http://kenmccarthy.com/blog Internet marketing Sun, 04 Dec 2011 02:18:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en How old is the classic formula for writing long form direct response ads, presentations and sales letters? I used to think the oldest examples could be found in US publications from the late 1800s. Now I'm not so sure. Here is a form-perfect sales presentation embedded in the opera L'Elisir d'Amore ("The Elixir ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2011/12/03/the-oldest-sales-letter/ Let's get right to the point: LSD Deals. What are they? And why are they so dangerous to your financial health -  and sanity. I first heard the term “LSD deal” in a book by Robert Ringer. I don't remember which one though I have a feeling it might have been “Looking ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/11/06/lsd-deals/ Sleep is important...way important...but we don't as a culture place much emphasis on it. There's even a "macho" attitude that those who sleep the least are somehow better than the rest of the population. Good theory. Poor reality. The reality is sleep is so important to mental and physical health that sleep deprivation ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/05/16/notes-on-sleep/ The view from the the Sky Ranch Lodge above Sedona I never thought I'd visit Sedona. I'd heard of it, but nothing that I heard moved me one way or the other.  There's plenty of stunning natural beauty within an hour of my home so why travel a few thousand miles just ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/04/18/chilling-in-sedona/ Left to right: Bo Dollis, Big Chief of the Wild Magnolias (lead singer of what may be the funkiest funk band of all time); rhythm and blues artist Al "Carnival Time" Johnson; singer Michelle Davis; poet Chuck Perkins; composer and arranger Wardell Quezergue (seated); Ken McCarthy This past Sunday I was ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/03/17/new-orleans-musicians-clinic/ Win, lose, or draw I wanted to be with my friends in New Orleans and this was what it was like last week. Shot with my Flip camera and edited by my friend Matt Lipscomb with big assists from Steve Goyette, Steve O'Keefe, and Chuck Perkins. http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/02/13/a-night-to-remember/ You can't control the outcome of anything 100%. But what you can control 100% is to have heart. And dedication. And loyalty. And that sums up New Orleans people to a "t." Four and a half years ago, their city was nearly obliterated by the biggest engineering failure in American ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/02/08/finish-strong-and-the-did/ In Economics Made Simple - Part One, we saw that governments just love to mess with the money supply. One school of economic thought, the Keynesian School, think that's a great idea. (Before you attribute Keynesian manipulation to the "right" or the "left," understand that they ALL do it. It was ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/02/04/economics-made-simple-part-two/ What happens when a Spike TV producer and an economics professor get together? This entertaining - and informative - video explains the two major theories of modern economics. One, Keynesian, says when you run into trouble, print more money. The other position, Austrian, championed by Friedrich Hayek, says "not so fast." I ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/01/31/economics-made-simple/ Saints 31, Vikings 28 It was an honorable, hard-fought game. I won't gloat in victory. Either team could have easily won. I'm not going to say the best team won, but it is true that the team that got the points on the scoreboard first when it mattered did - ... http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/2010/01/25/lessons-from-last-nights-game/