As we read a lot in the news today about the Oil Spill in the Gulf, the economy being such a mess, the war in the Middle East, and all the other negative things they like to talk about all the time, it is hard to find anything good in the news. This being said, it also makes it hard to find much to be positive about in our daily lives. I have preferred to only catch the news on a rare occasion and mostly to see what the weather is doing and to read the paper only for the local information.

I am sitting here at my desk wondering how many people actually thought about what the 4th of July really means to us as a country. I know to most of us it means a day off and a celebration in our town and fireworks. But, to alot of people it means a lot more than that.

In this world of business and manufacturing things have taken some real drastic changes in the last couple of years. But that is not news to anyone. What is becoming news is that in this industry, I think we are seeing some changes for the better. Spending time talking with people about their marketing needs, I am finding that there is a little more positive feedback than there was a few months ago. Maybe it is just the warmer weather or that it is almost the middle of the year and they are seeing some increases in profits, or maybe it is just what my father used to call TOC. TIRED OF COMPLAINING.

Blogs have made a grand entrance into the marketing realm. Why? They can be a successful marketing tool if done right. Blogs have core components that increase their success such as content, distribution, and frequency, but you need more than that to get people to read it.

Popular blogs have one thing in common, an individual voice. A voice will not only gain readers, but it keeps them. Learn how to create your voice using these 5 blogging tips:

As the Web Content Manager for Industrial Machine Trader, I receive a lot of emails, press releases, etc about the industry. For the last solid month or so, I've noticed that a good majority have had positive information regarding the increase of the manufacturing industry. It's good news...but like most people, I think I'm still a little skeptical.

Looking for Industrial Machinery and Equipment? We have lots of different options for listing new industrial machinery as well as used industrial machinery. Check out our machinery listings page and you will find whatever it is you may be looking for. If you can't find that specific piece of machinery give us a call and we will try and find it for you. You can also find pieces of machinery that are being sold on auctions as well. Check our Industrial Machine Auctions page by clicking on our Auction Calendar link on the toolbar on the left side of the page. If you have any questions, contact a sales rep by calling (800) 203-9960

If there is one thing we have all learned from the recent recession, it is that there is a difference in the way our businesses are running today and the way they will be running tomorrow. Sometimes, it's time for a change that will make a difference........

Product Reviews are a new feature by Industrial Machine Trader that allow us to review a product and feature several different companies that offer that same product.

Change is something we do, so let me tell you about the new Product Review! Starting with our March Monthly we are introducing Product Reviews. What we are doing with this is taking a certain machine, for March we are using Plate Bending Rolls, and we are picking 6 manufacturers and writing up a little something about the machines and letting the customers decide which one they prefer. This is something that no other publication in the industry is offering. If you have an idea or piece of machinery that you think would be a good fit for this review, please let us know. Thanks and until next time.

Ugggh---social media!! When it comes to social media, your in one of two groups of people--you think its worthless or you think its great. I'm not going to tell you what to think about it..but I am going to share some of the things that we've been doing here at Industrial Machine Trader to help improve our market presence and connect with our audience.