February 28, 2007

How To Build A 2.5 Scale Sherman Tank...

Can you really build your very own Sherman tank? You know, one that can actually fire paintball shells and infrared lasers?

You bet you can!

And here's how - From an amazing Aussie, here's just Part I of this very interesting multi-part series, "How To Build A 2.5 Scale Sherman Tank."

How To Build A 2.5 Scale Sherman Tank

How To Handle The "What Is It?" Question...

Network Marketing legend Tim Sales regularly answers business questions submitted by his readers. And this time around he tackles how to answer the common question, "What is it?"

Obviously, when you know how to handle questions and objections "effectively" and smoothly, your business becomes profitable. And that's when it starts to get really fun!

How To Handle The "What Is It?" Question

Sometimes, when you're speaking with a prospect, things seem to be going well and then they hit you with "What is it?". Like they just want you to get to the point. Or maybe they're just really curious. It may seem like this is an easy question to answer.

But it's not. If you answer it the wrong way, by telling the prospect all about your business too soon, it could, and most likely will, backfire on you and cause the prospect to lose interest.

So, it's important to know how to answer this question the right way. Obviously how you answer it depends on what context the prospect asks it in. You would respond differently to "What is it?" if your prospect answered an ad for a home based business versus if you were chatting with someone in a social setting and mentioned that you've started a new business.

By the way, I'm going to show you how to answer this question from the perspective that you are using the Inviting Formula and are inviting a prospect to view some information that will help them achieve what they've stated they need, want or don't want (the Inviting step of the Inviting Formula).

If you're not familiar with the Inviting Formula, you first Greet the prospect and then Qualify them to find out what they need, want or don't want. Then you Invite them to review information that will help them achieve what they've said they need, want or don't want.

If this (What is it?) question is going to come up, it most commonly will come up in the Invite step of the formula.

As I described in the January 17 newsletter, I use a Question and Objection Remedy Formula. These are the basic steps you need to know that will make you able to handle any objection that comes up - smoothly and certainly. This formula is described in detail in Professional Inviter.

The first step is to listen all the way through the question or objection. The second step is to confirm your understanding of their question.

You see, you could have just asked a prospect to watch a video and then they ask, "What is it?" So their question could be, "What is the video?" Or it could be "What is the business?"

That is the reason you must do step two of the Remedy. You can confirm your understanding of their question by simply asking, "What is what?" Or "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your question."

Once they explain it, do step three of the Remedy Formula by validating what they say or ask. You do this by simply saying something like "Oh okay - thanks for the question." Or, "Now I understand - thank you."

Then the next step of the remedy is to handle or facilitate handling the question or objection. So as an example, let's say their question is "What is the video?" You would then handle this question by saying something like, "John, based on you telling me that you want to get a sailboat and cruise the Caribbean islands, it reminded me of a video I've seen that will help you accomplish that. You'll understand once you've seen it. Let me get this to you - write down this web address."

This would both handle the objection as well as accomplish the last step of the remedy which is to return to the Inviting formula step you were on when the question or objection came up.

By saying, "Let me get this to you - write down this web address" you're returning to the Inviting step of the formula.

If their question was, "What is the business?", you could handle this one by saying something like: "I genuinely appreciate your interest in knowing what it is, and if I thought I could summarize it in a few sentences I would," (question clarified and made valid) "however, time wise it will be more productive to both of us for you to watch the online movie. Then you and I can have a more intelligent conversation about it. Read me the web address I gave you- I want to make sure I gave it to you correctly."

February 27, 2007

World Record - Slalom Skateboarding...

Martin Sweeny of the UK (who kinda reminds me of Jack Black in this video) sets a new world record for Slalom Skateboarding.

All I have to say is...HOLY CRAP!


Home Business Today Quote of the Week...

Home Business Today Quote of the Week:

"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

February 25, 2007

Pig Bladders Regrow Severed Fingers...

AOL News:

Researchers are trying to find ways to regrow fingers - and someday, even limbs - with tricks that sound like magic spells from a Harry Potter novel.

There's the guy who sliced off a fingertip but grew it back, after he treated the wound with an extract of pig bladder. And the scientists who grow extra arms on salamanders. And the laboratory mice with the eerie ability to heal themselves.

This summer, scientists are planning to see whether the powdered pig extract can help injured soldiers regrow parts of their fingers. And a large federally funded project is trying to unlock the secrets of how some animals regrow body parts so well, with hopes of applying the the lessons to humans.

Ladder Racing...

Well, this is definitely something I've never seen before. Ladder racing. Go figure. All I'd like to know is where were these guys when fluffy got stuck on the roof? :P

February 23, 2007

AGLOCO Privacy Policy Wins...

Whenever a new online company launches there are always certain questions that need to be answered.

And some of the most pertinent questions are those addressing a company's privacy policy.

In AGLOCO's case, it's no different. The people want answers. They want to know whether or not the company will screw them.

They want to know whether or not AGLOCO will take their personal information and abuse it.

So, in order to address such integral questions, I've happily composed the following...

AGLOCO's Privacy Policy Wins

AGLOCO will not compromise your personal information. How can you be sure? Easy. They don't mess around when it comes to this stuff.

For example, AGLOCO's Chief Privacy Officer is none other than Ray Everett-Church. OK, so who's Ray Everett-Church? Fair question. Here's a brief history on him...

Ray Everett-Church was dubbed "the dean of corporate Chief Privacy Officers" by Inter@ctive Week magazine. He was also profiled by the New York Times as "one of the most influential advocates of responsible online advertising."

Current Activities

Ray Everett-Church's current activities include:

  • Principal at PrivacyClue LLC, a privacy consultancy based in San Francisco.
  • Columnist for JupiterMedia's eSecurityPlanet.com
  • Co-founder and counsel to the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE)
  • Member of the National Advisory Council for the George Washington School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS).
Here's the link to AGLOCO's Privacy Policy. As you can see, AGLOCO is extremely serious when it comes to protecting personal information. And that's precisely the way it should be.

Angloco Is Not AGLOCO...


Is Not AGLOCO

If you've ever used Google Suggest, which is similar to Google's "Did You Mean?" feature, then you know it's a handy tool. It offers alternative spellings for your query after you search, except that it works in real time.

Anyway, I was using it today and noticed that a whole lot of people are confusing the terms AGLOCO and Angloco since the spellings are nearly identical.

AGLOCO and Angloco are two very different companies. Angloco, according to its site, "designs, manufactures and distributes fire fighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, for customers in the UK and throughout the world."

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

AGLOCO, on the other hand, designs satellite systems used to link communications between Swedish military units. Ha ha, just kidding! If you you're not yet familiar with AGLOCO, you can read some of my AGLOCO posts. I have a lot of AGLOCO-specific information on this blog and I'm always adding new AGLOCO content. You can also join AGLOCO and start building your own AGLOCO network. AGLOCO is going to be big, so I really suggest that you do.

AGLOCO Simplified...

  • Surf the web just like you always have.
  • Companies pay AGLOCO for advertising.
  • AGLOCO pays YOU for surfing.
  • Earn money for those you refer - down to 5 levels.
Or...

As for the AGLOCO/Angloco confusion, some of the top terms from Google Suggest are: angloco review, angloco viewbar, angloco forum, angloco scam and angloco blog. Angloco review, for example, yields 96,500 results. Now that's a whole lot of misspelling going on!

February 21, 2007

Better Universe Closed For Business...

Better Universe & MovieClubPlus, Inc.
Officially
Closed For Business

Better Universe and Movie Club Plus, Inc. have shut down "officially" as of February 16, 2007.

Apparently, the president of the company (Steve Gresham?) resigned without any warning or notice at all, thus, leaving behind a huge mess of unpaid commissions to the Better Universe members, as well as unpaid monies to its vendors.

What a friggin' shame. Here was a company who's trademark (which was not legally registered) was, "People Helping People Change the World." It was a company who's goal (supposedly!) was to donate much of its revenue to charity. Yeah, right.

Anyway, here's a copy of the message that was just recently sent out to the Better Universe membership. A Better Universe member forwarded it to me and I posted it on Scam.com.

Is AGLOCO A Pyramid Scam?

Due to the recent buzz AGLOCO has created across the Internet, there are a lot of people blogging about it. There are also a lot of people trying their best to learn more about it.

And in this quest for knowledge, one of the questions on some peoples' minds is this: "Is AGLOCO a pyramid scam?

Is AGLOCO A Pyramid?

The simple answer, of course, is this: No, AGLOCO is not a pyramid. In fact, due to its very means of operation, there's no possible way AGLOCO could be considered a pyramid. The first rule of a pyramid scheme is that it involves a monetary investment. AGLOCO is free.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of partially-uneducated bloggers who are writing about AGLOCO and calling it a pyramid scheme. Heck, I've even seen one person say it was a Ponzi. Now that's laughable!

It would certainly be wise of these folks to educate themselves on Federal law before erroneously blogging about it. Of course, I believe that goes without saying.

AGLOCO - Not A Scam

In addition, AGLOCO's Chief Privacy Officer is none other than Ray Everett-Church. OK, so who's Ray Everett-Church? Fair question. Here's a brief history on him...

Ray Everett-Church was dubbed "the dean of corporate Chief Privacy Officers" by Inter@ctive Week magazine. He was also profiled by the New York Times as "one of the most influential advocates of responsible online advertising."

Current Activities

Ray Everett-Church's current activities include:

  • Principal at PrivacyClue LLC, a privacy consultancy based in San Francisco.
  • Columnist for JupiterMedia's eSecurityPlanet.com
  • Co-founder and counsel to the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE)
  • Member of the National Advisory Council for the George Washington School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS).
So methinks it is pretty safe to say AGLOCO is not a scam in any way. And again, based on its very business model, it can't be.

AGLOCO Simplified...

  • Get the Viewbar™ (slated for March release).
  • Surf the web just like you always have.
  • Companies pay AGLOCO for advertising.
  • AGLOCO pays YOU for surfing.
  • Earn money for those you refer - down to 5 levels.
Or...

Home Business Today Quote of the Week...

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing."

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

February 18, 2007

The SEO Book...

The only current SEO Book on the planet. Get the industry standard #1 ranked SEO Book. But don't take my word for it...

#1 Ranked. Everywhere.

Google Search: SEO Book (#1)
Yahoo! Search: SEO Book (#1)

This is the #1 ranked SEO book on all major search engines.

The search engines love it. Thousands of webmasters have built their business using the SEO Book. And here's why.

A Testimonial:
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Read More Testimonials

Get Ranked: Learn SEO Today!
The SEO Book is an up-to-date 328 page ebook available for immediate download. Start learning SEO in less than 5 minutes.

Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs...

Here's a hysterical video of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs fighting it out in the iWorld. Gates vs. Jobs. PC vs. Mac. Kinda sorta. And just wait until you see who else shows up! ;)

Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs

February 15, 2007

Having Trouble Motivating Your Downline?

If you've ever had trouble with an unmotivated downline, here's a quick tip from Big Al Tom Schreiter that should be of help.

And this is one tip you'll probably want to follow from here on out:

Having trouble motivating your downline?

Here is a technique used by a friend of mine. It's not
the only way to get a motivated group, but it certainly
is one way.

My friend says:

"I don't motivate people. What I do is recruit
motivated people. Then, I make sure I don't
un-motivate them."

February 13, 2007

Home Business Today Quote of the Week...

Home Business Today Quote of the Week:

"Dream like you'll live forever; live like you'll die tomorrow."
James Dean (1931-1955)

February 11, 2007

AGLOCO Interviewed by Robert Scoble...

Here's a great video from the recent interview Robert Scoble did with two of the official folks at AGLOCO.

The interview includes AGLOCO's Chief Privacy Officer, Ray Everett-Church, and one of AGLOCO's founders, Akshay Mavani.

And Speaking of K.I.S.S., Couples Break Kissing Record...

And speaking of K.I.S.S., how about this...

Yahoo! News:

MANILA, Philippines - More than 6,000 couples kissed simultaneously at midnight Saturday in the Philippines with organizers of the event claiming to have set a new world record.

Organizers of the annual pre-Valentine's Day celebration said they broke the record held by Hungary, where 5,875 couples kissed simultaneously in Budapest in 2005.

"We broke the record, it's great," said Howard Belton, a Briton who spearheaded the event.

With fireworks, confetti, a giant TV screen, and red balloons as the backdrop, couples locked lips and hugged for 10 seconds following a countdown outside a Manila mall.

An unofficial tally showed 6,124 couples kissed simultaneously, organizers said, but the number needs to be verified by an independent auditor and approved by Guinness World Record officials before it becomes a world record.

AGLOCO Marketing Tips...

AGLOCO Marketing Tips

When marketing AGLOCO, the first thing to keep in mind is that AGLOCO is extremely simple - You surf, you make money. Simple.

Don't make it any harder or any more complex than it actually is. The harder you make it, the less results you'll have. Just remember the acronym, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid). It works every time.

AGLOCO Key Points

Key things to emphasize when marketing AGLOCO:

  • AGLOCO is totally free. There are no costs and no upgrades. No monetary outlay whatsoever.
  • AGLOCO is 100% risk-free. You can't lose a thing. AGLCOO will pay you for up to 5 hours of surfing every month.
  • AGLOCO will pay you a percentage of ALL your referrals' and indirect referrals' time spent online, all the way down through 5 levels.
Get paid to be online - Join the AGLOCO party now!

The AGLOCO guarantee - You an cancel at any time if you decide AGLOCO is not for you.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Simple, Simple, Simple

Keep things simple and brief! People don't have a lot of extra time to waste on reading long, tedious sales letters. Just be sure to cover the basics:

What's in it for me?
-AGLOCO will pay you just for surfing online.

What do I have to do to get paid money?
-Surf the Internet just like you always have. Simply download the AGLOCO viewbar and you'll be paid for up to 5 hours of your time spent online every single month.

How can I make even more money with AGLOCO?
-Simple. Just let your family, friends and associates know about it! AGLOCO will not only pay them for their time, it will also pay you for a percentage of the time they spend surfing online as well.

The bottom line is that you do NOT have to change your surfing habits at all in order to make money with AGLOCO. And that's what makes it so simple to market.

AGLOCO Questions Answered By AGLOCO...

Recently on the AGLOCO Company BLOG Brian Greenwald of the AGLOCO Development Team addressed some important questions that have been posed in blog comments and elsewhere.

Here's what Brian Greenwald shared:

"One of the many functions of the AGLOCO Company Blog is to field some questions posed in comments and elsewhere. I will talk about a few of those now.

First: No, Alice, I am not married and yes, I have a girlfriend. And for Bill, I work mainly on the Revenue team at AGLOCO (in the transactions area of revenue), but as with any small start-up company, most people help out in more than one area.

Forms of Payments to Members: AGLOCO will make cash payments to Members in various forms, always trying to minimize costs and balance that with Member convenience. Forms should include bank-to-bank (ACH), PayPal (and similar), credit to cards (like VISA), and checks in the mail. We will also try to pay in local currencies wherever possible (I heard the question on eGold and I do not have the answer yet).

Member Calculator: If you’ve taken a look at the AGLOCO website lately, you’ll notice that we’ve improved the Member Calculator page based on your suggestions. The mechanics of the calculator are the same, but we have clarified some of the text and added an example to illustrate how it might be used. Let us know what you think!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Viewbar Status: Here’s the quick report. The good news is that the Viewbar release is currently slated for March. And the bad news is the Viewbar release is currently slated for March.

Obviously, I have two minds when it comes to this. I really want the Viewbar out there. I want Members to start using it. I want advertisers and online merchants using it. And I want to start generating revenue for Members and the company.

On the other hand, I also want more time to get ready for the Viewbar. As a part of the AGLOCO Revenue team, I want to have more time to get more agreements in place so the Viewbar makes more money even at the start.

I hear two minds from Members as well. Some Members want the Viewbar out because it would help in recruiting, and because they are eager to start earning. Other Members have expressed that they do not want it out right now because they want more time to get their networks growing before the Viewbar attracts so much recruiting competition.

Thus my mixed feelings. I will try to keep you posted on this on a weekly or bi-weekly basis until it is released (if I bug the engineers too often, they ‘snarl’ at me).

Equity/shares: As stated in previous comments, due to legal restrictions in many countries regarding a discussion of a company’s equity/shares, sales, earnings, and other things of that nature, this blog unfortunately cannot address any of those issues. This would also be true if we were Google, Yahoo, IBM, Toyota, eBay, or any other company (basically, all companies have strict controls on making forward-looking statements on these topics).

How much will I make from AGLOCO? This question has the same legal restrictions regarding “earnings” as equity/stock. There are a number of Member studies and reports out there which give their opinions."

To see one of those such studies, here's a recent post of mine that covers it: How Much Money Can AGLOCO Make You?

February 10, 2007

Tons Of Blog Resources For Your Blog...

If you're looking for some good resources for your blog, here's a link to a smorgasbord of tools, templates, skins, etc., provided by Geek Philosopher.

Blog Resource Categories

  • Blog Hosting: Free and fee-based premium service
  • Blogging Tools: Open-source or no-cost blogging tools
  • Blogging Tools: Software products
  • Blogging Tools: Comment and tracking software
  • Blog Design: Templates and skins

February 7, 2007

The Carver One - Man, I've Got To Get Me One Of These!

Here's something that'll make you go out of your way to find curvy roads: the Carver One. It steers like a car, but when cornering, it banks like a motorcycle. And all the while you feel like you're flying in a fighter jet.

According the the makers of the Carver One, "The thrill of this tilting capability combined with the handling of a sports car makes for an exhilarating driving experience unlike any other!"

What will those cool and crazy Dutch folks come up with next!

The Carver One

February 6, 2007

Home Business Today Quote of the Week...

"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow firm there, firm as weeds among stones."
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)

February 3, 2007

If You Think Network Marketing Is Hard...

Network Marketing legend Tim Sales regularly answers questions submitted by his readers. But this month, instead of answering a question, he addressed a statement. That statement was, "Network Marketing is hard."

You see, Tim was at an event this past weekend, and happened to be seated at a table where a few distributors were talking amongst themselves and discussing how hard they thought Networking Marketing was.

Here's how it all played out...

If You Thing Network Marketing Is Hard...

I was at a table where a bunch of distributors were talking between themselves and each got on the bandwagon and threw in their own proof of how "hard this business is." I let the pity party continue for a while, then finally exclaimed, "You're joking, right?"

If ever you could have heard a pin drop it would have been at that moment.

Let me describe my view on the subject, and then I'll write what I told the people sitting at that table. I'm doing this in hopes that you, too, will stop or will leave the "pity party" when you hear it. Your success depends on it.

To be able to see my view, allow me to take you back to just prior to my entering MLM.

The year was 1987. I was with the US Navy's underwater bomb squad team in the Persian Gulf. Our "job" was to locate and defuse the bombs that were in the Gulf. Of course that's plenty dangerous - but the sea snakes bothered us just as much.

Sea snakes are extremely territorial and the most toxic of all snakes. So imagine defusing a live bomb while looking over your shoulder for sea snakes. That's quite a distraction!

Fortunately, sea snakes don't have long fangs, so we would wear 1/2 inch thick wet suits as a safety precaution. It's difficult for the snakes to penetrate the skin through a 1/2 inch wet suit. But wearing a thick wetsuit is an additional problem because, with the outside temperature between 100 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit (38-49 Celsius), it's extremely hot wearing a 1/2 inch wetsuit in that heat.

Oh, I almost forgot the other hazard - the enemy. The enemy is someone whose intention is to kill you if he sees you.

So that was my life leading up to me answering an ad in the Washington Post for my network marketing company.

Now back to the discussion I was having at the table with the people who were complaining that network marketing is so "hard."

My statement was, "You're joking, right?" Then I went on to say some of the following:

What's hard? You sit on your butt in an air conditioned (or heated) room with your drink of preference on your desk. The bathroom is within a few feet of your office. Food is abundant. Your only distraction is your child or pet coming into the room...what's hard about that?

In the bomb squad, in order for us to get to our work we had to skydive in, or row a boat in (underwater bombs don't like the sound of motor boats). For a network marketer to arrive at "work" they normally have to walk up or down some steps or down a hall - what's hard about that?

In the bomb squad, if we goof a little, we blow up. DEAD. If you are terrible on a phone call - NOTHING HAPPENS - you don't blow up - you don't die!

  • You call a prospect, he's not there. Go to the next one.
  • You call a prospect, he's there but isn't interested. Go to the next one.
  • You call a prospect, he's there, agrees to watch a video and then won't answer the phone afterwards. Go to the next one.
  • You call a prospect, he's there, agrees to watch a video, you reach him for the follow-up - says it's not for him. Go to the next one.
  • You call a prospect, he's there, agrees to watch a video, on the follow up call he says he's super excited, but his wife won't let him do it. Go to the next one.
  • You call a prospect, he's there, agrees to watch a video, on the follow up he says - I want to do this. You sign him up, help him...and go to the next one.

What's hard? The only hard part is not knowing what to say to your prospect - But that is all covered in Professional Inviter.

Even if you call someone and get a super jerk on the phone, the worst he'll do is yell at you - so what? He's not going to shoot you. Network Marketing is NOT hard!

The 13 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions...

AOL Money & Finance:

"Don't let an oversight force you to overpay your taxes. Here's a baker's dozen of deductions that you could easily miss or never realize you were entitled to take.

Every year, the IRS dutifully reports the most common blunders we taxpayers make on our returns. And every year, at or near the top of the list is forgetting to enter a Social Security number or making a mistake when entering the nine digits that identify us to IRS computers.

Before you bemoan such stupidity, ask yourself a simple question: Is that the most common error? Or just the most easily noticed goof?"

The 13 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions

1. State sales taxes
2. $250 educator's expenses
3. College tuition
4. Student loan interest paid by Mom and Dad
5. Out-of-pocket charitable contributions
6. Moving expenses to take first job
7. Military reservist travel expenses
8. Child-care credit
9. Estate tax on income in respect of a decedent
10. State tax you paid last spring
11. Refinancing points
12. Reinvested dividends
13. Jury pay paid to employer

BioPerformance Scam Fully Shut Down By Texas AG...

Texas State Attorney General Greg Abbott has successfully shut down BioPerformance, a Dallas-based pyramid scheme that illegally sold bogus fuel pills they "claimed" would increase automobile gas mileage by up to 30%.

Abbot's office announced a final judgment and a permanent injunction against BioPerformance for its illegal actions. The judgment prohibits BioPerformance from illegally marketing the so-called "top secret gas pill" in any way.

Abbot stated, "The legal action that we're announcing today shuts down this illegal operation and provides a restitution for countless consumers who were duped into purchasing this product.

The judgement provides $7.3 million in restitution, $150,000 in fines, and $400,000 in attorneys' fees. Also, the injunction prohibits BioPerformance from using an illegal pyramid scheme to market this product, or any other similar product, prohibits BioPerformance from falsely advertising and marketing this product, including making the bogus, outrageous claim that it would increase your gas mileage by up to 30%.

The judgement also prohibits BioPerformance from making claims that are not supported by scientific evidence that is supported by federal authorities."

Here's the history of my extensive coverage on the BioPerformance debacle.

February 1, 2007

How Do You Get Ideas For Blog Posts And RSS Feed Posts?

The best blogs and feeds are those that contain unique, fresh, compelling, content. So where do these prolific posters get their ideas? I talked to a handful of bloggers to determine where their inspiration originated for their content.

Not surprisingly, ideas for blog posts or RSS feed items originate or are influenced by other web content. The following are venues for finding your online muse:

1.Google News

Monitor Google News for keywords related to your industry. If you find a story you disagree with or wholeheartedly agree with write about it. Add your thoughts, and editorialize the content. This does not mean you should just repost Google news summaries. The value is not only in the news aggregation, but in the commentary that you provide. Tie news items to specific events, conditions, or the impact of specific news on the industry. Adding a view point or reference to a news article adds genuine value.

2. Web Logs

Look at your websites "long tail", and examine your web logs. Find phrases that are relevant to your website and write in-depth information about those subjects. This is particularly helpful if the blog or RSS feed is used as a marketing tool for the website. By focusing on obscure or less popular search terms and phrases that are found in your web logs, you will not only find that you provide content of interest to your readers, but you will attract additional web traffic.

3. Collate

Many bloggers have established themselves as "experts" by simply amassing and organizing a large collection of information that relates to a specific field. Use the blog or feed to announce and organize information, new products or services in an unbiased way within a specific industry.

4. Search

Most people assume that there is information on every subject on the Internet, but that is not necessarily the case. If you stumble on an area where there is minimal content, consider it an opportunity. Continue developing content. Chances are if you were searching for the content someone else is as well, develop a blog post or RSS feed for information that find inaccessible.

5. Untouchable Content

Consider tackling all of the content that many other publishers find difficult or uncomfortable. Controversial or content that is difficult to write about is often overlooked, look at challenging content as an opportunity.

6. Monitor Authority Blogs

Watch authority blogs for developing industry news. Comment on any breaking news or editorials that you either agree or disagree with. This may attract the attention of an authority blog and could result in a link to your commentary. Be sure to credit the source of any blog posts that you comment on or quote.

7. Advice

If you are an expert? Consider developing an advice column. Let readers send you questions and post the questions and answers in your blog or RSS feed. This allows your readers to direct your content.

8. Conversations

Many bloggers and publishers discover topic ideas from conversations. Create dialogue with both individuals familiar and unfamiliar with your blog topic, the questions that come up could be good fodder for posts.

9. Forums/ Newsgroups / Usenet

Forums are great places to find topic ideas. Read topic specific forum posts then editorialize and summarize the posts.

10. Look Outside the Box

Do not constrain your thinking to parameters found online. The best RSS feeds and blogs are targeted, clear, consistent, and unique. It is okay to occasionally step outside your comfort zone to find appealing content.

While breaking news has obvious value, so to does timeless content and "how to" posts. Don't be afraid to mix it up and provide readers a combination of the two.

About the author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll, software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition, Sharon manages marketing for NotePage, a wireless text messaging software company.