Antone is the creator of White Hat Crew, and the owner of Gecko Tribe, LLC. He's an internet marketer, blogger, and programmer.
Unlike some people who know what they want to do by the time they’re out of diapers, my path to internet marketing has taken a few twists and turns.
I don’t recall what I might have wanted to do early on, but by the time I graduated from high school, my interests were mostly in writing and music. I entered college as an English major.
After a year of college, I took two years off, which I spent in Japan. By the time I returned to school, I was thinking more practically (which may or may not be a good thing!), and registered as a math major.
Math is one of my strengths, but it didn’t take long to realize that math majors spend 99% of their time studying mathematical abstractions rather than the interesting real-world math I’d studied up till that point (hey, it was interesting to me!) And they take very few classes that deal with history, philosophy, the arts, etc.
Next, I considered majoring in business. I soon decided that marketing was the only area of business that wouldn’t bore me to tears. But before I could switch majors, I switched schools and ended up as a Japanese major instead.
I considered double majoring in Japanese and marketing, but eventually decided it would be better to graduate in whatever major I could complete most quickly. Japanese beat out marketing by one semester.
After graduation, I worked for a few years in the Japanese department of Claris, a subsidiary of Apple Computer, first as a software test engineer, and then as a programmer.
The 3 1/2 years I spent there were good, but then in 1998, it was time for a change. Aside from a few short stints as a contractor, I’ve been working independently ever since.
Today, I’d describe myself professionally as a programmer, internet marketer, and blogger.
Personally, I’m a husband, married since 2002, and father of three.
You've heard about the sleazy tactics used by some ClickBank sellers before -- "get rich quick and easy" products; sales letters claiming "only 250 will be sold", when a single glance at ClickBank's stats shows that thousands have been sold; etc. Apparently, ClickBank is signalling that they're finally going to crack down.
Yesterday, Paul over...
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ClickBank is a cornerstone of affiliate marketing, particularly in the internet marketing niche. They specialize in downloadable products, which is what most internet marketing products are. And a single ClickBank signup is all you need to be able to promote products from thousands of different sellers.
One of the challenges is finding good products to...
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by Antone Roundy | Blogging, Mailing Lists, Marketing, Web Design
I've been taking a CERT training class at City Hall for the last month or so, learning about how to help in an emergency when the professionals haven't yet arrived or are overwhelmed.
We've learned about emergency preparation, handling small fires (including a live exercise that would have been more fun if the fire had...
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Yesterday, I talked about the difference between persuasion and manipulation. Today, let's talk about the difference between persuasion and coercion.
Coercion is defined as forcing someone to do something against their will. But where is the line between forcing someone to act against their will and persuading them to do something they'd rather not? In...
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Some people say all marketers are liars, all salesmanship is deception, and all persuasion is manipulation. As an ethical person whose job involves marketing, you may struggle sometimes with the question of whether you're violating your own principles.
Obviously, some marketers are liars, some salesmen are deceivers, and some persuasive techniques are manipulative.
But is...
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Marketers are a lot like germs.
They try to transfer ideas into living organisms (customers) in a way that enables them to survive, grow, and spread. But just as many bacteria are good for our bodies (like those that help us digest food), not all marketing is bad.
Healthy marketing helps prospects find products that...
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SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) has decoded the first message received from outer space, and it contained a big surprise -- something internet marketers here on earth can learn a thing or two from.
The message came from an area of the Andromeda Galaxy referred to as the "Dorsal Fin".
SETI director John Aubrey...
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by Antone Roundy | Advertising, Product Reviews, SEO, Social Media/Networking, Viral
Google has announced their own rival to the Facebook "Like" button: +1.
Which is better? Let's give them a look.
Facebook "Like"
The Facebook "Like" button appears on a webpage. When a Facebook user clicks it, their name may be listed next to the button, and a note about it will appear on their Wall....
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For the longest time, I only sent plain text emails to my mailing lists. Why? More out of personal preference than anything. I didn't like gussied-up HTML emails, so I didn't send them.
Also, it's easier. If you only send plain text, you don't have to bother with fancy formatting.
If you send hybrid plain...
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I haven't been running AdSense ads on my blogs for quite a while now, but today, I decided to bring them back into the mix. Two blog posts contributed to the decision.
First, I was checking out the websites of a few people who've posted comments here at White Hat Crew, and came across an...
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Split Test Content, Exit Intent Popups, Hover Stripes, Seasonal Ad Rotation, and much more.
TriggerNote is an Interaction Engine for your website. Use pre-configured "Recipes" to create exit hover ads, exit interstitial ads, etc. Or mix and match your own combinations of over 20 Triggers and Actions to make your website respond to visitor actions, grabbing attention, and customizing on the fly to speak to each unique visitor.
Hi.
I'm Antone Roundy.
I'm a strong believer in ethics, and have always tried to practice and promote ethical behavior in an industry where many slip over to the dark side.
At White Hat Crew, I'll share insights into internet marketing, with extra emphasis on ethical issues.
Read my Internet Marketing Ethics Manifesto
Join a Blogging Team
Blog & Tweet Easier
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New to this blog? Start Here
Riffs on a Purple Cow is a Kindle eBook containing collection of articles I wrote, inspired by Seth Godin. Download your copy from Amazon.com.
It's also a demonstration of the blogging and business method outlined in my eBook, "How to Build and Operate an SEO Content Factory", which you can download for free in either of these formats:
PDF | Mobipocket (Kindle, etc.)
