Several months ago I posted a couple advertisements on Craig's List. To be professional, I supplied my company e-mail address instead of the cloaked address they offered.

NOTE: If posting an ad to the online marketing community, ALWAYS use the cloaked address. Lesson learned too late.

Or, if you can, point them to your blog.

Anyway, my company e-mail address is now on spammers' *free leads* lists, and you can imagine the junk e-mail I'm getting about all kinds of opportunities that I did NOT want to know about.

NOTE: I AM NOT A LEAD!!! Free or otherwise. In fact, I am keeping track of THOSE e-mail addresses, and if they don't disappear quickly, I'm posting THEM for the feeding frenzy.

Go Daddy has a feature for their webmail that blocks the sender's address. Unfortunately all this does is send the spam to the spam box. However, if it happens enough times, the e-mail address gets as totally blocked as the miracle banana diet. Their addresses remain all neatly listed in my blocked file. So when I say I'm keeping track, I mean it.

Apple has a double blocking feature on Mobile Me for us Mac users. You can bounce the e-mail back at the sender and then declare them spam, or junk mail. Bouncing is a one time thing, kind of like selecting which Spaghetti Jimmy gets deleted with a soccer ball. Then you can mark the address as Junk, and you have the opportunity to bounce them again. Wham! What fun! Oh, and the list of junk mail is all neatly tucked away in the Junk folder.

NOTE: Spammy marketing DOES NOT WORK! It irritates people and gives the online network marketing industry a black eye. It's MLM-y windshield flyers on steroids. So STOP IT!

If you would like to learn how to market in a professional manner that actually works, however, you can do so here: http://ELeadersAccess.com and here: http://YourPlanBIncomeSystem.com/116660

When my blog is ready to promote, I'll add that to the options as well. I'm developing a free Pro31 Day Marketing Plan for the site, and it will include several other resources, but these two are good to get you re-directed for now.

The thing that works is called ATTRACTION Marketing, not REPULSION marketing, which is what spammy marketers do.

The Warning Shot
I've already mentioned what I will do if I continue getting unsolicited business opportunity e-mails (aka spammy marketing), especially those tied to my Craig's List ads. (See first NOTE above.) I will even go so far as to e-mail each one of those addresses on my lists and point those spammers to this post. If you are one of those receivers, you will have been warned. And if posting all those e-mail addresses doesn't give you the clue you need to remove my address from your list, I will start reporting you to your ISPs.

So do the right thing and STOP SPAMMING people. 1. It doesn't work, and 2. It does harm. To everyone in this industry. Including you.

Thanks.

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These Internet marketer blog musings are brought to you by
Susan Cowsar, M.O.O. (Manager, Owner, Operator -- with a name like Cowsar, why not?)
Pro31 Marketing Group, LLC
http://www.pro31mg.com (corp. site)
http://www.hotweeks-coolprices.com (vacation program site)
http://www.morvacations-travel.com (retail site)
http://www.morvacations-income.com (business op site)

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These Internet marketer blog musings are brought to you by
Susan Cowsar, M.O.O. (Manager, Owner, Operator -- with a name like Cowsar, why not?)
Pro31 Marketing Group, LLC
http://www.pro31mg.com (corp. site)
http://www.hotweeks-coolprices.com (vacation program site)
http://www.morvacations-travel.com (retail site)
http://www.morvacations-income.com (business op site)

 Well, boys and girls, I'm one of those marketers who didn't replace my toasted PC with a Vista wagon. I'm a networker with a Mac. Talk about a niche group.

 But aren't Macs supposed to be made for this stuff? Aren't they supposed to be easier? For simple talking head videos, you betcha. It's just turn on the machine, look into the little built in webcam and start talking. Nothing simpler.

 Of course I don't want just talking head videos. I want a real production. A little talking head action, a Powerpoint presentation with music background and voice over that doesn't sound like, well, me. Then, to top off the production, I want rolling captions. I want . . . I want . . . I want to spin it like Spielberg.

 All withOUT Camtasia. I've been told it can be done.

 I've got the PPT ready, except for the music overlay. The rest is too scary for a creative on the outer edge of a learning curve to try on her own without a guardian.

 But try it I will. And I've got a technical coach with scary long nails ready to point me in the right direction should I stray off the narrow path. So no excuses.

 Besides, after I get this one tucked away, I can delete at least one of the videos out there that could possibly be used for humiliation blackmail.

 Then you will all get to be amused by highly related video topics that have everything to do with my business opportunity . . . like close ups of my cat sitting in his little Scherpa bag.

 Can you stand the suspense?

  
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These Internet marketer blog musings are brought to you by
Susan Cowsar, M.O.O. (Manager, Owner, Operator -- with a name like Cowsar, why not?)
Pro31 Marketing Group, LLC
http://www.pro31mg.com (corp. site)
http://www.hotweeks-coolprices.com (vacation program site)
http://www.morvacations-travel.com (retail site)
http://www.morvacations-income.com (business op site)
http://www.morvacations.com/pro31 (affiliate site)

Three. At least.
 
I'm an over-fifty woman who's been there, done that, lost my t-shirt and had to get a new one more than twice.
 
So when I wake up in the mornings, I am NOT ready for center stage.
 
And believe me, when you're in Internet marketing, you are in show business.
 
Video E-Mail
I have an Adwords campaign running, and when I get an opt in, I reply to that opt in with an Eyejot video e-mail. I also send out Eyejot video follow-ups to my Chamber of Commerce networking contacts I meet and greet at least once a month.
 
YouTube, Etc.
I learned a couple, three hard lessons here:
 
1. Do NOT cut your hair too short just before filming your first YouTube video. Especially if you are a few pounds up, over 50, and female.
 
2. DO wear "too much" makeup. This is what that Mary Kay pancake batter is for in your top vanity drawer, honey, so use it!
 
3. DO use a worklight (available from Home Depot for about $50) to balance the light tones in an interior area when video recording. A gooseneck lamp on your computer table will work quite nicely as well when web camming. Otherwise you'll look like the Ghost of Christmas Past.
 
So why three light bulbs? Because that's how many it takes to fully light the vanity lamp over my lavatory.
 
And there's nothing like being fooled into thinking you're looking pretty good there in the shadows only to have all your sins exposed online.
 
 
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These musings are written and posted for your use and enjoyment by
Susan Cowsar
Pro31 Marketing Group, LLC
http://www.pro31mg.com (corp. site)
http://www.hotweeks-coolprices.com (vacation program site)
http://www.morvacations-travel.com (retail site)
http://www.morvacations-income.com (business op site)
http://www.morvacations.com/pro31 (affiliate site)

It takes energy to learn how to do all the things Internet marketers need to know in order to succeed. What is success? Drawing people to you. Getting them to know and trust you. Showing that you are worthy of that trust.
 
It also takes good healthy food to keep up the momentum. Many Internet marketers start out part-time. Already tired from their J-O-B, they somehow have to find their second -- or maybe even third -- wind.
 
Keyboard warriors are notorious junk foodies, but it doesn't have to be that way.
 
Here's a recipe for a very healthy burrito that's easy to fix (I wouldn't be making it if it weren't easy schmeezy), takes about five minutes, and is pretty decent to the taste buds.
 
It's not Tex Mex, so don't expect it to taste like a burrito you'd get at Taco Bell or El Fenix, but it's an excellent meal to munch on while doing your Internet thing.
 
1 Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted tortilla
Organic mozzarella goat cheese - shredded
1 can organic black beans
1 slice of organic red bell pepper
1 slice of organic red onion
Yucatan brand Organic Guacamole
 
1. Heat the can of black beans until boiling in a small pan on the stovetop.
2. Chop the red bell pepper & red onion
3. Put the tortilla on a regular dinner plate and microwave for about 20 seconds to soften it.
4. Take the tortilla out of the mic & slather some guacamole on it.
5. Add chopped bell pepper & onion
6. Using a slotted spoon, dip up some of the black beans and let drain.
7. Pour spoon of drained beans on all the other stuff in the tortilla.
8. Grate a little goat cheese over the top. Your choice how much.
9. Fold the burrito . . . well, you know . . . burrito style.
10. Give thanks to God for His provision and ask Him to bless it to your health.
12. Take the burrito over to your computer and enjoy bites while jotting out a quick blog entry.
 
Save the leftover portions so you'll have them ready again later.
 
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These little social media blog entries are sponsored by
Susan Cowsar, Manager/Owner/Operator (M.O.O.) of
Pro31 Marketing Group, LLC (http://www.pro31mg.com)
 

• If you enjoy these blog posts, please do subscribe through the link here on Posterous. Or just look for them every day in your TweetDeck. 
• If you enjoy going on excellent vacations for pennies on the dollar, check out http://morvacations-travel.com 
• If you enjoy earning income while helping folks save money on their own excellent vacations, visit http://www.morvacations-income.com

• God's grace that you are in a business you love. Knee mail God a blessed day. It takes only seconds, but your blessings will be as welcomed as highly targeted keywords in an overburdened search engine.

• Your spouse. This person is your life mate. The top of your favorites list. Your ultimate opt in. Do you realize how blessed you are to have this person so deeply connected to you?

• Your family. OK, true, Valentine's Day is about lovers. But I think it's a very good idea to spend some time with the family, saving a private chat room for your spouse. After all it's not a bad idea to sprinkle a few select broad search terms into your keyword list. Just keep them targeted to your specific audience, please.

 Or you want information, and you get cryptic replies.

 Note to self: Cryptic does not equal How To. . .

 I confess. I've been on both sides of that road to Fizz City, sometimes within one conversation. I was in such a one just yesterday, and low and behold, I lost all my feathers.

 Ever seen a plucked chicken? That's how I felt afterward.

 And as a Christian I felt even worse. Let me tell you, I needed that scolding I got from the Holy Spirit.

 So there I was. I was in need of help from an expert. I didn't understand what was being offered as help. I got ruffled. Then I lost my feathers by "shouting" with all caps at the person on the other end of the conversation, and here I sit, convicted by the Holy Spirit for doing so.

 So after a full night of prayer, here's what I came up with:

 1. Remember that when you are explaining something to someone else, you need to do so from their perspective, not yours. It ain't easy, but it must be.

 2. Remember how to spell assume. You know where the hyphens go.

 3. Always be the instructor, even if you're the one with the questions. Instruct the other person with specific details, helping them "see" what you are telling or asking them. This is particularly important when communicating via boards, e-mail, and IM.

 4. Read all the way to the bottom of the sender's e-mail. When someone asks a detailed question, itemize your response. Including their own inquiries within your response is often very technically helpful, and it shows you're paying attention, which goes a long way toward diffusing angst.

 5. When e-mail isn't working, offer to switch to a more engaging media: IM, webinar (you can get free webinar usage from dimdim.com), and even the good old telephone!

 6. If you're juggling eggs when someone else is demanding your attention, tell them you are in the middle of juggling eggs. The other guy can't see what you're doing, unless you're on a shared screen application.

 7. Look, hunt, search, and squint for the positive that has occurred in a wayward conversation and focus on that. This helps refrain you from reaching through your monitor and wringing the other person's virtual neck. So to speak.

 The word "conversation" is derived from the Latin word that translates into "act of living with," literally "turn about with." Its original meaning was "having dealings with others," and "manner of conducting oneself in the world."

 It's good to remember this too, so the next time you or I get ruffled, we can hold on to our feathers and not wind up looking or feeling like a plucked chicken.

I love this business. So much I sometimes forget to eat. But eat, and eat right I must! So I came up with this modified recipe that should fit any keyboard warrior's morning schedule:

Social Media Oatmeal

1. Pour two cups of purified water into a measuring cup. Then run that over to a pan on your stovetop and pour it in while turning on the burner under the pan.

2. Grab a couple India Spice Chai teabags and toss them into the pan.

3. Your computer will naturally already be simmering, so go read some of the chats going on with your Skype peeps.

4. Type in Good Morning and respond to some of the chats.

5. Excuse yourself to tend to your boiling pan of tea.

6. Turn off the burner & pitch the tea bags in the trash. Or compost pile. Depends on how green you are.

7. Scoop in one cup organic oatmeal and stir.

8. Go check your TweetDeck. By now it's been chirping away.

9. Do a little forum marketing while waiting for your oatmeal to set. It's OK, you did turn the burner off. Didn't you?

10. After a few minutes, serve up half of the pan of oatmeal into a bowl.

11. Add Liquid Stevia to taste. No calories. No chemicals. It's actually GOOD for you. But I digress.

12. Stir in about a teaspoon or two of crushed organic pecans. Yes, it's worth it to get them pre-crushed.

13. Bring the bowl and spoon you used to stir your oatmeal back over to your computer.

14. Say a quick Thank You to God for His provision.

15. Run over to Posterous and write a quick blog or recipe.

16. Sign off the media stuff. You need to spend one hour doing this stuff, max.

17. Take empty bowl and spoon to sink. Well, maybe not the spoon, if you're the only one eating the oatmeal.

18. Scoop remaining oatmeal into a container and add Stevia. Stir. Let it marinate overnight. Yum.

19. Place bowl, spoon & pan in sink & let them soak while you make your list of things to do for the day. Remember, you're already done with the social media action item on your list.

20. Next day all you have to do is heat your container of oatmeal in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. I have no idea if that ruins the nutrients or not.

21. Of course you'll have less cooking that day and are on your own as to how to mix in breakfast with your morning media.

Enjoy the Day! Stress makes you fat. 

And then you wind up having to eat this stuff for breakfast.