Making 20 lbs of chicken. The frig defrosted so I guess chicken chicken soup for everyone!

Enter your posting here

OK, I'm gloating...Got www.yadayadamarketing.com on page one of Google for the term marketing firm.

Spinal Tap is on VH1C. Still one of my favorite movies ever

Check out these social media videos and pdf's, but I recommend them http://ping.fm/ywK5H You have to opt in, but well worth watching.

Monday--not enough coffee and too much to do!

Just redid the colors of our corporate site www.yadayadamarketing.com What do you think??

Dominate Your Area with Cutting Edge Internet Strategies http://ping.fm/NPT0Z to register.

Accepted my 800th friend on FB. Pretty darn cool.

E-mail subject line of the day: 2 sentences or I kill a baby panda (in front of her mother) From a friend who needed a testimonial. :-) I wrote one. I like pandas

OK, another ping.fm test guys. Check out this site: http://www.ppcpanic.com

I think that Apple has tuned into Microsoft--how? My iPhone was acting up-couldn't get any sound out of the 1,300 songs sitting there. I rebooted--IT WORKED.

http://ping.fm/hXu4F This is a good article on the fake advertising going around. It's come up in many conversations.

Dial2do rocks I can see that through PingFm I'm able to post across all network way cool. - Listen here http://ping.fm/rhvla

Okay this is part...

Okay this is part of the same experiment I tried just a few minutes ago and I am planning that I can post to my blog or blog as a body of file as well as a text and that's pretty darn interesting to me so we still having an issue with worpress but what a cool tool there you go. I'm gonna try this again from the party on that see how it works then.
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Okay this is a...

Okay this is a bit of a test. I'm actually posting to this particular blog me and my cellphone and I'm actually talking. The last couple of days I've been going down the rabbit hole of geekdom and my research and this new tool called dial2do.com is actually quite interesting.
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Okay. It's a little...

Okay. It's a little buggy but this is really quite an interesting experiment. So I'm going to check my blog now. And see what actually occurred. Talk to you later.
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22 Things I don't understand.

1.  Why is a man with gray hair distinguished, a woman with gray hair is an old hag?

2.  Why is my husband fascinated with boxing...hmmm men beating up men??

3.  Why it is my problem when the Internet goes down and my children can't log into their games?

4.  Fish is good for you, but I still can't enjoy it no matter how much I try.  Doesn't seem fair, does it?

5.  Chocolate despite being my favorite food is still not good for me.

6.  Why hasn't anyone noticed that 1984 has arrived?

7.  If drugs are bad for you--and they are, why are pharmaceutical companies
   pushing their drugs on TV?  Don't they think we notice them talking about the side effects despite
   the pictures of rolling hills and soothing sounds?

8.  Viagra.  I don't get it.  Of course a man should go to a hospital if he has an erection for
   more than four hours. My question is what does he do for three hours and forty five minutes
   while's he's waiting to decide if he needs medical intervention?  On second thought,
   maybe I don't really want to know.

9.  Time--it moves too quick now and seemed like forever when I was growing up.  Why?

10. Why does my son thinks he's up to driving a car when he misses the garbage can?  Sure, that
   qualifies him to navigate a three thousand pound weapon.

11. I can see perfectly, it's just that the books seem to be written differently today.  Why should I
   need to move them accross the room so I can read them clearly?

12. Why is it that even though I've run many companies, owned a computer since the 1980's and been
   on the Internet since 1996--hell, I started a company that developed software for DJ's in 1999
   which is now an industry standard, I still find  my 17 year old son can still help me with my
   computers?  Shouldn't I know more than him?

13. When I was growing up I used to ask my parents about "the olden days."  I swore I wouldn't call my
   growing up "the olden days."  I rethought my position when my kids looked at my vinyl record
   collection and asked what they were.  Shhesh.

14. I don't understand how I lived without these things:  a fax machine, a cell phone, e-mail,
   the Internet, my iPhone, cable TV, and a DVR.  In each case within 24 hours of attaining one,
   I couldn't live without them.

15. No matter how tech savvy I am, I'm never going to embrace "texting."  Who has fingers
   small enough?  The cat?

16. I've upgraded my computer, my software, my eye wear, my lifestyle, my home and my car.
  Why can't I upgrade my husband?  Oh wait, I did.  His name is Steve.

17.  What happens to all the socks I buy?  My boys use mine when they can't find
  theirs. I'm considering buying only pink socks to see if that solves the problem.

18.  Forks.  Where do they go?  In my house there seems to be an evil gremlin that
  steals them.

19. Why can my son get up at the crack of dawn when he's going on a field trip and
  can't get up when it's time for school?

20.  Why is it that it takes nine people to do what I do in a day?

21.  Why is it that it costs at least dollar more than it would cost in the first place
  to do it right to then fix a "shortcut"?  Not to mention about twice the time.

22.  When running late, why are all the people in front of you on the road going
   slower than construction equipment?

OK, I couldn't resist

Loo with a view: The world's toilets with the best vistas

We may not really care what our view is when we use the loo. But maybe we should - for according to the World Toilet Organisation we spend three years of our lives on the throne.

read more | digg story

A blast from the past, OK, It's my past..

OK, I might be dating myself but when I saw these images, it brought me back, back home to NYC, back home to CBGB's. I miss everyone. My kids don't understand, it's just a logo to them.

When Joey Ramone died, I wore my red Converse All Stars as a tribute. I'm 47 now, and I still do...

This is cute

This is Happy and Bobby, both dressed as one half of the Batman and Robbin team. These guys belong to my chiropractor and I took this picture on my iPhone!

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown

For five years, Apple's iTunes Music Store has been the Internet's most successful music store. But as music publishers have sought a higher share of its proceeds, Apple has threatened to shutter iTunes.

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Google Tweaks Its AdWords Algorithm

A slew of companies rely on Google’s AdWords system to bring users to their sites. But in an attempt to improve the quality of AdWords, Google will unveil a new judging system in the next few days that could have a major impact on current AdWords users.

read more | digg story

iPhone 2.1 Firmware Review: It Fixes Everything

Did the 2.1 firmware do everything it promised? Oh yes.

read more | digg story

How NOT To Use PowerPoint

Funny video on how NOT to use PowerPoint. Funny and true.

read more digg story

Citi’s Mahaney: If Google Wants To Stay On Top, It Needs To

According to the report on Citi analyst Mark Mahaney, Google’s revenues ($16.6 billion) comes from search and contextual advertising. And so it would be necessary for Google to maintain and develop the revenue stream.Also see the tech crunch artical at http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/20/citis-mahaney-if-google-wants-to-stay-on-top-it-needs-to-ramp-up-its-display-ad-revenues/

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Laura Betterly on getting what you're worth!

I was talking to a colleague of mine yesterday and you know, we were commiserating about client experiences we have had, where we have done a great job, no not great, but beyond great job and the client then went and offered us a fee that was practically insulting.

He told me a story about a doctor who saved a patients life and sent the patient a bill for $100,000.00. The patient was upset because he only spent 15 minutes with him and asked for an itemized bill. What he got was this: Hospital Stay: $ 5,000.00
Supplies: 2,000.00
Knowing where to cut: 93,000.00

Now, I know this is just a story, but it does illustrate a point. We each have our area of expertise and should be well compensated for it. If you do something better than others, there is a value that doesn’t equate to how many hours put into a project, but the value of the completed project.

So, today’s tip really has more to do with knowing your value. If you undersell your service, you are actually setting yourself up for a loss. Your clients will know they are not properly compensating you and will actually not treat you well.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you are worth!

Citysearch Sued

Click fraud issues. I have worked with these guys and as far as click fraud goes, I think this is a new area that needs to be explored not just with these guys, but Google and Yahoo too.

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A little shameless self promotion--Laura Betterly Quoted on The Street

Here is a link to the article called Six Tips for Marketing to Parents, running in business section of www.thestreet.com.

Note that I do talk about social networks and business development!

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10417905/1/six-tips-for-marketing-to-parents.html

Google Sites now open to everyone

A few months ago we launched Google Sites exclusively as part of Google Apps for companies and organizations that wanted to use the service on their own domains. Now we've made it easy for anyone to set up a website to share all types of information

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Twitter refuses to ban abusive users

Twitter is too scared to ban anyone who violates their Terms of Service.This is crazy. Although I can appreciate that Twitter is a small company and does not want to get involved in litigation, it's clearly a case of allowing this user to harrass and terrorize this guy. I am disappointed. You know, I'm all for free speech, but we do have rights when it comes to harrassment and misinformation!

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Some Things You Don't Want Talk About Before Coffee

My son Craig is 17. He's a good kid and very inquisitive. One lesson he hasn't learned is when to go over certain things with me.

Today, while on my way to Starbucks, he:

1. Informed me you can set water on fire.
2. Wanted to know if burning oxygen created greenhouse gasses.
3. Wanted my opinion on the potential for WWIII

Somehow, I think having the all dreaded sex talk with him would have been easier...

I'm really hoping for his future survival, he learns not to ask too many questions before coffee when he finally has a girlfriend!

Judas Priest Single "Nostradamus" Blows Up With ReverbNation Widget

Now this is interesting and could be the answer to go viral for artists as well as build fan bases. I'd be curious to see the sales statistics once they release the album on June 17.

Here's a link to the full article.
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=109612

David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists

The CD? It's dead. Good thing the music industry is about more than selling plastic discs. Today's artists have surpr...

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CAN APPLE BUCK THE TREND?

So I was struck when I read that Steve Jobs is busy expanding Apple’s empire. Tuesday, Apple announced a deal with Vodafone to distribute the iPhone in 10 countries.With the subprime mess and all the bad news on the economy, it makes sense to distribute elsewhere.Regardless, I love my iPhone.

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Facebook Users Meet for Water Fight, Destroys Public Garden

More than 300 people ran riot and destroyed an award-winning garden after they responded to a campaign for a mass water fight on social networking website Facebook. With the country basking in its recent spell of fine weather, hundreds descended on the Millennium Square garden in Leeds following a listing on the popular website.

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FIAT EMPIRE - Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Cons

Dec 5, 2006 This Award-winning documentary video, featuring presidential candidate RON PAUL, was inspired by the book, "The Creature From Jekyll Island" This explains it all in layman's terms anyone can understand. This is important information folks..

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Plastic bag conquers Google Street View

Privacy advocates should take note of an effective way to avert the prying eyes of Google Street View: the lowly plastic bag. Although interesting, privacy is an issue with all that is going on with regard to the net and homeland security

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Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry

Some advertisers are banking on this technology. It brings up a very interesting debate. The first company to get in trouble on this was Real back in 1999. It's almost ten years later, and the debate between privacy advocates and marketers is still alive...


Two consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to create a "do not track list" that would allow computer users to bar advertisers from collecting information about them.

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12 Ways To Prepare For The Next Great Depression

I'm not for thinking the worst, but hoping for the best and planning for the worst is just plain smart.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Our economic future could be even bleaker than you expect — and last year was the moment to unleash your inner survivalist. If the financial system suffers any more crises of confidence, credit gets even tighter, and the fed falls into a liquidity trap, we could be in for several hardscrabbling dystopian years.

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Starbucks' Retro Logo

"How Starbucks is using a special brown logo to evoke the chain's beginnings and restore some goodwill for the brand..."Good story

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Yahoo! serving up Adsense

So now, Yahoo! is serving up Google Ads. The wagons are circling...

http://www.internetnews.com/article.php/3739821/Yahoo+to+TestDrive+Googles+AdSense.htm

Yahoo to Test-Drive Google's AdSense
Desperate for an alternative to a Microsoft takeover, Yahoo explores a partnership with archrival Google.

This is Pretty Kitty-she adopted me.

About three weeks ago, I was sitting in the backyard of my office and saw this beautiful black long haired cat just sitting there. I looked at her and said "Hi there Pretty Kitty." She immediately galloped over, jumped on my lap and started talking.

I saw that she had fleas and was really underweight, so everyone in the office started feeding her and bringing things for her. So now, pretty kitty is getting much needed love and attention. She's gained weight, we handled the fleas and she is the most loving animal I've ever had.

Now, we tried different names for her, but she only answers to Pretty Kitty. We listed them out...Blackie, Ebony, Mustafa (Chris' choice), Pretty Kitty and every time we say Pretty Kitty she looks up, talks, and jumps on your lap...

Anyway, I'm posting her as the Chief Morale Officer

iPhone Users are Having More Fun

New data from M:Metrics for the month of January confirms that folks who own an iPhone tend to do more entertaining things on their devices — such as watch video and visit social networks — than those who own smartphones. However AdMob points out that iPhone users are still a relatively small part of the overall mobile phone market in the U.S.

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Google dominance over search market slipping, very slowly ..

Google's dominance of the worldwide market for Web search dipping slightly to 62.8 percent in February from 63.1 percent in January, though Google gained share in the U.S. market. The overall volume of searches done through Google dropped in February to 5.86 billion from 6.14 billion.

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The Best Business Card Ever !

awesome find by Matt Cutts...coool

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Top 5 reasons why The Customer is Always Right is Wrong

Here are the top five reasons why the phrase “The customer is always right” which was originally coined by Harry Gordon Selfridge is WRONG. This is a great article. I have fired clients and I have fired employees, but I find the very high maintenance, will never be happy no matter what. These clients are not the ones to have. 20% of the clients take 80% of the time and then the 80% are neglected is what I have found...I take special care to make sure that we as an organization are servicing our clients well, and correct the organization if we aren't, BUT will always fire a client who cannot be made happy....

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RIAA Screws Artists, Pockets Filesharing Settlement Money

None of the estimated $400 million that the RIAA received in settlements with Napster, KaZaA, and Bolt over allegations of copyright infringement has gone to the artists whose copyrights were allegedly infringed. Now the artists are considering suing the RIAA. Why doesn't this surprise me??

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British man auctions entire life on eBay--beat the chesse sanwich that looks like Virgin Mary

Ian Usher loves his life in Perth, Australia. But since his wife, Laura, was part of that life and the couple have split up, he has decided to offer it, lock, stock and barrel to the highest bidder. Mr Usher, 44, originally from Darlington, County Durham, has put his entire life up for grabs on the online auction site eBay...

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World's Second Tallest Building To Be Green?

The historic city of Philadelphia hasn't been known for its skyline in a long time. Now, some developers want to change that with a proposal to construct what would become the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the second-tallest building in the world, standing at 1,500 feet, with a very-high degree of energy and water efficiency.

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Free Tibet

I don't understand why these kind people are just not allowed to live their lives peacefully practicing their religion. Truly one of the most spiritual and kind groups on Earth.

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Apple snags 14 percent of US PC retail sales in February!!!

Growth in Apple's personal computer business continued to outpace the industry average last month, with Macs accounting for a 14 percent unit share and 25 percent dollar share of all US-based PC retail sales, according to market research firm NPD.

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Woman Sat on Toilet for 2 Years

Authorities are considering charges in the bizarre case of a woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years — so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time the boyfriend finally called police.Ummm. Stupid Human Tricks?

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Newsweek Reporter Throws MacBook Air Out With the Trash

Now here's a real interesting take on the new MacBook Air...So light and thin can be confused with recyclable garbage...

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Cop says woman, 80, hit him

An 80-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday after she attacked a Tavares police officer following a car accident . Only in America do we see 80 year-old women standing up against the police. I hope she doesn't get reported to Homeland Security...

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A great article for marketing for artists

Take a look at this article. Every artist with 1000 true fans, could make a living..
Interesting for sure.

http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php

Facebook partner's with iTunes for music store

Facebook today launched a new music section with built-in integration with Apple’s iTunes. You find your favorite band’s page, where you can listen to new music, interact with them and their community, and even purchase tracks or albums.OK, I admit it I'm addicted to Facebook and iTunes intgrates with my iPhone so I'm kind of partial to this partnership...

read more | digg story

100+ Essential Resources for Web Developers

Check out this list of resources for Web Designers. OK, Not necessarily marketing, but without websites, and web designers and developers, where would people like me do for a living???

read more | digg story

My Dog has more than 9 lives

So you've heard about my cat and his broken leg last year. He even had a urinary tract infection around Thanksgiving that put him in the hospital, but he is doing fine. Today, I'm talking about the dog.

First of all she is old. About 110 in human years. Over the last year or so she's been slowly failing, her hips, her eyesight. She never quite smells good, but she's my dog and I love her.

You can see a few pictures of her above. We started to realize a few years ago, that her time with us might be limited.

I went to NYC to do an interview with Dan Rather for 60 Minutes and right before I was to go to the studio for the taping, I got a call from home telling me that she was very ill, and it didn't look good. I had my son put her on the phone and told her it was OK and I would be home in a few days and then instructed him to take her to the vet, let her lie on my dirty laundry and put it on the floor for her to sleep on. She got better.

She started to grow a tumor on her tail, and about a month later, she got better.

She got some sort of skin affliction that we handled with a change in diet, but it was bad, she was bleeding.

Now, she's not as perky as she used to be, in fact her emotional range goes from sympathy to expressed resentment. If my son points his finger at her (in fun) she snaps at him. With me, though, she just follows me everywhere, lays outside the bathroom door when I'm in the bathroom, and makes sure she's under my feet when I'm cooking.

Last Thursday, I came home to find that she couldn't get up. As much as she tried, she couldn't and she was crying. I thought to myself, "OK, it's time, she's old." I moved her best I could to her food bowl and sat on the floor with her, sobbing, as I do love this dog. I called a friend to bring a crate to the house so I could take her to the vet (she's 70 lbs, a bit much to just carry) and started to make arrangements to take her to the vet. I sent my younger son upstairs to get my other boy so he could say goodbye to her.

At that point I was still on the floor crying with the dog, mind you, when my son says Mom, I can fix her. Me, being me, was doubting, and said "come on, you're not a vet...."

Anyway, he figured out what was wrong. The dog got her nail stuck in her collar, that's why she couldn't walk. He released the nail and she walked away as if nothing had happened. Well, she got me again.

She truly has more than nine lives....Go figure :-)

I guess she's the Timex of dogs...she takes a licking and still keeps on ticking!

20 Money Hacks: Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Finances

Some good suggestons here on improving finances. Of course, you have to figure what is best on a personal basis, but some of these are quite clever...

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6 Music Industry Tricks That Must Die

If the music industry really wants to save itself, it could start by doing away with all the bullshit. What bullshit, you ask? Here are six underhanded tricks that we could live without, and that our kids probably will.Funny, sad, but true. I personally think #5 is the worst offender...

read more | digg story

More Google News--Google Slips Amid Signs of Ad Slowdown

So it's not just the US Economy slipping, but one of our strongest companies...

read more | digg story

No, the Sky's Not Falling on Google, Says ComScore

The hysteria surrounding a recent report that Google's advertising business has stalled is a major overreaction, says James Lamberti, a senior vice president at comScore.

read more | digg story

Music exec: "Music 1.0 is dead."

Creative? The music industry? Absolutely. At a major music industry conference in New York, execs gathered to talk about the industry's shift to Music 2.0—even if no one is quite sure what that means.Take a look at this artical. It's what I've been saying since 1999. Big kudos to my friend Ted Cohen, who moderated this forum. Not everyone realizes he is the guy who put the iTunes deal together. (Take a look at the Wired Magazine archives to get more info on how he did this.)

read more | digg story

Drug Commericals and a Great Spoof

OK, now the rant part of this program. I think this video is a great example of what drug companies are trying to sell us. I mean, don't these companies realize even though there are pictures of rolling meadows on screen, we will notice the side effects of these drugs. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in dry mouth, sexual dysfunction, drowsiness, dizzyness or thoughts of suicide...

I think most of America has a high enough of an IQ to know that these things are bad.

Internet Ad Revenue Exceeds $21B in 2007

Online advertising revenues exceeded $21 billion for the first time in 2007, although preliminary data compiled by an industry trade group also suggest growth is slowing.

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Google Shocker: Paid Click Hits Wall

Google shares are getting hit early Tuesday after comScore's report on a startlingly big decline in paid click growth. Google's January paid click growth was flat on a year-over-year basis, down 7% from December and down 12% from the fourth quarter. UBS cut its earnings estimate and price target in response.

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Marketing Test..

Try it. It's fun.
I got 19 out of 20 right. (What does that say about me??)

http://www.cramersweeney.com/smartmarketing.html

Always Check Your Childrens Homework

This one was sent to me by my friend Jen. This is priceless:

My new idea for a product...

OK, some of you might not have this problem, but I'm thinking there has to be a market.

Let me start out by saying I get at least 200 e-mail messages a day telling me I can increase the size of my penis. Now, I'm a girl, I don't have a penis...but it got me thinking.

What about all those guys out there that have gotten great results from these pills and acutally need to reduce the size of their penis? Now there's a product idea.

Can you see it now... Is your penis so big that you keep tripping over it? Can't find pants that fit? Elephants getting amourous with you?? Do small chilren point, scream and run when they see you?

Try our new dikbegone. Take it daily and be a regular fella again.

What do you think?

Stevie added this: is NASA calling your house to find out what the disturbance in the air currents is coming from? Do you have to shop with TWO shopping carts? Do you frequently have to hire roofing companies to make repairs over your bedroom?
Do soccer moms cover their childrens eyes when they see you. He considers himself qualified as a megadik sufferer...

Spiders on Drugs -- Very funny

Some very badly designed logos

Now, these are funny, but realize, someone actually paid to have these done. So remember, when marketing, have many people look at your artwork and promo to make sure you don't have such blunders.



If you think it's only small companies that make such mistakes, you're wrong. Chevy couldn't understand why the Nova wouldn't sell in Mexico. Well, Nova in Spanish means no go!



Enron spent tens of thousands of dollars to come up with a name--Enteron--until someone let them know that the word enteron mean the alimentary canal; the digestive tract. In retrospect, it was probably a more appropriate name for what it turned into...

Homeland Security, Privacy, and My Phone Bill

The above things are realated, really they are. I know, I was surprised too when all I was trying to do is pay my phone bill.

Having just moved offices, I am a bit behind on my own personal admin. I received a call from Verizon last Friday and realized it was time to pay the bill. I usually handle this thru my online account with the bank or directly on the Verizon web site.

Realizing that the call was serious, rather than pay thru the bank, which can add a few days to the posting time, I went to log in on their website. Well, for whatever reasons, my login no longer worked and trying to reset didn't work either because the site wanted account numbers that would be on a physical copy of the bill. OK, I can relate to that EXCEPT I get my bills electronically and cannot retreive the information without loging in.

SO....I had my assistant call this morning. She was on the phone with them for 45 minutes. (Remember here, I'm not trying to change any services, just pay a freakin bill.) They needed me on the phone. OK, I'll bite, and then I found out an interesting thing. I must not be who I think I am. I was grilled on my identity. For example, they once again wanted the account number (the phone number isn't enough.) They wanted my PIN number. I never had one. They wanted my emergency number but since it was set up in 2002, I didn't remember it (and those records are in storage.) Then they asked me for random long distance numbers I have made. It was explained to me that this was a serious thing, someone could call up and change my services and it would be smarter to me to coorperate rather than to continue to ask them how many terrorists have paid other poeples phone bills lately. The representative didn't have much of a sense of humor if you asked me.

It's obvious to me that I'm not who I say I am. I must be one of those terrorists. You know, so heed my warning: Beware of terrorists calling various utilities and paying Americans bills. Ya know, it's blasphemous.

So, it cost me about $500.00 in my assistant and my time to pay a $75.00 phone bill. Isn't America the greatest?

Check this out--clip from 1967

The Future Of Computing (1967)

Interesting view of what was in store. I personally love the music, clothing. Note that the husband paid the bills...

Laura

Now This is cute!

Now a lot could be said about this, but I really thought they made a cute couple!

Now this guys knows VC's

My Cat Broke His Leg

I realize this has nothing to do with marketing, but it occured to me that some of you might have animals.



I have a dog, a cat, and four turtles. The dog is old, geriatiric some may say, but I love her. The turtles live in my office. The cat Moe, is an outdoor cat. He's a red tabby and a very affectionate guy.



Last Friday, he came home with a broken leg. It wasn't just a little break, his ankle was shattered. He needed surgery and has a metal plate and six screws holding the bones in place right now. Modern technology is amazing and if this had happened years ago, he would have lost his leg.



He's home now and the issue I'm dealing with is he has to be confined so he doesn't jump and reinjure the leg--now get this--for TWO MONTHS...



So, I've discovered some really interesting things about cats.



1. They do curse. The strangest vocalizations I've ever heard came from his throat when putting him into the cat carrier as well as the crate he's living in.

2. A cat is as strong as a 350 lb man when attempting to get a liquid antibiotic down their throat.

3. They hate being confined.

4. You really have to love them to put up with the above. :-)



Till next time.

Laura

Here's the Picture

Incompetence? You decide

So today I received a refund for an overpayment from Cingular Wireless for .08. It costs .39 to send. That doesn't include the paper, oversight etc. I don't know, I think I would have preferred if they kept it.

More Good News

So, here's the press release. I got Ice T to endorse Rodedawg (one of my clients.)

http://www.itoustock.com/press.php with pictures :-)

In Touch Media Group Signs “Ice T” to Major Endorsement -- Ice Calls Rodedawg “Wildest Thing on Four Wheels!”

Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) March 7, 2006 -- In Touch Media Group (ITOU.OB), a leading edge online marketing and Internet PR firm, announced the signing of “Ice T”, pioneer of hip hop music and accomplished actor-star in the award-winning series Law & Order SVU, to a major spokesperson agreement with one of its top clients, Rodedawg International Industries, Inc.
In consideration for its services, In Touch Media Group will receive three million restricted shares of RWGI.PK which closed at $2.08 the date of this press release. Of these shares, one million five hundred thousand shares will be issued to Ice T for his endorsement. RWGI.PK has agreed to reimburse ITOU for its expense connected with establishing this endorsement relationship with Ice T and also for the ongoing management of the subsequent Rodedawg public relations campaign which will position this amphibious off-road super-competitor successfully against the Hummer.

“We were hired to develop a comprehensive public relations and marketing strategy for Rodedawg’s new off-road vehicle launch,” stated Laura Betterly, CEO of In Touch Media Group.

“This on-road/off-road vehicle will be a great competitor against both the upcoming Hummers as well as Jeeps, and it is unique in that it is also amphibious. No other competitor has that feature.” Betterly went on to say that In Touch Media Group has strategized the Rodedawg’s positioning with various extreme car sports enthusiasts, people who enjoy the outdoors, and those in that highly valued demographic, 20 to 35 years old.

“This truck can go literally anywhere and it’s also the coolest thing on and off the road,” remarked Betterly while at a major Internet marketing show in New York City. “It will appeal to anyone who is young and looking for the next hottest off-road vehicle, whether you’re driving in a country or urban setting”.

Betterly decided to show her client’s vehicle to “Ice T”, a.k.a. Tracy Marrow, and get his opinion about a product launch aimed at the 20-35 year old market. Betterly met Ice T while running a music company in 1999 and knew that he had a sharp eye for upcoming trends. “I knew Ice T wouldn’t hold back his real feelings; he was going to level with me,” said Betterly. “He has never steered me wrong in the past.”

After going out to see the vehicles and after meeting Rodedawg’s CEO, Luis Pallais, Ice T was enthusiastic about the launch of the new extreme sports truck. “I thought it was the wildest thing on four wheels, and I know it will appeal to people who like to live on the edge,” said Ice T. “This truck will turn heads.” Ice T immediately agreed to represent Rodedawg, and more importantly, he will be deeply involved in all aspects of the product launch itself because of his ties to the extreme sports community through his Final Level Entertainment Group. Ice also wants to see this truck used in relief efforts.

Rodedawg International Industries, Inc. will be distributing this new amphibious 4x4, off-road vehicle that performs on land and water. The new Rodedawg, because it is an amphibious (land and water) vehicle, is filling a space in the market that virtually has no competition. The company owns the trademark rights to "RODEDAWG" (www.rodedawg.com) in many countries around the globe and plans to be the sole distributor of these amphibious off-road vehicles worldwide.

“We are very excited about our new relationship with both Ice T and In Touch Media Group,” stated Rodedawg’s Pallais. “I have been a huge Ice T fan, having watched him in Law & Order SVU. He has always pushed the boundaries and definitely has the ‘Street cred’ this launch needs.” The recreational uses of the Rodedawg are unlimited. If one enjoys outdoor adventures, exploring, boating, rugged trails, hunting, fishing or any other thing an adventurer might dream up, then the Rodedawg is the ideal extreme sports utility vehicle. If one is looking to stand out in a city setting, the Rodedawg is a match as well.

In Touch Media Group provides a full range of Internet publicity services, including the development of strategic endorsement agreements on behalf of its clients. The service involves matching up appropriate celebrities with publicly traded companies in order to increase company exposure and build shareholder value.

For more information and media inquiries please contact:
Laura Betterly
CEO
In Touch Media Group, Inc.
(727) 465 0925
www.intouchmediagroup.com

A Little Shameless Self Promotion

I got an advance PDF of a piece being published on us in Savvy Executive Magazine, so what did I do??? I put it up on our website, you can view it here
http://intouchmediagroup.com/ITMG_savvy_exec.pdf

Let me know what you think!!

The In Touch Media Group Official Photo 

On The Road Again--Search Engine Strategies 2006

New York is a bit colder than Tampa, but as a NY transplant it sure does bring back memories.
I forgot what it felt like to walk in the cold rain and have the water seep into my soles and get my socks wet. What a horrible feeling....Cold wet feet...

This is NY though, and since it is NY, I find myself not caring about the cold. The restaurants, the food, the culture. There truly is no place like NY.

So, not a ton to report so far, but it does seem that Google is kicking ass. The preliminary stats I've seen show that Google is ahead of Yahoo and MSN in the search wars. The game is definitely not over. Technology is always expanding and the techniques for getting visitors hasn't really changed, but more has been streamlined. Blogs are big (no surprise there) and consumer generated media is grabbing headlines.

Local search did get a lot of attention, and I'm researching better ways to do local search. I'll keep you posted.

Laura Betterly

I've been neglecting things, Part 1

OK, so the last post was about the sign on my front door. The signs are working. Now, what happens is that someone walks up, touches the door handle, sees the sign with the skull and crossbones, and then carefully walks away. As much as I hated being so blunt, I'm not getting every homeless, drunk, or otherwise person that has nothing to do with my job interrupting me. I have had a few employees hit me up for $4.00 to go to Jacksonville, but even that has lessened in recent weeks.

Things have been busy. We raised a cool million to put into In Touch early December, and released our consumer media site www.scooop.net followed by a new daily radio show called Scooop Radio that is being aired on AM radio here in Clearwater and podcast worldwide.

Listen to the podcast, it's a blast. We cover stories that are posted on the site.

I've been neglecting my blog, so just to get somewhat up to date, Santa was good to the whole family and I'll be posting more fun content shortly.

Oh, and for a good laugh please support Foamy the Squirrel at www.illwillpress.com. You wont be sorry.

Laura :-)

The "Do Not Enter" Sign on My Office Door--Boy do I really appreciate my receptionist

If you remember, a few weeks ago I posted that I moved my office down a few doors in the strip mall that houses In Touch Media Group in order to have some peace and quiet as well as do my duties as CEO unencumbered.

It seemed that having a door directly to the street was not going to be an issue. We put up a sign that said employees only; no solicitation; please see reception in suite 205. It’s not that I am anti-social or don’t like people, but I do have a job to do.

Did people listen? No, even though that very nice sign was up on the door, on eight separate times, a downtrodden individual walked in and accosted me in one shape or another.

On one occasion, this rather odorous fellow walked in while I was on the phone. I asked the caller to hold for a moment (by the way, I was speaking to an investment banker about a huge sum of money for the company) and I asked this individual Yes?...and he said, “Oh, I’ll wait.” (Like I want a guy like this listening to my call with a banker…) I asked again, “What do you want? There is a no solicitation sign on the door.” He assured me he wasn’t soliciting me, and I asked him again what did he want to which he replied $4.00 to go to Jacksonville. I promptly threw him out. I have no problem helping people in need, but it was obvious he was just trying to rip me off.

Now there is a red do not enter sign a picture of a skull and crossbones and the following note:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR UNAUTHORIZED VISITORS

WE DON’T CARE IF YOU ARE POOR, DRUNK, OR FOUR DOLLARS SHORT ON A TRIP BACK TO JACKSONVILLE.

WE WILL NOT GIVE YOU MONEY
WE WILL CALL THE POLICE.

DO NOT ENTER

So far, I haven’t gotten any unauthorized visitors today. I’ll keep you posted.

In Europe, two hours of sleep, thank god for European Coffee. 

Marketing 101--Basic Business Lesson Learned From Children

For those of us who actually understand marketing, it's simple. For those of us who don't it isn't.

My son Craig is fourteen. I actually love the fact that he has been thinking of what he's going to create and build when he grows up. Fortunately, he's learned some hard lessons in the last couple of years. Lessons better learned earlier rather than later with respect to basic business and marketing.

Craig's case study #1:

Lemonaid: Craig spent the morning whipping up a large batch of lemonaid to sell on the street. He set up a table, had some cups, put out a sign, and was ready to sell his lemonaid.

Result: Sales zero. He ended up drinking his inventory and had a stomach ache.

Lesson Learned:

1. You actually have to produce something that others are interested in. Just because you think it's a great idea, others might not think so.

2. Price point has to be determined by competition, perceived value and the market. Of the several people who did stop for him, none were willing to pay the $1.00 he was charging for a glass.

3. Location, Location, Location...In retail location is king. Our suburban street that has virtually no traffic was not the place to launch this type of endeavor.

Craig Case Study #2.

Lemons (Please excuse that several of his ventures involved lemons, we're in Florida and they are readily accessible.) Craig spent the morning picking lemons from our trees in our backyard. He brought them around to sell door to door to our neighbors.

Result: Sales zero. One neighbor got mad and threatened to call the police. He had a blister on his foot and a slight sunburn.

Lessons Learned:

1. You can't sell something to someone that they already own. All our neighbors had lemon trees so it made no sense for them to purchase from them from Craig. (The only exception to this is when there is an added value or perceptions to the product as in the case of water, which we all have in our houses, but will only drink if bottled.)


2. Don't solicit in an area that prohibits it.

Craig Case Study #3.

The Fart Straw: Now in my opinion, this one has/had some possibility. What my son discovered was that if you took a straw that had the ribs on it that allowed it to bend (primary use for small children so they don't knock over cups) and put one end under your arm and blow
in the other end and it makes amazingly cool fart sounds.

Result: Although Craig did not sell this, he did find out all the children in the neighborhood loved this and the parents hated this so there was definitely a market for this type of product.

Lessons learned:

1. Market research is the key to success. By having the children in the neighborhood try this new application of "straw technology", he saw that others really enjoyed his product. The fact that parents hated it was a plus point as any rebelling child will want what his parents don't want him to have.

2. Since I thought this was a viable idea from his initial research I actually saw an intellectual properties attorney to see if we could patent a non traditional application of a straw. What I found out is that I could trademark the name, but not the concept so the lesson is that even if it is a great idea, if you cannot make or keep it unique in the marketplace it isn't viable to mass produce unless there were are marketing dollars to rise it to the top.

Anyway, I have high hopes for Craig. He is an entrepreneur in the making. I figure it's smart for me to help him on his ventures. He'll be picking out my nursing home when the time comes.

It's Moving Day--I just found my contacts from 1999

Today I moved my office. I'm in the same basic building, just a few doors away from the day to day craziness of the technical divisions.

As CEO, my responsibilities have changed and it's now afforded me a larger office without the foot traffic I usually get.

I have a phone, my computer and my IPod with 3,000 songs (an eclectic mix) but that's another story entirely so I'm basically ready to go.

As I unpack boxes and sort thru things, I have found all sorts of interesting things, one of which is all my contacts from when I was President of PCDJ. What a hoot. I can't believe it's been six years.

Now, don't think all my contacts got lost somewhere and my organizational skill is so bad that I just lost the information. I actually, at the time, bought a business card reader and had all my contacts stored in my MS Outlook program. In fact, I tried to get in touch with some of these guys a few weeks ago and believe it or not, one of these guys complained. In an era where communication is the lifeblood of any activity, and in America of all places, someone I knew and met and hadn't talked to in a while complained that I was communicating. Unbelievable. I don't want to be in a world where you can get in trouble for saying hello and asking what's up---but that's another story for another day.

Back to the point. Since these were the physical business cards I got from my contacts, looking at them brought back memories of a day long gone, when "eyeballs" were all that counted, where spending was free, where the most outrageous business models that never had a shot of making money were brazen enough to say, we don't care, give us money and we'll "brand the concept."

I remember going to trade shows like "Webnoize" and the "MP3.com" summit and going from booth to booth asking what is it that you do, getting a response, and then asking the dreaded, "How does it make money?" I wish now in retrospect that I had a camera crew. Can you imagine what funny reality tv this would make? Some answered in doublespeak--the agregate consumption of the traffic in a linear space will equate to revenue in 2006--HUH??? I didn't get it then and still don't. Some just stuttered, others reminded me of the movie Spinal Tap. In the movie, the question was asked when one of the musicians showed his revolutionary amplifier that went louder then ten.. "why don't you just make ten louder?"...the response, "but ours go to eleven."

Anyway, for me the lesson of the day is that if you're going to start a company, the model must make sense and at least have some hope of profitability.

Till next time.

Product Placement...Better Than Sliced Bread?

First of all, I don't understand the concept of "better than sliced bread." Isn't bread and water what they give prisoners? Why would sliced bread be something good? It's high in carbs, has no nutrition value and bland at best. It appears to me though, that in todays age, it is a good thing, so in that context, let''s talk about Product Placement.

With the advent of TIVO, many huge corporations are seeing their advertising dollars flushed down the toilet as their various messages are being fast forwarded. The average consumer is just sick and tired of being "sold" something. Now enter a kind of sly way to promote a product...pay for a star to use it or better yet, have it used in a TV show written into a movie script.

OK, trivia time, do you know the first time product placement was used in TV or the movies?
Drum roll please............................................

The first time of note it was used was in the move ET in 1982. Do you remember Elliot left Reese's Pieces as bait for ET? When E.T. followed that trail of orange and yellow candies, Reese's saw their stock shoot up.

Up until then, product placement was a totally foreign concept and to a certain extent is still a bit misunderstood becuase it's not overt--Most ads come accross like---HEY YOU. BUY ME...YEAH, YOU OVER HERE...SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS....COME ON I KNOW YOU'RE STUPID....BUY THIS NOW....

Product placement infers a kind of peer pressure to obtain the product. Wow, Brad Pitt drinks Pepsi or Paris Hilton buys Dolce, so I want to be like them, so I'll drink Pepsi and buy something from D&G. It's a more covert way of getting thru and maybe that is why as a medium is not being talked about but I think it has its place.

In reality where would Red Bull be without product placement. I personally love Red Bull and am glad it made it as a brand :-)

It's 2006--E-mail is Dead

--------------------------------------A typical day at the inbox-------------------------------------

Today, I received 374 e-mails total.

A pretty light day considering some days I get more than 1,000.

To clarify what they were--35 were for business, 4 were personal in nature, 11 were from groups I asked to get information from like Neiman Marcus and Urban Outfitters, VH1, and a PR Newsletter.The balance of 324 was unsolicited (UCE-unsolicited commercial e-mail)--in other words spam.

If I extrapolate the UCE I’ve gotten in the last six hours alone, I find I must be missing something about myself on some spiritual level.. I am a balding, fat man with a small penis that doesn’t work. I am in debt. I am looking for a lower interest rate on my mortgage while at the same time making thousands of dollars with no effort on my part in the privacy of my own home—filling out surveys, stuffing envelopes and not selling something that miraculously sells itself. Even better, I can be a travel agent without wrinkles; obtain a college degree while waiting for my 1500 advance to show up in my bank account; I can restore my credit rating legally while watching my free satellite TV and munching on my drugs sent courtesy of an offshore pharmacy that has a doctor who will write me a prescription… HMMM…definitely something to consider. NOT.

I’ve also discovered that I am a prime candidate to help an African Prince transfer funds into the US. He trusts me. All I have to do is give him my bank account information.The problem is that I am a woman who doesn’t suffer those ills. Someone thinks I do…There is something wrong with this picture.

--------------The future of bulk email and why it is likely to remain dead----------------

Now, you might be asking why I, who was dubbed the “Spam Queen” in the “Wall Street Journal” three years ago, am even bothering to say anything about e-mail? Just to set the record straight, I have never advocated spam or sending spam. One reporter said to me, "Some people consider all bulk email as spam. What do you have to say about that?" to which I replied, "Then I guess you'd call me the spam queen," as a joke.

In our sound byte media world, one editor turned this little quip into a buzzword and I became known almost instantly, all over the world, as representing what everyone, including myself, hates about email. The media as usual emphasized sensationalism and missed the point. I am not complaining because my marketing business skyrocketed as a result.At that time I advocated email as a very effective medium for small business, which because of its low cost lets small businesses level the playing field against big corporations.At no small personal risk, I visited the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC, and spoke my peace about small businesses and not throwing out the baby with the bathwater before even the very term spam could be legally agreed upon and defined to the satisfaction of marketers, ISPs and the government jointly.Small businesses are the lifeblood of the US economy, and entrepreneurs with their dreams are what have made the US the economic powerhouse it still is today. Email that is sent to people who WANT to receive it, and that is in accordance with their preferences, still gets a high response. It allows many small businesses to get ahead. I didn't want to see big corporations or the government take over email and bar entry, filter, and extort everyone else while still sending their own advertising messages freely. And then came the Can-Spam act, which I and many other legitimate marketers welcomed, because it had a great promise of getting rid of the noise while keeping the signal.As it turned out, the opposite happened. Email filters from ISP's now block a large amount of legitimate messages, which they call "false positives". Marketers can't send the text they would like to send to their subscribers, so they have to resort to filter tricking tactics such as spelling the word spam as sp@@@M so that they can get past the filters that were intended for another purpose entirely. In a climate like this, legitimate companies that had been diligently following best practices, and keeping their lists clean for years, suddenly did not want to stay in business with ambiguities in the law and the potential litigation that might ensue even if all the rules WERE followed, so many companies just folded.However the people that continue to send email illegally did not fold. Often times sending from outside the US borders, they stepped up their operations even more, to the point that there is almost no truly legitimate bulk email left. In other words, the signal has become lost in the noise.The simplicity is this — bulk commercial e-mail has gotten to the point where it isn’t effective. We just don’t do it anymore. What’s the point? It doesn’t get a response, and we found people are overloaded with advertising messages and no longer willing to receive more, especially in their inbox, unless they specifically asked for it. As a marketing professional, the only thing that should count for you at the end of the day is effectiveness. Bulk commercial e-mail has turned into the above, a bunch of unprofessional, ineffective scams. In other words, Spam is a four-letter word. Legitimate marketers are staying away in droves and it’s easy to see why. First of all let’s look at some facts. In the United States, it is legal to send unsolicited commercial e-mail. The CAN SPAM act allows for this. You have to provide a way to opt-out and not hide who you are, and a few more simple but ethical rules. Although it is legal, there isn’t an internet service provider in the United States who will allow you to send unsolicited commercial e-mail. Larger mailers have opt-in information from lists they purchase which imply consent but those lists aren’t originated from the mailer, but from other sub-mailers—you get a free thing or access to a particular site and the user checks a box that it is okay to get information from their “affiliates and partners.” The “affiliates and partners” they are referring to are those who pay for the e-mail addresses and opt-in information. These guys are sending you mail legally, but the fact is, they are not getting into your e-mail box for the most part. Blocking, filtering, and doing it the “legal” way bulk wise, is just not working. Not to mention, there is no way to prove that the recipients opted in or are willing to get the message since they opted in at someone else’s site, not yours. The response rate is pathetic and when that mail does get through, you have many disgruntled individuals who never remember opting in, so in their view, the mail is unsolicited. The only way to get e-mail into inboxes en masse is by not following the rules, so the only messages getting through are the scams, including the pornographic, illegal, and objectionable. It is ironic that the very thing people want to rail against, they are getting more of in the aftermath of Can-Spam.So where does that leave us? What can a small businessperson do to get their message out, and not break their bank?

--------------------How to market effectively in the new internet wave---------------------------------

If you are a small businessperson, there are 3 alternatives that you should consider, which are described in this next section:What is effective you might ask? (Ask away, it’s kind of the point here..) 1) First party offers that impart some value added (a tip; some information, something the consumer is interested in.) Lets say John Q. Consumer gave his e-mail address for a newsletter, or for more information on a particular subject, or to play a game.Chances are he probably would not be angered to get an e-mail from your company especially since he asked for you to contact him. He would recognize your domain name since he spent enough time on your site to actually ask the info. Additionally, your internet service provider would not shut you down for violations and you’d start to build a small but effective list of people who are actually interested in what you, as a business owner, have to say. This has been effective since the beginning of the internet. The only problem is, how do you reach people the first time, to get them to your site? How do you find a target market for your products that is likely to be interested in what you have to offer and sign up for your newsletter, visit your site, and hopefully buy your stuff?Is there anything less costly than television, radio, and (ugh!) banner ads?Yes there is. Drum roll please…..Search Engine Marketing. If you write good ads, and compete with the right keywords, people who are already searching for an answer to a question, doing research, comparison shopping will go to a search engine and type in their parameters. If you know how to market well, only people who are interested will go to your site. If you have a web site that is compelling and you are offering a value added, they will ask for more information or sign up for your newsletter, or get your free download. Now, getting to this point can sometimes take a little time, but if you are persistent, and know how to interpret your statistics, you can do this. If you want the result without the learning curve, hire a Search Engine Marketing Firm.So the new tools for small businesspeople to stampede traffic to their websites in 2005 and beyond are going to be:1) Search Engine Marketing2) Publicity, including press releases that provide meaningful news3) Providing quality content and expert commentary for radio, TV, and internet hubs in your fieldYou can be successful on the internet and these tools help to establish you as an expert in your field, as well as attract the very people who are looking for your product or service at the same time. These are the tools of a new form of marketing, which people are calling "In Touch" Marketing, or "intelligent marketing" and is one way to cut through and actually get you the most possible business, at the lowest possible cost, with laser precise targeting. In future articles I will teach you how to use them with deadly precision. This is the new way for small businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed in 2005 and beyond. Remember, you heard it here first :)

Laura Betterly
CEO, In Touch Media
http://intouchmediagroup.com

About the author:

Laura Betterly is the CEO of In Touch Media Group, (OTC:ITOU) and has successfully launched many ebusinesses for herself and others.

More information is available at http://intouchmediagroup.com