Often I take liberties with my weekend roundup posts. I view it as a chance to get off topic, talk about something current or strange and take a stretch and link it to some current articles. 
I tend to like to write “evergreen” and I view Sunday Selections as my chance to write a little “topical” and non-evergreen fun and mix it in with some “link-love”. It is particularly fun to get into the spirit of the “holiday” like I did for Halloween, Christmas and New Year.
So today would be the good chance to talk about Valentine’s Day, right? A chance to delve into the history, traditions and fun of this holiday. I even tried. In one draft I even had a “team Edward vs. team Jacob” tween movie reference where I lumped all the articles into one of the two camps.
But the problem is… I do not believe in Valentine’s day. Yup, I said it! No Cupid! No “true love’s first kiss!”
I fully believe in a fat man living in the Arctic North Pole delivering presents, a bunny rabbit hippity-hopping around for Easter (as well as the religious view). I even believe in Leprechauns for St. Pat’s (as well as the good man driving the snakes out of Ireland). But Valentine’s day, pfffffft. Silly.
It is not that I am unromantic. I enjoy romance and giving women I am dating gifts. I enjoy long slow walks on the beach… blah blah blah. What I hate is being made to feel that I “have” to participate. Valentine’s day, you see, is not a “natural” holiday. It did not evolve out of a religion. It did not come from folklore, and it does not celebrate some national or historic event.
Valentine’s day was created by marketers… and not the shiny white knight types like…ahem… myself. No, Valentine’s day was created by the corperate sleazebags and the card companies to address a slow part year for sales.
Valentine’s day is, in fact, the worst type of “black hat” sales pitch. The one that makes you feel “guilty” if you do not comply. You are made to feel as if you are “hurting” someone you care about, yet the “real” purpose is to line the pockets of the marketers and companies. Now, I am not a fan of the “commercialization” of Christmas and the like, but at least those are holidays that also have a lot of tradition.
So except for the 410 words I have already written (I never said I was consistent) I will mention “V-Day” no further. What I wish you all instead is a substitute forthcoming holiday. Happy Cal Ripken Jr. day!
What is this, “Cal Ripkin Jr. Day” you ask? Hmmmm, not to be coy…. OK, you got me, I AM doing it to be coy, but regardless; you will have to stay tuned to a post later in this week, where Cal Ripkin Jr. Day shall fully be explained.
Thus endeth the rant, let’s see what great posts we had round’ the web this week; the “ones I saw” version.
Marketing
How could a product review be one my favorite posts of the week? Maybe because it was done by Tristan. Tristan not only gives us four very different types of relatively inexpensive microphones reviews, but he also does it in a podcast where he is using each type of microphone. The result is the ability to “hear” the difference between all the products and really come to your own decisions. Since I have also been advocating “making videos,” a quality inexpensive dedicated microphone is something that perhaps should interest you all.
Elise has a funny post that goes with a hysterical video dealing with all the sleazy marketing out there that we love to hate.
Barbara hits on an important point in affiliate marketing. She discusses the reasons behind and then how to “link cloak” to keep your commissions from being easily stolen.
I have been fairly busy now. It seems I never have enough time to do all the things I “want” to do. I am planning my “Go Large” I just about finished my 70K + word eBook, and still have a lot of editing and rewrites to go. Commenting, visiting blogs, back-linking it all takes time, but it needs to be done for success. Not only do I work on this site, but I work on the niche that actually makes me money. All that being said, my first inclination after watching Alex’s video was to want to rush out and make a few Amazon Affiliate sites. If you do anything with Amazon Affiliates at all, this should be a “must watch” video.
I love to read and I do a lot of it, both professional and fiction. James has a great list of 10 print books bloggers should read, and the amazing thing is I have only read two. I have to get hot!
Personal Development
Knowing yourself and what holds you back or motivates you is essential for any sort of success. Along that line, Joshua discusses a very important topic: Limiting Beliefs.
One thing I always stress is that, for working online, there is no path to instant success. My belief is that there is no instant path to success in life for anything. Everything worthwhile takes time, effort and patience. Trying to jump to the endgame or create shortcuts simply causes more trouble than actual help. With that in mind, “the Vizier” gives us a really good article on the importance of patience and gradual development for lasting success.
I am not sure about you all, but I sometimes have to “work” at my confidence. I keep it at a fairly high level, but it is not naturally so. It actually takes some effort on my part. Fear of failure, doubts, impatience and questioning my ability often invade my calm. I recognize it as a lack of confidence and fight against it. Like I said, I am generally able to keep my confidence high, but it is a struggle. I believe that confidence is one of the single most important personality aspects that lead to success. If you do not feel confident, you need to work at building confidence. To learn more about confidence, see the great things Dia has to say about the subject.
Adam is a generous guy. He created a page simply for people to go to and be able to do a little bit of self- promotion. You should all swing on by, leave a link to what you have going on. Once you have done that take a moment and check out some more of Adam’s great stuff.
Ranking
Most of us know that we “want” to rank well on Google. Supposedly 40% of all search term traffic goes to the #1 spot, with numbers dropping after precipitously after that. But it can be even more than that, as Mark points out… it can be like winning the Superbowl.
Have we forgotten organic SEO? As soon as I saw the title I realized I had not discussed any form of SEO in a long while. SEO is an essential factor in ranking well. I make no claims to be a guru, though I think I know more than many, but refreshing the basics can be very helpful. Rohan has a great article that he reminds of some of these SEO basics. After all you will never reach that #1 ranking with no care at all towards SEO. It just won’t happen.
Ana talks about systemization and setting goals as two big parts of website traffic generation. I love it. Great article and great points. As any reader of SSS knows I have a lot to say about, Blog Traffic Generation, so far about 20,000-25,000 words spread out over 13 blog posts. Ana has a nice succinct style and nails some of the really essential basics of what it will take to succeed with any sort of traffic generation.
I know I have talked about the “good” old days of Google search and the increase in spam and getting good stuff ranked before. Google Engineer, Matt Cutts points out that much of this looking back to the “good old days” was in our head and shows some specific results.
If I do not mention the importance of list building at least once a week I start to get depressed. List building and doing it “right” are just about a mantra for me. I will still probably bring up list building again at some point this week, but at least I do not HAVE to, because Bryan has a great article on how to make a squeeze page for the purposes of list building.
Take Action. Get Results.
Steve; You know I do read a lot of interesting roundups around the blogosphere but your Sunday Selection is by far my favorite one. I really enjoy them because you provide not only interesting mix-ups but also make it informative.
I done read some of the links here. There are quite a few that look real interesting…Going to check them out after this comments (O:
Really appreciate the link luv and the shout-out Steve. You totally ROCK!
Thanks Adam,
I have fun with these posts, and I do usually try to make them a lot more than just “simply” a roundup post. Glad you like them! 🙂
Hi Steve, thanks a lot for including my affiliate blog post 🙂 I appreciate it!
I’m not much of a believer in Valentine’s Day either, except from a marketing standpoint, lol. I swear, it gets more and more commercial with each passing year.
And I agree with Adam, I like how you put a spin on these roundups with your own explanation/thoughts on these posts, rather than just listing their titles.
Awesome! Thanks again!
I will admit I do make some more sales… so there is an added benefit for me too. Still though Bleh, such crassness. Like cities are slowly encroaching on one large megalopolis holidays and “shopping” are encroaching on a large, “shopalopolis” 30 seconds after one holiday ends it becomes time to shop for the next.
(who am I kidding…. it starts before the previous holiday is over) anyway I better get off that topic quickly, I feel another rant brewing.
Thank YOU for having your article. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was quite pointed and funny.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the amazing article!
I also like to take time every no and then to go off topic and just talk about something random. It’s a great way to in a way let loose. For me it serves and important process for me to relax and re-focus. I’m always pushing myself to keep my focus on 100% and nothing less.
Marketing plays a very important roll in your level of success and visibility. Everyone has to find their OWN way to market themselves in my belief. You have to show traits of your own personality to really help yourself stand out from the crowd. It all takes time like you said. In time everything will be reviled and you will find the best way for you to market yourself with positive results.
Persistence is the key!
Thanks again!
God bless,
William Veasley
William,
You make some good points. As important as focus is in “general” It is good to range off topic every so often just relax. It does help to refocus.
I also agree with your thoughts on marketing. Persistence is the key and everyone does find there own way. Since I AM a marketer, I don’t usually even get perturbed by marketing. Even spam, though I try to NOT do it, I see as some people working it to try and make a buck. That doesn’t mean I am going to “look” at it, but it doesn’t “bug” me.
Something about St. Valentines. Maybe because of all the times I have felt obligated to toe the line and get gifts. Anyway thanks for dropping by and leaving a great comment!
I’m going to spend some time diving into the links I haven’t read yet, but I will do that after I think more about what Cal Ripken Jr Day is all about. It’s not his birthday, couldn’t possibly be celebrating any great moment from his career (since there’s no baseball in February apart from Spring Training), he’s not dead, hmmm… Maybe you will be posting your 2,632nd post online?
And yes, I’m a baseball fan. Blue Jays all the way!
Hmmm I almost don’t want to say anything. I think you are pretty close and don’t want to ruin the surprise to much. Since you are close I will let you know… It is Tuesday, so you can make sure you don’t miss the answer.
I am more a football man than baseball, but I do like my share of baseball too. Unfortunately , my team is the one many people LOVE to hate. The NY Yankees.
Hey Steve,
I probably have you beat with baseball teams, how about my Chicago Cubs!
Awwe, I don’t think Cubs are that hated. They just need to step up and win the big one sometime soon. They are due aren’t they!
Steve:
I LOVE that you believe in the fat man at the North Pole! You are my kind of guy..:)
I have read most of these that you linked to but a few I have not. Looking forward to checking them out. I too believe in persistence and I think you represent that quality very well.
Thanks for a great read..
Lisa
What not to believe in about the fat man at the north pole. Millions of presents delivered over 24 hours hours to locations covering more millions of square miles. Hey, it is magic. 😉
Thanks for dropping by and commenting, I hope you enjoyed some of the links. 🙂
Hi Scott,
I just discovered you site tonight. Kudos to Barbara Ling for sending here. I love the piece and what you said about Valentine’s Day. I especially like “Happy Cal Ripken Jr. day!”.
I’m checking out the other sites you mentioned in the article. Thanks again
Jackie,
Glad to see you and hopefully I will see you here again! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I hope you have a wonderful week.
Hi Steve,
I love it when you take liberties with your weekend roundup posts!
I have to agree that Valentine’s Day is grossly commercialized. But having said that, it is a good an excuse as any other to celebrate with your loved ones in creative ways. Doing so will help to save money and let that someone special know you adore them. That is not to suggest we should only do this on V day of course. One of the important things to consider is the personal touch. It is so easy to get things that are expensive but mean little. Better to write something from the heart and do something special to make that significant other feel loved.
Great links you have put together Steve! I love Barbara’s link cloak article and Alex’s video on Amazon Affiliate sites. They really have given me some food for thought.
Thanks for linking to my article and for this great read! 🙂
Irving the Vizier
YOu make a good point. IF you get creative for V-day, it does take some of the “commercial” aspect out of it. It can make it more fun. A little personal touch should go a long way. If it doesn’t…perhaps the SO is a little materialistic.
Have a great week Irving!
This is going to sound strange, coming from a flower nut, but I do so agree about Valentines day. When you work with flowers, the horrible commercial truth becomes so obvious. These days roses, even deep red roses are available all year. There’s no reason for them to be more expensive for Valentines, just as there’s no reason for them to be more expensive for Mother’s day, but they are. People raise prices because of demand, and because they can.
I celebrate my husband on his birthday and on our various anniversaries. I celebrate my mother whenever I can. I don’t celebrate either on days appointed for me by others. And I don’t feel guilty about it at all.
Haha, It does sound strange to hear a flower person bashing valentines day. It must be a HUGE cash cow for the flower industry. I guess what is a “bad” deal is a bad deal regardless.
I know as an internet marketer I should like V-day too. I often get a nice bump in sales around the holiday in my main niche. I feel the same way though, it just seems…wrong. Maybe 50 years from now it will seem like more of a “natural” holiday, but for now it still just seems cheesy to me.
I agree with what you said about all those days to celebrate the ones you care for. There is also the thought that you should not have to have a “specific” day to show people you care, that should be everyday. I have no qualms about getting presents for no reason. If I am dating someone and I see something that makes me think of them, I may get it.
I just have no attachment to the companies that make money off of the day.
Thanks for a great comment Jane, have a wonderful week!
Hey Steve,
Thanks for including my squeeze page post as part of your Valentines Day Link love! Appreciate it lots. Now I’ve got to check out the other posts you have there. Totally agree on your opinion for Valentines Day. I really don’t need a “special day” to appreciate that special person in my life.
Thanks Bryan,
Glad you liked it and glad to have your squeeze page post. I sure do love talking about list building. (at least I think it is important enough to beat the drum repeatedly and incessantly)
Hi Steve
Have to agree with you on Valentine’s Day lol The post Alex did and his video was on topic for me as I am just starting out with Amazon affiliate program. Also his FREE course is proving a bonus too as Alex really goes into detail and I find it helpful with the way he teache, cos it is from his own experience rather than just theory.
Thanks for sharing some really great posts that are delivering some really helpful hints for us to read about. Appreciated Steve.
Patricia Perth Australia
Thanks Patrica,
I would be MEGA ecited if I were you after seeing that vid (and the training). I actually wish I had a clear spot on my plate to make 2-3 and clear the time to backlink them and do the work to make them rank. It would be a fun test.
Hey Steve,
I actually have the some opinion as you concerning Valentines Day. I think is a commercial day created and maintained by the companies that earn some big paychecks after this holiday.
Valentine should be a great day with only a “valentine” (gift card) or some flowers and expressing your love to your loved one. Not the expensive gifts women expect.
I don’t want to bring the wrath of women upon me, I know they deserve gifts but why invent and maintain a holiday just for this?
I would haeve to say, that NY Yankees would have to be my team too – the same as it would be for the NY Knicks for basket ball. Not because of any other reason than these were the teams I saw when I went to NYC on holiday!
Anyway, great set of resources Steve, presumably you are anti mother’s and father’s days too? As these are equally commercial…. Rather bizarely though, Mother’s day in the UK is a different date to the one in the US, but most other dates are obviously the same.
Cheers, Matthew