#1 – Its not too late to get into Affiliate Marketing

2) Affiliate Networks Make Affiliate Marketing Easy

3) Successful Affiliates Can be Very Helpful Mentors

4) Age Doesn’t Matter. Gender Seems to.

5) Stop Waiting for the Perfect Path or Time

Without further ado, lets get go it.

Two Key Prep Items (repeat from last blog):

1)      Learn How to Convert Inches to Pixels
PowerPoint works in inches.  The web works in pixels.  To create a banner, you need to know how to convert from one to the other.  To get the right measurements go here to either download the tool or bookmark this page for when you need it.

2)      Update your Power Point to Export Higher Resolution Graphics
Do this only when you need to develop graphics for PRINT, or else it will mess with your pixel size.  If your graphics are for the web skip this step.  But for print, your graphics may look fuzzy or pixelated because the standard Power Point export setting is 96 dpi.  To fix this, you change your MS Registry files to 300 dpi.  Microsoft gives great instructions on how to change it –and its easy to change and later change back. Visit this Microsoft page to do it.

P.S. If you do this step and later you want to develop web graphics you can also go back and undo.

Now Let’s Create a Web Banner!

Lets say you’ve been given a size to work with such as 750 X 200 pixels. From here:

1) Use your pixel / inch converter : to find out what your pixel size converts to in inches. Write down the answer in inches.

2) Open a new Power Point file

3) Size it – go to design –> page setup –> type in the inches you need to create.

4) Go back to see the new layout and there you will see your new size.

• Pro tip: when you get your first header set up in the size you need, save this empty file as a Power Point presentation with the size in pixels in the name aka “750by200banner.pptx” so you can use it again later.

5) Now it’s time to insert / create your banner graphics.

• To create images that bleed off the page insert them and scale them up or down to do so.  While you will still see the whole graphic on the page, the file will only export the size you articulated in the page setup and will cut off anything around it.

6)    Add graphics as you desire and manipulate them as you desire (check out my video for more suggestions).

7) Click view slide show at any time to see what your banner will look like.

8 ) Choose save as –and select other format – choose png or jpeg.

These same instructions could be followed for a printed logo or graphic.  That is it!  Now that you know this there is no excuse. What graphic will you now make today?

If you’re visually inclined but Adobe CS poor, and you want to create graphics for web sites, business cards or other logos, you probably feel stuck.   How do you create  web banner in pixels? How can you create a simple business card graphic?  For years my choices were to:

a) download Gimp and learn the steps from YouTube videos recorded by 15 year-olds,
b) to find a 15-year old to do it for me, or
c) to hire an agency who’s going to charge me $150/hour to micromanage them to draw what’s in my head.

Outside of buying the Adobe Creative Suite and spending 100 hours to master it (which admittedly is on my list), what’s a girl to do? Here is what – Microsoft PowerPoint! I can’t believe that nobody taught me this before now, but it appears to be a little known trick and it is really, really easy to do it!

Two Key Prep Items:

1) Learn How to Convert Inches to Pixels
PowerPoint works in inches.  The web works in pixels.  You need to know how to convert them so you can build your graphics the right size.  Google this topic and you’ll find other resources but this one works well. You can download the tool here or just plug in measurements on this tool each time you need them.   Bookmark this site at least.

2) Update your Power Point to Export Higher Resolution Graphics
Do this only when you need to develop graphics for PRINT, or else it will mess with your pixel size.  If your graphics are for the web skip this step.  But for print, your graphics may look fuzzy or pixilated because the standard Power Point export setting is 96 dpi.  To fix this, you change your MS Registry files to 300 dpi.  Wait… don’t run! Microsoft gives great instructions on how to change it –and its easy to change and later change back. Visit this Microsoft page to do it.

P.S. If you do this step and later you want to develop web graphics you can also go back and undo.

Now Let’s Create Some Graphics!

We are going to create a website button.  PowerPoint is actually perfectly suited for this – especially version 2007 because you can use the Smart Art feature to add depth and shadows and more.

Pro Tip for creating web graphics – any time you create a web graphic it will look better and load faster if you create it in the exact size it needs to be rather than resizing it once it is live.  That is why the pixel size converter is important.

How to Create Website Buttons
Open PowerPoint, go to Home –> Insert –> Smart Art  then choose a style button you like. You may select one wqith 4 or more on the same page – just delete all the extemporary items you don’t want.  When you have one button,  type in your data you want to show.  Now comes the cool part. Spice it up a bit by double clicking your button and exposing the Smart Art Tools.  Select a pre-drawn design option to access pre-built shadows and glows you don’t have to create yourself.   When it looks good, here is how to save it:

1. Click on your graphic to select it.
2. Size it. If your graphic is smaller than the graphical area, then cut it and then re-paste it on the same page outside that larger graphic area that you started with.  This is to prevent you from saving a big white square around your graphic.
3. Group all the items you have created together if more than one by selecting  them all (hold shift button while you select each one) then right clicking to “group”
4. Save as picture – right click and select this option when everything is looking right.
5. Select a format that matches your need such as jpg, png.   Tip: Png typically saves a little higher quality.

Next week we’ll create a web banner in no time!

Then yesterday at Boulder Wordcamp 2010 I met a fellow blogger and online manager who works at Jive Software and we began discussing the age-old conundrum of Mac vs. PC. The conversation quickly turned to the topic of using Microsoft Office products on a Mac; at which point I found myself staring face to face with my first true non-Microsoft Office using person. Fascinated, I dug a little deeper into this world to ask how he really gets things done – and where he stores all of his un-polished and not-ready-for-prime time thoughts and documents.

His explanation sounded to me like it would if he was showing me how easy it was to get from San Fran to New York via United Airlines when I’d never heard of airplanes. It became clear that I obviously had not yet embraced this new way of getting things done that involved online collaboration, constant feedback and document sharing that he and his colleagues live daily.

As a result, I can’t fully explain his answers here except to say, for him not using Microsoft Office is a non-issue. He builds presentations for others in some online tool instead of PowerPoint, he keeps word-like docs in Evernote, and he really has no need for managing things like Excel spreadsheets (not his job). I asked if it was a problem to organize hundreds of documents and he assured me it was not. He also uses the Jive software environment (no surprise there) for complete flexibility to share, have others comment and update docs on an ongoing basis.

I woke up this morning still scratching my head on this topic and what I’ve decided is this: there is clearly a shift in work-flow thinking taking place today, driven primarily by the proliferation of social networking and collaboration tools that will take office workers way beyond the patchwork process of creating docs, saving them to a shared drive and emailing others to come take a look at them. This is the promise of “social” that most of us have yet to embrace but we’re seeing take shape in things like Google Wave, Google Apps, Jive Software, and the throngs of other community building tools out there I can’t even name but have only seen in product demos at places like Web 2.0 conferences.

What remains unclear is how we will all ubiquitously share information with those OUTSIDE our immediate network – aka I send you a Word doc you can read it now and what happens when I go to XYZ format you can’t read? And what happens when I’m NOT online? But perhaps again I’m not seeing the whole picture.

Bottom line we are shifting here. And no matter what the end social networking tool will be we’re going to see this as our future more and more. So is Microsoft Office dead? Not yet, but I’m not afraid to say – I think its reign as the de facto standard seems to be coming to an end.

Apple is no doubt one of the most powerful brands on earth and this year’s launch of the new iPhone 4 was no exception. After facing a reservation sell-out the day the iPhone 4 hit the AT&T and Apple stores, many fervent followers nationwide were forced to stand outside all night for their chance to get their hands on their own precious iPhone 4. As an outsider and interloper on this great big launch day, I saw quickly Apple was after more than my money – they wanted my soul. And I met many people who have gladly given it to them. Join me on this insiders 4-minute video tour of the Church of Apple on the day the iPhone 4 launches to the world.

Being an early adopter of a technology is not for the faint of heart, nor pocketbook.  But as Apple launches the iPhone 4 to a raving fan base an estimated 10 times the size of the 3G launch, its does make one wonder… “who the heck are these people?!”

Well, this time I’m one of them.  And I’m making the best of it by taking my blog to video and my video on the road. Follow me as I capture this historic launch on film from June 15 to June 24, 2010.  This short blog is the prequel.  Check it out then come back in a few days for some footage on what actually happens on launch day. And please give me feedback – do you like this format? Is it effective or cheesy? Be honest

The Jeepney, Manila's most popular art form and public transportation

What I love about business travel is the opportunity it provides to experience how other cultures live and behave at work.  Sometimes its the little things – the way they serve their coffee, what time they take their lunch, the hours they work and their average commute times that open up doors to much more interesting facts about how different cultures  live and view the world.

Last week in Manila, after a single three-hour business meeting, I immediately felt at home inside a business office there.  Yes, it was 100 degrees outside, and yes the doorman had a machete and a bomb sniffing dog and took my temperature when I entered to verify I was not spreading H1N1.  But once in the office, everything felt very “normal.” The method in which the meeting was conducted, the roles within the room, the small talk, even the lunch break.  It was a very pleasant and productive business meeting with a client I am thrilled to be working with.  Thus it was so very perplexing when I left the meeting and walked outside into the streets of a world reminiscent of a scene from Mad Max and the Thunderdome.

I’m still not sure I’ve got it all figured out. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot. But after 3 days in Manila I have some theories about what is going on there.

First, What’s Behind that Feeling of Constant Chaos
The 2000 census noted Manila as the most densely populated city in the world with 1.66 million inhabitants.  In retrospect, this explains that overwhelming feeling of panic that swept me when walking  about the hot, messy downtown.  There is no western equivalent to the constant swarm of masses and vehicles moving about  in multiple directions — the closest analogy I can muster is the adrenaline rush that Black Friday at Macy’s sets in motion… but with a messier “watch your wallet” or  “I think I’m about to faint” feeling added to it.  Perhaps it’s closer to the feeling of being in the mosh pit at Lalapalooza and suddenly realizing you are way too drunk and its only 3 pm.  Add to it all a layer of throat-coating smog and claustrophobia is bound to set in.

As a westerner, the extreme number and activity of people was most unsettling.   I’d been to crowded cities across the US and Europe, but despite their hustle and bustle, those cities have the infrastructure and the social order to keep it all just a little bit more under control.

But to the locals of Manila, this chaos seemed perfectly normal.  And when I would query someone about it, they would only smile if it was an endearing trait in a new beau to be treasured.

Enjoying being a "have" in the Manila Peninsula Hotel Lobby

Second, Classism is Alive and Well
I’m no politico. But if I were to sum up the economic situation, it seems the upper and middle class “bourgeoisie” have learned how to concurrently take full advantage of the benefits having an underclass creates, and yet tune out the depressing physical state that has resulted from it.  This is not a dig, as it appears no more malicious than North Americans taking advantage of opportunities afforded to us by cheap Mexican labor.  But make no mistake, this issue creates an economic advantage for many.

There is a multi-generational, semi-impermeable barrier between “haves” and “have-nots” here.  As a business person, I met with some of the lucky “haves” who are a lot like us North Americans.   All of them have been to college, vacation to the islands, earn good wages,  own laptops and iPhones, shop and eat cheaply, keep the birth rate at 1-2 per couple, and live in nice condos or gated communities. These folks are raving fans of Manila, and wanted me to appreciate their deep and rich culture, food and environment as they do.

I tried. But one look outside any window and I could not help but notice the seemingly desperate state of the “have-nots” who subside in a dog-eat-dog world they have little hope of ever escaping, despite the richness around them.  The “have-nots” drive taxis and bicycle tuk tuks for pennies per hour, they multiply themselves X 6, live in sweltering shanties without AC in trash-infested squalor, and if they are lucky… export themselves to raise the “have’s” children as nanny or driver.

These two cultures are a world apart in life experience, but just a $2 taxi ride away from any downtown hotel, existing on a parallel plane, walking the same streets, but rarely crossing paths except to serve or be served by the other.

This chasm has created a society that on one hand supports a thriving international business culture, and on the other hand suffers sky-high kidnappings, robbery and crime rates.

All this brings me to the third point – what’s up with all the security everywhere?

Third, In Manila an Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Real Police Protection
At every entrance to every public location in Manila you will see security guards with metal detectors and dogs.  They may frisk you or look in your purse or ask you to step through a scanner. But these are not police. In fact there is a noticeable lack of true police presence anywhere.   Asking around, I learned that police are considered ineffectual, understaffed and poorly managed… aka they cannot properly prevent and prosecute crime.

Part of the issue seems to be that many poor Filipinos do not possess birth certificates or IDs and thus are literally invisible to the state.  As a result, robberies frequently go unsolved or even un-investigated as the police lack a proper method for tracking criminals.  So to attract visitors, the private community has taken up private security operations to discourage theft and general hanky-panky.  Labor is cheap so this is easily possible even for smaller stores.  And this is why there are TSA-style security scans and armed guards at the entrance to every public place – malls, hotels & even restaurants.

Halo-halo dessert, a Filipino specialty featuring shaved ice, milk, sweet beans, ice cream and jellied fruit.

In the end, was Manila a pleasant place or not?  I want to say yes – as I seek to always find the best in every culture.  The city is a short plane ride from some of the most glorious islands in the world.  And the food was at least interesting.   And in Manila I can say I met some very terrific people.  They are genuine, proud of their independence and culture, and spirited.  Many people I met choose to live there when they could live in US or Canada.   So while I cannot say it I fell in love with Manila, I will say it is a place on the eve of change with newly elected government that seeks to make positive forward progress and fight the history of corruption.   And for that I will give Manila a cautiously optimistic “one thumb up”.

Twitter

Recently, I was once again baptized into the world of social media via the Web 2.0 show in New York City. I cannot say this was the first time I was brought into the fold – and almost harangued – that I need to be make it a top priority to get connected to the ultra connected on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Xanga, Ning, and Plaxo – to name just a few. And like all times before, I nodded and believed and agreed with it all, and I began ferociously tweeting from the conference, hoping to shorten my “21 days to a new habit” to just two. But as the conference ended and my plane departed from La Guardia headed toward Denver, I watched my mindset shift from the free thinking lifestyle of the conference back to that of the daily grind of a corporate marketer. And with that, I knew that soon my Tweet stream was about to again be as dry as the Santa Ana River Bed.

“But WHYYYY?” all the Twitterazzi cry? “How can you not see how important this is? Do you not want to be a thought leader? A visionary? Don’t you want to connect with like minded people? Don’t you know the market is already talking about you and you need to be part of the conversation???”

As I ponder the many reasons, I want to say for the record, I am not alone in this conundrum. In fact, a recent study by Weber Shandwick recently showed that while 73% of Fortune 100 companies have a Twitter account, fewer than 25% of them Tweet very much at all. And when they do Tweet, it’s pretty dry stuff. Surprised? Well then you must have never read a corporate press release.

I’ve taken my own little poll and asked a number of colleagues about their Twitter habits. As a result, I’ve come up with three main reasons corporate types don’t Tweet.

Reason #1 – Big Corporations are not Yet Fully Ready to Let the Lunatics Run the Asylum.
I know… it sounds ludicrous to you, especially if you are into social media. But organizations are understandably hesitant to let folks put in writing things that may not be fully baked. I mean, what if one of the customer service reps at Charmin Tweeted in his off time that he thought the Safeway brand was just as good? And is it ok for him to Tweet about his job one day then brag later about his after hour drinking excursions? Yes we all need to be responsible for our “personal brand” but even the thought of this loose arrangement strikes fear in the minds of not only execs but employees there is not a clear policy in place. And policies take time.

Reason #2 – We Really Have no Time
You can say it’s a matter of priorities and I will listen. But the truth is most of us in corporate America spend 75% of our days in meetings and the other 25% just catching up from those meetings. And when you are in a meeting – we all need to be focused on the work at hand, not taking a mental break to check our Twitter stream for interesting tidbits to write about! And yet we all are smart enough to know giving it to the intern doesn’t work if you want to be a thought leader and not just a promoter of junk news. As a result, Twitter chat suffers.

Reason #3 – Our Days Are Filled With Work We can’t Talk About “Socially”
This is probably the biggest reason of all that corporate types do not Tweet. At work, we deal with clients and issues that are undeniably off-limits for sharing in the Twittersphere. Whether we are innovating new products, making strategic marketing decisions, dealing with clients who demand our complete privacy, closing deals or working the internal politics inside our companies, the thoughts and topics surrounding this are to remain inside the corporate walls. And while we often bring outside information in to mix with our internal thoughts, it is rarely a good idea to Tweet about them for fear of just letting on where exactly things may be headed.

In the end, all of this leaves us with not just an obscure policy but nothing to talk about and no time to do it. But since social networking and the Twitter lifestyle shows no sign of slowing down, we do need to shift our thinking a bit. I would argue the first thing is that if you are a non-Twittering corporate type, take a breath and drop the Twitter guilt. It’s ok and you are not alone. Your role does not make Twittering a sound use of your time given the current infrastructure. Don’t force it.

Instead, we need to think about how we can formalize our social media strategy by bringing it deeper into the daily work our companies do. For those of us in marketing, it should be a major part of our strategies for 2010. Don’t give this role to the newbies, yet don’t just try to do it yourself without giving up something else. Instead, develop a more web-centered marketing and media strategy where Twitter and social media can become the domain of some or all of your team members as part of their official role. And if you don’t have a policy, perhaps it’s time for one.

It’s your turn. What is your company doing about corporate Twittering? How do you manage your time as it relates to social media?

BIXI is a new bicycle-sharing program Montreal launched in May 2009 the city hopes will be a successful example for others to follow.  With a concept already popular in Europe, BIXI is the first of its kind in North America, and has been hailed by some as the world’s most innovative bicycle sharing program to date. 

BIXI means literally “bike” plus “taxi”.  And aside from the notoriously cold and long winters, Montreal is a perfect place for such a program because of its abundance of well-maintained bicycle paths that both encircle and slice through the city’s main thorough fairs.

How BIXI works
Getting a bike is easy.  Simply stop at any of the 300+ strategically placed self-service BIXI bike stations around the city.  Each station houses 10-20 bikes.  Swipe your Visa or MasterCard for $5, click to agree to the 49 pages of Terms & Conditions (not kidding), and take your  4-digit code.  Now choose a bike from the rack, plug in your code and be on your way! 

Sounds pretty good so far. But here is where it gets complicated. The clock has started ticking and you have 30 minutes to get your bike to another BIXI rack and park it before being charged another $1.50 for the next 30 minutes, $3 for the second 30 minutes, and $6 an hour every hour after that. Do you hear the Wicked Witch’s demonic bicycle ride theme song in your head yet?

Ouch.  Suffice it to say BIXI is best to use when you just want to jaunt about and drop a bicycle, perhaps to work, coffee, lunch, or more throughout the day. You can ride all 24 hours on your first $5 as long as you drop the bike and select a different one every 30 minutes at one of the locations.

A Cautionary Tale About One BIXI Experience
BIXI seemed like the perfect solution for my family on a recent trip to Montreal. We made a point of trying out BIXI for the pure convenience and novelty.  We easily found bikes to ride, and began our tour. The bikes were sturdy, comfortable and clean.  But the stress-o-meter went through the roof when we, much like the Biblical Joseph and Mary, could not find an available place to take a rest before the clock ran out.

We had been headed to the popular St. Catherine’s Street for a bus tour and considered this a quick 20 minute pleasure ride.  But soon we found ourselves racing around the busy city streets in search of a single open spot to drop even one of  our four rented bikes.  Perspiration and panic quickly set in as the clock ticked away and we became more and more desperate – riding on sidewalks, going against traffic, crossing against lights  – you name it – to get our bikes parked and to our next destination on time. We came within a hair of missing our scheduled bus tour but eventually did find homes for all 4 bikes – each in a different location. The mad dash left us sweaty and a little reticent to pick up another BIXI in our 24-hour period, for fear we’d always be driving around all night long looking for an empty drop spot. 

In the end – only you can decide – are you a risk taker?
Overall, BIXI provides a convenient, inexpensive, and very green way for visitors and locals alike to see the city’s top sights, or just get to work three out of four seasons a year (BIXI bikes are evidently not available in the coldest winter months).  And the risk / reward? Well you’ll have to decide if the location you are headed is more popular than the one you are dropping – and maybe the city will improve its bike moving soon.

 If you go – Pricing & Locations
Locals can purchase an annual pass for $78 or $28 a month.  For day-trippers, the price is right at $5 for 24-hour access ( in 30-minute increments). Customers are charged an increasing hourly rate for any time beyond any single 30-minute period at an escalating price.  

Expert tip: If you get stuck with your bike it turns out you CAN type a code into any full station to receive a 15-minute reprieve to find another station. 

While telecommuting one afternoon from the 23^rd floor of the Sao Paulo, Brazil Renaissance Hotel waiting for a client meeting, I noticed a trend.  Every few hours the rumble of an engine disturbed my tranquil surroundings and as a helicopter roared overhead then landed two stories above me on the roof of the hotel.  “Flight for Life?” —  I naively thought at first.  But what I soon learned was much more intriguing. Sao Paolo, Brazil, the 7^th largest city on the planet that is home to over 19 million — is in fact also the helicopter capital of the world, boasting over 450 personal helicopters as of mid-2009 – a number that (depending on the source) tops even those in New York and Tokyo.

The trend to buy a helicopter, hire a pilot, or in some cases even become a pilot –  and use it as your daily commuter — is the mark of the rich and time-strapped in this bustling, traffic-choked city where a simple 5-mile trek by car across town can easily set you back two hours during rush hour.  With epic traffic jams that can span 130 miles of mind-numbing stop and go traffic, the city is a reported urban planning nightmare.  So until we can each have our own personal jet pack, the helicopter has become the transportation mode of choice for those with the funds to support it.