Sweetmantra: Internet Marketing Advice

Domain Name Resources from "The Secret World of Domain Names"

This past weekend I gave a talk at PodCamp Toronto entitled "The Secret World of Domain Names," which was a marketer's guide to domain names.

My session was Webcast live, and it was also archived on video. You can view a low-resolution video recording of my presentation here:

The Secret World of Domain Names (QuickTime)

Meanwhile, I thought it would be helpful if I provided links to the various resources and sites that I talked about during my talk.

So, without much further ado, here they are:

The Secret World of Domain Names: Domain Name Resources

Resources for researching domain names and coming up with a new domain name:

• CIRA
• NameBoy Radio Test
• RhymeZone
• Thesaurus.com
• Who.is

Where to register a new domain name:

• Hover (save 25% with this special discount link)
• MyHosting.com
• Name.com

Where to shop for premium domain names:

• Afternic
• BuyDomains.com
• FabulousDomains
• Sedo
• YummyNames (this is the business I run)

Where to shop for expired domain names:

• Afternic
• Go Daddy Auctions
• NameJet
• Pool.com
• SnapNames

Where to learn about the domain investing industry:

• DN Journal
• Domain Name News
• Domain Name Wire

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of resources for this topic, but it's enough to get you started...

For more information about PodCamp Toronto, visit the PodCamp Toronto Wiki.

Ten Must-Have iPhone Apps for Marketers

I can't believe it's been such a long time since I posted something to my blog, and I feel so terrible about that. The last few months have been a whirlwind of family 'stuff' and business trips and all sorts of other craziness (good and bad), but I am not using that as an excuse. The one thing I was able to do during the last few months of chaos was Twitter, so if you're not following me on Twitter, I strongly encourage you to do so. My Twitter handle is @billsweetman, of course, and I am having lots of fun experimenting with this micro-blogging platform. For my first official blog post in months, I have decided to offer up something that I hope will be of lasting value to anyone who uses an iPhone.

Now that I've owned (and loved) my iPhone for nearly a year, I thought it would be helpful to share my personal recommendations on iPhone apps (programs) that a marketer would find useful. These are apps that I use on a daily or weekly basis, and in most cases these are free. As with anything Mac-related, opinions will vary, but these are the iPhone apps that I think no self-respecting marketer should be without. You can download them from the App Store or via iTunes.

Scribble - Ever found yourself in a meeting looking around the room to see if there's a whiteboard you can write on, only to discover you are out of luck? Scribble is a straightforward doodling application that I use as a mini whiteboard when I need to quickly illustrate a concept. Unlike a real whiteboard, however, my diagrams or drawings can be easily emailed to myself or others within moments.

AirSharing - This very cool app turns your iPhone into a wireless file server, allowing you to drag and drop documents between your iPhone and other computers without the hassle of connecting any cables. I use it to store backups of PowerPoint presentations for talks I am giving, and because AirSharing includes a built-in document reader, I can review and rehearse my presentations right on my iPhone.

DomainScout - Want to quickly check if a domain name is available to register? Or curious to know who the current owner is? DomainScout is a fast and easy tool that allows you to quickly conduct a WHOIS search. You can even customize it to search for your favourite TLDs, so if you only care about .com, .net and .ca domains, DomainScout can be configured to check up to three TLDs of your choice by default.

iTalk - If you're like me, you get ideas for things at all hours of the day and night. But what do you do when you don't have pen and paper handy? iTalk is a wonderfully simple voice recorder that allows you to quickly capture your thoughts, or record an entire presentation, on your iPhone. A very handy little app that turns your iPhone into a digital voice recorder, without the expense of the real thing.

Urbanspoon - Need to find a nearby restaurant or café to meet up with someone for a biz meeting? Urbanspoon is a wickedly handy tool that helps you locate whatever kind of eating establishment you are looking for. For example, if you've just landed in a strange city and need to find an affordable Vegan restaurant that's open for lunch near a client's office, just consult Urbanspoon. In seconds you will have restaurant hours, phone number, and a map of how to get there.

Wikipanion - Need to consult the oracle that is Wikipedia to settle a bar bet? This app provides an elegant and highly usable front end to Wikipedia, allowing you to quickly find the information you need in the world's largest human-editable encyclopedia. I find this to be way more effective than browsing the Wikipedia site using the iPhone's Web browser.

Firemail - If you need to type a lengthy email, the iPhone's tiny default vertical keyboard can make it difficult, especially if you have large hands. This clever little add-on allows you to use a wider horizontal keyboard to type up your email, then pastes the result into the body of the email. Until Apple offers a horizontal keyboard for the iPhone's email program (Apple, are you listening?), this app will save you from typo Hell.

Facebook - Being a savvy digital marketer, you are, of course, an active user of Facebook. Make sure you've downloaded the Facebook iPhone app because it makes accessing and using Facebook so much better than via the iPhone's Web browser. The photo browsing capability is one of my favourite features. No matter where I am, I can show people any photo album that I have uploaded to Facebook, including my now infamous Playboy Mansion party photo album.

Twitterific - When you're on the road and need to get your Twitter fix, this is, hands down, the slickest application to do it with. You can favorite posts, get detailed user info, and it even includes a mini browser allowing you to quickly view the Web pages that people link to. Twitterific will make you fall in love with Twitter all over again.

Google - Sure, you can use the iPhone's Web browser to surf the Google Website, but the Google app is way more efficient. It also includes a surprisingly effective voice search capability, which allows you to search for "Ferret leashes" by saying "ferret leashes" into your iPhone's microphone. Even when the app doesn't understand what you are searching for, the results can be fun! Imagine the fun you could have at parties with this one...

What are some of your must-have iPhone apps for marketers? Share your recommendations in the comment section below.

Why Settle for a Lousy Domain Name?

At long last, I can finally reveal one of the cool initiatives I have been working on at Tucows over the last little while:

On October 29, we officially launched YummyNames, our new service that offers marketers the ability to purchase or lease premium domain names from the Tucows Domain Portfolio. As our tagline says...

"Why settle for a lousy domain name?"

That same day, I got new business cards, since I am now the General Manager of YummyNames. Woohoo!

The Tucows marketing team did an amazing job supporting the launch, so I'm going to explain what YummyNames is all about by sharing some of the material they created:

• You can read the news release that Tucows issued.
• You can have a look around www.yummynames.com, which was designed by the talented team over at Mouth Media. (They also worked with us to develop the overall YummyNames brand identity.) There’s lots of information on who we are and what we do.
• You can check out the special “Social Media Release” or SMR for the YummyNames launch. Think of it as a one-stop shop for bloggers or anyone else looking for information, images, videos, facts and quotes about the launch of YummyNames.
• You can watch the video below (or follow this direct link to the video), and I’ll do my best to explain YummyNames in three minutes.

The overwhelmingly positive response we've received so far from the marketing and advertising community proves that there's a need for a marketer-friendly premium domain name service, and I am delighted to be heading up this new service.

We've got lots of work ahead of us, but we're off to a great start! I hope that you agree.

Does Someone Want to Buy Your Domain Name?

Has someone approached you about buying a domain name that you own? This happened to several colleagues this past week, so I thought I would pass along some of the advice that I gave them.

If you are on the receiving end of a serious offer to buy your domain name, I strongly recommend that you get a professional appraisal of the fair market value of the domain name so as to avoid selling it for significantly less than what it's worth. The fees for a professional domain name appraisal are usually in the $20-50 range.

Here are some recommended domain name appraisal services:

Afternic Domain Name Appraisal

Moniker Domain Name Appraisal

Sedo Domain Name Appraisal

There are a number of other appraisal services out there, including a bunch of automated services that offer free domain name appraisals, however in my experience the most reliable appraisals are done by a real live human evaluator working for a company that has a lot of experience selling domain names. That's not the case with the automated appraisal solutions, which is why the appraisals by the automated tools are often notoriously inaccurate.

Speaking of appraisals, beware of a scam that has been making the rounds whereby a supposedly interested 'buyer' with lots of money to spend insists that you use an appraisal service they recommend in order to close the deal. The 'buyer' is not really interested in your name; he is hoping to trick you into purchasing an appraisal from a bogus appraisal service (which he secretly owns). Once you have paid for your appraisal, the 'buyer' mysteriously loses interest in your domain name. Ouch!

Of course, when it comes to domain names, "fair market value" is rather subjective and will fluctuate over time. On the one hand, it's not uncommon for people to sell domain names for a few hundred dollars and think they got a lot of money when in fact the domain was worth thousands or even tens of thousands. On the other hand, most domain names aren't even worth $10, yet delusional owners hang on to these "valuable" domains for years hoping to cash in by selling them one day. Sorry to burst your balloon, but that's just not going to happen.

An appraisal by a reputable company will provide you with a reality check, but don't base your decision to sell the domain name solely on the appraisal. Also consider how likely it is that another buyer might come along in the future wanting to buy your domain name. (Have you gotten offers on this domain name in the past? If so, you will likely get offers in the future as well. A really good name appeals to lots of potential buyers.) Sometimes, however, there is only one 'ideal' buyer for a domain name, and if you think they've finally found you and your domain name, then now's the time to sell.

If you decide to sell and agree on a price for the domain name, I recommend that you use an escrow service for the financial transaction. Escrow services act as intermediaries between a buyer and seller, and they help to ensure that the seller (you) gets paid and the buyer get the domain. Escrow services charge a small fee (usually a percentage of the sale price) for the valuable role that they play.

If you are selling a domain name to a buyer that you do not know personally (which is the typical scenario) and the transaction is for more than $200, I suggest using an escrow service to give you piece of mind.

Here are some recommended domain name escrow services:

Escrow.com Domain Name Escrow Service

Afternic Domain Name Escrow Service

Moniker Domain Name Escrow Service

Another approach is for the buyer and seller to sign a Domain Name Purchase Agreement, however this usually involves lawyers and the costs for this can quickly add up.

Good luck with your domain name sale!

10 Facebook Tips for Professionals

It will come as no surprise to many of you reading this that I'm a huge fan of Facebook and have been since I signed on about two years ago. As I've watched this social network grow by leaps and bounds, I've seen more and more business professionals jump on the bandwagon and try to make a go of it, with decidedly mixed results. Truth be told, I've also made a few mistakes myself along the way.

In the spirit of sharing, I hereby present my list of 10 tips for business professionals who want to experience the many delights of Facebook without making a fool of themselves:

1. Use your real and full name in your profile - Don't sign on under some cute alias or nickname; nobody's going to be able to find you, and using a fictional name as your Facebook identity is just begging to get you kicked off since it's a borderline violation of the Terms of Service.
2. Make sure your profile includes a photo of you - If you don't include a photo of yourself in your profile, you might as well not bother being on Facebook. Very few people, even your friends, will want to add you as their Facebook friend without knowing who they are dealing with. Choose a recent colour or black and white headshot of yourself, and make sure the photo is tasteful.
3. Include detailed business information in your profile - Prospective Facebook business friends are going to be viewing your profile to evaluate whether or not they want to add you as a friend, so make sure you include the name of the company you work for, a link to your corporate Website, a link to your blog (if you have one), your email address and phone number.
4. Do not invite strangers to be your Facebook friends - This is a huge pet peeve of mine, as I generally will not add anyone as my Facebook friend that I haven't met in person. They're called Facebook "friends" for a reason. I also suggest you not let strangers add you as their Facebook friend until you have established a comfort level with them through other means.
5. Do not send messages to strangers - This is another pet peeve of mine! Unless you already know the person and are one of their Facebook friends, do not use Facebook to send them messages. If you really need to contact the person, use traditional email or the telephone; don't bug them on Facebook.
6. Do not add useless and/or annoying applications to your profile - Nothing will make you look more like an ass than if you start adding all sorts of time-wasting applications to your Facebook profile that automatically 'invite' all your friends to participate. Say no to zombies, vampires, hamsters, funwalls, super pokes, top friends, personality tests, and all the other crap.
7. Do not send bulk commercial messages to your friends - Hard to believe I would have to spell this one out, but Facebook is the last place you want to start spamming people. It's OK to send the occasional business related message to small groups of people at a time, but do this more than once a month and you're really asking for trouble. (You are free, of course, to create your own Facebook Group, which will allow you to send update messages to anyone who joins the group; nothing wrong with that.)
8. Think twice before writing on other people's Walls - Walls are not the place to have a private conversation because everyone (or at least all your friends) can see the conversation. If you want to have a 1:1 discussion with someone, send a message instead. And to avoid someone inadvertently posting something inappropriate on your Wall, you might want to consider disabling your Wall altogether.
9. Be judicious about what information you make available in your profile - Identity theft is a big problem, and so are stalkers. Don't every list your real birth date on Facebook (or anywhere else online) and be very selective about other personal information you share. The same holds true for photos; be very careful about the photos you upload. Do you really want your business associates to see that photo of you dancing on the bar at the local watering hole?
10. Use LinkedIn for pure business connections instead - Yeah, I know, it's kind of funny to call this a Facebook tip, but often times it's more appropriate to use LinkedIn to connect with someone since LinkedIn is "all business" whereas Facebook is much more casual. I recommend using both, with Facebook skewed more towards true friends and business "friends" and LinkedIn for more serious business connections (and nothing else).

Don't let any of this frighten you off Facebook as it is a remarkable personal and business tool. But do tread lightly when you first sign on and spend some time to get to know how it works and what is acceptable behaviour (for business professionals) and what is not.

Seven Fast Tips for Using Blogger

Now that I've established that Blogger doesn't suck anymore, I thought it would be helpful to share a few quick and easy tips to help you get the most out of Blogger, Google's free blogging software.

1. Tweak the Navbar
   The Blogger navigation bar at the top of every page doesn't have to be a 'loud' blue and orange. While you can't eliminate the navigation bar entirely, you can make it less obvious and tie it closer to the look and feel of your blog. To do so, simply log in to your Blogger account, then navigate to Dashboard > Layout, then click on "Edit" on the Navbar. In addition to the default blue colour scheme for the Navbar, you can also choose tan, black, or silver.
2. Finesse Your Photo
   For the photo of you, the blogger, use a JPEG that is exactly 88x88 pixels in size. This size will look best both on your blog (where more people are likely to see it) and your User Profile page. To change your photo, navigate to Dashboard > Edit Profile.
3. Create Search Engine-Friendly Tags
   Since page titles are very important to search engines, and since Blogger automatically incorporates tags into page titles, make sure you create tags that accurately reflect the content of your blog. This will help increase the traffic you get from search engines.
4. Use a Compelling Description
   The description you use for your blog in the top header section will likely be used by search engines when they display your blog in search results. Make sure you craft your description to be compelling to readers (to motivate them to click) and search engines by including the most important keywords here. Go to Dashboard > Settings to add or modify your blog description.
5. Use Your Own Domain Name
   Just because your blog's URL is likely to be some variation of yourblog.blogspot.com this doesn't mean you can't have a snappier and more memorable URL for marketing purposes. Simply register a domain name like TheBestBlogEver.com (for $10 or less at registrars like GoDaddy) and forward this to your blogspot.com URL. (Blogger also now supports using a custom domain for serving your blog, however configuring this is not for the faint of heart.)
6. Protect Yourself From Spammers
   If you want to provide your email address to your blog visitors but don't want to get bombarded by spammers using email address harvesting software, modify the way you display your email on your blog as follows: billgates[at]sympatico[dot]ca or billgatesNOSPAM@NOSPAMsymptico.ca.
7. Measure Your Traffic
   Blogger doesn't offer any Website traffic statistics (yet), but that doesn't mean you can't measure your blog traffic. Use a free and basic service like Site Meter or, if you're a data junkie, try Google Analytics.

Blogger Doesn't Suck Anymore or: How I Spent My Christmas Holiday

Until recently, if you were an aspiring blogger and you asked me my opinion of the blogging software Blogger, I would have gone into a mini rant about how surprisingly clunky and user-unfriendly it is, especially considering it is hugely popular and owned by Google.

Then I would have added that, of course, you get what you pay for. (Blogger is free.) And finally I would have suggested that you'd be better off paying $5 a month for a service like TypePad instead.

That was until this past Christmas.

In December, Blogger officially launched their new - and vastly improved - software, and I had a really good chance to give it a workout since I spent some of my Christmas holiday helping my Dad set up his first blog, In A Mellow Tone. (He prefers to call it a Website, but that's another story...)

The new Blogger is much easier to use (especially for non-technical folks) and offers some customization and configuration features that rival those of paid services like TypePad. Best of all, it's still free.

For full-blown professional or corporate blogs, I still recommend more robust and configurable paid services like TypePad and Movable Type (along with WordPress, which is 'free' but requires considerable technical prowess). However, for personal or modest little blogs like my Dad's, the new Blogger offers more than enough bells and whistles and is extremely easy to use.

If you haven't played around with the new Blogger yet, I highly recommend it. It's a great way to start the New Year.

Tools I Love: Escrow.com

This is part of an ongoing series dedicated to the tools I regularly use and recommend as an Internet marketer.

What the heck is it?
Escrow.com is, as its name implies, an online escrow service. Think of it as a virtual and impartial transaction middleman who protects both the buyer and seller of real or virtual assets. If you're planning to buy a domain name from a third party, for instance, a service like Escrow.com helps you avoid being ripped off, above and beyond the protection afforded by a contract or letter of agreement. Escrow.com does not release the funds to the seller until you, the buyer, have verified that the domain name transfer has been successfully completed.

Why do I like it?
Although it can be used for assets other than domain names, Escrow.com has a dedicated domain name purchase management service that is very polished and very straightforward to use. Whether you are the buyer or the seller, Escrow.com gives you the confidence to smoothly execute important e-commerce transactions with people around the world.

Where do I get it?
When you are ready to transact, you can open an Escrow.com account at www.escrow.com.

How much does it cost?
Escrow.com charges a service fee on each transaction, which can be paid for by the buyer, the seller, or split between them both. Fees vary depending on the purchase price and level of service, however the fee for a typical domain name sale is approximately 3.25%. This, in my opinion, is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

Insider's Tip:
While Escrow.com conveniently accepts payments through many different means, including credit cards, the best way to make payments into this service is through a bank wire transfer.

Tools I Love: Dropload.com

This is part of an ongoing series dedicated to the tools I regularly use and recommend as an Internet marketer.

What the heck is it?
Dropload.com is an online file delivery service. Have you ever found yourself in the following situation? You've got a digital file to get to someone, but it's way too large to send via email, there's no time to courier it over on CD-ROM, and the recipient is not technically-savvy enough to do the FTP thing. Well thank heavens for Dropload.com, which allows you to deliver massive digital files to anyone with a valid email address.

Why do I like it?
This service does one thing, and one thing only - deliver a large digital file to a recipient - and does it with ease and simplicity. Even the most technologically-challenged recipients will be able to figure out how to get their hands on the file you are delivering to them. Quite honestly, this service has saved my derriere on a number of occasions.

Where do I get it?
You can set up your own private Dropload.com account at www.dropload.com.

How much does it cost?
Dropload.com is free to use, although the service's creators welcome donations. If you find yourself using the service, I would encourage you to give the creators a little something; just think of the courier charges you are saving.

Insider's Tip:
Tell your intended file recipient ahead of time that you will be using Dropload.com to deliver the file to them. That way the recipient can watch for the email from Dropload.com indicating that their file is ready for pickup.

Tools I Love: ProBoards

This is part of an ongoing series dedicated to the tools I regularly use and recommend as an Internet marketer.

What the heck is it?
ProBoards is a provider of threaded discussion forums. If you want to setup a discussion forum, public or private, dedicated to a topic or theme that is near and dear to your heart, then ProBoards is the fastest way to get going. Literally within minutes, your discussion forum can be up and running and accepting posts. ProBoards offers forum owners and their users all the popular features Internet users have come to expect from a forum, without the cost and expense of having to build one from scratch.

Why do I like it?
ProBoards is infinitely, and instantly, customizable. Not only do you have a great deal of control over the look and feel of your forum, but you also have access to some powerful administrative tools.

Where do I get it?
You can get your own forum at www.proboards.com.

How much does it cost?
ProBoards is free if you don't mind seeing third-party banner ads and text ads on your forum. For a nominal fee, you can pay a monthly amount to make them disappear.

Insider's Tip:
Your forum doesn't have to be public. You can password-protect your forum (or sections of it) and only allow paying customers to access the content. Just think of the possibilities...