My 2009 New Year Resolution
Ok everyone has one, so do I. Actually I have two of them, one for my personal life and one for business. I’ll share my business one here.
- Create more high quality information products
- Improve the experience and value of my seminars
- Publish a Bahasa Melayu version of The New Millionaires
- Get a good PHP lead developer
I think 2008 was more of a trial-and-error year for me. I got out of the home environment and started a new office. Then I started my first seminar series and have already done two this year. But it’s also a year full of mistakes, most of which just ate up a lot of my time and resulted in no increase of my online income.
It sucks, but I hope I’ve learned from the lessons.
Let me start from what I already have. I have two solid, selling products namely WordPress Adsense System and Super Affiliate Blogger which needs some TLC and updates. Instead of merely updating the images and screenshots, I’m going to turn both into solid membership sites with an offer so great, no one will refuse me. Hehe..
Blog Paycheck is doing fine, no updates required really but perhaps it’s time to up the ante and make it even better. I’m also working on rebranding myself better with online videos, tutorials, and a feature-packed blogging membership site.
I’m also planning to tap into the Bahasa Melayu market here in Malaysia, and already have a few top-notch products lined up, the first of which, Rahsia ClickBank, will be launched in February (oops, I don’t think I’m supposed to give away so many details yet)
From now on, no more automated content-scraping sites. Although I had cut down massively from 2007, there were still a few automated sites that I was testing out. I think it’s high-time to shift to solid, original websites that will stand the test of time and generate a much better return in the long run.
Also, I’m cutting down the amount of blogs I actively write for. Besides GobalaKrishnan.com and ProfitBlogger.com all the other blogs have to go. I simple have no time to write for all, and besides most people remember me for this blog anyways, and constantly check this blog. Also, GobalaKrishnan.com is more SEO-efficient and has better traffic than most of the other blogs.
The Internet Millionaires blog is the first to go, and all its content will be absorbed by this blog via WordPress import.
And the final, most important thing, is to find and secure a good PHP lead developer who is experienced in WordPress and e-commerce. If I can find that one guy, my entire business will literally explode and reach heights I have only dreamed of.
Well, 2009, here I come.
Upgrade Your WordPress to 2.7
If you’re using WordPress, I highly recommend you upgrade now to the latest 2.7 version. Unlike most other versions since 2.3, this will be well worth your time. Overall, this version really improved on the user interface, the loading time, and also the ease of use.
Some videos I created about using WordPress 2.7:
Installing WordPress Plugins Automatically
Upgrading WordPress Plugins Automatically
Deleting WordPress Plugins Automatically
However, if you are using the old “Instant Upgrade” plugin, be very careful to remove the plugin according to the instructions before you upgrade. In the case of this blog I forgot I was using the plugin and just went on to upgrade my older WordPress files.
As a result, so many things went wrong that I had to deleted my entire site and install everything again from scratch. That’s why you may have noticed the blog was down and out, for almost two days. I was a nightmare experience and I still have data loss that I am trying to restore.
Besides, with WordPress 2.7 there is an additional feature where you can also upgrade WordPress automatically within the dashboard itself, so future upgrades should be very easy!
The Death of A Niche Market
A niche market may last forever, but the profitability of any niche market is mostly up to one company that is always the topic of discussion in any marketing seminar: Google.
Indeed, how much money you make in niche marketing is very directly influenced by Google’s ever changing policies for Google AdWords. It affects your Google AdSense earnings, your affiliate sales, and even your own product sales. Let me explain how.
Google’s AdWords program is where the advertisers pay lots of money to place ads on Google for their product. Some of these ads are displayed on the Google search engine itself, while an equally large portion is displayed on Google’s “content network”. The content network is made up of millions of websites belonging to the average Joe like you and me. We place a small code called “AdSense” on our websites so when our visitors click on our ads, we make money.
In summary, there will be no AdSense is there was no AdWords. The two are more related than you can think. Any policy change Google makes on either service effect the other. Sort of like twins.
Sometimes AdWords policy changes can mean that an entire niche market is effected and loses its profitability. An example below, where Google’s new policy disallows anyone selling “template sites for ad networks”.
This means that if you produce web templates or blog themes for AdSense, Yahoo Publisher Network or similar programs, you can no longer pay for traffic and make sales. That means, your affiliates lose out of a huge traffic source too. That also means, if you have a website showcasing such templates but monetizing it with Google AdSense, all of a sudden your clicks count for way less money than it used to.
You get up one day wondering “What happened?”. Why was I getting $1.00 per click for AdSense last month and now it’s barely $0.10? Since the most profitable websites or merchants for your site have been disallowed by Google in AdWords, your AdSense ads now show less targeted merchants, and you earn much less.
The answer is, Google. What can you do about it? Nothing except move on to a new niche.
It’s not healthy that so much of online marketing revolves around a few companies like Google, PayPal, eBay and ClickBank. Historically these companies don’t really understand online marketing as much as you’d expect them to. They have the power to kill off niche markets, especially those they don’t like or just don’t understand.
Malaysia LRT Vs Singapore MRT
I remember as a kid I always asked my dad to take me to Singapore so I can get onboard the MRT. That day never came and by the time it did there was already an LRT system in Malaysia for a few years.
So Malaysia LRT vs Singapore MRT. Some observations I’ve made.
Firstly, Jessica pointed out that everything in Singapore moves a little bit faster than in Malaysia. The MRT moves at greater speeds, and even the escalators in the MRT station move faster than the ones here in Malaysia. Maybe Singaporeans are just in more of a hurry than we are?
Singaporean drivers however seems to drive with more patience than Malaysians. That is, until they cross the border and get into Malaysian highways. Then they turn into maniacs who drive at 180km flashing their lights at everyone in font of them and squeezing between lanes at high speed.
I know this because I’m from Johor and that’s what I need to deal with every time I go home to visit my parents. After all they need to vent all their frustration and anger somewhere right 
Anyways, back to LRT vs MRT.
I noticed that Singaporean manners are not much better than Malaysians. They also do not wait for people to get out of the MRT before rushing in. The seats for disabled and elderly are also taken by young, fat teenagers. So it’s not really that different at all.
What do you think?
Frog Leg Porridge in Singapore
Frog Leg porridge is the hot thing in Singapore, and if you get there any time soon make sure you try some! Also with me and Sheila in the picture is Sunn y Tan, his wife Jessica, and Joey Chua. I guess most of you know Joey already especially if you’ve been to my Internet Millionaires Bootcamp or mastermind sessions.
I guess most of you would already know Sunny Tan as well, from the interviews I’ve done with him about flipping sites for profit.
Pictures from The MindValley / SMART Event
I’m probably the last person to upload pictures from the SMART Seminar / Mind Valley dinner and hang-out session earlier this month. Thanks to Vishen for organizing such a great event, which is a great break from the otherwise boring life of an Internet marketer
Granted not all the pictures are here but can see more from all these Facebook profiles.
This is a picture of me and Alexandra Cattoni from MindValley. In case you’re wondering, yes Mind Valley is filled with beautiful talented people. It’s not fair I know but life’s never fair. If only I knew about Mind Valley when I decided to quit my job in TM three years ago.
That’s me, Ewen Chia, Vince Tan and Edmund Loh.
With Anik Singhal and Ewen Chia, two of the world’s top super affiliates. I never got the chance to speak to Ewen much before. But during this event I realized he’s a really nice down-to-earth guy and I suspect that’s because he had to work really hard to get to where he is now.
On the right are Brian Wong and Vishen Lakhiani, the co-founder of Mind Valley. Their blog is a must-read too if you’re serious about Internet marketing. Brian Wong is a NuSkin Diamond and he’s pretty successful in the MLM and personal development market, plus he drives a Lotus Elise.
And a picture of (almost) everyone including Patric Chan and wife Emily, Mark Joyner, Simon Leung.
I hope Vishen and Mind Valley will organize more events like this – and I hope I get invited too
GMail Themes in New GMail Version
Whoo..
I logged into Gmail to day and found that they have a new version, with added themes! Cool.
Now you can customize Gmail to match your personality with over 30 themes to choose from. Themes range from simple color-only variations to some pretty funky and even weird ones (see below)
In some cases, you can also customize by location. Some themes change during the day, and we use the location information you provide to correctly time these changes with your local sunrise, sunset, and/or weather. If you select one of these themes, you’ll see a Country/Region drop-down menu appear. Select the country you want, and then enter a city in the field provided. If you don’t enter a city, or enter an invalid one, we’ll set your location to the capital city of the country you selected.
I finally settled for the “Graffiti” theme below. It’s supposed to change colors according to the time of day, so I’ll just see what happens for now. If you don’t already have the themes feature in your Gmail please wait and you’ll get it soon enough.
Awesome Singapore Night Safari and Zoo
I went to Singapore last weekend partly for the SMART Seminar (although I made an appearance for only a few hours) and to take a short break from my business activities. We we there for three days but unfortunately could not go to as many places as I had hoped. Maybe another trip there soon?
One place I’ve always wanted to go was the Singapore Night Safari – heck this has been 10 years coming! Although me and Sheila don’t think it was as good as the Bogor Safari in Indonesia, it was still interesting enough to keep me interested. I have a short attention span, mind you..
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures with Flash, and that meant it wasn’t worth taking any pictures of the animals at all since all you’ll see is darkness. I did however manage to get some “fish therapy” at the exit of the Night Safari and that was really interesting.
I’ve seen a lot of “fish theraphy” outlets spring up in Malaysia over the past year but never tried it. The moment you put your feet in the water the fish immediately start to nibble away.
Did you know that a Malaysian zoo worker jumped into the white tigers enclosure and died the same day we were there? I didn’t know about it too till I read the news the following day. It’s a pretty freaky story of how someone could just lose their mind and decide to take their own life in the most unusual way!
Going Aboard The Singapore Flyer
A view of Singapore city at night from the Singapore Flyer, supposedly the largest wheel in the world. This was one of the places I visited when I went to Singapore recently and although it did not meet my expectations, the ride was still quite interesting.
The full view of the Singapore flyer, taken on our “Duck Tour” the next day.
Here’s the full view of the Singapore Flyer Pretty intimidating huh?
You could go onboard the Flyer in the morning to have a clear day view of the city, or you could go during sunset to catch a romantic glimpse of the sun setting amid the skyscrapers. You could also go at night, like I did, to see the lion city fully lit.
Software Developers Vs Internet Marketers
I remember bringing up this topic recently while having a drink with some Internet marketing friends here in KL. If you feel strongly about this topic, do leave a comment.
Our conversation centered around buying software. We noticed a BIG difference between buying software from Internet marketing gurus, and buying software from developers.
Let’s take membership site software as an example. Depending on what it’s supposed to do, membership site software can be quite complex and intimidating to the non-tech user, especially newbies. So you can either buy the membership site software from an established developer like Amember or you can get a membership site from an Internet marketer, for example the Butterfly Marketing script.
Buying Software from Developers
By “developer” I mean a person or company (usually made of programmers) who develop a particular piece of software and sell it online. One thing I noticed is that their software tends to be very well coded, does what it’s supposed to do perfectly, and seldom crashes. Even if it does crash, there is usually a good deal of online support available.
However, the downside is that these developers seldom understand the complexities of online marketing and therefore do no develop the applications that users want. Amember for example, still does not have a OTO or One-Time-Offer plugin, and their affiliate program interface is pretty sad. Reporting functions are lame too.
But Amember does what it’s supposed to do – which is protect folders and files while accepting membership payments – extremely well. It’s also, in my opinion, pretty easy to use.
Buying Software from Internet Marketers
The Internet marketing group seems to understand online marketing much better, and develop their software with the purpose of making it easier for users to sell more products, get more members, train more affiliates and get more viral traffic.
However, most Internet marketers seem to operate from the hit-and-run business model – let me explain. When Mike Filsaime launched Butterfly Marketing, a vital part of his system was the membership site script. It was not the first to have features such as OTO, but it certainly did OTOs and upsells / downsells better than any other script.
After the initial launch and hype died down, it seems that Mike Filsaime had already moved on to other projects and any new development to the BFM script was abandoned. A great product no doubt, but the fact that it’s no longer being developed would mean that support becomes limited, and as a result it would not make sense trying to use the script in the long term unless you’re a programmer.
Anyone who’s tried to use the Butterfly Marketing script however would notice how disorganized the system is, and the lack or documentation and support. Also, a lack of a parallel community that supports to develop related applications and guides for the software.
The Verdict
Unfortunately as far as buying marketing software is concerned, it seems that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. If a developer makes a really good piece of software that has all the features I want plus more in the pipeline, I would prefer to be his customer.
I’ve been using Amember for over a year now and their support is always great. The only reason I may want to move away from them is if they do not have features that I really need.
Internet marketers who develop software do a good job as well, but it seems that their dedication and attention to keep on supporting their creation is simply not there. Although a few exceptions like John Delavera (Fantasos), Jonathan Leger (3 Way Links and Instant Article Wizard) and Brad Calen (Keyword Elite and SEO Elite) have the best of both worlds, in reality most Internet marketers would eventually abandon their software in search of easier, faster money.
Your opinion?
