One way of monetizing my cycling site is through the use of Affiliate Links. My audience is interested in cycling products so whenever I mention a product that I genuinely like, trust and would use myself (remembering trust is everything) I add a link. Often these links look very unsightly. Take for example this typical affiliate window link:

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?platform=dl&awinmid=1857&awinaffid=87595&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wiggle.co.uk%2Fp%2Fcycle%2F7%2FErgon_GC2_Handlebar_Grips%2F5360036781%2F

It’s like Shrek of the affiliate links. The solution is to cloak the link. So it looks a little something more like this:

http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/go/ergon/

That’s much more snazzy.

People are more likely to click on the second link as it looks more trust worthy. For a start it has your brand name behind it and secondly there is not a ton of scary looking characters that they don’t recognise.

It is links like the first one that I first discovered affiliate marketing because I typed in awin1.com to see what it referred to. It is how I came across affiliate window and the sites such as Wiggle and Evans Cycles that you can promote with it.

How you link cloak in wordpress

To do this all you need is a plugin called the Link Cloaking Plugin. It works wonders with WordPress and I’ve never had any issues with it. The founders behind the Link Cloaking Plugin have also recently released a premium version which adds some great new features in particular the ability to look at detailed statistics of how many clicks the link has received.

Once the link cloaking plugin is added to WordPress you can click on Tools > Cloaked links and add new links. You can also change the /go/ part of the link from the Settings > Link Cloaking page.

Give the plugin a download today and remove all the ugly links from your site.

Soon I’ll discuss in detail how to use the plugin. I’ll also take a look at some competing link cloaking plugins and go into the features of the advanced version.

http://sharemyplaylists.com/

In particularly I focus on the playlists by Iamnottheenemy. He produces a good roundup every month of good new tracks.

Overall it’s been a hectic month. From before February I realised I was going to be putting together the whole eBook myself so I set about doing a route per day. Sometimes that worked and other times I found myself getting too tired. My fitness levels are definitely way up on what they were before.

I’ve released the eBook yesterday and I’m busy contacting as many people as possible to let them know it has been released. So far quite a few people have downloaded and the feedback has been very positive. I’m still looking for some people to be critical so I know which areas I need to improve on.

I want to put up some guest posts with what I learned from releasing my first eBook because there is definitely not enough information on the internet about it. I will be contacting some of the top blogs to see if they will let me write for them.

The favourite London cycle route I did is hard to decide. The nightride was very liberating because so many hours had gone into it and it was my final route knowing I could relax afterwards. The most eventful was probably Rickmansworth to Denham ending up falling down in the mud. The longer was the London to Chichester. The best one though… “From a suit to a fluorescent jacket”

If you want to take a look at it, it is available at:

London Cycle Routes

The code I ended up using:

$chosen = mt_rand(1,3);
switch($chosen){
case 1:
include ‘first.php’;
break;
case 2:
include ‘second.php’;
break;
case 3:
include ‘third.php’;
break;
default:
echo ‘something went horribly wrong’;
}

From: Random HTML snippets with PHP include?

This worked very well for me. I simply removed case 3 and changed mt_rand(1,3); to mt_rand(1,2);

This then randomly chose between my first block of text and my second block of text. This meant I could split test their effectiveness by embedding two different aweber forms. When the first form is randomly loaded it counts it in Aweber and then when the second form randomly loads again the results are counted. This meant I could customise the text in a way I wanted and not have to use Awebers built in e-mail forms which were not effective and looked ugly.

Hope this helps someone looking to randomise the way content appears on a page.

The only solution I could think of was to create a new site and set it up exactly as I wanted it and then transfer it to the main site, this would allow for minimum downtime and plenty of stress free time to test out the site before making it live. I effectively “spring cleaned my wordpress” so it is as if I’m starting from scratch but  then uploading all the database content.

So… how did I do it?

1) I used fantastico in my cpanel to automatically install a new instance of wordpress in a subdomain so instead of efinet.co.uk I installed to test.efinet.co.uk. Use whatever tool your hosts gives you to setup a new wordpress or just install it yourself to a subdomain.

2) Then I copied over from my other database all the database files.Luckily they had a different name. Effectively I now had a copy of all the new database files and the old ones that contained all the data I wanted to transfer.

3) Luckily when I did this they had different names. This allowed me to rename each of them one by one so I can effectively test out if there was going to be any problems. So my old one was called wp_55_posts for example and the new one was wp_posts. So what I would do is rename the new one to wp_posts_new and the old one to wp_posts.

4) I discovered that there was an error with renaming the settings file. So I kept the original settings file and just went in and manually edited it using phpmyadmin.

5) There was also a problem with wp_usermeta so I edited my original to look more like the new one. Then everything was working fine.

6) Then I logged into wordpress (with my original username and password) and double checked all the settings matched up wtih my original site (which was still live) and my new site (which I had setup at a subdomain)

7) I cross checked all my plugins and re-uploaded them

Re-uploaded a theme I wanted

9) Double checked all the pages were still there and working

10) Transfered my wp_content/uploads folder which contained all the images

11) Iron out any errors and hey presto your new site works exactly the same as the new one.

12) Then I simply renamed efinet.co.uk folder to efinet.co.uk22 and test.efinet.co.uk to efinet.co.uk

13) This meant the main site was now my new one.

14) From then on you need to go into admin panel settings and change the wordpress blog URL and also site URL.

I think I described the steps fairly well. If you need any help or have a similar problem with your wordpress javascript not working in the admin panel then drop me a comment and I’ll see if I can help. I’m no wordpress expert but this “spring clean” technique worked for me.

Tim Ferriss on Spreading an idea

• How blogs helped Tim Ferriss become a best seller – A Mixergy interview about how Tim Ferriss learned from others and techniques that could be replicated
• How does a best seller happen? – Tim talks about he went from 0 to Wall Street Journal Bestseller. In particular it was interesting how he got in contact with the experts in the field and asked not only what to do but also what not to waste time on – he found that book signings is a definite no-no
• Micro persuasion behind a meme – looking at some interesting statistics of the growth in Tim Ferriss related posts and some key things to take out of it
• Problogger interviews Tim Ferriss – great interview covering some of the ‘offline’ techniques Tim Ferriss used to get featured on the top blogs and get to know influential bloggers. Also encourages you to see a blog as just a tool amongst others

Accelerated Learning

• Learning something in a short space of time – Brief discussion on Zen Habits about how Tim Ferriss learns so much in such a short space of time. Interesting in particular is how you should not overrate how difficult something is
• Accelerated Language Learning – David Betz’ take on accelerated learning from the four-hour-work-week and how you should first deconstruct something before attempting to learn it
• Hanselminutes – following on from the above the interview discusses focusing on what is important to become a world-class expert on many topics and finding the point of diminishing return so you are not wasting effort
• How to learn a language in 3 months – From the 4HWW blog on how to learn languages effectively. Useful insight into accelerated learning

4HWW Promotion

• On I Will Teach You To Be Rich – Some shameless promotion of the book with a competition to win a round-the-world ticket
• Lifehacker.org interview Tim Ferriss
• Leo Babauta interviews Tim Ferriss

Videos

3 main things to take away from this: if you fear something then it is probably something worth doing, there is a much more effective way to swim and always ask: “what is the worse that could happen?” I also like Steve Pavlinas take on this question: Hey, if it’s not going to land me in jail, how bad could it be?”

Unfortunately I could not find a full copy of the Trial By Fire show. Though you can purchase it from the History Channel.

Ramit and Tim discuss the importance of failure for success. Ramit talks about his list of failures and if his list is not growing by 2-3 items a month then something is not right. Tim discusses how if you can learn something from failure then it is not a complete failure.

Kevin from Diggnation and Tim discuss Angel investing

Four Hour Workweek fundamentals

• Derek Sivers Interview – interview discussing some of the key ideas to come out of the 4HWW. Talking in particular about test driving and experimenting with your processes to improve them
• Diary of a self help dropout – humorous take on GTD vs Four Hour Work Week

Miscellaneous

• Adding Tabs to your blog just like the four hour workweek blog – discussion from the guy that redesigned the 4HWW blog
• View the previous iterations of Tim Ferriss homepage – right back to the post that says no blog writing for 6 to 10 months to focus on writing the book
• Speed reading – How to read 300% faster in 20 minutes
• Tim Ferriss criticism – Its not all Ferriss lovin’

If you like the 4HWW content you may also enjoy these reads:

• Conceptual Toolmaking: expert systems of the mind – often Tim Ferriss describes his strength as deconstructing or breaking down something to learn it more effectively. Some of the conceptual mapping techniques in this book come close to what he discusses
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – one of the recommended reads in Tim Ferriss book which talks about how 3 perspectives exist within an entrepreneur and how you have to harness all 3. Also like the discussion on building in a business a predictable system that can be replicated
• Zorba the Greek – This one is a bit out there but it is recommend in one of Tim Ferriss blog posts. Zorba reminds us of the simple pleasures in life and how we should enjoy each moment  (I prefer the UK version of the cover I think it captures Zorba much better)

Please help me pass on the word about this article on stumbleupon or twitter. Thank you kindly

[ad#ad-3]

After having spent 20 months with my Nokia N95 it was time for a change. That change was to take the form of a Samsung Omnia SGH-i900 mobile phone.

What a terrible mistake!

I go to write a message and it rotates, I try to scroll the screen and it zooms in, I try to quickly search for my friends name in my contacts and it takes for ever.

The other day I went into a mobile phone shop and I overheard the guy in front of me complaining to the shop assistant about how hard the Omnia is to use and can he exchange it. Get in line mate.

Review of the Camera

My sole reason for choosing the Omnia vs iPhone is that it had a great 5MP camera. The camera takes for ever to take a picture and the quality is not good. I took my Omnia out with me on New Years Eve and boy is that flash bright! Too bright. All the pictures come out with a weird white glow.  *sigh*

Review of Windows Mobile Device Centre

After spending 2 days looking around the internet for people experiencing similar problems and getting nowhere when trying to connect their mobile phone to windows mobile device centre I gave up. I reinstalled my entire laptop and suddenly it was working. If anyone has a solution by the way to the WpdRapi2.dll and WUDFRd.sys driver installation problems get in touch! *sigh*

with the solutions to the WpdRapi2.dll and WUDFRd.sys driver installation problems I reinstalled my entire laptop. Suddenly it was working. *sigh*

Review of Omnia Interface

I know that some reviews talk about how the Samsung updates to the Windows Mobile operating system have improved the interface but I beg to differ. In short, it is unusable without the stylus. It is about time Samsung learnt a few lessons off the iPhone – people don’t want to carry round a stylus and they don’t want to have to tap their screen with their fingernails. *big sigh*

I tried to fall in love with the Omnia

Despite all this I tried very hard to rekindle my flame with the Omnia. I even installed Spb Mobile Shell which is an absolutely great piece of software for improving the unusable Omnia interface. Unfortunately it was not to be.

My Solution

I put my phone on eBay and sold it. Part of me feels sorry for the next owner. Part of me doesn’t because I’m moving on to an actual usable phone next – the Nokia N85.

Goodbye Omnia you will be missed. Not!

Have you ever wondered how best to use your Nokia Nseries phone? I have had my N95 for over 18 months and have been actively seeking out all the alterations I can make to improve my phone. In this guide I will cover the applications and tweaks that I have come across which will have the biggest impact to your experience. This guide will not cover some of the smaller changes. For that I recommend the N95 Best Tips and Tricks.

Software

Opera Mini

Much faster than the default browser and easier to use -  especially when looking at websites not originally meant for a mobile phone. To download head to: www.operamini.com on your mobile. The main site I visit is Evernote mobile which has all my notes such as todo lists, shopping lists etc.

Nokia Communication Centre

Is a great bit of software that comes with Nokia PC Suite. It lets you send text messages from your computer and look through your messages.

Google Maps

While Nokia Maps 2.0 is a huge improvement to the first version, Google Maps still prevails as far more useful. To use Google Maps you should have some form of data allowance call plan as Google Maps is very heavy on the internet usage.

Google Search

This application basically acts as a shortcut to Google mobile search but it saves you the time it takes to load up the internet browser.
[ad#ad-2]

Fring

Fring allows you to connect to your instant messenger client and message people on the go. I found this particularly useful especially when travelling abroad for keeping in touch with people. The best part about Fring is that you can log in to Skype and call other users for free.

Customise

I have two rules for this. Firstly I want to make my most often used applications the most accessible. Secondly anything that can be considered to be clutter is out of my sight. There is no definitive answer to how the menus should be arranged. If you find yourself clicking through too many menus all the time to find a certain application then maybe its time to move it to the main menu. Ask yourself: how can I make this easier for myself?

I personally prefer having more programs on the main menu which is why my Google Mail and Google Maps link is just a short scroll away rather than hidden away in the applications folder. Bookmarks wise I have deleted all the unecessary bookmarks (Though unfortunately you are stuck with the default folders Nokia adds to the phone – my only solution to this is move them down to the bottom of the bookmark list)

Finally familiarise yourself with the Tools > Settings > General > Personalisation > Standby mode > Shortcuts menu which controls what programs you get when you use the scroll pad. Personally I have the calculator and converter hooked up to left and right. If I press up then the internet browser loads up to the Evernote notes page.

Update

This is about using the latest version of PC Suite and keeping your phone firmware up to date using Nokia Software Updater (NSU). Recent benefits from firmware updates include longer battery life, faster menus and better camera performance. The most recent version is v30. Though currently on o2 phone network in the UK I am only able to get v21. When updating firmware you should make a backup of everything and to make it easier for yourself you should store all your applications on your memory card so they are not lost when you perform the update.

Backup

To backup things such as notes, contacts and calendar events Nokia have released My Nokia Backup. I find this the easiest way to backup my most important content as all it requires is a quick sync (Tools > Sync) and everything can be backed up wirelessly. To backup things such as Pictures you should use the tools within Nokia PC suite.