About Takanomi.com

The most common question is, what does it mean, 'takanomi' (tack-a-nom-ee)?

No idea, "it came to me in a dream" - it's just a name, with no particular meaning. Sounds vaguely 'technological', perhaps because it sounds vaguely Japanese - though the closest I've come to it's meaning in Japanese is 'vase', which of course bears no relation to what this site or myself are about.

So, who's behind Takanomi.com?

That's me, Steve Shaw - you can see a dubious mugshot of me above.

I'm based in the UK, more specifically in York, in Northern England. It's a beautiful city, home of the world-famous York Minster, and old haunt of our good friends, the Vikings, who still reappear once a year for a festival on the River Ouse.

I've worked full-time o

I've worked full-time online since March 2002, developing software and systems for effective Internet marketing, such as the well-known PopUpMaster Pro, Click Bank Toolkit, and the free viral list-building system at ListInferno.com.

Once a month I publish the popular Takanomi Newsletter (archived issues are available here), full of the latest information on Internet marketing, much of which has a 'technical edge' to enable my subscribers to actually implement what I'm talking about on their web sites, rather than the usual vague information with no real how-to advice.

I work at home, and live with my wife, Tracy, and two small children. That's what is really great about working online - the flexibility of time and location, means I see so much of my family, far more than the average 'Dad' who may just get to see their kids at weekends, if they're lucky.

The Internet provides a different way of life that suits my mentality and life style - and I love it!

When I'm not online, I just love spending time with my wife and kids, taking them out, or just playing with them in and around the house. I'm also pretty 'earthy' and 'hippy-minded' (well, I was born in the 70s!), and like the outdoors, stuff like gardening, walking in the country over hill and dale and feeling the air fill my lungs. Magic.

These are some things I haven't done yet, but would love to:

• Bomb around the country in a clapped-out old VW, stopping where the will takes me/us, and just touring around a bit

• Going into the garden to pick my own fresh veggies and herbs for dinner, and give the pot-bellied pig some scraps for his tea - as yet, I have neither the veggies, nor the pig, but I do have the wellies, and a bit of overgrown garden, so it's got potential

• Write a novel that leaps to the top of the best sellers list, and continues selling for years to come - and then just carry on being a writer, spending a couple of hours a day penning my thoughts for a very eager publisher, and then take the dog for a stroll. I haven't started writing it yet, and I don't have a dog.

• Get a full night's sleep - okay, I did get one once, but that was before the kids arrived, and I don't remember it too well

What's my background?

I'm in Yorkshire now, but I was born south of London in a town not far from Gatwick Airport called Crawley, before being born and bred for the majority of my youthful existence in Rugby in the Midlands.

I escaped at 18 to go to Sussex University, met my future wife on the same day I arrived (she lived in the room above mine, had no idea I'd still be with her now!), and spent three years studying International Relations with Development Studies. Nothing to do with computers or the Internet, but the degree title sounds strangely parallel. After all, what do I do now? 'Relate' with my subscribers, customers, colleagues and friends on an international level, and 'develop' new stuff for my business. Kinda wierd, ain't it?!

I eventually came out with a 2:1, and after a year or two doing not-too-much in the post-graduation wilderness, took a Masters Degree in IT, and came out with a Distinction. I spent a few years doing traditional IT jobs with companies like HSBC, but too much 'office' and corporate structure was getting me down.

So I escaped again - this time doing my own thing on the 'net. And here I am today, with my kids screaming around chasing each other downstairs, and Tracy desperately trying to hold on to her sanity before it slips away for ever. Time to put the headphones on for some music...

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