More than 30 years ago, I went to visit a friend in her dark basement apartment in Providence, RI–and was astonished to see that she grew herbs and even dwarf tomatoes on the one or two sunny windowsills she had.

If she can do it, so can you. Nothing beats the taste of fresh herbs, and most of the common ones are ridiculously easy to grow, either in a flower pot or outside. For Northern Hemisphere readers, this is the time to either buy starter plants or grow your own from seed.

I recommend starter plants, especially if you’ve never grown anything other than hair and fingernails. Look for healthy, well-rooted specimens with no yellow, withered leaves–and when possible, from organic stock.

Basil, rosemary, and dill are extremely easy to grow (and in a garden, basil will get quite large). Parsley, oregano, and sage are not difficult. Cilantro’s a bit fussy but worth the effort. For most of them, the main thing is not letting it go to seed too early–which means you snip off the stems that are shooting up to create flowers. Do let some of the dill go, though; the seeds are delicious. A flat of six starter plants per herb gives you some margin of error in case some of them don’t make it.

And nothing perks up a meal like fresh herbs! When you sprinkle them over pasta or into a salad, your taste buds might just start to sing.

If you have surplus at the end of the season, hang them upside down in a sunny spot until thoroughly dry, and then put in tight jars. It’ll make next winter a whole lot more palatable.

Down to Business
Blog Posts that Get Attention
Make Quantum Leaps In Your Business By Testing
How Humour Can Backfire Horribly At Your Next Presentation
Avoid Duplicate Content Penalties in the Search Engines
Improving Your Search Engine Ranking With A Search Cloud
How to Build Long-Lasting Partner Relationships

Frugal and Fashionable Living
Trash to Treasures: 10 Tips for a Successful Garage Sale

Global Arts Review
Midwest Book Review’s Theatre Bookshelf

Global Travel Review
Midwest Book Review’s Travel Bookshelf

Good Business Blog

• Murdoch’s Ownership of the Wall Street Journal Shifts Focus–Is He Taking on the NY Times?
• Military Pundits Didn’t Disclose–They Were Embedded!
• Direct Democracy…In Person and Online
• Flow Testing: An Alternative to the Alternative?
• Gladwell: Defining the Ethics Lines in Journalism, Book Writing & Speaking
• PalastUS/Can/Mex Open Gateway to Dumping Low-Q Chinese Goods
• Corporate Spies, Good Advice Not Taken, A New Word–PR Roundup
• Yikes! Drug Co. Wrote Its Own “Independent Doctor Reports”
• Tibet: Is the Media Showing the Truth?
• Scandal Hits Travel Guidebook Industry
• McCain Lies, Misses Votes; Cheney, Rice Tied to Torture Policy
• OK, Who’s Got the Deceptive Ad Here?
• Martin Luther King’s Deeper Legacy
• Writing & Publishing Orgs Line Up to Condemn Amazon’s Bullying

The last two months, we’ve talked about social networking communities–places like Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, CollectiveX, Ning, LinkedIn, and literally hundreds of others.

But social networking is only one of many types of Web 2.0 sites. Any site that allows visitors to participate actively, and not just passively receive information, is a Web 2.0 site, and can be used in some ways for marketing purposes. Among the possibilities.

Your Own and Others’ Blogs

Blogs have several advantages over traditional websites. To name a few:

• They get into the search engines almost instantly (I once did a Google search for something I’d blogged about ten minutes earlier, and my blog post was there, on the first page of the results)
• It’s easy to increase the reach of a blog by feeding it to your social networking profiles
• You can set your blog to automatically ping Technorati and other blog content aggregators, so people will find you quickly if you blog about something topical and hot

Your own blog should be closely focused on the topic you want to promote. It’s OK to have an occasional post that’s off topic, but you’ll get much better results if you can stay on track. This is a challenge for me, so I describe my blog broadly: as covering “the intersections of ethics, politics, media, marketing, and sustainability–that’s big enough territory that I can ramble, and still be within that rubric.

Note: I strongly advise hosting your blog on your own server, and not on the software’s server

There are also other blogs I follow, and make public comments every once in a while. Posting on others’ blogs gets me known and respected by people I want to impress, exposes me to their fans, and also provides high-quality backlinks to my own various sites.

More kinds of sites next month.

Two exciting books, both with bonus promotions including a bonus from me–the second one is only today:

1. Where’s Your WOW?: 16 Ways to Make Your Competitors Wish They Were You! , by Rick Frishman and Robin Spizman

Rick is an old friend and I have several of his books, including Guerrilla Publicity and at least one of his Author 101 books. He does good work. he’s also the CEO of one of the best known author PR firms out there. He and frequent collaborator Robin Spizman have teamed up again to do a great introduction to branding. It’s very accessible, understands that branding is about the user experience and not just the traditional branding tools like logos and slogans, includes lots of examples, and would be a great book to read first before delving into anything more technical on this somewhat challenging subject.

(Incidentally, once you’ve read Where’s Your Wow, you might want to get more into customer experience as branding, and my own Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First would be a good follow-up. Remember that you can add Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World for half price for the time being.)

2. Arupa Tesolin, who also wrote the intuition book Ting, contacted me out of the blue to tell me about Spark - Raise Your Mind to the Power of Infinity & Create Anything. I requested a review copy and was completely enchanted. A combination of beautiful writing and cool creativity exercises.

She writes,

This spark marks the energetic beginning of the creative process and opens up a space where grand things unfold and the universe becomes a play of invention and possibility…You’ll learn powerful strategies that spark the process of creating no matter what you think or feel or what your current situation is, how to break through the barriers that hold you back from being free to create, and how to magnify and magnetize the things you want so they come rushing towards you like bees to a flower. Even teams and groups can use this book to develop vision and use their creative power to innovate.

Buy Spark TODAY at your favorite major North American retailer for Special Launch Gifts (valued at $600+) including an Author Direct link to Spark Launch.

Volume 5, #8

–> Positive Power Spotlight: Superquinn
I learned about this innovative and very customer-focused Irish supermarket chain in Stephen M.R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust (reviewed elsewhere in this issue), where he’s quoted: “Genuine listening ability is one of the few true forms of competitive advantage…Listening is not an activity you can delegate.”

–> Another Highly Recommended Book: The Speed of Trust
by Stephen M.R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost, boosting your return

–> Two Excellent Events in Europe

1] Responsible Business Summit - the biggest CSR conference in Europe. The conference is likely to sell out, so I recommend booking your ticket this week.

The Summit is taking place on the 13th and 14th May in London, and we are on course to bring together 450 CSR experts from throughout Europe. Speakers on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and business ethics, including:
* Jan Muehlfeit, European Chairman, Microsoft
* Ian Hudson, European President, DuPont
* Ingar Skaug, CEO, Wilh. Wilhelmsen
* Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor, The Economist
* John Imle, Former President, Unocal

2] A Rare and Special Treat: Your Chance to Learn in a Small Group with the Inventor of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson–On the French Riviera

–> Rick Frishman is a busy guy; he’s got two things going on that you want to know about.

First, his newest book, “Where’s Your Wow! 16 Ways to Make Your Competitors Wish
They Were You” (co-authored with Robyn Spizman). I haven’t seen this book yet but I’m eagerly waiting for my copy. I have several of their other books and like them all. Big launch party on April 22 with tons of bonuses, etc.: http://snipurl.com/24mvy (page isn’t ready yet–check back on 4/22).

And second, Rick is organizing a big one-day conference just before Book Expo America. He writes,
“Hold the date Thursday May 29. Author 101 University is coming! It will be at the Westin at LAX for one day. This is the day before BEA starts in Los Angeles. This will be an amazing event that will be very exclusive. Only 200 people. I will bring a Publishing Panel of editors, agents and editors. Mark Victor Hansen, David Hancock, Brendon Burchard, Alex Carroll, and the amazing Barbara De Angeles.”

I’ll be attending this event (as well as the Advanced Track at PMA-U the day before). If you’d like to go, *please write to me privately* at this link –I’ll have a registration URL and I think a special offer in a couple of days.

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer–but don’t abuse it. Only answer if you’re approrpiate for the query, or else you’ll spoil it for yourself and everyone else . If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Just One Friend Who Wants to Give You Stuff
Warren Whitlock’s How to Be a Bestselling Author Course (how to strategically leverage interest in your book)

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Mark Joyner: Conversations with Bestsellers
This one you have to pay for. Internet marketing genius/bestselling author/philosopher of abundance and social change Mark Joyner has released a set of audio conversations with other bestselling authors on how to become one. Includes transcripts and various cool bonuses.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one-but I’ve heard about it for years.

–> Facebook Teleseminar with Mari Smith
If you’re not on Facebook yet, you may be missing valuable business opportunities. If you are on Facebook, are you getting the most out of it for your business? Recently, The Blog Squad grilled Mari Smith about why you need to be on Facebook and how to use the social networking site to be smart about building your business. Now you can get access to the audio program from the live teleseminar for an investment of only $20.

–> You’re invited to join Foundercontact
Christophe Poizat, founder and chairman of the International Network of Social Entrepreneurs (INSE) has invited you to receive a free membership with Foundercontact. Foundercontact International Ltd is a web 2.0 online marketplace designed to bring entrepreneurs into contact with 3500 investors for seed, early stage, or growth capital. With members from 5 continents and 93 different countries, it opens up international business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Sign up at http://www.foundercontact.com/user/register

–> Hear and Meet Shel

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

–> Nature Classes
Can you tell the difference between a white oak and a red oak–before the leaves grow in? Would you enjoy tracking beavers or coyotes through the woods? Would you like to understand the ecosystem you live in, and your role in it? Do you want to know how to grow the perfect tomato for your climate?

–> A New Way To Have More Frugal Fun–No-Cost Games on FrugalFun.com
Want to win cool stuff? Tired of surfing through content and want a break? Here’s something you’ll want to look at. To play, go to any inner page of FrugalFun.com (not the home page) and click on the game banner at the very top.

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Hear and Meet Shel

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–>Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

Published monthly since May, 1997 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

Something very special: Jay Conrad Levinson, the man who gave us both the Guerrilla Marketing series and the Marlboro Man, is doing a seminar on the French Riviera, May 24 & 25, 2008, and there are only 79 seats, total.

“Jay Conrad Levinson had coffee with me in 1983 and it changed my life forever. Jay has forgotten
more about effective marketing techniques than most of us will ever know. He’s the man.”
– Seth Godin, best-selling author of Permission Marketing and Unleashing the Ideavirus.

Jay is sharing the program with a couple of other marketing legends, among them Mitch Meyerson, Monroe Mann and Alexandru Israil (who is apparently an Internet marketing legend in Europe), plus there are $847 worth of goodies for attenders.Organizer Christophe Poizat, whom I’ve been networking with since December, has allowed me to offer some special pricing, on a limited basis:

• Code Savings Number available
• xgmcp999 —> 50.00% discount –> 1 Ticket
• xgmcp998 —> 30.00% discount –> 5 Tickets
• xgmcp997 —> 20.00% discount –> 10 Tickets
• xgmcp996 —> 10.00% discount –> 20 Tickets

Use whichever discount code gives you the best price still available.

To register, or to learn more about the speakers, etc., please click here. (Yes, it’s an affiliate link)