There will come a day when you run email campaigns, or send emails with contracts in them. It will be vital to verify the email address without actually spamming the potential client.
Businesses that rely on email communications use need a service to keep their address list up to date. It takes bandwidth to send out emails. There is no reason why you should waste 10 - 30% of your bandwidth. An Email Verification service will prevent that.
It is vital for any online business to stay ahead of the advances. If you don't know what tools will make your job easier, you lose money. It is important to know the difference between a tool that generates an income, by saving money, and an expense that costs you money. Just go over your bandwidth once and you'll understand the difference.
28.2.08
Email Verification Service
One Of My Blogs is 'Blog Of The Day'
Hello, I work really hard to keep my blogs relevant and subscriber friendly. There are so many topics I want to cover, and it seems like there is never enough time in a week to post as many blog posts as I want on a topic.
However, to do this, I need to let advertisers sponsor my blogs. I don't let them hi-jack the blog. If their post isn't something I think you want to know about - then I won't accept the sponsor. But, every once in a while I am noticed - and that makes those days feel great.
I want to thank PPP for making my day. Please leave a comment today and say hi'
25.2.08
Top Tags
Most bloggers want to know what the top traffic tags are. I found this list of top tags at one of the top submission sites. Of course, with the increased number of people hitting these sites - there is an increase in the competition.
I find that I often get more traffic from niches at the bottom of the list - but this is a good place to start.
advertising aging bidding web directory blog blogs business canada diet disease finance free marketing games general google health home internet kid make money marketing money novels paid personal published science search engine seo surgery tech technology traffic tv women work
24.2.08
greenandmore eco products
Green and eco products are becoming a major industry. One company in this venue is greenandmore.com. They offer hundreds of eco friendly products and support environmental charities such as Oceana and Healthy Child Healthy World. The company’s mission statement and green practices limit or prohibit their use of plastics, and enforces the use of recycled office supplies, kitchen goods, and 100% recycled cardboard boxes. Their ‘practice what you preach’ attitude is apparent on their website.
Their departments include energy saving appliances, solar power, home improvement, water conservation, eco furniture, among other eco products. Their eco garden, outdoor living, and even home décor products that include clothing, are top notch.
They even include a green learning center. This is the type of place where consumers can find the ‘real’ truth about conservation products. Some of their information comes from EPA and the US Department of Energy. This is posted in their go green blog.
We’ve recently looked into solar power panels. They will cost us $10 000, but we live in Canada, that is 2 – 3 hears heating cost in the winter. If we can even reduce our hydro bill by 20%, we will earn back the solar power costs within five years. We are also looking at the new water heaters that heat the water as soon as the tap is turned, and all the hot water is used, there is no tank. This will save us an estimated $400 a year in hydo (electricity) costs. All together, we hope to drop our hydro bill by 40% within 10 years.
Online Shopping For Computer Products
one of the best ways places to buy online is best buy. This company is geared toward offering the products that work at home business owners. I have shopped at Best Buy often, but their store is two and a half hours away. In fact, everything is more than two hours from my home. That is why I do so much online shopping.
In fact, my most recent purchase is an external hard drive - I bought it for $30 less than I could have purchase the same product - 250 gig - at ebay, and as much as $50 less than going to a computer store.
The shipping cost is less than driving, even if we lived closer, making online shopping a win-win situation.
Comparison Shopping
Promoting your website is difficult. There are tools that work, but they are not the ones sold through ebooks by the gurus. This makes the average small business overlook them. The result is some excellent, but overlooked, Internet Marketing tools.
All the Benefits of a Comparison Shopping Portal
When a customer jumps on the internet to find a something they want, they look for two things. First, they are looking for a quality item that won't fall apart in the first week. And two, they are looking for the lowest price online. Now, of course there are other factors figured into the equation, but these two things are the biggest. Comparison Shopping Portals are great places to find both of these qualities in one convenient place.
Shopping at a portal is free to customers. There are no hidden fees for customers. They are simply placed in an environment where products from hundreds of stores are sitting right next to each other and you get to compare them side by side and make a logical decision about what and where you want to buy a product. There really are no flaws in the system for customers. They are forwarded onto the company that they are considering buying a product at and that is the end of it. The merchants, on the other hand, are not so fortunate.
There are two types of retail establishments on the internet; those that can afford advertising and those who can't. If you can afford to advertise your products then shopping portals are great. Advertising is relatively cheap and if you can afford to take a small cut out of every single margin on every product, a comparison shopping portal is great. The "big guys" on the internet often get their products straight from manufacturers and their margins are a lot bigger to befin with. Most start up companies, on the other hand, have to get their products from distributors. Anyone who has run an online store knows that distributors take most of the profit out of the margin and there isn't much room to play with by the time it gets to the retailers.
Everyone, including the owners of comparison shopping portals, are in business to make money. Shopping portals have to charge merchants in order to stay in business themselves. There are solutions for the smaller companies onling though. I have had the experience of starting and running a number of different retail stores online. I have been through it all. i have had the frustration of working with distributors that "stole" my margins. I worked with these companies for years and struggled to find a way to make enough money to pay my bills every month. I finally decided to just call the manufacturer of the product I was selling. I fully expected them to reject me and tell me to continue to get my products through distibutors. To my surprise, i was able to set up an account with them and my margins have been better ever since.
It is only fair that every merchant, big or small, is able to take advantage of comparison shopping portals. They increase your traffic, they will increase your sales, and they give you some of the added exposure that is required for a store to be successful online.
Michael Hermansen is the owner of comparethensave.com, the newest Comparison Shopping Portal.
Promotion and Making Money
Do you have a product for sale? You should. All work at home professionals should have a product to sell. Not an e-book, but a print book. Not a down loadable, but something that can be mailed.
The next step is to take advantage of the marketing tools out there. One of the newest is the comparison shopping site. Anyone can post their product on a comparison shopping cart.
One of the most marketable ways to get your products out there is through coupon sites. You pay to list your product, and get promotion. It doesn't matter what is being sold, from computer coupons to Gamefly coupons, from books to clothing. It doesn't matter. Just get the word out, promote yourself, and sell products using the tools available.
Visit the coupon sites to take a look at how they can help you increase exposure and sell your products.
Internet Marketing: Getting Started
Internet marketing is something that everyone studies. A few of us have written a couple ebooks on it. A couple of us have even taken a course or two. But, if I asked you to explain what it is, no one could write a 100 word description. If I asked what 'you' are doing - you wuld say nothing. But, you would complain that you are not making more money.
So - in essence - Internet Marketing is an exercise in making money.
Internet Marketing: the Starting
In today’s times, use of Internet is widespread and many people find Internet as a handy tool for marketing with great success and ease. People start Internet marketing trying to make financial killings as early as possible. However, many of them fail to get the desired results mainly because they simply jump onto the bandwagon with doing any research, without the basic knowledge of the techniques or methods. While it may sound very strange but Internet Marketing is not the same as buying things online. It’s the same as starting any marketing conventionally. One needs to research the needs of the customers, availability of the same in the market, the cost and other factors. Most importantly the target customers you are looking for.
For this all, the first basic step is to know about the inter marketing in general. What sort of people use internet for marketing? How often do they shop online? What all do they shop for? How much do they spend online? All these questions may sound silly but are most essential when preparing the target clients for your Internet Marketing plans.
Once the research is done you need to plan the next step. The next step is your familiarity with the target customers. How much do you know about your online shopping community? Do you know what they need? Then device the ways to attract target customers to your Internet Marketing place. Promote and advertise on the Internet. Make sure that your Internet Marketing strategy is such that it reaches the targeted Internet Marketing community with ease and effectively.
The next step is to educate your own self with search engine optimization techniques, keyword density, private label rights and ideal word counts. These terms may sound strange and out of place when you hear or read them but they are in fact the very basics things that you need to learn because these are the tools or weapons with which you can be a successful Internet Marketing genius.
Spring is Coming
Spring is coming. The snow is melting. When we were driving in the country yesterday we saw bare trees and the creeks were running. My husband and I stopped at the game preserve and watched the year's first ducks floated across the pond. It is time to buy summer bulbs, a new garden hose, and golf shoes.
We are setting up an outdoor room where I can work in the summer, to make life easier and more enjoyable. I was under the false assumption fo the first 3 years of 'work at home' life. I believed I must work 24/7, not having any fun, not enjoying myself. This caused depression and actually reduced my work flow. Now, I put in a few outdoor games, and then get more work done.
20.2.08
Review: Godaddy
In the last ten years, I have hosted my multiple blogs, major web sites, and ecommerce sites on various websites. I’ve never used Godaddy, because it is more expensive, but only because I can handle a lot of my own trouble shooting.
However, for domain names – Godaddy cannot be beat. Their prices are reasonable, the services is unparalleled on the web, and the site is easy to navigate and use. Anyone can manage their own domains at Godaddy, even if they are new.
But, this is not why I recommend this service to everyone. I’ve hosted my domains with others. The one that promised the cheapest price was cheap, then at the renewal they wanted $40.00 a year. This is not uncommon. I am still paying the same price for my domains at Godaddy that I did 3 years ago. In fact, I can still buy domains for $1.99, and if a sale comes up, I can renew them for that price.
I hosted my domains with 2 or 3 sites that ‘stole’ them. When I left the site, or did not want to pay the price, they kept the domain. In fact, if I have a free domain now, I just park it. I never use it in a link campaign. At least, not until I move it to godaddy.
I learned the hard way. I had a good domain name, it attracted a lot of traffic. However, when the hosting service started complaining because I was using too much CPU burden, and I moved, they kept the domain name. They would not reply to my emails.
Then- there was the company that went under ‘overnight’ and I lost everything.
It takes a long time to build an ecommerce business. I own blogs that earn several hundred of dollars a month. If I were to lose those domain names then I lose 3 years of Internet Marketing
Enrich Your Life
What does your life amount to? At the end of the day, have you left something behind for everyone. I have a few organizations and projects that I am passionate about. I take the time to promote. One is the online volunteer programme. I think that everyone needs to volunteer. It is our responsibility to take control of the world around us. Your needs may not involve a working holiday working with Amazon Conservation authorities in South America, but it should be something that puts you in touch with other people.
I have spent time working in Northern Ontario helping communities. I plan to go to Orphanages in Peru when I retire. From there...who knows. The whole world is full of places that need help.
Hidden Secret to Increase Adsense Revenue - Your Newsletter
So many web site owners miss the easiest and best opportunity to increase sales. In a rush to put up as many sites as possible in the vain hopes of generating Adsense revenue, they miss the opportunity to increase sales by not having a newsletter.
Far too many sites are being created with poor content, leaving visitors to continue wandering from site to site looking for good, solid, knowledgeable content.
If you have good content, you likely have some expertise that your visitors will want know more about. Why not set up a newsletter so you can share your expertise with others, and increase your adsense revenue at the same time?
If you are worried that you're not a writer, you're not alone. Just think of it as writing a quick note to a friend. You are sharing some information with a friend of yours. Your subscribers are like your friends.
Its key to now provide your "friends" with some valuable content. Since you are likely passionate about your field of expertise, your enthusiasm will come out, and your subscribers will be motivated. As an expert in your field, you can provide your newsletter subscribers with information that they can use. How do you increase your adsense revenue with this opportunity?
Give them a teaser! By giving them a paragraph or two, and then leading them to your web site, you can get them interested in more information, which your advertisers may be able to provide for them. If they are motivated by your valuable content, they will click on the ads, thus
increasing your adsense revenue.
If you have a list of the top paying keywords (http://www.adsenseheaven.com or http://www.adsensepayday.com are two that we use), you can easily find words that you can use for your site. Create sticky content that is optimized around these top paying keywords, and both you and your visitor can benefit. Your visitor gets useful content, and you can increase your Adsense revenue. A win / win.
Another opportunity that your subscribers can provide you is an outlet to sell affiliate products. As an expert in your field, your subscribers will follow your suggestions. This provides an excellent opportunity to increase your affiliate sales.
This opportunity comes with a responsibility though to your subscribers.
If you develop a relationship with your subscribers, you will build on your credibility and trust. One of the biggest complaints of most people surfing the internet is the question of integrity and trust of the information they have in front of them. If you can develop that trust, and keep that trust, your subscribers stay with you.
Its very easy to betray that trust. Once you do, they are gone, and so is your opportunity.
How can you lose this trust so easily? If your subscribers feel that you are pushing products on them, instead of helping them, they will unsubscribe. If the information that you are providing is not valued to the subscriber, they will unsubscribe.
Northern Source offers web design services for your small business href="http://www.northernsource.com/
Write What You Know - Niagara Falls
Most people overlook the obvious when they are looking for topics to write about. We visit Niagara Falls every winter, around Christmas. We pick up a a Niagara Falls Visitors Guide and take a look at a few new 'fun' places to visit.
We always visit the lights at night. They have a wonderful light display spread all through the parks. The best time of year is Christmas. The tourists are gone. Of course, there is the indoor water park. We also visit a spa and do some shopping. It is easy to spend $200 in an hour at the shops.
But, despite the fact that I tell people 'write what you know' this is the very first time I've written about Niagara Falls.
Reasons To Buy Un-targeted Traffic
Un-targeted traffic can be used to your advantage to make HUGE profits ok let say you go to a website and it looks like this
10,000 visitors 12.99 20,000 visitors 29.99 50,000 visitors 49.99
So on and so forth well this can be a good thing but some of there places are scammers so you have to be careful check around they site and see if they say where most of there traffic comes from if its targeted at all you want it to at least be people who read your language other wise it will be no good. if you already purchased traffic and your not sure check you stats in your control panel at your host provider if you can't find it you should definitely call them to find you web stats this could save you hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Ok back to it you at the site and they have a really good deal but they don't say on there website where there traffic comes from so you can either write them at there contact us or move on ( if your risky you can buy it and check you stats later to see where the people came from). Oh yeah before i forget another scam that people may use is robots or auto surfers that visit your site and go through your pages but there not people (that's mean) but they don't care cause your paying them to do it because you didn't want to take the time out to check where the traffic came from.
Alright Now you've found a place that gives you un-targeted traffic in mass (well it's a little targeted they all speak and read English and hopefully live in America and Canada). so now you have 10,000-infinty visitors coming to your site a day, week or month. This Traffic service you bought is kind of like a warp machine you ever go to a website and somehow end up somewhere else. Or so sort of pop up, under, over, slider or any thing else they come up with shows up on your screen. This is how most of these traffic sites work caching people as they leave a site and redirecting them to yours which they wouldn't like unless you have something waiting for them that will change there mind and make them Oh so glad the ended up at you site.
Remember so for you have paid for these people to come to your site that will most likely leave unless you change there mind. Have a gift waiting for them and they will take it if it is irresistible but remember you want them to buy something later so how do you get them to come back. they have to give you an email address to get there gift. since they willing gave it to you when you write them later they can't say it was spam so your safe and you do this with an auto responder which will get to later.
here are some examples of thing to give Make sure everything you give is branded with your website and email.
*Free software that deals with your site
*A free game that will be branded by you
*A recipe
*A joke Book
*A newsletter
*A raffle for money (say win a chance to receive 10 dollar' s) or something like that
*A beauty contest (send your pic Win something) *Free Report
*Anything that will get there interest Like The word free
Emmanuel Aubrey Website Creator/Power Affiliate. Check Out Emmanuel's Member Site For More On Website Traffic And Promotion Get More Web site Traffic or Increase Web Site Traffic
Increase your Web Traffic
There is a surefire method for getting rich off your online business, and that is to drive loads of targeted traffic to your site. Now, there are a number of possible ways to do this, but Internet entrepreneurs mostly focus on these three concepts: sources of targeted traffic, the conversion rate of visitors to customers, and quality content.
Targeted traffic plays a huge factor in the success of every online business. But perhaps you’re still unaware what targeted traffic exactly is, and how it influences the failure or success of a website. Allow me to explain it to you, then.
Having untargeted traffic in your site is quite similar to having window shoppers come into a shop. They are there only to browse the shelves, but they don’t have any intention of buying anything at all. Yes, getting a lot of visitors to your site is great, but when you’re running an online business, it’s more important that your site gets visitors who are actually looking to buy, not just surfing your site aimlessly. Targeted traffic means increased chances of making a sale and making a profit, which is the whole point of your online business, anyway.
One of the ways to pull in targeted traffic is to improve your search engine rankings. The higher your website ranks, the more chances of pulling in targeted traffic. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re selling party supplies on your website. Now, somebody who’s looking for balloons for their son’s birthday party logs on to the Internet and types in that exact keyword in Google. If your site has a high ranking for that keyword, it will be among the first sites that will be displayed on the search results page. That person looking for balloons will be more likely to see your site, to visit it, and to buy the items he or she is looking for.
One of the various ways to get targeted traffic to your site involves generating a lot of quality content. If you have quality content on your site, and that content is rich with relevant keywords, then you will be able to enjoy higher search engine rankings. Actually, this is perhaps one of, if not the most important part of creating a good website. If Internet users can’t get the information they want from your site, or if they have a difficult time looking for the information they need, they will leave and never come back. Quality content really helps to establish a website and makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd.
You can also try joining traffic exchange programs. This is where you visit other sites and earn credits. You can then use the credits you to promote your own website on the program. And how about link trading? Internet marketers do a lot of reciprocal linking with other webmasters to promote both their sites.
You see, all of these methods go together. If your site has quality content, you will get more targeted traffic. And if you get more targeted traffic, your conversion rate will also rise. Each of these three factors won’t exist without the others.
No matter which technique you use, please keep in mind that attracting targeted traffic using these methods won’t happen instantly. It needs work and a lot of patience and determination from you. Focus on your goal and make sure to provide quality content and excellent service to your visitors, and sooner or later you will start to see the fruits of your labors.
Richard Legg is a web traffic expert and generates over 1.5 Million visitors a year to his websites. Discover how you can instantly increase web traffic for free at http://www.MyInstantTraffic.com.
Review: Netfirms
There are a lot of web hosting companies out there. Many of them are good, have been in business for a long time, and are reputable – but they will not help an ecommerce business that is growing.
There is more to web management than storage and bandwidth. I’ve hosted with ‘good’ webhosting companies. However, if you create a good ‘customer friendly’ content management system, with all the features needed to keep users, then you run into problems.
The servers can only handle so many queries. A single web page can have 20 – 30 database queries, especially if there is advertising on the page. This increase the ‘time’ needed for the server to handle the page.
Some of the common web hosting sites will start limiting the site as soon as more than a dozen people start hitting the site. One night they closed my website down when 5 people entered the chat room.
Netfirms has ‘shared servers.’ If one site cannot handle the weight of the queries on a server, it merely borrows more from the next server. This means that I can now have 50 people in a server without problems.
This doesn’t mean I can have my sites on the $4.90 a month service. I use the $12.99 business service, but I can host multiple websites with individual domains, without worrying.
The important thing is that I can ‘upgrade’ to managed servers at a later date, if needed, and still keep the shared servers.
Have You Taken Any Sales Training?
One major problem in the 'work at home' and small business world is the 'my way is good enough' attitude. If you ask most of the struggling small business owners if they have taken any management or Sales Training they will usually answer 'no.'
But, we all have horror stories of poor sales people. I remember one in particular. We were at a trade show. He walked around putting his business card in every one's pockets. We were waiting to network with a business owner who had actually paid for a booth at the trade show.
This guy must have seen us standing there with nothing to do and 'pounced.' I say pounced because nothing else accurately describes what he did. He never once asked us about our business, our needs, if we had any problems he could solve.
All he did was talk about how much money he was making, how great he was, how great his product was (it was an air purifier) and what an opportunity he stumbled on. It didn't take us long before we were trying to find ways to escape. We never did get to talk to the business we did want to deal with.
The worst part was, he must have decided that used car salespeople had the best sales techniques. Every time he was within 10 feet of us that day he said 'hi' and greeted us as if we were long lost relatives. He introduced us to people and used our name to validate his credibility.
And, he was a true believer in the term 'no never means no' because we said no very firmly, several times, but he just changed tactics.
The fact is - you can't teach yourself. The business world has a code of ethics that are learned, and a pattern of operating. New self-starters always identify themselves within moments of entering the business community - costing themselves sales and potential clients.
Next time you want to go it alone and do it 'your way' just think of this story and ask yourself what the true cost of 'not' taking a course is.
19.2.08
Every Office Needs a Flash Drive
Do you have a couple Flash Drives ? If not, you need to buy a couple of good ones before the week is out. A flash drive is a portable memory device that you can change, erase, and alter. Think of it like a pre-programmable DVD.
Most are the size of a lighter or lipstick. You can even buy ones that look like pens, to hide data. They fit into the USB port, and they are cheap.
I don't know how many times I saved my 'projects' on a flash drive and took it with me when I travelled.
My son has a flash drive that he uses to take school work back and forth from his home computer to the school computers. There has been a couple of times it saved him, as the good copy of his homework was ruined, so he could print off a new one.
A flash drive is one of those things that you may not have now, but once you buy one, you'll never know how you lived without it.
Why You Should Start Posting Comments On Blogs
There is a new reason to post comments on blogs, both blogger and wordpress. They now allow you to put your name, and URL link it to your website. That means, that every comment posted earns you one inbound link to your website. But, don't be in too much of a hurry.
The best way to build SEO value is NOT to link to your homepage, but a landing page.
Landing Page
A landing page is one that is perfectly SEO optimized. It has all the heading titles in the right place, has only 2 or 3 keywords that have no more than 5% density. This one page (If possible) is set up with Google ads that will maximise click through revenue.
Page Rank
So, when you leave a comment, use the 'link' tool and link to an article. This will not only bring a bit of traffic to your website, but it will increase the PR of a page on your website. Once that page's PR increases, after about 400 links, it will pull up the rest of the site.
So, next time you read a post, take a minute to post a comment. It will not only help the blog you are reading and 'tip' the blogger for posting some good content, but it will also help your SEO and page rank building campaign
18.2.08
Are You Defined By Your Work?
This month we received a wake-up call that is hard to be ignored. The entire artistic community was shocked by the death of Keith Ledger. It wasn't that he died of a drug overdose, but that he was taking prescription drugs...and that most of the writing world is dependent on uppers, downers, anti-depressants, or sleep aids.Look on your desk, is there a few bottles within reach of the keyboard? I am not saying you need a trip to drug rehabilitation
But you need to put your health before your income. Working is not you. It is what you do. Don't let it put the rest of your life at risk.
6 Reasons To Buy An Ergonomic Computer Chair
The ergonomic computer chair offers you comfort and support, while providing overall support to every area of the body that can become irritated from long periods of sitting in an office chair for work. You can take steps to avoid pain and discomfort with an ergonomic computer chair.
Why Buy An Ergonomic Computer Chair
The number one reason is the benefits you receive from the chair as far as comfort and support of areas that need proper support when sitting for periods. The six reasons why the ergonomic computer chair is beneficial are:
• You have the ability to adjust the seat height.
• The armrests adjust up and down as well as swivel in and out for easy movement.
• The contour of the chair back conforms to the contour of your back.
• The lumbar support gives you extra support to the lower back.
• Duel caster carpet wheels for easy movement.
• Enough room in the seat area to move freely with difficulty.
With all these great features, the ergonomic computer chair fits the needs of any office personal or home worker that sits in front of a computer or any other office equipment for hours at a time.
You Get What You Pay For
If you go out and buy a regular office chair, you will pay anywhere from fifty dollars and up. If you go to buy an ergonomic computer chair, you can expect to pay more, but then you can expect to have a comfortable and supportive chair. The price is well worth the investment.
When you go to an office furniture store, you see the price and are skeptical when you see a price tag with two hundred or more dollars. If you start comparing prices and what features you receive, you then do the test sit; you have a better understanding as to why the chairs have the price tag on them. For more info see http://www.knowergonomic.com/The_Perfect_Ergonomic_Office_Chair on The Perfect Ergonomic Office Chair.
You will be able to pick a mid back task chair or a high back for anywhere from two the four hundred dollars. If you need the support and comfort, then the ergonomic computer chair is what you need. Cost of the chair verses medical bills and prescriptions could cost you even more money in the end. You will never need another chair once you find that perfect computer chair with an ergonomic computer chair.
You can also find more info on Ergonomic Office Chair Rating and Inexpensive Ergonomic Office Chair.
Notebook Or Desktop Computer, What Is The Best Buy?
The idea of purchasing a personal computer may be appealing to a lot of people, however they may feel undecided as weather to go for a traditional desktop computer or for a light weight portable notebook. Several aspects should be taken into consideration as for the purposes of such acquisition. If the main purpose of buying a computer is for occasional use, regardless if it is for work or entertainment activities, one may consider buying a traditional desktop computer taking in consideration that its price is usually lower than the portable version.
The maintenance and eventual upgrade of a desktop computer is also much easier to perform and less costly. If the buyer is looking to spend the least amount of money, definitely the desktop computer models offer more choices of finding better deals weather it is used or new. One may look around the local computer stores for special deals or may consider browsing the many possibilities offered online stores.
Perhaps the greatest feature a desktop computer has is the fact that quite often it can be upgraded and personalized to suit the user needs without having to be sent back to the manufacturer. In most cases a local authorized computer store can perform the technical changes or upgrades to satisfaction. The desktop computers are meant for work and leisure as well and regardless of its configuration or how fast it can perform, it seems that it became an everyday tool of modern times.
On the other hand, if the main reason for the purchasing of a computer is portability, then in this case the notebook will be the right choice. There are several brand names available on the market offering all kinds of configurations, from very basic up to the most sophisticated and powerful late models of notebooks. After a careful research on which model will better suit your needs, then you will still have the option to choose to buy a new, reconditioned or used unit for the sake of saving some money. Keep in mind that a reconditioned laptop purchased from a computer store, usually comes will full warranty, just like as if you had purchased a brand new model but for a much less cost.
Just like any other purchase, it is important to do a careful research to find out what exactly your needs are and what are you going to do with it. The lightweight and portable notebooks are much nicer to carry around even though they are usually more expensive. Also the lightweight models almost always have a smaller screen and a more compact keyboard than traditional models of notebooks. So, in this case if weight is not a critical issue, than you may just consider to purchase a traditional regular-model notebook as long as it meets your requirements. If you choose this later option you will certainly be saving a great amount of money.
If you are the kind of person who feels skeptical about purchasing a reconditioned computer, because it has been previously returned from the manufacturer, relax, some times there is absolutely nothing wrong with the returned unit. It may have just been a matter of model preference or some minor detail that didn`t quite match the previous owner`s preference. Keep in mind that a reconditioned notebook with a full warranty is just as good as a brand new one and maybe even better for the great discount it usually offers.
Also you may find some good deals in refurbished notebooks. Beware that the difference between refurbished and reconditioned notebooks is that the former is usually an older notebook that has been used and then reconditioned, often by a third party, and the later usually means that it had some problem, went back to the manufacturer, got fixed and now it is available at a fair discount price with full manufacturer guarantee.
The right solution for one`s computer related tasks, whether desktop or notebook, will depend mostly on one`s working or leisure needs. Search carefully for the best deals and avoid paying extra for accessories you will hardly use. Also take a look at reconditioned (full warranty) computers. The price will certainly surprise you. And the performance might too!
Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page PoloMercantil Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br
Do You Take Drugs?
You might not be in danger of enduring a few trips to the local drug rehabs , but that doesn't mean that you don't overdo the drugs. Face it, work at home freelancers are forced to work long hours, sit in a chair for long periods of time, and endure physical pain.
It starts slow. Even I have been accused of using over the counter drugs to fall asleep. It was my husband who alerted me to the fact that I was downing a lot of cough medicine to fall asleep. And, if I am honest, there are three different types of pain killers on my desk - at this moment.
I am not into anti-depressents or need uppers/downers, but that doesn't mean I can't easily run into health problems. Do you drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day... drink red bull? All of these are 'drugs' in their own respect.
No one expects to end up like Keith Ledger, but then, neither did he. He didn't take any drugs that were not perscribed by his doctor. And, he didn't over dose or take them too fast...he just took the wrong coctail at the wrong time.
Don't let your business run you into the ground, and don't find yourself with a drug problem.
How To Compare Computer Prices
What is your frequency of using your computer? Ponder over this for a while. Do you use it only to check emails once in few days, or do you use it for other purposes like surfing the web, banking, taking some of some office work, while visiting it many times a day? We can’t avoid it now; computers are an essential part of our lives. They help us in completing every day errands that were more time consuming, thus saving our time and gas.
The two most essential parts are having a remarkable computer and a dependable internet server. You can find more relevant computer information at http://www.mycomputingnews.com. Fine you have taken care of the cable connection, now it is time to obtain the most appropriate PC or Mac to make use of the internet connection. Luckily you can find the best buy for yourself, all you got to do is go online and compare computer prices.
Who have you chosen as you current net pal? I am referring to laptop, desktop or notebook. Well your main aim is getting the finest deal possible regardless of the style or dimensions. Thus comparing prices should be a vital part of you buying process. Have you compared the recent PC’c and Macs? Can you differentiate between them? In any case, a PC uses Windows, for those that would like to know and as for the Macs, they are on a distinctive track.
Although it did make any difference to me, initially, a visit to the Apple store changed all that. Now-a-days Mac seems to be much easier as compared to a PC. Also spy-ware or viruses have never troubled me on a Mac. But they used to be a common site on my PC. This information is for you to ponder on. Also, the intended use of the computer should be a parameter while you compare computer prices.
Paying a bomb for a top grade computer with all the facilities money can buy, will not be a good idea if you are not going to use it. 3-400 dollar might just be what you require to get a Dell desktop. That is really a bargain, taking into account what we used to shell out for a home computer
It won’t be an easy task to unearth the deal you are looking for. The important thing is that continue to compare computer prices of PCs or Macs till to happen to stubble upon the deal that is perfect for you and your needs. With the World Wide Web at your beckoning, this should not be too tough. Start comparing computer prices by getting online. Search for that electronic pal, who will be with you at work and play.
About the Author:Ron Electrik enjoys writing for the following internet sites: Techie Hut Spidey Web Internet Site
Compare Computer Keyboards
Ask any executive secretary or freelance writer with an average typing speed of 80 words per minute, or higher, and you’ll hear strong opinions of keyboards. The computer’s keyboard not only controls the typist’s word per minute productivity. It maintains healthy hands and wrists, reduces stress in the neck and shoulders, improves attitude, and even reduces fatigue.
Before you walk into a computer store and accept the computer keyboard that comes with a new system, or worse, ask ‘what keyboards do you have for sale?’
The keyboard design directly influences the hand position, and posture of the typist. Erognomics magazine, published by Taylor & Francis, conducted a review of three erognomics keyboards.
Keyboard preference was evaluated by comparing two designs with the linear standard keyboard style. The Fixed alternative keyboard had a split angle of 12 degrees and a lateral inclination angle of 10 degrees.
The adjustable alternative keyboard had a 15 degree split setting, which resulted in a marked 42 degree of demiboard lateral inclination.
Sixteen typists, were given 10 hours of training on both keyboards. They were videotaped typing on all keyboard styles.
Forearm and wrist angles were significantly different among the three designs tested. Both alternative keyboards placed the forearm and wrist closer to the neutral position.
While the adjustable keyboard reduced pronation, but increased radial deviation. The Fixed keyboard kept the forearm in moderate pronation and the wrist close to neutral.
With respect to the standard keyboard, typing productivity was reduced by 10% on the Fixed and 20% on the adjustable designs.
The FIXED design offered only moderate changes to the standard keyboard. These changes promoted a more natural hand position while typing reducing the potential for trauma in the wrist. The FIXED design preserved a reasonable level of productivity and was well accepted by users.
There is multiple reviews that expound the virtues of wireless keyboards. The freedom they give the typist to change their position, or even move around the office when working, are unmatched. Of course, you need a talented typist to stand sit with a keyboard on her lap and transcribe directions – without the aid of a monitor.
However, the wireless keyboard’s ability to easily shift around the work area improves productivity.
The task performed should dictate the type of keyboard used. A bookkeeper will benefit from a keyboard with a separate number pad.
One important factor that may business owners overlook when buying computer hardware for their office is the software. The Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser Mouse, Keyboard and MediaPad is a high end, great keyboard, number pad, mouse, and media pad. However, while the hardware is top end, the software that runs it prevent the hardware from working at top efficiency.
A sluggish mouse, or a styles that stops working, can result in multiple and long term, office time waste. Keyboards are not seen as ‘important.’ If they break down they are not sent to be repaired. Instead, the typist must ‘make due’ until they can jimmy, hack, or redirect the mouse or media pad and make it work again.
Taking time to buy the right keyboard for your office can improve attitude, productivity, and reduce down time.
Bruce Chandler offers advice to business owners on Internet Tools that will improve their productivity and performance at his website http://www.voipwolf.com He invites you to download his FREE guide at http://www.videoconferencingstar.com
Warning: Do Not Put ‘Full Disclosure Badge’ on Your site
This is only my warning, based on my experience, but the sites I did put a disclosure badge on have dropped from PR3 and PR4 to PR0 and have never climbed back up.
This includes PayPerPost and non PPP blogs. I don’t find the tracking image bother’s Google at all. I’ve found that blogs with site wide PPP tools and ‘blog ethics’ tags that alerted Google.
I did find that putting the small tag ‘Proud PPP Blog’ did not appear to effect Google’s page rank.
I have put the IZEA tag onto a couple of my blogs to see what happens. No one has figured out whether Google will be happy to have competition in the page ranking field.
The thing is, the full disclosure badge means nothing. I have several blogs, and I do not write any post I don’t want to. If the sponsor doesn’t inspire me to write a post, then I don’t. The disclosure blog is the result of amateur writers stopping the flow of their blog to write an ad.
Honestly, I am guilty. I remember the days when we would write posts and end with an ad, or write ‘horridly’ slanted articles. Blog ads were new, and no one knew the rules. Today, I am sure there are people who cannot write around their blog.
I will use the tag SPONSORED or put the word REVIEW in my tags or title to let my readers know the site is affiliate or paid post slanted. It is fairly easy if you know how to do it.
Review: Home Decorating
I post reviews around the net, and normally don't post them here. However, I find that many people 'hear' what I say, but cannot translate it. When I say write reviews, I do not mean you should run out and buy a few dozen books on 'review writing' and spend three weeks learning how to write the fundamentally perfect review. I mean 'write a review.'
We are gutting and building our house. Within a few months we will be at the 'building a kitchen' stage, so after watching a few commercials I went to the directbuy website. Now, I would have been okay with the idea that this is a buyer's club, especially if they told me the sign up price.
What I didn't like was the fact that I was asked to fill out a form, and told where the nearest store was - without any pre-sell information. I don't know how they work, if they have delivery, if there is any installment services, if this is a liquidation store, if I can get the Armstrong ceiling that I want. I don't know anything, except that i need a coupon to be given a guest entrance into the store.
I can say that they have products at 43% less, but it doesn't say 'less than who.'
I would like to write a better review, but I cannot, because they are a secret buying club that keeps all their information 'for members only.'
Upgrade Your Computer Power Supply
The power supply to a computer is often the most underappreciated component of a computer and can well be a key to better, faster and smoother computer speeds of your computer.
But who ever thinks of that silver box tucked away in the back of your computer?
Most people simply have the power supply that came installed in their computer. If it ever overheats and breaks down, stopping their computer from starting dead cold, that is the only time most computer users ever think of, replace or upgrade their computer.
Imagine if you had an erratic source of electricity to your home that was sparkly, erratic or underpowered. In the same way if the power supply is an inexpensive one it may be erratic in its power output. You may well have upgraded your computer – added drives , added a second cd/dvd reader or burner, a new powerful video card , or a number of external USB devices – whether they be mice, keyboards , external drives powered by the USB port alone , and never thought that you were taxing your limited amperage power supply. All of this extra power usage by these new components that you have added to your computer without thinking of the consequences on your already stretched power supply can both dampen your computer performance and shorten the life of your power supply.
How is computer power supplies rated? Computer power supplies are usually rated by amperage. However this is a peak amperage measurement. This can be of a most optimistic rating. Late in the day – a couple of technicians overseas snap one or two of the better examples of their factories workmanship onto a load meter. They snap on the power briefly and note – did you see that – 500 watts. I’m sure I saw 500 watts says technician number 2 and even 3 and they mark the test results down. And if the numbers do not jive absolutely it can always be blamed on batch consistency or even a different group of products. For after all isn’t it a test of average load of a number of transformers.
Everything in life as they say comes down to practical logistics.
Most of the mass market computer that you will find in big box stores etc is mass produced. This has advantages of low cost and easy repair at the factory. The product has been set up and tested. If there is a problem with the computer it can be easily fixed, in, most cases with a simple swap of components at the factory. The computer model and its common problems and fixes are well known. The flip side is that the components have been carefully sought out, extensively tested and component quality shaved down to the bone.
As a result you do not have a lot of leeway with power supply to any upgrades or simple USB hardware additions to your computer system. Thus it is a wise idea to replace your power supply.
How can you judge which power supplies are better than others. First of all you can do a rough judgment by weight. The better power supplies will have a lot more copper metal in their transformer and will be much heavier. Inexpensive power supplies are very lightweight. You will notice the heavier weight of better power supplies immediately.
Next the better power supplies will have higher wattage. 200 – 300 watts may be fine for older Pentium 2s and 3s; newer computers may well need a minimum of 350 – 400 watts or more. It is not only power in watts but the consistency that matters. The better power supplies will be marked with consistent power output levels on their markings. As well they may be marked as having dual or more channels, What this means is that there are two or more entirely separate power supply channels, Thus there will be one distinct channel of power for the motherboard and another for the peripherals. When a DVD drive comes on it the power supply to the motherboard will not diminish even for a second.
Your computer speed will be smooooooooth.
The last thing to note is either the amount of plug outputs and the amount fans built into the power supply. The better power supplies will have the luxury of providing lots of extra plugs – both for convenience, and the expandability their power supply offers.
As well there may be extra fans to properly cool the better, more powerful power supplies. Even though there may be extra fans, the power supply over may be incredibly quiet due to the higher quality ball bearing based gearings and advanced sophisticated heat sensing power switching controls.
The ac power supply of your computer may well be the most unappreciated taken for granted component of your computer. A better power supply can be one of the keys to increasing the speed and consistent performance of your computer especially as you upgrade your computer adds new components. Might be a good idea to invest in a new. High quality computer power supply.
http://www.badgerlinux.net/
Should You Upgrade Your Hardware PC?
What if you found that your computer is out of date? You probably want to upgrade your computer since you have no choice to do so. Your works depend on your hardware computer upgrade. That’s how you going to have a good result.
But before you make any further step, try to learn about your computer. Search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It’s also useful to check if you really need an upgrade.
Sure, it’s not funny if you keep your old computer but you still loose data when you do your works. Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem when you still using your old computer. You dont want to loose your data, right? Of course most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster. Check what hardware you need for your computer.
If you have problem with your hard disk, such as crash when you do your work, better you have it renewed. Most people upgrade their hard disk to increase the size so that they can use it for games, movies and playing a lot of music. A 20 GB hard drive is sufficient to keep new office and internet applications, and all your files and data. A medium sized hard drive would be around 40 GB and the maximum would be around 60 – 80 GB.
You can choose which perfect for your work. Of course the price is also depending on the capacity of your hard disk. If you are a gamer, you may want to have high capacity hard disk such as that 60-80 GB. But if you just used it for your writing, a 20 GB is more than enough.
Another hardware you may need to upgrade is the RAM or Random Access Memory. This memory keeps data that is being worked on now and may or may not be transferred to the hard drive that represents the long-term memory of the computer. Current processors can perform an enormous number of operations per second. Almost all computer have 64 MB RAM and often 128 MB. If you want to run newer applications on your PC then you must upgrade to 128/256 MB RAM. A lot of people who upgrade from 98 to Win 2000 discover that their computers lock up very often. This is because they don't have enough RAM.
So, those are only some part of hardware you might want to upgrade. There are others such as motherboard, CPU or port which you can upgrade. Your action depend on your need.
Tony Gevano interest in observing people's way in choosing things has made him become a writer in various kinds of materials. He wrote almost anything he likes. You find his writing in different Website, among them is in http://www.d-tools.info
17.2.08
Buying Memory
One of the most overlooked parts of upgrading our computers is memory. Most of us could upgrade old computers, saving us money for a year or two, if we just upgraded the memory and RAM. This would work as long as we buy the best processor on the market when we do purchase our computers.
Today's computers are easy to upgrade. Even the laptops are created to allow upgraded laptop memory.
However, like mentioned before, you also need to make sure you upgrade your cables. In fairly old computers, you may even need a new BUS cable. Once you purchase 'good quality' memory, any local technician can upgrade your computer.
I have worked on an experiment with a friend. I purchased a new computer in 2006. She was still using a 2002 computer. After a few hours we did prove that the few seconds waited for a page to load, or the time needed for a download, did slow down a person's ability to work by about 20%. It may only be a few seconds, but a few seconds, 20 - 50 times an hour, works out to 30 - 45 minutes a day, about 4 hours a week, or 2 days a month.
What Is IZEA RealRank?
Tired of Google changing the rules? Tired of their sliding scale that changes your rank every few months? So is everyone else. Google is irrelevant in most cases. The unpredictable nature is valuable to their advertisers, but few other people. They have also started to ‘hit’ other paid advertising mediums, such as paid posts, by lowering the page rank of sites that use those revenue generating systems.
RealRank data is a javascript that gathers traffic information. It ranks websites:
70% weighted towards visitors per day
20% weighted towards amount of ‘active’ inbound links ‘per day’
10% weighted towards page views per day
The problem is that IZEA only tracks blogs that opt in and put a script according to some pro blogging sites. However, I have blogs at several paid posts and have a rank on them, even though I have not opted in.
If you are with payperpost, then the script is already installed on your blogs through the PPP tool.
The problem is that real rank doesn’t take into account the social networking. Most important, RealRank ignores RSS feeds. One site may buy 10 000 hits, while another is 100% organic with 1000 subscribers, and yet the first site ranks higher.
The second problem – based on gossip – is that inbound links are measured only from other IZEA sites and blogs. This means that anyone with 10 – 20 blogs that link to each other, then that site will earn more link credit after a while than a site with a few hundred organic inbound links.
What makes the problem? The embedded IZEA link, it makes the system ‘exclusive.’ Ah well – we couldn’t expect it to be perfect.
Free Marketing - Comparison Shopping Sites
One of the newest Internet Marketing tools is the comparison shopping sites. These sites are being used to let online merchants place their products beside the big, SEO optimized websites, letting the consumer compare every one's products.
This is creating a benefit for freelance writers. Most of these blogs have reviews. Take a look, MP3 players. I recommend this site because it lets you put live links.
I am not sure if this will help your SEO opportunities, but if you post reviews of products that you use, then you'll tap into the fastest growing Internet Marketing tool in the current IT world.
I wouldn't suggest using the review section for blatant marketing - you'll get your account posted. But, posting the review with your username and the tag to your site, would not offend any of these companies.
12.2.08
Running Out Of Ideas For Your Blog?
What is a blogging calendar?
It is something that has helped me to get ideas for my blog? Not just any ideas but good ideas. It is a calendar that is set up to let you know what things are happening at particular times of the year that you can use to get your blog ideas from. So not only are you getting ideas for you blog but you are getting them at the right time so that they will be what people are looking to read.
For your blog to get good traffic you need to keep updating and post unique content to it on a regular basis and sometimes it just gets too hard to keep coming up with new ideas that relate to your blog. A blogging calendar is a great tool to help with this, to give you the much needed ideas to keep your blog running with all that original content that you need.
Blogging is great for fun and it is also a great way to make money, but if you are really serious about using your blog for making money then make sure that you keep adding that content to your blog. Make your content interesting and useful information that people will want to read. Keep up to date with what is going on in the world and if you can relate that to the topic of your blog then you will be sure to get many visitors.
I am Lachlan Polomka and I am a successful young entrepeneur and an avid blogger. To find out more information about blogging and to get your FREE BLOGGING CALENDAR visit Black Spider Blog!
Outfitting Your Home Office
I am always running into work at home business people and bloggers who have problems downloading from the net, making their systems run fast enough, or it crashes. Most of the problem is because they have not invested in good cables and equipment for their hardware.
I've said this a million times. You can have the fastest Internet hookup and a dual-core processor, but if you have a $5 cord purchased at the local grocery store...then you won't have speed...because the cords will not be able to handle the load.
There is a big difference between CAT5e couplers and the ones found at the local store. I have a hard time understanding why people do not understand this; You wouldn't trust your business to a cheap computer with a no-name processor; but you trust your computer to an untested cord bought at a dollar store. Something to consider.
How To Start A Video Blog
Not really a newsletter or traditional html page publishing, blogs resemble more of a web-based diary where the creator records their thoughts, posts links, or responds to questions.
Initially, blogs contained only text and pictures, but then came "audio blogging," which entails the use of audio on a blog.
Audio blogging also gets referred to as "Podcasting" because of the ability to let people with iPods and other portable MP3 players download your MP3 audio.
The simplest form of video blogging, or "vlogging," means putting a video file online, linking to it from your blog, and anyone subscribing to your rss feed (automatically created by your blogging software) will get notified about your new video.
They can then open up your latest blog post in their "feed reader" and view your video by clicking the link.
More advanced forms of video blogging include getting your "vlog" accepted by Apple's iTunes so their subscribers can find and subscribe to your vlog (which gives you access to 19 million users at last count).
Vloggers use a variety of video file types (like Windows Media, Quicktime, Real Media, and MPEG) and there's no restriction on which file type you use to be considered a "vlog."
However, two file types stand above the rest if you want to reach the widest possible audience.
For video Podcasting, you must publish in either the FLV (Flash Video) or SWF (Shockwave Flash) file formats if you want people on both MAC and PC to view your video files.
FLV is better suited for full motion video, but they both work on smaller length video files.
For Video PodCasting, you must publish in the MPEG4 file format or Apple's proprietary version of that format known as M4V.
Apple's QuickTime Pro software rates the simplest and easiest way to convert your video files to the proper video PodCasting format.
To create a basic "vlog," you need the following list of equipment and software: a web cam or digital camcorder; a microphone, production software; a blog; an rss feed to "syndicate" your content.
A webcam will work for a basic vlog, though a digital video camera will create much better results because they contain better optics.
Using a separate microphone instead of the microphone built into your web cam or camcorder will also produce a much better sound quality.
Once you shoot your video you need to produce it to display on the Web. At a minimum, if your computer operates with Windows XP, you can use the Windows Movie Maker software that comes free with XP.
Though you can't save as an FLV or SWF, you can save as a Windows Media file (wmv) to get you started.
For a blog, you can use the free Blogger.com service. To create a feed to syndicate your site, you can use the free service at FeedBurner.com.
Though audio blogging received mediocre acceptance from the mainstream Internet audience, "vlogging" should do extremely well simply because of our fascination with moving pictures.
If you're looking for a precedent, look how far TV has come in the last 50 years compared to radio.
Copyright 2005 Jim Edwards
How To Become an Expert at Something You Know Nothing About
There is something so inspiring about seeing someone learn a new skill, become competent, then take it to the next level and become an expert. I remember a few years back my sister Stacey started getting interested in mountain biking. We all thought, "Oh, that's cool, it's nice to try new things."
I don't think any of us imagined it would become the main passion of her life (she was never a super-athletic person before), but she found a mentor, learned the basics, biked every day, and with a infatigable source of determination set about to learn all she could about mountain biking.
After she learned the basics, she started learning how to repair her own bike and replace parts. Then, she decided she wanted to build her own bike from scratch, which impresses me to no end.
She was clearly going into uncharted, esoteric territory as far as our family was concerned with her requests for obscure bike magazines and accessories for Christmas and birthdays and with the addition of multiple tattoos of bike images on her body to express the impact this extreme sport was having on the direction of her life.
Now, 6 years later, she is working as the manager for a bike shop in New York doing repairs, building bikes, selling bikes and handing out advice to other biking enthusiasts.
Imagine, over the course of a few years, Stacey went from a complete novice whose physical activity was limited to the occasional stroll around the neighborhood, to pretty much an expert in the field of mountain biking.
So, what is the key to being able to go from zero knowledge to expert in your field of choice, whether it's mountain biking, doing Kung Fu, playing guitar, being a pro blogger, a life coach or anything else in life?
1. Have a commitment to mastery.
"The only thing standing between you-as-amateur and you-as-expert is dedication. All that talk about prodigies? We could all be prodigies (or nearly so) if we just put in the time and focused. Best of all--it's almost never too late," encourages brain science maven, Kathy Sierra.
2. Stay with it for the long haul.
If you're committed to being successful within a field that's completely new to you, you should be prepared to invest at least 3 to 5 years of steady focus. If that turns you off, then save yourself the time and don't bother.
3. Don't let it bother you that you suck at first.
Personal development guru Steve Pavlina cautions, "When you start out in a brand new field with no experience, you're going to suck… most likely really suck. If you're lucky your results will just be bad instead of painfully bad. But screwing up is perfectly OK. That's supposed to happen. Screwing up is how you learn. Every mistake helps you make new distinctions and increase your skill."
4. Don't be discouraged that most people fail.
If you're starting in a field that is very challenging and has a low barrier of entry, such as acting, starting an internet business, music or pro blogging, you're going to be keeping company with many folks who are just dabblers. Pavlina says, "In many fields you only see a 1% success ratio because the other 99% are merely taking up space. You'll find a small percentage of people who are really committed to mastery, but the rest have virtually no hope of notable success. As you build skill, which normally takes years to achieve competency in any worthwhile field, you move out of the 99% and into the 1%. Dabblers will enter the field, try it for six months, and give up after concluding it's too hard. A challenging field is good though because it means your long-term investment in skill-building will mean something. It wouldn't be much of an accomplishment if it was too easy."
5. Focus on learning rather than winning at first.
It feels awkward to learn a new skill, and many times you can't avoid being thrown into the same pool and made to compete with experts who have been honing their skills for years. Pavlina says, "It's totally unfair. But that unfairness is what provides the challenge and makes it fun.When you're committed, you know that early success isn't to be expected. This is the training phase. Your goal is to survive and to learn, not to win."
6. Know that it's never too late.
Sierra points out, "Most of us can kiss that Olympic ice skating medal good-bye. But think about this... actress Geena Davis nearly qualified for the US Olympic archery team in a sport she took up at the age of 40, less than three years before the Olympic tryouts. And if the neuroscientists are right, you can create new brain cells by learning at virtually any age. Think about it... if you're 30 today, if you take up the guitar tomorrow, you'll have been playing for TWENTY years by the time you're 50. You'll be kicking some serious guitar butt."
So, rather than being the product of luck, genetics, learning a skill at a young age, or statistical likelihood, achieving mastery within a certain field is largely the result of personal choice, training and commitment.
It's encouraging to remember that every expert started out as a complete novice.
There was a time in Leonardo da Vinci's life when he knew nothing about painting. There was a time in Lance Armstrong's life when he didn't know how to ride a bike. There was a time in Anne Rice's life when she wasn't that great at writing. They only reached expert status after much perserverence, dedication and practice.
Sharon Sarmiento is a Virtual Assistant who specializes in helping folks with internet technology & web media companies explode their businesses to the next level. She organizes, oversees and manages the million tiny details that go into the day-to-day operations of online businesses. For free resources on how you can work less and have more free time while still making more money, visit Sharon's blog, eSoup, at: => http://www.eSoupBlog.com
Hot Topics - Immigration Law
Most writers have a hard time picking a niche. They grab the first thing they think of and make another work at home or how to write website. Then they waste three years wondering why they are not generating an income.
However, there are niches out there which need good writers. Immigration is one of the current 'hot topics.'
VisaAmigo.com is an immigration law website with an immigration law forum where users can post questions or comments about immigration issues that are answered by an immigration law attorney.
“There are a lot of people out there who have questions about our immigration law system but simply don’t have access to attorneys or other professionals who can help them locate the information they need,” explained Philip C. Curtis, an immigration law attorney and author for VisaAmigo.com.
There are ample opportunities out there, places to find information/support, and affiliate programs to profit from....it just takes a little time to find them.
What is Blogging? Videos Reveal How to Use Blogs to Make Bundles of Cold, Hard Cash!
Here are some common reasons why people start blogging, see whether any one of these describes you:
1. There are those who blog for the heck of it or, Just For Fun
If this defines you, it may well be that you have an unsatisfied need to express that personal side of you which sets you apart from the rest of us. You may be bursting at the seams to tell the world about your adorable Shih Tzu puppy, the one who makes your life more about sharing and loving, instead of about conflict. Needless to say, the puppy mentioned above can be substituted for with any one else who makes your life more fulfilling, and who makes you able to express love to the world around you.
2. There are those who Blog For Money
Such a goal in neither far fetched, nor ridiculous. There are many, so called, pro bloggers raking in $20,000 a month, or more. So, such a goal is possible and justifiable, if you define blogging in terms of profits. By reading the next two sections, you'll get a glimpse at a few methods used by some bloggers in order to profit from them handsomely.
3, There are those who blog to Attain Expert Status
You may be fortunate enough to have a good deal of specialized knowledge in a particular field that is, also, popular online. Some of these include, pet grooming and training, making wine, ethnic cooking, car repair, or pc repair and maintenance. By deciding to use your blog in order to share your expertise with the world in your field of specialization, you can attain the status of an expert in that field, and build a devoted following online, otherwise known as a mailing list or, my term, a 'goose egg'.
You can then leverage this expert status into a profit generating home business simply by emailing your list with affiliate products which are appropriate and pertinent to their needs.
4. There are those who blog For Networking
It may well be that, your interest in blogging is based on being able to persuade others to assist you in your business ventures, this assistance being either financial, as from investors, or purely technical.
With this goal in mind, your blog can become the platform that catapults mere business ideas and concepts into a viable, profitable business entity. Your words can be the funnel that brings in the needed capital to take you from dream to reality, or they can help you drum up new customers and business, also with the same effect.
We've covered the most common, but not the only, reasons why people blog. There are probably as many different reasons for blogging as there are folks blogging. But, it's likely your own reason for blogging falls somewhere within these parameters we have discussed. As you can see, there's no hard and fast definition of what is blogging.
In the end, you'll have to define blogging for yourself.
If you're ready to go from 'wannabe blogger' to 'pro blogger', but think the road ahead is full of pitfalls, don't worry. It's not as hard as you think. Get started right by visiting the video website I've put together for you.
Investment Planning - Wikinvest
It is time to learn how to invest. Yes, you are just starting your business, and you don't even have the operating expense to pay your bills. But, you are self employed. You will be responsible for your own retirement. When your investments are so vital, it is imperative that you do it right.
I've written investment articles for more than three years. Some of my articles have appeared on some of the biggest investment sites in the world. There are many, but the important thing is to look for a site that teaches investing in layman's terms.
There are good investments for the 'little guy.' If you knew where to look a few years ago, the research on Apple made it a very good investment. If you go to Wikivest.com, and research this article on Apple, you'll see that it still is a gold mine for investors.
THis is one of the best articles I've read on Apple in a long time. Wikinvest writes for non-investors, making them one of the best sites in my books. They will soon start to give the big guys a 'run for their money.'
It is important to follow the market. Take a look at the chart on the side of the article on Apple. The price has fallen, due to the stock scare in January. This is the time to buy. In fact, after reading this article, I learned that this is the bargain time to buy! The prices of stocks have not been this low in years. That doesn't mean they are doing bad - what most people don't know is that money is not lost on the market...not for real. It always comes back after a while, as long as the company is strong.
The Exciting New Frontier Of Professional Blogging
Professional blogging is a very new idea with a lot of potential for entrepreneurs who have insight, drive, and a basic understanding of today's innovative web technology. The ranks of so-called pro bloggers are still quite small, and there are very few people who make their living entirely off of their blogs. However, every day there are more and more people who have managed to turn their weblogs into cash cows that supplement their income. The number of pro bloggers is growing by leaps and bounds, but it is difficult to say whether this trend will continue.
Many bloggers dream of entering the sphere of professional blogging. There are very few people who happily devote an hour or more each day to their blog without at least occasionally wishing that they could earn some kind of financial reward for all of their work. Several models exist for making money with a blog, the most popular being to sell advertising space through Google's AdSense program or directly to a company that wishes to reach the demographic that your blog appeals to. However, there are very few people indeed who can make a comfortable living just by selling space on their blog sidebars.
A lot of the people who read weblogs are bloggers themselves, in part because of the fact that the people who use blogging technology on a daily basis are most likely to be interested in what other writers are doing with the medium. This fact begins to explain why the people who succeed in the world of professional blogging are mostly people who have devoted themselves almost entirely to learning about, talking about, and writing about blogging. More than any other topic, pro bloggers turn their attention to the phenomenon of blogging itself. A lot of pro bloggers make the topic of blogging the stunningly self-reflexive ongoing focus of their blogs.
Of course, professional blogging is destined to become much more complicated in the future than it is today. In the current moment, pro bloggers who attract the largest audiences and make the most money are mostly concerned with investigating the blogging movement and with offering advice to amateur bloggers. However, as the kinds of people who regularly read blogs changes, and the demographics of bloggers expand and diversify as blogging software becomes more user friendly, it is very likely indeed that the world of pro blogging will begin to reflect these changes. Indeed, it is very difficult to predict exactly what kinds of blogs will be reaping the greatest financial rewards five or ten years down the road. The world of pro blogging is one of constant change and flux, which is part of what makes it so exciting.
Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Learn more about Blogging; send a blank email to mailto:course@peterdobler.com or visit http://blogging.articles24x7.com
Pro Blogging - How To Turn Blogging Into A Full-time Career
Blogging is now mainstream, with businesses of all sizes realizing that they need a blog. However, most businesses don't have the staff who know how blogging works; nor do they want to commit staff time to a project which can be easily out-sourced. This is where you come in - the pro blogger, a professional who blogs under contract for a number of companies.
How To Get Started Blogging For Pay - You Need A Blog
If blogging appeals to you, you'll be happy to know that you can get blogging gigs without much effort. If you already have a blog, it's time to let people know that they can hire you. This is easily done with a "Hire Me" button on your blog.
Don't have a blog? Then it's time to create one. A free blog, with a couple of posts, will only take you an hour or so to create, and you're all set.
You need to create a portfolio blog to get blogging gigs because the blog is your 24x7x365 sales person, selling your abilities to companies all across the globe.
How To Get Blogging Contracts - The More Contracts You Have, The More You Earn
Now you've created a blog, you can get blogging contracts in a variety of ways.
Here are the easiest:
* Blog job hunt on the out-sourcing sites - check out the freelance out-sourcing sites. You'll find people placing projects for bloggers consistently;
* Investigate the pro blogging job sites - a number of sites dedicated to blog jobs has sprung up in recent months;
* Find companies you'd like to blog for which don't have blogs - if their competitors have blogs, they'll want a blog too. Make them a proposal: let them know exactly what a blog can do for their business.
So there you have it - how to become a pro blogger in a nutshell. If you enjoy blogging, you can easily turn your skills into a well paid, full-time career.
Discover the many ways you can make money blogging, with Angela Booth's ebook "Blogging For Dollars" at http://abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html
11.2.08
Write What You Know - My Dogs
I was delighted when a sponsor offered to give me the opportunity to write a story about my dogs. I love dogs, something that isn't news to my friends. I've had all sorts of dogs, an Alaskan Malamute, lab, shelties, and lots of Chinese Crested dogs. I love my CCs. They are a small hairless dog with more personality than most people I know.
The picture is of one of our puppies, Odie. We also call him pal. It doesn't really matter because he is just so happy and bouncy - just talk in a happy voice and he comes running. But he hates the snow. He is only a few months old, and we've only had him outside once. He fought and screamed to climbed into my daughter's arms.
It is fun to see Odie play with his mother, who is about 3" smaller, but she is the boss. She rules the roost. She even gives my teenage son the 'eye' when he doesn't approve of what he is doing.... especially when he turns the music up loud.
It is fun to take them to the beach in the summer. They cannot wear a regular dog collars. Their collars are wide and soft. I have an embroidered one for Thumbelina, the mother.
Thumbelina doesn't like to swim, but she likes to walk around the beach checking out everyone else. Of course, a small dog with no hair except on her feet, head, and tail is always welcome...almost. One day we met a shizu who was not at all impressed.
There was a time when we showed them, but it became too time consuming. Now we just enjoy living with our three, Prince, Thumbelina, and Odie. They are keeping my feet warm under the desk as I write this. Thumbelina - of course - has the prime spot right by the space heater.
I thank barkslope.com for offering to sponsor a post about my dogs. I love it when I have a chance to write about something 'fun'
9.2.08
What Makes a Good Blogger?
I've been blogging for a while now and one thing I noticed while reading other blogs is that some of them suck. There - I said it!
It's not hard to find a blog that has either died (that is, the author doesn't update it anymore), provides the wrong information, has spelling and grammar mistakes or the theme itself makes you sick.
I've compiled a list of 5 traits that a good blogger should have.
Be Personal
A good blogger should provide insight and a touch of their personal side while writing. The information offered should not be recycled, but fresh and informative (especially on a marketing blog). A blogger should be responsive to their audience, be easily accessible, respond to comments and provide dialog that's easy to make sense of.
Have a Personality
The blogger personality is a huge key when it comes to having your audience like you or hate you. This is where it gets tricky - you want to be somewhere between 'liked' and 'hated'. You want to be hated enough to cause a little controversy and discussion amongst your readers, but likable enough that even those that hate you will come back to read more. Make sense?
Be Passionate
If you're not passionate about what you're writing about, it shows and your readers will know it. You shouldn't have to struggle when writing a post - it should come naturally. If this isn't the case, you're writing on the wrong subject. Have fun while writing and don't force yourself too much.
Post Pictures
Every now and then post a photo to go along with your post. It doesn't have to be a photo of yourself (although you could do that too), but a photo related to whatever your post happens to be about. For example, I try to post at least one photo along with each post I make, but sometimes I don't post any. I like to switch it up a bit.
Stay Focused
If your blog is about detailing cars, don't write about your political opinions - it's pretty straight forward. Most blogs I visit like to freestyle on the weekends and break a few of the rules. This is good because it gives the reader a chance to see what else you can write about. But remember, 99% of the time your content should match your title. Your readers were attracted to your blog in the first place because of its subject; try to keep their focus (and yours) as much as possible.
Chris Jacobson is an Internet entrepreneur and freelance author who writes on various topics.
His official website is www.MoneyMakingScoop.com.
Review: Payday Loans
The next is growing every year. We get more tools to use for our businesses, and more advantages that were once reserved for a limited few. Many of these fall into the financial world. We can not buy stocks online, and make money online. We can transfer money, pay bills, and take out small loans.
The most common, and fastest growing method of loan lending are payday loans. These types of personal loans have been around for a long time, but they are fairly new to the net.
The loans are taken out gainst future paychecks. The borrower merely gives a copy of their check to the lending firm, and they are lent money. This works the same way as a garnishment. In reality, the lender just cashes the check at the right date.
These lenders came into busienss to help debtors who are suffering from the credit crunch, or a Christmas hang-over. The world is changing. It is becoming easier to get ahold of money,borrow, invest, and even lend.
8.2.08
How To Blog For Money
Have an Angle
There are a couple of different ways to approach your blog, and each one depends on your experience and goals. An expert blog is one where the writer has insights and experiences from a particular topic or industry. They give their reader value by exposing things that a novice on the topic may not know.
A commercial blog still focuses on one subject, but instead of pretending to know everything about the subject; it simply recommends products and information related to it. The blogger then receives commissions when the reader purchases a product through the blog's affiliate links. In comparing the two formats, an expert blog is more likely to build instant traffic, but a commercial blog is typically more profitable when done in good taste.
Build Trust
No matter what angle you choose for your blog it is important to build trust with your readers if you want them to purchase products through your affiliate links. While this is relatively easy with an expert blog that provides inside information, a commercial blog will require more work. The fastest way to build trust in this scenario is to offer useful content. This can be done posting helpful articles and honest reviews of related products. Always look back on your blog posts and ask yourself if they provide value to the reader. This is the easiest way to tell if you will attract or repel your visitors.
Recommend
The most effective way to make money blogging is to through the use of product recommendations. This is typically done by reviewing a particular product within a blog post and including an affiliate link to the item. Again, the trust level of the reader is essential for success. By providing accurate details about the product, as well as an unbiased opinion, you can increase the probability that they will make a purchase through your link. Of course a little salesmanship can increase your odds, but be careful not to go overboard and turn the reader off. Be creative and compelling without ruining the trust level you have nurtured.
Learning how to blog for money involves a balanced approach of strategy and marketing ability. Beginners should realize that the entire process will require constant learning and experimentation. Start by mapping out a strategy for your blog. Think about what you will offer your readers and how you will monetize your efforts. From there it is a matter of determining which marketing efforts work most effectively with the reader base. This is best accomplished by trying out multiple techniques and measuring the results. The good news is that once you have discovered a profitable format, you can reproduce the efforts across multiple blogs. This is where the largest profits will be realized.
7.2.08
Do You Have a Product For Sale?
It amazes me how many pro-bloggers will write for others, ghostwrite, but never take the time to make their own product to sell. In fact, with today's technology, it is possible to build a whole library of books for sale - at 100% profit...no publishers...no distributor's....nothing.
It is fairly easy. First, the average lazor printer can print 'book quality pages.' But, your books are not going to look like bookshelf quality books. You want them to look like training manuals and corporate releases. So you will use a lower grade embossed cover. This can be purchased in bulk, or at any office supply store.
THen you bind it. I had the 5000 model of book binding machine. It sits on the table and uses glue strips. The finished book looks good enough to sell from local bookstores. But, because the book doesn't look like a bookstore book - you can charge hard-cover prices for your book.
This is a great way to use corporate tools to give yourself an advantage.
However, like all products there is a trick to using these book binders to make a trade paperback. First, do not make anything less than 6x9. Second, you want to 'crimp' your spine. When making a cover, make it at least 1/2 an inch larger than necessary so you have ample trim.
The trim can be difficult. We purchased a large paper cutter, guilloteen style, to do the cutting. This worked well when we kept the blade sharp.
You will need to make your own crimper. This can be tricky as not all of your books will be the same size. Crimping makes the book 'fit' the cover, and the pages will sit nicer in the back of the book. The book binder will crimp the covers as it melts the glue stick and adheres the book, but having a pre crimp will make he book look almost 'bookstore quality.'
In fact, if you use a good inkjet printer, book quality paper, and laminate the cover with a satin finish plastic, your books will be bookstore quality.
Cost? It costs about $3.00 - $5.00 to make a small book, under 200 pages. This lets you make a book, and sell it for $9.99 - $19.99 from Amazon.com, or your website, and earn $6.00 - $15.99 per copy.
3.2.08
What is With Bloggingads?
An I the only one who hasn't had an ad appear at bloggingads for 'forever?' I haunted the site at the beginning of this month in an attempt to get a few ads. Nothing.
I wish the advertising agencies gave bloggers more credit. I pay to buy traffic ($12 for 10 000 hits) to increase PR, and I have put domain names on my blogger blogs. I like blogger's system, but I want the advantage of having a private domain.
I am not pleased with the fact that they post all their ads at one time. That forces me to make the choice whether to respect my subscribers, or flood their inbox in an attempt to make offering a niche focus blog worth the time investment.
What do you think?
