Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
This is so cool. I bought my first LED house light this afternoon.
I had a small Home Depot list going on, so I thought I would do a little shopping today. This morning, I told Laura that I was going to head up the Glastonbury to get some stuff and she informed me that the night light bulb went bad last night. We like to have a night light in the hallway to avoid falling down the stairs when it’s dark. I put that on my list and off I went.
I knew that an LED bulb was the way to go, especially for this application. Since the night light is so far away from us when we are sleeping, the light the bulb gives off doesn’t need to be necessarily “pretty.” I think LED bulbs have a long way to go in that department.
The only thing I was concerned about was whether or not the Depot had any LED night light bulbs.
When I got to the store and the bulb area, I didn’t see any of the bulbs I was interested in. I actually had a 4-pack of the regular incandescent bulbs in my hand and was ready to stand up to put them in the cart, when I saw the little LED bulbs to my right. I think the 4-pack of incandescent bulbs were $3 and change and the 2-pack of LED bulbs were about the same. When I read that the incandescent bulbs had a life of 3,000 hours each and the LED bulbs had a life of 50,000 each, the decision was a no-brainer.
The really cool thing is that each bulb only costs $.25 cents per year to use. Now, you please tell me if that’s a good deal or not. I have absolutely no idea how much it costs to run a night light. I am sure there are some hours involved here because people don’t really keep night lights on all day long. Either way, $.25 sounded good, even if it was creative marketing.
Here are some photos of the LED night light bulbs.
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Eternalite LED bulb package
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Three LEDs in the LED bulb
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LED night light giving off blue light
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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
I have been sitting back for some time now, watching and listening to people’s opinions of Facebook. They are wide and varied, but lately, I have been hearing some grumbling. I have heard it from friends and I even heard it on the radio this morning. That’s what prompted me to write today.
For those of you who don’t know what Facebook is, it’s a social networking tool intended to connect you with anyone and everyone from your past, present and future. It’s pretty powerful and pretty awful at the same time.
I am going to give you my experience with this website and let you draw your own conclusions.
A few months ago, I opened a Facebook account. I did this with the intention of placing my blog link on the “Info” page, to drive visitors. You know me, I am always trying to hook new readers. At the time, I had been reading so many articles online about the value of marketing your website, business or service on these social networking websites. I really didn’t think it was a bad idea. Now, being a few months later, I am seeing the value of it, but the good comes with the bad.
A few weeks after opening the account, I began getting friend requests. The friend requests were from people that I completely forgot about in my life. They were from all sorts of nooks and crannies…you know, like from that classmate who moved out of town during nursery school. It was remarkable. I started making friends. As time went on, and I made more and more friends, I started reading these little messages that my new friends would type in their profile. It went something like this – “John Doe’s is rubbing his foot” and “Jane Sue smells something weird in her apartment.” It was cute in the beginning, but then as time went on, I started feeling a little strange about reading things from people who I really didn’t know. I began to realize that I might be going down the wrong path by knowing too much about the guy who moved away when I was three years old. First, it was getting annoying and second, it was a little creepy.
I decided to take action. I logged into my Facebook account one night and decided to delete about 25 of my “friends.” I got rid of the people who I didn’t care for all that much, or never actually talked to in the first place. It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest. My life went on.
A few days later I started complaining to a good friend that I was beginning to feel uneasy about the whole Facebook experience. I knew that I was merely trying to market my websites and that I needed to “network” and gain “friends,” but the little voice in the back of my head started telling me that this whole experience was more difficult on the mind than it was worth.
Let me give you some background about my personality – I like to maintain a low profile. You might think that’s amusing because I write so much on this blog. You might ask, “Jay, if you like to keep a low profile, why do you put yourself out there so much?” I would answer, “Because I like you guys. I also get to choose what goes on here and there isn’t much that I don’t have control over.” Also, if there is someone reading this blog that I’m not necessarily fond of, I don’t know it. If I don’t know it, I don’t care about it.” You see, with Facebook, everyone is right in my face and I don’t like that.
I am fairly satisfied with where I have come in life. I’ll admit that when I re-connect with people who I sat next to in my elementary school lunchroom, it brings me back to the not-so-comfortable days of my existence. I’m sure we’ve all had them. It’s when the white milk cost five cents and the chocolate cost six. Those days were strange and hard to remember, but one thing is for sure, I don’t really want to relive them. One of the things Facebook is really good at is offering you the chance to relive your whole past. Since much of our experiences have to do with old friends and acquaintances, Facebook puts your past front and center.
If there is one thing I like about where I am now is that I put myself here. If I wanted to be back where I used to be, I would put myself there. Since I haven’t, I think I am saying something. I don’t want to relive my past. I would actually like to move on from it and never look back. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great childhood and met many fantastic people along the way, but I think there comes a time in life to move on from those relationships to form new ones. It’s called being mentally healthy. Maybe we should call it the “shedding of time.” It’s been going on for thousands of years and for it to stop now is wrong, in my opinion.
If you are a member of Facebook, you might have had some of the same thoughts. They might not be as prevalent as mine, because I am quite sensitive about these types of things, but they may have popped up from time to time. Admit it…you have winced at the computer screen at least once while seeing someone’s name pop up asking you to be their friend. You may have been tempted to write back telling them that, “No, you don’t wish to become their friend because you were actually hoping to never hear from them again. But thank you for the offer.”
For the past few weeks, I have been threatening to delete my Facebook account. I think it might be time for that to become reality. By dumping this reminder of my entire history, I can move on the way I had been for so many years. I mean seriously, if I wanted to be reminded of my life while growing up, I would go put an offer on the house I grew up in, buy it, put down some shaggy green carpet in my old bedroom and live like I had for 22 years. I think you’ll agree, that’s just not cool.
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Friday, February 6th, 2009
A while ago, I developed an aversion to eating eggs that were brought to us by cramped, hormone filled and overly lit hens. I don’t know, it’s just a personal thing, I guess.
It used to be tough to find “free range, vegetarian fed, organic” hen eggs up until a few years ago. Something must have changed, because they seem to be all over the place now. I think I am not alone in my aversion any more.
We usually purchase two dozen eggs when we visit Costco up in Enfield, CT. I forget what brand we get, but it’s a two-pack and says all the stuff I want to see on the cartons (the stuff I mentioned above). Now, if you have ever shopped at Costco, you know that inventory changes quite radically. What you find one day, you may never find again. That was the case yesterday.
When we arrived at Costco’s egg section, I was disappointed to find no more two-packs. All I could find were a whole load of 18-egg cartons that said “Certified Humane – Raised & Handled.” They were being sold under the Kirkland brand (Costco).
Certified Humane - Raised and Handled
I called over to my lady and said, “Hey cutie pie, what does this “Certified Humane” mean? Is it what I think it is or is it just another sneaky marketing fabrication? She didn’t know, so we made a leap of faith. We bought 36 eggs with a promise that we would research the topic.
I am happy to report that we purchased eggs that were not offered up by abused and tortured hens. I found a press release on the “Certified Humane” label this morning. Check it out.
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Saturday, December 6th, 2008
This evening, I received an invite from my uncle to stop by his blog and join Google Friend Connect. I didn’t know what the heck that was, so I took a little trip over to his blog to find out.
What did I say to myself when I landed on his page? “Hey look, it’s those cool little pictures of people.” I have seen them around, but the ones that I saw were run by Yahoo! and right now, Yahoo! isn’t my favorite provider of things on the web. They do a fine job with many things, but others do finer jobs, if you know what I mean. Either way, I always wanted to add those neat little photos to my blog.
Okay, what I am talking about is this; Google just launched a service call “Friend Connect.” It’s kind of like a social networking widget type thing that you can add to your site. People can sign up and join your website (right through the widget), and when they do, their photo and information shows up. Also included are links to their favorite sites. I think this is a marvelous little invention, so I hooked it up on my blog.
Why is this cool? Because when a user’s photo is shown on a website, people might click on that user’s photo, especially if they are hot (eh hem). When they click, all of that user’s favorite websites will show. When the sites are displayed, someone may be inclined to click one or two of them. “Oh, now I see.” says you.
Basically, it’s another viral marketing technique. I know when to jump on these things.
Currently, I have two people signed up on my blog. Myself and my uncle. That’s pretty pitiful, so would you kindly sign up? That would make me happy. It’s over there to the right.
By the way, I almost forgot to mention, you can sign up under your Google account, Yahoo account, AIM account or OpenID account.
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Saturday, November 15th, 2008
I thought I would write a quick post about something I experienced yesterday. Actually, I have experienced this quite a bit, but never had any sort of motivation to write about it.
A friend of mine has been getting some video work done for one of his websites. He is having a few videos produced for an attempt at some viral marketing (which, by the way is my new forte). This is a new for most, but not so new for many, area of marketing for pretty much anything. I guess you could say that Barack Obama had some success with it. For those unfamiliar with viral marketing, it’s easily described as “word of mouth” or “buzz.”
Whatever. This post isn’t about viral marketing. It’s about a company I contacted to have some video work done for some of my sites.
I have an idea for some video. It’s basically the same idea my friend had. Since I don’t do video in house, I decided to do a little research and contact a few people to feel out the scene. The first organization I contacted hasn’t written back yet. Okay, forget them. The second company did write back, and this is where it gets annoying.
ME: Hi, I would like to discuss some video production for a few of my websites. One of them can be seen here – ****. Please contact me so we can discuss further. Thank you. Jay
THEM: Hi Jay. Please let me know what you were looking for so I can tell you if we can do it. Also, what’s your budget?
There are a few issues here.
What do you mean, “If we can do it?” Your website had about 30 sample videos on it. I know there are many different roads one can travel down in the video arena, but as far as business goes, don’t you think it would be a wise idea to hear a potential customer’s ideas before showing your lack of confidence?
Actually, that’s not even the part that bothered me. That part happened to creep up on me as I was writing.
The part the bugged me was this line – “What’s your budget?”
That ticks me off. Now, if you know me, you know that I don’t get ticked off easily (haha). Also, I am really sorry for venting on this poor fool about this whole topic, because I have brewed about this many times in the past.
Let’s look at a pro and a con of the question, “What’s your budget?”
The pro is that the business providing the service can immediately identify an individual without the resources for the project. If someone wrote back, “My budget is $25,” then the company knows to cut off all communication, or at the very least, write back something along the lines of their services costing a wee bit more than that.
Here is the con. If we translate the question and look at its actual meaning, we can see that the company is actually asking, “How much do you have to spend?” Some companies seriously are screening out the people with no money. Others are simply trying to squeeze you. No one I know would actually tell a service provider how much they are looking to spend…well, besides me. I’m that guy who low balls and looks for a fight.
“Umm, yes, sure, my name is Jay and I have allocated $300,000 for our video production endeavor.” This makes for an interesting email exchange. I am sure the guy is thinking something like, “Gee Jay, we only charge $100 per video, but for you, I would say $50,000 per.”
Why on earth would I throw a random number at a company before even knowing a cost range for their services?
I know, I am beating a dead horse here.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Jay G writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of AutoLeeg, a popular used cars for sale website.
Buying And Selling Cars with Ease
Whether you are buying a car or selling one, you know how frustrating it can be. You need to find a buyer or a car quickly, but there are so many marketing options available. Which ones are the most effective? How can you be sure you are getting a good deal or selling your car for what it is truly worth?
Choosing the Right Car
For those who are buying cars, the first step in finding the right car is to decide the type of vehicle you want. You can spend hours scouring resources full of used cars for sale, but if you do not know what you want or need, you are going to struggle to find the right vehicle. First, make sure that you find a vehicle with enough space for your regular passengers. This does not just mean enough seats. Many of the vehicles with three rows of seats have very little legroom in the rear, so if you are transporting adults on a regular basis, your passengers will not fit, even though there is a seat for them.
Next, consider the amount of trunk or storage space you need. Will you be using the vehicle for vacations, or just for driving to and from work? Also, make sure you consider the gas mileage on the vehicle. With the ever increasing cost of gas, you need a vehicle that is as fuel efficient as possible.
Once you have an idea in mind as to the type of vehicle you want to buy, consider visiting an automotive dealership that has used cars for sale and test driving a few. This will give you a chance to check out the actual space inside the vehicle, get a feel for the engine, and see how comfortable the controls feel. Narrow down your search after visiting the dealership before you begin searching auto classifieds for a vehicle. However, be sure that you do not buy on this first visit. Car dealers can be pushy and make you feel like the deal they are offering is the best possible deal you will find, so you need to be tough to avoid this pressure. You will want to take time to search on your own for the truly best deal.
Sources for Used Cars
You can find the right car through a dealership, by shopping online, or through a private seller. The route you take depends on your preferences and the asking price of the vehicle. You can find cars for sale from private parties, in newspaper and magazine classifieds or by shopping online. Most people find that the Internet allows them to comparison shop and get a better price on the car they want to buy. Shopping online also helps buyers see a larger selection of autos, since they are limited to the inventory on hand when shopping at a dealership. Most dealerships also register with online classifieds, making the Internet the most convenient place to begin when buying a used car. There are many online automotive classifieds that are great tools to use when shopping for a used vehicle.
Financing Your Purchase
You can finance your purchase through a lender whether you purchase from a private party or a dealership. The best way to ensure that you get the car you really want is to get pre-approved for financing before you begin actively shopping. This will, of course, require that you have a car in mind so that you know the approximate amount of money that you need. Once you have chosen a vehicle and know the price, approach a lender and apply for a car loan. Once you are approved, you will be given a pre-approval notice that you can show a seller if you are ready to make a purchase. If other buyers who do not have pre-approval are interested in the vehicle, the seller will be more likely to choose you because you have the money ready to go.
How to Determine a Car’s Value
Whether you are buying or selling cars, you need a way to determine the value of the vehicle. You can use many tools to help you set determine the value of a particular vehicle. One way to do this is to look in automotive classifieds to see what the asking price of similar vehicles is. Of course, you have no way of knowing based on classifieds alone whether or not the price a particular seller is asking is too high, but this can give you a general feel for the current market.
One tool you will want to use when determining the value of a vehicle is Kelley Blue Book. This guide, which is available online, allows you to see the average listing or selling price of a vehicle that is the same make, model, year, and condition as the vehicle you are either buying or selling. Keep in mind that Kelley Blue Book is a national guide, so the fair price in your location may be slightly lower or higher than the Blue Book value. The bottom line about the value of a car is that it is worth what the buyers in the market are willing to pay. If you are selling a car and have it priced just below Blue Book value, yet no one is willing to pay that, you have the car priced too high for your market.
How to Advertise a Used Car for Sale
Sellers have basically three options to use to advertise their cars. The first is to place a sign in the window and drive the car around town or park it in a visible location. The second option is to advertise in paper classifieds, such as automotive publications or the local newspaper. This can be an effective way to sell a vehicle, but it can also be quite pricey. The third option is the use online classifieds.
Sellers can benefit greatly from using the Internet to help them sell their cars. Just as shopping online provides the buyer with more cars to choose from, selling online provides a wider customer base. There are many free and low cost automotive classifieds websites that advertise used cars for sale. This makes the marketing simple, as the owners of the classifieds sites will promote their sites and draw in the buyers. All the buyer has to do is set the price, submit the information, and then sit back and wait for the vehicle to sell.
Finalizing the Sale
Whether you are a buyer or a seller, finalizing the sale of a used car is basically the same. Once the buyer and seller have agreed to a selling price, the buyer will present the money, usually in the form of a check, to the seller. The seller will then sign the title over to the buyer. At this point, the vehicle is considered sold, and the buyer can drive away in his new vehicle.
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Latest Google Android SDK: Solid Improvement!
Google has announced another prerelease version of the Android SDK. We took a close look at how it performs and found that Google is listening to feedback—the new SDK is a solid improvement over its predecessor.
Do Not Call Registry saved from mandatory reset
When the Do Not Call Registry launched in 2003, it had but one major flaw. Thanks to some rare Washington harmony, our DNCR registrations are safe for life (or until you move).
9 Useful Websites You Should Know About, But Probably Don’t
The following is Nine Websites You Should Know About, But Probably Don’t. There were still some extremely useful websites that were left out, so I’m writing a continuation article to cover these sites.
Ray Kurzweil: Machines Will Match Human Intelligence By 2029
“I’ve made the case that we will have both the hardware and the software to achieve human level artificial intelligence with the broad suppleness of human intelligence including our emotional intelligence by 2029,” he said.
An Internet Marketers Guide To Leveraging Your Way To Massive Online Success
The term leverage is used often in internet marketing circles, and simply means the power to act effectively, using existing knowledge, money or something else in a manner that results in a chain reaction of greater success.
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Saturday, December 16th, 2006
I remember the day, January 1, 2006. I was sitting on the floor sulking. I had no idea what I was going to do this year. I knew I wanted to launch some more websites, but I was out of ideas. I already had PetClassifieds.US, CycleClassifieds.US, BoatClassifieds.US, MotoClassifieds.US and TemplateMarket.US. What more could be done? I was out of it.
Then, one day I noticed that my very generic domain name and one page website for WebClassifieds.US had been listed in DMOZ. Ok, wow. That was a shock. I wasn’t even sure that site was alive any more. Well, it was, and that listing put my domain name into the all important Google Directory. Now that WebClassifieds.US had just gone up in value, I decided to create another general classified site there. That took a few weeks.
Well, now what? Ok, I picked up some ideas throughout the year and made a few more sites…like around 16 of them. Here is a list:
MyAutoMarket.US
MyBabyMarket.US
MyBeautyMarket.US
MyBoatMarket.US
MyBookMarket.US
MyCycleMarket.US
MyGardenMarket.US
MyHealthMarket.US
MyHomeMarket.US
MyKitchenMarket.US
MyMediaMarket.US
MyPetMarket.US
MySportsMarket.US
UpMyAlley.US
Also, I needed a place to put all my dot US websites, so…dotusnetwork.com. Lastly, somewhere along the lines I got the grand ol’ idea for a RSS Feed Directory. Yeah, uh huh. I feel a little better.
That’s the thing with me. I get really bored really fast. I always think I am going to accomplish nothing but actually finish ahead of schedule. Well, this brings me to a little issue. Now that it is December 16 and almost 2007, I am kind of out of ideas for stuff for the new year ahead. I either need to partner up with some rich dude and pump some marketing money and new servers into this stuff or just keep making sites. Suggestions?
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Thursday, November 16th, 2006
As you may know, my classified sites have a BUNCH of members. They also have a BUNCH of ads. I mean, these things are growing fast. The ads the members place get exposure, but the really cool things is the way they are exposed. By placing an ad on one of my sites, members get their ads listed on GoogleBase, Oodle, Vast, Backpage, Lycos and now GoSasa, among others.
Now, when I say “show up,” I don’t mean like search engine results, I mean like actual listings, so you can pretty much see the power of that. List in one place, get scattered all over the place…
This seems to be the new thing. First (and still), everyone sets up a classified site, manages it and either watches it die, or watches it grow. Now, people are getting out there and setting up these classifieds search engines that pull in listings from all over the place. This goes hand-in-hand with all those other niche search engines out there, although there is a pretty good model to this type. If given the chance, I would jump on this bandwagon.
Anyway, back to GoSasa. I was recently contacted by this company for permission to access my listing feeds. I agreed, and they informed me that they would be going live soon. Since I know the traffic these types of sites can generate, I am curious to see their marketing prowess in action. Good luck guys!
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