Linkbaiting and the great outdoors

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

First and foremost let me wish each and everyone of you a very merry Christmas. I hope and pray you are all enjoying the day with family and friends and that the true reason we even have this day to celebrate is not lost on you.

With the greetings and salutations out of the way let’s get down to business. I wanted to talk a little bit about what makes a good linkbait and what doesn’t. I figured I’d talk about it in terms that make sense to me. Hunting and fishing. Hopefully it’ll make sense to you as well.

What is linkbait?

Linkbait is the ability to goad another website into linking to something you’ve put on your website. No doubt someone could come up with a much more technical explanation, but I think that captures the essense of what a linkbait is well enough for my purposes. Also it isn’t required that it be a website. For instance you could goad the local radio show into mentioning your website. Linkbait comes in all shapes and sizes.

Why should I try linkbaiting?

Primarily for traffic and recognition, but there’s also an element of good clean fun to it. It is a challenge to get someone to link to your site. And the more popular they are the hard it will be to get them to link to you. Mainly for the fact that they are getting linkbait tossed in front of their faces all the time. But if you get them to take the bait you’ll enjoy the rewards of increased traffic, sales, recognition, or whatever else it happens to be you are trying to accomplish.

Finally without disregarding what I said before you should try linkbaiting for the challenge. It’s not easy. Even the most carefully crafted linkbait schemes can backfire or utterly fail. At best they won’t get noticed and at best they’ll be noticed and not appreciated as you intended them to be.

How do I linkbait? (or How do I hunt?)

The only limit you have when it comes to how is your imagination. Literally. Of course skill and finances may or may not play a part in it depending on what you are trying to do. I find the following method one of the best for linkbaiting.

Select a target

The most important thing isn’t the bait itself, but the person(s) you want to bait. Consider your options carefully and what each potential baiting target can offer you if you pull it off succesfully. Take into account how much work you’ll need to put into the bait and how much of a return you’ll get on your investment.

Think of it as Bull Elk hunt. The yearling bulls and even two year olds are relatively easy to take compared to their wiser elder brothers. They also yield much less meat than the older elk. Then there are the “elderly” elk that it’s pointless to even go after. Aside from a nice rack they don’t give you anything other than tough, bad tasting meat. In other words go after a linkbait opportunity that will give you a decent amount of “meat” but won’t leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth.

Observe your target

Not every fish will rise to the same exact bait, but every fish has a favorite bait they’ll rise to time and time again. If you go fly fishing you might fish a stretch of river dry using hand-tied caddisflies but twenty feet from that spot another school of fish won’t touch a caddisfly. Such is the way with people. What attracts the attention of one will repel another. Take the time to observe what works and what doesn’t. How crappy would it be to spend 2 weeks developing the perfect linkbait only to discover that your “fish” simply isn’t interested in?

From personal experience I can attest to the fact that it is VERY crappy when this happens. What makes it really bad is the fact that for the most part the only person I have to blame is myself. If I had only spent a little time looking at linkbaits others had tried and failed with I would have saved myself a lot of hassle. It’s the same with fishing. You talk to the other fishermen and ask what bait they’re using and if they’re having any luck. When it comes to linkbaiting you don’t need to ask you just need to pay attention.

Make it the best shot you are capable of

This is where we differ from hunting and fishing. Animals are dumb. Very dumb. They’ll let you shoot at them again and again and again before they’ll wander off. People won’t give you that opportunity. Make the first shot count by not only making it good, but also making it obvious that you were the one who did it. If you don’t make it clear who did it then there is no point as they won’t have anything to “link” to.

Reap the harvest

Assuming you’ve done what you needed to do you’ll soon be reaping the rewards of a well placed, nicely timed linkbait. Enjoy yourself for a while. Have some fun, say “hi” to your new fans and friends. A tradition in some hunting camps is to eat the heart and liver of the animal. It’s a celebratory time to commemoratore your accomplishments. Well in this case DO NOT eat the heart and liver of your linkbait target, but do celebrate! At least for a short while as your new found supply of internet “go-go juice” won’t last forever and you’ll need to find another target. Which brings us to the final point.

Save some for leaner times

Do not use all of your linkbait tricks all at once. Don’t try over and over and over again to target the same person. If they aren’t taking the bait wait a while and switch tactics. Hunting for a linkbait opportunity takes patience and practice. Eventually you’ll figure out the right bait for the right people. In the meanwhile you’d not drop scatter bombs on a deer to kill it so why do it with linkbait opportunities. In simpler terms don’t just throw stuff until something sticks.

What if I fail?

That just means you’re normal like the rest of the world who has ever tried linkbaiting. Everyone has failed at one point or another. If you fail figure out why you failed (wrong bait, bad timing, wrong target, etc) and move on and don’t fail the next time. I wish I had more sage advise to offer, but honestly that’s what you do. Press on and learn from your mistakes.

I hope that helps you with your endeavor to figure out a linkbait that works well for you. If anyone has any outstanding linkbaits they’ve pulled off in recent memory I’m sure we’d all like to hear about them. And before we go let’s review real quick.

• Select a target
• Observe your target
• Make the best shot your are capable of
• Reap the harvest
• Save some for leaner times

Posted in Blogging | 7 Comments »

Paypal sucks

Monday, December 24th, 2007

As I was looking through my feed reader this morning one of them caught my eye. It was from Turk Hit Box who is having problems with paypal. Personally I have a love-hate relationship with Paypal.

Over the course of time I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with Paypal’s staff on multiple occasions regarding several issues. Each time I was treated as a valued customer with the problems addressed quickly and effectively. And if you believe that I’m the King of England too.

Where’d my money go?

A few years ago I bought a product called Fraps used for recording online video game play using Paypal. I received the product (instant download), my paypal account was charged the cost and I immediately setup a transfer of funds from my bank account to my paypal account to cover the money that had come out.

Long story short paypal claimed I never had the money in the paypal account in the first place to make a transaction (but still it went through) and that I had never transfered money from my bank. They finally after over a year of back and forth gave in about the money having been in the paypal account. It took them another 8 months to finally acknowedge that they had in fact received a transfer from my bank account. Then only after the bank president sent them proof over the course of 18 months. The best part is that during that entire time my account was frozen and they were making interest off of my money!

Stop taking my money damn it!

This is the latest incident I’ve been dealing with. Like an idiot I signed up for Paypal’s Payment Pro/Virtual terminal. The plan was to just try it out. Every month they charge me $30.00 and I can’t get them to stop. They take $30.00 out of my paypal account and if I haven’t left it in the paypal account they go directly into my checking account tied into the paypal account. Which almost always hits me for a $30.00 bank overdraft fee because that account I only keep $5.00 in and do my banking from another account.

The first time around shame on me for not having been more aware, but after 6 months of requesting them to remove Payment Pro from my account I’ve finally had to go to the bank to file an affidavit so the bank will refuse to consider their claims for money and cause me all kinds of overdraft fees.

By no means am I the only person who has ever had issues with Paypal. If you want to see a whole host of problems go take a look at Paypalsucks.com and you’ll be reading for days. I especially encourage you to take a look at the Paypalsucks forums.

A few things to keep in mind if you’re dealing with paypal:

• Document everything you do so you can find the information easily later
• Keep copies of every transaction you make, both buy and sell via paypal
• Throughly read their Legal Agreements
• Make sure to pull your money out of the paypal account and put it into a real bank account as quickly as possible after every transaction
• Realize now and not later that paypal is NOT a bank. You have no consumer protection.
• Checkout other alternatives just in case. There are a lot out there, but I’ve heard (as in read) good things about Google Checkout (never used them personally)
• Be patient. Paypal takes their sweet time in resolving issues. And why wouldn’t they, the longer your money sits in their bank accounts the more money they make.

All that to say my Paypal account is still open. It has to be they owe me over $180.00 in bank overdraft fees not to mention the $180.00 for unauthorized withdraw they owe me for not shutting down payment pro. My bank has advised me not to shut down the account before the issue is resolved or it might cause just as much hassle. In the meanwhile they (the bank) are taking care of the fees, but who knows how long that will last. If you’re considering dealing with paypal be aware of the risks. When everything is going smoothly it is great, but when you run into issues they can get real ugly real fast.

Posted in Potpourri | 17 Comments »

Exposed! John Chow NUDE!!

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

I confess I’m a liar. But I have a point to make and since you took the time to stop by you should stick around and read what I have to say. First I’ll say I’m going to help you. And judging by the fact that you came to this article hoping to see Mr. Chow nude I think we can all safely assume you need help. That kind of help however is for someone else to give you as it’s far beyond me. What I am going to help you with, just this once, is making money online.

Lesson 1: Hook

Why did you come to this page? For most people it will be because they saw the title and their curiosity got the best of them. That’s simple enough. We can deduce that the title hooked you. Maybe not completely but it got you to nibble at the “bait”, and to be sure the title was pure linkbait.

The questions becomes why are you still here? The answer because you’ve decided that I am talking about something that interests you. By the way if that something is John Chow nude please seek help, that’s not what we’re here to discuss! No you’re still here because at some point not only did you take a hold of the hook, but you let me set it and I’m slowly drawing you along towards the shore.

Lesson 2: Line

Just a moment ago I told you I am drawing you along. If you don’t believe me go reread the previous paragraph. Are we agreed? Good. That’s the line. It’s intangible, undefinable and yet there you are still getting reeled in. Ultimately you’re headed towards a destination I’ve already decided on for you. Of course at anytime you can decide to cut the line and swim off wherever you like to go. But I suspect since you’ve come this far along you’ll stick with it to see where we end up.

Lesson 3: Sinker

In fishing the sinker is a small weight that is tied just above the hook and is designed for two purposes:

1. Make the bait sink faster into richer waters
2. Increase the distance a fisherman can cast his line out

In this instance it is much the same. The sinker has allowed me to get the bait (John Chow Nude) into richer waters (more exposure) and it has allowed me to reach further out than I ever have with my “cast”.

What is this sinker I’m talking about? It’s psychology and that NOT John Chow nude, is the topic of this article. Rather the psychology of advertising is the topic.

What is advertising?

Traditionally advertising is a one way communication via various mediums designed to influence, direct, and persuade a person into a reaching a certain decision. Most often we think in terms of advertising being used to buy stuff, but it is also used to influence us in things like politics.

You’re a living breathing ad-unit

Most people know when they are advertising but few of them realize how often they do it. Not many take into consideration that every time they wear a certain brand of clothing they aren’t making a fashion statement they are advertising for the clothing maker. Every time you open your mouth and mention going to McDonald’s you’re advertising. Each and every business you mention throughout the course of the day you are advertising. And the best part (for the companies at least) is that you aren’t being paid a dime! Yet you still do it.

People flock to what they know

That’s a fact. Everyone likes to be in their comfort zone as much as possible. So what makes us feel like we know something? Talking about it. Especially on a consistent basis. The more we talk about something the more people will view us as experts in that particular discipline. If we are or are not experts has absolutely no bearing on anything. It’s the psychology of discussion that gives us an edge.

Not convinced? I don’t blame you, but try this experiment out. Find an affiliate program such as DealDotCom and write a post about it. I guarantee people will be attracted to it simply because you talked about it. And the more people trust your judgment the more are going to click on the link and the more money you’ll make.

Let’s talk about John Chow

No, we’re still not going to see him nude, but I did use his name for a reason (beyond the obvious linkbaiting I mean). John Chow is a prime example of all of the above.

He’s always working

Before I mentioned living breathing ad-units. Witness John Chow, That’s what he does and he is VERY good at it. Spend some time reading some of his posts. Each and everyone of them is an advertisement for one thing or another. Sure other bloggers advertise, but Chow has it down to a science. It took me a long time to appreciate how much advertising he really does.

There are the obvious posts such as this one where he talks about Kontera. Then there are the ones where he is more subtle such as this one about the Seattle bloggers meetup in which he gives a plug (replete with a link to the directions) to Ralph’s Grocery and Deli. Have you ever heard of Ralph’s before reading John Chow’s blog? I sure the hell never had. But here they are getting some free advertising. And if you’re ever in Seattle and happen to see Ralph’s chances are decent you’ll stop in just because John Chow mentioned them.

We know John Chow

Maybe “know” is a bit bold, but know of is certainly accurate. There’s something about knowing about someone who knows about something that gives us a measure of comfort we would not normally have. The bottom line is when John Chow mentions something we click, we sign up, and he makes money. Why? Because we know of and we trust John Chow. After all he makes tens of thousands of dollars a month using those very same programs so why can’t we?

But wait, do we really know John Chow? Does he really make that kind of money he claims to make? It really doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t. We’ll still click and we’ll still make him money because we “know” him and we know he wouldn’t talk about anything but the best, right?

Wrapping things up

Very quick review. If you want to make money online do the following:

• Figure out a way to hook people
• Make sure you have a line to draw them along
• Use a sinker to reach deeper and richer waters
• Learn your lesson from John Chow and talk about what you want to sell
• Don’t give up, always be working one angle or another

Take my advice to heart and you will make money online. I never promised you’d get rich, but you will make money online. I know this to be a fact because every time I follow my own advise I make a few dollars. And that my friends is the reality of making money online. You have to start somewhere. In my own experience I’ve seen the pennies turn to dimes turn to quarters turn to dollars. All because I talk about it.

Posted in Making Money | 13 Comments »

Are you ready to be a beta tester?

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

Our friends at Mozilla are at it again having just release Firefox 3 beta 2 in time for the Christmas season and they need your help testing it! There are risks involved with beta testing anything, but with the proper care those risks can be greatly reduced.

Preparations

Beta releases of software is notorius for its bugginess. Sometimes. Othertimes it seems to run better than the final releases ever do. Point is that with beta software you’ll be getting mixed bag should you choose to try it out. Beta is generally reserved for those who know what they’re doing and are will to take the risks associated with it. If you do decide to try out the beta version of FF3 (or any other software) take the following precautions.

• Create a list of EVERYTHING on your computer using a program like Belarc
• Backup everything of value on your computer to removable media
• Make a clone of your current setup using something like Norton Ghost or the free utility, DriveImage XML
• Locate and install a program such as System Mechanic (free trial) which will keep track of changes you’ve made to your computer
• Make 100% certain you can reinstall from scratch just in case everything goes to hell and your image is corrupt
• Familiarize yourself with online support resources and how to use them. This has the potential save you a great deal of pain and aggravation.
• Last but not least TEST EVERYTHING OUT TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS. Make sure your clone image is valid, your backed up data is really accessible. Test, test, test!

Testing

There are two types of beta testing that are generally used.

1. Public beta in which anyone and everyone is as general rule welcome to participate
2. Private beta wherein only a limited number of people are allowed into the testing

In order to be effective beta testing requires active participation. So how exactly do you participate? It’s really not that hard, but sometimes people make it out to be more difficult than it needs to be. I think the word testing in Beta testing throws people for a loop. Lets take a look at how to be an effective beta tester.

• Keep track of the details so you can repeat if necessary and instruct others how to do the same thing
• Don’t make changes to fast. Let things settle in for a little while before you change something else
• Keep a manual log of changes you’ve made. If you install a program write down what program and when
• Participate in forums, chats, and other online activities involving the beta testers for the product you are working on
• Submit bugs or other issues with whatever you are testing to the proper people. Generally they’ll have some sort of bug tracking system in place. Use it!

Above all else remember to be patient. Most of the time beta goes by without any real incidents, but when there is an issue you need to be as patient as possible

I hope these tips proved helpful to you when it comes to beta testing.

Posted in Technology and Computers | 2 Comments »

4 tips to improve your writing

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Do you aspire to be a writer one day? I mean a real writer. More than a writer even, but an author. You know what I’m talking about, right? Do you want to be that guy? The household name who’s fame isn’t measured in television appearances or celebrity endorsements yet it’s a fame that will endure long after many others have burned themselves out.

Think in terms of John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath) and then consider Lauren Bacall (The Big Sleep). Now tell me, of those two who are you more likely to have heard of? Allow me, every kid by the time they are in 8th grade has read something by Steinbeck. Any bets to how many have watched anything with Bacall in it by the time they are in 8th grade? I’m willing to bet not many. That’s enduring fame. And with the help of several well known, dare I say famous authors, I’m going to help you do the same.

Tip 1: Make your point (Stephen King)

Stephen King admonishes us in his book “On Writing” not to make our reader wait around while we drivel on and on with a back story. Get to what needs to be said and say it. You can always flesh it out with a backstory afterwards!

Tip 2: Tell the damn story (Tom Clancy)

In the January of 2001 issue of Writers Digest Clancy advised readers to be persistent and not get themselves caught up in committing art. Just tell the damn story you want told because no one else will.

Tip 3: Designate time (Clive Barker)

Horror darling Clive Barker advises to set aside a specific portion of time each day dedicated to writing. From my own personal experience that takes a real level of dedication. Especially when it comes to family and friends as they often times just don’t get it. By that I mean they see it as your free time and not “work” time and they expect you to be available to them during your writing time. So designate it and set it in stone that you write during that time and are NOT to be disturbed (except for emergencies of course)

Tip 4: Stretch yourself(Me)

Don’t be afraid to write outside of your comfort zone. If you write about making money with stock trading try writing something new. Like city gardening or whatever. Point is that you should endeavor to write about things which put you under pressure and make you “think on your feet”. I once heard you should spend 5% of your time writing in your comfort zone. The rest you should be stretching yourself. I try to take that advise to heart.

What about you? What kind of writing tips do you have for us?

Posted in Writing | No Comments »