I know that I haven’t exactly been active over here at M2BM, but I’m working to change that VERY soon!

In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to my newest blog project, LifeChangingTools.com! Over there, I deal with the aspects in life which help us all to become better, more efficient, more productive individuals. I’ve got a lot of ideas for the site - along with M2BM, of course - so please feel free to stop by often!

I haven’t posted in a looooooong time! If you’re out there and have been waiting for a new post, I apologize! Things have been quite busy for me over the last weeks. I will be back blogging regularly once I complete a new project that I’m currently working on. And of course I’ll tell you guys all about it.

It is literally becoming impossible to ignore the impact - and importance - that videos are having on the internet, and the world of internet marketing is no different!

Many of the “top dogs” of internet marketing have warned that 2007 will mark the year that online videos begin their real importance in making money online and driving traffic to your website. It’s the world of Web 2.0…and we need to realize that more now than ever.

I’ll give you a quick example of the real power of online video…but I’m going to move into another business entirely for this demonstration. It’s my OTHER love…the business of music.

You may not have heard of a band by the name of OK GO. Then again, maybe you have…even if you weren’t trying. That’s because the band became a study in the digital age - whether it was intentional or not.

A number of months ago, the band released a video that became so popular on the web that the band watched their latest album sales (which had been released about a year earlier) begin to climb, and climb, and CLIMB. According to the sales tracking website HitsDailyDouble:

Featuring the band performing a synchronized treadmill routine in a gym, “Here It Goes Again,” a track from the band’s Oh No album, released almost a year ago, the video has been viewed a staggering 2 million times on YouTube, earning monthly honors as Most Viewed, Top Favorites and Most Discussed Music Video, as well as #10 Most Linked All Time and #25 Most Viewed Music Video of all time on the popular site. Technorati has rated the video as one of the most popular linked by blogs.

Capitol Records President Andy Slater got off the treadmill long enough to state: “OK Go’s current success is a grass-roots phenomenon of the digital age. It is the product of long-term artist development for a credible, smart band that is connecting with fans the old-fashioned way through non-stop touring, and the new-fashioned way—through clever, trailblazing use of new media. Now, if only I could master the moves, I’d submit my own video to YouTube.”

Have you seen the video? If not, check it out right here…it’s for the song “Here It Goes Again”:

After the success of this video online, the band recognized that viral videos cannot be underestimated. So they stayed with what works, and just released another video - for another song - on the same album. Notice any similarities?

And to add one more “piece to the puzzle”…the video above, for the song “Do What You Want”, was actually the SECOND video for the song. The first video can be seen below. You’ll notice, while it’s a well-done video, it was missing a certain “formula” that brought them the success of “Here It Goes Again”.

So why am I bringing music into this discussion? What does OK GO have to do with your internet marketing business? Think about it…If a video can drive ALBUM SALES, just imagine what they can do for driving traffic to your website.

If you want to compete in any business, you have to be willing to adjust and adapt to current trends and technology. Online video IS where the success is at in 2007. Do what you can to make sure you take advantage of it.

You may have read about the 2000 Bloggers Project a few days ago on this blog. I was thrilled to be a part of something so inventive, and it was with great sadness that I learned of its demise yesterday.

It seems that Technorati hated the whole thing. They viewed the project as a massive “chain letter” and were contemplating banning any blogs that were involved in the collage. I still don’t know how I feel about their stance…I can see both sides of the coin.

On one hand, the project had become a massive “link dump” which was really generating backlinks to other 2000 Bloggers image maps. It was becoming a “cycle” with no real value behind the links, other than the exposure and backlinks.

However, on the other hand, I’m inclined to think - “WHO CARES?!?” The nature of the internet is such that things are constantly changing. I understand the value of backlinks…I really do. They should really be earned….not simply “given”. That is what creates QUALITY. But for most bloggers, it’s not about the pagerank…it’s more about the traffic. It’s more about “being part of something new, big, and different”.

The problem was that Tino (the guy who started the whole thing) never intended the code to be spread onto other sites…but it happened. People (myself included) wanted to contribute to the viral success of the photo collage, and reap the benefits of any backlinks and Technorati links.

I really do see both sides of the coin….and I’m really not sure where I fall on the opinion side of the issue.

But, out of respect for those who agree with Technorati’s position on the matter, I am removing the 2000 Bloggers page that I posted on Money2BMade a few days ago. I have chosen NOT to opt out of the project, but I do respect those who have. Therefore, I will not be another “branch” of this project, displaying the face collage on my website.

I’m extremely interested to see what implications this whole situation has on Technorati rankings, backlinks, and traffic in general to this website. I’ll keep everyone posted!

Sometimes you don’t actually have to OBTAIN money in order to MAKE money.

I’m serious! There are a number of ways that you can actually make money indirectly…both online AND off. This list will help you to identify some of these overlooked ways to make money, and hopefully will make you some money in the process! Indirectly, that is.

1. Pay off your debt (especially credit cards).

It’s hard to imagine, because most people don’t see paying off credit cards as actually making money. But in reality, it is exactly what you’re doing.

You see, at the moment, you’re in a “contract” of sorts with your credit card company. You’ve agreed to pay a certain percentage of your balance to the company over time, in exchange for the loan they have extended to you. But what so many people don’t realize is that this extra interest is simply more money leaving your pocket - for no good reason.

Let’s use an example.

If you had a credit card with a $1000 balance, at an interest rate of 15%…
…and you decided to pay off the credit card with minimum monthly payments, you would pay a total of $1,546.35. That’s $546.35 in INTEREST ALONE! (Source: http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/debtplanner/debtplanner.jsp - an AWESOME resource, by the way!)
But what if you were able to pay off that balance today? Of course, you’d pay…$1000.00! You, my friend, have just made yourself $546.35. Sure, it was indirect…but you were in contract to pay that amount to the creditor, and were able to get out of paying it!! You need to understand the power of that! You are literally making yourself over $500 by paying off your credit cards TODAY. Of course, then there is the question of how to pay the credit card off today…but that’s for another day, another time! I just wanted to point out this incredible fact to you today, so that maybe you’ll think differently about all that credit card debt!

2. Speak at an event.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Obvious Expert”. If you haven’t, an entire book has been written about the topic. In a nutshell, anyone can market his or herself as “the” expert to consult on any given subject, with a number of awesome techniques.

One such tactic is public speaking. If you can obtain speakers positions…that is, UNPAID speaker positions…on the subject of your choice, you are quickly defined to be the “Obvious Expert” by everyone in the audience.

When you go to an event and listen to a speaker, you are automatically ready to accept that person as an “expert” on the topic to which he or she is speaking. You can turn that psychological fact into a real long-term moneymaker.

3. Blog Your Heart Out! - That’s right! Bloggers have the power to make money indirectly…with every new post. That’s because - if done correctly - traffic = money!

When you have a blog, you are basically a new-content generator for the internet. You are (hopefully) contributing some important advice, news, tips, or the like to your loyal readers. What you are reading right now is an example of the power of blogging. Hopefully you are enjoying this article, and are finding it useful in some way. My hope - as an internet entrepreneur - is that I can assist you in discovering new ways to make money online, and in return that you will come to trust my advice. In the future, when I offer some information products for sale, you may be more likely to purchase the info product from somebody you trust and are familiar with.

This is what I mean by making money indirectly through blogging. If you can offer useful information to your readers and develop a real relationship with them, you will be more likely to record future sales with these readers…and make your money when that time comes.

As you can see, there really are many ways to make money indirectly. If you are willing to put the work in now, you will reap the rewards in the future. I have a number of other ideas for making money in this manner, which I think you will really find intereting…but that is for another day.

If you’re active in the blogosphere, I’m sure you’ve heard about this little project from a guy named Tino Buntic. He recently started something called “2000 Bloggers“, which is a simple - albeit ingenious - idea which displays the faces of 2000 bloggers of all “types” on one page.

UPDATE: I’ve included the full 2000 Bloggers project on my site on a special page. Check it out right here!

Imagine my shock - and I do mean SHOCK - to find that my ugly mug was actually used as part of this project, with a link to Money2BMade! I never requested to be on the list…I just ended up on there somehow! Trust me, I’m flattered…it just is amazing how I ended up on the list in the first place! I’m a little confused, and really excited!

I guess it’s just a testament to getting your name “out there”. I’m an extremely small blogger in a sea of MILLIONS, so I can’t believe that I actually was chosen. I’m noticing some traffic from other blogs which have the 2000 bloggers featured on there…and even some from Technorati. If you came here to read more about the 2000 Bloggers story, please feel free to leave a comment with a link to your site!

You may or may not have heard the term “Google Bombing” in the past. It refers to the action of internet users to associate a search result with a particular keyword or phrase.

The most infamous “Google Bomb” was when one typed “miserable failure” into Google’s search engine. The resulting #1 search result? George W. Bush.

Now whether you are on the President’s side of the political spectrum or not, this may still seem a bit humorous. But there is a large problem associated with this “phenomenon”. Such a search result is not exactly of a “quality” nature. Still…this little fact was not lost on a number of internet marketers…SEO “experts” in particular.

In fact, an incredible multimedia ebook was recently released by a man named Harald Anderson, called “Feed the Spiders“. I had never heard of the author until someone turned me onto his ebook, and I was blown away by the content. Harald discussed this Google phenomenon in depth in the book, which I highly recommend you go grab (it’s free!). BUT, before you do…

You should know that Google has just FIXED this little “problem”. According to the New York Times, Google has officially changed its “analysis of the link structure of the web”:

Google announced on Thursday on its official blog that “by improving our analysis of the link structure of the Web” such mischief would instead “typically return commentary, discussions, and articles” about the tactic itself.

How this change will affect us all in the future remains to be seen, but I’d keep my eye out for it. And if you’d like a whole different perspective on search engines in general, I still highly recommend checking out The Ultimate SuperTip. It’s free as well, and will open your eyes!

Whenever I find a great website, with the potential to actually help you make money, I like to share it with my readers. Today, I’ve discovered a site which will help you make money through increased productivity. AND…you get something free every day.

The site is called Giveaway of the Day, and is an awesome resource for finding great software tools - which actually cost money - and can be downloaded for free…for one day only!

The site itself is a great concept. It is its own traffic magnet. They know that a lot of their visitors will come back the next day to download the next free giveaway. And of course, like any real “quality” site, there’s something in it for you!

You’ll be able to see what the Giveaway of the Day is - every day - on the right side of this blog. Just find the section that looks like this:

It’s updated each day, and you can access your free download right away from Money2BMade.com! Now, back to what I was doing before this website got my attention…

Being a college student, I use RateMyProfessors.com a lot. It’s an awesome website which lets users post reviews of college professors, as well as read others’ reviews of professors. Before registering for a class, anyone can check out the overall “consensus” opinion of almost any professor at their school.

The perfect example of a user-generated content - aka “Web 2.0″ - website, which has taken the internet by storm.

It was recently announced that RateMyProfessors.com was purchased by MTV Networks, adding another aquisition of a Web 2.0 site to the growing list. If nothing else, this should encourage anyone to pay attention to (and implement) the Web 2.0 technology in their websites and promotion.

I’m sure you wouln’t mind being bought out by a company like MTV or Google, right?

Here's my latest article! As always, please feel free to reprint it, unaltered. Let me know what you think about the article, especially if you choose to reprint it anywhere! Thanks so much!
There’s something amazing about the rise of information products on the internet. We have become content to simply shell out our hard-earned cash in return for something we can’t hold or touch.

It’s not delivered to our door. We don’t sign for any packages. Nothing! We simply hit the “Pay Now” button, and within seconds we have our purchase in our email inbox. It really is amazing.

But of course, there are positive aspects of this exchange. Obviously we’ve decided that the “pluses” outweigh the “minuses” in this game of information buying on the internet. That’s why it has become so popular.

But there still is one major issue with purchasing information products online. It’s an issue that nobody has addressed effectively, yet there has been no real public outcry about its absence.

In the “real world”, we have groups like Consumer Reports to help us make smart purchasing decisions. Before we buy a product, we turn to such groups to learn which products are the “real deal” and which are just wastes of money. But why hasn’t there been an outcry for such a group online? For now, let’s learn how to spot a “quality” product from a “flop”.

Before you purchase an information product or a new piece of software online…

1. Pay attention to reputation – If you’ve just heard about the latest “amazing” ebook, hot off the presses, immediately ask yourself: “Who is the author?” If you’ve never heard of the author, be wary of his or her expertise. Search the author’s name on Google. Visit his or her other websites. Is this the author’s first ebook? What is the author’s reputation? These are just some of the questions that you’ll want to ask yourself before hitting that “Pay Now” button!

2. Seek out the advice of peers – Visit the Forums in your particular niche. Most forums have a section where you can seek out advice from other people who may have purchased this new ebook. Ask them what they thought of the product. Was it worth the money? Is it good for beginners? Just don’t ask them to “summarize” the book for you. They paid good money for the information, so you’ll have to do the same to learn the in-depth details of the book. Hey…you can even ask opinions on the author him/herself! Make use of these resources – they are invaluable.

3. Be wary of falling into the “hype” products – Maybe you’ve been itching to sign up this great new membership site because it’s “all the rage”. Sometimes, info products that are “hot” are not exactly “quality”. I’ve purchased products based on popularity alone, only to find the markets flooded with people who purchased the same book and is using the same techniques taught by the author. When this happens, the information inside becomes practically useless. Of course this is not always the case, but always beware of the “hot” new product, especially if everyone seems to be promoting it!

4. Seek out unsolicited, unbiased reviews of the product – Again, this can be extremely difficult to achieve. There are very few resources, with the exception of a brand new service called RatingsHub, where you can find such unbiased, user-submitted reviews. When you do find a review for a product, try to determine if the reviewer has any “interest” in reviewing the product. If a “review” contains ANY affiliate links inside it, you can simply consider it flawed. The reviewer may be trying to sway your opinion in order to get you to purchase the product through his or her affiliate link, therefore making them money. Always seek out unbiased, user-submitted reviews.

If you take these simple steps before purchasing another information product, you can ensure that every purchase you make is a smart one, and that you never hit that “Pay Now” button…only to “Regret Later”!

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Brett Laffin is an internet entrepreneur and is currently working with David Vallieres on a brand new website called RatingsHub. At RatingsHub, you can read user-submitted reviews of many information products available online, with no affiliate links, advertisements, or other distractions! Read the reviews, or write one of your own! Check out RatingsHub at http://www.money2bmade.com/reviews