Pictured below, the Best of the Web guys show by the look on their faces they’re really bummed about having to leave the office.

Adam Sussman, Brian Prince, and Greg Hartnett at SES- SF (photo courtesy of Jeff Randall)

“From a networking and business development standpoint, we always get a lot from the SES conferences. The new venue at San Francisco provided attendees and exhibitors even greater opportunities for meeting people.

We look forward to our next conference, Pubcon Las Vegas.” ~ Greg Hartnett

Our thanks to all involved for making this a successful convention. The Best of the Web team looks forward to seeing you again in Vegas.

Since 2007 the Internet Marketer’s Charity Party has been fund-raising for various non-profit organizations including Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong, The Ronald McDonald House, Doctors Without Borders, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and The Denver Children’s Hospital. These events help spread awareness for their causes and are always one of the biggest Internet Marketing networking events of the year.

How does it work? Mainly through the sponsors. BOTW, Bing, and WeBuildPages will cover the costs of the party so 100% of the money collected will go directly to the cause. Attendees will have a chance to exchange ideas with fellow marketers or mingle with their favorite bloggers and Internet personas in a relaxed, enjoyable setting.

Previous parties have been nothing but successes, and this year it’s not too late to become a part of the fun. This August 18 from 8-11 p.m. come join the fun-fueled generosity with BOTW at ROE-SF. Each ticket is $50 and entitles you to unlimited drinks from 8-11. You can also buy raffle tickets for $1 each and enter to win an iPad or other donated prizes.

The Details:
Where: ROE Nightclub San Francisco – Map
What: Conference networking + open bar
When: Wednesday, August 18th, 8-11 p.m.
Who: Anyone who wants to have fun & support charity
Why: To help provide clean water to those in need

Buy tickets here!

New industries entirely online came of age. People that once went to the mall to get ready for Christmas began to go to “Google” and “Amazon”.

We learned a lot of new words… Adsense, SEO, PR, Digg, Facebook… and we learned new meanings for old words. “Twitter” went from a sound to an action. “Text” went from a noun to a verb. Spam was once somethiing you didn’t want on your plate, now it’s something you don’t want in your inbox, directory, or forum. Now if you talk about anticipating “caffeine”, you probably aren’t on your way to Starbucks.

The national media scoffed at “bloggers in pajamas”, and lost. [Now they're establishing their own blogs and playing catch up.] Where once having a website meant your company was “cutting edge”, now NOT having one means you just aren’t considered. For the most part these changes occurred over the course of the last decade.

Moving into 2010…
In a decade of change, Best of the Web has played its part. We went from an early awards program to a directory helping map the best sites on the net. We added a UK and Ireland Directory, a Local Directory, and other products.

Now we’d like to play our part helping folks get their website and their products in front of more people than ever. BOTW now has more than 20 million listings spread across the Web Directory, Blog Directory, UK Directory, and BOTW Local. We are happy to offer a promotion good through the end of January: SAVE 20% on All NEW BOTW Submissions and Sponsorship Advertising.

When prompted, enter the following Promo Code: NEWYR

Save 20% on new:

• Directory Submissions – Discount the annual or the one-time review fee and get listed in the Internet’s Oldest Directory.

• Monthly Sponsorship Ads – Save on the monthly rate for all new sponsorship ads.

• Blog Directory Submissions – Feature your blog and save on the annual review fee.

• Blog Advertising – Discount on all new sponsorship ads in the Blog Directory.

• Premium Local Listings – Discount the monthly and annual rate for your Local Business Profile listing.

• Bundled Marketing Package – Get your US Business listed in BOTH the Web Directory and BOTW Local for a fraction of the cost. Save 20% on the yearly fee!

The code may be used multiple times for multiple products and services in January. The code will expire on January 31, 2010 so act now to get a jump on the new year.

Happy 2010 to all from the Best of the Web team!

SCAM ALERT:

An individual is advertising unrealistic discounts on BOTW submissions at Digitalpoint in THIS THREAD and THIS THREAD. The same offer is also shown at webhostingscoop.net in THIS POST. The poster at Digitalpoint goes by the name Arale, and may be employing shills to “verify” his service.

Best of the Web wishes to warn potential submitters that BOTW has no affiliation with the service shown. The BOTW referral ID of the original poster of those threads has been identified as an individual whose submits are removed from the directory as it is part of a known scam.

Anyone that responds to that offer or similar offers by that individual elsewhere with intent to obtain a listing at BOTW does so at their own risk. Again, it is NOT associated with any legitimate BOTW offer and will not result in a listing in the BOTW Directory, the BOTW Blog Directory, or any affiliated product.

~ Thanks

Rob Jones
Best of the Web Directory

This is the third year in a row for us (hey, if it works, why not?), and this year our beneficiary will be the Toys for Tots program initiated by the US Marine Corps Reserve.

Toys for Tots Program – http://www.toysfortots.org/
The Toys for Tots program has been an ongoing event since it’s conception in 1947. The objective is to…

…help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Though many toys are collected through local drives and public participation, the need often outpaces supply, and then some just find it easier to donate cash so the funds can be targeted where needed most. Our children are the future, and helping them have a great Christmas in what may have been an otherwise rough year seems a worthy goal.

For some examples of some lives impacted by the Toys for Tots program, see actual accounts posted on their site. These show that even a small positive influence can leave a lasting impression on a child, and motivate her or him to pursue a path to a productive adulthood.

The Players:
Return of the Botw Boys
In addition to sponsoring the tourney, BOTW will have 4 team members playing in the tournament… Greg Hartnett, Brian Prince, “the Good Rob” (aka Rob Schmidt*), & Adam Sussman. * Last we heard Schmidt was still claiming his previous high placement was “luck”. Those are the guys to watch, the ones that say they’re good seldom are.

If YOU are interested in playing…

…Or just being a guest, see the Purpose Inc Texas Holdem Poker Tournament at Pubcon page to register.

If the lure of the cards isn’t enough, remember that players and guests also get free drinks… Nov. 12th from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Mirage hotel.

Go sign up… you can help a worthy cause.

Earnings for the Charity
The party raised over $11 thousand dollars to fight Multiple Myeloma and Blood Cancer. There were also some great raffle prizes awarded as follows:

RAFFLE PRIZE WINNERS
All winning ticket holders contact Greg Niland to claim your prize.
SMX West All Access Pass (or SMX East 2010) – Justin Seybert
SMX Advanced All Access Pass – Damon Clifford
Search Engine Land Premium Memberships – #446158, #446251, #446391, Christine Gaynor, Monica Barber – Contact Greg Niland for prize
2 SES New York Conference Pass – Christine Gaynor & Steve Caraballo
SEOmoz Advanced SEO Training DVD – Damon Clifford
SEOmoz 1 year PRO membership – Shiva Sharif

Our thanks to all that attended and made this charity party a success… and to the rest of you, hope you can make it to the next one.

Come do a little conference networking and have a good time.

Besides friends & free booze (wait, we need more?)… there will be raffles. As usual, proceeds go to charity, so the fun is for a good cause.

Prizes include:

• SMX West All Access Pass (or SMX East 2010) ($1395)
• SMX Advanced All Access Pass ($1395)
• 5 Search Engine Land Premium Memberships ($149)
• 2 SES New York Conference Pass ($1395)
• SEOmoz Advanced SEO Training DVD ($499)
• SEOmoz 1 year PRO membership ($799)

Tickets are $50 (again, all goes to charity since Best of The Web and Clix Marketing are picking up the bill). Proceeds will go to fight Blood Cancer and Multiple Myeloma, and the receipt for the ticket will keep your accountant happy at tax time.

Tickets are available at: http://www.imcharityparty.com/ .

Of course if you can’t make it, you can still help by purchasing raffle tickets, but it’ll be more fun with you there. Hope you can make it.

Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan…
…was kneecapped by an assailant sent by another Olympic hopeful… Tonya Harding. Just another inspiring example of the spirit of brotherhood exemplified through Olympic competition… and a proud moment for Team USA.

OJ Simpson… steel athlete turned wooden actor
… leads police on a slow chase in a white Bronco. His wife is discovered dead, as is his career pitching rental cars. He is later acquitted and devotes his life to an exhausting search for the real killer on golf courses across the nation.

President William Jefferson Clinton
… scores a coup for peace when North Korea signs an agreement to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections. This of course forever ends the issue of the troublesome dictatorship becoming a nuclear power.

Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley
[Insert your own joke here]

Red Hat Linux 1.0 is released
[No joke.]

Brandon Plewe, a student at State U of New York, Buffalo…
…creates a platform to let the burgeoning online community nominate and vote for best-of-class websites in a variety of categories. From this seed is later developed a well known web enterprise.

The new site is known as Best of the Web.

…

Make Something Happen in 2009
Best of the Web is celebrating its 15th year with a sale on a multitude of products… giving YOU lots of chances to make something happen in 2009. For the entire month of September you can take advantage of this promotion and receive 20% OFF all new BOTW submissions and sponsorship advertising, including the following ;

• Directory Submissions – Discount the annual or the one-time review fee and get listed in the Internet’s Oldest Directory.

• Blog Directory Submissions – Feature your blog and save on the annual review fee.

• Premium Local Listings – Discount the monthly and annual rate for your Local Business Profile listing.

• Bundled Marketing Package – Get your US Business listed in BOTH the Web Directory and BOTW Local for a fraction of the cost. Save 20% on the yearly fee!

• Monthly Sponsorship Ads – Save on the monthly rate for all new sponsorship ads.

• Blog Advertising – Discount on all new sponsorship ads in the Blog Directory.

All you have to do is remember to use the promo code: SINCE94

Vote Early and Vote Often
The promo code may be used multiple times for multiple products and services during the month of September. Remember – the code will expire on September 30, 2009… so be sure to take advantage of the 20% discount before it’s too late!

Having It All

• Party with a fun crowd past bedtime
• Network with valuable business contacts
• Do a good deed for the community

… all at the same time.

But in August… you CAN
BOTW is helping sponsor the upcoming Internet Marketers Charity Party to take place in San Jose August 12th… and as always at these things, it just won’t be a party without you there.

Networking
If you haven’t attended an IM Charity Party yet, it’s a great chance to rub elbows with the folks you normally only see across a crowded forum, read in a blog, or talk to by email. Great chance to put faces with names, and do so in a relaxed, fun setting.

Charity Proceeds
The sponsors of the event cover the costs of the party, so your ticket and all donations go to the designated charities… “Doctors Without Borders” and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Helping sick kids is of course <martha>A_Good_Thing</martha>.

The Particulars
Where: Agenda Lounge 399 S 1st St (1 block from SES San Jose)
What: Conference networking + open bar
When: Wednesday, August 12th, 8pm to Midnight
Who: Anyone who wants to have fun & support charity
Why: To help Doctors Without Borders and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society help sick kids

Where Do We sign Up?
You can get tickets at the door for $50… or pre-register online HERE for $30.

Don’t miss the fun. [All the cool kids will be there ]
Hope to see you there.

Best of the Web is offering a bundled price for our flagship product, the Best of the Web Directory, and BOTW Local, our user-driven directory of businesses throughout the US. Note that this includes 50% off our already discounted price for BOTW Directory… so this is a deal not likely to be eclipsed by future offers.

Combining these two products is a great way to generate web visibility for your business… and studies have shown that ever increasing numbers of customers today begin their search by opening a browser.

Sign up for a bundled package before July runs out and you can submit to BOTW Directory AND BOTW Local for only $295/yr.

To take advantage of this opportunity… use Promo Code: BUNDLE

For Our Current Customers
If you already have a BOTW Directory listing but would like to take advantage of this opportunity to have your business included in BOTW Local, please email us at bundled@botw.org for further instructions.

To Get Started
For details and a chance to get started, see BOTW Local Bundle.