JoelComm.com

Easy Deal Builder Product Review

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:00:25 -0700

Back in 1999, I created one of the very first "deal" sites to launch on the web. DealofDay.com aggregated the best coupons and deals that online merchants had to offer. People love getting a deal so the site was an instant hit.

Over the years, deal sites have come and gone. Woot.com, Groupon and Living Social are just some of the sites that have popularized the "one-day, one-deal" concept.

I've always wanted to be able to create deal pages using this same concept.

Now I can. And so can you!

It's All About Me

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:51:48 -0700

It's all about what I'm having for lunch.

It's all about pictures of my cat.

It's all about my vacation.

It's all about my political opinion.

It's all about how I am feeling.

Yes, in social media it's all about me.

Naval gazers of the world, welcome your mistress... her name is Social Media.

Me Too

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:46:35 -0700

There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I hope you don't take it the wrong way because my intentions are pure.

But someone needs to tell you. Since I have your attention, I believe I am the right guy for the job.

Are you sitting down? It might be best if you were.

Are you ready? Here it goes...

You are screwed up.

How NOT to Use LinkedIn

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:23:02 -0700

I love LinkedIn. It's my favorite social networking site for business because it is so easy to connect with the right people.

In fact, I will connect with virtually anyone who sends me a connect request on LinkedIn. My prerequisites are few. There must be a photo with the profile and you must have at least 100 existing connections.

It's the only place where I will connect with complete strangers.

Once you are connected to someone, it is very easy to send them a message and explore if there is a fit for doing business together.

Unfortunately, this system is a breeding ground for all kinds of spam. And while it is not uncommon for me to receive direct solicitations from businesses, I am not offended by them. I usually just delete them.

The most offensive messages in my LinkedIn inbox are those that smell of deceit. I received one such message the other day.

Are Facebook Ads a Waste of Money?

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:16:13 -0700

Facebook may be the big daddy of social media platforms, but it seems more and more challenging for businesses and brands to reach their intended audience on the site.

The controversy about Edgerank and the inability to reach those who have chosen to "like" your page led me to conduct my own Facebook advertising experiment.

I'm ready to share my results.

My Epic Hike

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:23:25 -0700

Do you ever wake up with the idea that you're going to do something completely out of your comfort zone that day?

That's what happened to me today!

As part of my physical and emotional good health plan, I try to walk every day. I miss a day occasionally, but it's the exception and not the rule.

Typically I will walk for about one hour at a decent pace. Some days I'll push it to ninety (90) minutes with my longest walks lasting two hours. Those are very rare.

Since the weather has been so nice, I've been exploring various hiking trails in the area. I found one called The Dirty Bismarck Loop with a trailhead in Superior.

According to the website, this is a 12.1 mile loop! Oy...

My History on Twitter

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:17 -0700

With an invitation to tell the world what you are doing with only 140 characters at your disposal, Twitter quietly launched on the web in March 2006.

Since that time, more than 500 million accounts have been created and over 200 million are active each and every day.

Yet, it's not infrequent that I hear people tell me that they don't use Twitter or that they don't "get it."

That's okay. It's not for everyone. And I can empathize with those who don't understand what it's all about.

Today marks my SIXTH YEAR of being on Twitter!

However, I can't say that I really got the hang of what Twitter was all about right away.

What Are You Doing?

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:05:44 -0700

In 2006, Twitter prompted its users to tweet by answering a simple question.

"What are you doing?"

My initial impression thought was "It's none of your business!"

My second thought was "I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing."

Intimidated by the blatant invasive nature of the question, I realized "I have no idea what I'm doing."

My earliest tweets reflected this utter cluelessness.

But things have changed since that time.

The "It Never Hurts to Ask" Experiment

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:36:34 -0700

Shortly after I graduated from college, I learned about direct sales. Whether visiting elderly or infirm hoping to provide them with an at-home emergency response system or calling on families and individuals interested in owning their own set of Encyclopedia Britannica, I honed my people and sales skills the only way I knew how.

Along the way, I learned a key in making more sales.

No matter how strong your presentation or how persuasive your skills, you still have to ASK for the sale. If you don't ask, you don't get.

As it would turn out, the concept of "asking" is something that I have applied to many areas of my life. In fact, as I parented my two children, again and again I drove this one point home...

"It never hurts to ask."

There's No One Like You

Wed, 08 May 2013 23:49:00 -0700

To my knowledge, I am the only Joel Comm in the entire world. Go ahead, Google me. You'll be hard-pressed to find another.

But a name is just a name. Even if you share your name with another person, or thousands of others (sorry Bob Smith), there is still just one YOU!

Surely you know that you have never been here before and there will never be another you.

So what does that mean in the big scheme of things?

I Turned Ten Years Old Today

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:41:59 -0700

By now you may be wondering if I have completely lost my mind.

I did. But I found it.

The question is... have I lost it again?

You might be saying, "Joel, clearly you aren't ten years old." (Though my maturity level may occasionally bring this assertion into question.)

You also might be saying, "Joel, you just wrote the other day that you turned forty-nine... that's a long way from ten!"

And then you might say, "What's the deal, bub?"

Those are all good questions. And I've got a really good answer...

My Last Good Year

Mon, 06 May 2013 01:10:35 -0700

I'm not sure how it crept up on me so quickly, but I turned forty-nine years old yesterday.

It seems like just yesterday I was graduating from college.

I've watched my kids grow to become young adults before my eyes. I've been in the internet business eighteen years. Time truly does fly.

As I look back on the day, I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful family, friends and associates in my life. Emails, skype chats, Facebook posts, LinkedIn messages, phone calls, unexpected gifts and even a recorded video of a friend singing Happy Birthday to me.

With my 50th birthday coming up next Cinqo de Mayo, it's been said that I am entering my "last good year."

Is forty-nine destined to be my last good year? It may be.

It's Not What You Know, It's WHO You Know

Sun, 05 May 2013 01:28:05 -0700

There are people who spend a lifetime in pursuit of knowledge. There's nothing wrong with this if you goal is to acquire more and more knowledge.

However, those in business who are only pursuing knowledge are missing out on a key to success...

Relationships.

When I look back at all of my successes, I can see a theme emerge. In almost every case, it was my relationships with others that pulled together pieces of a puzzle which led to a successful venture.

That's why I believe this to be true...

The Only Difference

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:14:14 -0700

There are those who seem to accomplish things and there are those who are stuck.

What makes the difference? Is it really as simple as Nike says, "just do it'?

I believe this is a profound truth. In fact, it's stupidly profound.

That truth is...

I'm Pregnant!

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:37:20 -0700

Next week I turn forty-nine years old.

It seems like yesterday that I was graduating college, getting married, having kids and launching my first website. Time is a funny thing.

And yet time has a way of causing us to evaluate our lives, see where we have been and provide the opportunity to make corrections for where we are headed.

In late 2010 I experienced significant life circumstances that would forever change the course of my life. Some were in my control and others were not.

I voluntarily withdrew from the public eye to a large degree. I sold a couple of my larger websites, methodically went from a staff of thirty-eight people to a team of one, (Yes, I am that one person) and took time off to become a healthier me in every way, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Time has passed and it is now Spring 2013. Something happened to me during this time and I think I am ready to share it with you.

I don't know how else to say it... so I'll just say it.

I'm pregnant.