Greg Hoffman


5/31/2008

 

Pacific Modeling & Acting Academy a fraud?

I don't understand why parents can't use Google to check out companies like Pacific Modeling & Acting Academy before they invest thousands of dollars for classes. I read a story on tbo.com today about parents who were stood up by the agency at the Tampa Convention Center. Some of them spent up to $9,000 on acting classes that were supposed to start this morning. No one from Pacific Modeling showed up.

While the kids were crying, the parents were calling the news media. TOO LATE! Your money is gone.

Here is a blog created by parents in Seattle that were screwed by this company. If you do some research in search engines, it won't take long - and don't end your search after the first four listings, go several pages deep.


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5/28/2008

 

I won a free print from Loxly Gallery, of Fine Art and Photography

Deborah Carney from Loxly Gallery had a contest today to give away a free print to one of her affiliates in the Share A Sale program.

I was that lucky affiliate.

She originally thought I would go for a photograph of a gorilla looking over its shoulder, but I chose something perfect for my single dad bachelor pad.

Presenting my choice from LoxlyGallery.com: Waves crash on shore along Ponquogue Beach in the Hamptons by Artist: Leslie Nazarian: Lesruba Designs.


Thank you Deb. I could never resist crashing waves.

5/25/2008

 

Bob Barr For President in 2008

In 1996, I was a political reporter for the Marietta Daily Journal. I covered two Georgia Congressman. One was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the other was Bob Barr. Bob was the one who started Clinton's impeachment and was a key player in the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 . He was a stark contrast to Newt and the newspaper publisher didn't like him very much. But I did.

Bob knew how to make waves and some of his speeches in Congress were classic. I didn't agree with some of his positions but I respected him for his passion and his personality. Bob and his wife Jeri invited me to their Smyrna home in late 96 and asked me a potentially life changing question. Bob sat on his kitchen counter and Jeri and I were sitting at the dining room table. Would I consider moving to D.C. and working as his Congressional Press Secretary? I declined because I didn't want to raise a family in D.C., and frankly, I was worried about job security. He was a little controversial...

So 11 1/2 years later, here we are. Bob is running for President as the Libertarian Candidate and I didn't have a candidate I liked until tonight. Last summer I was behind Fred Thompson. Last fall I was behind Ron Paul. I think I'm set now.

I'm voting for Bob Barr for President and I'm going to do as much as I can to help, whether its volunteering, attending Meetup's or promoting his candidacy on Facebook and Twitter.

May 25, 7:33 PM EDT

Libertarian Party picks Barr as presidential candidate

By STEVEN K. PAULSON
Associated Press Writer

DENVER (AP) -- The Libertarian Party on Sunday picked former Republican Rep. Bob Barr to be its presidential candidate after six rounds of balloting.

Barr beat research scientist Mary Ruwart, who also sought the party's presidential nomination unsuccessfully in 1983, on the final ballot. The vote was 324-276.

Barr endorsed Wayne Allyn Root, who was eliminated in the fifth round, to be his vice-presidential nominee.

Barr left the GOP in 2006 over what he called bloated spending and civil liberties intrusions by the Bush administration.

The former Georgia congressman said he's not in the race to be a spoiler.

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5/23/2008

 

Awesome News - Kowabunga! Announces Key Promotions

I may not work there anymore but I just had to say Congratulations to Jeremy Chrysler on his promotion to VP. This is a spectacular move for the company. And for those of you taking notes, remember who predicted and prayed for this privately for the last five months. I love it when a plan comes together.

The New Positions Provide for Increased Efficiency and Resources Dedicated to Bottom Line Results and Company Growth

CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kowabunga!® (AMEX:THK - News), the leading provider of interactive performance-based advertising networks and technology platforms, announced today the promotion of three key employees to Vice President roles in the areas of new business development, client development and direct marketing.

Jeremy Chrysler, former Director of Business Development for Kowabunga!, has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development reporting to Steve Lerch, Kowabunga!’s CRO. Mr. Chrysler was instrumental in the development and growth of Kowabunga!’s original ValidClick™ search network, and has been equally impressive in his ability to lead efforts for advertiser and publisher sales into Kowabunga!’s ValidClick AdExchange™. In his new role, he will oversee a team of business development managers who are focused primarily on growing the company’s PPC efforts and ValidClick AdExchange. Mr. Chrysler joined Kowabunga! in April 2005, as part of the Litmus Media acquisition. Mr. Chrysler co-founded The Difference Engine, an interactive ad agency focused on developing performance-based campaigns to run online, on radio and on television. He has degrees in Chemistry and English from the University of Kansas.

5/22/2008

 

Currently Recruiting Affiliates - Please join these programs

I want you to check out these three programs I am currently managing and join today (if you haven't already):

eBeanStalk.com - Expert selected toys
5% off sitewide coupon In May
$5 bonus for first sale
$12 bonus for second sale
10% commission - but I can bump you to 12% if you join this week


DirectLegal.com - Copyright and Trademark Services
15% commission
AOv = $125


Box.net - Web-based service that lets you store files online, share with other people, and collaborate on projects.
Currently pays $15 for valid 14-day trial
New offers coming in the next few weeks.
7-Day EPC = $11.82

Contact me anytime with questions.

Greg Hoffman
Affiliate Manager
(813) 507-0006
akagorilla@gmail.com

AIM - Marketinggorilla
Skype - marketinggorilla

5/17/2008

 

What is affiliate marketing - a guide for my friends at Red Bear Radio

My friends at Red Bear Radio are looking for ways to monetize their forum - www.redbearradio.com. The online dj's use the Stickam webcam service to entertain a loyal and growing audience. To help pay for better services and offset some of their costs, I am proposing they try affiliate marketing.

What is affiliate marketing they asked? Wikipedia says: Affiliate marketing is a web-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts.

The Red Bear Radio Forum is considered an affiliate, or a publisher. I'm going to tell them to join several networks and start deciding what products or services they think their community members would most likely purchase in the next three months. In the network they will join advertisers, or merchants, such as iTunes, which pays 5% on all purchases from its links and is a great fit for this project. Or maybe their audience will buy some coffee, cigars or ringtones. Who knows? They just have to test test test the links.

After an affiliate gets accepted, they find the links they like, copy and paste them in the html template and then encourage their audience to buy the offers. Easy enough. For a starter, like Red Bear Radio, it won't make them rich, but after a few months, it should help them pay a few bills.

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5/15/2008

 

The Milkshake Moment by Steven S. Little

Occasionally FSB Associates sends me excerpts from books they are publicizing. This one looked interesting. Make your own determination and buy from the link.

The following is an excerpt from the book The Milkshake Moment
by Steven S. Little
Published by Wiley & Sons, Inc.; April 2008;$19.95US/$21.99CAN; 978-0-470-25746-3
Copyright © 2008 Steven S. Little



What I've come to learn is that growth leaders are distinctive not only in their actions, but also in their attributes. These specific attributes are more like personality traits than true management skills, and they ultimately build trust:

Timely

Realistic

Unscripted

Sensitive

Transparent


Timely -- Every day I deal with people who say they want to grow their company, community, or association. And I know they truly mean it. Often one of the key factors that impede their progress, however, is how they choose to allocate their time and that of others. When I look at how they actually spend their time, I find that they revert back to their default setting -- what they know best. They fill their days working on the tasks they are most comfortable completing.

In contrast, successful leaders devote the majority of their time to those areas that truly need it. They make timely decisions as often as decisions are needed -- no more and no less.

Time is not something to be filled with activity for activity's sake. Leaders understand the nature of time and are skilled at prioritizing it to make an impact. They understand that being timely does not come from Day-Timers, longer hours, or an increasing workload. For some, this prowess is innate. For others it is a skill that must be honed through experience. Yet make no mistake about it; it is impossible to lead a growth charge without mastering the importance of time.

(Most managers simply get up and do what they want to do. Growth leaders get up and do what needs to be done.)

Realistic -- Many joke that reality is overrated. It certainly is easier to don our rose-colored glasses and see only what we want to see. What distinguishes growth leaders is their unrelenting focus on what really is and what truly can be. While positive thinking has its place, delusions are dangerous.

"Our product is the best." "Our team is superior." "Our customers love us." "Our cause is more important than any other." Really? Let's can the empty slogans, take down the banners, and throwaway the T-shirts. Today, it takes a pragmatic realist to separate the true picture from the conventional groupthink.

Facing reality isn't merely a good idea; it's an imperative. Your organization is depending on someone to challenge the organization's most closely held beliefs today. Why couldn't that be a leader like you? Too often, closely held beliefs are kept on our shelves long past their expiration dates. Growth leaders seek only the truth and welcome any and all reality checks.

Unscripted -- Today our world is filled with skeptics. People are simply jaded, and why shouldn't they be? Over the past 50 years we've lived through disgraced presidents, dubious armed conflicts, pilfered pensions, and "new and improved" products that are clearly neither new nor improved. We live in a world where much of what comes at us from organizations is spin, propaganda, and distorted half-truths. It should be obvious to any twenty-first-century leader that many people are reluctant to believe anything. Everyone's bullshit detector has become finely calibrated.

What we long for is authenticity. We want leaders who speak plainly and from the heart, not from talking points. We want bosses who reject corporate mumbo jumbo. We want professionals who don't cloak themselves in a blanket of CYA-speak.

In order to lead, it is critical to master the authenticity. Reject the tired clichés, lose the latest buzzwords, and say what you mean and mean what you say.

Sensitive -- This is a loaded term. While it has many definitions, here I mean perceptive. Sensitive leaders are acutely aware of their surroundings and are keenly observant. They have an intuitive knack for understanding the motivations of others. They are able to feel the barely perceptible winds of change long before the actual storm. They have the uncanny ability to gain insight from seemingly disparate data.

How well do you read others in complex social situations? How much do you trust your gut feelings? How well do you handle displays of emotion in yourself and others? How easily do you move from perception to action?

Most growth leaders are naturals at these types of skills. Others need to regularly extricate themselves from day-to-day activities to work on them. Either way, being sensitive is an attribute that gives leaders another arrow in their organizational growth quiver.

Transparent -- It's human nature not to trust those who attempt to hide things from us. For instance, when an organization gets into trouble and spirals downward because of a public relations crisis, it nearly always has something to do with not being transparent. Most of the great corporate and political scandals of the modern age have had more to do with cover-ups than with the original act of wrongdoing itself.

In contrast, people and organizations that are transparent in their actions are the ones that consistently grow and come out ahead in the long run. Those who are forthcoming with information -- good and bad -- can more effectively lead a team to accomplish great things.

An organization itself can and should be transparent, but to be so it needs leaders who are transparent in their actions. An active beehive hanging in a tree looks to me as ominous as the Death Star in a Star Wars movie. I definitely don't trust it. But have you ever seen a cross section of a beehive? By placing it behind glass we can see the fascinating inner workings of an efficient organization. Somehow, knowing what each of those busy bees is up to puts my mind at ease.

Employees, customers, vendors, and shareholders know what to expect from transparent leaders. Fostering transparency takes commitment and confidence. It can be tempting to hide problems, but the transparent leader knows that the truth eventually slips out anyway -- and often looks worse than it did originally. As an ancient Eastern adage says, "Three things cannot be hidden forever: the sun, the moon, and the truth."

5/13/2008

 

Get Ready - DirectLegal.com Affiliate Program is right around the corner

The DirectLegal.com affiliate program announcement is coming. We are launching through Commission Junction this week.

I'll post the affiliate sign up page, a robust PPC keyword list and sample creative asap. I'm getting excited about this one. Look for a video too.

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5/10/2008

 

Please Join the eBeanStalk.com Affiliate Program - Expert Selected Developmental Toys

SHAREASALE Exclusive Merchant

As the Affiliate Manager for this program, I would like to invite you to join the eBeanStalk.com affiliate program, which sells expert-selected developmental toys.

The 7-day EPC is $10.32 and the affiliate commission is 10%. We offer new coupons for affiliates every month and currently have a free shipping offer for orders above $65.


Run Down of Program Benefits:

* 10% Commission on Every Sale!
* 120 Day Return Cookie
* Ongoing Coupons and Promotions
* New and Fresh Creative - Lots of Sizes
* Full Product Datafeed Over 450 Products
* Variety of Widgets
* Proudly Parasite Free
* Monthly Cash Prizes
* Monthly Newsletter
* Dedicated Program Management

Join eBeanStalk.com Now

Addendum:: I just added a bonus for all new affiliates. $5 bonus for your first sale. Another $12 for your second sale...Go Sell Some Toys!!!

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5/09/2008

 

Are you registered for Affiliate Summit East 2008 in Boston?

I'm registered as of this morning. Unfortunately I missed the last one but I'll make up for it this time. I'll be blogging from the event and using my Stickam webcam as much as possible.

Affiliate Summit East 2008 is taking place August 10-12, 2008 at the Boston Seaport Hotel.

Register Now

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5/07/2008

 

Free Whitepaper: Five Key Ways to Distribute Your News

Five Key Ways to Distribute Your News

Today, Public Relations generates interest not just among journalists but consumers, investors and other audiences as well. There is no "one size fits all" way to communicate your story and make sure it reaches all of its intended audiences.

While traditional distribution methods are still vital to success, successful PR campaigns incorporate a mix of distribution channels to extend the reach and relevancy of the message. How can PR professionals take advantage of the latest tools and techniques to accommodate the diverse communication preferences of each of the many PR audiences?

Download the FREE Vocus white paper "Five Key Ways To Distribute your News" to explore:

* The five essential channels to distribute your news and information
* How to effectively reach of your key audiences with your news
* When to use each of the five distribution channels
* How to create a balanced integrated distribution plan to create a winning PR campaign

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5/02/2008

 

How do Affiliate Marketers and/or Outsourced Program Managers Manage their money?

Several months ago, I asked Shawn Collins how to handle affiliate checks and taxes. Now my question is more complex, but related. How do 1099 employees, affiliates and outsourced program managers, handle income overall?

I have a good idea of what I'll be doing over the next few months, but I'm looking for suggestions from those that have perfected their finances. Please add your comments below.

Shawn turns over his affiliate checks to an accountant. I looked into that option and chose not to spend $2,000 a year. I don't know what he pays, but the quote I received scared me into trying to figure it out myself. I'll be hiring an accountant, just not on a monthly basis.

On Shawn's post, an accountant, Chad Bordeaux , added his comments: "when setting money aside for your taxes, be sure to set enough aside for your Federal Income Tax (based on your effective tax rate, your “self-employment tax” (15.3%), and any applicable state and local taxes. Depending upon where you live and your income level, this could be anywhere from 20% to 50% of your income when all added up."

Once I hire an accountant and find out exactly what percentages I need to set aside, I'll be paying quarterly taxes diligently. Which leads me to come up with a cash flow strategy. A few weeks ago, my friend Denise O'Berry, sent me a copy of her new book, Small Business Cash Flow, and I've found it to be a great resource. It's the how to book I was seeking. Denise was the first person to introduce me to affiliate marketing five years ago and she gives some very relevant affiliate cash flow business models in her book.



The other thing I've done to work on my finances is to sign up with Quicken Online. They have a 30-day free trial for online services and only $2.99 a month after the trial. I can sign on and bring up my checking, savings and paypal accounts and have bill reminders sent to my gmail and phone. It gives me an instant view of my finances anytime from any computer.




I certainly do not have all the answers, so any help is appreciated. I'm looking forward to a long, healthy, profitable career as an affiliate and an outsourced project manager. Like I said, some of you have the perfect 1099 business model and your comments will help all of us.

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