Time has flown this year and it doesn’t seem like five minutes ago when I reviewed Easy Video Player 1.0.

But it was back in January!

In the months that f0llowed, the creator of Easy Video Player, Josh Bartlett, has worked tirelessly on the project, cranking out updates on a monthly basis as well as building up the behemoth that is now Easy Video Player 2.0.

This isn’t just an update, more like a completely new product with functionality that will make video marketing easier than it ever has been.

In fact, you will want to use video marketing in your own campaigns because EVP 2.0 makes it so easy.

Rather than me just describing the new changes, I will show you in these videos…

First Look

Allow Your Affiliates to Promote Rebranded Videos

Affiliate marketing is going to change a lot during the remainder of 2010 and throughout 2011 because with EVP 2.0,  product vendors can now provide their affiliates with videos embedded with their unique, commission-generating links!

Build a Web Page With Integrated Facebook Comments

This feature is ideal to create bonus pages for product launches and generate buzz surrounding both the launch and your bonuses via the integrated Facebook comments.

These pages can be created in a matter of a few minutes without any programming knowledge required.

Create Sales Pages With Delayed Payment Buttons

You have probably seen video sales pages whereby a payment button appears underneath the video during a certain point in the presentation.

You can create your own delayed payment buttons or have other elements, such as affiliate banners, hyperlinks etc. with just a few clicks in EVP 2.0.

Verdict

What is obvious with Easy Video Player 2.0 is it is no longer “just” a video player that enables you to upload and display videos hosted on Amazon AWS without needing to be an expert programmer…

It is now a video marketing tool in its own right and after you have set up your Amazon account to store your videos, manipulating the hosted videos is a breeze.

Everything you want to do with video can be achieved effortlessly with Easy Video Player 2.0 and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I was a big fan of EVP 1.0 and used it a lot, but will be using Easy Video Player 2.0 a lot more due to the increase functionality.

I cannot wait to see what Josh has in mind for EVP 3.0 next year!

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I last posted but there has been a genuine reason for not doing so…

Click here to view the embedded video.

* One or two noticeable grimaces in the video, still in pain!

CLICK HERE FOR EASY VIDEO PLAYER 2.0

Video Transcript:

Approximately four weeks ago, I sustained a mysterious (but nonetheless serious) neck injury which has severely restricted the time I can spend online.

I have found it almost impossible to work at my PC for any length of time without experiencing agonising pain in my shoulder blades and left arm…

Not to mention the alternating pins and needles and numbness in my fingertips…

As you can imagine this has had an adverse effect on my online productivity…

• What little time I can manage online I have focused on my latest product

• I haven’t been able to write blog posts or email my list (even though I have wanted to every day)

• Next to no time has been spent list building, networking and generally building my business.

It’s incredible to think we take simple things, like being able to sit at a desk and work, for granted, but there has been one saving grace…

Video.

While I have not been able to sit at my desk for hours on end I have been spending the limited time I have been able to work recording videos.

I have worked on pre-launch content for my forthcoming blogging product which is all video based and a significant percentage with me in front of the camera.

I invested in a tripod and mount, which has transformed my iPhone into a teleprompter and I am using the camera that cost me over £200 more than ever before.

The new set up is 100 times better than trying to record via my webcam and read a script from my monitor, which results in me noticeably looking at the screen every couple of seconds.

Better still, I can record standing up which is far more comfortable for me and ensures a better delivery in front of the camera.

Circumstances can change literally overnight and one aspect of succeeding online boils down to adapting and making the best of whatever situation you are in.

Sure, I haven’t been able to work as I have been used to and my sleep patterns have been disrupted by searing pain down my left hand side on a nightly basis.

But, I believe I am a better video marketer as a result of this and perhaps I would not have had the opportunity to hone my skills if I hadn’t suffered this injury.

I always used to be nervous about creating videos but now I love it and I am glad because video is only going to become more important in terms of online marketing.

Next week sees the much anticipated release of Josh Bartlett’s Easy Video Player 2.0 and I have been lucky enough to get a beta copy to test out.

I will create videos over the next few days to show you exactly what it can do, but in the meantime, head over to the official site and join the early bird list.

I also have an amazing bonus lined up to coincide with the release of Easy Video Player 2.0 so keep an eye out on your inbox!

I have been meaning to put up a short blog post to summarise what went on during my six day drinking networking  session in Las Vegas but the severe jetlag and having to catch up with other things has prevented me from doing so until now.

But, here it is and it goes without saying you are only getting the version which is fit for a family blog like this one

The Flight Over

I met up with David Chamberlain at Gatwick airport and fortunately there were no delays. In fact, the flight wasn’t even full and we had a row of three seats between the two of us. Nice not to be crammed in like sardines for 10 hours.

After the usual exceptionally drawn out process that is entering the United States through immigration it appeared I brought the delightful Welsh weather with me. It was pouring down in Vegas and the taxi driver informed us he had not seen rain like it for years and their infrastructure cannot cope with a bit of adverse weather.

Perhaps we are not so different from the Americans after all…

The rain, so the driver told us, meant we had to take the long way around to The Mirage rather than cutting straight across the strip and after rinsing us for $30, we were at the hotel. Let the partying hard work begin…

Mike Filsaime’s Affiliate Appreciation Weekend

Prior to the first “proper” event, I finally met Josh Bartlett, Matt Wolfe and Joe Fier, three guys I have spoken to on numerous occasions since joining Jeffreys’ coaching program last summer. The distances between us (UK, San Diego and New Zealand) mean we are never going to meet up *that* often so it was great to talk face-to-face.

I also met Alex Jeffreys again and we all enjoyed a few drinks in his plush suite in the MGM Grand (lifestyles of the Rich and Famous!)

The weather meant Dean Holland and Dan Briffa were late arriving in Vegas but when they eventually showed up it was great to meet them again and… you got it… a few more drinks were enjoyed by all!

The following day and it was down to business. The first event of the trip was held at the Tabu nightclub in the MGM Grand and hosted by Mike Filsaime. The attendee list read like a Who’s Who of the internet marketing world and it was good to meet some people a few (or a lot of !) rungs in the ladder above me!

The likes of Jason James, Jason Moffatt, Jeff Johnson, Jonny Andrews and Jeremy Schoemaker (does your name need to start with a “J” to make it online? Just a thought…) all seemed pretty cool and I managed to say hi to a lot of other folk working the room too so a positive experience overall.

The event was the first time I met the legendary Gary “Gazzman” Simpson after speaking with him numerous times online. The straight-talking Aussie even dubbed me the group’s “food critic” after being less than pleased with the buffet option at the MGM.

If not being satisfied by substandard food makes me a snob, then so be it.

But, Gazz, you have to agree, it was never a $30 buffet, was it?

The following night saw us attend Mike’s club night at Lavo in The Palazzo (it will go down in history).

What do you get when you cram 200 internet marketers, 50 hot models and enough free Greygoose vodka to fill the Grand Canyon?

I am sure you can work out the answer and I have included just a few photos below which are (barely) fit for publication.

The rest? Deleted (many of which at the request of others).

I even burned my camera too. Perhaps a bit drastic, but it’s the only way to be sure…

Alex Jeffreys 2.0 Workshop

The second round of events took place at The Mirage where Alex Jeffreys hosted a two-day workshop.

For someone who does not like public speaking, Alex did a great job on stage. He discussed how he has made his online fortune thusfar and talked about his eagerly anticipated product launch for 2010.

Despite the workshop being aimed primarily at “newbies” I picked up a couple of tips which I will put into action myself.

One of which involved promoting product launches as an affiliate and it’s so simple but could mean the difference between making hundreds or thousands of dollars in commissions.

Alex is making huge strides online and I for one am excited about his next product launch, it’s going to send his online earnings into the stratosphere – making him millions of dollars this year rather than the hundreds of thousands he earned last year.

When it was laid out it all seemed so simple, it just takes some vision and hard work.

Other speakers over the two days were Stephanie Mulac, who discussed blogging and Jit Uppall, who spoke about how he exploded his mailing list and now earns mega bucks as a full time super affiliate.

Much of Jit’s presentation was the same as when he spoke at Lee McIntyre’s event last October. He spoke for the first time during that event in Manchester but in Vegas, his confidence in front of an audience had clearly grown and he gave an inspiring presentation on list building.

Dean Holland also broke his presentation virginity, talking about his Turbo Traffic System and the potential for monthly continuity websites with business partner Adam Spiel. To my knowledge, Adam is a seasoned professional at public speaking but Dean also spoke with confidence and made for an interesting presentation.

Dean and Adam’s model is something I will implement myself shortly when my own membership website is ready to launch!

The Flight Home

It was time to return home all too soon but the flight back to the UK was great – our Virgin Atlantic plane could have only been one third full so there was plenty of room to stretch out and get some much needed sleep!

Six of us all came back on the same flight – David Chamberlain, Alex Jeffreys, Paul Wilson, Marcus Passey, Garry Parkes and me.

With the bonus of no delays, it was probably the best economy flight ever and anyone who had paid to upgrade before boarding would have been mightily ticked off!

After getting over the jetlag it is now time to get some work done!

The Evidence (Well, Some of It)

Please leave your comments below.

If you were there – no innuendoes please to protect the people involved

Remember, what happens in Vegas… stays in Vegas!

I have been using Easy Video Player for a little while before its official release and wanted to take the opportunity to review it properly for you and show you just how good a piece of software it is!

Sure, other video software programs have been released but in my opinion, none are in the same league as Easy Video Player, which was developed by video marketing professional Josh Bartlett.

What makes this software so special, is that it has completely revolutionized video marketing and the way video is used online!

Not only can you host videos in a more professional way by using the almost-uncrashable (and very cheap!) Amazon Web Services (AWS) but with Easy Video Player you can also do the following:

• Auto forward to another web page when the video finishes!
• Embed opt in forms right into your videos!
• Add payment buttons right into your videos!
• Add affiliate banners right into your videos!

Can you imagine the potential to blast your income into orbit?

Your videos are transformed into viral list building and sales machines – other people can build your list and make sales for you if they embed your videos into their blogs, web pages and so on!

You no longer need a squeeze page to accompany your video because you can add an opt in form right inside the video nor do you need a web page to attach an affiliate banner to accompany your video review because you can add the banners into your video too!

I want you to see this in action for yourself and it would not be right if I did not review a video product in any other way than using video, so here are a few I have put together.

Plus… watch the video right to the end to see the sheer power of Easy Video Player in action!

My video review of Easy Video Player lasting almost 17 minutes. Here I go through all of the great features it has and discuss why you should use it over any of the alternatives out there.

A lot of people are still apprehensive about using video as part of their marketing strategy so here I try to answer the most common concerns people have based on emails I have received.

Here I demonstrate how quick and painless it is to upload a video to my Amazon account via the Easy Video Player dashboard and then embed it into my blog. It doesn’t get any easier than this!

If you want further information on this great product, you can also take a look at my unofficial Easy Video Player blog which has even more video content and written posts!

So, what do you think?

Are you going to use Easy Video Player as your video marketing weapon of choice this year?

Let me know in the comments below!

With Christmas hurtling towards us faster than a coked-up Santa screwing the guts out of a pimped-out sleigh, I thought it would be a great time to write a round up post as content on this blog has been a bit thin on the ground recently.

Also, I don’t usually write round up posts, perhaps I should? In fact the last one I wrote can be found here, from way back in July!

It’s close to freezing outside, it’s darker than it should be at 3pm and I have a cup of steaming hot tea in front of me – perfect conditions for writing a reflective, Christmassy blog post!

(photograph attributed to Colin Purrington)

2009: The Year It All Changed

Those of you who have read my blog from the beginning will know the first half of 2009 was not a great time for me. I was struggling with a business model I did not like and worse still, could not make pay.

It all changed for me in June 2009, when I joined Rich Schefren’s GPS program which gave me some much needed home truths and also Alex Jeffreys’ coaching program which gave me needed direction and a platform in which to network with some of top marketers in the UK and beyond.

I moved out of the house I was never happy in for the 32 months I lived there in September and into a larger, nicer one which also provided me with a great room for a home office! Selling my old house was a lengthy and frustrating process and I felt a lot happier and optimistic within myself as soon as I got the internet switched on in my new place!

October saw me attend my first ever networking event, in Manchester and hosted by Lee McIntyre. In true networking fashion, it was a case of working hard and playing even harder which shot my fragile immune system to bits but it was well worth it.

It gave the chance to meet Lee and Alex in person, as well as Matt Garrett, Jit Uppal, Dave Nicholson, John Thornhill, Daniel Sumner, Daniel Wagner, James Teale, Peter Lockwood, Sonia and Angela Panesar and fellow UK-based AJ coaching students such as Dean Holland, Dan Briffa, David Chamberlain, Sean Beardmore, Steve Wakefield, Keith Purkiss, Rich Hill, Marc Milburn, Mick Fallon, Paul Lear, Mark Terrell and Steve Bailey.

Meeting people who are already making unbelievable amounts of money online gave me the kick up the ass I needed because despite the coaching from both Rich and Alex, I still found myself slipping into bad, non-productive habits.

When you meet successful people in the flesh, it becomes a lot more ‘real’ and makes you think that if they are doing it then why aren’t you?

This prompted me to take my own massive action and this week I hosted the last in a series of six coaching webinars where I allowed people to attend for free while I recorded them. The response to the my announcing of the webinars was incredible and attracted 115 comments, my most popular blog post to date!

I’ll have to try and beat that next year!

The webinars were great fun to do and something I had not done before so was a great learning experience. They gave me some great content to use next year and I could even sell them as a standalone product if I wanted to – they are that good!

So, the first half of 2009 – not so great, the middle saw an improvement in my business and the work I have put in before Christmas means I go out of 2009 with a bang!

(photograph attributed to Castaway)

2010: The Year It’s Going to Get EVEN BETTER!

I don’t want to write too much here because I intend to write a post dedicated to my New Years Resolutions but I know 2010 is the year I will finally make my mark on the internet!

Just looking ahead to January alone I can see so many business and life changing opportunities present themselves to me – it’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to get stuck in!

Towards the end of January I travel to Las Vegas to attend Mike Filsaime’s affiliate networking event and a couple of days later Alex Jeffreys is hosting an event for his coaching students. The networking and business opportunities in the space of a few short days set against a neon-lit backdrop is just going to be incredible and mind blowing.

It will not only give me the chance to meet some of the biggest players in the internet marketing industry but also even more of the AJ coaching students who I have spoken to regularly for months.

I am looking forward to finally shaking hands with the likes of Josh Bartlett, Matt Wolfe, Joe Fier and Gary Simpson as well as UK-based marketers like Marcus Passey, Paul Wilson and Iain Buchanan as our paths have not yet crossed.

Of course, it’s also going to be awesome to say hello to lots of familiar faces from October’s event – I had better set a week aside when I get back to recover!

Plus, before I even get to Vegas, I have the small matter of actively promoting Josh Bartlett’s game-changing marketing software product which I hope will pay for the trip!

The software is due for launch in mid-January and I will reveal more details on that very soon!

(photograph attributed to Chewy Chua)

With That Said, Merry Christmas!

I love the photograph I have used to illustrate the conclusion of this blog post because it conveys how everyone feels at this time of year – rushed off their feet and wondering if it’s all worth it!

It has been a hectic few months with moving house and deciding exactly which direction I want to take my business in.

I don’t know about you, but I could do with a really peaceful Christmas!

I will update the blog again before New Year with my resolutions (I hope to read some of yours too!) but until then I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog up to this point and wish you a very Merry Christmas!*

(*Other religious holidays are available)

Now, where’s the booze…

Before I get into this any further, I am not talking about the type of famous you get from lip synching to a Romanian pop song, camping it up because the press are being nasty to Britney Spears or revealing you have a crush on the president and posting it on Youtube. I am talking about lasting, authoritative fame where you have successfully branded yourself as the specialist, the EXPERT in your chosen niche.

Don’t Make This Mistake

In a previous post I discussed the importance of building a business around your passions. If you take just one thing from this post then it should be not to make the fatal mistake of trying to brand yourself around a fad or hot topic because you think that’s where the money is.

Think about it this way – how can you hope to become a famous authority figure in a niche you don’t know the first thing about?

You can’t!

Countless people enter a niche without having the first clue about it, or worse still, have no interest and then they wonder why they are not succeeding with their lazy marketing, poor products and neglected blogs.

You should brand yourself around a topic your are knowledgeable and passionate about. The key to success, as simple as it sounds, is to be be compensated based around your passions.

Narrow Your Focus

To give yourself a better chance of becoming famous, you need to carve out a spot in your niche. People always assume a “specialist” knows more than somebody who has a broad knowledge of a general topic.

If internet marketing is your chosen niche, there is no point in trying to brand yourself as an expert at “internet marketing” because the topic is too broad and there are numerous sub niches which all require a level of expertise.

You need to pick a topic within a particular niche you are knowledgeable and passionate about and become the “go to” guy or girl in that area.

For example, here is a short list of people who are famous in their own sub niche within the huge area that is “internet marketing”:

• Rich Schefren – Business Development but now The Guru to the Gurus (enough said)
• Alex Jeffreys – List Building
• Darren Rowse – Pro Blogging
• Dean Hunt – Buzz Marketing
• Perry Marshall – Google Adwords
• Josh Bartlett – Video Marketing
• Matt Wolfe – WordPress

Your chosen sub niche must be broad enough to market to a large enough group of people so you can make money from them but also focused enough so that you a realistic chance of becoming the best in that niche.

Alternatively you could even create your own category by combining several different niches. That way you would have zero competition!

A good example of this is Tim Ferriss, author of the Four Hour Workweek who found himself in between the “careers” category and the “work-life balance” category.

Instead of concentrating on either of them he created his own category: Lifestyle Design and went on to have a New York Times best seller!

Get Noticed

If you are going to become famous online then you will need to take a stand.

It must be clear which side of the fence you are sitting on and ideally your position should be different from the rest of the pack in your chosen niche.

If you take the same stand as others in your niche, you won’t have anything that makes you stand out and will just add “noise” to the marketplace rather than something fresh and worth paying attention to.

If you take the complete opposite, or even a controversial position within your niche then that is not necessarily a bad thing (as long as you genuinely believe it) because it will make people stand up and take notice.

You could be the person who says what everyone else is afraid to say. Refreshing honesty and a strong position will make it easier for people to align themselves with you.

Please note that whatever position you take, it should be seen to be in the best interest of your marketplace.

Become The Best!

The reason I have talked about the importance of being knowledgeable and passionate about the niche you want to enter is that you need to have an advantage over your competitors if you are to become famous – there is no way around that.

You must be able to do something better than your competitiors and for it to be meaningful in the minds of your prospects. What unique area of expertise do you bring to the marketplace and ultimately, what do you want your customers to say about you?

Your competitive advantage will answer the following questions potential customers will have:

• Why should I do business with you?
• Why are you the best choice?
• What are you offering that other businesses in your market are not?

Your answers to the above questions should be able to slice through the clutter of the marketplace. They should be unique to you and explain why the customer should choose you above everyone else.

Once you have indentified your unique competitive advantage you need to turn it into a unique, compelling and credible promise that you can make to your marketplace.

Your own promise can be derived from the following:

• Who You are Promising. The customers within the focused area of expertise.
• What You are Promising. Specifically, the results.
• When You Will Deliver on Your Promise.
• How You Will Deliver on Your Promise.

Remember, success does not just “happen”. By deciding what you want to become famous for and what you want your customers to say about you in order to draw even more people to you, then you can engineer that into your business, your blog, marketing material etc.

If you don’t try to engineer your own success and hope that it will all just fall into place then you are going to be sadly disappointed.

Note from David: I will be adding further posts around this topic over the next week and editing/interlinking this post accordingly. The future posts will be about getting your message out there, credibility, positioning and staying ahead of the pack!

Another week has flown by so that means it’s time for Something for the Weekend. For the first time in six weeks this post is not completely dominated by content from fellow students on the Alex Jeffreys coaching program. There has been a significant reduction in the number of student posts over the past few weeks so I hope they are not running out of steam. However, seven of the 10 blog posts mentioned here are from students so come on guys, give me a reason to include you here!

On Tuesday night I, as well as many other students were priveliged to be on a live webinar with “Guru to the Guru’s” Rich Schefren. As you know, I am on Rich’s GPS coaching program and his guidance has helped me out a lot during the early stages of getting my new business up and running.

Unsurprisingly, there was a fair bit of content generated as a result of Rich’s webinar and I am going to write the first of a series of blog posts based around it myself next week.

Iain Buchanan wrote a huge post about Rich, the webinar and the recently launched Founders Club. I joined the FC as well but only at the lowest level of $47 a month. I will write about this another time. However, from what Iain wrote, he is going to join, or at least wants to join, at the highest tier of $397 per month! Let us know how that goes!

There were two other posts this week that were inspired by the webinar, the first being Josh Bartlett on How to Become a Master. Josh opened his post with the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none”, exactly the same as how I described myself in my very first post on this blog. Josh argues you should try and tie anything you do online back to your core area of expertise which is some great advice.

Heidi Passey wrote about the constraints she faces on a daily basis. Personally, after going through Rich’s coaching, I would argue they are distractions rather than business constraints but the fact Heidi has identified them means she can now take steps to eliminate them and spend more time working on her business.

One man making great strides in his business is Joe Fier who this week released his ebook, Your Slick Startup. In what has to be the best looking ebook I have read for a long time, Joe goes into great detail on how to start your online business up the right way. A lot of the coaching content has gone into the guide so if you haven’t read it yet, make sure you download a copy because it is a great refresher.

After rushing to get my video entry for the competition completed, my mentor Alex Jeffreys has only given everyone a two week extension! One student who has a great chance of winning is Alan Harris, who has used every special effect trick in the book to produce his entry. Well done, Alan, this must have taken you days to finish.

One student who is really coming into his own with his blog posts is Mick Fallon. He made the list last week and he has done so again with yet another great post. This week, he asks whether internet marketing is just another bandwagon and draws comparison with his other business interest – property.

The final student to make this list this week is Rob Willis who revealed five powerful mind success strategies. A positive mindset is key to succeeding in business and Rob outlines five ways to prevent yourself from waking up exhilarated and going to bed exhausted and frustrated.

The first non-student contribution for several weeks is from Neil Patel who wrote a comprehensive piece on how to market your business for free. The student blog traffic competition may have ended but this is a great compilation of methods to drive traffic and worth reading if you are struggling to attract visitors.

One thing which annoys me about blogs is the number of crappy comments you receive on your posts. One liners such as “Great Post!” or “Thanks for this!” etc, are usually sent to the trash can as soon as I read them because they offer neither me nor other readers anything of value. Larry Brooks wrote about how to grow your blog through better commenting and it’s an article everyone should read if they plan to comment on other people’s blogs.

Finally, Darren Rowse revealed he earned around $60,000 in the past 12 months by promoting Amazon products as an affiliate. Having a hugely popular and powerful industry blog is of course a contributing factor to such success but it goes to show what can be achieved and he has written a series of blog posts on how he earned such an amount.

What do you think? A good selection this week or have I missed something more deserving out? Let me know via the comments below!

I had a great start to the week this morning when I received an email from fellow student on the Alex Jeffreys coaching program Roger Edwards. As part of his brand and traffic growing efforts, Roger has named a different student’s blog as his “Blog of the Day” each day for the past few weeks. I was fortunate to receive the award on Day One, but I have also been named as his “Blog of Blogs” now the awarding process has come to an end.

I received the first award on 31 July, largely due to the Something for the Weekend feature I produce each week. The fact I mentioned Roger in the column had nothing to do with me winning the award I think

Today I was awarded the overall “Blog of Blogs” prize which came as a surprise because I did not know Roger was going create an “overall” award.

Roger’s award means a lot to me because it proves I must be heading in the right direction with my blog – if Roger likes what I am doing here, then it means other people must as well.

This gives me great encouragement to keep going and try to make DavidWalker.tv the best resource it can possibly be.

I was in great company during the competition, with the likes of Josh Bartlett, Rob Canyon, Matt Wolfe, Melanie Steeden, Alex Lim and Iain Buchanan also winning daily awards.

I woule like to take this opportunity to thank Roger for giving me not one, but two awards and I have embedded the video he created which discussed all the winners of the daily awards.

I wish you all the best for the future, Roger.

This week’s Something for the Weekend is a little late but I think the wait has been worth it. For the third week running, the content in this column is dedicated to the achievements of the students on the Alex Jeffreys coaching program and again it has been difficult to limit the content to just 10 examples of excellent work being done over the past seven days. This week’s edition has nearly all been about videos, as the students fired up their webcams and descended upon Youtube in numbers!

I have watched some great videos this week as the students recorded welcome messages for their blogs and also kept a video journal of their progress. Video is something I am not really used to myself and I know I have to climb out of my comfort zone and get one done.

Full credit to Mick Fallon, Paul Wilson, Robert Hughes and Sean Beardmore who all put welcome videos on their blogs this week and Neil Marsh who has recorded a series of video journals documenting his progress so far. Well done to you all, you have really put me to shame this week for not having done my video yet!

Doug Taylor made a great a point on his blog this week that you do not have to be a guru to be worth listening to. Everyone participating on the coaching program has the right to create a blog and their opinions on internet marketing are just as valid as a “big name guru”. I have read some amazing content over the past few weeks from people who have not had much previous experience in IM but they “get it” and are willing to learn. I am also honoured that Doug mentioned me in the post as someone worth listening to so thank you for that.

I have enjoyed reading Karen Kalata’s blog over the past few weeks. She has a great writing style and anyone who has perhaps not visited it yet should get themselves over there! This week Karen wrote about how Content is King and I think this is true now more than ever since we are entering a new “social internet” phase. People want high quality, informative and entertaining content… and they want it for free!

It’s great to see my fellow students make real progress and I was delighted to read JR Biasi is almost ready to release a new ebook.  JR is basing the book around his own experiences of getting more productive and as someone who is prone to distraction myself, I am really looking forward to its release.

I have to mention Josh Bartlett again because it seems that every day he publishes another nugget of information and I have learned so much from him over the past few weeks. This week, he introduced me to Amazon video hosting and a new product he has lined up to make the uploading and embedding of videos hosted on their tricky service has got me really excited. Keep me informed, Josh!

Finally, this post from Keith Purkiss should be a warning to anyone who is reliant on a third-party service to run their business, in this case, eBay. Keith wrote about the day disaster struck and his eBay account was suspended for seemingly no good reason. Fortunately he has not been banned completely but it just goes to show that by relying on such services your entire livelihood is at their mercy should they decided on a whim that your face doesn’t fit any more.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback on this week’s list and if you think there was another deserving mention which I missed out then please feel free to link to it within your comments below.

There has been so much great content this weeks from the students on the Alex Jeffreys coaching program that Something for the Weekend is again dedicated entirely to them. For the second week running I have easily found 10 great blog posts which I feel deserve a wider audience and with more students getting their blogs online as time goes on, keeping the round-up to 10 posts is going to become increasingly difficult. Enjoy!

Alex Lim set a 90 Day Challenge where he was going to video blog about his ideas and progress every day for three months straight. This is by no means an easy feat to achieve and takes a lot of commitment. Not to be left out, fellow student Joe Fier is also going to video blog for 90 days running as well. I am tempted to do this myself, but the problem is I am due to move house within the next six weeks and the danger is I could be without regular internet access for weeks on end right in the middle of the challenge, such is the unreliability of our telecoms companies over here.

Me not doing this has nothing to do with the fact that I am rubbish in front of the camera. Oh no, nothing whatsoever!

Another student with a great video presence is Josh Bartlett, the Bristolian now residing in New Zealand. He has put together some great tutorial videos this week, including how to to easily create a podcast.  I am not familiar with podcasting, but his video showed how easy it is. I will get this intergrated into my blog next week and that it gives me an opportunity to mess around with my iPhone even more than I do already is no bad thing as far as I am concerned!

Bob Hughes blogged about his own nightmare experience and asked the question: have you ever been ripped off? Bob’s story is horrendous when you realise how much money he was taken in for and I am glad he is now involved in this coaching program.

Organising myself properly has been one of the most difficult adjustments I have had to make since being coached by both Rich Schefren and Alex Jeffreys because I am so used to distractions. Rob Willis wrote a great post on time management and shares how he makes the best of his available time.

Melanie Steeden discusses some fundamentals about making money from blogging. She asks the question whether money can be made from this activity and my answer would be to just ask John Chow or Yaro Starak!

A post which follows on from Mel’s is Mohamed Hammad’s comprehensive post on increasing the value of your customer. Mohamed talks about using upsells and downsells as part of the sales process and reveals how you could add an extra 50% or more to your revenue with them. I am not very familiar with upsells or downsells but it’s a topic I need to brush up on sooner rather than later.

I have had experience in search engine optimisation over the past few years and I found Mark Strong’s blog post on everything he knows about SEO really useful. He shows you how to create a powerful “mini network” of blogs using the various social media and Web 2.0 platforms available to generate backlinks to your main blog. Again, this is something I need to look into further.

It’s great to see student’s making real progress and I was pleased to read how far Matthew Wolfe has come in just a few weeks. Indeed, he has made more money in three weeks than he normally makes in two months online. His achievements have really struck a chord among the students judging by the 54 comments on his blog post! Keep up the good work, Matt.

Last, but my no means least, we get to Marcus Passey. Marcus has become something of a celebrity among the coaching students and he never fails to inspire or entertain. He put together a great, amusing video which had a serious underlying message about working with distractions.

We are all awaiting the next video, Marcus. Don’t leave it too long!

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback on this week’s list and if you think there was another deserving mention which I missed out then please feel free to link to it within your comments below.