Up To?

Hi,
I apologize about the LONG delay in writing. Even though it's been quite a long time since you've heard from me, it's not because we haven't been doing anything ... although ... we haven't really been doing anything.

Truthfully, I have been working on a book in my spare time. It's taken me an extra month to get it to where I really wanted it. But, I didn't really want to rush the process. I want to be proud of what I've written.

Anyhow ...

Here's the reason I am writing today. I would like to ask for a minute of your time, and see if you will offer your opinion?

Over to the right, over there, is a survey.

I will probably update it with new questions over the next few weeks, but right now I truly need your help in giving me guidance on a title for my book. Please let me know what you think?

If you like one of my current ideas listed, please choose it.
Here are my current titles:

10 Minute Content
Supersonic Content
One Minute Content
Instant Content

If you don't, please submit a different idea in the comment section below. I'll make sure and look through all of the ideas.

As you can tell, the book is about writing. Specifically, it's about writing content quickly, in short bursts of activity.


Finally, I want to thank you for taking the time to help me out in completing this project. I will be having this book professionally edited over the next month or two, and then going into the self-publishing process. If you've read this far, I have one last request from about 5 people. I would like to have about 5 people read my book for me, specifically to offer me editing advice.

If you would like to help me, and read the book, and then you decide you don't think I should have written it ... I don't really want to know that. It doesn't really help me ... I still plan on publishing it whether or not you think it should be used as toilet paper.

However, I truly want you to ready through it and offer me corrective advice and suggestions so I can make it a helpful tool.

Thanks so much for you time!
If you're interested, shoot me a comment below, or send me a message on facebook, or send an email. If you don't know my email, and you want it, let me know in the comments below.


Talk soon!
Al

All the Lovely Little Eggs

Trying to get caught up on some of the happenings out in Oregon while we were there. Here is a quick one that totally surprised me.

Some of you know that I've sold chicken related books online for about 4 years now. So chickens are ALWAYS exciting for me to talk about and see.

So ...

We show up at my Dad's place and they've got a coop and 10 hens. That was cool. Even more cool was that they were all still laying, even in the middle of winter. So I grabbed some shots of his coop, his hens, and the egg gathering.

It was pretty cool too, the girls named a few of the ladies.

Keeley named hers - Eggna
Kait named hers - Cluckla
Alexa named hers - Jessica

 

  

  

  

  

 

Al

what I have done with my weekend so far...

So I (Chris)have this really bad urge to bake for the last several weeks. So today I decided to go for it!
I actually made this yesterday for dessert. Blueberry Buckle!
And here it is with a little bit of cream cheese icing on it!
Careful don't get too close and drool on your keyboard.
So then today I made Cream Cheese Pound Cake with strawberries. Supper yummy!
But is not complete with a bit of that delicious cream cheese icing!
Both turned out so good. I just wish that I had added more strawberries to the pound cake. I could have easily doubled the amount and had it all fit in the pan. I was worried that it would overflow tha pan while it was cooking but it thankfully did not.
I guess that I Will have to lay off the baking for a few days. At least till Al goes back to work so that I can send him with the bulk of it. Many mouths make light calories, right!?!

Website Catastrophe - One Week Update

About a week ago, I reported a huge hassle I ran into with one of my websites. And, let me just speak clearly ... I don't talk about all this website stuff because I think you're particularly interested.

NO!

I talk about it - because I love it ... and because maybe, just MAYBE, some of you MIGHT be interested in it. If so, I'm happy to share more. I just offer the bare minimum of comments here, to reveal my most pressing thoughts.


Remember my issue?


No ... well let me remind you ... it was shut down. Completely down - even 'I' couldn't touch my own website!


However, I am happy to say it has been re-instated, and is back up, and online.


More interestingly though, are a couple of changes that have occurred since then. As a result of having my site shut down, I also shut off my Pay Per Click advertising which I was running. So, I've been running at almost zero costs for the last week, and I'm still getting a bunch of people subscribing to my ezine list, AND I've gotten a handful of buyers as well.

It's interesting ... maybe my costs will go down, and my sales will go up because of the idiocy of 'spam cops' who try to control everything. I guess, in the end, it might work out alright anyhow.



Al

Website Catastrophe

And here I go again ... on and on and on about this website stuff.


Actually you might find this one interesting. One of my sites - the oldest one I currently have running - was 'shut down' because of a SPAM complaint 2 days ago. And when I say 'shut down', I mean it was completely offline. I couldn't even touch it.

My great pals, over at 'SPAMCOP' helped get me shut down. May their stong-arm tactics, and bullying methods, cause their business to plummet into the abyss of nothingness, and provide them with multitudes of hassles in their future.

So, it seems, the spammers are winning their battle against legitimate businesses.


However, instead of giving up on it, I asked them to re-instate the site. In exchange, I deleted my entire database of subscribers.


Yep. Almost 20,000 email subscribers. And close to 1,000 buyers. And now ... anyone who wants to join my list has to go through a two-step (double opt-in) process. All because some morons find it easier to send a complaint, than to click a remove link in the bottom of an email ... which they opted into themselves.


Anyhow

It was all gone ... in an instant.


Nice!
Take a deep breath.


But ... I keep pushing on. This way, it's almost like starting completely over ... completely new, from scratch.


It should be interesting.


I have no doubt that my sales will continue on. And I will continue to make more money from these sites.


It just bums me out that the idiocy of others has to impact what I'm trying to do. But, heck, if I let every little thing stop me - I would have given up LONG ago.


Additionally it has raised my 'ire' to the point where I am planning on finding other ways and strategies to persuade readers to keep up with my ideas.


I'll keep you posted.

Al

What a Night!

Well, I never, EVER thought I would say this.


I've been running websites for the last 4 years - and doing quite well at it.


However ...

Recently, lots of hosting companies like ... Yahoo, AOL, Google, and on and on and on have been blocking my messages to people who actually subscribe to my lists. (SPAM protection you know)


And then, even more recently, website services (i.e. the people where you build your websites) are limiting the amount of messages you can send per hour because of these same SPAM issues. The blocked message hassles weren't too much of a problem ...


But with the limitations on message sending - I do believe I have finally met my match in website building. You are supposed to be able to limit the number of messages you send (it's a process called throttling), but I can't figure out how to work it on my sites.


I can't crack it. I can't figure out how to do it. Even the descriptions, by the companies who run these things, aren't helping me fix the issue.


So - I am haven't done it yet - but I may be getting rid of my sites soon. I'm still a little saddened by this prospect - but I can't seem to work my way around the issue. I probably couldn't get rid of all of them ... but even if I do keep any of them, I might still have to work them differently than I do now.


Anyhow ... I just thought I'd share my frustrations ... and get my thoughts out.



Bummer!

Talk soon,
Al

Typing 100 miles an hour

Last time ... I talked about a cool new tool that I just learned about for the first time the other day.


This time ... I wanted to share something with you that I've known about for a LONG time. And I've even tried it before, but with very limited success.

You see, last time I was trying to do this with a different software ... a name brand I don't even want to mention here.


BUT ... this time ... I actually splurged and bought the real deal.

What is it?



Dragon Naturally Speaking - the software.

What does it do?

It lets you talk, and then it decodes your spoken words into words on the computer.

You talk ... it types.

The really cool thing about this particular software, though, is that it actually seems to work. I was planning on giving you a sample with this post, but we're doing some rearranging, so it worked out easier for me to type it.

I'll give you a sample soon. No edits, just straight up talking to typing.

Anyhow ... for the price ... this is an OUTSTANDING tool to help you create products for selling online.

Just thought I'd share.

Al


Oh ... and a P.S.

A couple people are asking me if I'm getting all commercial, and promoting a whole bunch of products, and making money on them with the comments I've been posting up?


Well - if you aren't clicking on the links to my products, then NOPE, I don't make a single cent off of this site. Now, the links to the right, are sales products - and sometimes I do put links to my products in my posts. Most of you already know about all those, so that's not a big deal ... right?


BUT - this post, and the post about the Livescribe pen - I don't get a thing. PLUS + You'll notice there aren't a whole bunch of Google links on these pages. If I had those on here, I would get paid for them ... but we don't plan on doing that either.


I am just sharing them with you for ideas, and for sharing.

What's there to write about?

I've always liked to write. And there have even been times, when people told me I write pretty well.

Now ... I'm no Grisham. There's only one.



But, I'm trying to develop my writing skills.

In fact, I've actually written stuff on the internet that's brought in thousands of dollars.

And yet ... I am still having a heck of a time honing my writing chops into solid, attention-grabbing content.


However ... like anything worth doing ... if you really WANT to do it, then it's worth doing right. Right?

So, I continue to methodically plod along, almost like pedaling my bike across town ... one stroke after another ... and eventually I plan to arrive at some higher level of creative expression.


Until I get there, though ... thanks for sticking with me.


Here's some of my favorite online writers and inspirations:

Matthew Furey
What's crazy ... is this guy lives about 20 minutes away from me. I'm planning on meeting him someday - when my writing gets good.

Joe Vitale
Hypnotic Writing ... I love it!

Associated Content
Some good general writing tips.

Adventurous Writer
More writing tips to spark your creativity.


Any other ideas?


Let me know!

Photo a day #10

The short story about the knives also reminded me of another gift the Jones' brought with them from Africa.

This one was for me - and it's absolutely one of my favorites!




An Ostrich Egg ... makes the little chicken eggs I always promote look like little shrimps. This egg reminds me of holding a football.


Here ... go long.



P.S...

Here's how much I love chickens:
www.ChickenCoopPlan.com
www.ChickenNews.com
www.Chikins.com
www.HowToChickenCoop.com
www.TheChickenEgg.com

The #1 bicycling town in North America... in FLORIDA???

Well, this one doesn't come as that much of a shock to me.

One thing I can tell you ...

It's NOT Lakeland Florida!


© Danita Delimont / Alamy

First American city to receive a Platinum Bike Rating from the League of American Bicyclists, this metropolis of 500,000 remains by consensus #1 among North America's bike friendly cities ... Da, Dut, Dut, Dut, DA!!! ... Portland

Unlike Portland, half of the roads don't even have sidewalks here. That wouldn't be too bad, if there were bike lanes. BUT - instead, they have 12 inch tall grass growing on the sides of their roads. And the sidewalks they do have meander back and forth, in and out - so that you never can just ride in a nice, straight line.



In fact, there was a terrible story right out of south Lakeland in the Ledger the other day, about some 70 year old guy who was hit by some idiot with a bat, while riding along the street.

Gotta love FLORIDA - it's the greatest place on earth. HA!

Al

Re-Discovered - KILLER Mountain biking trails about 4 miles away from home

Many of you know I LOVE riding bikes.

Since we've been here in the heat infested lands of Florida, I haven't ridden a lot. Partly - the heat will just kill you if you ride in it, and you aren't used to it. But you will dehydrate very quickly, as well.

However...

Today we ventured into a new park, and made an absolutely LOVERLY discovery.

Miles of mountain biking trails - and they're only about 4 miles from home.

YAAAYYY!

I am just thrilled. I can't even believe it.

Here's some of the details, if you're interested:


Map by Yahoo

It used to be called the Carter Road Park Mountain Bike Trail.
NOW, it goes by:
The Loyce Harpe Park.

Here's a link to the map of the trails at the park.


Just in case anyone decides to visit and go for a ride with me...

Hint! Hint!

Jason... are you listening?


Al

Small Business Thoughts

It's funny...

I find it strange to write about this topic, and yet I LOVE to write about it.

Websites - are a big passion for me.


Recently, I've been working on improving several of mine, and my sales are going up.

One of the sites I wanted to share with you - covers a rather strange topic...

Bats

Not baseball bats, but rather the flying kind.


What's weird to me, is that I actually charge people money to know this kind of information. That's true! Honest! And people actually pay me, for what I know. That's true as well! Honest!

Ha!


Anyhow...

I first discovered this topic while doing research on 'houses'. I was thinking about making a product about home renovations, and I noticed the topic of bats kept coming up in some of my searches.

From there - I went and looked at 'bats' and tried to figure out what was going on with them. Soon after that, it became clear that there was one key question a lot of people had about bats.

And so - I decided to test out the market with a quick little one page website. I set up the site and sent website visitors to the one page. And I started getting a response right away. So I knew it was going to be a good topic to create a product for.

It's taken me about 6 months now, to finally be able to start creating my product. But I expect to create it, and start selling it in the next month or so. I'll let you know how things go as it progresses.


I just felt like sharing a little bit about how the whole process works out, and how these obscure little ideas can really have a big impact on your life.

You know... one little topic can have a small affect on you. But if you throw together 5-10 of these things, then all the sudden, you're talking about a lot of little things having a big impact.

I might make more from my websites than my teaching job this month... SICK!



Talk soon,
Al

My first NFL football game - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hi all,

Here's a birthday gift from my wife.

This is my very first - EVER - live NFL football game.

The cool thing is... it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They just happen to be my favorite football team. I can't say I'm a HUGE fan, but I definitely like to watch whenever I get the chance.

Right across from the football field is the N.Y. Yankees spring training field... 'Legends Field'.


Christy came with me, which was absolutely killer. Getting to watch my first game with my wife. I think she was checking out all the drunken Buccaneer fans - she likes people watching - but I still liked having her there.



The game was great. They played the Arizona Cardinals -- AND WON! Yeah!

Here's a few shots - for posterity.
These first ones were all pre-game stuff.




This is my favorite action photo. Unfortunately it's of Warner, passing for the Cardinals. We did get a few other pics of the action that came out pretty good, but I liked this one best.


In the 3rd quarter, we wandered down to the concession area. It was a LOT closer to the action, and we got this shot. Unfortunately, it seems almost everyone at the game was pretty intoxicated - especially near the vending area - so we didn't hang out down there near the action too long. I'm not really into seeing people act like that.


All-in-all it was totally cool. I'm not sure I'll go back too often. But I loved going once, and I will go with any of you who want to check it out when you come down... Josh? Dad? Andy? Don? Mark? Taku? Rob? Just let me know, and we'll see what we can do.

All the best,
Al

The chicken coop connection

As many of you know, I've had a pretty successful chicken coop website for several years. You can find out more about it at...
ChickenCoopPlan.com

Anyhow, when we were in St. Louis, we dropped into President Grant's old homestead. Amazingly, his wife kept chickens there. And the national park service has kept the chicken coop as an example of how they lived back in those days, during the middle of the 19th century, before the Civil War.

Here's a few shots, from our visit, that really portrays some of the major considerations a chicken owner might face:

Here's an example of a raised nest box. Nest boxes are super important for your hens to be happy and able to lay their eggs.


Here's an exit door for the chickens to be able to leave the coop and roam (or 'free range') around the yard during the day.

This is an egg basket, similar to what they would have used back then. Ironically these baskets are still used today to collect eggs.

This is mostly just a personal update for anyone interested in the stuff I am doing on the side. I can, of course, use this information on the website to add a little more interest and historical relevancy to what I'm doing.

Al