Monthly Archives: May 2008

Do You Google? Quick Power Tips For That Search Box

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Despite what you may personally feel about Google, they are everywhere it seems – and if you’re using a non-Microsoft browser (hint – IE) then you likely have a Google search box handy at all times. Great for searching – and more.

While doing research for a future topic I came across an explanation of Google searches – not the advanced features, but the alternate features. For instance:

  • You can use it as an Internet calculator. Skip digging out the calculator for simple calculations, and even biggies like “sqr(-5)-sqr(6)” (it handles functions like square root, logarithms, and sine).
  • You can use it instead of sticking your head out a window – just ask “weather winnipeg manitoba”
  • You can use it for a bank – at least the currency converting – for example, “2.25 canadian dollar in us dollar”
  • You can have it replace your dictionary, teacher, or resident Smart Person: “define bedellus”
  • You can use it for cooking. Ask weights and measure questions like “tablespoon / teaspoon” which tells me there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon. Or “how many quarts in gallon” to get 4.

Although I knew some of these tips, over time I had forgotten them, and so I was delighted to see what I could do again.

Give the page a quick look, and practice a few of the more interesting ones – and let “Mother Google” do all the hard work for you…

What’s In A (Domain) Name? Ask BigAssFans.com

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For the award of ‘Most Memorable Domain Name since FatBrain’, I have to vote for BigAssFans.com

No, it’s not an adult website – it’s about about the Fan – the kind the turn really slow – but still suck up a lot of air.

I first heard about them when I was reading a report on Google Adwords, and liked how they promoted their brand. Even large (6-24 foot) fans need a little help getting sold – hence the domain name.

And like FatBrain.com, the name sticks in, well, the brain. Once you ‘get’ it, it’s hard to forget it.

The morale: when you consider a new domain name, come at it from a different direction and try picking one that just sounds a little different – the buzz that BigAssFans.com generated proves it’s time well spent.

High Priced Blogs?

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I was reading a blog post today in which the author talked about the high price of blogs and how expensive they are to sell (he noted that blogs regularly sell at twenty times the monthly revenue).

I feel the problem with trying to sell a blog is that you’re risking new ownership taking over the blog and hoping to keep it to the same level as the previous authors. Drop off from that level, and revenues drop too.

Of course for a collaborative blog, this may not be a problem, as you might be able to keep the writers, or find writers with similar styles.

It’s especially difficult though when you have a blog that is hosted by one particular person – especially someone having a very unique writing style and voice.

An example of this, the blogger mentioned JohnCow.com (not JohnChow.com), offered for $50,000 on SitePoint. This site has a very unique look and style, meaning it’s going to be very difficult for something else to just take it over and continue with it. And with a site going for 20x monthly revenue, you’re looking to keep up and running without interruption!

(And by the way, if – and it’s a big if – this factor holds true, this would mean that JohnCow.com, even with its unique writing style and look is only earning about $2,500 monthly. Contrast that with the original JohnChow.com, which recently posted $30,000 in monthly income – or $600,000 for the blog using the 20x calculation).

I’d debate whether 20 times is fair value – but it does highlight that if you expect the blog to continue to make money at the current rate, you’re looking at almost 2 years of blogging at the current income level to pay for the blog itself. I think that’s rather unreasonable, especially for something as mercurial as online websites.

Of course, I could be swayed – being offered 20 times the value of this blog’s advertising revenue certainly sounds better than two or three times!

Review: WebHostingRating.com

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When I first went out looking for web hosting (back in the mid-90s), I grabbed the first provider that was cheap enough. Locally owned, he ran his place downtown, and looked perfectly fine.

…Until he went bankrupt, taking my advance payment for the year and leaving me scrambling for hosting.

Now, I work smarter – I check reviews, see what people say (both pro AND con) on a provider, and weigh the benefits (and not just on cost – I’ve been burned on that before).

So naturally I was delighted to get an advance sneak preview of a new rating website, WebHostingRating.com

It’s a site dedicated to reviewing Web Hosts and Providers, so you don’t have to do all the digging I once had to.

Although there are sites already out there, this one stands out with a generous helping of information articles on web hosting topics. For example, I was reading one of the web hosting tutorials that dealt with bad hosting ‘neighbors’ and how they can affect your site’s performance (many servers share the same resources between members, so one resource hog can slow everyone down). Few articles mention this at a beginner level, so I was impressed by that.

Overall, just the article section alone (which is live at this time) is worth a drop by, especially for beginners with questions about Web Hosting, particularly inexpensive plans. When the full site goes live, you can also check out the hosting reviews, and be better informed.


Ultimately, price is only one factor when you shop for a plan. As I found out many moons ago, low price can easily become high price if the host goes out of business. So I’d recommend everyone (and especially beginners) take a look at WebHostingRating.com and get a well-rounded look at what makes a good host – one they’ll be delighted to stay with for years to come.

Internet Marketing, Credibility and the ‘Oops’ Factor In Emails

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I just received an email, in which another market apologized for not sending me the proper link to the video I need to see – but don’t worry, it’s in THIS email.

Or was it the sales page?

Or the free report?

The fact is, ‘oops’ is getting to be a big sales technique out there – and it needs to stop.

I have on occasion emailed people and forgot to get everything right – but I try hard to avoid it.

And it’s easy to avoid by simply sending a test email and checking it over.

So I’m left to believe this technique is for one reason only – to get people opening the emails.

One email might get missed – but two, no sirree.

However, when I get an email like this, I think one of two things (or both):

  • The sender was honest, and really made a mistake, which makes me wonder about the quality of what he’s promoting.
  • The sender is dishonest, and deliberately doing this – then I want nothing to do with this technique (or the marketer).

True, I won’t unsubscribe over this, but I will be watching him in the future. And I DO NOT follow the link.

So marketers, check your emails in advance – it’s possible you may not get more emails opened this way, but your recipients won’t feel scammed.

Of course, I may be a demographic of one – but I don’t think so. And that’s where YOU come in – comment and voice your opinion below, pro or con.