Freebies -- Good Deal or a Waste of Time?

There are a great number of "free" things available on the Internet. Some of the offers are real and some aren't. There are legitimate reasons for free offers. Sellers give away free samples, for instance. That's why there are wine-tasting rooms, test-drives for cars and the opportunity to try on shoes before you buy them! Sellers want you to buy their products and are willing to let you try them out to some extent to convince you to buy. And so there are promotions of various types out there, which can be a good deal for the participants. But tread carefully! There ARE nuggets to be found, but all that glitters is not necessarily gold!

For example, a search on "free antivirus" at www.dogpile.com, yields 100+ hits. They run the usual spectrum of most free offers, from genuine giveaways to outright "sucker traps" that just want your address so they can drown you in spam!

They can be categorized as :

1. Genuine
2. Free but donation requested
3. Time Based
4. Free but paid for by others
5. Free Sample
6. Marketing key word tricks
7. Bait and Switch address thieves.

Let's look at each of these categories.

1. Genuine. For anti-virus software there are some programs out there that are really free, just for the downloading. Some perform very well against the well-known annual-fee offerings, even beating them in various ways.

They give good advice, "...when picking out your antivirus solution...first of all you want to make sure you get an antivirus program from a trusted source. Doing a little research on the internet(websites like this) will help you identify who the trusted providers of antivirus software are. Always find multiple sources of information, that way you are more than likely to find a software product you can get help with and that won't be filled with spyware and adware."

2. Free but donation requested. These are free, but they ask you to make voluntary donations. Also in this category are those that offer a limited capacity version, such as do Note Tab (text manager) and Zone Alarm (firewalls) for free, then try to get you to upgrade to the paid version. These are legitimate marketing ploys, and maybe the free version will be all you really need.

3. Time Based. Free to try for 30 days, $30.00 if you decide to keep it! Not unreasonable. Like a test drive. Many software products use this approach. Some will just not work after the trial period; others will periodically degrade their capacities, encouraging you to buy. For example, www.goodsol.com has a solitaire program that starts degrading after 30 days. After 60 days or so they shut down the take-back-the-last-move feature! Maybe by that time you are addicted to the game and go ahead and buy the full-capacity version. Or maybe you just play VERY carefully!

4. Free but paid for by others. Paid by advertising (like yahoo mail and hotmail) is legit. Like commercials on free TV. Somebody's got to pay the cost of providing the service! Spyware and adware are not O.K. Their purpose is to track your Internet movements for marketing survey purposes or deliver pop-up ads to you at random unexpected times. If you download any program of which you are at all suspicious, run your anti-spyware program(s) after using them.

Spyware and adware must "call home" to report and get new ads, so you should severely restrict which of your programs you allow to access the Internet.

5. Free Sample. Fair enough if it is legit, but remember the fisherman offers the fish free worms! In anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, many vendors offer a free online checkout of your system to see if it has viruses or spyware on it. Most are honest. Some will "plant" a few of what they are supposed to protect you against, and then "find" them, to great fanfare, just to prove that THEY are finding things that your current program can't!

6. Marketing key word tricks. The word "Free" sells! Marketers know this and put the word "Free" in their headings and where search engines will look. So when you search on "free anti-virus download" a marketer's "Download a free scan" offer will match on two words, free and download. The majority of hits on your search will probably be from this type of word trick site.

7. Bait and Switch address thieves. The Internet is cracking down on spam. Pushy salesmen are getting desperate for email addresses to which they can "legitimately" mail offers. To get addresses they offer all sorts of outrageous (and some almost reasonable) free offers. "Congratulations you have just won a Sony laptop computer!", followed by a request for your home and email address so they can send it to you (sounds reasonable enough, to get your Sony laptop). This is followed by requests to answer a "survey", then questions about your interests, occupation, etc. etc. What is really happening is that they are getting a profile of you to help them sell your address to their customers! Finally, it turns out that to "finish qualifying" for your gift, you have to buy something, then something else, etc. The free laptop (the bait) has been switched to being required to buy junk you don't need that ends up costing you more than it would to go out and buy the laptop!

And the next day there are 40 or 50 new emails in your inbox offering things that they claim that YOU asked about!

In summary, with a little research you can find worthwhile free items on the Internet. Using common sense you can avoid most of the problems. Ask yourself, what's in this for the seller? How can he give it to me for free? And remember, that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if he looked, and avoided worms that had a line going from them up to the surface!

Otherwise, use caution and enjoy the many GOOD freebies that are out there!

Resource Box - Jennifer Schilling is a home business entrepreneur. Come get your free subscription at http://www.internet-business-success.biz

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FireFox Keeps Moving up

It looks like Internet Explorer has a fight on its hands for the top position. Firefox is now considered as competition for IE and they won't be going away any time soon. For me personally, I prefer Firefox hands down. What does that say about the Internet community? We had better focus on curtailing to more Firefox users. The days of IE are looking slim as there are better choices for users regardless of the operating system they are using. It's definitely a victory in my eyes for Firefox, but I guess only time will tell.

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15 Years of World Wide Web

It's hard to believe that the commercial web has been in existence for a full 15 years. What harder for me to believe is that I've been using the internet for about 13 of those years. I was one of the first people to start "surfing the net". I personally remember using AOL since 1993 or around that time.

There's a poll on CNN currently asking what the most significant part of history on the world wide web. Personally I don't think anything is significant enough to be listed in this poll but I think the dot com bust certainly brought to life a lot of what has shaped the internet since 1998. Since then, almost all of what has happened including Napster being shut down and Google gaining popularity has happened as a result. If this were a Multiple choice answer, many people would probably be voting wrong.

Here are some of the results of the poll and a bit better understanding of where the writer of the article really went wrong. I highly agree with their feedback more than the article. And personally, although Google is popular, it certainly didn't revoluntionalize the Internet.

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BlackBerry and Email Mix

The Blackberry and Email may be in jeapardy in the US because of one small firm and the case the might infringe on its patents for wireless communication. Right now an injunction is forming where Blackberry might not be working on anyone's email anymore.

If you ask me, I'm thinking this is a lose lose case for everyone. There won't be much to gain if you stop something that has gotten popular and works well with people on the move. Instead, I think people will use programs on phones which will have to make up for the lack of Blackberries. Looks more like a million dollar idea slipping down the drain. However, this ruling is only in US and there is a world out there of other people who don't have to follow what American's do.

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Can You Get a .EU Address?

Getting an .EU address might be a little harder than first inspecting. One of the rules behind getting an address is that you need to live in an EU country. The rules are outlined on the EURid website but can be summarized by the following.

Registration for these addresses begins on December 7th. To obtain an ".eu" address, a person or institution must have a postal address in one of the 25 EU member countries. But only two internet firms in Switzerland are even accredited to sell these addresses.

I'm a bit curious to see how easily one could manipulate the system by using an old address but still qualifying. I guess I'll have to read a bit more to find that answer out since I have lived in an EU country before.

It's certainly a bit different than logging onto a website and getting your desired .com address on the spot. The registration will take place in three stages with public bodies and trademark holders having the first registration ability. After that comes recognizable businesses and artistic identifiers. After every one of these assoications are finished, then the public will have a go at the registration.

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Yahoo Ads New Blogging Service

Yahoo Inc. announced it will be adding five popular blogs in the form of daily feeds to its website. The move has been sparked at an attempt to spice up the news and entertainment offerings with blogging content as they deal with rival Google around the corner.

With tens of millions of viewers, the potential to expand to the blogging audience would be a great way to gain more loyal readers. Yahoo's attempt might just work if they get the right mix of readers and bloging sites. We will just have to see if this move is a profitable venture.

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Google's Just Getting Bigger

If you thought Google had enough it already deals with, then you had better think again because Google is expanding it's services even more. The new service offers the ability to upload information onto the world wide web. It finally makes sense why they would want to do such a wacky thing given that Google's stated mission is organizing the world's information.

Launched as a "beta test" early Wednesday, Google Base has the potential to make instantly available a vast sea of content including _ but not limited to _ recipes, job ads, photos, DNA sequences, real estate listings and individual standalone databases.

Google's nifty new tool will make locating anything uploaded by users on the web nearly instantaneous. I guess we'll just have to wait around and see how this beta project turns out.

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Googling Your Genes

And you didn't think it was possible. Maybe it is...

An excerpt from the new Google Story: Googling Your Genes chapter reveals all.

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Atari Flashback 2

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that Atari has given the good old video game a second chance. I must be a bit out of the loop since one gamer found out this new back in July for an October release. But I'm glad I'm not the only one out of the loop either.

The first two versions of the Atari sold over 500,000 consoles and I was one of those families who had an Atari. I'm thinking the Flashback 2 will definitely have a great appeal for stores this Christmas. Flackback 2 is actually affordable at $30 and has 40 pre-programmed games that come inside the console.

I'd say Atari is bold coming out with such an issue, but as with Air Jordans, people came flocking to get more of what they already had. Seeing that there are a lot of older people out there (yeah I have to admit I'm not such a kid anymore too) who would really love playing Atari. This might just not be another crazy idea after all, and more of a hit, especially for the price. I'd like to see how well Atari does with their Flashback to the 80's.

The big question is Will they market their product in such a way to get those customers back?

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Recipes At Your Fingertips

I don't think too many of us would have imagined we could just sit down and look up what we wanted to make for dinner on the Internet some 15 years ago. Technology these days can make something so extravagant so easy.

After reading the directions off the Washington Post Google Recipe, I went to work. Imagine - just click onto Google, type in your dinner plans, add "recipe" and hit return. Wow - Wonton soup is that easy to find, plus it's FREE. And it's a great way to get noticed on the Internet. In fact, these days many people are getting noticed from the Internet. If you are one of those people, you know you are a success story in the making. Many people have even landed writing or books deals this way.

Who knows what other searches might bring. But I have to admit, I like what Google is offering in this search. I'm curious to see how well they will do with other searches on the Internet.

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Tamiflu a Model In Overpriced In Switzerland

Tamiflu is starting to get it's recognition since the start of the bird flu emmerged in Asia. But I'm not so sure Roche's first intent was to really market their overpriced product to unsuspecting needy people.

But A federal price supervisor has uncovered a price mark up of Tamiflu in Switzerland. My thoughts just after reading that line is it's a marketing ploy to benefit from the sole patent and take advantage of customers in Switzerland. I also see this as something the Swiss tend to do regularly as you can buy a certain camera for a much cheaper price in another country. They shared the reasons for the mark up was from the pharmacists retail margin. But a double price mark up within Europe. Hmm - something might be a bit strange there.

As I understand it, by marketing something that is sold in Switzerland as being more expensive is because of the cost for those higher paying jobs. Ah now I get it!!! Shouldn't we all start doing that? I mean wedding photographers do that on a regular basis, so why shouldn't everyone else?

There is a lot to be uncovered from just one report. I know I certainly look at price hikes a bit differently. I'm positive Tamiflu isn't the only one benefiting from a sudden need for something - Just look at the Oil industry and their profits. Start looking at where the millionaires lurk, maybe there is a way to create a need for a product with hidden motives too.

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Getting Noticed Isn't So Bad

Sometimes being single and female has it's advantage. Or at least for 53 year old Washington Post columist, it has only been a life full of advantages. Maureen Dowd saw her soft spoken self being noticed more than ever once she started writing for the Washington Post. She notes in the most recent article that Men seem to nice her more than ever.

Dowd's tallents stem off her ability to get noticed by important men in politics. Seeing that she writes about criticizing men in her column for nearly a decade, she lures men into noticing what she is saying. Often times scared that she will not offer anything original in her column, I don't think her readership is going down hill. This is one successful woman who represents a model for the rest of us, and meanwhile keeps on ticking. And from the sounds of things, Maureen is definitely getting noticed.

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Amazon Selling Book Pages

When I first looked at Amazon Pages Service new pitch, I knew it wasn't for me. But maybe selling a book by pages is for more than just me out there. But a second program called Amazon Upgrade will offer full online access when a traditional text is purchased. I can definitely see this type of upgrade selling truly taking off and making millions more in the future.

What all of this boils down to is basically paying to see a book for a nominal fee. Personally I'd rather go to the book store and browse the book for free before I buy it. I'm sure there will be many suckers who get out their credit card to buy. But that's the difference between one successful person and someone who might just have trouble staying afloat. I'm not one to be the judge of that so why not just get the entire scoop for yourself.

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Facing Spam Head On

I'm not too sure the Washington Post is up on what's happening with spamming these days. Maybe they are but are out there to alert their readers about this big problem. They certainly are more up on the terms for blogging spam, "a splog".

I'm sure if you are a blogger, you would have already figured out that spamming is rampant with blogs. There are a few measures to escape this ordeal. I'm not so sure they are aware blogging has existed for some 4 plus years now. And even since I started, I declare myself as such a late comer.

What the article speaks about which is in my mind great is about the different types of spam in blogs. Some spam is in the form of comments while others are in the form of horrible blogs that actually get into the search engines. Why? Because search engines just haven't figured out blogs yet.

I certainly think the article has good merit because the post writer points out a lot of the bad things which are happening with free blogs. I'd have to agree with one lawyer who said it's up to the creators to be responsible in helping fight spam.

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Copyright Disputes Reach New Heights

Webcasting copyrights may have reached new proportions according to the Washington Post. Unfortunately it might be more of a detriment more than anything. Battles over copying of video from television to internet could literally put some websites out of business. The problem is that most of these video casts have been considered as available for free to the public.

Basically broadcasters don't want anything shown via the web. They are pushing for 50 year rights to anything broadcasted on a television. That's quite a statement if nobody even owns those rights.

So, for example, say ABC or Yahoo offers a broadcast or webcast of a movie no longer under copyright protection, historical footage of a news event or a live feed of a breaking story -- no one could make a copy of that program and rebroadcast it to others.

This isn't exactly good news for the webcasting industry. The one fallacy I see is that the laws probably only hold true in the US. People will find ways to get around what is trying to be enforced.

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Cell Phone Technology Just Keeps Getting Better

If you thought a camera phone was high tech, you might want to think again. According to the Washington Post new Nokia forcasts out of Barcelona, new mobile phone technology is just around the corner.

Nokia has recognized their need to stay competitive in the cellular phone technology market. Cellular phones will only gain in popularity just as the cd player and dvd have in the past 10 years or so. As far as I can tell, Nokia definitely plans on staying on top with their introduction of the N-Series mobile phones. Three new models are set to be out soon. The N71 flip phone is aimed at Internet users, the N80 slider model can connect to TVs and HiFi sets in the home, and the N92 flip can receive mobile TV broadcasts. Talk about a breakthrough in technology.

Their success must stem from their ability to put a large amount of money into R&D to stay ahead of the game. At least they are realizing what they have it hot and in order to keep up with the entire market they need to keep up with Technology.

Since these phones are known as smartphones, more European countries I assume will see these phones first. It will be exciting to see the success in technology and rivalry of the top three cell phone rivals. With "hot spots" everywhere working away from the offiice could be more of a norm for most people around the world.

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Good News For Armstrongs Cause

The Lance Armstrong foundation as reported by Washington Post has successfully won a law suit against three other California based internet websites who began selling the ever popular "Live Strong" bracelets online for commercial profit.

It really makes me sick to see how many bad companies are out there on the Internet these days. I'm glad the Armstrong Foundation was able to win this case and to make sure the profits are going to the correct cause. Lesson learned here is that you had better check out your sources before buying online.

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New Blogging Technology

An article in the Washington Post today reveiws blogging tools from the TypePad service. The article makes it seem that the tools are the best thing, but really if you want the tools in the first place, wouldn't you already be paying for such a service.

The biggest problem is that these tools from TypePad are not integrated into a Mac powered computer. Many bloggers use Mac computers, so TypePad is really loosing a large part of their target audience.

The biggest problem is that all of these tools can be found for free on the Internet if you go out and look for them. This type of technology needs to be improved whichever market it might be for. If blogger can use the tools, so can any other website. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. With a pricey price tag to follow, it's better to let technology due its course in improving what it already has to offer. I guess we'll have to check back to see if their is any success in the future.

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Making Your Niche Sticky

Being Successful on the Internet is based upon finding a certain Niche. If you don't find a specific niche, chances are that you not be targeting the right traffic for your website or blog. Other niches just happen because you love what you do and it's your hobby. It's even better if you can make it "sticky".

Chauncey Canfield is part of a great web service which has found it's own niche of followers. Live365 ( http://www.live365.com ) claims to be the largest Internet Radio Network consisting of thousands of amateur deejays, including Canfield, who share their favorite tunes on the internet.

What so special about Live 365 is that allow listeners to tune in at no charge, which can attract a large group of followers. Live 365's added benefit includes the ability for people who want new music for their iPod the ability to find new tunes all commercial free.

For now, I definitely think this is a great business niche to watch in the future.

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Friday Humour

I gotta hand it to canadian expat for this one. And thought I share it because I know Ms. Mac would have a wee giggle.

Did you hear the one about the guy who had the map of Canada tattooed on his butt?

Every time he sits down, Quebec separates.

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Where are we anyways?

It never ceases to puzzle me how much I run across such vague terms every time I read from an American generated Newspaper. I guess people who are writing for the paper, somehow think we automatically know what they are talking about immediately. I mean, don't you already understand?

In one particular section for Halloween in the Washington Post today, the writer assumes we already know which Washington they are speaking of. Just imagine how lost other people are if I am not the only one with this problem. I'm not sure if this is a marketing ploy or a real boo-boo on their part to further loose readers.

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who knows which Washington Halloween bashes they are speaking of when they really mean Washington D.C. and not just Washington state. Maybe they don't care who their readers are, be it foreign or not. But they sure are loosing a lot of potential readers from their work as a result of speaking so vaguely.

Finally after reading a few paragraphs I figure out the Washington they are speaking of is close to PA. I'm glad I knew where we were, but just vaguely. Assuming you know the lingo in a certain area of the world may create a problem for your readers too.

Maybe it's a marketing lesson for all of us to learn. I'm sure they've lost their captive readers within the first 8 seconds. I'll just remember next time I am the writer to make sure I'm not loosing my target audience to a real boo-boo like that.

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Over 20 Million Blogs Strong

Technorati has some impressive information on the growth of blogs over time. Well at least the blogs they are now able to track. What really got my interest was the Blog Growth Chart technorati came up with. I don't think you exactly have to link to technorati to be a statistic but you do have to land on a page they crawl and see you are blogging about. Technology is very impressive, especially in the blogosphere.

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Is Pixel Advertising Better Than PPC

I think it was almost 2 weeks ago when I saw a tv report about an Englishman who is supporting himself through university these days through something called pixel advertising. I'm starting to figure out what it is all about. It's definitely a catchy subject because everyone is starting to do it now. What so good about Pixel advertising is how much traffic it is generating and another outlet for marketing your business.

Pixel advertising is definitely a great way to gain more popularity since the tops site are listed in the movers and shakers of Alexa. With the pixel being something that we see on our computer screen, who knows what is in store the future with this advertising medium. I'd love to see Pixel advertising become more of a main stream PPC.

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Start up Company to Watch

With just over two years of age, this company is taking off. Wouldn't you like to be part of a success story in the making like them? Biofactura is the company. Read the Post article and check them out. I'm sure they are something to look for in the near future.

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A Great New Solution to Ring Tones

You know when you buy a piece of music online for a dollar that you are probably getting ripped off somehow when you pay 2 bucks for a ring tone of that song. I'm certainly one not to be lured into the trap. With a new Ringtone maker, you might be able to stop letting the ring tones take advantage of you. According to the source of the article in Washington Post, the ring tone software is a great way to take advantage of getting your money's worth of your ring tone tune.

Once more the best part of the entire ring tones concept is that you can really personalize what you want for yourself. Certainly a great marketing ploy if you want unique and different and can still get you moneys worth long term.

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Doing Something Right

I like to keep my eyes out for people who are successful and to see what they are doing to cause chaos with what they are promoting. One guy who is certainly on the radar for more than just promoting his product is Kevin Trudeau. You know he's that guy who has caused a stir from his book "Nature's Cures" enough for the FTC to want to shut him down. You know he must have some sort of truth to what he has to say because the government obviously doesn't want you to know more about what he is promoting.


Kevin is definitely a great public speaker in my mind because he identifies a need for something and creates a sense of need to buy his product. Wouldn't you if you knew there could be a cure all in your life?

In his informercials:

He advises everybody to get off prescription drugs, even if they have serious problems like diabetes or blood clots; he reveals how multiple sclerosis can be cured by magnetic mattress pads. Source - Washington Post

One thing is for sure, he's got a few followers who agree with what he has to say. Popular celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Madonna with Kabbalah definitely follow much of what he is talking about. I would tend to agree with Trudeau because the government sensors everything they don't want you to know about. There's just too much evidence out there to prove this.

However, what really make since is that Trudeau is definitely someone to learn from. He is a great public speaker and must be doing something right if he can get his book on the New York times best seller list for over 16 weeks in a row. He's definitely one guy to learn from with all of his success so far.

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Risking Your Health From New Technology

I seriously doubt ten years ago you might have been complaining about sore thumbs from using your Blackberry of all things. You might have even asked the ever so silly question of don't you eat blackberries? With the evention of quick emailing, sore thumbs are more than just a problem.

According to a report from the Washington Post, many Blackberry users are suffering from sore thumbs. With Blackberries becoming ever so popular, I don't think the sore thumb syndrome is going to slow down. It's also a risk to your health in years to come, especially when you are older.

What would you do if you didn't have access to email while traveling. Oh just think 10 years back. I would have never thought this would be so popular. It's definitely a million dollar idea that hit the jackpot.

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Using Yahoo as a Role Model

With a surge in internet ads, it seems Yahoo is certainly doing something right. Yahoo has been experiencing an increase in sales and profits according to the Washington Post article.

So how are they successful?

By increasing their advertising in the US and abroad, Yahoo's sales have risen in the third quarter of this year. Their trick is in advertising more with yahoo email users. However, search-related advertising is by far the key to their success. Right now consumers do most of their product research through the Internet searches as reported by Yahoo.

Using Yahoo as a role model and applying what they are doing to your own business is certainly something successful business minded people should watch out for.

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How do you keep up

With the Internet changing so quickly, you need to either keep up and make the necessary changes to stay afloat or you will sink. AOL is definitely struggling with this aspect as they have been more successful with their FREE websites.

Currently AOL is only second to AOL so they must be doing something right in order to keep that many people with them. It looks like advertising and positioning is what has pulled them up from the hole. But changes are still in the works and more than 700 employees were let go.

Don't let that think AOL is not growing. They are doing quite well with all of their revenue in ads. In fact Microsoft is trying to get AOL to dump Google to Promote MSN. We will definitely have to keep an eye on the success of AOL in the near future.

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Google In Deep Water

A new report which came out today with the Washington Post claims Multi Million Dollar Search Engine Google just might be in hot water after all.

What has happened is a leading authors' organization sued Google Inc. for copyright infringement. Now the Association of American Publishers has also filed suit against the search engine giant's plans to scan and index books for the Internet.

With Google's Print Library Project, thousands of volumes will be indexed on the Internet unless the copyright holder notifies the company by Nov. 1. Sounds like their following suit of Gmail where Google can access your information if they so please.

Basically I see what Google is saying like this: We can email you if we choose. It's not spam because I'm giving you the option to opt out. Yeah right - screw your head back on straight and get back into the game Google.

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A Paperless Newspaper Delivery System

If you flash back to the year 1990, would you have thought you would be reading some headline such as the one above? I don't think too many people would have been thinking of a paperless world where Internet users have potential to make millions while working from home or anywhere in the world.

With the year 2005 approaching an end, there are a lot of inventions to think about. What would life be like when reading your newspaper from a paperless outlet source? I don't think any of these types of questions would have been raised back in 1990, but they certainly are as the Washington Post points out with it's article on Ink and Paper or 1s and 0s.

Just imagine what life would be like even 15 years earlier. Would you have that idea that could change your status in this world? Maybe you can gain something from the future if you take your million dollar idea and create into a paperless fortune. With the advent of blogs and online advertising programs, only time will tell what's in store for profiters next.

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Will Apple's New IPOD Prosper

As you might have heard, Apple unveiled it's next new product yesterday. It's now even better with it's services for podcasting now including a video IPOD. Will a New World for IPOD actually exist or will Apple start falling as their stock did with yesterdays new unveiling. The cast of ABC's "The View" Certainly think there is a good use for it. They were promoting the product already this morning to watch their tv show on the nifty new toy. You can definitely view on the run. Only time will tell but I'm sure it's a great start for great things to come in the future.

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Free Online Advertising

If you are a non-profit group, you might just benefit what Google is offering, according to a resent article in the Washington Post. Google has set up a new foundation called Google.org where it will be directing it's charitable giving as well as investing in other ways to fight poverty. With Google's corporate philanthropy on the rise since it's entry into public trading, there's no telling how far Google will be able to go in the future. I think all eyes will be on every move for Google in this future fight.

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How to Grab 3217 email addresses fast

I think a post is long overdue here. I've been a bit overwhelmed with so many projects lately. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...

I found a great article on How a Spoof Website Grabbed 3217 Email Addresses in a Matter of Weeks. If you'd like to learn about how you can test out a new system that claims it can seduce the spiders to visit ANY website, you might want to learn how to grab email addresses quickly.

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Would you like to Increase Your Profits

Here are 3 quick tips to increase profits for your home business...

1) Increase the dollar size of each order
2) Increase the number of times people buy from you
3) Increase the number of people who buy from you

Try and see if it turns you profits and gets you onto that million dollar idea...

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How To Take a Vacation

Are you one of those business owners that just passes up the chance for a "real" vacation. You work hard with your home business but it's years have passed and you guessed, you have never gotten around to taking a good Vacation.

It's not easy leaving your customers high and dry while you are out having a great time with your family at the beach. Here are a few great tips to actually feel like you are on vacation.


Tell People When You're Going Away.

Make sure everyone who has ties to your business has everything they need to manage without you while you're away. Taking a vacation during slower months of course is the best time to get away.

Change Your Answering Machine Message.

A quick and simple way to let people know that you've gone away is to change your answering machine message. This allows you to still hear what people have to say when you get back, and stops them from wondering why you never seem to answer your phone.

A good format for the message is as follows: 'Hi, this is [your name] at [company name]. I'm sorry I'm not in the office right now, but I will be back on [give a date]. If you leave a message, I will be sure to get back to you'.

Set Up an Email Autoresponder.

Similar to an answering machine message, but less commonly used for this purpose, is the email autoresponder. Again, you don't want people to wonder why their emails are going unanswered, so your best bet is to set up your email program to automatically reply to any email you get with a message saying that you've gone away.

Example: 'Hello, and thank you for your email. This is an autoresponder, as I'm away on vacation until [date]. I have received your email, however, and will respond to it upon my return. I apologize for any inconvenience to you, and I am willing to make an offer of 10% off your next order to make it up to you.' The special offer for people who get the autoresponder is a nice touch -- it makes them feel lucky that they emailed you while you were away, instead of frustrated.

Don't Stay Away Too Long.

Of course, when you go on vacation, you're relying on people being willing to wait for you. That means you can't really take the kids to Disneyworld for two weeks, or spend a month staying with a friend abroad -- it's just too long to be away from your business for.

You should regard a weekend away as ideal (it avoids the whole problem for the most part), and a week as the maximum you can allow yourself. Don't let people make you feel bad about only taking one-week vacations: after all, you could always have more than one each year.

Alternatively: Get Someone to Look After the Business.

If you really want to get away for longer, or it's essential that your customers don't have any break in service, then you could consider getting someone to look after your business. This could be an existing member of staff that you make your 'deputy', to be in charge while you're away, or it could be someone who's related to you and has some experience running a business. You could even hand the business over to a competitor that you're friendly with and share the profits with them, if you think they're trustworthy and they could handle it.

Enjoy your vacation!

Resource Box

Jennifer Schilling publishes a home business tips newsletter. Come get your free subscription at thinkingfaster@getresponse.com

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Starting a Business as a Children's Party Planner

I've got a few great ideas for someone who doesn't have a lot of start up money but wants to go into business. It may not be a million dollar business but you never know if it could turn out that way...

Start a Children's Party Business and become a birthday planner for parties. You could easily do this in your spare time and it's all about being creative with fun and games!

1. Use the Internet as your research and become an expert in the information you need.
2. Hire a friend or family member to play a clown or magician. Or just hire one.
3. Create a miniature golf course in your back yard. It's easy to dismantle.
4. Hire teens as your assistants.
5. Involve family members and the resources close to you in your neighborhood.


What child wouldn't love to live at "the party place"... Hip, happening and easy to start...

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Habits of Millionaires

I just started reading The Greatest Secret in the World. The Greatest Secret is a quick and easy read to LIVE with. The realization I have come to distinguish is that millionaires take constant ACTION.

Millionaires like this have enough m0ney to live off their wea1th and never work another day, yet they continue to amass even more.

Why??

It's simply because of the habits these millionaires have developed. Their habits lead to the right actions. Thse Actions are exactly what has brought them the su ccess they now enjoy. Bottom line is People who have built and established wea1th and success for themselves have
different habits than people who are poor and struggling.

The Greatest Secret in the World deals with behavior modification and is definitely worth the $7 it costs for the book.

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Searching for Information the Google Way

I'm sure you've been frustrated at one time or another trying to find information on the Internet. You're certainly not alone. The Internet is more like a disorganized database to which everyone can contribute. You'll see a lot of faulty information which doesn't even apply to what you are looking for categorized in the wrong place, maybe even at the wrong time.

Because of the diverse and widespread information input and the requirement to find specific information when one needs it, there is a need to bring some sort of organization to the Internet community. Today there are web directories and search engines as two of the most useful mechanisms responsible for bringing order to the Internet.

Read about how you can inhance your searches and get a bit more done on the Internet. Isn't it just a great feeling when you actually find what you are looking for....

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Viral Marketing ala Armstrong

Spreading Rumors is a form of viral marketing especially when it comes to Hollywood stars or famous singers and athletes. It's amazing how quickly a good rumor can fly, even if it is fact or fiction. Well of course I'm talking about my favorite Biker - Lance Armstrong. Lance is even considering an 8th tour! Even moreso is the fact that Lance proposed to Cheryl Crow. Way to go Lance!!!

Seeing that the French drug alligations made Lance a top ten search in Google, I'm sure if famous people can get into the spotlight, so can Internet Marketers. In fact, in the Internet Marketing world, Hurricane Katrina made a stir with some marketers...

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Millionaire Success in the making

With 15 companies and still growing, this millionaire in the making just keeps getting better. Most people who have been to Europe know of the airline company Easyjet.com from brand recognition. They have probably flown with them. Easyjet.com highly recognizable because of it's brand image of orange and white colored company that saves you money without the frills.

Now owner Stelios is adding another company to his bunch, making it 15 in all so far. EasyHotel is his newest venture and it's located in Basel. What is really neat is the price is absolutely cut throat compared to all other hotels in Switzerland.

The rates are so low because the sizes of the rooms are small. The biggest room is just 16 square meters. I feel like I'm living in Japan or something.

The multi-million dollar company is certainly doing quite well with over 100 airplanes in their fleet with a company that is just 10 years old and growing. Best is what Easy Co. gives as Stelios recently endowed this association with a further gift worth more than $600,000. In 2005 he made a pledge to his alma mater, the London School of Economics, worth £2m for the funding of 100 scholarships over 10 years. The students will be known as the Stelios Scholars.

Don't think this millionaire is about to sit back, he's got quite a few ventures in the making..

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The Apprentice: Martha Stewart cast unveiled

As most know Martha Stewart who recently got her designer bracelet off her leg, will be doing another spin off of the Apprentice. The cast was unveiled and as I am not a big tv watcher and more of a reader, I'll be all eyes to see if this is a success. As they quote the bunch of 16 as eclectic, we all will have to see if it's anything worth watching. Do you see any million dollar ideas in the making...

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Are All Marketers Liars

How authentic are your stories? Do you tell "great stories" about the products you buy or sell that give consumers a view they can relate to? Maybe you really elude your consumers to thinking something else.

I got a laugh at some of these stories eluding the sell of the product. Try buying expensive wine glasses which improve the taste of wine. I'm on that right now - Oh wait, there is a problem because Scientific proof says this just doesn't exist! Oops!

If you are a parent of a baby, you might have heard of Baby Einstein and actually watch these videos with your child. But there is one funny fact, the videotapes actually are useless for babies and are really just for satisfying parents. Oops!

In Seth Godin's Book - All Marketers Are Liars, he touches on these facts that consumers prefer fantasy to the truth, where when you market a product you will need to be authentic rather than honest when you are marketing your own product.

All Marketers Are Liars is a great book that makes you have your ideas work for you. A new idea in your business could be all that it takes to be a success. If anything All Marketers Are Liars will help you get ideas on how you can be more authentic with your writing!

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80% of New Employees Fail Within the First 5 Years

Yesterday I finally got back to some good reading. I'm still laughing inside from a post Steve Pavlina did a few weeks ago about Employees failing in the work place. The reason why I am bringing up the post is because it has a few very good hints in it along with some great sarcasm.

The comments suggest that leaving one job and moving to another certainly does not mean one has failed. The main reason why a business might fail is because they don't put enough time or effort into their business. Now they never really account the learning experiences involved in your failed business.

Enough said from me - check out the amusing post Employees failing in the work place.

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How Many No Cost Subscribers Do You Need Anyway?

I want to Show You How To Make An Email Downline Builder That Is Better Than the Rest.

If you act fast you can get in at the top of a no cost email subscriber downline. Would you like to have hundreds or more people you can email to weekly? Heard it all before? Take a
look at what makes this no cost downline builder different!

Downline Builder - Fast Ways to Build Your Downline

Simple. You just have to add more features and make it as easy
as possible to increase your downline network with less work.

There is a brand new email mailer different from all the others.
It is not enough these days to just send email. What you need
is a more guaranteed way to get your message exposed to your
contacts and, more importantly, make sure they read them!

This site will be one of, if not THE first multi level rss feeds
publisher allowing your message to be seen across thousands of
web sites and content readers around the world.

It gets even better. Since the downline is a forced matrix
(but not mlm, it is no cost) it means you could have an
even bigger subscriber list based on the efforts of your
sponsors.

The company is running a huge paid advertising campaign and
you are sure to get some extra subscribers just by joining
early. Act quick and reserve your place in my downline before
the official launch begins.

You are one of the first to know about this!

Find out more - Viral Matrix

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Creating Success

All of us want to know the secret formula to succeed. Here's a great article that touches upon two of these success secrets.

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Learning Different Ways to Search for Content

We all look for great content for our websites, but it's a known fact that many of us never really find what we really were searching for.

Here are a few quick tips to help you find that millonaire idea for your content:

1. Search Google News
2. Search Google Groups
3. Do this search (keeping in the punctuation as written):
+photography +free +filetype:pdf

As of this writing, Google shows 748,000 hits for this query. What you get here are free downloads in pdf format about your subject.

Now you can't simply copy and use it as your own information. You have to create your writing in your own words. But there's no law that says you can't summarize what you find in other people's works. To make the point, you could even call your work something like: "Survey Report: Latest from the Photography Front!"

How much easier do you find your content and millionaire ideas? For more info, read the full article.

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Driving Traffic To Your Website

Well as I was gone, my blog held up pretty well thanks to some of the traffic skills I've been working on over the past few months.

Bottomline is, you want traffic, but you need targeted traffic, so here are some tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and bring the visitors you want visiting your site to you instead of chasing after them.

1. Create Content
2. Talk about your experiences with your subject matter.
3. Build or network in forums.
4. Start a blog
5. Create your own content with writing articles.

If you'd like to find out more visit the full article on 5 simple ways to advertise online.

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Having fun with Blogshares

A great way to have a lot of fun and gain a bit of traffic in the process is setting yourself up with an account from Blogshares. I've got 2 blogs myself and while they are still under rated, I find that partially true because of the lack of knowledge I have with trading my shares. It's a great tool to play around with if you are interested..

Go to Blogshares

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Organizing Your Life To Success

Are you constantly stressed because you can't get organized at home, no matter how hard you try? Do you ever feel as if you are drowning in a sea of stuff? Are you frustrated because you are always running behind?

If so, here are a few steps towards a better organized you whether it's just in your house or for your home based business. The outcome should help you to become more of a success overall in your life.

Start with a plan. Don't try to do everything at once, or you'll get overwhelmed and give up before you even start. Junk accumulates in 4 areas: space, time, priorities, and paper/information.

Ask yourself

1. Why do I need this in my life?
2. Why do I want this in my life?
3. Why is this essential in my life?

As you use the 3 questions above, take baby steps in what will be a life-long progress that will help you be more successful and have less stress and more balance in your life.

For your online business information, organize your desktop and your email with well labeled folders, and make sure you only save information that is absolutely necessary: otherwise, you'll soon be overwhelmed. Make sure you use your excel worksheets for every aspect of your business.

Read more about how to organize your life to success

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Achieving Extraordinary Success

I've actually paired up this book with Mentored by a Millionaire because they combined make a perfect companion.

The Millionaire’s Notebook, written by Steve Scott, chronicals How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success through his trials of life in great detail. What The Millionaire’s Notebook does is gives you a sense that “I’m Surely Not As Bad As That”. This is done by detailing Steve Scotts many failures while showing that anyone can turn their life around and create success.

Check out the full review - Achieving Extraordinary Success.

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Mentored by a Millionaire

I just finished reviewing a great book Mentored by a Millionaire. Part of me was so excited to do this but I think it's also because vacation time is upon me.

Mentored by a Millionaire is authored from the bestselling author of A Millionaire's Notebook shows how to get what you want–faster than you ever thought possible.

I don't want to spoil the book, but I'll just give you a bit in what you will learn about the book in my review. Mentored by a Millionaire : Master Strategies of Super Achiever.

You’ll learn how to use fundamental tools such as vision mapping, effective partnering, using criticism to your advantage, creativity, and persistence. As every great mentor knows, nothing is beyond possibility and no dream is too big to be achieved.

Mentored by a Millionaire offers the proven advice that can only come from those who are where you want to be. Check out the full review at Mentored by a Millionaire.

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Blogging Your Way to Success

The “blogosphere” is continuing to grow at an amazing pace. In fact, the number of published blogs is expected to double about every five months.

Right now, there is a new blog published every second, according to Technorati, the search engine that keeps track of Weblogs. In March there were over 7 million blogs, that number is now over 14 million.

Find out more about why weblogs are so popular and why you should start one for yourself.

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What Millionaire Goals?

Goals - The necessity for success...

Goals are the roadmap to our success. With a good plan we get to our destination with minimal fuss including driving somewhere or reaching success in your business. Without a good plan, we often get caught up in more road blocks and obstacles along the way.

Whatever process you use to set yourself goals, this is one aspect of success that you should never procrastinate with in reaching your goals. The simplest method for me is to set aside Fifteen minutes each week to focus your mind on your life's 'most desires results.' This little exercise is taught by many people and it is a popular process that I follow as well. These are the goals millionaires follow.

Jot down the following goals in four column headings:

* 1. Goals for the next five years
* 2. Goals for the coming year
* 3. Goals for the coming month
* 4. Goals for the coming week

Starting in column 1, write down all your long-term objectives in the present tense, just as you were living them today. Write them in detail. So, you wouldn't put 'move to a bigger house', you would put, 'I now live in a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house set in 10 acres of land, with a detached three car garage, an indoor swimming pool and my own personal gym.'

Do the same for every aspect of your life or business you want to change in the long term.

Then move on to the one-year column. Do the same thing, but this time, try to make sure that your one-year goals don't conflict with your 5-year plan.

So, to continue the above example, you wouldn't have a ten-bedroom house in 25 acres in the one-year plan. But you might have a four-bedroom house in the smart part of town.

The one-month goals should be things that you need to achieve in the short to medium term in order to make the longer term things happen. They might include concrete business objectives or self-improvement plans.

The weekly goals are all the things that you are going to do in the coming week to make the monthly goals a reality. Be sure to rewrite them each week and date your work.

Focus - Reaching your goals takes focus

Real millionaires, and millionaires-in-waiting, have the ability to focus on achieving their goals without letting anything stand in their way. That's right - they don't make excuses for anything because they never become distracted or detered from their objectives and goals.

These millionaires don't skip from one good idea to another, attracted by the next big promise or clever sales line that 'might' make you money. Millionaires or those in the making do not complain that none of the schemes they try ever work because they make them work. These millionaires are people who are focused on their prime objective, to be successful.

Dale Carnegie once said, "Condition yourself to determine clearly in your mind the goal that you want to achieve, and then, without letting yourself get sidetracked, head straight for your ideal."

Believe in Yourself

Nobody ever got rich by thinking that they couldn't do it. Absolute self-confidence is a vital part of the real millionaire mentality. Everyone has doubts from time to time, but the successful millionaires conquer their negative thoughts and generate positive and better goals in the process, kind of like a form of reprogramming yourself out of those bad habits.

So go out and believe you can reach your goals

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A Millionaire's Mentality

I love studying people as it is purely fascinating to me, especially successful people whom I can mentor and learn from personally in my life. This is exactly why I like to follow millionaires. Every millionaire is goal-focused, with or without money.

In particular, Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Airlines and now having his own reality tv show "The Rebel Billionaire", is one of those millionaires that has an alternative way of thinking. Branson had taken a bunch of journalists for his inaugural flight around LA. The journalists were all in the lobby waiting for a limo to take them back to the airport when one young woman went up to Branson and asked him the following question:

"Richard, I don't want to be a hack all my life, what is the secret to making money?".

Branson looked around and said, "Just keep your eyes open and the answer jumps right at you. Look at those outdoor heaters the hotel has around the pool, for example. I've never seen them before, and with the English weather the way it is, I'd bet they would sell like hot cakes at home. Find out who makes them and see if you can get the UK distribution rights."

Out of interest, the woman checked it out and was told she could buy the rights for $3,000. She didn't bother.

Last year, the company that did buy those rights was sold for $25m. True millionaires see the world slightly differently, through being open to opportunities. I bet that woman was kicking herself for missing that easy opportunity.

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Republish Valuable Copyrights

Every day copyrights for very valuable books are expiring. After the copyright has expired, there are small groups of people who are taking these files and secretly using them to make themselves small fortunes, which are known as Lost Files.

What these people do is they take these books and republish them, create derivative works out of them, and some even use them as content for their websites. (It is a very powerful way to get Google to send you huge checks.)

Until now there were very few people taking advantage of these lost files. I’d like to personally invite you to become part of this secret group with all the membership information.

But only share this link with people who you think are ready for this type of information.

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Self Improvement Millionaire

Last night I was on a powerful tele-class with Russell
Brunson and Gary Ambrose. I’m not sure if you were on the
call, so I wanted to share with you what was discussed.

1. – The "self help" industry is huge. Just check out
how many people were searching for this information last
month alone:

Self-Help & Self-Improvement - 202,000 searches
Stop/Quit Smoking - 416,000 searches
Time Management - 60,000 searches
Motivation -150,000 searches

...and I have a list of about 30+ more of these.

2. – To create an info product for any of these niches is
VERY profitable, but usually runs from about $600 to $1,000
for each product you develop (and this isn’t counting cost
of graphics and sales letters). With that said, you can
usually recover your investment in under a week because the
industry is so hot now.

3. – Russell just created a site that will give you
private label rights to "self-help" products that are
already researched, already written and the sales letters
finished for you also.

You get private label rights to two products each month for
as long as you remain a member, but if you are one of the
first 200 new members, then you will get 8 products this
month.

So, if you’d like private label rights to 8 already
developed products, then click on the link.

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Get Slightly Famous

Get Slightly Famous: Become A Celebrity In Your Field And Attract More Business With Less Effort. Steven Van Yoder's Get Slightly Famous is a unique and instructional business guide to becoming famous by attracting more clientele and increasing revenues through sheer visibility in your own business.

Steven Van Yoder has done a superb job of gathering a wide range of approaches people have taken to become slightly famous. Use speaking engagements to become noticed by a targeted market, learn how to harvest the full potential of the Internet and create ancillary "info-products" to build public awareness. Get Slightly Famous gives you a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for acquiring and consistently holding media attention.

Steve has done an exceptional job of identifying the barriers most small businesses and private practices face whilst striving for success. His compilation of stories provides something for everyone as the reader contemplates the best approach for themselves. Get Slightly Famous is an easy and inspiring read.

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Creating Your Own Success

It was 4 years ago this month that I made my first trip outside my home country. I guess you might say it was the start of opening up my eyes and leaving my day job behind. If it wasn't for my first trip to a foreign country, I do not think I have lived in more than 3 countries over 6000 miles away from where I grew up.

Funny enough, I have always dreamt of living in a foreign country and because I operate my own home business, I have been able to follow my dreams. I have the freedom to choose how I want to use my day, with an unlimited amount of options at my side.

I guess some people choose their luck in other ways, but I think I am lucky that I have the gift of being able to enjoy the world, to slow down each day and enjoy my life. Success in some people's eyes might be this, but I know one thing is for sure. I won't regret being able to travel the Europe extensively for well over 2.5 years. I also won't regret being able to really plan out my life as I want it. I'm in control of every aspect of my life.

In my eyes that is the freedom of creating my own success. I'm free to choose what I want to do and when I want to do it. I have the freedom to enjoy my life and vacation more than an average person. I can even do a bit of work while I travel. I've been able to do what I want to do while working from home. I don't have to call to anyone who lies through their teeth in front of my face and despises every day coming into their "job".

Success has many different forms. Success for me is being able to spend my life concentrating on my health, living a healthy lifestyle and learning and working towards my goals of hopefully being financially free for life. Here's a bit more about how I got started.

Go out there and turn your million dollar idea into a reality....

Here's to creating your own success....

Jen

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Entrepreneurial Lessons from Willy Wonka

What can you learn about business from a children's movie? You can learn some great entrepreneurial lessons from the recent film "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" starring Johnny Depp.


Four Good Lessons

If you are an entrepreneur or are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, remember these lessons from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". It takes good marketing, positive thinking, and a good support network to get started. Most importantly, don't quit - your success may be only one candy bar away.

Read the full article

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Powerful Marketing Concept

Yesterday I came across a rather unique website about beer.

What was so unique about this company was it's unique selling point and the fact that they do have something different to present with the latest technology in beer tapping. It's hard to imagine beer being a science. The Turbo Tap as it is called just might be the next best thing to come from the beer industry and a multiple million dollar selling point.

Check the video out for yourself to see the speed of delivery of a 6 to 10 ratio for this unique new tap. Hmm do we have something that could be better than great if it is marketed correctly.

Well it can be if you've got a ball game or a huge festival with long beer lines and the potential to gain millions of dollars in sales that could have otherwise been lost. Will this revolutionalize what the fans tolerate standing in line for hockey queques for a beer forever?

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Digg.com

Creating your SEO Presence just got easier. We all want to strengthen our web presence with major search engines. By doing so we have the potential to get a considerable amount of traffic and still reach an active audience that is highly interested in your content.

So how do you increase your web presence?

Start with Digg.com, mostly a technical news site created, submitted, and judged by its audience.

If your page, blog or online article is good enough to be "dug" by digg users, you could receive literally hundreds of unique visitors immediately. By posting any comments, submissions, or links in your profile, you can get your site traffic from digg. Digg is becoming so popular that many submissions to digg can instantly dominate some keywords on search engines such as Google.com

read the full article

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Personal Transformations

I've been reading through an e-book I recently downloaded. It really does have some interesting points which serve as personal motivators for me. In practice it teaches you how to use ancient wisdom to create a new life of success and happiness for yourself.

This is a good read for anyone interested in self-improvement ideas.

Get your free download

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Create Your Own Luck

Many people refer to a person’s success and achievements as simply luck. "Luck" in virtually all cases might be defined a person as being successful which has nothing to do with it when you look at the root of their Internet Success.

One can easily find countless examples where the ingredients of being action oriented, and persistent had much more to do with the attainment and rewards in the Internet World these people are enjoying.

"Luck" is a mixed between hard work and effort which were rewarded as the final income of success. Hard work is probably how they got to be where they are now...

Very often we want the quickest results possible. We all want to achieve success and do whatever it takes to be successful. We want to follow people who are successful. If they can do it, you can learn from these people and achieve similar results in my given area of endeavor.

In looking not to just the end result, or glamorous rewards often associated with the success stories of other people, but also all of the mistakes and trial and errors we went through along the way.

The next time you hear someone calling a person’s achievement lucky, I hope you will do both yourself and the other person a big favor and disagree with them wholeheartedly. Remind then that far more likely then simply "luck" was all the effort that we may not even be aware of that went into getting them to where they are now.

Here's to creating that million dollar idea and working hard to create your own luck...

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Summer Reading Lists

Since I'm out and seldom at my computer for the summer months, I've gotta get in a few books to make use of my time wisely. I guess I could even look at it like Oprah's Summer Reading List.

One of the e-books I printed out was James Martell's Affiliate Handbook.

Another great book to pick up and read while you are out is Rosalind Gardener's Super Affiliate Handbook. It's worth the read as you can really plan out what you want to do during these slower summer months.

Speaking of which, I'm off to read and enjoy the outdoors..

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Creating a Niche Product in Ebay

Now that you are becoming an eBay expert and have conducted a proper search, you are almost ready to start your business. Before starting to sell, you need to buy! Here are some ideas from where you can source products:

1. Write your own e-book and sell it. If you have any passion or are an expert on a subject for which you can find a niche in eBay, do not hesitate to spend some time on writing your own book. Selling information products is one of the most profitable businesses.

2. Use drop-shipping. The advantage of this source is that you do not need to carry inventories, so your investments are minimized.

3. Buy from eBay. If you know your category very well, you can easily find opportunities that will allow you to buy and resell making profit.

4. Buy Asiatic products because they are cheap.

5. Sell local products.

Best wishes for your success,

Jen

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Finding Products to Sell on Ebay

One key for business success using eBay is sourcing products to sell. The first key to success for business sellers is an old marketing rule, RESEARCH.

The products you need to sell are products that eBay buyers will want to buy. Apart from being a massive market place, eBay offers you a cheap source of research that you can conduct without moving from your computer.

There are two kinds of sellers on eBay, garage sellers and business sellers.

Garage sellers are people who sell products they are not going to use any more and that are usually not new. Garage sellers are not profit driven, their main objective is usually to get rid of some stuff they don't need. They will be happy to make some money by selling something that is no longer useful to them.

Business sellers are people who will buy and sell products for profit, they consider eBay a business and need to earn profit on the products they sell.

If you are a business seller, it is fundamental that you spend some time researching before you decide which products you want to sell. Follow these research guidelines:

1. Search for the categories that are most popular and how many bids the products have.

2. Look at the ratings of the sellers who are listing products in each category and study their profiles and how many products they have sold in the past.

3. Analyze prices.

4. Select no more than one or two categories and Specialize a specfic niche.

Now go out there and make your ebay business a success.

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Google Sitemaps for Wordpress

I've spent the morning working on the XML Google Sitemaps free for WordPress users. Unfortunately I've got my permissions wrong so it's not working but here is how it's supposed to work.

--> Google Sitemap Generator

Andre Chaperon put together a free tutorial that shows you how to get Google's spider, GoogleBot, to visit your website in under 60 seconds. Seriously - no hype - no BS!

This method is infinitely more powerful than "Blog & Ping"... and you know what... you can install and configure it all for free!

So I guess in theory if your directories are set up this is a great way to get your blogs into the search engines quickly...

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What are the Secrets of Wealth

The secrets of wealth is an excellent resource on personal finance. But this is no boring textbook. It is actually written as a story (along the same lines as Rich Dad Poor Dad). Unlike Rich Dad, Poor Dad though, The Secrets of Wealth actually gives useful advice on how to achieve each step.



Right now you wanted a solid foundation. You wanted to discover the basic learning that catapulted the leaders of the business world to the top. Before you can embark on a successful Internet venture, you must prepare your mind for the task ahead. Why? Because the road ahead is laced with victory and defeat.

A person who does not have a trained mind will eventually succumb to pressure. A beginner netpreneur is vulnerable to big stresses in this new career that can break his resolve. He will either flee or fight on.

Reduce the possiblity of failure. Take stock of your resolve and train your mind for the challenge ahead.

Marciano breaks wealth building down to 10 secrets, and provides methods of implementing and using these secrets. The Secrets of Wealth are revealed to the main character, David, by his mentor Mr. Mathers. Throughout the book are tips and techniques that anyone can use to improve their financial well being. The 10 steps aren't magical or difficult. Things like goal setting, investing, budgeting, and financial planning are nothing new, but Fabman gives you the knowledge and resources to actually achieve wealth. If this book cannot help you manage your finances, nothing can.

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How do you stay inspired?

Do you ever wonder how to stay inspired, productive and be happy day after day?

Here's how to take procrastination, apathy, depression, all their toxic cousins, get rid of them and never be bothered by them again. Here are a few tricks I've learned along the way, and I hope you can put them to good use and get you back on track towards success.

The first step to beating procrastination or depression, is to get into motion.

EXERCISE....

Find more about your inspiration.

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Motivation Creates Success

One way to make sure you are successful is by making sure you stay motivated and keep up with the Attractor Factor. You need to make sure you know yourself inside and out. One of the ways I would highly recommend to stay motivated is by reading books that will keep your motivation on route towards creating and making your million dollar success.

I personally just got finished reading The Attractor Factor. One of the reasons why I keep up with a lot of book reading pertaining to business and success is because it is a very strong motivator and mentor for me. Now motivating yourself might be a little bit different than how I motivate myself, but the main key is to stay motivated. The key is to find inspiring and motivational tapes, seminars, books, and movies you can get your hands on.

Turn to your motivational sets when you are feeling down and out, as they will really keep you on track. A few excellent motivators are Robert Allen, Tony Robins, Zig Ziglar and so on... So the next time you see your motivation slipping, make sure you pull out your favorite motivator and keep back on par...

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Pimp My Shopping Cart

Would you like to know all of the bells and whistles that bring in the Cha-ching. Well you can by getting the newest issue of Revenue Magazine. This issue is so jammed packed. I am so impressed even with the ads displayed. They are definitely something you can learn from.

Revenue Magazine is specifically dedicated to affiliates. They've got about 5 extremely good articles in the latest issue including Rosalind Gardner who grew her affiliate business to over $400k a year.

So to give you a quick sample, in pimp my shopping cart, the writer goes into detail on how affiliates are poised to take advantage all of the bells and whistles which tend to look like a highly sophisticated machine. They even talk about ROI from this type of business through integration...

If that's not enough to convince you to check out Revenue Magazine, I'll leave you with one last note - the cover is that glossy good feeling cover, those one you just want to keep.

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Learning from your passions

Part of achieving success is having a passion for what you do. In many ways, having a hobby which you love doing, you can learn and implement in your business practices. I think Nikon's Learning Center, sums up how to learn best. "A great way to learn how to do something is to Just do it"....

Nikon gives you a creative way to learn how to get better with your passion. They take on a great hands on approach towards learning. Why not try and do and then learn and see how you do by learning from your mistakes. Along with learning, Nikon gives you assignments and small little step by step tutorials to learn more advanced methods of photography...

Such a great concept. Apply this concept to anything you do... They've been quite successful so what can't you...

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What is a Millionaire?

With a bit of inspiration I had from playing a bit of texas hold'em poker last night, I got to thinking about all of the changes which happen to people who stumble upon millions of dollars. According to Wikipedia: A Millionaire is a person who has a net worth or wealth of more than one million United States dollars, euros, UK pounds or units of a comparably valued currency.

But is a millionaire really what it used to be? Partly caused from Inflation, there are many more millionaires in the world today. Can you actually get by without working any more with a million dollars? In the latest Reality Tv show The Amazing Race, Uchenna & Joyce are back to working but a little more modestly in Texas. Or why not look at Survivor Palau, Tom still planned going back to his job as a FireFighter in New York.

What will it really take to retire in this day and age? Certainly the amount of wealth is a goal for many but beyond that is there anything else so exciting about it. Descriptions such as multi-millionaire or billionaire are more on the range of really being ultra rich.

Millionaires are made almost every week with lotteries offering prizes of a million dollars or more. Many lotteries offer prizes of a million dollars or more. According to Forbes' annual list of the richest people published in 2005 there are 691 US-dollar billionaires in the world. But with all these people establishing such wealth, are they really happy. In order to enjoy your wealth, there has to be a form of happiness which actually comes as a result of achieving such status.

Author of the No. 1 bestseller The Millionaire Next Door surveyed 1,371 more millionaires and came up with a book called The Millionaire Mind in a mixture of entertaining elements. Author Thomas J. Stanley provides the reader with a well researched study of wealthy people in the USA. Dr. Stanley's book resembles Regis Philbin's hit show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, only you have to pose real-life questions, instead of quizzing about trivia.

But is a millionaire really what it is cracked up to be in this day and age? There's only one way to figure out...Read on...I guess you will only know once you reach that stage in your life. Here's to making your dreams come into reality.

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Tips for Writing Effectively

So you've got that million dollar idea that you are just itching to tell the world about. You have gotten ahold of a mailing list and you want to send out an email promoting your million dollar product idea...

Here are some ideas that will get your readers responding to that email.

Keep it simple.
Get your readers attention in the headline.
Keep them wanting to read more...
Offer a free gift.

Test the email first to see what kind of feedback you get...

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Attitude is Everything

When you have an unstoppable attitude, you will always have the power to succeed. You have the power to change your own attitude, so make your attitude viral and let other's want to be part of your life. By changing your attitude to a positive one, you are actually giving yourself better odds towards achieving success.

Did you know you attract the same people you are friends with because of your attitude. An upbeat and positive attitude will attract you to other successful upbeat people. When you live in a happy and positive state, you also tend to get further in life just for doing that. Plus it will make you feel good. :)

Just as a bad attitude will pull you down, a healthy mind and good attitude will help you meet your goals and strive to become that person you want to be in your life. Here's to accomplishing everything you want in your life.

- And Remember Attitude is Everything

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