Omatsuri J-Pop and Anime Talent Show Highlights

I'm going a little out of sequence from the Calgary Omatsuri programming schedule, simply because I feel the need to stir things up a little. A new addition to the Calgary Japanese Festival programming was the addition of a J-pop and Anime Talent Show. This part of the show featured young singers from across Alberta. They each had a chance to sing one number earlier in the day. The talent show itself was the second last event on the programme. Here is a video compilation of some of the performers:

The performers featured are: Sierra, Rachelle, Bryan, Colton, Yan (YT: Blue Reminiscence) and Kathleen (YT: Irulanne). They performed "Tsukiakari no Dearest"  - Camus and Mikaze Ai, "Hikari" (AKA "Simple and Clean") from Kingdom Hearts and "Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau" from Luna Haruna and Fate/Zero.

I also had the opportunity to interview Bryan and Colton, two of the performers. I'll upload that one once I'm done editing it.

Interested in checking out the featured songs? Here they are:

Uta no Prince-Sama Duet CD Reiji & Ranmaru / Ai & Camus

Game Music

COLORS

Hikaru Utada

Sora wa Takaky Kaze wa Utau [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]

Runa Haruna

Levelling Up My Affiliate Marketing

Two months have passed since I started this affiliate marketing business. It has been an interesting ride so far. Enough time has passed to do a cursory review, make some tweaks and set up an affiliate store.

Lessons I've learned so far:

• Review a variety of products: Pro bloggers recommend that you review a mix of expensive and inexpensive items. After all, Amazon's affiliate commission starts at 4%. That's not a lot if you are recommending a music book, but it sure adds up if you recommend a digital keyboard. However, more people will purchase the lower ticket items.

• Space out your product reviews: If all you are doing is writing product reviews, you and your readers will get tired quickly.

• I've read other pro-bloggers recommend that you promote popular products, such as those on the Amazon Best Sellers lists. That gets you more traffic to your website. However, it is important to help out the up and coming artists and companies too. They need the exposure, you need the traffic. Thus, you both win with a sale.

• Be honest. I don't know about you, but the "sleezy-used-car-salesman-who-does-anything-for-a-sale" tactic creeps me out. My mom can spot a lie a mile away. I trust that many of my readers are the same. Lying doesn't pay.

• Do your SEO Keyword research: I am so grateful to Suite101.com for training me on SEO optimization. It is important to incorporate words that people actually use in their searches. Some are even worth significantly more than others.

• Don't put all your eggs in one basket: Not everyone shops at Amazon. No one store carries all the products you wish to promote. Some offer different (*cough* higher) commission rates and rewards. Sign up to be an affiliate for more than one place.

• Social Networking is golden: Yes, they suck up a lot of your time, but those online social networks are great for promoting whatever information you wish to share with your family, friends and colleagues.

• Be patient: I am seeing a steady increase in traffic to all of my blogs. The sales are starting to trickle in. However, this is a long-term game. Reviews and posts will move up the search engine results as more people search for products or information. Ditto for when they share your posts.

• Diversify operations: Vary your reviews so they're not just a standard product review. For instance, I've posted a few comparison reviews, as well as "Popular Items" lists. However, this is not enough. That's where stores come in.

This weekend, I took my neophyte affiliate marketing savvy to the next level. I set up stores for each of my blogs. At least, that's what Amazon and J-List calls them. Once you have set up your affiliate account, some places let you set up a storefront. You select the products you wish to make available. At the moment, I have six niche blogs. The three music-related blogs can have the same store, but my other three cater to different audiences.

You are still shopping and paying those companies. The difference is that an affiliate, who has narrowed down the search for you, has become your virtual sales clerk.

The nice thing is that once these are set up, I just need to tweak them periodically based on how they are performing.

One last thing: Most companies with affiliate marketing programs prohibit affiliates from ordering products using their own affiliate links. Therefore, it would be good to have some "affiliate buddies". That is, Friend A will shop at Friend B's Amazon store and vice versa.

We'll see how this addition to my affiliate marketing strategy works. I'll report back to you in another couple of months or so.

Kaimonoshimasu!

I've set up a page with links to all the fun otaku stores that I've teamed up with (and frequent whenever possible). There's CD Japan, J-List, RightStuf and of course, the online powerhouse, Amazon. You can reach the page by clicking on "Otaku Shopping" on the main menu or clicking here. Mitte onegaishimasu! I've picked a good mix of books, study aids, figures, messenger bags, plushies, anime and more. Of course, once you're in, you can browse and shop from any department within the store.

It's a win-win situation: you get your otaku fix, while contributing to my Get Out of Debt and Play More Fund. Happy shopping!

Looking for the Perfect Messenger Bag - Otaku Style

Last weekend, I had to retire my Fullmetal Alchemist messenger bag. The plastic shoulder strap adjuster thingie broke enough to poke me. いったい！ This is my messenger bag:

So I've started to look for the perfect anime messenger bag. So many choices. My criteria is as follows:

• ample pockets

• design: cool enough that otaku would say "Sugoi", safe enough for my students to see and grown up enough that other adults wouldn't say, "Aren't you a little old for this?"

• sturdy design

• from a show I like

• decent price

• decent shipping

I could simply replace my FMA bag with the FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Flamel Cross Messenger Bag:

It's not as nice as my retired one though. This Soul Eater: Meisters Anime Messenger Bag is a serious contender. It has the entire gang: Maka & Soul, Death the Kid with Liz & Patty and let's not forget Black Star & Tsubaki:

Oh yay - there's also the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: SOS Anime Messenger Bag:

However, the Code Geass: Lelouch Geass Symbol Anime Messenger Bag is pretty cool - and it doesn't look childish:

Choices. Choices. I've only just begun. I'd like to see if there are messenger bag designs for some of the more current anime, such as Hyouka, Accel World, and Sword Art Online. One that's for the ladies. Lyfa and Asuna are cool characters, but I'd much prefer to have a bag with Kirito on it - or the main cast.

I'll have to check out my other main places for otaku gear: Right Stuf, CD Japan andJList. I've been meaning to check out AmiAmi too. See what I mean about so many choices?

Friday Fun Links #30 - 31

Lately, I've been on an ethnic music kick. For those interested in exploring world music, here are some sites that I frequent (although, I haven't lately since I'm trying to cut down on my spending):

• CD Japan: an excellent site for JPop, anime, game and traditional Japanese music

• Amazon.ca: You'd be amazed at the wide selection on Amazon

(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.