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Don't forget - leave a message on the Contact Wizzer page if I can help with anything

Many of our members have asked for recommended plugins to add slide shows of multiple photos / images to their blogs.

I’ve tried most of the plugins at some time and have found most to need either a lot of care, a lot of technical knowledge or a lot of patience. In most cases all three!

Recently I decided to do some more research and came up with a solution that I think is fantastic. No only do you not need a plugin, you can expect more traffic and the results are just superb. You end up with your Flickr photos showing up on a really cool 3D Photo Wall provided free by Cooliris

Watch this video to see exactly what I mean.

You’ll need to sign up for Flickr and use Cooliris (if you haven’t downloaded the Cooliris plugin for Firefox yet you are really missing out)

I’d love to see what you’ve done with this so leave me a message on the Contact page.

Following on from my post about the Easy Video Player – Video Marketing Made Easy – here’s a great video I think you’ll like.

By the way the site is now live and the one-off payment option is still available.

Talk is it will go to a monthly fee very soon – watch this video now – it may be too late later!

Easy Video Player Video

And here’s a video I created for another site – watch what happens at the end – now that’s cool!

I’m a great fan of video marketing – and with WordPress plugins it’s really easy to install on your site. But…

…if you’ve ever tried to upload all of the files you need to a normal site you’ll know how complicated it can be.

Even with WordPress there’s a danger of the videos crashing if there are too many views at once and unless you are really good technically it’s virtually impossible to add Opt-In boxes and automtatic re-directs (to say affiliate sales pages) when the video ends – certainly without spending masses of time.

That’s all about to change.

The marketing activities of so many people using video (or wthose who would like to but have avoided it to date) have just become really simple…

This software is really cool.

You can add Aweber Opt-In boxes that display automatically when the video finishes.

You can add automatic redirects so that when the video ends the visitor is redirected to ANY site that you choose. That could be your own sales page, an affiliate product, a blog, you are limited only by your imagination.

As you know I don’t do hype but I’m told the program will be available for a one-off price (you can use it on as many sites as you like for life) initially only. After a certain number have been sold there will be a monthly fee. Whether that’s sales hype or not I don’t know but personally I prefer a one-off so I won’t take the chance!

The product launches on Tuesday 12th January but in the meantime there are some great explanatory videos and some sales techniques at the site that are well worth watching.

If you use video marketing (or plan to) this is well worth looking at:

Hot on the heels on the “new” disclosure regulations, the Google Sidewiki disaster waiting to happen has thrown up some extremely interesting debate.

I was first alerted to the Sidewiki by Howie Schwarz back in September and I’ve been researching and paying close attention to what is being said by other marketers over recent weeks.

First for those of you who haven’t heard of Google’s Sidewiki there’s a brief introduction followed by the two main arguments for and against. If you ever venture online (and if you don’t give me a call – I’d love to hear from you lol) you must read this – it will have far greater implications than the new FTC rules.

First – What is Google’s Sidewiki?

Back in mid-September Google released it’s new tool which on the face of it could be a great way to gain extra backlinks to your sites. Essentially it is a browser based “comments” system. It is downloaded as an Add-On to your browser as part of the Google Toolbar and it can be viewed as a “sidebar” when browsing the internet.

Visitors to any site can then add their comments about the site to the Sidewiki, including links leading elsewhere, and whenever any other visitor using the Sidewiki arrives at the site the comments will be seen. The comments are stored on Google’s servers not on your site(s).

The site owner has no control over the comments other than the ability to have their own comment show up first and the option to flag any spam. But that spam is only removed IF Google’s moderation team choose to do so. As this thing grows how much time will that take? Every single page on a site can have it’s own comments.

The Argument For Google Sidewiki

Clearly in an ideal world and if everybody was reasonable and ethical then the system would work. Visitors are able to leave their comments about the article, site content, experience, products etc etc. So far so good. Indeed if a site is promoting rubbish then having an independent tell you that is a good thing.

The ability to add to the disccussion – a bit like any of the social bookmarking sites but effectively there, right in the margin of the actual site, sounds like a great step forward.

And from the visitors perspective adding backlinks to other resources and even your own site where the conversatioin can be expanded could be great. More traffic and targeted visitors to everyone’s sites.

The Argument Against Google Sidewiki

We don’t live in an ideal world and probably never will.

Not everbody is reasonable or ethical.

How do you fancy unscrupulous competitors placing false comments about you and / or your site right next to your sales page? What about adding some links to their own competing products right next to yours?

What about you affiliate marketers. You work hard to get your readers to click an affiliate link but when they reach the sales page they see a “Sidewiki” comment that offers a far greater bonus package than you can if the visitoor clicks their link that is sitting right there in the comments next to the But Now button!

Out and out spam comments that you cannot control may show up and will remain in full view until Googl;e decides to remove them (or not!)

Outstanding resources

This is a “must read” on Paul Myer’s Talk Biz News – Google Steals the Web – it’s a huge article but it is a real eye opener to the potential problems the Google Sidewiki can cause for us regular site owners.

Please don’t take this issue lightly. How would you like visitors to your family friendly site to see a comment in a Sidewiki, think it’s approved or somehow directly associated with your site and be led to a porn site? And you have no control over that.

Here’s Google own official information

The Official Google Blog

WizzerSays

If we were to sit outside a major store in our city with a placard putting down the store, the store owners and/or their products and telling them to visit our own shop can you imagine the outcry?

I believe that would be construed as illegal and some judge would put an end to it.

Will that same judge put a stop to the Google Sidewiki?

I am at a loss to see how this development is in anyone’s best interest – unless of course Google decides to monetize by way of adverts to fill their own coffers still further.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and in mine nobody could possibly think more highly of the Google Sidewiki than me – and I think it stinks!

I don’t often promote programs and I have no inside knowledge other than to know the people involved with the League of Extraordinary Minds are outstanding.

Ever heard of Stephen Covey, Michael Gerber, Jay Abraham, Brian Tracy and so many more? I grew up listening to cassettes (yes I know most of you don’t even know what they are!) of these guys whilst driving to sales meetings years ago. And here they all are together in one mega program.

This promises to be the biggest product and biggest launches ever. None other than Rich Schefrenis involved in the initial promotion.

There’s an outstanding opportunity to make a significant profit from this – 50% affiliate commissions on a whole range of products – all “sold” by the program itself.

Well worth taking a look at the affiliate opportunity here.

Drop everything and take a look right now – of course there’s plenty of free stuff too!