World Series Prediction 2008

I want to see the Cubs and Indians in the World Series in 2008. But I'm afraid Detroit might be the ones to face the Cubs. Detroit has too many power hitters. So, lets go with the Cubs beating Detroit in 7 games with Carlos Zambrano winning the final game and Kerry Wood with the Save.

Internet Marketing Resource #4 - Analytics

Every site should have an analytics package. Once you find a good resource, it's addictive. When I was with Thompson & Co., the Ecommerce department used Hitbox and CoreMetrics. Seeing the overlay of live traffic on a retail website like ThompsonCigar.com was pretty cool, especially when we just started a new promotion.

For all of my blogs, I use Sitemeter. It offers a site summary with total visitors overall since posting the code, average per day, average visit length, how many in the last hour, how many today and how many this week.

You can also see weekly and monthly stats and most importantly, referrals. I check the referrals often to see what keywords in Google and Yahoo my visitors are using to find me. The number one keyword phrase is obviously Gorilla Marketing. That's why I have the Amazon links to the Guerrilla Marketing books.

Knowing what sites link to you is important, but seeing what sites actually drive traffic to your site is more important. I know that when Shawn Collins has mentioned me or my blog in the past, I've seen instant spikes of several hundred readers. When Slashdot linked to one of my business blogs a few years ago, I wouldn't have known we had 65,000 hits in one day if it wasn't for Sitemeter.

Use the analytics to make your sites better and learn while you go. Sitemeter is free and easy to use. They do have an upgrade version which gives you an option for an invisible counter, larger amounts of records on file, advanced ranking reports and ad-free access. I've upgraded for one business blog, but I haven't seen the need to upgrade for this blog.

Baseball makes life better, somehow...

Earlier this evening, I watched the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves tonight in the U.S. season opener for Major League Baseball. The new ballpark in D.C. looked awesome. I can't wait to go there for a game.

I also just finished loading up my free fantasy baseball team. Can't afford the expensive versions on Fanball.com this year.

Opening week for baseball just means something for me. Something extra. It means a chance to think of all the minor league games I used to go to with my grandfather, all the spring training games with my dad and the rush of fantasy baseball drafts at the last minute since my first team almost 20 years ago.

Tracking stats for individual players on a daily basis keeps you involved in all aspects of baseball, not just one team. However, I do plan to follow the Rays as much as possible this season. The young stars, the kick ass attitude and the talk of a new stadium in St. Pete, might make it worthwhile.

Hopefully this will be a good start to the week. April really needs to bring good things.

Snowbird or Family Special - 3 Bedroom House For Sale in Seminole, Florida

Ranch Style House for Sale in Seminole, Florida. Less than one mile from Gulf of Mexico. Three Bedrooms, One and one half bathrooms. One Car Garage. As is, ready to sell. Features include: terrazzo floors, open living room dining room, Florida room, large backyard perfect for pool, tangerine and orange trees on property -all in full bloom right now. It smells awesome.

I'm selling a house, obviously. It is listed through Keller Williams - The Yodice Team, based in Largo, Fla. If you are interested, click here and talk with Angelo or Mike Yodice.

Make an offer and all offers will be accepted, pending bank approval.

This house must go immediately. If you have questions, ask me or contact the Yodice Team. Check out the listing on GoYodiceTeam.com

Searching for Fantasy Sports Affiliate Programs

Last year, I joined the CDM Sports affiliate program, just as it died. I never received my commission and they haven't updated the affiliate page since March 07. I did some searching on Google and ABestWeb this week but all I could find was the HeySportsFans affiliate program.

I did find one promising program on CJ. I wasn't aware USA Today was offering a bounty on new customers for its Sports Weekly. I've been reading it since the first edition of Baseball Weekly came out, many years ago.





But why don't the major fantasy sports companies use affiliate or CPA to find new customers? CDM was supposed to pay out $6 per new customer. That's not great, but its something. I would think that this is an opportunity for Fanball.com or CBS Sports, ESPN, RotoWorld or even Yahoo to find new customers.

I have a new Motorola Phone through Tracfone

This is my new pre-paid throw down phone. I'm not giving you the number unless you ask for it. It's the first time in a few years I've had to keep track of the minutes but it does save money.

Motorola C139 This model features a SIM card storage method, text messaging, voice mail, and FREE caller ID and call waiting. Additional benefits include a Color display with both screen savers and wall paper, 20 pre loaded polyphonic ring tones, games, a clock with alarm as well as a calculator. This phone features an extended battery life, with up to 480 minutes of talk time and 384 hours of standby time. Product may not be available in all areas.

The Eighth Deadly Sin by John S. Richardson of Tampa

I am publishing this because the author is the father of my best friend in the world, Anna. I haven't had the chance to read the book but I will order a copy as soon as possible.

The book, The Eighth Deadly Sin was published by Raven Publishing of Tampa. While it is a fiction novel, John S. Richardson has gone to great lengths to tell the reader about real life killers and why they kill; and in fact, reflects the real life incident of a woman who had a brush with a serial killer and lived to tell about it. Read an excerpt from the book below and order a copy.

The unexplained noises she was hearing had put her on edge and as she stared intently at the blank computer screen in front of her a terrible thought crossed her mind; had she locked the front door as Brian had suggested? She tried to focus on what she had done when she first came home but couldn’t remember actually locking the door.

It was she something did routinely, she thought to herself; so perhaps she did lock it and simply didn’t remember. Suddenly her eyes caught a glimpse of what appeared to be some sort of movement on the darkened screen. She spun her head around and stared into the hall behind her, but there was nothing there. Speaking softly to herself as she stood, she said.

“This must be the wine doing this. I am not afraid.”

Then, edging slowly toward the door, she turned the lights to the den off so she could hide if her worst suspicions were true and there actually was someone else in the condo. After reaching the door, she leaned her head out and peered down the hallway. Night had set in and she now realized she had not turned any other lights on in the rest of the condo. The dim moonlight shinning through the balcony door from the other end of the hall was the only thing between her and total darkness. Gathering up every ounce of courage possible, she took a step out in the hall.

She could now hear the beat of her heart with each step down the hallway and the images created by the light from the moon seemed to be swaying through the balcony door and ever so slightly against the wall. The adrenalin in her system was working over time bringing her to a heightened sense of the sounds and smells around her; things that she didn’t normally notice. With the palms of her hands flat against the wall, she took a deep breath and began the short yet arduous trip toward the family room.

Glancing from side to side, she was soon within a foot of the front door then slid her hand quietly up the door frame to the knob. Her hand moved across the smooth cold surface of the brass handle where she was able to feel the position of the lock. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming out, as now she realized that she had not locked the door.

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Countdown to the Tampa Bay Rays season opener

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Billy Crystal batting at the NY Yankees Game in Tampa

Billy Crystal didn't do so bad at his first at bat with the Yankees today. He bounced a chopper past first baseman that landed several feet foul. Then he got ahead in the count 3-1, but missed a pair of 88 mph fastballs.

The 10,000+ fans at Legends Field gave Crystal a standing ovation, and he raised his hand to salute us. He sat at the fence line for the rest of the game as one of the boys. It was one of those cool Spring Training games with my dad that I'll always remember.

Here's a YouTube video I found from another fan in the stands. Cokebevis was on the visitors side between third and home.

Employers Can Post Open Affiliate Manager Positions for Free with Affiliate Classroom on March 14

College Park, MD – March 11-, 2008 – The Affiliate Classroom, a leading publisher of educational tools for the interactive advertising industry, is offering employers the chance to post their open Affiliate Manager positions in the company’s AC Certified Career Center at no charge on March 14th, 2008.

As previously announced, Affiliate Classroom launched an innovative training and certification program for professional Affiliate Managers called “AC Certified.” Through the AC Certified program, new and veteran affiliate managers can receive an education in managing affiliate programs, earn their Affiliate Manager Certification and pursue an affiliate management career.

The company will be launching the Career Center portion of the program on April 1st, 2008. Employers who are seeking Affiliate Management staff can begin posting open positions on Friday, March 14th.

All job listings added on March 14th will be shown throughout the month of April free of charge. Employers can continue to add jobs to the Career Center after the 14th at a rate of $300/month for each job.

“In these trying economic times, it’s encouraging to see that Affiliate Marketing continues to grow and that retailers, advertisers, networks and agencies are continuing to hire for well-compensated Affiliate Manager Positions,” says the company’s VP of Marketing, Rachel Honoway. “While other jobs are being cut back, companies are struggling to fill open Affiliate Management positions. We see AC Certified and its Career Center bridging this gap and highlighting the strength that this industry shows in its ability develop and succeed despite an economic downturn.”

According to The AffStat 2008 Report (www.AffStat.com), which compiles results of an annual affiliate marketing benchmarks survey produced by Shawn Collins, 2/3 of Affiliate Managers earn between $40,000 and $120,000 per year in salary or a combination of salary and commission. The $50,000 to $60,000 range saw the largest number of respondents, accounting for 22% of the total while 16% of the respondents reported annual earnings over $100,000.

Billy Crystal to Don Yankees Pinstripes

I have tickets to the game tomorrow, so I'll post some pictures. What a great day to go to a Spring Training game in Tampa.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Billy Crystal will get to "look mahvelous" in pinstripes. The actor will sign a one-day, minor league contract with the New York Yankees and play in Thursday's exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Crystal, an avid Yankees fan, will work out with the team on Wednesday and will wear uniform No. 60 for the game - to be played one day before his 60th birthday. The Yankees said Monday they have the approval of baseball commissioner Bud Selig.

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said in a statement released by the team.

Autism Insurance Bill Introduced in the FL Legislature

This post is for my little buddy Patrick. If you live in Florida, please read and respond.

Good Morning!

Great news, Legislation has been introduced in Florida to require insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders, and our politicians need to know that we want these bills to pass!

Go to www.myfloridahouse.gov to find out who your local representative is, call them and ask them to support House Bill 1291.

Go to www.flsenate.gov to find out who your state senator is, call them and ask them to support Senate Bill 2654.

Maybe if insurance was REQUIRED to include coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorder treatments, families wouldn't have the additional stress of an extra mortgage payment each month, just to have their children treated in that precious window of time, where treatment is most successful (Applied behavior analysis, occupational therapy, Speech therapy, etc.)

Obviously, this is something very close to my heart, and it only takes 3 minutes to call and leave a message asking the Representative or Senator to support these bills.

Hugs & Thanks
Deborah Martino
Seminole, Florida

Also, if you want to learn more about Autism, you can buy books about the topic through AutismSpeaks.org. They are an affiliate of Barnes & Noble where the commission is used for Autism Awareness.

Online Training and Certification for Affiliate Managers - Review Coming Soon

I am proud to present my video endorsement of the Affiliate Classroom Certified Manager Online Course. All affiliate managers should obtain this certification to start or grow their careers. The easy-to-follow online course allows you to work at your own pace so you can learn on the job or in the evenings and weekends. Once you pass the course, your name will be listed among other certified managers on the AC website. You'll also receive an AC Certified "seal of approval" to place on your website.

I will personally take this course in the next month or so and will report back to you about its impact on my knowledge. I bought the Affiliate Manager 1st Edition box kit two years ago and I used it to help train my colleagues about affiliate marketing and I used it to train newbie affiliate managers at Kowabunga. Now all the information has been updated and put into this online course by Affiliate Classroom. Watch the video and sign up for the course through the banner below.

Internet Marketing Resource #3 - Social Networking

How much social networking is necessary and where should you start? I would say if you want to learn from the big dawgs you have to play where they play. We'll skip MySpace, Ryze, Friendster and Orkut and go straight to Facebook. In my opinion, its by far the best way to keep track of your real friends, your business colleagues and your online friends. You'll even meet and get to know Facebook friends from all over the world.

One word of advice, don't get sucked into the endless applications that new friends invite you to try. It gets old real quick. Just click IGNORE. Sure it was fun owning some of my friends online photos for a dollar and daring others to outbid me so I could mass a fake fortune. But it did nothing for me personally or professionally. And I don't need to be bitten by a zombie ever again as a sign of friendship.

Facebook allows users to create their own groups. I feel there's no reason to recreate groups just so I can be the admin, so I only created one relevant to me - my high school class reunion group. We have our 20th this year and I am trying to gather as many people in the group as possible to hopefully increase our turnout. 12 out of 142 so far.

But also on Facebook, you get to read interesting industry news, scan witty one-liners or see videos of the experts in the industry you serve in. It works really well in the Affiliate and Paid Search industries because everyone who is anyone is active on Facebook. The interaction is much better than any other networks.

On a side note, I have to say Twitter is also fun. You can connect with the same professional audience as Facebook, but the updates include useful links or again, witty one-liners up to 140 characters long.

Social networking is evolving everyday so keep experimenting with the new tools and maybe we'll be following you one day.

Certified Infant Swimming Resource Classes in Largo, Fla.

I want you to meet a friend of mine, Becky O'Reilly. She is a certified infant swimming resource instructor and will be starting classes next week at Largo's Southwest Recreation Center on Vonn Road.

Sometimes even the best precautions can end in tragedy. The last and most important line of defense against childhood drowning is teaching our infants and young children how to survival swim. If your child does find himself alone in the pool or body of water, his survival swimming skills could save his life.

Give your child more than swim lessons; give your child an extra level of protection with survival swimming instruction from a certified ISR Instructor, Becky O'Reilly.

Click here for Becky's Online Schedule.

Internet Marketing Resource #2 - Password Management

I posted a video about two months ago regarding password management and I'd like to add it to number two on my list for this resource series.

To recap, passwords are important to me because one of my gigs was to work for a computer security expert and help promote his company online and offline. He had worked with some of the most infamous hackers in the world. His son, in turn, is probably one of the elite hackers in today's world and they taught me how to protect my information.

Simple explanation - build strong passwords that are easy enough to remember, then store them hidden in files that no one would look for or bother to open. Even if you are a home business owner, don't leave your password written on post-it note on your monitor. Come up with a system.

Example of a strong password - Take the words Affiliate Summit. Create a password that looks similar to this with any word or phrase: Aff99sum!

Read this post and watch the video for more information - Password Management for Affiliates

Ranking well for Guerrilla Marketing and Selling Plenty of Books

I always knew the whole Marketing Gorilla, Guerrilla Marketing mix would pay off. But it's been a while since I checked my Amazon.com Associates Central dashboard. I had no idea I had sold so many of Jay Conrad Levinson's books, particularly Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days. See, it's days like this that I really am glad I don't pay attention to people like Jason Calacanis. Affiliate Marketing Pays!

Check out all of Levinson's titles at Amazon, Startup Guide to Guerrilla Marketing, Guerrilla Selling and Guerrilla Marketing 4th Edition.

Craigslist vs. Facebook Marketplace

Craigslist won the battle against Facebook when it came time to sell my 3-in-1 pool table, ping pong and Texas Hold-em gaming table. But I was surprised at how many people were interested through the Tampa Bay Network on Facebook Marketplace. It was close to being equal in traffic to Craigslist.

I had the game table for sale for exactly a week and received dozens of inquiries from both sources. The funny thing was everyone asked the exact same question, is it still available. That tells me that items sell but owners neglect the listings.

Now if I can only convince someone to take the piano for free. It's still listed on both for a very good reason - it weighs more than 500 pounds and every time someone tries to move it, the legs break. That's why I decided to give it away, rather than sell it for $250.