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I’ve seen some serious horror stories of people experiencing something really, really frightening: forgetting regular computer backups.

And they weren’t even people who didn’t know better or have half a clue. They were top earning online business people, whose livelihood was their computer. Something somehow went wrong, and POOF. Sometimes literally POOF.

And of course, they exhorted one and all to please, please remember to back up all their files on a regular basis so that such disasters would  not befall them.

It’s not hard to do or time consuming, but do YOU do it? If so, do you do it often enough? Do you think you need to?

I didn’t.

Right now, you’re thinking, “OK, here’s the part where he tells about his computer suddenly bursting into flame/melting into a puddle/leveling the neighborhood with a huge explosion. Better grab another cup of coffee, this is gonna be good!!”

Nope, sorry, nothing that dramatic. Some years back, when I was brand new to all this Internet kind of stuff - so new I thought safelists and paid email really could make money for me online - I completely fried my computer.

I sat down at it one day, flipped the switch and nothing happened. My computer had died and a doorstop had been born. Very technological “Circle Of Life” sort of thing.

My current computer guy is a family friend who took a look at it and declared the cause of death to be pretty much everything: viruses, spyware, malware, all those be-wares you always hear about. There was nothing to salvage at all.

These days, I know a little better, and I also know about these things called files that I work with that need backup. All of them, but especially the ones I created. The problem is I don’t make the kind of money online those others do, and I know my memory’s probably worse about such things.

I remember the stories later, but not the backup. Stories interesting and scary, backups not so much.

I decided to check out an online automated backup service, because I could:

1) regularly back up files for storage away from my computer

2) let THEM remember to do it.

I checked out a couple and decided to go with Mozy Online Backup.

For $5 a month, I could back up and store a whole bunch of stuff either on a schedule of my choosing or automatically. By going automatic, I can also tell it not to backup and slow me down while I’m busy and using X capacity at the time. There’s a free version too, but unless you’re planning to stand still and do nothing, a monthly data storage budget the same as most people’s daily coffee is well worth them doing it for me.

I’m no math whiz, but $5 a  month or a new computer or recreating needed files - and I’m a technophobe, not a technophile - was pretty much a no-brainer in my case.

How’s your math??

Dan

Last night I confirmed it, but it happened during the Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research fundraiser.

Someone mentioned to me in a DM (direct message) on Twitter that a friend had just made a donation that would “break my goal.”

No sign of anything in Paypal, nothing in my email…I didn’t think a lot more about it. A couple more messages, and then I contacted the alleged donor with no reply.

Yasterday, I received a message from this person who said that a copy of the receipt from Autism Speaks was sent to one of my email addresses that I don’t tend to check. So I checked…and then I choked.

The direct donation made to Autism Speaks was in the amount of $5000.00.

Because of my promotion of the event on Twitter for two weeks, the total for the fundraiser was now $6250.00.

AND it dragged on for a week, AND I was sick from Thursday into Saturday, AND I was involved in preparing (and surviving) a big party that weekend.

Moral of the story: Online promotion ROCKS. It’s all a matter of doing it, and not necessarily doing it well. I’m hardly a Twitter whiz (a Twhiz?) and look what happened to me.

There’s many different ways to promote yourself and your product, service or even fundraiser online. My advice: Start early, grow it over time and keep at it on a regular schedule.

As the planning and promotion for next year’s fundraiser unfolds, we’ll discuss it here. Your own two cents are always welcome too!

Dan >

This year’s Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research is over, and we did well. We didn’t break the goal, but I know why. What’s more, I know how we’ll blow past it like it’s standing still next year.

Here’s some of the lessons this year’s event has taught me:

Lesson 1: Keep it short.

Trying to maintain enthusiasm and, in the advice of Willie Crawford, “grab and hold attention” for an event like this for one full week is just plain crazy, unless you happen to be a computer who needs no sleep or food, has nothing else to do and never gets sick or tired. Between my own observations and experience and the advice of those who know, three days in this case would have been much better than seven. Also, expecting people to help spread the word for a few days is nicer than hounding and pleading over an entire week.

I’ve decided that next year’s fundraiser will be live from 12 noon Eastern On Monday, October 5 until 12 noon Eastern on Thursday, October 8.

Which brings us to the next lesson…

Lesson 2: Focus.

I made a huge and unforgivable mistake this year. I scheduled the event on the same week as the big Harvest/Halloween party that my wife and her friend both anticipate eagerly and hold on a weekend in October each year. Conducting a fundraiser or really a promotional campaign of any kind when you’re being conscripted for hanging decorations, running for this and that, lifting that, moving this and everything else possible is hard. That’s putting it mildly! From Thursday through Saturday, my time was not my own very often and I was typically anywhere but at my computer.

And the time that was? I spent it sick.

Lesson 3: Stay healthy.

Some little germ knocked my 6′, 225 lb. self flatter than a pancake by late Thursday afternoon, and I hadn’t puffed back up to much more than a scone by Saturday. Still, slaves can’t complain, so I helped my wife and did what I could manage otherwise.

The Wonder WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research would have been seriously up the creek, except for one thing:

Lesson 4: Social networking ROCKS!

I’m ashamed to admit that I joined Twitter in 2007, and didn’t even post once until this past month. I started spending a lot of time there a couple of weeks before the kickoff deliberately to test its potential, and I was blown away!

I met and recruited several product contributors who offered some fantastic stuff and even old friends and acquiantences I hadn’t been in touch with for a while. Many started a rally on Thursday after I mentioned that the $1000 mark was just a few hundred away, and NINE donations were made in 30 minutes. Yeah, WOW!

If you’re not active in social networking sites, start. If you are, don’t stop. It’s worth the (scheduled) time and effort. Had I started when I first joined Twitter, who knows how well we would have done this time? I know we’ll do well next year, because:

Lesson 5: Plan your campaign in advance.

In the first year of the WWIMGAR, I was struck with inspiration only a month or so beforehand and scrambled “old school” style by email and forums to find contributors and then donors. The results of that first effort showed my lack of advance planning. I did, hwoever, promise that each succeeding year would be better. It has, and it will continue to do so.

I began planning for the next event during the past one. Mostly, It consisted of saying, “I don’t like how that works” or “Well, I sure don’t want to do this so much again!” or some such thing. I thought about a lot of things, some I wrote down, some I didn’t and some my mind simply couldn’t or wouldn’t hoald on to long enough to write down.

Knowing that this is something that happens once a year at the same time, I can plan at my leisure, ask questions, make inquiries, pick brains, the works.

My goal was and remains making the Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research better every year. Just wait ’til next year!

Dan >

P.S. I’ll be posting my planning process here as I go throughout the year until the next fundraiser. Your questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome!

People are just dying to know the total for this year’s Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research.

I’m not ready to give it.

And here’s why:

XSitePro is currently avaialble at a $100 discount. When I tried to ask for a $50 discount for donors, they laughed and said, “It’s already $100 off right now, dummy!!”

Actually, they were much, MUCH nicer about it than that.

If you’ve been thinking about getting XSitePro or just want a darn good site builder that’s quick, easy and has tremendous support behind it, now is the very best time.

Any and all affiliate commissions are earmarked for inclusion into the fundraiser’s grand total. 100% of every penny, period.

You get a great deal and autism research gets an extra boost.

Check Out XSitePro

Want to know even more? Take a peek at the features and testimonials before you decide!

Dan >

The second annual Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research is now over. Thanks, contributors, word spreaders & donors!!

It is now Day 6 of the second annual Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research.

Yes, you’re right. There was no mention of Day 5 here. Some little germ knocked all six foot and 225 pounds of me flatter than a pancake. Not so bad right now, a little more like a scone…

Yesterday did bring some very welcome news, however. We broke the $1000 mark!! Felt sooooo good.

This feat is directly attributable to a rally on Twitter that brought nine donations in just 30 minutes.

You all know what Day 6 means. Only two more days to go. If you haven’t told anyone about this, please do so. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, quit waiting!

The Wonderful WAHumor Internet Marketing Giveaway for Autism Research is now in its fourth day, and approaching the $1000 mark.

This is particularly exciting news because this year’s goal is $2500. We could make it…or even break it!!

Is $25 for several hundred bucks worth of valuable resources is too much for you? Or $50 for not only that, but also the chance at $1000 worth more??

http://www.wahumorway.com/wahumor/WonderfulWAHumorGiveaway.html

This news is sweet enough to Tweet!

http://tinyurl.com/4v9ufw

Dan

I can tell I’ve been busy with this and a lot else when I stop blogging on the blog with the better functionality and use one that’s just been dusted off.

Today is the second day of the Wonderful WAHumor Giveaway for Autism Research, and before noon my time, it has already surpassed last year’s total. How much more is possible? I’d love to find out!!

If you haven’t seen it yet, do so before it’s gone:

http://www.wahumorway.com/wahumor/WonderfulWAHumorGiveaway.html

Want to hear something crazy? I’m already planning for next year! Always think forward…

I can’t TELL you what’s there, you have to see to believe.

I can drop a name or two just between us:

XSitePro, Alice Seba, Dr. Mani, Jimmy D. Brown, Lynn Terry and Kelly McCausey.

Take a peek and find out more:

http://www.wahumorway.com/wahumor/WonderfulWAHumorGiveaway.html

Dan

The Wonderful WAHumor Giveaway for Autism Research is celebrating its second year, and it owes its very existence to one person. But not who you might think…

Once upon a time…well, actually, eight years ago to be more or less exact, it happened.

My youngest son Nicholas was just three years old and recently confirmed as autistic. This came well after our first warning when he was nine months old, so knowing for sure was both a relief and a worry.

I was sitting watching TV with my oldest son Christopher, then eight. He had his own issues in life, as we were learning to deal with his ADD and specific learning disabilities. Fighting that “lazy unmotivated” crap was better knowing words and brain wiring were his enemies, but not much easier at the time.

Anyway, a commercial (or is that a public service announcement?) came on about the National Alliance for Autism Research, since joined with and become Autism Speaks. It was about the upcoming regional “Walk Far For NAAR” fundraising event and explained that pledges were collected beforehand by teams of peoplepersonally connected somehow to someone with autism, and all those people came together to walk as a way to show their support.

Just as it ended, he turned to me and said, “I want to do that to help Nick”.

Not “Gee, that’d be nice to do” or “Maybe we could do that”.

My eight year old son said exactly those words and filled his dear ol’ dad chock full of pride.

We…oops, I mean HE enlisted the family in the effort and together we trudged the neighborhood, often with his brother’s picture in hand, to ask for pledges.

We did it every year as an extended family, except when serious illness, incapacity or other crises afflicted our little band. Door-to-door efforts started to dwindle when many other worthy causes decided to host the same sort of events during the fall. Our pot of donations dwindled accordingly.

Christopher was feeling more discouraged and frustrated by the results of his efforts. Family members withdrew for different reasons, including that Nick was “doing OK” in their opinion while friends, neighbors and co-workers were getting “the pinch” from everywhere and everyone.

Something had to change, so we changed it. The Wonderful WAHumor Giveaway for Autism Research was born.

I contacted people that should have intimidated the dickens out of me. Harvey Segal. Jeremy Palmer. Perry Marshall of Definitive Guide To Google Adwords gave the famous DGTGA that first year, and Paul Smithson of XSitePro offered a copy of his best-selling website builder.

You can see the list as it looks right now (so far!) here:

http://www.wahumorway.com/wahumor/WWGARannouncement.html

It’s not pretty, but now you know why I’m no famous site designer.
Now that our second year is a reality, plans are in the works for continuing and improving as the third year begins now. The overwhelming response of contributors has definitely convinced me it’s worth keeping on, and I sincerely hope that donors will respond well too when we go live at 5 a.m. this Sunday, October 5.

Nicholas has now started middle school, and while he’s struggling with the adjustment,  he’s coping well - better than my concerns! His “difference” isn’t stopping him and he’s well aware that even in his own community, there are others who struggle much more.

Guess that means I can’t quit either.

Dan :)>

P.S. The Wonderful WAHumor Giveaway for Autism Research will be live from 5 a.m. Eastern Sunday, October 5  until 5 a.m. Eastern Sunday, October 12. Hope to see you there!

Promote ANYTHING Online: Your Step By Step Online Marketing Campaign did launch on September 15. The problem? It did not do so successfully due to several technical issues.

That being said, I’m turning my attention and efforts to something completely different: my annual online fundraiser for autism research. For those who may not know, my youngest son is autistic.

Last year at its inception, proceeds were far below those anticipated. In fairness to both sons (the older of which declared at age 8 that he would help his 3 year old little brother by collecting donations door-to-door!), I intend to do much better this year.

I’m currently soliciting product contributions, and the fundraiser officially kicks off at 5 a.m. on Sunday, October 5.

Please leave a comment if you wish to suggest someone to approach regarding their product, have a product of your own to offer or just want to help spread the word!

Updates coming… : ) >

Dan