The latest “Meh, it’s a slow news day” story comes courtesy of Mark Davidson, a self-described “Internet marketing and sales professional” who managed to scrounge up over 55,000 Twitter followers. Is he an Internet rock star? Does he hold the secret to making millions of dollars from the pantsless luxury of your home office? Is he BFFs with Lady Gaga? It’s a mystery as to how he accumulated so many followers, but regardless of his method, Davidson has a pretty strong Twitter account. Must be a lot of work for one dude to maintain such a popular profile.

Or so we thought. A couple nights ago, Davidson’s Twitter account supposedly got hijacked while he slumbered, no doubt dreaming of high conversion rates and new Facebook layouts. It turns out that the so-called Internet marketing expert employed not one, not two, but three ghostwriters to maintain his Twitter account for him. Because you know, we Internet marketers are as busy as Jay-Z and need to hire a whole PR team to manufacture 140 character tweets on our behalf. Either Davidson has too much money than he knows what to do with or the economy is really that bad that people are desperate enough to pretend to be a middle-aged white dude for a pittance. [Read more...]

Everyone who speaks at conferences does so for their own reasons. Some do it for the recognition, others do it to promote a product or service. Many, especially in internet marketing, speak at conferences to mentor the next generation of SEOs, out of an obligation to “pay it forward” as they themselves had been taught by a previous generation.

My own reasons for speaking at conferences are much more selfish. Several months ago on Twitter, Lindsay Wassell asked what the primary purpose for others was in speaking at conferences; I replied that I typically spoke for my own professional development. Getting up and speaking in front of one’s peers is not something many people have a talent for, and even fewer enjoy. Yet, it’s something we frequently have to do in the business world, whether it’s a client presentation or employee training. Being unable to speak isn’t an option, and the quality of your delivery can make or break a deal.
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If you’re launching an Internet marketing service, you’ll want to do more than just research what you should do, you also need to research what you should avoid. To get you started, here are several Internet marketing phrases to stay away from.

Calling Yourself the Top or the Best
Not to be a Debbie Downer but if you’re calling yourself a top internet marketing expert or the best on the block, you’re probably only fooling yourself. Honestly, those that are the best in the business are more humble and let the praise of others as well as their results do the talking. You can aspire to be a top Internet marketer but let someone else make that claim, don’t do it yourself.
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