Private Reply to Mitchell Allen

Mitchell,

I see one big problem you would face.
Advertising and exposure.

Games, like films and music, are very peer-group led, and have a limited demographic - 16-34 high-tech middle-income males.

This is the exact same demographic that are least likely to get involved with direct-selling.

Direct-selling relies on repeat orders and/or a continually updated inventory. How many games do your developers have?

Even if these obstacles are overcome. Who is going to buy these unknown titles. Take a look in your local computer-games store. The big sellers are for consoles, not PC's. Those that are available for PC's are very low priced except for the well known titles (normally linked to the latest films, or part of a well established series - The SIMS, for instance).

Unless you have millions to spend on developing awareness for each title (not brand - no-one buys games because it is made by a certain company) then the price you could charge would never support a direct-sales team.

There are 000's of excellent games out there that never see a sale, for these very reasons. That is why the free/share-ware community is so vibrant.

Like most things, ask yourself, 'Why isn't anyone else doing this?'.

Autograph Your Work With Excellence.

AndyE Barnes
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Private Reply to Mitchell Allen

Mitch,

Since you have set up a sight on Ebay, you ought to set up a lens on Squidoo.com to capitalize on the subject matter and point to your Ebay site. If you have yet to set up an online lens, check out my lens to get the feel for it. Just go to Power Networking. Once there, check out the format. Then, click on the FAQ at the top and start to create your own lens. This has got to be the simplest time you have ever had in building a web presence. The site even keeps track of its popularity for you. Remember, when it comes to building lenses...less is more. What does that mean? That means do not think blog. Think idex to your subject matter. Focus the reader's attention elsewhere...to your links.

Good luck.

Lamar Morgan

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Private Reply to Mitchell Allen

Mitch,

The idea of the lens is not as complicated as it is clever. Don't think blog. Think "idex" to the Net. You use the lens to bring everything you want to talk about on a particular subject into focus for your audience. Want to do a second subject? Do a second lens. Don't include two different subjects on the same lens. There is never a charge to create a lens or do a search on Squidoo. But, you could get paid royalties for your effort.

When you update a blog what you do have? You have issue #2 of that blog. By contrast, when you update your lens, it's still Issue #1. There is no such thing as a lens archive of issues. The lens is always here and now. It is never back-dated. Squidoo is like an encylopedia created by the public. It is also like a grocery store for the mind. No one normally goes to more than one store to get their groceries. Why? Because they know - even without advertising - that one store should have all they need. And, the layout of the store is such that what you need to find is in a specific area. That is why a lens has modules. It's the shelving for your "grocery store."

If you need some ideas for your next lens, I invite you to take a look at mine - Power Networking. Then, go to the FAQ at the top of the page and stir up a little creative thinking. As a Ryze member, you get an extra benefit. Lisa Boyd has set up a lens on Ryzers. You need to let her know the name of your lens and she will include it on her special (and popular) lens.

Good luck.

Lamar Morgan

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Private Reply to >> Barry Caplan - Start Your Future Today

Barry,

Squidoo is not "gee whiz" stuff. It is Web 2.0 innovation. It is free to use and is designed to draw people to topics rather than the definition of words like Google. It makes sense for anyone with expertise on a particular topic to use this resource as a means to showcasing that expertise.

I do not think you understand what Squidoo really does. It is not a blog or even simply a webpage - although it could look like either one. It is intended to be an "index" for content - not the place where the content actually resides. That is why the term "lens" is used to describe the page. What exactly is it that the visitor to the page wishes to focus upon with regard to to the topic? There should be on every lens a myriad options - different ways in which to proceed.

As everyone should know, building a good website is not an easy task. Drawing attention to that website - which is the whole point to having it built in the first place - is even harder. A Squidoo lens addresses both those problems. First, it makes the construction of an online page quick, free and easy. Second, it makes the process of attracting traffic through the use of "tags" simple. Third, there is a possibility the person who constructs the lens can receive royalties for his effort. Just check out the FAQ on the Squidoo home page. Fourth, the lens has a rating and ranking system. Everyone in marketing knows there needs to be some messurement as to the effectiveness of one's marketing effort. Well, that just so happens to be built-in to the Squidoo system. Yes, you have some way in which to measure whether or not your exposure on Squidoo is having any kind of impact out in cyberspace. How nice.

If all this were not enough to impress Ryzers, Ryzer Lisa Boyd has created a lens to list all Ryzers using Squidoo - which includes the title of their lens. See for yourself. Just go to my lens - Power Networking and type in "Ryzers" in the Search feature.

Yes, Squidoo is Web 2.0 innovation. Yes, it is relatively new to the online world. I think Squidoo is only about a month or two old and still in beta. Make no mistake, if you have expertise on a particular topic, I think it is in your best interest to create a Squidoo lens on that topic before someone else does.

Lamar Morgan

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Private Reply to Scott Stratten

Scott,

For the record, I initially learned about both Web 2.0 and lenses at the same place - Squidoo.com. It was through two articles - one by squidoo's founder, marketing guru Seth Godin and another by Tim O'Reilly. So, if I am mistaken, blame them. It's their fault.

But, make no mistake, there are a lot of folks on Ryze talking about Web 2.0 - whether it really is "new and innovative" or not. This way of using the Internet is generating a lot of buzz. Do you suppose there might be a reason? I think there is a reason. Unlike the less-known technology of InternetII - which is off-limits to the general public - Web 2.0 is not only readily available, but in most cases "free to use." I site such services as Squidoo, FreeCRM, Livewire.com, and Limewire.com. And, those are just a few examples. Some folks might even consider Ryze, LinkedIn and other social online networks as Web 2.0 innovators. I think that one of the hallmarks of this type is innovation is that the OS tends to reside online rather than at your desktop. What's important happens not where you live but out in cyberspace.

That could be great news. On the other hand, it could also be troubling. Want an example? Consider the phone service. I have been told that my cable provider, Mediacom, is getting into the phone business later this year. It actually struck a deal with Sprint. Therefore, the analog phone world is going to be competing with the VOIP phone world out here in Northern California's wine country in a big way, shortly. That means phone communication for many people may become server-based. What happens if the server goes down on its own or a squirrel decides to eat through a cable? (Yes, squirrels do eat through phone cables - even aluminum tubing. I have actually seen both rubber cables and aluminum tubing eaten through by squirrels.) No phone, TV or Internet access. And, the fascination with a server-based world is not decreasing. It's increasing. I am told the computer of the future may be just a dumb terminal. Why? Because the OS for it will be located out in cyberspace. All the computer needs to be able to do is access that OS.

Maybe you are 100% correct, Scott. Web 2.0 is not really new. It is not really innovative. Regardless, people seem to be paying attention to it in greater and greater numbers.

Lamar Morgan

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Private Reply to >> Barry Caplan - Start Your Future Today

Barry,

Getting back to the topic of this thread - Creating a Direct Selling Business - there are online tools that can help. One of those tools I believe is Squidoo.com. Unlike Google, which searches for "words," Squidoo allows you to search for "ideas." It even allows you to add to them if you so desire for free. In some cases, it will even pay you royalties for contributing ideas. When those ideas are indexed onto a page, it is called a lens. The folks who create lenses are called "lensmakers." And, the best lensmakers get paid royalties by Squidoo for making lenses. This is not similar to using Google's Adwords. Google does not pay out royalties. Google does not ask the world to create content for them. But, it does access that content and use it for its own purposes. Make no mistake, there is a big difference between what Google does without your permission and what Squidoo is doing for you with your cooperation.

Squidoo is not the only company out there taking advantage of web-based content. Every online social network is utilizing web-based content and hoping for public contributions. Where would Ryze be were it not for the content and involvement of its audience? The same is true for web-based CRM companies like FreeCRM.com, event-listing sites like Evite.com and software-sharing sites like Limewire.com. There are a lot of ways web-based content sites can involve the general public.

I have been told that one of these days we will no longer look to add larger hard drives to our computers, but look to the Internet itself to be both home to our computer's hard drive as well as and our operating system. I do not how far into the future that will be, but I hear that is something we have to look forward to happening.

Lamar Morgan

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Scott,

You know as well as I do that Google uses mathematics to search for content on the Net. That is how you can end up with page after page of links for a search on an individual word. More than likely if you use Google very often you will find yourself clicking on more than one link to reach the content or solution you are seeking. Why do you suppose that is? Why doesn't the link at the top of the list meet your needs? Could it be that the reason that link is at the top of the list is because it is NOT designed to meet your needs...but someone elses?

That is why I think the Squidoo idea is so clever. The focus on Squidoo is not links to words that are in a higharchy to meet someone elses needs other than yours. The focus here is on ideas. The whole reason you do a search on a word is due not to the word itself, but some aspect involved with it. Why waste time not finding what you really need? Why not go directly to an index where all the facets of what you need are readily available to you? Better yet, why not create a network where the general public will build what you need for you? Well, guess what? Such a network has been built...and "Squidoo" is its name.

I liken Squidoo to a grocery store. Most people shop at one grocery store for their groceries. They do not go to one store for vegetables, another store for meats and another store for canned goods. Grocery shopping is usually a one-stop shop situation. And, when you walk into the store, what is there for your selection is laid out in an orderly fashion. Well, the same thing is true of a Squidoo lens. That is why you have modules. The modules make it easy to redirect folks to your content.

No Barry, a lens is NOT meant to be created like a blog. Yes, you could choose to do it that way...but not if you want a good lens ranking and a five-star rating. As I stated in a previous post, a lens is designed to be an "index to content" - not its final resting place.

With Google Adsense you can make money. But, in order to make money you have to dish it out. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, Squidoo uses Google Adsense to make money. Those of you who have taken the time to create a lens know that. You can see the Google Ads on your lens page. The ads on the page are designed to be associated with the topic of your lens. So, there is a high degree of correlation there. From what I understand, Squidoo passes along the profit it makes from its ads to its lensmasters in the form of royalties. Who are the lensmasters? People who volunteer their time to create lenses. Do the lensmaster have to pay any money to Squidoo to make a lens which carries Google ads? No. Do the lensmasters have to pay Google to be involved with their lens in any way? No. Is there any limit to the number of lenses a lensmaker can create? No.

While there is a connection between the way Squidoo and Google operate, there are some major differences. Regardless of how you view the technological innovation, I think Squidoo is a clever option for drawing attention to one's area of interest - be it a business or some other endeavor.

Lamar Morgan

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Private Reply to Alex Makarski

Alex,

I am not really much of a board game person. I will have to pass on the creation of a board game lens for Mitch.

When you come across a useful online tool does it really matter the label that you give it? What ought to matter is whether or not the tool actually works. Squidoo.com allows you to create what it calls a "lens". The person behind Squidoo.com, Seth Godin, refers to a "lens" as a "nowblog." He also refers to the site as Web 2.0 innovation. Yet, we have people on this network who want to argue the point. But, what you call the innovation is nowhere near as important as what the site can do for you. And, anyone who has taken the time to construct a lens should know the following:

1) It's free.
2) It's easy.
3) It's fast.
4) It connects you to an ever-expanding network of users.
5) It optimizes your webpage for you.
6) It could end up paying you royalties for your effort.
7) It ranks your page and allows the community to rate it.

Where else out there in cyberspace can you do what you see being done on Squidoo...and done better? This inquiring mind would like to know.

Lamar Morgan

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