We know that Google is the #1 search engine in the world - but where are people going for real time, up to date information on every day updates?  Twitter.  Just take a look at twitter and you’ll see - on the right side of the page - what people are talking about “Right Now”.

A few weeks ago I learned that Danny Gans had died because “Danny Gans” was one of the most talked about keywords on Twitter. Then, we had an earthquake in Los Angeles and immediately (literally within moments) there were updates on Twitter…Whether it’s a sporting event or a news update, you can get the most current, up to date news on Twitter with real people reporting real results.

CNN is now reporting that people in Iran are posting updates on Twitter with crucial information - and this is particularly important since Iranian authorities have banned Western journalists from covering political rallies. Even though websites and newspapers have been closed by Iranian officials, people are still able to spread the word of what’s going on via Twitter.

Although officials would not say whether they were communicating with Iranians directly, one noted that the United States is learning about certain people being picked up for questioning by authorities through posts on Twitter.

“It is a very good example of where technology is helping,” the official said.

Senior officials say the State Department is working with Twitter and other social networking sites to ensure Iranians are able to continue to communicate to each other and the outside world.

At a briefing with reporters Tuesday, spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States was monitoring the situation in Iran through a number of media, including social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, but deflected questions about the State Department talks with Twitter.

“We’ve highlighted to them the importance of these social media,” Kelly said of the conversations with Twitter executives. “This is about the Iranian people. This is about the giving their voices a chance to be heard. One of the ways that their voices are heard are through new media.”

For example, senior officials say the State Department asked Twitter to refrain for going down for periodic scheduled maintenance at this crucial time to ensure that the site continues to operate.

“They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance, and we asked them not to,” one official said, adding that the discussions were meant to “highlight to [Twitter] that this was an important means of communication, not with us but horizontally in Iran.”

The situation in Iran is a real-world example of the State Department’s efforts to increase use of technology in diplomacy, including social networking sites, Web video and text messages to reach large numbers of people who would otherwise be difficult to reach.

It’s uncertain what the long term prognosis of Twitter will be, but one thing we know for certain is that the “word of mouth” impact of people and the ability for their message to be spread instantly to people around the world via the Internet, is here to stay.  And by the looks of it, Twitter - in one form or another - might be the leading catalyst.

For more information on how to best use Twitter in your online activities, visit http://adamginsbergblog.com/category/twitter

The week of June 15th eBay is updating it’s next series of changes. See below both eBay’s changes and my opinions and thoughts on these changes - which could impact how you make money on eBay.

It’s good to know that there are no eBay fee changes in this release.

This set of eBay changes will do three main things as follows:

eBay is making it easier for buyers to ship as well as give buyer incentives which should result in an increase in more sales. Here’s how they plan doing this:

—New item page rolling out. New photo zoom coming later this year. Get your listings ready now.

My thoughts? I really like the new item page layout. It’s simple and easy to see. For TemplateOptimizer.com users - (Template Optimizer is the #1 eBay template software) - please note that we have upgraded Template Optimizer to work seamlessly with eBay’s new item page layout. The templates look better than every!

* New eBay product pages surfacing to more buyers. To make sure your items show up on these pages, use product details (formerly called pre-filled item information).

My thoughts? Anytime you can increase your exposure on eBay, you should do it.  I like this but I hate when eBay changes the name of what they call something.

* New way to list in Fixed Price lets you offer all variations of one product e.g. color and size in a single low-cost listing.

My thoughts? This is a huge benefit to sellers who have items like this.  Finally eBay is allowing something that should have been allowed years ago.

* Buyer incentives and loyalty programs expanded to drive more traffic.

My thoughts? I’m not a fan of anything that drives more traffic to eBay after the initial sale.  I’d rather send the customer to my non-eBay internet business after I have made that initial sale for a variety reasons.

2. Key information to set buyer expectations and help reduce your costs

My thoughts? I have been teaching sellers to do this for years so I really don’t think it’s a big deal.  See my comments below:

* New Smart FAQ answers buyers top 20 questions before they contact you.

My thoughts? Big deal.  You can today, and always could, add your own frequently asked questions section directly into the description area of your eBay listing.

* Package tracking information available in My eBay print labels on eBay and tracking shows up automatically, or you can upload the information.

My thoughts? This is good news for everyone except those of us who ship with fedex.

* Return policy and handling time required for new listings and re-listings beginning June 15. Deadline for updating your Good Til Cancelled listings extended to mid-September.

My Thoughts? Again, no big deal. eBay is requiring what I have been teaching to students for years..include your return policy and handling time in your listings.  Congratulations eBay!

* Use Item Specifics. Now in some categories, you can customize when the available choices don’t apply to your item.
* Category and Item Specifics changes now consolidated with the rest of updates find out if your listings are impacted.

My thoughts? Item specifics help you get more exposure and sell more, so use them whenever you can.

3. Other updates to make selling on eBay more efficient

* New, more efficient process for handling disputes.

My thoughts: Anything that makes it easier to handle a dispute is a good thing - let’s see how this rolls out.

* Selling Manager FREE for all sellers with powerful new Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro applications.

My thoughts: I think it’s good for sellers to use eBay Selling Manager but would not use a paid version of the system.  Template Optimizer will include a simple, easy to use version of Selling Manager that will be available at no additional charge to all Template Optimizer users.

* Easier, faster way to pay shipping, print labels, and update buyersright from eBay.

My thoughts: Same as before - what about fedex users?

So eBay is rolling out changes starting the week of June 16th.  They are simple and basic - most of which will not have any impact on AdamGinsberg.com students who already understand this valuable information that eBay is finally making a requirement to sell on the site. I do like the new item listing form - I think it will end up with better exposure and more bids…at least I hope so!

Read more at AdamGinsbergBlog.com

Adam Ginsberg will be speaking at Rich Dad events in Sydney, AU and Auckland, NZ - featuring Robert Kiyosaki, the Best-selling author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”

Not knowing about money, not what it is but what it can do for you, is probably the biggest and most critical gap in knowledge today.

Education is, without question, a key to making it in the world. But after getting your academic and professional education, who is really prepared with the necessary financial education?

Most people have never had any formal exposure to the fundamentals of this critical area of learning. How do you pick it up in later life? How can you be confident about what you gather in bits and pieces along the way?

Thanks to his ‘Rich Dad’ who started teaching him from the age of 9, Robert Kiyosaki got a great grounding in financial education and understands its power.

In the process building his system of wealth, Robert has mastered an education process so powerful and so effective that it has radically accelerated the money-making abilities and lifestyles of millions, worldwide. Robert is dedicated to your financial future. His mission is giving you the opportunity to teach yourself to predict your financial future by creating it.

He can show you how to take control of your money and make it fun!

Having sold more than $20,000,000 on eBay personally, Adam Ginsberg will be sharing his Secrets of an Auction Millionaire tips, insights and strategies in an exciting and fun presentation - showing Rich Dad students how they can take control of their financial future using the Internet and eBay.

What is the best day to end an eBay listing?  Did you quickly answer “Sunday”?

There are so many myths out there that tell you the best ending day - how about we just answer the question with the right information so you can immediately apply it and start to make money on eBay.

The best day to close a listing on eBay is:

Well it really depends. Not a straight answer, but hang in there and I will reveal some secrets to help you find the straight answer for your products.

THE MYTH

There is a myth out there that Sunday is the overall best day to end on eBay. This myth came from an announcement eBay made some time ago that the highest traffic on the site was on Sunday.

Since then, the myth that Sunday is the best ending day has spread throughout the discussion boards.

But highest website traffic doesn’t mean that everyone is making a purchase on that day. Perhaps some people are browsing for items that they will purchase later in the week.

While it may be different than popular wisdom, I am here to tell you that Sunday is not the best ending day for your listings if you want to get the most for your item.

The Best Ending Day Depends Upon Two Things

If it’s not Sunday, what is the best ending day? Is it the best if you get the most bids? Is it the best if you sell the most items? Or is it the best if you make the highest sales price?

My point here is that best for one person’s sales may not be for another person’s. What works for you and your product may not work for another seller.

Essentially, the best ending day hinges upon two factors:

Your selling strategy

Your product

Your Selling Strategy

As I pointed out earlier, what does the best end day even mean? What is best for one seller isn’t always best for another, because each seller has a different strategy.

Essentially, all selling strategies are founded upon one of two options:

High Volume, Low Profit
Low Volume, High Profit
Your selling strategy ultimately will determine your best ending day. If you are not sure which selling strategy you are using, let me point out some characteristics of each.

1. High Volume, Low Profit

This strategy is used when you have a very large inventory of the same product. You most likely bought in bulk, which means you got a low cost for each individual item. This means you are more concerned with selling all of your products at a lower price, just to make sure you are not stuck with a left-over inventory.

A research tool like Auction Optimizer (which has a 10 day free trial) can help you determine the best ending day for this strategy to ensure you are increasing your chances of making the sale on the first time.

So, if you are a high-volume, low-profit seller, then you want to select the ending day that increasing your listing success rate. This allows you to sell more products and re-list fewer.

2. Low Volume, High Profit

Use this strategy when you have a smaller inventory of the same product, or a large inventory of several different products. Doing this allows you to focus on maximizing your sales price, thus increasing money in your pocket.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to the best ending day, there is no general rule of thumb. And not just because it depends upon your selling strategy and your product.

As I’m sure you have noticed, eBay is a very fluctuating market. What works one month may not work the next. When I first started selling on eBay, I found that Saturday was the best day to end to increase my sales price. A few months later, it had changed to Thursday. A month after that, it was Friday.

So, the bottom line, is to remove the guesswork and rules of thumb and rely upon the facts using a research tool like Auction Optimizer.

Make the most of your auctions with research - Get Started Today with Auction Optimizer for FREE!

The Season 8 American Idol results show took place a week ago, and I’m still in shock.  America got it wrong, plain and simple.  Adam Lambert should have been the Season 8 American Idol.

Time will tell - based on music sales - as to who the true winner really is…and I’ll stick with my original prediction.

In the meantime, Adam Lambert has one at least one competition - sales on eBay.  And if sales on eBay are any indication of music sales - it’s going to be a true no contest…Adam will win by a huge margin.

In the past 30-days sales on eBay of Adam Lambert Memorabilia reached $30,964, while sales of Kris Allen totaled just $1,858.

Check it out:
1,876 Number of Adam Lambert items sold
16.51 Average selling price of Adam Lambert items
$999 Highest Adam Lambert selling item –Wicked 2008 Playbill with American Idol Adam Lambert
2,064 Number of Adam Lambert listings on eBay

118 Number of Kris Allen items sold
$15.75 Average selling price of Kris Allen items
$75 Highest Kris Allen selling item – Kris Allen American Idol Finalist Autographed UD
189 Number of Kris Allen listings on eBay