How Matt Drudge’s two-man Web site nets $800,000 a year

Matt Drudge, whose online news site became famous for exposing the secrets of President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, may not be so happy that some of his own secrets have been revealed.

Business 2.0 has released a back-of-the-envelope analysis showing that DrudgeReport.com, a minimalistic scoop sheet, nets about $68,500 a month, or $822,000 a year. That’s despite the fact that the operation is based on only two individuals: Drudge himself, who works out of a Miami condo, and a mysterious Los Angeles reporter, who is never named.

The business magazine reports that Drudge’s site is ranked 29th highest in advertising impressions on the Internet. Space-buyers pay as much as $2 per 1,000 impressions and include DirecTV, Paramount Pictures, and The New York Times.

According to writer Jeff Keighley, Drudge’s formula for success is:

1. Get news from sources, rather than generating it yourself

2. Link to stories posted by others when they break news

3. Cut bureaucracy so headlines can be added immediately

4. Don’t discuss the secrets of how you run your business

It’s that last point that suggests the cyber-gadfly won’t be too happy about Business 2.0’s article. Then again, he may be crying all the way to the bank.

See for yourself at: http://www.business2.com@a2.tc/4e87

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E-BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW: GOOGLE HACKS

Google.com may have become the most popular search engine on the Internet. But not one person in a thousand understands the power that lies just beneath the surface of Google’s interface.

That’s what revealed in “Google Hacks,” a new book by Tara Calishain and RaelDornfest. The co-authors describe in detail 100 tricks you can use to improve the results you get from the Net’s most-trafficked engine.

The “hacks” — the word is used to mean “little-known shortcuts,” not illegal activity — range from how to get around Google’s 10-word search limitation to taking advantage of its most sophisticated Web services. Each hack is self-contained and code is provided for the more advanced subjects, which can be exploited using Perl, Java, PHP, Python, .Net, and Visual Basic.

For more details: http://www.amazon.com@isbn.at/0596004478

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LIVINGSTON’S TOP 10 NEWS PICKS O’ THE WEEK

1. Programs by Visa and MasterCard aid credit card security: http://www.net-security.org@5a0.tc/44f

2. Controversial English language Al Jazeera news site opens: http://english.aljazeera.net@3n.be/837

3. Online databases of your travel habits may be viewed: http://www.wired.com@1c.to/c1f

4. Google News mixes press releases with journalistic sources: http://www.theregister.co.uk@e.la/1007

5. Habeas.com files its first two lawsuits against spam: http://www.news.com@31.dk/13ef

6. Do you make these five mistakes in high-tech job-seeking? http://www.builder.com@836.as/17d7

7. Send XML without the limitations of Microsoft’s XMLHTTP: http://www.builder.com@a6r.ms/1bbf

8. HTML tips: Add Next/Prev links to your data-driven pages: http://www.devshed.com@th.gs/1fa7

9. Make your own Starship Enterprise out of a floppy disk: http://www.asciipr0n.com@54.vg/238f

10. Great Flash: Tale of the Mourning Leopard, with BBC voice: http://www.pox.co.uk@a2.tc/2777

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WACKY WEB WEEK: YESTERDAY’S NEWS, BROUGHT UP TO DATE

The war in Iraq has given new prominence to the 24-hour news channels that bring words and pictures from front-line, “embedded” journalists to TV screens everywhere. The intensive coverage inspired one wag to ask, “How would historic events of the past have been covered if we’d had the Fox News Channel back then?”

The hilarious answers, lavishly illustrated through the miracle of Photoshop, will bring a smile to your face, whether you live in a red state or a blue state.

One breaking news story shows Fox reporter Geraldo Rivera, crossing the Delaware with George Washington, reporting live that the general is planning at that very moment a sneak attack against the enemy camp.

The page takes a while to load, due to the many graphics, but it’s worth the wait: http://forums.fark.com@n6.be/c3b7

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brian Livingston is publisher of http://www.BriansBuzz.com. Research director is Vickie Stevens. Brian has published 10 books, including:

Windows Me Secrets: http://www.amazon.com@isbn.at/0764534939

Windows 2000 Secrets: http://www.amazon.com@isbn.at/0764534130

You’ll receive a gift certificate good for a book, CD, or DVD of your choice if you’re the first to send Brian a Top Story or Wacky Web Week he prints. Send tips to mailto:Brian@BriansBuzz.com with “tip” in the subject line.