Since Clear didn’t work, I had to get something, so I got Road Runner Cable internet for $30/month.  There are two other upgradeable options, but I chose the 10 Mb/s package because I do not download a large amount of huge files.  When I ran the speed test, I was pleased to see that my connection speed was actually must faster than what they claimed.  In fact, on a couple of trials, I ended up hitting nearly 18 Mb/s.

Having been on Clear for 18 month, I had forgotten how much faster Cable internet was.  I could not play video games online with Clear because my ping put me at such a huge disadvantage.  For those of you wondering, Clear is not fast enough for online gaming.  With TWC/Road Runner, I had the best ping of anyone on several of the servers I played on, and I’m not even using the best package.

Another interesting thing I noticed was the upload speed was almost the same for both Clear and Cable internet.  Unless you’re running a server, upload speed isn’t really a huge deal, but it is worth noting.

Cable Internet Is Clearly Better than Clear for Heavy Home Use

As much as I have been a fan of Clear, I just cannot move away from how much faster a hardline internet connection can be.  Compared to DSL, I would still go with Clear.  FIOS and U-Verse are both very fast, but you have to shell out some cash to get them.  Cable internet is without a doubt the best value of speed vs. price.  If you regularly download files that are 50 MB+, you play online games, or you like to stream movies and videos online, I strongly recommend considering Cable internet over Clear 4g Wireless internet.

Clear Is Excellent Mobile Internet and Still Beats DSL for Home Use

For home use, Clear is just as fast as most of the base packages for DSL.  You’ve got to start spending more money on DSL to beat Clear’s speed, so Clear is both cost effective and mobile.  From a mobile standpoint, the coverage for Clear seems to be growing.  I’ve noticed less dead spots throughout DFW; although there are still plenty of places Clear doesn’t work (like my new house!).  If you aren’t home a whole lot or you mostly just browse the internet (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, read a few blogs, etc..), then Clear 4g Internet is an excellent option.

Overall, I’ve been happy with my experience with Clear.  The speed has been sufficient for my use and the cost has been extremely fair.  Don’t be afraid to use Clear as your only home internet, but also realize that if you need some serious download speed, Clear isn’t the answer.

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts about Clear, leave a comment.  I’ve had a bunch of questions e-mailed to me, and I’m sure a lot of people have those same questions.

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It’s been a little more than a year since I signed up for Clear Wireless Internet.  When I first started using Clear, I was constantly on the road with my laptop, Starbucks and McDonald’s didn’t have free internet for everyone, and I didn’t have a smart phone to use while out and about (I actually did have a Blackberry Curve, but compared to iPhone/Android the internet browsing is terrible).

When I first started using Clear 4G Internet, I absolutely loved it. You can read my initial Clear Wireless Internet review.  Since my needs have changed, and I am not traveling all over Dallas and Fort Worth using Clear 4G Internet, my tune has changed quite a bit.  Leah has always hated Clear because the when we were on the road, the connection kept dropping.  I understand that they now have a plan that offers 4g+3g, but it is a little more expensive (still much more cost effective than Verizon).  If I were a road warrior again, I would absolutely use that combo setup.

Since Clear Internet has been putting up new towers everywhere and making advancements, I figured it was time to reevaluate what I think about clear.

Clear Wireless Internet Is Great For Road Warriors

With the 4g+3g combo pack, the annoying dead spot that used to light my wife up are not handled by the 3g coverage.  The 4g is clearly faster than other mobile internet except Verizon (which is pricey if you’re using it a lot) and the 3g works in a bind.  If you’re always on the road using your laptop or netbook, Clear Internet is an excellent option.

Clear Internet Is Not An Ideal Home Internet Option

While visiting my mom over the Christmas holiday, I realized how much I miss FIOS.  Wired internet is just way faster and more consistent.  To write this article, I hit up Speedtest to see if Clear’s claims of 3-6Mbps with bursts of 10+Mbps was accurate.  First test, 5+Mbps with a 1Mbps upload.  I ran about 15 tests using the USB.  Then my wife started running tests using the desktop and the home unit.

We were seriously disappointed.  She was getting speeds between 1-3Mbps, and I was getting 2-4Mbps with bursts of 5Mbps!  The upload speed was 1Mbps almost every single time.  After the disappointing results, it made me realize something: I’d rather spend my money on a FIOS, Cable, or maybe DSL connection and get an Android phone for mobile internet use.  With Starbucks, McDonald’s, and a dozen other places offering free internet, Clear just isn’t necessary for most people.

**Speed update: Ran new Speedtests this morning.  The USB card hit as high as 6.79Mbps which I’m very pleased with.  Never saw bursts over 7Mbps.  The lack of consistency is my primary issue with Clear.

For home use, it is too slow for consistently using VOIP or for playing video games online.  It also bogs down if you have too many family members using the same Clear internet connect.  At the end of the day, I’m still happy that I’ve had Clear 4g Wireless Internet for the last year.  It is extremely cost effective and fast enough for the majority of online activities, but if they aren’t able to work out the consistency issues (which is tricky for all wireless applications, not just Clear), I’ll probably at least get a home internet line even if I keep my Clear 4g Wireless Internet connect.

Image Credit: Clear Wireless Internet News

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I absolutely love Digital TV for PC for watching old episodes of nearly any show you can think of.  I got to watch the entire Season 3 of “Next Design Star” (I’m married, and I like decking out our house, don’t judge me!) and Southpark.

You’ll be able to find Seasons of shows like House, The Office, Desperate Housewives, and all your other favorite shows.  They also provide easy access to a variety of movies available On Demand online.

My only major complaint is live TV.  I’ve had a difficult time finding many live TV channels that weren’t “Off-Air.”  Disney, HBO, and Cartoon Network all seemed to work okay, but I couldn’t get anything for ESPN, CNN, History, or Speed.

My only minor annoyance is the video size.  You have the choice of YouTube size viewing area or full screen.  The full screen can get a little choppy at times, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.

There are also a couple of additional addons you can purchase for more channels and OnDemand.  I did not take those offers, so I don’t know if that will help my experience.

Overall, Digital TV for PC is (update: NOT) a good product for $29.  I would not recommend buying it if you’re only interested in watching the latest live TV; however, if you just watch to watch your favorite shows at anytime, the OnDemand database is an excellent resource and absolutely worth every penny.

Digital TV for PC 2 Review UPDATE:

Since I originally wrote this article, Hulu has dramatically expanded the number of shows available online.  At this point, Digital TV for PC 2 is a rip-off, scam, and totally bogus.  Hulu offers most of the same content for free.  Hulu does offer a paid version called Hulu Plus.  Hulu Plus offers a few more shows; however, the best feature of Hulu Plus is being able to access Hulu from a mobile device (iphone, ipad, and most android).  At $8/month, Hulu has replaced cable/direct TV for me.  Grab a FREE Hulu Plus! 1-week Trial and to see if it’s right for you.  It was for me!

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Digital TV for PC and Hulu Plus! and will receive a small cut of the commission if you buy the product using my link.  I have done my best to give the most unbiased review possible of this product to help you make an educated purchasing decision.  I do actually have a subscription to Hulu Plus! and use it daily.

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North Dallas Suburbs (Mckinney, Frisco, Plano, Addison, Richardson, Carrollton, etc)

The whole North Dallas area is very well covered.  I live in Mckinney just a couple of miles south of 380 and always have excellent coverage at my house.  Driving south toward Dallas, everywhere between 380 to downtown Dallas and I-35 E and and 75 is covered with no noticeable dead spots.

Overall: Excellent Coverage

East Dallas (Garland, Mesquite, Rockwall, Rowlett, etc…)

I haven’t had a chance to test Clear as thoroughly in East Dallas as some other areas.  So far I haven’t had any major problems with Garland or Mesquite, but I have had absolutely no luck in Rockwall.  I think the coverage dropped off dramatically once you cross the lake on I-30.

Overall: Poor coverage

South DFW (Grand Prairie, Arlington, Desoto, Cedar Hill, etc…)

I’ve spent a ton of time all over Arlington and Grand Prairie using Clear and only had a few problems problems.  I did notice that right next to Ranger Stadium (the Ballpark in Arlington) the coverage sometimes goes in and out.  Just driving to the back of the parking lot fixed that problem right away.

Overall: Good coverage

Northwest of DFW Airport (Grapevine, Coppell, Lewisville, Southlake, Colleyville, Irving, etc..)

South and East of the airport, Clear coverage is excellent.  Anytime I try to connect in Coppell or Irving I’ve had no problems.  Headed out West and Northwest, I’ve had a lot of problems.  Almost anywhere on 114 North/West of the 121/114 split, there is no coverage.  Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, and Trophy Club all have no service in my experience.

Interestingly enough, I get no coverage on the East side of I-35 W at 114, but anywhere in the Texas Motorspeedway parking lot I get full coverage. It’s crazy how much that extra half mile changes the signal.

Overall: Poor Coverage

Fort Worth (Bedford, Euless)

In downtown Fort Worth and south Fort Worth near TCU I have had excellent coverage.  Heading south on 820 I have also experienced excellent coverage as far south as I-20.

Overall: Excellent Coverage

I have noticed there are a lot of areas that only get 1 bar.  It will let you start to connect, but disconnect you before everything is verified.  A lot of times, just changing the direction your modem is facing or moving 10 yards can make the difference between 1 bar and 5 bars.

I’m not sure how many new towers are schedule to go live soon.  My experience with Clear so far has been pretty good.  Since I have inlaws that live off 114 Northwest of the airport, I sometimes get frustrated with the lack of coverage in that area.  My wife and I’s best friends live in Rockwall, so not having coverage out there is pretty frustrating too.

Overall, most of the metroplex is very well covered.  Dallas, Fort Worth, and almost all directly connect suburbs have great coverage.  I’ll try to do some more testing in the North and East Fort Worth areas (Keller, North Richland Hills, etc..).  I’ll also try to hit up some of the further south areas like Mansfield soon.

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Many of the “Super Affiliates” around the web have blogs keeping tabs on their success and giving out little half-useful tips on how to be successful in the affiliate marketing world; however, few give step by step directions on how to get moving (you usually have to pay $97 for that!).

Enter Super Affiliate Jonathan Volk. Unlike many of the super “baller” affiliates, Jony isn’t just in the game to make money for his Ferrari’s and mansions; instead he’s serious about helping others to be successful.  His faith filled and ethical perspective is refreshing in a niche full of scam artist and virtual thieves.

Jony’s Affiliate Marketing Guide is divided into 17 clearly defined sections which makes for an awesome straight through read or a fast reference guide.  The original version of the guide was written to be read entirely online (which kicks tooshie for those of us who like to read on our phones, but don’t have an app to read PDFs).  It also makes it easy to navigate to any section via the table of contents.  A PDF version was also released, but I still recommend reading it online.

This guide covers affiliate marketing in a simple to understand way that even a complete tech newbie with no affiliate marketing knowledge can grasp.  While most guides that cover a topic in such depth can be extremely boring for advanced users, Jony does a great job delivering his message with brevity.

Affiliate Marketing Basics

The first 8 sections cover the basic ideas of what affiliate marketing is and how to get setup.  He mentions everything from how to get plugged in to an affiliate network to setting up a domain and hosting (if necessary).  He even designates the importance of domain name choice depending on the type of marketing you plan to do.

Design of Affiliate Marketing

Sections 9 through 11 start to turn the focus more toward the more technical side of affiliate marketing including PHP redirects, landing pages, and stat tracking.  While these sections are no where near comprehensive, they are sufficient for understanding the importance and purpose of each critical part.

Affiliate Marketing Channels

Perhaps the most useful information comes in sections 12 through 15.  Jony details how to setup Social Media, Pay Per View (PPV), Pay Per Click (PPC), and Media Buying campaigns.  Each section covers one of the marketing styles mentioned above with details on: landing page requirement, effective offer types, ideas for effective marketing, and much more.

The final two sections bring the guide to a close by mentioning the most important advice of all: this is a trial and error learning process.  Making money affiliate marketing is not a simple walk in the park, and it requires time, patience, and attention to detail to be successful.  The biggest way to lose is to give up before you really let things play out.

Free PPV Webinar With Corey Bornmann and David Ford

Finally, a FREE bonus to the already amazing free ebook is a 90+ minute webinar with the creators of AffPortal.  These guys give some juicy tips and step by step information on how to setup killer PPV campaigns.  While they do plug their product in the demo, it is completely justified with the amazing step by step demo they give for free.

I’ve read a ton of free reports, ebooks, and watched a bunch of free videos.  These two are without a doubt the two I wish I had come across first.  If you don’t read another single free ebook for the rest of the year, please make sure you check out Jony Volk’s Affiliate Marketing Guide.  You won’t regret it!

Photo Credit: emrank

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Sure, you can stop at Starbucks or fast food chains which are increasingly starting to have free WiFi, but they aren’t always convenient.  Even then, many of these places don’t have power outlets, so you end up getting stuck with a dead laptop (you have a converter for your car, right?).

Finally, there are times my wife needs to check things online while we are driving from one place to another, and it is really nice not having to stop for her to use the internet.

Enter Clear, the high speed 4G mobile network.  Clear is backed by a several big companies you might have heard of like Google and Sprint.  If you live in an area where Clear has coverage, you’ve probably seen dozens of billboards and commercials promoting the product.

Clear claims that you can stream movies, music, and play video games on their 4G network without any hiccups, so I decided to give Clear a try.  You can get an USB card or a standard home based modem or both for $55/month.  I opted to get both since I travel a lot, but also have a home network that my family uses.

Clear 4G Speed

So far, I’m pretty happy with Clear’s speed.  I’ve found the USB modem tends to be faster overall, but the difference between the home modem and the USB card is pretty slim.

For regular browsing, I have no complaints about the speed.  I don’t really notice the difference between Clear and the Road Runner/TWC internet I had before.  Streaming video also works very well.

I am sorely disappointed with gaming speed though. I haven’t suffered a whole lot of packet loss, but my ping is never under 100 ms.  I feel like I’m always at a serious disadvantage anytime I try playing games online, so I would not recommend relying on Clear if you’re focused on gaming.  Occasionally, I get disconnected, but I can always get reconnected without significant wait.

Overall, I’d give Clear a “B” for speed.  It’s fast enough to use as your exclusive home internet and faster than any other mobile internet.  As long as you’re not gaming, Clear should be fine.

Clear Coverage in Dallas

With Clear just starting, many new towers are going up on what seems like a daily basis.  I live in the northeast area of the DFW metroplex (Mckinney for those of you that know the area).  Driving around, I have found a couple of random dead spots that disconnect me. Also, there are some areas northwest DFW (near Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth) were I would like them to add coverage.

Edit: I’m out near Texas Motor Speedway today, and I was able to get coverage for the first time out here.  The speed is slower than most other areas that are covered, but it does work!  I’m stoked!

Overall, there are very few holes in the coverage, and it’s very nice being able to download videos or stream music while driving.  I would give Clear an “A-” in the DFW area for coverage.

I can’t speak for the other areas, but if you live in Portland, Seattle, Leas Vegas, Hawaii, Atlanta, Chicago, Philly, Charlotte, Raleigh, or pretty much anywhere in Texas, you should strongly consider giving Clear a try.  The network is only going to expand and get faster.

Pricing

Clear is the most affordable mobile internet option I have found.  You can get one device for $30/month, two for $55/month or three for $75 per month.  You can mix and match between home, mobile and voice.  Personally, having 1 home device hooked up through a wireless router and 2 mobile WiMax cards is perfect.

My only complaint at this point is that they don’t have any affiliate offers because I would promote the heck out of it!

Leave a comment if you have any questions about Clear.

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The Online Marketing Blog, TopRankBlog.com, is one of the best places to go to learn about all forms of online marketing ranging from search and SEO to social media.

Top Rank Online Marketing Blog

Site: www.toprankblog.com

Contributors: Lee Odden (CEO), Julie Brue, Jolina Pettice, Adam Singer, Thomas McHahon, Michelle Bowles, and Mike Yanke

Online since: Feb 2005

Page Rank: 6

Ad Age Rank: Top 10 (currently 9)

Alexa Rank: 9,114

Inbound Links: 174, 946 (source: websitegrader.com)

Pageviews per month: 1.1 million (source: Google Ad Planner)

Feedburner Subscribers: 27,543

Design and Layout

The design of the site doesn’t even slightly represent the quality of content.  In fact, I’ve personally skipped past this blog more than once due to its appearance.

The site doesn’t have a distinguishable logo or banner, and the layout looks like a free 3 column theme you can download anywhere.  The sidebars feel cluttered with badges which makes the site uninviting.  Don’t let the amateur look fool you into judging this blog by its cover; this site is packed so full of content it’s hard to stop reading.

Amazing Online Marketing Content

If you have even the slightest interest in online marketing, scanning through the Top Rank Blog archives will make your heart flutter.  As I mentioned before, they cover a huge variety of online marketing topics including: Blogging, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media, and more.

Don’t mistake TopRankBlog for a simple Make Money Online blog.  They do cover MMO and so much more.  If you have a business doing any marketing online you’ll find amazing tips, how-to’s, and lists to make you more successful and give you a better understanding of what you’re doing.

One of the best offerings on TopRankBlog are the BIGLIST updates.  Every so often, they post a list of the best SEO/SEM blogs on the net.  If you’ve having a hard time finding reliable resources covering search topics, the BIGLISTs are a great place to start.

I’ve always believed it’s hard to have a successful blog without a professional appearance, but  Top Rank Online Marketing Blog proves once again that badass content can still be king.

If you’re ready to get some seriously good online marketing advice, look no further than Top Rank Online Marketing Blog.

Image Credit: Chris.Merwe’s Flickr

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1. 400 Online Marketing, SEO, and Social Media Must Read Lists
2. 4 Marketing Sites You Can’t Afford To Miss
3. Five Basic Steps To Getting Your Blog Rolling

In this highly competitive niche on how to blog, few blogs make it past the initial startup, and most don’t gain a strong following for over a year.

When I first saw the name Blogussion, I thought “oh, a pro blogger from Russia.”  It turns out my brain processed Blogussian… I felt dumb when I figured out a couple of days later it was Blog Discussion.  Now that I’ve confessed that I’m a dolt time to time, we can move on.

Blogussion Is The Place To Learn To Build A Blog

Site: http://www.blogussion.com

Author: Alex Fraiser and Seth Waite

Online Since: January 2009

Page Rank: 4

Alexa Rank: 27,258

Inbound links: 231/82 (source: Websitegrader.com/Alexa.com)

Pageviews per Month: 350,000 (source: google.com/adplanner)

RSS Subscribers: 762

Twitter Followers: 3971

SEO Website Grade: 93

Blogussion is one of the most script and graphic heavy blogs I visit on a daily basis.  While it is definitely one of the most polished and best looking blogs around, it is a little slower loading than most.

One major thing you’ll notice is there are zero ads on their blog (and it’s not because I’m using an ad blocking program).  They firmly believe and preach that ads take away from the quality of their content, and they refuse to dilute their message with ads… the rebels!

The navigation on Blogussion is pretty easy to follow.  The right column has the sign-up forms for the RSS and Newsletter (nifty Java too).  They highlight many of their popular posts just below the sign-ups.  In the footer you can check out the Categories and get information about the authors.  At the top you can easily find the About and Contact forms as well as links for information about guest posts and the authors’ favorites.

Blogussion is a collaboration of several authors, namely Seth and Alex who are very passionate about blogging.  If you read Problogger or Daily Blog tips, there is a good chance you’ve read one or two of their guest posts.

The content on Blogussion is pure blog growth juice.  They frequently cover topics like how to increase your traffic, how to land guest posts, how to make your blog look pretty, and how to write content that people will actually read.  They even put a short summary at the end of every post for ADD people like me who need help remembering things.

For not even being a year old, there are so many articles worth reading it doesn’t make sense.  For a beginning blogger trying to figure out where to start, there is probably no better blog to read than Blogussion.

Because there are so many different authors, it is hard to pick out a specific writing style, but all of their authors are well written.  One should also note that Blogussion encourages guest posts, so if you have a blog you’re looking to grow, I would strongly consider considering submitting to Blogussion.

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I also have some smaller blogs that either haven’t hit the big time yet or aren’t designed to go mainstream.  Website-in-a-Weekend (which is a very misleading name since it is updated daily at a minimum) by Dave Doolin is one of my favorites.

Site: http://website-in-a-weekend.net

Author: Dave Doolin

Online since: Nov 2005

Page Rank: 1

Alexa Rank: 167,820 (recently under 100,000)

Sites Linking in: 2,686 (source: websitegrader.com )

Pageviews per month: unknown

Feedburner Subscribers: unknown

Website Grader: 97.4

Upon arriving at Website-in-a-Weekend, you’ll notice the layout is extremely simple and not very graphic dense.  The right column has some information about Dave, his newsletter, a small block of ads, and some popular posts.

One of the first things I noticed and liked is Dave notes an estimated reading time for each post.  This is extremely helpful for deciding if you want to start digging in, or if you want to wait until later.  More people (including me) should do this.

Dave tackles the daunting task of writing about the technical (behind the scenes) and coding side of producing a blog (something few dare to do on a daily basis).  If you don’t have problems pumping out content, but you need to improve your SEO and you can’t seem to format your images correctly, Dave has some Practical WordPress Tips for you.

In fact, Dave has an entire series called Practical WordPress Tips that I think is beautifully branded and will help bloggers in many areas including: SEO, formatting, creating content, and generating organic traffic.  While this site might be mainstream now, he is building a strong foundation for future visitors.

Dave’s writing style is in your face facts.  When you are as smart as David M. Doolin, PhD, it can sometimes be difficult to tone down the technical.  He does a great job of communicating solid no-nonsense information in an effective manner.  Despite this often technical style of writing, Dave has a great sense of humor that he lets show through by poking at his haters and his friends alike.

In just the few short months I’ve been reading Website-in-a-Weekend, the site has improved greatly.  The only extra thing I could ask for are easier to navigate archives since the site now has so much content.

I will have a guest post on WIAW about how valuable learning about code is for a blogger in the next couple of weeks; be on the lookout for it!

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What about take risky advice?  Would you change the way you think about design and SEO to get the most out of it? Chris Pearson is an expert WordPress theme designer and has some amazing SEO tricks.  If you like the theme over at Copyblogger, you might want to listen to Chris; he designed it.  He is also in very tight with Thesis.  You know, that little theme that many of the best blogs use because it is so powerful.

In fact, if you spend any time visiting blogs, you’ll probably run into several themes Chris P. had has hands on.

Chris Pearson’s design blog, Pearsonified, is loaded to the brim with timeless webpage design and SEO techniques that will make your blog more attractive, more user friendly, and get your webpage ranked.

Pearsonified For SEO and Site Design Tips

Site: http://www.pearsonified.com

Author: Chris Pearson

Online since: Nov 2005

Page Rank: 7

Alexa Rank: 32,158

Sites Linking in: 10,073 (source: Alexa.com)

Pageviews per month: 430,000

Feedburner Subscribers: 7,242 post starved readers

Targeted Reader: Bloggers and theme designers looking for smart tricks to increase blog usability, appearance, and maximize on page SEO.

I came across Pearsonified from the link at the bottom of Copyblogger giving him credit for their webpage design.  It turns out Chris P offers a free versions of the old Copyblogger Theme.  I figured the page was just for promoting themes Chris P made, and I noticed he hasn’t posted since Feb 2009.

After coming across several sites using Chris’s themes, I decided to come back and dig into his blog a little bit.  I’m so glad I did!

His personal theme is lit up with bold colors drawing your eyes to navigation points.  Every page I start digging into, I go straight for the popular posts and recommended posts because they tend to let me know if I’m going to find the information useful or not.

His popular posts (easily found in the right column) are broken down into: Must Reads, Improve Your Blog, and Worth a Look.  The titles are magnetic.  I’ve already found myself frantically reading through every single post I can get my eyes on and trying to implement his tips as quickly as possible.

SEO for Everybody and Design Tips for where the rubber meets the road are two of the most useful and practical resources I have found for blogging.

Chris’s writing style is shockingly personal.  It is extremely difficult to come across as causal when talking about technical topics, but you’ll crack as smile frequently reading Personified.  He has a lot of code available for download or even a simple cut and paste if needed.

Step up your SEO and Design

Check out Personified for some of the best SEO and Design tips around.  You’ll enjoy the read and your site will enjoy the traffic.

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