Reverse Spam

I'm being "Reverse Spammed!"

Someone is spamming and spoofing various "@demop.com" addresses as the sender.

Now no one is sending me hate mail telling me to stop spamming them, but I'm getting about 50 delivery failure, user unknown, returned email, and various other messages from email servers each day. A hassle - 50 more useless emails to wade through daily.

Not much I can do about it, just like regular spam.

Now if "we" charged a fraction of a penny for each email, the economics of spam would change dramatically and spam would certainly be greatly diminished. Of course there are other problems with this idea, like the creation of a bureaucracy to collect and enforce email postage.

Competing on Price

I don't compete on price -- although I do my best to offer my clients great value and a great deal. Clients that buy solely based on price, quite honestly, suck. They are not good clients. They are rarely happy and less rarely loyal.

Most people simply don't buy services based on price (or most other things).

This is emphasized by my trying to get a %@#%#@% cleaning service to come clean my house.
#1 never followed up to two messages I left, despite running a recent ad. Two strikes -- you're out losers! Doesn't matter what you charge.

#2 didn't respond to my Web inquiry AFTER they left a flyer in my mailbox. An email two weeks letter brought an almost immediate apology from the owner (our Web site isn't working - hey, fix that BEFORE you send out fliers). She'll call me - wonder when? I'm still waiting.

Seems to insist on coming by to give me an estimate.

I DON'T WANT AN ESTIMATE - I WANT A CLEAN HOUSE.

Assuming she's not outlandish in price, and I doubt it, she should just clean my house, charge me, and then if I decide it's a good value, I can set up a regular cleaning sched. with her.

But she, like many others, seems to think competing on price is the only way to go. How about competing on reliability, honestly, a great job, flexibility, and a pleasant smile??

Cheap is NOT necessarily good. And that two buck chuck wine? -- it's pretty mediocre. Good value though if you like mediocre wine or can't tell the difference, and many people quite honestly can't.

Imagine shopping for Brain Surgeons based on price?

Profitable Blogging Teleseminar Notes and Audio

My Profitable Blogging: How to Blog Effectively & Efficiently and Generate Sales Teleseminar was a hit, and as anyone who listened knows I had fun!

The (free) handout is available here, and CDs and MP3s cost less than a decent meal.

I'm planning more blogging teleseminars in the future, both free and not quite free.
Suggestions for topics are actively requested!

Natural disasters and business

I hate it when natural disasters interfere with my business. Here is the road near my house. I may be trapped home before long, but with my family, dog, and a few bottles of wine I'm OK - unless the power/computer goes out. Getting to the office is out of the question!

Workaholic? Me? No, just trying to finish book #2, but life and nature are not cooperating!

Diebold Machines vulnerabilities - serious!

A politician, journalist, or any other hack commenting on voting machines is as useful as a mystic commenting on Alzheimers, or a bald man selling hair rejuvenation formula.

Oh yeah, politicians, journalists, and other entirely unqualified people have commented on the security of Diebold machines, just like my plumber recommends I up my dose of Prozac - that last part's a joke in case you can't tell! I self-diagnosed and upped it myself :)

But when security expert Bruce Schneier says there's a problem, it's like your doctor telling saying you have 6 months to live -- you take it seriously:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/election_machin_1.html

And if you think this is a conspiracy, remember that ineptitude knows few boundaries! Yes, it could be some deep dark Republican or other conspiracy, and the Moon landing could have been faked - it is entirely possible. Moon could be made of Green Cheese too! And maybe Keith Moon, dead drummer for The Who, is actually still alive and hanging out with Elvis! Very possible, but most likely not true.

Firewalls, network perimeter - dead

The Web: Mobsters extinguish Firewalls
"The firewall and the network perimeter are dead," Ted Demopoulos, author of the best-selling book, "Blogging for Business" (Kaplan, 2006), and IT expert based in Durham, N.H., tells The Web. "Firewalls offer less protection than before."
(click to read more)

I always like Gene Koprowski's writing, even when he quotes me :) He archives some of his writings at his blog Digital Visionaries.

I'm also glad to know that Blogging for Business is a best seller (hopefully my publisher, who is happy, agrees) and that I'm an IT expert.

It's interesting - in general you can't call yourself an expert and be credible, at least not to those who don't know you, but the media can call you an expert and it's credible.

Makes sense: reporters get pitched by countless "experts" each day and they're pretty good at sorting through the mess.

Ted writes "Sales Copy" - Profitable Blogging Teleseminar on May 9th

I'm basically a technical guy who's learned a lot about business despite not ever focusing on it, including business pursuits even in college (anyone need a good used couch? how 'bout cheap Maxell tapes?), 16+ years as a consultant, a string of startups (including some spectacular failures!), a recent great selling business book -- Blogging for Business -- and another on the way, and several current &very happy business consulting clients).

But I've never written "sales copy" until now. Here it is - profitable Blogging.

It's for How to Blog Effectively & Efficiently and Generate Sales, a teleseminar on Tues, May 9th.

I AM excited by it. I think it'll have great information and value for those beyond "What is a blog?" who have or are actively considering a blog to promote their business.

Oh yeah, sales copy, repeat "must have call to action" mantra - please remove credit card from wallet and then click here :)

Believing in it does help -- it's basically essential for me (although as my good friends know, I'm a DAMNED GOOD LIAR! I would never lie for profit however, I only lie "recreationally." I like telling incredible yet believable stories and stringing friends along, but I always come clean in the end :) Think "practical jokes").

I know some marketing and sales whizs read my blog - any comments? advice?

Obligatory seminar description below - yeah, I'm going to have fun and I expect participants to profit from my hard-earned advice.

The focus is on consultants, speakers, solopreneurs and other small businesses. Topics include:

* How to ensure your blog has the characteristics shared by all successful business blogs
* What kind of results can you expect from your blog
* How many readers you need for profitability
* How to build traffic to your blog
* Search Engine Optimization for blogs
* How to write blog posts quickly and efficiently
* Ins and outs of promoting yourself and your products effectively
* Special considerations for promoting your book via a blog
* The pros and cons of running Google AdSense or other advertising in your blog

Details here (another call to action, or click, or whatever -- again, I'm no sales dude!).

Ted's Blogging Interview on Tom Taulli's Blog

Tom Taulli, Forbes.com columnist and blogger, interviewed me and the interview is up on his blog.

Since turnaround is fair play, I've interviewed him on Crisis Management and Blogging which can see here.

Why Websites/Blogs NEED contact information

http://www.alabamabowhunter.com has been hacked - and I'd love to let them know, if I could.

I just followed a PayPal phishing attack, and there is some kind of "harvesting" script running on their website. I'm assuming they are a bunch of decent good ole boys like myself and not involved in cybercrime.

Well, I just spent about 10 minutes figuring out how to contact them, with no luck. Sorry guys/gals/whatever, I tried to help but it's too hard.

Moral: Have some kind of contact info readily available on any site. This is only one example of why. Hey, even uberblogger Robert Scoble posts his personal cell phone number, and answers it!!