Today I was surprised to be presented with the “Business of the Year” award from the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce. This award is voted on by a group of my Chamber peers and is recognized by the California State Assembly and Sacramento County’s Board of Supervisors, so its an extreme honor to receive it. I will try to write up a complete release with more information, but wanted to share my gratitude with the Fair Oaks Chamber as well as all my clients, colleagues, and support system for contributing to my success in business.

Ever since Microsoft launched their new AdCenter back in May, they have been increasing promotion to try to lure advertisers to use the system to place pay per click ads on the MSN and Live Search networks. If you’ve thought about adding pay-per-click methods to your marketing plan, now is the time to act on AdCenter. Microsoft has distributed a promotional code worth $200 of free advertising, but its only good for a limited time.

If you’re a past or current client of YNot Web and would like to create a new account at the AdCenter, drop me a line or give me a call and I will provide you with the discount code. You can step through their self-serve sign-up process or request that YNot Web sets up your ad campaigns, but either way, this is a good way to check out the pay-per-click arena and determine whether Microsoft’s ad network effectively reaches your target audience.

Don’t push that button!  I would recommend NOT upgrading to IE7 when your Windows Updater prompts you to do so.  There are still some major issues.  Frankly, I’m surprised Microsoft would release it like this, even with Microsoft’s so-called reputation for putting out products that aren’t quite ready.  Complaints about computers crashing, unable to browse anything, IE freezing up are pouring in on forums and newsgroups.  Personally, I can say, though I readily installed it in order to start testing websites I’m working on in the new version, I can no longer use IE as my main browser (Firefox to the rescue).  Basically, it fails to load so many pages on the first try (saying ‘there must be problem with your internet connection or the website you’re viewing).  Refreshing the pages allows me to continue on my merry way, but who wants to hit ‘refresh’ for nearly every page they browse to. 

Again, I’m shocked they would release the product this way.  Perhaps their beta group is not representive of real people?  I know several techs who installed it long ago with no issues.  Unfortuntely, I’m not one of them.  I do plan to try a reinstall but if that doesn’t work and I can’t revert to IE6, I will be switching completely to Firefox until MS can correct the issues.

In case you’re stuck with no way back to IE6, you can find Firefox with the link below.  Its nice and fast and has given us the option for ‘tabbed’ windows(something MS is introducing with IE7) for a couple of years:

Yahoo again is sending out promotional codes worth a $25 credit via postal mail to help you sign up for Yahoo! Search Marketing.

If you want to try to pull in a larger number of holiday shoppers and are thinking about trying out this advertisement method, starting with an extra $25 ad budget gives you a little cushion to start.  Granted I would like to see a higher incentive (in the past, Yahoo has offered $50).

If you do not receive a postcard directly from Yahoo, you can always use this link to Sign up and get a $25 credit. You must be a new advertiser to Yahoo to get the credit.

Yahoo! Sponsored Search ads appear on the top of search results of leading sites like Yahoo!, AltaVista and CNN.com.

Obviously, on Thanksgiving we should all take a moment to reflect those things we are thankful for.  Among the obvious health, friends, and family I would like to acknowlege the things I am thankful for in my business life. 

1. I am thankful to own my own business.  Never has a j-o-b provided this much satisfaction, challenge and sense of accomplishment.  Not to mention the ultimate flexibility it offers to my life.

2. I am thankful for the success I have had.  Without it, Number 1 would be in jeopardy.  I feel very lucky to be ‘making it’, especially with the past and current economic issues we have all faced for the last few years.

3. I am thankful for the great clients I have had a privilege to work for.  Most my clients are inspiring and a joy.  Even the tough ones.

4. I am thankful for the referrals.  It is the ultimate compliment that a past client can give, and I hope I have expressed this gratitude suitably.

5. I am thankful for the people that support me.  Whether I need someone for advice, to vent to or just plain give me the sense that I am not the only one with similar challenges, I appreciate colleagues, clients, and friends that I can share experiences with.