Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills
By Jeremy Schoemaker

it would look like SearchMe.

This week searchme launched their iPhone search application which looks pretty sweet. Check out the vid:

If I had a iPhone I would use it

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Every time paid links is brought up Matt Cutts brings up the FTC’s “suggestions” on bloggers disclosing things they have been compensated for. In no where in these “suggestions” does it talk about paid links. But even if it did they are just suggestions.

They are not law and if Google was following the FTC’s suggestions I doubt Google Adsense/adlinks would be engaging in some of the most deceptive advertising methods I have ever seen on the internet.

Also I am curious then why Google is not requiring Firefox to display that they are paying Firefox billions of dollars to be the default search engine each time you search. The funny thing is not even firefox developers know they are getting paid so much by Google as you can see in my posts about it before. Talk about a lack of disclosure.

And what about all the other properties Google has bought their way into? How many times have you seen Adsense ads not labeled as ads?

What about the spyware/virus bearshare I have BEEN SHOWING IN SLIDES FOR PRESENTATIONS FOR 3+ YEARS that is still ruining Google Adsense. Google CLEARLY has knowledge of these things and they choose to participate in deceptive advertising.

Now in regards to Matt you know why he must do this right? He is a smart guy. And I would guess he HATES ADSENSE with a passion. But as we saw before text links are Google’s achilles heel and remain to be.

Now honestly there is absolutely zero way for them to detect inlink ads if it is done properly and Matt (and maybe former Googler Vanessa Fox who chimed in also) knows that.

If its easy to detect why did they have all the calls for help using the paid links form to rat on people who pay for links and employ the hundreds of people to review all those submissions?

Surely if you can “detect” it so easily that would save a few bucks.

Anyway I personally don’t think Google wants to go down this path with the FTC.

If they want to come out and say they will take you out of their search engine index if you don’t follow their rules then fine. But don’t act like its some Government mandate and everyone is going to go to jail who is selling/buying paid links.

(13 votes, average: 4.31 out of 5)

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MediaWhiz today launched Inlinks. Its basically Text-Link-Ads 2.0.

On the Advertiser’s - sites looking to pickup links to their product can specify keywords and anchor text they are looking for and the Inlinks magic will go through all its publisher base finding matching and give you EDITORIAL CONTROL over which ones you would like to purchase.

On the blogger’s side when they get a new advertiser they are alerted and have EDITORIAL CONTROL if they want to place the link or not.

So the key here is going to be to not make Google look stupid. If your site is about electronics and your accepting ads for stuff not related to electronics clearly trying to manipulate Google search engine placements then your probably going to get dinged. But if you are only approving relevant websites that add to the user experience as a reference then from what I have seen and heard from Google Engineers you should be OK.

I don’t care what others are saying about this the bottom line is unless InLinks has some sort of fingerprint its going to be completely impossible for Google to detect.

Curious to hear your thoughts on this.

(8 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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In the book The Dip Seth talks about how superstars lean into the dip.   They almost use the dip as an advantage.  Also when superstars come out of the dip and master their craft they create a giant barrier for any competitors.

So what are some real world examples of this?  Well look at eBay!  How hard is it to overtake eBay in the online auction space?

What about Google?  Not only does Google have the best search engine but they also pay over 1 billion dollars a year to be the default search engine in Firefox, Safari, AOL, and others.  If anyone even thought about competing with Google they need to bring a TON of money to the table.

Think Microsoft created much of a dip for competitors with its Office Suite and Operating Systems?

Many times reporters have asked me who I think is going to be the next big search engine.  I tell them I think it over.  Search as we know it is owned by Google and only the government will be able to stop them.  The dip to overtake Google is just to much for any company to overcome.

If you can overcome the dip your compeditors have put in front of you then you can be #1.  But what will your post dip strategy be to remain #1?

(6 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)

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In the book “The Dip” Seth Godin talks about Zipfs Law. In my search for more on this I came across many typos of this as Zifs law, Ziffs law, etc… Anyway Harvard linguistic professor George Kingsley Zipf applied statistical and linguistic theories on human communication. He did all kinds of studys on word stuff… and rankings…

But the biggest thing he showed the world was that it is important to be #1

Zipf’s law states that in a tabulation of the occurrence of all words in a sufficiently comprehensive text, ranged by their frequency, will the product of rang number and frequency make up a constant. In addition will the number of different words in the vocabulary be equal to the frequency of the most common word (rank number 1).

So what does that mean? To be honest I dunno. Sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me but the one thing I do know is its good to be #1 for whatever you do. Often times I look at what I am doing with a project and ask myself the probability I can be #1. If the answer is absolutely no then its time to quit that project.

Many times businesses get customers simply because they are regarded as #1.

Do you hire the 2nd best person you interview for a job or the #1 ?

With Nextpimp we were #1 for several years and loved it. Then we lost passion and got quickly overtaken by competitors.

ShoeMoney.com is by far #1 as far as a blog that talks about making money from real experience. Sure that sounds cocky but its a fact. Am I lying? Advertisers always will go with #1 and they will pay more for the association with #1

The Elite Retreat is by far #1 for what it does.

AuctionAds despite having 8 compeditors before launching including eBay themselves quickly became #1 for eBay display Ads within only a few short months before we sold the company.

Do I always have #1’s? No. In fact I would say 90% of the time I quit a project or cut it lose because we just do not have the resources to become #1.

Is it possible for you to be #1 in what you do? If so are you willing to put in the time and work its going to take?

If so the rewards are massive!

(8 votes, average: 3.88 out of 5)

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I am pretty excited.  We have never had so much interest so fast in the Elite Retreat.

Someone made a really good comment yesterday and asked why I didn’t link to last years recap.  I dunno I just forgot ;).

http://www.shoemoney.com/2008/04/14/elite-retreat-2008-san-fran-recap/

For those wanting to read reviews from people who attended there are a ton from that url.

A lot of people yesterday in the comments on this blog were complaining about the price and stuff and I totally understand.   This conference is not meant for people looking to “start” making money online.  Its meant for businesses or websites who are already doing pretty good to take their business or website to the next level.    I assemble the best people in the industry I know from all corners to do that.  Between our combined experiences and connections for 2 full days of doing nothing but analyzing companies and coming up with game plans for them its a giant recipe for success.  For the people that attend its a massive tipping point in their business.

We only allow 35 people to come and everyone must sign a non disclosure agreement that they will not reveal what anyone else does or says without their express written permission.

I am super pumped for this years event.    We have some awesome things cooking I will be sharing in the next few months!

There are a few seats left so make sure you sign up today if interested!

(7 votes, average: 1.57 out of 5)

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The Elite Retreat 2009 event is officially taking new registrations!   I expect this years event to be another sell out. We have a great cast of industry leaders.  This years event takes place in San Francisco February 18th-20th at the The Hotel Vitale.   We have a few nice surprises for the guests this year I will be revealing in the next couple weeks.




1st day Keynote: Gary Vaynerchuck
2nd day Keynote: TBA

Leaders:

Stephan Spencer - SEO Expert
Chris Winfield - PR Ninja
Neil Patel - Marketing Consultant, SEO, Social Media whiz
Andy Liu - Startup Expert
Kris Jones - PPC, Affiliate expert
Jeremy Schoemaker - this is me!

So what is different this year? Well to start things off we will be adding a 3rd optional day to the event we are calling the Elite Retreat Field Trip. We will be going to some of the top companies in the Silicon Valley area and I think this will add a nice layer of value. We will be announcing the full schedule for this last day soon.

You can check out the official press release of 2009 Elite Retreat event here.

If you are thinking about attending this year you should register ASAP.

(7 votes, average: 2.29 out of 5)

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The Dip by Seth Godin

I was listening to the book “The Dip” - by Seth Godin, on the way back from Vegas when it hit me how much this book has played an influence on my my life. It hit me so hard that I felt compelled to write Seth a note and thank him. In the email I gave very specific examples to Seth about how many times his book “The Dip” greatly influenced a decisions I had. And many times these decisions turned out to some of the biggest turning points in my business(s).

I was not expecting any response from Seth. I kind of wrote the email more for me then him. I think you guys know what I mean by that.

When he did respond I was very nervous to look what he had said:

From: Seth Godin
Date: November 12, 2008 7:25:35 PM CST
To: Jeremy Schoemaker
Subject: Re: Your Impact On My Life

holy smokes

what a fantastic note Jeremy

that means a lot. You get all the credit for your success, but it’s great to know you!

I thought maybe this week I would kind of do the same on my blog. I know many people who have read the book “The Dip” but I don’t think they really comprehend it well. Also a lot of people think “The Dip” is just about powering through tough times. Its MUCH more then that.

I listen to the book at least once a month to keep it fresh in my head.

Anyway this week I will probably making a few posts about how the dip has effected my life. If you have not purchased it yet… its only 9$ on Amazon and it will change the way you look at things.

(12 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)

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Been scouring the net reading posts and watching video for tonight’s event.

Here is the press conference video courtesy of mma-tv.net

I noticed in the video that Lesnar is a lot classier then normal. I wonder if Dana White kind of sat him down and told him to quit being a jackass and this is not the WWF

So pumped!!!

Here is the official weigh in results:

OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN RESULTS:

-Randy Couture (220) vs. Brock Lesnar (265)

-Joe Stevenson (156) vs. Kenny Florian (156)

-Gabriel Gonzaga (256) vs. Josh Hendricks (238)

-Demian Maia (185) vs. Nathan Quarry (185)

-Dustin Hazelett (170) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)

-Jorge Gurgel (155) vs. Aaron Riley (156)

-Jeremy Stephens (155) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155)

-Alvin Robinson (155) vs. Mark Bocek (155)

-Ryan Thomas (170) vs. Matt Brown (171)

(4 votes, average: 2 out of 5)

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Man I am so nervous for the fight tonight. David and I talked with Randy Couture on Thursday at his gym in Las Vegas and he seemed super composed (as always). Randy said they had a great plan and he is going to win. I would not expect him to say anything less ;). I have met Randy Couture probably 8 different times now and there has never been any fighter that was nicer and more accomidating.

This fight is the biggest in UFC history and I suspect for those who miss it there will be a lot of video of the fight around the net.

Its tough for me to break down this fight. Obviously I want Randy to win. I will give it a shot and try to be objective.

I really only see 2 probable outcomes for this fight. Randy winning by decision or Brock winning by knockout. Even though Randy trains with the worlds best jitz guys ( Robert Drysdale ) , I don’t think its very likely he will be able to catch Brock in a submission, although I look for him to try more for subs then to work to standing if it goes to the ground. Wrestlers are always the hardest guys to knock out because when they get rocked their natural instinct is to clinch up and recover. This is why I don’t think its going to be likely either guy will get knocked out but Brock Lesnar has knockout power.

There are some other fights on the UFC91 card tonight:

Ryan Thomas vs. Matt Brown
I really like Matt Brown but newcover Ryan Thomas has almost Josh Koscheck like take down ability and even though Matt has MUCH better standup I look for Ryan to become the human blanket and win this fight on the ground..- Thomas by decision.

Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
This should be a awesome fight and I look forward to seeing this after the fact. If Kid Robinson can stay away from Bocek’s jitz he will be good to go..- Robinson by TKO.

Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
How the hell does Gurgel keep making UFC cards? SERIOUSLY!!!! I dont think I have ever seen him win a fight. The UFC just keeps giving him cans to fight and he keeps losing to them.- Riley by Decision

Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
I look to Rafael to shoot a lot and Stephens countering with strong punches. - Stephens by KO

Televised Card

Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
Hazelett is a badass with amazing jitz. - Hazelett by Submission

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks

The wildcard here is Hendricks. If he has the cardio and can keep away from Gonzaga’s devistating kicks/jitz he has a chance .- Gonzaga by TKO

Demian Maia vs. Nathan Quarry
This is a tough fight to call. I think Rock Quarry’s hands will overcome Maia’s jitz - Quarry by Decision

Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
Joe Daddy just recently was awarded his blackbelt but no matter. Florian will donminate the striking and jitz game from start to finish. The biggest weapon Joe Daddy has is his guillotine which is deadly… - Florian by TKO

(9 votes, average: 1.89 out of 5)

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