Home Business The Easy Way - DNe Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
By Michael Hepworth

This kind of attitude is not unique to high-tech firms. It was definitely a dominant theme one day last week when I was a guest at a discussion group for technology companies selling health care.

There was a fascinating discussion about what is happening in health care and how technology is changing the landscape in this rapidly changing environment.

Yet, despite these great opportunities, there was a lot of discussion of how prospects in this industry do not really understand what these technology firms, are offering. There was much complaining about their un-willingness to take risks, and in general, it sounded like the customers were to blame for many of the problems these firms were experiencing.

It sounded to me like many of these firms had it backwards. They had fallen in love with their products instead of their customers. It is not your customers’ responsibility to understand what you sell, and how it could help them, it is yours. This is one of the most fundamental principles of marketing.

These firms did not understand their customers’ needs, as clearly as they should, and as a result, blamed the customers when the sales did not materialize.

The only way to sell is to start from the prospect’s side. If you do not, you will generally get the same result as these unfortunate firms.

Starting from the prospect’s side means you cannot pitch a solution simply because you think it is a good idea. Alternatively, talk about how wonderful you or your products are. No one cares and there are hundreds of firms who offer the same undifferentiated “stuff” you do.

You have to stop talking about yourself. People like this at social events have trapped us all. In that environment, it may be difficult for you to get away, but not so, for the sales prospect, they will just ignore you.

You have to remember no one wants to be sold. Therefore, you have to approach it from the perspective of serving the customer.

A good mindset is “You Matter. Your well-being is important to me. Let me see how I can help!”

This mindset forces you to focus on the customer first, and for your firm to become the champion of your customers and prospects, ultimately making certain you are their most trusted supplier, because you leave them in a better condition than when you started. From this position, it is much easier to gain acceptance of your ideas.

So how do you begin this process?

The first step is to convince your prospects to give you their attention.

The only way you can do this is if your marketing messages speak to their desires, frustrations, and fears. You must convince them you are worth spending time with or that your web site is worth visiting.

You have to be different from your competitors. If you are saying the same thing, you become indistinguishable in the crowd.

A good headline for a letter, brochure, or web site is a good start…but it is not enough. You have to have substance that will keep them involved with you, reading your letters, listening to your suggestions, or reading what is on your web site.

You can only do this if you provide value. Not simply that you have a great product or service, but how you can help them solve a problem. Good products are a table stake in business and bad products do not stay around very long.

The moment prospects no longer perceive value, you lose them. There are too many competing messages out there, to expect them to listen to you any longer than it takes them to decide you are worth listening to, or to cut and run.

Testimonials are critical for new products and services. Social proof is very effective in encouraging undecided people to move forward. Few people want to be pioneers unless the risk is very low. The newer the product, the greater the perceived risk!

You have to find ways to remove the risk, if not; you may have a great product or service that never sees the light of day. It may even be necessary to work free, on occasion, in exchange for testimonials, if what you have is unproven. Think of it as a marketing cost.

You also have to convince prospects that what you offer has good value, but better still a bargain. You do this by making dramatic comparisons with the current situation and presenting this information in a compelling way.

Finally, you have to make it very easy for them to buy. You can do this with extended payment terms, limited offers to early adopters, guarantees, and other incentives.

When you demonstrate in believable ways that you have your prospects’ interests at heart and are intent on helping them make the right decision, then you will reduce the resistance to your products and services.

Michael Hepworth is the Streetsmart Marketer. You can sign up for his free marketing tip newsletter by visiting http://www.streetsmartmarketer.com/. There you will find this article and hundreds more free marketing tips.

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With the present trend in marketing and online business, competition to get the a higher and better ranking is getting stiffer and a lot more complex. In order to attain the best traffic on the net, a lot of marketers and businessmen are engaging into so many highly tremendous methods of marketing. One of the most sought-after marketing tools that many are trying to experiment on is the search engine optimization, particularly the off page optimization process. You may be asking, why search engine optimization? What features does off page optimization have to be considered as one of the most sought-after marketing tools? Well, the answer to that is very basic and fundamental - traffic driven by back links.

Back links are the most essential means of generating traffic on a site nowadays. A lot of marketers and business people have seen the strong potential of off page optimization to obtain successfully numerous quality back links on a site more than its contemporaries. Back links are link addresses that you are able to generate from sites that wish to start a connection with your site. Usually, this happens under the method of SEO that requires it to be done outside the main content of the site - thus, off page optimization.

One of the best ways to get back links is through the use of the forum. If you are able to publish your message on the forum sites where you are a member, you are given the opportunity to include on the message some of your relevant information such as the company name which you represent, as well as a bit of personal information such as your name and your e-mail address. You will be given this opportunity when forum masters see your contribution to the forum site as something that is indispensable. In order to continue getting such opportunity, you continue to submit postings that contain relevancy and pertinence.

As additional information, if you are serious about generating more back links from forum sites, engage yourself into more than one forum site and allot time for each individual site. In that case, you have far better opportunity to gain mileage with considerably more net users.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to forum traffic success, 'Secrets of Generating Traffic With Forums'

Download it free here: http://www.secrets-of-internet-success.com/2ezforums.html Traffic Generation With Forums

Sean Mize is a full-time internet marketer who has written over 1,574 articles in print and 11 published ebooks.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php

By James Saunders

Did you know that you could dramatically increase the number of visitors that come to your site on a daily basis from Google?

Web Content (Mass + Keywords) + Links = SEO

Image Text or JavaScript?

Question: Navigation is based on images, again if these are images of text?

Answer: Search engines obtain links very considerable, and only read text. They like to match the topic of the target page to the text in the link that pointed to the page. Avoid JavaScript.

What to do? Use text only navigation. The text and containing elements can be styles with CSS to set them up, look like images, give a background image, or at least rearrange them to look a little fancier. The optional is to ensure that there is some text based navigation elsewhere on the page.

Gains: Search engines will be able to match the topic of the target page with the reputation (link text). A higher relevancy is better. Ensuring there is text on the page will also help the visually impaired who use text only browsers, in conjunction with Braille output devices, or text to speech software.

Links and Link Relevancy

Question: You want many links to your website?

Answer: Although links may be great for visitors and search engine spiders, the true appraisal of the link may not be fully clear to you. Visitors are unlikely to click on irrelevant links and search engines hate them. Reciprocal links, (you link to me, and I will link to you), can be of use when associated, but carry less weight in the search engines than one-way inbound links.

What to do? Avoid link farms (pages of links, for the sake of links), treat reciprocal link requests with anticipation and stay associated.

Gains: Spending time and thought on your link profile will ensure natural growth of links. Search engines hate anything that looks artificial, or anything that could be interpreted as 'Search engine Trick'.

Duplicate Content

Question: Webmaster copies content from another website, or sets up numerous sites, which are identical, or very similar. Does this mechanism work?

Answer: Search engines apply echo content filters to the search results. Although the idea of increasing the market share is a bona fide idea, a thousand similar sites is not the way to go about doing it. Efforts put into the secondary sites will be forfeited.

What to do? Endorse all of the pages so each of your sites is unique. Querying a search engine for an exact match of long strings of text will show you, if the content is bringing up elsewhere. If a webmaster does have facsimile pages and wishes to avoid any penalties or filters, the webmaster must choose one page to have the other identical pages redirect to. Redirects are covered later. You may also use random RSS Feeds that are mixed before they show up on each page. The RSS have the ability that they always have fresh content, but only if you mix 3 or more RSS feeds, you will get a unique result and not what all the other sites have that are using the same RSS feeds.

Gains: Your efforts are not wasted; time and money can be saved. Always-Fresh content from the RSS Feeds.

Numerous Sites

Question: Following on from identical content, there are numerous sites. A single webmaster has a certain number of closely themed sites, all inter-linked and hosted on the same IP address.

Answer: This is seen as search engine Frame-up, the linking structure and numerous sites just are not natural. Penalties can apply.

What to do? Such site structures can work if set up properly. This means that each site must reside on its own IP address where, at least, the C class is different. IP address is covered later.

Gains: Increased market share, effectively linked and spiderable sites, no penalties applied.

Unfriendly URLs

Question: The URL (web address) of some of your sites pages look like domain dot com/product.php?id=2346&category=665&sid=f29a3483270cc10b3783706916216e3a

Answer: Search engine spiders are getting better, and following, and indexing these form of URLs, but not all of them. The spiders are scared of being caught in an endless loop of identical pages with 1000s of different URLs. They are also off putting to your site visitors who could surely remember mydomain dot com/products/cars/boostvalves.

What to do? Use Search Engine Friendly URLs. If you are running the Apache web server on Linux enabled server use mod_rewrite to translate the URLs into something nicer.

Gains: Higher chance of being indexed by more of the search engines, keywords in your URL, higher chance of being clicked on in the SERPs

Redirects

There are two main redirects, based on the HTTP specification

301 - moved permanently

302 - moved temporarily

You should use 301 redirects wherever possible. This can be done in your server side scripting, eg

Code: php

header("HTTP/1.1 301 Found");

header("Location: w w w newdomain dot com/");

redirects can also be set up in your .htaccess file, if you run the Apache web server

IP addresses (C class)

IP addresses are the numerical addresses of computers connected to the internet. For ease of reading, they are broken down into four parts, each called an octet as they contain 8 bits of data when written in binary form. An example my be 62.85.68.114. in this case, the C class is 68 (and everything up to it), so if you have a few sites hosted on this IP they would all have identical IP addresses. If each had a single IP address that started 62.85.68. then they all share the same C-class IP address. As the allocation of IP addresses within a server involvement is usually configured so that each server has it's own C-class; this means that a search engine knows that all sites on the same C-class IP address are all located on the same server

Your competitors might not be standing still; neither should you.

James Saunders is the owner of TrafficBoosterPro, the SEO software which makes Unique Content pages Quickly and Easily! Software that bring massive Traffic from RSS Feeds in AutoPilot, now in it's 2nd revision at http://TrafficBoosterPro.com.

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By Titus Hoskins

Videos are playing an ever-increasing importance in the completely online marketing process. Using videos will increase brand recognition, create buzz, and help you promote and sell your products or services more effectively. So are you using videos?

Most perceptive Internet marketers did not need YouTube or the cover of Time magazine to tell them video is the next big thing. Most web marketers were already using and benefiting from online videos long before Time and other pundits declared video and self-generated content to be having a profound impact on our daily lives.

Many online marketers have been using videos for years to promote and sell their products, mainly because the use of video as a marketing tool is cost-effective, and a very simple way to market. No online marketer can ignore one marketing trend. It is playing a major role in online marketing and will play an even greater role in the future.

Just look at how video is used by, Brock Felt and Buck Rizvi, to roll out their PipeLine Profits venture. These relatively unknown marketers are using video from the recent StomperNet event to introduce and gather buzz for their PipeLine (Co-Registration) Profits (www.pipelineprofits.com). You should also note how effectively blogs and podcasts are being used in this marketing product rollout.

More and more well known Internet marketers are using videos to create buzz, to promote and sell their products. From John Reese promotional video, standing at the Great Wall of China announcing his upcoming 'online training courses' (www.income.com), to Joel Comm, plugging his latest AdSense Templates package on Google Video, to Michael Cheney's tongue- in-cheek CMN Cheney's Marketing News (www.cheneysmarketingnews.com). Note how Cheney is offering these videos for placement on any site around the web, building links and brand recognition in the process.

Online marketers are exploiting the immediate connection and effectiveness of using video in their marketing. Videos are used to inform potential customers on different products, services or promotions offered by the marketer. These seasoned marketers know building a solid relationship with your clients is a main key to boosting your sales. The use of video is an effective and simple way to make this connection.

Most marketers also use blogs to update and connect with potential clients. Blogs and RSS feeds are perhaps the more important marketing tools, which actually gives videos their unlimited potential. It is the real power behind the throne. With the advent of the next RSS empowered Windows (Vista), one would expect Blogs and RSS to play an even greater role in the Internet marketing arena. Video has truly arrived in the online marketing world.

What we will see is every website on the net becoming its own broadcasting system, its own television channel catering to a specific niche or a broad topic depending on the subject matter covered by the site. A billion channel Internet powered by RSS and video. One only has to look at how a prominent site like WebProNews.com is using videos to see how this scenario will play out.

However, what is truly revolutionary, you do not have to be major players to get in the marketing game, even the smallest marketer can use and benefit from implementing their own videos. A simple video or digital camera can produce an informational video within minutes. These can range from the so-called 'poor man' Camtasia videos, to elaborate infomercials, and commercials. You can then upload these videos to your blog or site and distribute them around the web within seconds. Those concerned with bandwidth costs can always upload their videos to YouTube or Google Video. This simple video marketing system is available to everyone.

Current well-informed online marketers are using these videos as effective marketing tools. No reason why you cannot follow their lead and use videos to:

1. Introduce yourself or your product

2. Create buzz during a product launch

3. Build your list by offering free videos

4. Create video content to enrich your site

5. Build a more personal relationship with subscribers

6. Keep in contact with your clients

7. Create a video sales letter/pitch to sell your product or service

Nothing beats the personal and direct connection video or TV makes with your potential customers and follow-up leads. It's the infomercial personalized for the web. Soon marketers will be using video software that automatically inserts their subscriber's name in their videos for a more personal touch. Similar to what we see done now with AutoResponders with the field {first_name) personalizing all correspondence with our subscribers. Expect this personalized video marketing to be a big trend in the coming years.

Your own name is still the sweetest word on the planet. Most perceptive marketers will take advantage of this fact by personalizing their messages and building a genuine relationship with their clients. Personalized videos will help cement this relationship and make it stronger - all contributing to more sales for the marketer, of course! From a marketing viewpoint: videos, podcasts, broadcatching, web casting, and video casting are all phrases for the same thing: they are all ways to get your message in front of your customers. Obviously, video will help you reach more customers. Video will make it easier for you to promote your products or services.

Perhaps, more importantly, videos will make it easier for you to sell your products and services. It is one more tool online marketers should have in their marketing arsenal. Video is already the future of online marketingFree Web Content; you should be taking full advantage of it right now.

The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous niche websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web, marketing tools try: www.marketingtoolguide.com for the latest Internet Marketing Strategies go here: www.bizwaremagic.com 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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By Alicia Forest

Did you know almost every person who visits your website would leave without buying? However, there are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors that can make a big difference in your bottom line. I share four of them in this article.

Did you know almost every person who visits your website would leave without buying? I know that sounds disheartening, but it is true. Just think of all the sites you have been on yourself and you have not bought from, right? However, do not be discouraged. There are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors, which can make a big difference in your bottom line. Here are four of them:

1. Use Pop-Ups...or use pop-unders…or use pop-up-tomorrow, or use whatever latest 'pop' technology is available today. Yes, they do annoy some people, but internet marketing stats tell us that they work. In addition, the one that works the best is the "exit pop", those ones that say, "wait! before you leave... take advantage of this...”

If you do decide to use pop-ups, use them sparingly so as not to annoy your visitor. You can also use pop-ups to implement any of the following strategies:

2. Invite them to be on your list...

Most people will not buy from you on the first pass. You need to build a relationship with your prospects in order for them to feel comfortable investing any of their hard-earned cash with you.

Give them an opportunity to join your list so you can build that relationship. Invite them to receive a free taste of what it is that you are offering - ezine, special report, checklist - so they get on your list. You then have the opportunity to market to them over time, which will build that relationship which will lead to more sales.

3. Find out why they are leaving...

Ask them why they are leaving your site. Not everyone will tell you, but the feedback you do receive is gold. You can then make any appropriate adjustments to your website to increase your sales and opt-in conversion rates.

4. Make another offer...

If they did not purchase on the first pass, make them another offer. Offer them another product or program of yours that's at a lower price point, or send them to someone else's site whose offering might benefit them instead, preferable one of which you highly recommend and are an affiliate of so you can earn a small commission for your referral.

Pick one of the aboveFree Web Content, test it, and see how it works for you. You are sure to increase your list numbers and your sales numbers if you start implementing even one of these strategies today.

Copyright 2007 Alicia M Forest and Client Abundance

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach™ and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System™, teaches coaches, consultants, and other solo professionals and online entrepreneurs how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.clientabundance.com/.

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by Theresa Cahill

Online Website owners know that buyers don't just come to their sites, they must be enticed to visit and purchase.

For many, the sum total of promoting their Website revolves around "advertising." But ... did you know that there is much more to pulling in customers than advertising alone can do?

According to Wikipedia, a simplified definition of marketing is: "...the ongoing process of moving people closer to making a decision to purchase, use, follow ... or conform to someone else's products, services or values."

In a nutshell, "... if it doesn't facilitiate a 'sale,' then it's not marketing."

Does advertising facilitiate sales? There's no doubt that an effective online or offline ad works. However, the difference between advertising and marketing, especially online, is advertising involves a cold market process. You must be persuasive using text and graphics to create an interest in someone, an interest they were not actively aware they had. You must create that interest from scratch to get that all-important site visit.

Marketing, conversely, seeks out the warm market. Your warm market is in the mood, it is actively searching for what you have to offer.

Bringing the two of you together is the sole focus of a great marketing campaign.

Philip Kotler's definition explains:

"Marketing is human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange process."

Simply put, your buyer was already looking, now all you need to ensure that purchase is a sales-converting Website.

So -- does advertising alone cover enough ground to accomplish this goal? Not on its own.

Market research, product development, the management of the life-cycle of that product, pricing, and promotion are but a few aspects defining the term "marketing."

Strategic Internet marketing is geared toward defining, creating, growing, developing, maintaining, defending, and "owning" your market.

How does one "own" their market?

On the 'net, the one sure-fire way of dominating any market is exceptional placement in the search engines. When an Internet shopper heads to Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AltaVista ... wherever ... they have one goal and one goal in mind ... find what they are looking for.

Website owners who know what they want to accomplish also know they must strive to rise to the top of the search engines, and do so quickly.

Hundreds of thousands of new Websites pop up daily. Millions, if not billions, of Web pages already exist - before your site even hits the launch pad. Conquering and butting your competition out of the prime search engine positions needs to be your focus.

"If you build it, they will come" only works in the movies. Take the steps needed to make your Website a success.

Advertising is necessary. Marketing is critical!

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved

Theresa Cahill has over two decades of online and offline marketing experience. Teaming up with Jeff Greer, of Everenterprise, they put their talents and experience to work assisting business, home business, and store-front owners in promoting their Websites. You are invited to receive a preliminary and free strategic Internet marketing site evaluation at http://www.Market-For-Me.com

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By Patrick A Chan

I have discovered that it is very easy to let ourselves stay grounded to a comfort zone, even though our whole being is shouting at us for a decisive change!

Whoa! What do I mean?

See, sometimes we know that if we keep doing what we always do, we will be getting nowhere until we change our course of action. Yet, we have conveniently slipped ourselves into the COMFORT ZONE...

We know we have had enough! However... Yes, a BIG BUT! ... We are not willing to change our actions because it has become a habit!

We are habitual beings and this fact is not new. I have learned that if we have a bad habit that we wish to overcome, the fast and effective way to do that is to cultivate a good habit to replace it!

Yes, easier said than done! Why? Most of us can identify what holds us back and what is necessary for us to do. BUT! ... We are just not ready to GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE!

Our unwillingness to change usually stems from our being comfortable with where we are now, even if it hurts ourselves to be in whatever situation we are in now.

Some will say, "I want to change! But I just can't!"

My response: How much do you want to change? Are you not able to change because you are too STUCK in certain ways or conditions? It is really like hearing someone telling you YES, but saying NO on the inside... Check your comfort zones and you will find out where your worst enemy lies!

"I am not sure what will happen if I were to do something differently! Hmmm... Should I proceed?"

Hey! Nobody can tell me the results that I will get if I did not get to proceed with whatever ideas that are floating in my head! Nobody needs to tell me... Right?

We will not know if something works until we have tried it. We then track what we have tried, to become wiser about the consequences that our actions will bring about. However, without even starting to test for results, what is there for us to track? In the end, we will never know how things will turn out, unless, we actually take the risk to test the waters!

Had enough of going in circles in your life? Do you want to have a refreshing change? Then... here is what I dare you to do! Get out of your comfort zone and do the necessary! Take action! Be it to find out what you need to know... Be it to do a research on some proven knowledge, or just taking a step to do a totally new experiment to test your hypothesis... JUST DO IT! Take the risk and do what is necessary!

Do not let what is comfortable prevent you from moving forward, taking risks and doing what is necessary! Remember this: Success follows whenever the necessary things are done!

Patrick Chan who has been making money online since 2002 is willing to help anyone who finally wants to succeed in every aspect of life. Join his successful Singapore team in the quest for success from the comfort of your home via the internet (http://success.homelysuccess.com/). Also, do check out his buddy Ewen Chia's Autopilot Profits System In A Box (http://auto.homelysuccess.com/) that can definitely enhance anyone's online business (es)!

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By Zachary Scott

If you have a home based business, there are chances you also have a website or a blog. The key to making money with these is generating traffic. The more traffic, the more you will get money. Here is some information on how you can get that traffic. I wish I had read an article like this when I was starting out. It would have helped me to start making more money much faster.

The first way, but mind you, it takes a long period, is to use SEO. What is SEO? SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. In other words, you have to optimize your website, so it will be Search Engine friendly. You want search engines to pick up you site and be in the top results when someone searches something specific to your content. To do so, you must do the following:

-Use META tags
-Use a keyword rich content
-Registering to search Engines.

There are other steps to SEO, but for a beginner's guide, they are not of importance yet. I do not want to give out too much information and loose you. So let us take apart the different things I named. First, the META tags. In your webpage code, you have (...) .In is between these to elements of code that you will put your Meta tags. The two most important being:

1-

This is where you will put the description of your website. Put some keywords that have to do with your site, but it still has to be a readable description. This brief text shows when your website comes out on Google to describe your website.

2-

This one is also very important. It contains all the keywords you can think of that can be in your site. What I mean, is that you put every search phrase or word, you think a person might type in Google that might relate to your site content. Once you have found your list of keywords, put them, as much as possible, in your website. The more your keywords are present on your site, the better ranking you will get.

Do not forget, to make sure your website will be crawled; you should register it with most search engines. Search Google, with the term "Add Url" and you will most surely find at least where you can add a URL to Google. Do this with Yahoo, MSN and any other search engines.

Another way to get traffic to your website is to use traffic exchange. Traffic exchange is simply what is says, an exchange of traffic. Every time you visit a website through the traffic exchange program, they will send someone to your website, and vice versa. This is another great way of getting free traffic; most of the time you must sign-up, usually with no cost, except to receive a newsletter occasionally. I suggest this method, since it is not expensive at all, and if done effectively, you can get plenty of traffic.

The final way, I will suggest for you to get traffic to your website is quite simple: forum advertising.

All you need to do is find forums on the net that have to do with your website. In those forums, start participating, talk to as many people as you can. Try to get some credibility. At the same time, in your signature (You can update this in your user profile on most forums), just put a link to your website. You will see, the more you get implicated and credible, that more people will visit your website.

In conclusion, I just want to make sure you do not forget some important information. When you get some traffic for your website, you are using some bandwidth. Inform yourself with your host what your monthly-allowed bandwidth is, because if you do not, you might get a bill that is higher than you expected. Bandwidth is chargeable when you surpass what you are allowed to use. I just thought a heads-up was of great importance.

Do not forget, this is only an introduction to different ways for beginners to get free traffic. If you have some income to spare, there are other ways to get traffic; such as, buying mailing lists, or buying guaranteed traffic, and such. This is not the subject of this article, so I will not get into them. Most paid services have customer support that will be more than glad to help you out!

The author of this article runs http://bloggingto-thebank.blogspot.com/, which is his blog that is intended to help people make money online.

He has been making money online for some time now, make sure to read all the articles for their content and you might want to sign-up for the free ebook that develops more on the subject of this article.

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By Michael Hayes

Are you a small business struggling to develop your online presence? Regardless of the specific nature of your online business, there are common elements that need regular attention it to prosper. Two essential parts of this process are covered in this article:

1) marketing the online business, and 2) detailing the web site processes and content to achieve the highest possible sales conversion rates.

Maximize traffic to your web site

How long has it been since you last spent time driving traffic to your web site? Do not be left behind. Traffic does not come to your site automatically, search engines and directories send it. Moreover, if you do not optimize your site to convince Search Engines such as Google that you have relevant content, then your site will be largely ignored. Consider implementing a combined strategy:

* Set up reciprocal links from other sites with a higher Google PageRank than yours. One way to do this is to find web sites, forums, or blogs that are related to your market segment, without directly competing with you, and submit articles to them with a link back to your own web site. It is these incoming links that search engines love and your PageRank will rise accordingly. Business and trade directories are another good source of potential traffic. The more relevant you can find the better. An example of this approach could be a small business specializing in a particular form of natural healing. A useful strategy here would be to submit quality articles to an industry site that covered all forms of natural healing, outlining the benefits of your particular specialty. People visiting this high profile site already have an interest in natural healing, and may well be interested in your specialty when guided by an informative article. The benefit to the site accepting your submission is that your article, and others like it, helps to broaden their appeal. If done well, this really is a win -- win situation.

* Dedicate specific pages on your web site to focus on particular themes. Do not make the mistake of trying to cover a grab bag of topics on the one page in the hope that one of them will stick. An experienced web developer, or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist, will be able to help with this process by analyzing your visitor statistics and suggesting themes based on key words and phrases that people are actively searching. After you write an article based on their suggestions, they will then edit it to maximize its appeal to Search Engines.

* Consider paid advertising on a "cost-per-click basis". Google and Yahoo are good places to start, but there are many others. Many of these systems are based on a bidding model where the more an advertiser is prepared to pay for a click, the more prominently the advertisement will be featured. When used carefully, they can be a good way of generating a quick response. This can be important for owners of new web sites while they are waiting for their natural search engine traffic to gain momentum.

Develop a marketing strategy for the next three months

The reason marketing activities should be planned well in advance is to give yourself plenty of time to get in the necessary stock, or if you have a service based business, assemble the relevant resources. For example, if new stock is involved, you will need time to source it and upload the details to your web site. If you are launching a new service, you may need to add an extra page to your web site outlining its benefits and engage additional staff to perform the service. All these things take time. The good news is that by planning you will save yourself a lot of stress.

Detailed planning

This is the 3Ps -- only this time they are Plan, Plan & Plan. Look at your marketing campaigns collectively, and then individually. What do you really want to achieve? Consider planning for the next three campaigns and write a sentence for each one that clearly spells out its main purpose. These are your core propositions. For example, the first could be to clear stock or promote an older service; the second could be designed to tie in with an event such as Easter, while the third could be used to launch a new service or product range. Whatever they are, I suggest that you keep them simple and only have one core proposition per campaign. You will run the risk of confusing yourself and your customers if you try to do more.

Newsletters

It is very common for an online marketing campaign to revolve around a newsletter. If this is the case then all aspects of the mail-out needs to be very carefully planned, drafted and tested.

* There are many sorts of newsletters, however those promoting e-commerce ventures usually have one primary purpose: to drive traffic to an online shop selling products or services. The question is, how best to achieve this. Detailed coverage of the core proposition in the actual newsletter may not be the best approach. Rather, write the copy in such a way that it provides just enough information to whet your customers’ appetite, coupled with a clear link to the remainder of the article stored on you web site. In this way, you stand a good chance of achieving additional sales when customers click through and become re-acquainted with your complete range of offerings.

* In drafting your copy, do not waste time singing your own praises. You or your business may have done some great things, but sadly, customers are not interested. What they want to know is what is in it for them. Keep this as your focus and you will not go wrong.

* Pay particular attention to the subject line of the email newsletter. Remember, with many customers this may be all they read before they look for the delete button. Try to make it compelling but avoid any hype that may trigger junk mail filters.

* HTML email newsletters are acceptable to most customers these days. They present well and they can feature images, but make sure they are correctly constructed. If you are creating your own HTML newsletters, view them in Internet Explorer and Firefox before you send them out. You may be surprised how differently the common web browsers can present the same HTML document. Sometimes with unfortunate consequences. If you are not confident in this area, then seek help.

* Ensure that you comply with all relevant anti-SPAM regulations. If you are not familiar with them, make it your business to find out. In many cases, the penalties for ignoring such regulations are high. At the very least you should always include details outlining who you are, why the person is receiving your email newsletter, and how they can unsubscribe should they wish to do so.

* Before you send out an email newsletter to your whole mailing list, test it, and test it again! That means checking that the content is correct, links work, images display correctly, personalized information is merging correctly, and unsubscribe links are fully operational.

Your mailing list

Mailing lists must be maintained. In addition, I do not use the word "must" lightly. With legislation in place to prosecute those who play fast and loose with their mailing lists, this area requires careful attention by all e-Commerce operators. The technical aspects of list maintenance and email campaigns are beyond the scope of this article, but if you have any doubts, you may be better to consider a hosted solution. A quick search on the Internet for "email marketing" or "email marketing services" should yield results. Constant Contact is one such service that I have used with good results. In general, it is safer to avoid purchasing lists unless you are very sure they are genuine opt-in permission based lists directly relevant to your market segment. Build your own. It may take longer but the result is a list of customers who are genuinely interested in your products or services. Conversion rates with your own list are always going to be higher.

Your online shop

So far, the focus has been on getting customers to your online shop. Now it is time to make sure that when they do, they have a pleasant experience, which encourages them to make a purchase.

* Do the advertised products or services as featured on your web site match up exactly with what you have in stock? If not, take steps to correct this. If the product is not currently available then delete it, or just disable it, if your software will allow. That way you will only have to enable the entry when the item returns to stock. Perhaps, it may be that your published information does not accurately describe the product or service, or the image shows the wrong model or color. If any of these examples apply to your website, then make a point of correcting the detail prior to a mail-out.

* As I have mentioned above, do not be tempted to leave items on display that are temporarily out of stock. You know that they are coming back in, but your customers do not and deliveries can often be late. Online customers have every right to expect that what they see lines up with reality, so it is not surprising that they become very upset when their firm order suddenly becomes a "virtual" one.

* Check the navigation of your site to make sure that all links are operational. Customers quickly find poor navigation frustrating ... and frustrated customers leave.

* Review your terms, conditions, FAQs and freight. I hope there will be first time customers because of your mail-out who will want to check these things. I know this can be boring but do not gloss it over. Put your customer hat on and pretend that you are reading the information for the first time.

* If you have a contact form on your site, test it. You should also place test orders using all the available payment methods your site offers. The last thing you (or your customer) want is a dysfunctional checkout system. In fact, nothing erodes buyer confidence faster.

Finally, good luck with your e-commerce ventures. E-commerce is not rocket science Article Submission; it is just another form of business. Additionally, constant attention to details counts in all forms of business.

As "The Online Shop Designer (TOSD)" Michael Hayes draws on over a decade's experience designing, developing and managing e-Commerce and CMS web sites for small business owners. In doing this he strives to deliver appropriate, manageable solutions that support his client's business goals, and avoid the "technology tension" that so often occurs.

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Whether you have an established large-scale business or whether you are a one-person start-up, it is important for your website to rank high in search engine queries for your important keywords and search phrases. If you are not ranked properly you will not get much traffic, and if you depend on Internet traffic, then this can mean failure for your business. One of the best ways to improve your ranking in the search engines is by applying the methods of search engine optimization to your website. Here is a guide to search engine optimization that can help you to get started in this important task:

1. Start with a clear and simple website design

A good website design should be easy for your human visitors to enjoy and understand, and it should also be intelligible for the search engine robots that also visit your site. What looks good to the human eye may not look good to search engines. If your site is 100% flash then it may impress your visitors, but the search engines will not find text and will not be able to properly classify your site. Similarly a site designed with frames is also search engine unfriendly. Check with your web designer and make sure that the design you are getting is user-friendly and search engine friendly as well.

2. Focus each of your web pages around one or two distinct concepts

A well-organized site will help you to get better search engine rankings. Suppose you have ten different products. It may be difficult to get number one rankings for all of these products from one single page of your site. However if you make sub-pages for each different product and optimize those pages to highlight the particular product or service on that page, then those sub-pages stand a good chance of coming up in search engine queries. Remember, people do not enter your website only via the main page; rather they often enter via the "back" and "side-doors." Prepare all the pages of your website properly and you will get more traffic.

3. Put your main keywords in the meta-tags of your web pages

Once you have decided what will go on your web pages, then you have to optimize each page separately. Never use the same meta-tags for all the pages of your site. If your page is about "Riding Lawn Mowers," then put these words in the Title, Description and Keywords meta-tags of your website. The title tag is the most important of the three tags, and your keywords should be right at the front. Resist the temptation to put your company name first! If you are new, then no one knows about you and they are searching for Riding Lawn Mowers and not you. Do your branding elsewhere, not in the meta-tags

4. Put your keywords in the headlines and sub-headlines of your web page

A search engine is trying to find out what your page is all about. If you want to know what a magazine article is all about, without even reading it, the first thing that you would do is scan the headlines. Search engines do the same thing. Put your most important keywords in a headline right at the top of the page. Mark the headline with an H1 tag (ask your web designer to help if you do not know what this is). Make sub-headlines using an H2 or H3 tag. Putting your keywords in headlines is a vital part of search engine optimization.

5. Place your keywords strategically in the text of your web page

Write naturally and logically and you will succeed with your web page optimization. In the first paragraph mention your main concept, and then develop your ideas summarizing in the last paragraph what you have said on that page. Your keywords should appear in the beginning of the document, and they should be repeated at the end. As mentioned in point 4, they should also appear in headlines and sub-headlines. The keyword density should be between 2-5%. If you write 400 words then your keyword can be repeated 12 times without any problem.

6. Include your keywords in link text on your web pages

When you link to other sections of your website you should pay attention to the clickable portion of the links. Instead of making a link that says "Click Here." Make a phrase that says click here for more information about "Riding Lawn Mowers." The clickable portion of the link should be your keywords and not click here!

These are the main points that you need to take care of when optimizing your website. If your small business is Internet-based or in any way dependent on search engine traffic, then it is imperative to apply the best methods of search engine optimization to each and every web page of your site.

Robert Moment is an innovative small business coach , speaker and author. Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs how to start a small business that profits and grow. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and sign-up for the FREE Small Business Coaching 7 day e-course.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
The Internet has changed our lifestyle to such a great extent that we rely on it for every little thing we are involved in. In fact, it is one of the best ways to get connected with our family and friends, as we are constantly swinging between the pendulum of time and work. The latest method of staying connecting is social media optimization. It is, in fact, a perfect way to churn out endless profits. Moreover, the internet is a huge platform for sharing information and interacting.

Social media optimization has become one of the most popular methods through which one can interact and gain knowledge on various serious and miscellaneous topics and issues. It has, in fact, raised the level of internet services by enhancing the visibility of the site and at the same time getting the site a higher rank amongst the famous search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo. Social media optimization, however, involves carefully planned and laid-out strategies that help many websites in gaining popularity and more business. What exactly is social media optimization? Well, it is a set of methods that generate publicity through the internet and connect online communities and websites together.

Social media optimization is possibly the best method to attract traffic to your website. Today, many businessmen prefer business conducted through social media optimization as it gives an edge over various other publicity methods. In fact, search engine marketing firms have certainly made social media optimization an excellent medium of interaction. With the evolution of information technology, net savvy people frequently visit a number of websites to get knowledge and the appeal of social media optimization is that it acts as an interactive platform. You have most likely come across videos uploaded on various sites that also offer blogging services, forums and discussion panels that further enhances the effect of social media optimization. In addition, social media optimization uses viral marketing techniques that spread their word across the web.

In this instance, the sole purpose is to get people talking about a product, service or an idea. The conventional method of word-of-mouth serves as the publicity vehicle that in turn popularizes the website amongst the users. The various other techniques utilized by social media optimization include video and photo sharing, social bookmarking and blogging. In social media optimization, the emphasis is laid upon the elevation of the link-ability of the website that encourages the inbound links. Social media optimization additionally creates tags and book marks for the website so that it becomes user friendly and is accessed 24 hours a day. With this, the user is able to bookmark it easily as well as go back to it whenever required without any hassle or trouble. Hence, the visitor attains a comfort level with the website. As a result, the website will get recognition and simultaneously gain popularity amongst the internet users. The purpose of social media optimization will be achieved. Therefore, the website will be able to create its own space amongst various search engines and also earn a rank as a top website.

Steve Waganer has specialization in Web Marketing. He is expert in Search engine optimization,Search engine marketing, [http://www.cometsearchenginemarketing.com/social_media_optimization.html]Social media optimizationTo get the SEO tips from SEO firm for your website to get high rank and top position in major search engines visit http://www.cometsearchenginemarketing.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
By Evan Carmichael

"There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Growing Up

Sam Walton's career in retail began in 1940 when he became a sales trainee in Des Moines, Iowa at a J.C. Penney store. Despite his enthusiasm to serve the customers, Walton was not a model employee. His desire to make his customers happy was so great that he often let other responsibilities like paperwork and keeping the books fall by the wayside. He was almost fired by his boss who told him that he was not cut out for a career in retail. Walton kept his job, however, because of his ability as a great salesman.

In 1942, Walton was drafted into the United States Army. He worked in the communications division of the Army Intelligence Corps and remained on home soil throughout the Second World War. When he left the army three years later, Walton was married, had a child, and decided to start his own business to support his new family. With the $5,000 that he had saved along with a $20,000 loan from his wife's father, he purchased a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. Walton was 27 years old.

Starting The Business

By putting in many hours at the store and implementing a pricing strategy far below what his competitors were charging, Walton's new business took off. By 1950 he had the top performing Ben Franklin store in the area. Walton's landlord, seeing his success, decided that he wanted Walton to sell the store to his son. When Walton refused, the landlord decided not to renew Walton's lease and he was forced to shut down.

Walton's 10 commandments for business success were: 1) Commit to your business.
2) Share your profits with your associates and treat them like your partners. 3) Energize your colleagues. 4) Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.
5) Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. 6) Celebrate your success. 7) Listen to everyone in your company. 8) Exceed your customers' expectations.
9) Control your expenses better than your competition. 10) Blaze your own path.

Determined as ever to succeed in his venture, Walton looked for other rural Arkansas towns for a new place to set up shop. He came across a small village called Bentonville and opened the Walton's Five and Dime in 1950. He made sure to get a 99-year lease this time on the property. The two local competitors in Bentonville did not want to discount their prices and Walton's business began to flourish.

Realizing he had a recipe for success, Walton began looking for other areas of expansion. He borrowed money and used the profits from his first stores to acquire more. By 1960, he owned 15 stores but he was not getting the kind of return on investment that he thought he would be making. He then made the decision to follow a heavy price cutting strategy and hope to get much higher volume to turn a larger profit. This was not a new idea. The problem at the time was that most discount stores were small, located in urban areas, and focused on specialty items. Walton's plan was to change the way retailing was done across the country.

Building An Empire

Walton's revolutionary plan was to have large superstores in rural towns that discounted a wide variety of products. His initial approach was to Ben Franklin. They turned him down, as they did not like the idea of operating with lower margins. Without a large company behind him, Walton opted to go it alone. In 1962, he mortgaged his home and borrowed against everything he owned to open his first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas, and a neighboring town of Bentonville.

Excited about the prospects of getting discounts and selection that were previously only obtainable in the cities, rural customers came out in droves to his store. The success of his first store allowed him to expand and by 1969 he had 18 Wal-Marts in Arkansas and Missouri.

Funded solely through debt and reinvested profits, Walton decided that in 1970 he would take the company public. The IPO raised $5 million and Walton retained 61 percent of the company. The money was used to settle the company's debts and fuel further expansion. By 1980, 276 Wal-Marts were operating.

An integral component of Wal-Mart's success was it’s leveraging of new technologies to improve efficiencies and save costs. Walton knew that the key to success in a low margin business was to rigidly control his costs. Wal-Mart was, for example, one of the first major retailers to use electronic scanners at the registers which tied to an inventory control system so they could know immediately which items were selling well and needed to be re-ordered.

The success of his Wal-Mart stores led Sam to another idea - Sam's Wholesale Clubs. These would be discount stores that sold to small business owners in bulk. The idea was another big hit for Walton and by 1985 he was considered by Forbes magazine to be the richest man in America with an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion.

Similar to Ray Kroc, Sam Walton did not invent retailing, he simply changed the business model and way of doing business to make it a much more profitable venture.

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael & Associates with the goal to give entrepreneurs the Inspiration to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been interviewed by newspapers, radio stations, and television stations including The Globe and Mail, CHUM FM, CityTV, Global TV, OMNI TV, Enterprise, and the Toronto Sun. Evan's website, http://www.evancarmichael.com, is the world's #1 website for small business inspiration and strategies.
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By Annie Jennings PR

If you are a book author, expert, or wish to brand yourself to the media and are in pursuit of media placements, Annie Jennings PR recommends you develop a media site, or author/expert showcase site developed especially for the media.

Choose a website name that is easy to type and contains no unusual spellings. You want to keep the site simple and easy to use. Limit or eliminate any challenges the media might have. The first step is to name the site in a way that makes it easy and obvious.

The name of your media website, for example, could be: www.YourName.com, www.YourNameCredentials.com, www.yournamePHD.com, or if www.yourname.com is not available, buy the .TV extension meaning you would buy the www.yourname.tv.
By naming your website after yourself, the media assumes they are going to the site to find out about you, the expert or author, and of course, they are right.

It is certainly OK to have more than one website; in fact, I recommend it. Each site should have a specific strategy, that is, what do you want the visitor to do? This is also called a conversion strategy.

With a media site, you want the media to be able to obtain all the information they need to book you for the media opportunity.

With a business site, you want the visitor to find out all about your business and hire your business.

With an e-commerce site, you want the visitor to find out all about your products or services and buy them.

Observe, all three types of sites have a unique strategy. The media website should not be combined with any other type of site; especially, with an e-commerce or sales site. It seems odd that you would want the media to buy your products or services, right?

CONTACT INFO

Each page should have a header area containing the essential information about you. This should include a short list of topics or a broad category name such as "Relationships" and your contact information.

I advise against using email as the only way to get in touch with you. Why? It is not instant and does not leave the media with certainty that you will respond. How do they know you will even get the email? So they must continue their search for the perfect expert and you will most likely lose the media placement.

Certainly, never use info@, as that seems like it goes to an unmanned inbox. You can use your real email address. It will sound more convincing. Be sure the email goes directly to your blackberry. You can even let the media know that the email goes directly to your blackberry and you will respond shortly.

But ALWAYS give out a telephone number if you want media placements. You can use a cell phone or even an answering service that contacts you the second the media calls them. The best choice is the most direct route to you!

YOUR BIO PAGE

If you have credentials, let the media know right away. The more credentials and accomplishments you have in your area of expertise, the better your chances are of being chosen by the media for the placement.

Also include all of the topics you can discuss, as well.

Be sure to lead with a great color picture of you – one that is engaging, well groomed, and offers the viewers a glimpse of your personality.

Do not use your driver's license picture!

Your bio page should be conversational in nature and not a copy and paste of your C.V. or resume. The idea is that you want you bio to tell a story about you, your expertise, who you are, and in the end, answer the one question the media has, which is, are you the perfect expert for them?

YOUR MEDIA APPEARANCES PAGE

A Demo: Short video of previous author or expert media appearances. Sending your demo DVD overnight just takes too long! No kidding. Create a short DVD as a starter demo with clips of your BEST MOMENTS. Don't have the long version of each segment as the first demo the media sees. They can always look at the rest if they like the first starter demo enough to want to know more about you.

An Audio Clip: Let the media hear you in action, but first, be sure to map out what they are going to hear. Start fast, engage fast and deliver some awesome talking points.

I highly recommend hiring a pro to help you develop and record a high-powered, blockbuster, short audio; especially for the media, packed with what they need to hear to choose you from a great engaging personality, to an action-packed pace, to lots of great information.

Your Print And Online Placements: Include a list of your most prestigious placements; including, the month and issue date of the article. If the original article is online, then by all means, link to the article.

Your Topics & Areas Of Expertise Page

Your topic page should include a list of the topics you can discuss along with titles of tips, sheets, or links to tips, sheets, or articles you have written.

The reason why you want to actually link to tips, sheets, and articles (such as Ten Smart Career Moves or Why You Should Never Ask Your Boss For A Raise On A Business Trip) is because this gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge in a variety of areas.

The idea is to present yourself and your experience in the most powerful way possible, creating certainty for the media that they are making an excellent choice in choosing you!

Annie Jennings PR has booked thousands of media placements with over 20,000 authors and experts. Annie is the creator of advanced publicity strategy, media websites, online press kits, platforms, advanced branding, HOT 35! BIG CITY & national shows radio campaigns. Free "How To Create An Online Media Kit" at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/onlinemediakit.htm Free Website Consults Audio at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicitypro.htm.
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By Joseph Kennedy

The vast majority of people in business really do not like numbers. They remember Math as being one of the hardest subjects in school. They never got interested in accounting.

Most of us go into business, because we like the thrill of designing a new product, the joy of making a sale, or simply the freedom of being your own boss; not because we love to pour through financial sheets.

When you look at how many businesses fail, and WHY they fail, you have to step back and rethink things. A venture can have the most exciting products or services ever devised and plenty of customers and STILL not make a go of it.

Why? The answer is in the financial numbers.

Most businesses don't work out because their owners and managers don't fully understand the business' financial picture. When you have a complete and accurate view of your firm's finances, you know:

* How much money you are making
* How much money you're spending
* How much money you'll make or loose in the months ahead
* Know if your product is succeeding
* Know if your advertising is a waste of time
* Know if you need to order more product, or less, or even how to make money with your unused inventory

Your company's numbers quickly tell you all this and more. So how do you get access to these truths? Most small business experts will tell you to get a good accounting program like MS Money or QuickBooks. But that's not nearly enough.

Even though these programs are good, maybe even essential, you'll need to fully understand what is going on in your company. That's why a whole industry has sprung up to supply these much needed forms, databases, and software.

Big box stores and other large retail and service organizations have always had access to this kind of advanced accounting power. They either use their own teams of in-house MBAs or sign up for very expensive outsourced financial management services.

Today you can have that same kind of expert help simply by logging onto the Internet. Many of the forms you'll need are available free. And you can gain access to even more software and databases for a very small monthly fee.

Finally, BIG company financial power is readily in the hands of small and medium-sized businesses. Make sure you make full use of these resources. Your probability of success will be far higher and you may never have to worry about your company suffering serous setbacks.

Joseph Kennedy is a veteran of the banking industry and a former computer analyst. He is founder and CEO of http://www.businessbuilderonline.com, offering extensive financial, legal, and administrative forms you need to quickly succeed in business, plus much more. info@businessbuilderonline.com.
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StumbleUpon has been one of the leading referral traffic social media networks which you should be using to boost traffic to your site/blog. You might not know that within a day if your site/blog is being stumbled by others, you might be drawing hundreds or thousands of visitors who are interested in what you have to offer. The more people who give a thumbs up and a review, the higher your chances are for your article to be exposed to others.

When you are stumbling another article, make sure that you also drop a review with relevant tagging. By dropping a review, the user will know you have given a read and he might drop by your profile and stumble sites that may belong to you as well. It will appear on your profile so that it looks more like a blog, and whatever review you give will tell others how good this article is and they will stumble further. Tagging is important as well. With relevant tags on the review, it will be sent out to others who are interested in this topic to give it maximum exposure.

Stumbling your Articles

Remember that you should try to avoid stumbling your own article, unless it is something that you think could benefit both your users and the readers on StumbleUpon-- then stumbling your own article would attract more people to see what you have.

Aim to be a Top Stumbler

This does not happen in a day, but it takes time to reach that status. Set a goal to become the TOP 50 STUMBLERS and start to stumble websites, photos and videos equally. Make sure you do not give only thumbs up and no reviews because a top stumbler does not only thumbs up, but gives a review and tagging as well.

What StumbleUpon Doesn't Want You To Know

I will now share what StumbleUpon does not intend to let you know on how you increase your status and also how you can work your way to a Top Stumbler.

Stumble more Videos and Photos

Would I be biting my own tongue if I said that stumbling more videos and photos can increase your ranks more than stumbling websites? According to my observations, a majority of the Top 50 stumblers actually have less pages stumbled on than many others but still gets ranked in the Top 50... why is that so?

The photos and videos they stumbled made a lot of difference, and it could be the way for you to become a Top Stumbler. Have you stumbled enough Videos and Photos to make this myth come true for you? If you have yet to, then do it quickly.

All in all, you need to learn how to stumble better -- don't just give a thumbs up and leave the site!

Etienne is an author and blogger who gives tips and tricks on how to make money online and strategic blogging and traffic tips. Learn how to increase targeted traffic at http://www.etienneteo.com/.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
So you need to test your new product concepts against prospects, customers, or the trade. Concept testing explores consumers' reactions to a proposed product, message, or ad.

But you have limited time to get voice of the customer reactions and insights about your concepts. And the target segment is difficult to recruit into a traditional focus group room.

Product and marketing managers face these problems all the time. The good news is that online bulletin board focus groups can help you with concept testing.

What are Online Bulletin Board Focus Groups?

The purpose of online bulletin board focus groups (BBFG) is to gain qualitative insights about prospects and customers. You want to understand their perceptions, attitudes, opinions, and behaviors about a topic.

A bulletin board focus group consists of a moderator, 10 to 20 respondents, and observers.

Moderators, respondents and observers meet on a bulletin board focus group web site. But they don’t need to meet at the same time. They can login any time during a BBFG session.

Bulletin board focus groups typically run for three days. The moderator posts questions and concepts, and respondents post their comments. Observers watch.

How Bulletin Board Focus Groups Work

The moderator recruits, screens and invites respondents to a bulletin board focus group.

But, rather than meet face-to-face, participants login to a secure (https) bulletin board web site, using a username and password.

The moderator sets the ground rules, builds rapport, and launches questions, concepts, and probes using a moderator’s discussion guide.

The moderator controls what respondents see, and when they see it: questions, concepts, and respondents’ responses.

Respondents post their comments: opinions, perceptions, attitudes and descriptions of behaviors.

Observers can direct the moderator to probe respondents’ answers. By the way, the respondents cannot see the observers.

Transcripts are immediately available for analysis. You get instant word-for-word quotes and insights.

Qualitative Product Concept Testing

This is how you use bulletin board focus groups for concept testing.

The moderator presents concepts on the BBFG web site. This is where you can show products, ads, messages and web sites. The moderator shows concepts using several formats: written descriptions, images, video clips or web sites.

Respondents mark-up concepts, using mark-up tools available with BBFG technology. For example, they can highlight words and images they like and dislike. And they can add their comments about specific items in the concept.

You gain valuable voice of the customer information about your concepts. You see specific words, sentences and images that respondents like and dislike. They reveal their feelings and thoughts about your concepts.

You can see if customers’ perceptions about concepts match up with your perceptions.

Another useful BBFG tool is “uninfluenced answers.” The moderator can control when respondents see other respondents’ posts. With the uninfluenced answer feature turned on, respondents must answer a question before they can see answers from other respondents about the question. The moderator can reduce group bias, using the uninfluenced answer feature. Uninfluenced answers are an ideal tool for concept testing.

Benefits of Bulletin Board Focus Groups

Using bulletin board focus groups, you can assess customers' or prospects’ reactions to product concepts, ads, messages and web sites quickly. You get rich, voice-of-the-customer, word-for-word quotes and actionable insights.

Plus you avoid travel time associated with traditional face-to-face focus groups and save thousands of dollars in travel expenses.

You can even interview busy executives, subject matter experts, professionals, and on-the-go people who don’t have time to attend face-to-face focus groups.

Also, you get better geographical respondent representation than face-to-face focus groups.

BBFG is a viable research tool. Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults use the Internet (early 2007), according to PEW Internet Research. That is about 160 million U.S. adults.

BBFG is one of the fastest-growing market research tools today. Many companies are turning to professional moderators who use it.

Bulletin board focus groups are effective for concept testing. Test new product ideas, ads, and messages, and gain valuable customer insights. Use insights to develop new products and marketing programs.

Copyright © 2007, Henk Hoets. All rights reserved.

Henk Hoets is an RIVA trained professional focus group moderator and qualitative marketing research consultant.

Henk has moderated hundreds of focus groups and in-depth interviews for major corporations, and small and medium businesses.

He is the founder of Hendriks Research, a qualitative marketing research firm. He also is a former product and marketing manager and 20-year veteran of the wireless industry. He holds an MBA.

For more information about online focus groups and focus group moderating, please visit http://h-focusgroups.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Becoming a top stumbler is the ultimate goal when you use StumbleUpon. I have not reached it yet, but I know it's out there.

I believe that if you follow just a few steps every day, you will reach this peak. Yes, "top stumbler" and "top stumblers" are keywords in StumbleUpon, but don't confuse them with becoming a Top Stumbler. Top Stumblers are chosen by the moderators of SU.

My friend, Brian, from NowSourcing.com, wrote an exceptional article on the flocking behavior and the effect that any social media site has. People are curious about other people, and like people flock together where there is good content. This is what makes StumbleUpon such a marvelous site.

To get Top Stumbler means that:

1. You are posting frequently,

2. You are tagging your posts with "top stumbler" and "top stumblers",

3. You have close to-- if not over-- the 200 friend limit, and

4. You are using the "Stumble" button to view other web pages from other Stumblers.

The average number of votes for a Top Stumbler is around 18,000. These are the three basics that were written about previously, plus the additional task of stumbling pages yourself. The mechanisms will take over and you will get Top Stumbler on the basis reviews as well as votes.

Previous articles on Secrets of StumbleUpon are linked in the author's information at the end of this article for your convenience so you can read up on the basics:

1. Introduction

2. Fresh Content

3. Tagging Your Posts

4. Making And Keeping Friends

Some clarification on #4:

Reviewing a person's site and then contacting them with a request to be added to your friends list is the easiest way to make friends. There is a wide choice of friends in StumbleUpon, even though it may not be the largest social site around. There are 3,698,021 registered Stumblers, so this should not be much of a problem.

I would not recommend making a person your friend until they show up as having subscribed to your pages in the friends tab, otherwise you end up with a lot that will just need to be deleted. Also, check their active date on their pages tab. I usually let them go for about a month and then "Remove Friend". Anyone not interested in the pursuits that you are interested in is not going to be much help to you.

Also, use the "Send To" button to "force stumble" your friends. Put in a brief message to get their attention. When they hit the stumble button, your page will show up. Guaranteed traffic! Takes about 30 minutes.

Eventually, you will also start getting pages sent to you from your friends. Help them out by voting! And remember this when you get a thumbs down. A thumbs down counts as a vote. It is a good thing, not to be taken badly. You expect others to take your thumbs down graciously when you give it out, don't you? You will not make many friends if you do the knee-jerk reaction and get defensive.

I appreciate the opportunity to share the information I have learned with you. This is by no means is the last post on this subject as long as I am a SU user, even though-- from a basics point of view-- this may be considered the last of this series.

The cumulative visit statistics from StumbleUpon for each of these posts:

1. Introduction - 291 (submitted on 10/1/07, 22 days)

2. Fresh Content - 692 (submitted on 10/2/07, 21 days)

3. Tagging Your Posts - 1702 (submitted on 10/13/07, 10 days)

4. Making And Keeping Friends - 1737(submitted yesterday 10/21/07, 1 day)

Anyone else see a trend?

Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science, Is A Cardiac Computer System Administrator As Well As An Authority On Developing Home Based Internet Businesses Part Time. Read the series of articles on Secrets of Stumbleupon at http://www.moxie-drive.com/blog/2007/10/secrets-of-stumbleupon-becoming-top.html.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
One of the things that many Internet marketers do is run forums. Let's face it, getting a nice active forum going can be the key to making a nice income online. The problem with running your own forum, unfortunately, is that you're going to have to deal with forum spam. It's a big pain in the backside, trust me on this. So how do you deal with it? This article is going to give you a few no-nonsense methods to deal with forum spam.

The first thing you need to do is get moderators. There is no way that you're going to be able to run a forum on your own, especially if it gets popular. Moderators are a must in keeping a forum clean. Offer your moderators incentives to do the job. Maybe give them the right to occasionally post ads, especially if you're running a non-ads forum.

The next thing you need to do is use Captcha to keep forum spam down. This will at least stop the spam robots from posting. Yes, there is automated software that will post spam without the person having to go to the forum physically. By using Captcha, the robots will be stopped cold in their tracks.

For the real live human spammers who don't seem to want to give up, there are a few things you can do in order to discourage them.

The first thing is to ban their IP address. In many cases, these people are running off of a static IP address. In the cases where you're dealing with people who are using computer cafes to do their spamming, this isn't going to be much help. But you will cut down slightly on spam by banning IP addresses.

When all else fails, turn the forum into a paid access only forum. This will definitely keep the spammers away. While you may end up losing some of your members, the really serious ones will stay and you'll end up making an income directly from your forum. If you don't want to go that route, you can try disabling signups to your forum for a few days. This will discourage many spammers and hopefully send them on their way.

Dealing with forum spam is not fun and it's a war that isn't easily won. However, by following the above tips, you can greatly cut down on your forum spam.

To YOUR success,

Steven Wagenheim

Tired of busting your behind for peanuts online? Go to my web site and find out how I earn a monthly income that exceeds 5 figures and how I can help YOU do the same. Get your free report at http://www.mysecretarticles.com/report.html.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
The majority of Internet Marketers are always looking for some additional places to promote products for free and get some free traffic. But when thinking about this, did you ever consider "Forum Marketing"?

There are loads of Internet Marketing Forums and even highly specialized forums for almost any niche market. They all serve many purposes. First of all, they are an informational resource, but did you know that they can also help you to grow your business?

- By contributing posts with valuable information and by being active in the forum, you can easily brand yourself as an expert in your niche and everybody likes to buy from experts rather than from the "average Joe".

- By posting regularly to these forums you can also generate a flood of backlinks to your site.

- By promoting your website with your signature tag, you will get a lot of free traffic to your sites and sales you never would have made without that.

The first trick to doing this successfully is to properly utilize the signature tags of your postings, because it’s only this little signature tag that is promoting your website, product or service. Look at the terms of every forum to make sure your signature lines comply with the rules. Then make your tag eye-catching, sticky, create it like an email headline so that it attracts the reader to click the link and read more.

And please: don’t contribute just "Me, too!" posts or silly questions.

The second trick is the information value of your post. You have to really show some expertise to the forum members to get them interested in what you have to offer and to encourage them to click on your signature lines.

Follow these simple steps and do not to blatantly advertise your business, but contribute valuable content and in a short time, you will see fresh and targeted traffic coming to your site. You have built trust and credibility within the forum community and this will pay! Not only will you make more sales, you will have backlinks from an authority site with a high Page Rank and that means additional search engine traffic!

The critical point in forum marketing really is: do respect the community, be patient and contribute value to place yourself as an expert. And do not even think to spam the forum using some tricky software tools. You will be banned immediately.

If you do it the right way, forum marketing will become a powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Gitte Dabek is a home business expert. She is running a website listing and rating legitimate home business opportunities. If you are interested to read more about the Top Home Business Opportunities, visit her at http://www.top-home-business-opportunities.net.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Black Hat SEOss will definitely impress you with all the aces up their sleeves, but if you do not want your website to be black-listed by popular search engines such as Google, then it is recommended that you try other better options that are available. Generating traffic to your website is no doubt important, but if you have long-term business plans then you need to realize that what is even more important is building and maintaining the credibility of your website. It is only when credibility is maintained that you can you hope to retain users on your website and, most importantly, motivate them to buy products or services that you might be selling through your website.

So, what is the best way of building credibility? Well, the truth is that there are many ways of doing that. However, if you are looking for the best solution, then I will recommend that you opt for forums that act as the perfect platform for user interaction. You see, when you start a forum on your website, what happens is that users develop positive perceptions about your website-- something that helps a lot in building the desired level of credibility. Since forums are places where users are allowed to share their views and experiences, both negative as well as positive, it naturally leads to a feeling of communion amongst those who throng your website. This helps a lot because users then feel more at ease while using your website or when buying products and services that you might be offering through your website.

Building credibility through forums should be your first priority because by doing so you not only increase traffic to your website, but also reduces costs and improves profitability of your online business. This becomes a possibility because when you have a successful forum, you no longer have to invest huge amounts on Internet marketing or hiring writers, bloggers, and SEOs. All the marketing and content gets done automatically by forum members without you having to spend a single penny. Even the mundane SEO tasks such as keyword optimization get done in the process and that, too, without raising the hackles of search engines, something that is always a possibility with SEO-assisted optimization techniques. You see, when users discuss topics related to your website, it automatically leads to the requisite keyword insertions, something that the search engines are most likely to take notice of in a positive way. That’s the magic of forums!

So now that you understand the importance of building credibility through forums, it is all up to you how well you implement that on your website. However, before you actually start a forum, you need to take certain precautions because just like any other technique, forums too have their limitations and disadvantages, especially when not used in the prescribed manner. You may be planning to get the best forum software, but believe me, if you do not know the tricks and techniques involved, you will not be able to make much progress even with the most advanced software programs. So, instead of risking your investments, I would recommend that you first learn the intricacies and the tricks of the trade.

Ryan Chua is a professional IT and Onlne marketing consultant for the past 5 years. Ever since running his own traffic and profit-generating websites, he has been teaching others how to do the same for their own online endeavours. For more information, visit http://www.ForumSecretsRevealed.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Whenever we hear of internet confrontations, we think of crazy people online doing whacky stuff. That is not always the case. "Internet beef" is among the bulls with extremely sharp financial horns. Yes, we're talking about the top internet companies "on steroids" ! Google, YaHoO, Microsoft, eBaY, MySpace and the underdog slowly taking over- Facebook.

MySpace is reported as losing a slight grip on new user signups, due to prohibiting it's users from promoting their URL addresses and e-commerce business on their personal pages. Savvy web publishers desire to utlize the power of MySpace, not just to ask people to buy something, but it's also a great backlink from MySpace to have your domain name linked to. If you go to Alexa and type in MySpace to view their traffic rank, you'll see that it ranks at 6. A ranking of that number on Alexa simply equals out to be well over a billion times over in logins, logouts and new user signups daily. MySpace also prohibits the use of widgets in loading your personal content into and placing it on your page. If you have any kind of affiliate links, Google ads or anything that generates income for yourself, your MySpace account will be instantly deleted.

Google is reported to have bought more companies. Their secret plans are to create search engine friendly widgets, so that they can embed and offer these tools to users of the affiliate-owned companies they have been purchasing left and right. As Google knows they are late, Facebook has Google by the balls in creating social networking applications so that users can increase the social networking effectiveness of their personal pages. And, if you think about it, Facebook will soon have MySpace on its knees. Today, Facebook offers over 8,000 widgets. Google plans on firing back soon with their new social network called "Open Social".

These companies are all at war to grab our loyalty. They offer so many free services. If you look into the deeper picture, the more free stuff they offer, the more ad revenue they generate for their company. If you think hard enough, the same ad revenue they generate, you can too for yourself. How so? They use Google Ad Sense & affiliate links just like everyone else. The key is to network with people, use free widgets to syndicate your content, write good search engine copy, signature forums with your URL links, build many personal social pages and backlink them with your content. More content equals more traffic which equals more money for you, just like how the big boys do!

Shawn Drewry is the CEO of http://www.DrewryOnline.net

He was born & raised in Brooklyn, New York & has been in the working world for 10 years, including corporate America. As much as he did well in his jobs, someone somewhere he worked with or even the employer themselves found some reason to wrongfully terminate him. He has learned the hard way to become an independent person, breaking the shackles of traditionally following the working class.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Web 2.0 offers the next generation of online marketing tools, enabling businesses to harness the power of the Internet to reach customers in unique and varied ways.

Web 2.0's primary focus is getting people together to share their expertise and thoughts through social interaction. Web 2.0 principles embrace those tools and services with social networking applications.

Just as the open source movement changed the face of software development, so has Web 2.0's open source content model changed online marketing-- a change which has the potential to accelerate your business' profits.

Think YouTube, MySpace, del.cio.us, Technorati, Digg and Flickr. These are only a few of the more popular services which have revolutionized the way businesses are reaching their online target markets.

If you are considering jumping into Web 2.0 marketing, use the following tips to help you integrate Web 2.0 into your marketing arsenal.

1. Simple but not easy: Contrary to many claims, Web 2.0 marketing takes hard work and creativity to stay ahead of your competition. Your content will have to be tended to and updated continuously. Make sure you dedicate enough time and budget to keep multiple projects running. Like any marketing strategy, time and patience are critical. Committing to a long-term strategy is ideal.

2. You have to be appealing: Adding fresh and interesting content should be a priority. News becomes old fast. This is when you will have to step up your creative activity. Experiment with podcasts, quirky background information, and news about upcoming events.

3. Check your spin at the door: People who engage in social networks do so either to share knowledge or gain new knowledge, not necessarily to buy something. Recycling old information without offering anything valuable up front is detrimental. There's no getting around it-- you must give first before you can get. If your first response is to sell, people will take notice and you will eventually be pushed aside.

4. You must stay active: Web 2.0 marketing is a two-way street that allows a business to interact with a buyer on a familiar level. You can join in by including videocasts, blogs and wikis on your own site. But, creating your own social network is only half the story. You have to be willing to seek out and participate in other active online communities.

5. Authenticity required: The internet is conducive to anonymity on every level. However, using web 2.0 marketing makes you part of a community. Misuse of that very anonymity that encourages participation can hamper or ruin your plan. You have to be willing to encourage participation without encouraging abuse.

6. Get thick skin: Not everyone will say positive things about your business. Quite the contrary. You will more than likely have to prove yourself before you're given the privilege to participate, much less sell. The way in which you handle critics will go a long way towards demonstrating your poise under difficult situations. No one likes a cry baby.

7. Multimedia rules: Traffic statistics on video sharing sites tell a tremendous story about where consumers are spending their time online. With bandwidth costs continuing to decrease, consumers' appetite for the multimedia experience will only grow. This presents an amazing opportunity for those businesses willing to invest in the latest online communication technologies.

Web 2.0 is still in its infancy. Consumers have already shown they are willing to participate in open source communities. Content, especially multimedia content, will continue to be the deciding factor in whether a business succeeds or fails online. Are you ready for the Web 2.0 marketing challenge?

Relativity is pleased to offer [http://www.relativitycorp.com/]Web 2.0 Advertising - Web 2.0 Marketing - Web 2.0 Promotions - iMedia services to the internet business public. You can download a free e-book with our latest insights into the Web 2.0 marketing world by signing up to our list at [http://www.relativitycorp.com]http://www.relativitycorp.com. We look forward to providing you with fresh creative information and insight into this emerging industry.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
The Internet is continuously evolving. It has been incorporating all current technology into its domain and has thus stood the test of time and storm. From video conferencing to class sessions delivered online, it has touched almost every aspect of life. But none has been as popular as Instant Messaging, which gave birth to smiley icons, a product of man’s quest to make cyberspace as social as possible.

Smiley icons are sequences of characters and symbols which represent different facial expressions, human feelings and sometimes even social gestures. They were first developed in an attempt to make the web as humanly social as possible. Later on, however, they were extended to represent all forms of humor, nationalism, celebrities and all kinds of things. And yes, it is still developing.

So, what are the most popular classes of smiley icons?

Emotions: Smileys are used to represent most human emotions. The most popular ones are smile, frown, wink, laugh, mock, tongue sticking out, etc. These are very frequently used in chat rooms and online forums.

Cartoons: From smiley icons of fat guys scratching their pot bellies to other weird symbols, there are a whole bunch of cartoon smileys that may have quite a lot of appeal to you and your lifestyle. All you have to do to get these smileys is search them online and follow the instructions to download them.

Ideologies: Since people of all faiths, creeds and nationalities partake in the discussions at the forums and chat rooms, some smart guys came up with smiley icon that represented religious symbols, socio-political identities like national flags and others. If you have been wondering how that guy that you always meet in the chat room gets to display a waving US flag, now you know.

Celebrities: Celebrities are more like gods nowadays. There are people who have made a fortune just writing about them. So it shouldn’t surprise you that we now have some emoticons that represent them. From politicians like former president Jimmy Carter :(=) to celebrities and TV characters like Pamela Anderson &:-)3 or Alladin @:-) , there are many classes of icons that represent most things we care about, and these icons are continuously evolving.

If you want to master the arts of the internet world, you have to learns its ways and be a part of its cyber culture, which includes understanding and rightly using smiley icons to deliver warmth to your online posts and break the ice created by the screen.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on smiley icons and animated smiley faces at http://www.smileyicon.net and http://www.smileyicon.net/animate-your-messenger-conversations-with-animated-smiley-faces.html.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
What is this mystical thing called Web 3.0 that everybody is waiting for? It's like the silhouette of a stranger through the dense fog. Man or Monster? Friend or Foe? That is the nature of predicting the future. From afar, everything looks good. From up close, it's a mess. The good news is we can affect the future, the future is not some inevitable result assigned to us.

What will Web 3.0 look like? Let's start with how the web has evolved and go from there.

What happened?

In the old days, you really needed to read a whole book to get all the nuggets of knowledge from an author. With search engines, you can get to what you need faster and faster. So more people can now publish more ideas. Referred to as Web 1.0, static websites have sprung from every corner of the world.

Fast forward to today. The core of Web 2.0 is the latest generation of user-contributed content.

The unit of communication has shrunk dramatically. Instead of publishing a book or article, we can publish a simple blog. Just a few words and we're done.

The speed of publishing has increased dramatically. It's now lightening fast, from the author's very first thought to the moment the reader understands it.

Multi-user collaboration has become massively parallel. Forums, chats-- people are communicating everywhere.

With Web 2.0 applications, anyone can easily set up a blog or a shop on eBay. Or even join the major Web 2.0 sites like Wikipedia, Facebook, and Digg. These sites provide dynamic user-contributed content. People now flock to Web 2.0 sites because they can find any idea, or any community.

What's Missing?

So if things are so good, what's wrong?

Well, Google often returns a whole bunch of garbage, because it can't read our minds. That's because search terms aren't expressive enough. Search terms are not sufficient to provide your meaning, your context. There are billions of pages out there now, with text that can only be understood after being read by humans. So with search results, we must wade through pages and pages before we get what we're looking for.

So to solve this problem, why not make these billions of pages contain the meaning, not just the words? Why not create an engine that understands your meaning, instead of just today's simple search terms? Will that work?

What's Not Happening?

Web 3.0 has been touted as the savior. So what is it?

It's been 6 years since the prediction of the Semantic Web evolution, with RDF, OWL, SPARQL, RIF, metawebs, and ontologies. It's a deep mess. You have to be either crazy or a genius to figure that stuff out. Another faction has Web 3.0 pegged as becoming a service, somehow transforming unstructured information into structured information. Somehow, if machines talk to each other more effectively, people can access the right information quicker. That's wishful thinking.

Why will this grand vision of Web 3.0 involving intelligent machines never happen? Because humans will never be surpassed by machines in judgmental intelligence. To be interested in certain things-- that is a uniquely human trait. To belong to groups-- that is another human trait. Because a machine-generated solution, regardless of how advanced, cannot replace humans. In the end, only humans can help other humans.

What's Next?

Web 3.0 is about ideas and knowledge. It's not about shopping or entertainment. Technology-wise, we're ready for the next generation of the web, the real Web 3.0. We have everything we need to create that vision. Let me describe that vision.

Different words have different meaning to different people. Different people are identified by different demographics. There's no need for the machine to understand all that meaning stuff. As long as people understand, and communicate with the smallest possible unit of related meaning: The question and answer.

By simply matching questions with other similar questions, and by grouping the answers from all the experts, users are given access to the best possible knowledge available from all perspectives. You can thus learn at a much faster rate, bypassing the uninteresting noise for the interesting nuggets of knowledge.

Are You Ready?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by providing accurate demographics, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by asking what you're interested in, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by answering what you know, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by rating what you like, wouldn't you?

The next generation of the web will make use of what we like, what we know, and what we've done to give us what we need. Based on our recent search history. Based on our demographics. Based on our ratings, our questions and our answers.

Given your usage, the system should know what you're interested in, and should show you questions based on the community you naturally belong to. So you will not have to avoid people you find annoying ... the system will segregate you naturally. Also, other people similar to you will, through their ratings, constantly be finding things that are interesting to you. This system is adaptive, so that as your interests change, your search results change with you.

The good news is Web 3.0 is here. And it's simpler than anybody would have thought. The bad news? It's just not what anyone expected.

We are trying to start our vision of Web 3.0 at http://www.helpglobe.com. Come join us!]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
When you are beginning your internet network marketing business, it is likely that you will be on a shoestring budget. One of the first things that you need to do with internet marketing is to build your own list. This list will be comprised of targeted prospects that are interested in the niche market that your business focuses on.

Participating in forums is an excellent way to quickly begin generating targeted traffic. Responsible and targeted forum marketing can help you do this. You need to find forums related to your niche market. Posting frequently and answering members' questions is the first forum marketing tip. Put your unique selling proposition in your signature with a link to your website. If people like what you have to say, they will visit your website. This article discusses six forum marketing tips to help you build that targeted list.

Forums are online communities where members interact with each other through posts. A distinguishing characteristic of a forum is its specificity. Forum threads are very topic-specific. These threads discuss one topic only.

Here are six forum marketing tips to help you generate ongoing targeted traffic.

1. Determine your expertise and find appropriate forums that you can join. Look for active forums that have topics related to your business or expertise. Create new threads there, offer your knowledge, and help others--frequently. This will build your integrity and expertise.

2. Create a linked signature and include it at the end of your posts. Do not use an affiliate link.. You can use this to sign your posts. This signature must lead to your web site. The traffic you generate from it is very highly targeted.

3. Manage your forum affiliations. Do not try to post replies or threads in every forum. Find five to seven forums where you will become active and then ramp up so you make at least five forum posts daily.

4. Create interesting threads on the latest 'hot' topics. You will see that a lot of people are talking about a certain problem and are trying to find the right solutions for it. You can create a thread which offers your solution in a step-by-step format. This will continue to build your integrity and expertise.

5. Reply to existing topics with quality answers. Look for questions which people post because they want to know more information about it. Reply to the topic with a quality answer. If you do this often, people will look to you as an expert and will start to respect your opinions. They will then enter your prospecting funnel to get more information from you because they trust you.

6. Use a system to save and track your forums and posts such as Forum Fortunes, which saves a lot of time because it saves and tracks all of your posts and forums.

Following these forum marketing tips will help you establish yourself as an expert, develop trust and build relationships. Many people will contact and join you because of the information, help and assistance you continue to provide.

Jon Roussel is a successful internet marketer in Beverly, MA. He helps people succeed with a home-based business that will generate a long-term reliable leveraged residual income. Learn more at http://www.jonroussel.ws, Jon Roussel's Website.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
There are many effective little techniques that encourage forum posting. One of the tricks that helps to encourage forum conversation is to end some of your posts with leading questions. "What do you think?" "How do you do it?" "Does anyone know how to ____?" Questions give an easy opening for the next person to post, just as they help foster conversation in real life.

If you start a new thread, it often is more successful if your first post is short and asks a question, as opposed to being several paragraphs in length that cover a topic more thoroughly. This is kind of surprising because you might have thought a longer post would be more intriguing, but try it and see! You'll notice a difference. So, even if you've thought about a topic a lot, try not to say much in the first post. This lets other people be "experts" too, and they will enjoy the conversation.

In writing classes they often teach you to write strong. Strong writing is well thought out, authoritative, doesn't use the word "I," has good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. But on a forum, it can intimidate others so that they won't post. If instead you say, "I think," "Gosh, how do you spell that?", include personal stuff, and so forth, it makes the writing less formal and more like you're sitting across the cafe table from an old friend! This makes others comfortable so they are more likely to open up.

Compliments about what someone posted before you also helps many of the readers to be comfortable posting because they interpret it as a friendly, gentle place. Whether face to face or online, other people will like it when they receive positive comments or are asked questions. It simply makes people feel like they are being listened to, and we all like that!

Timing is also important in encouraging good conversation on a forum. It's better to post two or three responses at a time every three or four hours, than to sit down once each evening to post because it keeps the forum fresh and people get the feeling someone is always there for them to talk to. If they check in an hour or two after they posted and they see responses, well, of course they'll be more likely to get involved in the forum than if they have to wait a day for a response.

Social network users, visit http://www.wishafriend.com/ac/holidays/christmas/ for Christmas MySpace comments. You can also find Christmas MySpace graphics at http://www.wishafriend.com/graphics/holidays/christmas/, and find Christmas Layouts at http://www.wishafriend.com/layouts/christmas/ to add to your profile.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
If you look at the online market today, you will be able to observe that there is major competition online. This major competition has motivated internet companies to continue coming out with new and innovative products in order to have an edge on the competition. This is the main reason of their sustained success amongst a competitive market. That is why having a product launch plan is very important for online success. Here are four easy ways to get started with a successful product launch plan.

When you create a product launch plan, it is very important that you have an understanding of your target market. If you release a product amongst an audience that has no interest in your product, then your product launch plan was a tragic failure. Therefore, you must really know your target audience before you come up with a product launch plan. Also, it is important that you launch your product during a time when there is maximum demand for your product in the market.

With a good product launch plan, it is necessary that you market and presell your product before the actual launch date. During this time, you must use as many methods of advertising as you can to get your message out. The internet has turned out to be the perfect medium for pre-launching successful product releases. Just put ads to your product on high-traffic websites that are closely related to your target market. Remember, a successful product launch plan always takes into account the target audience that it is marketing to.

You should always include attractive bonus offers with your product when you begin to come up with your product launch plan. Including bonuses and alluring offers with your product will improve the success and earnings gained from the launch. Another proven product launch plan is to keep the price low initially during the launch, then raise the price to normal after a few days.

Melvin Perry is an internet entrepreneur that specializes in building large email lists within a matter of weeks. He currently teaches marketers via free step by step videos how to earn thousands monthly through the list-building model via free step-by-step videos. You can snatch these videos at no cost by visiting http://www.list-building-videos.com FREE Internet Marketing Videos.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Instant Noodles are probably one of the greatest inventions of all times. The strange thing is that they really are not instant and really are not a new invention. They are just the same old noodles in a new package and marketed a little differently.

There has to be a lesson to be learned when this product is given a closer inspection. Here is something (the noodle) that is hundreds, maybe even thousands of years old. Yet it is now one of the most profitable food niche markets in existence today. Whether it is ramen, canton, bihon, pancit or whatever name it is known by locally, the concept is actually very amazing.

Anyone can purchase these same noodles for much cheaper if they buy them in bulk; bulk in this case being buying them by the kilo or by the pound. Throw in a little bouillon cube and voila, instant success.

So what is the lesson to be learned here from this marketing wonder? Is it that everybody needs to find a product that is hundreds or thousands of years old? That is hardly the case. The whole point is that anything can be sold and profited on if it is packaged correctly.

Who was the first one who packaged the noodles in portions that were suitable for one person? While nobody may know their name, it is certain that it could be looked up. Either way, if they patented the idea, there is a strong chance that they are not among the working-class people anymore.

Somebody once said that everything worth being invented has already been invented. This is probably not the case either. The sad fact of the matter is that most people will not ever come up with a patentable idea that will allow them to retire in the lap of luxury.

The whole idea behind marketing; whether it is marketing an idea, a product or information on the internet, or providing something tangible in a store; the concept is the same. Marketing and recognizable packaging has a lot to do with it, but it is mostly in the presentation.

These people offered nothing at all that was new. They repackaged it and advertised it as a convenience. Given the hectic pace in the world today, that concept is what sold the product. They knew what buttons to push to get people to buy.

It can be said that not everybody is going to have a life-changing idea or concept. That does not mean that they cannot get rich with the proper marketing. Finding a product that can be sold is an important factor. Creating a need or a desire is as important to success as is creating a sense of urgency to have that one product in particular. Closing the deal is easy when everything is packaged and presented properly. Making sure that the product is easily recognizable will generate return business, but that is another article.

Ward Tipton has been writing SEO and SEM materials for over three years now and has recently become involved in providing new and unmatched materials by an actual Work Team comprised of professional writers, technicians, engineers, editors, Internet Marketers and a gathering of talent heretofore unmatched in the world of Internet Marketing. Visit Ward at http://wardtipton.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DNe_227/user/index.php
Very seldom do you visit a web site that is free and clear of any banner advertising. We always have to scroll past banner ads. They literally appear everywhere these days, whether the adverts are at the very top of the page, running down the right side of the page or at the bottom of the page. And let’s not forget the infamous pop-up ad! Each banner ad is vying for our attention, wanting our clicks to raise their profile and web site traffic. The very idea behind the advertiser running a banner advertising campaign is to increase their web site traffic by drawing you in with their ad.

You may notice the ad promising you information on something unbelievable or an offer that you can’t pass up! The banner advertising will be a well-crafted message with action verbs that serve as a call-to-action. This call-to-action is typically you clicking the advertisement and boosting their web site traffic. Good banner advertising is typically brief, clever and informative while also leaving the viewer wanting more – giving them no choice but to click the ad!

There are only a few seconds to entice people into clicking your banner advertisement and potentially becoming regular web site traffic, frequent visitors, paid subscribers or customers at your site. It is important to avoid two common mistakes in banner ad creation.

Many times, someone will mistakenly feel the need to be obnoxious with their ad in an effort to make their banner advertising stand out from other ads. There will be constant animation, tons of Flash, celebrity pictures, sound effects and loud colors. You want your banner advertising to lift web site traffic rather than annoy every set of eyes your ad will meet. Also, be conscious of the content of the web sites that you are placing your banner advertising on.

In general, most graphic designers, when it comes to banner advertising, follow the KISS method of