for yourself!

In case you missed it last week, Dan’s released 3 free videos so far – revealing the exact fundamental principles you need to SEE the profit potential for your business.

Tens of thousands of people have watched Dan’s tutorials and learned how to apply these fundamental principles to CHANGE the GAME of their business.

And those tutorials are PLENTY if all you want is understand the basics. But if you’re like me, the “basics” aren’t enough…

I see too much potential.

If you want to stop scratching the surface and become a REAL GameChanger, Dan has a LOT more to share with you in today’s video.

Watch the FINAL public “GameChanger DNA” release here.

And listen, this is a special EARLY notice from me to you (Dan told me it’s okay). You’re seeing this BEFORE the rest of the public.

For you, it could be just a start.

For EVERYONE ELSE, this really IS the END of GameChanger DNA.

Don’t miss it,

JD

P.S. Be sure you register for the “Early Gamechangers” list, they can close registration at any time, so if you want first dibs, get on that list.

Again, Dan Kennedy is someone I highly recommend. If you do nothing else, buy his books and study them.

Success is not in the tools and tricks, it is in the mindset and how you approach it. When you change your attitude, then you can start using the tools to great advantage.

Act on your dream!

JD

Tags: ,

Twitter – a few thoughts

September 18, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 11 Comments
Filed under: Musings, Twitter 

Good afternoon,

I have a bunch of different email accounts, including one old and very public one that has been overrun by spam, despite using multiple tools to stop the spammers. It used to be my primary email address, but now I only check it once per week.

After spending a couple of hours going through hundreds of irrelevant emails and finding about a dozen worth reading and responding to, I then turned my attention to Twitter.

I’m nobody special and I am not a Twitter guru, so you can heed or ignore my thoughts about Twitter.

I get a lot of people who choose to follow my Twitter account every week. I follow only a few of them. When I don’t follow them back, many of them unfollow me. I think that’s reasonable.

I generally follow maybe 5 – 10% of the people who follow me. I also follow a few leaders in the fields in which I am most interested, even though I know that they’ll never follow me.

Some people think that Twitter is a quid pro quo type of site, i.e., if you follow me, I’ll follow you, and vice versa.

I don’t think of it that way.

I follow people who tend to write interesting, original tweets.

I always go look at the Twitter profile of anyone who follows me. If I have any interest in the things listed in their biography, I look at their tweets. If they look to be original and interesting, I follow that person.

However, my main mindset (after going through all the spam in my email account) is to look for reasons not to follow someone on Twitter.

I’m not a conversationalist on Twitter. I save that for Facebook and my blog comments.

However, when I have some free time, every day or two, I go look at Twitter and see if I find any tweets that pique my interest and were posted by the people I follow. As a word nerd, I know that the word “pique” has two diametrically-opposed meanings. It can mean that something stimulates my interest, or that something irritates me. I use it deliberately here in both senses of its meaning.

What stimulates my interest:

People who are original and authentic. They are tweeting about what interests them. Some are personal, some are business-related, some are retweets, some are conversational.

That leads me to think that these are real people who may provide something of interest, even if their current tweets do not.

(Using that definition, I’m not as authentic as the people I want to follow. I mostly tweet about things related to business, including new posts on blogs, updated websites, new conversations on communities I manage, and the like. I rarely use Twitter for conversations and personal tweets. I do that mostly on Facebook. As you can see from anything I write, I do not do well with a 140 character limit.)

So, if that person has recently followed me, and their tweets pique my interest, I follow them.

What irritates me:

However, these are some of the things I look for that are signals that I don’t want to follow someone.

If their account display name is anything like SmallBusinessGuruSecrets, I’m out of there in a flash. Close the window. Next.

If all of their tweets are about the same thing, over and over and over. Click. I’m gone.

If they have loaded their account with a ton of quotes that are automatically tweeted, I give them the brief benefit of the doubt. I’ll look down their profile and see if there is anything interesting that they have written, personally. If not, click. Gone.

(I like quotes as much as the next person, and more than most. I study and think about quotes, but after awhile, just quoting others provides no interesting insight into you and what you are all about. It wastes everyone’s time.)

An occasional, good quote that is used to illustrate something or provide a jumping off point for further discussion is a good thing. An automated steady stream of quotes about unrelated topics is not.

If I look at their profile and their tweets are protected and I have to ask to follow them before seeing what they are all about, click. I’m outa there.

If their tweets are all “text talk” abbreviations and not standard English, I’m gone.

If their tweets are full of grammar errors, no grammar, and misspellings. See ya.

There are many other reasons I’ll leave and never follow someone. Those are some of the ones that irritate me the most.

What makes me unfollow someone:

If I choose to follow them and then receive an immediate automatic direct message pitching something, I go immediately to their profile and unfollow them. They haven’t earned my attention for a pitch, yet.

If they send me to some site to validate that I’m following them, I go to their profile and immediately unfollow them.

If they send me a direct message about anything that isn’t a personal message, I’m outa there. Click. No more following them.

What makes me enjoy following someone:

If they provide good, quality information about their main topic of interest and it’s not all pitches, then I generally look forward to seeing what they have to say.

If they link to a good article related to their interests (which I share with them), I’ll go read it. The more helpful and informative the article, the more they rise on my list of people I enjoy following. It doesn’t matter a lot whether it was written by them or someone else, as long as it is helpful, honest, factual, and informative.

I live to learn new things and to learn more about the things I know and enjoy. If someone helps me in that quest, I enjoy seeing what they have to say and look forward to reading it. That is what puts them at the top of the list of people to whom I pay attention.

I’m no Twitter expert

I’m not an expert nor a guru. I am not trying to tell anyone what they can do with their Twitter account. That’s up to them and Twitter.

I’m just telling what I look for and a few of the reasons I follow or don’t follow people who follow me.

What about you?

You probably have a different approach to how you enjoy using Twitter and the people with whom you like to interact. That’s good. Do what works best for you.

Do you have any things in particular that interest you or annoy you, related to deciding whether you will follow or unfollow someone on Twitter?

Act on your dream!

JD

Tags: , ,

Are comments highly overrated?

September 11, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 29 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Business, NovaMind, Sitesell and Site Build It, Success and Failure, WordPress 

I have been debating this topic with myself for several years and I decided now is the time to bring it out into the open and ask the question, here.

(Yes, I recognize the irony in asking you to comment about whether comments are overrated.)

I have built multiple websites, blogs, forums, and social communities over the years. With the exception of the websites, I have tried to start discussions that would lead to more understanding and different viewpoints about topics in which I am particularly interested.

I have been a miserable failure in that endeavor.

It seems that the people who want to discuss the issues don’t want to buy anything, and the people who click and buy what I promote don’t want to talk about it. They just want to buy it and get on with their own activities.

Yes, a few kind and learned souls have added comments to the discussions that have added to the topics, but most commenters, I am now sure, are more interested in getting a backlink than they are in the discussion.

I’m testing my theory

So, as of today, as a test, I have turned off both CommentLuv and the dofollow plug-in. I’ll see for myself over the course of the next few months whether the readers and commenters on this site will slow and/or disappear, or whether there are real, live people who are interested in the topics about which I write.

I have updated item number 4 on my Comments Policy to reflect this change.

As far as I know, there is no way to set CommentLuv to leave the old links on the comments, so that means all of the CommentLuv comments are now gone.

That one part of the test may very well doom this blog to oblivion…

…if I am correct in assuming that people comment more for the backlinks than they do for wanting to take part in the discussion.

This is one more test in an ongoing series of marketing tests I have run over the last decade.

I enjoy the social aspect of blogging and commenting

I enjoy talking to real people who comment and add to the discussion at hand. I enjoy thinking about differing viewpoints. Some of them make me re-think my own understanding of a topic and some actually change my mind.

I really dislike having to moderate my comments.

I hate dealing with all the spam, and it is getting increasingly difficult to discern whether it is a real person commenting, or a hired wordslinger, or a well-programmed robot.

Will the readership of this blog drop?

Will disabling CommentLuv and going back to the no-follow default for WordPress blogs make a difference in the number of people who respond to my diatribes?

I’m betting it will.

I’m betting that the number of readers and the number of commenters will drop. Perhaps it will drop precipitously.

How will the test affect profits from this blog?

I’m also betting that it won’t make a bit of difference to the profit I can track back to this blog. It has never earned nearly as much as my tier-structured websites.

Now that I am adding Facebook comments to those sites, I’ll see if comments are as important as I once thought they were.

Blog or build websites?

Ken Evoy, founder of Sitesell, Inc., has been saying for years that building well-structured, niche-oriented websites will produce more profits than blogging, and I have been having an internal argument with myself about that topic since he first wrote about it.

I like blogging. It’s easy. It’s inexpensive. It’s fun.

However, for me, it does not produce profits.

Blogs are, however, good for when I want to express my opinions about something that has just happened or a new development, whether or not it qualifies as news. That’s what blogs excel at doing. Their reverse-chronological structure is ideal for late-breaking news and/or developments, so I’ll most likely continue to use this blog for that purpose — regardless of the outcome of this test.

I get an idea, do some quick research, and write a new post to the blog. Depending upon the topic and how much I want to say about it, this can take from a few minutes to two or three hours of work.

It’s different when building a money-making website.

I plan those sites carefully. (Sometimes it doesn’t look like it, however.)

I do weeks or months of keyword research. Then, I research my competitors for the keywords I intend to write about. Then, I research ways I can monetize the pages I write.

I’ve been planning for several months on how I’m going to revamp my Act On Your Dream! site, and it will take me a few more weeks to finish the plans and start writing the pages. I know going into this project that it will be profitable. Perhaps quite profitable.

I know how the site will be structured, how the various topics fit with the central theme, and how I will monetize each page, before I write it.

I have brainstormed and organized sections and topics for the site (using NovaMind mind mapping software) and I’ve almost completed building a site blueprint that I’ll finish before rebuilding the site.

I have prepared reader profiles and will write each page to appeal to that particular person. (As well as I can.)

Each page will have one most wanted response (MWR) and I’ll offer two or three secondary actions that I’ll encourage. For most pages, the most wanted response is for someone to click a link and go buy what I’m recommending. Failing that, I want the reader to subscribe to my newsletter (which I’ll resume writing). Finally, if they don’t do either of those, I hope they’ll click on an Adsense ad or look at another page on the site.

The pages will be simple so that readers aren’t confused by a plethora a links as they are on this blog. People said I needed a three-column blog theme with links to lots of things and RSS feeds from my other sites, so I tested it. It has not increased my profits.

I will be changing Act On Your Dream! to a three column format, but it will not look like this blog. I’ll test the three columns. If it increases my income, I’ll continue to use it. If it does not increase my profits, I’ll go back to a simple two column format.

Readers tend to look at more pages and stay on that type of site longer than they do on a blog. Bounce rates are lower, time on page is higher, the number of pages viewed per visit is higher, and profits are higher — all without commenting.

I like the social aspects of commenting.

This was especially true over the last three years when I was sick and mostly unable to work. The online discussions got me through some days when I felt horrible, had no energy, or was in quite a lot of pain.

Now that I’m better, it’s time to get back to work and earn my keep, again. It’s time to do my best and move off of disability and food stamps and back to being a productive tax-paying member of society.

I am grateful for the assistance I got when I was unable to care for myself, but it’s time to move forward.

I just don’t think that blogs will do that for me. I’ve tested them for years and that’s the conclusion I have come to, reluctantly.

Please sir, can we have a blog module on SBI?

I even asked Ken Evoy on the private members-only forum for SBI subscribers, if he would ever add a blogging-with-comments module to SBI, and he said that would not happen. Blogging just doesn’t fit into the structure of an SBI-style tier-structured website.

So, I tried for months to think of a way to trick the system, and never found one that would work. I was pretty hard-headed and stubborn about this.

SBI gets Face-It!

So, now, I can have my cake and eat it, too, and it isn’t nearly the treat I expected.

SBI now has a module that helps us promote our pages on social networking sites. Click a button and it’s active. It’s called Socialize-It! (Note that all the modules end with an exclamation point and that sometimes makes for awkward sentences.)

Actually, Socialize-It! has been around for awhile, but it’s changing and merging with Face-It!

Sitesell recently introduced Face-It! version 1, which makes it easy for us to add Facebook Like buttons to our pages, and we can optionally add Facebook comments to the pages, too.

I thought that would be great. Less spam, because someone has to be a Facebook member to comment and there is less anonymity, as well, and now people could discuss the topics I wrote about.

Each page can have lots of comments, and that will percolate through the Facebook system and bring more readers. The jury is still out on this, but I don’t expect it to bring a deluge of new readers. I’m open to the possibility.

You know what?

Now that I have comments on my SBI sites, it’s really a let-down. I’m disappointed. It seems to me that comments are highly overrated and just add work. I don’t see any change in income and there have been only a few comments, so far.

I think the main reason for this is that the readers of my tier-structured websites are not commenting because they are not bloggers who mainly want backlinks to their blogs.

So, now, we’ll see what happens when I de-emphasize comments on this blog.

By de-emphasizing comments on the blog and offering comments on the website, will there really be any change in profits and my workload?

Has Ken been right all along?

Have I wasted years of efforts in building blogs, forums, and communities? Would all that effort have been better directed to building more and better niche-oriented websites using SBI.

I’ve almost come to the conclusion that he was right, all along. At least, for me and the things in which I’m interested.

I freely admit that Ken Evoy is a much better businessman than I am. He is a millionaire several times over (before founding Sitesell and creating SBI) and he builds real businesses that employ people around the world. SBI has tens of thousands of customers, also around the world.

Not only does he have more experience, but I believe he has a better, more refined thought process about building a business.

I’ve been happy — and remain happy — with my little microbusiness that makes it possible for me to work at home in my home office, or out on the front porch, in these beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. I’m living where I want to live, doing what I want to do, and I’m not interested in building a multi-million dollar business.

I would enjoy, however, earning more than I have the last couple of years!

So, what will I do after the test is over?

That remains to be seen.

I’m going to let this test run until the end of the year.

Disabling the CommentLuv plug-in may have doomed this blog, already. If that proves to be true, then I’ll repurpose most of the content that I’ve written here and move what is appropriate to my income-producing websites.

I am already starting to plan for a website that will replace this blog, if it becomes necessary. Yes, it will be powered by SBI. Yes, it will take more work. Yes, I’ll happily pay another $300 per year to build and host it using the SBI system.

What do you think?

I welcome your opinions, thoughts, and observations.

Act on your dream!

JD

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Empire Avenue – the fun social networking stock market game

September 11, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 4 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, Business Networking, Facebook, John Dilbeck, Musings, Social Networking 

Now, for something a little different.

I’m a hard working guy and I spend most of my waking time working on my marketing business, writing blog posts, creating new pages on my websites, and interacting on some of the social networking sites, most notably: Facebook.

A couple of weeks ago, two of my friends were talking about a website where we can earn credit for what we’re already doing. Now, let me make it clear that we can’t earn money, but we earn value in our stock in this game, and we can earn eaves, which is what the site calls their virtual currency.

It’s like a social networking stock market and we earn by being active with our blogs and on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others.

When you join Empire Avenue, you get some money to purchase “stock” in others who are playing the game, and there are a lot of people doing it. I bought stock in folks like Guy Kawasaki and Mari Smith and other well-known social networking “stars.”

(Note: we are not buying ownership in each other. It’s just a game.)

Folks bought shares of my stock, too, and that gave me more money to invest.

I’ve been buying more shares in the people who invested in me, as I earn more “money” with which to purchase their stock. It’s been a lot of fun.

I’m also buying stock in people I’ve never met before, based on recommendations from others who are playing the game.

I used to enjoy investing in the real stock market, and the Empire Avenue game offers a lot of the same fun with no financial risk.

It also provides another way to expose people to our various social networks and blog feeds.

You can add multiple RSS feeds to your Connections tab, but each feed needs to be endorsed by at least five people before you start getting credit for your blogging activities. And, the credit you receive for blogging is limited, because it’s just too easy for people to cheat by adding the RSS feed of a robotic “splog.”

I’m not playing the game to try to win it; I’m playing for fun and to expose my sites to more people.

I generally buy some shares of the people who invest in my stock, but don’t promise a quid pro quo.

I’ve also bought shares in the stock of some of my online friends who are not playing the game, yet. I can say I’m the first to buy their stock, and I get it at the absolute lowest price, should they decide to start playing the game.

If you’re already playing the Empire Avenue game, I’m still a good investment, but I’ll be crossing the $50 per share price shortly. Invest in me now, before the price goes up! (grin)

Seriously, I go there a couple of times per day and spend maybe five or ten minutes investing in more stock. It’s a nice, short break from work, and still does a little to promote my work. Since I enjoy combining work and fun, this is a good match.

It’s a bit confusing at first, but I’m starting to find my way around. That makes it even more enjoyable. I don’t think I’ll ever spend more than 15 or 20 minutes there on any given day, probably less, but it’s a nice break, now and then.

While it’s not for everyone, it makes it a little more fun to think about myself as representing my marketing business and it’s fun when someone at Empire Avenue buys stock in me.

If you’re looking for a site to purchase advertising and want to expose your sites and blogs to others who are active in social networking, there are ways to spend real money buying advertising and credits. I haven’t done any of that, and don’t have any plans to do so, at this time. I don’t know what I’ll do as I learn more about the site and all that’s available there.

Empire Avenue also has communities where you can interact with others who share the same interests. I don’t have time for that, so I haven’t tried it.

Join Empire Avenue and try it for yourself. It’s free, and you can sign in through your Facebook account, or create a separate Empire Avenue account. It’s your choice.

What about you?

Are you playing Empire Avenue? What do you think about it?

Act on your dream!

JD

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NovaMind 5 mind mapping application has over 200 new features

September 7, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 1 Comment
Filed under: Mind Mapping, NovaMind 

This is going to be a very short post.

I just wanted to point to a new page showing the NovaMind 5 features.

They just updated the page.

As you may know, NovaMind 5 is available for both Windows and Macintosh and comes in three license levels: Express, Pro, and Platinum.

I use this mind mapping software every day and I love it and recommend it.

I’ll be spending several hours, later today, doing some brainstorming and organizing — and I’ll be using NovaMind. It works the way I do.

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Warner Brothers has re-released Aereo-Plain by John Hartford

September 7, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Music, iTunes 

I’m going to start by saying that I’ve been a fan of John Hartford for decades. I don’t know how many times I listened to Gentle On My Mind over the years.

My favorite version of Gentle On My Mind is from John Hartford’s Live From Mountain Stage album. I still listen to this song, fairly often, and much more often than other versions of it. It was a very popular song and was recorded by just about everyone, including Dean Martin and Leonard Nimoy. (Yes, that Leonard Nimoy. Our hero, Spock.)

Here’s my favorite version…

Gentle On My Mind – Live from Mountain Stage: John Hartford

One my my favorite songs by John Hartford is Steam Powered Aereo Plane, from the Aereo-Plain album.

This has been unavailable for years, other than by purchasing used copies.

Today, I learned that the Aereo-Plain album was re-released, so I immediately went to iTunes and bought it. I’m listening to it as I type.

Now, this is a rather eclectic album and a lot of people won’t like it, but those of us who do like it, tend to love it. I’m one of those people. I’ve worn out 8-track cartridges and cassette tapes listening to it. Now I have it in digital format and I think that won’t wear out as quickly. (grin)

I can’t classify this music. It’s partly newgrass, partly bluegrass, partly old-time country, and partly crazy as a loon. It even comes with its own Station Break.

Here’s a link to the album and you can listen to samples to see what you think about it:

I highly recommend Steam Powered Aereo Plane and Leather Britches.

I love those songs. Your mileage may vary.

I think a whole generation of new fans could enjoy this strange and delightful music.

I should also say that I love New Grass Revival‘s version of Steam Powered Aereo Plane, too, on their Commonwealth album, especially the hard driving banjo (played, I think, by Courtney Johnson). I also recommend their song Sapporo.

Commonwealth – New Grass Revival

If you are interested in promoting music on iTunes, their affiliate program is managed by LinkShare. Join the LinkShare Referral Program for free!

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Can you succeed online?

September 6, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 10 Comments
Filed under: Act On Your Dream!, Affiliate Marketing, Business, Sitesell and Site Build It, Success and Failure 

I think that is a question that lots of people ask themselves, every day.

Can I succeed online?

I’m not going to lie to you. I truly do not believe everyone can succeed with an online business.

That’s probably not what you were expecting to hear.

You probably expected me to tell you breathlessly that you can succeed beyond your wildest imagination and that money will gush into your bank account if you only buy the world changing secret that only I know.

Right.

Well, I’ll tell you right now. That’s a bunch of crap.

The real world does not work like that.

Only hucksters, shysters, scammers, and crooks pretend to know the one thing you must know to build a successful online business (or make a few extra bucks every month), and insist that you have to buy it RIGHT NOW or it’s going to disappear.

Nonsense.

Code Red! General Quarters!

When you go to a long form sales page with a gazillion bonuses and all the rest you’ll see, you should declare “Code Red” and turn your BS deflector shields to maximum. Divert energy from the warp engines, if you need to, but raise those shields.

I won’t say that all those pages are scams, but I will say that a large percentage of them just are not worth the time it takes to read it.

At least, for most people.

Deadlines? We don’t need no stinkin’ deadlines!

Also, look at how much they’re stressing a deadline. That is used to intentionally build a feeling of scarcity to get you to buy now. It may be true, or it may not be true.

Lots of times that deadline is programmed in PHP or javascript to have today’s date or just a few days from today. It’s not real, and it should send a signal about how real the rest of their offer may be. (You can prove this to yourself by noting the deadline on the offer you’re considering. Bookmark the page. Go back a few days later and see if the deadline has changed.)

Good business deals don’t need fake deadlines

While there are some real deadlines in business, most of the time a good deal today is just as much of a good deal later. Sometimes the deal gets better over time.

Will it work for real people, or just for technogeeks?

Some of those offers do have good information that can help you sell something online, but most of the average people won’t be able to make it work the way the technical geeks and marketing nerds portray it. (I’m a geek and a nerd, so I can say that. I’m talking about my herd.)

Let’s face it. Most people don’t even know what a browser is and can’t name more than two of them.

Most people don’t know what a CMS or plug-in is.

Technogeeks live and breathe that stuff. Real people don’t.

If you do, then you’re ahead of the curve and you should feel good about learning what you know.

The problem arises that you probably have learned some things that aren’t effective and don’t produce as well as they are claimed. Some are just busy-work. Some try to trick the search engines. Some are unethical. Some are illegal.

Some actually do work.

How can you tell the difference?

Don’t look at the number of hits, or visitors, or page views. Look at your profit and loss statement. Real businesses produce a profit.

What do you know about the company and the people behind the offer?

If I am going to buy anything that costs more than about $20 or so, I think about it and consider my options. I’m not saying I’m cheap. I spend several hundred dollars every month on website hosting, domain names, mailing list services, card mailing services, and other things I need, but I don’t spend the money unless it helps me generate a profit.

(The last two years are a notable exception. I operated at a loss while I was too sick to work, but now I’m focused on profit, again.)

If I’m going to invest any real money in buying something, I want to know who produced it, where they are located, and at least a couple of ways to contact them, before I pull out my card.

Try learning who the owner of the business is. What’s the address of their home office? Do they have a phone number and physical address? Can you contact them? Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions? How long have they been in business? What do people say about them? Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

Are they real, reliable, ethical, knowledgeable, and honest?

If you can’t verify that for the people who own what you want to buy, how can you verify — in advance — that you’re making a good choice in investing your time and money in it.

I’m going to address some of those questions and I’m going to give you my best recommendation for how you can learn how to build a real, ongoing business online.

Can you succeed online?

No, it’s not easy. No, you won’t get rich in a few weeks. No, you won’t earn more money than your wildest dreams of avarice.

Yes, it is possible to succeed with a work at home, online business.

Are you willing to really read, study, practice, and implement what you learn?

Are you a good writer? Do you spell well and have a good grasp of grammar, sentence structure, and the norms of communications?

Do you have a topic in which you are passionately interested?

If so, then you have a better than average chance to be successful with your online business.

Are you willing to invest a few hundred dollars, a few hundred hours over a couple of years, and a lot of head-scratching, and serious thinking?

Then, you may be one of the few people I’m trying to reach.

I’m going to let you in on my secret, although it’s no secret at all.

First, who the heck am I?

I’m John Dilbeck. That’s my photo up there at the top of the page. It was taken last summer when I spent a day on Lake Hiwassee with my family. The lake is located just to the north of Murphy, NC. I live a few miles from there. If you search for my name, you’ll find me on my own sites and blogs, on social media, and in forums.

I’ve been a full-time affiliate marketer and webmaster for about 15 years and I earned the great majority of my income for most of that time from my online business.

I’ve been around and I’ve paid my dues.

I have been building blogs with WordPress since the early days, before there were plug-ins and widgets and the code had to be modified by changing the PHP scripts. Automatic updating didn’t exist back then.

I’ve been blogging since before that was what it was called.

I’ve been building websites for almost 20 years.

I’ve built forums, communities, an article directory, and other similar online presences. I’ve tested a number of content management systems. I program fluently in PHP and PERL. I’ve been a systems administrator for an ISP. I’ve been a computer consultant since the late 1970s. I taught computer programming and using computer applications at two colleges.

I have owned several of my own companies over the last 30+ years. I was not a raging financial success, but I paid my way and haven’t gone hungry. Learning and achieving have always been more important to me than getting wealthy. I’m not one to dream about getting rich or winning the lottery, and I don’t mind months of work to achieve something.

The journey is the reward. That’s how I see it.

I am not some Johnny-come-lately who is going to try to baffle you with BS about something I know nothing about.

Those are my bona fides.

Why do you promote SBI instead of WordPress? This blog is powered by WordPress!

I maintain this blog mainly to prove that I have a good working knowledge of blogging and WordPress. Plus, I enjoy blogging and discussions with people who leave good comments.

So, let’s get back to the subject…

Can you succeed online?


If you want to learn more, go to Sitesell’s page that introduces the C-T-P-M process. It will open in another window. I’ll wait right here.

Welcome back!

(if you left to look at the other site)

Now, do you remember those questions I asked at the top of this article? Here’s a reminder…

Try learning who the owner of the business is. What’s the address of their home office? Do they have a phone number and physical address? Can you contact them? Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions? How long have they been in business? What do people say about them? Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

Let’s address these questions one at a time:

Try learning who the owner of the business is.

I know it’s not a question. It’s more of a challenge.

Sitesell is incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Dr. Ken Evoy. You’ll learn more about the management of the company on that page, too.

Ken is the author of one of the first, best-selling ebooks about marketing on the Internet and he overdelivered and underpriced back then, the same way he continues to do.

The book sold for less than $20 when it was introduced.

It was revised in 2002 and the new edition was sold for $29.95.

Unlike many ebooks, this was 1,500 pages of outstanding information. Even though a lot of things have changed since 2002, I still keep a copy of that book on my desktop and refer to it at least once a week. The business information and advice is timeless, even though some of the recommended sites and technical advice is out-dated.

If you want, you can download the ebook for free and you don’t even have to give your email address. Just go get it, if you want it: Make Your Site Sell!

I knew how to build websites before I ever saw that book.

What I didn’t know how to do, was to make my sites sell. That’s what I learned from the book.

I used what I learned in that book to rebuild several websites and sold physical products and services online, as well as earning income through affiliate marketing commissions and Google Adsense commissions.

Make Your Site Sell! was what helped me change from a technogeek to a successful marketing nerd.

So, now, you know who founded and manages Sitesell, Inc.

What’s the address of their home office?

Here ya go. It’s on the bottom right of their LinkedIn Business Profile page.

Their LinkedIn profile also has information about some of their employees.

Do they have a phone number and physical address?

Their physical address is on their LinkedIn profile. Their phone number and email contact form is on the Questions page.

Can you contact them?

You can call or email them. The information is on the previously listed Questions page. The phone number is toll-free in North America, and they have an alternate number you can call if you are located outside of North America.

Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions?

Test them and see. It’s free. If you have a legitimate question about building your own online business using SBI, they will do their best to answer it. SBI can help most people be successful online, but it won’t do everything and it isn’t for everyone. You can get a straight answer. No obligation.

How long have they been in business?

Sitesell, Inc. was founded in 1997. The company is still headquartered in Canada. Ken has moved to Anguilla to escape those Canadian winters.

What do people say about them?

Except for a well-known Google bomb that was concocted a few years ago around the fake “Is Sitesell a Scam” review, comments are overwhelmingly positive about Ken Evoy, Sitesell, and SBI.

You can also see for yourself on Sitesell’s Facebook page.

If you go there, you can see that over 35,000 people like the page and there are active discussions ongoing. Notice how friendly and helpful those discussions are.

Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

There are thousands of Sitesell customers participating on their Facebook page, and I think most of us are happy to answer questions in public. I’ll respond to your questions here in the comments or on the Sitesell Facebook page — if I see it.

There. I think that shows that Sitesell is an established, above-board company.

What does the media say about Sitesell, SBI, and some of their customers?

Sitesell, Inc. has a Media page that includes reports from newspapers, TV shows, and other websites.

SBI is taught in colleges around the world

I think it says a lot about the credibility of Sitesell and SBI when you learn that the SBI method and tools are taught in colleges and universities around the world.

I am a satisfied customer and affiliate

I am extremely happy that I became a Sitesell customer back in the 20th century and I continue to use their tools in the 21st century.

SBI grows and expands as needed to keep up with what is really important for helping customers generate more income. The SBI system I subscribed to after its original release was not nearly as powerful nor as well documented as what I subscribe to, today. Yet, the cost is the same: $300 per year per site.

Quality and power continues to grow and the price stays the same. I like that.

I have two SBI-powered websites, but they have been largely neglected for the last two years while I fought a battle with cancer that almost killed me last year. Now, I’m on the mend and recovering nicely.

I’ve been doing a lot of strategizing and planning for how I’m going to expand and improve my two SBI sites and you’ll see a lot going on there in just a few more weeks. These two sites will be my primary focus over the next two years and will provide much more income for me than all my other sites and blogs combined. That’s why I promote Sitesell.

And both of my sites are about subjects in which I’m really interested and which I knew, going in, would not be the best choices for earning a large income. I’m doing it for the passion and I’m in a stage of my life where money is not even close to being my main motivator. Still, I don’t mind earning more.

Can you be successful?

If you have basic word skills and can write clearly, and you’re willing to learn a proven process and use a set of tools that work, yes, you can.

And I truly believe that you will substantially increase your odds of success if you build a firm foundation of knowledge and couple it with great tools and support, all offered at one low annual cost. You will NOT be bombarded with a constant stream of upsells, cross sells, and what you may have grown accustomed to, elsewhere.

You will not be surrounded by sharks in the members-only forums. You’ll find people who are willing to share what they’ve learned with you. Affiliate links and promotions are prohibited in the forums.

How much will I earn?

I can’t tell you how much you’d earn, and it would be illegal if I did.

I know many people who use SBI to earn a few hundred dollars of additional income each month, and I know quite a few who earn substantial full-time incomes.

Success often depends upon your own definition of the word.

I am not saying that SBI is the only way to succeed online.

Let me reiterate. I am NOT saying that.

I believe that there are many ways to build a successful online business, but the great majority of them require sophisticated technical skills and knowledge.

I know about that first-hand. I’ve been programming computers for over 40 years and I’ve been building websites since shortly after the World Wide Web was invented. I’ve been selling products and services on the web since shortly after it became legal to conduct commercial operations on the Internet.

I know a lot of ways to build a website and I know how to do a lot of things that I can’t do in SBI. I also know that the great majority of people who want to build an online business don’t know all those things nor do they have that level of experience.

I’m betting you aren’t a technical expert.

But, I’m also betting that you have specific knowledge about something and that you may be surprised that you can earn money while exploring what interests you, legally, ethically, and with class.

You don’t have to become a scuzzy old marketer who takes advantage of people.

Instead, you can learn how to present information to people when they’re looking to solve a problem or buy something they want. And, you can earn a commission from doing that.

Want to learn more? Give SBI a try. There’s a no-questions-asked, 90-day, unconditional, money-back guarantee. All you can lose is a little time and effort, if it isn’t for you. And, you’ll learn more than you know now about building an online business that generates a profit.

What can you gain?

You can gain a lot of valuable business and technical knowledge that has value in the 21st century. You can build a business that provides another source of income. You can find something interesting and useful to do if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad, or if you’re retired and are looking for something to do with your time.

You can give a gift of real value to your child so that he or she will learn something that can be very useful in a career.

In a couple of years, or so, you can write me and tell me that you’re happy you subscribed to SBI and let me know how happy you are with your business. You won’t be the first who has thanked me for telling them about SBI and you won’t be the last.

It is interesting to me that I’ve referred a lot of people to a variety of business-related tools and information, yet I’ve never received a single thank-you from anyone other than people who subscribed to SBI. I haven’t received many, but there were a few and I should have kept them for reference, but I didn’t.

Most of the people I have introduced to SBI continue to renew their subscription, year after year. Why? Because it’s working for them.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll succeed, but I can guarantee that you won’t lose any money by trying SBI. Not a penny. Subscribe, follow the action guide, take it slow, do each action step methodically, and you’ll learn more about online business than you can imagine right now.

If you decide it isn’t for you, just contact support within the first 90 days and they’ll refund 100% of whatever you’ve paid. If you paid for an annual subscription, you will get 100% refunded within 90 days, and a prorated amount if you choose to ask for a refund after 90 days.

Downside risk? No money to lose, but you’ll have to invest some time and energy to test it.

Upside potential? More knowledge about online marketing and building a website. More technical skills — if you want them. A good opportunity to increase your income.

You may even change your life. Some have.

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. My two SBI sites are Act On Your Dream! and Murphy Gold. Watch as they grow in the coming months.

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Brainstorming with NovaMind mind mapping software

September 2, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 3 Comments
Filed under: Business, Mac OS X, Macintosh, Mind Mapping, NovaMind 

The more I use NovaMind for mind mapping, the better I like it and the more I learn that I can do with it. This is a very powerful and deep product, and I’m currently using only the Express level, although I intend to upgrade to a Platinum license when I move back into serious project management.

I wrote last week that NovaMind 5 for Macintosh was officially released. Since that date, there have been a couple of free updates as the developers continue to squash bugs and refine features. I like that in a company. Fixing things in small incremental updates is much better than making us wait for the fixes in the next big update. Kudos to the developers!

In addition to squashing bugs, Gideon King has been releasing videos on YouTube to document and to teach us how to use NovaMind 5. (Note: there are separate videos for NovaMind 5 for Windows and NovaMind 5 for Macintosh, for some things.)

Over the last few days, he released several new videos, including:

Brainstorming (Applicable to both Windows and Macintosh.)

NovaMind 5 for Mac: Topics, Floating Topics, Shapes, Callouts, and Boundaries

Text Editing tips & tricks, and Automatic Coloring

Checkboxes and iCal Syncing (NovaMind Pro and Platinum levels)

Brainstorming

I really enjoyed the new video on brainstorming using NovaMind. I’ve watched it three times to do my best to understand and learn what he is demonstrating.

Gideon King really knows his product and these videos cover a lot of material in just a few minutes. The brainstorming video is just under ten minutes long.

My strategy to get the most out of them and to be able to use what I learn, is this:

1. Watch the video straight through to try to get the main concepts of what he is demonstrating.

2. Watch it again, and when I don’t understand a technique or procedure, I back it up and watch that part again, sometimes two or three times, until I understand it. A ten minute video watched this way can take upwards of an hour to really understand.

3. This time, I have a mind map open in NovaMind, and I work through the video and recreate what he demonstrates. Not necessarily each part. If I already know how to do something, I won’t do it again just for the exercise. However, if I’m not really skilled at that particular task, I will work through it (maybe more than once) until I really learn how to use it.

Today, I spent almost four hours working through this ten-minute video, and I think I understand what he is teaching here.

I’ll take a few days off and watch it, again, just to be sure. I like to let my subconscious have some time to sort through it while I’m doing other things, and then review it.

You may have a totally different way you learn to master the use of an application, so I’m not trying to persuade you that you have to do it my way, just because it works for me. Each of us has a different learning style. Do what’s best for you.

So, with that said, here’s the brainstorming video…

I really like watching all the different ways (graphically, using the outliner, and writing notes) that NovaMind helps in the brainstorming process. It works for me and I learned a few cool ways of approaching brainstorming with the application that I’d never tried before.

Every day, I’m finding new ways that NovaMind helps me in coming up with new ideas, organizing the ideas I already have, organizing all the various information I need to run my business, helping with to-do lists and prioritizing tasks, and documenting procedures I follow.

Little by little, I’m getting a better handle on my business and the things I do as part of my work.

NovaMind is proving to be an outstanding investment for me, and I’m starting to get the feeling I will be upgrading to the Platinum license sooner that I anticipated, because I’ve accomplished more than I thought I would over the last month.

Mind mapping has been that much of a help to me.

What do you think?

I’m really enjoying mind mapping and learning all the interesting things I can do with it. It’s fun and easy — for me — whereas spreadsheets and databases for these types of tasks have always been very difficult.

I understand that different applications have different strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been working with computers for 42 years, now. If I had hundreds of clients or customers I wanted to keep track of, I’d use a database or a customer relationship manager. If I wanted to track finances, I’d use accounting software or a spreadsheet.

But, I’ve found that mind mapping can be useful for even those tasks and it works so much better for many things I do. Yes, I can do them with text editors, word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and other software, but mind mapping works best — for me.

What about you?

I welcome your thoughts and comments about using mind mapping software (not necessarily NovaMind) and how it helps you accomplish more. I’m always learning!

Act on your dream!

JD

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