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I am a small business Conversation Consultant and public speaker that uses the power of the internet to leverage your success. Productivity in Context is a web magazine focused on Productivity and tools for organizing. Make this your headquarters for improving your life and work through increased mindfulness, education, and workflow practices.

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Please contact me via e-mail: stephen @ hdbizblog dot com

You may have noticed that I have moved most of the links to affiliate-sponsors.

They are now located on their own page, so you can look at them or not. I have read these books or used these services and highly recommend them. If they are not worth using, I won’t waste your time. Please consider clicking on each one and checking them out.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5qfajv. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

This post is not about Productivity per se, but about creating a web-presence for your online business.

Last month I was contacted by the kind folks at TNX.NET, an internet advertising company with a terrific marketing concept. I had been seeing the links for their services all over, so I was happy to give it a test drive. The following is my review of the service.

How does it work?

For those looking to monetize their website or blog, there are some very simple and manageable steps to put the ads on your site:

• You’ll be able to sell links on every page of your website, instead of just the main page.
• Automatically sell links to thousands of advertisers.
• Receive payouts every month in advance, via PayPal, Check, Wire, or any other applicable payment method.
• Easy code installation using “copy-paste” method.
• The price for each link is calculated automatically.
• It mostly depends on:
  1. Google PageRank (PR) of each page,
  2. website category,
  3. link popularity,
  4. and number of outbound links.
• Finally, (and this is the best part!) all sales are automated.

How do you put this code into your page?

This part is easier than you might think. BONTB has a post on easy-to-follow instructions for installing the code as a page in a WordPress blog. I installed the code and have had a rotating set of text link ads running in the sidebar. Feedburner says that the links have seen some action, and my points balance shows that it’s working.

What are the points?

Advertisers use the system by purchasing points that you use to select the quality of the sites where your ads are placed. As mentioned above, there are 4 categories that affect the number of points for each campaign that you run.

• Your links will be placed on relevant pages (You’ll be able to choose it’s quantity and quality).
• Receive well-targeted traffic from relevant sites.
• Prices of links are the lowest on the market.
• For as low as $11 a month you may get up to 10,000 static links to your website.
• Convenient interface which will help you promote thousands of your keywords and pages without a hassle.

As I am not even close to being an SEO expert, I was gratified that the link-placement system is simple and intuitive. The three-step process includes 17 categories of websites, geo-targeting information, and Page Rank status.

TNX.NET also provides some handy and educational resources such as a guide to paid link construction and using competitive keywords. There is even an offer for free points at the Digital Point forums! Overall, this is a service with some serious potential. I am learning a lot about SEO and marketing, for a minimal investment. If you’d like to give it a shot for yourself, click on the graphic.

If anyone else has had experience with TNX.NET, share your thoughts in the Comments.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6krbwa. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Hey there my dear readers. This is the most difficult post I have ever written, but I need your help to make this happen.

I am working hard at getting to SOB-Con 2008 in Chicago this year. There is one little difficulty - I have not worked full-time since October, and have been relying on sales from the HD BizBlog Shop to tide us over here at the secret lair. December was pretty good in terms of sales, but January was a bust. I am continuing to work on more projects like the Project Planning in Context course, and doing some consulting work, but it has not been enough to replace the full-time income.

Now I need an infusion of funds to purchase the registration and airline tickets, so here is where you can help:

1. Visit the HD BizBlog shop and purchase one of the Productivity tools. There are several versions of the “F-pattern” DIY Calendar and the 68 Worksheets Weekly Review checklist that many have found to be very helpful. Use this discount code for 50% off this week! [discount code “sobcon2008″]
2. Make a donation by clicking this PayPal button. If you find the information here to be helpful and useful, please consider supporting my efforts through a donation.
   
   

3. For those of you reading this via e-mail subscription, I would ask that you forward it to your friends and associates who may find the information here to be useful.

I truly appreciate all of the support and encouragement I have received from this community over the past year. By attending this conference I can improve my knowledge, skills and the value that you all get from this blog. Here is a list of reasons to attend, from the SOB-Con blog:

At SOBCon 08 in Chicago on May 2-4, 2008, professionals like you will learn business blogging tips and tricks from blog experts.

The sunshine of wisdom will burst through the dark clouds of confusion, doubt and fear. And there will be much rejoicing.

Here’s why YOU need to have a good business blog - and why you should attend SOBCon:

1. Your customers. They’re reading and writing blogs right now. Are you doing free market research?

2. Your competitors. More and more of them are working with business blogs every day. How will you respond?

3. Your products or services. A business blog makes conversation with customers easier. And conversation improves innovation and adds value to your business.

4. Your resume. A blog makes a powerful resume. Where’s yours?

5. Your future. New opportunities arise easily through blogs, thanks to their high visibility and relational nature. You never know who might drop by.

6. Your mind. Nothing exercises the brain like blogging - reading, researching, writing, composing, designing, discussing, promoting, networking - and nothing brings mental satisfaction like learning to master it all. Just ask a good business blogger.

7. Your lungs. Blogs help spread buzz much more effectively than shouting throughout your neighborhood.

8. Your blood pressure. Good business blogs foster loyalty, transparency … friendships … and fun!

9. Your booty. Okay, this one applies more specifically to the SOBCon conference - if last year’s calisthenics are any indication, this year’s conference looks to be a real sweatfest!

10. Your booty - er, bottom line. While business blogging can be challenging, good blogging gives you an excellent return on investment for your time and money.

Thank you for your consideration.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6bz94x. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Watch this video and learn how to take a clean, simple design and make it into a Product: (via Toddand.com)

Isn’t it remarkable that people still think that more is more?

Bonus video: If you have an extra four minutes today (and a well-developed sense of humor) watch this. And don’t blame me, I didn’t make it!

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5wk2sj. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen