Just wanted to give everyone a contest update. The prizes will be given out soon. If you haven’t already entered don’t waste any more time. Enter now.

It’s been an entire month since we launched the contest to kick off Business + Directory. It was a great month for us being that we had a solid turnout and met our expectations concerning the number of entries. This was the first contest we have ever set into motion on this blog and it was a successful one to boot.

Now on to the important stuff that everyone really wants to know. Who won the contest? Drum roll please…..The first place winner is Jon Lee who actually just got his entry in before the end of the month, congratulations Jon and good luck on beating out your Jon Lee Google twin. Second place goes to Kiwi Pulse who I see on Blog Catalog from time to time. Congrats you two, some unexpected goodies are coming your way.

For those of you that submitted thank you for making the contest a success. It was truly a great feeling after we surpassed our goals. It makes this month that much easier, well not really, but thank you. We have some more stuff up our sleeves so stay tuned to your local internet business blog for more details and up to date plans on internet business domination.

It’s been an entire month since we launched the contest to kick off Business + Directory. It was a great month for us being that we had a solid turnout and met our expectations concerning the number of entries. This was the first contest we have ever set into motion on this blog and it was a successful one to boot.

Now on to the important stuff that everyone really wants to know. Who won the contest? Drum roll please…..The first place winner is Jon Lee who actually just got his entry in before the end of the month, congratulations Jon and good luck on beating out your Jon Lee Google twin. Second place goes to Kiwi Pulse who I see on Blog Catalog from time to time. Congrats you two, some unexpected goodies are coming your way.

For those of you that submitted thank you for making the contest a success. It was truly a great feeling after we surpassed our goals. It makes this month that much easier, well not really, but thank you. We have some more stuff up our sleeves so stay tuned to your local internet business blog for more details and up to date plans on internet business domination.

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written a post. That’s a good thing though, as far as I’m concerned, it means I’ve been busy putting together some killer sites. Patting myself on the back here. Anyhow, Neil, one of my online buddies has just launched a new blog, very cool stuff. If any of you have a blog you know how much time it can take to actually put a quality post together so hop on over there because he has definitely put some thought into his work.

So if you’re looking for an internet marketing consultant in the Dallas area you’re in luck. Neil has spent some time (told me about it a while back) on launching this blog and his business so you know it’s getting done the right way. You can also follow Neil on twitter for those of you that are into twitting or whatever it’s called now.

Alright folks that’s about it for now, did I mention I love Texas? I forgot to mention that one important fact. Everything is bigger in Texas, right. Ok, I’m done, nope maybe not, just a couple more words and this post will be finished. Have a great weekend everyone.

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written a post. That’s a good thing though, as far as I’m concerned, it means I’ve been busy putting together some killer sites. Patting myself on the back here. Anyhow, Neil, one of my online buddies has just launched a new blog, very cool stuff. If any of you have a blog you know how much time it can take to actually put a quality post together so hop on over there because he has definitely put some thought into his work.

So if you’re looking for an internet marketing consultant in the Dallas area you’re in luck. Neil has spent some time (told me about it a while back) on launching this blog and his business so you know it’s getting done the right way. You can also follow Neil on twitter for those of you that are into twitting or whatever it’s called now.

Alright folks that’s about it for now, did I mention I love Texas? I forgot to mention that one important fact. Everything is bigger in Texas, right. Ok, I’m done, nope maybe not, just a couple more words and this post will be finished. Have a great weekend everyone.

Well the economy looks alright but what about Google? It’s a known fact that Google has seen dramatic changes in click-through behavior since they changed their ad hot spots. Straight from the mouth of one of the largest Google publishers on the web: “The CTR on text ads declined about 60% in the last 2 months with Google’s changes.” Markus Frind is looking for new advertisers and digg looks as if it has stopped using Google ads altogether. Where does this leave Google?

Well this little image tells you exactly where Google is at. It’s the first look at Google’s new Adsense test layout. It seems as if Google’s Adsense conversions might be affecting their pocket book more than they had anticipated (someone should get fired). Google is now testing Adsense boxes in which the user can click through on every single piece of text in the ad. A lot different than the current Adsense model which lets the user click on either the title or the URL of the ad. My guess is if this doesn’t work they will quickly move back to making the entire ad click-through. As I stroll over to Engadget I notice that they have done just that, what a coincidence. I do notice that landing pages fed with Google Adsense have not changed as of yet.

Maybe this is a special publisher deal, although not likely. This is probably just a few tests for Google Adsense to see what’s next. They have some tough choices to make and their stock price depends on it. The choice for Google has come down to one of relevancy or money. I think they are on the right track, but who am I to judge?

Well the economy looks alright but what about Google? It’s a known fact that Google has seen dramatic changes in click-through behavior since they changed their ad hot spots. Straight from the mouth of one of the largest Google publishers on the web: “The CTR on text ads declined about 60% in the last 2 months with Google’s changes.” Markus Frind is looking for new advertisers and digg looks as if it has stopped using Google ads altogether. Where does this leave Google?

Well this little image tells you exactly where Google is at. It’s the first look at Google’s new Adsense test layout. It seems as if Google’s Adsense conversions might be affecting their pocket book more than they had anticipated (someone should get fired). Google is now testing Adsense boxes in which the user can click through on every single piece of text in the ad. A lot different than the current Adsense model which lets the user click on either the title or the URL of the ad. My guess is if this doesn’t work they will quickly move back to making the entire ad click-through. As I stroll over to Engadget I notice that they have done just that, what a coincidence. I do notice that landing pages fed with Google Adsense have not changed as of yet.

Maybe this is a special publisher deal, although not likely. This is probably just a few tests for Google Adsense to see what’s next. They have some tough choices to make and their stock price depends on it. The choice for Google has come down to one of relevancy or money. I think they are on the right track, but who am I to judge?

We Are Giving Away 0 Cash and a BFG NVIDIA Graphics Card. All you have to do to win is blog about this contest. It’s that easy.

As part of our site launch and February promotion, Business+Directory has decided to offer free reviews for the entire month of February. (We must be crazy!) To enter this contest all you have to do is give away links at our directory, something everyone already wants. You get to give away stuff to win stuff.

Please follow these 3 easy rules in order to qualify for the Prizes.

1. Link to this contest page so that others will know how to join.
2. Link to Business+Directory telling your readers about the February promotion.
3. Original post must come from your blog so that we know who to send the money to. Post should be at least 250 words using your own unique writing style, please don’t cut and paste from this post.

One person will be chosen for the Grand Prize of 0 Cash (via PayPal) via randomizer software. You can advertise your blog, buy that new Ipod you’ve been wanting or buy yourself a new set of tires. The runner up will take home a brand new BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT OC 512MB PCIe with ThermoIntelligence Graphics Card (shipped via USPS), chosen via randomizer. This card allows you to connect two LCD displays for all you multi-tasking users out there and comes with a HDTV adapter and HDCP capability for high definition video.

This contest will last the entire month of February. Submissions will be calculated after the contest ends and prizes will be awarded during the month March.

Update: Contest requirements have already been exceeded. Prizes will be paid out the beginning of March!

Disclaimer: Review times for the Directory will be extended during the month of February. Contest must receive fifty entries or more for prizes to be paid out, so tell your friends. You must have a PayPal account to receive payment, free to set up.

We Are Giving Away 0 Cash and a BFG NVIDIA Graphics Card. All you have to do to win is blog about this contest. It’s that easy.

As part of our site launch and February promotion, Business+Directory has decided to offer free reviews for the entire month of February. (We must be crazy!) To enter this contest all you have to do is give away links at our directory, something everyone already wants. You get to give away stuff to win stuff.

Please follow these 3 easy rules in order to qualify for the Prizes.

1. Link to this contest page so that others will know how to join.
2. Link to Business+Directory telling your readers about the February promotion.
3. Original post must come from your blog so that we know who to send the money to. Post should be at least 250 words using your own unique writing style, please don’t cut and paste from this post.

One person will be chosen for the Grand Prize of 0 Cash (via PayPal) via randomizer software. You can advertise your blog, buy that new Ipod you’ve been wanting or buy yourself a new set of tires. The runner up will take home a brand new BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT OC 512MB PCIe with ThermoIntelligence Graphics Card (shipped via USPS), chosen via randomizer. This card allows you to connect two LCD displays for all you multi-tasking users out there and comes with a HDTV adapter and HDCP capability for high definition video.

This contest will last the entire month of February. Submissions will be calculated after the contest ends and prizes will be awarded during the month March.

Update: Contest requirements have already been exceeded. Prizes will be paid out the beginning of March!

Disclaimer: Review times for the Directory will be extended during the month of February. Contest must receive fifty entries or more for prizes to be paid out, so tell your friends. You must have a PayPal account to receive payment, free to set up.

Just wanted to give everyone a contest update. The prizes will be given out soon. If you haven’t already entered don’t waste any more time. Enter now.

There are many questions that can be raised about the economy and the situation that it’s in as of right now. Many wonder where we are headed in the near future. Since Ben Bernanke announced the possible stimulus package, reporters all over the world are questioning what will happen in the morning when the U.S. markets open up.

The markets overseas seemed to have gone into panic mode with many markets over the world taking a hit on the possibility that the U.S. markets will do the same. Do we need to face the truth and admit that we are in a global economy? The world is connected through our economies and more than ever today thanks to the internet.

While the world seems to be in a stage of panic over the state of business throughout the world we should we should step back and take a look at the positives in business and especially internet business. According to the Philadelphia BizJournal, internet business and the venture capital sector is looking pretty good.

So what will happen in the morning? That’s the question on everyone’s mind at the moment. You can be sure that our business interests and everyone else’s around the world are at stake. Will there be a big hit on the stock markets? Will people start to frantically pull their money out of the markets or will it be just another day at the office. It will be interesting to see.

While I was setting up my twitter account today I thought it would be a good idea to head over to Blog Catalog and see if any of my contacts were doing the twitter thing.

While I was there I noticed that they have started to nofollow all blog links. Before it was the feeds that they nofollowed, which is understandable, in my opinion. Then they moved to redirects on the feeds. Now your blog URL is completely nofollowed. WTF? I thought this network was built by bloggers for bloggers? Maybe it’s just me but are you that page rank greedy that you have to nofollow all the blogs in your network, trying to reroute the PR? Of course I’m just speculating here, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

As my way of saying thanks to Blog Catalog I will now take down their widget from my front page so that I don’t mistakenly pass any PR to anyone I don’t trust. I instead will just have it posted on my Blog Catalog page which was an earlier post on how I dropped Blog Rush for Blog Catalog. What to do now?

While I was setting up my twitter account today I thought it would be a good idea to head over to Blog Catalog and see if any of my contacts were doing the twitter thing.

While I was there I noticed that they have started to nofollow all blog links. Before it was the feeds that they nofollowed, which is understandable, in my opinion. Then they moved to redirects on the feeds. Now your blog URL is completely nofollowed. WTF? I thought this network was built by bloggers for bloggers? Maybe it’s just me but are you that page rank greedy that you have to nofollow all the blogs in your network, trying to reroute the PR? Of course I’m just speculating here, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

As my way of saying thanks to Blog Catalog I will now take down their widget from my front page so that I don’t mistakenly pass any PR to anyone I don’t trust. I instead will just have it posted on my Blog Catalog page which was an earlier post on how I dropped Blog Rush for Blog Catalog. What to do now?

This year is scheduled to be a busy one with some big plans for our internet business blog team. The plan is to cover more interesting newsworthy stuff that’s going on in the internet business world. One of the most exciting things we have going on this year is the upcoming launch of our business directory. A little something we have created for the B2B community.

This is very exciting news for us since the project has been going on behind the scenes for quite some time now. We have been working very hard to create a community resource that will be of high value to the business to business community. On top of this we have a few other projects going on behind the scenes that will be keeping us on our toes. It will be a very exciting new year for business indeed.

Because business on the internet is growing at such a rapid pace there is a new market that many businesses are not yet aware of. With internet ad budgets going up faster and faster each year, most have realized the value the internet can bring to their business. The truth is businesses of all kinds are finding their ways onto the internet for the first time, realizing the potential market they had been missing out on. There are new and exciting businesses being developed daily that provide value to businesses all over the internet. We look forward to covering these business launches and providing our readers with valuable business related news and discussion.

This year is scheduled to be a busy one with some big plans for our internet business blog team. The plan is to cover more interesting newsworthy stuff that’s going on in the internet business world. One of the most exciting things we have going on this year is the upcoming launch of our business directory. A little something we have created for the B2B community.

This is very exciting news for us since the project has been going on behind the scenes for quite some time now. We have been working very hard to create a community resource that will be of high value to the business to business community. On top of this we have a few other projects going on behind the scenes that will be keeping us on our toes. It will be a very exciting new year for business indeed.

Because business on the internet is growing at such a rapid pace there is a new market that many businesses are not yet aware of. With internet ad budgets going up faster and faster each year, most have realized the value the internet can bring to their business. The truth is businesses of all kinds are finding their ways onto the internet for the first time, realizing the potential market they had been missing out on. There are new and exciting businesses being developed daily that provide value to businesses all over the internet. We look forward to covering these business launches and providing our readers with valuable business related news and discussion.

There are many questions that can be raised about the economy and the situation that it’s in as of right now. Many wonder where we are headed in the near future. Since Ben Bernanke announced the possible stimulus package, reporters all over the world are questioning what will happen in the morning when the U.S. markets open up.

The markets overseas seemed to have gone into panic mode with many markets over the world taking a hit on the possibility that the U.S. markets will do the same. Do we need to face the truth and admit that we are in a global economy? The world is connected through our economies and more than ever today thanks to the internet.

While the world seems to be in a stage of panic over the state of business throughout the world we should we should step back and take a look at the positives in business and especially internet business. According to the Philadelphia BizJournal, internet business and the venture capital sector is looking pretty good.

So what will happen in the morning? That’s the question on everyone’s mind at the moment. You can be sure that our business interests and everyone else’s around the world are at stake. Will there be a big hit on the stock markets? Will people start to frantically pull their money out of the markets or will it be just another day at the office. It will be interesting to see.

Many people know that I provide a link to those that comment on my blog. Those that provide more comments on this business blog than the other readers automatically get a link to their site on the front page and every other page for that matter. Unfortunately I have come to the revelation that this just doesn’t work any more. I don’t know what has happened recently that has driven so many spammers to start commenting on this blog, but it has forced me to take away the top comments section, until further notice.

I have put too much time and effort to give away a front page link to a spammer for the short time that it goes unnoticed. On top of this it makes my blog (that happens to be business related) pretty irrelevant if I have a link to a crap site (not business related) from my front page. I don’t have enough time to sit here and monitor every spam comment that I get and I expect most of you feel the same. It’s too time consuming, so thanks internet spammers for ruining the fun.

So, apologies go out to those that actually provided valuable comments. I may decide to link to those in future posts instead of using the front page links. Anyhow, that’s my rant for the day, goodbye to the top commentators plugin.

Oh, if any of you have not read the post on blog rss promotion you should definitely jump over and do so. It’s a very valuable post that provides many free resources. Until next time.

In the business world the internet seems to be the great equalizer, at least for those that get business. Just because you can set up a business blog does not make you an entrepreneur, nor does it make you a blog writer. I don’t claim to be a great writer, in fact this blog has helped to hone those skills, but I do claim to be a true business junkie. I pick up a good business book and can’t seem to put it down. I think of an idea for a business, beat it to death in my head and if it has the possibility to work I will beat it to death on paper in the form of a business plan.

These things about me aside I do think that the internet is a fantastic place for business and a venue that levels the playing field. What makes the internet a great place for business?

Domain names: You can pick up a great domain name and immediately be playing ball with the big boys. It’s like doing business in the big city versus that of a small town (good domain vs. bad domain). Your domain name can make or break your business, plain and simple. Money can buy a great domain name and creative thinking can help you to come up with the same. Your business depends on it.

The internet itself: What a great place to do business. You can sit anywhere in the world and be able to play on the greatest piece of real estate available, your domain name. Yes, I do think domain names are very important.

You make your own strategy: You make or break yourself (for the most part) on the internet. For instance, you can promote yourself and your business through so many venues on the internet for free that you could essentially make something from nothing. With free hosting, free layouts and free promotion how much money does one really need to get started? Ah the price of a domain name and your precious time.

I’m not naive enough to think that people are going to spend absolutely nothing on promotion and rise to the top quickly, but if someone were to create a business out of nothing this would be the place to do it. OK, enough rambling, but for those of you out there that are asking; What is the best way to make money on the internet?….I have the solution. Stop asking the question and start learning about the internet and domain names, read business blogs, etc.

A couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend at Niagara Falls, in Ontario Canada. We rented a car and then after a much longer than expected drive from Toronto (it was storming like crazy - lightning hit within 500 meters of our car), with a short detour at Niagara-on-the-Lake (a lovely little bed and breakfast/fancy European hotels strip with great restaurants), we arrived at the falls.

Here is a video I recorded of the adventure, including a trip on the smurf boat right up to the foot of the falls.

I’ve been to Niagara Falls once before and it always amazes me how much water there is, which this time was magnified even more given it rained most of the weekend I was there. As an Australian I’m used to dry weather, so it’s nice to get wet like I used to as a child playing in the rain. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold, unlike my first trip to the falls.

This week I’m off to New York city and as always will record video and share my experiences with you. I’m heading to the Ed Dale/30 Day Challenge meetup first, then off to the US Open tennis and then just exploring. If you want to say hello, make sure you make the meetup tomorrow night.

To people who email me during this time and my Blog Mastermind students, please be patient with me as my email response times might be a bit slower than usual during this period, but I will get back to you.

Get your bonus copy of my book
“How To Start An Internet Business
& Make Your First ,000 Online”
Download Here

I’m off to New York City tomorrow for a holiday. While there I was thinking of holding a meet-up for my readers, but I just got word that Ed Dale and his 30 day challenge people are meeting on Wednesday, so I’ve decided to head to that instead - and you’re invited!

If you want to meet me and say hello to Ed Dale and his crew too, we’re meeting on Wednesday night starting 7pm.

Full details are on the 30 Day Challenge blog.

Get your bonus copy of my book
“How To Start An Internet Business
& Make Your First ,000 Online”
Download Here

Press play to begin streaming the audio or right click the text link and choose save as or save link.

Download the MP3 [ 30 Minutes - 14 MB]

Willie Crawford has been in the Internet marketing game for a long time, yet he still managed to have an entire career in the air force before becoming a devoted online marketer.

Willie and I recorded this interview on Skype and I wanted to learn more about his history online, since he is widely regarded as one of the earlier “gurus”. I was also curious about what Willie’s first foray into online business was, as most people don’t start out selling how to make money products. Willie is no different - his first big success was a recipes email newsletter and a cook book he sold (a six figure business), which began after he started sharing recipes from his family farm.

From there Willie went on to become a seminar speaker, created a continuity income stream by private labeling the 1ShoppingCart system (his is called ProfitAutomation.com) and today runs a community of people who service all kinds of markets in his Internet Marketing Inner Circle.

Willie ends the interview with two powerful tips - how any person can start a business today providing basic Internet marketing services and training to local offline small businesses, and how to leverage forums to find opportunities.

Show Notes

• Willie’s early life living on a family farm and then joining the air force
• His first Internet business project - a dating affiliate program
• Willie learns about niche marketing by reading email newsletters while flying in the air force
• Family food leads to Willie’s first successful email list and product - a cook book
• The next step - Willie becomes a speaker at Internet marketing seminars
• Willie reveals the secret to success - good copywriting
• Taking the next step, Willie decides to create his own residual income product
• How to become an expert - run your own seminars like Willie
• How the Warrior Forum led to a business opportunity
• Today Willie focuses on offline businesses and helps them market online
• Why do some people succeed online and others fail
• Willie’s current community - The Internet Marketing Inner Circle
• How to leverage forums to find business opportunities

Click Here to Download the MP3 [ 30 Minutes - 14 MB]

Get your bonus copy of my book
“How To Start An Internet Business
& Make Your First ,000 Online”
Download Here