Yesterday I received a rather interesting email from an “affiliate manager” wanting me to promote one of their clients upcoming launches… except that the email was not “right” in several ways… so, rather than respond back via email I felt it might be a good lesson for marketers wanting to find partners/promoters/JV partners to learn from…

The latest “rage” in the Internet marketing world is all about video (never mind that online video has been around for some time)… everyone and their cousin wants to create videos for their websites, their blogs, YouTube, etc… it’s a hot subject with lots of info, opinions, ideas, strategies, techniques, etc…

The other day on my discussion board Anthony Blake Online - Entrepreneurial Success Forum a visitor named “James” posted the following message:

I’ve been using an older Sony digital camcorder for several years and the quality is shoddy.

I’d like to buy a new digital camcorder to use for shooting videos to place on my website.

Does anyone have a recommendation on which camcorder to buy? There are just so many to choose from.

I want something that is user friendly - something I can use without a lot of time invested in “figuring it out”.

Price isn’t an object … I don’t mind paying premium prices to get what I want.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
James

Another visitor, Andrew Cavanagh posted the following response:

The models keep changing so it’s awkward to recommend one but…

Look for a camcorder with 3cc (color chips).

Make sure the camcorder has a microphone jack.

Look at the reviews on Amazon. They’re usually fairly accurate.

If you’re buying new the prices on Amazon are an accurate guide of good value too.

Most of the discount prices you see online are a scam.

As soon as you buy you’ll get a salesperson calling you telling you the model you bought is from China and you’ll need all these extras which are basic in the normal model etc etc.

We did this twice before we realized this is a scam that’s basic in the industry.

I hope that helps a little.

The free video in my link below should also be very handy for choosing equipment and filming your own video.

I wish I had those tips when I was starting out.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

I decided to also answer James original post… but instead of writing out simple details I thought a video with a lot of info would be best… so, below is my video response - hope that the info I’ve included can help you in your quest for online video success…

Gas prices have been steadily going up, they’re now at an average of over $3.00 a gallon and it coming down to more reasonable prices (around $2.50 — which really isn’t reasonable but at least it’s a bit better) is a bit of a pipedream… with a barrel of oil bouncing between $95 and $99 it doesn’t seem that for the foreseeable future we’ll be paying a lot at the pump…

So that you can help save some money when you buy gas here are 14 tips you can use right away to leave some coin in your bank account and not in the pockets of all the oil conglomerates:

1 - Take out a credit card. Some credit cards offer gas savings when you use the card for purchases. This works in much the same way that some credit card companies give you frequent flyer miles when you use their card for purchases.

2 - Get a gas membership card. Look for membership benefits. In addition, department and grocery stores give discounts at the fuel pump when you use their store membership cards.

3 - Give your car a good tune up. While giving your car a tune up won’t actually save you money at the pump, it will save you in gas. Using less gas saves you money over all. Have the oil changed, and have a certified mechanic give your engine a twice over.

4 - Check the WWW for deals. Web sites let you find the best deals in your area.

5 - Buy a hybrid car. Not only do hybrid cars give you immediate savings at the pump, the U.S. government and your local state offer tax breaks for people that use gas saving cars. Federal deductions for using gas saving cars can be as high as $2000. If you can’t afford the growing number of hybrid cars out there, consider getting a regular car with good MPG (miles per gallon), like the Toyota Echo or Yaris.

6 - Turn off the AC. Running the car’s air conditioning puts extra strain on your car’s engine. This translates into you car eating up more gas per mile. Use less gas, save money. Depending on the car you drive, at highway speeds, the AC might put less drag on your car than if all the windows are open. Therefore, you might want to keep it cool on the highway.

7 - Use the cheaper stuff. Most modern cars run just as well with the cheap gas as they do with the more expensive gas. In fact, engineers assume the car buyer is going to use the cheap gas, and so, they design the car’s engine accordingly.

8 - Don’t fill the tank when prices are higher. Gas suppliers and gas station owners can charge high prices for gas because they know people will pay for it. The owners monitor how much gas people are putting into their cars each day. If they hike up the price a few cents and people are still filling up their tanks, this tells the owners that people are willing to pay the high price. Adding only a few gallons to your car when prices are high sends a message to the owners that people are not happy about the high prices.

9 - Don’t drive. Don’t drive when you don’t absolutely have to. Carpooling, walking, taking the bus, and riding a bike not only saves you gas, but these are better for the environment and may be better for your health. Do you really need to drive to the store when it is only a couple of blocks down the street?

10 - Check the tire air pressures weekly. Buy an inexpensive manual air pump and an accurate tire gauge (not a pencil gauge as they are not accurate). Keep all tires inflated to the same pressure as recommended for your car but not for your tire. Go by the sticker on the doorframe and not the tire wall.

11 - Drive at a consistent speed and keep the windows up tight. Keeping the windows closed reduces the drag on your car. Sticking to the speed limit also helps. So, will using less gear changes and revving the engine less. Avoid accelerating fast or braking suddenly. Use cruise control when you can.

12 - Clean out any unnecessary items in your car. If you have heavy objects in your car that you don’t need - remove them. If your car is lighter, it will use less fuel to get you to where you’re going.

13 - Avoid leaving your car idle. If you are going to be stopped for more than one minute, you will save gas by turning the car off and restarting when you are ready to go.

14 - Buy on cold days. Buy fuel on cold days and if you can, drive on the hot days. When you buy on cold days, and pay for volume, you buy more “mass” of fuel for the same price. Never fill the tank completely or it will overflow when it becomes hotter.

If you have any money-saving tips, for gas or anything else, you are welcome to share here on the blog…

Here’s a fun YouTube video I discovered that teaches you a power design technique called “Defensive Photoshop”… watch it, you’ll see what I mean:

Earlier tonight I posted several rather direct questions to Dr. Mani via Twitter… these were questions that have been tumbling around for some time not only by me but by others who have noticed the same thing… They were VERY direct, very pointed and very blunt (mainly because Twitter only allows you 140 characters to post something)…

It seems that Dr. Mani didn’t like to be questioned — an understandable feeling… and he decided to reply…

First, below, are the initial Twitter posts in chronological order so you can have a little backstory…

Dr. Mani responded his blog with complete details, information, references, etc. — He held nothing back and proved what he is doing… here’s a link to his post: Influence Gone Wrong

I in turn responded using a video… why a video? In written text often inflection and meaning aren’t easily expressed… what is written one way can be taken another… so an audio or video response in many ways can be much more effective and can transmit what you really mean in a more understandable and impactful way (I’m a member of a video social network where posts and responses are only done via video, and it’s interesting the difference in information that is shared that way)… Below is my response to Dr. Mani’s blog post:

Response To Dr. Mani

Posted to The Bitter Truth by Tony Blake on January 06, 2008

Click to Play | View Details

To his credit and after watching my response Dr. Mani has replied on his blog and understands where I was coming from… he understands that the questions asked are questions that many, many people have had for some time… questions that begged for answers, and now they are available to those same people, plainly and openly…

I personally want to apologize to Dr. Mani for offending by using the “Joe Kumar” reference… it was not a good reference to use — I do know that it does conjure up some ill feelings in the IM world and I should have used better judgement before uttering that “cursed” name…

Britney Spears was taken away last night by ambulance for observation after holding her children hostage from her ex-husband… She is now in an observation ward at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles; the building surrounded by satellite trucks and paparazzi… You can’t not love that girl…

So, in honor of the “Mother Of The Year” I present the following special music video — “If Britney Was My Mom”…

Enjoy…