Spy Review

What does this tool do: Provides cross platform, up to the second updates on news from various social media.

Cost: Free

Who Needs It: Do you monitor the news?

Info Page: http://spy.appspot.com/find/%23iran?latest=25

Comments:

This is the second time I have referred readers to Spy, the first being during the Mumbai massacre. Does it have anything to do with ranking your site? Not really. Does it have something to do with life on the “outside”?  Yes.  Use the pound sign to follow a specific subject and be continually updated. (#Iran).

Meetup Review 

What does this tool do:  Soothes your lonely heart…or is very valuable as a niche and ranking tool. 

Cost: Free

Who Needs It:  Do you want to be in close touch with your potential buyers?

Info Page:   http://www.meetup.com/

Comments:

Meetup serves multiple purposes: it will allow you to meet like minded individuals who share your goals and ideals; it will allow you to mix in and eventually rank your own site, and it will help you to prequalify your idea. What good is the last thought?  If you need to identify an interest in your area of expertise, this is the place to find it. 

spellr.us Review 

What does this tool do:  Corrects your site’s spelling. 

Cost: Free

Who Needs It:  You, Doofus. (Dufus? Doofuss? Dummy?)

Info Page:   http://spellr.us/

Comments:  

Too easy to explain. Checks your site’s spelling and is meciless when it comes to correcting you. (HT Len Charnoff at www.timesavingtutorials.com)

WordPress Direct Review 

What does this tool do: Sets up and stuffs a blog with your hands tied behind your back. 

Cost: Free and paid.

Who Needs It:  Probably you.

Info Page:  http://www.wordpressdirect.com/how-it-works/

Comments:  

Easy Schmeezy Dude. There is probably not enough space to detail how you can use WP Direct to your easy benefit, so I will point you to the Info Page above and let you read and view the advantages. The primary value I see is feeding links to your own site or sites, especially as you build up your page rank, age, and relevance over time…and doing it with minimal effort. If you have the time to set up different sites (on different IP addresses), then you can gain significant benefit from such behavior by feeding backlinks into your prized domains. It is never too early to investigate your future advantages.  

ViralVideo Review 

What does this tool do:  Brings Buzz…and customers… to your website.

Cost: Free

Who Needs It:  Are you content to whistle…and write… in the dark?

Info Page:   http://www.unrulymedia.com/viral-resources/

Comments:  

This is not an application but a process. You can read about ViralVideo and what it can do for your promotion through sources at the link above. And you should, because it is a backdoor… but perfectly legal… way to bring site visitors your way. You also will realize that many of the videos you have watched, and forwarded as a result of friends’ emails, have been planted strategically so you would be caught up in the moment. 

PROBLOGGER Review 

What does this tool do: Article that condenses the agony before your ecstasy. 

Cost: Free

Who Needs It:  Are you really going to blog, or just gobble incessantly about it?

Info Page:   http://tinyurl.com/cat557

Comments:  

Couldn’t have done this better myself, so I will refer newbies (beginners) to a great compendium of articles from Problogger that will help you to start on the right foot.  

PhonePower Review 

What does this tool do: Brings maturity to internet phone service. 

Cost: 9.95 per month and up for two lines

Who Needs It: Cost conscious entrepreneurs.…and home folks too. 

Info Page:   http://www.phonepower.com/

Comments:  

I had a marginal experience with Vonics (see previous review: Vonics Digital: Talk is Cheap) and did not want a repeat of that episode, so I dug for more research and found PhonePower several months ago. I was able to take advantage of a special two-for-one promotion and signed up for two years at $200. So far, the experience has been excellent. I have not had any interruption in service or glitches. Phone quality (two lines) is outstanding. Latency (echo/delay) issues are non-existent. Text and phone support is available 24/7. Long distance is free. No additional charge for all the options your local phone company will clip you for. Search Google for PhonePower promotions and you may be able to find a similar discount.

I still keep an ATT line as a security blanket, to cover me for power outages or unknowns but I carry none of the Ma Bell options anymore. In fact I have picked up that line only once since signing on for PhonePower. I also use an inexpensive MagicJack line (see: MagicJack: Too Good To Pass Up) as a third backup and I take this nifty device with me on business trips and vacations.  

Gotvmail Review 

What does this tool do: Everything you couldn’t afford to pay your local phone company for.  

Cost: $9.95 per month basic 

Who Needs It: One person marketers will twitter with excitement over this. Small businesses will too.

Info Page:   http://gotvmail.com/

Comments:

The logo may throw dyslexics at first. Gotvmail has nothing to do with government mail. But it does have something to do with entrepreneurship and diverse telephone marketing options, especially for small or one person businesses. This service is a godsend for affiliate marketers who need a professional front, or those who want to field inquiries from many customers. Look at these options, most with video explanation:

PowerDirector 7 Review

What does this tool do: Gives you the power to edit and post video to your webblog.

Cost: As low as $52.00 with an online coupon

Who Needs It: Do you want to use video, one of the most powerful marketing tools on the internet?

Info Page: http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/products/main_4_en_US.html

Comments:

In 1987 I started a small video production studio on Whidbey Island in Washington State that employed five full-time people. The expense of producing corporate and commercial video with old analog equipoment was astounding. The process was complicated, time consuming and temperamental. Digital or desktop editing in the professional arena became available in the early 1990s. I was quick to move toward this new technology…even though we would struggle through its early difficulties. My first digital editing system cost $25,000, not including the necessary computing and video recording hardware. PowerDirector 7 does many things that system could not. And it costs $59.00 at Amazon. The availability of systems like the (greatly improved) PowerDirector 7 and Pinnacle Studio editing software have opened huge opportunities for creative entrepreneurs to use video in their online marketing. Check this one out on a 30 day trail.

Flickr Tools Review 

What does this tool do:  Opens new doors for visitors to your website. 

Cost: Free and Pro accounts

Who Needs It:  Got a camera? 

Info Page:   http://www.flickr.com/tools/

Comments:

A Flickr account will allow you to upload your best images and use them to entice people to your site. Always include your link with every posted photo. You can also embed photos on your site in viewers like Pictobrowser or Flickrin. If you’re not using Flickr, you are ignoring a prime marketing opportunity.