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DAY 41 UPDATE: Thursday, 24-Mar-2005 10:52 AM

Once again I'm back with several new thoughts ... after spending some time researching Google's Ad Sense program.

My ads are running but I am not satisfied with the outcome as Google's system does not seem to be targeting key words.

My suspicion is that Google has so many key words to catalog on the site, it has lost my "main point" and does not know "what to deliver" to the site.

I will research this further and talk about it later.

In other ideas, it occurred to me that I am not taking advantage of a very powerful concept and that is a JOINT VENTURE with people who have already great products. I can represent many of these products. Use the products, most often to better the site and generate revenue and then discuss the outcomes via a article or two and of course in my blog.

The JV concept is very powerful for several reasons and this too I will discuss when I sit down here later tonight.

Once again, I have to evaluate my time. At this point the 'plate is more than full' and it's ready to spill over once again. I need to express caution and focus on the core objectives.

BACK! Thursday, 24-Mar-2005 10:18 PM

Lots of thoughts during the course of the day. Most of then eminated from the AD Sense reasoning. I am going to test my theory over the coming days. My suspicion is that by using Google Ad Sense with "channels" and making sure that each channel is 'connected' to a particular part of the site, I can maintain better ad targeting and click-thru success.

That is my hunch. We'll see. Anyway, it's not a bad thought. I already spent an hour or so setting up the 'channels' in AD Sense by breaking down the site to 7 "zones" --essentially 7 areas that are what are call primary categories. Once I did that I went further and created sub-categories and for each of these sub-categories I created a "channel" within Ad Sense.

It looks something like this:

ZONE 1: Contest Area
ZONE 2: Reviews: Sub Areas 1 -10
ZONE 3: STEPS 1 - 31
ZONE 4: Joint Venture Partners 1 - 10
ZONE 5: Main Area, Rules Area, Forum Area and Sponsor Area
Zone 6: BLOG (by Subjects) 1 - 10
ZONE 7: Articles by Topic 1 - 10

Now Ad Sense will 'spider' the area with Google bot and then deliver ads that are highly targeted to the content.

I know the above will work, as I suspect now the Google system is flooded with too many topics and key words that it's not clear on what to deliver. That is my theory.

In other stuff I jotted down more ideas on the PRESS RELEASES that I am working on. I can to the conclusion that I need THREE TYPES of press releases:

ONE for the CONTEST
ONE for the GENERAL PROJECT
ONE for the JV track

After that I kept reminding myself about K.i.S.S. -- Keep it short and simple --I didn't want to flood the release with details. Just the main points to get the reader to visit the site and see what it's all about. That was it.

Anyway, I am now keeping a list of JV potential partners and will from time to time contact new ones to partake in my adventure.

So, the little engine that can is gaining momentum and it feel like it's about to leave the station! Yes, after 40 days of writing -Over 6 months of running the blog, I am just "leaving the station". I think that's not a bad place to be. The idea that I'd have a 'runaway' site after merely putting down a few thoughts is unrealistic. Getting down to the real work is ahead of me and it's not bad.

Just a task at a time and things are moving along.

I've got a lot of things to do with my other two projects and with a holiday weekend looming, nothing much will get done. And my wife is bugging me regarding the next vacation. We just got back from one. I get warmed up. Cruising, and getting things done, and it's time to break the momentum and head off somewhere.

Better now than to wait 'til things get very busy later in the Spring.

Regardless of where I am, I'll be updating the blog as my mind finds it refreshing and challenging to plan, resolve and execute the STEP by STEP approach that I am taking in this experiment.

It's late and today just flew by. A few tasks, then lunch and "poof" the days gone. Easter, 4th of July, Back to School, Thanksgiving and Christmas --before you know it, another new year.

Humm, that vacation sounds good after all. Ok, got to go. A holiday weekend wrap up tomorrow. Out 'til then. Sam

DAY 40 | TODAY: 41 | NEXT DAY 42