by Mark Mason's Cat

Once again - in the effort to dispel myths, to discern fact from fiction - I endeavor to set the record straight on Halloween and cats. Why I must do this every year is beyond me, but there seem to be more and more myths that surface with each Halloween. I humbly offer my take on the human pagan holiday.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Black cats are looked on by some people as witches.
FACT: All other cats can be just as bewitching. I'm betting a feline friend has cast a spell on you. Humans are so easy.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Cats were thought to be psychic.
FACT: If you consider we don't speak and can read humans like a book, then that's psychic. *We* call it feline intuition.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Felines are associated with the night, stealth, and mystery,
FACT: It's why we make eat during the daytime, make loud noises when we knock things over, and leave ourselves widely available for petting and scratching behind the ears. It adds balance to our lives.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Dress your cat up for Halloween. He or she will love it.
FACT: If you do, YOU will look like you just starred in a slasher movie.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: If you see a cat while out on Halloween night, turn and go back where you came from.
FACT: Preposterous. But, frankly, not a bad tenet to abide by every night of the year.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: The black cat at Halloween is a symbol of fertility.
FACT: Forget it. It's too cold outside.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: In some countries, if a black cat crosses your path, you will have GOOD luck.
FACT: Every Powerball or Lottery player knows this is false.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Some people believe that if you talk nice to a cat or stroke the cat 3 times, it will make the bad luck go away and bring good luck.
FACT: Actually, it is three times, *then repeat.* Three times, then repeat. Over and over and over, until the good luck comes your way. If you stop before then, it's your own darn fault.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Stroking the tail of a black cat will cure a pink-eye.
FACT: So will antibiotics. And you won't lose a limb in the process.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Thirteen cats in a theater are bad luck.
FACT: Then how do you explain the wild success of 'Cats'?

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Some people considered black cats a demon in disguise.
FACT: So are the rest of us. When we want to be. Frankly, black cats are just cats with black fur.

Happy Halloween.

It was a good day.

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Find out more about Mark Mason and his Cat. Get your copy of Mark Mason's cat's amazing Cat Diary today.

by Jim Daniels

Are you considering creating your own product or service? This issue will help you choose a niche and a format.

Most small business experts agree that the best path to long-term, reliable profits in business, is developing at least one product or service of your own. You'll enjoy bigger profits, as well as complete control over your business.

Plus, thanks to the web, you can easily let others sell for you on a commission-only basis. (Otherwise known as starting an affiliate program!) That's a huge benefit.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First you need find out if you have a product or service in you...

As you'll see later in this piece, your product or service does not have to be anything too intense or complicated. But it should be in a niche you are familiar with.

The first step is to simply reflect on your life experiences. Consider all your favorite hobbies, past work experiences and quite simply, your interests. Is there knowledge you have gained over the years that might be valuable to a niche market?

If so, you may have an information product or other related product/service in you!

Heck, one of my clients developed a video on salsa dancing and sold 180 before it was even completed! That's just an off-the-wall real example.

Once you've considered a few ideas, it is time to do some research. This will help you discover if there is a niche market for your ideas. Start your research using this keyword suggestion tool from overture.com - one of the top pay-per-click search engines on the web...

Overture Keyword Selector Tool

At that page, enter a keyword related to the ideas you have in mind, and the tool will present you with the number of times that keyword was searched for via their network. Think along the lines of what your target market may be searching for. That tool will also show the number of times related keywords were searched on. This will give you an indication of what your niche market(s) bear for interest.

If you find a decent amount of interest, say a few thousand or more combined monthly searches on keywords directly related to your idea, then you may be in a solid niche. Next consider what specific information or help those people are looking for, and think of ways you can offer that help. Remember to keep a potential customer's mindset as you go along. Once you've determined there is a niche market in your area of interest, start developing a product or service to fill the need.

Thanks to the web, there are many product and service formats you can consider. They all have advantages and disadvantages.

Below is a quick guide to help you decide on a format for your new product or service. Along with each format, you'll find links where you can get more help.

Ebook
Advantages: Easy and affordable to create and update. Instant delivery via web.
Disadvantages: Lower price point than many other forms.
Ebook Creator: http://refer.ebookedit.com/click.cgi?id=bizweb2000

Print book
Advantages: Gives higher perceived value than ebooks.
Disadvantages: Difficult to keep updated. Costly printing fees.
Printing resource: http://www.greenepublicationsinc.com/price-schedules.htm

Audio book
Advantages: Customers can listen in their car, home or office. Brings print to life.
Disadvantages: Production can be difficult. Quality can suffer if you lack knowledge or proper tools.
How-to resource: http://www.audiobookselfpublishing.com

Membership site
Advantages: Content can easily be kept fresh. Monthly charges guarantee residual income.
Disadvantages: Managing memberships and billing can be a hassle.
Top how-to resource:
http://www.membershipsiteadvisor.com/affiliates/stetje.cgi?32

Teleseminar
Advantages: Offers real-time help. Can be recorded and sold as an audio product.
Disadvantages: Production can be difficult. Quality suffers if you lack know-how or proper tools.
Top how-to resource:
http://www.webmarketingmagic.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=133717

Telephone or email consulting
Advantages: You can offer one-on-one personalized help at a premium price.
Disadvantages: Time consuming. High cost can deter many customers.
More info:http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,295970----2-,00.html

Multimedia software product
Advantages: Can be delivered via web or CD. Pricing very flexible.
Disadvantages: Can be costly to produce unless you can do it yourself. Requires lots of planning and research to get proper tools.
Top how-to resource: http://software.secrets-exposed.com/e/?bizweb2000

DVD Video
Advantages: Offers a personal touch.
Disadvantages: Production can be costly and difficult. Quality can suffer if you lack knowledge or proper tools.
Info: Link at bottom of http://www.bizweb2000.com/gazette

*** Jim Daniels is author of five Internet Marketing books and one of the few marketing experts who will still consult with you personally. (And he's actually affordable.) Hire'm!

by Marc Gunn of Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine

It's interesting to compare the articles written on how to give an exciting speech with how to put on an exciting show. I have not seen that many articles for musicians on that topic. Fortunately, the two topics are fairly similar. So it is easy to transpose public speaking articles to live gig articles.

Speech writers know that you have to grab the audience's attention in 30 seconds. That's where you make your biggest impact. If you ever see a musician get up on stage and fumble a "Hi. Um. We're the Barnyard Owls," you know what I mean.

As musicians, we can grab the audience's attention with a song. But it helps to think about other ways to captivate your audience too.

Wasn't it KISS who used to shout, "Are you ready to rock!" The phrase might sound cliche now, but it serves the point. KISS knew you had to draw your audience in fast to make an impact and put on a great show.

Or perhaps you prefer non-verbal hooks. You can use a light show. Or imagine band members quitely meditating next to their instruments before they jump up and rock the house.


In one of the speech writing articles I remember reading you should provide five 'Magic Moments'. Apparently, this is something that movie promoters say is essential for a film to have a successful ad campaign... that will make the movie a hit. That seems like good advice for a live show too.

I remember seeing Ed Miller at the Texas Scottish Festival last year. He is Scottish-born and told a story about how he had to cross the Rio Grande illegally in the 60s to get back into the United States. It made him feel like he too was a "Wetback". Then he sang the song telling the story. My mind has a clear image of that day hearing that story. That was a Magic Moment for me that still gives me chills thinking about it.

Some of your Magic Moments might come from telling a story about the song like Ed Miller did. Others might be the song itself. Is it chilling or powerful. Does it make people cry, cheer, sway, or sing-a-long.

Sometimes the Magic Moment will be the way you sing or move. I remember the first time I saw some "shoegazing" and the first time someone ran up the side of a wall and did a flip. I remember someone throwing a pen towards their sales table to encourage people to sign up to their mailing list. I also remember meeting band members after a show when they took the time to say, "Thanks. And your name is?"


Just like you need a great intro, you also need a great Closer. Boy, I'm guilty of having bad closers. We end all of our shows with a sing-a-long of Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". It's a great closer, but too often, the show is over and the audience is still hanging around thinking there will be more to come.

Obviously, I'm not the person to give advice on this topic. So create your own closer. I've seen the unified bow of the band members; the strong and simple, "Thank you and good night!"; or band members running through the audience to accept tips. There are still a lot of different possibilities.


There are a lot of similarities between live shows and public speaking. I'd suggest you read some articles on how to write a speech and see what they have to say on the topic. You may be surprised at just how easily those techniques will give you a live show.

Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000's of musicians save and make money with their musical groups through his monthly newsletter, Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine. Now you can get FREE "how-to" music marketing and promotion advice by visiting www.bardscrier.com. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the Bards Crier Ezine for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com