Joe Barter, Inc.

When opportunity comes knocking – in our case, a business and economics columnist for The New York Times gathering information for an article about online barter companies – one doesn’t beg off, saying, “Sorry, I’m not ready for my close-up. Could we wait a few weeks?”

So, in the midst of a major upgrade of our website, Joe Barter sat down with Jim Flanigan of The Times to discuss its strategic direction for 2008. The resulting article, published July 17 in the Business section, also covered the lineup of Joe Barter’s online barter competitors.

The good news is that barter, which generated some $6.5 billion in commercial barter transactions in 2007, is growing slowly.

Two years after its launch, Joe Barter has some 2,500 registered members who can buy, sell or barter products and services freely on our website’s Trading Post. It’s not a huge number, but we’re the new kid on the barter block, still learning.

And we’re thrilled with the publication of The New York Times article that gives Joe Barter more than just a passing mention.

What we’re excited about, though, is the website upgrade, which, when completed, will see a new Joe Barter -- Web version 2 -- partnering with 25 to 30 other online businesses that will “power” its website.

Registered members will be able to access apartment and rental listings, job opportunities, vacation and travel offers, discounts at local retailers, free music downloads, free e-mail and an array of other resources and services.

One new feature in the works, a bulletin board, will allow members to post content and photos that highlight important events in their lives.

Another new feature, a free forum for members who want to communicate with one another, marks Joe’s first steps into the social networking arena of the Web.

Our vision is to become the “Lexus Nexus” of the online networking arena, where members keep coming back to our website to buy, sell or barter products and services, and to take advantage of an expanding pool of resources and services that will help them enhance their professional and personal lives.

We’ll talk at you later, when the upgrade is complete.

To read The New York Times article about barter in its entirety, click the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/business/smallbusiness/17edge.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Where's Joe Barter heading in 2008?

A series of new partnerships and other developments in 2007 have set the stage for what could be a breakout year for the online barter business that was launched in the late summer of 2006.

In fact, founder Tom Daley noted in a recent article, "This is the moment we've been waiting for."

Last year the Joe Barter team focused on establishing new partnerships, acting as consultants to generate revenue, and keeping members and supporters informed via our "Networking News" online newsletter.

That three-pronged approach has positioned Joe Barter as a promising online barter and social networking business ripe for investment. We expect it will also attract the kind of media coverage that can rocket a dotcom into the stratosphere. Wouldn't that be sweet?

Some of the developments in 2007 that helped strengthen the Joe Barter brand include:

* Partnering with FROG (“Fulfilling Requirements of Growth”) Business Services. The Newport Beach firm operates an umbrella company called FROG Staffing whose target audience consists of business professionals looking to change jobs and college students seeking to jump start careers. FROG Staffing advertises on Joe Barter and became the first company to post its clients’ job listings on Joe Jobs.

* Redesigning the home page to spotlight the Trading Post with its listings of product and service categories and allow users to initiate the trading process immediately. The redesign also helped optimize search engine results and emphasized Joe Barter’s signing with Google Ads to leverage its target audience reach and generate an additional revenue stream.

* Appearing as an exhibitor at Orange County’s Largest Mixer IV in Costa Mesa. Our display unit, set up in the Baja Blues bar, allowed relaxed visitors to test their basketball free throw skills to win Joe Barter branded T-shirts. The team collected more than 300 business cards from attendees interested in receiving the Joe Barter newsletter.

* Appearing at the “Proving Grounds," the first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition hosted by the No Limits MMA & Fitness Center in Irvine. Joe was the only sponsor from outside the world of MMA. Event attendees and viewers watching its live streaming on the Internet saw our logo prominently displayed in two corners of the ring. Joe's likeness also appeared on large cards held aloft by ring girls between each round.

* Partnering with Formula Drift, Inc., which owns and operates the only sanctioned professional drifting circuit in North America and is a partner company of Slipstream Global Marketing, which introduced the popular sport of drifting -- high-powered vehicles sliding with speed and precision through a marked course – to North America in 2003.

* Partnering with OWL (Ones We Love), a full-service event consulting and promotion company. Our two companies teamed up at the Fox Sports Grill in Irvine, where Joe Barter hosted a mixer for Joe Barter members and supporters while OWL provided the entertainment for the evening.

* Partnering with MessageBroadcast.com, a recognized pioneer and policy maker in the voice broadcasting industry. The company delivers millions of targeted personal messages monthly to the answering machines of its business clients’ customers. This year, Joe Barter will work on several other projects with MessageBroadcast.com that will take advantage of the company’s cutting edge technological expertise to provide additional services to our users.

* Introducing JoeFREETunes on our web site. Users can now enjoy more than 2 million songs in more then 350 categories, from African to Zydeco, absolutely free of charge.

* Designing web sites and logos for clients that include Cal South Soccer and the Boy Scouts of America - San Gabriel Valley Council. Joe Barter will be a featured sponsor at two BSA events this year: the Scout Expo to be held June 7 at the Santa Anita Race Track and the San Gabriel Valley Council - Valle Del Sol District 2nd Annual Rally & Car Show scheduled for June 28. Joe Barter designed the logo for the latter event.

* Designing more than 150 unique creative executions to promote the online business on brochures, caps, car magnets, in-paper ads, signage, T-shirts, Tommy Bahama-style shirts, web site banners and the like. There's been discussion about launching a Joe Barter clothing line as the online business builds its brand and attracts more users.

* Planning two new web site sections – Joe Community and Joe Living – to join existing sections that include Joe Jobs, Joe Deals & Discounts, Joe Media and Joe University, where college students can find the Textbook Traders feature. These two new additions would further emphasize the social networking aspect of the web site.

* Awarding of a trademark to Joe Barter by the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

So, to answer the question: "Where's Joe Barter heading in 2008?"

To the Land of Opportunity, and with first-class tickets.

The Joe Barter team wishes you and your family the very best for the holiday season.

Thank you for your interest and support in 2007.

We’re gearing up for what we hope is a productive 2008 and hope the new year proves rewarding in every way for our supporters as well.

Keep warm, keep safe and keep the faith.

You’ll be hearing more from Joe Barter in 2008.

In the meantime, you can visit www.joebarter.com to buy, sell or trade products and services. If you’re not already a registered member, registration is simple and free.

Those of you with questions about our online business can direct them to inquiries@joebarter.com and if you’d like to be added to our newsletter mailing list, please e-mail us at joenews@joebarter.com

Have a great holiday season!

If you’ve grown weary of reading about the exploits of Paris Hilton, whose claim to fame is that she’s a heiress, socialite and star of the reality television series The Simple Life, perhaps you ought to take a peek at Networking News, Joe Barter’s monthly online newsletter.

There’s not been a mention of Paris in any of the four featured articles per issue since Networking News was first published last October.

So far, our readers have not complained. Maybe none of them are “Paris-ites” as her devoted fans have been labeled.

What we do publish is news about Joe Barter, features about our supporters, partners or advertisers, and movie, restaurant, automobile and travel reviews.

In the May issue of Networking News, for example, you can read about Joe Barter’s introduction to the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting.

The Joe Barter team attended a MMA “Proving Grounds” event in Irvine hosted by the No Limits MMA & Fitness Center in Irvine. The fight card featured eight bouts in which accomplished fighters in the disciplines of boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai and wrestling went head to head.

Joe Barter also was a sponsor of the event, the only one from outside the world of MMA.

The May issue also included a review of a little known, but exceptionally taut movie thriller “The Lookout.” It’s a tale of a brain-damaged teenager, once a star high school athlete and golden boy, who is manipulated into acting as a lookout at the bank where he works as a night janitor while it’s being robbed by a team of ruthless professionals.

Readers also visited the Florida Keys in our May issue to learn more about the tiny, sun-soaked community where Ernest Hemingway wrote and lived, courtesy of a travel review by Stan Wawer, San Gabriel Tribune Travel editor.

Finally, those who enjoy great food, and rubbing elbows with the rich and well-connected could read a restaurant review of City Club on Bunker Hill, a private business club that also offers fine dining on its premises, from special contributor Jim Garcia.

To read past issues of Networking News, go to joebarter.com, click Joe Media from the navigation bar at the left, and then click Joe Newsletter from the scroll down menu.

If you’d like to be added to our newsletter mailing list, please e-mail us at joenews@joebarter.com

For a small company, Joe Barter sure likes to do things on a grand scale.

That’s why we’re planning to introduce our online business at joebarter.com via e-mail to hundreds of thousands of people in North America. Starting in May, Joe Barter will send four big e-mail blasts weekly over a four-week period.

How did we identify an audience that would be receptive to an invitation to register as a Joe Barter member?

Ask Kevin. He's the guy who “mined” databases for us and gave us an opportunity to introduce Joe Barter to thousands of people who’ve never heard of him.

How many of those recipients will become registered members on the strength of this introductory
e-mail alone?

Here are a few ballpark, and, yes, optimistic estimates:

* A naturally curious 5% of recipients will open the html e-mail, which also features the image of the iconic Joe Barter.

* Of those who read all or part of the text message, about 5% will feel compelled to click the link to the website.

* Finally, about 5% of the people, who click through to the Joe Barter home page, which showcases Joe’s Trading Post, will respond to the promotional message to “Register for free” and revisit the website at some point to post a product or service for sale or barter.

We predict that 100% of them will be glad they did.

Because at Joe Barter, registered members can buy, sell or trade products and professional services at our Trading Post at no charge. College students can also swap texts at Textbook Traders for free.

What’s not to be glad about?

Joe Barter is a networker, not a fighter.

But Joe’s still going to make his presence known at the No Limits Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness Center in Irvine on Saturday, 4/21, where he’ll be ringside for an event called “Proving Grounds.”

“Proving Grounds” is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition presented by No Limits and ProElite.com. It pairs 10 accomplished MMA fighters in five bouts of three rounds each.

All are competing for a chance to fight for EliteXC/Showtime.

Joe Barter is a “Proving Grounds” sponsor, the only one from outside the world of MMA fighting. Event attendees and viewers who watch its live streaming (beginning at 7 p.m.) on the Internet at ProElite.com will see our logo prominently displayed in the ring.

Joe’s likeness also will appear on cards held aloft by ring girls between each round.

(We know that not all eyes will be on the cards.)

The core fighting styles of MMA are boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai and wrestling. No Limit MMA & Fitness Center members train with coaches who are recognized experts in each of the fighting disciplines and have competed professionally.

The most skilled go on to compete in events like “Proving Grounds.”

In fact, four of the fighters in Saturday’s event are members of Team Oyama, the official name for the No Limits MMA fight team head coached by Colin Oyama.

The No Limits MMA Fitness Center is located in Irvine and occupies more than 25,000 square feet of space. There’s seating for more than 1,400.

Call 1-800-406-6096 to purchase tickets. They range in cost from $40 to $100 at ringside.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the first of five bouts begins at 7 p.m.

The No Limits MMA & Fitness Center is located at 1962 Barranca Parkway in Irvine. (Between the 5 and 405 Freeways, off Jamboree.)

See you there.

On March 8 Joe Barter stowed our sleekly designed, easy-to-assemble display units, company banners, signage, brochures, flyers, plus incentive prizes and giveaways, into the back of an SUV, and headed south to Costa Mesa.

Our destination: Orange County’s Largest Mixer IV, held March at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

It was our first exhibitor event in our very short history as an online business that provides free barter services and networking resources to registered members.

The Orange County mixer, now in its fourth year, typically draws well over 2,000 business professionals who navigate a maze of booths and displays, looking for opportunities to network.

Thanks to our distinctive display units -- particularly one that allowed attendees to test their basketball free throw skills to win incentives and prizes -- we held our own among the more than 300 other small to large business exhibitors in attendance.

Plus our booth position was ideal.

Rather then cram our exhibit into a cavernous building or tent with scores of other exhibitors, Joe Barter opted to set up at Baja Blues, a nearby bar on the fairgrounds, along with only one other exhibitor.

Our team members eagerly collared visitors to Baja Blues to test their free throw skills and acquaint themselves with our business.

By the time we’d closed shop, we’d gathered more than 360 signatures and business cards from attendees who wanted to receive our monthly online newsletter. Signing up also granted them free membership.

Joe Barter thanks Owen Gonzales of Ones We Love (OWL), a full-service event consulting and promotions company, for sponsoring us at Orange County’s Largest Mixer IV.

Check out the March issue of our monthly online newsletter for more on this event. It will be posted in early April. Go to joebarter.com and click “Joe Media” on the navigation bar. Then click “Joe Newsletter” from the drop down menu.

User word of mouth must be positive because the Joe Barter audience is still growing. Listings at Joe’s Trading Post have more than doubled in the past month to eclipse the 2,500 mark.

We’re showing 1,680 product listings in 35 categories, plus 825 service listings in 50 categories.

Users are enjoying a positive experience at our online site, where registered members can buy, sell or trade products, services and textbooks free of charge, and also access networking resources at no cost.

It’s time for you to check us out. Joe Barter combines the attributes of Craigslist and eBay, but minus the charges. Site registration is free as well.

Register today at joebarter.com and then post your products or services at Joe’s Trading Post. One of its features is an “Account Manager” that automatically tracks your trading history.

If you want to trade college texts, head to Textbook Traders located in our Joe University section. Its design includes a “View My Booklist” manager that tracks all textbook transactions and offers.

We’ve got free networking resources, too. They can help you find a new job, search out the best deals and discounts at local retailers and keep abreast of current events.

Best of all, our services are free, even site registration.

Research compiled by the North American Barter Association (NABA) shows that a record amount of almost $36 billion was generated through commercial barter in North America last year.

Last month at a gathering of NABA members in Chicago, Research Director Shirley McBride reported these key observations about the growth of the commercial barter industry:

* One in every 6 businesses conducted at least one barter transaction for the first time in 2006.
* Almost 75% of all Fortune 500 companies used barter, an increase of 14% over 2005.
* The number of new corporations implementing barter transactions in excess of $100,000 stood at 1,845.
* Almost 40% of all small business owners – those with less than 25 employees – experimented with barter and had positive results.
* The average dollar amount of a commercial barter transaction in 2006 increased to $1,927.
* Merchants using barter saved an average of $327,000 and realized an average cash flow of increase of 18%.

If you’re a business owner, professional service provider, or an individual who simply wants to dispose of items or belongings, you need to check out Joe Barter today.

Joe Barter is an online business where registered members can buy, sell or trade products and services at no charge on Joe’s Trading Post.

College student members can trade texts at Textbook Traders, located in the Joe University section, also at no charge.

All members can access other free networking resources as well.

Registration at www.joebarter.com is free to anyone.

Congratulations to Jose Santiago, the first freelance contributor to Joe Barter’s online monthly newsletter, Networking News, with his behind-the-wheel review of the 2007 BMW X5 SAV.

You can read Santiago’s automobile review under “Joe Picks: Automobiles” in our January issue. Just log on to joebarter.com and click Joe Newsletter from the drop down menu of our Joe Media section on the home page.

Now, it’s your turn.

Have a favorite restaurant, movie, CD, or nightclub? Spread the word through our Joe Barter network. Our members want to know how they can enjoy life without wasting their time or money. They also want to know your thoughts, on more pressing subjects, if you have something worthwhile to say.

So, tell us why the food at that hole-in-the-wall eatery is worth driving to the next county to sample. Or why that club is a cool place to hang out.

Tell us why we should send more troops to Iraq. Or why you’re fed up with the Clippers’ inability to win away from home.

There are no rules or restrictions, except that you communicate clearly and in a way that’s not going to offend everyone. Tackle an inflammatory subject, if you wish, just don’t get personal.

Respect your readers. They’re Joe Barter members and part of a community.
That’s worth remembering.

All submissions should bear the author’s name, state of residence, and be
e-mailed to:

For first-time visitors to this blog, Joe Barter is a new online business for the Southern California community, where registered members can buy, sell or trade products, services and textbooks at no charge. They also can access free networking resources to enrich their careers, education and lives.

Registration at joebarter.com is free to anyone.

Excuse the headline, but those of us at Joe Barter are pretty darn pleased that the number of listings at www.joebarter.com is growing incrementally. We’re showing 683 product listings in 35 categories plus 421 professional service listings in almost 50 categories

Joe Barter is an online business where registered members buy, sell or trade products, professional services and textbooks at no charge. Members can also access free networking resources.

If our business model sounds familiar, it should. Joe Barter combines the attributes of Craigslist and eBay. Site navigation at www.joebarter.com is quick and easy, and interface functionality is sure to please end-users. Though we’re competing for market share in the same industry, there’s plenty of business to go around.

Think of it this way. If you want to sell or barter items you no longer have a use for, or if you’re a small business owner with excess inventory, why not cover your bases and post those items or that excess inventory on Joe Barter, too? There’s no charge.

Want to promote a professional service to attract new business? Joe Barter is an online platform on which you can do just that. Again, at no charge.

To become a Joe Barter member, register for free at www.joebarter.com

Then go to Joe’s Trading Post to post your listings. Trading Post features include easy-to-read screens, drop down menus, an edit function, photo download capability, and a search function that allows you to hone in on a specific city or ZIP code for your needs.

There’s also a “My Account” feature that automatically tracks your trading and sales history on our site, including all products and services you’ve posted, all offers made by other members for your products and services, plus all offers you’ve made for other products and services.

Register free today at www.joebarter.com and post your listings. Check out our free networking resources, too.

What better way to start the New Year than with a renewed sense of purpose to finally get your home and life in order by selling or trading all those items you no longer have a use for?

If you’re ready to buy, sell or trade products, professional services or textbooks, visit Joe Barter, a new online business at www.joebarter.com where registered members can access free barter services and networking resources.

Joe Barter combines the attributes of Craigslist and eBay, but with a couple of crucial differences: there are no charges per sales or trade transaction, and no broker fees for members; site navigation is quick and easy; and interface functionality is an end-user’s dream.

Before you do anything you have to register as a Joe Barter member. It takes about 20 seconds and is free to anyone.

Once you’ve registered, go to Joe’s Trading Post to buy, sell or trade products and professional services. You’ll find easy-to-read screens, drop down menus, an edit function, photo download capability, and a search function that allows you to narrow your search to a specific city or ZIP code.

There’s also a “My Account” feature at the Trading Post to automatically track your trading and sales history on our site, including all products and services you’ve posted, all offers made by other members for your products and services, plus all offers you’ve made for other products and services.

If you want to trade college texts, go to Joe University and click Textbook Traders from the drop down menu. This is a sophisticated, easy-to-use tool that students can use to trade texts with classmates at no charge.

Joe Barter also features website sections where members can access free networking resources, including Joe Deals & Discounts, Joe Media and Joe Jobs.

Check us out today at our www.joebarter.com website.

Tis the holiday season, when, if you’ve been good, even very good, you’re still going to open a present or two on Christmas Day and say to yourself, “What the hell am I going to do with this?” It happens to us all, even the President.

Bush was recently gifted with “The Iraq Study Group Report,” a bipartisan and frank reappraisal of this administration’s Iraq strategy. The gist of the report is that “staying the course” in Iraq will lead to disastrous consequences.

“Gee, how thoughtful” is probably not the first thought that crossed the President’s mind when briefed on the report’s contents. Nor is returning the report to its drafters in exchange for, say, a couple of good war movie DVDs an option.

Returning the purple sweater that Aunt Louise got you for Christmas is out of the question, too. The price tag’s been discarded and the sweater repackaged, so you have no idea where she purchased it.

Never fear, Joe Barter is here to help you dispose of items you no longer have a use for, even a purple sweater you wouldn’t wear to your own funeral.

Joe Barter is an online barter service at http://www.joebarter.com/ where registered members can buy, sell or trade products, professional services and textbooks, all at no charge. Registration on the site is free to anyone.

So, don’t hang the sweater in the farthest corner of the closet and hope the moths are hungry.

Instead, take 20 seconds to register for free at Joe Barter. Then click on Trading Post and follow the simple steps to post your cardigan sweater for sale or trade. It might take you a minute or two. Once you’ve completed the required fields – you can even download a digital photo -- click “Submit.” Then wait for someone to make an offer; you’ll be notified via your e-mail address.

What could be simpler?

Check out Joe’s free online barter features and networking resources.

But don’t tell Aunt Louise.

And from all of us at Joe Barter: Have a great holiday season.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Joe Barter is busy negotiating a special menu of strategic partnerships that promises to be every bit as tantalizing to his members as a holiday turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but minus the calories.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that Joe Barter is a new online business, launched this past summer, where members can buy, sell or trade products, services and textbooks at no cost, plus access local networking services and resources.

What you don’t know is how busy Joe’s been trying to provide additional features that will make visiting joebarter.com a more engaging, exciting and rewarding experience for his members.

Here’s a sampling of what’s in the works:

* Mobile access via PDAs and cell phones to your Joe Barter account, including updates on offers made by other members for your listings on Joe Trading Post or Textbook Traders, plus downloads of music and movies
* Mobile access to ads and retailer offers that allow members to access discount codes, then download UPC codes to their PDAs or cell phones, where they can be scanned at retail locations
* Free customized e-mail accounts
* Discounted newspaper and magazine subscription offers, including free issues
* Online Joe Barter store where members can purchase a variety of Joe Barter branded products at great prices

Joe Barter is also negotiating with some of the biggest brand names in the online and entertainment industries to provide even more content and features to members.

So, keep checking out this space for more news and updates. Or contact us at joenews@joebarter.com to subscribe to our monthly online newsletter, where you'll find news and information about developments in Joe Barter’s world.

While you’re at it, check out the rest of our joebarter.com website too. Registration is free to anyone.

According to the College Board’s annual “Trends in College Pricing” recently released report, tuition and fees at four-year public colleges climbed $344 to an average of $5,836 for the 2006-07 academic year.

That’s a 6% increase. What’s a poor college student to do?

Go to joebarter.com and register for free to use our Textbook Traders feature. Trade texts with other students on campus and save the money you’d spend at the campus bookstore.

Joe Barter is a new online business where you can buy, sell or trade products, professional services and textbooks at no cost.

Here’s how:

* Go to joebarter.com and take 15 seconds to register for free.
* Click Textbook Traders under Joe University.
* Post the textbooks you’ll want to trade next semester at Textbook Post.
* Search for texts you’ll need at Textbook Search.
* Textbook Traders automatically maintains a comprehensive list of all your textbook postings – the texts you have to trade and those you want to trade for – at View My Booklist.

Tell your classmates about Joe Barter and Textbook Traders. The more students who post texts they want to trade, the easier it will be to trade and save a bunch of money.

While you’re at it, check out the rest of our Joe Barter website, too. It’s free.

Joe Barter’s making his website easier to navigate and offering more rewards for registered members. Check out the following enhancements that have been implemented or are in the works.

Quicker Registration. Joe’s streamlined his registration process. Just fill in your e-mail address, pick an alias or nickname, input your ZIP code, tell us how you heard about Joe Barter by using our convenient drop-down menu, then select and confirm your password. Bingo! You’ve just become a registered member. And registration is free to anyone. It can’t get much easier than that.

Joe Trading Post Categories On a Single Screen. Want to buy, sell or trade products or professional services at no cost? Click “Search” or “Post” under Joe Trading Post on the home page. You’ll find all product categories, plus all service categories on a single screen now.

Joe Trading Post Search Engine in Development. Soon, you’ll be able use a new search feature that will allow you to narrow your search for products or professional services offered on Joe Trading Post to a specific city or ZIP code.

Discounted Clippers Tickets on Sale Now. Joe Barter registered members can now save up to 48% on tickets to selected Clippers home games for the upcoming season. Click on the Clippers “Get up to 48% Off” ad on the Joe Barter home page. The special offer code is “JBAR” for our registered members. Choose which of the selected 28 Clippers home games you’d like to attend. Under the “Promotions and Special Offers” category, select the number of discounted tickets you want to purchase. Then enter “JBAR” in the “Enter Special Offer Code or Password” space to check discounted ticket availability. Please note tickets may not be available in all price levels and sections.

Stay tuned for notification of more Joe Barter developments, enhancements and special offers coming soon.

The first issue of Joe Barter Networking News launched into cyberspace on October 2, 2006 and found its way into e-mail accounts across the country. The response has been great!

Here are some stats as of Wednesday, 10/4/06:
39.1% Opened our newsletter--compared to Industry "open" rate of 37%
Definition of "opened"--Trackable emails your subscribers received and viewed.

28.8% Click on stories/links--compared to Industry "click" rate of 8.9%
Definition of "click"--Subscribers who clicked from an email to your website.

14.2% Bounced e-mails--compared to Industry "bounce" rate of 18.3%
Definition of "bounces"--Emails sent, but not received by your subscribers.

Many people were surprised to find so many topics and resources in our newsletter. Things including, new member service updates, information about events and promotions hosted by Joe, and profiles of business partners and service providers.

If you want to learn more about Joe Barter, an exciting new online business where registered members can buy, sell or trade products, professional services and textbooks at no cost, plus get free access to networking services and resources, you really ought to visit joebarter.com and register as a member for free.

Then read the first issue of Joe Barter Networking News (located in the "Joe Media" section under "Joe Newsletter") and explore the site.

We think you'll like what you see . . . and that you'll visit us regularly.

Joe Barter's always looking for business partnerships to benefit his members. That's why he signed on the dotted line with Music Interactive, a company that specializes in music download promotions and building brand awareness of a company's products through music.

If you're into music, particularly edgier sounds, check out the free download of "Moving Forward" from Protokoll, a group from Boston that's hot in the United Kingdom and now setting its sights on the US market. The group's music "blends punk and psychedelic rock with a very danceable feel" and is "best for listening when driving in the afternoon at high speeds." Preferably on the right side of the road (or the left if you're in the UK).

This free music download for Joe Barter registered members is courtesy of the movie "Jackass: Number Two." Which may be best appreciated after chugging a keg of beer.

To get your free music download, go to joebarter.com and register if you've not done so already. Then click "Joe Media" and "Joe Music." You have to view the "Jackass" movie trailer before you can download the song, but, hey, the trailer's short and pretty damn funny, even if you're sober.

Coming soon, another free music download, this one courtesy of Mitsubishi.

Joe Barter took a break from self-promotion on Monday, 9/11, the five-year anniversary of that horrific day which changed our lives forever.

We thought it appropriate instead to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11 in the terrorist attacks as well as those whose lives were drastically altered because they lost loved ones and friends, or because they survived a catatrosphic event while nearly 3,000 others around them perished. Still others suffer to this day, not because their lives were in peril, but because they had to stand by, watching in horror, wanting to do something, anything, but were powerless to do so.

Joe cannot feel their pain. But he can and does remember.

Sure, there are plenty of great (and free) features at the joebarter.com web site. There's Joe Trading Post, where registered members can barter or sell legitimate products and services at no cost, and Textbook Traders (at Joe University), where, this coming semester, college students can trade or sell textbooks with classmates on campus and save tons of money they'd normally spend at the campus bookstore.

Plus, there's free access to networking resources at Joe Deals & Discounts, Joe Jobs and Joe Media. Joe knows his members have high expectations. That's why he's forging strategic partnerships with other companies to provide added value.

He's also developing a referral rewards program for members who introduce others to the joebarter.com site that will offer the following incentives:

• Hollywood Sports Parks tickets: Free admission for two to a 30-acre theme park where visitors can enjoy paintball, dirt BMX, extreme soccer, beach volleyball, Euro-bungee and the Colossal Rock Wall
• Music Downloads: Free download of a song from the vast music archives of Music Interactive.
• Cell Phone Updates: Receive five free cell phone updates that alert you to offers made for any product or service you've listed for barter or sale on Joe Trading Post
  

And that's only the start. In September, Joe plans to meet with one of the most popular and widely used Internet companies in the world to negotiate a strategic partnership.
Stay tuned to this blog for more details.

Also, watch out for the September issue of Joe Networking News, where we'll update you on company developments. Our newsletter will be sent to our registered members' e-mail addresses, or you can read it online at joebarter.com in the Joe Media section.