Entries Tagged 'Five on Friday' ↓

After a six-week hiatus, Five on Friday is back.

I took a break for two primary reasons: I’ve been slammed with work and I wanted to bring you five posts from five sources I have not linked to before.

As I began to collect blog posts, I began to notice a trend: everybody’s got Twitter on the brain.

All of a sudden, I realized I had my theme for this particular issue of Five on Friday.

Personally, I don’t really “get” Twitter. I haven’t used it myself, but I’ve read “tweets” mostly through MyBlogLog. Based on my personal observation, I think a great slogan for Twitter would be:

“Bonding with People One Brain Fart at a Time!”

What do you think? Am I right?

Before you pass judgment, here’s what some other bloggers are saying:

Twitter Is Stupid - by Mark Butler

Mark sums up my feelings about Twitter well. If you love Twitter, you might not want to read this rant… I mean post.

Drip, Drip, Drip Goes the Twit - by Seth Godin

This post is not so much about Twitter, but the principle behind the tool: consistency. And consistency is one of the most overlooked secrets of success.

A Message to Twitterers from the Middle Ages - by Lyndoman

Great painting. Great quote. Relevant to any publisher, no matter if it’s through Twitter or some other media.

Signal to Noise - by Seth Godin

Two posts by Seth Godin? Yes. Because they’re both good, and they’re both highly relevant to any discussion about Twitter. Seth writes: “Lately, I’m feeling noise creep.” Me too.

Quotes n Notes: Originality - by Mike Sansone

Some interesting perspectives on originality as shared by Voltaire and Dean Inge. Both quotes, plus Mike’s own spin, made me think. Oh, and this post was prompted by a “tweet.”

Do you have any feelings or opinions about Twitter? Leave a comment and let me know.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 52% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

Here are some of the best blog posts I’ve read in the last two weeks.

When Simple Is Stupid - by Robert Phillips

Is your marketing process overly simple? Are you open to being knocked off by a savvy competitor? In this post, Robert talks about the advantages of being complex. (And I totally agree.)

Subscribers and Sales - by Terry Dean

Terry has an uncanny ability to track with the conversation that’s already happening in my mind. We’ve never talked on the phone. Yet he still writes about the issues I’m actively thinking about. Weird. This post talks about how traffic is not the best indicator of success. (Before I read this post, I started the draft of a similar article titled “The Feedburner Deception.” Look for it soon.)

There’s More to Tracking than Conversion - by Michel Fortin

If you test and track the results of your sales letters, then this post will be well worth your time. Is it better to make a free offer or a $1 offer? Michel reveals the answer here.

The Deep Secrets to Success - by Joseph Ratliff

After being in business for himself for quite a while, Joseph has discovered three critical secrets to success. You may have heard of them before; maybe not. I particularly liked the twist he put on the concept of massive action. It’s in Secret #2.

An Interview with Copywriter Stephen “Ebiz” Dean - by Keith Goodrum & Stephen Dean

Keith and Stephen are colleagues of mine. I enjoy keeping up with what they’re doing. Keith decided to interview Stephen when he posted an offer on his blog. It’s a solid interview. I’m sure you’ll pick up at least one or two good tips.

Have a great weekend!

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 55% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

After a two-week hiatus, Five on Friday is back. Let’s dive right in…

What You Don’t Publish Defines Your Site - by Maki

This post caught my attention because I stumbled upon it AFTER I had written my post “Does Frequent Blogging Encourage Bad Writing?” Turns out, Maki and I have some similar feelings about blogging and how often you should post.

Maki starts the post with this: “I didn’t write any articles in the last few days on Dosh Dosh because I didn’t feel that I had anything interesting to say. It’s not entirely self-censorship: I just don’t like to write when there’s no way to inject a new perspective on any topic.”

Six Figures Is Chump Change - by Clayton Makepeace

If you are a copywriter, you MUST read this post. Clayton writes: “The freelance copywriting model is insane.” And he goes on to prove it with five well-crafted arguments.

What’s better, he provides an alternative business model that can provide a much better income with less effort and more enjoyment. If you read this post, make sure you read the follow-up as well: Busted!

Perspective, Part 1 - by John Carlton

I really enjoyed this post. John debunks some myths and covers everything from copywriting and marketing to politics… in one post… which he wrote while he was sick.

One of my favorite parts of the article: “In contrarian philosophy, you never, ever, ever follow the crowd. In fact, you USE the movement of crowds to decide your next move — when the crowd zigs, you zag.”

8 Steps to Create Your Internet Business - by Terry Dean

This post is the antidote to information overload. Here Terry gives a bird’s eye view of how to build an Internet business in only eight steps. And it’s much simpler than you may think! If you’ve been struggling to get started (and get some traction), then print this post and read it often.

Internet Lifestyle Video: Can You Work From Anywhere? - by Ray Edwards

My friend Ray is heading down to Sedona, Arizona to have an extended vacation. He’s planning to be down there for about six weeks or so. This post includes a short little video documenting Ray and his wife Lynn’s struggles to get out the door and on the road.

If you’ve wanted to do some extended travel and take your work on the road, then this video will be of some encouragement to you.

Have a great weekend!

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Which of the above posts do you like best? Leave a comment and let me know. Thanks!

Popularity: 42% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

Ben Settle left a tongue-in-cheek comment on my blog yesterday. He writes:

All I know is I’m getting a little impatient waiting for your “five on Friday” post. I’ve actually started looking forward to it and need my weekly “fix.”

So get your lazy butt off the couch Ryan, and gimme my five, baby!

Of course, I busted out laughing when I read this. Ben has a way with words, doesn’t he?

I told Ben that I would’ve posted a new issue of Five on Friday last week, but I simply hadn’t gathered enough posts to share with you. Not only have I been swamped with projects (which has cut into my leisure-reading time), but I just haven’t read much that has struck a chord with me.

The whole point of this feature is to share with you only the BEST stuff I read. I also try to find sources you might not encounter during your regular blog reading. That means I sometimes link to sites and posts outside the “good ol’ boys club” (if you get my drift).

So, without further ado, here are my five picks this week.

Tools, Time, & Attention - by Chris Crompton

This post is deceptively simple. But Chris makes an excellent observation: tools don’t automatically improve productivity. Why? Because you must first dedicate time to learning how to use that tool. Then you actually have to set aside time to use the tool.

This is a reason I hate any tool that comes with a lengthy instruction manual. If I can’t intuitively figure out how to use the tool in a few minutes, then it probably isn’t worth my time.

I believe the iPod has been successful largely because of its intuitive design. You spend very little time learning how to use it. If it were complicated, it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.

Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly! - by Daniel Levis

I stumbled on this article doing research for a separate blog post. The article is so good, I simply had to share it with you. Daniel uses some great stories to illustrate his primary point, which is simply this: Don’t be a perfectionist, just take action.

My favorite part of the article is toward the end. Daniel writes:

The secret to success is to swing for the fences, and take multiple concurrent actions. Round up a big bunch of worthwhile projects, roll them up the highest hill you can find, push them over the crest, and run like hell to catch them on the other side.

I love this mental picture!

The Most Popular Layouts of the Top 20 Technorati Blogs - by Natalie

Wondering which blog layout you should go with? What color scheme to use? This post is very helpful. Pie charts and everything. A quick, easy, and worthwhile read.

The One Word That Helped My Blog Grow To 800+ Subscribers in 17 Weeks - by Christine O’Kelly

If there was one word that could multiply your active blog readers exponentially, would you want to know what that word is?

If you’re like me, the answer is “yes.”

If you blog, then you will want to read this post. It’s fairly long, but provides some in-depth material to digest. You might want to drop in on Christine’s blog once a week because that’s how often she posts. And her posts are quite good.

The Unsinkable Andi Emerson - by Ray Schultz

Ever heard of John Caples? Ever heard of the John Caples Awards? Andi Emerson started the Awards in 1978.

This article is a tribute to Andi; she died on Valentine’s Day. I had never heard of her before, but I enjoyed the stories about her life in the ad biz. Apparently, she used to edit Eugene Schwartz’s ad copy, and was friends with both John Caples and David Ogilvy.

While you won’t find practical advice in this article, it will probably give you some valuable things to think about.

Well, that about does it for this issue. Have a great weekend. I’ll “see” you next week.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 52% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

Since I’ve begun this feature on my blog, it’s forced me to cover more ground in the blogosphere. I think this is a good thing. I read blogs throughout the week on a limited basis. Any posts that I particularly enjoy are saved in a text file for later. But when Friday rolls around, I end up “checking in” at my favorite blogs, especially if I haven’t had time during the week to visit.

And Friday is the day I have to make the decision: Which posts will be included? Which will be omitted? Which will be passed on for consideration in the following week?

You see, I made the decision to limit each issue to featuring five posts only because more than that would be overwhelming. And more than that would diminish the value of my recommendations. What good is a so-called recommendation if there are so many posts you couldn’t possibly read them all?

With that in mind, here are my five favorite posts based on my reading this week.

Read Books - by James Brausch

I appreciated this post because I have a deep love for books. I read about 30-40 books a year. My reading is all over the map. Where some people get locked into one particular genre (like Fantasy or Romance or War History), I like to dip into all kinds of genres. Anything contrarian especially appeals to me. I believe books can give you a deeper understanding of people and the world around you than bite-sized media that tend to oversimplify and generalize. Take James’s advice: read books. (I’ll have more to say about this in a future post.)

Write Press Releases that Sizzle - by Ed Rivis

I’ve written a handful of press releases for both me and my clients. I’ve seen some spectacular results, and some wide variances between press releases. In this post, Ed sums up an experiment and shares the results of that experiment. He then directs you to a series of posts Terry Dean published this week about how to create winning press releases. My advice on this topic based on my experience: focus your energy on creating a great hook, and make keyword optimization secondary to your hook.

There IS a Word for Your Idea - by Barbara Ann Kipfer

In this post, Barbara makes an announcement. Dictionary.com now offers a new feature it’s calling the “reverse dictionary.” Have you ever had an idea, but couldn’t think of the exact word that described that idea? Well, now you can use the reverse dictionary to find that elusive word. If you write anything at all (blog posts, sales copy, etc.), then I suspect you’ll really appreciate this new resource.

Get More Links with This Often Overlooked Page - by Fred Black

The strategy Fred shares in this post is simple. You may even think it is too simple. But I think it is quite valid, and is probably as overlooked as he says it is. I’ve recently been thinking about this very topic, and had planned to write a blog post about it. Then I saw Fred’s post, so I decided to share it with you. I plan to create this “overlooked page” in the near future.

How a Pretty Face Can Push Visitors Away - by Bryan Eisenberg

How do pictures of faces affect conversions? In this post (from October 2007), Bryan examines the results of a few studies involving pictures of pretty faces. I thought this was particularly fascinating because it shows how something as simple as a picture can improve or suppress your response rates. Definitely worth reading if you have an online business or you write sales copy for yourself or clients. (Kudos to Brian Terry for bringing this article to my attention.)

That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoy the articles I’ve featured. If you have feedback or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

Lots of good stuff to share with you this week. In fact, I had to eliminate a couple posts to narrow the list down to five. I tried to choose posts that would not only be valuable to you, but also diverse in their subject matter and perspectives. Here are the posts I selected…

Free Report: The Collapse of the Inner Circle - by John Manley

Late Wednesday night, John released this report on his blog. But he gave permission to share the report directly, which is why I’m sharing it with you here. (When you click the link above, you’ll see there’s a direct download for you.) In this 9-page PDF report, John writes about the collapse of membership-based business models, and what he believes will replace them. Definitely worth reading.

A**hole Envy and the Value of Extreme Focus - by Jon

I almost didn’t include this post because of the language. But it’s a well-written article that makes an excellent point. In many ways, you become wealthy to the degree you are willing to put money before everything else. I’m not recommending this; it’s simply something to be conscious of as you grow your business. A better title for the post might have been “A**hole Envy and the Danger of Extreme Focus.”

The Importance of Exercise In Your Routine - by Pat B. Doyle

After quitting her job, Pat stopped getting any exercise at all. Recently, she began to exercise again and rediscovered how important it is to a business person’s success. I agree with this post 100% and left a comment saying so.

The Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and SMM - by Andy Hagan

This guide was published on February 5, 2007… almost a year ago. But I stumbled upon it only a few days ago. Anyway, it’s an excellent piece describing how to write blog posts and articles that people will link to. The section about “Packaging & Formatting” has me thinking about the design of this blog (look for a post asking for your feedback soon). What’s more, given the importance of getting backlinks to your web site, I thought this was an especially good article to recommend to you.

Unsubscribe… Run Away, Run Away… - by Keith Goodrum

Do you find yourself constantly interrupted by irrelevant email marketing messages during the day? Are you losing too much time to cleaning out your inbox? The answer, says Keith Goodrum, is simple: Unsubscribe. I personally went through this process in May 2007. I wrote about Eliminating All Distractions here and Minimizing Interruptions here.

So these are my top five picks for this week. Enjoy!

Look for more next Friday.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Do you like the “Five on Friday” feature? Are the articles I’m recommending valuable to you? Please let me know.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want this blog to represent, what kind of articles I want to publish, what kind of schedule I should use for blogging, and a bunch of other things.

One thing I’ve been thinking about is how to share some of the best information I come across each week. You’ll notice I don’t currently have a blogroll (that’s on purpose), but I still want you to benefit from the best articles I’ve benefited from.

So I’ve come up with a concept/schedule for a new feature on this blog. I’m calling it “Five on Friday.” It has a double meaning.

Each Friday, I will share five of the best blog posts or articles I’ve read during the week. The second meaning is more subtle: The posts I share are what you should read before (or at) 5 p.m. on Friday. I’m a bit of a literary nerd, so I like these double meanings.

Hopefully this explains the title of the post. And from now on, you’ll know what my “Five on Friday” post is going to include.

Also, I will be providing comments about each post to help you decide if you should read it or not. I’ve seen a lot of fellow bloggers recommend posts and articles before, but the recommendations usually only consist of a title/link. I think my comments will make these recommendations more valuable to you.

So which posts did I enjoy the most this week? Here they are…

Search Engine Ranking Factors - by Fred Black

I’ve been reading about SEO theories since 2003. Eventually I just stopped reading because none of the theories seemed to work consistently. The only thing that has stood the test of time is the importance of links: what others say about you AND what you say about yourself. In this post, Fred takes a critical look at some recent SEO theory.

Do They Love You or Hate You? - by Terry Dean

The core message of this post is: Make yourself heard. It is more important to be loved or hated than to blend in. This is what I had in mind when I recently publicized my Eight-Month Letter. I knew it would polarize my readers; I promoted the letter anyway.

The Law of 250 - by Robert Phillips

Joe Girard is recognized as the greatest salesman in the world. He sold thousands of cars every year to his clients. How did he do it? He recognized the Law of 250 and used it to his advantage. Good news: You can use this “law” to grow your own business, too.

Free Swipe File - by John Newtson

This swipe file was actually published around Thanksgiving 2007, but I only recently discovered it while reviewing what’s “Hot in My Communities” in MyBlogLog. Here you’ll find sales letters written by Jim Rutz, Gary Bencivenga, Dan Rosenthal, and more. Very helpful if you write copy for yourself or clients.

10 Computer Shortcuts - by Timothy Ferriss

This is a great resource for learning computer shortcuts that allow you to do simple, routine things faster. Some of these I’ve known of before, but forgot. So I’m really glad to have them all published in a single place. Want to know how to instantly move your cursor to the address bar of your browser window? Find out here.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 41% [?]

Pssst! Did you know you can get automatic blog updates when you join my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed?