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Pinging or doing notification to Syndication Services is important part of promoting blogs and spreading the word about new content. It is also a source of traffic to some extent and one of the most controversial issues in blogosphere! I have seen hundreds of posts including from very known bloggers and marketers that share their opinion on Blog Ping and size of the list of RPC services your blog should have. Interesting thing – these opinions are generally radically different, in fact I have seen one very known blogger/marketer sharing a ping list that required quite a bit of scrolling just to see it! There Is a HUGE Problem With It! In my previous, older post I have shared a tip on how to “ Optimize Your WordPress Posting Experience ” by implementing couple plugins and reducing a size of the Ping List. Here is the problem as I have defined it in that post: Problem. Based on my research I found that when you Publish your post, system is designed to go through your ping list and notify each service one by one until all notified. As you add more services to your ping list, delay continues to increase to the point that you start seeing time outs on your page. I have experienced it on several occasions and my list is not too big. And just because WordPress have gone through several version doesn’t mean that problem is gone! In fact, it is still very much present and if you are seeing a delay when you hit that “Publish” button – more than likely it could be your issue! Unfortunately, unless you are using a third-party plugin, such Ultimate Plugins Smart Update Pinger – you will not be able to know about it, as by default WordPress doesn’t provide you with a log where you can see any errors with your ping list! My current Ping List is fairly short, since I rely on FeedBurner and third-party pinging services such as Pingomatic (via RPC) to send notifications: http://rpc.pingomatic.com http://www.blogpeople.net/servlet/weblogUpdates http://api.moreover.com/RPC2 http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2 http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2 http://services.newsgator.com/ngws/xmlrpcping.aspx http://www.blogpeople.net/servlet/weblogUpdates http://xping.pubsub.com/ping/ http://rpc.odiogo.com/ping/ …and still I noticed issues and slowdown during publishing! When I checked the log, this is what I have seen: Pay attention to red entries highlighted. Those have failed to be properly notified and while last one is due to some feed issues I’m investigation and one due to a duplicate entries of the same failed Ping URL – 2 errors are an actual problem ! Event with my short list, which is quite efficient – I had problems and the longer your ping list becomes, more chances of slow performance you stand to experience and unfortunately the only way to verify your list is by visiting each site. In my case I have discovered that both services simply no longer accept pings – see images below: I wouldn’t have known about it unless errors were present in my log! I trimmed my list and as result will gain performance – how about you? I have to admit I’m still quite upset that FeedBurner have removed the option for us to actually choose with services they will notify for us. In my mind it was one of the more useful functionality of the FeedBurner we could control and now you just have to guess to avoid double pinging some services or keep default Ping List recommended by WordPress, use one I provided above as tested or choose one created by someone else. Just be absolutely sure to check your log after creating new list and trim all services that failed! Related articles by Zemanta Got a blog? Do this simple thing to boost your readership. (dougbelshaw.com) Turn Yoyur Opinion Into Ca$h! Get Paid For Your HONEST Opinion…While Letting Other People Do The Selling For You.If You Can Talk, You Can Earn! Get Review Blog System Now! Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Related posts Write Better With After The Deadline (10) WordPress Stats That Actually Matter (4) WordPress Plugins You Need To See (16) WordPress Plugins That Add Value (16) WordPress Most Innovative Plugins List (22) WordPress Innovators Highlights (0)

Image via Wikipedia Today’s post is very simple and caries only one reason – wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving in US is a great holiday where we all get together and give our thanks for what was provided to us and what we have accomplished among other things. Today I want to give my thanks to you – My Reader! It is your ongoing support that makes my blog successful even though sometimes I fall behind on delivering information you expect! It is your ongoing participation and comments that provide me with inspiration and ideas on what to create. And it is your support through purchases on my recommendations is what permits me enjoy the income stream from sharing my experiences and my knowledge! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving ! Enjoy the Holidays and your turkey feast, if you are living in USA! FREE DVD! Ultimate Video Guide to a Complete WordPress Security as my gift to you! Secure Your WordPress Blog Now! Absolutely FREE!. Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Related posts Remembering the “Why” Behind Ultimate Sacrifice (6) Jail Time For Trick-or-Treating (6) Happy Thanksgiving (4) WordPress Web 2.0 Guide (118) What You Should Know About How to be Your Own Investor (0) What Impact “Grandma Factor” Has On Your Business? (0)

Image via Wikipedia Today’s post is very simple and caries only one reason – wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving in US is a great holiday where we all get together and give our thanks for what was provided to us and what we have accomplished among other things. Today I want to give my thanks to you – My Reader! It is your ongoing support that makes my blog successful even though sometimes I fall behind on delivering information you expect! It is your ongoing participation and comments that provide me with inspiration and ideas on what to create. And it is your support through purchases on my recommendations is what permits me enjoy the income stream from sharing my experiences and my knowledge! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving ! Enjoy the Holidays and your turkey feast, if you are living in USA! FREE DVD! Ultimate Video Guide to a Complete WordPress Security as my gift to you! Secure Your WordPress Blog Now! Absolutely FREE!. Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Related posts Remembering the “Why” Behind Ultimate Sacrifice (6) Jail Time For Trick-or-Treating (6) Happy Thanksgiving (4) WordPress Web 2.0 Guide (118) What You Should Know About How to be Your Own Investor (0) What Impact “Grandma Factor” Has On Your Business? (0)

Guest post by a pro-blogger and WordPress plugin author Nicola Jankovic : I’ve used a lot of different affiliate marketing methods and find one of them to be the most effective. Article marketing is cool, except the article directory gets to keep all the ad revenue and they are getting more particular about what articles they accept. Review sites are OK, but does anyone really trust the reviews they read on those sites anymore? Most people know by now that review sites are just disguised sales pitches and aren’t honest reviews. Social media is fun, but it has its limits. It’s more about socializing, less about doing business. Sure, you can make connections there but at the end of the day the lion’s share of your profits likely isn’t coming from social media. Social media sites are not the most important place on the web. So what is? Your own blog. In my opinion, there’s nothing like having your own blog, especially if you use WordPress. WordPress makes blogging much easier and more effective. Your blog is your castle. YOU get to decide which content to put on it and don’t have to wait a week for someone else to approve it. YOU get to keep your ad revenue. If you use Google Adsense, however, chances are it’s more like Google Adcents. And don’t get me started on Google slaps. That’s why it’s more effective to promote affiliate products on your blog rather than rely on Adsense. Affiliate commissions have a much higher payout than ad clicks. One option is to have a “blog sponsor” section in your sidebar. Place ads here (preferably with eye-catching graphics rather than just text) that link to select affiliate products and also your own products if you have any. Another option is to occasionally write a blog post that promotes an affiliate product. The posts should contain solid content in addition to the sales pitch. Write the post as if you were talking to a friend so that it doesn’t come across as too sales-y. Don’t forget to have an opt-in form on your blog so that you can collect the email addresses of your blog readers. You can occasionally promote affiliate products through email to your list. You should also send out emails that contain helpful, engaging content. You can use your blog posts as content but you should also use original content in your emails too. Mix it up. There’s one type of text ad that I highly recommend and that’s WordPress Affiliate plugin that automatically inserts professional-looking ads for Clickbank products on your blog. Do You Have 4 Minutes? Than Allow me to give you Secure, Web 2.0 Enabled, Search Engine Optimized, Cash Sucking WordPress Blog! Create a Blog in 4 Minutes (Video Proof) . Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Copyright WordPress Web 2.0 Spot-Er . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report Related posts Write Better With After The Deadline (10) WordPress SEO Plugin and Affiliate Marketing (16) 8 New Plug-ins Every New Blog Should Have (22) Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17) Write Blog Headlines To Explode Article Views And Create Stampede Of Targeted Traffic (11) WordPress Wish List (8)

Guest post by a pro-blogger and WordPress plugin author Nicola Jankovic : I’ve used a lot of different affiliate marketing methods and find one of them to be the most effective. Article marketing is cool, except the article directory gets to keep all the ad revenue and they are getting more particular about what articles they accept. Review sites are OK, but does anyone really trust the reviews they read on those sites anymore? Most people know by now that review sites are just disguised sales pitches and aren’t honest reviews. Social media is fun, but it has its limits. It’s more about socializing, less about doing business. Sure, you can make connections there but at the end of the day the lion’s share of your profits likely isn’t coming from social media. Social media sites are not the most important place on the web. So what is? Your own blog. In my opinion, there’s nothing like having your own blog, especially if you use WordPress. WordPress makes blogging much easier and more effective. Your blog is your castle. YOU get to decide which content to put on it and don’t have to wait a week for someone else to approve it. YOU get to keep your ad revenue. If you use Google Adsense, however, chances are it’s more like Google Adcents. And don’t get me started on Google slaps. That’s why it’s more effective to promote affiliate products on your blog rather than rely on Adsense. Affiliate commissions have a much higher payout than ad clicks. One option is to have a “blog sponsor” section in your sidebar. Place ads here (preferably with eye-catching graphics rather than just text) that link to select affiliate products and also your own products if you have any. Another option is to occasionally write a blog post that promotes an affiliate product. The posts should contain solid content in addition to the sales pitch. Write the post as if you were talking to a friend so that it doesn’t come across as too sales-y. Don’t forget to have an opt-in form on your blog so that you can collect the email addresses of your blog readers. You can occasionally promote affiliate products through email to your list. You should also send out emails that contain helpful, engaging content. You can use your blog posts as content but you should also use original content in your emails too. Mix it up. There’s one type of text ad that I highly recommend and that’s WordPress Affiliate plugin that automatically inserts professional-looking ads for Clickbank products on your blog. Do You Have 4 Minutes? Than Allow me to give you Secure, Web 2.0 Enabled, Search Engine Optimized, Cash Sucking WordPress Blog! Create a Blog in 4 Minutes (Video Proof) . Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Copyright WordPress Web 2.0 Spot-Er . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report Related posts Write Better With After The Deadline (10) WordPress SEO Plugin and Affiliate Marketing (16) 8 New Plug-ins Every New Blog Should Have (22) Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17) Write Blog Headlines To Explode Article Views And Create Stampede Of Targeted Traffic (11) WordPress Wish List (8)

I’m a strong supporter of email marketing and integration of the process with your bogging. In my mind the two go hand in hand better than any other form of Site/Autorespoder integration and helps you turn your hobby into profitable venture a LOT FASTER than without it! But I’m also a believer into ‘Double Opt-in” process for subscribers to be absolutely sure that a person who subscribed to receive my emails actually had to take second step: Verify Request For Receiving Information from me! I hate spam just as much as anyone else and what pisses me off is when I get OVERLOADED with spam as result of me trying to be accessible to my customers, subscribers, blog readers… Earlier this week I shared my gratitude to the people who helped me learn the ropes, be it by design or by example and without them even knowing about it, but non less – I learned what I believe to be the Bases of Ethical Email Marketing! Rule Number One in Ethical Email Marketing: You have to have a permission to send Bulk Email to a person! Above is my own loose definition of the Double Opt-in process I use and recommend and even though many marketers lately are switching back to single option, I stick to my guns and agree with what aweber describes in their blog post “ Confirmed Opt-in Myths Exposed ” – I prefer quality over quantity! I have made it a point to be also accessible to my subscribers and both my partner and I are trying to always respond to emails we get, if one requires respond. Granted sometimes our answers are not too detailed but as the numbers of current subscribers continue to grow – email begins to take up a lot of our time. But even that wouldn’t be issue if not the Email Spam We Get as result of being accessible! Why I’ll Change “Reply-To” email address to “No Reply” This is the classic case where one or two people make it bad for everybody, unfortunately what might seem as one or two is increasingly becoming very large number. And although I can’t confirm it – ever-increasing number of the people who do what I’m about to describe tells me that there is SOMEONE out there who teaches this crap! I believe that as more people join the attempt to earn money online – they access this “teaching” and implement it exactly as advised. I even believe that most of these people are not even aware that what they do is nothing but SPAM! And here is scenario I’m talking about: My email list is configured with a “reply to” email that actually leads to me, as I want to be accessible to my subscribers I present a Subscribe form, in one form or another somewhere on the web. I have many different variations I follow the guidelines and REQUIRE that person confirms their subscription and request to get information from me! Are we good so far? I think process is pretty simple and from my side I took all the precautions to make sure that NOBODY can subscribe by accident! Next steps is what the problem clear… I begin to deliver on my promise and send information in 3 forms: One of the gifts promised as download for subscription Autoresponder follow-up sequence Broadcast emails Each time I email – I get hundreds and ever-growing number of automated replies! And here I’m not talking about “out of office” or “vacation” replies. Those are bit annoying but a normal part of email correspondence and I can live with that. What I’m talking about here are ever-growing number of emails that contain nothing but promotion ! Somebody have taught those people to setup autoresponder associated with email account and include some promotional message in there and then go out, subscribe to any email list they can get their hands on and anytime email comes to their inbox – they reply with SPAM message. And Yes! It Is SPAM! If you were taught this strategy as valid “email marketing” – stop now! There are several major problems with this approach: You NEVER received a request from me to send me emails You NEVER got permission from me to send me emails You ARE NOT COMPLIANT with CAN-SPAM and can become a subject to legal action! Just because you subscribed to my email list doesn’t mean you have received permissions to send me emails! But what is even much worse – what you are doing is Illegal and Unethical! CAN-SPAM legislation is designed to protect people from email abuse and requires that if you are running promotions – you have to provide receiver with simple means to be removed from it! I have yet to see a single person who uses this method to do that! But let’s just assume you are doing this on purpose and actually acting with full understanding of the implications – you can’t possibly get enough response to justify your name being associate with SPAM and destroying something for everyone else in process! I pride myself on doing my best to be accessible to people to the extend permitted by time but when I waste over an hour a day clearing my inbox from these unsolicited promotions disguised as email reply and separating them from actual customers requests, feedback, etc – I just can’t afford it anymore… I will have to as result of ever-increasing SPAM switch to email address I will not be monitoring but simply explaining people how they can still get access to me and ask for the help they need. I don’t know about your opinion but to me it sucks when a few bad apples spoil it for everyone! Let me know what you think? Comment below! Related articles by Zemanta Email Marketing and Online Marketing – Video Book Reviews (chrisbrogan.com) Researchers Take Down a Spam Botnet (tech.slashdot.org) Related posts Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17) Email Marketing, Setting Up The Subscription Process (23) Email Marketing For Bloggers, The Basics (16) WordPress Web 2.0 Guide Looking For Guest Bloggers (10) WordPress Security Guide (4) Why “More” Is Better? (37)

As my business develops, my experience grows and my needs change – I find myself looking for new insights, new information and new way to improve. I do however find myself often in one very simple predicament – Denial Of Authority . You see, it is widely accepted that most effective way to master a skill, learn strategy or develop something new is to get yourself a Mentor! Mentor who can guide you through the murky waters of unknown to achieve your goals faster, more effectively and in short possible time frame. It will set you back financially at first but if your choice of mentor was correct – you can quickly recover it. But it also implies that you trust that person unquestionably when it comes to certain matter of your business and willing to act As You Were Told . Not only because they know better but also because this is part of what you are paying for! Which brings upfront my predicament – I simply can’t accept ANYTHING without questioning, analyzing and taking apart. My life has led me through multitude of experience and what I have learned “unquestionably” is that the only person I can trust without question is myself and same goes for any failure or success. It is not the best place to be in but when you are pushing 40, it is not something that can be easily changed and I prefer not to make same mistakes twice, so I had to adopt! I had to find a way to learn what I need while still maintaining my sanity and my personal views on life, on business and on many other things alone the way. It is not the easiest way to learn and if you have an opportunity to avoid it – I highly recommend it as it will definitely extend your road to success if not completely derail you! My strategies are simple – I “stock” the people I chose to learn from to see what they are doing, attempt to understand why they are doing it and reverse engineer their process. Sometimes I just outright purchase what I need, if available in form of info product  That is about as far as I go in taking shortcuts! Not the simplest road, as you can imagine but one that fits my personality very well. This week we celebrate Thanksgiving in US and the reason behind this post is simple: I Want To Thank My “Unsuspecting” Mentors! Jimmy D. Brown for his HUGE contribution and influence on my email marketing education and introduction to the “ethical email marketing”. His email marketing membership, which I don’t think is available anymore was an eye opener for me and led me to my first successful campaign. Mark Hendricks for his insights and ability to ask the questions that guided me to better understanding of what I’m doing and where I’m going and contributed to great improvements in my products. List building and continuation of learning concepts that Jimmy first introduced me to was direct result of Mark’s ongoing emails and participation in his 12 Days Of Christmas giveaways. Jack Humphrey and his Authority Black Book is what turned me to blogging and I never looked back. Whether Jack likes it or not – I consider myself one of his students and will be forever grateful to him for introducing me to the world of blogging! Ken McArthur for his HUGE heart and his ability to make you feel part of the success and a family! JV Alert Live is one of the few events I think every Internet entrepreneur must attend to experience the impact Ken and his friends can have on your life! Michele Fortin and his copywriting tips are a never-ending inspiration for both my ongoing blogging, my efforts to improve conversions and also to some extend my email marketing. I’ve settled with idea that I will not become a “copywriter for hire” but it doesn’t stop me from working on improving my ongoing marketing efforts. Dr. Ron Capps and his strategies on social interaction and marketing had a big and profound impact on how I do things on social networks . I might not reach the skill shared by master but grateful for a chance to learn! Brad Callen for his introduction of Search Engine Optimization to yours truly. Granted I have learned a lot more since the time I picked up his first eBook from StomperNet and a few other resources – his direct impact to my success was unquestionably most important – it gave me understanding of SEO! Ken Evoy for really a multitude of the things I have learned from him but one, perhaps most important of them – allowing me to logically sort out all the knowledge I already had about web mastering and gain more details, I haven’t even thought of! While I have never personally purchased his Site Sell product, I have learned from eBooks I purchased and consider his services as some of the best that web has to offer! Doug Champigny for his marketing insights and never-failing friendship! Doug is one of the people who not only knows what he is doing but also has ability to allow you to see what you are not doing and should be! Knowledge Doug has shared with me through our communications can never be calculated in monetary value and I’m thankful to have a friend and a mentor like Doug! There are many more people who could be added to this list and I’m incredibly thankful to everyone I’ve met who shared something with me, taught me or just pushed me in the right direction – be it willingly or by accident but today I simply want to highlight those who had most profound impact on me and my Internet Success! Thank You And Welcome To “Unsuspecting” Mentor Club! Do you have a story to share? Someone to be thankful to? Share it with us! Let’s highlight those who deserve recognition! Do You Have 4 Minutes? Than Allow me to give you Secure, Web 2.0 Enabled, Search Engine Optimized, Cash Sucking WordPress Blog! Create a Blog in 4 Minutes (Video Proof) . Copyright WordPress Guides Blog . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report violation Related posts Video Marketing – Web 2.0 Affiliate on Steroids (0) Online Marketing and Blogging Tips for Fast and Easy Money Online (5) John Reese’s Video On “Doing More” (0) Bloggers Versus Internet Marketers (9) 4 Most Influential FREE Reports You MUST Read To Succeed In 2007 (14) Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17)

Blogging Success Webinar we had last night was quite a success in itself. Unfortunately I run out of time before I was able to really get into answering questions of the audience already present on the webinar. I did get through the Blogging Success Formula presentation which covered these critical aspects of blogging success and steps you need to take to implement them: Blog security Blog Design for getting your Most Desirable Action Traffic to your blog I also was able to answer all questions submitted by people during registration and if you are interesting to see the entire 1 hour and 26 minutes webinar, video is available based on many requests I have received from people who were unable to attend. I have used Vimeo for showing this video but since they have rather strict TOS and might see this video as not 100% compliant – I can’t guarantee how long they will allow you to access it: Blogging Success Webinar from Alex Sysoef on Vimeo . Let me know what you think and here are the services I mention in my presentation: Expert WordPress System Lock Your Blog – WordPress Security Guide FREE DVD Related articles by Zemanta WordPress Security: The Simplest Way to Improve Security on Your WordPress Website or Blog (mcbuzz.wordpress.com) Do You Have 4 Minutes? Than Allow me to give you Web 2.0 Enabled, Search Engine Optimized, Cash Sucking WordPress Blog! Create a Blog in 4 Minutes (Video Proof) . Copyright WordPress Web 2.0 Spot-Er . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report Related posts 5 Critical Keys To Long Term Blogging Success (4) Join Us For FREE Blogging Webinar (3) FREE Blogging Success Webinar (0) 3 Mistakes That Kill You Blogging To Make Money Efforts (50) Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17) You Are Not Ignored (1)

WordPress security has become one of the “involved” topics for me this year and led to the creation of the concept I called “ Triple P Of WordPress Security “. Idea behind it extremely simple – create a comprehensive and easy to carry out and support security perimeter for your blog that will allow you not only be protected against current exploits and any new, “Zero Day” hacks that will inevitably be created but also help you recover your blog WHEN disaster strikes! And I used word WHEN for a reason – No Site Is 100% Secure! Be it a blog, static site or any other script driven online presence – it is always in danger, just with some scripts more that with others! My goal was to help people secure their WordPress installations using a set of easy to follow video presentations and this is how Lock Your Blog was born! I have to be honest here – initially my partner and I planned to release this DVD as a fully fledged Informational Product at $97. Price justified by the fact that it addresses a very painful topic for those who need it and I know for a fact people are willing to pay a lot more for their business blog to be properly secured – I have taken my share of consulting fees! In fact it was a Perfect Informational Product as it addresses a VERY urgent need and falls into a class of easy to sell but then we decided against it! Lock Your Blog Is Released As Free DVD My partner and I have put quite a bit of work into creating this product and now proud to simply give it away. Well, you actually have to pay Shipping and Handling to access it but the DVD itself is free. Instead of charging full price, we simply ask that people Shipping and Handling and as long as your country is one we can ship to (complete list provided on signup page) – we will send you the DVD. Digital Version of the entire DVD is also provided and if you don’t leave in country that we ship to – you can take advantage of that option. I know it doesn’t seem fair but for simplicity sake we just created one membership level that gives you access to both versions – Physical DVD and Digital Version. Just be mindful when you chose to order that I have clearly stated – there will be No Refunds! By giving this product away instead of selling it we made conscious decision to give up profits but since the value of the product didn’t change and it is still a complete tutorial, it is still a Physical DVD that costs us to print and to mail – we will not be providing any refunds, so window shoppers please don’t waste our time and yours. In a spirit of full disclosure I have to say that we do have a bit of extra attached to each S&H purchase as we pay our affiliates $1 for each purchase to ensure that product spreads through the web. Check It Out and Let Me Know What You Think! Related articles by Zemanta WordPress 2.8.5 Released (howtospoter.com) Do You Have 4 Minutes? Than Allow me to give you Web 2.0 Enabled, Search Engine Optimized, Cash Sucking WordPress Blog! Create a Blog in 4 Minutes (Video Proof) . Copyright WordPress Web 2.0 Spot-Er . All rights reserved. If reading this content on site other then origination blog – it was stolen and publisher is in direct violation of copyrights. Please report Related posts Triple “P” Of Total WordPress Security (47) WordPress 2.8.6 And Your Responcibilities (9) WordPress 2.8.5 Released (12) WordPress Security Presentation (6) 5 Steps To Practical WordPress Security (34) Your Blog As A Core Content For Email Marketing (17)

thespotter posted a photo: my house after November nor’ester