I wanted to make this video comment plugin available to readers for a limited time to see if it will be embraced.  It will be interesting to see how many will use it.  Let me know if you think we should keep it active on the blog.  Give it a test drive and share your experience. 

Looking forward to the first reader to do a blog video comment in the domain industry!  Who will be the first? 

When I first started this blog, my intentions were to deliver podcasts and videos from time to time, me to you.  With the current workload on my plate with the geo network under development, these have been almost impossible to deliver.  However, we will still deliver them eventually for your entertainment.  The down side to these cool tools is they do not assist in search engine placement,  nor do they allow visitors to find your site when searching the internet.

But they are very entertaining and let readers interact in a more intimate way.  Today on TechCrunch.com, Michael Arrington added a video comment wordpress plugin from Seesmic (A company he has invested in) to all his blogs.  Many of his readers have expressed their lack of support to the video comment plugin.  Of course, there are also tons of readers who support this move by Michael. 

I think it is a pretty cool tool, but it leaves alot of opportunity for readers to abuse the tool, such as spamming your blog and delivering inappropriate video content.  Additionally, it will not help your site grow in search engines as stated earlier.  If you get a chance take a look at comments his readers have posted, both video and written.

What do you all think of the new trend of video commenting evolving?  Can it bring value to a blog or will it hurt a blog’s performance? 

Another off topic conversation.  This is a great article from the NYTimes that will give readers an understanding of how stressful blogging can be for bloggers, especially if you start to build a large audience and a small empire.  Blogging can be hazardous to your health and very addicting.  I have written many of my own opinions as to why blogging can be hazardous to help you understand what many bloggers in the industry face daily. 

The successful bloggers in the domain industry love writing and it shows thru in their blog posts.  They write effectively and in such a way as to get readers involved or feel involved.  Additionally, they work hard and long hours to deliver a post that will beneficial to at least 1 reader, if not thousands. 

Is it easy, absolutely not.  It does get a little easier once you have mastered your procedures to publishing a post.  However, if you publish good posts all the time, readers expect this all the time and it can take a toll on your health.  You can not sustain this expectation, even bloggers get writers block.  Talk about stress.  No content=no visitors or decline in visitors. 

Stress:  Plenty of it in the blogging word.  You have to really think things out before you post something, or it could have a negative impact on future growth or credibility.  The average blog post takes me a minimum of an hour to construct, with the more detailed conversations taking 2 hours and more.  Important topics sometimes take days to write.  Why does it take so long? Effective writing and delivering the right perspective are the main reasons.  You have to ensure you are using proper english grammar as much as possible and project a professional/knowledgeable individual thru your writing.   The whole world has the opportunity of reading what you publish and possibly using it in their lives.   

Interaction:  The best part of blogging, but can also lead to frustration.  I find it very exciting to interact with strangers with like minded goals and interests.  It is also very time consuming responding to posts timely, but still very enjoyable.  However, there are those who love to cause controversy, drama, and arguments on blogs.  These type of people bring stress.  Sometimes it is good, but it is all in how you present your disagreement that will determine how it is taken.  Many of these people speak on emotions at the moment, rather than think things thru.  This frustrates all bloggers.    

Fitness:  Most bloggers gain weight because everything they do is in front of the computer.  They eat, drink, watch tv, and even sleep at their computer.  Of course, this is the domainers lifestyle.  :)  It is important to excercise at least one time a day, preferrably in the A.M.  I have found it helps in finding new topics to blog about and gives me the energy to take on the days workload.  

Family:  They want all your time.  The computer deserves non of it.  If you are married, you know what I am talking about.  This can be very hazardous to your health and marriage.  You have to find a balance.

So after reading this post and the NYTimes article, you now have a great understanding on what it takes for successful bloggers to deliver content for your reading pleasure.  There are 3 things you can do that will help your favorite bloggers continue doing what they do:

1.  Advertise and Visit Sponsored Links.  Support your blogger for the time they take daily to deliver enjoyable reading content.  The benefit of this is common sense.  It gives a blogger the motivation to continue to deliver effective content and take on the health risks of blogging.  Time is money.  Pay your bloggers for their time.

2.  Think things thru before you write a comment.  Go back and read the post again to ensure you read it the way the blogger intended it to be perceived.  Too many readers react on emotion, and miss the main idea of the post.  Later some find themselves saying, sorry, I didn’t read it thouroughly.  Take the time to read all first objectively, before disagreeing publicly.  You will find most of the time that the blogger addresses concerns of his readers, not the concerns of those outside of the blog.  What I mean by this, is blog readers have a voice and bloggers listen.  Even if it is sometimes a controversial topic.  Think things thru.

3.  Interact.  Bloggers love this and it encourages them to provide more content.  It also makes them a blogging addict. So do it!  It will only benefit you and thousands of others.  Pretty easy thing to do, yet people want to consistently take, and not give.  Give a little, it goes along way. :)    

“I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular technology blog. The site has brought in millions in advertising revenue, but there has been a hefty cost. Mr. Arrington says he has gained 30 pounds in the last three years, developed a severe sleeping disorder and turned his home into an office for him and four employees. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen.”

“This is not sustainable,” he said.

(via NYTimes.com)

Today is another great start to a hectic week.  I started off the week with a 4 mile run this morning in the drizzle.  It was frustrating starting out in the rain, but as you get going and your body adjust, the frustration wares off and the motivation begins.  It is a great feeling to accomplish a tough task to start out the week.  Unfortunately, I get to do it every monday and friday at minmum. 

What I have discovered is running long distance gives an individual an advantage in the business world and in life over those who have not experienced it.  Not because of the positive health benefits, but because of the perspective it gives you going the distance.  So many times we focus on the present, rather than focusing on the future.  If you execute tasks for the future today, they will lead to solid growth in both your professional and personal life.  However, if you focus short term and in the present, limited growth will occur.   

Running long distance gives you the endurance to overtake hills, weather, distance, rough terrain, and obstacles.  All of this is faced in the business world and life at different stages.  Just when you want to quit at mile 3, your motivation kicks you in the butt and you dig in to conquer your feelings of throwing in the towel and walking.  Life is the same way, if you do not train yourself to go the distance. You will never know what you are capable of doing until you push yourself to go the distance.

So my advice to you today is to go out and do 1, 2, 3, 4 miles to see how it feels to go the distance.  But I encourage you not to settle for the bare minimum, as it will be an indicator of who you are and what you are made of.  I challenge you to excel the standards and train yourself to go further each time you hit the pavement, then afterwards analyze how you can use the same momentum you used on that distance run, in your professional and personal life.  Believe me, you will learn alot about yourself when you push yourself beyond your expectations.  Most people will never know what their limit is, because they will never strive for it!

Life is good, enjoy it to the fullest and ensure you embrace your 5 human needs.  Those that are not growing, are surely dying!

 Life is a marathan, not a 100 yard sprint.  Take your time and conquer it by planning effectively and training yourself to go the distance in life. 

The last couple of days I have not been feeling very well.  I think I caught a bit of the flu and I have not been at 100%.  I want to apologize for not responding to emails, the forum, and posts timely.  I will get to it soon enough.  I just got done sending a newsletter out, so if you have not signed up, make sure to do so. 

It is very hard to write and concentrate when you are not 100% as you can imagine.  I have been writing part 3, How to protect your Geo Domains in sections this past week and will post it soon.  Sahar hit a key strategy the last couple of days that Skip has been preaching for many years, but many people have failed to listed.  It is better to receive 50% of a winning game plan of a developed asset, than to receive 100% of a poor game plan with limited growth.  In the end, you make much more with the right partner at 50%.  More on this subject to come.   

It was definitely a stressful week for me.  I was tasked on Tuesday to organize a Military Ball for 1,000 folks with only 60 or so days left until the event, May 30.  It is definitely going to be very time consuming and stressful.  It will not be easy, but I will manage to make it a successful event, or at least I hope!

I will write a few short articles tonight so make sure to check back.  Time to take some TheraFlu medicine.

Talk soon friends and sign up for the newsletter.

The number one goal of SimplyGeo.com is to promote the geo domain industry as a unified front and provide affordable services where everyone can become successful if only they put their self interest aside.  A far fetched dream? Perhaps, but if you never strive for excellence, you will never reach it.  You miss 100 shots at the bullseye everytime you chose not to take a shot.  I would rather try to do the impossible with the chances of being successful at it, than settle for the standard and never make a difference.  

The number one thing I am asked since launching this blog and geo network is “What geo names do I own?”  For some reason, many people in this industry want validation of your leadership, experience, and professionalism by the domain names you own, instead of life experience, business experience, and expert knowledge of the industry.  All you need is one great domain and all the above and you can build all the validation in the world.  Nothing else matters to these individuals, other than what you have in your domain portfolio.  Maybe it is a lack of maturity or maybe this is just how they have been educated in the domain industry.  I have outlined the common perceptions of individuals in this industry.  It is pretty foolish when you truly look at how people think in this industry.

1.  If I owned all 50 US states.com or 50 of biggest cities.com in the US, I would be a genious, an expert, a visionary, a mentor, a leader, advice guru, etc. Anything I said would be law, regardless if I was smart, an expert, etc.  I could be a bag of rocks, but I would be labeled a professional and expert. 

2.  If I start owning secondary names, I would be a good guy, another person in the crowd trying to make it, no one to take serious, a dreamer, a fruitcake, an insightful blog, someone wanting to be a leader, an unexperienced guy, unproven etc. Any statement made would have to be validated, and perhaps others might look at you as a professional, but it would depend on how well you spoke. Regardless of your experience.  Would not escalate much further than this, unless validated by other professionals. Then you would move in the middle of 1 and 2.   

But what if someone starts with nothing, and ends up with everything? 

If someone starts with minimal names, makes other people successful, builds an empire, leads by example, lives great core values, buys great geo domains for years to come, makes a difference in someones life, and helps unite the industry, What will this make them then? I will leave that for you to decide.

Finding true leadership in individuals who do not have hidden agendas and who are willing to make a difference without asking for anything in return is a rare thing to find.  I speak with 14 years of experience in an organization that demands leadership from every member in its ranks.  97% of the time it has to be instilled through alot of mentorship, coaching and training by a human being who has learned from life experiences.  Approximately 3% of the earth’s population are born leaders and contain the attributes of accomplishing greatness and possess the skill sets to communicate effectively.  This type of true leadership is hard to find in the domain industry, but it exists.  I can spot true leadership instantly.  These people are true leaders who have evolved over the years:      

Michael Castello
David Castello
Frank Schilling
Skip Hoagland
Ron Jackson
Michael Gilmour
Sahar Sarid 

Sometimes people are placed in leadership positions by chance, and not neccessarily thru their merit or actions.  Perhaps, they were the first to talk about things openly, and became labeled as a leader.  Just because an individual owns a large portfolio, owns an elite domain service, first to discuss topics openly, or makes a living off of domain names, it does not qualify them as a true leader.  

A true leader is not measured by what he or she owns or how much money they possess, true leadership is measured by the unselfish actions to make others successful, without asking nothing in return.  They bring opportunity and knowledge to those who are willing to listen and embrace their way of thinking.  True leaders inspire growth in individuals, live life with the right core values, and are true role models from start to finish, and make change.  They respect the opinion and disagreements of individuals opposed to their way of thinking, and do not label them as an enemy.  They do not force their opinion or knowledge down your throat, but lay it on the table for you to digest it when ready.  As I stated, there are few in the domain industry.   

There is one important lesson in life that I have learned that I would like to share with you from my experience.  It may take a lifetime for some of you to figure this out, and perhaps some will never figure it out.  The best investment in the world is not stocks, bonds, realestate, or domain names, it is people.  It is people that make all these commodities have value.  

If you focus on making others successful, you will become successful.  When they reach the stars, you reach the stars.  The best investment in life is people.  Help them to accomplish success and riches, and your investment in them will multiply 10 fold.  You never know how that individual that started out with so little and became big time, will be able to help you in the future. 

We invest in people, and that is why the geo network is being developed and why we have spent over $100,000 so far to get it going.  There are no hidden agendas, and we will always remain transparent. People are the greatest resource in the world, not commodities.    

Next time you are looking for me to validate myself, take a look at what has been placed on the table for people to digest when they are ready, that has taken alot of hard work to deliver.  

Thank you for your continued support,
Steve  

Friday is here, and most people are glad the weekend has finally arrived, I know I am.  However, before you go out and have a good time this weekend, I want to leave you with a few thoughts to pounder in your mind this weekend.  Words are very powerful and can impact your life in a positive or negative way.

There are times in life that everyone needs words of inspiration to cross an obstacle they are currently facing in their daily lives.  This obstacle can sometimes keep an individual from becoming successful in life or moving forward.  Sometimes, there is no one around to provide those much needed words.  I find myself always searching for words to educate me, inspire me, and make me an overall better person that others would like to be around.  Words allow you to reevaluate yourself.  Here are some motivational words and thoughts to digest. 

“It’s not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with the sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

“Even if you think you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” (Will Rogers)

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.” (William James)

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” (Harry S Truman)

“Always do the right thing. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” (Mark Twain)

“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” (Leo F Buscaglia)

Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It’s too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came,
and he pushed,
and they flew.

©Christopher Logue

The Guy In The Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your Father or Mother or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

©Dale Wimbrow, 1934.

There are 5 human needs, what is not growing is surely dying.  Hope these words have helped you, the same way they have inspired me.

Have a great weekend.