Ferox Fuel Additive - New Website

We just launched our new website - Ferox Fuel Additive. We still have a few adjustments and additions to make but overall we're pretty happy with how it turned out. Thanks to our web designers for working so hard and getting this done so quickly. We really appreciate all of your help. If you have not heard of Ferox - check out our new website and find out how Ferox Fuel Additive can increase your gas mileage, increase your engine life, reduce emissions and save you money on gas.

Click TV Remote to Buy HSN Products

The HSN (Home Shopping Network) has just released a new product which will allow you to click on your TV remote control and purchase the products you are watching on the HSN network. The new service has been tested for several months and should be available nationwide over the next year.

This is a great technology for marketers. Can you imagine just clicking a buttong to order whatever product you see on TV? I believe this will increase sales tremendously, especially as people have to "try it out". Plus, word of mouth advertising will save millions in marketing. Very cool.

Epifany Conference - Entrepreneurs "Paying it Forward"

The Epifany Conference is a new forum for entrepreneurs who want to "pay it forward" for those with an entrepreneurial drive to succed. With speakers from various industries, this conference should be well worth the time to check it out.

The idea is to create an event that pulls entrepreneurs together in a setting to listen, share, learn, and succeed. It is and will be a conference for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.

Google Offers Local Coupons

Google Maps (a local search directory) is offering coupons for local businesses. The idea is to use Google Maps to find local companies and then be able to print coupons for goods or services for those local companies.

Vendors can upload coupons at no charge which will be displayed along with their business name and information. Google will also work with ValPak coupons to provide discounts and coupons for local businesses. Vendors may also purchase Google ads (sponsored links) to get more traffic to their coupon offers without having to have a website.

This is a very cool feature -- one I am certain will catch on, especially as people learn to use Google maps using their cell phones. Of course, local businesses will need to incorporate some way for customers to utilize coupons from their phones rather than having a printed version.

Podcasting and Blogging - Most Effective Marketing Tools

A new survey recently released results indictating that podcast and blogging are among the most effective marketing tools for generating sales leads. The survey was released by Marketing Sherpa. Blogs were ranked as the fourth most effective tool and podcasting was rated fifth. The most effective marketing tools were 1) free trials, 2) webcasts, 3) white papers.

Google Accounts for Over 60 Percent of U.S. Searches

Google now accounts for over 60 percent of U.S search as reported by Hitwise. Yahoo came in second with 22 1/2 percent and MSN was third with only 11.8 percent of searches. There are 57 top search engines but Google, Yahoo and MSN account for almost 95 percent of all searches. (This data is for July 2006 searches.)

These numbers indicate how important it is to be listed in the top 3 search engines, and especially Google. If you are building an online business, make sure to build optimized sites so you can take advantage of the free search traffic.

Microsoft Issues 12 Security Patches

Yesterday Microsoft issued 12 security patches for Windows and Office Software. If you have not installed the patches, I would suggest you do so quickly, otherwise your computer system will remain at risk for an attacker to take control of your system.

Google and MySpace Reach Deal for $900 Million

By Anick Jesdanun
Associated Press

NEW YORK — Google Inc. reached a deal Monday with the owner of MySpace.com to pay at least $900 million in shared advertising revenue and become the exclusive search provider for the popular online hangout.
The deal, which marries the Internet's leading search engine with the top social-networking site, means News Corp. will have essentially paid off the bulk of the $1.2 billion it spent last year to acquire both MySpace and the online video-game company IGN Entertainment Inc.
Under the multiyear deal, News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media unit will add Google search boxes to MySpace and other sites, likely by the end of the year, and Google will provide search results and keyword ads targeted to people's search terms. Google will also get first rights to sell any display ads not sold by Fox directly.
Google's payments, which are based on Fox achieving certain traffic and other milestones that Google expects Fox to exceed, are expected to start in early 2007 and run through the second quarter of 2010.
Driven largely by word of mouth, MySpace has rapidly risen to become the second-busiest site in the United States, behind Yahoo Inc., according to comScore Media Metrix. It has about 100 million registered users, about 90 percent in the United States.
"We think it's important that we move Google to where the users are, and the users are moving to user-generated content and particularly the sites of Fox Interactive," Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told analysts and reporters.
MySpace offers a mix of features — message boards, games, Web journals — designed to keep its youth-oriented visitors clicking on its advertising-supported pages. Users stay connected by adding others as "friends" and expand their networks by meeting friends of their friends.
Allowing MySpace users to conduct Google searches directly on the site allows it to retain visitors longer and thus boost its advertising potential. Google will also power MySpace's in-house search, making friends and groups easier to find, said Ross Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media.
Besides MySpace, the deal covers most of Fox's other sites, including IGN, AmericanIdol.com, Fox.com and Rotten Tomatoes. Fox Sports is not included because News Corp. already has a deal with Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.
News Corp. executives said they had discussions with some of Google's rivals, which they refused to name, and considered building their own search engine, but quickly concluded that Google was the best partner because the two companies shared similar consumer-centric goals. Negotiators worked nearly round the clock over the past five days.
Both sides said they expected additional deals beyond search, "many of which we can only guess on right now," Schmidt said.
Google and MySpace have been developing similar services, including Web journals, video and instant messaging. MySpace is planning to develop a browser toolbar that will integrate Google searches.
MySpace currently uses search results from Yahoo Inc. under a smaller deal reached before News Corp. bought MySpace and Yahoo acquired search-ad company Overture Services.
In a statement, Yahoo spokeswoman Joanna Stevens said the Google deal was great for Fox but wasn't one in which Yahoo had an interest.
"We did not see this opportunity as financially prudent or in the best interest of our advertisers," she said.
Danny Sullivan, editor of the industry newsletter Search Engine Watch, said the deal lets Google use its abundant cash reserves to block Yahoo and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN from getting a piece of MySpace.
Google also made the most sense as a partner, he said, because both Yahoo and MSN have competing social-networking services. (Google runs Orkut but does not aggressively promote it. It has a 5 percent ownership in Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, but AOL officials have said they weren't trying to unseat MySpace with its new AIM Pages service.)
Tim Armstrong, Google's vice president of advertising sales, said Fox sales representatives will likely target large companies, while Google focuses on small and medium-sized businesses. He said advertisers will have a choice of targeting MySpace specifically or reach Google's broader ad network.

Back from Vacation

I'm back from vacation -- well, not really a vacation, but a family reunion and then a day or two of down time. Being away from work can be a very positive and renewing experience. The first day or so I feel as though I am missing out on everything and want to make sure my email and cell phone are handy. But then as I relax into the "real world" I realize that work will still be there when I return -- and I will be more capable of meeting my business needs because I have taken time to renew myself.

I recall several years ago when I went to a spa in California for a few days. I had been "stressed out" and overwhelmed with work demands. But after a few days of yoga, meditation, walks in the hills and several massages -- I felt completely recentered and rejuvenated. I was able to see my life for what it was, and set personal goals to create the life I wanted. It was a turning point in my life. I would suggest if you feel you cannot leave work because there is too much to do and too little time -- take a break, give yourself time to relax and you will come back more energized and be able to work more efficiently -- plus the quality of your life will be better and you will find more personal peace and happiness.