A big focus of this month's update has been Authority sites. There's a fair amount of buzz being generated in certain communities about the advent of Web 2.0 and the way this is going to affect internet marketers now and in future.
Web 2.0 is about user generated content instead of static article sites. It's about engaging your visitors in your site, allowing them to contribute, and generating buzz through other networks. It's building communities and relying on the democratic nature of the web to reward sites for providing a good service.
In a nutshell, it is almost the complete antithesis of 50 page, infrequently updated static content sites that affiliates frequently build. If proponents of Web 2.0 and Authority Sites have their way, these sites will be on the way out. Whether this happens or how soon this happens is contestable, but from an affiliate's perspective... it certainly wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about this new way of looking at affiliate marketing.
Before hitting the World Internet Summit in Melbourne a few weeks ago, I flew into Sydney to meet Peter Lenkefi of ContentDesk.com . Peter has been tracking and analyzing the growth of Authority Sites, and his company produces a platform based on Wordpress that harnesses all the most powerful technologies of Web 2.0. To call this a blogging platform is a massive understatement! It's like they've taken Wordpress and dipped it in glowing, green toxic ooze to produce a mutant Wordpress with superpowers.
In addition to offering us an interview for this month's update, Peter is also giving you guys a free report, called the 2007 Authority Black Book (link no longer exists). It is a comprehensive overview of Web 2.0 technologies and resources for "generating traffic and winning customers".
I myself haven't been through the guide with a fine tooth comb as of yet, simply because there is SO MUCH information there. We're talking 67 pages of content, PLUS about a bazillion links to Web 2.0 sites and resources to get your brain cells firing, plus all the best plugins and tools for Wordpress, information on creating RSS feeds, harnessing the power of video, and a hang of a lot more.
Obviously this report is designed as a promotional tool for Authority Site Center... but the fact is, the information they've provided is absolutely spot on. If you're just getting your head around web 2.0 (and lets face it, for old-school affiliates like me, it's like learning another language) -- go grab this and start wrapping your head around it quick-smart.
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In other news, Affilorama members will probably already be aware of this, but I'm heading overseas! And this time it's long term!
Michelle (my wife) and I are heading off on our big-OE (Overseas Experience... as we call it in New Zealand.) -- off to sunny Edinburgh in Scotland. We'll be gone for a year, and I'll be using this time overseas to meet experts and gather more material for Affilorama members from a slightly more exotic location. We'll also be making a few trips to the States and doing some sightseeing in Europe, but in general it's going to be business as usual... just on the other side of the world!
We got everyone from all my companies together for a bit of an end-of-summer/going away ball this past weekend. It was a great night, everyone scrubbed up very nicely. (It's nice to know the fine art of formal dress is not lost on a big bunch of young entrepreneurs, internet marketers and technically oriented individuals like us.) In case you need proof...
That's it guys. Definitely check out that report from Authority Site Center. I'm going to be spending a bit of time with it myself! (I get the feeling this is going to be big...)
Take care everyone,
Mark
