I was going to write this post before my friends Brankica Underwood and Steve Scott beat me to the punch (read her Christmas gift ideas post, or Steve’s Internet Marketer’s Christmas gift ideas post), but being ‘in the season’ of giving it struck me that nobody seems to know what to get me for Christmas.
No, I don’t think Christmas is “all about me,” I have some deeper spiritual roots than that.
BUT I also have a real-live 10 year-old geek living inside me that virtually drools over toys like I’m about to show here and frankly I wouldn’t mind if my mom, wife or kids or you know…people reading this?…got me some of this for Christmas.
Then it occurred to me how incredibly self-centered that would sound – and I’m all about not sounding self-centered…
So I figured I’d flip it.
This post is about YOU. If you’re reading this, then I’m helping YOU out, because your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, parent(s), “boss”, clients, or dog could sure do you a solid and get you one of the following…
Remember: it’s all about YOU. Not me.
(But uh, you know – you could hook a brotha up…)
Jedi mind tricks aside, getting back to YOU, now:
What Internet Marketers Want for Christmas
OK, I don’t even know if you practice Christmas or not – let’s pretend you don’t. If you practice “a holiday” that involves giving and receiving presents…read on.
Also, you may consider yourself more of a blogger vs. internet marketer.
Bear with me now and quit belly-aching. It’s Christmas and I haven’t even started with my YOUR wish list.
(You betcha all the outbound Amazon.com links are my affiliate links. I will prolly get compensated if you’re so kind as to do all your shopping for the year through my links.)
Gifts that Entertain
I may sound like I work all day (lately it’s been sorta like that, yeah), but I enjoy a good break now and then.
Assuming you enjoy a well-deserved break, wouldn’t you like to wind down with:
Modern Warfare 3
I SO WANT THIS...I mean YOU do!
Alright fine!
That may not be your thing. Maybe you’d rather have Call of Duty: Black Ops and play against some zombies?
Whichever you’d prefer, I bet you know someone that is pining for either. Both games are high on my your wish list, I can feel it.
But any self-respecting First-Person-Shooter (FPS) gamer wouldn’t be caught dead without their full-immersion gear: the Ear Force X12 headset and the seriously boss gamer’s chair with in-built speakers…
Yep. I am officially a guy. I just drooled typing that all out.
X Rocker Pro Gamer's Chair with Subwoofer?!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Clarifying sound for intense FPS gaming environments - GET YO GAME ON!
But, silly me, I’ve been carrying on like you had an XBox 360. If you don’t already, the Kinect bundle is totally worth it for exer-gaming (we have a LOT of fun with Dance Central and Kinect Sports, among other games).
Since we live in Idaho – winter P.E. for the kids is usually a matter of skipping the Y.M.C.A. and burning off calories with a Kinect game.
The Kinect Bundled with the XBox 360 ROCKS
Shoveling snow, of course, is something we have to do occasionally, but Kinect gaming is the bomb (is it still cool to say “the bomb,” or did I miss that memo?).
If you download a lot of movies, you’ll want to get the 250GB rather than the 4GB hard drive, but you can upgrade later, too.
Let’s pretend you don’t have any plans on enjoying the immensely entertaining, if not shallow, depths of the XBox (clearly a favorite of mine from my mom last year: thanks, mom!)…
Oh. It’s my son’s. Whatever.
Walking Dead
One of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen in long time (and this may lose me some readers, not sure, hopefully not) has been the Walking Dead.
I had no idea I was this shallow: shallow as a grave in fact. But this zombie TV show has me hooked – please no spoilers in the comments, I haven’t finished season one yet…
It’s not for the squeamish, and I thought I was more squeamish than apparently I am. Thanks to Black Ops gameplay (for four months earlier this year!), I’ve developed a seriously odd itch for zombie lore, and this show is surprisingly deeper than I’d given it credit for (so far).
I won’t show a picture just in case someone’s eating…
Another seriously addicting show?
This is season 5 of Psych, currently airing season 6.
A completely dorky show that’s well-written, has excellent character development for a sit-com/drama/cop show hybrid (I’ve heard it’s like “Monk” but haven’t seen that), and has me hooked on the romantic interests at play…
Thanks to my 14 year-old daughter (who refuses to wait for me before watching the next episode on Netflix), I’m hooked.
I have so much to catch up on in the story, so if you get someone hooked, it’s a good gift to give.
Productivity Tools
OK enough with the entertainment – got work to do, amiright? Amiright?
I have had a very long couple of years online typing away, so a couple of tools that I’ve heard work really well for production:
This is probably the most recognized voice recognition software for Windows machines.
Type With Your Voice - Forget Carpal Tunnel
If you use a Mac, you have the option to get Dragon Dictate or other software (both by Nuance Software).
The point is to type and control the keyboard with just your voice, so if you have either no mobility in your arms (I have a quadriplegic friend, for example), or if you have serious pain from typing like me – then it’s something to consider.
Over time, you get pretty adept at typing with your voice and the speed picks up. Right now I’m using Windows 7 voice recognition, but have to wonder if Dragon would give me better results…
Of course if you get Dragon, or just want to do voice Skype chats, etc. – you need:
Noise Cancelling Mic - I'm Not an Audio Guy, But I Use a Similar Model
Noise cancelling microphones, like this one, are a must in my house. I use a similar one to this since I’ve been training my Windows 7 voice recognition to do my evil bidding.
Mwahahahahaha!
It’s not working out too well and I’m impatient, but when I do videos I think it’s going to do just fine. (The problem is Windows 7 and my patience level – I can type faster than I can speak, the thoughts come easier that way.)
Heck, if you’re going to get better conversions: do some video. I’m hoping to do YouTube videos of my own but our camera sucks rotten eggs…So I’ve had my eye on something like this.
The Kodak ZX5 HD Camcorder is Waterproof
This is the Kodak ZX5 HD camcorder, fits in your pocket and it’s waterproof (and blue if you haven’t noticed – comes in 3 colors at least). This one would be perfect for doing product reviews of products you own or buy, or otherwise review.
Or just for kicks, like when you get pulled over for speeding again, to see what the police officer does when you flash a camcorder in his face.
I am so not recommending you do that. BTW, since Cisco did away with the Flip camcorder, this one’s getting a lot of action (and I can see why). Read more here.
NEED MOAR MONITORZ!!
The Samsung monitors are the best in the industry and there is no doubt about that. I say that with confidence after some side-by-side tests done while perusing Target, so I’m a total expert.
But considering they power the iPad 2, and that thing looks smoking hot, Samsung it is for me. This monitor’s only 20 inches and reasonably priced, they have some huge screens at 27 inches that cost an arm and a leg – but the idea is you get more work done if you have MOAR monitorz!
There have been a number of studies to show that with more synched screens, you accomplish more work – so it’s an efficiency thing (and on my agenda).
The MicroSoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 Saved my Bacon
This is the same setup I use at home – if my desk didn’t need some massive cleaning up I’d post the picture I just took to prove it but I won’t.
A while back I wrote this Hubpage on it if you want my full review.
In essence, I couldn’t type on a regular keyboard without excruciating pain in my fingers and wrists after my time at Elance – so I was actually given this set as a gift and it made all the difference in my fingers.
Maybe I will post the picture sometime – I’ve worn off the letters, but I don’t look down anyway. :)
Highly Converting WordPress Themes
OK, I have a post coming up this week that is talking some crazy conversion rates…at least that’s been my recent experience…
And one of the things I’ve done to get solid conversion rates is to change themes from a freebie WordPress theme to something professionally made to close sales.
You can limp along little doggy making sales on free themes – but when I release that post the numbers are staggering: so all I’m saying is that you can take your existing content and use a real WordPress theme and see all the difference in the world if you’re tracking your sales activity.
That said, the best themes I’ve used and use are:
FlexSqueeze Theme My Fave
Flexibility 3 Theme (Upgrades to Flexsqueeze, which I prefer 100%)
OptimizePress (Membership sites, sales copy, affiliate sites, too)
Genesis Theme Framework (Buy a good skin, let the sales come in)
If I don’t grow my network much larger than a handful of sites (I have a handful of actively marketed websites that make up my income), then I won’t ever buy another theme.
Honestly, either Flexsqueeze or OptimizePress are more than enough to handle my needs – but yep: I’ve got me some themes. :)
My favorite is Flexsqueeze, though, for all-around use.
I could get away with just using that and no other theme to be honest: totally customizable and easy as pie to use (this blog runs on it, all the fancy graphics, tables, banners, etc. all come with it).
Bottom line is you want a converting theme, and all these convert sales better than any I’ve tried.
Good Webhosting
I won’t lie – I’ll probably never in my life get off HostGator. Ever. OK, I may need SEO hosting at some point, but even then I’m likely to stick to HostGator products…
They totally take care of you.
As far as up-time goes, they’ve been incredible for me…response times with tickets is fast compared to other hosts I’ve tried.
But bottom-line, an awesome gift for an IMer or blogger is hosting, and my pick is HostGator (I prefer using a reseller package myself but really you could do a lot of business on a shared account).
If you’re planning on getting web hosting, use this coupon to get 25% off your order:
For domain names, I pretty much always go with Namecheap with few exceptions.
If you want other IM tools for your favorite blogger, see my sidebar for some ideas or the My Tools page.
Health-Related Gifts
TrekDesk Treadmill Desk
OK, to tell you the truth I’d rather build this thing with some wood I have laying around, like I did with my garage storage shelves – but honestly when I think about it…naaaaaw…
The TrekDesk for Gluteus Minimus
I’d rather get this thing (I mean YOU want this thing!).
Not sure that building something comparable around my treadmill would look as good, since I wouldn’t dedicate the time to do it properly…
But for long hours of writing and the fear of things like heart attacks and strokes (not kidding) always looming at the back of my head, this is an investment I’ve been considering for a while personally.
I can’t possibly be the only blogger/IMer/writer who’s wistfully eyed the TrekDesk.
Cost on Amazon is $479, and judging from the way you rolled your eyes I think you think it’s too expensive. But I also think that avoiding a stroke or heart attack is worth it (both of which various family members, distant cousins and elders from yore have had).
It may look like a gimmick, but it’s worth it if you write full time like me.
Tea and Coffee Snobs
I don’t consider myself a snob really – except maybe in how I build backlinks or my content quality – but there is a part of me that wants to be a total tea snob.
The fact is I drink lots of tea during the day, I prefer it now to coffee which I’ve loved my whole life…and as a blogger / writer / IMer – I need to stay alert, tea helps with that without making me all nuts on caffeine.
So for the productive writer and marketer…I’m suggesting the following gifts for Christmas.
This is perfect for keeping your writer or blogger planted right where he or she needs to be: by the PC.
Tea Snobs UNITE - This Thing RAWKS MY TEA BAGS
Look, I’ve timed myself: if I don’t have tea nearby, a ‘tea break’ turns into 2 or 4 episodes of Psych with my daughter…next thing you know, dinner time and I’ve got nothing done.
All because of keeping the tea in the kitchen…
I think I’d be a chakillionaire or somethin’ if I had this baby.
Not only is it a production tool, but it also keeps your tea perfectly steeped, depending on type (white, green, black, etc.)
Serious bidness for tea lovers.
Along the same lines but much more expensive, the DeLonghi ESAM 3300 Magnifica espresso machine: grind and brew, cappuccino frother attachment, double-boiler for no waiting…
My heart cries out for this…
Coffee Never Looked So Complicated
I know: pathetic. But it’s been a while since we’ve had a good espresso maker. Used to have one (Krups) and we lost it at some point, not sure why.
What appeals to me is the thought of turning my desk into a barrista’s delight: tea on one end, espresso brewing on the other…just imagine with me for a second…I can see Juan Valdez now…or Starbuck’s mermaid, either/or.
(I’m such a coffee snob, aren’t I?)
I know the single serve machines are all the rage, but I prefer natural coffee or tea, being a Paleo sort of omnivore.
That’s My Christmas List for Bloggers and Internet Marketers
Hope you’ve enjoyed it – feel free to point your significant others here to tell them what a completely understanding guy I am, and how I’ve read your mind…hint, hint…
Hoping your Christmas is going well (mine, thankfully, is), I’ll be busy the next couple of weeks putting together something I didn’t think I would be…
More on that later as it develops. If I seem quiet here, it’s because I’m writing my arms off for this project – and I’ll be spilling the beans to my Aweber subscribers in advance.
Otherwise I’ll see you when I see you, thanks for dropping a line.
And if you have any more Christmas present ideas – leave them in the comments.
P.S.: I have taken some SHODDY pictures of my house – I put up Christmas lights this year: first time EVAH since I am the world’s laziest husband/dad – but I’ll show those pics later this week if I can take a decent pic…
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Some great ideas!
If my husband were getting me a gift I would send him over but we just bought a dining room set so no gifts. Being an adult sux.
Side note, how do you watch Netflix? Do you have a dedicated streamer?
I’d LOVE a dedicated streamer (like Boxee or Roku) but we just use the XBox 360 and the Gold Membership. Hm…new dining set: we wound up re-finishing a second-hand table we found at a local shop.
Thing has enough room for us and then some…and looks pretty hot now. Actually my wife re-finished it, I was writing and she was sick of waiting for me. :/
Then for the chairs we re-upholstered (by “we” I mean she and our 12 y/o son) our existing mis-matched chairs, and she painted/refinished those as well in a French country style. Total cost was $50 I think.
Refinishing a thrift store find for cheap would have been preferred, but I’m just not that crafty and/or motivated. And I have no idea how to upholster.
I guess I should try Hulu on the Xbox.
Carrie recently posted..My November Earnings and Update
Well for re-finishing, my wife’s husband is a pretty handy resource/ex-painter/carpenter. W/re-upholstering I think she read some random blogs she’s been reading on it – it’s pretty easy really. The chairs are dining room chairs so just a piece of plywood w/a foam pad of sorts, you can get new foam padding at Home Depot or wherever, then cut the material/staple it to the plywood and re-screw to the chair’s frame.
It depends on the chair style though – living room chairs would be another matter.
I am definitely with you on the desk. I have thought about building my own desk to go above my treadmill. But every time I think of that I have a horrible picture of my computer flying at me and smashing to bits.
And I am not handy with building things.
A bad combo…
Much better to fork out the $479
Anyhow, it seems like a great time to have those final Christmas lists…since I just did mine too. But I stayed away from the physical products and gave more “gift” links including one you might recognize…
Steve recently posted..4 Christmas *Goodies* for ANY Internet Marketer
Ah! I need to read your post. Haven’t done much reading, been link building like a madman. But methinks a thanks is in order? Makes me think I’ll need to re-visit this concept for the New Year.
The $479 desk is def. something I’ll be getting, the gluteus is now maximus’ed, or getting more every day. I have a workout plan but I think I was supposed to actually do it and not read it?
Nice list. I would add capturing the Google Panda and putting it in a zoo where it can not longer pillage the search rankings.
I don’t know if the “the bomb” is still cool but since you make your living online you could try “the bomb.com”. It may buy you a couple years of coolness as well.
David recently posted..Content
That was priceless – wish I woulda included that! A Panda poacher? Only it’s after the Google Panda? Hmmmm….
As for thebomb.com, it seems to be taken by someone selling screened tees and other such like whatnot. (To be precise.)
My husband told me to order a Kindle Fire for myself for Christmas so that will be my gift this year. I was contemplating getting a Roomba because I hate to vacuum and I could use the time that I should be vacuuming for working instead if I had a Roomba, but that was over our price limit.
The only thing I am worried about is that I will be wasting time with my Kindle when I should be working!
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Tiffany! The Kindle Fire?! Oh, you lucky girl…We were debating that one. My wife has the iPad2 and my daughter has the regular Kindle and an iPod, but both are now Apple converts. Did you look at the Nook? The reason I bring it up is that Kindle doesn’t show they’re compatible with Netflix (which we use) and Hulu (again, we use that). We don’t have cable TV, just Netflix or Hulu – and I think Amazon wants people to use their download service for video/tv…
The problem is that they don’t have all the selection that Netflix/Hulu do, so it made the Nook seem a better choice if we were going that direction. Just a thought. But if you get the Fire, definitely let me know how you like it! I’m wondering if I’m wrong about the Netflix/Hulu thing, but I read it at some big media website…
The treadmill desk is hilarious! Love it! Get your workout while working– genius!
It’s a gimmick that works f/sure – I wanted someone to invent the toilet/desk/massage chair…I’d shell out for that.
James Hussey recently posted..What to Get an Internet Marketer for Christmas
Well many of these products. I sold from hub links. They sell. But i need separate website authority site can make tons of money.
I sold $150 product on amazon yesterday. I made $8+ wow. So, i outsource huge backlink package for my site currently ranking on 9th.
I am expecting better ranking and regular sales. Even though i have 20 more amazon sites but none is ranking in top. I usually do some small link building. I guess i learned the money making part but for ramping up i need more money. Money makes money. I don’t have much.
Rahul –
Yeah it does take some money but honestly if you take the right steps, you don’t need tons of money to make money. I didn’t have much when I first started out, of course ranking means building either a lot of links or building enough of the right kind of links…
So I’ve taken my competitors’ top links before using a free version of SEO SpyGlass, the top PR links – then simply tried to copy as many of those as I could (it works like crazy and the tool is free, even if it’s a bit slow).
If you go that route you can save a lot of money, then buy tools that are one-time payments (SEO Link Rizer is one I thought I’d get at some point just to try, for example, at $49 it’s a Magic Submitter wanna-be but I’ve heard good things)…
Other tools like PAD Submit Worker or Auto Backlinks Bomb…
AMR is one of my top choices…
Just some thoughts. You don’t need these tools, but if you do go that route, there are a lot of good choices for 1-time payments.
If you need any other ideas just hit me up in an email:
James AT theaveragegenius DOT net.
James Hussey recently posted..A Backlink Checker Besides Yahoo Site Explorer
I will be shooting mail to you in new year. Well even i have not received report but my website saw jump in serp 7 position from 9 in two days.
So, i guess as you told, building right kind of links or copying same links can surely give you better ranking. I do own AMR, BMD, Sick, rssbot etc. But AMR rocks. I ran AMR 3 times in last two months. So, i though i need high PR links and other things.
Still i need to proper research. So, that i can target long tails and make sells. Even i am not getting any visitors from last few days. Also, i need more content.
This looks 2k exact amazon product on 7th position is useless. I need to be in top 5 or 3. lets see.
Rahul recently posted..Online Income analysis year – year
Yeah, getting to the top spot is pretty huge. Lots of difference between #7 and #1 in terms of traffic and income, don’t stop until you hit it.
Takes some time, so I use some efficient systems to keep building links.
Xbox 360 games, Kinect, PSYCH…it sounds like we could be great friends! And yes, I’ve also watched Monk, but in my opinion, stick with Psych. Although Monk is good for a few laughs, Psych completely blows it away. Be sure to thank your daughter for getting you hooked!
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Oh I did, but then she watched all the seasons w/o me. I told her to wait, she said, “I can’t, daddy.”
To which my reply was, “But you’re still waiting for Christmas…” She almost got coal this year. Life will never be the same.
great blog and great final Christmas lists…loved the treadmill desk, how to work your body while working your mind!!
That is one of my dream gifts. (hint hint!) :D
Your totally right about Host Gator James, they surely know how to take care of there client. And in addition to the list I wish some one can give me a copy of Call of duty Modern Warfare3 its really am very cool game to have.
Ruth Sayson recently posted..How to Buy the Perfect Laser Radar Detector as a Gift
My only complaint about MW3 is that there’s no zombies…but their new survival mode looks like a good replacement. Sort of. So we bought that game and “Left For Dead 2″ so I can get my zombie fix…I mean…so my SON can get HIS zombie fix…OK. Fine. It’s my game. :D
Nice list James.
The treadmill desk are one thing I have really thought about. Open up the article writing mind and lose weight at the same time!
Some of the more expensive models are push button for up and down so you can sit in a chair when needed.
My next issue would be the added space required. My wife and I both have computer desk in our home office with all the added goodies that go with it, book shelves, file cabinets, printer’s, TV, etc.
I guess I could set her up in the garage!!! Ho! Ho! Ho!
Steve recently posted..Successful Home Based Entrepreneur Webmasters List
Hey Steve –
I figure with living in CO you have some outdoors moments making that thing moot – or at least I’d hope you can enjoy CO! I’d like one of the more expensive TrekDesk models you’re talking about…that would be pretty cool. Rather than having to stand all day or move shop…or maybe I need several synched workstations?
Man…this is getting expensive…:D
Hey James,
How did you know I wanted DNS for this Christmas?… Lol, I have been thinking about getting DNS for a while now, but I kept thinking my girlfriend may get it fro me for Christmas, so I am still waiting.
By the way, A few days ago, I tried commenting here and after I hit submit, it would give me a “page not found” error! perhaps a plugin interrupting the function or something like that?…
Satrap recently posted..How to Make Money Fast
Ha! Do you have Win 7? I just recently found out about their voice recognition, but I’m not patient enough to use it. BUT before I buy DNS I think I need to exhaust that possibility.
Re: my blog: there is a gremlin here. Have had issues w/it for a while, but I’ve heavily modified it. Not sure if it’s a W3TC and MaxCDN ‘thing’ or a plugin, but I’m thinking a plugin is the culprit. I’ve run a lot of them at one time or another, still a little heavy on that note…
So I need to narrow it down. Not sure which it is…this blog’s long overdue for some serious maintenance, from an SEO overhaul to optimizing my databases, all that jazz. I get intimidated by the checklist so it stays undone. :/
Keep telling myself I need to hire an admin for the techy side…
I have been planning to buy a nice compact HD camera for myself as I am fond of photography. I have bought Kodak SLR for myself but its little bulky and so I cannot carry it everywhere I want; I used occasionally mainly during parties .So I was looking for a HD camera that I can carry in my pocket like mobile phones and capture some beautiful snaps around me. I found Kodak ZX5 HD camcorder fitting best to my requirements. And I think it would be a very special gift for myself.
Thats really a good idea and nice chose to chose Kodak product.
Arjun Rai recently posted..Tour package South India
brilliant final Christmas lists…loved the treadmill desk, will be able to work by body just as hard as my mind!! merrry christmas
Nice thinking, Treadmill for new year and it will make whole year healthy.
Arjun Rai recently posted..Tour package Rajasthan
Hey James,
Loved reading your list of Christmas gifts for internet Marketers. I was drooling too over some of them. I would definitely like to get a new theme and some custom banner graphics done for my blog someday.
Merry Christmas,
Justin
Justin Mazza recently posted..Site Build It – 2 Websites for the Price of 1 Holiday Special
For banner graphics, I’d go to http://plr-diva.com/ and ask Selena. She does good themes, too. For my own needs, it’s Flexsqueeze or OptimizePress, both get the job done and then some.
Hi there,
nice Wishlist…. in this seconds my boyfriend plays with PS3 ( Ace Kombat). Santa brings for my Son and great Transformer and LEGO Harry Potter for PS3, and my present from Santa is my OWN Domain!!!!!!!! *yeahhhhhhh* its soooooo cool and now my dream (start my own business next year) can start. I´m so happy and thankful for my Family.
Wish you all merry Christmas and enjoy the time with your family and friends.
Greetings from Germany :-)
Sandy recently posted..Cougars Dating für reifere Frauen
Someone’s having a good Christmas in Germany. :) Merry Christmas, Sandy.
Hi James,
I’ve been eyeing TrekDesk and i right now it is just on my wishlist. I’m on a tight budget but maybe next year in January, i’d be able to buy this. The concept of walking while typing is just too tempting. I mean, i’m a home based entrepreneur and most home based workers have sedentary lifestyle. With this kind of treadmill, we can stay physically fit while working online.
Tim recently posted..What is Title Insurance and Why Do I Need It?
I really had a blast in this Christmas and wish you all Merry Christmas and happy new year and about this blog the XBOX 360 corner was the best.
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