Internet Businesses Online

The Internet Business Startup Guide - Importance of Finding a Profitable Internet Business Model

2010-07-27T13:35:00.002-07:00

Are you considering starting an Internet Business from home? As the economy has caused chaos and insecurity to many families, many people are starting an online business from home. With an Internet Connection allowing us to reach a large audience online many are seeing an online Business as an opportunity to save themselves from the current economic troubles that have plagued us the last several years.

If you have been looking for that perfect opportunity for any amount of time, you have already seen the promises of quick money, and automated systems that promise no work and easy income. The fact is none of the claims are true, and you need to beware of what is fact and what is fiction. While an online Internet Business offers a large range of income benefits, the fact is the industry is not automated, nor should you expect to become wealthy overnight.

So how do you know which Internet Business is right for you? Finding a business model that best fits your needs, wants, and expectations is critical for you overall success. Do not let anyone else tell you which business is right for you, use the guide below to choose one that will fit you.

Internet Business Guide - 10 Steps To Find The Right Online Business.

1.) Goals - Your financial goals are going to play a large factor in which business model you choose to run. What are your monthly income goals, and what is the commission structure of the Internet Business you are inquiring on. Having your goals properly structured before you start researching Internet opportunities will assist you in find the right model for you.

2.) Interest - When looking into a business model, outline what aspects you find interesting. Really define what interest you about each level. Is it the products, services, or maybe it's the commission structure. Write down your interest levels and be detailed on why they interest you. Your interest should play a large part in choosing the Internet Business that fits you.

3.) What Does Not Interest You - Lets be honest, there is always an aspect in every situation, which may leave you uneasy, or concerned about. Be clear about what bothers you about the business model. This has two benefits for you. If you have a concern you need to bring this concern up before you join any Internet opportunity. Usually you will feel better about the situation after you have gotten clarification on the concerning subject. In addition it will also help you when you start your business to answer any concerns someone else may have.

4.) Cost VS Earnings - Every legitimate Internet Business will have a startup cost. The only time there is no capital startup is if you are applying for an online job. How much is the business going to cost you to startup? How many sales do you need to generate to earn back your capital. If you have to earn numerous sales to gain profits, this would be concerning. However, if you can earn your money back in one or the most two sales, it is suggested to be a better return on your investment.

5.) Online Training - Starting a online business is probably new to you. Find a good online mentor, or coach that can help to assist you with learning how to successfully build your net biz. The good news is qualified mentors will train you if you join their business with them, and there are no additional fees attached to get the training. Make sure you research the online business coach as much as you do the Internet opportunity in question.

6.) Time Investment - How much time does it take to build your business the right way. Many times people are working a full time job while they work their home business. Having clear understanding of how much time, and what your task are during that time will allow you to maximize your time to the fullest.

7.) Past Experience - Do you have any past experiences that you could bring to your business. Outline your skills, and see if any are in alignment with the Internet opportunity that you choose.

8.) How Long Before Profits - This is the dreaded questions by most mentors. The fact is no one can predict the amount of time of your first sale to be generated. But you can ask for average time. It is suggested to set your own goals and ask your online mentor if it is reasonable to achieve those results.

9.) How Long Have They Been In Business - How long has the Internet Business been in operation. While new Internet opportunities immerge monthly, it is suggested to go with a business that has been online for a year or more.

10.) Testimonials - Testimonials are critical to show validation to your business and also that of the mentor in question. It is important to check the testimonials out. The key rule is for them to be more then 10 and they should provide a few video testimonials and written testimonials with pictures.

When starting an Internet Business many people will have a wide range of emotions. Most are excited, but are nervous over their new opportunity. Finding the right Internet business is critical to your happiness, and overall success with your new business. Having a clear and concise outline of what to expect at the beginning of your Internet opportunity will give you the foundation to have a long and profitable career.

Megan Vaillancourt is a well respected online mentor.

With over eleven years experience she founded and created the top business mentoring team Mentors 4 U

Megan and her Online Business Mentors are responsible for training some of the top online business owners in the industry.

Megan has helped 100's find the right Internet Business Model, and has high success ratios in assisting people to earn money from home.

To get a free gift showing you how to find a legitimate home based business and how to profit Visit her link below

Starting an Internet Business the right way

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Megan_Vaillancourt

Internet Business Education

2010-07-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

Hello Apprentice Internet Millionaire!

So you are thinking of starting an Internet Business are you? Well welcome to the most powerful Market Place in the World, the Internet, the World Wide Web. With 1.6 billion people online it is not surprising that this is indeed the largest market place in the world.

I'm sure that if you have found your way here then you will have no doubt done an amazing amount of research on how to start your Internet Business Education. Or, you are seriously still searching on how to get the best Education to ensure your success in your new adventure into "Internet Business Entrepreneurship".

Whatever your reason I am glad that you stopped by, as the Internet, Business and Education are my passion and I would love to share some essential knowledge with you. Competitors are stunned at the comprehensive nature of our platform, education and resources.

Click here for some important must know information

Before you venture into the wonderful world of Internet Business let me share 3 critical points you need to be aware of. In my opinion if you get these three things right then you will be on your way to success. Mindset ~ Education ~ Set-Up! I call these the "Vital Statistics"

Mindset is the first vital statistic you need. Before you even think about an Internet Business you need to know and understand the real reasons behind your decision.

So many people think of the Internet as a Market Place where people can just turn up - set out their wares on the trading floor go out to play, come home at the end of the day and find a bag full of money waiting for them. Doesn't happen! Period! At least not on your first day
So don't expect it, no matter what anyone tells you. So, time to get your Mindset right.

If you are seriously looking for an Internet Business then Education is a must and your mindset must be....

• Yes I REALLY want to have an Internet Business!
• Yes I REALLY want my Internet Business to be successful!
• Yes I REALLY understand an Internet Business is a real business and I have to work at it!
• Yes I REALLY am prepared get educated, to learn the ropes and commit to my success!

Education is the next "vital statistic" necessary for your success. Sure some people can get on the Internet and fluke it... although I can tell you not many do and if they do it is usually very short lived.

What I can tell you for sure and certain, is that the "Internet Business" gurus that you see and hear about, are very " Dedicated Business Owners". They have a very clear and concise Mindset. They are not an "overnight success" story. They are men and women just like you and me and they have made it "their business" to get educated!

They made it "their business" to learn the skill sets necessary to be successful Internet Business owners.

Now for some really great news... I know many great Internet Business Entrepreneurs, that are willing to share all of their secrets of success. The wonderful thing about owning an Internet Business is that nothing is a secret.....the more you share the knowledge... the more your business will grow and the more money you will make. And isn't that what business is about at the end of the day? Work for Profit!

So, time to get your Mindset right - time to get Educated and time to Set-Up your new Internet Business.

Set-Up I call this the "Vital, vital statistic". Many years ago when I was teaching children basic learning skills I used a very simple analogy that was easily understood. This analogy stands true for everything we ever learn and I'd like to share it with you.

It goes like this:

Q: "If you were going to build a brick wall, where would you start?"
A: At the bottom of course! Now that was pretty simple wasn't it?

Ok now each brick in our wall is a little piece of knowledge, something new that we learn each and every day. Just another brick placed in our wall of knowledge.

Q: "What happens if we miss a piece of knowledge? That brick of information needed in our wall."
A: Simple we'd have a hole in our wall, wouldn't we?

Q: Ok, so now we have gaps in our wall ~ guess what's going to happen?"
A: That's right our wall of knowledge is going to fall down isn't it?

This is such a simple lesson for all of us... we all know that education builds upon itself.
We know that we need to learn the basics and we know that we that we need to build on a solid foundation. We know that we can't go to University before we've been to Kindergarten.

Yet, how often when it comes to the Internet and setting up a business, do we hear that little voice in our head saying, "I know this, I can skip this step, I don't need to read the instructions, I can side step that part, it's not important!"

Like I said, Set-Up is the "vital vital statistic". Get this wrong and you have to go back and start over again, or, more importantly you get frustrated, you lose both time and money and then you truly understand the old saying "learn by your mistakes".

So what we have covered today is the basic education principles of Internet Business.

To have a successful Internet Business you have to have the right:
• Mindset
• Education
• Set-Up

My theory is why "learn by your mistakes", when you can learn all of the secrets, tips, tricks, strategies and "know how" from successful Internet Business Millionaires,

If you want a successful Internet Business with a built in "Education and Marketing Platform" then learn from successful "Internet Business Millionaires" and get it right the first time.

Yours in success

Pam Carroll

© Pam Carroll 2010

Pam Carroll is a business coach and mentor based out of Sydney NSW, Australia, Pam assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple incomes streams. Her team has assisted hundreds of people in generating profits that exceed $250K or more in their first year. For more information and to contact Pam, visit: http://is.gd/b645x

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pam_Carroll

LUS Fiber expands Internet service

2009-10-23T03:21:00.001-07:00

LUS Fiber is ready to provide Internet service to business customers in about 20 percent of the city of Lafayette, officials announced at a Wednesday news conference.

For the past several month, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Center has served as a test site for the service, and so far, the results have been positive, LCVC Executive Director Gerald Breaux said.

"With the speed it has, it's really taken a lot of worry and uncertainty off of our backs," he said, adding that his office is running about 25 computers at any one time. "It's helped our staff manage their daily routine much, much better."

The Internet for business will be offered in areas where residential customers can also sign up for Internet, telephone and television service through LUS Fiber. Lafayette Utilities System Director Terry Huval said all areas of the city should be ready for service by next June, several months ahead of schedule.

Businesses will be able to choose from three different upload and download speeds for Internet service. A connection of 10 megabits per second will be $64.95 per month, a connection of 50 megabits per second is $119.95 per month and a connection of 100 megabits per second is $199.95.

The service includes e-mail addresses, a ZoneAlarm security suite and access to a 100 megabits per second peer-to-peer Intranet. Customers can also purchase static IP addresses.

"The thing that has been the driving force behind this always has been economic development," Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel said. "I want to thank the people of Lafayette for their confidence and thank them for their entrepreneurial spirit by doing something to promote economic development."

The press conference also included a demonstration comparing LUS Fiber's Internet speeds to that of an unidentified other local provider, which appeared to show LUS Fiber's connection to be significantly faster, even when handling large files such as videos.

Patricia Parks, public affairs specialist for Cox Communications, the other major Internet provider in Acadiana, noted that in the past four years, Cox Business has invested more than $12 million in its commercial fiber infrastructure in Lafayette and Acadiana.

"Not just in Lafayette, but across Acadiana today, we have fiber customers who are experiencing dedicated speeds of up to 100 mbps," Parks said. "Our fully-redundant fiber ring allows us to connect multiple locations of any business within the region. This allows Cox Business to serve all businesses with a private fiber network to serve all of their locations in Lafayette, Acadiana, south Louisiana and throughout the national Cox footprint."

LUS Fiber expands Internet service

2009-10-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

LUS Fiber is ready to provide Internet service to business customers in about 20 percent of the city of Lafayette, officials announced at a Wednesday news conference.

The service includes e-mail addresses, a ZoneAlarm security suite and access to a 100 megabits per second peer-to-peer Intranet. Customers can also purchase static IP addresses.

AT&T 3Q Net Falls; Wireless Offset By Weak Wireline

2009-10-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

AT&T Inc.'s (T) wireless business again posted strong gains in the third quarter, but businesses and consumers alike continue to shun fixed-line phone services.

The Dallas telecommunications giant benefited from the first full quarter of sales of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone 3GS as new customers and existing subscribers snapped up the smart phone. But the weak job market and the increasing move to wireless or cable-powered phone option meant a weaker traditional phone offering with no change in sight.

"Wireline voice continues to be a problem for the company," said Todd Rosenbluth, equity analyst at Standard

Make Money Online - Legitimate Ways to Earn Real Money

2008-08-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in starting your own online business but do not know where to start, the following information may be helpful. Start out by doing a search on your favorite search engine for 'work at home' opportunities. This will seem overwhelming to you as there are thousands of ads that will come up.

Since you do not want to waste time, how do you weed out the scams and find the legitimate opportunities? If the website does not offer enough information, does not have contact information, demands a large investment or makes unrealistic promises, move on.

When you do find a program that interests you, pay attention to the product. Is it digital information or a physical product? If it is something you have to promote to make money, you need to have some knowledge of the product in order to convince others to buy it.

A crucial component of any business is the support you receive. Does the program you are interested in offer you support and guidelines before, during, and after your investment? Or do they take your money and leave you on your own?

If there IS an investment required, always proceed cautiously. Is the cost reasonable and does it fit the program requirements? Can you get a refund if you request it?

Can you really make money from the program? Never waste your time or money on something that makes unrealistic promises of quick cash for no work. Any business requires an investment of work and time to build an income.

Make sure your expectations are realistic. It will take time to start earning an income. If your business requires you to market a product, develop a marketing plan. If it does not work, be flexible and try something else.

Listed below are some legitimate online work at home opportunities:

*Affiliate Programs: Considered by many to be the easiest way of making money online, being an affiliate means you are promoting products owned by other people. You make your money by referring customers to their website.

Affiliate programs should not charge any start-up fee. Make sure the commissions are generous, at least 50%.

*eBay: The largest online auction site, drawing millions of people every day, is one of the easiest and most profitable ways of making money online. It is the first place most people check when they are looking for items, both new and used. You can sell almost anything you can think of.

Make bargain hunting your new business. The best places to find items to resell on eBay are garage and yard sales, estate sales, local auctions, and newspaper classifieds.

*Paid Surveys: There are hundreds of companies online searching for people to take their online surveys. Do your research and take your time to determine what companies actually pay you cash and what companies enter your name in a drawing for prizes. This can be a very lucrative business.

In addition to the above opportunities, there are many other possibilities.

*Work-At-Home Directory Listings: There are many legitimate work at home directories available online now. One of them is WAHM (Work At Home Moms). This is a very good place to start. Their site offers job listings, helpful articles, message boards, and classifieds.

*Company And Corporate Websites: All major corporations and companies have their own websites. If they have a website, there will be a link for jobs. You may have to spend some time searching, but it will be there.

*General Employment Sites: There are many websites for general job searches (monster.com, careerbuilder.com, etc.). Just do a search for JOBS and you are on your way.

*Online Newspaper Classified Ads: Nearly all newspapers have their own websites. Check out their classified ad section. You can also do a general search for 'newspaper classifieds' and you will get hundreds of links.

The only requirements to finding a job online are time, commitment and perseverance. You must stick with it and stay focused. There ARE jobs out there. Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you in your search for legitimate home-based jobs.

Debra Gropp makes money on the Internet by doing everything from paid surveys to working for affiliate programs. Her articles pertain to the subjects she is most interested in, online income opportunities, diet, fitness and health-related information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Gropp

5 Simple Ways to Earn Money Quick on the Internet - Anyone Can Do This!

2008-08-22T02:24:00.001-07:00

Earning money quick at home doesn't require business experience, computer background, and big capital to invest. A computer with internet connection is sufficient and a shoestring budget is required to run a business online. Anyone can do this, including you. I will show you the 5 simple ethical ways to earn money quick at home on the internet.

First find a hot product that your market demands. Visit forum that is related to the product that you are going to promote and find out what are the discussion topics are about, identify the problem from the forum then find a product that people need for solution. A good product should be able to solve their problems, otherwise there is no reason they will want to buy from you. So find the problem first then find the solution.

If you do not own the product or service that people want to buy you can promote product that created by other.

Secondly you can find any available product that you want to promote from a merchant. This is known as affiliate marketing. Affiliate program is a profitable business since the merchant pay out commission ranging from 50% to 70%. So it is not necessary to have your own product to sell. In order to sell other people product you have to join affiliate website to become partnership with the merchant. The major affiliate networks are 'Commission Junction', 'Clickbank', and 'Associated Program'.

The third way is to get a squeeze page to collect the name and email of your visitors for further contact. A squeeze page or a website purpose is to get your customer to fill in their email. You can write articles about the product you are promoting and convert it into a report. Distribute the free report to your customers in exchange for their contact detail. You can sign up for a marketing system that includes a free squeeze page.

The fourth way is email marketing. You can implement email marketing by using an auto-responder to collect your customers email in order to get more sales. An auto-responder is part of the squeeze page that acts as a gate keeper so visitors must give you their name and email in exchange for the free report. Its' main task is to collect the email of your visitor and build a list of people who are interested in your offer. The auto-responder works as a follow up system to keep your customer in contact for building business relationship.

The final way is to get a proven marketing system that can help you to generate more sales. A good system is that anyone can use efficiently. Many systems are being offered by many professionals some of them work but some don't so how can you be sure you won't get scam by these people. I suggest you to take an overview look into their system before you decide to join. A proven marketing system should be based on simplification, easy to understand, no complication, no computer background required and most importantly a newbie can use it efficiently to earn money quick.

These are the 5 simple ways you can use to earn money quick at home on the internet. The main component of internet business is having a powerful proven marketing system without it you have to work out the hard way. I suggest you to check out my free ebook about affiliate marketing system that anyone can use to earn money quick ethically.

Get your free ebook about affiliate marketing system, you can download through the link here.

Author: Peter Sieneder

http://www.MyNicheCrashCourse.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Sieneder

How to Turn Your Online Business Into Your Money Making Machine in 3 Simple Steps

2008-08-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

Internet marketing has always been seen as an income supplementing source but most people who embark on this journey give up halfway or within first 2 months. Actually, it is not hard to make money online with your online business. All you need is to take some time to go through the following stuff before you start this business. Do not start this business with no direction or objective because having no direction is the cause of failure for people who want to make money online.

Here are the steps to follow:

1) Set up a business blueprint: When I first started in this business, I have an advice from a guru telling me to set up my business blueprint. At that time, I really don't understand how it can help me to make money online and I decided to give it a pass. I did not make a single cent online for the next 3 months. Then one day, I decided to sit down and think about my online business and I started to write out my blueprint including stuff such as what niche to target, how to drive traffic and many more. Within the next six months, I make a couple of thousands every month and I now totally appreciate the importance of a business blueprint.

2) Set up a timetable: You need a time table so that you can discipline yourself to get certain things done everyday. Ordinary thing done consistently can definitely produce extra ordinary results.

3) Set up your marketing plan: Once you got other stuff ready, you need to decide on how you want to market your website and products. Having a marketing plan can definitely boost your business as it helps to direct you to do certain things to build traffic everyday.

Now put these steps into practice and you will see the result soon.

Kelvin Lee is the founder of Internet Success Hub and Internet Product Review Club, a platform that provides informative help for internet marketers of all levels. For more Internet Marketing Strategies, audio mini courses as well as internet product reviews, visit us today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelvin_Lee

Start Making Residual Money Right Away

2008-07-17T22:06:00.001-07:00

The internet today has made it possible to receive tonnes of online money without much struggle. While there are many scams and fraud sites that promise the world and don't pay much there are few high quality opportunities that allow you to make money from home provided you follow their marketing strategy and approach.

Things to be aware of

You should be mentally prepared to undergo training and coaching in order to start earning extra income fast. These opportunities on the internet will succeed for you only if you have the inclination to make money quick and if you are ready to go through the training and courses the sites offer. Only this way can you embark on a successful, tried and tested marketing approach that has worked earlier. It is very easy to make money provided you follow the prescribed method of selling your products. You must also make sure to do a background check on the company you wish to make more money with. Check on the internet for reviews and customer feedback. You can also ask around for opinions on the site. Also, if a site is charging you to set up an online store with them then you can be sure the site is a phony. Most online opportunities to make money today offer you bonus online retail stores when you sign up with them. That means, when you register with the site, ideally you are supposed to get your own dedicated online store free of cost!

How to sell products?

You need to look for an opportunity where they already have an existing affiliate network. This makes the job to make money at home easier. You do not have to hunt for affiliate programs and instead all the programs are listed out on the site. Most of the time these affiliate networks will be organized and categorized based on the product categories being offered. Usually, it is in your best interests to look for networks which have popular and in demand products. Only this way can you start to earn extra cash quickly.

Which products should the site have?

Ideally, the site that you are planning on registering with should have the popular products and those which are in heavy demand. This will increase your chances to make money from home much more. Try looking for sites that have products like digital products such as ebooks, software etc., travel packages, superior and high quality flash videos or even mentoring courses. These are primary products that represent the best cash value for your business. You can make money quick by simply selling and referring these products on your own retail store. The online money comes in immediately into your own account thus helping you to cash in your checks in the very same month! Money gets deposited into your account within seconds or minutes of the sale. That means, there is no more waiting to earn extra cash. It all happens within seconds of the sale!

Big Ticket To Wealth has an exciting range of products like digital products, travel packages and cutting edge flash videos which people can sell online. They even provide Master Resell Rights which means you can sell as many times as you want for as much price as you wish! That means you can make more money from the comfort of your home!

David Garn is a successful six figure earner and a top income earner in the home business industry. David works with entrepreneurs from around the world. He devotes the time, energy, and effort into his team and works with them to ensure their success.

Are You Having Trouble Making Money Online?

2008-07-17T22:03:00.003-07:00

If you have been around Internet marketing for any length of time, you probably realize that there are some people who are going to be successful and others who are not. If you are having a difficult time making money on the Internet, even if you are putting a lot of effort into it, perhaps you need to step back for a moment and take a look around. Analyzing what you are doing is one way of understanding why you are having a difficult time being successful. Let's take a look at a few of the things that can go wrong with our Internet business and see how we can correct them.

Even though it is a good idea to analyze yourself, you need to make sure that you do not become a victim of analysis paralysis. This is where you analyze things to the extent that you and up not doing anything at all, usually out of fear of failure. Instead of trying to analyze every single step that you are taking, go ahead and make the step and then see what happens. Don't spend all of your time wondering why you're not doing something, just go ahead and do it and your business will grow.

Perhaps you are following the wrong system. If you have been working on something consistently and faithfully for a very long time and are having a difficult time getting it to go, perhaps it is a wrong fit for you. It doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to be wrong for everybody but perhaps it is something that you are better off leaving behind. You need to know when something is good and something is bad and then you need to know how to deal with them appropriately. Keep the winners and drop the losers, it is the only way that you are going to find success.

Finally, you may be having a difficult time with sticking to something long enough. There certainly is a lot of information out there and it can be distracting to us, even causing us to be unproductive. Once you have chosen something, stick with it and don't change tracks until you are certain whether it will work or not. It usually doesn't take all that much time to figure it out once you have put your mind to it. Choose the program that you're going to do and then do it.

Work Online From Home - Beware of Phishing

2008-07-17T22:03:00.002-07:00

When you work online from home one must beware of a process called Phishing. This is a fraudulent activity many cyber thieves resort to in order to cheat you of your online funds and products.

The process is simple and is designed to take you unawares. Though Phishing is an illegal activity and any one engaging in it is liable to be punished by law, catching the crook is the crux of the matter.

Phishing is an e-mail fraud method in which the perpetrator sends out hundreds of legitimate looking emails to unsuspecting people asking for personal details such as mother's maiden names, surnames, date of birth, credit card numbers etc. The intention is to gather personal and financial information from recipients. Typically, the messages appear to come from well known and trustworthy Web sites

Many online merchants have had their online payment processing accounts hacked only because they fell for one of the many Phishing tactics online.

A Phisher will send out hundreds of mails disguised as a message or even a page that looks like a payment processor page or an online bank login page. The content mail will probably try to fool the user (by asking them to login and change their password) into logging into their online account by entering their username and password.

When the submit button is clicked, instead of the account page being opened, nothing happens, or so many people think. What has in fact happened is that the password and username has been emailed to some distant account and may be used in a matter of minutes to log in and change the password of the account by the Phisher.

When you work online from home there is only one way to avoid this and that is to close all internet applications and log into your online merchant account site by manually typing in the URL of the site. Never click on an email link to go to your merchant account site.

summary

Businesses with online merchant accounts must beware of a process called 'Phishing'. This is a fraudulent activity many cyber thieves resort to in order to cheat you of your online funds and products.

Online Money Making Programs - Five Steps to Avoid Scams

2008-07-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

Given the current state and outlook of our economy it is not surprising that more and more people are seeking to supplement their income through work at home opportunities. Many of us already have a full time day job, and therefore, the last thing we want to do is to get a second outside job that requires more commuting and more wardrobe spending. As a result, many individuals looking for relatively easy and convenient ways of generating revenues have turned to the Internet for this purpose.

As the need to make additional income is growing amongst average families, so are the home programs that are becoming available to people. The legitimacy of many of these programs comes into doubt at just a first or second glance. However, there are many opportunities and programs online that appear to be genuine on the surface. Therefore, this makes it even more difficult to distinguish between credible and legitimate money making programs and plain scams.

They are a few tips, however, that a person can follow in order to avoid being scammed:

1) Put the name of the company in a search engine and add the word "scam" next to it and see what results you get. You'd be surprised as to the amount of money and time that I have saved myself by doing this.

2) Put the name of the company in a search engine and add the word "forum" next to it. People who have tried the program and had a negative or positive experience with it will tell you all about it.

3) Check for positive references to the company in independent consumer review guides. Look for non-profit organizations run by consumers. Many times these organizations will have tried the products or services and can give you a better idea of they are worth, saving you money and time.

4) Look for companies that have clear refund and privacy policies documented on their website.

5) Avoid companies that ask you for an extravagant admission fee but do not give you the time to think about enrolling in their program. Legitimate companies will not and do not need to play with your emotions!

How to Make Money Fast on the Internet

2008-07-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have searched all over the web to pass by the typical ways to make money on the web- eBay, amazon affiliate stores, information marketing, affiliate marketing, drop-shipping, consulting, etc. But there is one that I want to focus on, because I do not believe it's a good use of time and energy.

Café Press- A background.

Café press was started with the idea that anyone could start an online store and customize things for people to buy- coffee mugs, t-shirts, knick knacks, other junk.

I am sure that there are people making a living off of café press, but I do not personally like this site. Unless you can generate a ton of traffic or have a "brand" of your own that people will recognize, this site is not recommended for the average "newbie."

The Story: I started a store based on an island theme, and although it was great seeing palm trees on all my stuff, the prices are pretty steep for some of the items, and it turns out to be one of those things maybe your uncle buys just to be nice. But people can't wear the stuff all the time... they already have a favorite coffee mug. Is it really worth all that time setting up a store just to have a few people buy things they'll never use again? I don't believe so.

Again, don't get me wrong... I'm not knocking Café Press. It's a great idea. But when you are getting caught up in ways to make money on the web, pass this idea by. You'll be happy you did.

But let me ask you, what kind of product has virtually no overhead and returns much greater than ANY physical good can? Information. That is how many more people are becoming wealthy on the Internet; in the sale and promotion of digital products. You can give and receive an incredible amount of valuable information about any subject imaginable through this medium.

As an action step, start researching the various business models concerning information businesses on the web. The three free ebooks I give away on my blog focus on information marketing, which is a much easier model to follow for the busy professional or those pressed for time. No pun intended.

4 First Steps to Excel at Internet and Online Business

2008-02-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in starting a productive Internet and online business, there are four steps that you need to keep well in mind if you want to excel at creating a productive Internet and online business. By following these four steps, you truly will be well on your way to creating and developing a productive Internet and online business.

First, when it comes to developing a productive Internet and online business, you need to understand your market. By that it is meant that you need to do research to determine what targeted audience or niche market will be most interested in the products or services that you will be marketing through your online business enterprise.

Second, in the process of developing a productive Internet and online business you will want to craft a comprehensive business plan. You need a map to guide you in order to best ensure success.

Third, as necessary, when it comes to starting and developing a productive Internet and online business, you will want to retain all appropriate professional assistance as is necessary to support and assist you in furthering your plan.

Finally, you will want to take advantage of different Net marketing tools in the process of working to advance your online efforts. For example, you will want to utilize traffic generating techniques like link building and SEO. By following these steps, you will be able to develop a productive Internet and online business.

These shorts steps will help you as you develop your online business

Web Hosting Prices Continue to Go Down

2008-02-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

The industry of web hosting is relatively new in the market - it was not in place fifteen years ago. In the past, websites were hosted by local ISP's or internet service providers. Only the larger companies had their own websites. However, things have changed dramatically. Today, not only the medium-sized and smaller companies have websites but also most individuals have their own websites.

A lot of businesses now thrive online and many individuals have their own websites, as more and more information become available on the internet. A lot of work-from-home businesses are catching on. Truly, the internet has and is continuously changing the business scene.

The impression that one would get from studying the latest trends would be that the web hosting future looks as bright as ever. Web hosting would certainly be a place of competition for market shares. Everyday, more and more businesses, regardless of their sizes, plan to build, improve and maintain web presence and visibility. These changes would be beneficial for the well-managed web hosts.

And because of this competition, the prices for packages continues to go down so that providers would be able to stay ahead of their game and to attract more clients. Although features matter a lot, most people still see the price first when searching for web hosts.

In the coming years, these providers would definitely offer services and features that would be beneficial to consumers, as doing so would make sure that their company would stay profitable and viable in an extremely competitive market.

What Is Internet Marketing?

2008-02-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

Ok so what is internet marketing?

Most of you who are reading this are more than likely in this area of marketing, but do you understand exactly what you're part of?

Internet marketing is, in very basic terms the act of selling online, both to individuals (B2C) and to other businesses (B2B). Exploring the idea thoroughly and seeing how it takes place however is something we'll cover in posts to come. The main reason for this is that the internet is still young and is constantly growing. Internet expert Vinton Cerf once said that "a year in the Internet business is like a dog year... Equivalent to seven years in a regular person's life. In other words, it's evolving faster and faster."

Internet technology is always giving new chances for businesses to add to their sales strategy and content. Also, more and more people are buying computers off the high street due to the drop in recent prices; resulting in usage of the internet rising dramatically. As more people go online, the demographic is changing, and focusing sales efforts on the rich (who have disposable income at their finger tips) isn't the only goal of internet marketing. Today internet businesses must plan to sell to all economic levels.

The Use of the big search engines such as Google and Yahoo can provide sellers with an idea of what products people look for. This offers a big chance to know what is needed on the market. To emulate the advertisements shown on television or radio, markets use pop-up windows and advertising placed directly on a website. E-mail has proven to be a wonderful means of selling, but this usually only proves successful after a business has established a good relationship with the customer.

People are spending more time on the internet daily, and their numbers are growing. This is easy to figure out why: the easy access to the internet, added to the increasing ability of the internet to aid completion of tasks, has allowed for all manner of business to be completed with the click of a mouse. Many chores no longer need to be done by hopping in a vehicle and taking a drive. This means relationships are increasing through the internet, and as they grow, the internet sales have risen into the billions of pounds. Better technologies, and more traffic, are pointing to a future for internet marketing that is out of this world.

Can You Make Money Online?

2008-02-01T03:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm not here to convince you whether you can or can't make money online, however, I will share my personal business experiences with you.

First, I am a single, home schooling mom. I have a background in teaching and counseling. I could go out there and work if I wanted to, but I have chosen not to.

I have chosen to work from my home online because there is nothing more rewarding than having the opportunity to stay home and be available to my kids.

It's even more rewarding when you know how to make money online.

So what do I do?

I am an Internet Marketer. I have learned (and am learning) how to promote any business on the internet.

It's really not difficult to make money online if you know what to do and how to do it right.

Just as being a dentist, doctor, real estate agent or any profession requires you to learn a skill, it's no different for a home based business that you plan to work on the interenet. You must get the skill to perform your job right.

The reason most people fail in their home businesses is not because of the internet or even their home businesses. It's simply because they do not know how to market their businesses correctly.

Most people simply join an opportunity and then expect to make money. I have had to learn this lesson too.

Others fail simply because they really don't work their businesses and spend more time and money hopping from one program to another.

Just as a business off the internet needs traffic and people for it to prosper, your online business is dependant on driving massive traffic to your website. So the key to your online success is driving lots of traffic to your website.

Without traffic to your website, no one will know about it and you won't make sales (now that's another topic - After The Traffic Now What???).

Now, you don't want any kind of traffic, you want targeted traffic to your website, that is, people who are already interested in what you have to offer.

That's really all there is to it. Our job is simply to learn how to promote our businesses online, by learning how to drive traffic to our websites.

If we don't become good at driving traffic to our websites, we will fail miserably and will always be wondering why we can't make it happen.

There are literally hundreds of free and paid ways to advertise your business online. There is pay per click, ezine ads, article writing, forums, classifieds, press releases, SEO (search engine optimization), networking online, just to name a few.

If you don't know how to promote your business online, I would highly recommend a marketing system that not only will show you how to become an expert marketer, but will allow you to make money as well.

Visit: http://www.PowerHouseMarketingSite.com to see what I mean.

If I can just drive one key point across it's this: Learn how to market your business online, by driving traffic to your online business

Is it possible to make money online? Yes it is, but you have to know how to do it.

Lydia De Leon is a home schooling, work at home mom of two beautiful children ages 4 and 8.

With a background in teaching and counseling, she has opted to create her livelihood through a home based business which she markets online.

The main focus of her home based business is internet marketing.

Should Non-Internet Entrepreneurs Give Advice to New Online Businesses?

2008-01-31T05:01:00.000-08:00

Business is Business right? If you have an MBA you can run any business right? Wrong and let me tell you why. There are many folks who are quite good at making money on the Internet but the truth is only about 1-3% of the Internet Sites out there that sell stuff ever make any money or even pay for their site development.

Not long ago someone who knew of all my past business experience as an entrepreneur asked if I might review their business plan for an online business they were starting. Knowing that there is a big difference between real businesses and Internet businesses, I declined and stated;

I am not sure my feedback is relevant to any sort of online business models, websites which are used for generating money, that really is not my thing, I wouldn't want to give advice on that subject, I do not know anything about it to be reliable in my opinion. Yes, perhaps more than the average guy on the street, but there are super stars in that type of business who really know how to generate money online.

Why this stance you ask? Simple really, you see mostly, I am troubled by all the abuse, trickery, tactics and scammers out there online. It makes me very angry they ruining of the Internet. I believe that the Internet is the single greatest communication device ever created in the history of mankind.

I do not believe scam artists and hype selling of trinkets should even use this venue. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Advanced Ways to Create More Money In Internet Marketing

2008-01-31T04:59:00.000-08:00

The competition between online businesses is getting tighter as they all try to attract more traffic and generate more revenue. With fierce competition, how can you make sure you'll stay on top of the game? The surest way to excel in Internet marketing is never leave any stone unturned. Using all applicable online marketing strategies can guarantee you success and more money in Internet marketing. Here are some Internet marketing that is applicable to all online businesses:

1. Market your products and services to blogs, forums, and social networking site. Utilize these free online advertising tools that are great in driving traffic to your site. Post comments, opinions, solutions, etc. and include a URL that links back to your site whenever applicable.

2. Post articles on ezine. Come up with well-written, useful, and well crafted articles to build your credibility while increasing your web traffic through your web site's link posted on the resource box.

3. Utilize autoresponders, RRS, and press releases to make your clients updated with your site and products.

4. Take advantage of the traffic on your site by joining affiliate marketing. Not all your visitors will purchase your products but you can still earn from all of them every time they click advertisements on your site.

5. Fill your site with quality content so your visitors will keep on coming back. Quality copywriting can take your site to the next level as content is the very back bone of your business and web site.

The Truth About Free Home Businesses

2008-01-30T02:42:00.000-08:00

But, just as the good home businesses are making successes, there are also schemes and scams that present themselves as home businesses. The alarming part is that they advertise themselves as free home businesses and deceive many honest people. If you surf the internet and find a home business opportunity with a banner that says "free home business," you have to take a step back and ask, is there a totally free business?.

The answer is clear and needs only common sense. There is no way that a free home business can exist. A totally free home business is most likely NOT totally free !. There might be businesses that do not demand heavy financial investment on the part of the entrepreneur, they are appropriately called low-investment home businesses. But such businesses may involve learning about something new or may require the entrepreneur to spend a lot of time looking for specific information in the internet.

The cost of subscribing to an internet provider and the utility bills may not be considered as expenses in running the home business but the time spent is always equivalent to expenses. In business, time is important. Some businessmen leverage time by hiring more employees. The wages of these employees pays for the cost of productivity of the business. The so-called free home business that demands a lot of time from the entrepreneur is not actually free considering all those factors mentioned. As a would-be entrepreneur, you have to accept the fact that there is nothing free in home business. If you decide to engage in a low-investment home business but don't have the right mind set, you could be racking up more expenses than profit.

The right mind set is that of real entrepreneur. The real entrepreneur does not believe in get-rich-quick schemes. The real entrepreneur is aware that nothing is really free in the business world. The real entrepreneur anticipates that he will spend time, effort, and money to make the online home business profitable.

Ecommerce Hosting To Increase Traffic To Your Website

2008-01-30T02:41:00.000-08:00

The practice of Web hosting is not new to the internet. It is a business helps you to maintain your website on the internet by leasing you space on their server (series of computers designed to hold data on the internet).

Major part of the fees paid by you is based upon the amount of traffic that you are planning receive on your website. Another factor in the pricing is that how much space your website acquires on server computers. It depends upon the size of the files on your site.

Latest thing in the web hosting is ecommerce hosting, which is very much a similar type of business. It is different as it gives solutions on the internet. The concept is that rather than just hostion the whole site, ecommerce hosting will only host a portion which is useful in handling purchasing transactions.

The most essential tools for online businesses todat are called electronic shopping carts or online shopping cart software. If you have to convince customers to buy more products, then it is very much required to implement a shopping cart, same as you would find at a grocery store. Its not possible without a cart to do grocery shopping or buy many items at a time.

By making website sales more likely, this principle enables online businesses to prosper. If you don't have the right cart software, you may not be able to cope with the traffic and transactions on your site. The right hosting company is therefore of the utmost importance for your online shopping cart.

It is necessary for you to develop a way of estimating how much traffic you are likely to see, before you choose your hosting company. Unless you do this, you will have no idea how many customers are likely to buy things from your site.

For hosting sites, you will need to lease server space from a web hosting business. The fee you pay is decided on how much traffic you need to handle and size of your files. A new concept of providing commerce solutions over the internet is ecommerce hosting. It will also host a portion of your website to be used for handling purchasing transactions called shopping carts. You need to have a proper online shopping cart software to handle traffic or process purchase requests. Decide how much traffic you would be getting and how many customers will purchase from your site, choose right hosting Company to maintain your online shopping cart

Advanced Ways to Create More Money In Internet Marketing

2008-01-29T06:10:00.002-08:00

How to Find and Do Business With Latina Business Owners

2008-01-29T06:10:00.001-08:00

It is not generally known that Latinas represent the fastest growing entrepreneurial sector in the U. S. business community. According to the Center for Women’s Research, Latina entrepreneurs are starting businesses at a rate that is fully six times that of the national average.

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of the Census report (2002), there are 540,909 Latina owned businesses in the United States and another 111,287 Latina businesses jointly owned with a male partner. Yet it has not been easy for consumers or other businesses to identify and contact them by City or State, that is, until now.

The Hispanic Business Women’s Alliance (HBWA) has just launched a new, interactive Online Directory of Latina Business Owners and Professionals at www.latinamarketplace.com that will help Internet shoppers easily find and do business with Latina Business Owners and Professionals in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, registered in the Directory.

The Online Directory of Latina Business Owners and Professionals will help facilitate the process of linking persons wishing to business with Latina business owners. As more and more companies are registered as a result of HBWA’s collaborative efforts with local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and Latina organizations so will the value of this important marketing tool grow.

Until now, most Latina entrepreneurs and professionals listed in the Directory did not have a presence in the Internet. Latina owned start-ups now have the opportunity to market their products or services via the Internet in an easily accessible and attractive format. Internet shoppers and firms wanting to do business with them can quickly locate Latina owned companies by business category (NAICS Code), product/service key word, company name, street address, City, State, and Zip Code. In addition, shoppers can find the Latina business via a Map Locator.

Non-Hispanic business owners seeking to penetrate the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic market, expected to reach $1 trillion by 2010, can utilize the new online Directory to identify potential Latina suppliers, clients or strategic partners.

Lourdes Aponte-Rosario is President of Hispanic Business Women's Alliance an international, online alliance of Hispanic women entrepreneurs that collaborate with each other to help grow their businesses. She is also publisher of the Online Directory of Latina Business Owners and Professionals. Ms. Aponte-Rosario is a past recipient of the prestigious U.S. Small Business Administration Women in Business National Champion Award.

How to Find and Do Business With Latina Business Owners

2008-01-05T03:21:00.000-08:00

Is A Home Based Business What You're Looking For?

2008-01-05T03:20:00.000-08:00

ntroduction

Home based businesses are the fastest growing segment of business in the United States. They are popping up every day and numerous others will start a home based business within the next year. Home based businesses are becoming the norm with unlimited income opportunities. They are cheaper than founding a huge corporation, but often there is a small capital investment involved. Home based businesses are the fastest growing business segment today.

The Internet

Internet home based businesses have become very popular all over the world. Internet Home Business Disadvantages; the main disadvantage of running an internet home business is disciplining yourself to get work done, you must not procrastinate. Everyday there are more and more people all over the globe gaining access to the Internet. With the internet constantly growing at a rapid pace, any business owner can find their place and generate a substantial cash flow in the global consumer market.

A lot of people have already made their fortunes by simply realizing the huge demand for informational online products and e-books. This is a great way for the average person to cut their overhead cost by offering digital information that can be instantly downloaded. Many of these e-books cover specific topics on how to do something more effectively in a home based internet business.

The Services

Self employment, including home-based business opportunities, offer flexibility and adaptability to the rural economy and adds diversity not only to employment choices but to the mix of services and products available.

A home business is a great way for individuals to take part in a business that sells both goods and services to consumers. There are a variety of needs that home business marketing services can meet. There are many different goods and services that can be used with a home business.

Marketing

Marketing and advertising are essential to the success of any home based business. Marketing is most often cited as the area home-based business people need information about. For the ones that do make and live a Millionaires lifestyle, one of their secrets is being part of a great online opportunity.

Opportunities

In addition, the change from an industrial based economy to an information and service based economy, and new communication technologies have dramatically increased work-at-home opportunities. Home based businesses can provide many great opportunities for individuals who are interested in becoming their own boss & working from home. With so many Internet business opportunities available you want to be sure you choose a legitimate home based online business opportunity.

There is a wide range of business opportunities to consider, including Internet based businesses, retail sales, import/export, eBay stores, freelancing, affiliate programs, paid surveys, selling your own products, etc.

My Conclusion

The standards for home based businesses are intended to seek a balance between supporting a quiet, safe, and aesthetic residential environment while supporting the aspirations of home based entrepreneurs.

Now small and home based businesses are entering the marketplace. No wonder internet home based businesses are becoming so prevalent. Internet home based businesses are extremely popular job ventures this day in time. The best home based businesses are those that are well-planned right from the start & will allow you the flexibility of a lifestyle without the normal stress of a big business.

Affiliate Marketing - Why You Should Build Passive Income Streams

2007-12-20T01:08:00.001-08:00

Building passive income streams through affiliate marketing is really not all that hard. You put in some time, money and effort upfront. And reap the benefits for weeks and months to come. But why should you create passive income streams? At a job you are trading time for money. You get paid as long as you work. The minute you stop working you do not get paid.

A passive income stream on the other hand, allows you to work once and get paid many, many times. While there is truly no such thing as completely set and forget method, there are methods where you get the money coming in for very little maintenance time.

Imagine putting in about a week's worth of time up front and then an hour or so every other week, but still making a decent amount of money. In fact if you want to do it all yourself all you will need is the cost of a domain name and the price of hosting. If you want to outsource, you will need the added cost of paying the person doing the work for you. Either way your initial outlay is really very minimal.

In this day and age of uncertainty it is very important that you create multiple streams of passive income. A recession or some other turn of events could cause you to lose your job. It is also important that you build multiple streams of income. You should have passive income coming from many different sources and websites. This way if one thing goes down there will be something else that brings in the desired money.

A lot of people think that creating these streams of affiliate marketing income is really hard. It is not. They think it is hard because they do not have a step by step plan. They do not know what to do and how to do it. With a good step by step plan you can easily have a six figure passive income stream using affiliate marketing.

Make Money Online With Affiliate Programs

2007-12-20T00:18:00.000-08:00

Make Money Online With Affiliate Programs

Making Money Online Is Not Difficult

That many people have been getting a five-figure income every month from affiliate programs is no secret. Some have come to the point of quitting steady nine to five jobs in return for a high paying online source of income, away from mean-looking bosses, away from blood pressure-raising traffic jams and other health hazards. There is no high academic qualification required in affiliate business. There is no large monetary investment needed. Going to college could be more difficult than this. As a matter of fact the lower the qualification, the greater the urge to jump into internet business for extra income.

When I say it is not difficult does not mean that it is easy. It is somewhere in between. One must realize that affiliate programs go nowhere without buyers. Having a website that recommends affiliate products that just sits there waiting for visitors to stumble upon it by accident will not do any good. There is disciplined work that needs to be done -- especially in the beginning -- to ensure your website attracts a lot of converting traffic. By converting traffic I mean people that not only visit your website but more than that choose to buy the product that you are recommending -- and they buy it through your affiliate link.

Why Affiliate Programs

Selling through affiliate programs is simple because you do not need to come up with your own product. Moreover, the product that you are recommending would most likely be -- after doing some research and making some selections -- a product that is well known in the market and has a lot of demand nationally perhaps if not internationally.

To ensure success you may want to be selective and go for the products that you yourself have used and are satisfied with or a product that you have done some research on and know from the reviews given by users of that product that it is an attractive and highly recommended product.

2 Steps To Making Money

Marketing is the part where disciplined work is needed. A product could be static in the sense that you are selling one and the same product for many years. Nevertheless, marketing has to always be dynamic and ever moving.

First thing first, you need a means of reaching the crowd. A website comes in order. For the price of a nice seafood dinner for one, you may get yourself a domain name and a descent hosting service for one full year. If money is tight, blogger.com offers a free means -- a free blog spot for you to use -- that can be as effective for marketing as paid domain name and hosting.

Secondly, you need to invite people to your website. Pay-per-click advertising may be used. However if you have the time there is a more effective yet free means of bringing tons of traffic to your site. It is article marketing. By continually producing good relevant articles for your site -- containing keywords that are popularly searched -- the traffic to your site will continue to grow. To enhance traffic convergence to your site even more, you may also submit articles to popular information sites such as EzineArticles.com with a link in the resource box at the end of the article that would entice visitors to your website.

And there you have it -- a general frame of work for successful online affiliate business. It is not difficult. It is not expensive. It somewhat challenges the mind and spirit. And if you like to write your articles yourself then your hard work may promise you more than just monetary return -- it gives you self-satisfaction.

Media, tech stocks show strength - Publicly-traded companies report 7.3% rise since Sept. 10, 2001 - Internet/Web/Online Service Information - Statist

2007-07-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a rocky ride, but six months after the Sept. 11 attacks many of L.A.'s stocks are doing just fine.

Powered by strength in the fundamentals of a number of technology, media and homebuilding companies, the Los Angeles Business Journal Index of 200 publicly traded companies has seen a 7.3 percent increase in since Sept. 10.

The LABJ gain outpaced the performance of the S&P 500, which was up 5.6 percent as of March 13. At its lowest point, in the days immediately after trading resumed following the attacks, the LABJ index traded 14 percent below its Sept. 10 level.

Led by a handful of dot-coins that have re-emerged with upbeat earnings and re-jiggered business models, eight of the 25 biggest gainers have roots in the Internet. Hopes of a rebound in the slumping advertising market helped a surge in media stocks, with five among the top 25. The region's large homebuilders -- buoyed by historically low interest rates -- were also among the leaders.

Not all Internet and media companies enjoyed the ride, however. GenesisIntermedia Inc. (down 99.8 percent since Sept. 10) and Homestore.com Inc. (down 92 percent) were among the 25 biggest losers.

The lesson to be drawn, said Victor Hwang, chief operating officer at Larta, a Los Angeles think-tank for technology businesses, is that fundamentals appear to be returning to the fore of investors' thinking.

"If you look at different sectors, it doesn't jump out at you that any one sector did better than any other. That shows (investors are focusing on) whether a company is making it or not, not just whether or not a sector is hot," he said.
Advertisement

Among the biggest gainers in the last six months were United Online Inc., formed following the merger of Internet service providers NetZero and Juno; Overture Services Inc. the renamed and refocused GoTo.com; Stamps.com Inc., Ticketmaster and ArtistDirect Inc.

Share prices for those firms jumped between 50 and 200 percent between Sept. 10 and last week. For some it was a change in business strategy, others just plain did better.

Take ArtistDirect. With the exception of its name the company bears little resemblance to its former self. Once a dot-com hybrid committed to building a talent agency, record label and Internet portal all-in-one, ArtistDirect has been rewarded by investors as it slashed Internet operations, left the talent business and formed a new record label with billionaire music mogul Ted Field as its new chief executive. The company, which executed a 1-for-l0 reverse stock split in July, closed at $9.90 on March 13, up 65 percent since Sept. 10.

United Online also did a 180. Having aggressively touted the benefits of its free ISP model, the business has been slowly directing customers to its pay services. It also slashed its reliance on ad revenue. For the three months ended Dec. 31 2001, the first full quarter operating as a merged company, 15 percent of United Online's revenue came from advertising, as opposed to more than 90 percent in the like year-earlier quarter.

"A lot of these stocks were beaten down so much last year. As the market sees that they're becoming serious about being profitable it has responded," said Brad Jones, a partner at Redpoint Venture Capital.

Jones' firm has a 7 percent stake in Stamps.com, which has seen its stock jump 80 percent since Sept. 10. The company, whose stock closed at $4.11 on March 13, has cut costs, seen its revenues climb and rolled out several new products.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some investors were so sure that the homebuilding sector was doomed they bet against it. "You had a lot of people coming out of Sept. 11 looking for a decline in the group, looking at it as an easy short," said Scott Campbell, an equity analyst with Raymond James & Associates. "Surprisingly, housing activity has been resilient. I would attribute that to lower interest rates."

Los Angeles-based homebuilders KB Home and Ryland Group Inc. saw share prices increase by 51 and 96 percent, respectively, in the last six months. Campbell said that since both companies derive much of their business from first-time homebuyers, lower interests rates were especially helpful in boosting the bottom line.

Then there was Calprop Corp., a Marina del Rey designer and builder of single family detached and town homes. Its shares took a hit after the Sept. 11 attacks and failed to recover when liquidity problems came to light. Since trading resumed Sept. 17, Calprop's stock has fallen more than 32 percent.

Internet Access: Cisco and Comcast Form Joint Marketing Initiative To Deliver High-Speed Internet Access and Virtual Private Network Services to Telec

2007-07-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

The Cisco and Comcast cooperative marketing arrangement, which allows Comcast to utilize Cisco's sales channel presence, combines the Cisco uBR924 cable access router with Comcast's commercial Internet services. The Cisco uBR924/CCOC combination will allow Comcast and its affiliates to quickly and easily deploy commercial grade high-speed Internet services, VPNs, secure firewalls and ultimately, New World services such as cable-based Voice-over-IP (VoIP) to enterprise branch offices, small businesses, schools and telecommuters.

Unlike cable modems that are intended for the consumer market, the uBR924 cable access router delivers the functionality required by business users by integrating a two voice port, Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 1.1-based cable modem, a router and VPN capability into one device. The broader information technology community at the Comdex tradeshow in Chicago recently recognized the value of this integrated device by naming the uBR924 cable access router "Best Networking Hardware" and "Best of Show."
Advertisement

"Enterprise, small business and educational institutions are asking for cost-effective broadband solutions now, and Comcast recognizes this tremendous opportunity," said Paul Bosco, general manager for Cisco's Cable Products and Solutions Group. "As a partner to our MSO customers, our goal is not only to deliver New World products, but also programs which help make cable operators world-class telecommunications providers for businesses."

Cisco's uBR924 cable access router and Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) product, the uBR7246 Universal Broadband Router, provides Comcast customers with compelling end-to-end services. Both platforms are based on industry-leading Cisco IOS software which gives cable operators the ability to deliver the latest and most advanced IP services over their hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) infrastructure.

"The Cisco solution is compelling because it's about more than products - it's about a partnership," said Matt Fanning, vice president of sales and marketing at Comcast Commercial Online. "By teaming with Cisco's sales channel to integrate their product line capability into our commercial service offerings, we'll be able to reach more potential customers with more revenue generating services than ever before."

Comcast Commercial Online Communications, Inc. offers solutions that enhance the ability of large organizations to deliver services to their customers and employees by extending the corporate organization beyond traditional boundaries. These services allow telecommuting from the home with the same tools and access available to associates when in the office. This increases telecommuter productivity and dramatically expands the recruitment pool of desired personnel. For smaller organizations Comcast Commercial Online delivers Internet speeds and services formerly available only to the largest enterprises. Utilizing an enhanced broadband network infrastructure augmented by our hybrid fiber coaxial capabilities and innovative switching and routing capabilities, any size organization can look like a Fortune 100 company to the world. News and information are available at http://www.comcastwork.com.

Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com) is principally engaged in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the provision of content through principal ownership of QVC,

The battle for survival: independent VoIP providers face relentless competition in China and around the world from larger, more entrenched competitors

2007-06-19T02:36:00.001-07:00

One of the industry's best-known VoIP pioneers, US-based Vonage Holdings, is struggling to save its business after a federal court decision in March that the company infringed upon Verizon Communications' patents in the way it connects calls from the Internet to ordinary telephones. Vonage, which also faces patent lawsuits from Sprint Nextel Corp and two other phone companies, warned in a regulatory filing that it faces possible customer losses, employee layoffs, financial problems and even potential bankruptcy because of the suit. Meanwhile, Vonage's CEO recently resigned, it is planning $140 million is spending cuts and it is paring staff while it appeals the ruling.

The Vonage dispute underscores the weakest link in the VVO business chain: the networks. The VVOs don't own one and so must rely on others to transfer customer calls to the public-switched telephone networks. "They all have the same inherent problem. They don't control the network their service is running over," says Michael Arden, principal broadband analyst with ABI Research." That is really going to hurt them."
Advertisement

The stupendous growth in VoIP worldwide might suggest there is plenty of business for everyone. ABI estimates that worldwide VoIP subscribers will grow from 38 million in 2006 to 267 million in 2012. In the Asia-Pacific region, subscribers are projected to grow from 14.88 million last year to 92.25 million in 2012. And hosted VoIP subscribers are forecast to rise in Asia from 1.74 million in 2006 to 11.8 million in 2012. However, VoIP over DSL/fiber will rise to 65 million from 10.8 million while cable subscribers will reach 11.45 million from 2.35 million in Asia during the same period. It's a similar situation in North America, where ABI estimates that hosted VoIP subscribers will rise from 2.3 million in 2006 to 15.9 million in 2012. But the independent VoIP market share will still lag behind both cable and DSL/fiber.

And there are other issues threatening to derail the struggling independents. In markets like the US, WCs could see market growth frozen if regulators decide against them on the "Network neutrality" issue now being fiercely debated by regulators and legislators.

"One of the uncertainties is, if the operators gain the legal right to block hosted providers from their networks, they are really left out in the cold," notes Arden. In Europe, incumbent telcos such as BT are building IP networks and migrating their own voice customers to VoIP, posting a serious challenge to independents.

China's success

Surprisingly, China, has emerged as a bright spot as VVOs capitalize on the country's relatively high long-distance calling rates to gain new customers.

Kevin Li, In-Stat's China analyst, says VVC subscribers will hit 1.23 million by year's end in China and grow to nearly 13 million by 2011. "The biggest driver is lower price, which is attractive for SMB customers and consumers with high demand for long-distance calling," says Li. "VVCs are having success."

Li adds that VoIP has existed in China for about nine years, and licenses were awarded to six traditional telcos to provide IP card service. These telcos--including China Telecom, China Unicorn, China Netcom, China Mobile and Tietong--have also started trials of broadband IP telephony, with the number of VoIP subscribers in the country growing from 50,000 in 2004 to 720,000 by the end of 2006.

Despite this, many VVCs in China have gained a strong foothold because they offer lower prices although services are limited. (One example: customers often can only make outgoing calls because incoming calls can't be connected to the legacy network.) The independents appear to operate outside established parameters.

"The Ministry of Information Industry has declared that broadband IP telephony service can legally be provided only by traditional service providers. Thus VVCs are operating illegally and have little phone-number resources," Li says.

However, he notes that the VVCs typically focus their VoIP business on just one or two provincial markets. "Little application innovation has been developed on VoIP, so price competition among VVCs is serious," he adds. "They are thriving because they offer lower prices than traditional calling services or IP card services."

A spokesman for one such Chinese hosted VoIP provider, Beijing Zhong Tong Interconnected Technology, said VoIP service has been offered for more than three years. The company offers VoIP as a value-added service delivered through its IP platform to Internet users who pay a one-time fee of $50 yuan ($6.48) for the IP number and a monthly fee of about 18 yuan for PC-to-PC and phone-to-PC calling. The MII does not have a clear regulatory policy over VoIP, the spokesman added, and hasn't required the VVCs to obtain a license

With Site Finder, VeriSign Sparks Internet-wide Criticism; Online Rivals, Technologists Oppose Service That Takes Advantage of Users' Typographical Er

2007-06-19T02:35:00.001-07:00

As he nurtures two startup businesses out of his home office in Topanga Canyon, the 30-year-old entrepreneur is a little savvier and a good deal richer these days than when he got into the Internet game in 1995.

His latest ventures are prmtv, a boutique Web design company, and Kropp Medical Data Systems, a software company that has created an application to simplify medical payment records.

He got married last fall and calls the current time in his life "a recovery period." Not because he is burned out or embittered, he says, but rather because he's enjoyed plotting his next move from the comfort of the home he shares with his wife, Karen Rosenquist, and an Akita-chow mix named Rocky.I'm ready to get out and start interacting, doing some other things," he says.

Kropp's experience reflects that of countless Internet pioneers, who rode the wave, took their lumps, and now, for better or worse, must move on -- whether in another startup or an established business. "It was a painful process for a lot of people in this space. The demise took the wind out of a lot of people's sails when their expectations weren't met," says Rosenquist, who met Kropp when they were both at US Web.

Kropp actually started out with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering at UCLA and was en route to a Ph.D. -- even though he was not much interested in the field. Computers, a fascination since he started doing rudimentary programming when he was a kid in Marin County, "seemed too nerdy," he now says.There was Internet development before that, but business was slow," Kropp says. "In 1996, companies were saying, 'OK, we've seen the Netscape IPO, we've got to do something.' It was really easy to drum up business."

Early success

Lot 11 was the classic garage startup. "Through a friend of a friend we did a Web site for a company and they gave us 150 square feet of office space in their offices on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. It was three desks jammed into this tiny room. But it was free, so it was great," he says.

Lot 11 quickly lined up several jobs with then-L.A. Times parent Times Mirror Co., thanks to connections of the other partners, all of whom had worked for the company.

"They kept hiring us back. The first job was about $2,000, the second job was $15,000 and the third job was like $80,000. That was it, we had a business," Kropp says. Soon, Lot 11 rented an old craftsman house near the sand in Hermosa Beach, where it landed clients like Northrop Grumman Corp. and Walt Disney Co.

Kropp took the title of chief executive, which was a good fit, according to Andrew Inesi, a one-time lawyer for Stamps.com who was a partner with Kropp on a later venture.

"Matt is the kind of guy who can quickly become an expert at anything," Inesi says. "A lot of people can talk the talk, but they don't know the nitty-gritty of what's going on. He has the technical understanding and the people skills that are really necessary for being successful."

By the end of the first year, there were 10 people on staff.

In 1997, Kropp got a call from a friend who ran another Web development company asking if Lot 11 would be interested in selling out to USWeb, the now defunct Web development and consulting firm that was one of the more aggressive players during the mid-to-late 1990s.

"My first reaction was no way. We knew about USWeb, all the small shops did," Kropp says. "They were trying to franchise. We had heard that they were the Kinko's of Web development."

Earlier, USWeb had approached Lot 11 with a pitch that involved the smaller company paying USWeb $50,000 and a share of revenues in exchange for the right "to slap the USWeb logo on their door' Kropp says.

This time, however, Lot 11 was a successful business. USWeb upped its offer: salaried jobs and 200,000 shares of the then--private company. Kropp and his partners thought USWeb would go public at $12.50 a share, valuing their deal at $2.5 million, and they bit.

Shares hit the public market in December 1997 at $7.50 - and then doubled within a week. Soon, USWeb was trading at $20, and within a few months the company, which eventually changed its name to MarchFirst, was trading at nearly $50 a share.

City Of La Quinta New Website Offers More For Residents, Visitors And Businesses

2007-06-18T22:25:00.001-07:00

Our new website is designed for everyone, from teen to seniors, from local businesses to visitors," says Tom Genovese, La Quinta City Manager. "It's very user friendly, contains a wealth of information, and the interactive features all combine to connect our city to the community, the Coachella Valley, the region, and beyond."

A few of the new features on the redesigned website include:

* QuailMail allows users to sign up for notification on a wide variety of topics

*Streaming Video Clips highlighting the uniqueness and vibrancy of the city

*Online Service Request Form for reporting graffiti, traffic issues, landscape hazards, etc;

* Downloadable Forms from job applications to building license applications

*Calendar of Events announcing special happenings and important meetings

* e-Surveys which allows users to participate in online surveys on ever-changing issues
Advertisement

The website redesign project began in July, 2006, with the formation of an internal Website Committee comprised of representatives from each City department. A Request for Proposals was issued in September with twelve firms responding. Interviews with the top five finalists were conducted in October by the Consultant Selection Committee. On November 7, a contract was awarded to Vision Internet, a web design firm out of Santa Monica.

Can you go the distance? - Internet/Web/Online Service Information

2007-06-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Spectators will gain, according to Michael Wenger, director of e-learning for Sun Microsystems' educational services, "a continuous learning capability, delivered whenever and wherever it is needed: K-12, and field service engagements or assembly line. Anywhere, anytime, for anyone on a variety of equipment."

Implementing an e-learning strategy means bringing together the best the market has to offer in people, content, software and services--whether the environment is corporate, academia or government/military.

"It is both the human and technical infrastructure of online learning environments that create the opportunities for new knowledge and understanding," affirms Lisa Jobson, U.S. program coordinator of the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN-USA).
Advertisement

To produce the simplest distance learning scenario presents a complex challenge: to maintain equilibrium while moving at the speed of light--for what is cutting edge today could be passe tomorrow. LogicBay founder Paul Tobin advises clients to "think big ... start small ... build fast," in this rapidly changing arena that is revolutionizing the way corporations deliver training, a market alone anticipated to be worth $12 billion by 2003.

GOING FOR THE GOLD

Admission to the Knowledge Games requires a heavy investment up front, with no profit realized for several years. The benefits of e-learning, however, override major concerns about initial costs for many corporations and institutions, which look to the long-range advantages--simplified logistics; lightning-fast delivery speed; convenience, ease of use, improved retention and flexibility for e-learners; quality, consistency and just-in-time information for businesses; and the global reach of any training session or classroom.

A plethora of technology companies are developing the software that propels e-learning. LogicBay's launch of ARISS 2000 CBT, a computer-based training program, enables the U.S. Army Recruiting Command to quickly and consistently train nearly 12,000 recruiters worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate Corp. uses enterprise collaboration software from Centra to deliver live training over the Internet to 75,000 real estate professionals.

Learnframe developed the Pinnacle Learning Manager, which automatically connects to nearly 11,000 courseware titles, representing 65 vendors who integrate the learning management software into their computer-based training (CBT). The company also provides a learning center, large online learning libraries, and an integrated e-learning system for the delivery of learning content in an e-commerce environment.

Knowledge Anywhere develops Web-based e-learning solutions, including more than 140 continuing education courses for insurance, securities, certified public accountant and certified financial planner professionals, who must maintain licensing complaince.

Instruction Set, an education solutions provider, offers both instructor-led and Web-based training, focused on training and retraining the technology industry.

LearnShare, a consortium founded by 13 Fortune 500 companies, serves as a learning portal solutions center. "Employee knowledge has become a strategic tool and competitive necessity," says Lois Webster, general manager. Web-based courses--500,000+ with curriculums adopted from Stanford University a n d The London School of Economics--are available to 2.5 million employees worldwide, and are delivered through five global learning providers: THINQ, Unext, QuicKnowledge, SkillSoft and Ninth House.

RAISING THE BAR

According to Merrill Lynch's profile on corporate training services in the U.S., education and development is the number one source of competitive advantage for companies. Statistics gleaned by the American Society of Training and Development show that over the next 10 years an estimated 74% of Americans working today will require retraining; 15 million manufacturing jobs will demand different skills than called for today; 37 million people will need entry-level training; and technical skills will require updating every four years.

New businesses want to set up online, shows Actinic survey - Brief Article

2007-06-07T02:27:00.001-07:00

Online commerce software developer Actinic Software has completed research showing that some businesses are setting up online because they are scared of starting a business on the high street.

The company claims that 68% of companies cite a fear of robbery, assault and other crime as the reason for setting up on the Internet. A further 51% claimed a lack of funds encouraged their business to be online while 31% cited the need to attract more customers.

This, according to the company, makes the web seem a more attractive option as 68% of potential retailers say they would sell online if they had the necessary technical support.

IT Security Pros Reveal Rogue Online Businesses Flourishing Inside Corporations; Competition for Most Unusual Corporate Internet Abuse Demonstrates Bu

2007-06-07T02:26:00.001-07:00

ORANGE, Calif. -- The results of a competition just released by Internet filtering and reporting company, 8e6 Technologies, revealed that while some corporate employees may be minding the store -- it's sometimes their own, not the company's. The competition, which solicited the most unusual misuse of network resources revealed by Web filtering, was won by a corporate IT manager whose use of Web filtering revealed an employee who was not only running his own business from within the company, but selling items stolen from the corporate warehouse as well.

"Naturally, we promised anonymity to those who responded," commented Eric Lundbohm, vice president of marketing for 8e6. "Most of the anecdotes were amazing and very serious to the companies involved."

Second prize went to a CTO who had to bring his company back online after the Victoria's Secret Webcast overloaded the network. Third prize went to an infrastructure manager who busted a woman running an outcall service from within the company. Other anecdotes can be found on the 8e6

Of the responses from more than 400 participants, eBay businesses were among those most cited by the study, along with Internet gambling. Pedophilia was among the most serious responses -- a crime with which corporations are extremely concerned for legal liability reasons.

Internet only companies thrive in online environment

2007-06-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

While Governor Jim Douglas and the Vermont Legislature debate how to best bring broadband Internet connections to all of the state, a goal he has set for 2010, several Vermont companies say they are already thriving as online only businesses.

While this may be so, Mike Quinn, Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development, acknowledged that companies whose only presence is in cyberspace are a rarity in Vermont. Most Internet businesses, he said, are hybrids, brick and mortar companies with an online component.

Quinn said the governor has recognized that for the future of the Vermont economy, delivering broadband is crucial. "That's why he set the goal for 2010. It's not a simple goal but three years out."

According to Quinn, 85 percent of Vermonters are currently covered by broadband and DSL service. However, he admitted, "there are still gaps, and we believe that is critical."

He sees fuller broadband coverage, especially in the pockets where none currently exists, fostering science-based businesses or software developers.

"It is about being able to work wherever you are and delivering your plans around the world."

The Internet is not new to many of the state's businesses. Most companies, from the mom and pop variety to our largest employers, have some sort of a World Wide Web presence usually in the form of a company web site and email contact point. These sites are relatively inexpensive to set up and maintain. They are most often part of a company's overall advertising and marketing program. Some also include a retail component and product is sold through a secure web page. Business web sites have become as important as a business card and brochure and as a means of contacting the company via email.

Expanding on the use of the web, as an informational tool available to anyone with a computer and telephone is the web based business model. Here, companies use the web as their sole business location. A growing number of auction sites use this model. These companies have mushroomed with the explosion of auction type sales attributed primarily to eBay, the world's largest and best-known Internet auction site. Three Chittenden County businesses, Globalgaragesale. net, GoTradingPost.com, and Vbaystore.com, have seen profits surge as a result of this business model.

Also using the Internet as its sole storefront" are businesses whose primary function is the exchange of information. Newsbank, an archive service for media, located in Chester, is an example.

Then, there is Dealer.com, a Burlington company working with the nation's automobile dealerships to set up websites and market cars online.

Online Auction Houses Thrive

Globalgaragesale.net based in Winooski is the brainchild of Erik Holcomb, 29, and his partner Peter Becker, 42. Since December 2003 these two entrepreneurs have seen gross sales at their company go from an initial $76,000 In 2004 to $680,000 in 2006. The two men, who left jobs as landscapers, say they found a solution to their lack of winter work when they turned their penchant for selling unwanted items online through eBay into a business of their own.

Their business was inspired when a friend asked them to sell musical equipment through eBay in 2003. They earned a fee for their efforts and decided to operate a business doing for others what they had done for their friend.

"We thought a business would be a great idea," said Holcomb. "We figured our friend wasn't the only one who needed us to sell for them on eBay."

Just three years ago, said Holcomb, "a lot of people in Vermont were not eBay savvy." Selling the concept of being an online auctioneer to Vermonters took some time and. advertising. The partners began advertising in 2004 in local Burlington newspapers such as Seven Days.

With just $400 start up cash and rented space in a small warehouse on West Canal Street in Winooski that they already used as a tie-dye tee shirt factory, they opened for business.

The company takes a commission in a sliding scale based on the price of the item sold. On average globalgaragesale. net earns a third of the sale price, which includes all fees it has to pay to eBay, which includes credit card processing of sales. Holcomb said eBay sales last year totaled $5 to $7 billion.

What makes eBay so successful, and thus the best online auction site, said Holcomb, is that people worldwide can trade with others with no tariffs or other trade problems. His company has sold items to China, Europe, 40 countries in all.

"Its amazing that anybody can use eBay to buy and sell," he said.

EBay is so popular that many businesses use it to liquidate their overstock and returned merchandise.

"We're trying to get a piece of that action by helping Vermont businesses get a niche to sell their goods," noted Holcomb.

ID Thieves Turn Sights on Smaller E-Businesses; For Online Shoppers, Security Seals No Guarantee That Hackers Aren't Watching

2007-06-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Schuyler Cole needed an accessory for his Palm Treo 600 smartphone, so the Haleiwa, Hawaii, resident fired up his Web browser last month and ran a Google search.

After scanning the search results, he purchased the inexpensive item -- a USB cable used to synchronize the Treo's settings with his personal computer -- from Cellhut.com, the first online store displayed in the results that looked like it carried the cable. The site featured a "Hackersafe" logo indicating that the site's security had been verified within the past 24 hours.

Later that day, information from Cole's purchase --- including his name, address, credit card and phone numbers, and the date and exact time of the transaction --- were posted into an online forum that caters to criminals engaged in credit card and identity theft. Ostensibly, the data on Cole was posted as an enticement to other fraudsters lurking on the forum who might be interested in buying large numbers of similar records.

Other personal data posted into the fraud forum included the personal and financial information for Shane Galloway, an 18-year-old freshman at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. When contacted by washingtonpost.com, Galloway said he purchased a wireless phone from Cellhut.com shortly after midnight on Sept. 6, just minutes after the time stamp on Cole's purchase.

Another individual whose data was found in the online chat channel --- a southern California resident who asked that his name not be used --- confirmed that he bought wireless accessories from Cellhut.com at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 7, the exact time listed in the entry that was posted into the online forum along with his credit card data and other personal information. Later, he discovered that $6,000 in fraudulent charges were made using his credit card.

While public attention has remain fixed on a series of high-profile data losses or database breaches at federal government agencies, large corporations and universities, experts who study financial fraud say hackers increasingly are targeting small, commercial Web sites. In some cases, criminals are able to gain real-time access to the sites' transaction information, allowing them to steal valid credit card numbers and quickly charge large numbers of fraudulent purchases.

Small e-businesses offer fewer total victims, but they often present a softer target, either due to flaws in the software merchants use to process online orders or an over reliance on outsourced Web site security.

Cole's and Galloway's information was recorded being traded in an online chat room by Dan Clements, co-founder of CardCops.com, a fraud prevention service that monitors underground chat rooms where criminals trade in stolen credit cards and information used to commit identity theft. Clements said many smaller online merchants use generic shopping cart software that they fail to maintain with the latest software security patches.

"Most of these merchants that get hacked do not have updated versions of the software that runs their business, they're just trying to sell widgets," he said.

Nearly 80 percent of all software vulnerabilities discovered in the first six months of 2006 involved Web-based applications produced by hundreds of different software vendors, according to a report released Monday by Cupertino, Calif.-based security vendor Symantec Corp.

"The people writing these applications often don't know very much about Web-based vulnerabilities," said Alfred Huger, a senior director at Symantec Security Response. "Many of these Web vulnerabilities are not that difficult to discover and are very easy to exploit."

Cellhut.com, like many e-commerce Web sites, features the "HackerSafe" seal on its homepage proclaiming that the site "is tested and certified daily to pass the FBI/SANS Internet Security Test." ScanAlert Inc., a Napa, Calif.-based company that sells the service, scans some 75,000 online merchants each day for thousands of known Web site flaws.

ScanAlert is one of many companies providing third-party Web site security audits to online businesses. Other players in this market include Comodo Group Inc. of Jersey City, N.J., which markets its HackerGuardian scanning service; Coral Gables, Fla.-based Xenitel and its HackerFree seal; and the Verified Safe service from Lansing, Mich.-based Periscan.

By and large, the companies offer a range of basic and advanced security services that they say will assure Web customers that a site is doing everything possible to protect their personal data. But computer security experts are quick to question the effectiveness of these services.

"We hear from our assessor contacts who investigate (Web site) breaches that most of the sites had previously passed vulnerability scans," said Avivah Litan, a financial fraud analyst with the Stamford, Conn. research firm Gartner Inc.

Hard data on the number of security breaches at small e-commerce businesses is hard to come by, often because companies are not required to disclose the information publicly, unlike public institutions and large corporations where tougher security standards and notification requirements are in place.

Citizens Advice publishes online fact sheets for Internet safety

2007-06-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

NTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Fact sheets to make people aware of consumer rights online and help them remain vigilant have been published in the UK by Citizens Advice, a charity providing confidential and independent advice on money, legal and other problems.

Citizens Advice is supporting the http://www.getsafeonline.org.uk initiative introduced by the government and businesses, to help small business and citizens protect themselves against Internet problems. The fact sheets use simple language and are intended to provide informed advice on how to deal with online fraud in order to help people use the Internet safely.

Citizens Advice has made three new fact sheets available at http://www.adviceguide.org.uk, covering fraud on the Internet, offensive Internet sites and using other people's material.

Increasing numbers of people are becoming victims of online threats such as unwanted e-mail and viruses, phishing, identity theft and rogue traders and scams. Citizens Advice said the fact sheets will help people make decisions at a time when more and more people are using the Internet for personal business and online shopping.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))

The Magic of Credibility

2007-05-01T05:30:00.002-07:00

I want to cover the importance of testimonials on your squeeze page or email responder when selling your products (or affiliate products) to your niche. I would like to start with a simple comparison:

Let's talk about the difference between a good salesman and a credible salesman for a minute. You see, both salesman may have all the experience in the world (especially when it comes to receiving "no's" from customers), but there is a key difference between the good salesman and the credible salesman. A good salesman can meet you where you are with your needs in life and introduce a product's benefit to match up with those needs. That salesman simply SELLS the product: nothing more and nothing less. The credible salesman possesses the same traits; however, he makes more sales and retains more customers. Why is that? It's simple:

He can back up what he sells through other customers.

One of the toughest challenges I faced when first starting to convert traffic into targeted leads was not only a service that portrayed value to my visitors, but also digging from experience. I needed past satisfied clients to gain further knowledge and CREDIBILITY when it came to building my list for eventually selling my products.

So how did I finally do it?

Well I needed to get some testimonials. I needed ACTUAL customers to promote my newsletter and talk about it openly with other prospects who were targeted for my website. It was easy for me. I had a buddy in the landscaping business and another in a Polo Shirt business who desperately needed some system of client retention and follow-up.

No problem. I wrote some articles for them, did a few short-line flyers, and grabbed every current customer's name and email to provide them with services that were applicable and directly geared towards them. In other words, I put their businesses on Auto and let it drive itself after I did the initial promotional work.

This turned into 2 testimonials for me of which I threw up on my site. The result? After a week of tracking my conversions, the rate went from about 4% to 12%. That's 8 percent! I was only getting about 100 hits a day back then, so it went from 4 new leads to 12. But that was EVERY DAY. If I had 1000 hits a day, my leads would have increased from 40 to 120!

You see? It's exponential. Get traffic, get a good converting page, and get testimonials to seal the deal! That's a pretty simple answer to what can be a pretty self-induced confusing equation. Focus on the basics and let your product sell itself.

Internet ABCS - Why Start An Internet Business

2007-05-01T05:30:00.001-07:00

You may ask the question why on earth should I start an internet business? Do they work? What about the 1990 dot.com bust….Are people buying products on the internet? You are not alone in expressing these fears about doing business on the internet. Statistics for 2005 indicate that :

- A billion people went online and that 250 billion searches were done and the total online sales accounted over $170 billion Source- Forrester Research.

-An increase of 200million people going online was projected for 2006, and growing by 2billion by 2010 with a projected 20% increase in internet sales Source- FTI Consulting

2 million eager buyers visit Ebay every day . From this we can see a trend where the money is actually going away from the traditional retail business model to the internet. This is happening whether people like or not or even notice it. People are spending their money on the internet with their credit /debit cards . You may then ask the reasons for doing business on the internet as opposed to the traditional business model. These are some of the reasons:

-Convenience- Why do you want to live where you work when you can live where you want.The internet affords you the chance to live anywhere and still be able to work. You can sell your products to customers all over the world from any place. You do not have to live in the same place where you are working.

-You can wake up when you want .Your business is open to customers 24hrs a day and 365 days a year

Enabling your customers to come to your store (website ) any time of the day or night and still be able to be served.

-No staff to pay as well as no premises to rent

-Freedom …your business can be almost 100% fully automatable -you can keep your job if you like and the business will keep on running without having to be there all the time.

-You can create as many businesses as you can.

-Begineers can do it.
Examples

Patric Chan, Penang, Malaysia, a 26 year old with no college degree - He now sells self help ebooks and Cds on the internet for $97. 78% of his customers are in the USA. He makes over $6000 per week .All he does is to sell INFORMATION

Jo Han Mok, Singapore….started internet business part time during college in 2001,with his own ebook. He partnered with big name experts in order to sell his ebook to their Lists. His best month of sales was $256,535

This is no chance or luck but a system that ensures the customers are being served even when the owner is not around.

EDC Gold - Easy Daily Cash

2007-05-01T05:29:00.002-07:00

If your looking for a business opportunity chances are you might have heard about EDC Gold or Easy Daily Cash. These are two programs created by the same people, and they have been running smoothly on the Internet now for quite sometime. If you haven't heard about either of these thats ok because I'm going to give you a short overview of what each one is and does.

First lets go over Easy Daily Cash. Easy Daily Cash came out a few years ago as a business opportunity, which allowed people to market online and earn a nice size profit, which they get to keep a hundred percent of the profits they earned.

Also you are giving a great marketing system in place that helps guide you each step of the way showing you exactly how to market and where to do it. Nothing like this was ever done before so you can see why it is a great business opportunity. What made it even better was the level of training and support you where given by the owners themselves.

With all these information and support in place Easy Daily Cash quickly climbed the charts, and became one of the Internet's top online business opportunities. After going strong for a solid year or so they then decided to up the level of excitement by introducing a new program called EDC Gold.

EDC Gold was lunched in December of 2006 and shot out of the gate and took of like a rocket over night. With an even more powerful marketing system in place, and more software for the consumer to download this business took the Internet over.

Experts all over agreed that EDC Gold was by far one of the greatest business opportunities the Internet has ever seen, and it still ranks as one of the top ones. What really makes EDC Gold stand out though is the level of training that is giving out. EDC Gold offers some of the best training you will find on the Internet. So even if you're a complete beginner or a seasoned pro you'll always be learning something new and exciting.

However with any business there are pitfalls, and with both Easy Daily Cash and EDC Gold there are only a few pitfalls that have been noticed. I like to think of them as two small pitfalls that don't really affect anything. They are simply the fact that there is a lot of competition, and it takes awhile to get setup.

Gaining Real Business Value From Web 2.0

2007-05-01T05:29:00.001-07:00

By now, we’re all familiar with the success of Web 2.0 “poster kids” like YouTube, Flickr, Digg, MySpace, etc. However, these are internet “pure play” businesses. The question is: how can traditional businesses embrace and benefit from the concepts and technology of the Web 2.0 landscape?

While our peers in the Internet industry are already growing tired of the discussion, I find that many of clients are just beginning to understand how they can benefit from these ideas.

So, what does our industry mean when we talk about Web 2.0? The underlying, fundamental concept is simple:
It's about the user.

User-centered content, functionality and technology is at the heart of Web 2.0. In fact, the rise of the website user as an active participant in a site's content and community is the cornerstone of the shift from the original web model to second generation ideas and methods. The following characteristics largely define this new era of websites:

1. User-enhanced content

Everyone loves Amazon -- you can find just about anything there and purchase it in "one-click". But without the innumerable bits of user-added information like product ratings, reviews, rankings, etc, Amazon would be just another eCommerce site. By harnessing the value of their users, Amazon has transformed itself into an incredible source of information, and, in the process, has set the bar high for would-be competitors.

This user-extended value concept can also be seen in the best blogs and socially-focused news sites like Slashdot, Daily Kos, TechCrunch, (and to a lesser degree, Digg), where half (if not more) of the value of sites is in the comments themselves. The appeal is audience-centered, as users carry on lively (ahem) debates, refine and/or rebut the points made in original posts.

Key features of user-added value include:

* Comments - accepting comments from site users

* Ratings - allowing users to rate an item or story according to their perception of its value

* Ranking (based on user feedback or tracking - what the most popular stories are, most popular search terms, etc.

* Tagging - adding information to a given item on a site by adding tags/labels that help clarify or categorize the site's content

2. User-contributed content

Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they already had? Simple. YouTube made it so much easier for users to upload and contribute their own content that YouTube quickly became the defacto site for video upload and sharing.

Other sites that enable (even rely on) user-contributed content include Wikipedia, photo-sharing site Flickr (and its dozens of copycats), many politically-focused news/blog sites like Free Republic and Daily Kos, and of course, MySpace which is nothing without the contributions of its huge userbase.

A great hybrid model of user-contributed content with is NewsVine, where users suggest "official" news stories for promotion to the main page, create their own original content for inclusion side-by-side with the "official" news stories, and debate the value/accuracy/relevancy of all these stories.
Key features of user-contributed content include:

* Wikis

* Blogging

* Photo and Video upload

* User-suggested or promoted content

3. User-focused technology and functionality

The days of the "walled garden" are over. Users want and expect access to your site's information and data in ways previously unimaginable. From the simple (RSS feeds) to the complex (APIs), users expect to be provided with methods to get to your site's content and functionality. After all, it's often their own content and data they're after.

Users also expect that the site's user experience is going to be as advanced and smooth as possible. Page content and functionality that might be clickable, draggable or otherwise interactive should be. Users that have grown accustomed to the seamless experience of working with Google Maps or Flickr's slideshows expect similar interface conventions everywhere they go.
Key features of User-focused technology and functionality include:

* RSS Feeds for content syndication and aggregation

* Site API for remote interoperability with site functionality and data

* SaaS - Software as a Service

* AJAX or similar user interface conventions

4. Community/Social Networking
In addition to being able to interact with data and information in new ways, users want to be able to make meaningful connections with other site users. We see this taking place in superficial venues like MySpace (how many "friends" are really useful?) to more business-oriented sites like LinkedIn. Users look for ways they can tell others about themselves, collaborate with co-workers, communicate with their friends and acquaintances, reach out to potential new contacts, and create community with others who share similar interests or focuses.

Key aspects of Community/Social Networking include:

* Rich user profiles

* Private messages

* Online collaboration tools

* Comments/message boards

* Integrated site chat

With a clear understand of Web 2.0 principles, businesses can begin applying these approaches to their respective online strategies. In future articles, I'll outline successful examples of Web 2.0 applications in traditional business models, including health care, magazine publishing, real estate, and more.

5 Of The Most Important But Neglected Tips To Starting A Successful Internet Business

2007-05-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

I've been approached by many people asking me 1 simple question.

How do I get started? What do I need to do to get my Online Business up and running?

During the beginning of our "career" Online, all of us ask ourselves these questions. We search the web hoping that we'll find answers, but are always stopped in our tracks. Why? Because the information we find is too advanced!

As a beginner we shouldn't bother about how to earn US$1 Million a year or US$10, 000 in a few weeks. Why? Well if we haven't even learnt the fundamentals required to start our very own Online Business then how on Earth can we expect to earn tons of cash immediately?

Contrary to popular belief, starting an Online Business is anything but easy. When I first heard of Internet Marketing, I thought, "Well all I need is to write a couple of adverts, create my own website and write an e-book, and poof! I'm done! I'm ready to see cash rolling in!"

Luckily, I had gone to a couple of seminars which specifically touched on the basics, the ABC's of Internet Marketing. I quickly learnt that the Internet is just another medium of selling. It's no easier then marketing an Offline business.

At the seminar, I learnt all about the confusing terms, such as an autoresponder, list-building, opt-in rates and so on.

Right now, I'm in a position to tell someone what they need to do to start an Online Business.

In this article, I will talk about a few megatips to starting a successful business.

Megatip #1

A simple tip like this can change everything going on in your Online Business currently, especially if you're on the verge of breaking down. Surprisingly, few people consider this when they look to start an Online Business.

What I'm talking about is all in the head, literally. It can be both your dear friend or your biggest foe. A positive mindset, one that enables you to push yourself not just to your limits but beyond it is a mindset that will take you far on your Internet Marketing Odyssey.

The exact opposite will leave you crumbling from the start. Laziness, procrastination, the "I'll do it later" way of thinking, all of these are habits everyone of us are guilty of. If someone was to say that he'd never wasted time before, he'd be a bigger liar than the character Jim Carey played in the acclaimed movie, "Liar Liar".

I had intended to write this article more than 1 month back, but because of wasting time watching TV I am writing this right now.

Imagine this; I wasn't required to write an article, but in fact I needed to write a Sales Letter for my product. And for a minute imagine that I had lazed around for a month telling myself I'll do it later. Just imagine the thousands of dollars I would have lost!

Long story short: Habits make a person. Train yourself to lose your bad habits and you'll be much better off. Do the opposite then you're wasting your time reading this article.

Megatip #2

Once you've gotten your mindset, what you need is the idea. The trick to generating product ideas is simple. Never reject an idea that is given to you, no matter how ridiculous it sounds because you could easily create a best-seller by fusing a few ideas together.

I've once again been guilty of that. My parents would readily tell you that I have an extremely critical mind. Luckily it's not as bad as 3 months ago, when I was reluctant to accept every single product idea that my father gave. Rightfully, he gave me a piece of his mind.

Megatip #3

Most people would tell you to invest in a domain name and hosting account, not to mention an autoresponder. But I feel they're wrong. Dead wrong. Why? Because statistics show that just 1% of the newcomers to Internet Marketing make it.

Another why. Because they don't have the right guidance. They do what they think is right. In other words, the 99% of those who fail miserably make absolutely no money at all! Then they go on a blaming spree. They blame everyone else for their failure without realising that all they needed was a coach or a mentor.

Sure they're not cheap, but they forget that these men are the ones who no exactly what to do and more importantly what not to do.

There are 2 ways to learn from your mistakes. You can either commit them yourself and learn from them. Or, you can invest in a mentor who will take your hand and guide you far far away from the mines itching to blow your business into oblivion.

Megatip #4

Get a visual guide. For beginners especially, what you need is a visual guide. Videos that show you what exactly to do to make improvements to your website, or how to generate the blood-line of an Internet Business,traffic are exactly what the doctor ordered.

E-books are great, but they don't beat the brilliance of videos, something which you can see. Such a video package is available at my site, www.theinternetmarketinghelp.com.

Megatip #5

One of the most important tips I've ever learnt. It's no secret, it's just ignored. I'll quote former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill from a past speech to university students. The whole speech consists of 3 words repeated 3 times.

"Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Give Up"

Because as Rock Star Jon Bon Jovi once said,
"Success is falling down 9 times and getting up 10 times."

Internet Radio Music – Why Is It So Popular?

2007-05-01T05:27:00.001-07:00

A lot of people still have not heard of internet radio music. However, it is becoming more and more popular every day. People all over the world like to listen to music. Now with internet radio music it is even easier to listen no matter where you are. So why would you want to listen to music on the internet? There are a lot of reasons why you will want to listen that you may be able to think of on your own. However, I will tell you about a few of them here.

First, when internet radio first got started the quality was not very good. However, this has vastly improved. Now when you listen to the internet radio you will feel like you are listening to your favorite station at home or in your car. Listening to internet radio is a very satisfying experience that you don’t want to miss.

Second, it is free to listen to most of them. Some radio stations will have a monthly fee. However, these are very rare. You can sign up for most any radio station with a free account and start listening right away.

Third, the software that you will need to listen to internet radio is also free. When you sign up with a radio station they will tell you what kind of software that you need to listen and even where to find it. Then all you have to do is to download it and start listening. It is that easy.

Fourth, no matter what type of music you like to listen to they will have your music. The internet radio music is usually categorized into the different genres. Some of the more popular ones are country, rock, jazz/blues, Christian, Latin, oldies, pop, urban, dance and indie/folk. These are just a few of the genres that are available. There are all kinds of music that you can choose from.

These are just a few reasons that you will want to listen. Another reason is that music can help you relax or have a good time no matter what you are doing. Find the internet radio music that fits you and start listening right now. You will not regret it. They will definitely have your favorite genre. You just need to find the internet radio station and sign up. Then you will be able to listen day or night no matter where you live.

Share Photos On The Web For Free

2007-05-01T05:26:00.002-07:00

Do you want to share your unforgettable moments with your friends and family? Today you don't have to go to photo laboratory to do that. Just share your photos in one of the following online web galleries.

We'll recommend you just a few sites from wide variety of online web galleries. They are easy to use.

Sharing can be done with: Picasa, DPHOTO and Webshots.

1. Picasa – very friendly computer software for editing and organizing digital photos. Besides the "standard" options of photos editing, it has one big advantage – it allows you to upload and manage your photos and galleries from the Picasa software itself. That is to say, you needn't to upload them manually. If you don’t want to install Picasa on your computer, you can upload photos from your computer to the "Picasa Web Albums" (photo sharing web application).

2. DPHOTO – thanks to the use of Flash technology, DPHOTO has it's unique design and clean intuitive interface. Your DPHOTO web album also will not have ads and spam. There's no need to install software to use DPHOTO album. Upload your photos and organize them easily, using drag and drop method.

3. Webshots – is the largest free online photo sharing site. It allows you to organize your photos in thousands of categories. Your photos will be searchable by any user, dependent on the keywords associated with your photos, their name and description (given to each photo). For multiple files upload you should install Webshots ActiveX program.

All three web albums have the possibility of organizing your gallery for a public view only for friends and family sharing, or for completely private use.

Automation VS Relationship Building and Your Business

2007-05-01T05:26:00.001-07:00

Within the collective of online businesses, there are various schools of thought as to how you should go about building the most effective model for business.

Two of the most popular models for success online are automation and also relationship building.

The automation model simply suggests that by automating or having as many aspects of business running on auto-pilot, certain resources (namely you), are free to focus more so on other money generating activities.

The relationship building model is more of a psychological approach, which is built upon the notion that people tend to do business with individuals or companies that they like, trust, or are at least more familiar with.

Here there may be something of a debate...

Now, many will argue that hey, with this one VS the other. You can certainly do both. Right?

This is true, but I believe this is only true to a certain extent without sacrificing the value of one model for another.

Automation of those business activities that don't deal directly with the customer is highly efficient.

However, once you begin to automate your methods of direct contact, such as customer support, pre-selling, even e-mailing your list, I would suggest that you are also sacrificing your relationship in favor of automation.

Here is an example…

One popular method for automation is undoubtedly the auto-responder. The auto-responder allows a business to send any number of pre written e-mails to a list of customers or prospects.

Although, this is tactic definitely conserves time, most automated e-mails have the look and feel of something that has been mass produced.

These e-mails don't have much of a personalized touch which eliminates the opportunity for a customer to develop any sort of bond or personal relationship with that business.

E-mail marketing is an incredible method by which a business can build relationships with lists and customers.

The key element to this approach is consistency as well as a personal touch.

When people here from you on a regular basis, they become accustomed to that contact and begin to expect it.

As apposed to, "Oh! This guy again. He probably wants to sell me something and off the top of my head I can't say I feel like spending any money. So, delete."

When a business automates the contact with customers they lose much of any personal quality and take on the image of some huge money hungry machine that frankly doesn't have the time to send you a personal e-mail.

This is not relationship building by any stretch of the imagination. People like to do business with other people, not corporations, or franchises, or operations, but people.

Other highly effective methods for actually connecting with people online (and that is the power of the internet), include forum marketing, blogging, and viral marketing.

I won't go into detail about these methods here, because each could easily warrant an entire piece on that topic alone.

I believe that closely associated with that initial query by potential customers, "What's in it for me?" there is also an implied questions of, "Why should I listen to you…Why should I trust you?"

This is the importance of relationship building and any business, but especially business online.

People like to know that you are as real as they are.

Quote of the Day,

Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.

-Aristotle

"Learn to Mind Your Business,"

Joe Slade "The Maverick Marketeer"

9 Golden Tips To Start An Internet Home Business

2007-05-01T05:25:00.001-07:00

The start up costs for an internet home business are next to nothing compared to the offline world of business start ups.

In fact it is a lot more simple to start and grow a business on the internet.

Of course you need some knowledge to begin your internet home business enterprise. But you don't need to be a genius to do business on the web.

All you need is some computer knowledge and some internet marketing basis and a good dose of determination.

Here is some basic tips on how to start an internet home business.

== 1.Write Your Business Goals ==

It is important to set goals and objectives and then take action to accomplish them. This will be your Business Plan.

Here Are Some questions you should ask yourself:

- Why do I want to start up an Internet Home Business?

- What product or service can I provide?

- Do I have the knowledge and expertise to provide this service?

- Do I know enough about the competition?

- Where will my customers come from?

Take the time to write down your questions and answers and thoroughly research your chosen market.

== 2. Choose A Product or Service To Sell ==

On the internet you can find hundreds of product or services to sell.

You can sell your own product by creating your own, or purchasing resale rights or being an affiliate with a good internet company.

Don't put your personal gains first. Make sure that the product will deliver what it promises. When you promote a product that leaves the buyer dissatisfied, you' ll only be ruining your business. So sell solutions and the money will come.

== 3. Business Domain Name ==

One important first step is to choose the best domain name you can. Keep it as short and simple as possible.

Think of domain name like " Google " or " Yahoo ". They are short and easy to remember.

I know that some people say to use keyword in your domain name. But if you choose " Internet Business " there is million of site with this term.

So are you going to use for example "AprofitableInternethomebusiness.com" it might be a nice name but it is too long and not simple.

== 4. Your Business Web Site ==

Having A good business website is essential to succeed with an internet home business.

Here is the thing you have to plan to build your website

A) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.

(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:

1 Products And Services
2. Contact Information
3. Pricing
4. Testimonials
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Resources & Articles
7. Refund Policy
8. Privacy Policy
9. About Us
10. Site Map
11. Useful Links
12. On-line store

== 5. Choose a Web Hosting Company ==

What is a Web hosting Company?

A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office.

What are some of the things you should look for when choosing a web host? The criteria for choosing a free web host and a commercial web hosting solution are slightly different although they do overlap.

A) Web Space

Does it have enough space for your needs? If you envisage that you will expand your site eventually, you might want to cater for future expansion. Most sites use less than 5MB of web space. Indeed, at one time, one of my other web sites, thefreecountry.com, used less than 5MB of space although it had about 150 pages on the site. Your needs will vary, depending on how many pictures your pages use, whether you need sound files, video clips, etc.

B) Bandwidth allotment

Nowadays, many free web hosts impose a limit on the amount of traffic your website can use per day and per month. This means that if the pages (and graphic images) on your site is loaded by visitors beyond a certain number of times per day (or per month), the web host will disable your web site (or perhaps send you a bill).

It is difficult to recommend a specific minimum amount of bandwidth, since it depends on how you design your site, your target audience, and the number of visitors you're able to attract to your site. In general, 100MB traffic per month is too little for anything other than your personal home page and 1-3GB traffic per month is usually adequate for a simple site just starting out. Your mileage, however, will vary.

C) Reliability and speed of access

This is extremely important. A site that is frequently down will lose a lot of visitors. If someone finds your site on the search engine, and he tries to access it but find that it is down, he'll simply go down the list to find another site. Slow access is also very frustrating for visitors (and for you too, when you upload your site).

How do you know if a host is reliable or fast? If you can't get feedback from anyone, one way is to try it out yourself over a period of time, both during peak as well as non-peak hours. After all, it is free, so you can always experiment with it.

== 6. Shopping Cart ==

No e-commerce website is complete without a secure shopping cart. There are many shopping cart options. Many e-commerce business owners make the mistake of using Pay Pal to accept payments, which immediately tells visitors that their company is very small and not professional.

A good alternative to Pay Pal is a remotely hosted shopping cart. Remote shopping carts take the burden of maintaining security and credit card numbers off your shoulder and places the responsibility on another company. Remote shopping carts can usually be configured to look similar to your website.

In fact, your customers may not realize that they have left your website to place an order. The remote shopping cart provider will give you the HTML to add to your website. When your potential customer clicks on the Buy Now button, he or she is taken to the remote shopping cart to enter the personal information and payment details.

Depending on your choice of a shopping cart, you may or may not need a merchant account to process transactions. Some shopping cart services allow you to use their merchant accounts for a slightly higher fee.

== 7. How To Promote Your Business Website ==

Write An Article: Write an article promoting your site or product. Write an article on a hot topic many people would like more information on and submit it to various e-zines. How do you find out what's hot? Visit a few of the message boards and see what questions are raised often.

Search Engines: Thousands of search engines exist on the Internet. But, you should only be concerned with the top eight or ten. You should manually submit to the top eight: Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, Hotbot, Lycos, Northern Light, Infoseek, Webcrawler, and use one of the FREE automatic submission services like *SubmitPlus* to handle the smaller search engines.

Directories: List your site here too. Directories organize sites into categories. Good examples of Directories: Yahoo, Magellan.

Ezine Listings: If you have an e-zine to promote along with your site. Why not list it with one of the many e-zine services on the Internet. E-zine Library is a good one to start with.

Free Classifieds: You will have to submit to a ton of FREE classifieds to get any significant traffic. Why? You are competing with thousands of other Ads. Remember to work on your Ad copy and make it attention grabbing. Go to one of the popular search engines, type in Free Classifieds, and surf to the top 20 classified sites for beginners.

Often, these sites will lead you to several other Free Classified Sites. In response you'll get a stack of e-mail thanking you for listing your site while barking their promo. Best to get one of those free email accounts. Hot mail is a good one. So is Yahoo mail.

FFA Pages. Free For All's are worth a try. Be prepared for a avalanche of e-mails from FFA web site owners. If your title is attention grabbing you will get a few clicks. Good Attention grabbing headlines, FREE, Limited Time, Limited Offer, Proven, Secrets, and many more if you brainstorm.

Check out the sales literature delivered to you by regular mail. Check and see what headlines grab your attention. And why? Incorporate them into your Online Ads.

Tell Friends And Family: If your friends, family, acquaintances, have an Internet Connection, e-mail them telling them about your new website, and ask them to visit often. Offer a FREE incentive if they tell a few friends to surf over. Perhaps, a FREE Ad in your e-zine.

Leave Business Cards or Flyers: Leave these promo pieces with small businesses in your community. All relevant contact information; email address, URL, telephone number, should be included. Offer a freebie to anyone who visits your site. A free e-book, report.

== 8. TRACK YOUR MARKETING ==

Here are some questions to consider:

1) How many unique visitors come to your website?

2) How many visitors opt-in to your mailing list or order your products?

3) When you send emails, how many are opened and how many people actually click through to your website?

The reason these question are so important is because if you don't know these stats, you won't know what to improve. It could be different things; like your headlines, the content or navigation on your website. You won't know until you start checking all your marketing offer.

== 9. YOUR BUSINESS IN CONCLUSION ==

Think of your first six months primarily as a training period. Don't expect large earnings until after you've educated yourself.

Even the most dynamic, highest-earning entrepreneurs in the industry took MONTHS to begin seeing an income of any real significance with their internet home business.

Don't be a negative thinker and don't let the negative attitudes of others (even if they're family members, friends, or peers) influence you.

All the great men and women in history had to overcome the naysayers who said it couldn't be done—and then went out and did it. Think for yourself!

How To Promote Multiple Streams Of Income

2007-05-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this article chances are you're looking to earn money online. Well Ive been earning a part time income online now for over three years, and I know what it takes to succeed thats why I'm going to teach you today how to successfully earn and promote multiple streams of income online.

First you must choose two income streams that you know are running good, and that you know a little bit about. You'll of course then need to join each of these programs so you know how they work and function. Knowing you’re the programs you are promoting inside and out is going to be key so you can answer any questions people might bring to your attention.

Then what you will want to do is decided on which program you will promote full force, and which one will be your back up program. You'll probably want to go with the one that converts better as your front running program, and leave the one that converts a little less as your back end program.

Now there are two ways you can promote multiple streams of income. You can either have both streams of income on one page with links leading to other pages of information about the programs, or you have it setup so they join one then after a few weeks you sell them on the other.

I like the second way better myself for the simple fact that if you have faith in your first program and it does what it says then people will love it, and they will love you for showing it to them. Then most people will want to know what else you do to make money online. This is when you show them the back end program that you lightly are promoting.

Doing it that way is what I find works out best for most people. However you can still promote both programs on one page and give people the option to choose which program best fits their needs. However I find that this doesn't work as well because some people become confused, and don't really know exactly what they are getting into no matter how easy you set it up.

So that does it. That is pretty much the blueprint for how you should go about promoting two business opportunities to people. Again I recommend selling people your other opportunity as a back end program, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Broadband Marketplace

2007-04-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

What is Broadband

Broadband can be described as a way to share information or any chunks of data that lies on the vast network known as the internet. The term ‘Broadband’ explains the method that is used in conjunction with this data in order for it to be sent and retrieved. In short and easy terms, you could explain broadband by saying that it was the prime successor of dialup modems. During the dawn of the internet, where houses were beginning to get connected using first-generation modems, these little box would allow a transfer that varied between a couple of kilobytes per second to around fifty kilobytes per second; with broadband, these transfers can vary from hundreds of kilobytes per second to literally thousands of kilobytes per second. Seeing the net amelioration in data transfer, it was quite comprehensible that many companies wanted to get control over this new technology. No single company was able to grab the title of ‘monopoly,’ thus every one of them were able to keep on existing (which could not have beenpossible through a monopoly) and altogether, we can classify this group of companies as the Broadband Marketplace.

What does the Broadband Marketplace do?

An easy way to define a Broadband Marketplace is to think of it as a giant mall where you can go shop for the broadband distributor of your choice, instead of having to deal with a single company that controls all of the market. A very good point about having a group of providers instead of a single entity is the resulting war that will ensue between them. Providers will obviously try to get as many subscribers as possible, and to do so, they will have to attract you in any means necessary; this resulting feud means that you can look around for rebates, bonus, referral programs and many innovative market stunts that they will offer, all will be in the customers advantage. Below, you will see some points that tackle this so-called marketplace, as well as tell you what you should be looking for aside from the cheapest provider available.

Which Broadband Provider is the best?

Sometime, we look at similar products and we make our choice based solely on one aspect, the price. As far as it goes, selecting the cheapest service is a valid way to pick a provider, but it is probably not the best.

Connection Speed

When you are browsing through websites or downloading content, data packets are transferred from your computer to the location of those packets. The transfer rate should vary from 256 kilobytes per second to 1.5 megabytes per second and the higher the number is, the better it is for you (while taking in consideration that 1.5Megs is the highest of the two, as it is close to 1500 kilobytes per second.) As well, some Broadband provider may have a clause in which they reinforce a cap or transfer limit in which you cannot download more than the said limit per month. Depending on your activities, you may ask tech-savvy friends if the imposed limit of a provider is enough for you.

Service

Just like every other service out there, your internet connection is bound to come face to face with trouble; when those time arise, you will undoubtedly have to call your provider’s customer service. Be sure that the provider that you select has a good reputation when it comes to customer service, as there’s nothing worst for you than having trouble with your line, and have someone on the tech support that is not being helpful to you.

You Are Tiger Woods

2007-04-21T03:07:00.001-07:00

Tiger Woods made the single biggest impact on sports-any sport-anyone has made for a long time. Not only does he have the physical talent (which has been honed by years of practice), his “above the shoulders” game, at just 24 years old, is at a level many people never reach in a lifetime. Here's an example from his first year on Tour that we all can learn from.

Tiger won the first tournament held during the 1997 PGA season, in early January. Afterward, a reporter asked him what he's thinking and what his goals are before he enters a tournament. Woods started to answer, stopped, and then in an “Aw shucks” tone said, “Na, I don't want to say that.” Keep in mind that his confidence is often mistaken for cockiness, and plenty of jealousy is present among people who feel he's getting undue attention. Then he straightened up and said something very profound,

“Yeah, I'll say it. I go out there expecting to win every tournament. Why would I play otherwise?” He continued explaining that some guys are satisfied to just be in the top 60 after the first couple of days (the rest don't get to play the final two days and don't have a chance at earning prize money).

What Do You Expect?

So what are your expectations, both short and long-term? Some sales reps are content just barely getting by. Others consistently top the sales charts. Ask them and they'll likely tell you they expect nothing less.

Some sales reps approach each call “just to see if there might be any interest there.” High achievers expect to take the call as far as they possibly can. And they do. They begin calls with a specific, ambitious objective, whether it be the sale or appointment.

How Do Reps Differ?

What's the difference between high and low performing sales reps. Self-confidence, belief in themselves, and their expectations.

But what about skill? Sure it's important, but I've seen plenty of reps who had the tools to succeed, but not the desire or expectation. I've seen many more who never would be called “naturals” when first starting, but expected to do well and found ways to make it happen. Napoleon Hill, in his “Law of Success,” said, “If you demand success of yourself and back up this demand with intelligent action you are sure to win. There is a difference though, between demanding success and merely wishing for it.”

In “The Psychology of Winning,” Dr. Denis Waitley says, “Every individual tends to receive what he or she expects. You may or may not get what's coming to you . . . but you will always get what you expect.”

Losers typically expect little and get it. Worse, losers expect bad things to happen, and they do! You've seen these people before . . . they can darken a room by entering it. They're the ones consistently complaining about everything from the softness of their chairs to the crumminess of their territory. All the while, the action-oriented expectant rep is doing what the other says can't be done.

What to Do
Here are a couple of ideas for you to implement right now.

1. Raise long-term expectations. Set a yearly or quarterly goal 25%, 50%, maybe 100% higher than what you've ever achieved. Don't think of how hard it would be to achieve. Instead ask, “What do I need to do to get there?”

2. Approach every call with the expectation of achieving the highest conceivable end result. You won't get there every call, but know what? Your results over time will be much higher than with low, or no expectations.

Satellite Internet

2007-04-21T03:06:00.002-07:00

Satellite Internet is a form of high-speed Internet service which utilizes telecommunications satellites in earth orbit to provide Internet access to consumers.

A satellite Internet connection is basically an arrangement in which the upstream (outgoing) and the downstream (incoming) data are sent from, and arrive at, a computer through a satellite. Each subscriber's hardware includes a satellite dish antenna and a transceiver (Modem) that operates in the microwave portion of the radio spectrum. Your computer, through the satellite modem, broadcasts requests to a satellite dish antenna that sits on top of your home or business. The dish antenna then sends and receives signals from satellites that orbit some 22,300 miles above the equator. As long as your dish maintains a clear view of the southern sky (in the U.S.), you receive broadband Internet access. Currently, satellite broadband is slower in both the uplink and downlink, when compared to a DSL Internet service, for example.

Satellite Internet services are of two types. One-way service uses DVB-IP (Digital Video Broadcast- Internet Protocol), which is only for inbound connectivity. Hence, one way service is ideally suited for webpage viewing.
Two-way services provide complete broadband services to the users. Two-way service enables high-speed access for both download and upload. This platform is ideal for home, offices and small and medium enterprises. In this two-way satellite Internet connection, the upstream data is usually sent at a slower speed than the downstream data arrives. Thus, the connection is asymmetric. The upload speed will always be slower than the download speed. A dish antenna, measuring about one and half feet high by three feet wide by three feet deep, transmits and receives signals. Uplink speeds are variable and nominally 128 to 500 Kbps for a subscriber using a single or multiple computers. The downlink occurs at speeds ranging from about 700 Kbps to 2000 Kbps, depending on factors such as Internet traffic, the capacity of the server, the sizes of downloaded files and upon the plan provided by the service providers.

Satellite Internet systems are an excellent option for people in rural areas where Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable modem connections are not available. Now, because of technical development it becomes a good option for urban subscriber also who needs high speed Internet. A satellite installation can be used even where the most basic utilities are lacking, if there is a generator or battery power supply that can produce enough electricity to run a desktop computer system. The two-way satellite Internet option offers an always-on connection that bypasses the dial-up process. In this respect, the satellite system resembles a cable modem Internet connection. But this asset can also be a liability, unless a firewall is used to protect the computer against hack attempts.

The nature of the satellite internet connection is good for web browsing and for downloading of files. Because of long latency compared with purely land-based systems, interactive applications such as online gaming are not compatible with satellite networks. In a two-way geostationary-satellite Internet connection, a transaction requires two round trips between the earth's surface and transponders orbiting 22,300 miles above the equator. This occurs in addition to land-based data transfer between the earthbound satellite system hub and the accessed Internet sites. The speed in such a connection is theoretically at least 0.48 second (the time it takes an electromagnetic signal to make two round trips at 186,000 miles per second to and from a geostationary satellite), and in practice is somewhat longer. Satellite systems are also prone to rain fade (degradation during heavy precipitation) and occasional brief periods of solar interference in mid-March and late September, when the sun lines up with the satellite for a few minutes each day. Rain fade and solar interference affect all satellite links from time to time, not just Internet systems.

So now there is an amazing internet service called broadband satellite Internet services for those who can't get a cable to their home or office or for those who have no access to DSL. It provides a super-fast, independent 2-way duplex, always-on Internet connectivity that delivers flexible, IP-based services on a single platform.

All agencies with Satellite Internet services utilize the same technology, but have different pricing packages and customer service. But, if you talk about pricing packages, better internet services and customer services, the HughesNet® is one of the best among all.

New Generation Carrier Network

2007-04-21T03:06:00.001-07:00

The fast growth of data traffic, especially the traffic from new network applications such as VoIP, P2P, IPTV, etc., makes people not doubt that the data traffic has become dominating in today’s network. Although traditional voice traffic is still one of major revenue sources for those incumbent network service carriers. They are seeking a way to convert those cheap IP traffic into a big amount cash flow by bringing in various types of service. Such a data traffic evolution also causes the evolution of the carrier networks from the past voice-oriented network architecture to today’s data-oriented network architecture. This evolution mainly manifests in following three aspects.

Huge amount of fibre capacity deployment
When talking about today’s telecommunication networks, nobody will forget to mention fibre communications. As a communication medium, fibre brings a revolution of human communications to carry a huge amount of capacity in a thumb-sized fibre cable. From the initial single wavelength per fibre to today’s multiple wavelengths per fibre WDM technique, optical communications is evolving towards being faster and cheaper. Presently, the most of advanced fibre communication technique based on wavelength division multiplexing has been able to carry more than 100 wavelengths per fibre and each wavelength carries up to 40 Gb/s capacity in a commercially-available system. With more hardware technical breakthrough, people are attempting to further increase the number of wavelength to up to 1000 and the capacity per wavelength up to 100 Gb/s. In the near future, it can be foreseen that each fibre will be more efficiently utilized.

Fibre communication techniques have been widely deployed today’s long-haul backbone transport networks and metro area networks. This technique is now penetrating the access networks based on so-called Fibre To The Home (FTTH) technology, hoping to allow each home to be cheaply connected by a fibre, so as to provide a huge amount capacity to support the future multimedia triple-play services such as IPTV, VoIP, Internet game, etc. It can be expected that in the future fibres will be ubiquitous ranging from a backbone network, a community network, to every home, and the bandwidth will not be a stressed constraint to continue annoying users any more.

Slimmer network layer architecture
Besides the huge increment of network capacity, we are also seeing that the network layer architecture of the today’s network becomes slimmer and slimmer. Such a change again can be attributed to the traffic change in the today’s network. Since the data traffic has dominated today’s communication networks, the traditional network layer architecture that was designed for the past voice-traffic can not efficiently fit today’s data traffic. A more effective layer architecture is necessary to efficiently carry today’s data traffic.

The most traditional network layer architecture contains at least four layers to include (1) optical WDM layer, (2) SDH/SONET layer, (3) ATM, and (4) IP/MPLS layer. Viewing the super-high control overhead of the ATM layer, i.e., each ATM cell has a 10% of control overhead, which wastes the network capacity greatly, it is attractive and reasonable to remove such a layer to directly transport IP traffic over SDH/SONET layer. This technique is called IP over SDH/SONET. Nonetheless, the removal of the ATM layer can lose some functionalities as well, which for example include the support of quality of service, the function of establishing virtual paths or virtual circuits in the network. These lost functions need to be filled by some layer(s) either IP or MPLS layer. According to today’s network technique, it seems that MPLS layer has taken over all the functionalities that were supported by the ATM layer.

Also, current dominating network traffic is IP data traffic, while the SDH/SONET is a network layer that was designed to specifically support the past voice traffic, which has a strict constraint on time delay, so it seems also not necessary for such a network layer to exist in the modern carrier network for efficiency. Thus, to further eliminate the SDH/SONET layer, another slimmer network layer architecture IP over WDM was introduced recently. In this layer architecture, the functionalities supported by the old SDH/SONET layer have to be shifted to other layers, either up to the MPLS layer or down to the optical layer. These functionalities mainly involve the network protection and restoration capability. Now this capability has been proposed to be realized by either the MPLS layer or the optical layer.

Adding intelligence to carrier networks
With the introduction of the concept of Generalized Multiprotocol Label Wwitching (GMPLS), today’s network control system has also incurred a huge evolution, changing from the traditional centralized TMN or SNMP system to a more general distributed control system. GMPLS technique is versatile enough to support almost all the network layers using a common set of network control protocols. The techniques are mainly realized based on a generalized concept called generalized label, which is modelled to cover various types of capacity unit ranging from a single MPLS label, to a SDH/SONET time, to a wavelength, to a wavelength band, or even to an entire fibre. Such a generalized technique also makes the network control so easy to allow different network layers to communicate with each other so as to achieve better network capacity utilization and serve some traffic engineering purpose. Moreover, the GMPLS control technique brings much intelligence to today’s networks, which are mainly reflected in the aspects such as crossing-layer traffic engineering, crossing-layer network recovery, etc. In addition, the distribution of the network control system also enables the control system more robust to survive the failure of a bottleneck central controller in the old day's control system.

Summary
In contrast to the past voice-oriented network implementation, today’s networks can efficiently support IP services while providing a huge amount of capacity in the most scalable and flexible way. They are also much intelligent to handle end-to-end service provisioning, quality of service, and network failure recovery. Meanwhile, the slimmer network layer architecture also helps the today’s networks grow faster but cheaper.

Net Pulling TV Audience Away

2007-04-21T03:05:00.004-07:00

The net is expanding its ‘sphere of influence’ with each passing day. Recently it has ventured in a territory till now unchartered by any other form or genre of media. It has been reported that online video viewing is eroding the television audience gradually.

BBC/ICM recently carried out a survey in which they interviewed 2,070 people asking them questions regarding their time spent online and how is that affecting their TV viewing schedule.

Quite surprisingly 43% people said that they watch videos online, through computer or via their mobile phone device, and this time spent has eaten into their TV viewing time. Also, 20% people said that they “watch a lot less normal TV as a result of their online mobile viewing”.

Another projection that rings the danger bell for the television industry in future is that out of the rest almost 20% are very much aware of this phenomenon and are attracted to its appeal. It won’t be a surprise if they also deflect to the online brigade and ditch the TV!

But let’s not get too carried away with this, as this survey was carried out in a sample population. This is not an exhaustive survey which will inform one about the national trend but it sure is a sign to indicate what future holds.

Also, one needs to carefully observe what specific section of society is actually driving the segment. Like all gizmo related industries, online video and mobile video is more popular among the yuppie crowd (aged 16-24).

Amongst the young and restless, 28% watch these videos more than once a week, while the average of people watching online videos in the 25-44 age group is a meagre 10%.

With the British television companies going the ‘Yankee’ way of offering whole TV shows online for viewing and ‘vloggers’ getting hyperactive on sites like YouTube and Google videos, its not that distant a time when watching TV will become passé.

Though it still remains to be seen whether the Britons have actually moved over the good ol’ telly or still the idiot box is good to stand on its own. Let us hear on the Brit’naire blog what you have to say about this!!!

Internet- Boon or Bane?

2007-04-21T03:05:00.003-07:00

The Internet is said to be a pool of information wherein you can find information on any topic. It is the best place to gain knowledge and information along with being in constant touch with your dear ones. Despite many advantages and benefits, Internet is still considered to be the unsafe zone for the kids as they may fall prey to the criminals in the world of immense pain and treachery.

Since the advent of Internet there has been a significant increase in number of kids falling into this trap. Despite vigilance over them either by friends, parents, law enforcement bodies still the count is on a rise. In certain cases the relationship is put to a stop by the timely intervention but there are times when there are kids who are not subject to vigilance. And if they by chance happen to meet these individuals they meet the torturous fate of being abducted, raped, tortured or even killed.

By sensing this danger many Internet companies like America Online, Yahoo and Netscape have started offering a feature of parental vigilance. This restricts the kid's access to the Internet and parents get the chance to monitor them. Simply stated, if you don't allow your kids to watch obscene shows on television, they shoul not be allowed to access or open any unsuitable site.

Speak with your child and teach them internet safety techniques. Only allow your child to converse with individuals you know, and monitor them during the conversation. Encourage your child to come to you with any problems or if an unknown individual is contacting them over the internet.

Usually, schools and libraries have strict limits in place when dealing with children’s access to the internet. If this is not the case, do not allow your child to access the World Wide Web at any of these locations or carefully monitor his or her surfing time while at these unsecure locations. Furthermore, speak with school boards or city chairs regarding the lax rules at these locations.

Internet vigilance over kids is not only restricted to schools and homes but also to those places where your kid is visiting. If your kid is going for the party at a friend's place then make sure that his parents know your attitude regarding Internet access. Majority of the parents allow their kids to go to those friends where there is complete parent supervision.

The best way for constant supervision is in placing the computer in that room where everyone can view the screen. It is always advisable to place computer in a living room or family room so that there is complete vigilance. This confirms that your kid is not alone while accessing the Internet.

Above all, you must communicate freely with your child and talk about the dangers of the internet. Of course, there is no point in scaring the child but it's important to make him or her aware of potential problems that may arise. Also teach your child how to report such individuals who are participating in undesirable communication.

You have to ensure your child's protection while on the internet to make him or her make the best use of the World Wide Web. The internet can be a fantastic place for kids of all ages provided you teach your child to distinguish between the right and wrong of the internet.

The Faster And Smarter Way To Connect To The Web: Broadband Services

2007-04-21T03:05:00.001-07:00

Broadband is the most popular means of accessing internet among people who feel a need for speed. Its fast and its convenient. Copying, downloading and browsing doesn't become a drab or tedious task with it. The time taken for any menial task like opening a file directly from the web is cut to half. No wonder broadband services are very popular in UK.

The majority of Internet service providers acknowledge that broadband is cheaper in the long run. Yet the initial installation costs put off most users. Besides it is difficult to switch providers at will due to inability to get MACs - Migration Authorisation Codes. However, new government guidelines will make sure that these problems are overcome soon.

Often these internet service providers provide other services as well. At times, they offer to monitor your website or generate site reports for free. Larger providers even provide freebies like free routers etc.

Broadband services being the flavour of the day, they attracted largest increase (almost double) in their client base during last year. The trend is expected to climb higher as more and more Internet service providers in UK switch to broadband.

If you are considering companies in UK, the top five contenders are all famous names. BT, Virgin, Demon, Pipex and Plusnet are the top five ADSL broadband providers in terms of technical performance. However, old giants like AOL are in the run too and provide some very attractive discounts.

So, if you are looking to switch your Internet service provider or simply want to upgrade to a faster version, consider broadband services. You will be delighted at the speed at which your life moves.

Cheap Broadband Services Way to Connect the world!

2007-04-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

Broadband has reached more than 13 million homes in the United Kingdom. The proliferation is such that with very few potential customers left to be tapped, the growth rate has actually declined by 20% since last year. However, now that the benefits of a cheap broadband connection are known to all and sundry, it is all set to win over even those households which had opted to stay without an internet connection until now.

Out of the different ways available to receive broadband in the UK, ADSL and cable broadband are the most accessible and popular choices for residential customers. Talking of a restriction one can say that as cable broadband does not run via the BT phone system, you can only receive it if you stay in particular localities where the broadband providers have already established their networks. For the rest, there are other options available.

Satellite and wireless technologies come to your mind when you look at the other ways of receiving internet connections at home. These high-end technologies are still in their nascent state in the UK and seem quite out of reach of the residential users.

However, to make broadband more accessible to the customers, Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) is being introduced in the UK market. This is the process where the incumbent operator makes its local network available to other companies. It enables the operators to upgrade individual lines using DSL technology to offer its services direct to the customer.

Getting Paid Taking Surveys - Is it Really That Simple?

2007-04-17T04:54:00.003-07:00

There are few things in life that we get paid for that is easy to do. Many people, possibly yourself, stress just to try and earn a practical means of living. Sometimes you have to work really hard just to make ends meet. Well I sincerely want to help you out today and inform you of something that will help you or anybody looking for more money. There is one way that you can now earn some extra cash every month and it is not hard to do. What is it? By taking surveys!

In this world that we live in opinions of the public is important. Corporations are willing to pay top dollar in order to find out what it is we want and need. They are also looking to make improvements with the products they have on the shelves of stores. By doing this they can ensure their future income and stay ahead of other companies and products.

That's where you come into the picture. By signing up with companies that put panels of groups together to take surveys you benefit. Each person involved in the survey gets a reward. This comes in the form of a pay check that is mailed to you every month.

It's time for you to pad that income you are currently getting with some extra money that is not hard to come by. Surveys are also not going anywhere. As long as we form opinions as humans corporations will need surveys. And they'll pay you to take their surveys in the comfort of your own home.

Get Paid Doing Surveys - Can You?

2007-04-17T04:54:00.001-07:00

How about getting paid for something that you enjoy doing? Is easy work something that is right up your alley? Well let me tell you something that I have been fortunate to refer many of my friends to. It is taking surveys for companies and then getting paid by them. The idea may sound strange that a company would actually send you money in the mail without ever interviewing you for the position and accept the information you have to share. The good news is this is happening everyday. Since the internet has arrived there are many people that are doing this.

You may of seen the scene at the shopping mall. Someone stops you wanting you to take a survey. They'll offer you money, gift certificates or prizes. That has been happening for years, even before the internet revolutionized the way that surveys are done. This illustrates for you that companies are interested in finding people at random to get their input on product creation and updates.

Can you be a part of this and receive the reward? The answer is yes. You can jump on the internet surveys band wagon and start getting paid for taking you simple surveys on products by random companies looking for you. Each survey you take can be as long as 5 minutes to complete or take you an hour. The bigger the survey the bigger the reward or cash for your pocket book.

17 Ways to Instantly Increase Your Online Business Profits!

2007-04-17T04:53:00.004-07:00

1. Advertise your web site with banner ads that are animated and include a call to action. You must grab people's attention to make them want to click.

2. Use pop up windows or advertisements on your web site. They grab your visitors attention because they jump right out at them.

3. Buy internet business books, ebooks, private site memberships, etc. Study and learn all the new web site promotional ideas that you can.

4. Track the numbers for all your promotional efforts. Concentrate on the ads & promotions that work and drop the ones that don't work. Don't waste your valuable time and money!

5. Have an informative FAQ page at your web site. Anticipate questions your prospects or visitors may have; this will help improve your sales ratio.

6. Use text links if your banner ads are not pulling traffic. People don't ignore text links as much as they do banner ads.

7. Trade content with other ezine publishers or web sites. This is a powerful and effective way to place your links on other targeted web sites.

8. Keep your product available to your customers at all times. If you have to backorder it, they may end up canceling their order.

9. Use content on your web site so people can skim through it easily. Most people have little time so try using lists, short tips, short articles,etc

10 Add a message board or chat room to your web site. If people enjoy it, they will revisit your web site to participate regularly.

11. Gain an advantage over your competition. You should find one benefit your competition doesn't offer and use it as your main selling point. You can also beat your competition by giving away a similar product or service that they charge for. It could be add on products, warranties, servicing, etc.

12. Design your e-zine so it creates multiple free advertising streams. Ask readers to forward it to people they know, offer ad trades, etc.

13. Allow your visitors to subscribe to an update e-zine. Anytime you make changes to your web site they can receive an informative e-mail.

14. Focus your articles on information the targeted readers and e-zine publishers want. They will get published more often, which means free publicity.

15. Use problems to attract online traffic. Find a common online problem and use your web site to solve it. People will visit and see your ads.

16. Improve your negotiation skills. This'll improve your business because you're always negotiating ad swaps, supply prices, joint ventures, wages, etc. If you advertise in newspapers, ALWAYS negotiate on price. When you pay for the following month, RENEGOTIATE again, and tell them that your ad didn’t get nearly the traffic you were hoping for.

17. Get the most from each one of your visitors. Automatically subscribe your customers to your e-zine, & give them incentives to participate on your message board, bookmark & refer your site, etc.

Top 5 Mistakes Newbies Made In Internet Business - High Income Business Opportunities

2007-04-17T04:53:00.003-07:00

If you’re a newbie Internet Marketer who has high goals and aspirations of making a 1,000,000 online or perhaps simply want to make a good income so that you can you’re your boss to take a hike, then you need to read this article. Although it is quite possible to accomplish your financial goals and become successful at Internet Marketing, you must realize that over 90% of the people that enter this career fail to accomplish their goals. Its not that they’re not smart, it’s just that they make some HUGE mistakes that end up costing them money and crushing their dreams. Don’t let this happen to you in this high income business opportunities.

In this brief article, we will discuss the top 5 mistakes that newbie Internet Marketers make in high income business opportunities and will show you how to avoid these mistakes so that you can increase your chances of success. After all, you want to be the 10% that succeeds right? If so, keep reading.

Here are the top 5 mistakes:

1. Newbies don’t have a plan of action. Many newbie IMs don’t actually sit down and develop a realistic business plan. Although they know that they want to become Internet Marketers, they have no idea how they plan to make their dreams a reality. For instance, they don’t know whether they’ll concentrate solely on Affiliate marketing, selling informational products, Adwords, Adsense, etc. So they drift aimlessly without a goal and without a plan of action and suffer as a result. The plan they create doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just a short written plan that details their financial goals and what Internet marketing scheme will help them accomplish those goals in this high income business opportunities.

2. Newbies dream too much. Although it is good to have dreams, you can’t let your dreams prevent you from acting. Many newbies have so many dreams in their heads that they don’t take action. They just sit around daydreaming and not doing anything. To make it in Internet Marketing, you have to do something, learn from it, make improvements and do it again (only better).

3. Newbies try a million different ideas. Most newbies are so eager to make a million dollars that they waste a ton of money on ideas and plans that don’t work. They purchase this plan and that plan; try it for a short while and then move on to the “next best thing” without giving the first idea time to work in this high income business opportunities.

4. Newbies loose motivation. When they don’t see immediate results from their half hearted effort they loose motivation and steam. Then, they give up altogether. It isn’t that they couldn’t be successful. It just that it takes time and perseverance to make their dreams a reality. Internet Marketing isn’t as easy as it looks or as easy as some claim it should be in this high income business opportunities.

5. Newbies give up too soon. It sometimes takes a long time to make any money at all. In fact, some Internet Marketers had to work at it for over a year or so before they finally saw any real profits. If they had given up after 30 days, they never would have accomplished their goals.

In conclusion, you can succeed at Internet Marketing if you avoid the 5 common mistakes that most newbies make. By doing this, you’ll be way ahead of the unsuccessful gang and on your way to joining the 10% of Internet Marketers that do make it in this lucrative and exciting career in this world of high income business opportunities.

How To Start An Internet Business

2007-04-17T04:53:00.001-07:00

Starting an internet business these days has become a lot more challenging than in the past. Before all you needed was a domain name with your targeted keywords and a few reciprocal links and you would be in business. You literally would have received search engine traffic within a few weeks. Today the game has changed significantly and it has become a lot more difficult to get good search engine rankings. Ppc advertising used to be very cheap to buy traffic and build a list. However, these days you could be paying up to 80 dollars a click for highly qualified traffic on Google. Planning your internet business has become a lot more crucial than before to make a success of it. Follow these tips on how to start a profitable internet business.

The key ingredient with starting an internet business is that you need to choose an idea that you have an active interest in as it may take some time before you become profitable. You first need to educate yourself on the internet and acquire a variety of skills like marketing, copywriting, web design etc... and gather experience using these skills. Once you have mastered these skills you will become profitable. Choose a niche in which you would like to start your business for example fly fishing. By having an active interest in your idea you will enjoy doing the daily chores necessary to build a sustainable business.

Before setting up your business you may also want to consider the legal and financial considerations of your business. You will want to register a company, setup a bank account and comply with all the legal requirements for your website for example privacy policy etc...

The rules of the internet game have changed. To be successful with an internet business these days you need to do many things differently to what has been done previously. Follow the advice of an internet marketing course that is 2 years old and it will be unlikely that you will succeed. Follow these tips on how to start an internet business and you will have a much higher chance of succeeding.

How You Can Tap On The 3 Trends Of Gobal Business And Achieve Success Online

2007-04-14T02:19:00.001-07:00

I have been wonder is it possible to achieve success online through a system that allows you to use it and put your business on auto-pilot.

I had been eyeing the MLM scene. I had read about people achieving success online MLM and I even was meeting them in seminars. I read Randy Gages articles and listened to his CD’s, “How to become an MLM rock star”. The idea of online MLM that will enable me to achieve success online appealed to me. The thing that was holding me back was that the people who I’d met in my real down to earth life doing MLM were kind of losers because they had to act put themselves down to talk and persuade people. They certainly weren’t millionaires and did not achieve success and they have been bugging me to try out their product or sign up as a distributor. I was not willing to do that because all I wanted was to achieve the desired success online and earn money from the comfort of my own home Inspiring people does not mean enthusing over a product or a system. Inspiring people means helping them to recognize their own dreams and to achieve success; be it spiritually or financially. Living by the word you spread is being an inspiration. Being a disciple of SkyQuestCom teachings I pictured myself working with motivated and inspired people.

As the Law of Attraction would have it I met a real person who is living the life of the rich and famous and all these through achieving success online! Mr Yeo Kee Huat became my friend and mentor; he was the one that enabled me to see a great future for myself in the online business where I can achieve success online without running after anyone. Now I know how I can inspire and pass on uplifting information to people without hassling them.

What has MLM got to do with being an inspiration for others? The point is it has everything to do with it. If you are not in a position to see the light and opportunity of achieving success online, you won’t be able to inspire yourself let alone others. We are all know that MLM is a people business but rather than seeing yourself recruiting people, now you can actually promote the product online and achieve the success that you have always wanted.

I have achieved much success through the online business model that I have used. If you are interested, head on to www.preenroller.com/subscribenow and find out how you can achieve the success that you have always dreamed for online!

How You Can Achieve Success And Start Your Own Home Based Business

2007-04-14T02:18:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking and pondering regarding how I can achieve success online through a system that allows you put your business on auto pilot.

I had been eyeing the MLM scene. I had seen people achieving success online like Stephen Pierce and Ewen Chia. The idea of online business that will enable me to achieve success online appealed to me. However, I did not know how to go about doing it, until I realize this company that provides excellent product and a excellent business model that I can use to achieve success online. The thing that was holding me back was that I was afraid that I need a large capital to be involved in this system and to buy this system. I was afraid that I could not afford it and this could very well stop me from achieving success online. All I wanted was to achieve the desired success online and earn money from the comfort of my own home. I decided to jump straight into the business after knowing it was so cheap and affordable to be in this business! I knew this time I can achieve success online through the mentoring and coaching from the gurus.

Inspiring people does not mean enthusing over a product or a system. Inspiring people means helping them to recognize their own dreams and to achieve success; be it spiritually or financially. Being a disciple of Stephen Pierce teachings, I pictured myself working with motivated and inspired people with a common goal that is to achieve success online.

As the Law of Attraction would have it I met this person who is living the life of the rich and all these through achieving success online! Mr Yeo Kee Huat became my mentor; he was the one that enabled me to see a great future for myself in the online business where I can achieve success online without running after anyone. Now I know how I can inspire and pass on uplifting information to people and allow them to achieve success online.

How to Make Cash From Paid Surveys

2007-04-14T02:13:00.000-07:00

To entice more people to sign up to participate in online surveys, survey makers are now paying cash for each survey taken. As a direct consequence you can now make cash from paid surveys!

It's easy! There are no right answers or wrong answers to survey questions; the survey makers just want your honest opinion, whatever it might be. You can take and make cash from online paid surveys at any time, from any place where you have access to a computer and an Internet connection.

So what, specifically, must you do to make cash from paid surveys? The short answer is that you must fill out an application with each of the good survey makers. Then, when the survey invitations come in, respond, fill out the survey questionnaire and your check will come to you in the mail.

The longer answer is that it is best to work through a reliable paid survey guide company to steer you to the good survey makers. (The bad ones make the most noise and have the most ads on the Internet! And the "free" guides are frequently set up specifically to steer you to the bad survey makers and the sales companies disguised as survey makers!)

When you need to get around in strange territory, it is better for you to pay your own guide than use one that someone else is paying. In this case you want to make cash from paid surveys. There are many out there who only talk cash and actually want to pay you with only a smile and a handshake.

A good guide company will be sizable, of good reputation, growing, and will have a strong 60 to 90 day money-back guarantee backed up by a bank or financial institution such as PayPal or ClickBank. Look at all of these points but look hardest at their refund rate.

The refund rate is the percentage of their clients that demanded their money back. A low refund rate means happy clients. A high refund rate means lots of unhappy clients. Specifically, the ideal refund rate will be in the 3-5% range. Avoid any company with a refund rate over 10%.

When you select your guide company and get started, they will give you a copy of their list of preferred, proven survey-makers. Apply to all of them if possible. If you cannot apply to all, apply to as many as you can. This is a critical step. Remember that you cannot make cash from paid surveys if the survey makers do not send you surveys to take.

And the survey makers cannot send you surveys to take unless they have your name, address and demographic info in their databases. These survey makers are competitors and each database is separate. To make cash from paid surveys you need to apply to each separate company so they can send you surveys to take.

When you start getting invitations to take surveys, respond to them promptly, take the survey, fill out all the blanks fully and answer to the best of your ability. When you respond quickly and well you will get more and more paid surveys to take in the future.

Do You Really Want To Work From Home? - Home Income Opportunity Online

2007-04-14T02:11:00.002-07:00

More people are choosing to work from home these days. It seems that everyone is looking for that home income opportunity online. But how realistic is it to embark on such a venture?

A recent research report by Forrester, Inc. that was conducted by ecommerce analyst Sucharity Mulpuru shows a steady upward growth in ecommerce. In short, Mulpuru predicted several trends that point to the fact that now is a great time to start an online business.

"Discovery" of new products will define niche marketing. Niche markets are quickly setting up shop on the internet. Online shoppers want their products and their website search results personalized and guided. This is a perfect home income opportunity online because you can get in while it is hot!

Non-traditional methods of payment will increase in popularity. Your site is not set up to accept credit cards? No problem! More and more online shoppers are using PayPal, BillMeLater and Google Checkout, among others. Smaller sites tend to cater to the shopper who may not be the savvy, credit card toting online consumer. Online customers will be heard more than ever. With sites like epinions.com, personal blogs and sites that review online shopping experiences, the consumer will be guiding online shopping more than ever.

What is an online business?
An online business can be a variety of things. Basically, it is a home income opportunity online. You can sell items on your site from various merchants. If you write or type well, you can do freelance writing, start a resume business or do data entry from home. The internet is full of home income opportunities online.

What are the advantages of online business?
There are numerous advantages to doing a home income opportunity online.

You can do several ventures at once. You can blog, have some affiliate accounts, freelance write and sell products, all at the same time. The more that you do, if you are doing it right, the more money you stand to make. You set your own schedule. If you want to sleep till noon, then do a little work, then take in some golf, that is what you do. You call the shots. You have more time for the things you want to do. Having a home income opportunity online allows you more time with family, friends and doing things that you enjoy.

Why don't more people start an online business?

Some people are not comfortable with risk. And face it; starting a business is a risk, whether it is a virtual shop online or a brick and mortar store on Main Street. Others may feel still hold those feelings of trepidation that some feel about the internet. They may feel that it is not legitimate or flimsy or fly by night. Some of the largest, most prestigious companies in the world use the internet to conduct business. Take some classes, do some research and learn which home income opportunities online are right for you.

Can Preaching Action Sell?

2007-04-14T02:11:00.001-07:00

I’ve spent the last seven years marketing on the internet but have just recently started giving advice on how to be successful building an online business. The reason I started this blog was to fill a void I perceived in the online business market - the void for advice and discussion on how to take action.

Action has been and continues to be the single most vital aspect to my success and I’ve yet to read someone else’s success story that doesn’t include action as a primary factor in their success as well.

I think there’s a real need in the internet marketing world for realistic and straight talk on how to take action. How to take all the knowledge you’ve gained from reading internet marketing blogs, forums, and ebooks and turn that into a successful business.

The most commonly cited “take action rate” in internet marketing is 2% - just 2% of the people who purchase a product related to earning money online actually act on that information and attempt to use it.

Just 2%!

98% of you reading this article have never taken action to try to achieve your financial dreams. You’ve bought the products, you’ve listened to the advice of the experts, but you’ve never done anything with that information.

98% of this market needs help and advice on how to take action - so why aren’t there more people preaching action?

Am I being naive in thinking that there are more than a few of those 98% who would take action if they just understood a little better how to do it?

Am I being ignorant in believing that there are many people in that 98% who are ready and willing to put some time and effort into building an online business and who just need a little direction and motivation to help them get started?

Are the marketing gurus right when they say that telling someone they may have to work to succeed doesn’t sell?

I may be both naive and ignorant, but I’m choosing to believe that there’s a market for action. That you are willing to work to succeed and just need a few nudges here and there along your path to success.

Only time will tell if there’s an audience for action, but the fact is that taking action is absolutely vital to your success. If I never end up making a dent in that 98% inaction rate, at least I’ll have a clear conscience with the knowledge that I didn’t push some “get rich quick” scheme and preached the true gospel of success.

There just weren’t enough of you out there who want to live your dreams badly enough to simply act…

Take Surveys And Get Paid A Review of Online Cash Surveys

2007-03-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Online Cash Surveys

They have access to over one hundred companies that are willing to pay you for your opinion...from the comfort of your own home. These companies are willing to pay you up to £75 per hour for taken online or on the phone surveys! You can choose when and where you work, and for how long.

The Pay System
Online Surveys - get paid between £2 - £50 per survey.
Online Focus Groups - get paid anywhere from around £15 - £75 per hour.
Phone Surveys - get paid up to £50 per hour.
Try New Products - keep the product & get paid.
Preview Movie Trailers - earn between £2 - £15 per Movie trailer

There is not only cash you could get companies May also reward you with free gift vouchers i.e. (Amazon for example) or a free gift of your choice. The more surveys you do the greater you could earn. What ever you decide to do this can be a part-time or full-time job it is entirely up to you, but you can make money. Even just an hour or two per night can provide you with a fair amount of cash or rewards. There are a lot of benefits from this great opportunity irrespective if you do it part or full-time. You can do well.

Become your own boss – don’t have anyone breathing down your neck!
Unlimited income - you choose how much you want to earn!
Keep 100% of the money you earn - no deductions to worry about!
Choose your own working hours - everything is up to you!
Complete freedom - your in charge of everything if you want time off take it!

Things their Members Have Said

"You are cheaper than every other paid survey site I've seen, plus its 100% genuine. I've earned £175 so far in just under 3 weeks...Thank you." Sarah Hoyle, UK.

"Well worth the £7.99. Although I haven't earned a huge amount of money I am certainly pleased with my earnings!" Peter Cranshaw, Birmingham, UK.
"Good database of companies can't wait to get stuck in!" Steve Harmon, Boston, USA. "4 surveys in a day - earned $70! Hopefully it'll carry on like this. Cheers." Susan Martin, USA.

More Information
There website was set-up to allow people that had a bit of spare time to make some extra money. They know that there are hundreds of thousands of companies out there who need your opinion, and this is a very important part of their research. i.e. your opinion.

If you were to attempt to find all one hounded of the companies in our database by your self it would take you a very long time - and you would end up wasting a lot of money and effort doing so. This is precisely why they are here, to give you access to all of these companies. They provide the link between you and the research company.

Key To Success-The Great Plan

2007-03-26T06:32:00.001-07:00

That’s right, before we start having any ideas of making money, easy money or fast money the lazy way, we need a plan. You will need to sit down, write down what is your objective. Are you in this internet business for fun, for a living hood or for the challenge? Which ever category you are in, you need a plan in order to be successful.

Write down what do you want to see yourself in say 6 months down the road? If you plan to be successful on the internet, making money and be able to quit your 9 to 5 job, there are good and bad news for you. The good news is that, yes, it is possible; there are guys out there who have made it and no turning back for them. The bad news is that it requires some effort on you part, you would need to stay on course, persevere and stay focus as the people who failed surpassed much more than those who succeeded. I am not promising any instant or overnight riches, but as long as you stick to your plan, you can be successful too.

You would need these ingredients in you plan to success. First, you need to find your target market. What I meant here is not just any market, but a very focus market, one where the people are extremely hungry and they have the ability to pay for what they want. Secondly, you need to identify the product for them. What is that market’s need, what exactly are they looking to buy? Usually you will find that any solutions to people’s problem are easier products to sell. Thirdly, we need to know how to reach out to these people, how to market to them and make them be aware of your product and make them wanting to buy a piece of the action. Last but not least, just duplicate the above three steps when you are done with one product. You will find that this is the key to automation and you will improve on your ways, research and products offering the next time round.

Of course the 4 steps would take you a long time to learn. Along the way, you might even be distracted. Remember when I mentioned about needing a plan in the beginning? This is where you need to be focused and stay true to your plan. There will always be lots of get rich schemes everyday, forget those. If you stick to your plan, your success will stay with you. Slowly but surely your riches will grow. If you want to be on target in your financial wealth, grab a seat and make a great plan.

Online Anonymity: A Double Edged Sword?

2007-03-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Online anonymity is a double edged sword. You can safely go online and surf the web, and remain unknown to people you may come into contact with. This, many people are finding out, is also a problem. It has come into light that the internet can be a very nasty place when no one knows who is behind the keyboard.

It is rather easy for websites to track user’s locations, what browser they are using, and other information. What no one can tell you though, is who exactly is behind the keyboard. Psychologists confirmed that the mask of anonymity can eventually make anyone do something they wouldn’t normally do.

Message boards are a good example of the problem. Many message boards can have very rude members that shout threats, rants, and other things that in real life, they would never say. It is a way to express yourself without giving up your identity, psychologists agreed. Doing other things such as looking at adult websites, making viruses, and other bad karmic actions can all come from an innocent 12 year old.

What’s the remedy? Well, there isn’t much anyone can do. Yahoo has taken down its message boards from the fights and insulting that filled them. Other websites are making people pay to use message boards, to ensure the ‘bad’ kinds of people don’t register. Beyond this, it is out of anyone’s control.

You can still find good people on the internet- but with the mask of anonymity, anyone could literally be anyone. This is a factor in online sex crimes, police officers say. In the end, you have to be careful what you do and say on the internet- even if you are entitled to ‘free speech’.

WiFi and You: A First Look

2007-03-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

Just about everyone remotely interested in computers has heard of Wi-Fi. Much less people know of what it is, what it stands for, or what it does. It has many applications in home and business life- so it is important to know about this bit of technology.

The Wi-Fi revolution started when the branded name was used to describe the wireless local area network technology that was being developed. It has been used in keyboards, phones, cars, televisions, and many more applications. It is the technology that lets two or more electrical devices ‘communicate’ with one another.

Modernly, the term is used to describe internet access- but it should be noted it has many other uses. (The Nintendo Wii being named after the technology, being a good example of gaming applications)

Typically, the process involves setting up an access point, or AP. The AP will transmit information to computer in range of its frequency, and usually can do so with great speed. This lets you set up LAN’s without the dreadful wiring, and take advantage of ‘hot spots’, or public internet access points.

The only drawback is that it drains batteries, if they are being used. Information can sometimes be intercepted, if you are running it on an un-secure transmission. If you have experience, and can properly set up your own Wi-Fi point, you should be perfectly fine. Otherwise, get a professional to do it- no need to risk an intrusion.

The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, and in the future it seems that Wi-Fi will become a standard. It is good to get to know the technology now, rather than wait until later and be lost. If you are tech savvy, this is the perfect way to clear the messy, tangled wires at your next LAN.

Make Money Online - Make Money at Home

2007-03-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

The internet is one of the best place where you can shop online for products you are looking for. Whether you are shopping for stuff like computers,credit card, clothing, digital products, etc for your own personal use, or products like programs that promise you to earn extra money online , they can be found everywhere in the internet world.

But out of these tons and tons of products, how many of them actually deliver what they promise? After having been preyed on buying, testing and wasting a lot of time and money on products that make empty promises of making you rich, I finally found some that actually deliver what they claim. There are great reviews in the internet on these 2 great products which I have personally used it and highly recommended (namely The Rich Jerk and Ultimate Wealth Package) as they are 2 great programs that actually work in setting up your internet home based business.

The key to make money from home is knowing how and where to start. Without the right starting point you will waste precious time and a ton of money. The 2 great products mentioned above gives you good opportunities for your online success to setup your own internet home based business, all you have to do is read them and follow their expert advice!

Still in doubt whether you can make money from home ? Its understandable as I have gone through this stage of deciding what is the best product that could help me to make money online from home. But don't worry, all you need to do is to spent some time to go through the reviews in their websites and you could decide whether they are good products. But don't wait too long or you will miss the golden opportunity to get the offers they have to give for a limited period of time.

My goal here is to help the new comers to this make money at home opportunity, to find the best product which will help you get started, so as to reduce your time and effort to search around the internet and not knowing which one to use at the end of your search.

Since there are a lot testimonial of successful people already using these 2 products to make money at home, you will have the chance to see all the great reviews by these people when you visit the 2 websites( The Rich Jerk and Ultimate Wealth Package)of these money making products.

Having said that, are you ready to make extra money from the comfort of your home? Get on board now and waste no more time. Start reading some of the great reviews about these programs that have to offer and you can decide whether this is the end of your search for the perfect program that promise to make money at home by setting up your own internet home based business!!!

All the best for your success to make extra money!!!

Discover How To Get Paid For Online Surveys The Easy Way Right Now

2007-03-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

It’s no surprise that everyone seems to want to know how to get paid for online survey. Sitting at your PC for a few hours each day, while you fill in a few online surveys, and then get paid directly into your account does sound like an extremely tempting idea. So how exactly do you get paid for taking online surveys? That is the question that this article intends to answer.

Market research is of the highest possible importance for businesses big and small. Businesses need to know what their potential customers want, and they are prepared to pay big for this information. You can get paid for online surveys simply because businesses need to know what you want and what you are thinking. If a business is prepared to spend millions of pounds on a new product launch then it makes sense to first find out what it’s potential customers want first. And more and more businesses worldwide are finding out this information by paying people to take online surveys.

So if you want to get paid for online surveys, how exactly do you get started? Well, you have two choices when trying to get paid for online surveys. The first option is to find businesses which are willing pay people to take online surveys. This can be time consuming and frustrating, and you will probably spend a great deal of time going round in circles while trying to find the information that you need.

The second option when trying to get paid for online surveys is to join a membership scheme which provides you with up-to-date information about the highest paying, and most reliable paid survey schemes.

Right now millions of business want to give you money in exchange for your opinion. If you want to make money for taking online surveys then now is the perfect time to start. Getting paid for taking online surveys really is an excellent way to make money at home, if you can find a good list of big businesses who want to hear your opinion.

Get Paid To Do Online Surveys - Earn From Home Doing Online Surveys

2007-03-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Are you someone at home and looking for extra income? Wouldn’t it be nice to earn from the comforts of your home just by giving your opinions? If you haven’t heard of online surveys then you are missing a lot of opportunities. If you want to earn from home and get paid to do online surveys then continue reading.

Online surveys have emerged in the internet to give opportunities to people to earn from home. This is well suited for stay-at-home moms, teens looking for profitable hobbies, retirees who want to use their free time wisely and for anyone who need and want income from home. Spend your spare time wisely and get paid to do online surveys.

Is this true? Why you get paid to do online surveys? Product companies are paying you to do online surveys because they need consumer’s opinions for their market research. It helps them to improve their products or make better products and this will improve their productivity and profitability. It is important for these product companies to have a market research from real costumers because if they make products without comprehensive market research they will end up losing millions of dollars.

What you need to do to capitalize on these online surveys? To get paid to do online surveys you need to choose the right online survey site for you. While online surveys are very popular now and you want to get paid to do online surveys, you also need to be cautious about it. Not all online survey sites works on your favor. There are online survey sites that are not legitimate and will just waste your time. You need to find a legitimate online survey company.

There are two kinds of online surveys, one for free and another with membership fee. Of course with free sites, credibility and legitimacy is not guaranteed. Your personal information is not secured and it’s up to you to take that risk. There is a high tendency that these free survey sites are selling your information. On the other hand, online survey sites with paid membership offer more security and assurance that you get paid to do online surveys. For just a small membership fee, you’ll get what you paid for.

6 MORE Reasons To Be An Infopreneur

2007-03-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

In another article about becoming an Internet Infopreneur, I shared five reasons for why you should consider creating and selling information products online. Just in case those are not enough, here are another six juicy benefits every infopreneur enjoys - and you can too.

6. Can be set to run hands-off.

Don't you wish you could be lying on a beach, sipping pina coladas, while your business chugs along raking in millions?

Well, maybe you won't be carrying the green stuff to your bank in sacks. But fully automated income streams running completely on auto-pilot with zero effort on your part are a 'dream come true' for many infopreneurs - including me.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean all you have to do is wish for it, and checks magically starts appearing in your mailbox.

No. You'll need to put in some effort first. Hard work, maybe. But once it's done, you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor for a long time - even many years.

7. Scalable - you can take it as high as you want.

Looking to make a few hundred dollars more every month? You can do it.

Want to replace your day job, and make a full-time income from your infopreneuring? That's possible too. A bit harder, but not very.

Do you plan on building your own information empire online, creating a huge fortune based on your infopreneuring? It is well within your reach. Just know you'll have to do things better, in a more structured, organized, systematic way to achieve this goal.

Your ambition as an infopreneur is only limited by your imagination!

8. No time limitations. Grow your business as fast or slow as you like.

Tired of punching a clock, turning up at the office 'on time', running on a treadmill that's ever moving faster - yet going nowhere!

Infopreneuring can be your salvation. You work a schedule determined by yourself, depending upon the targets and aims you define for your enterprise. Big or small, short term or long, there's a method you'll find optimal and suitable for your work as an infopreneur.

9. No geographic restrictions.

All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. It does not matter where in the world you live. Or where you travel. Or how often you do.

As long as you have access to a computer and a way to get hooked to the Internet, you can conduct your infopreneur operations unfettered. Indeed, within a short time, you'll learn to set things up so that you won't even need to check on things too often - maybe once a week, or month, or even once every year!

10. No barriers to entry.

Nothing keeps you out. Conventional barriers like language, social status, or physical handicaps do not matter when it comes to becoming an Internet infopreneur.

The World Wide Web is a great leveller. A one-man show can compete on its merits with a Fortune 500 corporation (within limits). You do NOT need expensive tools or equipment. You do NOT need a big marketing and advertising budget. You do NOT need an office, staff or employees.

You can launch your information business with a story - one based on your own experience, education or expertise.

11. Potential for long-term passive income.

To me, the biggest advantage - and one that is often overlooked - is the potential to work once and get paid over and over again. Many people who read about the potential in becoming an infopreneur give up too early, thinking it sounds like too much hard work.

You write a report or book once - and yes, it can be hard work. But guess what? You get paid for that work a year later... 4 years later... even 10 years later, or more! That's FUN.

So there you are... 11 great reasons to think about a career as an information product creator and marketer. When are you going to get started?

How Many Money Making Ideas Do You Need?

2007-03-22T04:45:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to make some money in a work at home internet business, the easiest thing to do is find ideas. They are everywhere. Some of the best ideas are free, while other get rich quick products can sell for $97 or more.

The free ideas can be just as profitable as the one you pay for. But whether or not you make money is more dependent on you and the effort you are willing to put into making it happen than it is on the money making idea itself.

All you need to make some money online is one idea and a lot of work. If you purchase a get rich quick product, odds are you will fail. They provide too many different ways to go and set expectations that cannot be met.

Since all you really need to do to prove to yourself that money can be made on internet is to make one sale, one single dollar, here is what I advise you use as your ONE money making idea.

Go to Clickbank and sign up. Select a product. It can be anything that interest you, but you should try to stay away from the "money making" category. Your readers will already know all the tricks. On the other hand, there are thousands of new suckers getting online every day. It's your conscience.

After you have found your product, write a short article of about 300-500 words and submit it to EzineArticles.com. The article should tell about how the product helped you by saving time or money, losing weight, cured pain, etc.

Of course, you will need to include your affiliate link in the Bio section to make the sell. You will also need a domain name to link to in your article because affiliate links are not acceptable.

If you write two or three articles a week you will start seeing some sales in a few days. I have some articles that are still seeing pageviews and publishing a year after I wrote and posted them.

Put out some money making monkeys in the form of articles. They may not bring you back a big wad of cash overnight, but they will slowly begin to bring you some checks from Clickbank.

And the monkeys work indefinitely. What you did a year ago could make you a profit today, even if you don't remember doing it.

How Can You Really Turn People Off Your Website?

2007-03-22T04:44:00.002-07:00

For most internet marketers, their website is the life blood of their business. It’s where they can display their wares to best effect and to encourage keen and curious visitors to browse their many products and services. The hope is that these precious visitors will be impressed enough by the skill of the advertising copy that they will put their hands in their pockets and reach for their credit cards. But there are some website owners that seem to go to great lengths to do exactly the opposite and use every trick in the book to drive those visitors away. Let’s look at how they cleverly achieve that.

One of the best ways to annoy a new visitor to your site into leaving straight away is to bombard them with an in-your-face popup. Luckily, most browsers have popup blockers, but there are some really determined webmasters out there that manage to write code to get round that, so they still have a chance to get their hard earned visitor to reach for the mouse and click on the X. They seem determined to force that fickle visitor to fill in their opt-in box by ramming into their faces. Having one on the homepage just doesn’t seem enough to the really xenophobic website owner, the ones that cry, “Get away. Get away!” Well, guess what. That ploy definitely succeeds.

Not far behind the annoying popup in the race to get everyone to desert your website lurks the dreaded flash presentation. Especially the ones that take forever to load up, even on a fast internet connection. Even better are the ones that don’t let you exit from the presentation before it’s finished. You can rest easy in your bed with one of those, because no one is going to hang around for long enough to see what your website is actually selling.

Well, lets assume that the really determined visitor, still clutching his or her credit card so tightly that their knuckles are turning white, has managed to close your popup window and stay riveted to your half hour flash film of a boat sailing along some exotic river and has actually got to your homepage. Well, they’ve found it alright, but they can’t find anything on it because it’s so cluttered with ad banners for a hundred different products and services, none of which is what they came to your site to see in the first place. It takes a real tough cookie to stick around much longer.

But the final nail in the coffin must come when after all that poor visitor has been through, they are then subjected to some old, decrepit company director type yapping away about some great opportunity that must not be missed. The best ones talk incessantly in a nasally, annoying, heavily accented voice with so much echo it sound like they recorded it in a bathroom. Just as you’re searching frantically for the button to shut him off, the twenty year old synthesizer music starts playing at full volume and the neighbours start banging on the walls because you’re still surfing at three in the morning (that was a really long flash presentation).

Well, the moral of this story is if you want to have the fewest visitors to your site possible, then the above measures will pretty well achieve that. Best of all, those few visitors that do stick around then leave will never come back to despoil your beautifully crafted and highly expensive website. On the other hand, if you want the opposite to happen and want people to actually stay and buy stuff from your site, then you have to keep it simple and effective.

The Magic of Thinking Small

2007-03-22T04:44:00.001-07:00

We're all after financial independence - the security that comes with knowing that only you control your future. That that you'll never have to kiss up to another boss or chase another prospect to put food on your table. The amount of money that would provide that security depends on your needs and wants, but it's safe to say that you'll need at least a dozen years salary working for you to feel comfortable.

So, what's wrong with focusing all your energy on making that money as soon as is possible? Isn't the first step to reaching your dreams thinking and dreaming big?

The problem is that When you start thinking big, you have to plan big. Planning big leads to big commitments which means that you're going to have to invest a substantial amount of hard work, time, and money to implement your big plan. When you invest a lot of resources in any plan, you're also taking a tremendous risk that the plan you're pursuing is a good one. But, what if it's not?

Randomness plays a huge part in online business success. The history of the internet is filled with stories of good ideas that never reach a critical mass and break out. Online success is more a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right idea than it is about having the better idea or the better plan. With that in mind, does it make any sense as a small business person to invest all your time and resources into a big plan? Especially an unproven plan? What you're doing is giving yourself a single shot, committing to one idea that could make or break your business while at the same time having little idea if that idea has any potential at all.

Are you comfortable with risking the future of your business on a single big idea? Instead, think small. Try as many easy to implement and inexpensive ideas as you can. Evaluate what works and then commit more energy and money into the ideas that show some promise. Not only will you automatically diversify your business and insulate it against the loss or failure of any one part, it gets more of your good ideas out in public and substantially increases the odds that one of them will be a hit.

Improving Your Website's Performance

2007-03-22T04:43:00.002-07:00

How well is your website performing? Are you satisfied with the amount of customers who view your website? Do you get enough business through your website? By reading this article you will be in a position to do something about all three questions.

It's all very well having a nicely designed and appealing website for your business but it's of no use if you don't get the customers to visit it. The number one term you will find associated with this is search engine optimisation. You will find endless sources on the Internet telling you to optimise this and optimise that but what does it all mean?

Search engine optimisation simply means making your website as friendly to search engines as possible. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN provide your business with the ability to reach a huge amount of customer’s, they are by far the most successful method to boost sales for your business. If your website is nicely optimised then you will have a greater chance of appearing higher up on the search engines.

Most customers will type in a phrase into the search engine and view the first couple of websites that it finds, they will usually be successful in finding what they were looking for on the first page of results. Statistics show that customers very rarely look further than the first page (90% don't look past the first page) so what good is it if your website was on page 10? This is where search engine optimisation comes in, it will give your business a greater chance of being on that first golden page in the search engines.

There are many methods that all contribute to a higher ranking but some are more influential than others. The first factor is having a well built website. This is a standard feature that all website design companies should offer.

The second method is keywords. Keywords are the words that are associated with your business, the idea is to include these words in your website so when a customer types in a phrase in a search engine, your website is more likely to appear. Keywords should be chosen carefully to target the correct market for your business. It’s no good targeting the word “Fruit” if your business sells website design.

The third factor that contributes to a high search engine ranking is back links. This simply means a link from someone else’s website to yours. The more links you have to your website the better. Search engines view your back links as a sign of popularity and obviously the more popular you are the more successful you appear.

One of the best methods for this is to submit your website to online directories, not only will you get a back link but you are also likely to get a lot of customers coming to your website from that link. Make sure that you select trusted directories and one's that can relate to your business, there is a chance that you will get penalised by search engines if you sign up to link farms (websites that collect lot's of spam and poor quality links).

Finally, having a website that is constantly updated also gives you a boost in terms of search engines as they like to see fresh content. This is also likely to draw customers back to your website as they know they are likely to see something new. This in turn will boost the amount of traffic you get to your website which will also help in gaining a higher search engine rank.

These are just some of the methods in which you can improve your website performance, there are many other factors that contribute to a high search engine ranking. Most are an on-going process so it is very beneficial to your business to continually try to improve your performance as there is always someone competing against you for that top spot.

Money Making Opportunities On The Web

2007-03-22T04:43:00.001-07:00

With so many money making programs flooding the internet these days it can become overwhelming. It can become difficult to determine which ones are legitimate and which ones are "scams", "gifting programs", or "pyramid schemes". I would recommend doing extensive research on any one particular program before joining.

What you can do and what I look for is, are the owners contact information readily available on their website. This is very important and I would suggest you contact them with any questions you may have. Take note of how fast they respond to your inquiry and if they seem honest about the costs involved engaging in the program. This will provide invaluable piece of mind and confidence for you in the long run.

I have joined programs without contacting the administrator and have been burned in the past. I have found the ones that provide good communication are the ones worth your time and money. Let's face the facts there are many scams on the internet these days and you do not want to get involved with these. They are just looking to take your money and run. Bottom line be very careful.

There are some programs that even offer various "levels" from which to choose. I would recommend these for anyone looking to add some cash to their bank accounts. In addition some of these really are decent business opportunities which will require you to obtain a merchant account to accept all types of payment on your websites.

Many of these programs will offer software from which you can download, use for yourself, and later resell for profit. This is a good business model to get involved with on the internet because most purchases on the internet are digital downloads for various software programs. Most of the software you will receive is worth thousands of dollars that you will have access to at below wholesale cost which will turn big profits for you.

Anyone who is interested in starting their own business online would definitely benefit from doing some research before jumping into whatever looks good. There are unfortunately many programs that just don't work or require tons of cash to benefit from. So do your homework, call the owners, and decide which program is best suited for you.

Weaving New Techniques for Business Growth

2007-03-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

In today's day and age, it’s complete lunacy for businesses to ignore the importance of eMarketing and how it can ultimately benefit their bottom line. Already it’s now 2007 and eMarketing is in full swing, yet it seems there are a lot of organisations that still don’t want to know about it. This baffles me to no extent. I am often wondering why people ignore the fact that there are millions of potential customers out there and reaching them via eMarketing techniques is far more cost effective than any other means.

I guess I should probably take the time to define eMarketing for those of us who do not entirely understand what this new form of advertising is all about. First and foremost, eMarketing is the future. It is a form of promoting your business by utilising technologies such as the World Wide Web, e-mail and mobile phones. Using eMarketing techniques to promote your business not only exposes your products and services to a huge array of potentially new clients but it does so without limiting you and your marketing campaign to any physical location. Your new clients could come from Switzerland, California or Tokyo – the possibilities are endless!

So, you’re probably thinking to yourself that this new method of marketing sounds great but how can it benefit me and does it really work. Well, to put it simply, yes it does and it can work for you. It’s already working for millions of businesses worldwide such as EzyDVD, WeightWatchers and others. There are currently over 6.5 billion users online internationally with over 34 million from the Oceania / Australia region alone. In fact, over 53.5% of the population based in Oceania / Australia are online and using the Internet daily. Those are some huge figures and they shouldn’t be ignored. Exposing yourself to even a small portion of these users would be far more worthwhile than putting a small advertisement in the local rag.

When it comes to planning your eMarketing campaign, there are a number of things to consider. Primarily you need to determine which mediums you wish to advertise on, what you want to advertise exactly, who you want to advertise to and most importantly how. You also need to remember that much like any standard promotion, people are going to want to know what you’re offering and they’re going to want to know quickly. In some cases, Internet and mobile based users have even less patience than the rest of us and it is important to take this into consideration when designing your marketing collateral.

In a nutshell, you should consider marketing your business in any or all of the following areas. Initially you may choose to only promote yourself in one or two of these mediums, however a long term goal should be set to establish yourself in all of the following categories to ensure you utilise the technology around you to its full extent.

Company Website: Having a strong online presence is crucial to the success of your eMarketing campaign and as such it should be the first item on your list of things to do. Your website should be informative, well structured, usable and accessible to all kinds of users while retaining look and feel of your organisations brand. Spend as much time as necessary on your website as it is the most important tool in any eMarketers toolkit.

Search Engine Optimisation: Ensuring your website is “search engine friendly” is undoubtedly a key element to any successful eMarketing campaign. Never overlook the importance of Search Engine Optimisation. It is a fact that 90% of users will use search engines such as Google and Yahoo to find the products and/or services they’re after. Because of this, it is critical that your business appears as close to the top of the results list as humanly possible. If you cannot find yourself on the first three pages, you’ve already lost the war.

Internet Marketing: Marketing on the Internet through websites, forums, community sites and online stores can be a painstaking task, however there are well established organisations that can give you a hand. You must remember that the Internet is a diverse world and getting your message out there and to the appropriate users is not as straight forward as you may think. Seek professional advice to ensure your advertisements hit your specific target market every time.

Email Marketing: Sending newsletters and other promotional items via electronic mail is another form of eMarketing that can simplify the way you communicate with your current client base. Emailing your clients can be an exceptionally cost effective way of relaying important information quickly and easily while also promoting your new products and services at the same time.

Mobile Marketing: Mobile technology has reached a point where marketing your business on such a medium can be just as beneficial as advertising on the radio or the Internet. Users from the age of thirteen onward use mobile phones daily and often are found browsing mobile-based websites looking at content that interests them. This is a growing medium that has not reached its full potential and eMarketers who make use of such a technology now will undoubtedly reap the benefits in years to come.

Interactive Media: Another form of eMarketing that is often forgotten is the use of Interactive Media. Have you ever been at a trade show or networking event and wondered whether you could be doing something better to inform the people around you about your business? Interactive CD-ROM’s and DVD-ROM’s can be used to convey important information about your products and services to the people who matter in the form of a business card or displayed on a large screen.

Now that you know what eMarketing is all about and how you can use it to help your business grow in new and wonderful ways, where should you go from here? Start by writing up a complete marketing campaign that focuses primarily on eMarketing techniques and technologies. Do your homework and find as many online marketing agencies and creative design organisations as possible that will be able to accurately target your marketing online. Remember, it’s not what you advertise so much as how you advertise it and that’s the bottom line.

Work At Home Online Jobs The Key For A New And Better Lifestyle

2007-02-14T23:54:00.002-08:00

The online market is a powerful and massive tool for all people that want to make money with work at home online jobs, with this incredible tool you can develop business online, electronic marketing, advertising online, e-commerce, online jobs, etc. Today there are around 676 million people in the world with access to the network market.

Today the world is in high speed transformation. On one side you have the technical advances that have forced many jobs disappeared with rapidity and it has had the budget of the biggest companies and corporations to cut in. No one can see who can take a permanent job out there. People with vision have known of the importance to have an additional source to make money and to have an additional income.

Well in the other side is not possible that the destination of almost everybody is at the hands of the corporative system. I definitively think that people can build their future with their own hands. An a work at home online jobs can be their passport for a better and modern new lifestyle.

Every day more and more people use the internet for make transactions anywhere in the world, If you are looking for a job, go and look on the internet you will find many online jobs. If you make a search on the internet for work at home online jobs you will obviously meet a lot of options.

The first thing that you have to do is examine all the options that you find on your research on the internet about the budget, the directly support, the website setup, if the work is part time job, the international expansion and when you will have the amount of your invested money back. So take your time making your research and look to all the options before choose one.

Stop Storing Tips On SEO-Copywriting, Blogging and Web Design (and Maybe Other Things)

2007-02-14T23:54:00.001-08:00

Did you know that storing 'tips' in a file for reference is becoming as obsolete as the T-Model Ford? Let me relate to you how things have evolved in this area...

Disclosure: The viewpoint described here is based on my experience over the last four years, and I do indeed follow the recommendation I have made at the end.

Over those four years I've been writing articles, blogging and designing web sites. Naturally I've needed to know the best way to do all these things.

As I'm sure you are aware, all the how-to information on the above subjects is available copiously on the Internet from a variety of expert authors. So what did I do? Just like you, I bookmarked the information or pasted it into a disk file for reference (more recently, I was pasting into online files). Now let's leave that aside for the moment.

Wanting to stay abreast of the concerned topics, I also subscribed to expert blog feeds on each of them.

******

NOW HERE'S THE KICKER: I found that every so often, each expert throws an up-to-date how-to list at you!

******

As a result of this interesting phenomenon, I have taken a silent oath never to save or bookmark key information on these subjects. At the same time I constantly refine my list of roughly 50 feeds to ensure that I am always seeing the freshest, most accurate and best-informed how-to lists.

For not-so-common subjects where there are no expert feeds, yes, I still bookmark, but that does not detract from the essence of my commentary here.

Here's a sampling of the blogs I subscribe to, by category:

1. SEO

* Matt Cutts, www.mattcutts.com/blog
* Brad Fallon, www.bradfallon.com/
* Aaron Wall, www.seobook.com/
* SEOmoz (Rand Fishkin), www.seomoz.org/blog
* Graywolf (Michael Gray), www.wolf-howl.com/
* Shoemoney (Jeremy Schoemaker), www.shoemoney.com/

2. Copywriting

* Copyblogger (Brian Clark), www.copyblogger.com/

3. Blogging

* ProBlogger (Darren Rowse), www.problogger.net/
* Daily Blog Tips, www.dailyblogtips.com/

4. Web Design

* Lockergnome (Chris Prillo), www.lockergnome.com/nexus/web
* Inside Google Sitemaps, sitemaps.blogspot.com/
* Pearsonified (Chris Pearson), www.pearsonified.com/

Enter Data Online-Work From Home Benefits and Drawbacks

2007-02-14T23:53:00.001-08:00

The internet is filled with every variety of work from home opportunity you can imagine. From entering data online to stuffing envelopes at home, if there is a way to work at home, someone is going to try and sell you how to do it. The recent economic internet boom has allowed new markets to be developed overnight, creating a vast pool of untapped wealth that continues to grow daily. There has been a steady increase in the amount of companies offering data entry programs since this economic expansion began. The question still remains, can you get paid to enter data online through data entry programs?

What does it mean to "enter data online"? Well, there can be a number of different ways to enter data online, but the most common practice is referring to ad creation and placement for affiliated companies. There are also companies out there who offer data entry positions for hourly wages, this refers to companies looking for skilled typers to file records and other varieties of information on the web. Because the majority of data entry opportunities are geared towards our first definition of entering data online, that to will be the main focus of this article.

If you are considering an Enter Data Online opportunity there are several signs you should look for to determine how legitimate the opportunity really is.

First, be sure that there is a money back guarantee. Due to the high amount of scamming on the web, always be sure there is a money back guarantee offered before making any purchase or registration. You would not want to spend a dime on something that wasn't worth it, by having the option of getting your money back you can stay safe and also take the first step towards improving your income.

Second, the cost should be relatively low. The going rate is about $49.95 and this is ok if the opportunity is worthwhile. But be careful with high priced programs, sometimes opportunities that require the most money turn out to be nothing more than time consuming money pits.

Third, can you get support if you need it? Email is the most commonly used method of support and this is fine assuming you can get an email response in a timely fashion. Often, email support can take 3-4 days to respond through some data entry programs. A response within 24 hours should be expected from any legitimate opportunity. Its always a good idea to ask a question or two to gauge the support response time should you really need some help.

You may find that these three tips are quite simple and obvious, but they do apply to all work from home opportunities, not simply entering data online, and should always be kept in mind.

The benefits of working from home and entering data online can be seen not only financially, but also socially, and emotionally. The opportunity to increase your income from home can take a load off of an individual or families financial burdens, but sometimes the benefits reach further than numbers. By working from home you are opening yourself to more time available to be devoted to not only your own personal finances, but your family, friends, and personal health.

Working from home completely cuts a commute out of your daily schedule, immediately freeing up time that used to be spent in a car, bus, train, etc. Time spent well with family and friends because of newfound financial and personal freedom are some of the immediate visible benefits. If the your focus is for a part time home business opportunity, then the main benefits are financial as more income creates less financial stress. Working from home can create an overall improvement in the quality of life.

Data entry programs also have their own drawbacks as most things that seem to good to be true usually are. Working from home requires a certain level of discipline and focus, as those extra hours at home can get wasted very easily. If you are going to work from home, you need to be able to actually do work when you are home. Aside from personal drawbacks such as lack of focus and scheduling, its possible to run into problems actually entering data online.

More often than not, the work will be more complicated than the website has advertised. If the training provided is insufficient or simply wrong, you can spend a lot of time and money trying to figure out exactly how to get your data entry campaign rolling. This is why going with a legitimate opportunity that provides real resources and support is so crucial to the success of any work from home data entry campaign.

Get Paid To Fill Out Surveys

2007-02-14T23:49:00.002-08:00

Did you know you can get paid to fill out surveys online? I did not know that until recently. Can you imagine, being paid to give your opinions on different products and services. I honestly can not think of an easier way to make some quick cash. It is almost like you are getting given the cash as a gift or something.

How does it work? Well, as I mentioned above you get paid to give your opinions on various products and services. You are usually required to join a panel and as a member of that panel you will receive different surveys. You will be asked to complete the surveys, and once you have filled in your survey you will have to submit it to the company collecting the survey data. As soon as your completed survey is received and your data recorded you will receive a check in the mail, shortly afterwards.

How much do you get paid? There is no fixed or regulated amount you can get paid for filling out surveys. Each survey is different, in terms of the length and the companies involved. This also affects how much you get paid. Usually you get paid for the longer surveys, but this is not always the case. Sometimes even short surveys may pay you well too. You just have to choose your surveys wisely. Just to give you rough estimates, by taking a simple, easy online survey you can make $5 to $75 per survey!

Where can you register to get paid to fill out surveys? There are many sites out there that provide you will directories of companies you can contact to start filling out surveys for cash. These sites have done all the hard work for you researching the survey companies you can work for, all you have to do is plug in to their database, contact the survey companies to register.

A simple search on Google or any other major search engines should return tons of results you can choose from. I recommend that you only consider signing up for paid survey sites that show you proof of checks received by other members or any sort of results, that they have access to surveys you can get paid to fill out online.

How I Sold My Teacher's Used Car in Less Than Two Hours!

2007-02-14T23:49:00.001-08:00

Class Project

Marketing teachers have always been dynamic, which is probably why I enjoy my marketing courses so much in school. One teacher in particular stands out to me, he made a big deal of utilizing real life examples to demonstrate his curriculum. Generally searing the concept into our ripe minds. His most recent brainstorm came last week when he told the class that whoever could sell his used car the fastest and for the most money would be excused from the midterm. This was not a 'sell a used car' lesson, this was a 'market value' lesson.

Everyone was game for the task and ready to get started, but there was just one question left to ask; what was the car and where was the car? The car was in the parking lot, and by the looks of it had been there a while, it was a ratty old Honda Accord that had seen better days. Everyone cringed as they saw it, but then the look of steely determination took over most faces, the idea of skipping a hefty midterm high in everyone's minds.

Method Options

This class met twice a week for two hours both times, he gave us this assignment at the beginning of the class period and told us to research our options and the market value of the vehicle, and to have something to show him by the end of the class period. Everyone went to work right away, some of the guys even borrowed a hose from maintenance and went to town washing the Accord in the hopes of raising its value.

I took another route, I jotted down all of the information about the vehicle, then I went directly to the computer lab. I had a secret weapon, the fastest way to sell a car is to go online. My sister had just sold her car to an online service, and had raved about how easy it had been.

Online Solution to a Real Life Problem

I went to their website and filled out their brief online form, which allowed the car to start accumulating bids right away. Then I called their 800 number to cover all my bases. The woman who answered the phone was very helpful and when I explained the project to her she was eager to help me win.

She said it was lucky I called when I did because they had an appraiser near the school who would be finished with his appointment shortly. She phoned him and asked him to come see my teachers Accord, sure enough he appeared in the parking lot 15 minutes later.

Work at Home Successfully In 2007

2007-02-14T23:48:00.002-08:00

Congratulations on your decision to work at home. There are so many benefits to doing your business from the convenience of your own house that it is not surprising that so many people are doing tee same thing. Of course, there are some very important matters that should be taken into consideration before deciding to conduct all of your work from your home.

First and foremost, there is the matter of space to consider. For example, when you set up an area to work at home, where is that space located? Do you already have a separate office or den that houses your desk, computer, phones, and all other tangible aspects of the business? Or do you plan to set aside a corner of the family room, or even work at the dining room table? These are all quite important to consider, as it is a necessary part of a successful work at home venture to maintain some degree of separation between your work and personal matters.

You see, when you make the decision to work at home, you are not actually making the decision to stay home, but rather a decision to relocate your office to a more convenient place. So there should be a separate area for working, where the home life stops and the work begins. It is much easier to get work done if there are not piles of laundry waiting to be folded and dishes ready to be washed all in plain sight, beckoning you to tend to these household chores in lieu of work chores.

Also, consider the type of work at home you are conducting. Will you need to have clients over to review documents? If so, your work at home plan should include designs for the office space that would transform the area into a professional place worthy of clientele visits. A separate entrance, if possible, is also a great idea, so the visitors will not be navigating around your children's toys and other family clutter. Perhaps you will not have clients visiting the office; however, you may have to utilize the telephone to conduct work matters. If this is the case, and there are small children around the home, you will certainly need several hours of quiet and minimal distractions so as to conduct your work in private and with your full attention.

Though these points may be causing you to think about your choice to work at home, it really can be so beneficial to many professionals these days. No more long commutes, expensive work clothing, no more of any of the small inconveniences that mount when you work from a location away from home. To decide to work at home is a big decision and it should, therefore, be given the utmost consideration, but in the end, you can tailor your home office to your business needs. All in all, a work at home venture can be the best choice for many professionals looking for an easier and more convenient work location.

Avoiding Home Business and Residual Income Scams

2007-02-14T23:48:00.001-08:00

There are so many opportunities to chose from and many of them are broken promises or out right scams. Deciding which ones are legitimate is hard and scams, unfortunately, are a real problem. Residual income opportunities are too often a large source for these scams, but lucky for those looking to start in self employment, not every residual income or home business opportunity is fraudulent. In fact, many are legitimate and actually provide a very decent income. To make a good decision on where to start you must first know the signs of a scam. Then once the scams are sifted through a person can make a really great income.

The first and most important rule in avoiding scams is to never pay for a job. Any opportunity that asks you to pay just to work is not worth it. For every one of these opportunities there are numerous real opportunities that are FREE. The only time spending money for a job is appropriate is when the company gives you something in return. For example, paying for sample products or, as many direct sales jobs require, buying a start up kit. The problems begin when a company wants a person to pay for nothing such as administrative costs or processing which are best left unpaid. There are many more options and spending money to sign up for an opportunity is just not a good idea.

What follows is a list which gives an idea of some other things to watch out for to help avoid scams. There should be consideration given too all of them when thinking about any opportunity. By considering them, you can avoid wasting time and money on something that will never help build a home business and/or residual income.

1. A good support network. Every business opportunity should offer several different kinds of support through training, mentoring and how-to's. The idea behind most residual income opportunities is to have sponsor support. Building a strong team that works together to form a sound business is key. If there is no support then success will be elusive.

2. Good products or services that are in demand. The products and services should be real and something that people want to purchase. If nobody wants to buy what is on offer,then the chances of the business surviving are slim.

3. Getting started is not difficult and overpriced. If the company makes getting started too hard then problems will most likely arise. A hard to start business could easily make a person give up before reaching any level of success or it could lead to serious future problems in keeping the business going.

4. Staying power. The company to get involved with should be built to last. They should have a good reputation and solid business practices. If there are any signs of weakness then the business would not provide a dependable way to build an income.

5 Steps To Getting Your Internet Business Going

2007-02-14T23:45:00.000-08:00

Whether you intend to start a large internet business or a small business, the beginning phases can be stressful. There is a vast amount of duties and obligations to get the business running and you want to do it as quick as possible to begin making money. By following these 5 beginning steps, you can get your internet business going as quickly as possible with little stress.

1. Start-up plan

Having a start-up plan to your internet business will eliminate a lot of the stress because you will be organized. By knowing what you want to accomplish and how you will do it, it eliminates the worrying and uncertainty of what step to take from there.

2. Domain name

In order to access your internet business and promote it online, you have to select a domain name to represent your website and business. Because of the increasing popularity of the internet, it is becoming more difficult to find a basic domain name. However, it is crucial that you find one that has your company name or even your personal name in it somewhere. While products go away over time, company names and personal names are bound to stay for life.

3. Finding a web host

The web host is important because they are going to be the company that is going to control your website. You want to research to find the most reasonable price for a reliable company. Look into how reliable the company is with handling complaints and fixing problems. The more comfortable you feel about the web host, the safer your internet business will be.

4. Website design

The design of an internet business website is crucial to how successful you will become. Because it is an internet business, you want it to look classy and professional. Eliminate as many flashy things as you can and coordinate the background color with the color of your font. Also, make sure that your links and ads are visible and easy to click on.

5. Marketing your website

Once you have set up your website and have the basic layout the way you want it to be, it’s time to start bringing in customers. You have to remember that an internet business involves constant attention, addition and alteration. Therefore, don’t wait to begin marketing your website until you feel it is up to par. The sooner you begin marketing your website, the sooner you can begin making money.

There are several aspects to getting an internet business up and running, but these are the basics. If you focus on accomplishing these 5 steps, you will be able to pick up on the rest while you begin to make money from the traffic you generate.

A "Little" Ebay Business? There's No Such Thing!

2007-02-09T22:29:00.003-08:00

While some people think eBay is nothing more than the biggest yard sale in the world, the truth is that no business is a "little" business. That mindset means that you don't think much of yourself, your customers or your reputation.

If you have no previous retail experience, it's understandable that you might not believe that you are as important as the biggest retailers - but you are! For one thing, your customers are the same - they are people. These people have one thing in common: they are the most important people in the world, to themselves. They expect (and demand) to be treated as if they are the most important people in the world. In other words, "the untrammeled selfishness of the retail customer cannot be underestimated."

It used to be true that being a "go-getter" was the most important mindset for a person who wanted to succeed in life. That's changed. The most important mindset is that of a "go-giver". The more you offer your customers in good value, help, freebies and good communication, the more you can expect return business. Fast replies to questions, reasonable return policies and generosity of spirit make you valuable to those who not only buy from you, but recommend you to others.

Take the time to hunt around for information on retailing, managing a business, doing research, etc. Take a course or seminar on running a small business. Talk to business owners about their business (especially if you frequent thrift shops, flea markets, consignment stores and the like). Find out what the day to day concerns of face-to-face business owners are, because they'll often be the same for you.

Perhaps you might take a step back and ask yourself, "What am I trying to accomplish?" Most of the things we do are means to an end. What are your end values? Mine are Harmony, Trust and Fulfillment. Struggling to find out what, in the end, is most important to you is a worthwhile struggle. The end result will inform you as to the best way to use eBay to reach your end values.

What are You Waiting to Monetize Your Website?

2007-02-09T22:29:00.001-08:00

A great percentage of individual users who have websites are not yet making money with their website. In this article, I will reveal to you how to monetize your website and start making cool money from it.

I write this article specifically to those who have website with valuable information and yet do not make money from it. It is high time you started making money from your website. For those who don't have a website, I am sorry. I will tell you how to make money on the internet even if you don't have a website on my next article.

Having a website is one of the most important things that is required for one to start making money online. Most people own a website today just for the purpose of making money. If your website has a highly valuable content and you still do not make money with it, it is high time you wake up and start making money with it. Below are some basic ways through which you can monetize your website.

Google Adsense: With Google Adsense, you website has a great potential of pulling in a lot of cash for you. Google Adsense is a program that is powered by Google. If you have a website, you can sign up for this program and start receiving adverts on your website. You will make a small amount of money each time a visitor to your website click on these adverts.

Most People Want To Take Control Over Their Own Lives

2007-02-09T22:28:00.002-08:00

Most people get to a stage when they want to take control over their own lives and start a business of their own. This requires a lot of dedication and hard work. It is not easy to get any sort of business off the ground successfully without a lot of hard work.

Before embarking on such a venture first investigate the market, and see where there is a gap that you can fill. Do market research and make sure that you will have a place in the market for whatever it is that you want to do. It is no good starting something that will not make money for you. Give your plans a lot of thought and make a list of what you want from the business and what you want to put into the business.

The best way to ensure success is to do something that you are passionate about. This will keep you focused and you will not resent working very hard at it. Only hard work and enthusiasm can make a new venture work.

If you decide to start working online this could be very interesting as it is the market place of today. There are many sites that sell all sorts of things and you could either offer a product of your own for sale or you could sell someone else’s products at a profit. You might be concerned that your knowledge of the internet was too limited. If you keep your eyes open you can learn a lot online. Read through information slowly over and over until you understand what is meant by what they are saying. Have a notepad and pencil next to you to make notes. You will be amazed how much you will be learning...

Tips On Starting A Wholesale Dropshipper Business

2007-02-09T22:28:00.001-08:00

Becoming a wholesale dropshipper can be a messy business which you may end up hating after getting started. Many people consider becoming a drop shipper because it appears an easy way to start an online business.

However, what most people fail to realize is like any business drop shipping does take effort. However if you spend time to learn some tips and learn from others drop shippers you can definitely have a solid business bringing in a handsome profit.

To start as a wholesale drop shipper you should do some research and building a product portfolio list. These are the products you would like to sell. This is going to take some work, but finding the right market is critical.

Look for markets you have an interest in. For instance if you love dog, look at different dog accessories or products. Look for products that are not to heavy to ship and also that are not to competitive online.

As you are doing your research you should also consider finding a wholesale drop ship distributor you can work with that will drop ship or locating a directory database of wholesale drop ship suppliers. There are lots of places online you can easily find a distributor for your business but make sure you focus on a reliable drop ship directory or you can waste lots of money fast. Just don’t buy any old list of dropshipper suppliers. Find a drop ship directory that is sponsored by the better business bureau and fair trade authority.

Next decide where you will sell your products. Will you start with a yahoo store or perhaps and ebay store. This is perhaps the easiest way to start as a wholesale dropshipper.

You should also consider how you will accept payment. The easiest way is though merchants like paypal, or paydotcom. They allow you to take credit card payments without a merchant account. When your business grows you can get your own merchant account.

When you finally locate a product and supplier a drop ship directory make sure you review all the suppliers’ policies before doing business with them. This way you do not find yourself in a bad situation later by violating a policy.

Lastly, continue to talk to other wholesale dropshippers online and see what is working for them and make adjustments to your business. Many of the reliable wholesale drop shipper directories online have forums and live support to help you out in finding products or suppliers.

How To Make Money Using Google Adsense

2007-02-09T22:25:00.002-08:00

Google Adsense is an advertising program of Google where publishers display random Google advertisements on their websites and earn when some one clicks on any of the advertisements from their website.

The amount of money that you will earn from each advertisement click through will depend on the amount of money that the advertiser has set to his or her advertisement.

There are some techniques that you as a webmaster can use so as to increase the number of clicks through and earn more money.

So let me just share with you 3 techniques to use when you wish to display some Google Adsense advertisements on your website:

1) Place your Google Adsense advertisements on the top of your page. When people visit your website, they will put their attention on the information that is displayed at the top of the page. Therefore, you will want people to see your Google Adsense advertisements so that there will be possibilities of a click through.

2) Blend your Google Adsense advertisements with your website. Use the same font and font color that suits your website theme. You can set the font and font color from your Google Adsense account. If you blend your Google Adsense advertisement well, your website will look very professional.

3) Generate lots of traffic to your website. With little traffic, there will not be many people viewing your Google Adsense advertisement, which will result in low click through rate.

4) According to surveys and research, Google Adsense advertisements without borders will generate more clicks through when compared with advertisements with borders. But if you think that advertisements with border suit better with your website design, then please set the borders.

Take some time and try out the above 4 techniques that are listed above. You will need some time to trial and error so as to find out the best strategies for your website and Google Adsense combination.

Once you have find out your best strategies, success with Google Adsense will not be a myth anymore.

What You Should Keep In Mind While Choosing an Appropriate E-Commerce Solution?

2007-02-09T22:25:00.001-08:00

The concept of an easy and installation-free ecommerce is not very old. Difference lies in today’s robust, reliable and powerful yet inexpensive ecommerce solutions no matter it is a readymade package or a customized solution. A reliable and secure hosted ecommerce service is supposed to meet an online merchant's non-product needs, offering a solid combination of shopping cart technology, merchandising, secure payment mode, cheap shipping, great marketing heads and of course, reliable hosting.

Well you might be having a great choice regarding hosted ecommerce packages but availability of so many web hosting companies may confuse whom to choose. Here you will find some tips helping you decide what is important while selecting a web-hosting service and package.

Complete Wizard-Driven Setup As an online merchant, you would seek an easy and all-in-one ecommerce solution without any problems in setup. You should decide on an appropriate wizard that is effective enough to take you from start to end, completing a fully operational, production-ready e-commerce storefront.

Stay on good choice of templates Every business and its products require somewhat different design template. Like one size does not fit all, same goes with the designs. If you are not offered with a powerful selection of design templates, then better stay off from that hosting company.

Easy and manageable Catalog import/export Every e-commerce storefront will allow you to make a catalog; but not all of them will let you import the already existing data. Same way, an easy export data feature is equally important as you may want to change host in future. You wouldn’t like to feed all the data again of course.

Easy and Secure Payment Method An efficient hosted e-commerce vender would offer several payment gateways apart from PayPal. Undoubtedly PayPal is suitable for many, but certainly not to all.

Cheap and Speedy Shipping Robust shipping is one of the features that speeds up the popularity as well holds e-commerce together. An effective and best operative hosted e-commerce must include automated and strong shipping calculation tie-ins to the major shipping companies.

Smart Tips for Buying Printer Ink Cartridges

2007-02-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

In this article we will look at a number of different ways to buy a printer ink cartridge that will not only save you time but money also.

One of the best ways of getting ink cartridges for your printer is by going online. This will not only save you time but they often are less expensive than buying from your local office or computer supplier. You can save time by ordering online and the cartridges will be delivered directly to your door at your home or office.

The reason why buying ink cartridges online is cheaper than purchasing from your local office supplier is that the online suppliers offer customers substantial discounts. Because they are operating online, they don't have the additional expense of paying for an physical store. You will find that any type of ink cartridge can be purchased online and most all come with some sort of discount on the price, such as free shipping or for the cartridge itself.

Another way of saving money on your ink printer cartridges is to buy either refillable or recycled ink cartridges. These can either be purchased online or at your local computer store. Be careful though, because even though you may save money you may find that they cause damage to your printer which will end up costing you more to get it repaired.

One other great way of buying your ink cartridges is by buying them in bulk. But you want to weight your costs, and the first thing you will need to do is spend a couple of months looking at just how much ink you use and how often do you change a cartridge.

Once you have done that contact your printer or cartridge company and ask them what the shelf life is of the ink that you want to buy. With this information on hand you will be able to figure out whether you would use all the ink before its shelf life runs out. It is quite usual for ink to have a shelf life of about one year, but this can vary from ink to ink as they are all made differently.

By following the tips that have been provided above you should be able to find the printer ink cartridge you want at the price you need.

Silver Surfers: A Favorite Pastime?

2007-02-09T22:20:00.001-08:00

It has been long thought that pensioners enjoy their gardens and do-it-yourself activities. Whilst this is certainly true, there appears to be a growing number of pensioners who are turning to the Internet for their hobbies and leisure. This band of “silver surfers” appear to find the computer their most favorite past time.

In a recent survey, four out of ten people who are over the age of retirement spent an hour or more glued to their computer screen. In common with other computer users, attractions include e-mailing friends and family, surfing the net for information, banking, and news items. The survey looked at a thousand people in each of eleven countries. Observers feel that this survey shows that pensioners are using the Internet in order to have a more leisurely and less stressful approach to life in later years.

It has often been a heavy task to perform the weekly shop in supermarkets, and pensioners are now finding the benefits of logging into their supermarket on line and doing their weekly shop. Having this shop delivered not only decreases the manual difficulties and inconvenience but also frees up time for further leisure activities.

Other observers appear to feel that the results of surveys such as this show that being on line is not an anti-social activity after all. Silver surfers appear to spend a good deal of their time chatting with friends and family and exchanging news, views, images, and videos. According to one observer “It appears you can teach old dogs new tricks after all.

Even The Old Can Surf

2007-02-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

Even the old can surf the net. And they do. In droves, apparently. Surveys have shown it and it is beyond many people's comprehension.

In fact the amount of "silver surfers" are akin to those in the 3rd decade of life.

And, why not?

The internet has a lot to offer them. They have the time - no work, no immediately-dependent family, no commitments (unless they want to).

And they have the disposable income to purchase. And purchase they do. It all goes to support what has been a mini revolution - and a revelation.

No longer can we view the older generation as a bunch of fuddy duddies who have little respect for the modern way. Traditionally, the view was that gadgetry was beyond them - or so we thought. But in reality, gadgetry is not so much beyond them as, well, selected intelligently. Selected for a purpose, not just because it is there.

As we get old we don't need the ear-popping sounds of rap conducted through speakers big enough to crush a house. Nor do we need, or want, and ipod or equivalent. A gadget has to be of use.

We want something that serves a purpose and that is not used just because it is there.

Enter the computer, coupled with it's good friend, the internet.

Now time and energy can be best spent where it is appreciated and useful. Go online and order some groceries. Go online and buy some gifts. Perhaps book a holiday or get chatting with old friends or remote relatives.

Internet Business and Article Writing-How Articles Can Help You Grow

2007-02-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

Internet business is so exciting for me, because it allows me to make a living creating relationships with people worldwide as I spend time teaching them the ropes.

So internet business is not just about setting up a bunch of web sites and selling stuff.

But imagine instead that you could develop relationships, real relationships online, with people who really connect to you, who desire to buy from you, because they like you.

And writing articles is the way to do it. You see, articles serve as an incredible filtering mechanism. Thousands of people might read your articles, but only a few will click through to your links. Why do those few click through to your web pages? Because they feel a connection with you. They like you. Those are the very ones that will buy from you.

Article writing really gives me the ability to specifically target people who are going to buy from me in the future.

What if I told you that by spending one hour a day for the next year you would double your existing business? If you are new, that could happen in a month or two. Would it be worth it if your business doubled? Skeptical? What do you have to lose? An hour a day in exchange for double your business? Think about that hard before you dismiss it.

Article writing is a truly incredible way to grow your online business. Try it.

Stop Trying to Reinvent the Wheel

2007-01-21T22:23:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that there are many people making a very good living on the internet. It's no secret that there are many people making a fortune on the internet. It's no secret that there are many people who have tried to make a living, dreamed of making a fortune and failed on the internet. So what separates the successful website owner from the unsuccessful website owner? Simply put it is all about being informed. That's right... information!

Sounds simple doesn't it? After all here we are surfing on the information superhighway and "we" are failing to obtain all of the FREE information that could help us succeed. How ironic is that? It's like there's a spare key at the neighbors’ house but we'd rather try to break down the door then take the time to walk across the street and ask for help. I know first hand the result of trying to reinvent the wheel. You see internet success does not happen in the time it takes you to hit the enter key. Yes, the internet is the most powerful marketing tool in the world. Yes, anyone can build a website and be online in a flash. This in itself does not guarantee success. Success comes from knowledge! Knowledge comes from experience. Experience comes from trial and error. Trial and error comes from making mistakes, moving forward and finding what works. What works comes from you. Now I can't tell you what will work for you. What I can tell you is that you do not need empty promises or get rich quick schemes. You need to know how the internet game is played and how you can build a "true" online presence that will lead to your own definition of success.

There are many successful people found throughout the Internet today that are honest and hardworking individuals. Their websites contain valuable information and there products could be very helpful to you in your own right. While it is true that their site serves a purpose it is also there so that the owner will make a living. More importantly the owner is building a relationship with you. If you visit their site, make a purchase and never return then your initial purchase means nothing more that a one time cash flow to the site owner. What the website owner needs to do is to develop a relationship with each and every visitor. This relationship is what will bond the two of you and make the future bright for the both of you. If the website is only trying to lure you into a product and get you to reach in your pocket, before you even have a chance to know who you are dealing with... click away! This is the first test to determine whether the site you are visiting deserves your attention to begin with.

So why am I giving you this information? What does this have to do with reinventing the wheel? The honest, successful website owner can offer you valuable information. The honest, successful website owner has made the mistakes, gone through trial and error and knows what it takes to make it work for them. You are able to take this knowledge, absorb it, customize it and make it work for you. This process will make your life much easier. Now this is not to say that the internet is not open to new ideas. But with every idea that you have chances are that someone has had the same idea and attempted to make it work. Even if it's not exactly the same there are probably many variations.

Google Pagerank Explained

2007-01-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

First you need to know that there are two different types of Google pagerank, toolbar pagerank and the actual pagerank assigned to any given page. This is what confuses so many Webmasters in the Internet marketing community. The toolbar pagerank is actually a reading off of the actual pagerank. The toolbar pagerank is most often outdated while the actual pagerank is frequently updated. The actual PR that is assigned to a page is not shown on the Google toolbar or anywhere else while the toolbar PR can be found in various places.

It is very possible to find a page that has a high toolbar pagerank but does not receive many unique visitors. It is also very possible to find a low toolbar pagerank that receives many unique visitors. The reason for this is because the rank of the pages linking to any given page plays a large role in the calculation of the pages rank. There are of course many other factors that are calculated in to establish the ultimate pagerank of a page but the ‘in-links’ are a major factor. In most cases a high pagerank page will receive a lot of unique visitors but it is important to know that it is not always the case.

So, to clear it all up in a simple statement; the actual Google PR does indeed effect your pages rankings while the toolbar PR does not effect your rankings at all. Many new Webmasters anxiously await the next toolbar PR update expecting it to give their site visitors a boost. Hopefully this article has provided clarification on the subject.

The next time you are looking for strong link partners or others to promote your products, do not look at the toolbar pagerank. Instead, look at the layout, structure and appearance of the site. Does it look like an amateur site or that of a professional? Is it well structured and search engine friendly? If you answered yes to all of the above questions then the site in question is probably worthy of a link exchange or product endorsement. If the site has a low toolbar pagerank but it was put together well then it will most likely achieve a nice PR in the future.