August 1, 2010 By

Learn How to Make Money Online – Free Membership

A while back I promoted OnlineProfits.com as one of the best ways to learn how to make money online. Back then, you had to pay a monthly membership fee to get it.

Now however, you can get access to the valuable teaching material and expert tips for free – as long as you signup for one of their web hosting packages, namely HostGator or HostNine.

One of the most powerful features of the Online Profits coaching is the caliber of the teachers themselves. People like Daniel Scocco, Neil Patel, Yaro Starak, Chris Garrett and Zac Johnson reveal everything from SEO link building to email marketing.

onlineprofits

The OnlineProfits.com course is really in-depth and extensive, and I highly recommend it if you want to start making money online the right way.

Here’s what you get as past of your membership:

  1. Lesson Grid with 100+ Pieces – Tutorials in both text and MP3
  2. The Live Case Study – Follow a live website building project from start to finish
  3. Tools Section – List of important and useful tools
  4. Resources Section – Keyword lists, WordPress themes and web templates
  5. Content Library with 500 eBooks – Comes with Master Resell Rights, so you can sell them and make money as well
  6. Social Media Clubs – Closed door clubs focusing on getting traffic from FaceBook and Twitter
  7. Private Forum for Members – Communicate with other members of the program

Remember that membership is free, as long as you sign up for one of their hosting partners by clicking on the links in their website.

For more information go to www.OnlineProfits.com

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
April 6, 2010 By

Upload and Sell Your Products Online

While my first software project suffers from some unplanned delays and more missed deadlines, I would probably be better for me to talk about something than nothing at all.

So let me mention a project that my friend Kidino is working on, UploadnSell.com

It’s a software application that helps you sell digital products online, and currently works only with PayPal. Although there are other systems you can use to sell online, UploadNSell.com makes it look very easy.

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From the main screen itself, instead of asking you to create an account first, it asks you to create your first product. Just select a few files, put in your price details, enter your PayPal email address and support email, and you’re ready to go.

Give it a try here, using the main (free) version: http://www.uploadnsell.com

I’d like to hear your feedback, what you think about a simple software application like this.

I actually learned a lot from Kidino about creating software, and although BlogSell.com may be delayed a bit, it’s definitely making progress.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
October 30, 2008 By

Software Developers Vs Internet Marketers

I remember bringing up this topic recently while having a drink with some Internet marketing friends here in KL. If you feel strongly about this topic, do leave a comment.

Our conversation centered around buying software. We noticed a BIG difference between buying software from Internet marketing gurus, and buying software from developers.

Let’s take membership site software as an example. Depending on what it’s supposed to do, membership site software can be quite complex and intimidating to the non-tech user, especially newbies. So you can either buy the membership site software from an established developer like Amember or you can get a membership site from an Internet marketer, for example the Butterfly Marketing script.

Buying Software from Developers

By “developer” I mean a person or company (usually made of programmers) who develop a particular piece of software and sell it online. One thing I noticed is that their software tends to be very well coded, does what it’s supposed to do perfectly, and seldom crashes. Even if it does crash, there is usually a good deal of online support available.

However, the downside is that these developers seldom understand the complexities of online marketing and therefore do no develop the applications that users want. Amember for example, still does not have a OTO or One-Time-Offer plugin, and their affiliate program interface is pretty sad. Reporting functions are lame too.

But Amember does what it’s supposed to do – which is protect folders and files while accepting membership payments – extremely well. It’s also, in my opinion, pretty easy to use.

Buying Software from Internet Marketers

The Internet marketing group seems to understand online marketing much better, and develop their software with the purpose of making it easier for users to sell more products, get more members, train more affiliates and get more viral traffic.

However, most Internet marketers seem to operate from the hit-and-run business model – let me explain. When Mike Filsaime launched Butterfly Marketing, a vital part of his system was the membership site script. It was not the first to have features such as OTO, but it certainly did OTOs and upsells / downsells better than any other script.

After the initial launch and hype died down, it seems that Mike Filsaime had already moved on to other projects and any new development to the BFM script was abandoned. A great product no doubt, but the fact that it’s no longer being developed would mean that support becomes limited, and as a result it would not make sense trying to use the script in the long term unless you’re a programmer.

Anyone who’s tried to use the Butterfly Marketing script however would notice how disorganized the system is, and the lack or documentation and support. Also, a lack of a parallel community that supports to develop related applications and guides for the software.

The Verdict

Unfortunately as far as buying marketing software is concerned, it seems that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. If a developer makes a really good piece of software that has all the features I want plus more in the pipeline, I would prefer to be his customer.

I’ve been using Amember for over a year now and their support is always great. The only reason I may want to move away from them is if they do not have features that I really need.

Internet marketers who develop software do a good job as well, but it seems that their dedication and attention to keep on supporting their creation is simply not there. Although a few exceptions like John Delavera (Fantasos), Jonathan Leger (3 Way Links and Instant Article Wizard) and  Brad Calen (Keyword Elite and SEO Elite) have the best of both worlds, in reality most Internet marketers would eventually abandon their software in search of easier, faster money.

Your opinion?

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With:
May 23, 2007 By

Windows Vista

Microsoft are experts at selling you things you don’t need, and they did it again with Windows Vista.

Today I decided to buy a new laptop, and from a week of surveying I finally decided to get a Fujitsu Lifebook. I have always loved the look and feel of Fujitsu laptops, and after my iBook died a premature death I thought of finding a new life partner.

The Fujitsu was as good as I expected. But the crap it came with certainly was not. Slow on startup, messy and overall a bad rip-off of the Mac OSX Tiger, this must truly be Microsoft’s biggest scam to date. If there’s anyone who can sell ice to the eskimos, it’s definitely Microsoft. I am sure Vista has tons of features and subtleties that I will never explore before the next Windows Armageddon is released.

It’s true what they say: “When you go Mac you don’t go back”. After more than a year using my iBook, I can’t help but make comparisons, and the Mac is truly the better machine with the better operating system.

The only reason I have Windows Vista now is because I had no choice. My Fujitsu Laptop came preinstalled with Vista, and to change the OS to XP would cost me 300 bucks.

Microsoft is crap. It’s all a big conspiracy.

Filed Under: Product Reviews
March 17, 2007 By

Review: Audio Video Riches by Jason James

Jason James just opened up membership to his Audio Video Riches. I’ve seen the contents of his website for more than a week now, and also had the chance to learn some of the tutorials on his site.The site itself is clean and easy to navigate, and you’ll the videos upfront without any further selling or anything like that. It’s divided into 2 video sections for (1) online video tutorials (2) online audio tutorials.

NOTE: Audio Video Riches is meant for Internet business owners who want to master online audio and video for marketing their existing business more efficiently. It is NOT a course on how to make full-length movies or how to create a Hollywood Blockbuster. In other words, it’s meant for the non-technical person for simple marketing usage, not a professional movie production course.

Here’s what is covered in the videos section:

  1. How to install and use a Firewire cable
  2. How to connect your camcorder for recording
  3. Overview of video editing software
  4. Capturing videos to your PC
  5. Basic & advanced editing techniques
  6. Getting your website and templates ready
  7. Audio Effects & adding music
  8. Adding Pictures /Changing Titles
  9. How to make a DVD from your video
  10. Introduction to Green Screen effects

Here’s what is covered in the audio section:

  1. Introduction to online audio
  2. Installing and using Audacity
  3. Mic Positioning and Record Settings
  4. Importing your audio files
  5. Layering Sound/Multitracking
  6. Basics & advanced editing tutorials
  7. Adding mixing music
  8. Adding audio to your website

What You Will Like About Audio Video Riches

What I liked about the site is that it’s got good content. We’re not just talking about screen capture videos here. There is even full motion video like this one on the left. This guy is Ed McDonough, who appears on the videos and it a co-producer for the video tutorials.

All the tutorials are laid out in a step-by-step manner so that you start at the right place, and finish at the right place. The tutorials are also clear and easy to understand.

Overall, the site also has a clean design without too many annoying ads or hard-selling offers.

Another thing I like is that Jason has put in a lot of effort to produce case studies of other marketers who have used and benefited from online audio and video. You’ll see some pretty interesting case studies from people like Michael Cheney, Joel Comm, Tim Knox, Gary Ambrose, Aurelius Tjin, Jeremy Gislason and Simon Hodgkinson.

What You May Not Like About Audio Video Riches

Sometimes I fell that the videos take a long time to load. You should really let it load completely before attempting to watch it, as you don’t want to stop and wait for the rest of it to catch up with you.

But of course I’m in a country where broadband is just a beefed up version of dial-up modems. If your ISP actually give you decent broadband, this should not be a problem. Sorry dial-up users (are there still any left) as you will not have the patience to wait for the videos to load, and since they are all online-based, you cannot download them either.

I also feel that the resources area has one too many affiliate links, which I don’t mind but I understand can be a turn-off for some people.

Filed Under: Product Reviews
March 6, 2007 By

Review: Traffic Manuscript by Kelvin Hui

I had the privilege of being one of the reviewers for Kelvin Hui’s Traffic Manuscript before it was launched.

Traffic Manuscript is a 2-part ebook on generating traffic to your websites, and is mostly based on an Internet marketing seminar in Japan.

Kelvin Hui is a low-profile web marketer who focuses on building both White Hat and Black Hat sites, but this manual itself is about White Hat strategies, and how you can use them in today’s Internet marketing world to make money from Google Adsense and other content-based advertising models.

The 2 parts of traffic manuscript:

  • Main manual – This is where Kelvin Talks about getting traffic, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and other traffic methods using user-generated content and portals (an online dating portal example is given)
  • FirendEarth.com Case Study – A case study of his video website that generates millions of unique visitors every month and eventually became a partner of Yahoo Japan.

I have been trying to reverse-engineer Kelvin’s sites, especially FriendEarth.com, which is a video posting website that rewards it’s users for posting content (with Adsense sharing).

His site was later included as a partner of Yahoo Japan and marketers all over the world started to hear Kelvin Hui’s name a bit more often.

Kelvin was perhaps the first to come up with the idea, but sometime last year he also offered his script for sale, after which I noticed a few knock-off sites built on the same concept.

I know for a fact that Kelvin still makes about a six figure income in Google Adsense every month from his high-traffic websites. (You can see proof at the Traffic Manuscript site)

A Few Things You’ll Love About Traffic Manuscript

It’s always good to know that you’re getting first hand knowledge from someone who knows exactly what he’s doing.

And that’s what Traffic Manuscript is about. Kelvin shows you the strategies he uses to generate massive traffic, and he also reveals some important case studies.

No filler words to make the ebook thicker, and not much fluff. Lots of screenshots, which I personally like (I’m a visual person).

A Few Things You May Not Like

The main manual itself is a report on his seminar presentation in Japan, and most of the examples are from the Japanese market. On the other hand, this could be great exposure on a market that not many people can talk about.

(Kelvin is based in Hong Kong, but he has offices in a few countries including China and Japan).

If you’re particular about language and grammar, then this ebook may disappoint you. There are no spelling mistakes, but the English used does sometimes seem “grammatically incorrect” at times.

But if you’re up for the content, you’ll have to ignore these, and realize that it’s not an English lesson.

After all, Kelvin’s not talking about writing content – he’s talking about user-generated content.

SEE: Traffic Manuscript by Kelvin Hui

Filed Under: Google Adsense, Product Reviews
February 20, 2007 By

Review: MyCashJunction – Clickbank Alternative or Not?

mycashjunction Today I decided to have a good look at what some people have told me is the best alternative to Clickbank. Honestly the only viable alternative I know is PayDotCom.

Short of creating an account, I had a look at the system from the outside and decided it was not really a Clickbank alternative – at least not yet.

See: www.MyCashJunction.com

Here are a few points I managed to gather from the FAQ, to compare how it differs from Clickbank and if the difference is good or bad: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing, Product Reviews
February 3, 2007 By

Jonathan Leger’s $7 Secrets Review

coversmall.jpgWhat should you expect from a $7 report on Internet Marketing?

Everything, and nothing. It depends.

Back in 2004 when I first bought my first ebook, it cost me $17 and the content was simply excellent. Fast forward to 2007, and $17 won’t even get you the TOC (Table of Contents) of an ebook.

Most Internet marketers today are trying to sell you the same information I paid $17 for in 2004, for anywhere between $97 – $997. The trend for the past year or so is to inflate the price, make it seem more valuable than it really is, and depend of the affiliate’s greed for big commissions to drive the product sales.

It has worked so far, but mostly for the gurus. And there are signs that people are getting tired of these ripoffs.

Now I bought a report from Jonathan Leger a few minutes back, which cost $7. The report is about 30 pages, and the main content of the ebook is this:

  1. Why selling cheaper is better and easier
  2. How to find out what people want and develop a quick report
  3. How to give affiliates 100% commissions and build a list

I’ve read a lot of Internet marketing books, so the content itself (for me) is nothing to shout about.

  1. The part about why selling cheaper is easier and more profitable (especially for the newbie) makes sense. If you’re selling at $7 you don’t need to be a master at writing sales copy, you don’t need big testimonials and you don’t need to offer bonuses.
  2. The part about creating “sell-able” reports is ok. I’ve read better, more complete stuff about creating hot ebooks with Alexis Dawes’s Desperate Buyers Guide. But of course Alexis’ guide costs more than $7.
  3. The part about building a mailing list by giving 100% commissions paid directly to the affiliate’s Paypal account is good. Jon says “A free report is not viral, but a $7 report can build you a massive viral campaign”. And I agree wholeheartedly, that’s why I stopped giving out free stuff some time back.

THE REAL GEM: JON’S VIRAL MARKETING AFFILIATE SCRIPT

With his $7 ebook, he’s also giving away the exact PHP script that you can download, edit and upload to your server to start your own viral marketing campaign.

With this script, you will not need to pay for or install any other affiliate program software to sell an ebook. It has:

  1. A sample salespage, thank-you page and download page included
  2. An auto-expiring download link (you can set the expiring time)
  3. Commissions will be paid directly to the affiliate’s Paypal account
  4. Affiliates can promote without signing up for an affiliate link (just a Paypal email address will do)
  5. Install the script on as many sites as you want

The script is very, very useful. All you need now is a website, and a short 20-30 page product you can sell. You don’t need to worry about anything else.

The only drawback: By default you have to pay 100% commissions. You can change the settings anywhere. So look at this as a tool to build a huge, profitable mailing list because that’s what it’s intended for.

Final verdict: I look at it as a $7 script that can help me double or triple my mailing list. From that point of view, this is insanely too good to refuse. I would pay between $40 – $70 to get a programmer to do that for me.

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Filed Under: Email Marketing, Product Reviews
January 15, 2007 By

Paid Forum Posters – What’s Your Opinion?

Would you pay people to post on your forum. Is it even a good idea to begin with?

Paid Forum Posters I came across GetACommunity.com when I was reading Blogtrepreneur. Adnan was lamenting the death of his forum due to a lack of posters, and the difficulties he faced dealing with spammers and and not-too-user-friendly PHPBB software.

The idea of paying forum posters have crossed my mind on several occasions while developing the Easy WordPress forum. In fact I wanted to start a forum on this site as well, but was still unsure as to the viability of it.

Looking at the packages offered by Andreas Bard, the owner of GetACommnity, it’s pretty attractive. According to the site:

We are offering you professional posters/writers that write educated and high quality posts.

Their “PostPal 3″ option looks like something everyone can get:

  • 6 new members (posters)
  • 135 posts (45 new threads)
  • Minimum 25 words per post
  • Quality and educated content
  • Price: $33.75 ($0.26 per post)

I still have my reservations. If you have used this service or any other paid forum poster service before, do leave a comment. I’m curious if hiring paid forum posters is a good thing to do.

After all, forums are about interaction between members, which I think no forum poster would do, unless you’re also paying them to reply to other people’s posts.

Filed Under: Home Business, Product Reviews