jimbeetle - 3:07 pm on May 8, 2008 (gmt 0)

How about going to the people themselves who we would actually want to reach?

I'm a big fan of over-the-shoulder friends and family "research." Ask them to perform a task (as open- or close-ended as you'd like), and simply observe. "Use the Internet to plan a trip Widgetville," "Find a place to stay in Widgetville in July," etc. You can't really take advantage of this too often as it's time consuming, but I guarantee that eyes will be opened. Just keep in mind that ow you phrase the task will affect the outcome.

periodicals

One of my favorites. I'm lucky that I have three very well-stocked magazine stores within walking distance, with 1,000 to 2,000 titles each. Wow! Print ain't quite dead yet and there's a mag for each and every niche. The mags themselves great for finding niche affiliate ideas; letters to the editor keyword rich; advertisements (both main well and back of book) perfect as a way to mix and match demo-related products.