book suggestions for me

I want to make these all affiliate links, but for now:

Tim Sanders, who wrote Love is the Killer App sent out a newsletter with these book suggestions. I like the way he thinks, so I want to pick these up:

Give Your Speech, Change The World by Nick Morgan - effective speeches
Working The Room by Nick Morgan - networking
Think Big, Act Small by Jason Jennings - about how organizations lose effectiveness as they grow.

My list:
Winning Results with Google AdWords (Paperback) by Andrew Goodman
SEO Book by Aaron Wall

Sellers wrote a beautiful essay on suffering. He suggests making a life's mission to end suffering. Take responsibility for the suffering you cause others. Be aware of the kinds of suffering that exists (like boredom is a form, mental anguish, as well as hunger, poverty, lonliness, even uncertainty, etc). Leaders address and find ways to end suffering (he's not a Buddhist is he??). Think about your personal suffering. Become self-reliant and introspective on healthy ways to reduce your personal suffering.

I have been doing this for the past 2 years. It's felt muddled, hurried, and incomplete at times. But then this is life mission sort of territory. It gives meaning to life.

"How you are successful during the day is who you become in the evening. Conversely, your personal mission should guide your behavior towards your family, friends and acquaintances. If you find one mission that successfully guides you throughout your whole life, you have a blueprint for success. If your mission is aligned with others, you have a blueprint for community and cooperation."

I like that definition of building community. I need to ponder this further...any comments?

affiliate/adsense ideas

For google to think you're a real site you need things that are indicators of realness. Original content. Like comparing prices of products. A list of retail store locations. An actual customer service number or email address.

I also read that if you add graphics to your adsense links it will increase click-throughs. You use text ads but space them out in a table (is this google legal or is it tampering with code? I guess if you do a 1-ad for each one you're OK). Put an icon above each ad. Basically it's tricking people into not realizing they are google ads, which people usually ignor.

Remember: You can't ask people to click on links on your page to increase your revenue or click on your the ads on your site.

I found a lot of good links lately for more google adsense info:
www.Jensense.com
http://allaboutadsense.blogspot.com/
http://www.petefreitag.com/item/413.cfm

Can't wait for the day when yahoo gets more into paid search advertising. This is changing all the time and it's an adventurous ride so far...need more competition out there to keep a flatter playing field.

geek heaven

Check out this blog by the 37 Signals folks: Signal vs. Noise.
There's also a great salon.com article where I learned about the 5 employees and their business model. No investors. No ads. One of the 5 works from Provo, Utah. I suggested to Connect Magazine they write a feature on him.

You don't have to surrender your credit card to use Basecamp for personal use (it's a project management app). Unheard of. I'm also using their task list. It's all designed to be simple, inexpensive, and intuitive. Good stuff for my slightly ADD tendancies.

Centrist Democrats

My friend Jim was on KCPW (Salt Lake City's NPR station) Blogger's Friday yesterday. He mentioned me as the person who got him into blogging. See his blog at beehivedonkey.org. He's also a fellow single parent, centrist democrat who's interested in politics, and geek (more so than me). I like discussing ideas with him. I'm a little jealous he has time to get into politics. I used to. I want to be on the city council someday. I've helped on some campaigns. These days I hardly keep up. So I read Jim's blog.

Free Business Cards

Paul Allen is always talking about VistaPrint. Here is the link (Get 250 premium quality, color business cards FREE! Order today! Get free business cards. You just pay shipping, about $5.

I made a generic card for people I meet in any situation.

Use them to network. Use to give someone your email or if you move and have a new address. You don't even need a company name. I just say my name: writer, internet marketer, blogger.

Affiliate marketing is interesting. I use Commission Junction. Any links that I have on my blog are for companies I personally use and like, not random things. The little boy is my son...my motivation to succeed.

Istockphoto.com and Guy Kawasaki

istockphoto.com is a great site to get images to use on your web site or powerpoint presentations. You pay max: $3 a photo. When you register it asks how you were referred to the site. This is the first time I've ever see a person's name as a choice. You guessed it...it gave Guy Kawasaki. That's who referred me. amazing.

I thought it would be cool if istockphoto francised or google-ad-ed images. You get your own branded photo site. It all works through their system. Do google ads but for photos. Serves up relevant images for your blog or site...still developing...