This could be an interesting one to watch. I read over on 5 Star Affiliate Marketing Blog that Microsoft, AT&T and other companies wants to challenge Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick over antitrust issues.

There’s some great conversation going on about this over at ThreadWatch. I especially enjoyed this quote:

AT&T and Microsoft are pushing the anti-trust issue? Funnier things have happened, though rarely.

True, ever so true. On the other hand, I guess those two companies would know antitrust when they see it. They’ve been accused of it often enough themselves, and even forced to make changes.

Technorati Tags: google, doubleclick, antitrust, acquisition, microsoft, at&t

Well, this may not happen much when you’re running a home business, but sometimes you will need to travel, and may even do well enough to want the best when you get there. It’s one of those goals we can all shoot for.

Take, for example, Dallas car service. You’re on a trip to Dallas, and get met at the airport by your car. No taxi hassle. No waiting for the hotel shuttle. Someone else handles the driving. I know I’d enjoy it.

Of course, they can pick you up in other cities too - 600 or so. It could be a fun way to get a group together when you’re going to one of the big conferences on your topic, and a great ego boost.

One of the aspects of blogging that can be easy to ignore is commenting on other people’s blogs. Yet this is a great way to build links to your own site, even if they aren’t followed by the search engines, as well as build your reputation.

A good comment on a relevant blog is worth the effort. If you get a link out of it, so much the better, but you can make yourself appear knowledgeable too. Try to add something to the conversation - no me toos or great idea comments. No one is going to be impressed by those.

One of the things you want to do is find new blogs to comment on, as well as build a regular presence on your favorite blogs.

New blogs mean new people to click over to your site. You can find new blogs to check out by using Technorati, Stumble Upon, Digg and other social bookmarking and networking websites. Some of these won’t have a lot of readers, but even then you may attract the attention of the blog owner. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow, can’t believe Google paid $3.1 billion for DoubleClick. That says a lot about how much of an advertising opportunity the purchase must be providing Google.

I gather this will help publishers by providing more tools for them to use, and benefit advertisers by providing more reach. The transaction also includes Performics.

These two companies together are no doubt going to be quite the online advertising powerhouse. I’ve never signed up with DoubleClick myself, so I don’t know much about what advantages their tools may have, so this should be interesting to watch once it all officially goes through.

Technorati Tags: google buys doubleclick, google, doubleclick

I read a great post today on 5 Star Affiliate Marketing Blog on finding niche ideas from 43 Things. It’s a really great idea, and an example of how you can find ideas all over the place.

I see people asking all the time how you find niche ideas. This is just one example of how just looking at the things people are freely sharing can give you great ideas.

There are plenty of places where you can do similar things. Search eBay for ideas on products that seem to be selling well. Check out popular products on Amazon. Look at what’s being sold in your area. Listen to what people you know say they need.

There are tons of places you can get ideas, and choosing a good niche does not have to be all that difficult. Just look all around to find ideas, and use them to jumpstart your niche research.

Technorati Tags: niche marketing, internet marketing, online marketing, home business

One of the most interesting things about online marketing is that you get interested in how people market products. It’s good information for you.

Taking a look at this site offering free anti virus software, you can see that they’re offering the Google Pack in a very clever way, by emphasizing the free anti virus software. I like how that’s done, since most people won’t be searching for the other software in the Google Pack (although they may want it once they see it), but free anti virus software from a reliable source is a great offer.

In addition, they’ve pulled Google Pack reviews from other sites, so that people with questions about the product can see what reviewers think, adding to the credibility factor. All in all, this is probably a great way to market that particular product.

Think about things like this as you market the products you want to sell. What benefits are most important? If you can emphasize these above all the other benefits, you may have a great thing going. Don’t neglect the other features, but do your best to draw customers in to see your offer.

There are all kinds of quick content solutions out there. Private label articles. Free to use articles. Article remixing. But what good is it all?

Certainly this is a fast way to build a website. You can get a lot out of these, and some people see some pretty good benefit. But it has some negatives too.

Easy content can make it quite easy to target a lot of keywords, getting into the long tail and so forth. But what it lacks in most cases is the ability to offer something unique. Something that makes your site worth visiting over and over. Something that builds a great deal of trust.

You build trust by offering something of value. Remixing content just offers the same tidbit of value over and over again. Worse, it often stems from something that has been rehashed at site after site. You may get some benefit, but it’s not a way to build a solid reputation. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to focus when you work online. There are so many options that can just eat your day up, leaving you with too little accomplished. A little time management can help you get things back under control.

Start with your time spent on email. Don’t check it over and over again through the day unless you have a really good reason. Most issues that come through email can be handled by checking it one time a day. Pick a time, go through all your emails, answer the ones that need to be answered, delete as necessary and be done with it!

Try planning your day out, at least a little. Figure out how much time you can spare for reading blogs, posting comments, participating on forums and so forth. Also figure out how much time you want to spend doing work on your business directly. Read the rest of this entry »