Category: Reviews

Reviews on products I’ve tried to help you make more information decision about buying internet marketing tools, including software, ebooks, website scripts, and other digital products.

  • Review of Notetab Pro – It Puts Notepad to Shame

    Product: NoteTab Pro
    Creator: Fookes Software
    Product/URL: http://www.notetab.com
    Reviewer: Donna Knight

    I write a lot of plain text articles and find that NoteTab Pro has many of the features of Microsoft Word but without the slow loading and bloatedness. Likewise, it makes Notepad look extremely inadequate.

    NoteTab Pro is a Windows Notepad replacement but it’s really much more than that.

    Here are the features NoteTab Pro has that made it my replacement for Notepad:
    – Keep multiple documents open and accessible via tabs
    – Word count and character count
    – A count of the frequency of every word in a document
    – Clickable web URLs – Change capitalization with 3 clicks
    – Sort lines alphabetically
    – Change HTML to text and vice versa
    – Thesaurus
    – Spell-checker

    While there are lots of features for programmers and techies, you don’t need to use those features to benefit tremendously from this program.

    If you do lots of writing, specifically of plain text articles, there’s no need to suffer the inadequacies of Notepad. At $29.95, it’s reasonably priced, and I highly recommend it.

    Rating: 5 of 5

  • Review of Directory Generator by Armand Morin

    By Donna Knight

    Directory Generator is a software product that can generate hundreds of keyword-targeted web pages. The purpose is to help you get targeted traffic to your website so you can make more sales or earn commissions.

    I was o­ne of the earliest users of Directory Generator before it launched publicly August 26, 2004, so I’ve had a little head start in testing it.

    Let me give you a little background info first: In late 2003, new traffic generating software appeared called Traffic Equalizer. I have to admit I knew nothing about it until recently. My guess as to why is that it is talked about mostly among big marketers, and probably mostly at seminars.

    It’s just like Armand Morin to ride the traffic software wave and even try to make a better surfboard. And that’s what Directory Generator is.

    It is supposed to be equivalent to software such as Ranking Power, Traffic Equalizer, and Traffic Hurricane, which allows you to get targeted traffic by generating pages that get high search engine rankings. The difference is, like most of what Armand does, the results are classier and more professional looking.

    Of the previously mentioned programs, Traffic Hurricane is the o­nly o­ne that is free. Why pay for this other software if you can get it free? Because your Traffic Hurricane pages will have someone else’s Google AdSense ads o­n your pages, earning them money off your traffic. Now that I have Directory Generator, I don’t need someone else earning money from my traffic unless they’re going to pay me part of it. Selfish, aren’t I? 😉 o­ne other thing: I’m surprised no o­ne noticed this but Google doesn’t allow Adsense code to be placed o­n pages not owned by you, so the way this is set up might get someone into trouble.

    I know what you’re thinking…Yeah, that’s nice but can Directory Generator really generate targeted traffic? Absolutely! The first website I created with Directory Generator is steadily earning Google AdWords income every single day without me doing a thing. It took 30 days for traffic and commissions to really start kicking in. I don’t want this to sound like hype but this is the easiest money I’ve made so far. Nevertheless the second website I made isn’t doing squat. But that just tells me: There’s no such thing as a sure thing. The domain name you choose and keywords you target can make a difference. But the second website also hasn’t been up as long, so we’ll see what happens…

    Am I going to get rich off the money it’s generating? No, nor could someone quit their job with it, but at the rate it’s working I would earn the $250 price back fairly quickly. My goal was to first earn the domain fee back and I did. The site is listed in Google, but gets no traffic from there. Most of the traffic comes from other search engines. If it had multiple pages spidered by Google, lookout!

    I’ve heard through the grapevine of multiple people earning 4-figure monthly incomes from sites created with traffic-generating software. And I’ve heard of o­ne person earning a six-figure income. For now, this test tells me that this software really does work.

    Here’s a little secret: No o­ne who uses traffic generating software will tell you their website URL. That’s because they don’t want people ripping off their profitable website. So you have to buy the software to see the sites it produces. At $250 a pop, that’s an expensive trial.

    What do you do with the traffic it generates?
    1. You earn Google Adsense commissions (this feature is built into the software).
    2. You can add SearchFeed (you can’t add both. Google doesn’t allow it).
    3. You can add a Linkshare ad to earn additional commissions.
    4. The newest version lets you earn Amazon commissions.

    Benefits: Easily generate 100s of keyword targeted pages for a niche directory.
    Disadvantage: You still have to choose your keywords which will be your site theme. You have to know how to FTP the pages to your web host. Unlike Traffic Equalizer, the program won’t do it for you.

    Conclusion: Highly recommended. Thank goodness Armand didn’t price this software too cheaply. If you o­nly try o­ne traffic-generating software program, I recommend Directory Generator.

    For more information, visit http://www.directorygenerator.com .

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    Donna Knight is a Website Promotion Specialist and Website Builder. She has built over 200 websites and helps new site owners promote their site cheaply. For tips that will help you save money and save time in your online marketing efforts, visit her Internet Marketing Tools and Reviews blog at http://www.DonnaKnight.com
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    Copyright (C)2004-2005 Donna Knight. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to post this article in newsletters, free ebooks or websites as long as the article and resource box remain intact. For product reviews, you may substitute your affiliate referral link for the product URL.

  • Amazon.com’s New Book Search Feature

    Search and Read over 100,000 Books o­n Amazon

    Amazon.com’s new book search feature now lets you search the text of most of the books they sell.

    When I read about this new feature, I didn’t realize the full benefits of it. Not o­nly can you search the page, but you can read the full page and keep reading the next few pages of the book. Now that I’ve had a chance to use it, I wonder if it really will cause sales to decrease rather than increase. Amazon makes it tricky to keep reading more than a few pages ahead, but I was able to read at least 50 pages of a book. That’s quite a bit more than the trial chapters some authors will give you as an incentive to buy their book.

    From an Author’s standpoint, I think they should put even more restrictions as to how many pages someone can view from a book. The good news is authors do have a choice about including their books in the search.

    But cheapskate tactics aside, it will help you narrow down your choices if you know you want a book o­n a specific subject and you can’t tell the difference between the books available.

    Benefits: A try-before-you-buy feature for books o­n Amazon. Makes it a lot more appealing to buy books o­nline.
    Disadvantages: You can o­nly read a few pages at a time. Come o­n! You didn’t think they’d let you read the whole thing for free, did you?!

    Conclusion: Visit Amazon, do a search for a book and check out this feature.

    For a live demonstration, do a search, then browse o­ne of the results. Visit:

    http://www.amazon.com

    Reviewer: Donna Knight
    Score: 4/5

  • Review of FlashPalGenerator by Armand Morin

    By Donna Knight

    CREATOR: Armand Morin

    PURPOSE: Software program that allows you to generate flash-based Paypal payment buttons.

    BENEFITS: A software program that allows you to create secure paypal code. If you are selling digital products such as ebooks or website scripts, it will help prevent people from stealing by downloading your products without paying.

    EASE OF USE: I had to watch the video to figure out how to use it. Armand himself does the tutorial and it is easy to understand. I give it 3/5. I’ll be honest. Programs that don’t require me to read instructions or watch videos are more likely to get a 5. This is not because I’m lazy. As a techie, I read instructions all the time and am not reluctant to do so. But a program that can be figured out without instructions usually is inherently easier to use. That doesn’t mean some people won’t still need to use the tutorial though.

    ADVANTAGES: Secures your digital products, such as ebooks or scripts, from theft. The buttons generated look like a normal Paypal button. Like all of Armand’s programs, it is classy and professional-looking. I looked at the Paypal code the software generated, and couldn’t tell what my download link was, so Armand’s claim that it will hide your link appears true.

    DISADVANTAGES: If the potential customer doesn’t have Macromedia Flash already installed, having to install it just to see your “Buy Now” button may cost you a sale. Any thing that makes it harder to purchase your product gives a potential customer time to have second thoughts. This product really is no longer necessary. Here’s why: Paypal now has a feature that allows you to encrypt your Paypal code and hide your download link from snooping thieves. It was a good idea at the time though.

    CONCLUSION: This product is no longer necessary now that Paypal has an encryption feature built in.

    Reviewer: Donna Knight
    Score: 3/5
    Related Link: FlashPalGenerator Paypal button generator

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    Donna Knight is a Computer Trainer and Website Promotion Specialist. She has built over 200 websites and helps new site owners promote their site cheaply. For tips that will help you save money and save time when marketing online, visit her Internet Marketing Tools and Reviews blog at http://www.DonnaKnight.com
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    Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Donna Knight. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to post this article in newsletters, free ebooks or websites as long as the article and resource box remain intact. For product reviews, you may substitute your affiliate referral link for the product URL.

  • Headline Creator Pro Review

    By Donna Knight

    Headline Creator Pro
    Product: Software program

    This software uses a lot of headlines that have worked offline in the distant past. I have no doubt that variations of those old headlines can work for your website. It’s not the only resource I use for coming up with headlines but it does make it a little easier than trying to come up with headlines from a long list of winning headlines.

    Rating: 4/5.

    Writer’s Tool

    Product: Software program

    Underrated database in which you can store winning quotes, headlines, and cliches to be used in your copywriting. Useful but somewhat outdated. Most traditional copywriters store their swipe file on paper, but a digital swipe file gives you added benefits such as :

    – a backup (without having to photocopy everything you have)
    – the ability to store it remotely without having to photocopy everything you have
    – a portable swipe file so you can have one on your home pc and one on your laptop

    Pro: The only program I know of its kind.
    Con: Can’t add additional categories, such as closes, P.S., money-back guarantees, calls to action, etc.

    Rating: 3.5/5

    If your website doesn’t have a headline, you’re losing visitors AND sales. If people have to figure out what your website is all about by reading through it, many won’t. They’ll just leave. A Headline is a must-have if you’re trying sell anything…even if it’s free.

    I have to give Headline Creator Pro a higher rating but I still use Writer’s Tool because HCP’s headline database isn’t customizable. I definitely recommend them both if you’re stuck while coming up with a headline for your website.

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    Donna Knight is a Computer Trainer and Website Promotion Specialist. She has built over 200 websites and helps new site owners promote their site cheaply. For tips that will help you save money and save time when marketing online, visit her Internet Marketing Tools and Reviews blog at http://www.DonnaKnight.com
    =============================================
    Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Donna Knight. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to post this article in newsletters, free ebooks or websites as long as the article and resource box remain intact. For product reviews, you may substitute your affiliate referral link for the product URL.