In This Issue...
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Editor's ViewPoint
A New 'Green Meanie'!
![Saz249]()
I've seen a fair few comings and goings within the
staff ranks during my 3 and a half years here. Now one of us has a shiny, new
GREEN badge!
Helge joined the Programming Team last November and is now sporting an
Advisor's badge. Please join us
in congratulating him on a well-deserved promotion.
This week, we turn to the Grow & Manage team for our Team Tip, which is
all about datafeeds. We put johntabita in the Spotlight and Ingo asks for a
little help in the Computer Corner.
'Til next time...
Saara Ord (Saz249)
SitePoint Community Crier Editor
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What's New?
All GMAIL Invites Are Here!
That's what the thread title says, and that's exactly what it's for! To put
an end to the mountain of threads being posted in the Trading Post and the
General Chat forum offering GMail accounts, Sarah set up a
sticky thread in General Chat especially for this purpose. So, if you have
some accounts to give away, or are simply on the lookout for one, pop over and
check it out...
Private Messaging - Guidelines Update
Following a recent spate of PM Spam, guidelines pertaining to the use of our
Private Messaging system have been added to our General
Guidelines:
The private message system of the forums allows you to send messages to
other members in private. Where applicable, the same guidelines apply to the
private message system as apply to messages posted on the forums.
Sending any unrequested commercial and/or bulk message through the private
message system may result in an immediate suspension of posting privileges.
Furthermore, any reports of harassment via the PM system will be fully
investigated. To report an abusive or unwanted PM, please use the SitePoint Contact
Form.
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Team Tips!
How To Profit With Datafeeds
Making a datafeed-driven site is one of the easiest ways to get a start in
affiliate marketing. Here's a brief introduction to the topic.
What is a Datafeed?
A datafeed is nothing more
than a dump of a merchant's inventory database. Most will include coded
affiliate links and image URLs. Datafeeds are typically delivered in delimited
text file formats, but you can also find them offered as SQL dumps or XML
files.
A datafeed differs from a Web service not in function, but in
methodology. If you build a site around a Web service like Amazon's AWS, you
don't actually store any of the information locally (or, at least, you don't
have to). Rather, your script will fetch the information dynamically through
the service.
With a datafeed, you actually download the product
list, populate your own database, and then build you site. You will then need
to update your database with a new feed on a regular basis -- daily, weekly, or
monthly. The frequency of your updates will depend on both the merchant you are
using and your own capabilities.
The Path to Profits
Once the site is made, the only maintenance required is the
updating of the feed -- and even that can be automated. As such, profits are in
easy reach as the site has miniscule overhead.
Datafeed-driven sites
just need to be promoted. The most popular way to promote them is with what I
call Brute Force SEO. Brute Force SEO is where you achieve good listings and
traffic simply by the sheer size of your site. If a merchant's feed has 10,000
products in it, your site is going to have at least 10,000 pages. By sheer
force of numbers, you're bound to rank well on at least some phrases, and by
the sheer force of mediocre listings you're bound to get some traffic. So all
you really need to do is some moderate SEO (title tags, headers, incoming
links), then set the site on autopilot.
As for how much you can
make, you might only make $30 a month, you might make $300, you might make
$3000. In all cases, though, with the only after-setup cost being your hosting
and your domain, you should be able to run the site at a profit.
Further Reading:
What is
duplicate content?
Datafeed
list?
Aspen - Grow & Manage Team Leader
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Member Spotlight
Member: johntabita
Alternative Universe Name: John
Tabita (pretty original, huh?)
~ How did you get started on the
Internet?
After my dad retired, he would come up with a different business idea every
month or so, and one day he decided that he needed a Website. I had been a
graphic designer for a few years and had it on my mind that I should learn Web
design.
We went to a seminar on the topic that turned out to be a "business
opportunity" to resell another company's template Websites. I was already
doing some freelancing and thought it would be a good way to offer Websites
without having to learn how to build them. Before that point, I wasn't even
online, but now I had a reason to be. It didn't take long before I was actually
building my own sites, instead of reselling their cheesy templates.
~ Would you explain your avatar and how you decided on that one?
When my oldest son was born, our cat didn't look too happy. We used to joke
that she was probably wondering when the parents of this kid we were
babysitting were going to come get him. When I found that picture, it seemed to
express perfectly what we imagined she was feeling. I chose it as an avatar
because, well, I'd gone so long without one and it was easier than creating
something from scratch. (Recently I've been thinking that I ought to change it.
Everyone else's are so professional, and then there's mine...)
~
What are your favorite topics/hobbies with Web Design?
I love learning about the business side of things. I grew up in a family
business, so I saw things from the other side of the fence, so to speak, at an
early age. Selling is a hot topic for me right now, because I suddenly found
myself in the position of having to sell. Instead of trying to muddle through
on my own, I decided to get professional help. As a result, I've experienced a
huge paradigm shift in my thinking. It's been tremendously exciting for me,
because it's solved many of the sales dilemmas I struggled with for years. I've
been excited to discover that, with the proper training, I actually can sell my
services, and enjoy doing it at the same time.
~ How did you
come across SitePoint?
It's been so long, I don't really remember. I think I subscribed to one of
the newsletters, and when I eventually got around to reading one of them, I
went to the forums and signed right up.
~ What made you stay at
SitePoint Forums?
Initially I stayed because I learned a lot from many of the helpful people
that are here. Now I enjoy trying to help others by sharing some of my
experiences and the mistakes I made along the way.
~ What do you
do in real life?
You mean besides trying to run a full-time Web business and take care of a
three-year-old and an eight-year-old at the same time? Not much.
URL: http://www.jenesis-technologies.com/
Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Computer Corner
With A Little Help From Our Friends...
I don’t know if you ever thought about it, but it’s not all that
easy to come up with something interesting for the Computer Corner every other
week. We don't want to simply write up some news -- we want to bring you
quality content! We (I) are (am) in need of ideas -- they don't come all that
easy.
So I thought: why not ask our readers? What would you
like to read about in an upcoming Computer Corner?
Feel free to add
your suggestions/requests here.
Ingo
Ingoal, SitePoint
Advisor - Community Team
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Dan's "Bit-At-The-End"
The Awards - Keep Your Ideas Coming!
Thanks for all your PMs about the Awards -- we're taking them all into
consideration. If you haven't PMd us yet, there's still plenty of time to let us know your thoughts.
The Awards will be launched shortly, so don't forget to keep an eye out in
the News and Announcements forum.
Dan Morgan
Assistant Editor
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This edition of the SitePoint Community Crier was brought to you by the SitePoint
Community Team: Saz249, Sarah, Dan Morgan, Ingoal, PalmerB, zoo, Cam,
FrozenToast, Toly and Aes.
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Help Your
Friends Out
People
you care about can benefit from the wealth of information on new
and maturing technologies available on the Internet. Help them
learn
how to do it by forwarding them this issue of the SitePoint
Community Crier!
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