You Can’t KNOW Until You Actually DO

March 15, 2009 By Tim Gary 5 Comments

Lot’s has happened these past few months.  I’m going to share just one thing tonight.

Surprisingly, what I share below did not come with any kicking and screaming!

I’ve re-learned a very important lesson, that seeing/understanding something is not the same thing as *knowing*.  This came to play when I got an iPhone for my upcoming trip to Italy.  I wanted to be able to stay in touch online, without lugging a laptop across the country. Through other projects, I did some research and found that the iPhone has WiFi connectivity allowing it to be used at local hotspots, with no extra charge (as long as they were free).

Frankly, I’ve not understood the fascination with “web 2.0″, social websites, smart-phones,  or half a dozen other “innovations” of the past fest years.  They all seemed kinda silly, and a waste of time.  Do we really need more ways to communicate, and keep in touch?  Aren’t cellphones, and their ability to talk to anyone, anytime enough?

Heck no!

I’m finding out first hand exactly why people are standing up and shouting that these things are the future.  While not usually part of the crowd mentality, I can truly say that *get it* now.

Now I understand why people love the iPhone, Facebook, and all the other new media tools available to them.  Put simply, they allow a sense of connection to the rest of the world.  They don’t feel left out, alone, or disconnected.

Let me explain a little.  I got a cell phone long after everyone else I knew.  For the past 3 or 4 years I’ve asked my wife to put in new phone numbers and contacts into my other phones.  It’s not that I couldn’t do it, it’s just that I didn’t care.  I used the phone very little, and when I did it was to 1 or 2 other people almost exclusively.  So who cares if I have the numbers to my eye doctor, dentist or friend in Arroyo Grande, CA in there?  It wasn’t like I’d talk to them more than a few times a year.  What’s the big deal?

No, the contact info in the phone is NOT the big deal.  The other uses are the big deals… (but the contact info helps)

I can now check email from almost anywhere in the USA.   This incluled a recent visit to a very remote location where there wasn’t even a hardwired phone line.  There was an AT&T tower [barely] within range, and about half the time I was able to both connect to the regular phone service, as well as the older “edge” data network for email/web browsing.

You’re going to think I’m full of it, but for a very good reason, we even checked on recipies for cooking squirrel! No Joke.  Just ask my brother, who’s friend it was.

Did I mention this was a remote location!?

Anyway… What I’ve found is a new way to communicate, stay in touch, and feel connected regardless of where I go.  The Apple iPhone application (app) store has thousands of programs on it.  Many of which are actually useful.  It was another big ah-ha moment when I actually atarted using them.

Let me just run down when I’ve used in the past week, from memory (beyond the native email app, which is a given, and probably # in terms of use)..

1) An RSS reader to keep up with the latest blogs I visit.

2) A to-do list (Toodledo) which tracks projects/to-do’s.

3) Jott, a joice to text service which allows me to post entries to Facebook, Toodledo, Twitter and many other locations.  It translates my spoken commands and info into text, and does what I want with it.

4) A great recipie program to give us cooking ideas while at the supermarket.

5) Games to kill time waiting at the ____ office

6) Music — I can use it as an MP# player, and I’ve loaded about 8 gigabytes of my 200+ GB music and spoken word MP3′s (yes, all converted from purchased CD’s!)

7) Checked the yellow pages for auto parts stores in the area, as well as the number of the Toyota Dealership for my brother–while driving around.

8) Used the GPS and Google Maps while snowshoeing at 9000 ft in the sierras

9) Found the wi-fi signal at my wife’s work, to verify a laptop wireless network card wasn’t working.

10) Checked the weather forecast

11) Looked for nearby restaurants

12) Checked on my client site’s Google Analytics

13) Found out what it was like to read a Kindle book on a smaller screen (hint: it’s not bad, but not as good as the really thing–just ask my wife, who loves her Kindle 2.0!)

14) Downloaded a guide for Rome, and an Italian translation app for our upcoming trip!  Man, I’m starting to be abl eto travel light!

15) Check local movie times

16) Fool around with Google Earth…

17) Read parts of some self-development classic books

18) Update and read Facebook status

19) Check the reviews of a wireless USB network card on sale (refurb) at Fry’s for $9.  Surprisingly, it was a good one and I got two (should have gotten 3 or 4!  The two are already taken, and I find uses for these things more often than you might imagine.

20) taken some pictures

Ok, I exagerated a tiny bit.  This was in two weeks!

This was all done by someone who didn’t use the cell phone he had much at all.  Someone who didn’t even put contact info into it.  Someone who didn’t “get it”.

Let me tell you this, and you really should listen, even if you have no interest in the iPhone or other new gadgets.

You don’t know something until you experience it.  You can’t learn to swim, perform heart surgery, or understand Web 2.0 until you get your hands dirty.  It’s really the only way.  I used to think that I understood the whole web 2.0 scene.  I just chose not to follow that path. It didn’t make sense to me, so I stayed away…

Well, I was a fool, and didn’t have a clue.

Not because I didn’t follow that path (because it’s not always the right path), but because I didn’t really understand it, and without true understanding, the right choice is impossible.

What might you be naive about (maybe unknowingly), due to lack of direct experience?   If you “got it”, would any of these things present new opportunities or markets to you?  Are there things you’ve passed up because they didn’t make sense at the time, but might if you took the time to dive right in?

It really was an amazing feeling to understand the fascination with something that was otherwise looked at as a distraction, and I plan on making it an ongoing persuit to try new things, instead of assuming I know all about them.  I suggest you keep your eyes open to opportunities, and do the same.

If you have any questions, or comments, let me know!  Please, I know there are people posting comments just for the back links… That’s fine, but be aware that unless the comment relates directly to the post, I will likely not approve it.

You will find this, and similar ideas to help you open your mind to new business and life opportunities in the Beyond Unstuck Seminar found on this site.  For a very limited time, as a reader of this blog, you will get something others won’t.  Pick up this course right now, I’ll answer your emailed questions up to 4 times a week during the first month after your purchase.  Just use the contact-us form on this site, and include your purchase receipt id/code.  Other coaches offer this service for hundreds of dollars a month–yours free for the first month when you invest just $50 for a course worth far more than that already!

The risk is all mine, since there is a 60 day money back guarantee, and you’ll never lose anything you learn from the coaching or course.

I can only handle a handful of email coaching clients at this time (up to 7 this month), so sign up before the offer goes away (or you have to wait for a slot).

Be Well,

Tim

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Do You REALLY Want to be Found Online?

January 8, 2009 By Tim Gary 17 Comments

Maybe you’re like me…

Thinking you want your site to be found online, but not doing nearly enough to make sure it happens.

You figure…

  • I’ll get to it…
  • I’ll take care of it when I get my product or service ready…
  • The traffic I get now is just fine…
  • And the BIG LIE: If I build it, they will come!

I don’t believe any of that, but sometimes I just get a little lazy.  I don’t do everything I need to do when it comes to making sure people can find me when they are looking for what I have to offer.  Maybe you can relate…

Is you blog getting the traffic it deserves?

Does your product or service site get a constant stream of FREE prospects?

If not, you should probably be looking for some simple ways you can bring the site visitors you want.  Not that there’s a lack of such information out there.  You can find more than enough material to cover every conceivable traffic generation strategy out there

Some of these strategies use tools to fool search engines into bringing you visitors (hey, they may work for a month or so!), some promise listings in just hours…  And if you really care about the one person a year who searches for “internet guru wannabe”, they could probably do it!

But… When it comes to real life searches for phrases that people actually search for, you need to seek out those who have actually done what you are attempting, and find out what really works.  You don’t want theory, you want fact.

If you’ve been to my site in the past year, and actually explored the sites I recommend, and resources I promote, you’ll know that Fred Black’s blog has been on the list since the very beginning.   There’s a reason for that, which I’ll get to in a moment.

First, head over to this “sales page” for his latest product, and I’ll explain when you get back…

Fred Black’s Search Engine Optimization

Seriously, please check it out before coming back…

Free Search Engine Traffic Exposed

Ok…  Let me tell you WHY I have his site featured here on my “blogroll” to the right.  It’s because I found him by searching for “internet business” (quotes or no quotes, it doesn’t matter).  Why was I searching for that phrase?  Because a so-called “internet business expert” kept claiming that he knew the secrets to everything from search engine optimization to product creation.

The funny thing is that nothing he said ever panned out.  Yes, HE had/has a cult following under various real and pseudo names, but if they ever broke away from the mantra, and did even the slightest amount of research, they’d find no substance behind most of his products and services.  If you watched what he does, and what he says, they are miles apart.

But I digress.

What I found was that Fred’s blog was at the top for this search, and it made me wonder why, and how he could pull this off.  It’s not like he’s Apple Computer or something.  He’s an honest guy working online and off, by providing people what they are looking for.  In this case, Internet Business advise and tools.  Heck, his free courses are better than most of the paid ones I’ve seen.

Have you been to his site yet?

Anyway…  Someone who can get to the top of this phrase without mega bucks is someone who should be listened to.

I’ve already started putting his information into practice, and expect great results over time.

So, if you want to know what works in SEO, from someone who actually knows what he’s talking about, check out his SEO Brain Dump  for the real scoop.  He makes it easy to understand, and takes the fear out of generating free website traffic.

If you’ve had experience in SEO for your site, I’d love to hear about it.  Just post a comment below.  If your experience has been less than spetacular, check out Fred’s course.

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Don’t Use Catch-All Addresses, Advice to Businesses

September 29, 2008 By Tim Gary 17 Comments

I’ve been reminded recently that sometimes what seems like a great idea, can totally backfire.  You may have experienced something similar.

My Great Idea was to use different email addresses for everything I sign up for, whether online or off.  Each domain can have a “catch-all” email address where all email which doesn’t have a corresponding email account can be sent to.  This way I can effectively “key” every email address I give out, and determine if it’s being spread to other sites without permission, etc..  It also allows for very easy sorting in my email software of choice (Thunderbird).

All was well until about 2 years ago when my host at the time disallowed this functionality for all accounts.  It seems that their servers were being overrun with spam, partly due to this setting.   No problem, I was about ready to explore new hosting anyway, so I moved someplace which still allowed my “great idea”.

Well..  Over the past year, I’ve seen first hand what what the prior host have been talking about with an overload of spam.   You see, these automated spam programs will often use a random domain as the “sender” for their email.  So, even though an email doesn’t originate from your account, it still has a return/sender’s address from your domain.  Worse yet, it makes up new email addresses when doing this.

Why does that matter?  Well, every time an email blast gets sent by one of these programs, I end up getting several hundred (or even thousand) bounce messages from the systems of email addresses which don’t exist anymore, etc..  Some months this happens several time, others not at all.

There’s more… but I’m really here to rant a bit about the process of cleaning this up.  Since I have literally hundreds of these made up email addresses, it’s an ongoing process of updating everything to use one of a small handful of descriptive, but managable addresses.  Should be relatively simple.  Every time I get an email, just go to the link at the bottom to change my address in their system (or just unsubscribe).

Yet, almost half the time I either have to jump through hoops to make the change, or am only presented with the option of unsubscribing.  That’s insane!  Imagine someone moving their Internet provider, and not being able to move their subscriptions over.  The result is lost business, and a very sour taste in their mouth.

The worst of these are certain sites “powered by Infusionsoft” which apparently doesn’t have a single link to unsubscribe OR change user options.  The business owner must setup two links in the email footer… One for unsubscribe requests, and another for option changes. That would be fine if these business owners would provide both links.  often only the unsubscribe option exists.   So that’s what I do.  If it’s somethng I really want to track, I’ll sometimes resubscribe, but not always.

Other programs will require me to “log in” or otherwise  waste a lot of time making the change.  I only do this for relatively important sites.  All of the rest will simply get bounce notices when I make the switch away from the “catch-all” email addresses.

Sometimes, they allow me to change my name,  but not my email address!  How whacked is that?  While my brother actually legally changed his name, and women often change their name after getting married, I suspect email address changes happen a heck of a lot more often.

The simplest?  Everyone who uses Aweber, GetResponseor or 1ShoppingCart. The process is one or two clicks, and entering the new address.  Just like it should be.

So before you get your whole autoresponder or broadcast email list going, be sure to consider this simple usability issue.   It will reduce frustration from your customers, and possibly keep them for unsubscribing or falling off when their email address changes.

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Where Information Goes to Die

April 10, 2008 By Tim Gary Leave a Comment

There’s a saying in my house… the refrigerator is where food goes to die.

It’s true too. If we eat out, invariably the leftovers go to the fridge. Then a week later we notice the “dead” food and toss is out.  The same holds true if we make a bit too much to eat at home. I’m not sure what our aversion to left-overs is, but I have a feeling the reason behind it is a big problem a lot of us face.

You probably think I’m crazy for bringing up dead food. But I noticed a very similar pattern in many other areas.

For instance, as startup internet business owners, we may go out and buy, read and listen to things just because they’re new. We listen once, then move on to the next “big thing”. Never mind that the information we got a year or two ago is still viable, and could help us move closer to our goals. Furthermore, it could be all we really need to truly turn the corner of online success.

Instead we seek something new, easier, quicker and more “perfect” than the last thing, and we don’t move forward because we’re always in study mode. We put the information on the shelf to die.

Contrast this to any of the current and great copywriters, you’ll see that they not only study the teachings of yesteryear, they still follow the same basic structure that was laid out many years ago. They take what still works, add their own flare, test and tweak it, and then repeat.

Sure, in the case of food, it rots and becomes inedible, so the analogy isn’t ideal… But the same kind of food fresh the next week is still yummy and nourishing. The same basic ingredients are there and it’s as tasty/useful as it was the week prior.

Same for most of the information we collect. In fact is you go back far enough you may find that what’s old is new again. Look at fashion, cars, music… It all comes back and becomes the latest thing. Maybe you can find some hidden gold in the knowledge you already have.

So, what’s on your shelf that you could put to use today?

Do you find yourself caught in a self defeating cycle? If you step back and think about what I’ve said, does anything look different to you now?

In…

  • your business?
  • your relationships?
  • your desires?
  • your hobbies?
  • your music – ok, I’m listening to one of my favorite bands who have a new album out after 16+ years… Was (not Was), and the album Boo! Music is a great example of this concept…

If not, that’s fine. I’m simply passing on something I became aware of, that’s helped me move forward in projects that otherwise might have had me blogged down in the “need for new”. You’ll see (specifically) what I mean shortly, but in the meantime I suggest raiding the refrigerator for new ideas!
Oh,… and please let me know what you find!

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My Boring Blog, and Why it Matters to YOU!

March 25, 2008 By Tim Gary 11 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this blog.

My conclusion is that it’s boring. No, it’s not that the information isn’t great, it’s that there’s little or no personal connection. Even though it typically takes a couple of hours to compose a post, it comes off as dry. You don’t know me, or the reasons behind my posts. This is BAD.

It’s bad because when I take a survey of blogs I visit and look forward to, they exude the personality of the owner. Sometimes it’s through technical details, sometimes through stories and writing style. Usually there are comments left for every post, and they can go both positive or negative–but always with respect.

I have a lot of things to talk about. Some could truly set you up for success. It might be quick. It might be slow. But if the ideas are presented in a way that makes an impact, they could be the start of dramatic change in your life. If they aren’t presented in an interesting or personal way, they will likely fail spectacularly.

If you have a blog, or are “about to start one” (JUST DO IT ALREADY!), do yourself a favor and look at the blogs you frequent. Ask yourself why you visit them, and what you could do to gain the same following. Is it the personal stories? The controversy? The technical details presented in every post?

Whatever it is that makes these blogs special to you also make them special to their readers. If you don’t have this connection to your audience, you will never gain a following, and you will suffer with a few regular readers (and your mom). I love my mom, but she’s not exactly my target reader, and probably isn’t yours.

The posts which follow WILL do a lot to bring myself to the table. Some ideas I have, which you might copy, include:

  • Tell personal stories, and give detailed examples.
  • Stir up controversy when something is going on which you don’t belive it–or have a differnt perspective of.
  • Stop filtering and editing posts – the biggest obstacle to letting yourself show through is rewriting, and over thinking posts. Stop it!
  • Limit the time you take in posting. This helps you to stop over thinking a post.
  • Break away from your primary topic from time to time so that people see a more fully rounded person. Talk about your trips, pets, and family. If you have a running “bit” about some personal element in your life that people can follow, it’ll do wonders for your readership.
  • Stop taking things seriously. Spontaneous is usually 1000 times more interesting than calculated.
  • Reframe “unrelated” information to fit your niche, and personal style. Visit blogs on music, technology and magic, if that’s what interests you.  See how things might related to your blog.
  • Learn from everything, good and bad.  Outside the box.  I’ve got over a page of notes on life lessons I’ve learned from our cat! —–I’ll share that in the future as well.

There are many others, but the point is, without the personality of the writer, who gives a sh*t!

Please let me know what you find most interesting in the blogs you visit. It will help both of us in bringing you the best possible content.

Comment below———Please.

Thanks!

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Bookmark this Internet Business Blog (it’s not mine)

February 29, 2008 By Tim Gary 9 Comments

internetbusinessopportunities.pngI’ve been doing a lot of things in the background, and not writing here as much as I should. My list of topics, and thoughts is growing exponentially–so stay tuned.

In the meantime (and thereafter), you owe it to yourself to visit Mohamed’s Internet Business Opportunities blog (http://www.oibo.org/). I’ve been watching his site from the beginning, and he really is getting his stuff together.

Why visit?

First, he’s way a way more prolific writer than I am. Probably because I think a bit too much while making a post, so it takes me a long time. If he takes even half as long as I usually do, then he’s really putting a lot of time and thought into his posts–which I wouldn’t doubt.

Second, and more important, he writes interesting articles. Not, just interesting, but *useful* posts on all things related to online business success. Here are just a few recent topics:

  • Using images in your blog posts (I swear he was reading my mind on this one)
  • Three things you must do before submitting n article to directories
  • Creative Commons License
  • Could your business survive a nuclear attack
  • Free traffic generation
  • Outsourcing
  • Free business presentation tools
  • Staying organized
  • Many MANY more…

…and the topics above are only a partial list from the past 10 days! Even if you think you don’t have the time to visit, just make time, even if it’s to stop by once a week.

—end of blatant-but-deserved “plug”—

-Tim

P.S. and F.Y.I. Do you ever attempt to get to this (timgary.com) blog, and get a blank screen? Me too, and it’s very frustrating. Why does it happen? A combination of WordPress 2.3, the theme I’m currently using, and the web host’s use of server performance script xcache. Thus far, I’ve not been able to fix it, other than by manually reseting xcache when it happens. If a solution isn’t found soon, I’ll be switching to a new WordPress theme. So, until them, just check back in a few hours. I’ll likely have reset things.

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Follow Those Who You Like, NOT Just the Money

January 2, 2008 By Tim Gary 1 Comment

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our day to day routine, that we forget what we are trying to accomplish online. Whether it’s the BIG things like your Dreams and Goals, or the more immediately important “smaller” things like how you carry out your business.

I’ve recently been reminded that there are influential people in the internet business/marketing space, that conduct themselves in a way that is simply disgusting to me. This got me thinking about how I want to conduct business, and how to avoid following such people in the future. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s way too easy to be seduced by the money, and apparent success of individuals who I don’t want to BE LIKE.

Since there are kind, generous and highly successful people we can model, why not learn from them? More often than not, their products and services will be much better, they will have great customer service, and may even be personally reachable.

Of course, a winner for one person may not be for another, and you may not even realize at first that you’ve jumped on the wrong horse… I’ve been doing a recent purge of those who I have no interest in being like, and it feels great. Conversely, I’ve rediscovered some truly inspiring gems which also feels great!

I already wrote about one such diamond, Fred Black, who has great ideas, content and products.

A great way to find your own gems is to follow the “blogrolls” of blogs that you admire. These will lead you to places you otherwise may never know about. Mine will be updated over time, so you can peak over my shoulder should you be interested.

Another great way to find like-minded people is through membership site forums. Yes, I know forums often have a bad reputation due to the free-for-all mentality involved. Often it’s deserved. But the forums behind great paid membership sites can be pure gold in many ways that I will talk about, and even show you, soon.

For now, suffice it to say, my highest recommendation goes to Earn1KaDay and the Rich Jerks membership sites. No, Rich Jerks has nothing to do with “The Rich Jerk”, it’s just a rather unfortunate name that was chosen at the time. These two sites, and their forums, have been more helpful to me than all the free forums combined.

…to be continued…

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Fred Black’s Making Money Online Video Course

December 21, 2007 By Tim Gary 3 Comments

Frequently, I come across resources which are too good to keep to myself. Sometime they come in the form of an excellent blog, sometimes as a product or service.

This first in an ongoing series of articles, is to bring your attention to Fred Black. I stumbled across his blog after doing a little research, and typing the words “internet business” into Google. Dang, he’s good. Within the top 5 organic listings for the past month. Currently he’s at #3.

Not only is his blog filled with practical, and thoughtful online business advise, but until the end of the year (that’s in a week!), he is offering a free Make Money Online Video Course just for subscribing to his blog updates list. This course is far better than many out there being sold for $75+.

Head over to his blog, sign up, and get the course before it’s too late: Fred Black’s Internet Business Success Blog

In fact, his normal selling price is still a great bargain at $53, check it out if you missed his year end offer: Make Money Online

Oh…

Don’t *just* sign up for the course. Take some time to browse through his past posts, where you will find a ton of valuable information on both life, and business success.

You might start with this post: The Frustration of Trying to Make Money Online

When you’ve had a chance to go through the course, let me (and him!) know what you think.

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