2004 was my year for building the infrastructure to talk about things in which I'm interested. I built websites and blogs and programmed scripts to help integrate them.
For the last few weeks, I've been using tools that others put together previously, and integrating them into my infrastructure.
Dave Winer's work on RSS and his Radio Userland (which I'm using to write this blog) have given me great tools for syndication without using email. I spent a couple of months getting all my site feeds ready and I added them to all my blogs last week and they'll be added to the appropriate websites this year.
Ken Evoy has realized the value of RSS.
Ken is the one who taught me how to make my online marketing of affiliate programs and two select network marketing companies profitable. After reading his book, Make Your Site Sell!, a couple of years ago, I completely redesigned the structure of JohnDilbeck.com and now I have hundreds, if not thousands, of pages in the top 10 rankings on most of the websites.
Later, Ken and his company developed the best website design, hosting and promotion system on the planet, Site Build It!, and I've been using the tools he provides for the last year to help me build all of my sites and blogs better. I host A Year From Now there and I just haven't had time to build it as I see it in my mind. That will be one of my top priorities this year.
As I said a few paragraphs above, Ken has discovered the value of RSS and will be incorporating it into Site Build It! over the coming months. He has written an excellent introduction to RSS and to using it for online marketing at: rss.sitesell.com.
Ken has a unique way of cutting to the heart of the matter, as he does with monetizing a site using Google's Adsense, and I have a feeling that the RSS site will evolve into one of the best on the Internet.
I've been using RSS for a couple of years to subscribe to others' feeds, but last year and this year, I'll be making it easy for anyone to subscribe to my feeds.
That said, I think my top priorities -- as far as work goes -- will be:
Do a better job of segmenting the various things I do instead of lumping them all together on JohnDilbeck.com.
Put some real effort into AYearFromNow.com in January and February and make it useful.
All year, I'll be working to build my portals for Cherokee County, North Carolina and for Murphy, NC Business. I intend for them to be the best online resources for this area. Unlike other sites, they are interactive and the first one is free to use. I just introduced a new blog for Murphy, NC 28906 and I'll be building it over the year.
If you want to promote your organizations and businesses in Cherokee County, I want to help you do it.
As I have time, over the year, I'm going to take the successful parts of JohnDilbeck.com, where I've been experimenting for a few years, and duplicate each of them in their own tightly-focused domain. That will be an ongoing process.
I'll continue working with area nonprofits, including Appalachian Heritage Crafters, Center for Participatory Change, and Heritage Partners of Cherokee County, NC. This is the year I'll become involved in the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, too.
Of course, I'll continue to look into new things that catch my eye and then I'll invest the time and energy to learn for myself whether they work or not -- and whether they are worth my time, or not. If I decide they are worthwhile, I'll let you know.
Last year, after a 20-year bad taste due to an unpleasant experience with my first introduction to multi-level marketing, I realized that things had changed as a result of the Internet. I kept running across people whom I respected suggesting that quality multilevel marketing companies are the wave of the future. Even though I thought it was all a scam at worst and unseemly at best, I looked into it. I researched on the FTC site, read quite a few books, looked at hundreds of websites and companies, and eventually came to realize that the 21st Century version of mlm is quite different than it was 20 years ago.
I satisfied myself that many of the people involved were truly interested in not just raking in as much money as possible, but in helping others earn more, too. As a result, I joined the SFI Marketing Group, and I've been building my team for about a year -- and now I have sponsored affiliates on five continents. They will be announcing big changes over the next few days and I look forward to continuing to build my business with them.
I also found what I believe to be the best company for marketing telecommunications products and services, Cognigen, and I've been busy learning all they offer and building my team. When they introduced Hosting With Us and Domains With Us, I quickly purchased a reseller account with the former and started registering new domains with the latter. I have received stellar service from them and recommend them highly. Although I'm not much interested in telephones and cell phones, Cognigen offers some outstanding values there, too. I'll be working to increase my business with Cognigen this year. I'll be updating my Dilbeck Communications site when I learn something new about telecommunications, and sometimes online marketing.
But, my top priorities will involve two things.
1. Anything I do must help someone else as well. I'm not interested in making one single penny of revenue if it hurts the one doing the purchasing. I'm looking for win/win situations, only.
2. I want to help the people of Cherokee County, NC, put out the word about their activities, opportunities, organizations, and businesses. I'll be working very hard to make the local portals and business directories rank very well with the search engines and I'll do whatever I can to help them promote themselves and this county. I love living here and I want to do what I can to help.
Those are some of my goals for 2005. I won't bother you with the plans I'll make to achieve them. I'll just let you know when another piece of the pie is ready.
I hope you have a wonderful year.
All the best,
JD
6:20:24 AM 
|
