In this Post
* Catch Up 
* Facebook Resources That Are VERY Handy
* Reminder, Meet Up – Sat 4th Feb!
* Sign Off

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* Catch Up

Hi Everyone
Not much of a catch up this week as I’ve had a lot of time off dealing with some family ‘stuff’
I’m so glad I’m an internet marketer and can take time out whenever I feel like it

I’ve got my meet up this Saturday, and a few bits to catch up on myself over the next couple of days, and then next weke I should be back into full swing

One thing I did notice while working less – was how often I would check into facebook from my iPhone!
Even with them constantly changing things – It does seem like the site isn’t going anywhere… So I’ve prepared an article to hopefully help anyone who has yet to increase their exposure on facebook.
(see below)

Well that was a brief catch up wasn’t it…lol

Chat soon
Randy
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* Facebook Resources That Are VERY Handy

OK – so we’ve all heard of facebook, and hopefully most of us have a profile for ourselves?
Mine is http://www.facebook.com/RandolfSmith

Personal profiles are where everyone starts, and to a degree you can post links as well as the usual jokes and funny pics and videos – which all lead to more exposure of your profile and hence your sites (provided you’ve added them to your profile)….
BUT – if you want to get more and more links and visits back to your sites from Facebook – then you’ll find using some tools and getting some like pages built can really help.
I have various like pages for different sites that I promote (not all finished yet ) so to give you some ideas here are mine:
Randy Smith page – a personal page promoting me and anything I want to link to
Northallerton Meet Up page – just promoting my monthly meet ups
WizardWebServices page – for my offline local service promotions
Internet Marketing Apprentice page – set up initially to promote IMA
KrystalsCraftCorner Community page – a page for Rachel to eventually sell her craft items

So as you can see – you can build pages for all sorts of opportunitys.
How – you might ask…..lol
Well I’ve used a range of tools to get mine built….
For my own page I used John Thornhill & Dave Nicholsons ‘Like Page Builder‘ – which is one of the easiest tools I’ve used due to their step by step videos
(they also have the pages hosted on a secure server with an SSL certificate – so there are no challenges with favebook showing the page since their last rule changes!)

I got a little more complex with the WizardWebServices one – as I own an SSL certificate for that domain…. But what a chew on that is! Getting the ceretificate is one thing, invloving a cost and a few emails back and forth, and then understanding all the techy aspects was enough to put me off doing that again… haha
Craig my partner in IMA sorted the IMA one, so I’m not sure how he went about that. And the Northallerton Meet Up Page was a gift from the lovely Sally Neill – who used a program she pays for monthly at a higher rate than Like Page Builder.- I like the wso pricing for the pro version of like page builder – as it includes a developer license as well as the SSL, so you could even build these for other people and charge for the service

The one for Rachel was totally unique, in that she wanted her page to do so much more in the future, so I used a blog theme that also reduces the pages to facebook and mobile sizes, then I needed to find a way to get past the SSL certification and have facebook show the page!
That was a challenge easily met by using a free service that I found on facebook!
Social Server have a page you can go to on facebook, like it and add your name and email to use their FREE adapter!
This then allows you to add your non-secure page into their system and they give you a secure link that shows your pages on facebook!

This was a great find for doing Rachels pages, as it meant I could add any content she wanted to her blog, and then onto the facebook page by using social server to adapt it into a secure page!
So once she has some better photos, she’ll be able to actually list items for sale on facebook … but do so on her like page and community, thereby getting others who visit to share the links and attract even more traffic for her.

And at the end of the day – if we’re in business online – we do want to use facebook for traffic don’t we?… It’s not just for fun videos and pictures, or letting people know what the weather is like in our part of the world…lol
In fact – with new software coming out all the time, it’s getting easier to run a business and have facebook as a major part of the traffic generation, tools like reward/reveal widgets and like page builders, as well as other sites that link our posts from blogs and twitter to facebook walls too (I covered that in an earlier post with a video for twitterfeed), mean we can even make a full time living helping local business as well as building our own sites.

Before long if you do start seeing results from facebook, you may well want to consider social media marketing as a serious part of your online efforts. That could even lead to using other services both on and off facebook.

I’ve seen people go to fiverr and pay for a certain number of ‘likes’ or ‘comments’ on their pages. Which can help you look more professional but doesn’t really bring in hoards of traffic.
Other avenues to consider are facebook advertising, which unlike the big G, can still be bought very very cheaply.
This would get you real and targeted visitors to your pages, and many people use these ads to drive traffic that is highly targeted yet inexpensive to pages or offers they have on their facebook like pages!
I have to admit it’s something I’ve discussed with people doing it, but not yet tried myself due to a bad experience with Google ads once, where I went way over budget in a matter of just a couple of hours…lol – That said in the past year alone the amount of active users of facebook has shot up to over 700 million, generating over 100 BILLION hits per day!
With at least 50% of these users logging in on a daily basis. Therefore it’s obvious that there is a huge amount of traffic available using Facebook Ads!
Although if I was going to be building and managing more sites for local small business as well as my own, I might well consider using a broker who could guide me in the right direction and make sure I didn’t spend more than I budgeted for. – Especially with so many small businesses now using facebook for business,  It’s something I believe we’ll all need to check out at some point.

And from figures I’ve had shared with me by people using facebook for business, It does seem to be the easiest way to get some guaranteed traffic to your facebook pages and offers.
Even simple ads saying things along the lines of - “If you love babies – click like” seem to get a very targeted response from young mums liking and thereby sharing the page with their lists of friends – who in turn pop along to check what their friend has liked and see all the goodies on offer!
Another method would be using a like/reward feature, where the new prospect clicks like and then automatically adds a post to their wall saying something along the line of “I just got a great freebie from xyz site” – this allows them to get the freebie, cost you just one advert – but potentially goes viral as more and more of their friends visit to grab the freebie!

So feel free to take another look at facebook and ‘like’ pages, and do consider using facebook ads if you have a good broker or resource to refer to, as it’s certainly getting me more and more traffic from my own efforts and I still have more methods to implement yet!

I hope this revisit and the resource links help

Randy
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* Reminder, Meet Up – Sat 4th Feb

Last Reminder – Here are the details for our next meet up

1pm til around 5pm, Saturday 4th February 2012:
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

Venue:
The Oddfellows Arms
251 High Street,
Northallerton,
DL7 8DJ
Tel:    (01609) 773018

Chips and Sandwiches for our consumption.

There will be a charge of around £25 per person to cover the costs.
Any issue – give me a shout:
http://www.RandolfSmith.com/support
Or Skype – randolf.smith

Get your ticket booked here
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

You can find the dates etc. on the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/NorthallertonMarketingMeetup

Cheers
Randy
=====

* Sign Off

****As ever – only spend your ca$h on things that WILL help you
(Not the stuff that Might One Day!)****

Til next time
To You and Yours,

Here’s hoping you’re
Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing it on!

Warm Regards
Randy

In this Post
* Catch Up 
* Amazon Bits
* New Cloaker News
* Next Meet Up – Sat 4th Feb!
* Sign Off

=====

* Catch Up

Hi Everyone
Well here we are half way through the month already.
And yep – I’m up to my usual sillyness already. I don’t think I’ll ever learn from my own advice!

I’ve lost count of how many times I tell others to stick to one thing and see it through, and yet I keep ‘Flitting’ from one thing to another myself!
Quite honestly I shouldn’t complain… after all we’re only a couple of weeks into the new year, and yet I sit and wonder why ‘stuff’ just isn’t finished yet?

Granted some projects take time, and we do need to wait until they’re complete before we can move on…. But boy oh boy it FEELS like I’ve been working on some for an age…lol

Does that affect you too?
Does it feel like you’re ‘flitting’ from one thing to another and making very slow progress?
Do you have 3 or more projects on the go, and as you ‘flit’ between them – does it feel like you haven’t moved forward?

If it does – here’s some food for thought:
I’d bet that if you have been chipping away, progress will have been made ! (It’s just that sometimes it doesn’t feel that way)
If you check on where you started and then where you’re up to – you will have been moving forward!

Sometimes it’s like we’re on a journey, but we forget to look at the map!
All we can see is how far we still have to go – and it’s so far away that it feels like we’ll never get there!

This is then compounded by the fact that all day and EVERY day we get email after email telling us of yet another new product we should check out and buy!

Now we all know that we should be avoiding anything that doesn’t fit with our business plan and marketing objectives. so that’s a given….
BUT – what these constant launches do – is make us feel like every man and his dog is making more progress than we are – doesn’t it?

So here’s what I’ve realised.
We ALL need to STOP from time to time and check our MAP!
NOT to see how far we have to go – but sometimes to see how far we’ve come!

Only by cutting out all the noise from the constant launches and feelings of everyone is moving forward except me…… Can we take some time to see how much progress we’ve actually made!
This then helps us to stay motivated and keep plodding forward!

I say plodding forward – because sometimes we don’t make leaps and bounds towards our goals….
Sometimes we take one baby step after another …. literally belly crawling forwards to our final destination!

But Hey – I can tell you from both online experience of keeping plodding until I get a project finished, and from an analogy of a time when I was in uniform doing my bit many years ago…
Online – I just need to remind myself of the stuff I have gotten finished and the regular money those items make (check my links if you need to)

My Analogy from past offline experience is taken from a time I was on a military exercise.
This one night, myself a small group of ‘specialists’, were given the task of keeping our enemy awake all night by launching probing attacks on them every couple of hours. (the idea being to ensure they were sleep deprived prior to our forces launching a ful scale attack the following dawn)
Unfortunately, due to their having patrols and sentry posts forward of their front lines – this meant we had to be very very quiet and take our time moving forwards for each probe.

Yes I’m getting to the point…lol
What we had to do was use techniques such as ‘ghost walking’ ‘belly crawl’ and ‘doubling back’ throughout the night…..
We would move forward literally inch by inch until we were in postition to shoot.
Then a hasty retreat after we had woken them, only to repeat the procress again an hour later!

Each time we moved forward we had to go so slowly it honestly felt like we’d never get into position – and yet each time we eventually did.
We’d be laid hidden in the undergrowth while their patrols marched past us, watching as they took just a few minutes to move over trerritory that we would take an hour or more to move over.
But because of our patience and checking exactly where we were on opur maps – we knew we’d get there and we did.
On every occassion we would surprise them and make our escape. (we even captured two of their sentries and a front line gun team…lol)
Come the morning the full scale attack was a resounding success and we got to sleep for a large part of the morning, as well as getting a great meal as a reward for our small part of the exersice.

The lesson being that sometimes those extremely long times of feeling like progess was so slow, We did need a look at the map and the overall plan to remind us that what we were doing was the right corse of action, and even then if we can only ‘Belly Crawl’, we’re still mo9ving forwards!

So if you’re feeling like everyone is rushing ahead of you …
Check you map!
See how far you’ve come,
Take note of any detours you’ve had to make,
And make sure you give yourself a pat on the back for any progress.

Then just stick at it until!

Remember – if you never give up – you can’t possibly lose.
Just keep it moving forwards

OK – that’s enough story telling for today, now back to what’s been feeling slow for me…lol
And maybe you’ll see some progress and I might realise I have actually got some stuff done…haha

Chat soon
Randy
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* Amazon Bits

Strange title I know, but let me explain…..
I’ve called it Amazon Bits because there literally are a few bits to mention. – Not just one aspect or element or product
This also in part covers some of what I was just talking about in terms of the time it takes to get stuff done!
With the first part of ‘time’ being no ones fault – but still a heck of a wait (or at least that’s how it felt)

Before I go on, I guess now would be a good time to add the fact that Amazon is one of the key areas of growth I want for my own business this year, I still have other online stuff to get done too – hence the multiple projects that I advise against…lol
And here’s one reason for having multiple projects on the go too…….
The Waiting!

First bit:
I’ve been meaning for ages (and I mean more than a year) to get a physical book created with Amazon Create Space.
This allows anyone to publish their own book and have it for sale world wide via Amazons Print On Demand Service. (Also worthwhile because unlike old fashioned self publishing – you don’t have to order a minimum print run of hundreds of books in order to see your name on a book cover)
So long story short – I finally got around to adding something.
It started out as some PLR I bought the rights to, and I edited it to make it my own.
(As it turns out it’s proving popular with my family and friends – because they can finally understand what it is that I do….lol)

But from a TIME point of view – I hadn’t realised just how long it would take for people in the UK to actually have a book shipped!
I submitted my work, created cover graphics etc. – and then had to wait around a month for the proof to be shipped to me! – ALL BEFORE I could approve it and have it listed!
Hence I had no choice but to move onto other projects while I awaited the postman, after all – just sitting around waiting wasn’t going to kep my business moving forwards….lol
So I got on with other things like the new link cloaker mentioned below.

Anyways – finally my proof copies arrived!
(Here’s a vanity part…. no matter how many ebooks I have out there that are making me regular monthly incomes – there really is NO DESCRIBING how it feels to see a physical book with your name and picture on it as the Author!)
My intention isn’t to make a fortune from selling this book, it was more to use the book as a ‘business card’ in effect. to give a free copy to local business people who might be interested in using my services from my offline site. After all – how much easier is it to consider using someone who is a published Author of a book about online marketing, when making a descion on whom to give a contract to?

But just in case you’d like to buy a copy – here’s the link:
Help…. I’m Addicted To Internet Marketing….. Will You Be Too?

And if you do buy a copy – let me know by sending a me a support ticket, and I’ll happily throw in any of my paid ebooks/products as a bonus, as I could do with some buyer reviews…lol
(that only applies to products/sites that are my own, and not ones where I have a partner or co-author… naturally)

So that’s create space, a great tool to get your name on a book and give you a larger than usual head when you chat to family & friends ;

Moving on…. – Do you own a Kindle Reader?
Kindle

Next bit

As well as Create Space, I’ve also been revisiting Amazon Kindle Publishing.
I already had some titles published on kindle - Randy Smith On Kindle  But I did them a good while ago and forgot about them.
Long story short – I’ve seen so many people promoting ‘Kindle’ products over the last year, and I actually promoted one myself  ages ago. On a personal level – I stopped looking at most as I saw the shear mess people were making, as well as the useless products that were just videos saying “get your ebooks on kindle”, and then making an offer of a heap of PLR to upload!
Where they failed was in actually showing people how to do the job properly!

For a start - Amazon didn’t take long before they started the ‘Kindle Slap’ - removing all the duplicate content poor quality PLR junk from the site!
And secondly – I didn’t see the hundreds of daily sales all those selling the plr claimed was so easy to make!

Well – as with all things – the Kindle guides have evolved!
Plus Kindle has continued to grow and grow! – It even got a mention in my MENSA magazine that I get sent out every month!, and that reminded me to take a look at my own products!

I can say that I was pleasantly surprised to see I have made a handful of sales (not the hundreds people talk about), but nevertheless – sales coming in from nothing other than listing 4 items in the kindle store!
Hence I’ve been on a mission to grab as much info and training on Kindle as I could find!…. and trust me when I tell you – there is LOADS of it! .. lol

One reason I’m mentioning it today is that I finally found some great training that has opened my eyes to why I haven’t made more sales…. And also teaches me exactly what and how to start doing in order to get more from my Kindle products!

What I love about kindle is that it’s actually easier than creating IM products with all the pages that a typical ebook site needs in order to make money from it!
(So the work load is a heck of a lot less, and less techy too!)
Anyways – If you’re still reading this far in, then I assume you might also be interested in taking a serious look at getting some products into the Kindle Store.

So here’s my strogest recommendation and a couple of others that I’ve bought recently and been pleased with.
I’ve learnt something from each of these product, so feel free to check them all out.
But if you ask me for just one – then I’d have to plump for Geoff Shaws Kindling membership right now

Here are the links:
Geoff Shaws Kindling Membership
Geoff alrwady has some fantastic info in this membership that is a one time fee – BUT – He is also adding more and that will increase it’s price as time goes by… So the best time to grab this is now!
ALSO – If you do buy it – Please contact me… as I’d like to set up a small groups of us to help each other as per geoff’s training on the section about Instant Social proof … yopu’ll know what I mean once you’re inside
This is my Strongest recommendation – because I learnt more about what I personally did wrong or missed out from this, and I haven’t even been able to get through the extra content he’s added since I last logged in!! Now, this is slightly higher priced than the WSOs I normally recommend, but having compared the value, there really is a complete and modern Kindle course in here. Just check my testimonial on Geoff’s page
Very Impressed!

Others I’ve bought:
Kindle Content Miracle
Happy enough with the content, but I would add that Cory seems to be a marketer who promotes stuff daily!

Kindle Pack
A Great basic guide to ensure you get set up correctly on Kindle itself, and some further study in the cheap oto Also the product that got me looking for more and more Kindle info

Vals Kindle Guide
This is the product I used when I started adding products to Kindle, and Val also did me a special offer page for my readers

Perfect Publishing System - (I’m awaiting affiliate approval – so in the mean time search the warrior forum if you don’t want to wait – Seems daft that after over 48 hours he hasn’t logged in to approve affiliates!!)
This one from Jonny Andrews was recommended by Geoff Shaw so I bought it… It’s more about how to make money rather than how to set up your ebooks etc. Also packed with info and videos to guide you through the process! – Highly recommended.

Kindle Publishing Kit
Another very useful offer – In this guide you get links to free software to help get the formatting right with kindle (Which also happened to be one of my biggest hurdles!!)

So there you have some of the kindle products I’ve bought and am happy to recommend. I wont try and tell you which to consider other than repeating that Geoff Shaws membership is what I’d consider to be the most complete and valuable, but some of the others have useful parts in their own right  like the Kindle Publishing Kit, so do check them out if you’re getting into Kindle, and grab what you feel will help you

And don’t forget to contact me if you buy Geoff’s one, As I seriously do want to have a chat to benefit us all

Moving On
Randy
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* New Cloaker News

OK – This has been a lengthy post with a lot of info about Amazon.
So I wont get into too much detail from here.
Re the new cloaker – all I will say is that after going through the comments and ideas given in reply to my last post.…..
Simon and I have been tweaking, testing and adding all sorts of extra features and facilities to the ‘extras’ that were already built in.

This has made the cloaker much more than just a link cloaker and tracker!!
We’ve wrapped it up now and encoded it ready for adding it as a product for sale – and just have the remainder of the sales copy and what it can do to write, along with some affiliate tools etc.

In the mean time – Here’s a link to a ‘HotPage’ I created in around a minute or so complete with header graphic title, links in boxes and footer etc. for those Amazon links I’ve recommended above.
Basically just showing off ONE of the amazing features the software has built in…….
Not forgeting to mention that this is the easiest software I’ve ever installed – with just ONE simple install file to upload and NO databases or database users to add and remember etc.!

So here’s the ‘hot page’ – Randys Recommended Amazon Kindle Links

Do take a look at the whole of the page, and remember – All I did was fill in some blanks and push a button!

More Soon…
Randy
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* Next Meet Up – Sat 4th Feb

Finally – Here are the details for our next meet up

1pm til around 5pm, Saturday 4th February 2012:
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

Venue:
The Oddfellows Arms
251 High Street,
Northallerton,
DL7 8DJ
Tel:    (01609) 773018

Chips and Sandwiches for our consumption.

There will be a charge of around £25 per person to cover the costs.
Any issue – give me a shout:
http://www.RandolfSmith.com/support
Or Skype – randolf.smith

Get your ticket booked here
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

You can find the dates etc. on the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/NorthallertonMarketingMeetup

Cheers
Randy
=====

* Sign Off

****As ever – only spend your ca$h on things that WILL help you
(Not the stuff that Might One Day!)****

Til next time
To You and Yours,

Here’s hoping you’re
Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing it on!

Warm Regards
Randy

In this Post
* Catch Up 
* Sunshine Award
* Coming Soon – New Cloaker with extras
* Next Meet Up – SATURDAY!
* Sign Off

=====

* Catch Up

Hi Everyone
Welcome to 2012
I hope it’s everythng you wish it to be.
So where do I start with my first post of the year?…. Well for one thing I wont sit here and details everything I got for Christmas or everything I bought for family and friends…lol
We had a great time and everyone loved everything they got… Myself included

We also had a great New Years Party and missed the morning of the new year completely…lol
So now it’s back to ‘work’ for everyone… some online some still juggling between a day job and their internet hopes, So thre last thing I’m going to do is start listing my hopes and goals for the coming year… They would hardly be relevant to you now would they?
What’s important is that you have a plan in place to get you to where you want to be a year from now. So I hope you’ve found the right info and have a good idea of what you need to do!
Whichever route to internet freedom you take – just remember to focus, stick at it, and only spend on the things that will help you get there

Meanwhile – I hope that my ‘Ramblings’ continue to provide useful tips and content to aid your personal journey
Speaking of which, that leads me nicely into my first post about me getting an award!

Yep – it’s all about me me me…lol
Seriously though, do check out the post below to see how this award actually helps a bunch more people. You see it’s an award given by readers of blogs to other bloggers who’ve helped them and probvide good content.
So the reader has obviously benefited or they wouldn’t pass on the award in the first place.
Those who then get nomiated befit from yet another backlink & traffic.
And those who visit get more people who have been recognised as good bloggers to gain more useful insights and tips from:)

Basically another viral form of generating traffic, links and goodwill… win win win all round!

So let me get into it and see if you all can benefit from my award

Chat soon
Randy
=====

* Sunshine Award

Here it is… My Sunshine Award

So what’s it all about?
Well firstly, There is no prize or trophy attached to the award,  :(  (though you can copy the cool graphic to use)
It is more about recognising bloggers whose positivity and creativity have inspired others in the blogging community. To be awarded the Sunshine Award from established bloggers that we hold in high regard really is an honour and to be publically recognised on their blog is a very much appreciated backlink…lol

So THANK YOU VERY MUCH Barry Wells for passing this along to me
(I did say on his blog that I’d throttle him for giving me yet more workload…haha – I was of course only Joking, as I do feel honoured to have been mentioned, and I seriously appreciate the link)

So what else is involved to make this interesting, possibly viral and pass on the gratitude for others who I hold in high regard?

The 3 Rules of the Award

There are 3 rules to the award which are:

1: To thank the person(s) that gave the award.

2: To Answer 10 questions.

3: Pass the award on to 10 deserving bloggers.

I have already thanked Barry for the award, but thanks again. It really does mean a lot to me, thank you
Now on to answer the Ten Questions, and in typical Randys Ramblings Style – there is no straight forward answer from me to many of them….haha

The 10 questions are:

 1. Favourite colour –  If I’m wearing it – Black (even though Black technically isn’t a colour), If it’s for a website, Blue. For Decor, warm reds. On Rachel, well anything really But I do like her in blacks and reds… so I guess it’s about the circumstances of use of the colour… lol
2. Favourite animal – Tiger, oh and Wolves too, but if I have to pick one a Tiger would be it (which also happens to be my Chinese year of birth)
3. Favourite number –  8 (also popular in the far east) but it has always been a number that featured in my life as a favourite since I had it on my Basket Ball strip way back in school!
  4. Favourite drink –  Quality Coffee or Vodka & Coke, well no one specified what type of drink?
5. Facebook or Twitter –  Facebook for me, as twitter doesn’t alow me to ramble past 140 characters… haha
  6. My passion –  EASY .. Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing that Passion on!
7. Giving or receiving gifts – Of course I like to receive, but you can’t beat seeing someone face light you when you give
  8. Favourite day –  Any that ends in a Y .. I love everyday of my life, and being an IMer, it doesn’t make a difference what day of the week it is when you’re free from the j.o.b.
    9. Favourite flower – I guess I’d say a Rose… That’s what I used to buy Rachel regularly before she educated me into replacing flowers with SHOES whenever I want to treat her just for being her!
10. Favourite food – A little more boring here… I love all sorts of nations foods, But given a free choice (without me having to cook it), I reckon I’d go for a full Sunday Dinner – Roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and Steamed Vegetables.

See – Told you, I don’t ramble as much on purpose… there really wasn’t a single straight answer in there! haha
And now for the harder part…. Not hard in picking people to pass the award to – just hard in limiting it to just ten!

10 Deserving Bloggers To Pass The Award To

I know I should give reasons etc. (judging by other peoples posts), But I know my rambling would end up making this an ebook…lol – So I’ll just give you their names and links.
As for descriptions – these are all people whom I’ve met online initially, some I’ve now met in person and even worked with, but all of them I now consider friends, and I always read their posts. Hence it’s easy to link to them as I know you’ll not be lead up any wrong paths if you visit and become another new friend
I’m not sure they’ll all join in and post about the award as some are very busy people these days… But in terms of learning from them – you wont go wrong with these guys and gals!

Barry Wells 

Sally Neill 

Dawn Kay 

Mandy Allen 

Daniel Sumner 

John Thornhill 

Keith Purkiss 

Dave Nicholson 

igor Griffiths 

Dee Ann Rice 

So that’s my list of people I’m passing the award to, They have ALL made more than one useful post, All great people and knowledgable in what they do, and what’s more – they bring Sunshine into their readers lives by adding quality info to their blogs.
I know some have already been awarded before and I suspect some wont have time to even acknowledge this award due to their continuing to have other more helpful posts to create and add. But I hope you do get chance to check them all out and let them know they’ve been mentioned

Phew – that lot took a while
Next is a quick mention of something coming soon (and a chance to get some money links in…haha)

Moving On
Randy
=====

* Coming Soon – New Cloaker with extras

Do you know what… I’ve just seen how long I’ve been typing away, So I think I’ll leave you in suspense a little longer … or should I?
OK – tell you what, I’ll show off a Small Part of a new cloaking tool I’ve helped develop.
(when I say helped – I obviously mean I have tested and tried to break it, and added a few suggestions… lol)

I’ve teamed up with Simon Phillips ( a very techy friend), To add even more functionality to an idea for making a professional link cloaker that doesn’t require ANY techy skills – NOT EVEN how to create a database!
Basically – we’ve been testing and tweaking it for a few months, though we still have to create a salespage etc.
BUT – here’s why I’m showing a small part of what it can do now….
It gives me a chance to have some affiliate links in this post… haha

On a serious note – it’s a chance to show off a useful feature that is all done for you once you have the software…
You get to be able to create what we call ‘Hot Pages’

These are pages that allow you to send a page to your lists or put it on your blog that shows all the products you recommend by date or category

So without further ado – check these to see some extreme examples of a push button page creation based on cloaked links from within the software.

My Products Page:
http://randolfsmith.com/recommendz/RandysProducts.php

You get to pick the background colour, header, and when you create your links you can add your ‘HotPage’ text which is what you see on the page.

Another example would be to show a page by category….
In This Case – ALL the products I’ve recently created links for, and with No Header Image This Time – just to show the flexibility
http://randolfsmith.com/recommendz/ALL.php

And this example will look a bit daft…. But imagine at the end of the month recapping on all the products you’ve checked out during the month…
You could then send out a link like:
http://randolfsmith.com/recommendz/Jan.php

To list all your Hot Links for January (or whatever the current month is)

NOTE The Different background colours, Headlines, header images or not etc. – and please forgive the extreme use of colour in my examples…lol

OK – That got a few links online for you to click through, so I’ll leave it at that for today, as I’ve just had Rachel on the phone needing me… so I’m off
Just a quick reminder of the meet up and then I’ll save the post and pop back later to upload it
(back and about to upload this… after being a Taxi for an hour!! – Don’t you just love working from home )

Randy
=====

* Next Meet Up – SATURDAY

Here are the details for our First Meet Up in 2012

1pm til around 5pm, Saturday 7th January 2012:
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

Venue:
The Oddfellows Arms
251 High Street,
Northallerton,
DL7 8DJ
Tel:    (01609) 773018

Chips and Sandwiches for our consumption.

There will be a charge of around £25 per person to cover the costs.
Any issue – give me a shout:
http://www.RandolfSmith.com/support
Or Skype – randolf.smith

Get your ticket booked here
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

You can find the dates etc. on the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/NorthallertonMarketingMeetup

Cheers
Randy
=====

* Sign Off

****As ever – only spend your ca$h on things that WILL help you
(Not the stuff that Might One Day!)****

Til next time
To You and Yours,

Here’s hoping you’re
Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing it on!

Warm Regards
Randy

In this Post
* Catch Up 
* What Holiday Movies Can Teach You About Your Business
* Next Meet Up – Next Year… only weeks away!
* Sign Off

=====

* Catch Up

Hi Everyone
And before I get too wrapped up in the time of year…
(And just in case I don’t get another post written)
Let me start by wishing ALL my readers…

A Very Happy
Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan.

Did I miss anyone? (if so I do apologise and hope you have a great holiday period too )
I would have just said Happy Holidays – But judging by facebook posts I would have upset and insulted so many people who seem to disagree that we should have freedom of choice of our beliefs!
So anyways, If you’re not insulted and leaving now – Have a great one!

Re catching up, I have updated RandysMoreMonthly with next months downloads, AND I will repeat the offer from last time I mentioned it for all those who might want to give it a try!
Join now and get ALL the monthly downloads with MRR, PLR etc. from when I started the site back in 2008!…. Which is far too many to list!!! But definitely in the THOUSANDS !
Just pay this months $14 and drop me a ticket to get access to the previous months /years worth
Enough said this isn’t a pitch post! (well other than a couple of cheeky links)

I have been trying to get some work done on a couple of sites, but it’s hardly worth mentioning now as I know they wont be ready before we’re all too focused on family and time at home
PLUS – Just about everyday has ben interrupted by either Shopping, wrapping, visiting, or some other related activity… and I can only forsee it getting more so between now and the new year!

I don’t know about the readers who still have to go to a day job… but for those of us who are full time online, it’s time to start thinking about shutting off for the holidays. I certainly can’t see me getting any solid work done for the rest of the year now….
That said - I am getting quite excited at seeing my family and friends eyes light up when they get to open their presents this year, I’m looking forward to eating too much and wasting hour upon hour watching movies and partying with friends, and I sincerely hope you are too!

So I though I’d have a post about some of my favourite movies and what you can learn from them for your business..
So without further ado, let’s introduce the post and give you an excuse to have some fun watching these movies over the holidays… whilst telling everyone it’s a business study!

Chat soon
Randy
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* What Holiday Movies Can Teach You About Your Business

OK – here’s the post that will allow you to tell people you’re watching them for Business Learning reasons
For the most part I’ve taken some PLR from:
Free PLR: What Holiday Movies can Teach YOU About Business  And just added a few lines of my own to it. Well it is great PLR and after reading it, I didn’t see the need to add too many changes…lol
I have been cheeky enough to make the images links to the products just in case… haha, But I’m almost sure most people will have seen these movies.
So What Can They Teach Us?

CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS: – RESPOND TO MARKET DEMANDS

“Christmas With the Kranks” is a slapstick comedy based on a book called “Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham.

The upshot is that the protagonists, Luther and Nora Krank (played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis), want to “skip” Christmas because their daughter is spending Christmas overseas in the Peace Corps. They plan to take all the money they save and go on a cruise. It’s a great plan, only they run into a few problems.
Their friends and neighbors object to their lack of Christmas spirit and heckle and bully them, attempting to force them to get back in line and get their jolly on.
They successfully resist… until they learn that their daughter is unexpectedly returning home for Christmas.

The Kranks have to scurry around in order to create Christmas at the last minute, borrowing Christmas trees, pulling together an eleventh-hour party and trying to woo back the neighbors the community they’ve alienated. Of course, all ends well once the Kranks respond to the external pressures and get back in line.

So, what do the Kranks teach business owners?
The main lesson is that you can make all the plans in the world, but sometimes you just need to respond to what your market wants.
Poor Luther and Nora don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. So they want to head in a different direction this year. What’s the big deal?
Well, the big deal is that the Kranks’ audience (neighbors and friends) like things just the way they are.
They don’t want the Kranks to change. They want things to stay the way they always have been – even if the Kranks have different ideas.

Think about trying to change something in your business – your website, your pricing structure, your offerings.
Even if you’re positive the changes are for the better, you can hit serious backlash because your customers like things a certain way.
They like knowing that the “buy” button is in red at the bottom of the page, or that your podcast comes out every Wednesday – not Tuesday, and certainly not Thursday.
If you mess with their routines, you may have to pay the price – just like the Kranks.
Now, this isn’t to say that you can’t ever make changes to your business.
It’s just a warning that you’d better make sure the risk is worth the reward, and that you’re not changing just for change’s sake.
Don’t mess with your customers’ Christmas.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY:- SERENDIPITY HAPPENS

Way back before Arnold was Governor of California, he starred in a Christmas caper called “Jingle All the Way.”
As workaholic Howard Langston, Arnie races all over town on Christmas Eve, in search of the blockbuster toy “Turbo Man,” which he promised his wife he’d pick up months before. Since it’s the only present on their son’s Christmas list, the need is dire.
In his quest to find the perfect toy, Howard fends off advances from a psycho mailman, a vengeful cop, and his lugubrious neighbor who’s bent on moving in on Howard’s wife, usurping his role as husband and father.
After hours of careening from store to store, Howard finds himself in the town’s annual holiday parade, dressed up as – you guessed it! – Turbo Man.
All ends well when his wife and son realize his heart is in the right place. Don’t you just love happy endings?

You may think there’s no lesson here for a business owner, but there are plenty.
We could talk about work-life balance, or the importance of keeping your commitments, but the main one to highlight is the role that serendipity plays in business.
Many successful business owners will tell you that the second they became crystal clear on their objectives, things just seemed to fall into place for them.
Sure, they faced some obstacles along the way, but somehow the person they needed to meet or the book they needed to read or the lesson they needed to learn fell into their path.

Preparation is a great thing, and it’s necessary for day-to-day success. It’s what gets us through the tough, repetitive and sometimes boring stuff. But often the big leaps forward in our business occur because of some force stronger than us that’s at work in the universe.

Consider this quote from renowned poet Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
Even if you aren’t the “woo-woo” type, it can pay to be open to seemingly miraculous coincidences and occurrences.
Some people consider these types of coincidences to be signs that you’re moving on the right path.
But whether you believe in the “great divine” or not, smart business owners will take advantage of any opportunities, regardless of source. And the more clear you are on your end goal, the more you’ll be able to recognize these opportunities.

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS: – THERE’S SOMEONE FOR EVERYONE

If you haven’t seen the original animated Grinch movie from 1966, you’ve likely seen the Jim Carrey version from 2000.
But if you missed that one, too, here’s the recap:

Green Grinch hates Christmas and hates the Whos, the sweet and lovable inhabitants of Whoville, who adore the holiday – but who have lost sight of the true meaning.
So Grinch, accompanied by his long-suffering canine companion, Max, steals all their presents and decorations so he can extract his revenge.

The twist: Aided by pure-of-heart and diminutive  Cindy Lou Who, the Whos celebrate the Christmas spirit, even without the wrappings, and the Grinch’s frozen heart melts. And in the Carrey version, he also finds true love with the sexiest Who of all, played by Christine Baranski.

It’s the updated version that brings us our lesson for today, and the lesson is this:
There’s really someone for everyone. If a grumpy, stinky, pants-less Grinch can capture the heart of the nubile Martha May Whovier, then out there, somewhere, there’s a customer base for you.
Go online and you can find plenty of proof of this belief.
There are people selling gun-shaped soap, frozen yogurt for dogs, and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans. If they can make it, you can, too.
Take these tips from the Grinch:
-Be absolutely clear on who you are. Don’t waffle. If you’re strange, revel in your strangeness. The more clearly you reveal yourself, the more easily you’ll appeal to your “tribe,” as Seth Godin calls it.
-Don’t apologize for who you are. If you’re a gun-toting survivalist, so be it. If you are a tattooed, be-ringed 60-something, go with it. Your customers don’t want someone who is embarrassed; they want to be led by someone who’s confident and embraces their different-ness.
-Come down from the mountain. It’s not until the Grinch leaves his hermit-like cave at the top of Mt. Crumpet and emerges into the “real world” that he finds acceptance and love. You need to be where the people are.
–File down your rough edges. “Authenticity” can be an excuse for bad behavior. There’s a difference between being transparent and honest, and being downright unpleasant and rude. Even at the end of the movie, the Grinch softens a bit – without losing his Grinch-ness.
If the Grinch can find love, you can, too.

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: – ALL GIFTS ARE TO BE HONORED

Even if you haven’t seen the animated special, you’ve probably heard the story or the song. But here’s a recap if you’re unaware:
The three Wise Men and the shepherds are heading to see the Baby Jesus, and the little drummer boy comes along for the ride.
He is embarrassed when he has no gift to offer the newborn Savior.
Finally, he learns that his only skill – playing his drum – is enough.

Maybe you’ve felt this way:
You take a skills assessment or strengths finder, or ask your friends and family what they turn to you for. The answers are less than stellar. Instead of being a powerhouse leader, or an inspiration, you come up as a great administrator, or… the Drummer Boy equivalent of today, a good listener.
What are you supposed to do if you’ve got mad skills as, say, a babysitter or folding paper airplanes? Can you possibly make a business out of that?

Well, the short answer is, yes, you can.  Whatever your skill, there is a market for it.
Follow these tips to make sure you find your business home:
1.    Don’t underestimate yourself. So you can imitate cartoon voices. Big deal. No one will pay for that…. Or will they? Sure they will! For presentation narration, video games, films… you name it. If you have an above-average skill, someone out there will pay for it. If you doubt this, go to Fiverr.com and take a look at the kind of things people are shelling out money for.
2.    Get yourself out there. Standing in the back of the crowd, quietly tapping on your drum, is not going to do anything for your popularity. You need to put yourself in front of people who can help (if you get nervous, just think back to the Little Drummer Boy. If he could approach Mary, the mother of Jesus, you can probably get up the courage to launch a podcast or website).
3.    Hone your craft. If your skill really is folding paper airplanes, then make yourself the very best paper airplane folder out there. If you are skilled at cleaning toilets, then keep your finger on the pulse of the toilet-cleaning industry and be a leader in that space. Just because you’re naturally gifted doesn’t mean you can coast; you must keep making yourself better and better.

When you have a gift, it is truly that – a present bestowed upon you. It is your responsibility to make the most of it and share it with others.

ELF: – ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS

Take a six-foot tall adopted elf named Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) who wants to find his birth father, make that father the prickly James Caan, and throw them together  in the midst of New York City and see what happens. Buddy wants a warm and cuddly family reunion; his father
Walter wants nothing more than to make this newfound son disappear, preferably with a pair of cement boots on him.
Ah, but this is Christmas, so not only does Buddy convince his new family that syrup tastes good on everything; he also wins the heart of his stepmother, half-brother, and the cynical Jovie, his new love. And yes, Walter eventually sees the light.

So business owners, here’s your business lesson from Buddy the Elf:

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing lout for all to hear.”
So… what if you’re not Santa? Buddy would tell you it doesn’t matter. Enthusiasm is catching.
No one is going to be more excited about your business, your product, your podcast, your class, your blog than you are.
Sometimes we feel a little hesitant to show our enthusiasm. It can be risky to show how much we care about something. But if we don’t show our passion, we’re not going to convince anyone else to follow or act on our recommendations.
Think about the last time you went out to eat. If the waiter or waitress gave a lackluster endorsement to the daily special, you likely took a pass.
But if she or he said, “I just tried it before my shift and it was delicious!” you’d be a little more likely to partake. Enthusiasm sells. Period.

Here are a few tips to make like Buddy the Elf without sounding like a used car salesman (or an escapee from the North Pole):
•    Be honest. Don’t sell or promote something you don’t believe in. It never works – people can tell, and you’ll damage your reputation.
•    Be yourself. You may be the understated type who isn’t going to jump out of a helicopter a la Richard Branson to promote your latest business venture. You don’t have to be! (One Richard Branson is enough for this world.) But do show your energy in a way that is natural for you.
•    Be realistic. If you promote every new thing that comes down the block, or have a new solution du jour, pretty soon no one is going to listen to you.

You don’t have to dress up in pointy shoes to get people to buy your new e-course. But hey… if the shoe fits… why not?

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: – NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF TRIBES

One of the most memorable Christmas movies of all time is Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring the incomparable Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It’s the ultimate feel-good movie, perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if their life holds meaning.
(And Definitely One of my personal Favourites!!!)

Here’s the lowdown: George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of collapse.
His small building and load company is on the verge of bankruptcy, the mean rich man in town is poised to swoop in, and though he has a house full of adorable kids and a gorgeous wife (Reed), there’s never enough money to go around.
George decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a fledgling angel, Clarence.
Clarence goes on to show George what his life would be like if he’d never existed, and the sight ain’t pretty.
By seeing all the people he’s touched, George realizes that he has created a strong network of love and support – he’s created a tribe.
And it’s this tribe that pulls together at the end of the movie to give back to George, helping him out of his current difficulties.

The lesson to you should be obvious:

Your tribe can, quite literally, save your life.
You should be building not only a viable business, but a community – one that supports and cares for each other.
If you’re just out to make a buck, don’t be surprised if no one leaps to defend you or lend you a helping hand when things go bad. And they will go bad
.
You can get “slapped” by Google. You can get your PayPal account frozen. You can get brought up on charges by the FTC. You can get hacked, robbed, or plagiarized. It happens.
(And long time readers will know it DID happen to me… But keep reading and this is also what happened due to my online friends)
But if you have friends like George’s, you’ll have a whole team of folks on your side.
But one thing to remember: George had friends he’d created just by being a good guy, doing the right thing at the right time, not worrying about what was in it for him.
He stood up for what was right and shook hand after hand, even when it cost him personally.
He didn’t build this community by selling junk or automating his Twitter feed or spamming everyone.
He did it the old fashioned way: By caring.
Some business techniques never go out of style.

===========

Well I hope you enjoyed the post, and do feel free to visit Nicole’s site if you’re looking for some good PLR too:
Free PLR: What Holiday Movies can Teach YOU About Business

Chat soon

Randy

P.S. DO COMMENT and let me know which is your Fav Movie for this time of year!

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* Next Meet Up – Next Year… only weeks away!

Just before you chill and get stuck into great food and great company – Don’t Forget to BOOK NOW for the meet up

Here are the details for  our First Meet Up in 2012

1pm til around 5pm, Saturday 7th January 2012:
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

Venue:
The Oddfellows Arms
251 High Street,
Northallerton,
DL7 8DJ
Tel:    (01609) 773018

Chips and Sandwiches for our consumption.

There will be a charge of around £25 per person to cover the costs.
Any issue – give me a shout:
http://www.RandolfSmith.com/support
Or Skype – randolf.smith

Get your ticket booked here
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

You can find the dates etc. on the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/NorthallertonMarketingMeetup

Cheers
Randy
=====

* Sign Off

****As ever – only spend your ca$h on things that WILL help you
(Not the stuff that Might One Day!)****

Til next time
To You and Yours,

Here’s hoping you’re
Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing it on!

Warm Regards
Randy

In this Post
* Catch Up 
* 7 Links Challenge – My Post
* Next Meet Up – Next Year… only weeks away!
* Sign Off

=====

* Catch Up

OK – Just a quick catch up today as I’m rushing around like a Blue Ar*ed Fly! ( I get that the phrase refers to a blue bottle fly… but how the heck does that relate to being busy?…lol)
Anyways, I’m posting today because I said I would participate in the popular “7 Links Challenge”, so you can read my entry below

Other than that I suddenly seem to have a lot on!
Sites that have vanished, new sites to build, 3 lots of copywriting to get sorted, videos to render, calls to make, software to test… the list seems suddenly endless…lol
That said – I much prefer to be too busy than have nothing to do

OH – and let’s not forget that we’re fast approaching the holiday season… (Before anyone rips me apart… there really is more happening at this time of year than just Christmas, and I fully believe in EVERYONES right to celebrate whatever they believe in – so as we live in a multi everything world, I chose to wish everyone a great December… not just the Christians) .. I hope that’s OK with you all (and if it’s not – then what sort of Christian are you? )
Sorry – not trying to get into a rant there – but ‘Some’ Christians do seem to go against their own teachings when it comes to loving thy neighbour!

So what’s been happening?
Well, as I mentioned I seem to have a lot on – too much to detail just now, but there are some great things in the planning and nearly ready stages to help a lot of people
This week’s been a rush around getting work done, adding in bits of shopping for Christmas and finally realizing that winter is definitely upon us… it’s getting flipping cold here! (and the snow is coming!!)
I know there’s still a few weeks left – but I’m already getting excited about giving out pressies at the end of the month. I guess that happens once you have them bought… I do love to see the smiles on faces when they get opened….  (clam down Randy… it’s not time yet…lol)

OK , ok – back to business for a little while
Actually – I don’t have anything I want to recommend this week (nothing I’ve preperly tested anyways), so I wont bother linking anywhere (tch – another post that doesn’t make me any commissions… haha) …. So I think I’ll just get on with the 7 link challenge and have some fun digging out posts to match the titles
I hope you enjoy them.

Chat soon
Randy
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* 7 Links Challenge – My Post
Have you heard about the 7 Links Challenge?

It seems to be something that has been around for a while and keeps getting passed on… So when Kathy Dobson asked if I would participate, I thought WHY NOT

Kathy was nominated by Barry Wells, who in turn was nominated by Adrienne Smith and so it goes on….
You can read all about it on this post where the rules are explained

Basically – I need to publish links to 7 posts on my blog:, 1 link for each category.

- Your most beautiful post
– Your most popular post
– Your most controversial post
– Your most helpful post
– A post whose success surprised you
– A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
– The post that you are most proud of

And then nominate 5 more bloggers to take part.

I hope you find something either useful – or a cool trip down memory lane… Maybe even something that reminds you of just how far you’ve come personally in your online adventures

So here we go:

Most Beautiful:
For this I’m going to cheat… I’m puting Two links:
In Memory Of Dad – some poems I wrote to remember my Dad on the anniversary of his death
And
R.I.P Agnes Smith – a short poem from the day my Mum died this year
Both obviously don’t have the same impact on my readers as they do for me…. But I wanted to take another opportunity to remember them… I’m starting to wonder if that was a good idea now – as I have tears in my eyes while I’m typing the rest of this!!
My satisfaction comes from knowing that they both knew I loved them before they passed on… and I sincerely hope that those whom YOU love – know it too! (nuff said)

Most Popular:
Warning – Guru’s Are Like Governments! – This post has had the most replies, it was part of another challenge which obviosuly helped in getting it seen. BUT, I also feel it still hold true ..in fact more so now than ever!  One line from that post summed it all up for me regarding Governments and Politicians … “No Matter Who You Vote For – The Government Always Win!’  lol

Most Controversial:
More Lies On Big Launches – Ouch… That one got me into trouble… IN FACT – I’ve not been promoted by any big names since. Apparently I got blacklisted by them!. I did receive several emails and facebook messages at the time warning me to remove that and another similar post… but I chose to ignore them and stick to my principals! Was it a good idea?.. who knows.. probably not – but then I still have a very clear conscience, and I still have big named friends who do still talk to me due to their own belief that these tactics are just plain wrong! (as a side note – I would recommend you steer away from being negative about the scammers until you can live off the money you make without requiring their help!)

Most Helpful:
Camtasia Competition & The Winners Are posts … Again I’ve added two links… But only to clarify that the competition is over!
I chose these posts because although they aren’t what would be expected… like a post showing how to do a certain task… I felt they were my most helpful for the basic reason that those who did win, most definitely benefited and have had some help on their journey by being able to put to use some software that they normally may not have been able to afford. Thereby giving them a real boost up the ladder of success! (I hope that was the case and that they are using the product they won)!!

Post Whose Success Surprised Me:
14 Fun Martketing Lessons – I was totally surprised at how many comments I got on this post, as it was really just a ‘quickie’ post I created from some funny pictures that had been emailed to me…You know – the sort we tend to get sent by our friends and family. I just wanted to put them online as I laughed a lot when looking at them – so I decided to see if there were any ‘Marketing lessons’ that I could associate with the images… and hey presto – a very popular post.. Still – it is nice to see that even marketers in the serious business of making moeny and building websites, can take a few minutes to have a laugh, and hey – even learn a few tips while in the process of being amused

Post that Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved:
Building A Simple Site – In this post I linked to a couple of videos I recorded to help my readers and subscribers. I get so many emails and messages asking for ‘how to’ instructions on getting sites up and adding paypal buttons etc., That I took over an hour of time recoding me creating a site live in order to show people exactly how to get it done. … the result – 3 comments!
I guess people would rather I made it a wso and sold the info – then they may have watched and learned something… haha

Post I’m Most Proud Of:
My Introduction – Yep – a silly choice I agree… but let me tell you why… I could have picked a good number of other posts… Ones that made me the most money, Ones where I have some guru or other big name praising me, Ones where I did some helpful video that did get watched and commented on or shared a fantastic tip that helped people… etc. etc.
BUT – I chose to go with my Introduction post as the one I’m most proud of BECAUSE …..
It was my first post on my first blog! –  It’s been edited and it even has weird text in it now as it’s been restored from backups after being hacked and re-edited etc…. BUT – it’s still the first post I made way back in january of 2007
I’m proud of it because ‘I TOOK ACTION’ and got the blog online…. And I am hoping by listing it here – that some of my readers will be motivated to Take Action and get their first blog post done..
After all – here I am nearly FIVE YEARS later – still rambling on and still loving life, thanks to the internet (and a lot of friends along the way). And yes – I still have my technical struggles, hit daily hurdles, have rubbish weeks and rubbish stats from some of my sites… But nevertheless, I make enough to not have to get up at a specific time, to be free to pop round to visit my grandkids and kids when I feel like it, to take days out as and when with Rachel … to live as free as a millionaire without being in the slightest bit close to being one!

So come on if you haven’t already.. get YOUR first post online and let’s see your recap in a few years time

OK – I hope you enjoyed those posts
And now for part two of the challenge… To pick on some friends and force them to participate by adding their names and links here…  MWU HAHA

Mandy Allen

Keith Purkiss

Dan Sumner

Dawn Kay

Igor Griffiths

Sorry guys… hehe (not really – you’ll have fun I’m sure)

If you talk to anyone on this list – do let them know they’ve been picked on… I mean nominated
Cheers

Chat soon

Randy
=====

* Next Meet Up – Next Year… only weeks away!

Here are the details for  our First Meet Up in 2012
The last was fun and we met a couple of new faces – who both said they got great value from attending
1pm til around 5pm, Saturday 7th January 2012:
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

Venue:
The Oddfellows Arms
251 High Street,
Northallerton,
DL7 8DJ
Tel:    (01609) 773018

Chips and Sandwiches for our consumption.

There will be a charge of around £25 per person to cover the costs.
Any issue – give me a shout:
http://www.RandolfSmith.com/support
Or Skype – randolf.smith

Get your ticket booked here
http://www.randysmith.co.uk/NorthallertonMeets/booking.html

You can find the dates etc. on the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/NorthallertonMarketingMeetup

Cheers
Randy
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****As ever – only spend your ca$h on things that WILL help you
(Not the stuff that Might One Day!)****

Til next time
To You and Yours,

Here’s hoping you’re
Loving Life, Living it with Passion, And Passing it on!

Warm Regards
Randy