Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If the opposite of pro is con, is congress the opposite of progress?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How is it possible to have a civil war?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How do you draw a blank?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If it’s zero degress ouside today and it’s supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If light travels faster than sound, is that why people appear bright until they speak?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Is there another word for synonym?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How would we know if a word were misspelled in the dictionary?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How do you tell when you are out of invisible ink?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Shouldn’t there be a shorter word for monosyllabic?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How come you press hard on the remote when you know the battery is dead?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Why si the word abbreviated so long?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “What was the best thing before sliced bread?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Why do we wait until a pig is dead to cure it?”

Do you have a question for Adam Ginsberg?  Ask Him Here!

PS - These were all gathered together by my amazing 12 year daughter who was creating her uniquely written camp newsletter. So, while I do ponder these thoughts, I certainly can’t take credit for making them - nor assembling them all into one place. It’s great to have awesome kids!

Use Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer to make money on eBay!

In today’s difficult economic times - and when it’s more competitive than ever to sell on eBay - you must lower your costs to maximize your profits if you are going to succeed.  eBay fees are stedily increasing so it’ more important than ever to use 3rd party eBay listing tools to increase your bottom live.  With Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer, you have have incredible software that is a solution, a way to create quality listings quickly and easily without draining your budget.

To be successful you must adapt and change.  You also need to do things differently then way other people might be selling on eBay.  And by automating your business you will take it to the next level which will further set you apart from other people who sell on the world’s #1 auction site.

Scheduling

Scheduling allows you to list items in advance to go live when you want them to—which can help you maximize end-of-auction bidding and spread out your listings. eBay will charge you 10 cents per listing for this convenience—and when you multiply that by several listings, the cost quickly adds up. But Template Optimizer users pay no additional fee to schedule listings. So why pay for something you can get for free? You could use the money you save to invest in new inventory.

Image hosting

Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer image hosting can save you even more per listing—and help increase your profit potential. When it comes time to list new goods, you’ll want to reassure buyers that what they see is what they’ll get and Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer image hosting tools can help you do this. eBay will let you post one image for free, but each additional photo will cost 15 cents. To get Supersizing, you have to pay 75 cents per listing. with a maximum of 12 pictures per listing.  You don’t have to worry about these fees with Template Optimizer—or about counting images. Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer listing tools support up unlimited Supersized images per listing at no additional charge.

Professionally-designed templates

Another tool to gain customers’ trust—and save you money—is professional listing templates. Template Optimizer has hundreds of these customizable skins that will make your listings pop and add a professional touch. While eBay does offer these, they are hard to customize and come at an additional cost.  As well, they are not attractive. Template Optimizer offers hundreds of templates, so you’ll be sure to find the perfect design to suit your business. And again, you don’t pay any additional fees.

Take your online business to the next level

As you can see, Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer not only makes it easier to list on eBay, it also saves you money. Are you ready to take your business to the nextl level? Be sure to check out Template Optimizer today!

Community sells. Members discuss shared interests – hobbies, travel, politics, medical conditions, favorite foods, you name it. They create their own buzz and ‘user-generated’ content about their favorite products and services. They recommend things to one another – everything from the cars they drive and the restaurants they frequent to the places they travel for vacation. Think about it: Are you more likely to purchase something based on the recommendation of a salesperson or a family member or friend?

You belong to communities already – your family and friends, your neighborhood, perhaps a school or church or a professional organization. All of these communities can help you research popular products and services and spread the word about what you do and the products and services you sell.

You can tap the full potential of these communities, extend them, access different communities, and even create new communities online via social media sites, including two of the most popular: Facebook and Twitter.

Getting Connected on Facebook

Facebook was created for college students to keep in touch but has expanded to serve a variety of communities – from extended families to alumni groups, fan clubs, advocacy organizations, and everything in between.

After you join Facebook (membership is free) and create a personal profile, you can then invite people to become your “friends.” Other members can invite you to become their friends or request to be your friend, but both members must consent. Only friends have access to one another’s profiles and other content they choose to share. As soon as you have a few friends, you can communicate with them in the following ways:

• Post a message on your “wall” for all your friends to see. Messages can include text, photos, links, video clips, or birthday wish lists.
• Join or create a “group” and share content with members of that group. Groups may include thousands of members.
• Email friends for more private discussions.

Tip: If you must sell, soft-sell. Facebook is a social site, not a sales site. Posting a short message about a product or service you like (and perhaps have for sale) is acceptable, as long as you don’t abuse the privilege. If you wouldn’t do it at a family or class reunion, don’t do it on Facebook.

Facebook is good for:

• Getting a better feel for popular trends
• Identifying potential opportunities
• Promoting items for sale (soft-sell only)
• Letting friends know about your website or blog
• Notifying your friends of a new post on your blog
• Connecting with people who share your interests

Facebook is not good for:

• Hard-sell advertising
• Sales pitches

Keeping in Touch with Twitter

On Twitter, the question of the day, every day, 24 hours a day is this: What are you doing? And on Twitter, millions of members are constantly in the process of updating that question and reading other people’s answers.

Each Twitter update is considered a “tweet” and is limited to 140 characters. Members can post messages using an Internet-enabled computer or via cell phone or a third-party application. Messages tend to be simple and direct, and conversations move along quickly.

You can also send private, “direct” messages when you don’t want to share with the entire Twitter community. For example, if a person has a public question about a business, and you did not want to share your answer with the whole world, you can reply directly so that it would be seen only by that individual.

Spotting Popular Topics and Trends

Tweets are archived, and you can search them at www.search.twitter.com. This is a great way to identify popular topics, market trends, and individuals who are most actively involved in various topics of interest.

Attracting Your Own Following

When people find someone interesting on Twitter, they “follow” the individual. Typically, your “followers” can see all the tweets you create instantly – if they are either at their computer or they have their cell phones or third-party Web applications set to receive your messages. If not, your messages get buried by newer tweets.

By looking at a Twitter user’s profile, you can see all the people they follow and all of their followers.

You can tag your account with up to three terms that describe your interests. To tag your account and find others who share your interests, visit www.wefollow.com.

Tip: One way to grow your list of followers is to put a Twitter badge on your website. Twitter supplies the code, so you can install it yourself. The badge shows visitors your latest messages and lets them see you are involved and current. It also gives them a way to follow you in the future.

Many Twitter users feel it’s polite to follow anyone who follows them. Some automate the process by using a free service such as TweetLater (www.tweetlater.com). If you follow a large number of people, a large percentage of them will auto-follow you, increasing your list of followers.

Recognizing Tweeter’s Marketing Limitations

Marketers have yet to figure out a way to successfully monetize Twitter. Some say if you have a huge list of followers, you can tweet about your business and drive sales. While there are some success stories, they are the exception. Consider using Twitter more for eavesdropping on discussions to find out what’s hot and what’s not.

Twitter is good for:

• Spotting trends
• Connecting with trendsetters and keeping up with their latest activities
• Notifying people of a new item for sale or post on your blog
• Getting quick answers to questions through informal polls
• Maintaining contact with people in your field of interest

Twitter is not good for:

• Driving substantial sales although it can be used to drive traffic which in turn can become huge sales
• Replacing a website or blog
• Developing loyal customers and solid business relationships
• Creating lasting content that people will read in the future

Learn more about twitter here:  http://adamginsbergblog.com/category/twitter/

Supplements, Not Replacements

Both Facebook and Twitter should be considered helpful tools to supplement your current business. Neither of them can replace your website or blog. They can however, increase awareness, drive traffic to your website or blog, and establish you as a credible source of information in a particular subject area (if what you’re sharing is credible).

Facebook and Twitter are free and relatively easy to use. Take some time to sign up, create your profile, and get connected. In time, you too will gather many friends and followers and have a community in place to clue you in on what’s popular and do some of your sales and marketing for you.

Find Adam Ginsberg on Facebook Here: http://facebook.com/adamginsberg.com

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter Here: http://twitter.com/adamginsberg

Yes, it’s true. I travel a lot. I meet incredible people from all walks of life - many of whom are looking to make a change.  And, in today’s economic climate, change is good.

I travel more than anyone I know.  And, since most of my travel is internationally based these days I spend more time on an airplane than anyone I know.  So much so that I have decided to write the official Adam Ginsberg Travel Survial Guide.

About 18 months ago I received a new passport.  Today there are less than 2 pages left for Customs stamps.  And, part of the fun of travel is definitely getting your passport stamps.

To see a my partial schedule for 2009, go to AdamWorldTour.com - I say partial because I haven’t updated my travel schedule on that site lately.

Let me give you an example…

A few weeks ago I was in New Zealand speaking at a live seminar for 120o people.  I needed to be home for my daughter’s elementary school graduation so I left Auckland at 8PM (local time) and flew to Los Angeles…a 14 hour flight.  I arrive at 1:00 PM the same day (due to time change), attended the graduation and then went back to the airport for a flight to Melbourne Australia.  That’s another 17 hour flight.  So I was on the plane for almost 32 hours and on the ground for less than 7.  THAT was a fun trip - but family always comes first!

So, I can tell you the best time to get to the airport, the best lines to stand in, how to get the best prices on airline tickets and how to get seat upgrades. I’m going to share stories about airport lounges, famous people I’ve met in airport lounges (and sat next to on planes) and how to make friends and do business with the people you sit next to for 14 hours on an international flight.

You’ll discover how to pack, what you can bring on the plane and what you need to check in - and no I’m not talking about the 3 oz liquid limitation.

Where should you sit on the plane and how do you get the most comfortable seats? Did you want an extra meal on the flght or perhaps just more ice cream for desert?  Should you order a special meal? What do you need to bring to make sure you have enough power for your laptop for 12 hours. Does your PSP truly need to be turned off for take off?

In The Official Aam Ginsberg Travel Survival Guide I’ll talk about hotel stays, how to get upgraded hotel rooms and what to do when you forget to make a room reservation. You’ll discover how to travel and NEVER get jet lag.  Yes, 14 hour flights with 17 hour time changes and no jet lag. 40 hours of flying in a 60 hour time frame…From Los Angeles to Singapore and back to Los Angeles in a weekend!

This is not your run of the mill “how to” guide - The Official Adam Ginsberg Travel Survial Guide will have amazing insights into the incredible world of global travel and how you to can become a savy traveler.  It will also be easy to read, funny and heck, you might even learn something too.

Stay tuned for details…

Why is does negative new media sell so well?

Does anyone really care about Kate and Jon - and is anyone surprised they are getting divorced?  Or are they?

How did Oprah become the most powerful woman in America?

I really enjoy watching the UFC - it makes the WWE seem so “fake”.

Speaking of the UFC, does anyone really think that Frank Mir has any chance of defeating Brock Lesnar in UFC 100?

UFC 100 - holy shit…I remember watching the first UFC in my living room in Vancouver, BC.

I’m commuting to London, UK for the next three weekends.

When will President Obama take a real stand on the situation in Iran?

It’s not new news that politicians have affairs - but it does seem that more and more are getting caught regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican…sex has no political boundaries.

At dinner last night I had to wait 45 minutes for my steak to cook. But, when it was cooked wrong they brought me a replacement steak in less than 6 minutes.

Does anyone really think Sarah Palin has a chance to become the next US President?

I love my new iPhone 3GS.

Wishing Steve Jobs a speedy recover from his liver transplant surgery.

Speaking of speed recoveries it would be great to see Farrah Fawcett gets well soon!