Sunday, August 10, 2008

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One of the main concerns portable video player enthusiasts lies in the fact that not every good looking player will in fact support the video formats they use the most. For instance some people love the AVI container, other simply like WMV better and others just use a specific format because their favorite media is encoded using such codec.

For many of us, buying an expensive MP3-video player which doesn't play the desired format is a total pain and things get even worse when we have to use brute PC power to re-encode the media we want to watch on our players, this is why it is very important that the player we are buying supports the container we use the most.

It would be safe to say that AVI is one of the most popular video containers used to share video files on the internet, this container can be H.264, DivX or Xvid compressed these are all video codecs which may be used to produce videos. Another popular format is the MPG container which is one of the older formats around, they may be found in MPG-1 and MPG-2 for DVDs; yet another container which is mostly used by Japanese fan-sub animation fans is the MKV container which can have several audio and subtitle streams all in one file.

The formats supported by the Zen vision W are: MPG1, AVI (Divx, Xvid) and WMV at a maximum resolution of 720X640 which is really good for a portable player which can be connected to a TV in order to watch the movie at full resolution on a bigger screen. At 30GB the amount of movies which can be stored using any of the codecs mentioned can be of up to 42 - 700MB movies, this number may vary according to the bit-rate used to encode each video.

The MKV container is not yet supported but there are other devices which do, however some people don't want to sacrifice the player aesthetics and price in order to get an extra format. An good feature anime lovers will find useful is the picture display capabilities which can be used to read mangas, all others will find the space and compatibility features just perfect.

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When's the last time you've been truly excited over your mobile phone bill? Odds are, it's been a while- if at all! But what better way to get excited over a cell phone plan if it costs next to nothing for all of the latest features? If you aren't already up in arms, ready for the new (free) technology, prepared to get excited

Free Text Messaging

Every second there are thousands of tiny packets of information being shot into space, where it hits satellites only to be shot back down to different locations. We call this process text messaging- perhaps the world's most popular form of communication when a full-blown conversation isn't possible.

But we can bypass the satellite altogether, as well as the fees associated with text messaging, by using the Internet. We can take advantage of a server's power to send and receive packets of information to route our text message to its destination.

Not all cell phone carriers allow their users to use free services via the Internet. Other providers only allow free text messages to be sent to other users of the specific carrier. Either way, using the internet can drastically cut down on the number of text messages being used- which can likewise cut a bill exponentially.

Free Ringtones

In the old days, every single ringtone cost money. Long gone are the days when just one song cost enough money to make cell phone users do a double take before purchasing anything. Now with the advent of new technology, ringtones and other media can be had for free.

Sharing technology such as Bluetooth allows devices to connect without wires. Files and information, such as ringtones, can be shared via this connection. Other phones have ports that can connect to other devices such as a computer- where the same effect can be achieved.

Not every mobile carrier allows for this operation- as they are closed to third party applications and services. Nevertheless, most carriers allow for this functionality. The free ringtones are nice to have around to help liven up a boring mobile phone, not to mention they are great to socialize and share with friends.

Other Free Goods for Mobile Phones

In the majority of mobile phone sales, there is an option to sign a contract. Without a contract mobile phones can easily reach a couple hundred dollars. But by agreeing to a service agreement, users can get some of the latest phones extremely cheap: even free.

The only problem here is that a minimum time span of service agreement must be observed. If a phone breaks during this period, the user must have insurance (and pay a deductible), or buy a completely new phone. Opting out of the service instead warrants a fee, which is usually just as expensive as a new phone would cost.

Other benefits can come as a direct result of service agreements. Everything from reduced prices to increased text messaging and minute plans can be benefited from. If one's cards are played right, mobile phones don't have to be near as expensive as they are usually. The ringtones, media, text messaging, and even the phone itself can be had free if the right strings are pulled.

The next time you pull out your mobile phone bill and you exhibit a frown, perhaps it's time to start engaging in the fore mentioned plans of free mobile phone goods!

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Owning a computer and keeping it in good shape involves more than just dusting off the outside of it, it requires regular maintenance, just like a car. Inexpert users may occasionally de-fragment the hard disk, clean up old archived and downloaded internet files and run the occasional virus check, however things don't end there, this is just the beginning of tasks which should be performed on a regular basis (at least once a month).

If you love to browse the web then you have certainly come across web sites which resize your window, send you hellish pop-up screens and take advantage or your browser script vulnerabilities, if this is the case you might want to do some research about spyware, viruses and malware which can hurt your PC performance and compromise your data.

Today there is a wide range of PC "diseases" sort to speak, they are transmitted through P2P file shares, they may also be embedded on web sites or offered through software sharing networks as exploits. Lets take a look at one of these "evil applications" - spyware.

Spyware:

As the word implies, spyware software is designed to spy on you. These applications are usually "bundled" with free software which is being given away. If you love to chat with friends through MSN messenger, ICQ, Yahoo messenger then you have seen those ads which offer free smileys and cute "plug-ins" these are basically the root of all evil when it comes to computer problems. When you see these smileys you are thinking about how cute they are and how they would make your online conversations look cool, and if you are like most of us you don't care about reading the installation agreement which is 15 miles long, hey who would? This is strike one.

Once the spyware application is installed it runs on the background gathering and sending information about the places you visit the most in order to show you pop ups related to what you are seeing, in some cases the advertisement may not be related at all, which is why some spyware companies (yes, they are actually established businesses) have been sued for showing inappropriate advertising to children who are attracted to these freebies. This is strike two.

In most cases, when you realize you have spyware the first logical thing you would do is search for an application to remove this unwanted program. The best ones out there are Spybot, AVG Anti-Spyware, PC Tools software and utilities bundled with reputable antivirus programs. Now that you have one of these removal tools you might run into serious problems after removing the spyware modules, why? - because some of them will completely disable your internet connection and will not let you go back online, this might be a step to get you to restore the removed application but in many cases this is impossible, if you use the spyware-recommended removal tool there always will be unwanted spying modules left in your computer. Strike three.

Having a computer which can not access the web because of spyware removal is reason enough to go mad, especially if you have bills to pay, homework to research or important emails to send. In order to avoid all of these spyware related complications it is recommended you install an anti-spyware application which can also have modules to protect you from adware, malware and all sorts of "ware" you can think of. Do not confuse the purpose of a virus scanner or firewall with an anti-spyware application, they are completely different animals and should be treated like so.

Avoiding such "free downloads" can save keep you trouble free, can protect your sensitive information and save you money on repairs which are necessary after a spyware removal problem.

http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/

Owning a computer and keeping it in good shape involves more than just dusting off the outside of it, it requires regular maintenance, just like a car. Inexpert users may occasionally de-fragment the hard disk, clean up old archived and downloaded internet files and run the occasional virus check, however things don't end there, this is just the beginning of tasks which should be performed on a regular basis (at least once a month).

If you love to browse the web then you have certainly come across web sites which resize your window, send you hellish pop-up screens and take advantage or your browser script vulnerabilities, if this is the case you might want to do some research about spyware, viruses and malware which can hurt your PC performance and compromise your data.

Today there is a wide range of PC "diseases" sort to speak, they are transmitted through P2P file shares, they may also be embedded on web sites or offered through software sharing networks as exploits. Lets take a look at one of these "evil applications" - spyware.

Spyware:

As the word implies, spyware software is designed to spy on you. These applications are usually "bundled" with free software which is being given away. If you love to chat with friends through MSN messenger, ICQ, Yahoo messenger then you have seen those ads which offer free smileys and cute "plug-ins" these are basically the root of all evil when it comes to computer problems. When you see these smileys you are thinking about how cute they are and how they would make your online conversations look cool, and if you are like most of us you don't care about reading the installation agreement which is 15 miles long, hey who would? This is strike one.

Once the spyware application is installed it runs on the background gathering and sending information about the places you visit the most in order to show you pop ups related to what you are seeing, in some cases the advertisement may not be related at all, which is why some spyware companies (yes, they are actually established businesses) have been sued for showing inappropriate advertising to children who are attracted to these freebies. This is strike two.

In most cases, when you realize you have spyware the first logical thing you would do is search for an application to remove this unwanted program. The best ones out there are Spybot, AVG Anti-Spyware, PC Tools software and utilities bundled with reputable antivirus programs. Now that you have one of these removal tools you might run into serious problems after removing the spyware modules, why? - because some of them will completely disable your internet connection and will not let you go back online, this might be a step to get you to restore the removed application but in many cases this is impossible, if you use the spyware-recommended removal tool there always will be unwanted spying modules left in your computer. Strike three.

Having a computer which can not access the web because of spyware removal is reason enough to go mad, especially if you have bills to pay, homework to research or important emails to send. In order to avoid all of these spyware related complications it is recommended you install an anti-spyware application which can also have modules to protect you from adware, malware and all sorts of "ware" you can think of. Do not confuse the purpose of a virus scanner or firewall with an anti-spyware application, they are completely different animals and should be treated like so.

Avoiding such "free downloads" can save keep you trouble free, can protect your sensitive information and save you money on repairs which are necessary after a spyware removal problem.

http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/

I recently watched an interview on cable television on one of those financial networks. The gentleman was interviewing billionaire Donald Trump.

I am sure you have heard of "The Donald". He is a very successful real estate mogul and businessman. Throw in the television show, "The Apprentice", and he encompasses what seems to be every aspect of business.

However did you know he didn`t do it alone? Sure he made some excellent decisions, but without help from others there is no way he could be where he is. He doesn`t drive the cranes that lift the steel girders into place in the high rise apartment complexes he builds, nor does he operate the cement trucks to poor the concrete for the foundations either.

But what he does do well is socialize and network. He meets the right people, gets to the know them, and fits them in to his plans to help make his company even more successful.

It takes years of excellent planning, maybe a little luck, definitely hard work and just importantly, the ability to socialize to get to Trump`s level. Whatever your business dreams and ambitions are, by socializing and networking, you can meet the right people to accelerate them faster.

In this article I want to concentrate on how to properly socialize online to help your business, and give you some examples of what you should do to build your "popularity" so to speak.

A friend of mine owns a rental property repair business. Most of his business comes from his local area, but that does not stop him from socializing online. One way he does it is to find chat rooms and social network sites that cater to his type of business.

In his downtime he heads online and answers questions people may have that he is an expert at. Because of the sites he is on allows automatic signatures, he has set that up to show his contact information. He says it has been a great way to get to know people and once and a while he will pull a customer from there. He says more importantly each customer he lands could grow into more customers through word of mouth advertising. The best part of this socialization technique is that it only cost him some of his time. Whatever your business is or whatever products your sell, get involved in a forum where you can share your expertise.

Next up are the social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Furl and Stumble. These sites allow you to post information about yourself, your business, and hobbies and so on. You also build a friend`s list. This list could potentially be your customer base.

Here on our website we participate in all of those social networking sites. We have built up a huge following because we contribute useful information to the business community. You need to do the same. Those sites are free to join and very popular.

So there are two great ways to increase your exposure for your business online. I can not guarantee that it will make you as successful as Donald Trump, but I can tell you with a consistent approach to building your following, you will be well on your way to finding new customers.

http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/

How are you feeling today? Are you channeling Rhianna’s Shut Up and Drive, or perhaps Timbaland…Apologize? And of course there’s always the oldie but goodie I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder. What do these songs have in common? They could be your ringtone! With the newest phones available (and even some of the old ones, to be honest) you can set your ringtone to anything you can imagine. So how do you choose?

First, start by going through the music you listen to daily. Is there a song you listen to every time you get in the car? What’s at the top of your most-played list? This might be your best bet for expressing your personality through your ringtone. Pick a few of your favorites from artists and see what they have to offer.

Second, look at a few websites. ITunes music store, MTV.com, wherever you get your music from- check out what’s new and exciting right now. Be the first to download the ringtone- your claim to fame in a couple months when the song hits #1 on the charts.

Finally- listen up. Have you ever been in the mall or in a restaurant when someone’s phone rang- and although annoying, you thought, “That is a cool ringtone?” Emulation is the highest form of respect. Don’t be afraid to ask, “What’s your ringtone?” If he or she didn’t want attention, she would have left her ring on “Classic Nokia.”

A few words of caution: Don’t forget to consider what you want others to hear. If you love Got Your Money by Ol’ Dirty Bastard (who doesn’t?) you might want to think about how you would play that off if your phone accidentally rang in a job interview.

Also, do you have a song that’s important enough to warrant special occasions only? Do you really want the song you danced to at your wedding play when your grandmother calls you? Sometimes hearing something all day, every day can kill your passion for it. Don’t make your favorite, memorable songs tortuous to listen to.

Many cell phones will actually allow you to choose ringtones for different people. This is incredibly beneficial in a variety of ways. For example, you can know that your roommate is calling without bothering to look. The only reason he calls is to ask if he can eat your food. Better left unanswered. Choose tones specifically for family (Sister Sledge, perhaps?), for your girlfriend or boyfriend, for your best friend, and of course- undesirables. That way you’re not only expressing yourself, you’re expressing how you feel about others.

As with everything- you get points for variety! Change your ringtone often to match the changing seasons, holidays, moods, or trends. You can download them from the web, or use software designed for your phone, usually available through your provider, to make your own ringtones straight from your music library. Daily routines can become monotonous- why not create your own, personalized soundtrack?

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Please be aware, these instructions are for Microsoft's Windows XP (maybe Vista, too) users. Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc) users will need to find another solution (I suggest reading up on hosts.deny).

One of the most distracting and often frustrating issues most web surfers deal with are web page advertisements. Pop ups, flashing banners, unusually loud audio commercials, all sorts of trickery and tactics go into web based advertising, but there is a highly effective, yet simple, solution to end all the madness.

The title isn't lying, there's absolutely no need to download any type of software - no tools, no utilities, no scanners, no watchers, no monitors, no toolbars, they're all junk! This process should take a novice user less than five minutes to implement. This little tip is so easy; you'll end up applying the technique to any computer you use frequently. Not only that, there's an excellent chance your friends and family will want to know why your Internet is so fast, clean, and enjoyable! With that said, let's get started.

First, open the Windows' hosts file, which is typically stored here, "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" in your favorite text editor. Notepad will probably work best if you're unsure. Try and avoid using Microsoft's Word or WordPad, a clear and simple Notepad usually does the trick.

With the hosts file open, open the link to the text file below in your web browser (typically Internet Explorer or Firefox): http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt

Copy the entire contents of that list into your hosts file, save the changes, and close the text editor. Restart your browser and visit some of your favorite web sites; you should notice several dramatic differences in a number of areas.

With your new hosts file configuration, you'll never see contextual ads, pop up ads, malware, spyware, adware, flash banners, audio ads, web site statistical software (you're invisible!), and just about anything else with potential to take away from the pleasures of surfing the Internet. Web pages often pull information from external sources (advertising servers), which can slow down a page's loading time. Well not anymore. Since your computer won't respond to over 16,000 advertising, malware, and spyware companies, you're free to surf the web worry free. Surfing the Internet will become quick, fun, and reliable again.

If there's a particular company or companies you'd like to see ads from, just open your hosts file and add a # sign at the beginning of the company's line. Save the changes and reload the page.

http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/

Gao Tek Inc. Has Released Arm Evaluation Board: STDV710A
Toronto, ON – GAO Tek Inc. has Introduced a new STDV710A. The STR710F-Z2T6 is an ARM-powered microcontroller with embedded Flash and RAM. The STR710F-Z2T6 is based on the ARM7TDMI core with low pin-count packages to aim at customers who want the power and flexibility of a 32-bit microcontroller plus an extensive range of peripheral functions and enhanced I/O capabilities.
The STR710F-Z2T6 with high connectivity is using various interfaces including CAN, USB, SPI, I2C, UART, EMI (External Memory Interface) and etc. The controller is designed to target industrial control applications as well as mass-market telecom applications.
SPECIFICATION OF THE STDV710A :
 Processor : STR710F-Z2T6 with embedded 272k Bytes (256k+16k) FLASH memory and 64k Bytes SRAM memory
 EMI SRAM : 256k x 16 bit, EMI Nor Flash: 1M x 16 bit
 10M Ethernet interface (CS8900)
 CAN2.0 communication interface with CAN driver-chip
 UART0 and UART2 with 2 RS232 ports (can interconnect to each other for RS232 communication experiment)
 LCD interface(16x2 Character LCD or 128x64 Dot-matrix LCD)
 32 CPU multi-functional re-used I/O expansion (HDLC, Smart Card,etc.)
APPLICATION OF THE STDV710A :
• Factory automation
• Point-of-sale
• Vending machines
• Testing equipment
• Bridges
• Protocol translators
GAO Tek Inc.
(416)-292-0038, ext 238

GAO Tek Inc., a member of GAO Group, is a leading provider of embedded development tools, telecommunication testers, electronic measurement instruments, video surveillance, alarm and other electronic products that serve the needs of electronic professionals internationally. For further information, please visit http://www.GAOTek.com

http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/

Owning a computer and keeping it in good shape involves more than just dusting off the outside of it, it requires regular maintenance, just like a car. Inexpert users may occasionally de-fragment the hard disk, clean up old archived and downloaded internet files and run the occasional virus check, however things don't end there, this is just the beginning of tasks which should be performed on a regular basis (at least once a month).

If you love to browse the web then you have certainly come across web sites which resize your window, send you hellish pop-up screens and take advantage or your browser script vulnerabilities, if this is the case you might want to do some research about spyware, viruses and malware which can hurt your PC performance and compromise your data.

Today there is a wide range of PC "diseases" sort to speak, they are transmitted through P2P file shares, they may also be embedded on web sites or offered through software sharing networks as exploits. Lets take a look at one of these "evil applications" - spyware.

Spyware:

As the word implies, spyware software is designed to spy on you. These applications are usually "bundled" with free software which is being given away. If you love to chat with friends through MSN messenger, ICQ, Yahoo messenger then you have seen those ads which offer free smileys and cute "plug-ins" these are basically the root of all evil when it comes to computer problems. When you see these smileys you are thinking about how cute they are and how they would make your online conversations look cool, and if you are like most of us you don't care about reading the installation agreement which is 15 miles long, hey who would? This is strike one.

Once the spyware application is installed it runs on the background gathering and sending information about the places you visit the most in order to show you pop ups related to what you are seeing, in some cases the advertisement may not be related at all, which is why some spyware companies (yes, they are actually established businesses) have been sued for showing inappropriate advertising to children who are attracted to these freebies. This is strike two.

In most cases, when you realize you have spyware the first logical thing you would do is search for an application to remove this unwanted program. The best ones out there are Spybot, AVG Anti-Spyware, PC Tools software and utilities bundled with reputable antivirus programs. Now that you have one of these removal tools you might run into serious problems after removing the spyware modules, why? - because some of them will completely disable your internet connection and will not let you go back online, this might be a step to get you to restore the removed application but in many cases this is impossible, if you use the spyware-recommended removal tool there always will be unwanted spying modules left in your computer. Strike three.

Having a computer which can not access the web because of spyware removal is reason enough to go mad, especially if you have bills to pay, homework to research or important emails to send. In order to avoid all of these spyware related complications it is recommended you install an anti-spyware application which can also have modules to protect you from adware, malware and all sorts of "ware" you can think of. Do not confuse the purpose of a virus scanner or firewall with an anti-spyware application, they are completely different animals and should be treated like so.

Avoiding such "free downloads" can save keep you trouble free, can protect your sensitive information and save you money on repairs which are necessary after a spyware removal problem.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Recreation And Leisure

The best place to go to the beach is in California. The sun is shining brightly most of the year. The beach is full of beautiful, white sand that you can sink your toes into and lay back on and catch some rays. You can watch your kids have the time of their lives running away from the waves, building sand castles, and just running around enjoying themselves.

The best part about the beach is the fact that the most you'll pay for is a beach towel and maybe parking, but other than that, it's free and available to everyone! There are amazing beaches in North California, Central California, and South California, each with their uniqueness, but all are a spectacular idea for beach vacations.

In the northern parts of the state, you will most likely not be swimming, but rather taking some awesome photographs, seeing fantastic sites, and otherwise enjoying the wonderful scenery. Unlike the crowded beaches in the major metropolitan areas of California, northern beaches have tons of wildlife, animals and birds that are living in their natural habitat. This is great for kids to see, and they will definitely enjoy it.

Do you love to surf? Beaches in the middle of the state of California are great for people who love surfing. The waves will crash into the shores, allowing you to get some great exercise and to learn a new sport, or to even watch the pros ride the waves like roller coasters. You can also enjoy scuba diving, para sailing, fishing, and rock-climbing. These beaches are cooler than the others because of the fog, but the fog is usually cleared up by the afternoon. There is also tons of wildlife on the Central beaches including whales and sea otters.

While in Southern California, you can enjoy some of the most popular (and surprisingly, some of the most private) beaches in all of the state. If you enjoy many people on the beach to get to know, or to have fun people-watching, then you are in heaven. Southern beaches are also the home of many celebrities. While the other parts of the state are known for their beautiful photographic opportunities, but you could unleash your inner paparazzi and maybe catch some rare photos of celebrities.

Maybe, if you have the guts, you can go up to the celebrity and maybe get a picture from them. Southern beaches are also great spots for surfing, and other beach activities such as beach-combing, beach volleyball, building sand castles, do other sand art, snorkeling, body-boarding, and obviously swimming.

The Pacific Ocean invites you to play along its beaches. The tides will continue to rise and fall, and the waves will continue to rush in and pull back. Will you be there to enjoy yourself? If you are going to visit one of the many theme parks in California, or the redwoods, or other great natural displays of beauty in California, then why not head to the coast, and enjoy yourself throughout all of the state, at one of the many beaches throughout the state.

Who Else Wants To Learn Japanese Karate?

The most well known martial art is Japanese Karate, but Karate is not the only style of martial art that makes up Japanese karate. Judo, and Aikido are also included. These two styles are most evident in the extreme, or mixed martial arts fighting styles seen on television.

What Is Judo?

Judo is the major style practiced within Japanese karate. Judo developed from its ancestor, Ju-Jitsu. Judo is considered a sport, an art, a discipline, and an incredibly competitive and effective self-defense style.

It is best known for the incredible throwing techniques that are used, and as well it involves considerable grappling and wrestling moves that take place down on the mat. Judo techniques can bring an opponent to submission very quickly and effectively. When you watch extreme martial arts fighting on television watch for the Judo techniques.

Some of the Judo techniques include:
* Control holds
* Arm locks
* Choking techniques

One of the most important things to recognize about Judo is that it is a martial arts style that emphasizes full physical activity for top conditioning.

One other thing that is great about this form of Japanese Karate is that all age groups, genders and even disabled people are able to participate, and it is incredibly effective for developing self discipline and respect for oneself and others. It also provides a means for learning self confidence and self esteem.

What About Aikido?

Aikido is another of the most commonly practiced styles of Japanese karate, and it is a relatively modern and non-competitive martial art form that relies primarily on the use of techniques combined with energy in order to control and redirect an opponent's force. It is one of the most comprehensive and effective martial art forms that provides an excellent basis for both physical and spiritual development.

And Karate?

Karate is yet another of the most well recognized Japanese karate styles, and one of the most widely practiced as well. It is a martial art of Japanese origin, one which deals with attacks through evasive body movements and blocking.

As a self defense system karate teaches a set of principles that can be applied in almost any situation, and the sporting element of karate is what allows people of a sporting inclination to be able to test their own karate skills against others.

There are literally hundreds of different martial art forms that are practiced around the world, and although each is certainly different in its own way, either in regards to the history behind it or the techniques and movements used within it, all martial art forms actually share the same basic ideal, which is to promote self defense and protection techniques. Japanese Karate is no different.

If you are interested in learning one or more of the styles of Japanese Karate pick up a phone book or go on the Internet and hunt around for a local dojo near you. However, you need to make sure that the style is taught in its traditional method.

Also make sure the karate instructor has very good credentials, such as a black belt of at least the fourth degree and that they have actually gone and studied in Japan.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Text Messaging Etiquette and Guidelines

With the advent of the mobile phone, text messaging is considered as the cheap method to communicate with different people. With text messaging, we can easily pass on our thoughts, feelings and important messages to the individual concerned. Text messaging has, in fact, even given us the liberty to express ourselves. Although there are instance where-in we are likely to abuse this freedom, it is merely right to observe etiquette when texting messages.
There are instances where-in you get forwarded with messages that say fairly ill as regards to a definite individual. It can be in a type of gossip or a terrible gag. When you get something like this, you can simply disregard it or keep it to yourself. Never forward it to additional people, especially if it can ruin one more person’s name; or would relate to an accident or death of a person.
Thus, TV and Radio stations these days come up with varieties of games; which would involve texting them to become eligible in winning their rewards. Although this is exceptionally widespread, it is still considered a form of gambling. Your chances in winning would be like 1:10. You will end up saving more money and more load by steering clear from these text games.
Another thing prevalent, especially in the younger age group, would be the supposed “text mate” fever. It is actually the modernized version of the “phone pal” era. Never text people you are not acquainted with or even aimlessly throw messages asking if he or she can be your “text mate”. There are people who value their privacy very much, especially the married ones, who prefer not to get messages like this. If you are the one who got this type of text, never consider messages from people you don’t know. A lot of exploitations and rape instances, especially on women, began from a “text mate” relationship. It normally happens when there is an agreement to see each other and meet in some area. Preventive measure is still the best stake to keep secure.
When you get a message that was erroneously thrown to your number, observe courtesy. This is also important to consider when you throw a message to your friends, family or anyone else; never use vulgar words or something with malicious nature. Try not to throw a message or a statement that you would not want to get from other people also.
If it’s past midnight, only throw messages that are exceptionally important in nature. It is a form of respect. With regards to the significance of the message; mishap, death, fire, disaster, bomb threats or others similar to this should be handled with utmost care. It is best to call the individual concerned about such events. This allows you to clarify the whole aqccount, if necessary.
Never text or examine text messages while you are driving or talking to someone face-to-face. Never text messages when you are in chapels, in your classroom or when you are in a conference. Respect the individual who is discussing. If it cannot be avoided, ask to be exempted and carry out the texting outside the chapel or room.
Aside from this, never text and show off your mobile phone when you are in an open place. If you must text someone, do it discreetly. You will never know if a thief is close by. Thus, you must not text messages when you are crossing the street; this is a form of carelessness that most people are accountable of.
Text messaging can be fun, however make certain you realize the obligation that appear with this opportunity.

See also related links:

http://mangakoblog.blogspot.com/
http://inmylifes.blogspot.com/
http://alfredopalacio.blogspot.com/
http://williamcooleyblogs.blogspot.com/
http://mathematicsblogs.blogspot.com/
http://englishamericanblog.blogspot.com/
http://tigerssblogs.blogspot.com/
http://letmebetheone1.blogspot.com/
http://nuevaecijablog.blogspot.com/







Monday, July 14, 2008

Creating the Web 2.0 Buzz - Beyond Search Engine Optimization

VIRAL MARKETING

Any discussion of viral marketing brings up two authors - Malcom Gladwell, "The Tipping Point" and Seth Godin, "Unleasing the Idea Virus". Really, these authors are incredible thinkers - you should seek out and buy their books, read them for yourself to get the most out of them. But I'm not so in love with their books that I let them go on all points

Let's take Tipping Point first.

Gladwell is talking about social epidemics. While some of this is applicable to marketing, his book is mostly applicable to the society and social interactions.

Viruses all go past a point of no return. This is where they have gotten a large enough base where the majority become infected. This is the point of critical mass, the threshold, the tipping point.

Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.

We are living in a philosopher's paradise. Ideas can now be spread and influence people without physical limits. And the best ideas act like mercury - very hard to corral and control. The finest ideas are the universal solvant - unable to be held in any container except itself.

The tipping point is when an illness of a few becomes the epidemic of the many, the moment of change where a minor occurance becomes a major trend.

Epidemics have an exponential (bell curve) life span. This is the same life span of trends and fads. "The Tipping Point" studies the upslope of that Bell Curve progression.

THE LAW OF THE FEW

Word of mouth is still the most important form of human communication. Rumors are the most contagious of all social messages.

A tiny minority of people create the surge which tips the epidemic. Gladwell names three necessary types:

Connectors
are people specialists. They know lots of people, have an extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances, of making social connections. They have mastered the "weak tie"; a friendly, yet casual social connection. They manage to occupy many different cultures and subcultures and niches. They spread the message

Mavens
are information specialists. Once they figure out how to get that great deal, they want to tell you about it too.
They solve their own problems, or emotional needs, by solving other people's problems. They provide the message.

Salespeople
have the skills to persuade when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing. They translate and communicate via the nonverbal and are practically more charismatic than those around them. Emotion is contagious. "Senders" are very good at expressing emotions and feelings. They are far more emotionally contagious than the rest of us.

Another point, which gives us all hope as marketers, is that any of us are connected to the rest of us by six or fewer other people. So any of us could create the next "big thing" which goes epidemic.

THE STICKINESS FACTOR

Messages have to be packaged and translated into a way that fits into our emotional makeup. Those we adopt into our lifestyle are "sticky".

The multiplicity of messages through the Internet is both a blessing and a curse. But it only works if you surround yourself with your own niche. For everyone is a niche unto themselves. Now they may have and be part of greater and lesser networks - replete with mavens, connectors, and salesmen - but you really still have to be true to yourself.

That being said, you are free to adopt any new message that comes along which improves your quality of life.

Now, from the reverse view, in marketing you are trying to get out your message that you have a widely applicable solution to a fairly (or very) common problem. And that this solution is readily available.

There is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible/sticky and compels a person into action. All you have to do is find it. In order to be capable of sparking epidemics, ideas have to be memorable and move us into action. Content of the message matters too.

The key point where a new message "sticks" with us is where it is translated into an emotionally useful tool. A message is converted to a package which is then translated by a "salesman" so that we can emotionally "grok" what is coming our way, accept it, and use it. (Note: The word "grok" comes from a viral product, Heinlein's "Stranger In a Strange Land". Worth looking up.)

A very few individuals can control their emotional states. This takes quite a bit of personal training (which anyone, actually, can master on their own). We respond to the emotions of people around us. Practically, studies have been done which show what we hear and say are a small percentage of the communications we actually recieve. Gladwell's book mentions several examples and studies of this area.

When you get a point across emotionally, you can appeal to the subconscious and activate patterns and habits the individual may not even know are there. This is what Madison Avenue has paid psychologists to study for years. They want to (hopefully, but in vain) find key push-buttons which will make selling easier. Push-button societies went out with the Internet's rise.

There are really only a handful of "buttons" which work in very general terms. Ciladini and Maslov have working observations along this line - as I've covered elsewhere in this book.

Otherwise, our emotions are like our politics. (And just review the elections of 2000 and 2004 to see how similarly unlike we are to each other - it's been an even split in elections on our emotional values.) We have assigned our loves, hates, fears, exhilerations, sympathies, et al. to many and varied associations. In the Americas, you cannot find two or more people who have exactly the same responses to anything - even being faced with sudden death. You do find that people will more or less react in similar fashions. But the differences are broad enough that it is impossible to actually "fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time."

As the Internet and its choices become more pervasive, we will see more and more fragmentation and realignment of our emotions with our various attitudes.

CONCLUSION

Starting epidemics requires concentrating resources on a few key areas. Your resources ought to be solely concentrated on the Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Or at least getting your idea in front of them.

You have to define your niche and the people who move in it. You need to study what is out there, what solutions are being proposed. You have to find ways for people to get this data. You have to find connectors (specialized article directories, online radio shows, key forums and blogs) within that niche. The Mavens and Salesmen will take your concept from there. But be very willing to give out free samples for people and to reach out to many, many, many sub-niches (nichettes?) in an emotional way they will understand.

"Those who are successful at creating social epidemics do not just do what they think is right. They deliberately test their intuitions."

7 Surefire Ways To Increase Your Traffic Starting Yesterday

Internet. Business. Profit. To fully integrate all of these words into a successful merging you will need another word. Traffic. Every article you will find about making your site or company successful would always include the importance of generating traffic.

So, we all know that in the core of it all, traffic is the most essential thing to a successful internet based business company. Aside from ensuring that you have a great product to sell, and you have your company's internal organization well taken core of, it would be time to get to the nitty gritty of things, generating traffic.

If you already have a site and you want think that you're not getting the traffic that you're supposed to be getting, then its time to reconsider. If you are contending in these very competitive business, you should always be a step ahead of your competition, increasing your traffic flow should have been done starting yesterday.

Timing is essential, that's an old adage known to everyone. When generating traffic, you should always be on your toes and be a day ahead of everyone. Never think of today and tomorrow as a starting point for making your site traffic laden, it should always have been yesterday.

To help you out in generating more traffic for your site, here are some seven surefire ways to increase your traffic starting from yesterday.

1) Invest in good advertising with search engines
Google's Adwords and Yahoo's Overture provide great advertising schemes that are very truly popular and assures great traffic. Although with this surefire way to increase your traffic would cost some money.

While some would shy away from spending money to increase traffic, it is imperative in this case to do so because Adwords and Overture is the top surefire way to increase your traffic.

You could see for yourself the success this search engine advertising methods have reaped rewards for so many companies. Lots of site feature these advertising system and many have signed on to reap the benefits. Do not be left behind. Every penny is worth it with using Google and Yahoo's advertising.

2) Exchange or Trade Links with other sites
With exchanging links with other sites, both of you will benefit from the efforts both of you do to enhance your sites traffic.

When one site features another sites link, they could provide one another with the traffic one site generates. The efforts are doubly beneficial because it would seem like both of you are working to generate more traffic. The more links traded with more sites the more traffic could be expected.

3) Use Viral Marketing
Viral marketing allows you to spread the word about your company and product without any costs or if ever low costs only.

This is a marketing method that can be quite sneaky; you can attach your company's name, product or link to a certain media such as a funny video, entertaining game, an interesting article or a gossip or buzz.

With this method, people get infected with the creativity and entertainment of the medium that they will pass it on to many people.

4) Search and use proper keywords or keyword phrases for your sites content
Search engines look for certain keywords that they would show in their results page. In doing so, having the right keyword and keyword phrase is a high requirement in ranking in high in search engine results. You could write your own content or you could hire someone to do it for you.

5) Write Articles that can lead traffic to your site
Submit articles to sites that would contain the same subject that your site deals in.

If you sell car parts write press releases and articles about cars and car parts. Attach your sites description and services at the end of the article as well as the link.

6) Join forums and form online communities
Capture a market and show your expertise and credibility. When you found a good foundation for your site, people will trust you and your site and will pass on to many people their trust.

Traffic will certainly increase because they know that you can provide what they need.

7) Lastly, Offer newsletters.
If many people know what you are about and your existence is shared with many others, you will find a loyal traffic that can provide you with more traffic by recommendation.

If you arouse the curiosity of your customers they would be pushed to help you with your traffic.

Internet Marketing Guide, Do You Have one?

Wow! Internet Marketing Guide. What an interesting concept. Internet marketing is a pretty cool business. You can work from any where if you have a lap top and an Internet connection. I am typing this article from the bar in our local pool hall. I am playing in a 2 day pool tournament.

A few weeks back I attended a 3 day Internet Marketing work shop in Orlando Florida. This was cool because I live in Colorado and the weather in Florida was a nice change. I did not just hang out being lazy in Florida. I wrote several articles on my free time and I was in work shop meetings for over 30 hours.

You Must educate Yourself if you want success.

What is an Internet Marketing Guide? It could be a detailed plan on how to market something successfully online. It could be a person who guides you in your marketing efforts like a coach or a mentor. This could even be a detailed plan that you create for yourself.

I love the business because you can literally work from anywhere. Is it really work?

I grew up farming and ranching. Work to me is spending the day with a shovel in your hand. Loading and unloading trucks can be hard work. Working cattle can be quite a chore. Sitting in front of the computer typing is not hard work to me.

Don’t get me wrong. You can’t expect to just throw up a website, or place a link somewhere online and expect to make massive amounts of money over night. You will need to place quality content in blog articles, post to article directories, participate in online forums, put up web pages with good content and submit a press release now and then.

You will also need to find good products or services which provide true value to people. This can be something you come up with yourself, or it could be some high converting affiliate product.

Question: When does success come before work?

Answer: In the dictionary.

When you are thinking about your next online marketing project, make sure you sit down and plan out your steps to success. Design yourself a good Internet Marketing Guide. This will bring the money in much faster than the fly by the seat of your pants wing it method.

If you are not sure how to set your guide up, start with some Google searching and find a good guide already written. A blue print to home business success.

That’s it for now,

To Your Success.

Ted

Should You Use PPC To Promote Your Website?

I will just come out and say it. Pay-per-click is the most frustrating, pointless, bone-headed form of internet marketing known to man . Most websites use at least some pay-per-click to attract traffic to their site. Other sites use nothing but pay-per-click to attract traffic to their site. I, on the other hand, detest it. I hate paying for clicks and I have modified my internet marketing strategy accordingly.

What is pay-per-click (PPC), you ask? Well, go to Google, and then type in a keyword or phrase that you want to search for. Then, at the top of the search results, you will see a section for what is called sponsored links or sponsored results. These sponsored links are paying a certain cost per click to be listed in this special section at the top of the listings. Each one of these websites pays a certain fee to Google each time someone clicks through to their site.

Each website that uses PPC has to place a bid on how much they are willing to spend per click for a certain keyword. The highest bidder is placed in the number one position, the second highest bidder is placed in the number two position, and so forth. Also, each bidder specifies how much they are willing to spend per day. Once their daily budget has been exhausted, the clicks stop until more money is added to the account.

Google is not the only search engine that has a PPC service available. Overture also has a service, as does Miva, and several others. Each service is tied to different search engines. If you go with Google, your website will be listed on Google, AOL Search, and Ask Jeeves. If you sign up for Overture, you will be listed on engines such as Yahoo, MSN, Netscape, and several others. Miva is tied to approximately 6 different search engines.

The costs are expensive, especially if you are bidding on a highly sought after keyword or phrase. Keywords related to auto insurance, or mortgage quotes, can cost anywhere between $1 - $20 per click or even more if you want to be ranked in the top position. If the keyword you want to advertise for is not too popular, the click costs will be much less. Usually, doing pay-per-click will boost your Google PageRank by 1 (PageRank is scored on a scale of 1 to 10), but it certainly has never actually helped me get anywhere near the first page of Google.

It is possible to spend thousands dollars on clicks and make zero sales of the product or service you are selling. Conversion rates are usually 1%-3%, meaning that only 1%-3% of the people who come to your website will actually order what you are selling. So, you need to take that into account when developing your marketing strategy.

The problem with PPC advertising is that most people using a search engine are only looking for information, and are not planning on buying any products or services. So, you can spend tons of money to get clicks, but you will likely only convert 1% - 3% of those clicks into sales, and sometimes you will get absolutely zero sales.

I am not saying that the search engines do not bring business to your site. They absolutely do. That is why it is good to achieve a high ranking on the search engines within the free part of the listings. Even though you will still only convert a small fraction of your visitors into paying customers, at least you are not wasting money on every single click. So, getting to the top of the search engine listings without having to pay for each click is paramount for your online business.

PPC advertising is not necessarily inappropriate for every online business. If you are selling an expensive item ($100 or more), you can turn a profit as long as your per-click costs are somewhat modest. But generally speaking, you will spend more than you will make.

The only time PPC is truly helpful is for businesses that sell a service where a recurring fee is involved. For example, dating websites charge their customers a recurring monthly fee to be a member of their site. So, if you own an online dating service, it makes sense to use PPC and not worry about losing money on attracting new customers, because if they stay members for the second month, you will be able to charge them again, thus making your website profitable. If they stay members for a year or more, then you really come out ahead.

You need to have a lot of cash to burn in order to compete with the bigger businesses who are spending thousands of dollars per month for their clicks. If you are operating a small business, you need to diversify your internet marketing efforts by optimizing your website and increasing your link popularity so you can climb to the top of the search engines without having to pay for every click you receive.

Also, you should consider having an affiliate program so that other websites will promote your business for free as long as you pay them a commission for any referrals they produce. The best way to approach internet marketing is to use several different methods that when put together result in an optimal cost situation for your business and attract a significant amount of targeted traffic to your website.

How To Use Images On Your Niche Site

There are inevitable moments that come during the creation process of a web page when you will probably realize that it is not interesting enough or that the site is not very appealing to people who see it. There are many niche sites that probably look like a page that is filled with only text that scares visitors away. As crucial as words are to a niche site's success and search engine traffic, there are several other important aspects that must be included into the niche site's design.

The most effective method that you can use to improve your niche site is by using images that are attractive to a person's eye. It is a fact that people spend more time reading information that has included pictures than information that simply publishes pure text. Ever since childhood, we have liked to read the books that have pictures and not the ones that only have words.

Pictures can be a great asset to your niche site's reputation and will definitely decide the number of online visitors who come to look at what you have to offer on your niche site. Although text is very important, images help to stop online users in their quick and rapid searches, even if for a short period of time, to look at your attractive pictures and information. The principle of including images into the design of your niche site will greatly improve its chances for success and profit in a very competitive online world.

When you finally comprehend all of the positive aspects of publishing images on your niche site, the second goal is to then try and locate some quality images that will greatly enhance your site's overall appearance on the Internet. Finding images that are not copyrighted and protected can be quite a difficult task to accomplish, but there are places on the Internet that you can go to and find images for your niche site. It takes a little bit of time to find the right images for the site, but it is well worth all of the trouble.

The most useful Internet page that you can go to and search for free pictures is known as the Stock Exchange, which provides over one hundred thousand pictures for you to use on your niche site. This specific site is very well organized and allows you to quickly locate images that are relevant and similar to the theme that your site is trying to revolve around. Make sure to read all of the guidelines, however, with each image that you download because some author's require that you do and do not do certain things with the images that they offer for free.

Once you have located and downloaded many pictures for your niche site, you need to then effectively publish them onto your site's design so that they make it very appealing to visitors. They should be evenly spaced apart with keyword titles and subtitles that will be able to be picked up by search engines. Images can be a great way to improve your SEO because most search engines now offer image searches as well.

Internet Marketing Strategy: Public Domain Products

The Public Domain is a GOLD MINE. A public domain is a range of abstract materials - commonly referred to as intellectual property - which are not owned or controlled by anyone.

The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose.

It is a wonderful resource for instant content - whether you need content for your info product or content for an e-course to market your info product.

Whether you are looking to add to your regular online business or want to start a new one, you can use public domain works to generate whatever content you need.

1. Imagine saving the time required to write your own e-book or 100 articles!
2. Imagine saving the money you pay to ghostwriters!

Interested?

Here's what it actually is:

It refers to a large collection of published or unpublished "works" that is not protected by the US copyright law. Since copyright law forbids legal commercial use, the public domain (which contains everything that is not governed by copyright laws) is free for you to use in any commercial setting, without fear of lawsuits or the need for giving credit or reference.

Note: In this case, "work" refers to anything that can possibly be published and sold. Thus a work could be a book, a course, an instruction manual, music, movies, photographs, reports, recipes, ideas, inventions and lots more.

Example: The famous Mona Lisa, painted by that great artist Leonardo da Vinci has the potential to fall under the public domain. In the same vein, Beethoven's 5th Symphony would also be considered in the public domain. John Reese's Traffic Secrets course, however, is definitely not public domain (although the ideas and techniques used within them are).

So basically you are free to use the works in the public domain onto your own benefit! Amazing but true! There is a TON of already published information that is contained within this area of Internet marketing.

You can use any of it to your benefit for creating your info product, for creating content for your website, for creating e-courses to market your info product, or for any other reason that you see fit.

Using these strategies for your business will help to maximize your profitability in your info product business as your product creation costs will be less, the time that you spend creating will be lowered, and you will have a tool to increase visitors to your website.

How to Become a Rock-Star Affiliate Marketer

Are you looking for a way to make money online that will bring you extra income in your spare time? Have you ever considered affiliate marketing? This is a great way to turn your online money making dreams into a success. Here is what you can do to get started in affiliate marketing.

Research
Research what people are buying online. If you have an idea of what you would like to sell, research to see if anyone is buying it.

Research Competition
The next thing you need to do is look into the market for that niche. Is there a lot of competition? In that competition, how is the person marketing their niche? Can you think of ways that you can sell your products differently and maybe more effectively? These are all questions you should consider when looking into affiliate marketing.

Setting up your Website
After you have chosen your niche, you have to create a website to sell your products. Either you can design the site yourself or you can pay a website designer. Your website is the first impression your customers will receive and can either invite your customers to learn more about your products or keep them moving to other sites.

Setting up your Affiliate Links
After you have your website completed, go to the product that you would like to promote. Usually sites have an affiliate link you can click on to create an account or join an ecommerce site.

Placing your Affiliate Links on your Website
After you have registered with the niche you have selected, you will receive a special link that people will click on to go to the company's website to purchase the product. This special link is what is going to give you credit and money. Take this link and incorporate it into your site through articles you have or if you received an image you can place that HTML or other code on your website.

Now Start Marketing!
You are all set, now all you have to do is tell people about the product you are promoting. Get out there and start bringing traffic to your website. There are many ways to do this including writing articles to article directories, joining forums and placing a signature line in your posts, and visiting blogs that people who would be interested in your product visit.

It's up to YOU!
There are many ways to make money online. It takes work but everything you do is up to you. The more you market, more success you will have in your niche. Don't get discouraged, it takes time to build a business. It is possible and with a little determination you take reach your dreams in making money online.

4 Tips Affiliate Marketers Should Use To Be Successful Online

A lot of Affiliate Marketers are looking for the easy way out. They're looking to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow the quickest way they can so they can make that big paycheck. Truth be told it takes good old fashioned hard work and good marketing techniques that have been around for years to make a living in affiliate marketing.

Here are four tips that will help an affiliate marketer make it today in this increasingly competitive world of affiliate marketing.

1. Go out and purchase a domain name that relates specifically to each product you will be promoting. This will be used for your pre-sales page. If you're promoting a product on Widgets then use that as your domain name. Single word domains are very difficult to get now but at least try to incorporate the word Widgets into the domain name somehow.

2. It's best if you actually have tried the product with some success, or at the very least read about it so you can give an accurate review. You don't want to be promoting something you know little about to your customers just to make a fast buck. You will lose the trust and respect of your customers very quickly operating your affiliate marketing business in this manner.

3. I know you are trying to make a sale but the facts are that you have to stick this offer in front of your potential customers face 7 times before they will make a purchase. Those are just the cold hard facts. How are you going to do that if you just show them your pre-sales page one time, they don't buy, and then they head for the hills.

Easy! You're going to have an opt-in form on the web page. Preferably above the fold where it sticks out like a sore thumb. If you don't you will be leaving a lot of money on the table. Make sure you give them a bone for giving up their name and email address. Some kind of report, an ebook, a 5-day email course, or anything of great value to make them feel they are getting something for giving you their personal information.

Remember, I said it takes 7 times on average for a subscriber to see an offer before they become a customer. To do this you will need an autoresponder where you can send follow up messages that promote your affiliate product.

4. What about Traffic? If you don't have people visiting your site then the first three things in this list are worthless. There are many ways to get traffic to your site but the one I recommend above all others is article writing. This is a surefire way to make sure you get targeted traffic because you're writing about Widgets. If your selling Widgets you're not going to write articles on Baseball are you?

If you can submit 10 good articles a week for 10 weeks, that will give you 100 articles in all. That will give you all the traffic you will need to make a steady income. Not just for today, but possibly for years to come. I'm not saying you are going to strike it rich but you should be making some good spending money.

Now all you have to do to keep your affiliate marketing business afloat is go out and find another product to promote and do steps 1 through 4 again.

How to Become a Rock-Star Affiliate Marketer

Are you looking for a way to make money online that will bring you extra income in your spare time? Have you ever considered affiliate marketing? This is a great way to turn your online money making dreams into a success. Here is what you can do to get started in affiliate marketing.

Research
Research what people are buying online. If you have an idea of what you would like to sell, research to see if anyone is buying it.

Research Competition
The next thing you need to do is look into the market for that niche. Is there a lot of competition? In that competition, how is the person marketing their niche? Can you think of ways that you can sell your products differently and maybe more effectively? These are all questions you should consider when looking into affiliate marketing.

Setting up your Website
After you have chosen your niche, you have to create a website to sell your products. Either you can design the site yourself or you can pay a website designer. Your website is the first impression your customers will receive and can either invite your customers to learn more about your products or keep them moving to other sites.

Setting up your Affiliate Links
After you have your website completed, go to the product that you would like to promote. Usually sites have an affiliate link you can click on to create an account or join an ecommerce site.

Placing your Affiliate Links on your Website
After you have registered with the niche you have selected, you will receive a special link that people will click on to go to the company's website to purchase the product. This special link is what is going to give you credit and money. Take this link and incorporate it into your site through articles you have or if you received an image you can place that HTML or other code on your website.

Now Start Marketing!
You are all set, now all you have to do is tell people about the product you are promoting. Get out there and start bringing traffic to your website. There are many ways to do this including writing articles to article directories, joining forums and placing a signature line in your posts, and visiting blogs that people who would be interested in your product visit.

It's up to YOU!
There are many ways to make money online. It takes work but everything you do is up to you. The more you market, more success you will have in your niche. Don't get discouraged, it takes time to build a business. It is possible and with a little determination you take reach your dreams in making money online.

3 Ways to Create Network Marketing Leads Online

Have you ever heard, "I never filled out any survey about working from home!" or this one, "Will you people stop calling me!"

If any of those two sound familiar, then you must have been a network marketing lead buyer at one time in your life. Sure you have to develop a thick skin, but you also have to develop a deep wallet in order to keep buying leads like these.

Here are just three ways you can create your own exclusive leads that will never utter those excruciating phrases in your ears ever again.

The first method is article marketing. Article marketing is when you write compelling, informative articles and get webmasters, ezine publishers, and other content publishers to publish your articles. You can start by submitting your articles directly to the publishers themselves or to directories like Ezine Articles.

The key to making article marketing worthwhile is by putting a compelling resource box at the end of the article that entices the readers of your articles to click the link that leads back to your website.

The second method is to put up a blog and write good content that your readers would enjoy while building up your credibility in your niche. To get search engine traffic you'll want to put your keywords in the title and throughout your posts. To get traffic from the many bloging communities, join a few of them and interact with people in the various groups that are there.

The third way to create network marketing leads is by placing online classified ads. The downside to posting to free online classifieds is that they're overly saturated with business opportunity ads. So they're not as effective as they once were. It takes a lot of posting of free classifieds to get any great results.

The best way to use the online classifieds is to either use an automatic submitter or only post to those classifieds that get picked up highly by the search engines. I'm a fan of the latter because you can get your ad on the first page of Google and thus get free search engine traffic in addition to the "foot" traffic from the classified site itself.

Since most people who come to your site won't join your business opportunity, make sure you use a lead capture page or opt-in box on your website. You can at least get them in your marketing funnel and sell them informational products, which is what a lot of people buy anyways. As you build a relationship with them, your business opportunity then can become a viable option to them.

These three ways will help you create your own exclusive leads that you won't have to share with anybody or worry about how they were created because you've created them yourself.

Concentrating towards link building strategy

Strategic link building can be referred as a way of creating your competitive position in the “online market world”. When potential customers need a solution to their problem, the first step that they will take is to do a search on Google. They may even scan directories; look out for articles and product reviews. Your linking strategy must get you on to those websites where the potential customers normally visit which finally makes up a market place. One of the best ways to begin any link strategy is with web directories. The two best of which I can think of is “yahoo” and the “open directory” (used by Google). You can generate huge amount of traffic, if you list your website in the above mentioned directories. There are many more directories in which you can get the website listed too. Just run a search for the words “web directory” on your favorite search engine and you will notice a list of directories. However, the directory that is the highest in the search rankings should be considered as the best since it is likely to generate the most traffic. You can also get your website listed in forums. Here, the webmaster forum, allows you to enter your URL in order to get feedback from other webmasters.

A good link building strategy is one where you look for many links from those websites which are considered as most important information based websites and also from those websites which customers and potential customers regularly use. If your website has good content then your website will have a good search engine ranking and also this will encourage other sites to link to yours too. See that your content is well written and is accessible to search engines. In other words, you must be aware of the kind of words that you write with the intention of attracting potential customers who are looking out for similar products as yours. You can also employ someone else to write for you if you are having short of time.

Another way of building links is by looking at media websites. The people looking for information in media websites, is large. If you seek coverage and a link to your website from media website, you will then get a significant out burst of traffic to your website. A particular group of people who had visited the media website is likely to link to your website. There are also other types of websites which are more likely to link to your websites, only if you have been referred by a respected editorial website which the people are aware of. Such websites can give you one way links. There are others who may ask for reciprocal link. You may also include them in your content or write a brief article about them. You may even go to the extent of recommending them to your visitors, if it is useful to your visitors.

You can apply the above mentioned link building strategies in order to get relevant traffic. However, it is up to you to decide which one works the best. You must do your own research towards link building strategy.

Google Analytics: Your Guide to Your Website

Google Analytics Tutorial is a safe, secure and simple tool through which webmasters can get a detailed report and statistics about their website and the website traffic. The usability and the layout is as simple as it gets, and best of all, this Web logs is another free tool offered by this online giant. All you have to do to incorporate this powerful Web logs into your website is to make a Google account, and install a tracking code that they provide on every page which you would wish to have a report on. This tracking code takes care of tracking the visitors of your website and giving out relevant information about their web browsing attitudes. It pays special attention to the latest trend in web metrics.

Once this is set up, the Dashboard is a one-stop place for every information about the web page and the website. One of the simplest uses of Google is to find out how many users access your website in a given timeframe. Going a bit deeper into the service, you can find out how many users have come to your website, in a given timeframe and from which regions. Further, you can also find out whether the visit was a search-engine oriented visit, and whether it was a paid search engine oriented visit or a non-paid search engine oriented visit.

The system also informs you whether the visitors are unique visitors or returning visitors. With such a detailed information about your website available at the click of a button, it is only natural that you will make your conversion rates increase. You will also be able to take more informed decisions about the goals of your website.

Google Analytics Tutorial gives a detailed analysis of the visits to the site, the number of pageviews, or clicks by each user, it also gives a clear idea of the number of pages accessed per visit, the average time spent on the site, the bounce rate for your website according to each user and even a percentage of new visits in a given timeframe. You can also customize the way the results are shown on your dashboard page.

To sum it all up, Google Analytics is the one-stop solution for you to have a successful website, and what's more, it's all free. This service has many advantages over any other system of website analytics. While there are other websites which offer information about the traffic of a website and other details, it is not possible to divide the traffic in the various niches that would be required by the webmaster.

Also, Google scores over any web traffic information provided by their web hosts, for the simple reason that web hosts rarely offer the dynamic information about web traffic that Google can and does provide. Simply put, the Analytics engine creates a database of the web traffic of every website that has its tracking code and then provides the webmaster or business owner with detailed insights into the working and success of the website. The Internet is still a jungle and one needs a proper guide for everything from simple survival to robust success. So, if you have your website success in mind, just remember to keep Google Tutorial somewhere in the back of your mind.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Being a Copy Cat Can Pay Off Big When Partners Show the Way to Success

North American companies often pride themselves on their ability to innovate and create exciting new products and services with great benefits for all. However, these same innovations often have an Achilles heel, for example, a design that adds unnecessary costs for providing or maintaining the product or service.

The engineering department that does such a wonderful job of providing these exciting innovations may not have any responsibility for manufacturing the product or providing the service, and may miss these issues totally. Patents can make the problem worse by providing rich profits that suggest little need to improve during the period when competitors are excluded. On the other hand, cost reductions and effectiveness improvements at this time can greatly expand the market and help to discourage competitors when the patent does expire.

According to reports in the business media, this circumstance happened to Xerox in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Xerox produced the first plain paper copier, which was an enormous improvement over the existing wet copiers. When the Xerox copier patents began to expire in the 1980s, Xerox was astonished to find that Japanese competitors were selling small plain paper copiers in the United States at prices that were below Xerox's costs for making similar machines.

How could this be? I interviewed some former Xerox officials about this. According to them Xerox executives from the United States flew to Japan to visit Fuji Xerox, the company's joint venture with a Japanese company.

While there, the executives learned that its joint venture could also afford to profitably sell small Xerox copiers at prices well below U.S. manufacturing costs. As the executives discovered, the designs in Japan had far fewer parts, so fewer suppliers were required and the machines were less expensive to assemble and needed less maintenance.

Quickly heeding these lessons, Xerox launched a successful improvement of its copier quality and costs led by designs that emphasized equally innovation, low costs to manufacture, reliability, and ease of servicing. Without the Fuji Xerox experience, it might have taken Xerox many more years to learn how to most effectively design its innovative products in order to create the most success for the organization.

When a company has the field to itself during the period of patent protection, adding partners (from different countries, with rival technologies, alternative distribution and other types of resources) who can provide friendly competition through alternative ways of thinking can be an excellent way to prepare for the inevitable day when unrestrained competitors will arrive. Otherwise, needed innovations will be rejected summarily as not being consistent with the best thinking of the company's top innovators.

Those who rely only on the perspective of one design team in one location will find themselves increasingly vulnerable to all kinds of irresistible forces: changing customer needs, currency shifts, competitive pressure to be more effective, and new ways of providing the goods and services to customers.

Look Sharp to Find the Most Profitable Answers

When sales falter in a region, the sales force may want to maintain its independence from interference and contain the problem by creating a solution using only its own people, perhaps by putting more salespeople into the field. This seems like a logical answer when no one knows the cause of the problem for sure.

Let's look at an example of when such an approach can be flawed. For instance, when Russia's economic woes led to a default on government debt in 1998, many distributors of foreign products in Russia were unable to pay for inventories of imported goods as the ruble plunged in value versus foreign currencies. Sales by many companies exporting to Russia ground quickly to a halt.

What do do? Some exporters tried to solve the problem by going into Russia and selling directly to the retailers themselves, then handing the orders to the Russian distributors. Since the distributors had too little money to buy the goods, they still couldn't order much. Selling wasn't the distributors' weakness, it was a financial liquidity problem.

The Gillette sales force quickly perceived that more help than with selling to retail accounts was needed in Russia, and added financial people to its team of problem solvers. Their solution involved amending Gillette's credit policies to undertake the currency risk for three days after the order was received (during which time the product could be received and shipped to the distributors' customers).

This policy enabled many distributors to borrow the needed foreign currency for working capital to support a "cash and carry" policy with the distributors' customers, who were ready and willing to pay cash to get the supplies. Soon Gillette's sales in Russia began to recover.

In retrospect, the Russian situation called for financial thinking and changed credit policies, not more sales people as many other companies perceived. Wise companies in this situation avoided unnecessary costs to increase their sales by focusing on just solving the credit issue, rather than by trying to do everything for everyone including selling to the distributors' customers directly for the distributors.

Why do organizations make mistakes when new situations arise? Chances are that each organizational function seeks to operate as independently of one another as possible. With that goal in mind, there's often reluctance to describe problems to others . . . especially the financial staff. Yet the other parts of the organization will probably be needed to define and implement an optimal solution. Certainly, no new credit policy is going to be authorized without financial review. Why not have the financial people involved from day one?

Overconfidence About Irresistible Forces Can Bring Humbling Profit Drops

People love to shout, "We're Number One." It doesn't take much to trigger such a shout. We've all done it.

One of the primary causes of being overly independent is a sense of confidence that as a successful enterprise "our people" are better than anyone else's people. That feeling relates to a common psychological problem. Most people see themselves as superior to the vast mass of humanity in almost every area of activity. Carefully measure how the same person is doing, and you will find someone who normally operates around the average level.

Translated into an organizational setting, the individual weaknesses often become greater and the feeling of superiority stronger. A financial advisor was asked to look into a question of whether a company should emphasize dividends, acquisitions, or share repurchases as the primary way to grow stock price. The company had been doing plenty of each. The company became curious about the question after security analysts kept publishing reports showing that if the money spent in the past on acquisitions had gone for share repurchases, the company's earnings-per-share would have been much higher.

The results of the work showed that share repurchase had been clearly the way to go in the past, but this was true for the future only if earnings-per-share before the share repurchases were going to grow above a certain annual rate. Otherwise, faster dividend growth was the right approach.

Management could not imagine that its earnings-per-share would not expand rapidly (since it had done so for decades), so massive share repurchases were undertaken. Within a year, earnings-per-share dropped by a wide margin because of irresistible forces the company had been ignoring.

The company eventually surmounted the irresistible forces after several hard years. No sooner had these irresistible forces been overcome, when new ones arose which once again hurt earnings. Had the company waited to do the share repurchases until these troubled times, it could have bought back twice as many shares with the same amount of money.

Their mistake had been an unwillingness to have anyone question their future business success. The same financial advisor had pointed out several warning signals about these future problems that the company had ignored.

The lesson is you not only have to be willing to talk to others, you have to be willing to pay attention and act on what you hear as well. A favorite reaction by this company's senior management was to assert that "No one can understand our company from the outside -- we're too unique."

The financial advisor reports that many hundreds of companies have made similar claims in the past. If that's the case, then these companies may well have problems because of an inability to work with allies and outside resources. On the other hand, if it is not the case, then these firms have a severe case of the Independence Stall. Neither circumstance is desirable.

Are you running scared looking for potential problems or are you sure that no problems are on the horizon? The latter view can lead to plenty of real scares.

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Wholesale

Jewelery Wholesale: Cheap High Back Saddles Wholesale Prices

Buy Machine Vending Wholesale:
Apart from talking to their near and dear ones people have started using cell phones for other things also like listening to music or accessing the internet. Most people get that part down but what they fail to realize is that you have to be able to source products from a real wholesale distributor to be able to turn a profit. There are a lot of people out there who are cashing in big time in the real estate industry $5000 per deal is not uncommon. Buying jewelry is not an easy task. If you really want to go for the best quality, you should know how to detect the true gems from the fake ones. You will regret it forever if you did not make the right choice. It is not a gamble; you have to be certain about buying jewelry.. What should the wholesaler look for in a supplier? The starting point for any tea relationship is the quality of the loose leaf tea.

Wholesale Taiwan Cloisonn262333B Jewelry Manufacturers:
Even when it is not a must for wholesale excellence it may be a great start for you. The customer will think that you have a warehouse. It's very important that the retailer have a strategy for what to do once the item is less than current technology. The lighters cost about $1.25 to $1.50 plus shipping, depending on the style of the lighter. Some of them are regular flame lighters, some of them have a torch, and some are double or even triple wind resistant torch lighters. See wholesale rebel beads Keeping in mind that building a wholesale business like any other business is a long-term process.

Wholesalers Of Latino Apparel:
Often these lists are outdated or carry wrong information. Uniqueness - You will want a directory with uniqueness amongst it's drop shippers. By now it is evident that your search efforts should not be limited by the first few pages of results in Google. Get more at wholesale chunky beaded necklaces with cross The customer will think that you have a warehouse.

Wholesale Prices On Choir Robes:
Well that's not the way it works for many good reasons. But the key element to drop shipping was and still is a secured market. You will also want to join any local trade organizations in order to find out about suppliers that other businesses use. In addition, you will be able to make contacts throughout your chosen industry and be able to stay up to date on trade shows and other local business news. There's the added benefit as well of getting to hear about any suppliers that might not deliver on their promises. When you find a distributor that is legitimate you should review their book list to see if there are books that will sell online. Learn more at http://www.worldwidejewelsales.info/wholesale-swarovski-crystal/wholesale-sterling-silver-alphabet-beads.php Middleman equally meaning the use of an intermediary to reap some commissions out of a sale meaning buying wholesale xbox at wholesale gets really complicated if you are not in the business and are a new comer.

A Sportsman’s Guide in acquiring Hunting Property

Harvesting trophy deer, turkey or upland game is surely the outdoor sportsman’s aspiration but accomplishing this through the efforts of working your own land is the real reward.

Heartland Hunting Properties LLC is introducing a website put together by hunters who have experienced through trial and error all of the avenues of obtaining recreational hunting property for both sport and investment. With easy navigation and properties organized by individual state, Heartland Hunting Properties gives the potential buyer the necessary resources for the decision making.

Being associated with buying and selling Real Estate for the past twenty years, I have seen up close and personal the evolution of the internet and its impact on marketing. The overwhelming majority of buyers begin their search from the comforts of home. As most potential shoppers use the internet for comparison, likewise sportsmen explore the internet to look for their outdoor paradise.

Land purchase opportunities are available through our Real Estate and Auction sections giving the buyer full description, income possibilities, map and pictures of the property. Also each listing will have a direct link to the selling party with additional property listings on their own website. If purchasing hunting property is not possible at this time but you want the satisfaction of hunting your own land then our Leasing section is for you, giving you many benefits of ownership. For those of us fortunate enough to presently own quality hunting land yet desire to spend a week meeting new friends and hunting in another state then click on our Swap-A-Hunt section to share the experience with a fellow hunter.

The Products and Services Section on our Home Page offers the new landowner support to enhance their recreational investment property, our reference guide will guarantee a smooth transition both before and after acquisition. Each section will give sportsmen access to host of individuals and companies assuring your success in developing an out of state hunting property. “Food Plot and Equipment Manufactures”, “Wildlife Habitat and Timberland Managers”, “Insurance and Finance Companies”, “Land Purchase Consultants”, and “Log Cabin and Outdoor Structures” are all necessary components in obtaining and owning recreational property.

Gao Tek Inc. Introduces new Arm S3cev40

For Immediate Release
Gao Tek Inc. Introduces new Arm S3cev40
Toronto, ON – GAO Tek Inc. has announced a new S3CEV40. S3CEV40 evaluation board is a platform that is suitable for code development of Samsung's S3C44B0X 16/32-bit RISC microcontroller (General ARM) for hand-held deviceandgeneralapplications.
S3C44B0X consists of 16-/32-bit RISC (ARM7TDMI) CPU core, 8KB cache, optional internal SRAM, LCD controller (up to 256 color DSTN), 2-ch UART with hand-shake (IRDA1.0,16-byte FIFO), 4-ch DMA, System manager (chip select logic, FP/ EDO/SDRAM controller), 6-ch timers with PWM, 71-bit general purpose I/O ports, RTC, 8-ch 10-bit ADC, IIC-BUS interface, IIS-BUS interface, Sync. SIO interface and PLLforclock.
The S3CEV40 board consists of S3C44B0x processor, boot Flash, SDRAM, LCD&TSP touch screen interface, two serial communication ports, ethernet interface, USB interface, keyboard interface, IIS(sound) interface, exterior IDE port, Nand Flash, RTC, JTAG interface and 8-SEG. S3CEV40 EVB provides a high performance and low cost solution for embedded engineers.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE S3CEV40:

 Hardware Specification :

Dimensions: 190 x 190 mm(main board)
S3C44B0 processor, ARM7TDMI core, 66MHz work frequency
5.0V DC or USB power supply
2 M bytes 16-bit Flash
8 M bytes 16-bit SDRAM
4K bit EEPROM with IIC BUS
10M Ethernet interface connector
Microphone import
LCD&TSP touch screen port

 Software Specification :

Boot software
Samples codes and test software (All in source code)
Learning example for arm assemble instructions
Test program for using RTC
Test program on how to access memory
Test program to lighting LED, showing how to use GPIO

GAO Tek Inc.
(416)-292-0038, ext 238

GAO Tek Inc., a member of GAO Group, is a leading provider of embedded development tools, telecommunication testers, electronic measurement instruments, video surveillance, alarm and other electronic products that serve the needs of electronic professionals internationally. For further information, please visit http://www.GAOTek.com

Gao Tek Inc. Introduces Arm Lpceb2000-S

For Immediate Release
Gao Tek Inc. Introduces Arm Lpceb2000-S

Toronto, ON – GAO Tek Inc. has Introduced a new LPCEB2000-S.LPCEB2000-S is an industrial-oriented processor board designed around Philips LPC2129/2114/2119/ 2124/2194 ARM7TDMI-S, 32-bit, 60MHz microcontroller. This LPCEB2000-S board has various peripherals which are accessible via pin-headers on the edge, which means you have tremendous flexibility to extend the system to interface with your peripherals. User can embed this LPCEB2000-S processor board in your design, and form a complete hardware system as it will speed your development process and reduce the product cost.
Features Of The LPCEB2000-S:

• Dimensions: 65 x 61 mm
• Temperature: -45 to +85 Celsius
• LPC2129 CPU, 32bit, 60 MHZ, 256KB internal flash, 16KB SRAM. Can be replaced with LPC2114/2119/2124/2194 CPU.
• A 10MHz Crystal for CPU
• Powered with a regulated 5V DC using the on-board 1.8V and 3.3V regulators.
• Power status indicator LED (D2)
• A Jtag enable/disable jumper
• J1 and J2 Connector, both use 0.1 spacing, 0.025 square inch straight pin headers. J1 is 20x2 Pins, J2 is 10x2 Pins.
GAO Tek Inc.
(416)-292-0038, ext 238

GAO Tek Inc., a member of GAO Group, is a leading provider of embedded development tools, telecommunication testers, electronic measurement instruments, video surveillance, alarm and other electronic products that serve the needs of electronic professionals internationally. For further information, please visit http://www.GAOTek.com

FAQ for Serious Home Based Business Opportunities

If you have read books like "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki or "Multiple Streams Of Income" by Robert Allen, you will have learned that it is no longer secure to have just one source of income.

The fact is the majority of the people only have one source of income from their day job. This is rather dangerous as jobs are no longer as secure as they appear. People can easily lose their jobs whenever they are any changes in companies or the economy. Furthermore, life is unpredictable and we never know if something is going to happen to us.

By reading this article, I assume that you do know the importance of having multiple streams of income. Well, a serious home based business opportunity will be able to generate multiple stream of income for you. In this article, we shall go through several FAQ for home business opportunities.

1) Is a serious home based business opportunity suitable for me?

Well, a serious home based business opportunity is suitable for everyone but not everyone is suitable for a serious home based business opportunity. I am not trying to confuse you. Here is why:

A serious home business is suitable for anyone as long as you have the discipline and persistence to carry out your day to day task. It is also important to have a realistic expectation. It may be possible that you will not have any profit in the first few months. Having a realistic expectation will help to ensure that you do not give up when things do not go as expected.

Having a plan is also crucial. Without a plan, you may end up spending the whole day surfing the web. At the end of the day, you end up wondering why you have not done anything much.

There are several reasons why I say not everyone is suitable for a serious home based business opportunity. Firstly, not everyone has realistic expectation. While visiting business forums, I have seen people complaining that they have not made any money after only 2 months. They are treating their business like a get rich quick scheme.

Secondly, most people do not have a plan. Well, if you do not know what you want, how are you going to achieve what you want?

2) How much does it cost to start a home based business?

There are people who say that you do not need any money to start a home based business on the internet. Well, if you are using bum marketing method, it is possible to make money without any up front investment. However, it is always a good idea to pay for web hosting as well as a small sum of money to advertise your business. $500 will be a good start.

However, even if you do not intent to spend any money, you will still need to put food on your table. Therefore, if you want to plunge into your home based business on a full time basis, you should at least ensure that you are financially stable for at least 6 months.

3) How can I finance my home based business?

Invest part of your profit. (Assuming you are already making a profit) Alternatively, find a job. Remember, the good thing about a home based business is that you can work on it on a part time basis.

Alternatively, you can be a freelancer. You can easily find a free lance job at places like Rent a Coder, Elance and many other free lance websites.