When this Busby SEO Test participant got into the Internet, I recall liking MP3 access quite a lot then. Later on, my friends and I got into the web development business. We looked for potential projects from online marketplaces like eLance. Most of our clients were U.S. based then. However, as times gone by, we all got busy with our adventures and did not pursue the web development business anymore.

Although today, I focused more on SEO and blog marketing.

It is amazing to know stories of people on how they started using the Internet and observe their use of it now. Most of us have really grown and mature in its adoption. My Busby SEO Test peer thinks it is important for young people to have an appreciation of how the Internet has evolved in the Philippines. Hopefully they won’t take the infrastructure today for granted and take an interest in shaping its future.

For Busby SEO Test bloggers who are engaged into serious niche topics, an option to explore is getting into ebook publishing. This is where you attempt to compile a series of post arranged by following an outline format. An ebook can complement an online workshop series or stand on its own. Best, it gives you the opportunity to improve as you go along.

For self-publishers, like my Busby SEO Test peer, who has released more than 10 titles in the past 9 years, there is also an issue on relevance. Lately, she decided to post old works online and have it be shared to those interested to learn.

There are sites such as Scribd that allows you to share your published works and other materials for viewing. You can even have it shared and be downloaded too if you want to.

Perhaps the most popular affiliate program, joined by Busby SEO Test participants, on the Internet today is that of Amazon.com. Its diverse products made it the most attractive online income program to participate in. The online giant continuously works on its program to keep affiliates happy and be bold to experiment further.

The Amazon aStore is not really new. It has been there for quite sometime now. It allows you to create full online store and even brand it. For this blog post, let me focus on the aStore creation process and the lessons learned I had. If lucky, some of the Amazon affiliate program folks will be able to read this and hopefully they can work on the problems I’m coping with.

Building an aStore
Creating an aStore is like making an e-commerce website. It requires the affiliate to plan ahead and consider the concerns of the prospective consumer to come up with the proper design.

Products can be added individually, by listmania, or by category. In creating the Bookstore site, I added the products individually by focusing on a keyword and by author name in another area.

Minus points: Products are added one by one. There’s no check box feature where you can select several products and add them at once. The order of the listing does not dynamically change either and there’s no drag-and-drop feature for affiliate members to change the order.

In creating the Birthstones Jewelry site, I tried categorizing the products according to zodiac sign and stated a keyword to only shows products that fits each.

One of the options Amazon gave is to include subcategories. For the jewelry category, that would be: accessories, body jewelry, bracelets, brooches and pins, charms, children’s jewelry, earrings, engagement, jewelry sets, men’s jewelry, necklaces and pendants, religious jewelry, rings, wedding and anniversary.

Minus points: That is supposed to be a good thing. However, the keyword parameter I stated does not get carried out in the subcategories that made me remove it. The removal part can’t be done by just unclicking the inclusion box, you will need to delete and add it back again (without the subcategories option).

To be able to add the subcategories I desire, will need to do them one by one.

Create duplicate stores
The nice thing about Amazon aStore is that once you’ve completed one, you can duplicate it and make further customization. For the Birthstones site, I decided to duplicate and create an all-men’s jewelry variation. Then edits were done on the categories (pointing to men’s jewelry), editing of the site name, and other settings.

Minus points: I was hoping that I’ll be given an option to edit a category sitewide and define men’s jewelry once and it will apply to all. Unfortunately, that isn’t so and therefore needs to be done per product category.

I noticed also that there are some products that creep in the men’s jewelry subcategory that does not fit it at all. I hope there’ll be a feature that we can tag a product and inform Amazon right away that this product should not be in there.

Moving forward
There is also the challenge of letting the target market be aware that your aStore exist and attract prospective customers. All the things you know about promoting a website or blog applies in this case and even more. I will share our experience on this in the future.

I was invited by EMARKE (Electronic Marketing) Class of Marketing Management of De La Salle – St. Benilde to talk about Blog Marketing last November 28,2008.

At first I was hesitant because I have not talked to students for like 6 years already and I was afraid that I might not have the “magic” anymore to connect to them on what I am supposed to discuss. But then I had a second thought and I said yes.

While I was driving my way to St. Benilde, I recalled how I used to be as a facilitator in the learning process of young minds and I thought, Hmm.. I think this one opportunity is something I should not miss.

True, I am already akin to talking to professionals and corporate entities and it has become like an ordinary thing already but to students, I already forgot the feeling.

I arrived late in the scene because of the bad traffic in Manila and constructions are ongoing here and there. Surprisingly, I was the first speaker to be there. The traffic jam is already bad and that later, I heard that the Multiply representative from ABS-CBN cannot make it because of some minor accident on his/her way to St. Benilde.

So I had a small chitchat with the group of students who were tasked to facilitate the event and then, a few minutes came Joel Yuviengco, a Social Network consultant and Ramon Duremdes Jr., the CEO of Mobile Arts.

You see the world is so small because the 2 individuals are in one way or another are connected to my network of friends. I was able to meet Nonoy Carandang, the Editor of Digital Photographer Magazine who was also there to talk about a certain topic too.

So when it was my turn (I was the second speaker because Ramon of Mobile Arts requested me to talk first instead of him), the magic of being in front of students came out of me once again. You see when you are a speaker, you need to look at your audience and you have to make sure that they are connecting. Gets? Are you with me? kinda questions that you should ask yourself or else, you will never be effective. If it needs to scrap all your prepared presentation just to get your message across then you should.

Luckily, I still have that charm in me and that ability to connect to my audience. In short, I had fun being in front of students again.

After the event, the speakers had a small conversation about what are going online these days. In short, my decision coming to the event is correct.

Of course, Adolfo Aron III is all support to this event and Janette Toral is always a great help.

The students of De Lasalle-St Benilde are amazing! Oh! the new building rocks! Top of the class!

Anyways, let me look at my Busby SEO Test entry now..