This post is about what just happened with one of my models… but keep reading, ’cause it also explains some neat marketing stuff.

What does it say about the world we live in, when you do something nice for a friend, but they have a hard time trusting that there’s no catch?

I’ve been off the grid.  I’m supposed to be working on my book, but the people I’m spending time with have inspired me back to the business side of things. I’m a closet workaholic!

See that image below?  That’s what I’m working on.

A series of Photoshop and Photography DVDs.  I’ll post more about those very soon, this post is about Daniela. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a really information packed post about the processes, tools, and philosophies that I’ve learned about writing over the last few weeks.  I’m sure they’ll help you whether you’re writing a play, a novel, or a blog post. Please share this post, as it will help a lot of people overcome writer’s block, focus, be productive, and much more.

I admit that I often don’t know what day of the week it is. Couchsurfing takes me around to different people in many places, and I keep growing because of it.  Day of the week… not important most of the time.  But now that I’m actually working with a goal (remember:  Goals are dreams with a deadline) of writing my book, I am racing the clock.

The first lesson is probably the most important, and that is

Read the rest of this entry »

What to do if you don’t have plates or bowls to make soup in? Use glass cups of course, as they are microwave safe. .. What if they don’t fit in the microwave? Watch this, and have a laugh

Many more crazy moments from this trip…. editing it now!

They want to get inside

Yes, you’re sitting there blogging, or adding pictures to your site, when all of a sudden your entire website disappears.  Uhhh… Hello? What happened?  Time to call your admin (unless you’re the admin– in my case, I am), or your host.  What happened?

Well, it turns out that there’s been some phishing scams, spam bots, and a panda-porn site… all running from your account.  Who knew? Well,  your host did…. that’s why they shut you down.

Just the other day, I was uploading my podcasts for CouchSurfingRadio, when I screwed up, and had to go figure out which directory I accidentally uploaded the file to.  There was a new directory from that day!  I didn’t remember making a .files directory.  Worse than that, was when I looked inside, there were hundreds of .html files that were laced with keywords.. (They had filenames that were just filled with words that people look up– celebrity names, product names, etc…  and the inside of each was laced with the same thing… just spam keywords).

The file count was getting higher!  Someone was uploading while I watched.  I deleted all the files, and they kept coming.  I checked the folder permissions, and it was limited access to just me. What a nightmare, someone got in as me!  I did not want to have to get another refund on hacker domains, or go through getting my site re-activated!

I quickly changed my password.  They were still there.  They were getting in as me somehow. How can you avoid this happening to you? Read the rest of this entry »

A most Epic picture of me over a fiery death

My friend Elizabeth was writing that she’s not feeling very Epic.  That she had a blog post in her head, but it wasn’t coming out the way she wanted.  Sounded like she was being harsh on herself.

Most people would (and did) say “It’s ok… even writing about having nothing to say is saying something…” or “your observations are great, something that isn’t Epic for you, might be for someone else.”

My good friends can rely on me though to give a unique perspective, and Elizabeth has been relying on me to call her out on her excuses or bullshit.

So, when I read this cry for help, I had to put in my 4 cents.  So here it is, what I wrote in response to Elizabeth’s Post on not being Epic. (With italicized & colorful commentary for y’all):

you’ll listen, damnit!   ( Elizabeth said that despite that people would leave advice, she probably wouldn’t listen )
How to be epic: Read the rest of this entry »

ebook cover design is fun

I have to pay for gas, food, gadgets, and fun…  I’m often asked “How do you make money when you’re on the road?”  I’m a male stripper of course.  Actually… that would probably be way cooler.  No, I’ve been called “The most highly skilled hobo in history” because I do marketing (ad-writing, graphic design, analytics, ppc, seo, website design, printing, videography, video editing, motion graphic design, branding strategies, social media strategies, local-search submissions), Photography, consulting, and the occasional workshop, and public speaking.  What?? I get bored easily

One of the websites I just designed is BeWellWithSue.com, a blog about healthy living, practical raw lifestyle, and healthy cooking.  It belongs to Suzanne Thomas, who I”m couchsuring with right now in Austin, TX. A little “Internet Marketing 101″ – Sue wants to build up her mailing list, so she is offering an “Ethical Bribe” to get people to give her their contact information, so she can continue to market to them on similar topics. This is called Lead Generation, though it’s often called an “Opt-in”.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, and a good picture that represents a concept well is worth dollars too.  One of the things I do is design. Since I created her theme (the way the site looks), and header, and logo, it only seemed logical to have me create the Ebook cover.  The ebook is called “28 tips for a healthier, skinny you!”  I believe the title, because Suzanne is the one who helped me lose 28 pounds in 30 days.

A lot of people hire designers to create e-book covers, regular book covers, flyers, and much more… Design is actually simple, and with Photoshop (free 30 day trial of Photoshop available), you can do it yourself fairly quickly.

I recorded the entire process of how I created this ebook cover, and you can do it yourself, and save hundreds of dollars of hiring designers.  If nothing else, you can show your designer EXACTLY how you’d like your cover to look.

Since I explained what an opt-in is, an ethical bribe, and lead generation…. let me give another awesome example!

Get my free video on how to create a ebook cover of your own!  Just fill out the (opt-in) form below with your primary e-mail and your name, and I’ll send you the video!  I hate Spam, and so I solemnly swear not to give your information away, or even sell it. I’ll just send you notices when I have additional awesome new training videos (they don’t ALL make it to my  blog). Trust me, I know a lot of really cool stuff!

Then you’ll get a quick e-mail you have to click on, to prove that you’re you, and then you’re good to go! I’d love to know what you think of the video, and what other topics you’d like to see me explain.

Sick of stupid questions?

We’re all guilty of asking someone something that would take us less time to look up than it would to dial it. Sometimes though, being asked too many of those obvious questions can lead to frustration.
“When does that e-Book reader go on sale?”

“What does WYSIWYG stand for?”

“Where can I find a cheesecake recipe?”

Come on folks!  Just because a person is a know-it-all, doesn’t mean they have to be a tell-it-all.  And with that, I’d like to bring you my 1st Webcam test and screencap usage tutorial (I make these for people when I build websites for them…. but I haven’t tried it for a product review).  Please let me know what you think… if you like the format, if you like the tool, if you’d like to see more nifty tools (most of the ones I have are more productive, but this one’s fun), or if you have any tools you’d like to see reviewed or explained.  Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

Smoothies were common in my 30 day

Everyone keeps asking me how I lost 28 pounds in 30 days. It’s simple– I was on a 30 day raw diet, but there’s a few secrets I discovered.  One of them is to keep varying up the food, so you don’t get bored.  Another one is to have things that taste really good, so you enjoy them.  Craig Allen is the master of superfood smoothie making! As we caravaned across the country together, he always had his trusted blender by his side.

The following video is of the very last superfood smoothie I had from Craig!  It was in Yosemite National Park, the day after I went rock climbing with them. Read the rest of this entry »

My salad, Garlic, and 2 knives

This started with a salad, but can apply to anything in your life… and your business (which is in your life, but some people forget that).

I lost 25 pounds on a raw food diet. Since being off of it , I”ve been eating meat, bread, and coffee (well.. I drink the coffee).  I thought that from binging on all this food, I’d blow back up again.  When I weighted myself, I saw that I didn’t.  In fact, I’ve lost another 6 pounds.  This last 6 pounds is probably from lack of sleep, so… don’t try to emulate THAT diet just yet.  Seeing my weight at 184 (started at 215) messes with my head!  It makes me chop up a fresh salad, instead of cooking up those yummy burgers I bought!  I want a burger, but I make a fresh salad.  Last night, this scenario happened. Read the rest of this entry »

I caught a clam!

I like clam chowder… but I never knew where clams came from (I knew it was something water-related), and I didn’t even know that clam chowder was a potato based soup!  I learned a lot in Oregon!  Turns out that in Coos Bay, Oregon there’s plenty of clamming to be had… you just need a license, to know your (legal) limits, have a shovel, your own bucket, and if you’re smart (unlike me), then you bring some friggin boots to warm you up, and prevent hypothermia . Kat (the uber awesome lady I was staying with) introduced me to Marty Giles… a nature guide.  Marty has a business called Wave Crest Discoveries, where she’ll take you out clamming, kayaking, whale watching, etc….  I got to go clamming for the 1st time, and I videotaped it for you! Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone always wants to know, “What is Internet Marketing?” I broke it down to a few simple concepts that anyone can understand- enjoy the video: Read the rest of this entry »

Laughter has so many physical/mental benefits! I really had a lot of fun at Atlanta Creativity Exchange when I attended their Laughter Yoga. It’s apparently a big fad in India. I felt great after leaving this class. I recommend trying this! I taped/edited it, so you can try it yourself. Spread the word! Read the rest of this entry »

Those @!%ing greedy pigs at the record labels have pissed many other people off, but now they got me angry too.  Did you know that if you buy a song from Itunes, you can’t place it on your Zune, or other devices?  Just play it on your Ipod or your Itunes… on the computer you bought it on.  So, here’s what happened, and here’s what you can do about it: Read the rest of this entry »

Summary: Ori’s computer is in the shop, and his rental couldn’t keep up.. until he upgraded it. Having the laptop in the shop gave him a chance to recreate how he does his work. Check it out (especially if you wonder how Ori’s pictures are so darn colorful)

Read the rest of this entry »