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Issue #17
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Original Plagiarism
The only difference between an original idea and plagiarism is getting caught.
Don’t believe me? Ask Microsoft.
In point of fact all, so-called, “original” ideas are copies of a previous creation.
People thought the experts were pretty clever when they came up with the “original” idea of radar for locating aircraft, forgetting that bats and certain kinds of dolphin have been using echolocation for a considerably longer period of time.
The fly used a three-speed gearshift connected to its wings long before the invention of the car.
The tendon in your forearm is a twisted bunch of cables similar to the cables used in a suspension bridge.
These are just a few examples of new inventions being cribbed from an existing idea or practice, regardless of whether the inventors were aware of it or not.
Inventing from the invented is a common practice and is the easiest way of coming up with a “new” idea.
Microsoft’s MS-DOS was a slightly tweaked version of IBM-DOS which in turn was an adapted version of someone else’s code. Repackaging can often be more productive than producing something truly original.
So if you’re looking to create your own program / product / website that no-one has ever done before. Stop. Very few people, if any, invent something truly unique. Instead take a look at what is already successful and ask yourself how you can adapt it. How can you improve on it? Can you combine it with something else?
Combination is particularly effective in this industry.
Screenblaze combined the auto-surfer with a screensaver to make their program. Mystical Maze
combined a traffic exchange with a game to create their website. And MPAM
combined… well... everything to create their machine.
That could be the key to your invention. Don’t invent. Re-invent.
Not on my wave-length yet? Let me give you an example to get you started.
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What do you get if you cross signature advertising, rotators and forum posting?
You get – Dylan Campbell’s, “Email & Forum Signature Rotator”
Here’s how you do it:
1) Everyone knows the value of placing a hyperlink in your signature file. Everyone who receives an email from you or reads your posts in a forum, gets to see your preferred URL and has the potential to click and become a visitor. Hotmail used this technique to good effect by placing their link in the outgoing mail of all their email account users.
You could do something like:
# # # # # # # # # #
Dylan Campbell
dylan@emailaddress
Visit the crazy world of Dylan Campbell
http://www.dylancampbell.com
# # # # # # # # # #
Most email programs and forums have the ability to automate your signature file, placing your preferred text below each message. But what if you want to promote more than one URL? You can’t place them all in one signature file as it would be too large. Remembering to change it regularly can be burdensome and changing the signature file in your forum profile often retrospectively changes every post you’ve ever made.
2) Which brings us to rotators. Rotating banners and websites are old news, but what if you could apply the principle to your signature file. You could use a fancy script to rotate signature files, but what if you are sending a text email or a message system that doesn’t support code?
To rotate signatures you need a tool called Type Pilot . This is a marvellous piece of software that is a great time-saver if you type a lot of similar emails or code websites in HTML. It works by storing pieces of text, of any length, and then linking it to a series of letter or numbers of your choice.
It sits quietly in the background and any time it recognises that you’ve input a code, it replaces that code with the pre-arranged text. For example, if I type in “sgn1” after writing an email, it automatically replaces “sgn1” with:
# # # # # # # # # #
Dylan Campbell
dylan@emailaddress
Visit the crazy world of Dylan Campbell
http://www.dylancampbell.com
# # # # # # # # # #
It works in Microsoft Word, Excel, internet browsers, wordpad, email programs, virtually anywhere that you can type text. This little piece of software saves me hours of work a week and once you’ve been using the codes for a while, they become second nature.
Now here’s the clever bit.
Create an individual signature file for each website you want to promote. For a conservative example, let’s say you have three that look like this:
# # # # # # # # # #
Dylan Campbell
dylan@emailaddress
Visit the Mystical Maze
www.mysticalmaze.com
# # # # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # # # #
Dylan Campbell
dylan@emailaddress
Visit MPAM
MPAM
# # # # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # # # #
Dylan Campbell
dylan@emailaddress
Don’t Visit Screenblaze
http://www.itsux.com
# # # # # # # # # #
Now using Type Pilot take the first signature file and create 11 different shortcuts; sgn1, sgn4, sgn7, sgn10… and so on up to sgn31
For the second signature file create another 10 called: sgn2, sgn5, sgn8, sgn11… and so on up to sgn29
And finally for the third signature file create another 10 called: sgn3, sgn6, sgn9, sgn12… and so on up to sgn30.
Now anytime you write an email, finish off by typing “sgnX”, with X being the day of the month. So if it is the 15th of March, conclude your emails with sgn15 which will display the third signature file. Tomorrow type sgn16 which will display the first signature file. No matter what day of the month it is, you will easily be able to type one of your pre-arranged signature files ensuring they are rotated evenly.
With this method, you can rotate up to 31 signature files for no extra cost!
And don’t stop there. Use the same technique when you are posting on forums. Delete the signature file from your profile to prevent them from being added automatically and start rotating your signature files on the exchanges.
Best idea ever? I’ll leave that to you to decide. But hopefully the point has been made clear.
New ideas do not have to be 100% original. Combine or alter existing products and ideas. As long as they do something a little better or a little differently to everyone else, then you may be able to create something desirable.
Just be careful not to get caught.
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HitsXL is a new traffic exchange with stacks of features, including:
- Traffic Builder
- Daily Contests
- 50 Free Credits
- 5 Referral Levels
Click on the link above to sign-up.
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Editors' Note
Joel returns next week which means my workload will be reduced by at least 5%. We'll be discussing a new layout for the site to take into account the feedback we received.
This week I would like to see your response to Dylan's suggestion of combining ideas to create something new. I've started a new thread in The Nettle Forum and the best idea will win 1st Prize in our Forum Competition. See below for more details.
This week there is also a new special offer for purchasing advertising in The Nettle. Don't forget that all of our issues are archived, meaning your adverts will remain on our website on a permanent basis. Keep reading to find out more.
Thank you for subscribing to The Nettle. If you have any feedback I would love to hear from you. And, in fact, if you have any questions on anything internet-related, please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will do my best to help you.
Best wishes.
David Congreave.
david@thenettle.com
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Mystical Maze Traffic Exchange
Mystical Maze comissioned Dylan Campbell to write an article especially for Traffic Exchange newcomers.
Entitled "Traffic Exchanges 101", you can read the full article in the Members Area of Mystical Maze.
Click on the banner above to sign up.
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New Forum Competition for February 2004
Robert Palmer has kindly put up some free credts at Mystical Maze which we will give away in our forum competition.
1st Prize - The person who posts the best comment in our "Debate" section during the month of February 2004 will win one month of PAID membership in the Mystical Maze exchange. This includes 200 bonus credits, 2000 banner impressions and a 1:1 ratio.
2nd Prize - The two individuals who post the most interesting comments in our Debate section will each win 500 credits in the Mystical Maze exchange.
3rd Prize - The two individuals who post the most interesting comments anywhere in The Nettle Forum will each receive 2500 banner impressions.
Winners will be announced in the first issue of The Nettle in March 2004. If you want to get started, go to The Nettle Forum and get posting. If you haven't already, click on the banner above to join Mystical Maze.
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Advertise with The Nettle - Special Offer.
Each week we place four boxed-ads in the middle of our main article. These consist of five lines with a maximum of 20 characters per line. The usual price for a run of 8 issues is £14.99 / $22.50.
However, for one week only, you can purchase a boxed-ad in 8 issues of The Nettle for just £4.99 / $8.99, a saving of 66%. There are only EIGHT of these packages available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
This offer will expire at the end of Monday, 1st March 2004. Usual advertising conditions apply.
Just send an email to david@thenettle.com with the details of your advert and we will email you back with our PayPal link.
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