Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Dan Lok
It's sad, but true.
Most internet entrepreneurs are struggling with poor response, and have no idea how to go about increasing the effectiveness of their marketing beyond increasing the size of their advertising budget. This foolishness never ends.
The truth is, most internet marketers don't have a problem getting traffic. They have problems converting browsers into buyers, and more often than not, the problem lies with their web copy.
It's brutal, but bad copy is bad copy, long and short.
It costs nothing to tweak your web copy, and yet you can get measurable, marked improvements in response!
Here are 4 little known ways which cost nothing to implement to, radically improve your internet profits.
Response Booster #1: Add DRAMA!
Fact #1: It's hard to get anybody's attention
Fact #2: It's hard to keep their attention
Read this:
"Bill was shocked. He had never seen so much blood in his life... it was almost nauseating. It wasn't his fault. He buried his face in his hands and wept... she was such a lovely child...."
I bet you really want to know what happened next, don't you?
Well, I don't know what happened next either cause I just made that up. But I think this proves how powerful a device drama can be.
The key is to keep your reader hooked!
If your reader doesn't read your copy, your copy has no chance of selling anything!
Here's one of my favorite quotes from the famous mystery writer Dashiell Hammet, who gave other budding writers this advice:
"When in doubt, have someone come crashing through the door with a gun."
Response Booster #2: Give Them The Facts
Do you know what's the #1 trend online?
Skepticism.
There are way too many scandals in the political, economic, educational, religious and financial arena.
People just don't know who to trust anymore, do you?
On the web, almost every mother's son is THE GURU.
Who do you trust?
Does your sales letter answer the questions: Who are you, why should I pay attention to you and why should I buy from you?
You have to back up what you say with the cold, hard unadulterated FACTS.
Response Booster #3: Empathize
Here's a direct quote from Robert Collier from his legendary out of print book, "The Robert Collier Letter book":
"The reader of this letter wants certain things. The desire for them, is consciously or unconsciously, the dominant idea in his mind all the time. You want him to do a certain definite thing for you. How can you tie this up to the thing he wants, in such a way that the doing of it will bring him a step nearer to his goal?"
You must get out of your own ego and get into theirs!
When you truly know your prospect inside out, you'll be able to display empathy in your sales copy, and be able to push their emotional buttons, and hit them in the "sweet spot" to make them say, "I really want to buy this."
Response Booster #4: Dress Up
It's really important that you know why your website looks the way it does.
While many will argue that it's not always true... people DO judge a book by its cover, and for that matter, your website from how it looks.
You can radically increase the chance of your prospect doing business with you, by conveying credibility through your font and color section. It's easy to tell an amateurish website from a professional.
If you don't convey credibility, you'll lose the sale as people are wary about credit card fraud, and there's no way they will gamble with fate and give their credit card number to a website that looks like crap.
Ask yourself, "Do the graphics enhance readership and credibility, or are they there simply for the sake for being there?
This is the vest best "litmus test" for using graphics in your web copy.
There's one more thing that stands between your web copy and the results you should be getting from it.
YOU.
Go for it!
Dan "The Man" Lok
About the Author:
A former college dropout, Dan The Man Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to an internet multi-millionaire. Dan came to North America with little knowledge of the English language and few contacts. Dan just created a 4-part video explaining exactly how he makes millions online, watch them here >> http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/
Read more of Dan Lok's articles.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Expired Domain Gains - Simple Ideas to Create an Income Base
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
You can use a number of simple methods and plans to create a solid income base that earns a monthly ongoing income base. For many expired domain entrepreneurs (both full-time and part time), expired domains offer an opportunity to supplement their current income with money earned out of dealing with expired domains. Domains expired also has a potential to make domain traders to create a big virtual estate. Here are some details about those methods that allow you to play with your domains and later tweak them to generate a solid income
Speculating domain names: the market for domain speculation is not large enough to make a big profit; you can still use this method to sell some good domains. You can develop your own technology and use the current trends to speculate on domains. Technologies and trends evolve and transform constantly and you will need to keep your pace with them to speculate on your domains. You may need to detect and find those expired domain names that portray current trends. There are domains that relate to current business scenarios, technologies and markets. Such domains are worthy buying.
Redirect traffic from your expired domain to your web site: Traffic is the most demanded entity by web masters. In fact, they buy traffic to enhance the value of the domains. Getting some traffic to your main web site is very cheap especially when you use your expired domain as the point. Targeted keyword based expired domains can get you some amount of traffic. Smart web masters always use the power of their expired domain names to sent people to their main web site.
Convert expired domain names into mini web sites: You can create a mini web site out of your expired domains, by using latest web designing technologies and integrating the designed site with third party payment processors as well as auto responders. Always choose those domains expired that has a keyword based URL. Once again, the main goal of using such web sites is to sending traffic to the main web sites.
Purchase expiring web domains that are online: Many of the expiring domain names have web sites on them and they are still on air. Most probably, their owners actually forgot to renew the name or they just want to abandon the name. Buying such domains is always beneficial as they already possess some amount of incoming traffic. In some cases, they may also have a comprehensive directory listing.
Use expired domain for affiliate marketing programs: These programs are great opportunities to earn some money by selling products for others. You need not own any products or services to operate this program. In fact, you are redirecting your traffic to your affiliate service providers. You can get income on the basis of commission earned when someone buys a product after clicking the link on your web page. You will need to find those expired domains that have URLs similar to the products sold by affiliate web sites.
You can also use exhaustive method like domain flipping to transform your expire domain into highly profitable entities. It is all up to you to use the power of expired domain to earn money; how you use the available technology depends on your skills and knowledge of expired domains.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
You can use a number of simple methods and plans to create a solid income base that earns a monthly ongoing income base. For many expired domain entrepreneurs (both full-time and part time), expired domains offer an opportunity to supplement their current income with money earned out of dealing with expired domains. Domains expired also has a potential to make domain traders to create a big virtual estate. Here are some details about those methods that allow you to play with your domains and later tweak them to generate a solid income
Speculating domain names: the market for domain speculation is not large enough to make a big profit; you can still use this method to sell some good domains. You can develop your own technology and use the current trends to speculate on domains. Technologies and trends evolve and transform constantly and you will need to keep your pace with them to speculate on your domains. You may need to detect and find those expired domain names that portray current trends. There are domains that relate to current business scenarios, technologies and markets. Such domains are worthy buying.
Redirect traffic from your expired domain to your web site: Traffic is the most demanded entity by web masters. In fact, they buy traffic to enhance the value of the domains. Getting some traffic to your main web site is very cheap especially when you use your expired domain as the point. Targeted keyword based expired domains can get you some amount of traffic. Smart web masters always use the power of their expired domain names to sent people to their main web site.
Convert expired domain names into mini web sites: You can create a mini web site out of your expired domains, by using latest web designing technologies and integrating the designed site with third party payment processors as well as auto responders. Always choose those domains expired that has a keyword based URL. Once again, the main goal of using such web sites is to sending traffic to the main web sites.
Purchase expiring web domains that are online: Many of the expiring domain names have web sites on them and they are still on air. Most probably, their owners actually forgot to renew the name or they just want to abandon the name. Buying such domains is always beneficial as they already possess some amount of incoming traffic. In some cases, they may also have a comprehensive directory listing.
Use expired domain for affiliate marketing programs: These programs are great opportunities to earn some money by selling products for others. You need not own any products or services to operate this program. In fact, you are redirecting your traffic to your affiliate service providers. You can get income on the basis of commission earned when someone buys a product after clicking the link on your web page. You will need to find those expired domains that have URLs similar to the products sold by affiliate web sites.
You can also use exhaustive method like domain flipping to transform your expire domain into highly profitable entities. It is all up to you to use the power of expired domain to earn money; how you use the available technology depends on your skills and knowledge of expired domains.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
What Science Says About Selecting the Best Business Name for Your Company
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
High-priced branding consultants who huddle together for months to concoct a new company name would like the public to think that effective naming involves secrets revealed only to those who earned a Ph.D. in linguistics, speak 17 languages or learned advertising through working their way up the ranks at a famous-brand agency.
If you turn away from the idea of naming as a black art, however, you can find some secrets of branding in scientific studies that have been published after having been reviewed by academic authorities as reliable. Here are four points on which researchers have given all of us insights that help guide the creation of effective business names.
1. Pronounceability matters. A 2009 study by University of Michigan researchers revealed that if we have difficulty pronouncing a product name, we consider it risky. This builds on a 2006 study from Princeton University psychologists who discovered that people shied away from buying newly offered stocks from companies with hard-to-pronounce names and hard-to-say stock ticker symbols, compared to companies with easier-to-pronounce company names and symbols.
Lesson: Before settling on your final choice of a company name, score the candidates according to how easy they are to pronounce. This doesn't mean simply whether or not there are combinations of sounds that may be unfamiliar to many people, as in the proposed restaurant name, Hsizienchi, but also whether there are likely to be uncertainties about how to pronounce something, as with CafĂ(c) Cachet (is the second word pronounced in the French style, like "cash-ay," or like "catch-it"?).
2. Vowel sounds have associations. Consumer researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio published a fascinating study in 2007 distinguishing the impressions fostered by two different sorts of vowel sounds: those made with the tongue forward in the mouth, such as the short "i" in "milk" and those made with the tongue farther back in the mouth, such as the broad "a" in "mall." Internationally, the front vowel sounds convey small, fast or sharp qualities, while the back vowel sounds convey large, slow or dull qualities. By a margin of 2 to 1, people in this study preferred names for knives (sharp) or convertibles (small) with the front vowel sounds and names for hammers (dull) or SUVs (large) with the back vowel sounds.
Lesson: If you have something you want to be perceived as cute or quick, call it Picalilly or Anna's Attic rather than Paula's or BooKoo Books. On the other hand, if you have something whose excellence lies in bulk or power, names like Bumball or Under it All will perform better for you than names like Packadermy or Let Me At It.
3. Jazzier names spur consumption. Cornell University researchers who did nothing but change the names of the foods four-year-olds were served for lunch discovered that snazzy names made a profound difference. On the days the preschoolers were fed "carrots," they ate just half as many as they did on the days the vegetables were called "X-ray Vision Carrots." Researchers found the same kind of boost, though not quite as much of an increase, for adults when "Seafood Filet" was billed on the menu instead as "Succulent Italian Seafood Filet." The adults also rated the taste of the latter dish more highly than the taste of the plainly labeled dish.
Lesson: Just as kids become more well-disposed to "Power Peas" and "Dinosaur Broccoli Trees" than to plain old vegetables, shoppers find creatively named stores, restaurants, companies and products more interesting and more worth patronizing or purchasing than generic ones.
4. Names do influence us. Inc. magazine columnist Norm Brodsky once wrote, "Your company's name plays little, if any, role in determining your success." In case you're inclined to agree with him, consider the study at McMaster University where researchers presented patients trying to decide on their own medical treatment with graphical depictions of three treatment options that were simply labeled as option A, B or C. To the surprise of the researchers, who were actually studying something else, when they showed participants the names of the three treatment options, more than a third changed their choice of treatment on account of the names.
Lesson: Business names do have an impact, Norm Brodsky. Words, sounds and spellings influence our decisions. And that's why it's essential to give our new company a stand-out name that makes a positive impression.
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
High-priced branding consultants who huddle together for months to concoct a new company name would like the public to think that effective naming involves secrets revealed only to those who earned a Ph.D. in linguistics, speak 17 languages or learned advertising through working their way up the ranks at a famous-brand agency.
If you turn away from the idea of naming as a black art, however, you can find some secrets of branding in scientific studies that have been published after having been reviewed by academic authorities as reliable. Here are four points on which researchers have given all of us insights that help guide the creation of effective business names.
1. Pronounceability matters. A 2009 study by University of Michigan researchers revealed that if we have difficulty pronouncing a product name, we consider it risky. This builds on a 2006 study from Princeton University psychologists who discovered that people shied away from buying newly offered stocks from companies with hard-to-pronounce names and hard-to-say stock ticker symbols, compared to companies with easier-to-pronounce company names and symbols.
Lesson: Before settling on your final choice of a company name, score the candidates according to how easy they are to pronounce. This doesn't mean simply whether or not there are combinations of sounds that may be unfamiliar to many people, as in the proposed restaurant name, Hsizienchi, but also whether there are likely to be uncertainties about how to pronounce something, as with CafĂ(c) Cachet (is the second word pronounced in the French style, like "cash-ay," or like "catch-it"?).
2. Vowel sounds have associations. Consumer researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio published a fascinating study in 2007 distinguishing the impressions fostered by two different sorts of vowel sounds: those made with the tongue forward in the mouth, such as the short "i" in "milk" and those made with the tongue farther back in the mouth, such as the broad "a" in "mall." Internationally, the front vowel sounds convey small, fast or sharp qualities, while the back vowel sounds convey large, slow or dull qualities. By a margin of 2 to 1, people in this study preferred names for knives (sharp) or convertibles (small) with the front vowel sounds and names for hammers (dull) or SUVs (large) with the back vowel sounds.
Lesson: If you have something you want to be perceived as cute or quick, call it Picalilly or Anna's Attic rather than Paula's or BooKoo Books. On the other hand, if you have something whose excellence lies in bulk or power, names like Bumball or Under it All will perform better for you than names like Packadermy or Let Me At It.
3. Jazzier names spur consumption. Cornell University researchers who did nothing but change the names of the foods four-year-olds were served for lunch discovered that snazzy names made a profound difference. On the days the preschoolers were fed "carrots," they ate just half as many as they did on the days the vegetables were called "X-ray Vision Carrots." Researchers found the same kind of boost, though not quite as much of an increase, for adults when "Seafood Filet" was billed on the menu instead as "Succulent Italian Seafood Filet." The adults also rated the taste of the latter dish more highly than the taste of the plainly labeled dish.
Lesson: Just as kids become more well-disposed to "Power Peas" and "Dinosaur Broccoli Trees" than to plain old vegetables, shoppers find creatively named stores, restaurants, companies and products more interesting and more worth patronizing or purchasing than generic ones.
4. Names do influence us. Inc. magazine columnist Norm Brodsky once wrote, "Your company's name plays little, if any, role in determining your success." In case you're inclined to agree with him, consider the study at McMaster University where researchers presented patients trying to decide on their own medical treatment with graphical depictions of three treatment options that were simply labeled as option A, B or C. To the surprise of the researchers, who were actually studying something else, when they showed participants the names of the three treatment options, more than a third changed their choice of treatment on account of the names.
Lesson: Business names do have an impact, Norm Brodsky. Words, sounds and spellings influence our decisions. And that's why it's essential to give our new company a stand-out name that makes a positive impression.
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Top Mistake #1 When Naming a New Company or New Product
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Bear with me, because when I tell you the number one mistake people make when selecting a name for their new company or new product, you are going to be surprised. Ready? The top mistake in choosing a name is deciding on the name you like best.
That very obvious-sounding strategy is wrong because of several pitfalls. First, names can go off the rails because you, the namer, are not your target market. The name needs to appeal to potential customers, not to you. Second, the name you like the best may have negative connotations that you didn't stop to think about. Third, your favorite name, or a close variant of it, may already be in use, causing you to seem imitative or even landing you in legal trouble. And fourth, the name you like most may limit you in ways that may become painfully clear in the future.
Let's go through these pitfalls now one by one.
Not long ago New Jersey fell into the trap of thinking of themselves rather than of the target market when officials asked their residents to vote on a tourism slogan for the state. The winning entry, "New Jersey: Come See for Yourself," received just a few more votes than "New Jersey: The Best Kept Secret."
Both of these tag lines fail because they do not give a reason for outsiders to come explore. Outsiders, who may have an image of New Jersey as an over-industrialized collection of chemical factories, won't see anything compelling in those phrases. If the contest organizers had let non-New Jerseyites react to possible slogans, it would have become clear that those slogans were lame and uninteresting to the target market.
For business names, what insiders to the business choose may have a meaning element that customers don't relate to or cannot pronounce. For example, if an optical shop decided to call itself Refractions, they'd be sabotaging themselves, because the average person doesn't know that "refraction" is the principle of physics that enables glasses to correct vision.
Likewise, a bakery might fall in love with the name Painique (pan-EEK), where "pain," which means "bread" in French, was supposed to be pronounced in the French way rather than as rhyming with "rain." However, where the typical shopper doesn't know French, the name would be baffling and off-putting.
Choosing the name you like best can also be disastrous if you don't take the time to explore whether or not there are negative implications to the name. This happened to a shoe company in England, which was exciting about naming a sport shoe Zyklon, not realizing that this was the brand name of the gas used by the Nazis to kill millions during World War Two.
Similarly, someone who went with the company name Grand Poobah Publicity because they loved the way it sounded would eventually find out that to language mavens and Gilbert and Sullivan fans, the company was mocking itself. The Grand Poobah was a haughty character in "The Mikado" who had an undeservedly high opinion of himself.
Going only by what you like can also blind you to the fact that your name, or something resembling it, may already be in use. For instance, a golf course near me in Western Massachusetts called its modest little eatery Tavern on the Green, and found it ridiculous when the famous restaurant by that name in New York City sent it a letter demanding it stop using the name. Ridiculous or not, most businesses receiving such a letter sooner or later have no choice but to give in. It's smarter to check whether or not a name is legally in the clear prior to finalizing it.
Even when a name just echoes something else rather than exactly imitating it, the public may feel that your name is derivative and unoriginal. If you fell in love with the name Sir Salad for your casual restaurant, people might think you'd copied the chains Sir Speedy or Sir Pizza, even if you weren't aware those existed.
Finally, the name you like most could be so narrow in scope you are unable to expand. With the name Becky's Bookkeeping, Becky may have trouble later when she realizes clients need help with filing and organizing as well as with their financial records.
Perhaps the most surprising point to many people is that it isn't essential to have a blinding love for your new company name. It's far better if you think systematically about what the name should accomplish for you and go rigorously through your brainstormed list with those criteria in mind. You may already have overlooked the name that best meets those clear-headed, unemotional naming criteria!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more of Marcia Yudkin's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Bear with me, because when I tell you the number one mistake people make when selecting a name for their new company or new product, you are going to be surprised. Ready? The top mistake in choosing a name is deciding on the name you like best.
That very obvious-sounding strategy is wrong because of several pitfalls. First, names can go off the rails because you, the namer, are not your target market. The name needs to appeal to potential customers, not to you. Second, the name you like the best may have negative connotations that you didn't stop to think about. Third, your favorite name, or a close variant of it, may already be in use, causing you to seem imitative or even landing you in legal trouble. And fourth, the name you like most may limit you in ways that may become painfully clear in the future.
Let's go through these pitfalls now one by one.
Not long ago New Jersey fell into the trap of thinking of themselves rather than of the target market when officials asked their residents to vote on a tourism slogan for the state. The winning entry, "New Jersey: Come See for Yourself," received just a few more votes than "New Jersey: The Best Kept Secret."
Both of these tag lines fail because they do not give a reason for outsiders to come explore. Outsiders, who may have an image of New Jersey as an over-industrialized collection of chemical factories, won't see anything compelling in those phrases. If the contest organizers had let non-New Jerseyites react to possible slogans, it would have become clear that those slogans were lame and uninteresting to the target market.
For business names, what insiders to the business choose may have a meaning element that customers don't relate to or cannot pronounce. For example, if an optical shop decided to call itself Refractions, they'd be sabotaging themselves, because the average person doesn't know that "refraction" is the principle of physics that enables glasses to correct vision.
Likewise, a bakery might fall in love with the name Painique (pan-EEK), where "pain," which means "bread" in French, was supposed to be pronounced in the French way rather than as rhyming with "rain." However, where the typical shopper doesn't know French, the name would be baffling and off-putting.
Choosing the name you like best can also be disastrous if you don't take the time to explore whether or not there are negative implications to the name. This happened to a shoe company in England, which was exciting about naming a sport shoe Zyklon, not realizing that this was the brand name of the gas used by the Nazis to kill millions during World War Two.
Similarly, someone who went with the company name Grand Poobah Publicity because they loved the way it sounded would eventually find out that to language mavens and Gilbert and Sullivan fans, the company was mocking itself. The Grand Poobah was a haughty character in "The Mikado" who had an undeservedly high opinion of himself.
Going only by what you like can also blind you to the fact that your name, or something resembling it, may already be in use. For instance, a golf course near me in Western Massachusetts called its modest little eatery Tavern on the Green, and found it ridiculous when the famous restaurant by that name in New York City sent it a letter demanding it stop using the name. Ridiculous or not, most businesses receiving such a letter sooner or later have no choice but to give in. It's smarter to check whether or not a name is legally in the clear prior to finalizing it.
Even when a name just echoes something else rather than exactly imitating it, the public may feel that your name is derivative and unoriginal. If you fell in love with the name Sir Salad for your casual restaurant, people might think you'd copied the chains Sir Speedy or Sir Pizza, even if you weren't aware those existed.
Finally, the name you like most could be so narrow in scope you are unable to expand. With the name Becky's Bookkeeping, Becky may have trouble later when she realizes clients need help with filing and organizing as well as with their financial records.
Perhaps the most surprising point to many people is that it isn't essential to have a blinding love for your new company name. It's far better if you think systematically about what the name should accomplish for you and go rigorously through your brainstormed list with those criteria in mind. You may already have overlooked the name that best meets those clear-headed, unemotional naming criteria!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more of Marcia Yudkin's articles.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Identifying Expired Domain Buyers - Tips and Ideas
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
There was a time in the past, when people would flaunt their visiting cards with their flashy addresses and telephone numbers. However, the present trend is of people flashing their web addresses to their friends, colleagues and business partners. Of late, people from all spectrum of life are opting for web portals to give out information and details to others. Buying domain names is the latest trend among people. People buy domain names for personal uses, while businesses buy them to carry out different types of business operations. People may buy and register domain names by creating their own URLs. However, many business entrepreneurs also buy expired domains to set up online business ventures.
Selling expired domain names is actually difficult considering the stiff competition that exists among domain traders. First, you may never know the personal preferences of people who are looking for expired domain names. People have varied needs and requirements for expired domain names. You may wish to know for what purposes, uses people buy, and use expired domain names. Here are some general tips and ideas:
You can classify expired domains under two broad categories depending on the uses and purposes. Under general circumstances, people may buy expired domain names either for non-profit or personal uses, or for business and for uses of profit.
Expired domain buyers for non-profit and personal uses:
A number of non-profits and charitable organizations keep looking for good domains expired and buy them for their charitable activities. These organizations would need domain names that match the objectives and goals of their charity. On the other hand, millions of people also buy expired domains for personal purposes. Someone may need an expired web domain just to publish family photographs, while others may want to buy them to print personal blogs. The most essential thing for these people is to make a connection with their friends and family members.
Tip:
~~ Most people under these categories look for expired domains that end with .org or .info extensions.
These domains are actually cheaper and people, who look for such domains have a severe budgetary constraint.
These domains are difficult to sell as people tend to register fresh domains. ~~
Finding out an expired domain buyer for this category is actually very easy. People who look for these categories of names are very choosy and specific, as they would need only a specific type of name. Once you segregate these names and list them, you can contact them with your best prices. Make sure that you are offering something that is useful to your personal customers. Non-profits are very specific, because they want web domains based on particular keywords. On the other hand, people who buy personal domains are easy to handle and manage. You can even offer an extra, free expired domain as a gift, when they buy a domain at a profitable rate. Mixing your expired domain portfolio with personal and non-profit type of domains may offer you a streamlined business with varied options and choices.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
There was a time in the past, when people would flaunt their visiting cards with their flashy addresses and telephone numbers. However, the present trend is of people flashing their web addresses to their friends, colleagues and business partners. Of late, people from all spectrum of life are opting for web portals to give out information and details to others. Buying domain names is the latest trend among people. People buy domain names for personal uses, while businesses buy them to carry out different types of business operations. People may buy and register domain names by creating their own URLs. However, many business entrepreneurs also buy expired domains to set up online business ventures.
Selling expired domain names is actually difficult considering the stiff competition that exists among domain traders. First, you may never know the personal preferences of people who are looking for expired domain names. People have varied needs and requirements for expired domain names. You may wish to know for what purposes, uses people buy, and use expired domain names. Here are some general tips and ideas:
You can classify expired domains under two broad categories depending on the uses and purposes. Under general circumstances, people may buy expired domain names either for non-profit or personal uses, or for business and for uses of profit.
Expired domain buyers for non-profit and personal uses:
A number of non-profits and charitable organizations keep looking for good domains expired and buy them for their charitable activities. These organizations would need domain names that match the objectives and goals of their charity. On the other hand, millions of people also buy expired domains for personal purposes. Someone may need an expired web domain just to publish family photographs, while others may want to buy them to print personal blogs. The most essential thing for these people is to make a connection with their friends and family members.
Tip:
~~ Most people under these categories look for expired domains that end with .org or .info extensions.
These domains are actually cheaper and people, who look for such domains have a severe budgetary constraint.
These domains are difficult to sell as people tend to register fresh domains. ~~
Finding out an expired domain buyer for this category is actually very easy. People who look for these categories of names are very choosy and specific, as they would need only a specific type of name. Once you segregate these names and list them, you can contact them with your best prices. Make sure that you are offering something that is useful to your personal customers. Non-profits are very specific, because they want web domains based on particular keywords. On the other hand, people who buy personal domains are easy to handle and manage. You can even offer an extra, free expired domain as a gift, when they buy a domain at a profitable rate. Mixing your expired domain portfolio with personal and non-profit type of domains may offer you a streamlined business with varied options and choices.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
A Good Business Name Must Be Bold: Oh, Really?
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Visit just about any blog of a high-priced naming consultant, and they'll tell you with oracular confidence that a business name, to succeed, must be X, Y or Z. This is bluster. It is a branding statement of their own, arguing for the kinds of company names they like to create and against the kinds of company names they personally look down on. Such rules are not a valid-for-every-situation fact.
The naming "must" you'll encounter most often is this one: A Good Business Name Must Be Bold. It must make a statement. It must stand out. It must call attention to itself.
Yes, that's often a good idea, especially for a new operation that needs to earn publicity, word of mouth and market share. But not always. Consider a community bank that is expanding into new territory, across a river that to residents marks a mental boundary. Its number one concern is whether or not its current name encompasses the new geographical area in residents' minds. If not, they may be looking for a new name that provides continuity with their current name yet includes the locations where they're opening new branches. Boldness is nowhere on this bank's list of naming criteria.
Indeed, it's a rare bank that goes for, or should go for, a bold name, one with emotional impact and shock value. Much more important for banks is engendering trust. Other goals might be emphasizing rootedness, history or connection. Banks - and many financial services companies - need different naming criteria than a footwear company or an adventure travel firm.
It might surprise you to know that I have had clients hire my naming company wanting a name that didn't stand out. In one case, a financial advisor was moving to a new city and wanted a company name that would blend into the background, not attract any attention and make people assume he'd been doing business there forever.
I encourage you to wipe the slate clean of what you've read or heard and think first about what you hope the new business name you are looking for will accomplish. Do consider guidelines and "musts" because they point to naming factors you might otherwise overlook. Don't let your goals get overruled by someone else's branding agenda.
Don't be intimidated into looking for or accepting a company name that can't take you where you want to go!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Visit just about any blog of a high-priced naming consultant, and they'll tell you with oracular confidence that a business name, to succeed, must be X, Y or Z. This is bluster. It is a branding statement of their own, arguing for the kinds of company names they like to create and against the kinds of company names they personally look down on. Such rules are not a valid-for-every-situation fact.
The naming "must" you'll encounter most often is this one: A Good Business Name Must Be Bold. It must make a statement. It must stand out. It must call attention to itself.
Yes, that's often a good idea, especially for a new operation that needs to earn publicity, word of mouth and market share. But not always. Consider a community bank that is expanding into new territory, across a river that to residents marks a mental boundary. Its number one concern is whether or not its current name encompasses the new geographical area in residents' minds. If not, they may be looking for a new name that provides continuity with their current name yet includes the locations where they're opening new branches. Boldness is nowhere on this bank's list of naming criteria.
Indeed, it's a rare bank that goes for, or should go for, a bold name, one with emotional impact and shock value. Much more important for banks is engendering trust. Other goals might be emphasizing rootedness, history or connection. Banks - and many financial services companies - need different naming criteria than a footwear company or an adventure travel firm.
It might surprise you to know that I have had clients hire my naming company wanting a name that didn't stand out. In one case, a financial advisor was moving to a new city and wanted a company name that would blend into the background, not attract any attention and make people assume he'd been doing business there forever.
I encourage you to wipe the slate clean of what you've read or heard and think first about what you hope the new business name you are looking for will accomplish. Do consider guidelines and "musts" because they point to naming factors you might otherwise overlook. Don't let your goals get overruled by someone else's branding agenda.
Don't be intimidated into looking for or accepting a company name that can't take you where you want to go!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
How to Use Personal Branding for a Competitive Edge
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Cecile Peterkin, All Rights Reserved
Before you can learn much about how to use personal branding for a competitive edge, it's important to have an understanding of what personal branding is. Fortunately, it's possible to take a look at the way many successful people have used personal branding to get a feel for what it is and how it can work for you.
Personal branding is something that has been done by a number of well known people. Some of the most well known among them are:
Oprah Winfrey. Think what you will about Oprah's personality, but from the time that she branded her show with her own name and aired a number of her personal struggles in a public way to the time that she launched her magazine, her book club and the talk show careers of Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray, Oprah has remained true to her personal brand.
Donald Trump. Donald Trump isn't just a real estate mogul, he's also a man who worked hard, made his way to the top and then, time and time again, has found ways of staying there. Trump hotels have a certain reputation; so do his investment strategies that are available to almost everyone who watches his infomercials and has an internet connection, and, of course, The Apprentice also has a large audience simply because of all that the man has done to establish his personal brand.
In addition to Oprah and 'The Donald', there are a variety of others who have built their identities and empires on a foundation of personal branding. From Madonna to Bill Gates, from Rachael Ray (who established her brand by promising to teach others to prepare meals in 30 minutes and helping everyone to recognize that cooking is something that everyone can do) to Richard Branson, personal branding has proven to be a successful strategy - one that can also help you to get a competitive edge during your job search.
The reason that personal branding is so valuable is that it demands self-awareness; in order to have a brand, you need to be sure that you are able to know who you are and what you believe in. Likewise, personal branding means knowing what you value and making a commitment to bring it into everything that you do. Most importantly however, personal branding is about having the courage to be yourself - and to let others know who you are - and the confidence to believe that you can have a positive impact.
Personal branding is something that will give you a competitive edge during your job search because it will help you to appear confident and strong; it also is effective because prospective employers will see that you are committed to achieving your best and delivering consistent results. When you take advantage of personal branding and have the strength to market yourself and your values, you will find that you are able to have more than just a job - you'll find that you are well on your way to creating an exceptional career and reaching your goals.
About the Author:
Cecile Peterkin is a Certified Career Coach, Corporate Mentor, author and speaker. In a world where the old definition of job security no longer applies, managing your career, just like managing your life, requires preparation and planning. Cecile's Elite Career Success Guide gives you tips, advice and strategies to achieve amazing results in your career. Find out more at http://www.SecretstoCareerSuccess.com/
Read more Articles written by Cecile Peterkin.
Copyright © 2009 Cecile Peterkin, All Rights Reserved
Before you can learn much about how to use personal branding for a competitive edge, it's important to have an understanding of what personal branding is. Fortunately, it's possible to take a look at the way many successful people have used personal branding to get a feel for what it is and how it can work for you.
Personal branding is something that has been done by a number of well known people. Some of the most well known among them are:
In addition to Oprah and 'The Donald', there are a variety of others who have built their identities and empires on a foundation of personal branding. From Madonna to Bill Gates, from Rachael Ray (who established her brand by promising to teach others to prepare meals in 30 minutes and helping everyone to recognize that cooking is something that everyone can do) to Richard Branson, personal branding has proven to be a successful strategy - one that can also help you to get a competitive edge during your job search.
The reason that personal branding is so valuable is that it demands self-awareness; in order to have a brand, you need to be sure that you are able to know who you are and what you believe in. Likewise, personal branding means knowing what you value and making a commitment to bring it into everything that you do. Most importantly however, personal branding is about having the courage to be yourself - and to let others know who you are - and the confidence to believe that you can have a positive impact.
Personal branding is something that will give you a competitive edge during your job search because it will help you to appear confident and strong; it also is effective because prospective employers will see that you are committed to achieving your best and delivering consistent results. When you take advantage of personal branding and have the strength to market yourself and your values, you will find that you are able to have more than just a job - you'll find that you are well on your way to creating an exceptional career and reaching your goals.
About the Author:
Cecile Peterkin is a Certified Career Coach, Corporate Mentor, author and speaker. In a world where the old definition of job security no longer applies, managing your career, just like managing your life, requires preparation and planning. Cecile's Elite Career Success Guide gives you tips, advice and strategies to achieve amazing results in your career. Find out more at http://www.SecretstoCareerSuccess.com/
Read more Articles written by Cecile Peterkin.
Longboat Key Florida: How to Make the Most of Your Visit
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John C Allen
Longboat Key Florida is an 11-mile long island that borders the Gulf of Mexico to its west and the calm waters of Sarasota Bay on to its east. The 8,000 permanent residents of Longboat Key live in a variety of residential styles from condominiums, townhouses, small single-family homes to luxury waterfront estates. While providing activities such as beachcombing, walking, swimming and fishing, the Key is manicured and secluded allowing a relaxing lifestyle. Longboat Key is known throughout the world for its outstanding beaches, sweeping water views, excellent dining, great weather, luxury lifestyles and don't forget the sensational sunsets.
Things to Do on Longboat Key
As a national and international tourist destination, Longboat Key, with its fabulous weather and waterfront opportunities creates a perfect environment for travelers and residents alike. Local activities, such as boating, fishing, jet skiing, golf, tennis, shopping, fine dining, and arts/culture venues are available year round.
The Longboat Key Club and Resort
Behind the gates of the prestigious Longboat Key Club and Resort, tourists as well as Club members take part in fabulous amenities:
45 Holes of Championship Golf
World-Class Tennis Facilities
Full Service, On-Site Marina
6 Casual to Fine Dining Restaurants
State-of-the-art Spa and Fitness Center
Beautiful Wedding Facilities and Planning Service
Beach-front Pool with Towel Service
Longboat Key's Perfect Location
Longboat Key is only a short drive away to world-famous St. Armand's Circle. Vacationers and tourist are privy to world-class shopping, fine dining, cultural activities and more. Mainland Sarasota is also only a short drive from Longboat Key and the Circle too. Sarasota has previously been named the "Best Small City in America by Money Magazine.
Longboat Key Real Estate
Architectural styles on Longboat Key range from high-rise condos to tiny beach homes on winding canals leading to the open water of Sarasota Bay. A full-time Realtor experienced in showing properties regularly on Longboat Key can assist any buyer in their search for an island home. Longboat Key is often searched by national and international home buyers who are searching for a home or condo within their real estate parameters. Lifestyle is important to these buyers and luxury accommodations are at the top of their list of wants.
A Longboat Key condo on the beach is perfect for out of state owners seeking maintenance-free living. Other discriminating home buyers may prefer a secluded estate with access to the Sarasota Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Golf course properties are available to those buyers who want to live right on the fairways. Longboat Key has a variety of lifestyle options for almost every budget.
Longboat Key real estate options include luxury and waterfront homes or maintenance free townhomes, villas and condos for the vacation home buyer. Condos on Longboat Key are perfect for second homes, retreats and full-time residences. This Sarasota barrier island is a wonderful place to buy if you're looking for your Florida beach front dream home.
Many affluent families and retirees choose the Sarasota as their home or get-a-way as it provides a private yet laid back lifestyle in a charming city. Sarasota is a wonderful place to raise families. The world-renowned beaches of Sarasota and its barrier island have been listed as one of the "Top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world" to visit. Arts and cultural activities of this area are national recognized. The Sarasota Film Festival brings famous actors from around the world to the city. When you are visiting Longboat Key, take a short drive through St. Armands Circle, cross the John Ringling Bridge and visit Sarasota. Like a rare gem, Sarasota is remains hidden by its residents, providing a refuge for those looking for luxury, beauty and privacy. If you visit Longboat key, you will probably return soon or you may never leave.
About the Author:
John Allen is the Broker of Allen Real Estate Services, Inc., a 30 year Sarasota Florida boutique real estate brokerage. Visit his award winning Sarasota real estate website to learn more about the hundreds of communities and search thousands of MLS listings. The comprehensive Longboat Key Florida real estate section has detailed information on all of Longboat Key's most popular condos and neighborhoods. Learn more at: http://www.buysarasota.com/
Read more Articles written by John C Allen.
Copyright © 2009 John C Allen
Longboat Key Florida is an 11-mile long island that borders the Gulf of Mexico to its west and the calm waters of Sarasota Bay on to its east. The 8,000 permanent residents of Longboat Key live in a variety of residential styles from condominiums, townhouses, small single-family homes to luxury waterfront estates. While providing activities such as beachcombing, walking, swimming and fishing, the Key is manicured and secluded allowing a relaxing lifestyle. Longboat Key is known throughout the world for its outstanding beaches, sweeping water views, excellent dining, great weather, luxury lifestyles and don't forget the sensational sunsets.
Things to Do on Longboat Key
As a national and international tourist destination, Longboat Key, with its fabulous weather and waterfront opportunities creates a perfect environment for travelers and residents alike. Local activities, such as boating, fishing, jet skiing, golf, tennis, shopping, fine dining, and arts/culture venues are available year round.
The Longboat Key Club and Resort
Behind the gates of the prestigious Longboat Key Club and Resort, tourists as well as Club members take part in fabulous amenities:
Longboat Key's Perfect Location
Longboat Key is only a short drive away to world-famous St. Armand's Circle. Vacationers and tourist are privy to world-class shopping, fine dining, cultural activities and more. Mainland Sarasota is also only a short drive from Longboat Key and the Circle too. Sarasota has previously been named the "Best Small City in America by Money Magazine.
Longboat Key Real Estate
Architectural styles on Longboat Key range from high-rise condos to tiny beach homes on winding canals leading to the open water of Sarasota Bay. A full-time Realtor experienced in showing properties regularly on Longboat Key can assist any buyer in their search for an island home. Longboat Key is often searched by national and international home buyers who are searching for a home or condo within their real estate parameters. Lifestyle is important to these buyers and luxury accommodations are at the top of their list of wants.
A Longboat Key condo on the beach is perfect for out of state owners seeking maintenance-free living. Other discriminating home buyers may prefer a secluded estate with access to the Sarasota Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Golf course properties are available to those buyers who want to live right on the fairways. Longboat Key has a variety of lifestyle options for almost every budget.
Longboat Key real estate options include luxury and waterfront homes or maintenance free townhomes, villas and condos for the vacation home buyer. Condos on Longboat Key are perfect for second homes, retreats and full-time residences. This Sarasota barrier island is a wonderful place to buy if you're looking for your Florida beach front dream home.
Many affluent families and retirees choose the Sarasota as their home or get-a-way as it provides a private yet laid back lifestyle in a charming city. Sarasota is a wonderful place to raise families. The world-renowned beaches of Sarasota and its barrier island have been listed as one of the "Top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world" to visit. Arts and cultural activities of this area are national recognized. The Sarasota Film Festival brings famous actors from around the world to the city. When you are visiting Longboat Key, take a short drive through St. Armands Circle, cross the John Ringling Bridge and visit Sarasota. Like a rare gem, Sarasota is remains hidden by its residents, providing a refuge for those looking for luxury, beauty and privacy. If you visit Longboat key, you will probably return soon or you may never leave.
About the Author:
John Allen is the Broker of Allen Real Estate Services, Inc., a 30 year Sarasota Florida boutique real estate brokerage. Visit his award winning Sarasota real estate website to learn more about the hundreds of communities and search thousands of MLS listings. The comprehensive Longboat Key Florida real estate section has detailed information on all of Longboat Key's most popular condos and neighborhoods. Learn more at: http://www.buysarasota.com/
Read more Articles written by John C Allen.
A Simple Guide To Online Fax
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins
While most people have heard of email, there are many web users who have never heard of Internet or online fax. This is the equivalent of sending faxes via the web rather than through the old traditional facsimile machine in the office.
Like email, web faxing is a relatively new phenomenon which simply means using the Internet and your email system to send and receive your faxes. In order to use online fax you have to sign up for an account with an Internet fax service provider, who will supply you with a Toll-Free or local fax number you can use. Your faxes are sent as email attachment, usually in TIFF or PDF format.
Your online fax service provider acts as your intermediary to handle and process all your faxing. Keep in mind, with an Internet faxing account you don't need an extra dedicated fax phone line because everything is done via the web. However, you can still send faxes to and from the old traditional fax machine, your online provider will act on your behalf to process your faxes.
With an Internet fax service you are generally given an online site (interface) where you can log-on to send and receive your faxes. This web account will also store your faxes so that they are available to you at all times. How long and the amount of faxes you can store will depend upon which service you choose, so it pays to do a little homework first before you sign up to any one service.
These fax providers will also have different monthly rates but the average cost is around $10 a month, but there are much cheaper quality services you can get, especially if your faxing requirements are very minimum. Some services are as low as $20 a year or you can also get a pay as you go service.
Why are millions of individuals and companies switching over to this new way of faxing?
There are many reasons: online faxing can be much cheaper especially when you factor in the low start-up costs and the cost of a separate phone line. Online fax is paperless so it is seen as more environmentally friendlier than regular faxing. It also uses no inks, toners and there are none of those messy annoying paper jams. No more missed faxes because of busy signals. You can also send many faxes simultaneously. Web faxing can also be much more secure than traditional faxing since your faxes can be encrypted. Plus, all your faxing is completely mobile, you can send and receive your faxes anywhere, anytime - as long as you have Internet access and these days that's just about everywhere on the planet.
This new way of faxing is much more convenient since you can use laptops, PDAs, cell phones... to send and receive your faxes. It is also extremely easy to use, as simple as using email, anyone can do it. Furthermore, online faxing is seen as the wave of the future, connecting all your faxing with computers and the web.
Plus, we must not forget about the whole concept of competitiveness when speaking about online fax. If your business or company depends heavily on timely faxes for bringing in sales, closing deals or communicating with clients; then having a fax service that's available 24/7, 365 days of the year (regardless of where you're located) is a definite advantage to have in your corner. Sometimes it may just be a matter of keeping up with your competition who might already be using web faxing in their own businesses.
Your next obvious questions should be: can your business or company afford NOT to have it? It's your call!
About the Author:
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to get your own: http://www.onlinefaxguide.com Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/internet_fax_service_guide.htm
Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins
While most people have heard of email, there are many web users who have never heard of Internet or online fax. This is the equivalent of sending faxes via the web rather than through the old traditional facsimile machine in the office.
Like email, web faxing is a relatively new phenomenon which simply means using the Internet and your email system to send and receive your faxes. In order to use online fax you have to sign up for an account with an Internet fax service provider, who will supply you with a Toll-Free or local fax number you can use. Your faxes are sent as email attachment, usually in TIFF or PDF format.
Your online fax service provider acts as your intermediary to handle and process all your faxing. Keep in mind, with an Internet faxing account you don't need an extra dedicated fax phone line because everything is done via the web. However, you can still send faxes to and from the old traditional fax machine, your online provider will act on your behalf to process your faxes.
With an Internet fax service you are generally given an online site (interface) where you can log-on to send and receive your faxes. This web account will also store your faxes so that they are available to you at all times. How long and the amount of faxes you can store will depend upon which service you choose, so it pays to do a little homework first before you sign up to any one service.
These fax providers will also have different monthly rates but the average cost is around $10 a month, but there are much cheaper quality services you can get, especially if your faxing requirements are very minimum. Some services are as low as $20 a year or you can also get a pay as you go service.
Why are millions of individuals and companies switching over to this new way of faxing?
There are many reasons: online faxing can be much cheaper especially when you factor in the low start-up costs and the cost of a separate phone line. Online fax is paperless so it is seen as more environmentally friendlier than regular faxing. It also uses no inks, toners and there are none of those messy annoying paper jams. No more missed faxes because of busy signals. You can also send many faxes simultaneously. Web faxing can also be much more secure than traditional faxing since your faxes can be encrypted. Plus, all your faxing is completely mobile, you can send and receive your faxes anywhere, anytime - as long as you have Internet access and these days that's just about everywhere on the planet.
This new way of faxing is much more convenient since you can use laptops, PDAs, cell phones... to send and receive your faxes. It is also extremely easy to use, as simple as using email, anyone can do it. Furthermore, online faxing is seen as the wave of the future, connecting all your faxing with computers and the web.
Plus, we must not forget about the whole concept of competitiveness when speaking about online fax. If your business or company depends heavily on timely faxes for bringing in sales, closing deals or communicating with clients; then having a fax service that's available 24/7, 365 days of the year (regardless of where you're located) is a definite advantage to have in your corner. Sometimes it may just be a matter of keeping up with your competition who might already be using web faxing in their own businesses.
Your next obvious questions should be: can your business or company afford NOT to have it? It's your call!
About the Author:
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to get your own: http://www.onlinefaxguide.com Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/internet_fax_service_guide.htm
Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
George Washington, Known OPSEC Practitioner - OPSEC In His Own Words
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Chris Cox
Arguably, no President in history has received a legendary status equal to George Washington. His reputation as a gifted military leader stems partially from his unique perspective as the leader of counterinsurgency forces (as a young officer in the Seven Year's War) and as the leader of an insurgent army (in the Revolutionary War).
Within OPSEC circles, Washington is often quoted as saying, "Even minutiae should have a place in our collection, for things of a seemingly trifling nature, when enjoined with others of a more serious cast, may lead to valuable conclusion." While this is certainly true you must understand that this is a lesson our first president learned through bitter, near fatal experience.
Washington's first experience with OPSEC (a term not used at the time, but the principles remain the same) came at the age of 21 when he was a young officer in the Seven Year's War under British General Braddock. The effective French intelligence network (no doubt enabled by ineffective security) was able to ascertain Braddock's moves well in advance and successfully ambushed the combined British and Colonial forces on their first expedition. In this attack, the combined forces lost 615 of their officers and 914 soldiers; in addition General Braddock was mortally wounded and barely escaped with the aid of Washington. Before his death four days later, Braddock gave Washington his ceremonial sash, one of the two reminders of this lesson that would stay with him forever.
If this hard lesson taught Washington one thing, it was the necessity of effective intelligence, as well as that of secrecy. He was later quoted as saying, "(U)pon Secrecy, Success depends in Most Enterprises - and for want of it, they are generally defeated."
With this philosophy, Washington would establish and lead an effective spy network during the Revolutionary War. These spies would operate, at times, directly with or under British forces and would provide Washington with critical military information regarding British plans, strategies and objectives. In order to evade detection, all agents would memorize and refer only to code names (for instance, George Washington was only referred to as "711" and New York was "727"), which demonstrates a clear understanding of the importance of obfuscating key names and locations. Using the same scheme for names and locations also helped to hide their true meaning. In addition, the use of secret codes, invisible ink and encryption demonstrated Washington's awareness of the necessity of not only attempting to avoid the capture of information, but also to prevent the use of information should capture occur.
Unfortunately, this valuable lesson seemed to be forgotten when Washington sent a seemingly harmless letter to his dentist in Philadelphia asking for denture wires and a cleaning tool. In and of itself, this letter provided no military intelligence of value when it and other messages were captured by the British. However, some of the other messages indicated a potential attack on New York. Sir Henry Clinton, then chief of the British Army, was skeptical. The letters almost seemed too good to be true especially when you understand that Washington's skill in military deception was known by the enemy. Clinton was left to wonder of the validity and value of the "intelligence." However, Clinton correctly reasoned that this letter would most likely not have been included in a package was to be intentionally "captured" and surmised that the captured intelligence was legitimate. Clinton was able to strengthen his forces in New York, prompting Washington to abandon that campaign.
This setback did not discourage Washington from continuing to use deception and disinformation however. This lesson learned became a very effective strategy to fabricate documents to be "captured", or to instruct agents to discuss certain matters in areas that British soldiers or spies were able to overhear, or even to intercept messages meant for British forces and alter them before passing them along seemingly unchanged. For example: When Washington had his army outside of Philadelphia he instructed his procurement officers make sizable purchases of supplies, and even constructed fake military facilities, which convinced the British that his 3,000-strong army contained 40,000 men.
Throughout the war, Washington relied heavily on espionage and intelligence. The Culper Spy Ring, headed by Major Benjamin Talmadge (under the pseudonym "John Bolton") learned that the British had plans to attack an allied French expedition in Rhode Island (it is not clear how British Forces learned of the landing). Washington responded by planting false intelligence with British agents indicating that he intended to move against New York City. In response, the British Commander held his forces at New York, which had the additional benefit of masking Washington's movement towards Chesapeake Bay and Yorktown. It was imperative that Washington's forces practice good OPSEC in order to avoid detection of this grand deception.
Washington understood the importance of educating those under him about what we've come to call OPSEC. In a clear early understanding of what we now know as the OPSEC process, Washington wrote to thank James Lovell for a piece of intelligence, saying, "it is by comparing a variety of information, we are frequently enabled to investigate facts, which were so intricate or hidden, that no single clue could have led to the knowledge of them. . . intelligence becomes interesting which but from its connection and collateral circumstances, would not be important." He also spoke to General Rufus Putnam in August 1777 about calculating an adversary's strength, saying, "Deserters and people of that class always speak of number. . . indeed, scarce any person can form a judgment unless he sees the troops paraded and can count the divisions. But, if you can by any means obtain a list of the regiments left upon the island, we can compute the number of men within a few hundreds, over or under." This "training" prompted Federalist William Duer to write, "To say more in a Letter, might be imprudent" when discussing a matter of potential value.
Similarly, to the credit of the Continental Congress, the first secrecy agreement was adopted for government employees. It read, in part, "I do solemnly swear, that I will not directly or indirectly divulge any manner or thing which shall come to my knowledge as (clerk, secretary) of the board of War and Ordnance for the United Colonies. . . So help me God."
Perhaps the best example of OPSEC in Washington's strategy was in the attack on Stony Point. Stony Point was an ominous British fort on the Hudson River, with walls 150 feet high, water on three sides and a swamp on the fourth, and an imposing garrison of 500 men and many cannons. Colonel Wayne was convinced that it could be taken, and eventually convinced Washington that it could be done. Washington approved the plan with the advice, "That it should be attempted by the Light Infantry only, which should march under cover of the night and with the utmost secrecy to the enemy's lines, securing every person they find to prevent discovery". Note especially the use of darkness to mask movement and the securing of potential witnesses/agents. Because of this secrecy, the surprise attack was a success resulting in only 15 American deaths versus 63 British.
Clearly, George Washington effectively led the newly formed army to victory not only because of excellent military tactics, but also because a solid understanding of OPSEC. If OPSEC (http://www.opsecprofessionals.org) can help General Washington win a war then who are we to deny its use today to protect our sensitive information?
About the Author:
Written by: Chris Cox. The Operations Security Professional's Association (OSPA) is an International entity dedicated to promoting OPSEC by providing free resources and member collaboration. OSPA works with groups all over the world, from US Federal Agencies to Neighborhood Watch programs, and believes that each one deserves security. http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/
Read more of Chris Cox's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Chris Cox
Arguably, no President in history has received a legendary status equal to George Washington. His reputation as a gifted military leader stems partially from his unique perspective as the leader of counterinsurgency forces (as a young officer in the Seven Year's War) and as the leader of an insurgent army (in the Revolutionary War).
Within OPSEC circles, Washington is often quoted as saying, "Even minutiae should have a place in our collection, for things of a seemingly trifling nature, when enjoined with others of a more serious cast, may lead to valuable conclusion." While this is certainly true you must understand that this is a lesson our first president learned through bitter, near fatal experience.
Washington's first experience with OPSEC (a term not used at the time, but the principles remain the same) came at the age of 21 when he was a young officer in the Seven Year's War under British General Braddock. The effective French intelligence network (no doubt enabled by ineffective security) was able to ascertain Braddock's moves well in advance and successfully ambushed the combined British and Colonial forces on their first expedition. In this attack, the combined forces lost 615 of their officers and 914 soldiers; in addition General Braddock was mortally wounded and barely escaped with the aid of Washington. Before his death four days later, Braddock gave Washington his ceremonial sash, one of the two reminders of this lesson that would stay with him forever.
If this hard lesson taught Washington one thing, it was the necessity of effective intelligence, as well as that of secrecy. He was later quoted as saying, "(U)pon Secrecy, Success depends in Most Enterprises - and for want of it, they are generally defeated."
With this philosophy, Washington would establish and lead an effective spy network during the Revolutionary War. These spies would operate, at times, directly with or under British forces and would provide Washington with critical military information regarding British plans, strategies and objectives. In order to evade detection, all agents would memorize and refer only to code names (for instance, George Washington was only referred to as "711" and New York was "727"), which demonstrates a clear understanding of the importance of obfuscating key names and locations. Using the same scheme for names and locations also helped to hide their true meaning. In addition, the use of secret codes, invisible ink and encryption demonstrated Washington's awareness of the necessity of not only attempting to avoid the capture of information, but also to prevent the use of information should capture occur.
Unfortunately, this valuable lesson seemed to be forgotten when Washington sent a seemingly harmless letter to his dentist in Philadelphia asking for denture wires and a cleaning tool. In and of itself, this letter provided no military intelligence of value when it and other messages were captured by the British. However, some of the other messages indicated a potential attack on New York. Sir Henry Clinton, then chief of the British Army, was skeptical. The letters almost seemed too good to be true especially when you understand that Washington's skill in military deception was known by the enemy. Clinton was left to wonder of the validity and value of the "intelligence." However, Clinton correctly reasoned that this letter would most likely not have been included in a package was to be intentionally "captured" and surmised that the captured intelligence was legitimate. Clinton was able to strengthen his forces in New York, prompting Washington to abandon that campaign.
This setback did not discourage Washington from continuing to use deception and disinformation however. This lesson learned became a very effective strategy to fabricate documents to be "captured", or to instruct agents to discuss certain matters in areas that British soldiers or spies were able to overhear, or even to intercept messages meant for British forces and alter them before passing them along seemingly unchanged. For example: When Washington had his army outside of Philadelphia he instructed his procurement officers make sizable purchases of supplies, and even constructed fake military facilities, which convinced the British that his 3,000-strong army contained 40,000 men.
Throughout the war, Washington relied heavily on espionage and intelligence. The Culper Spy Ring, headed by Major Benjamin Talmadge (under the pseudonym "John Bolton") learned that the British had plans to attack an allied French expedition in Rhode Island (it is not clear how British Forces learned of the landing). Washington responded by planting false intelligence with British agents indicating that he intended to move against New York City. In response, the British Commander held his forces at New York, which had the additional benefit of masking Washington's movement towards Chesapeake Bay and Yorktown. It was imperative that Washington's forces practice good OPSEC in order to avoid detection of this grand deception.
Washington understood the importance of educating those under him about what we've come to call OPSEC. In a clear early understanding of what we now know as the OPSEC process, Washington wrote to thank James Lovell for a piece of intelligence, saying, "it is by comparing a variety of information, we are frequently enabled to investigate facts, which were so intricate or hidden, that no single clue could have led to the knowledge of them. . . intelligence becomes interesting which but from its connection and collateral circumstances, would not be important." He also spoke to General Rufus Putnam in August 1777 about calculating an adversary's strength, saying, "Deserters and people of that class always speak of number. . . indeed, scarce any person can form a judgment unless he sees the troops paraded and can count the divisions. But, if you can by any means obtain a list of the regiments left upon the island, we can compute the number of men within a few hundreds, over or under." This "training" prompted Federalist William Duer to write, "To say more in a Letter, might be imprudent" when discussing a matter of potential value.
Similarly, to the credit of the Continental Congress, the first secrecy agreement was adopted for government employees. It read, in part, "I do solemnly swear, that I will not directly or indirectly divulge any manner or thing which shall come to my knowledge as (clerk, secretary) of the board of War and Ordnance for the United Colonies. . . So help me God."
Perhaps the best example of OPSEC in Washington's strategy was in the attack on Stony Point. Stony Point was an ominous British fort on the Hudson River, with walls 150 feet high, water on three sides and a swamp on the fourth, and an imposing garrison of 500 men and many cannons. Colonel Wayne was convinced that it could be taken, and eventually convinced Washington that it could be done. Washington approved the plan with the advice, "That it should be attempted by the Light Infantry only, which should march under cover of the night and with the utmost secrecy to the enemy's lines, securing every person they find to prevent discovery". Note especially the use of darkness to mask movement and the securing of potential witnesses/agents. Because of this secrecy, the surprise attack was a success resulting in only 15 American deaths versus 63 British.
Clearly, George Washington effectively led the newly formed army to victory not only because of excellent military tactics, but also because a solid understanding of OPSEC. If OPSEC (http://www.opsecprofessionals.org) can help General Washington win a war then who are we to deny its use today to protect our sensitive information?
About the Author:
Written by: Chris Cox. The Operations Security Professional's Association (OSPA) is an International entity dedicated to promoting OPSEC by providing free resources and member collaboration. OSPA works with groups all over the world, from US Federal Agencies to Neighborhood Watch programs, and believes that each one deserves security. http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/
Read more of Chris Cox's articles.
Potential Dangers of Expired Domain Business - Some Precautionary Tips
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Investing on expired domain names could be very risky and dangerous if you are not careful enough in managing them. The perceived potential of earning huge income is very high with very good domains. On the same vein, the chances of losing your money in the business could also be very high especially when you commit blinders after blunders. Most of the newbie domain traders commit lot of mistakes while managing their business operation. Most of them who buy expired-domains end up in making huge losses by adapting very bad trading methods.
Newbie domain traders should remember that maintaining their domain names is actually very costly and difficult. Each additional expired domain may cost them an extra $25 to the overall maintenance bill and this figure recurs every year as well. In reality, the actual cost of $10 as annual renewal fee may not look very big. However, a big portfolio of domains may cost you too much money in combination. Sometimes, you may need to spend an additional amount of about $3 for each domain in the maintenance process.
When combined, the annual renewal fees to be payable on a stock of expired domain names could dent your pocket in a big way. To bridge the gap or to maintain the renewal parity, you will need to sell some of them at good profits. Otherwise, you will be sitting on a stock of expensive domains that are almost useless. Let us say that you have a stock of 100 expired domains. Let us assume that each one of them costs around $10 as annual renewal fees. In total, the cost renewing all the 100 domains come to about $1000. This is a huge sum of money for any domain trader. In order to cut losses, you will need to create a turnover of a minimum of $1000 by selling some of them. This amount is just enough to cover the cost of renewing those domains. This is possibly the most frustrating thing with selling expired domain names.
On the other hand, expired domain business becomes commercially nonviable when you buy a few numbers of domains. The average selling rate for an ordinary expired
domain name is about $25. It means that if you do not sell a name, you will be investing another $1o towards annual renewal fees. In all, you will be creating a loss of $10 every year on a domain that sells at $25! Sitting down on an expired domain is likely to cause accumulated losses every year. Domain traders always commit the mistake of waiting for that big sale in the hope that it will bring a huge income!
Many domain traders also commit the mistake of buying expired domains that come with assumed traffic. However, the traffic associated with an expired domain could be of very bad quality and most of these incoming links are not sustainable. Real traffic comes only when someone types the actual URL of the domain. Also known as organic traffic, this provides you a great opportunity to earn decent profits.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Investing on expired domain names could be very risky and dangerous if you are not careful enough in managing them. The perceived potential of earning huge income is very high with very good domains. On the same vein, the chances of losing your money in the business could also be very high especially when you commit blinders after blunders. Most of the newbie domain traders commit lot of mistakes while managing their business operation. Most of them who buy expired-domains end up in making huge losses by adapting very bad trading methods.
Newbie domain traders should remember that maintaining their domain names is actually very costly and difficult. Each additional expired domain may cost them an extra $25 to the overall maintenance bill and this figure recurs every year as well. In reality, the actual cost of $10 as annual renewal fee may not look very big. However, a big portfolio of domains may cost you too much money in combination. Sometimes, you may need to spend an additional amount of about $3 for each domain in the maintenance process.
When combined, the annual renewal fees to be payable on a stock of expired domain names could dent your pocket in a big way. To bridge the gap or to maintain the renewal parity, you will need to sell some of them at good profits. Otherwise, you will be sitting on a stock of expensive domains that are almost useless. Let us say that you have a stock of 100 expired domains. Let us assume that each one of them costs around $10 as annual renewal fees. In total, the cost renewing all the 100 domains come to about $1000. This is a huge sum of money for any domain trader. In order to cut losses, you will need to create a turnover of a minimum of $1000 by selling some of them. This amount is just enough to cover the cost of renewing those domains. This is possibly the most frustrating thing with selling expired domain names.
On the other hand, expired domain business becomes commercially nonviable when you buy a few numbers of domains. The average selling rate for an ordinary expired
domain name is about $25. It means that if you do not sell a name, you will be investing another $1o towards annual renewal fees. In all, you will be creating a loss of $10 every year on a domain that sells at $25! Sitting down on an expired domain is likely to cause accumulated losses every year. Domain traders always commit the mistake of waiting for that big sale in the hope that it will bring a huge income!
Many domain traders also commit the mistake of buying expired domains that come with assumed traffic. However, the traffic associated with an expired domain could be of very bad quality and most of these incoming links are not sustainable. Real traffic comes only when someone types the actual URL of the domain. Also known as organic traffic, this provides you a great opportunity to earn decent profits.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
How To Build A Profitable Twitter Profile
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Harold Hemmings
Twitter is one of the fastest growing marketplaces on the Internet. The reason why so many people like Twitter is because it is actually the perfect communication tool for people who don't understand and don't want to learn about Internet technology and the technological geek-speak that goes along with it.
A few years back, I asked someone for his dad's email address. The son replied telling me that you just email his name. The son was clueless that there was an actual email address behind the shortcut for his dad's name. He did not understand email, and he did not care that he did not understand it. He was able to use it in a manner that was easy for him, and that is all that really mattered.
What makes Twitter so popular to the masses is that one does not have to be tech-savvy to use the service. The new user simply needs to locate the profile of the person he or she wants to follow, and then the user simply clicks "Follow". From that day forward, anytime the person "Followed" posts (tweets) new information to his or her micro-blog, Followers will be notified about the message in the Twitter Timeline.
The only thing that is really difficult about Twitter is that new people seldom understand that they must "Follow" someone, before they start to receive messages from others. But once someone has chosen to follow a few people, they get the idea behind Twitter very quickly.
With its' system of 140 character micro-posts (referred to as "tweets"), users are able to communicate information to other users. Sometimes the tweeted info is a random comment, but often the tweets mean something to somebody.
For the average consumer, they can log into Twitter to update grandma about the lives of the grandchildren and to provide links to family pictures.
Although the service has been available since 2006, the Internet marketing community was really slow to catch on to the value of the Twitter community. Most Internet marketers had never heard of Twitter until 2008. Even then, online marketers were slow to see any real value in the platform. But in 2009, Twitter finally hit its stride in getting the word out about its service, in large part due to the Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN Twitter Follower Challenge.
Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) challenged CNN (@cnnbrk) to a race to one million Twitter Followers. On April 17th, 2009, Ashton became the first Twitter user to reach one million followers. CNN passed the mark a few hours later, but Ashton won the race fair and square.
Understanding The Value Of The Twitter Community
In March of 2008, Twitter was estimated to have one million active users, according to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch (http://bit.ly/RICvf). But amazingly, over the course of the following year, Twitter was able to expand its user base by 32-37 times, according to which news source you trust for your data.
On July 30th 2009, the Philadelphia Enquirer reported that Twitter had "increased its user base by 37-fold to more than 32 million users worldwide, 18-20 million of whom reside in the United States" (http://bit.ly/dhAIE).
Now, the naysayers are fond of pointing out that Twitter's attrition rate is quite large, with 60% of new users disappearing after signing up for the service. But if the Philadelphia Enquirer's estimation is correct that "only 40 percent of first-timers become habitual visitors", then the remaining 12.8 million users still make a viable and vibrant Twitter community.
Each individual user inside the Twitter community is capable of building his or her own community of Followers.
As Ashton Kutcher has taught us, building a Follower list is fairly straight forward - when people are interested in you and what you have to say, they will follow you on Twitter to see what you have to say.
To date, nearly 3 million Twitter users have decided that they care enough about Kutcher's life to follow his personal tweets. Of course, I am sure it helps that he occasionally posts pictures of his wife, Demi Moore, in his tweets (http://twitter.com/aplusk/status/1366791709). Not only did Kutcher share a shot of his Demi's derriere, he also proved that rich people have ugly furniture too.
How Can One Benefit From A Large Twitter Following?
Some of Twitter's 12.8 million active users will benefit handsomely for building a larger Follower's list, while other people will not.
It is pointed out by @ web2marketer, "It's not about how many Twitter followers you have...the only thing that matters is - are they listening?" (http://twitter.com/web2marketer/status/2939696759)
This is the key, of course.
Some people build huge lists of Followers, but never say anything worthwhile or interesting. Some are only interested in building their Followers list for the sake of building Followers.
If no one wants to listen to what you have to say, it does not matter whether you have 1 Follower or 2.9 million Followers. If no one is "listening" to what you have to say, you will not make any money from your participation in Twitter.
On the other hand, if people are "listening" to what you have to say and "clicking" the links you tell them to click, then you have a good chance of earning real money as a result of your Twitter activities.
It has been said that the consumer needs to see or hear your name or your marketing message 7 times, before they will trust you enough to buy from you. Professionals in the direct marketing industry suggest that 82% of all consumers (business people or otherwise) will buy your products or services on the second to the ninth exposure to your marketing message.
Twitter allows you to carry a continuous dialog with those most likely to buy what you are selling - through the Public Timeline of the people following you in Twitter. Once people have started to pay attention to what you tell them, and once they start absorbing your marketing message, then gaining your Followers trust is made easier. Once people are listening to you, you can earn their trust fairly quickly.
An idea presented by @contentmanager is that television has had 80+ years to perfect its advertising model. Television seems committed to the concept of 42 minutes of content to anchor 18 minutes of advertising. These numbers translate into 70% content to provide an anchor for its 30% advertising. (http://twitter.com/contentmanager/status/3106295397) In context, he says that the 70% content is designed to attract attention and win trust, and then the 30% advertising is designed to earn profits and cover the costs of building content.
Understand That It Is A Numbers Game
As a successful Twitter marketer, your first goal is always to attract Followers (an audience). Your second goal is to win the trust of your Followers (your viewing audience). Only after you have won the trust of your Followers should you endeavor to advertise to your Twitter Followers list (to earn revenue). If you have earned the trust of your Twitter Followers, revenue is certain to follow.
But, as with anything in business, it is a numbers game. A certain percentage of the number of people exposed to your Twitter profile will become Followers. A certain percentage of those people following you, will actually read what you have to say. A certain percentage of those people will click your links. And if that link leads to a page where you can earn revenue, only a certain percentage of people will buy your offer.
For most people, the only certainty is that they need to grow their audience, and in the case of the Twitter community, they need to grow their list of Twitter Followers. In the numbers game, if you can increase your audience, you can increase your revenue. It is as simple as that.
If you visit our website shown below, we will show you how we can help you build your Followers' list. But after that, it is up to you. It is up to you to gain the interest and trust of your Followers. Once you have done that, then the only thing that will matter is - are they listening?
About the Author:
Harold Hemmings is the owner of a website dedicated to helping people grow their Twitter Followers List at an accelerated pace. Learn more about his inexpensive service at Buy Twitter Friends: http://buytwitterfriends.com/
Read more Articles written by Harold Hemmings.
Copyright © 2009 Harold Hemmings
Twitter is one of the fastest growing marketplaces on the Internet. The reason why so many people like Twitter is because it is actually the perfect communication tool for people who don't understand and don't want to learn about Internet technology and the technological geek-speak that goes along with it.
A few years back, I asked someone for his dad's email address. The son replied telling me that you just email his name. The son was clueless that there was an actual email address behind the shortcut for his dad's name. He did not understand email, and he did not care that he did not understand it. He was able to use it in a manner that was easy for him, and that is all that really mattered.
What makes Twitter so popular to the masses is that one does not have to be tech-savvy to use the service. The new user simply needs to locate the profile of the person he or she wants to follow, and then the user simply clicks "Follow". From that day forward, anytime the person "Followed" posts (tweets) new information to his or her micro-blog, Followers will be notified about the message in the Twitter Timeline.
The only thing that is really difficult about Twitter is that new people seldom understand that they must "Follow" someone, before they start to receive messages from others. But once someone has chosen to follow a few people, they get the idea behind Twitter very quickly.
With its' system of 140 character micro-posts (referred to as "tweets"), users are able to communicate information to other users. Sometimes the tweeted info is a random comment, but often the tweets mean something to somebody.
For the average consumer, they can log into Twitter to update grandma about the lives of the grandchildren and to provide links to family pictures.
Although the service has been available since 2006, the Internet marketing community was really slow to catch on to the value of the Twitter community. Most Internet marketers had never heard of Twitter until 2008. Even then, online marketers were slow to see any real value in the platform. But in 2009, Twitter finally hit its stride in getting the word out about its service, in large part due to the Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN Twitter Follower Challenge.
Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) challenged CNN (@cnnbrk) to a race to one million Twitter Followers. On April 17th, 2009, Ashton became the first Twitter user to reach one million followers. CNN passed the mark a few hours later, but Ashton won the race fair and square.
Understanding The Value Of The Twitter Community
In March of 2008, Twitter was estimated to have one million active users, according to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch (http://bit.ly/RICvf). But amazingly, over the course of the following year, Twitter was able to expand its user base by 32-37 times, according to which news source you trust for your data.
On July 30th 2009, the Philadelphia Enquirer reported that Twitter had "increased its user base by 37-fold to more than 32 million users worldwide, 18-20 million of whom reside in the United States" (http://bit.ly/dhAIE).
Now, the naysayers are fond of pointing out that Twitter's attrition rate is quite large, with 60% of new users disappearing after signing up for the service. But if the Philadelphia Enquirer's estimation is correct that "only 40 percent of first-timers become habitual visitors", then the remaining 12.8 million users still make a viable and vibrant Twitter community.
Each individual user inside the Twitter community is capable of building his or her own community of Followers.
As Ashton Kutcher has taught us, building a Follower list is fairly straight forward - when people are interested in you and what you have to say, they will follow you on Twitter to see what you have to say.
To date, nearly 3 million Twitter users have decided that they care enough about Kutcher's life to follow his personal tweets. Of course, I am sure it helps that he occasionally posts pictures of his wife, Demi Moore, in his tweets (http://twitter.com/aplusk/status/1366791709). Not only did Kutcher share a shot of his Demi's derriere, he also proved that rich people have ugly furniture too.
How Can One Benefit From A Large Twitter Following?
Some of Twitter's 12.8 million active users will benefit handsomely for building a larger Follower's list, while other people will not.
It is pointed out by @ web2marketer, "It's not about how many Twitter followers you have...the only thing that matters is - are they listening?" (http://twitter.com/web2marketer/status/2939696759)
This is the key, of course.
Some people build huge lists of Followers, but never say anything worthwhile or interesting. Some are only interested in building their Followers list for the sake of building Followers.
If no one wants to listen to what you have to say, it does not matter whether you have 1 Follower or 2.9 million Followers. If no one is "listening" to what you have to say, you will not make any money from your participation in Twitter.
On the other hand, if people are "listening" to what you have to say and "clicking" the links you tell them to click, then you have a good chance of earning real money as a result of your Twitter activities.
It has been said that the consumer needs to see or hear your name or your marketing message 7 times, before they will trust you enough to buy from you. Professionals in the direct marketing industry suggest that 82% of all consumers (business people or otherwise) will buy your products or services on the second to the ninth exposure to your marketing message.
Twitter allows you to carry a continuous dialog with those most likely to buy what you are selling - through the Public Timeline of the people following you in Twitter. Once people have started to pay attention to what you tell them, and once they start absorbing your marketing message, then gaining your Followers trust is made easier. Once people are listening to you, you can earn their trust fairly quickly.
An idea presented by @contentmanager is that television has had 80+ years to perfect its advertising model. Television seems committed to the concept of 42 minutes of content to anchor 18 minutes of advertising. These numbers translate into 70% content to provide an anchor for its 30% advertising. (http://twitter.com/contentmanager/status/3106295397) In context, he says that the 70% content is designed to attract attention and win trust, and then the 30% advertising is designed to earn profits and cover the costs of building content.
Understand That It Is A Numbers Game
As a successful Twitter marketer, your first goal is always to attract Followers (an audience). Your second goal is to win the trust of your Followers (your viewing audience). Only after you have won the trust of your Followers should you endeavor to advertise to your Twitter Followers list (to earn revenue). If you have earned the trust of your Twitter Followers, revenue is certain to follow.
But, as with anything in business, it is a numbers game. A certain percentage of the number of people exposed to your Twitter profile will become Followers. A certain percentage of those people following you, will actually read what you have to say. A certain percentage of those people will click your links. And if that link leads to a page where you can earn revenue, only a certain percentage of people will buy your offer.
For most people, the only certainty is that they need to grow their audience, and in the case of the Twitter community, they need to grow their list of Twitter Followers. In the numbers game, if you can increase your audience, you can increase your revenue. It is as simple as that.
If you visit our website shown below, we will show you how we can help you build your Followers' list. But after that, it is up to you. It is up to you to gain the interest and trust of your Followers. Once you have done that, then the only thing that will matter is - are they listening?
About the Author:
Harold Hemmings is the owner of a website dedicated to helping people grow their Twitter Followers List at an accelerated pace. Learn more about his inexpensive service at Buy Twitter Friends: http://buytwitterfriends.com/
Read more Articles written by Harold Hemmings.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Volunteer Abroad with a Clean Conscience
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Stephen Knight
It is understandable why the green lobby and the tourism industry has brought into question the justification for volunteering abroad and why volunteers sometimes feel like they are caught in a conundrum.
Global warming is one of the most serious threats facing the world and some of the leading campaign groups have stated that the most ethical thing we can do for the environment is to stay at home. Whilst we can all agree that the best form of travel is to avoid flying, we should not stop flying altogether. That would send us back to the dark ages with massive unemployment (1 in 10 people work in the tourism sector), business recession, and increased poverty (deepening recession, increased unemployment and worsening poverty is not conducive to creating new lower carbon technologies and lifestyles).
There are many people who rely on tourism for their livelihoods and many natural habitats depend on visitors for their survival. If you want evidence of this you should look no further than Latin America. Tourism is a big contributor to the economy of many Latin American countries and the industry generated nearly US$2 billion in Costa Rica alone in 2007 (three-fifths of GNP). Tourism helps support some of Latin America's most fragile natural habitats and if we stopped flying there many national parks and private reserves will lose their incomes, deforestation will increase and global warming will accelerate. Unless we support the people and communities now making money through ecotourism they have no other choice but to exploit natural resources.
Similarly, it is worth noting the importance of international volunteers to conservation efforts in the region. Without the commitment and financial support of international volunteers, many organizations would be unable to carry out their vital work. This is because there is generally very little governmental or outside support for these organisations and the projects which they manage. Your contribution as a volunteer could help ensure the long-term survival of a tropical forest or an endangered species. This is because you are actively participating in the conservation of that habitat or species. The participation of international volunteers also enables money to reach grassroots level of society and this can change a small communities perception of their environment or an endangered species.
The question of whether it is possible to be an ethical volunteer seems to largely rest on the ability to make informed choices before and during your trip. If you choose the right project, minimise the impact of your travel, maximise the benefits for local economies, and stay for a considerable period of time, then you can most definitely volunteer abroad with a clean conscience.
It is worth mentioning the importance of choosing the right project before setting off and the key message is - do your research if you want to so some really valuable work. Prospective volunteers must examine the work they will be doing and how it affects local people and the natural environment. Although there are some good placement companies out there, a do-it-yourself placement is the most ethical form of volunteering as you work directly with the host organization. You also have the assurance that all your money goes to the cause rather than paying for the marketing and administration expenses of a volunteer placement (sending) agency. If you opt to work through an agency please be aware that some of these agencies offer little more than glorified holidays and others are more interested in making money than helping the environment or providing sustainable and well-targeted help for local communities. No one benefits from these placements apart from the companies that organise them. An ethical volunteer ensures that as much of their money as possible reaches the grassroots level of society. Eco-conscious travellers should consider contributing to a project that helps reduce the impact of climate change and/or provides a hands-on approach to offsetting their own carbon emissions.
It is also worth mentioning the length of time volunteers spend overseas. You are clearly going to do more harm than good if you travel all the way to Costa Rica from the UK (a carbon-heavy 8,700km flight) to rescue sea turtles and stay for only a few weeks. To maximise the benefits for local communities and negate the environmental impact of your flight you need to contribute to a project for a much longer period of time. A long stay is more sustainable if travelling long distances as this will enable you to minimise the impact of your flight. The time spent as a volunteer is time not spent contributing to carbon emissions in your home country (i.e. non use of home appliances, zero emissions form you car, etc). A long stay also eliminates the need to take several shorter holidays throughout the year.
In reality, the dramatic growth in short breaks and cheap flights is a more pressing issue than questioning the justification for volunteering abroad, particularly if volunteers wish to devote their time and energy to do something positive for the environment. Those who want to stop us flying should focus more on the business and the leisure side of flying rather people wanting to make a difference (e.g. those that fly with a purpose). The destruction of the Amazon and other tropical forests around the world should also be a priority for campaign groups (e.g. air travel accounts for less than 5% of carbon dioxide emissions, clearing tropical forests for agriculture is estimated to produce 18% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions - more than the entire global transport system).
About the Author:
Stephen Knight is the webmaster of Volunteer Latin America and the main contributor to the Latin Lounge. We enable volunteers to work abroad without paying large participation or placement fees. We are your gateway to independent volunteering in Central and South America. Learn more at: http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/
Read more of Stephen Knight's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Stephen Knight
It is understandable why the green lobby and the tourism industry has brought into question the justification for volunteering abroad and why volunteers sometimes feel like they are caught in a conundrum.
Global warming is one of the most serious threats facing the world and some of the leading campaign groups have stated that the most ethical thing we can do for the environment is to stay at home. Whilst we can all agree that the best form of travel is to avoid flying, we should not stop flying altogether. That would send us back to the dark ages with massive unemployment (1 in 10 people work in the tourism sector), business recession, and increased poverty (deepening recession, increased unemployment and worsening poverty is not conducive to creating new lower carbon technologies and lifestyles).
There are many people who rely on tourism for their livelihoods and many natural habitats depend on visitors for their survival. If you want evidence of this you should look no further than Latin America. Tourism is a big contributor to the economy of many Latin American countries and the industry generated nearly US$2 billion in Costa Rica alone in 2007 (three-fifths of GNP). Tourism helps support some of Latin America's most fragile natural habitats and if we stopped flying there many national parks and private reserves will lose their incomes, deforestation will increase and global warming will accelerate. Unless we support the people and communities now making money through ecotourism they have no other choice but to exploit natural resources.
Similarly, it is worth noting the importance of international volunteers to conservation efforts in the region. Without the commitment and financial support of international volunteers, many organizations would be unable to carry out their vital work. This is because there is generally very little governmental or outside support for these organisations and the projects which they manage. Your contribution as a volunteer could help ensure the long-term survival of a tropical forest or an endangered species. This is because you are actively participating in the conservation of that habitat or species. The participation of international volunteers also enables money to reach grassroots level of society and this can change a small communities perception of their environment or an endangered species.
The question of whether it is possible to be an ethical volunteer seems to largely rest on the ability to make informed choices before and during your trip. If you choose the right project, minimise the impact of your travel, maximise the benefits for local economies, and stay for a considerable period of time, then you can most definitely volunteer abroad with a clean conscience.
It is worth mentioning the importance of choosing the right project before setting off and the key message is - do your research if you want to so some really valuable work. Prospective volunteers must examine the work they will be doing and how it affects local people and the natural environment. Although there are some good placement companies out there, a do-it-yourself placement is the most ethical form of volunteering as you work directly with the host organization. You also have the assurance that all your money goes to the cause rather than paying for the marketing and administration expenses of a volunteer placement (sending) agency. If you opt to work through an agency please be aware that some of these agencies offer little more than glorified holidays and others are more interested in making money than helping the environment or providing sustainable and well-targeted help for local communities. No one benefits from these placements apart from the companies that organise them. An ethical volunteer ensures that as much of their money as possible reaches the grassroots level of society. Eco-conscious travellers should consider contributing to a project that helps reduce the impact of climate change and/or provides a hands-on approach to offsetting their own carbon emissions.
It is also worth mentioning the length of time volunteers spend overseas. You are clearly going to do more harm than good if you travel all the way to Costa Rica from the UK (a carbon-heavy 8,700km flight) to rescue sea turtles and stay for only a few weeks. To maximise the benefits for local communities and negate the environmental impact of your flight you need to contribute to a project for a much longer period of time. A long stay is more sustainable if travelling long distances as this will enable you to minimise the impact of your flight. The time spent as a volunteer is time not spent contributing to carbon emissions in your home country (i.e. non use of home appliances, zero emissions form you car, etc). A long stay also eliminates the need to take several shorter holidays throughout the year.
In reality, the dramatic growth in short breaks and cheap flights is a more pressing issue than questioning the justification for volunteering abroad, particularly if volunteers wish to devote their time and energy to do something positive for the environment. Those who want to stop us flying should focus more on the business and the leisure side of flying rather people wanting to make a difference (e.g. those that fly with a purpose). The destruction of the Amazon and other tropical forests around the world should also be a priority for campaign groups (e.g. air travel accounts for less than 5% of carbon dioxide emissions, clearing tropical forests for agriculture is estimated to produce 18% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions - more than the entire global transport system).
About the Author:
Stephen Knight is the webmaster of Volunteer Latin America and the main contributor to the Latin Lounge. We enable volunteers to work abroad without paying large participation or placement fees. We are your gateway to independent volunteering in Central and South America. Learn more at: http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/
Read more of Stephen Knight's articles.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Several Ways to Earn Money from Your Expired Domains
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Making money by selling expired domains is gaining immense popularity because of its potentialities to make lot of profits. Many expired domain traders treat this business very seriously and they use a number of methods and strategies to sell their domains at very lucrative prices. Also known as virtual estate properties, expired domains and domains expiring are some of the hottest business opportunities in the world.
Experienced domain traders use one or a combination of different methods to make money from their stock of expired domain names. These may include such methods as domain parking, domain name selling, or domain flipping. A well-planned combination of these methods will provide you with very high income making potential. Here are some details about each one of these methods:
Domain Parking: This is the starter method to earn money from your domain names. It is easy to set up a domain parking account and simple to operate it, as the domain-parking firm will take care of that aspect. What you want to do is to sign up for an account on one of the well-known domain-parking firms and use the web page provided by them to host your name. Most of your web site visitors are un-targeted and they will click on one of the ads provided on your web page. The method used here is the famous pay-per-click system and the income earned by you depends on the number of visitors who click on the online ads to visit other web sites. The only downside of this income generating method is its inability to provide a large stream of income. However, for a newbie entrepreneur, this is a safe and assured method to make some amount of money.
Expired domain name selling: This is perhaps the most famous method for making money with expired domain names. People make millions by selling their special domain names while the average capacity to earn money by selling an average expired domain is about $25. There are records of unique domain names sold for millions of dollars. Expired domain name reselling is highly competitive and the place where you buy them can be just like an auction house where people will be fighting to buy their products and services. Some experienced domain name traders buy domain names and sell them at regular basis to create a constant pool of income.
Domain flipping: Expired domain names traders also convert one or two of their domains into highly useful and beneficial web sites that will be potential money-spinners. Domain flipping is a thoughtful method of converting an expired domain into information and content rich web portals. Smart domain traders succeed in driving lot of traffic to their flipped web sites. Web sites with plenty of traffic can help them to reach top of major search engines like Google and Yahoo. People love to buy web portals that contain useful content and information apart from lot of incoming links and traffic. You can also use sophisticated techniques like Pay-per-click (PPC) Affiliate marketing Search engine optimization (SEO) and RSS feeds to make he flipped web portal income enabled and value added.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Making money by selling expired domains is gaining immense popularity because of its potentialities to make lot of profits. Many expired domain traders treat this business very seriously and they use a number of methods and strategies to sell their domains at very lucrative prices. Also known as virtual estate properties, expired domains and domains expiring are some of the hottest business opportunities in the world.
Experienced domain traders use one or a combination of different methods to make money from their stock of expired domain names. These may include such methods as domain parking, domain name selling, or domain flipping. A well-planned combination of these methods will provide you with very high income making potential. Here are some details about each one of these methods:
Domain Parking: This is the starter method to earn money from your domain names. It is easy to set up a domain parking account and simple to operate it, as the domain-parking firm will take care of that aspect. What you want to do is to sign up for an account on one of the well-known domain-parking firms and use the web page provided by them to host your name. Most of your web site visitors are un-targeted and they will click on one of the ads provided on your web page. The method used here is the famous pay-per-click system and the income earned by you depends on the number of visitors who click on the online ads to visit other web sites. The only downside of this income generating method is its inability to provide a large stream of income. However, for a newbie entrepreneur, this is a safe and assured method to make some amount of money.
Expired domain name selling: This is perhaps the most famous method for making money with expired domain names. People make millions by selling their special domain names while the average capacity to earn money by selling an average expired domain is about $25. There are records of unique domain names sold for millions of dollars. Expired domain name reselling is highly competitive and the place where you buy them can be just like an auction house where people will be fighting to buy their products and services. Some experienced domain name traders buy domain names and sell them at regular basis to create a constant pool of income.
Domain flipping: Expired domain names traders also convert one or two of their domains into highly useful and beneficial web sites that will be potential money-spinners. Domain flipping is a thoughtful method of converting an expired domain into information and content rich web portals. Smart domain traders succeed in driving lot of traffic to their flipped web sites. Web sites with plenty of traffic can help them to reach top of major search engines like Google and Yahoo. People love to buy web portals that contain useful content and information apart from lot of incoming links and traffic. You can also use sophisticated techniques like Pay-per-click (PPC) Affiliate marketing Search engine optimization (SEO) and RSS feeds to make he flipped web portal income enabled and value added.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Social Media Marketing: How It Can Work for You
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
With so many things to consider when starting out online in the business world, SMM or Social Media Marketing can be one of the most important. This is a term that is used to describe how participating in differing online social groups can help a business generate traffic to their site to produce sales. It can also be of great assistance in building important business contacts that can help you become a reputable business on the Internet.
This form of Internet marketing can also be used to attain branding and marketing goals through participation in various online social groups. The term Social Media is an all-inclusive term to describe the space and activities therein, such as videos, images, audio and written content.
Using sites like Twitter, Facebook and other social circles, can increase the number of people that will see what you have to offer. It can be a powerful tool when you are trying to increase the amount of traffic to your website. Social Media Marketing can increase conversion, sales tracking, page views and ad exposure. It can also be used as a branding tool - creating a positive brand association, and keeping it positive.
These are low cost ways that a person can generate the traffic that they want. Many of the people that will come to your site could potentially become regulars if they like what they see while they are there.
In using these sites you can get other people to your website with the use of links. Good links will promote even more traffic to your site. It will also help the ranking that your site has with search engines, which, in turn, can be extremely important in increasing your revenues.
Get out there and link to other blogs and websites. But make sure you're becoming a reputable part of the community by adding valuable content and comments.
There are a lot of simple things that a person can do to make their website continue to achieve readership. This is key when it comes to Social Media Marketing. Having an informative and interesting site will keep readers wanting more. In turn, if they want more, they are also apt to tell others about the cool site that they found. This is another way that SMM works for us.
Here are a few tips when you are starting out. Make it about others. At first, limit talking about yourself. This isn't to say that you can't provide a link to your site at the end of your comment; it just means don't go into a community with a sales pitch right off the bat.
You can reach out to the influencers in your niche. Don't waste their time though. Be polite and sincere and you might get help.
Next, contribute quality content. When you comment on other's sites, don't just say "me too" or "nice post" just to get your link there. If it's a site that you're interested in, you should have quality comments or questions to post. Become a real part of the community and your comments will be respected. This respect will lead to better branding for you and your site.
Quality content also applies to your site. You want to have a site that people visit to get information. This doesn't happen overnight. Building your brand and your brand reputation takes long-term commitment. Your goal is to get people to your site, so your site should always be filled with updated and high quality information to keep them coming back for more.
Also, when thinking about keeping the readers coming back for more, make sure that the way your website looks is appealing to a reader. A nice looking site can make a world of difference when it comes to the amount of traffic that will visit it. Keeping things simple and easy for a reader to follow is of the utmost importance. If they get frustrated, the chances of them coming back are slim to nil at best.
Building a community is also a great way to have people keep coming back to your site. They are able to talk with others that have things to say on the same topic, not to mention that they feel special being included. Having some fun events or options available is also something that many communities have done. These have proven to be highly successful as well.
Here's a short list of some of the many Social Media sites available: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Metacafe, Scribd, Digg, Flickr, Reddit, Technorati and Blogcatalog. There are many, many more.
When it comes to getting to the root of how to get the people to your website, don't neglect the Social Media Marketing aspect. This can be worth all the time that you put into it. You will see this as results in sales and rankings begin to soar.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.brandsplatblog.com
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
With so many things to consider when starting out online in the business world, SMM or Social Media Marketing can be one of the most important. This is a term that is used to describe how participating in differing online social groups can help a business generate traffic to their site to produce sales. It can also be of great assistance in building important business contacts that can help you become a reputable business on the Internet.
This form of Internet marketing can also be used to attain branding and marketing goals through participation in various online social groups. The term Social Media is an all-inclusive term to describe the space and activities therein, such as videos, images, audio and written content.
Using sites like Twitter, Facebook and other social circles, can increase the number of people that will see what you have to offer. It can be a powerful tool when you are trying to increase the amount of traffic to your website. Social Media Marketing can increase conversion, sales tracking, page views and ad exposure. It can also be used as a branding tool - creating a positive brand association, and keeping it positive.
These are low cost ways that a person can generate the traffic that they want. Many of the people that will come to your site could potentially become regulars if they like what they see while they are there.
In using these sites you can get other people to your website with the use of links. Good links will promote even more traffic to your site. It will also help the ranking that your site has with search engines, which, in turn, can be extremely important in increasing your revenues.
Get out there and link to other blogs and websites. But make sure you're becoming a reputable part of the community by adding valuable content and comments.
There are a lot of simple things that a person can do to make their website continue to achieve readership. This is key when it comes to Social Media Marketing. Having an informative and interesting site will keep readers wanting more. In turn, if they want more, they are also apt to tell others about the cool site that they found. This is another way that SMM works for us.
Here are a few tips when you are starting out. Make it about others. At first, limit talking about yourself. This isn't to say that you can't provide a link to your site at the end of your comment; it just means don't go into a community with a sales pitch right off the bat.
You can reach out to the influencers in your niche. Don't waste their time though. Be polite and sincere and you might get help.
Next, contribute quality content. When you comment on other's sites, don't just say "me too" or "nice post" just to get your link there. If it's a site that you're interested in, you should have quality comments or questions to post. Become a real part of the community and your comments will be respected. This respect will lead to better branding for you and your site.
Quality content also applies to your site. You want to have a site that people visit to get information. This doesn't happen overnight. Building your brand and your brand reputation takes long-term commitment. Your goal is to get people to your site, so your site should always be filled with updated and high quality information to keep them coming back for more.
Also, when thinking about keeping the readers coming back for more, make sure that the way your website looks is appealing to a reader. A nice looking site can make a world of difference when it comes to the amount of traffic that will visit it. Keeping things simple and easy for a reader to follow is of the utmost importance. If they get frustrated, the chances of them coming back are slim to nil at best.
Building a community is also a great way to have people keep coming back to your site. They are able to talk with others that have things to say on the same topic, not to mention that they feel special being included. Having some fun events or options available is also something that many communities have done. These have proven to be highly successful as well.
Here's a short list of some of the many Social Media sites available: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Metacafe, Scribd, Digg, Flickr, Reddit, Technorati and Blogcatalog. There are many, many more.
When it comes to getting to the root of how to get the people to your website, don't neglect the Social Media Marketing aspect. This can be worth all the time that you put into it. You will see this as results in sales and rankings begin to soar.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.brandsplatblog.com
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The 2 Most Common Mistake In Naming a New Company or New Product
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Most of the time, business owners and organizational marketers look for a new company name or new product name that seems to get the job done. That's unwise because they don't take the time to think about possible shortcomings of the name they settle on. Instead, those shortcomings emerge over time, costing them dearly in sales and opportunities. Sometimes the name problems require an expensive rebranding overhaul.
It's far more cost-effective to name your product or service properly in the first go. Use this checklist to identify hidden pitfalls of some names so they don't blindside you.
1. Are you using meaning elements that are obscure or unknown to your target market? For example, an Australian company hired my firm to rename their business communication product when they were expanding to the U.S. because the name they'd chosen wasn't familiar to American office workers. Words that are everyday terms in Great Britain and Australia but not in the U.S. include "whinge" (for whining) "redundant" (for unemployed) and "turnover" (for annual sales).
An unfortunate mismatch between meaning and market can also rear its head because business owners misjudge the level of sophistication of potential customers. A software company, for instance, was taken aback to learn that small businesses didn't generally know that the initials "CRM" in their product name stood for "customer relationship management." Likewise, a wine shop named Terroir to Taste, using a French term that wine aficionados know, didn't attract casual wine shoppers because they mistook "terroir" for "terror."
2. Is a name or part of it difficult to pronounce? In my childhood, I discovered that my last name, Yudkin, was hard to say for some people, but as an adult, I'm unendingly surprised how often my first name, Marcia, causes people to hesitate or stumble. According to HowManyOfMe.com, "Marcia" is the 433rd most popular first name in the United States, with 138,091 American residents having it. This shows that a word or name you believe is familiar to people may not be.
According to studies by researchers at the University of Michigan, when people have trouble pronouncing a product name or business name, they consider it to be risky. Researchers at Princeton University discovered that companies with hard-to-pronounce names even performed less well in the stock market than those that sat easily on the tongue. So try out your proposed new company or product name on a broad cross-section of people to make certain most can pronounce it easily.
3. Can your name pass the telephone test? By that I mean, if you answer the phone saying your company name, would a caller who didn't already know the name be able to hear it correctly? Some company names are so baffling out of context that people can't sort out the sounds into something that makes sense to them. Someone once told me that when I reeled off the name of my publicity book, they heard it as 6 Debts to Free Publicity instead of 6 Steps. I learned to pause an extra millisecond after "six" to get the name across, but many company names are not salvageable in that way.
Don't let your excitement about a new company or product name carry the day. Consider it from a variety of angles and get feedback from folks in your target audience before committing yourself to a name you're going to promote like crazy in the marketplace.
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more of Marcia Yudkin's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
Most of the time, business owners and organizational marketers look for a new company name or new product name that seems to get the job done. That's unwise because they don't take the time to think about possible shortcomings of the name they settle on. Instead, those shortcomings emerge over time, costing them dearly in sales and opportunities. Sometimes the name problems require an expensive rebranding overhaul.
It's far more cost-effective to name your product or service properly in the first go. Use this checklist to identify hidden pitfalls of some names so they don't blindside you.
1. Are you using meaning elements that are obscure or unknown to your target market? For example, an Australian company hired my firm to rename their business communication product when they were expanding to the U.S. because the name they'd chosen wasn't familiar to American office workers. Words that are everyday terms in Great Britain and Australia but not in the U.S. include "whinge" (for whining) "redundant" (for unemployed) and "turnover" (for annual sales).
An unfortunate mismatch between meaning and market can also rear its head because business owners misjudge the level of sophistication of potential customers. A software company, for instance, was taken aback to learn that small businesses didn't generally know that the initials "CRM" in their product name stood for "customer relationship management." Likewise, a wine shop named Terroir to Taste, using a French term that wine aficionados know, didn't attract casual wine shoppers because they mistook "terroir" for "terror."
2. Is a name or part of it difficult to pronounce? In my childhood, I discovered that my last name, Yudkin, was hard to say for some people, but as an adult, I'm unendingly surprised how often my first name, Marcia, causes people to hesitate or stumble. According to HowManyOfMe.com, "Marcia" is the 433rd most popular first name in the United States, with 138,091 American residents having it. This shows that a word or name you believe is familiar to people may not be.
According to studies by researchers at the University of Michigan, when people have trouble pronouncing a product name or business name, they consider it to be risky. Researchers at Princeton University discovered that companies with hard-to-pronounce names even performed less well in the stock market than those that sat easily on the tongue. So try out your proposed new company or product name on a broad cross-section of people to make certain most can pronounce it easily.
3. Can your name pass the telephone test? By that I mean, if you answer the phone saying your company name, would a caller who didn't already know the name be able to hear it correctly? Some company names are so baffling out of context that people can't sort out the sounds into something that makes sense to them. Someone once told me that when I reeled off the name of my publicity book, they heard it as 6 Debts to Free Publicity instead of 6 Steps. I learned to pause an extra millisecond after "six" to get the name across, but many company names are not salvageable in that way.
Don't let your excitement about a new company or product name carry the day. Consider it from a variety of angles and get feedback from folks in your target audience before committing yourself to a name you're going to promote like crazy in the marketplace.
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more of Marcia Yudkin's articles.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Avoid These Five Tragic Tag Line Misfires
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
A tag line is the little slogan that follows a business name on a web site, in ads, on company stationery and elsewhere. A prime branding opportunity, it presents one of the biggest challenges in marketing. You want something that's catchy, appropriate, appealing and distinctive. The tag line should say something that encourages ideal customers to do business with you.
Be sure to generate a lot of possibilities, and eliminate any tag line candidates where you are forced to answer "yes" to any of the five questions below. While I'm illustrating these points using U.S. state slogans (For instance, "Delaware: Small Wonder"), the criteria apply as well to small businesses, medium-sized companies, large corporations, solopreneurs, ecommerce sites and nonprofit organizations anywhere in the world.
Five Common Tag Line Blunders
1. Does it flunk the uniqueness test? A tag line needs to single out your strengths. If your tag line could reasonably apply to your competitors, it doesn't drill down deeply enough to what makes you different. For example, which state would you match up with "More Than You Can Imagine"? You'd have as good a chance at getting this right by picking a state randomly as by trying to guess according to its intended meaning. This is a tag line used by Maryland, but it could equally apply to Nebraska, Idaho, Michigan or any other state with an unglamorous reputation.
Consider also the similarity between South Carolina's slogan, "Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places" and South Dakota's, "Great Faces. Great Places." The word "faces" in South Dakota's tag line probably refers to the presidential heads depicted on Mount Rushmore, and "great" appropriately applies to them. But this tag line is so close to South Carolina's wording that it's easy to see the South Dakota marketers didn't bring out the unique implications of those faces well enough in their tag line.
Some tag lines heavily suggest just one owner because of recognizable associations. Because of the popularity of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, for example, "There's No Place Like Home" evokes Kansas much more than any other state.
2. Is there a questionable double meaning? Not one but two slogans of Colorado become problematic because of this factor. "Rocky Mountain High" and "Enter a Higher State" both use the word "high" in a way that implies not only geographical elevation but also (at least to many in the Baby Boomer generation) marijuana intoxication.
Another state tag line with this weakness is "Oklahoma is OK." To many people, "OK" implies "just OK," which is such faint praise it lacks the power of invitation. Likewise, to someone who believes the American Midwest is boring, Illinois's "Mile After Magnificent Mile" evokes the idea of mile after mile after mile of sameness.
3. Emotionally, is it a clunker? "Utah! Where Ideas Connect" used to be that state's tourism slogan, and it's significant that they inserted an exclamation mark to try to generate some excitement, since the concept itself is flat and unemotional. A tag line should convey positive energy rather than simply state some facts.
Connecticut's slogan "Full of Surprises" doesn't score well on uniqueness, but it does have emotional oomph. Ditto for Maine's "The Way Life Should Be."
4. Does it have an inappropriate tone? "Say WA" (for Washington State) is a prime example of a slogan that sounds like chalk scratching on a blackboard to anyone older than a teenager. Remember that people with nothing better to do than to hang out at a street corner high-fiving their friends are not the logical target of a tourism campaign.
"Live Free or Die," which appears on New Hampshire's license plates, is a brilliant and highly emotional evocation of the no-sales-tax state that epitomizes Yankee independence and political autonomy. However, this slogan doesn't work well as a lure for tourists. Normally it doesn't make a pleasant impression to be reminding people of their mortality in the same breath as saying "Come visit!"
5. Are you junking the previous tag line for the wrong reasons? Simply being tired of it is the worst possible reason. Apparently weariness is why in 1985, Governor Anthony Earl decided that "America's Dairyland" would no longer do as Wisconsin's slogan. Very often, politicians or tourism officials decide to jettison something that's working, then spend a fortune hiring brand consultants to come up with something their constituents hate and that bombs in the marketplace. Don't you follow in their footsteps!
Coming up with a tag line that passes all of these elimination tests is not easy. If I had to select a winner from all the state slogans I've looked at, I'd award first prize to Mississippi's "The South's Warmest Welcome." Only a few other contenders could claim this applied to them, and it's unquestionably and strongly inviting. Second prize goes to Alaska's "Beyond Your Dreams. Within Your Reach." In a positive way, this counteracts the belief of so many in the other 49 states and abroad that they might not easily have the opportunity to experience its charms.
Good luck with your own tag line and branding!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
Copyright © 2009 Marcia Yudkin
A tag line is the little slogan that follows a business name on a web site, in ads, on company stationery and elsewhere. A prime branding opportunity, it presents one of the biggest challenges in marketing. You want something that's catchy, appropriate, appealing and distinctive. The tag line should say something that encourages ideal customers to do business with you.
Be sure to generate a lot of possibilities, and eliminate any tag line candidates where you are forced to answer "yes" to any of the five questions below. While I'm illustrating these points using U.S. state slogans (For instance, "Delaware: Small Wonder"), the criteria apply as well to small businesses, medium-sized companies, large corporations, solopreneurs, ecommerce sites and nonprofit organizations anywhere in the world.
Five Common Tag Line Blunders
1. Does it flunk the uniqueness test? A tag line needs to single out your strengths. If your tag line could reasonably apply to your competitors, it doesn't drill down deeply enough to what makes you different. For example, which state would you match up with "More Than You Can Imagine"? You'd have as good a chance at getting this right by picking a state randomly as by trying to guess according to its intended meaning. This is a tag line used by Maryland, but it could equally apply to Nebraska, Idaho, Michigan or any other state with an unglamorous reputation.
Consider also the similarity between South Carolina's slogan, "Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places" and South Dakota's, "Great Faces. Great Places." The word "faces" in South Dakota's tag line probably refers to the presidential heads depicted on Mount Rushmore, and "great" appropriately applies to them. But this tag line is so close to South Carolina's wording that it's easy to see the South Dakota marketers didn't bring out the unique implications of those faces well enough in their tag line.
Some tag lines heavily suggest just one owner because of recognizable associations. Because of the popularity of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, for example, "There's No Place Like Home" evokes Kansas much more than any other state.
2. Is there a questionable double meaning? Not one but two slogans of Colorado become problematic because of this factor. "Rocky Mountain High" and "Enter a Higher State" both use the word "high" in a way that implies not only geographical elevation but also (at least to many in the Baby Boomer generation) marijuana intoxication.
Another state tag line with this weakness is "Oklahoma is OK." To many people, "OK" implies "just OK," which is such faint praise it lacks the power of invitation. Likewise, to someone who believes the American Midwest is boring, Illinois's "Mile After Magnificent Mile" evokes the idea of mile after mile after mile of sameness.
3. Emotionally, is it a clunker? "Utah! Where Ideas Connect" used to be that state's tourism slogan, and it's significant that they inserted an exclamation mark to try to generate some excitement, since the concept itself is flat and unemotional. A tag line should convey positive energy rather than simply state some facts.
Connecticut's slogan "Full of Surprises" doesn't score well on uniqueness, but it does have emotional oomph. Ditto for Maine's "The Way Life Should Be."
4. Does it have an inappropriate tone? "Say WA" (for Washington State) is a prime example of a slogan that sounds like chalk scratching on a blackboard to anyone older than a teenager. Remember that people with nothing better to do than to hang out at a street corner high-fiving their friends are not the logical target of a tourism campaign.
"Live Free or Die," which appears on New Hampshire's license plates, is a brilliant and highly emotional evocation of the no-sales-tax state that epitomizes Yankee independence and political autonomy. However, this slogan doesn't work well as a lure for tourists. Normally it doesn't make a pleasant impression to be reminding people of their mortality in the same breath as saying "Come visit!"
5. Are you junking the previous tag line for the wrong reasons? Simply being tired of it is the worst possible reason. Apparently weariness is why in 1985, Governor Anthony Earl decided that "America's Dairyland" would no longer do as Wisconsin's slogan. Very often, politicians or tourism officials decide to jettison something that's working, then spend a fortune hiring brand consultants to come up with something their constituents hate and that bombs in the marketplace. Don't you follow in their footsteps!
Coming up with a tag line that passes all of these elimination tests is not easy. If I had to select a winner from all the state slogans I've looked at, I'd award first prize to Mississippi's "The South's Warmest Welcome." Only a few other contenders could claim this applied to them, and it's unquestionably and strongly inviting. Second prize goes to Alaska's "Beyond Your Dreams. Within Your Reach." In a positive way, this counteracts the belief of so many in the other 49 states and abroad that they might not easily have the opportunity to experience its charms.
Good luck with your own tag line and branding!
About the Author:
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of "19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line" at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more Articles written by Marcia Yudkin.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Top 5 SEO Copywriting Mistakes That Will Cost You Money
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Just as there are different ways of writing for novels, for advertising and for films, there is a way to write for the Internet. To find content on the web we use search engines. To make sure the search engines find our content we optimize it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) copywriting is writing content that the reader wants to read and will be easily found and rank well with search engines.
The object of writing for the Internet is to get the reader to use your content to click through to your website. If they don't get to your website, they can't look at your products or services and you will have lost a potential customer. Here are a few mistakes that you'll want to avoid.
MISTAKE #1 - Have a Boring Or Vague Title
This is a very important mistake not to make. If they don't even look at your article, all your time and effort are wasted. If you provide an attention grabbing title, one that makes them curious enough to open your article, you're halfway there.
Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking: Use titles that describe the content of your article but are short and concise; Use keywords in your title that people might be searching for; People can't resist articles with lists or tips such as, "Top 10 Copywriting Mistakes" or "Top Tips on Getting Your Articles Read"; and "How to" articles are popular as well.
The bottom line here is to put some thought into your title. Think about how to get a reader's attention.
MISTAKE #2 - Create Bland Content
From beginning to end - try to keep it interesting. Make reading your article a pleasurable experience for your reader. Here are a few suggestions.
Make it fun, relevant and grammatically correct. Nothing pulls the reader out of a story more than bad grammar and misspelled words.
Use short sentences and try to limit paragraphs to two or three lines. Concentrate on writing rich and appropriate copy rather than just practical words.
Have a sense of humor. This gives your articles personality. Don't give a sales pitch - use a call to action. The purpose of your article is to get your reader to get to your website. Your writing could include a reason for them to find more information, either from another article that you've written or from your website.
"Content is king". If you keep this in mind, you'll be ahead of the game. Search engines love well-written and useful content. So do readers.
MISTAKE #3 - Make Your Article As Hard To Read As Possible
Every post should be easy to scan. That means your reader should be able to easily scan your article and find headings that will tell them what the section is about. You can use numbered lists and bullets to organize your ideas so they are quickly read. If you italicize, bold or underline a word, the search engine assumes that it's a keyword. You can use this to your advantage. However, if you use these tags a lot or if you use them on non-keywords, you'll confuse the search engines and lose any advantage you would have gained.
The other thing that makes a page easy to scan is short paragraphs. When you look at your copy on the page, you should see a lot of white space. Looking at a page that's completely filled with words is intimidating to a reader. You want to make it as friendly and welcoming and as easy to read as possible.
MISTAKE #4 - Misuse Keywords
Keywords are at the core of writing for the web. You should research and know your keywords. Here are a few suggestions about keywords:
Target a set of keywords in every post but don't use them more than three or four times on a page. If you use the same keywords again and again, search engines can tell that the article isn't very useful.
Use a wide variety of words that pertain to your topic.
Use synonyms of your keywords in addition to the keywords.
Don't stick to a standard keyword density for every article or post. You want your words to flow naturally, and overuse of keywords makes your copy sound forced.
Review your keywords every so often. Sometimes your business changes and you want your articles to change also.
If you provide your reader with content that lets them learn or experience something, you'll have a happy reader. If you provide the search engines with good keywords and a variety of them, you'll have a happy search engine.
MISTAKE #5 - Try To Trick the Search Engines
Practicing questionable tactics like cloaking and using hidden text is a bad idea. The last thing you want is to get your site banned. These kinds of tricks will do it. So can using hidden links, link farms, linking to bad sites, distributing viruses and sending spam. Don't try to trick the search engines and don't work with any companies that use these techniques.
Overcoming these common mistakes can give you head start when creating effective content on the Internet. SEO copywriting requires effort. Putting content on your site and distributing it on the web takes time. If you work at it over time and create lots of valuable content, effectively "brandcasting" your site, you'll be rewarded with more traffic.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Just as there are different ways of writing for novels, for advertising and for films, there is a way to write for the Internet. To find content on the web we use search engines. To make sure the search engines find our content we optimize it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) copywriting is writing content that the reader wants to read and will be easily found and rank well with search engines.
The object of writing for the Internet is to get the reader to use your content to click through to your website. If they don't get to your website, they can't look at your products or services and you will have lost a potential customer. Here are a few mistakes that you'll want to avoid.
MISTAKE #1 - Have a Boring Or Vague Title
This is a very important mistake not to make. If they don't even look at your article, all your time and effort are wasted. If you provide an attention grabbing title, one that makes them curious enough to open your article, you're halfway there.
Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking: Use titles that describe the content of your article but are short and concise; Use keywords in your title that people might be searching for; People can't resist articles with lists or tips such as, "Top 10 Copywriting Mistakes" or "Top Tips on Getting Your Articles Read"; and "How to" articles are popular as well.
The bottom line here is to put some thought into your title. Think about how to get a reader's attention.
MISTAKE #2 - Create Bland Content
From beginning to end - try to keep it interesting. Make reading your article a pleasurable experience for your reader. Here are a few suggestions.
Make it fun, relevant and grammatically correct. Nothing pulls the reader out of a story more than bad grammar and misspelled words.
Use short sentences and try to limit paragraphs to two or three lines. Concentrate on writing rich and appropriate copy rather than just practical words.
Have a sense of humor. This gives your articles personality. Don't give a sales pitch - use a call to action. The purpose of your article is to get your reader to get to your website. Your writing could include a reason for them to find more information, either from another article that you've written or from your website.
"Content is king". If you keep this in mind, you'll be ahead of the game. Search engines love well-written and useful content. So do readers.
MISTAKE #3 - Make Your Article As Hard To Read As Possible
Every post should be easy to scan. That means your reader should be able to easily scan your article and find headings that will tell them what the section is about. You can use numbered lists and bullets to organize your ideas so they are quickly read. If you italicize, bold or underline a word, the search engine assumes that it's a keyword. You can use this to your advantage. However, if you use these tags a lot or if you use them on non-keywords, you'll confuse the search engines and lose any advantage you would have gained.
The other thing that makes a page easy to scan is short paragraphs. When you look at your copy on the page, you should see a lot of white space. Looking at a page that's completely filled with words is intimidating to a reader. You want to make it as friendly and welcoming and as easy to read as possible.
MISTAKE #4 - Misuse Keywords
Keywords are at the core of writing for the web. You should research and know your keywords. Here are a few suggestions about keywords:
If you provide your reader with content that lets them learn or experience something, you'll have a happy reader. If you provide the search engines with good keywords and a variety of them, you'll have a happy search engine.
MISTAKE #5 - Try To Trick the Search Engines
Practicing questionable tactics like cloaking and using hidden text is a bad idea. The last thing you want is to get your site banned. These kinds of tricks will do it. So can using hidden links, link farms, linking to bad sites, distributing viruses and sending spam. Don't try to trick the search engines and don't work with any companies that use these techniques.
Overcoming these common mistakes can give you head start when creating effective content on the Internet. SEO copywriting requires effort. Putting content on your site and distributing it on the web takes time. If you work at it over time and create lots of valuable content, effectively "brandcasting" your site, you'll be rewarded with more traffic.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
21 Plus Tips To Help You Recover From A Personal Financial Crisis
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Fred Vanhoosen
The best place to start on surviving this recession is to look around your home, see what you need, see what you want, and decide between those items.
It is very easy to say I need a new entertainment center, and at that moment jump in the car and go buy it. But, if you are taking the current economic conditions seriously and worrying about what tomorrow might hold in store for us, then waiting may make more sense than impulse buying.
Often, the entertainment center can wait for better times and more secure economic conditions.
It takes real courage to say that you will save the money instead, maybe even putting that money into a saving account that could earn a trickle of interest until you need it far worse than you need it now.
As we look towards the unknown economic environment of tomorrow, it is important to consider that tomorrow could potentially be worse than today. If that were to happen, you will need some savings to fall back on, when that rainy day comes knocking.
That is why starting and sticking to a responsible budget may help you weather the coming economic environment. Please don't get me wrong... I am not saying that worse days are coming... I am generally an optimist, so taking the negative view of tomorrow is not in my DNA. But we never truly know what tomorrow might hold in store for us.
I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in my personal finances - even during good times. For years, I ran through life, living the good life, buying what I wanted when I wanted it, because I had tens of thousand dollars in my savings account. Then the bad days came rather unexpectedly, and my savings were drained to almost nothing in the matter of only a few months...
Even as I write this today, the good times are returning for me, but my savings have not been recovered to the level they were at just three years ago.
Having recently - in the last few years - seen the drama that can come to one who does not have enough money coming in to cover all of the bills in a timely manner, I am reminded to return to my more conservative roots. And in doing so, I can show you how you can join me in the road to a fat savings account and future good times.
I have been up and I have been down during my life. I was glad to put the bill collectors behind me. And for nearly a decade, I rode the wave of prosperity, never hearing from a single creditor about a late payment. And then when my finances began to bottom, the bill collectors started to call.
I came close to a car repossession and house foreclosue - within two weeks of total financial disaster. And then with my back to the wall, I was finally able to turn the corner and start rebuilding my good name. I don't hear from any bill collectors anymore. Thank goodness.
Stop The Financial Bleeding
The first step to correcting a potential financial disaster is to figure out what you can afford to keep and what you can bear to get rid of. When the bottom fell out for us, we put our second vehicle up for sale. Once we were rid of that gas-guzzling, always breaking-down, newer SUV - I despise Hyundai today for that reason - then we were able to stop the financial bleeding. But we still needed a second vehicle.
So we shopped for a used vehicle that would meet our needs and found one 200 miles away for just $5,000. The van was in good shape, but it had a cosmetic issue that reduced the overall price of the vehicle, by more than $5,000 according to the prices of comparable vehicles with comparable mileage. We could deal with that unsightly dent, so long as the vehicle served its function. We paid our mechanic to travel with us to check out the vehicle, and then we offered the dealer $800 less than the asking price, so that we could pay all cash. The dealer agreed and we took home our new, used Dodge Grand Caravan.
Now, we no longer bleed money to keep two vehicles in the driveway.
We eliminated one car payment, and we managed to get a second vehicle that we could reliably count on to carry us where we need to go.
Set Up A Budget And Stick To It
There are some things in life that cannot be escaped... As the old joke goes, two of those items are death and taxes.
But honestly, there is also a home, water, electricity, telephones, transportation and food.
Figure out how much money you need to have available to pay for each of these items, and then watch the remainder of your money carefully.
Designate how much money you have available for your home, utilities, groceries, transportation, and entertainment in each calendar month. And then make a sincere effort not to exceed the money you have alloted for each item.
Occasionally, you will run into unexpected expenses - like owning a Hyundai. The vehicle was just outside its warranty, and we were forced to spend a whopping $6,000 in back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back repairs to keep that silly thing on the road. We blew through $6,000 of our savings in just three months time... And for most of that time, we were restricted to having only our small economy car to serve the needs of our family of five.
Despite what the Hyundai commercials suggest, you could not pay me enough money to ever own another Hyundai!
There I go on another Hyundai rant...
Be sure to set up a portion of your monthly income to put into savings. We would have been up a creek without a paddle if we did not have the savings we needed to keep fixing that piece of crap Hyundai and to buy its replacement for cash money.
Reduce Your Monthly Expenses
This is actually much easier than you would think. Besides not buying a Hyundai, reducing your monthly expenses can be pretty easy and straight-forward.
Turn out lights when they are not in use.
Cut those 20-minute showers down to 10-minutes.
Don't leave the water running when you wash dishes or brush your teeth.
Reuse bath towels between showers. This will reduce your need to use your washer and dryer, and as my ex-girlfriend used to say, you are supposed to be clean when you get out of the shower anyway.
Put more clothes into a load of laundry. Once again, by doing so, you are reducing your need to use the washer and dryer as often.
Clean the lint filters in your clothes dryer between each use, and clear the lint from its exhaust vent once a month. If your clothes dryer is clogged with lint, then it has to work harder to dry your clothes.
When you replace your clothes dryer, buy the more expensive unit that has a Sensor Drying option on it. This enables you to set your clothes to dry for only as long as is required to get your clothes dry. Why set your dryer to run for 60 minutes, when it may only take 45 minutes to dry your clothes? If you don't have this option on your current clothes dryer, be willing to run your dryer for 30 minutes and then check to see if the clothes are dry before setting it to run additional minutes.
If your water heater is easy to get to, you can turn off the water heater when you are not using it, and turn it back on thirty minutes before you will need it next.
Fill the dishwasher completely between each use. In other words, wash more dishes for the same money.
Don't cook in the oven during summer months. Try not to overwork your air conditioner. A money-saving step that accompany this tip is to wash out your air conditioning unit or central air unit regularly with a water hose. The more dust and bugs that gather in your air conditioning units, the less fresh air your unit gets, and the more power it has to burn to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Along the same lines, change the filters in your air conditioning system on a regular basis.
Buy a big deep freeze to keep those items that you can buy in bulk at a nice discount. Just the other day, my wife purchased $108 worth of hamburger for a mere $54 on sale. As a result, we have enough hamburger to last us for a couple months. This would not be possible if we did not have a deep freeze in our home.
Swap out your curtains during season changes. We keep see-through curtains on the windows during the winter months (or when we rely on heating to keep the house comfortable) to enable more natural light and heat to enter our home, and therefore reduce our heating bills. During the air conditioner season, we keep dark curtains on our windows to block extra light and heat from entering our home. (I know what you are thinking... Brighter colors reflect light and dark absorbs light, but the amount of natural light actually reaching inside our home is the real consideration. Our house is generally ten degrees cooler with dark curtains on the windows during the summer months, instead of the see-through bright curtains.)
Encourage the kids to play outside, instead of in their rooms.
Don't overwater the lawn. While water is cheap, it is not that cheap.
Put solar lights outside to light your yard. We recently purchased two-dozen solar lights to light the sidewalks and driveway outside our home. We ended up getting more light outside at night, and eliminated the need for that big electric-powered spotlight on our front porch. We were able to get the two-dozen solar LED lights for outside for under $50.
Replace all of your standard light bulbs with the new energy saving spiral light bulbs. Yeah, they are more expensive to purchase up-front, but they provide the same level of light, while using much less electricity. AND the florescent bulbs are said to last for years without replacement. (We can attest to this claim to a point... We have had all florescent lights in our house for the last two years, and we have yet to need to replace a bulb.)
Ceiling fans help circulate the air in our home during summer and winter - circulating cool air and heat as needed, respectively. Did you know that you can get cheap ceiling fans at Wal-Mart for $20 a piece?
If you can afford double-pane windows for your home, you will find that they will pay for themselves in very short order by significantly reducing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.
Make sure your doors and windows have a good seal to reduce heat loss/gain year around.
Eat leftovers. Buy in bulk when you can, and cook in bulk when you can - especially during the summer. If you have to cook in the oven, cook a big meal that you can eat from for several days.
Magic Jack - They are advertising a new telephone line that you can use in connection with your high-speed internet access, called Magic Jack. For $40, you can get the equipment and one year's worth of service. I eliminated an $80 per month AT&T bill, when I chose to go with the Magic Jack program. And for the most part, I am completely satisfied with the service.
In Conclusion
When we started to feel a serious financial pinch, we took actions that eventually led to us being able to stabilize and recover our personal finances.
First, we stopped the money bleeding.
Next, we set a budget and started sticking firmly to our defined budgetary guidelines.
Third, we started reducing our overall costs of living, utilizing 20 of the 21 money-saving tips shown in the previous section. The only thing we did not do was to replace the double-pane windows that have been broken by our kids over the years. All told, we were able to reduce our monthly expenses by as much as 25%, putting us on more solid ground to be able to recover from our financial woes.
Fourth, we started putting our extra money into a saving account. Now instead of struggling from monthly cutoff notice to monthly cutoff notice, we have paid our bills down to current - with six-week's of living expenses in the bank. We are still working to get back to the one-year's worth of living expenses in the bank as we had three years ago, and we will get there in time.
But the good news is that we are no longer worrying about whether we will be able to keep our house and cars. We are set up to recover from our financial woes, and with discipline, you also will be able to do as we have done.
About the Author:
Fred Vanhoosen writes about money issues. While he recommends that one should be careful about using cash advance loans in times of dire need, he also knows that sometimes we need fast access to fast money to cover an unexpected expense. When that happens, Fred recommends http://www.fastcash4all.net/ for your payday loan needs.
Read more Articles written by Fred Vanhoosen.
Copyright © 2009 Fred Vanhoosen
The best place to start on surviving this recession is to look around your home, see what you need, see what you want, and decide between those items.
It is very easy to say I need a new entertainment center, and at that moment jump in the car and go buy it. But, if you are taking the current economic conditions seriously and worrying about what tomorrow might hold in store for us, then waiting may make more sense than impulse buying.
Often, the entertainment center can wait for better times and more secure economic conditions.
It takes real courage to say that you will save the money instead, maybe even putting that money into a saving account that could earn a trickle of interest until you need it far worse than you need it now.
As we look towards the unknown economic environment of tomorrow, it is important to consider that tomorrow could potentially be worse than today. If that were to happen, you will need some savings to fall back on, when that rainy day comes knocking.
That is why starting and sticking to a responsible budget may help you weather the coming economic environment. Please don't get me wrong... I am not saying that worse days are coming... I am generally an optimist, so taking the negative view of tomorrow is not in my DNA. But we never truly know what tomorrow might hold in store for us.
I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in my personal finances - even during good times. For years, I ran through life, living the good life, buying what I wanted when I wanted it, because I had tens of thousand dollars in my savings account. Then the bad days came rather unexpectedly, and my savings were drained to almost nothing in the matter of only a few months...
Even as I write this today, the good times are returning for me, but my savings have not been recovered to the level they were at just three years ago.
Having recently - in the last few years - seen the drama that can come to one who does not have enough money coming in to cover all of the bills in a timely manner, I am reminded to return to my more conservative roots. And in doing so, I can show you how you can join me in the road to a fat savings account and future good times.
I have been up and I have been down during my life. I was glad to put the bill collectors behind me. And for nearly a decade, I rode the wave of prosperity, never hearing from a single creditor about a late payment. And then when my finances began to bottom, the bill collectors started to call.
I came close to a car repossession and house foreclosue - within two weeks of total financial disaster. And then with my back to the wall, I was finally able to turn the corner and start rebuilding my good name. I don't hear from any bill collectors anymore. Thank goodness.
Stop The Financial Bleeding
The first step to correcting a potential financial disaster is to figure out what you can afford to keep and what you can bear to get rid of. When the bottom fell out for us, we put our second vehicle up for sale. Once we were rid of that gas-guzzling, always breaking-down, newer SUV - I despise Hyundai today for that reason - then we were able to stop the financial bleeding. But we still needed a second vehicle.
So we shopped for a used vehicle that would meet our needs and found one 200 miles away for just $5,000. The van was in good shape, but it had a cosmetic issue that reduced the overall price of the vehicle, by more than $5,000 according to the prices of comparable vehicles with comparable mileage. We could deal with that unsightly dent, so long as the vehicle served its function. We paid our mechanic to travel with us to check out the vehicle, and then we offered the dealer $800 less than the asking price, so that we could pay all cash. The dealer agreed and we took home our new, used Dodge Grand Caravan.
Now, we no longer bleed money to keep two vehicles in the driveway.
We eliminated one car payment, and we managed to get a second vehicle that we could reliably count on to carry us where we need to go.
Set Up A Budget And Stick To It
There are some things in life that cannot be escaped... As the old joke goes, two of those items are death and taxes.
But honestly, there is also a home, water, electricity, telephones, transportation and food.
Figure out how much money you need to have available to pay for each of these items, and then watch the remainder of your money carefully.
Designate how much money you have available for your home, utilities, groceries, transportation, and entertainment in each calendar month. And then make a sincere effort not to exceed the money you have alloted for each item.
Occasionally, you will run into unexpected expenses - like owning a Hyundai. The vehicle was just outside its warranty, and we were forced to spend a whopping $6,000 in back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back repairs to keep that silly thing on the road. We blew through $6,000 of our savings in just three months time... And for most of that time, we were restricted to having only our small economy car to serve the needs of our family of five.
Despite what the Hyundai commercials suggest, you could not pay me enough money to ever own another Hyundai!
There I go on another Hyundai rant...
Be sure to set up a portion of your monthly income to put into savings. We would have been up a creek without a paddle if we did not have the savings we needed to keep fixing that piece of crap Hyundai and to buy its replacement for cash money.
Reduce Your Monthly Expenses
This is actually much easier than you would think. Besides not buying a Hyundai, reducing your monthly expenses can be pretty easy and straight-forward.
In Conclusion
When we started to feel a serious financial pinch, we took actions that eventually led to us being able to stabilize and recover our personal finances.
But the good news is that we are no longer worrying about whether we will be able to keep our house and cars. We are set up to recover from our financial woes, and with discipline, you also will be able to do as we have done.
About the Author:
Fred Vanhoosen writes about money issues. While he recommends that one should be careful about using cash advance loans in times of dire need, he also knows that sometimes we need fast access to fast money to cover an unexpected expense. When that happens, Fred recommends http://www.fastcash4all.net/ for your payday loan needs.
Read more Articles written by Fred Vanhoosen.
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