From time to time, we like to spread the word on particularly useful resources that can help provide you — online entrepreneurs and Internet newbies alike — with a valuable assist on the road to success.

To that end, we want to draw your attention to Leo Laporte, an internationally famous technology guru with an impressive reputation as author and all around tech expert. Anyone interested in consumer tech, or with any kind of interest in popular technology, be it amateur or professional, would be wise to check out his radio show and netcasts.

Laporte’s credentials are solid — he’s been an author and tech expert since the 1980s, with a breadth of knowledge that spans every aspect of technology. Over the past several decades, he’s hosted award-winning TV and radio shows throughout North America and written numerous well-regarded books on technology, including a number of best-selling almanacs. He’s also written software for Macintosh, PC, and open-source programs. A true Internet pioneer, Laporte operated one of the very first bulletin board systems, going way back to 1985.

But his resume aside, Laporte’s biggest claim to fame is his weekend radio show — essential listening for those of us who like to keep up with the ins and outs of consumer technology, the Internet, and the companies that keep the tech world spinning (and those that soon will). These entertaining and informative weekend radio shows, in which he expertly (and entertainingly) fields questions from callers all across North America, run from 11am to 2pm (Pacific U.S. time) every Saturday and Sunday on Laporte’s nationally syndicated radio show, as well as on satellite radio. Find out where you can listen.

Leo Laporte is not associated with Aplus.net in any way. He’s simply an industry expert that you should be aware of, who offers six hours of top-notch tech advice for free each and every weekend. That’s the kind of value we can all appreciate. From the latest news on net neutrality to info on market-leading big screen TVs, Leo covers it all. Check out his show this weekend.

Writing in ComputerWorld, author John Brandon explains why the recent turmoil in America’s (and the world’s) financial markets doesn’t necessarily amount to a slowdown in the Internet business sector. In fact, it may point to special opportunities for the online entrepreneurs who have the means and the initiative to seize the advantages at hand.

Mr. Brandon cites some pretty compelling evidence in his argument:

The new dotcom era is long on innovative and compelling ideas - things that make you want to keep using the site regardless of the weakening economy. People will want to edit photos online at Picnik. They will want to store data on Box.net. If anything, these services might actually gain traction during a poor economy because people are looking for alternatives and maybe some fresh ideas.

In the first dotcom crisis, there were inventory problems, e-commerce nightmares, technological issues - everyone was learning the ropes. Sticky sites like FaceBook, where we have started using as a prime storage place for photos and an historical record of our written communication, will thrive. For example, I know someone who no longer uses an e-mail account, she only uses FaceBook because everyone she knows and wants to communicate with is using the service.

Digg, even in such a calamitous economy, just got funding. Web 2.0 sites are still popping up like flies at a picnic. And, most of them are small and can scale easily and quickly.

Now, it is not all calm and serene in Web 2.0 land. I see companies such as Amazon having to go lean and mean soon, even though I just bought a pile of songs on their MP3 service. I think what really hurts them is that, for the most part, they sell stuff online and people do not have the money to spend. Sites in a very competitive market - let’s say Zoho - have a major challenge because they can’t just throw money at problems like building up an image through advertising. The bigger the Web 2.0 company, the more they need to keep pumping life into the brand, whereas smaller sites can remain relatively secure financially with a small and growing fanbase.

Sure, most of us aren’t managing large, international companies like Facebook. But the point is, the incredible popularity of these companies represents a major shift in how people behave. Over the past few years, the Internet has changed the way that millions of people communicate, do business, and shop. They’ve found that it’s far less expensive and far more convenient to do these things online than via the more traditional means of interaction (which almost always involves gasoline and time spent traveling around town).

So, an economic downturn in the traditional sense may well mean more online activity and shopping, instead of less. Of course, as always, your mileage will vary, depending on what kind of business you have, and how it’s marketed. But remember, positive thinking, combined with a smart look at where the markets are going, could ensure that you and your business not only come out on top, but also take full advantage of unique growth and expansion opportunities that you may never see again.

Right now, it’s more important than ever to speak to your customers with authority and with an optimistic, forward-looking tone. If you can confidently position your website as a reliable, unwavering resource during these unsteady times, you just may find your site hits and traffic growing like never before.

Read “Writing for Can dotcoms avoid another bubble burst?” here.

MarketingSherpa, one of the absolute best online resources for all things web marketing, recently offered an article with a fresh take on the art of building results-driven banner ad campaigns, breaking down click rates by size and effectiveness.

“When it comes to banner ads, asking about click rates actually misses the point,” states the article. “As this chart demonstrates, response rates for online ads are typically low, no matter what their size. Ironically, low clicks don’t necessarily mean the ads aren’t working.”

Online ads are branding tools. Direct clicks are simply a happy byproduct. In the context of direct response, online ads appear to be, at best, moderately successful.

Given this moderate success, it’s important to maximize response — because ads that garner any clicks are likely doing a good job fulfilling their real purpose: strengthening brand and catching the eye.

(Click here to view the chart being referred to in the article.)

Writing for the U.K.’s e-consultancy.com Internet business website, Greig Holbrook explains why you should think internationally when you’re mapping our your online sales strategy and optimizing your site for SEO.

“English-only websites are a thing of the past,” writes Holbrook. “They overlook 95% of the potential market (since only 5% of the world’s population speaks English).”

So, it’s in your best interests to think on a global scale, even if you’re running a small start-up online business. Everyone knows that shoppers use search engines to find what they’re looking for need online. And search engines are international, so in theory, you may already be getting international traffic. Why limit your sales potential by ignoring this huge market segment?

Holbrook tells us more:

Last year saw 147.1m Chinese participate in e-commerce (source: MasterCard Worldwide), a higher number than the total population of all but the world’s eight most populous countries.

In less than two years, this number is projected to triple.

Across the ocean, Brazil is also seeing incredibly strong e-commerce growth.

Online spending there is predicted to grow by one-third in 2008. Brazil’s rapidly growing population of online buyers are among the most active retail e-commerce users in the world (source: e-Marketer).

Considering the current credit crunch we’re facing here in the U.S. (a similar crunch is also happening in the U.K.), broadening your sales horizons seems like a no-brainer.

Click here to read “The wonderful world of multilingual SEO” by Greig Holbrook.

California’s American Chronicle online magazine recently ran a very informative article outlining an often-overlooked way to drive traffic to your website: Writing articles for other sites, and linking the content back to your own. It’s a win-win strategy for both parties — you get traffic, and the other website gets fresh and unique content. Indeed, this is a a growing trend in an online landscape where original content is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity.

” … [A]rticle writing is one of those powerful ways to drive targeted traffic to your website,” writes B. Hopkins in an article for the paper dated September 27, 2008.

One way of getting traffic to your website is to write articles for other people’s websites. Not for blogs or websites where there are already a number of other writers, but a website where you are the only other person to supply content. This technique may not be as difficult as you might think because most website owners are struggling to keep their site fresh and if you provide the solution to their problem of having fresh quality content, many website owners will jump at the offer. This strategy sets you apart because you can now get links back to your website without competing with other web site owners. You also stand out more in the eyes of the visitors to the website you are writing for so when they come to your website, they are more interested in what you have to offer. This strategy does require original articles that are written by you and are of good quality because it will be a tough sell to get someone else to put your crappy spam on their website.

,,, You can also use your articles as part of an auto-responder series to continue to drive traffic back to your website. If you write a series of articles on the same topic or in the same niche, you can put one article per message in the auto-responder series. Your message would include a compelling call to action after the article to send the reader back to your website. This method works very well to build trust with your readers, who will then be more willing to buy from you because they now feel like they can relate to you.

Read “The Overlooked Ways Of How Article Writing Can Drive More Traffic To Your Website” here.