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What do you think? Please comment below to tell me.

Original post by Lance Tamashiro and software by Elliott Back

ThinkGeek is actually having a pretty cool sale right now, so I did a little shopping this week. I thought it would be fun to show you what I got. The sale by the way, is buy one “funny geek t-shirt” and get the second shirt half off + free shipping on $75+…

My Newest Funny Geek T-Shirts:

(just to taunt Slim! lol)

(for the days I feel like wonder woman!)

ThinkGeek has some of the funniest shirts, accessories and just plain fun geek toys! If you’ve never browsed their online store before, definitely give it a peek:

You’ll love it!

You should know too… Geek Pride Day is May 25th.

Make sure you celebrate with your best FUNNY Geek T-Shirt!

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Lynn has been talking about making the most of online relationships and getting serious about making money. Those two topics fit right into what I’ll be talking about today.

I’m going to share with you 6 reasons why you really need an accountability partner…

A partnership can be either you and one other person, a group of 3 like minded individuals or on a larger scale, a mastermind type group. I have had a few accountability partnerships over the last few years so I’m going to share my personal tips.

6 Reasons You Need An Accountability Partnership

1) Get that extra push you need in your business

Sometimes you just need that extra little push. Maybe you’re stuck on whether or not to move forward on a certain project or maybe you’re not sure if it’s even a project you should be working on. On a normal day, you would probably hem and haw over what direction to take and spin your wheels but an accountability partner will be there to help you make a decision and get things done.

2) Someone to bounce around ideas

It’s nice to have an accountability partner(s) when you’re stuck and not sure how to proceed on an idea or maybe you need help deciding on whether or not to sell a product for a certain price, what website to focus your attention, etc. Working online can be lonely at times and sometimes spouses/family/friends just don’t understand the type of help you need. Connecting with someone who does understand is a big deal.

3) Someone you can stay accountable to

At the beginning of every week, you’ll share your 3 biggest tasks for the week with your accountability partner(s). It’s really nice to have someone to tell when you have accomplished those tasks. Or on the flip side it’s nice to have someone there if you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and they can bring you back to reality. It’s great to know you have someone there that is counting on you to take action!

4) Someone to share accomplishments with

Did you make a big sale? Finish a project? An accountability partner is the perfect person to share those exciting times with.

5) Someone who can be totally honest with you

There are times where you might feel that you are choosing the right project or path in your business but you’re really not. In this case, you need someone who will be honest and who feels comfortable telling you like it is, in a nice but firm way.

6) You drastically increase your productivity

Like I mentioned above, having someone to stay accountable to makes you achieve more than you thought you ever could. You are focused on the most important tasks and are less likely to be drawn to all the mundane and most importantly non money making tasks. You will find yourself much more productive, I promise you!

Can you see why I feel this type of partnership is crucial?

I can’t even begin to really explain how beneficial having accountability partnerships has been to me (you’ll have to find out for yourself!). I’m challenged on a daily basis to do more than I ever imagined. And I’m motivated more than ever to work hard and I truly appreciate the encouragement I get through the process.

And yes, if you’re serious about making money, this is one step that will help you in that process. This type of partnership is truly an asset to your business.

One of my accountability partners, Danielle and I have joined forces to give you a total guide to accountability partnership success.

In it we’ll discuss:

• How to Find An Accountability Partner?
• What Do Accountability Partners Do?
• How Often Do You Meet?
• Tips for Great Partnerships?

…and much more!

We believe that having an accountability partner has been a very important part to our success as online business owners.

Do you have an accountability partner?

Angie and Danielle want to share how you too can have a successful accountability partnership. Be sure to get on the list at Are You Accountable so you are first to know when the Accountability Partner Success report is released.

- Angie

p.s. My other accountability partnership is with Lynn, here at Clicknewz and Trish of Web Copy Results. And all of my accountability partnerships have been formed within Lynn’s mastermind group and all bring something different to the table.

Now is a great time to check out Lynn’s mastermind group here at Clicknewz because the rates go up tomorrow, Tuesday May 8th.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

While I travel a lot, and my days vary according to what’s going on in my life and business at any given time, this is a typical “boring day”. Just a Thursday, even.

I actually kept a Time Log yesterday, which is an exercise I do from time to time to improve efficiency and productivity.

I’ll share more about that with you as well. As you can see, my day starts with coffee – and I usually enjoy my first cup outdoors. If I wake early (and I usually do), I enjoy my coffee on the back deck and enjoy the sunrise. Otherwise I sit on the back steps out back while I take the Danes out. Either way, it’s always a moment of reflection with that first cup, thinking over the day before and the day ahead…

I’m a creature of habit, and I love my quiet morning time, so if I have to be somewhere first thing in the morning… I’ll get up ridiculously early (4am even) just to have those quiet moments over coffee.

Next, I thumb through my mobile device, still enjoying the morning outdoors, and see what happened with business while I was sleeping. I check each of my email accounts, blog comments, Facebook notifications, Tweets, etc. Just to get an idea what might need my attention first.

Before I actually sit down at my desk, I start or finish laundry (which is an ongoing process around here with a teenager, lol), water my plants – and pluck off any bad leaves or old blooms, take the Danes out, then straighten up whatever mess I left on my desk the day before. All before 7am.

And I usually don’t get up until 6-6:30am, by the way. Though I do enjoy the rare earlier hours.

By then I’m making my second cup of coffee, wide awake, and ready to dig in to my Priority Tasks. I always start with the top three things I need to accomplish for the day, and get those knocked out first.

Yesterday (which is the Thursday I was referring to), my top three priorities were:

• Edit & Upload Video for my Vlog
• Answer Questions on my Forum
• Write Guest Post that was due (that day! ack, lol)

So on this particular day I watered the plants, folded a load of laundry and started a second, paid some bills & transferred some funds, did the video editing then uploaded & shared it, answered a few important emails, wrote & published a guest post, and answered all the open questions at my forum – all before 9am.

9am to Noon

Once I got all that out of the way I did a few more emails, coordinated with guest bloggers for multiple sites, edited & published a guest post here on ClickNewz, checked in on my forum again, worked on the backend of a new site I’m launching, and then at 11am (my time) hosted Brainstorming Hour with my Elite Members.

To be honest, Thursday’s are always a longer morning for me – given I have Brainstorming Hour scheduled at 11am every week. So I tend to stay at my desk and do tasks or work on creative projects until 11:00 – where I might be out of the office a lot earlier on other mornings.

12:30 – 3:30pm

After Brainstorming Hour, I tidied up my desk and uploaded the recording, and was out of my office within a half hour. I enjoyed a quiet lunch, wound down, and then took my usual 2-hour afternoon nap.

If nothing else gets done in a day, I always sleep easy knowing how much I’ve accomplished before lunchtime…

3:30 – 5:00pm

After my nap I make another pot of coffee. I do love my coffee!

I took the Danes out, checked in on my forum (again) and tended to the few important emails that came in while I was sleeping. Then I answered Facebook messages while enjoying my coffee.

I did a bit of necessary housework after that. Threw in another load of laundry, swept the floors, loaded the dishwasher – just the basics. And by the way, if you can come up with a product to make out of dog hair… I could be your primary source for materials. No charge, but you’d have to come “collect it” (sweep it up).

5:00 – 11:00pm

I finally grabbed a shower and got myself together. And since I was clean and dressed I decided to shoot a video for my Personal Video Blog.

Of course, Slim (my Great Dane) has to have his cuddles in the evening, so I combined the two and made that the topic of my video – LOL.

The house was quiet, and I had some free time, so I went ahead and downloaded the raw video and did the editing so it would be ready to publish when I came back to my desk the next morning.

By then my company arrived and I enjoyed a really nice evening. The weather was fabulous so we hung out on the back deck, then ordered out a nice dinner, and I watched one of my favorite shows: Person of Interest. I basically spent the rest of the day winding down and enjoying quality time with my handsome fellow.

Six + Two

Typically I sleep around 6 hours at night, and then 2 hours in the afternoon. And most days I’m done with my work by 10am, though I’ll often find things to do (non-money tasks, or creative projects) if I happen to be home and the house is quiet. Otherwise in the afternoons/evenings I’ll enjoy dinner & movies with my teen daughter. And on many days an hour long talk with my grown son in the late afternoon. He’s doing fabulous out on his own, by the way.

There’s enough flexibility in my schedule to go to the city for long lunches (this past Tuesday), or take off and go hike Burgess Falls (last Tuesday). And of course I travel often, and when I do – I simply work mobile, if/when work needs to be done.

I’m very happy with my schedule and my lifestyle…

Keeping a Time Log

If you’re feeling frustrated with your schedule, efficiency, or productivity… keeping a Time Log is a great exercise. I decided to do it again this week because I had a heavier work load than usual. Mainly because we’re doing some upgrades & updates across several sites right now. I’m in hyper-productive mode!

My advice is to track everything you do, when you do it, and how long it takes you for 3 straight days. I simply use a notepad by my desk, but Evernote is great too (especially if you’re doing a lot of things mobile, or away from your desk).

It’s incredibly eye-opening. You’ll immediately start to see where you might be wasting time, what your most creative/productive hours are in the day, what you’re doing during those hours (are you doing social media or reading blogs when you’re at your creative peak, or trying to do creative projects when the house is noisy & distracting?!)… and changes you could make to improve the flow of your day.

I encourage you to try it out for yourself!

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into my typical Thursday.

Best,

Next see: Ready to Get Serious About Making Money?
(I’ve included a new video at the end of that post)

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Creating videos on you computer seems to be a bit of challenge for a lot of folks – at least edited and finished video that looks and sounds good.

And video editing software programs abound!

Oh sure, anyone can upload unedited video that they shot from their phones or camcorder to YouTube directly these days.

But that isn’t what I’m talking about…

For some folks, it’s fine to just upload the funny clip from the party or the baby’s first steps to YouTube.

But if you are using videos that need some structure and polish, especially for a business, you need to be able to edit and create something more professional looking.

How do you do that?

Video Software

In a discussion with some friends about how to quickly and affordably edit video, people kept mentioning Windows Movie Maker, which is a free program. I had never tried it before, mainly because I had been using SonyVegas Pro for a few years and had just gotten used to it for all things video. So when I was asked to do a post about editing and creating videos, I decided to try Movie Maker.

Windows Movie Maker

It may be due to the fact that I am used to working with Vegas, which is very similar to the way most audio software works, that I became very frustrated very quickly using Windows Movie Maker.

Where was the audio track? Why couldn’t I add text overlays? How could I fade the video in? How could I select just a portion of the video without having to clip it on both ends?

It turns out you can’t do any of those things, actually. It was very difficult to use. About the only interesting things you can do, apparently, is ad slow pan and zoom effects to clips.

You can also apply preset filters to make your video look black and white, or have a color tint to it. But it didn’t seem to be at all useful for creating anything like a pro video.

What you CAN do is trim your raw video and cut out stuff you don’t want. But if you want to anything more than that besides the stuff I mentioned above, you’re pretty much out of luck. But all is not lost if you have a small budget because of…

Vegas Movie Studio HD ($49.95)

I mentioned earlier that I had been using Sony Vegas Pro for all my video editing, but for most people that’s just more than they need – especially in the price department ($599.95).

So what can someone do if they don’t have the budget for that? They can get Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD for – wait for it – $49.95!

Unless you are planning on becoming a film maker, or making really high-end type videos, Vegas Movie Studio really can do everything you will need to edit and create unbelievably great videos on your computer.

Compare the picture on the left with the one in the Windows Movie Maker paragraph above. This is the same raw video. The audio track is split out as a separate track as it should be. Each track (the “swim-lane” looking things) has a control panel allowing you an amzing amount of – well – control over all aspects of whatever is on that track.

You can mute it, add effects, mix the audio, edit the audio, etc. Then there is the media itself. You can cut, copy and paste intuitively. You can drag the sections of video and audio around, changing the order if you wish. You can fade in or out merely by dragging the top corner of the video or audio.

You can also add tracks, either video or audio, and put text over your video. You can edit that text in a myriad of ways – font, size, drop-shadows, color. And that is not to mention the “standard” effects like pan/crop, compositing and 500 effects and transitions.

Oh, and did I mention it comes with 200 Soundtracks? These are royalty-free music files you can use with your videos.

I know, this is starting to sound like a huge advertisement for Vegas Movie Studio, and that really wasn’t my intent. I just don’t want you to feel like good – nay, “great” video editing and producing was out of your price range if you didn’t have a large budget.

Trust me when I say that after struggling with Windows Movie Maker long enough you will have burned way more than 50 bucks of your time.

By the way, there is a big brother to Vegas Movie Studio called Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum Production Suite.

The main difference is that it comes with DVD creation/burning tools, 160 more Soundtracks, Stereoscopic 3D Tools, and some additional audio tools like support for multi-channel audio, and several other extras. The price reflects the difference at $129.95, but if you can afford that, the Platinum version is truly an awesome value.

Getting The Video Into Your Computer

This will vary with the actual camera, but one thing I have found helpful is to learn how to offload the raw video without using the built-in tools in video editing programs. Every digital camera or camcorder I’ve every owned has come with some software for transferring pictures and video to your computer. Even if yours doesn’t, Windows has its own process for doing it.

The reason I recommend doing it this way is that some people shy away from certain software because they thing it isn’t compatible with their camera.

For instance, I have a friend who said she didn’t want to use Vegas because she didn’t think it would be able to transfer the video from her camera. Well, if you have the raw video files on your computer already (via the camera’s own software, or Windows, Mac etc.), it won’t matter.

Simply import the media into Vegas rather than using the “capture tool.” I don’t think I’ve ever used the “capture” tool in Vegas.

Along these very same lines is understanding the “system requirements” that relate to capturing video. For instance with Vegas, one of the stated system requirements is: IEEE-1394DV card (for DV capture and print-to-tape).

This might lead you to believe that if you don’t have an IEEE-1394 (which is a fancy way of saying firewire) card, that you won’t be able to use Vegas.

This is NOT true! If your camera, even HD cameras, can be transferred to your computer via USB (as is the case for my Canon Vixia), then there is no need to capture the video, and therefore no need for the firewire card.

So don’t let that stated system requirement fool you.

What About The Mac?

Yeah, I know. I didn’t say much about the Mac. Mostly that is because I have never owned one and cannot speak from any experience. I do believe that the free video production tools in Mac are much better than in Windows.

All Macs these days come with iLife, which includes iMovie video software, along with iPhoto, iWeb, GarageBand (for audio), and iDVD. IF you are a Mac person, you may find you can go further with the free tools. Then rather than Vegas, the big video production tool for Mac is largely agreed to be Final Cut.

However, Apple recently killed that program and is replacing it with something called Final Cut X. The jury is still out, but this is the software (the original version) used to edit some of Hollywood’s biggest hits, such as The Social Network and True Grit.

If the new version works anything like as well as the previous one, obviously it’s awesome. It’s even less than the original (which was $1,000) at about $300…

See Lynn’s post on Mac Video Editing Software

Summary

Obviously there are lots of products not mentioned in this article (which was long enough already:) ). But it should at least give you an idea of what video editing capability can be had for what price, and the relative benefits.

At the end of the day, though I am perhaps a bit biased, I don’t think you can beat Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD for value. Your mileage may vary.

Happy movie-making!

- Ken of www.homebrewvideo.com

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

But I can be a serious asset to your online business.

As you know, I just celebrated 15 years in business. From the very beginning, I have been helping others start and grow successful businesses as well. For almost a decade of that time I have been running an active discussion forum online where I answer questions, share resources, and brainstorm ideas.

I also share tips, resources and detailed tutorials for free here on my blog. Why do I do this? It’s a labor of love, and a way to pay it forward. I had a very hard time starting out myself – and I’ll go into more detail about that in a future post.

For now, I’d like to focus on you. How many hours a day are you working on your online business? Are you earning as much as you could should be? …

It’s Time For a Serious Evaluation

We’re almost halfway through the year. If you’re not absolutely thrilled with how your business is doing right now, now is a good time to stop, step back from it all, and do a serious evaluation.

Here are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself:

• How many hours are you working?
• What do you spend the majority of your time doing?
• Which business tasks do you most enjoy doing?
• Which business tasks do you least enjoy?
• How much money are you spending?
• Are those investments paying off?
• Is your blog/website running at maximum profit potential?
• What are the primary sources of the revenue you’re earning?
• How can you increase/improve what’s already working?
• Are you struggling to reach your market?
• Does your site convert as well as it should?
• How can you reach more people, and improve conversion rates?
• Are you inspired & motivated, or ready to throw in the towel?

These questions should prove as a great starting point to get you brainstorming and evaluating the current status of your business, and where you can make improvements that will help you earn more – in less time.

You Could Be Earning More Money!

No matter what your answers are to the questions above, or where you are with your online business right now, you could be doing MUCH better.

Whether you’re just starting out and getting things set up, or you’re looking to grow/expand and increase your revenue while decreasing the hours you spend working online, there’s always room for improvement.

I know this because I am constantly improving my own business. From the way it operates (efficiency), to the ROI of time spent vs revenue earned, all the way down to “quality of life” (how I spend my time) – which in my book is a very high priority. It’s the reason I started an online business in the first place.

I Can Help You With That…

First, make sure that you’re making the most of the years worth of archived tutorials here at ClickNewz. You’ll find everything from an easy checklist on how to start a wordpress blog, a live example of how to write a blog (did you know there are 7 elements you should include in every post?), one of the free – and easiest – ways I make money blogging… and so much more.

I pour my heart into ClickNewz, and encourage you to make good use of the Search feature here anytime you need help with something specific. You should also make sure you’re subscribed (which you can do below) so that you get notified of new tutorials and resources as they’re published.

And if you EVER have questions, need help, or just need a second pair of eyes on something, stop by my discussion forum and just ask.

Ready To Take Things To The Next Level?

In addition to all of that, I can actually help you personally.

I can look at your website and help you make strategic changes that will improve your rankings and conversions. I can share valuable resources with you that I use myself, and show you how to use them. I can brainstorm with you to choose the best niche for YOU, and help you create your website and marketing strategy.

I can help you with time management, accountability, profit potential, site design, marketing plans, and basically everything you need to make more money in less time with your online business.

I’ve been doing this for more than six years for hundreds of other people just like you. I’ve seen people go from no idea where to start, to making their first sale online – all within 30 days. I’ve seen people with years invested that are earning a full-time living improve their business model dramatically.

Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that bring the biggest results. Sometimes it’s a complete overhaul, with plenty of help to make it happen. Whatever the case, I can help you with that…

I will NOT be your “Coach”.

People have asked me for years now why I don’t offer coaching packages. You know, the kind where you pay me $5,000 and I work with you personally to take your business to the next level?

I don’t have anything against coaching, but personally… I prefer to earn my money doing what I teach. Again, it goes back to quality of life for me.

That said, I do have a Private Mastermind Group where I offer all of the online business help you could ever need. In addition to ongoing Q&A and brainstorming, I host five live Brainstorming Hour calls each month – and starting this month we are going to have even more live sessions.

I rarely mention this group, and don’t even have a page with sales copy and big red headlines. I’ve kept it somewhat quiet because I like to keep the quality as high as possible. It’s less about money for me, and more about having a space to work with serious action-takers, which is my passion.

So why am I mentioning it now?

Because as crazy inexpensive as it is to join my group, there is a rate increase scheduled for Tuesday May 8th. The rate, in all honesty, is simply a qualifier for members who are truly invested in their business.

I would hate for you to miss out on the opportunity to get the help you need, at the lowest possible rate. You can join us (this week) for as little as $20/month.

All you have to do is register at the forum, confirm your registration by email, and you can then upgrade here to become an Elite Member and gain access to my Private Mastermind Group.

Reminder: the rate increase is scheduled for May 8th, so make your decision this week to get the absolute best deal.

I would LOVE to help you take YOUR business to the next level!

Best,

p.s. The current rate is $27/month, or $240/year (which comes to only $20/month!). On Tuesday May 8th the fee increases to $37/month or $360/year – which is still an awesome deal for my “non-coaching”. Especially considering I have over 15 years experience actually working in the trenches online (and not just coaching, which is the case with most “coaches”). You won’t get better help, a more devoted person, or a better deal… anywhere on the web. Period.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

I spent a week with her in Vancouver last year, and we’ve also traveled some together in between.

We spent a lot of time brainstorming and having coffees on the back deck, and also hiked Burgess Falls while she was here – which was great fun!

The interesting thing about Tawnya and I is that we have completely opposite strengths and weaknesses in business. She is fabulous on the back end where I am stronger on the front end. Otherwise, we have tons in common!

But in addition to making great friends through your online business – people who truly get you, and can relate to your passion and goals – there are ways you can really benefit from those relationships…

In my 15 years in business I’ve made many wonderful friends & peers, many of which I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person. Some I have not, but we have strong mutually beneficial relationships nonetheless.

In my experience, brainstorming is person is always more productive than online. Though you can certainly accomplish a lot via Skype, email, video chats and other means. Meeting up in person though, really solidifies those relationships – and it also gives you more insight into each other, both personally and professionally.

But in addition to brainstorming, whether online or offline, you’ll meet people that you can room with at events. You’ll be able to choose ideal accountability partners, or form hand-picked mastermind groups.

These types of relationships are extremely beneficial to your business!

I currently have a small accountability/mastermind group (just three of us) that I meet with online once a week, and we also meet up in person every chance we get.

We discuss our goals, hold each other accountable, brainstorm solutions, and of course support each other’s ventures any way we can. It has made a HUGE difference to my productivity, and to my business as a whole.

I also have a local accountability partner, which just came about with a friend here in my area. We decided to get together once a week at a coffee shop to work on our books. You’ll find it’s much easier to set an appointment for an important task if you know someone is expecting you to be there working on it.

We met in person originally through a small group of online business owners that live here in Middle Tennessee. Once I realized we had a pretty good group of people in the area, I started initiating get-togethers. Nothing formal and no business structure to it, just long lunches a few times a year where we can hang out & brainstorm and just get to know each other better.

I highly recommend you do the same!

You can find local get togethers on sites like meetup.com and there are local groups forming on Facebook all the time too. You’ll also meet local business owners like you by attending events in your area.

Look for smaller events like Podcamp, Wordcamp, Barcamp or the Social Media Club. There are SMC chapters all over the world. (Scroll to the bottom of that page to choose your location)

I just returned from Virginia Beach too, where I met up with Debra Lloyd for a business/social get together. Debra and I originally met online in my Private Mastermind Group, and in person a couple of times at the NAMS event in Atlanta.

Actually I have probably met most of my closest friends, peers and partners initially through my Private Mastermind Group and similar online communities. From there we meet in person at events, form smaller groups for accountability or brainstorming, or find out we’re local and become friends…

These relationships have been invaluable to my business, and to me personally. So often we work in total isolation when running an online business from home. Just having someone to bounce ideas off of, or get feedback from, can make a world of difference. Not to mention the profitable partnerships that form.

From friends to accountability partners to joint ventures and more… look for those connections that you can solidify into mutually beneficial relationships.

Best,

p.s. If you’re looking for an active mastermind group to join, I invite you to check out my Private Brainstorming Group. You can currently join us for as little as $20/month – but you’ll want to act on it now, as there is a rate increase scheduled for May 8th, 2012…

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Powered by the domain name investment platform - DomainerIncome, the free app draws upon more than 72,000 domain and website sales over the past 10 years.

Valuing Domains and Websites

The real-estate industry uses comparable sales to value property. We believe Internet real-estate is no different.

Users can get real-time reports on what has just been sold from major aftermarkets, auctions and private sales…

What’s My Domain Worth?

It’s common practice for entrepreneurs to register multiple domain names for their business ideas. Some domains get built into web sites, while others remain undeveloped. Instead of letting their domains expire ( or paying more money to renew them year, after year) many people are now waking up to the fact that they are worth something. Now you can get the facts and see for yourself!

With the Domain Sales app, you just type in a keyword and click search!

The app will then show you a list of domains, websites and prices, as well as where and when they were sold. This method can help you determine both the upper and lower limits of a price range.

How Much Should I Sell For?

Aside from comparable sales, you should also consider a variety of other factors, especially if you are selling a website. These include:

• The domain name extension. e.g. com extensions command a premium price tag.
• The amount of traffic it receives.
• The quality and reputation of the backlinks.
• If the domain is listed in directories such as DMOZ or Yahoo.
• What the domain was previously used for. e.g.: avoid domains used as webspam.
• Traffic and reputation indicators such as PageRank.
• Social networking accounts and followers.
• Email lists.

Discover What’s Hot – Monitor The Markets

Domain Sales displays sales results from multiple marketplaces in real-time. As such, you can keep a close eye on what people bought today and how much they paid. It’s perfect for monitoring your niche market and generating new ideas.

Where To Get It

Download the free Domain Sales app, from the iTunes store or via DomainSalesApp.com. An Android version is under development; sign up at IP Neighborhood to be notified.

About

Simon Johnson is the co-founder of Domainer Income - a domain investment platform that helps people find, buy and manage domain names and websites. 

In 2012 under the IP NeighborhoodTM brand, he released Domain Sales - a free iPhone app that helps people value domain names and websites using comparable sales.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

We all know that quality design is going to attract new visitors to your site, but what doesn’t get discussed as often is how we get that design to function in a way that will enhance conversion rates and bring in more revenue…

Today I am going to offer five copywriting design tips that will help you get your pages converting faster than you can say jiminy crickets.

1. Keep it Simple Stupid, White Space Is Your Friend

The K.I.S.S. philosophy is in full effect for this one, and has proven to me time and time again that you DON’T need an outstanding design to attract conversions, all you need is a clear concise pathway or red carpet if you will, to the checkout page, lead form, phone number, whatever you are trying to convert and monetize.

White spaces make page scanning a breeze for your visitors who will mainly be panning the page looking for little tidbits of info they came crawling for, if your copy doesn’t stand out in the headlines you wont catch their attention. Short paragraphs are also your friend here as they will be read about twice as much as long ones, and that could mean the difference between a user leaving or staying.

2. Choose Appealing Fonts that STAND OUT

We all love beautiful fonts, however those beautiful fonts should never create a bad surfing experience for the user or make readability a chore. Clear, concise, easy to read, the goal here is to convey a message not a hieroglyph. The bold fonts can work well when combined with a lot of white space, and for heaven’s sake please stay away from handwriting fonts, this is the internet, not the 60’s.

3. Visual Aid Can Go a Long Way

Who was it that said a picture is worth a thousand words. Take that to the next level with engaging videos, podcasts and even digital shorts and animations to see how much you can drive your conversion rates through the roof. Most of the best sales pages on the web today utilize some form of visual aid, and it is recommended to ease the user across the page with more than just text.

4. Split Your Copy with Multiple Headings

Note how easy it is to read through this article. Everything is conveyed in its own heading and short paragraph to make reading a breeze. If you are not doing this for your readers you are driving up your bounce rates, lowering your rankings, and losing money. Categorizing your content into sections just makes sense and it helps those readers who came for something specific find it that much faster.

5. Keep it to one font color

While you may be tempted to throw up some uber headings full of zest and lifelike colors, in past studies this has shown to be a bad thing. Too many fonts and colors make your site look ugly and unprofessional, but even worse; they will hurt your conversion rates. Using two font colors can confuse your reader as to which is text and which is a link. Making headings a different color can work but again I would try to keep it as simple as possible.

Last words

Hopefully these five simple copywriting rules can make your web design and writing that much better, and I hope you have learned something at a bare minimum today. What are some other methods of usability you use for designing and writing, I would love to hear your feedback so leave a comment below and let’s start the discussion.

About the Author:
Lorne Fade is an Internet search marketer for 9th sphere a local SEO, internet marketing & web design firm located in Toronto, Canada.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

It’s never been easier to start an online business from home.

Whether you’re selling your writing, business expertise or handmade crafts, the internet has opened up a world of opportunities.

There’s no doubt it’s hard work of course. But more people are discovering the joys of being their own boss and working from anywhere they choose.

Taking that great business idea global might sound like a far-off dream. When you think of an international business, you probably don’t imagine a solo entrepreneur, based in a spare room with a computer! But it can be a simple, cost-effective way to reach a huge number of potential customers – and make more money online…

Think your jewellery designs could be a hit in Japan? Or perhaps European collectors would snap up your books or antiques? There could be clients for your services, whether that’s writing or web design, on the opposite side of the world. And you don’t need much more than an internet connection and a little background knowledge to get started.

Research your markets

The first step is to find out where there’s a market for your products. If you already have a website, (and if not, why not?) then there are plenty of free tools to find out where your visitors are. Google Analytics is one of the easiest to use. If you’re already attracting interest from users in Norway or New Zealand, then why not adapt your website and target them directly?

Google Global Market Finder is another free, and often underused tool. It can show you where there’s demand for your keywords – and your products. It also gives you the cost of pay-per-click advertising in different countries. You don’t need to use this, but it’s a good indicator of the local competition.

Choose your platform

If you’ve got a physical product to sell, then consider sites such as eBay and Etsy. They charge a small fee for listing, and have customers around the world. There are also local alternatives in different countries. In China, bargain hunters love to trawl Taobao.com, while British site Ebid only charges you if your product sells.
Google Product Search (which used to have the more colourful name Froogle) is a free way to get your products listed in European and Asian countries.

Make yourself easy to contact

To make money, you need to convert those casual browsers into buyers. The key is to make it as easy as possible for them. Make sure prices are displayed in the local currency, and your ordering form is simple to use. Most people won’t want to make expensive international phone calls, so it’s usually best to handle all customer service queries by email.

Research local payment quirks – is Paypal popular, or do people prefer to use credit cards? You might be surprised to find that checks are still widely used in European countries such as France and Germany.

You’ll also need to think about shipping if you’re sending products overseas. Don’t forget to make allowances for things like import taxes and shipping. It’s best to research trading laws before you get started, rather than being caught out later on.

Make yourself local

If you’re serious about marketing overseas, then sooner or later you’ll want to have individual websites for each country. There are many reasons for this: most users tend to prefer a site that looks local, and regard it as more trustworthy. It’ll also help you score higher in the local search engine rankings – Google and its competitors all take location into effect. And finally, it’ll allow you to adapt your message for different cultures.

Of course, for many countries this will involve translating your site. It might be tempting to go through free tools such as Google Translate, but these tend to produce over-literal, or even garbled, results. It’s best to hire native speakers to make sure your message isn’t lost in translation. You can keep costs down by only translating a few main pages for a new market. If this proves successful, you can translate your entire site.

The good news is, there’s much less content in languages other than English. This can help you climb the search engine rankings in your chosen market.

Network and be social!

Social media is a great way to connect with customers, and find out about new opportunities and network. Setting up separate Twitter and Facebook accounts means you can make sure your message is relevant to your customers. It’s also a good way to network with other entrepreneurs, pick up tips and advice. Dropping in cultural references and commenting on local news and events will help keep people interested and give it a local flavor.

Of course, there’s no magic recipe for overnight success, and there are plenty of pitfalls to trip up would-be global entrepreneurs. It takes hard work, research and a little local knowledge to be make your business work. You’ll probably find you need to adjust your message as you go along, and you might be surprised by which products are popular (or not).

But once you’ve got the basics right, the rewards can be huge. You can sit back and welcome customers from all over the world – from the comfort of your home office.

About: Christian Arno started Lingo24 in 2001 from a spare bedroom in his parents’ home. Since then it’s grown to be a global company with hubs on four continents and clients in more than 60 countries.

In the past twelve months, they have translated more than 45 million words for businesses in every industry sector, including MTV and World Bank.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back