The ninth issue of FeedFront, the official magazine of Affiliate Summit, is at the printer and it will be hitting mailboxes in early January 2010.

Issue nine of FeedFront will also be distributed at Affiliate Summit West 2010.

This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes The Importance of Branding in Affiliate Marketing by Rae Hoffman, How to Recycle Your Affiliate Blog Content by Justin Premick, and FTC Endorsement Guidelines by Gary Kibel.

Also, people to follow on Twitter, affiliate marketing statistics, and the program for Affiliate Summit West 2010.

Issue 9 of FeedFront can now be viewed online, downloaded, and printed from Scribd.

Get the FeedFront RSS if you’d like to get all of the articles as they are published to the feed.

If you haven’t subscribed, you can get the magazine for free at http://feedfront.com/free-subscription/.

Also, become a fan of FeedFront on Facebook to see past issues, covers, etc.

FeedFront Magazine, Issue 9

This post originally appeared on the Affiliate Marketing Blog by Shawn Collins

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So everyone from small startups and businesses to big corporations started to search for ways to tap into this new customer and profit source, by hiring social media consultants and creating their own accounts to promote themselves and their products.

But the new social media is quite different. In this environment, people can easily discern genuine messages and persons (who really care about the others) from simple and quite selfish spam (which includes, for example, products promotion and corporate news on Twitter, Facebook and other networks, which no one cares about, judging by the followers/subscribers count).

So, what are the main reasons why a lot of big and small companies and brands fail on new social media networks?

1.       They don’t provide value to their followers.

A lot of brands just tweet about their products and give out information about events, sales, etc. The thing is, people don’t really care, whether they like your product or not. How about providing your followers with special discounts, information or events? That wouldn’t be too hard to organize and it would really surprise everyone in a positive way. Plus, a lot more people will join you because of that.

2.       They do not listen to people and the community.

When people are giving you feedback, you have to accept it, whether good or bad (companies used to pay for that in the past!). But that is not enough! You also must act upon what the community tells you. If everyone is saying that you need a certain feature in your product, you can’t just ignore them and release a new version with that feature still missing. This will make you lose credibility in front of customers, and, on the Internet, it will never be forgotten (anyone doing a quick search for reviews of your product will find those negative opinions and will think thrice before buying it).

3.       They’re not social.

You can’t be on a “Social Network” and not engage in conversations with people. That’s what it’s all about! Talk, share good and interesting information, be more open and personal, and answer everyone’s questions. If you’re getting a lot of comments or tweets and don’t’ reply, it’ll seem like you don’t care about the brand at all, which will most probably get you off the “Trusted” list of most people.

 4.       They’re not fun.

A lot of brands are having trouble with this one. Most of them are used to being serious and all business like, but that attitude backfires on them when they try getting into social media. They try to control what they say and do, but that is simply not a good decision, because people will spot it from a mile away. You’ve got to be fun, let people see something interesting, make mistakes, and do other things to show you’re genuine. If you’re scared of being more open, you shouldn’t try to become social.

 5.       They are selfish.

No one likes people who just join a community to start shouting and boasting about themselves and their products or offers. This will never work when the people make the rules and have choices. They will just turn away and never listen to you again. Don’t just try to make a quick profit, aim for long-term relationships, and provide win-win situations. It is really not that hard. If you are a software company, you could, for example, provide free copies for the first XX people that reply to you, or something similar. This will make those people happy that they are your followers and they will tell everyone about it. Even those who didn’t get the freebie will have a better opinion of you (and most of them will think “I’d better subscribe, who knows, maybe they’ll have something like this in the future”).

That’s it, reread the above points and keep them in mind for when you try to get your brand noticed and popular on social media networks.

This week I assimilated a tremendous amount of fashion knowledge from my fashionisto friend, who hopped on a plane this morning to return to Philly. He’s my best friend from high school and was also my best man at my wedding, and we always have a good time hanging out together. I’ve known about his fashion expertise for many years, but until this week it remained an area where we never chose to connect.

I jokingly told him that teaching me about fashion was payback for all those evenings I helped him with his calculus homework during our senior year in high school. After 20 years I think we can call it even now.

My head is still swirling with the different concepts I learned this week — low rise, slim fit, boot cut, spread collar, etc. It’s going to take me many more weeks to apply these ideas to upgrade my wardrobe to something that fits my self-expression.

Instead of picking out clothes for me, he took the time to teach me basic principles of fashion. Then it was up to me to apply these ideas, first with his guidance, and now on my own. That worked out great because now I feel competent enough to put together a whole new wardrobe based on what I learned. There are still some areas where I need extra help, such as figuring out what to do with my hair, but I think I can handle most of the basic clothing decisions on my own now.

He also didn’t have time to teach me about accessories or shoes, so I’ll have to work on that too at some point. As he explained it, I’m still in the first inning when it comes to application.

Part of what made the experience so fun was watching him do what he obviously loves. His current career has nothing to do with fashion, but he’s clearly passionate about this. At one point while we were trying on jackets at Macy’s, I said to him, “You’re really in the zone here, aren’t you?” He had to agree that he was.

We even got to talking about having him start a fashion blog to teach other people what he knows, something I’d definitely encourage him to do. He’s a great teacher, and I know he’d be successful with it in the long run.

Learning Through Immersion

On Wednesday we shopped at the Fashion Show Mall on the Strip, and last night we spent several hours at Caesar’s Forum Shops. We went to many different stores, and I spent a lot of time trying on clothes.

On the first day, I was introduced to the basic ideas, which I already covered in a previous article, so these last couple days were mainly about application. By the time we finished up last night, I really felt like I was getting it. Finding the right clothes was time consuming and required trying on lots of different items, but I was able to quickly identify what worked and what didn’t.

By the end I’d say that my friend and I had 95% agreement on our accept/reject decisions, but the 5% of items where we might disagree were close calls, and we were able to grasp each other’s reasoning. For example, he gave a big thumbs up to one black shirt I tried on, which looked great and fit perfectly, but I had to reject it because the fabric was too stiff and a little itchy for my tastes.

One thing that made this process particularly easy is that my friend and I have a very similar body structure. In fact, the first shirt I bought was the exact same shirt he was wearing at the time — a soft white button-down shirt from J. Crew ($70). I jokingly told him that it looked better on me than it did on him. Just between you and me, I wasn’t really joking though — it really did look better on me.

Diagnosing Problems

The vast majority of items I tried on had to be rejected for one reason or another. When I rejected something, my friend challenged me to be specific about the reasons why.

At first I would look in the mirror and say, “No, that doesn’t work for me.”

Then my friend would challenge me to explain why it didn’t work. His challenges proved extremely helpful because they made me pay attention to the details. My overall perception would be that something was off, but I had to look at the details to diagnose exactly why it wasn’t working.

Within a matter of hours, I was learning to diagnose problems with statements like:

“This shirt doesn’t have enough structure. It hangs too loosely on me like a limp drape.”

“The fit of this shirt isn’t right — It’s a little too baggy in the midsection and tight across the chest. It might work though if we could find a slim fit but in the next larger size.”

“These jeans are a little too tight in the thighs and too tapered at the bottom. They make my legs look unbalanced.”

“This color is too light for my skin tone. It makes me look washed out.”

“This shirt is too stiff and structured for the self-expression I’m looking for. The fabric isn’t soft enough. It exudes a message of rigidity and inflexibility.”

“This item would be good for a 20-something, but it doesn’t match my maturity level.”

“This item broadcasts that it’s for the masses. There’s nothing unique or special about it. It’s a boring, me-too wannabe.”

Sometimes items had to be rejected for specific design features that simply didn’t suit my body type. Other items were rejected for emotional reasons or because they didn’t mesh with the message I wish to communicate.

Over time I found that diagnosing problems was a significant part of the process. By getting clear about precisely why I had to reject each inappropriate item, I got better at recognizing what was likely to work. This helped me get better at pre-filtering certain items without always having to try them on.

I also got better at recognizing which stores were likely to carry items that worked for me and which weren’t.

At one point as we walked by a clothing store with a lot of youthful fashions, my friend asked, “Wanna try this place?”

I looked through the store windows at the mannequins and took a quick visual survey of the styles being presented. Then I said, “Nope, not right for me. These clothes say…”

“Haven’t graduated college yet?”

“Exactly!”

“Very good! You’re learning.”

When I found a good match, I was able to explain why it worked for me:

“This fit of this shirt is almost perfect. It hugs the contours of my body without being too tight or loose.”

“This fabric is soft and touchable. It matches my desire to express that I’m open, approachable, and huggable.”

“This pattern is subtle and intricate but not glaring or needy. It rewards people who move in for a closer look by offering them a richer sensory experience.”

Raising Standards

One of the most important lessons I learned is that if I really want to buy clothes that look good on me, I have to raise my standards regarding what I’m willing to buy. I need to be a lot more selective, particularly when it comes to fit.

In the past, I’d buy a lot of clothes that seemed halfway decent to me. I would ask myself, “Does this look and feel okay to me?” Sometimes I’d buy T-shirts without even trying them on first.

I’d buy a lot of items that were in the range of 5-8 on a scale of 1-10. Probably the area where I made the most mistakes was in the area of fit. I learned this week that I need to favor slim-fit shirts because my shoulders and chest are much broader than my midsection. Most normal shirts look too baggy on me and simply don’t hang right.

I also learned that sometimes I need to test different sizes. My normal shirt size is a medium, but the best shirt I bought this week was a large. The medium-sized version of that shirt was a little too tight in the chest, but the large one fit almost perfectly. For most other shirts, a large would be too big.

Now my standards are much, much higher. Instead of asking myself whether or not an item is okay for me, I ask, “Do I love this item? Does it look great on me? Do I feel great when I wear it? Does it fit the message I want to communicate?”

If something is off for any reason, I don’t buy it. There were a number of items I rejected because they looked good, but I didn’t feel anything special when I wore them.

I may relax my standards as I continue to experiment, but at this point I’m erring on the side of being very picky. I’ll need to hit more stores and try on more items to achieve the right calibration.

It’s a whole different experience when I wear clothes that look great and feel great at the same time. I feel much more congruent when I wear them.

This morning I actually felt good about getting dressed. That was a whole new experience for me. I like it!

Compensating for Colorblindness

As it turned out, my colorblindness wasn’t nearly as crippling as I thought it might be.

My friend pointed out that the colors that work best for my complexion are white, black, navy, vibrant light gray, non-pastels, and sharps/bolds. At least that’s what he texted me yesterday — I’m not quite sure what sharps/bolds are yet.

With some trial and error, I got a better feel for colors that worked well for me. Pastels clearly don’t work because they make me look washed out. Black and white both work extremely well, but I already knew that. At one point I bought a blue shirt that closely matched my eyes, and that looked very nice as well.

Instead of struggling with my colorblindness, I decided to look for ways to turn it to my advantage. Maybe it could actually become part of my creative self-expression.

Colorblind people actually have a visual advantage in one area. We’re supposedly better at discerning slight variations in brightness, enabling us to notice subtle details that people with normal color vision overlook. As I currently understand it, since a colorblind person’s eyes have some defective or missing cones (which detect color), the brain’s visual circuitry compensates by paying more attention to the details provided by the rods (which detect brightness).

As I gave this some thought, I realized that I could actually pick clothes that express my colorblindness. For example, the black shirt that I’m wearing in the photo above has a very subtle raised pattern. From a distance or in dim light, the shirt looks solid black, but as you move in for a closer look, you get an almost subconscious impression that there’s more complexity to it. You have to stare at it for a while to see exactly what the patterns are, and even then the details are a bit elusive. I liked the shirt, so I bought it ($175 from John Varvatos).

(Incidentally, if you harbor the limiting belief that $175 is too much to pay for a shirt — I got some comments to that effect on Facebook — you’re still stuck in a scarcity vibe. If money flows abundantly through your life, then $175 is nothing. Don’t give your power away to any amount of money. You don’t fret over spending a dime vs. a penny, do you? If you need help shifting to an abundance vibe, watch the video on Creating Abundance and read the article on Expanding Abundance.)

I think it’s really cool that I was able to transform my fear that colorblindness would make it impossible for me to buy clothes, into an excitement about finding creative ways to express my colorblindness artistically through what I wear.

Fashion and the 7 Principles of Growth

Here’s a quick rundown of how I’ve been applying the 7 fundamental principles (which we explore interactively at the Conscious Growth Workshop) to accelerate my growth in the area of fashion.

Truth

Acknowledge that I’m not getting positive results in this area of my life. Accept the inner truth that I don’t feel good about how I dress.

Define what I’d like to experience in this area instead, which means dressing in a way that more accurately reflects how I feel on the inside and what I wish to communicate.

Acknowledge where I’m at. When it comes to fashion, I’m a totally newbie, and it’s perfectly okay to be there.

Drop any pretense of pride. Pride is a falsehood that must be shed in order to create space for growth. It’s perfectly okay to admit you suck at something. You’ll grow much faster when you can do that, and you’ll also receive more encouragement from others.

Love

Move towards what I want via the strategy of immersion. Move away from what I don’t want via the strategy of purging.

I packed up and donated 2/3 of my old clothes. I cut from my life that which I didn’t want, even before I had anything to replace it. This created a void to be filled with what I do want.

Next I immersed myself in this change by spending many hours with my fashionisto friend this week. I didn’t just creep up on this. I dove headfirst into it. I connected with someone who loves fashion so that his passion would rub off on me. Interestingly, this experience also brought us much closer as friends.

Stop pretending that I don’t care about this part of my life. Admit that I do care, and allow myself to care, even though I may initially have no clue how to change.

Power

Instead of whining and complaining about what I don’t want, know that I have the power to create whatever I desire. Stop using my power to reinforce what I don’t want. Withdraw my attention from the clothes I dislike, and start thinking about what I might like instead.

Imagine myself as a fashionable dresser who feels terrific in his clothes. Imagine wearing clothes that accurately reflect how I feel about myself, so my non-verbal communication is congruent with the real me.

Take decisive action. Go outside and hit the stores. And no matter what, don’t give up.

I can empower myself to achieve what I want in this area instead of disempowering myself by tolerating what I don’t want.

Oneness

I can realize that we’re all one and that these challenges aren’t mine alone to deal with. I’m not doing this just for myself. Whatever I learn can benefit others as well.

I can share what I’m learning to create value for others. And I can carry this realization with me as I shop. This encourages me to pay closer attention and stay focused because I know I have to turn around and teach others what I’ve learned. Ask questions if I don’t understand something. I can’t teach what I don’t understand.

Recognize that there are lots of people who are way more advanced than me in this area who’d be happy to help me. I don’t have to go it alone. I can invite help from others. People will be eager to help me because I’m a great student, I’m going to apply what I learn immediately, and I’m going to pass it on and create even more value for others.

I can select clothes that reflect the values I wish to see in the world. I can buy items that support and encourage human creativity instead of going for the cheap mass-market items that favor profits over beauty. I can avoid buying items that include leather or fur because compassion for animals is a more Oneness-aligned message than animal cruelty.

Authority

I am the author of this part of my life.

Through personal experimentation and learning from others, I can improve over time. As I gain experience, my authority in this area will increase.

Initially my actions may prove haphazard and ineffective. I may have to endure some failure experiences. But if I persist, I’ll eventually figure this out. I’ll eventually gain competence and confidence.

There’s no need to fake it till I make it. Faking it is completely unnecessary. I can simply give myself permission to be bad at first, knowing that I’ll eventually get good as I continue to practice. There’s no need to pretend that I know what I’m doing when I clearly don’t. It’s more honest and empowering to admit that I’m clueless and want to improve.

Clueless newbies who are eager to learn are very teachable. They can improve quickly. But those who feign competence will improve more slowly and won’t attract as much willing help.

Courage

If I wish to grow and improve in this area, I must leave my comfort zone behind.

I must do that which I’ve never done before. The natural reaction to that is fear. Instead of running from those fears, I’ll run straight towards them.

I’ll try shopping at stores that intimidate me. I’ll spend more money on clothes than I’m used to. I’ll try out new looks that give rise to unfamiliar feelings. I’ll share what I’m doing publicly and risk rejection and embarrassment.

The more I exercise my courage, the faster I’ll grow. My comfort zone will expand, and soon I’ll feel perfectly comfortable doing that which once scared me. Nothing can stop a person who’s brave enough to face his/her fears head on.

Intelligence

I can handle this part of my life more intelligently than I have in the past.

I can dress in a way that feels authentic to me. I can use clothing as an outlet for my creative self-expression instead of seeing it as a burden or a necessary evil.

I can communicate my message of conscious growth, abundance, and happiness non-verbally as well as verbally.

I can dress in a way that feels elegant and beautiful to me. I can feel good about the way I dress.

I can encourage others to upgrade this part of their lives as well, so that we can collectively enjoy better results in this area.

Fashion’s Law of Attraction

I could see the Law of Attraction working its magic throughout this week. As my intentions became clearer, I found it easier to sort through clothes to find the gems that worked for me.

Also, I noticed that when we focused on items that may not have been the best match for my creative self-expression, we ran into nothing but roadblocks.

For example, we spent hours trying to find a good pair of jeans for me. But everywhere we went, something was always off — wrong sizes, wrong colors, wrong cut, wrong styles, etc. I must have tried on dozens of pairs of jeans, and something was always wrong, so I didn’t end up buying any.

When I got home, I pondered why that may have happened. Surely there must be a pair of jeans out there with the right cut, color, and style for me. It can’t be that difficult to find a decent pair of jeans, can it?

Then I thought about whether jeans were a good choice for me in general. Jeans have been a staple of my wardrobe for many years, but do they match who I am today?

I’m not so sure anymore. There are lots of different varieties available now, but overall there’s nothing special about jeans in my opinion. They’re commonplace. Everyone wears them.

The qualities that I associate with jeans don’t really mesh with what I wish to communicate. To me jeans convey a desire for social acceptance. They’d be a good idea for someone who wants to fit in and be accepted by others, which is practically the opposite of my message of conscious choice. Jeans express durability and ruggedness, but they can also be tight and inflexible and restrict movement. Jeans don’t do a very good job of expressing qualities like flow, freedom, and openness.

Perhaps we couldn’t find the right pair of jeans for me because jeans are the wrong choice for me in general.

I’m not exactly sure what sort of pants would be a better match for me, but I imagine it would be something with a soft, flowing fabric with a subtle texture or pattern. Maybe something made of linen would work. Khakis are definitely out — too drab and boring for me. This is an area where I’ll have to do more experimenting to discover what works for me.

Balancing Paradoxes

I especially enjoy how clothing can express the seeming paradoxes within us. For example, I value freedom and openness tremendously, but I also value structure and self-discipline.

A shirt that works well for me ideally would express these qualities in a balanced way. For example, the black shirt I’m wearing in the photo above is very soft, flowing, and breathable. It doesn’t restrict my movement. But nor does it hang on me like a drape. It’s a fitted shirt with some inherent structure that follows my body’s contours. Also, there are thin wires sewn into the cuffs and collar, so I can actually bend pose them to create different effects. I really like how the design balances freedom and structure so wonderfully.

Learning and Growing

During our last couple hours together, I had learned so much that I was able to advise my friend on some of his choices.

At one point he tried on a black shirt, a color that would normally look great on him. But I had to give it a thumbs down, telling him, “For whatever reason, that particular black just doesn’t work on you. It doesn’t mesh well with your hair color.” (He has black hair.)

He said, “It’s very strange, but you’re definitely right. This black doesn’t work on me. It’s hard to tell why, but there’s clearly something wrong with it.” He seemed impressed that I was able to pick up on this.

At another store he tried on a jacket he seemed to like, and I liked it on him too initially, but something felt a bit off to me. As I scanned over the jacket’s many details, I soon diagnosed the problem: “This jacket looks good at first glance, but it doesn’t work for you. It provides no structure around your neck. You need a jacket with a strong collar.” Again he agreed.

Then he tried on a hat, and I rejected that too, saying, “Nope. The rim is too small relative to the size of your head. You might try to find a hat with a larger rim, but this one doesn’t work for you.”

A week ago I was totally clueless in this area, but after learning how to evaluate whether or not a particular item works and why or why not, I found these tests to be a lot of fun.

When I finally dropped my friend off at his hotel and we said goodbye, we were both impressed by how much progress we’d made together. He said that I was the fastest learner he ever taught, and he was an awesome teacher for me.

It’s going to take a lot more time for me to go out and apply what I’ve learned this week, but I think I’m going to enjoy it. I’m no longer intimidated by the designer stores. I can waltz right in, chat with the salespeople, and feel confident knowing what to look for.

Overall my favorite store was John Varvatos in Caesar’s Palace. We probably spent an hour there, and I must have tried on at least a dozen items. My friend seemed to enjoy it as well. One of the employees even offered us free beers while we shopped. I declined the free drinks but was impressed by the offer. The employees were knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful without being pushy, and I got the sense they were passionate about fashion and really enjoyed working there. I’d definitely shop there again.

At this point I’m eager to learn even more, partly by applying what I’ve learned on my own and partly by connecting with others who are passionate about fashion. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the process, not just the end result.

Now I have to figure out what to do with my hair…

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

For many years I shunned fashion completely. I’ve long considered fashion to be a complete waste of time, a pointless distraction for those whose temporal and financial abundance greatly exceeds their intellectual abundance.

This attitude is fairly common in the computer gaming industry where I worked for many years. Even if I was doing a presentation at a tech conference, “modern schlub” was perfectly acceptable. Nobody seemed to care how anyone dressed. Perhaps the only guy in that field I thought had any particular fashion sense was Dave Perry of Shiny Entertainment, but he was a rarity.

When I got into professional speaking, I learned to expand my wardrobe beyond ripped jeans and T-shirts. I added some conservative suits to my closet, but I didn’t wear them often.

My attitude towards clothing was based on comfort, functionality, and suitability for a particular occasion. As long as I didn’t have to deal with annoying social resistance to what I was wearing, I really didn’t care about what I wore. Since I worked for myself, I certainly didn’t feel I needed to impress anyone.

Another factor that made me shun fashion was my colorblindness. I don’t perceive colors the way most people do, so there are certain aspects of fashion that are difficult for me to comprehend. Even people’s skin looks different to me than it does to others. I’ve sometimes wondered what it would be like to be non-colorblind for a day. It would probably freak me out that human beings were suddenly different colors than I was used to.

When it comes to buying my own clothes, I often feel like I can’t trust my own eyes, so I typically play it safe. Most of my wardrobe consists of black, shades of gray, and some earth tones. When I’ve tried to take risks with color, I’ve usually failed, at least based on the feedback received from others. This seemed like a problem I couldn’t solve on my own, and I had little motivation to deal with it, so I basically stopped trying and retreated into my colorless comfort zone.

Reconsidering Fashion

A number of factors recently came together to shift my attitude towards fashion and convince me to take a deeper look at it.

First, a number of friends and readers have been encouraging me to make some improvements in this area. This feedback ramped up last year when I began posting photos on my Facebook page. When you’re in the public eye, you get a lot of feedback on all aspects of your life, whether you want it or not.

Second, Erin and I separated in October, so I became a bachelor again, something I haven’t experienced since 1994. This change has encouraged me to give other aspects of my life a makeover, as a way of letting go of the past and opening the door to a new future.

Third, after the separation I started getting a lot more attention from women (just as Erin did from men). I began going out more. A few of my friends, male and female alike, have noticed the recent expansion in my social life, and they’ve been encouraging me to pay a bit more attention to my appearance. I imagine they’re simply trying to be helpful.

Fourth, some of my more fashionable friends have been gradually educating me about fashion in small doses, giving me little tips here and there. I’ve been slowly coming around to acknowledge there’s actually more substance to this than meets the eye and that fashion can be used as a means of creative self-expression, much like blogging or speaking or making raw food concoctions. I also realized that it’s a lot more complicated than I first imagined and that it’s not necessarily something I can master in a weekend. I started opening myself up to the possibility that this might actually be a worthwhile endeavor… instead of writing it off as stupid.

Fifth, as I made certain changes to my wardrobe, I started noticing that people would treat me differently based on what I was wearing. For example, if I went grocery shopping while dressed very nicely, the checker would almost always be a lot more flirtatious with me, and female customers would sometimes open conversations with me. This virtually never happened when I dressed like a game programmer.

I can probably drop the word virtually from that last sentence.

And I know I can drop the word probably from the sentence before this one.

Sixth, I lost about 10 pounds since the last workshop, and many of my clothes no longer fit. I need new clothes that fit me.

Seventh, I’ve been going through a purging cycle lately. I packed up two thirds of my clothes to donate, the remaining third being mostly the essentials like underwear, socks, and gym clothes. So my closet is looking a bit barren now.

Eighth, I’ve had some direct offers from people willing to help me one-on-one, take me shopping, and give me an education in this area for free. It’s hard to say no to that.

So with this convergence of factors, if I’m ever going to learn about fashion, the time is now.

Learning by Doing

For a short time I tried to learn about fashion by reading about it. Some people referred me to online articles and other resources to help me get started. But honestly I couldn’t make sense of it. It seemed way too complicated, and the language was totally alien to me. I saw lots of clothing that didn’t appeal to me. It was like trying to learn martial arts by reading about it. You won’t get very good at sparring if your only opponent is a martial arts book.

I realized that I couldn’t learn this on my own. I needed someone to teach me interactively… literally go shopping with me, help me pick stuff out, and give me honest feedback.

So yesterday I kicked off that process. We only went out for two hours, but in that short time I probably learned more about fashion than I have in the past few years. I can’t imagine trying to learn this any other way.

What I’ve Learned So Far

I’m a total newbie at this, so these lessons may seem a bit beginnerish to you, but they were profound and eye-opening for me.

First, my friend explained to me that how we dress on the outside can reflect who we are on the inside. That’s when we’re dressing congruently. I understood the basic idea, but I rarely felt that I was dressing congruently.

He asked me to share some adjectives for what I wanted to express. What do I wish to communicate to others about the kind of person I am on the inside?

That part was easy for me. I rattled off a list for him in short order.

I want to express that I’m intelligent and authoritative, but in a way that’s flowing and creative, not in a stuffy or inflexible manner.

I want to express that I’m open, friendly, and approachable, not cold or aloof. I want people to feel they can easily start a conversation with me and get a positive reception.

I want to express that I’m strong, courageous, and free. I’m not afraid to take risks. I can easily function within society, but without being oppressed by social conditioning or succumbing to pointless rebellion.

I want to express that I’m passionate and happy. I enjoy life fully.

My friend has known me for about 25 years now — we went to high school together — so he was able to draw on his knowledge of my character and personality to help me round out this image. He explained that I’m something of a paradox. He noted that it was odd, for example, that I’m very intelligent and successful in business, but socially I’m such an easy-going, approachable, and down-to-earth guy to talk to. Also, I tend to be very creative and borderline eccentric in the stuff that interests me, yet I have no trouble functioning perfectly well in normal society (if you can call living in Las Vegas normal).

He explained how all of us have paradoxes within us and that what we wear can express that. He shared some of his inner paradoxes and showed how his clothes reflect it… and that he’s able to get away with it because it reflects his inner self accurately.

We hadn’t even gone into any stores yet, and I was already fascinated at this point.

Creative Self-Expression

Next we started going to some stores. He asked me to look at the mannequins and take note of any clothes that seemed interesting to me and that I thought might be a good fit for me.

That part was difficult for me. In the first store we entered, I immediately saw an outfit that seemed interesting at first glance, but my doubts kicked in, and I mentally ruled it out just as quickly. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever bought or even tried on before. So we circled the whole store, nothing really grabbing me, and then when we came back to that same outfit, he noticed me staring at it and asked me what I thought of it.

As I touched the gray slacks on the mannequin, I said, “I kinda like these pants.”

“Why?”

“Well… they have some texture and a subtle pattern. They aren’t a plain solid color. There’s richness and complexity here, but it isn’t glaring. These pants aren’t dull and boring, but nor are they trying too hard to stand out. They also seem to be of high quality. I’m not exactly sure why I like them though. They just naturally draw my attention.”

“Do you realize you’re describing yourself?”

Errrrrr??? Mental rewind and replay of what I just said… Hmmmm… He’s right. That’s weird… What does that mean?

I found this to be a really cool insight. As we continued shopping, I started describing each piece of clothing I saw that looked interesting. Then I asked myself whether or not that description fit me.

This process reminded me of dream interpretation. When you describe one of your dreams, you can interpret it as a description of some part of your life. For example, if you say that you had a dream that you were starving and that no one was giving your food when you asked for it, it could mean that you’re experiencing scarcity in some part of your life and that your current social circle is reinforcing that scarcity.

Over the course of an hour or so, I began to notice some commonalities in the clothes I liked vs. those I didn’t like.

I don’t like plain solid colors. Those seem very boring and drab to me. The funny thing is that most of the clothes in my closet right now are plain solids. Perhaps that explains why I feel bored and uninspired by clothing in general. My current wardrobe constantly reinforces that feeling.

I also don’t like loud, obnoxious looking clothes. I feel they’re trying too hard to stand out and be noticed, like they’re needy and desperate for attention.

I don’t like shirts with high contrast light and dark vertical stripes. They look too corporate, too rigid, and too uncreative. They also look like bars and remind me of jail.

I don’t like ties. They scream “corporate slave collar” to me, even if they’re really colorful.

I love items that have some subtle complexities to them without a huge degree of internal contrast.

I liked a white shirt with thin off-white stripes. At first glance it seems like a regular white shirt, but then you’re drawn to look again and reconsider your first impression.

I liked a rich blue shirt with thin zig-zag stripes in medium-contrast shades of dark blue. When I first looked at the shirt, my initial impression was that it was too busy, but it made me want to keep looking at it, and I realized that there was a geometry to it that made sense. I probably would have bought that shirt if they had it in my size, but unfortunately it was too big on me.

I liked items that looked like solid colors from a distance, but as you get closer to them, a greater level of complexity and richness emerges, almost like zooming in on a fractal. Look at a leaf from a distance, and it may appear to be solid green, but up close you realize that it’s anything but simple.

I began to see that my preferences in clothes reflected different aspects of my life. For example, many people like to classify me with broad strokes (i.e. label me a solid color) after reading a few articles of mine. However, those who know me best are able to see the complex subtleties of my personality.

Details

My friend also helped me notice the subtle details of different articles of clothing.

Why did the designer put an extra pocket here?

Why is this line slanted instead of straight?

Why two kinds of fabric instead of one?

I’m not used to noticing this sort of thing. My work has more to do with synthesis and big-picture thinking vs. analyzing low-level details. Before yesterday I’d look at outfits as a complete whole. Now I see them in a whole different way. I assume that each detail is deliberate and purposeful and that it’s there to make some sort of statement. That statement may or may not align with my own creative self-expression.

To dress more authentically, my goal is to align the statements being made by what I wear with the messages I wish to communicate to others.

I noticed that I liked certain types of details but not others. I like subtle, complex details but not overly obvious or simplistic ones. I like items that whisper suggestively to me as opposed to those that scream for my attention.

If a piece of clothing is confident in its value, screaming is unnecessary. Perhaps that explains why I’ve never spent a dime to market or promote my work in this field. I simply rest in the knowing that it’s valuable enough to be worthy of sharing.

I didn’t buy anything yesterday — partly because finding the right sizes proved challenging and partly because we didn’t have a lot of time — but that wasn’t the point. The point was education. Now I feel like I can at least begin to identify articles of clothing that feel right for me. And the most fascinating bit is that these are the types of clothes I’ve never bought before, so if I step into this space with my wallet, I’m going to end up dressing very differently than I used to.

What’s Next?

I still have a lot to learn of course, but I wanted to share these beginner lessons as I learned them since I think they may provide some value for others too. I’m sure I have some readers that are even more fashion challenged than I’ve been.

One thing I don’t yet understand is how to combine different articles of clothing to create an overall effect that matches my self-expression. What goes with what? This part still has me confused, and it makes me nervous because of my colorblindness. How do I know what colors and styles and textures work well together? What else have I not even touched on that I still need to learn? At this point I’m sure there’s a great deal that I don’t even know I don’t know.

I’m guessing that perhaps each item of clothing I wear can play a role in collectively contributing to an overall message, like individual actors in a play. It may be rather difficult, for example, to find a shirt that communicates everything I’d like to convey, but I may be able to put together a complete outfit that covers 80% of what I wish to communicate, and perhaps that’s good enough. At different times I may also wish to emphasize different aspects of my personality while downplaying others.

I’m like a newbie martial arts student who learned one punching and one kicking technique and thinks he’s ready to spar… totally oblivious to the fact that he has no clue how to block or dodge yet. If I try to go shopping on my own now, I’ll probably get beat up, but I’m gradually learning.

If you happen to be a fashion expert and would like to assist with my fashion education in Las Vegas (preferably in person by going shopping together), let me know. Whenever I get into something new, I like to use the strategy of immersion and move through the beginner stage as quickly as possible until I feel like I’ve achieved some level of basic competency. I usually find the beginner stage of a new endeavor to be the most fun because that’s where we learn the fastest. We just have to give ourselves permission to completely suck at something new and to be okay with our own incompetence.

Some people have requested that I post some pictures of my new outfits. I may do that later, but I haven’t bought anything yet. For now I’m still learning the fundamentals, so hopefully I’ll be confident and competent enough to shop on my own someday. Asking for pics at this point is like asking a newbie martial arts student to show you some video of his kicks and punches. It’s not going to be all that exciting just yet.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

Facebook Ads

If your website or product is tailored to a specific target audience and you can define them fairly easily then Facebook can provide a lot of eyes in a short period of time.  Search for groups and pages that attract the audience you are after and join in the conversation.  Once your comfortable click on the Ads and Pages button on the bottom left of the page and take a look at their ad network.  It’s pretty cool, once you create a campaign you start with the entire Facebook population available and as you define your target that number adjusts to the number of people that meet those requirements.  I would suggest creating a page for your product or company first and then promoting that page with the ads.  That way people can become fans and respond easily to your posts, pictures and videos and even share your coupons with their friends.

While you are on Facebook, think about signing up for a new account with the Visa Business network and get a free $75 ad credit on Yahoo.  They used to give out a $100 ad credit for Facebook but I think that promotion may have ended.  If anyone is aware of other promotions please share!

T-Shirts

This guy came up with this idea to wear whatever t-shirt people sent him for one day and blog about it for a fee based on what day of the year it is.  So January 1st for example only cost someone $1 and likewise December 31st cost someone $365.  Well, it worked and he’s booked through late 2010 now but that doesn’t prevent you and your friends from doing the same thing to promote you site and products.  If you don’t have someplace local you can find numerous companies that will print low volume runs of T-shirts and if you aren’t the artist type Google can help you there too.  Then get your friends to wear the shirts wherever your customers hang out.

Triple Your Rewards

Don’t forget the more money you save, the more you have to invest in yourself and your ideas.  When buying a product online there are three primary ways to save yourself money.

1. Entry way – if you click through to your destination from a particular site you can save money or earn rewards.  If you’re a Delta Frequent Flier start your shopping at SkymilesShopping.com and you’ll earn points towards a free trip.  If you prefer American Airlines try AAdvantageEShopping.com.  And they work with 100’s of stores you already shop at like Macy’s, Barnes and Noble and so on.  If flying isn’t your thing you can also join a free shopping network that will give you an average of 1% to 3% back in cash at those same stores.  So if you estimate a single frequent flier mile is worth 2 cents it works out to about the same value.
2. Coupons/Promotion Codes – Once you are at the actual store website, select your items and are ready to check out you are facing savings method #2.  Most stores have a place to enter a promotion or coupon code.  If you don’t have one fire up Google and enter in the name of the store and ‘coupon’ or ‘promotion code’ and you’ll be suprised how often you’ll find a working code that can save you a few dollars or provide free shipping.  You can also try the name of the specific product you want as there may be a manufacturers coupon available.  Just remember most sites only allow one code per order so use the best one you find or split up your order if it makes sense.
3. Payment Method – Finally it’s time to pay and you get one last chance to earn a little something.  Use your reward credit or debit card or look for promotions to use Google Checkout or similar services.  And while I wouldn’t recommend signing up for a new credit card for that merchant just to get a discount, if your making a large purchase and are able to pay it off it may well be worth the effort.

And remember it’s the holidays and a time of giving.  So visit your favorite websites whether it be for a company you like or a favorite charity and look for shopping links to your favorite stores.  Chances are if you click through their link they’ll either receive a few cents for the visit or a percentage of whatever you buy and it won’t cost you anything extra.

Happy Holidays and may your family be blessed with good health and happiness.

You can both market on Facebook and have a permanent page for users to visit to see what others have to say about your product or service. As the most popular and most frequently visited social network, Facebook presents the marketing community with an unrivaled media for reaching people all over the world. Facebook Ads uses this large pool of participates to advertise using pay per click. Marketers can determine which users they want to target, by age, gender, hobbies, or anything aspects that users add to their profiles. By directing your ads to a specific interest group, you should have a better return on your marketing dollar. Facebook Ads is both ease to use and inexpensive.

MySpace is creating a site of their own for pay-per-click ads called MyAds. Currently it is being beta tested, but cost will be based on the number of clicks and per 1,000 impressions models. MyAds has many of the same advantages as Facebook Ads when it comes to targeting specific demographics. As older generations turn to Facebook, MySpace is becoming more popular with the younger generation, ages 18 to 24. This is certainly an important determining factor when deciding which site is right for your business.

The final site to consider is Sponsored Diggs, a bookmarking site for the latest in news, gaming, entertainment, and other social topics. Digg is branching out to include marketing on the site, with advertisement linked to specified Digg articles. The obvious advantage is that you can match your business with current news and people specifically interested in the same subject. However, Digg does allow readers to hide ads they do not want to see, so the time you spend getting your ad posted may not reach your intended audience.

I thought I’d take his suggestion and jot down a few notes – both as a way of getting my head back into blogging but also because looking at the tweets I received this morning it’s a problem many bloggers face.

As my head is a little scattered today (as I readjust) I’m going to tackle this as a list post – here’s a few thoughts:

1. Coffee

2 lattes with a sugar in each is a fairly essential part of my blogging routine.

2. Cafes

More important than the fact that I get caffeine into my bloodstream each morning is the fact that I do it in one of 2-3 local cafes each day. I find getting out of the house (I usually walk to them so get a 10 minute walk in too) helps me to snap myself out of ‘home mode’ and into ‘working/blogging mode’. I also find that blogging in public is stimulating too – sitting in the middle of a cafe is noisy and some might find it distracting but for me I find it actually helps me generate ideas and takes me into a slightly more social space than sitting alone at home in my front room.

3. Planning

I’m a fairly impulsive guy and like to go with inspiration when it hits – but I also find it helpful to spend time thinking ahead and planning posts in advance so that I have some places to start when I have a tough day where inspiration is not coming. On my laptop’s desktop I have a number of text files which are full of topic ideas, titles of posts and even half written ideas that I pull out when I’m stuck for ideas.

4. Series of Posts

Similarly I like to have a series of posts on the go at any time so that I can always write a post that adds to something I’ve written previously. For example I’m currently working on a series of posts on Principles of Successful Blogging which I add to 1-2 times a week and will keep running over a number of months.

5. Twitter

This post is an illustration of the power of having a network of people to help you generate ideas. I didn’t ask for ideas for posts but out of a conversation I was having on Twitter someone made a suggestion that helped generate an idea for a post. While Twitter can be a distraction – it can also be an idea goldmine if you use it well.

6. Face to Face

I won’t do this today as I’m manically trying to catch up on email as well as write new posts – but I do try to schedule in face time with other bloggers, twitterers and entrepreneurs ever week or two. This is partly just because I’m an introvert and could quite easily work alone for weeks on end (and need to force myself into some social interaction) but it’s also about putting yourself into places where your ideas connect with other people’s ideas – that’s often where the magic happens.

7. Capture Ideas

Another strategy that I use is to capture as many ideas as I come AS they come into my brain. I returned home from my vacation with a notes documents on my iphone that has 6-7 post ideas that came to me over the last 10 days. Some I may never use but there are a couple that will be great posts that I’d have forgotten if I didn’t immediately capture them in some way. I used to carry a notebook for this but my iPhone now does the job.

8. Exercise

I mention that I walk to the main cafe that I work out of – in addition to that I try to walk each day for at least 15 minutes. I find that this gets the blood pumping and often gives me a burst of energy to help me through the afternoons.

9. ProBlogger.com

This might seem like pure self promotion but I’ve found the ProBlogger community to be a goldmine of ideas and inspiration. I’m increasingly finding that I come away from the forums having seen what someone else is trying with inspiration to see how their approach will work on my blogs. Whether it’s the ProBlogger forums or another one – I think putting time aside to interact with and collaborate with other bloggers is something well worth doing.

10. Mind Mapping

I’ve outlined how I do this previously in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook but using mind mapping is something I do on a weekly basis to come up with post ideas.

11. Manage Distractions

I read many articles on this type of topic that tell you to eliminate distractions. They say to get offline completely, don’t check your email, turn off Twitter etc. I’ve written about doing this previously but am starting to wonder if completely eliminating these ‘distractions’ is always a good thing. For me it’s more about ‘managing’ the distractions and setting aside time to do them rather than just ending up with a confused jumble of tasks. Instead of flipping between writing a post, email, twitter and Facebook – give yourself set times for each task. For example – in the writing of this post I’ve stopped 2 times when I’ve begun to feel my energy for the post decreasing a little. The first time I jumped on Twitter for 5 minutes, the 2nd time I cleared a few emails. Each time I gave myself 5 minutes for the other thing and was disciplined about jumping back into writing for another 10-15 minutes. Perhaps this is just my impulsive nature Attention Deficit Disorder but sometimes I find eliminating distractions can actually make it harder to work as you’re wondering about the things you’re trying to ignore.

12. Play

Related to the idea of managing distractions I recently have been rediscovering the power of letting myself ‘play’ a little each day. While many productivity experts talk about eliminating ‘playful’ activity I think it’s actually important to spend time each day doing activity that is a little mindless and fun. I can’t explain why – but often after a 10 minute burst of playing a tower defense game on my iPhone or reading a post but funny article on a humor blog I often come back to my ‘work’ feeling a little fresh and with good ideas for my blog. There’s something powerful about letting your brain relax every now and again – the key is to manage it and not let your whole day become one big playful experience.

13. Golden Hours are…. Gold!

My ‘golden hours’ are 9-11am. This is when I do my best creative work and as a result it’s when I do most of my writing. Admin tasks, Emails and other tasks can usually wait a couple of hours until I’ve cranked out a post or two!

A lot more could be said on this topic. In fact I asked my Twitter followers how they get their brains into gear after a holiday and they came up with some great suggestions too. You can read them here.

What would you add?

How do you get your brain into ‘blogging mode’ after some time away from blogging (or first thing in the morning)?

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

13 Ways I Get Back into Blogging after a Vacation

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I, audience.

Yesterday marked the first Audience conference, organized by Loren Feldman of 1938 Media, at the Hudson Theatre in New York City.

This was a unique event where the focus was on the audience, and there were groundrules out of respect for the speakers and fellow audience members – no Twitter, no open laptops, no photos, no live streaming, etc.

For the longest time, we refused to have WiFi in session rooms at Affiliate Summit. I think it’s rude to speakers and attendees that want to pay attention.

But we finally assimilated. Let’s hope Loren doesn’t.

The crowd got together for cocktails the evening before, so I did snap a picture or two there.

At most conferences, I preoccupy myself with taking pictures to post to Flickr and Facebook. This time, I was just listening, enjoying, and learning.

I’ve seen many of the speakers who were at Audience in other venues, such as Brian Clark, Rae Hoffman, and Jeremy Schoemaker, but they were different and better here. It was intimate, candid, engaging, and fascinating to hear their stories.

Many others I was seeing for the first time that were equally top shelf, such as David Binkowski, Dan Farber, Joe Jaffe, Andrew Keen, and Rachel Marsden.

I am hesitant to say I had a favorite, because I was bowled over by so many of them, but if pressed, it would be Jason Calacanis. He related a story I’ve heard many times about his start, but from other people. It was immensely more enjoyable to hear him tell it.

After each speaker, I’d have some sort of thing I’d think it would be great to chat about with them, and then they would be followed by another interesting character, and again I’d be absorbed in the latest speaker.

A really cool thing was that these speakers were the stars when they were on the theatre stage, but afterwards they mixed back into the audience. None of the pretentions of “big” speakers I’ve seen in the past who slipped out the back to avoid mixing with the commoners.

But I’ve got to say the star of the show was Loren Feldman with his multiple roles as Emcee, interviewer, host, etc. Maybe Loren kept it locked down from the outside, so the big secret wouldn’t get out – that he’s an incredibly warm, generous, kind guy.

Don’t miss the next chance to be in the Audience.

This post originally appeared on the Affiliate Marketing Blog by Shawn Collins

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