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Tom’s Tips, Links and Tidbits Newsletter


Wednesday 28th April 2010

G'day,

Hope this finds you fit and well and that you enjoy this week’s selection.
Now that the quarterly Business Activity Statement is out of the way, have a great week!

Tom Grimshaw

Index




Basic Computer User



Hotmail social networking busts your privacy

In its rush to take on Facebook and Google Buzz, Microsoft is now collecting and displaying personal information on your Hotmail page, information you may never have wanted to broadcast. http://windowssecrets.com/comp/100422#story1


Telstra rushes out the HTC Desire

Telstra has rushed out the HTC Desire handset one week early as a surge of buyers look to overseas retailers to buy the Android-based device. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/172696,telstra-rushes-out-the-htc-desire.aspx


A guide to protecting your information on the New Facebook

Here’s a handy collection of the best tips that we could find for protecting your privacy on Facebook’s wild new frontier. http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/04/26/a-guide-to-protecting-your-information-privacy-on-the-new-facebook/

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Advanced Computer User



IBM develops nano-manufacturing technique

IBM researchers have developed a manufacturing technique capable of etching 1,000 three-dimensional world maps on materials the size of a grain of salt. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/172831,ibm-develops-nano-manufacturing-technique.aspx


Inside Apple's insane developer agreement

Apple recently released a new version of its iPhone Developer Program License agreement, and it has caused quite a controversy. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/programming-and-development/?p=2486&tag=nl.e055

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Health



“It’s Unequivocal: Vaccines Hurt Some Kids” The Age of Autism

Nothing makes J.B. Handley laugh more quickly than the suggestion that he and other parents who question the safety of the American vaccine schedule are “radicals.” http://counterpunch.org/higgs04272010.html


Alzheimer’s drugs cause brain damage and actually worsen memory loss

Apologies in advance for all the medical terminology in this article. http://www.naturalnews.com/028622_Alzheimers_brain_damage.html


Prostate cancer screening fraud exposed

Most prostate cancers need no treatment: http://www.naturalnews.com/028629_prostate_cancer_screening.html


Bottled Water Contaminated With BPA

Exposure to BPA has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, reproductive failures, heart disease, cognitive and behavioral problems, diabetes, obesity and asthma. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edison-de-mello-md-phd/the-water-bottle-lie-and_b_506523.html


Before you consider botox

Read this article http://wrightnewsletter.com/2010/02/10/botox-death/


Cure Diabetes in 30 Days?

An astonishing documentary called “Simply Raw - Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days” reveals what happens when mainstream American diabetics are put on a raw foods diet for 30 days. The results will amaze you. http://www.naturalnews.com/028653_raw_foods_diabetes.html


The Government to Drug You Automatically?

New technology revealed in a U.S. Senate Committee this week would allow Big Brother to monitor your compliance with Big Pharma’s drugs and even remotely administer drugs into your bloodstream from a government-run control panel in Washington D.C. http://www.naturalnews.com/028663_health_care_technology.html

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Other



Hospital cleaners worth more to society than City bankers, says new nef research

This think tank uses uses a robust valuation method, Social Return on Investment, to quantify the social, environmental and economic impacts of six professions, looking at how each produces or destroys value for society. http://www.neweconomics.org/press-releases/hospital-cleaners-worth-more-society-city-bankers-says-new-nef-research


A Post on Facebook:

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight... It’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

My toy poodle totally agrees with this. That’s why he wears a harness. So I can pull him away from the scraps he gets into before a dog 6 times his size has him for an appetizer.


Scott Bywater is a copywriter

He sends me a daily newsletter.

Yes, that’s right. Daily.
Any you know what?
Most days I read it.
This was what Scott had to say today on the subject of Market Research and Advertising.
I thought it worth passing on to you.

I am reading a book by Steven Scott at the moment.
For the record, this guy has probably written more infomercials than anyone on the planet.

Anyway, I was laughing my head off yesterday when he was talking about how conventional ad agencies make their decisions about advertising.

They rely on market research, focus groups and surveys.

Now listen to what Steven Scott has to say about this:

"Those results are about as accurate and projectable as trying to hit a three-foot target from twenty thousand feet with a paper airplane."

He continues:

"No wonder they are wrong more often than they are right. In my opinion, most of the time that they are right, it’s because of the broken clock theory. (You know: even a broken clock is right twice a day)"

Now I found Steven’s candidness very entertaining.
By the way the books name is a Millionaire’s notebook.
And while I am by no means an expert in market research and I am
sure it has its place (I have a relative who does it for a living who
will probably disagree with me) I will say this:

Nothing can ever beat testing.

And whenever anyone argues with me about anything when it comes to advertising, my answer is always:

TEST IT.

But what about this?

TEST IT.

But that won’t work.

TEST IT.

But I think you are full of S**T

TEST IT.

Because at the end of the day you can do all the market research you want... all the surveys you want... and have all the opinions you want.

But the only thing which matters is...

When you have written and run that ad, does it make the phone ring?

Because that’s when the customer votes with their wallet.

Don’t get me wrong.

I am a massive fan of research.

In fact, I always do a significant amount of research before writing an advertisement.

And wherever there is market research available, I would pay attention to it.

But what a lot of companies do is spend so much time and money on creating this whiz bang campaign.

And they think they know it all. So they think they don’t have to test.

But remember this:

Testing is the GOD of direct mail.

Not market research, surveys or anything else.

Because the bottom line of advertising is: when you run it, will it make you money?

Here’s what I recommend you do instead of spending thousands of dollars on market research...

Learn how to write advertising by getting your hands on my step-by-step guide at
http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/cashflow

Ask your target market a few research questions to get inside their heads.

Write 6 ads.

Test those ads spending the least amount possible.

Run with the one which works best.

This isn’t brain science, guys.

And it isn’t reserved for those super smart marketing guys in big corporations.

It’s just a simple, logical process which has been proven to work over and over and over again.

All for now,

Scott Bywater

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Video Links



Morgan Freeman: The Power of Words

Amnesty International video on Human Rights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_tCtvmAm4M


Cool Bird Dances to Ray Charles

This bird’s got moves I will _never_ be able to do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bt9xBuGWgw

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Copyright© 2010 by Tom Grimshaw
PO Box 470 Glebe NSW 2037