'How To' Category
And the WIMP winner is…
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Congrats to Janie McQueen, winner of our Giving Away the Goods Contest who won a brand new copy of Rosalind Gardner’s The Super Affiliate Handbook! I have a few more of Ros’s books to give away, so look for another giveaway in the future.I finally gave in to the Twitter trend and started “twitting”. You can follow me here.
I’ve been auto-updating it via TwitterFeed and FB2Twit (uses my Facebook status).
Wonder who owns Twatter.com? I would jump on monetizing that if I did. ‘Nuf said.Anyway, back to biz, I’ve been compiling a list of related blogs written by my colleagues for added resources. It’ll remain a work in progress as I add more links, and you can check it out here.
I also finally decided to play with Movie Maker (free download from Microsoft) after I made a video for my Mailbox Monday feature. Obviously youtube won’t let you upload more than 10 minutes worth of clips, and I rambled on for more than 12 minutes, so I figured out how to cut out a few frames (ie useless jokes). Movie Maker also lets you add screens and words, too cool. And just today, I see youtube now lets you “add video annotations”. Now I need to play with that to see if I can add words to previously uploaded videos.
But for now, tune into my youtube channel this week as I actually let the world see me with no makeup on (can’t wear it for a week after my lasik enhancement surgery, argh!).
Giving Away the Goods Contest
How would you like a brand-spankin’ new copy of Rosalind Gardner’s The Super Affiliate Handbook, and not the eBook, but the printed version that sells for $59 at Amazon!?! Well, you’re in luck because I have one to give away! But I don’t want to give it away to just anyone; I want to give it to someone to who is truly interested in learning more about affiliate marketing online, so I made a few rules (don’t worry, they’re easy)…1. Subscribe to my RSS feed. You can do this by entering your email address in the upper left hand column of this very page. Or click here to enter your email address. You must use a valid email address as you will have to verify via a confirmation email.
2. Leave a comment on this post. Tell me why you want to win this book in a sentence or two. Please use the same email address that you subscribed to the RSS feed with, so I can verify (it will be private and will not appear). I will then use that email address to contact the winner to ask for your mailing address.
3. That’s it! See, that wasn’t so hard. Now I have to add the legalities… You can only enter once. Duplicate entries will be voided. The book will only be sent to a US address (because I am too lazy busy to go to the post office, so I use Stamps.com). And you have to be the “age of majority” in your state (I’d say 18+, but Nebraska is a crazy state in which you have to be 19+, go figure).
Enter by June 15th, 2008! I will announce the winner with a blog post (and picture and free link love if you wish). Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter!
How to Apply for a Passport
I booked a trip to London! In England! In Europe! I’m so excited. And, of course, it’s a business write-off, as I’ll be attending Ad-Tech and Affiliate Summit the end of September. But I don’t have a passport! So thought I’d share my steps to hopefully save someone else some time.
Fill out an Application of U.S. Passport online. You will need to know birthplaces of not only yourself, but your mother, father and spouse (or former spouse), plus wedding and divorce dates if applicable. I had to get out my baby book for info. Print out form after filling it out. But DO NOT sign it. You will sign it later.
Get a Mug Shot taken. You will need 2 identical passport photos 2″ x 2″ in size. They must be in color with a white or off-white background. You must wear street clothes (no uniforms) and no headgear. I got mine taken and processed within an hour at Walgreens for $7.95. The gal told me I could smile but could not show my teeth.
Things to Gather: Proof of U.S. Citizenship (ie Birth Certificate with raised seal). This will actually be sent with the application and returned with your passport. And you’ll need Proof of Identity (ie Driver’s license). Your social security card does not prove your identity, but you will need to provide your SSN on the form. And you’ll need some moola for all the fees.
Passport Fees (for ages 16+): $97 ($67 application fee + $30 execution fee; I had to write out 2 seperate checks). For expedited service (I did this), add $60 plus postage for overnight delivery to and from you ($16.25 one way). I had to go to the post office to get a stamp for $16.25 for the way there. And they added the $16.25 back to my app and expedited fee. Total Spent for Expedited Fees: $189.50
Got everything? Go to a Passport Acceptance Facility (search by zip code for nearest location) or Passport Agency (need an appointment for these). You will need to present everything and sign your form in front of them. Phew, that wasn’t so hard.
The website states routine passports take 10-12 weeks, and expedited passports take 2-3 weeks. But the Clerk of the District Court told me it is taking much longer, ie over 15 weeks for routine and up to 6 weeks for expedited due to the high volume of demand.
Check the status of your U.S. Passport here or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778), Monday through Friday, 6 am - midnight ET, but good luck talking to a real live representative.
