OK, so my head has stopped spinning enough to be able to sit down and write about the Earn1KaDay conference in Las Vegas. Yes, I realize it was in MAY and it is now JULY. Hush. I’ve had a lot going on.

The trip out was uneventful. I spent some time on the plane writing down some things I wanted to accomplish while I was there, since I knew once I touched down there, the weekend was going to be a fast waterslide. I first set out to correct some mistakes I made in the 2009 E1K conference in Orlando…

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Less than a month away from the E1K conference in Las Vegas, and I’m all booked and ready to go. Are you going? Why not? If you are serious about making your online business work, you need it. The only way to be successful is to surround yourself with those that have already achieved success.

There is one thing that sets this conference apart from the others. E1K isn’t a pitch-fest. The speakers aren’t going to leave stones unturned by telling you that you have to buy their products to truly succeed. This really is a no holds barred event.

And the seminar itself is only half the value. There will be tons of after hours networking, idea sharing, JV making, and more. You owe it to yourself to get involved.

On the schedule to speak:

Tim Castleman, Steven Resell, Michael Gunn, Jason Fladlien, Wil Mattos, Kevin Rockwell, The Rhodes Brothers, Leanne King, James Jones, and Rachel Rofe. I’m sure the head honcho (Dennis Becker) will say a few words too.

Personally, I’m looking forward to spending more time with Matt and John Rhodes, and meeting Tim Castleman and Rachel Rofe. Not to mention Leanne King,  a WordPress goddess, and she’s coming in from Australia.

E1k 2009 was the first online marketing conference I have ever attended. I was skeptical. I was doubtful. I didn’t think I would come away with anything.

I was so wrong.

So, get in now. Rooms are cheap. Flights are still relatively cheap (Try Orbitz or Travelocity – I found a good price on Orbitz). Food in Vegas is cheap. Sign up now and I’ll see you there.

So, the seminar I talked about earlier is inked. It’s happening. It’ll change your life. The 2nd annual Earn1KaDay Summit is what I’m talking about.

Do you ever think about going to I.M gatherings but never do? Do you realize that your success hinges upon your connections and relationships with other marketers? Think about what it’s like to start talking online to a well known figure in I.M. Feels pretty good to think that you may be able to do a JV or something with them, right? Yeah – you and all the other thousands of people that email them! Now…take that feeling, and think about what it’s like to meet them in person, to sit and have dinner or a drink with them…you have their undivided attention. They have a face and a voice with the email now. They know you. What do you think you could accomplish if you had an hour or so one-on-one time with, say, the Rhodes Brothers? or Tim Castleman?

Try a whole weekend my friend!

Go to this site to read more about the speakers. You won’t be disappointed.

So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you kick your doubts to the curb, sign up, and get your seat. It’s happening May 21-23 in Las Vegas. Don’t plan on leaving the hotel; you’ll spend every waking moment networking. Trust me – I was there last year and I didn’t sleep. Here’s the good thing – Vegas is cheap. You’ll get your seat, a hotel, and airfare for about a grand. I’m serious. It’s time for you to do the same. Sign Up NOW. No more excuses.

I’ll be there, Come up and say Hi. Let’s talk shop over a drink!

GetResponse, a popular autoresponder, has increased their affiliate commissions from 30 percent to 33 percent and removed the 2 tier structure. The email follows.

We are excited to announce that, effective immediately, we are increasing the commission from 30% to 33% on all direct sales. That’s up to a 10% increase in your check! Thanks to the productivity and profits you have generated over the years, we now have the opportunity to offer this powerful direct sales incentive to you in the New Year!

As a result of this new incentive, your compensation program will have one tier, instead of two, and more effectively support and encourage your direct sales activities. We hope the increase in commissions will make it possible for even more million-dollar affiliate program earners!

Here are some frequently asked questions (and answers) you may have about this change:

1. Does the commission increase apply only to GetResponse, or to other Implix products I can promote as a GetResponse affiliate (WebsiteWizard, EbookGold, Hypertracker)?

The increase will apply to all Implix products ? your commissions will now be 33% instead of 30%.

2. Does the commission increase apply only to new sales (generated after the increase was announced) or to all commissions that I currently earn as an affiliate?

The increase applies to all 1st tire commissions ? we are increasing your check by up to 10%.

3. I used to have 2nd tier commissions – what will happen to them?

As we have removed the 2nd tier from our affiliate program, you will no longer receive those commissions and they will be removed from your account. However, your direct sales commissions will be increased from 30% to 33%.

4. Why did you remove the 2nd tier?

After careful analysis of affiliate feedback, we realized that the 2nd tier was no longer popular, and changed the program structure to better meet their needs.

As always, we are here to answer questions about the commission increase or any other concerns you may have. Just let us know if you need any help!

Regards,

Ola Kudzin
Affiliate Manager
GetResponse

http://www.getresponse.com

Have you ever signed up for a “Free” offer, only to find out that you were automatically enrolled in some sort of recurring membership that you never signed up for?

This somewhat deceptive practice is called “Negative Option” marketing and is usually attached to free trial offers or free merchandise, such as DVD’s, etc. Although this practice exists in many niches (and has been around for a long time – ever bought a cassette from Columbia House?) , it is prominent in “Make Money” type products.

The FTC and Visa/Mastercard are cracking down on it. Visa and Mastercard are now actively declining merchant account applications from companies that do this sort of business, and going back through existing merchants and cancelling the agreements of those companies that are already established and practice this type of marketing.

Yes, some of these companies disclose very clearly up front that if you get the free whatever, in 7 days you will begin getting billed 399.99 a month on your credit card automatically for the idiot of the month club…but when you try to call and cancel, the line is busy, disconnected, or worse…and you have to send 5 different emails and a postcard to cancel…and by the time you do, the time has elapsed to cancel, you get billed, and there is no recourse other than a dispute or chargeback.

For more information on negative option,  check out the FTC’s site on it here.

Heads Up!

If you’ll recall (if you’ve been reading my blog for a year or more) I attended the first Earn1KaDay summit in Orlando, Florida in January of 2009. There I got to meet and mingle with Willie Crawford, the Rhodes Brothers, Jaime Mintun, Dennis Becker, and many more. Well, it’s happening again, and I want to meet you there.

The details aren’t firmly packed down yet, but we’re looking at a May date in Las Vegas. Earn1KaDay is where my business and life changed. The contacts I made there and the time I spent with all of these fine people were invaluable. And I plan to go again.

If you haven’t joined Earn1KaDay yet, I urge you to get in now…some more new things have just been added, and there are even more to come. Take action, get out of your “comfort zone” and make 2010 happen for you.

When you own domain names associated with the trademarks of a large company, more often than not, they’re going to file a complaint with the ICANN UDRP(Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy). And more often than not, they’re going to win control of the name. Such was the case yesterday with 16 names related to Apple that one man happened to own.

Read More…

A lot of bloggers and affiliate marketers are still confused by the pending rule changes imposed by the FTC in relation to disclosure on their websites. And rightfully so. With all the “he said she said” going on regarding the rules, compliance is going to be difficult.

Jim Edwards did an interview with an FTC assistant deputy, and the interview is quite informative.

I recommend you watch… The sky is not falling and the FTC will likely NOT be on your doorstep on December 2 with a warrant.

Here’s the link:

http://www.igottatellyou.com/blog/ftc-change-interview/

In all the WordPress work I do, I usually drop in a text object widget and include an optin form for AWeber, my autoresponder provider. This usually works well. But, today, I got word of a new plugin by MaxBlogPress called Optin Form Adder. This plugin does so much more than just let you add an optin form to your blog – no, it lets you totally customize it to make it look like it is an integral part of your website. Field, text, background picture, box width and height, it can all be customized. And best of all, the plugin is FREE. Go take a look now!

What happens when you combine Twitter, Digg and Wikipedia?

You get TipDrop.

Jon Leger (of the famous 7 dollar script fame) has created a new “social knowledge” website called TipDrop.com, where you share tidbits of information on “Tip Sheets”. It’s more focused than Twitter, as it is all based on useful information (not what someone had for breakfast or what their dog just did).

This has the potential of becoming a very focused information site, as you are allowed only 255 characters per tip.

Credibility is voted on – you can vote tips up or down, so hopefully Spammy posts won’t inundate the site.

Go take a look now, you’ll be addicted. http://www.TipDrop.com

P.S it’s free as of this writing, and you can share Adsense revenue.

I went to my Cool Little Website today to check it out, and I discovered it was gone…as are all the other Dave’s Cool Little Websites out there. When you reach one, you are presented with a page that simply states…

Due to changes in technology and eBay
policy this program is no longer available.

Interesting. Changes in technology? Meaning Dave didn’t want to update his code? Or sales were finally flat enough it was time to scrap the project? And, I know eBay has been changing policies (making it more difficult to get an ePN account) but what policy is prohibiting these sites?

Anyone got any inside information? Please share!

I’ve had people ask me what the deal is with Squidoo. Why create a Squidoo page? Well, take a look at this screenshot. It should be self explanatory.

I created a Lens not too long ago with a review of Traffic Drill, a site by John and Matt Rhodes. I had full intention of actually using Traffic Drill to boost this lens at least on to the first page in Google. It turns out that Squidoo did this all by itself, for the most part. I posted the lens, waited a couple of weeks, and I was number 7. Several days later, number 5. After that I briefly jumped to number 1, and now I’m sitting steady at number 3. I’m not a Squidoo expert by any means, but this clearly shows that a Squidoo lens combined with good articles with your target keywords in them can rank well in Google.

So, that is why you should Squidoo. More on this very soon…

As reported earlier, Matched.co.uk was a site that bloggers could go to get paid ads for their blogs. (Reference this post)

As of November 20, Matched is out of beta, and according to their site, out of business.

It was fun while it lasted.

Too many Internet marketing books tell you the “what”, when you really need the “how”. They tell you, “You need to upload your sales page to your website.” But, they never show you the steps of actually uploading that website – they don’t show you the “how”.

Why are so many information product creators writing “what to do” books, when they should be giving you the full “here’s how you do it” information? Because it’s much easier to tell you what to do, rather than take the time to actually sit down and show you. It’s like the difference between telling someone, “You go to 336 Pine Street” and explaining to them, “You go two blocks down this street, turn left on Magnolia Avenue, go straight a half block, and it’s the yellow house on your right.”

Kevin Riley writes the kind of detailed e-books that show you exactly, step by detailed step how to do something. He never assumes knowledge. He never skips over anything. And now, he’s created a comprehensive Home Study Course that takes you every little step of the way from the very beginning all the way to having your own profitable home-based Internet business.

With his step-by-step screenshots, illustrations, and photographs, Kevin lays out a Home Study Course that anybody – of any skill level – can easily follow. He even includes a valuable ‘Set Yourself Up For Success’ guide to get you fully organized for success.

Kevin is also well known for vastly over delivering on highly under-priced products, and this Home Study Course is no exception. Go now and get it while it’s still at the ultra-low Recession Buster price.

Click Here For More Information

Yet another reason to join Earn1KaDay has come to the surface. Expert article marketer (5 figures a month) Tim Gorman has come on board Earn1KaDay as a “staff expert”. This adds yet another dimension of success to this already value-packed membership site.

On a side note, I just made veteran (I’ve been a paying member for 4 months) today on Earn1KaDay, and got access to the additional resources veterans get…and once again I was extemely impressed by the continual value that Dennis gives his members.

His mantra is “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”, and so far, in my 4 months of membership, he has lived up to and surpassed that mantra.

The Rhodes Brothers have hit another home run with their “10x Method”, teaching a system for creating multiple streams of income that fits you, not the other way around.

Watch The Video

If you have sat and thought about building a custom theme for your Wordpress blog, but the Codex confuses the hell out of you and you just don’t have the wherewithall to spend a day with Google, I’ve got good news for you (and trust me, I’ve already got a copy on order). There is a brand new DVD out called “How To Theme Wordpress: From Blank To Beautiful In 2 Hours“. I’ve not yet seen the DVD, but it sounds like a very good foundation to learn how to build your own templates for Wordpress.

Keep in mind that Wordpress templates are in demand and people are paying for custom templates.

So, go grab it now!

There aren’t a whole lot of wearable products out in the world related to Internet Marketing or MLM, so I decided to head out and set up a store on CafePress. Right now there are only a few designs in the store. I’m planning to add more merchandise, such as mugs and mousepads. Not to mention more designs.

Creative outlet, you ask? Yeah, I love coming up with stuff and putting it to Photoshop. You can bet that you’ll find me wearing some of these a lot. There are nights when I’m brainstorming ideas for my businesses that I will just open up Photoshop and “noodle around”. Some of these designs originate from that “noodling”! So, if you feel inclined to wear a shirt that will have your friends green with envy (or perplexed about their meaning), take a look at the store today. The link to T-Shirts above will also get you there. Enjoy!

The Great Office War from Runawaybox on Vimeo.

I got a mailer last night about this new product from Robert Plank, and I didn’t even think twice before picking it up and installing it immediately on this blog.

Do you know what happens when someone fills out an autoresponder form on your website? Yes, of course they get put on your list, but do you know what else happens? One of two things:
1. They leave your site due to the autoresponder’s “Thank you” page;
2. A new window opens with the autoresponder’s “Thank you” page.

Either way, your viewer is getting distracted and pulled away from YOUR site because they wanted to sign up for more updates. You want your viewers to stay on your site.

Here’s how to stop punishing viewers and get those conversion rates up!

Action Optin is a new product from Robert Plank that I wish the autoresponder guys had thought of years ago. With Action Optin, when someone fills out your autoresponder form, your viewer stays on your site and the form is replaced with a message of your choosing! No more distracting “Thank you” pages. Plus, it is a breeze to install – one line of Javascript (or a plugin for Wordpress fans) is all it takes.

I installed this last night (a little before 10 PM central) and had an issue with getting it to work with Wordpress. So, I shot an email off to Robert for support. By 11 PM, after a few email exchanges and some tweaking of code, the problem was fixed and I was on my way. Gold star for support, Robert!

Action Optin works with any autoresponder form (I have AWeber), on any kind of page. It’s easy to install, easier to use, and could boost your conversion rates. Plus it doesn’t cost very much. I seriously recommend this for any and all of your sites. Go Get It!