Shopping and Marketing

Networking On Facebook

2011-12-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

Networking On Facebook

Networking on Facebook is quite different than networking on forums or other mediums and it is imperative that you follow some etiquette in order to be successful at it, otherwise you could end up doing yourself more harm than good.
Some marketers suggest maintaining two separate profiles; one for personal and one for business, however, you will find that majority of marketers maintain only one profile, due to the fact that they simply do not have the time to maintain two.
I personally think that one is sufficient and that there is nothing wrong with people getting an inside look at your life away from business. Potential customers and partners always like to know that you are a real person and this gives them more of an opportunity to not only build stronger relationships with you, but relate with you more on different levels. The reality is, sometimes it just takes one common thing, aside from business to get that connection built with you. ie: you may have children of the same age, have the same interests in music, share spiritual interests, travel to similar destinations etc.
These simple factors can get the conversations started between each of you and at one point or another, business will be discussed. And if you have taken the time and effort to maintain the relationship, you are more than likely to have a successful business relationship with that person. It could be the sale of a product, partnership or a joint venture, no matter what it is, just be certain to maintain the relationship on a positive level and you will reap continuous rewards for doing so.
Since we have discussed what to do, we should discuss things you should not do. Upon meeting a new friend, you should not tell them in an introduction message or by posting on their wall, that you have a successful business doing “whatever”, as most marketers find this to be a turn off and will probably dismiss conducting business with you at any time. They may go as so far to block, remove and report you to Facebook for spamming, because technically it is spamming. Unless you are a door to door sales person or work in a call centre, you would never make an introduction of sorts in person, therefore that type of discourtesy extends to Facebook as well, people as a general rule do not like it.
One of the biggest intrusions on Facebook, aside from apps is, tag spam and due to some of the tag spam containing viruses, marketers are quite leery of it and rightfully so when it can harm one of their prized possessions – their computers.
I highly recommend refraining from using tag spam as a means to promote your business, you will not only just annoy the heck out of people, you could be reported for spamming, end up losing your Facebook account altogether, and I am most certain that is something you would not want to happen. Facebook is a fantastic marketing tool that can truly benefit your business, so long as you use it with care towards your targeted audience.
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2011-08-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

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Newsletter Feeds: George Whitecraft

2011-08-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Newsletter Feeds: George Whitecraft

Bachelorette Party at a Windery

2011-06-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

How to put icon and skin into the software video1

2010-12-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

How to put icon and skin into the software video1

2010-12-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

2010-11-17T10:40:00.001-08:00

While filing for bankruptcy, there are several codes, which
an individual can file under. One such chapter is 13, which
allows the debtor to keep property and pay the debt off
over time.

The debt is usually paid over a three to five year period.
This chapter is usually chosen by those who have a regular
income and who do not wish to deal with the new laws of
chapter 7 bankruptcy codes.

Also known as the wage earners plan, chapter 13
bankruptcies enable debtors to pay off part of the debt
they have incurred.

While it is not as good as being able to work something out
with your creditors and arrange payments individually or
through a debt consolidator, it does show some financial
responsibility and the debtor’s willingness to make up for
their mistakes.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies act as sort of a consolidation loan
in itself. Because the debtor is making payments on the
owed monies, it does not have such a bad impact on the
credit reports. But the individual does not have direct
contact with the creditors and payments are distributed
amongst them.

To be eligible for the Chapter 13 bankruptcy an individual,
even if self-employed must have an unsecured debt of under
$307,675 and secured debts must be under $922,975.

No debtor may file for chapter 13, or any bankruptcy
chapter during the preceding 180 days of a previous
bankruptcy petition was dismisses.

There are fees that must be paid also when filing for
bankruptcy, even the chapter 13 code. The courts charge a
$235 case filing fee and a $39 miscellaneous administrative
fee. These fees must be paid when filing unless with the
courts permission, it can be paid in installments.

George Whitecraft have been writing Ebook and Articles for the past 4 years
http://whitecraftsoftwarecompany.com/presents/l/wsc

How to use power of word of the mouth in building a massive opt in list

2010-08-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Traditional marketing is not only expensive but also
requires a lot of work for marketers. However, traditional
marketers or those who belong to the old school still prefer
to use this method because it is in fact the only marketing
method they know.

Well, there is good news for those who still resort to the
primeval ways of marketing products and services. First,
person doing marketing has to have access to a computer with
an Internet connection.

The Internet has made possible a more effective and more
efficient way of marketing products and services and this is
through email marketing. Simply said, email marketing is
the use of emails in sending information and links related
to the website being promoted.

But before a marketer can take advantage of email marketing,
he has to procure a massive opt-in list from which he would
get his email contacts. Building a list is not an easy task
and a marketer should be creative in finding ways to build a
massive opt-in list.

For those new to internet marketing particularly email
marketing, an opt-in list is a list of email addresses of
people who have given their permission or consent to become
recipients of the information that will be sent through
email. In simple terms, it is a permission-based email
list.

So why should the marketer care whether or not the owners of
the addresses have given their consent to receiving his
emails? Well, a marketer can send emails to every people on
earth but this would not be as effective when sending
permission-based emails.

To start with, sending emails to people who have not
signified their interest or approval in receiving such
emails belong to the realm of spamming and any marketer
would not want to be called a spammer or to be identified
with the ways of a spammer.

Building an opt-in list will mean the marketer will have
targeted clients who consented to the emails because they
have an interest in the products or services being offered
by the marketer. This means a higher sales conversion for
the marketer since the people receiving his publications or
offers are already within his target market.

There are several ways of building an opt-in list but every
marketer should choose the best and cheapest ways of getting
such list. One of the best ways to get an opt-in list is
through the power of the word of the mouth.

Clients who are satisfied with the information they have
been receiving from the marketer will share such information
to other people. Some would even encourage friends,
relatives and colleagues to sign up and become a member of
the opt-in list.

2010-05-29T22:42:00.001-07:00

Watch The Ball!

2007-10-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

This phrase is often repeated in nearly every sport – keep your eye on the ball. It applies to golf too! If you do not watch the ball, then the chance that you will hit it is very slim!

Keep your eyes focused on one part of the ball. Don’t watch your club as you swing.

Keep your focus on the ball and let everything else fade into the background.

Try to look down on the ball, rather than watching it at the end of the golf club. Raising your shoulders is not going to help you see the ball more clearly. If you will look down on the ball, you will get results that are more successful and you will not have a tendency to look up before the end of your swing.

Unfortunately, it is completely natural to look away when you begin to pull the club back. Ignore the natural feeling and keep your eyes on the ball.

When you are looking down at the ball, you should notice that the only way you can keep the club head in the correct line of flight is to keep your hands moving parallel to the flight line. Keep your hands in line with the club head when making contact with the ball.

It is very important to learn to watch the ball no matter what kind of shot you need to make. It does not matter if the ball is in the long grass, the sand trap, on a slope, or anywhere else, the main thing is to see the ball completely so that you can hit it solidly and successfully.

There are not many golfers who stand still and keep their attention on the ball. Many times, people will look at where they want the ball to go and then look at the ball. Most golfers would be surprised to learn that they do not stand still and watch the ball. The instant that you take your eye off the ball, you begin having problems.

Most golf mistakes are a result of a loss of concentration. It you keep your focus on the ball, you will be able to hit the ball well.

To help your golf game, remind yourself to keep your eye on the ball for the entire swing. You will find your golf game improving so much that your friends may be asking you for advice!

Contains a wealth of information, resources, and reference for professionals, software tool and marketing marketing plan, and you can Learn how to create successful Internet marketing software campaigns... Have been writing Ebook and Articles for the last 3 years

http://whitecraftsoftwarecompany.com/info/l/wsc

Your Thyroid and Weight loss – The Connection is Real

2007-02-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

Your thyroid dictates much of your metabolism, any malfunction or disease afflicting this area may cause you to have problems in metabolism leading to a drastic problem with your weight – you may either gain weight, lose weight, or may find that losing weight is harder than usual.

Those that plan diets do not take into consideration how their thyroids and metabolism may affect their weight loss program. Most experts and even the media pitch in and recommend that the best way to lose weight is cut calories.

Those with a condition called hyperthyroidism suffer from an overactive thyroid leading to one having his or her metabolism skyrocket. If this is the case, then you will probably lose weight fast. This is a nice proposition for some who wish to lose weight. However, this is actually hazardous to the health.

Aside from the medical difficulties such a disease brings, one will also notice weight problems as a result. These people have trouble keeping on weight and may notice weakness and bulging of the eyes. This disease may need special treatment from doctors.

Hypothyroidism on the other hand works in the other direction – slowing metabolism until the body gains weight at an incredible rate. Like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism causes a general weakness in the body. It too may need special treatment and may cause serious health problems if left unattended.

While cutting calories in itself can be very hard for most people – imagine, the people involved in life and death struggles at the supermarket regarding whether to buy that extra box of sweets, some have exactly the opposite problem.

Instead of eating too much calories – which is a problem in itself, they eat too little calories instead.

Problem? What Problem

The problem with some is that they believe that since the experts say that they have to cut calories, cutting calories to an inordinate amount will reap greater results. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. While cutting calories helps diets, consuming too little calories pushed the body into a hoard mode, the body’s metabolism slow to adapt to the lesser amount of available energy.

If your body enters this mode, your body will work at such slow metabolism that losing weight becomes impossible. The technique here should be to reduce calories without the body slowing its metabolism. Only then can losing weight become easier.

Another problem that can arise from decreased metabolism is that when your metabolism slows due to a drastic reduction in metabolism, and then you suddenly eat a good, hearty, calorie-filled meal, you are bound to gain more weight owing to the increased surplus of energy.

This is why an imbalanced meal is highly discouraged among those that seek to lose weight. The sudden loss and increase of calories will cause an imbalance in one’s energy consumption directly affecting fat deposit.

Here is a simple computation to help you get to the right amount of calories you will need per day so that you get your nutrients in the right balance.

First of all, multiply your weight in kilograms by 30. If you only know your weight in pounds, divide it by 2.2 to get to its English equivalent. We divide this number by 30 because that is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight per pound of weight.

For example if your weight in pounds is 150, divide it by 2.2. That will give you a figure of 68.18. This is your weight in kilograms. Multiply this by 30 and you will arrive at the amount of calories you will need per day to maintain 150 lbs.

You may consult a nutritionist to help you come lose weight. In the end it all comes down to math. If you consume more that your body needs, it stores it as fat. Now is probably a good time to start studying the back of those grocery cartons.

Try to keep your diet at a 40% protein, 25% fat, and 35% carbohydrate meals at 300 calories per meal. Spread out these meals in a day for optimum results.

While it may be simple computation to get at numbers, do not forget the earlier mentioned fact that the body adapts to its condition. Expose it to extreme ones and you may find yourself getting results you never wanted. Consult a nutritionist for more advice.

Thank you
George Whitecraft
Your Free Software
http://whitecraftsoftwarecompany.com/info/l/wsc
A to Z Online Information Directory
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Affiliate Marketing is by far, one of the easiest ways to make money online.

2007-01-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Niches are involved in niche marketing, the process of finding market segments that are small but potentially profitable nonetheless. To maintain a profitable quantity of sales, this marketing strategy relies on increasing the loyalty of customers so that their corporate objectives will be met or surpassed. Illustrative of this is the fact that the quality of the product or service sold will generate customer satisfaction and, consequently, customer loyalty. The result is profitability garnered through a solid market base that trusts in the ability of the product or service to really deliver.

Another is the affiliate program or the merchandiser’s history. Introspection into their previous and present sales data, their proven and tested affiliate marketing systems and their partners’ experiences with them. Although, success of the program really depends on you, this one is still very important. The sales records don’t only show how good the affiliates are, but they speak about the products’ reliability, market availability and the company or the merchandisers’ reputation as well. Moreover, look into and carefully study the company’s compensation plan. Your purpose for joining the program is to earn, so make sure you’ll be paid for all your efforts fairly.

First, your profit will increase true to increased sales from the customers that your second tier has referred. Second, you have a much broader customer base to which you can sell your products and services. Then, you gain major and stable income because the customers referred by your affiliate and sub - affiliates could general develop a lifetime loyalty on your site and your products. Plus, you have an host of sub - affiliates who will promote and resell your products and services to their visitors and subscribers.

Another tactic that Overture uses in order to attainment laser - targeted traffic is to have a “Back - Up Response” for those who “almost bought” your product on the first call. To successfully realize this, you need to market and advertise to them now and over again until you make them a new customer. Offer them an incentive so that they’ll allow you to advertise to them over a certain past span by means of e - mail or post mail. Here are some of the back - up responses which you can use: send a free e - mail newsletter, give a free catalog and offer a promo or sweepstakes which gives them the ensue to win free lines.

Lastly, just remember the adage that says “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. ” So that if one of them is lost, you can still have some to make omelets. And what do these eggs have to do with multiple streams of affiliate income? Well, it goes without saying that the new streams of income you possess, the bigger and better your money lake becomes.

Traffic generating strategies are important in trying to make

only knew how to do this particular task.

one’s affiliate marketing career inch forward. It is always

Those who have been in the business long enough can attest to the fact that it is a on track business indeed, one that can actually give people things that they could not possibly possess or experience under ordinary circumstances.

However, you should choose only those affiliate programs that interest you so that you can effectively advertise and promote them. Don’t ever be tempted into signing up for numerous affiliate programs in the hope that one of them will bring income. Select wisely and don’t be engaged in selling products you know nothing about. Go with the stuff that jives with your enthusiasm; your passion can capture your client by the nose and guide him / her to your affiliate link.

Thank you
George Whitecraft
Your Free Software site
http://whitecraftsoftwarecompany.com/info/l/wsc
http://whitecraftsoftwarecompany.com/info/l/le

Schedule Your Success

2006-03-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

A lot of people dream of owning their own home-based business.
They dream of setting their own hours, working when they want to
work and with whom. The reality is that very few of these people
ever take the time to ensure that they have the right skill set -
the right tools - to make the leap to a home-based enterprise.

The first major pitfall that most new home-based business owners
face is a lack of scheduling discipline. They just don't plan
out their work days. This can cause problems in two ways,
under-working and overworking.

Let's look at the first one, "under-working." It's very easy to
sit at home, on the ol' PC surfing the web. You might intend on
working on your new website or putting up auctions on eBay, but,
before you know it, you've spent the entire day reading email and
surfing for the latest news and gossip. Sure, you were online
and you were doing something, but the things you were doing are
not the things that will put a dime in your bank account.

Overworking is pretty easy to understand. Some people simply
don't know how to keep business hours. When they work from home,
the temptation is there to "work 'til you drop." That's not
good, especially if you are building your home-based business on
the side and still work a day job. If you spend all your time
working, you'll soon feel that you're never getting any "down
time," and burnout is sure to follow. Believe me, I know all
about this one.

Here's the solution. You must be very disciplined in planning
your day. Write down what you need to accomplish every day and
how long you will work on each item. Be sure to include downtime
in your plan - time for your family, relaxation, exercise,
whatever. This is important. after all, you're building a
home-based business to build a lifestyle, not to become the
richest person in the cemetery!

Your daily plans and goals need to be very specific. It won't do
you any good to write something like, "work on project x." What
does that mean? How exactly do you "work on something?" Your
plan needs to include a definite finishing point, such as "write
a new article on dog grooming for page one of the website." See
the difference? You can "work on" a project for years and never
reach a point where you've had any success. By contrast, when
you "write an article on x," you know you're done as soon as
you've typed the final period.

If you're in a marketing business, try to farm out as much of the
non-marketing related work as you can afford to do. For example,
if you sell products or services, it might be beneficial for you
to hire someone to help build and maintain your website. The
money you'll spend to have someone else do it will be more than
offset by the amount of time it will free up. Other areas you
can outsource might be bookkeeping, mailing, etc.

Be realistic when planning your day. If you're still working
your day job, schedule that from the time you get up in the
morning until you get home from work. Don't forget to include
commute time. Then, plan out your evening accordingly. Don't
schedule a four hour task to be completed in one hour. It won't
happen. If you have huge tasks, break them up as much as
possible and schedule your time accurately. This will allow you
to have a feeling of accomplishment and you'll get a lot more
done in the long run.

Don't multi-task. I know that this is the latest "buzzword,"
but, in reality, multi-taking is one of the leading killers of
productivity for most people. Schedule only one project at a
time. You can work on more than one project during the day, but
you shouldn't work on more than one project at a time. It's very
difficult, if not totally impossible, to serve to masters at the
same time. Give one project your undivided attention. Once
you've completed that task, move on to another tasks on that
project or to another project.

You should also be a little flexible in your scheduling. In any
business, there are bound to be interruption s that you couldn't
possibly have planned for. In home-based businesses, the chance
of distraction goes up exponentially. You'll be working on that
hot new project, only to have the toilet overflow or a neighbor
ring the doorbell. Plan on it. There will be things that happen
that you can't plan for. That's why your schedule needs to
include a little cushion.

What I like to do is plan out the items I want to get done and
overestimate the time it will take to do them, by say 10%.
Then, I have other items which are "on deck." These items aren't
quite on today's schedule, but I want to do them soon. If I
complete all of my scheduled tasks for the day, I simply look to
see what's on deck and start on one of them. It's a bonus.

Sometimes, no matter how well you plan, you just won't finish
what you schedule. It happens to everyone. That's when you
simply revise your schedule for the next day to include the
missed item(s). Don't get hung up on the fact that an item or
two didn't get done as planned. Just take it in stride and keep
on moving forward. Now, if you find yourself routinely missing
your deadlines, you'll need to reevaluate your scheduling. Are
you being realistic in your time allotments? Probably not.
Adjust accordingly.

Here are just a few tips to help you maintain sanity and get your
work done. With a little planning and a little effort, you can
balance your home life with your home-based business and
literally schedule your way to success.

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Tips to Setting Boundaries: Making Your Office Your Own

2006-03-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the great American dreams is being able to quit a 9-to-5
job to start building a work at home business. More and more
people are making their dream come true. But before you quit that
job and set up your home office, there are a few issues to
consider.

On the plus side, part of your home and related expenses are tax
deductible. It's convenient to work while your kids are in school
and then be home for them when they walk through the door in the
afternoon, and let's face it, not having a boss to answer to is a
major plus.

But it's not always the ideal situation. Starting a business
from home isn't always easy on families. There are many issues
that will affect your family. First and foremost are financial
issues. Will you be able to handle the hit to your wallet when
you don't have a steady paycheck? If this is an issue, consider
working your business part time while holding down a full down
job.

It takes a very dedicated person to work from home. There are
always distractions to overcome such as the unexpected visits
from family members who think you have lots of free time because
you don't work a "real" job. It also seems like telemarketers
prefer to call in the middle of the day, and don't forget the
neighbors dropping by to see if you'll babysit while they run
errands. It's very important to let family and friends know your
working hours. Tell them in no uncertain terms that your business
is your income and you need to block out regular working hours.
Also let them know when you are available.

Along those same lines, it is crucial that you explain to your
own family that, although you are home, you are not always
available to them. This can be confusing to kids. Set some basic
rules for them to follow. Let them know your work hours and tell
them you expect not to be disturbed. But occasionally, surprise
them by quitting early and doing something fun with them!

Here are a few basic rules that will help you and your family
handle the new working situation.

* Make sure everyone knows not to answer your business phone.
This will save you in a number of ways. You'll be sure to always
get your messages. Kids are never good at getting all the
details. You'll create a much more professional business image if
you answer your own phone.

* If you're children are typical kids, they will want to "borrow"
your office supplies. Give them their own office supply center
elsewhere in the house! Otherwise, you'll start losing your much
needed supplies.

*Set a work schedule at the beginning of every week and post it
in a prominent spot so family members can check your schedule to
see when you will be available.

Though these issues can and probably will arise, working from
home is still the American Dream for many people. Learning to
set, and more importantly, enforce boundaries for family, friends
and clients will make your business less complicated.

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
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Making Money through Product Resell Rights

2006-02-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

Resell rights come in many forms and sizes. They can come in
large packages with many products bundled together and offered
for an almost suspiciously low price. Or they can be offered on a
single product for a four-figure sum. There are also different
types of rights offered allowing you to do different things.

Basic resell rights only give you the right to sell the product.
You cannot claim the product is your own and you do not have
permission to offer the resell rights to anyone else. Basic
resell rights are usually the cheapest, so it may be easier to
make a profit. Check the terms for how much you can charge for
the product or if it can be given away, perhaps as a bonus with
something else. There may also be conditions for distributing the
product from membership and auction sites. If you are buying
rights to software make sure you know the product well enough to
deal with any troubleshooting enquiries. Some software rights
sellers are prepared to deal with enquiries themselves. The
product may also come with a web sales page that you can use, but
check for any restrictions.

Master resell rights often include a web page with the product.
They give you the right to sell the product and you can also pass
on this right to your customers. However that is as far as it
goes. Your customers cannot give the resell rights for the
product to their customers. The best master resell rights
packages will include a zip file containing everything you need
to put on your download page.

There are two types of resell rights that may be referred to as
private label rights. One type is where you are given the resell
rights for a finished product and you are also allowed to put
your name on the product as the author. This type of product is a
ready-to-sell information or software product. You cannot change
it other than put your name on it.

The second type of private label rights is also known as source
code rights. The product is not a finished ready-to-sell item.
Instead it will be the raw source material that you can use to
produce a finished item. Programs will be in the source code
format; information products will be in a word processor format,
like MS Word.

You can change the product in any way you want. You can add your
name as author, add more content, omit parts or split it into
several products. You may also be able to sell resell rights and
even master resell rights. Terms and conditions should be posted,
so check them carefully. Most private label rights packages also
come with a web page and graphics that you can use for selling.

If you have found a resell rights product that you think you can
sell you need to do some basic market research before purchasing.
How many people are searching for this type of product? How many
competing products are there? Have you seen the product available
elsewhere?

If you are going to sell on the internet you need to have access
to the following skills. You must be able to edit web pages,
create payment links and upload the product and web pages to a
server. If you are buying private label rights you must also be
able to edit the product. This is especially important if you are
buying rights for software.

There are many ways you can sell products on the internet. You
can usually set up your own website or add the sales page to your
existing site. You could invest in pay per click ads or ezine
ads. You could write articles. If you have private label rights
to a book you can use some of the content to produce articles or
even a free report for viral marketing.

Resell rights offer the advantage of not having to produce your
own material. However, you need to be sure the product is good
quality and that you have a good marketing plan.

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Work at Home - Stay at Home

2006-02-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

Working at home has been a dream of many that goes back many
years. Staying at home and enjoying watching the kids grow up is
a goal worth fighting for.

Let's take a look into making a living or part time living from
the comfort of your home. You owe it to yourself to gain the
freedom a home business can offer.

In the past, there have been multi-level marketing plans to sell
everything from vitamins to soap. There have been mail order
catalog opportunities. Many tried buying and selling real
estate. Each of these opportunities made many people a lot of
money, but each of them also cost many people a lot of money.

More people have spent money than have made money in every
business venture. The problem is many inexperienced people get
into moneymaking schemes after attending a meeting somewhere.
The offer may be legitimate, but most people fail in business.

According to the US Small Business Administration, over 50% of
small businesses fail in the first year and 95% fail with the
first five years. That is a scary statistic.

This means that the average business is doomed to fail from the
beginning. It also means that you will lose a lot of money if you
start a business. WOW! No wonder you are leery about putting up
your hard-earned cash for what is statically a crapshoot, a roll
of the dice.

So, what is the answer for the average person who does not want
to lose their savings and even their home investing in a
business? Start building a "digital business" online. Create a
website that generates its income without you needing to invest
in inventory or even lease a building to house your business.
Then create two or ten more websites generating income for you.

You may not know how to create a website today. It is an easily
learned skill. There is software you can buy or download free
that will help you. There are tutorials on making a website
profitable. You can do this.

Once you have a website online you can put other people’s
advertising on your site and be paid when someone buys one of
their products. If this was my baby toys webpage and I mentioned
a great baby toy with a link to my advertiser’s toy page you
might go there and buy the toy. If you did, I would get a
commission.

You could also put ads on your pages that only require someone to
click on the ad for you to be paid. Again, if you were on my
baby toy page and an ad talks about a toy. You click on the ad to
go see it and I am paid for you clicking on the ad. The
advertiser feels their sales page is compelling enough for them
to sell enough of that toy to cover their cost of the clicks that
got you there.

Some advertisers do not require you to buy the product when you
click on an ad, but I will not be paid unless you fill out their
application. This is usually seen on sites like insurance sites
or loan application sites. You do not have to get a policy or
take out a loan for me to be paid. When you fill out the form, I
qualify for my commission for sending you to the advertiser.

These are typically the ways a beginning website entrepreneur
starts generating income on the Internet. Once you understand
that part of internet marketing, you may move on to selling your
own digital products.

A digital product is one that can be downloaded from your
website. You can sell your own ebook you wrote yourself or an
ebook you purchased and have the rights to sell online.

If you are a programmer, you can sell you own computer program
from your site. You could also sell someone else's program that
you purchased the rights to sell.

Notice that not all of the above ideas require you to invest in a
lot of inventory. Even the products are free if you create them
yourself. Not everything you are doing so far requires a large
investment of your hard earned money. It does require a large
investment of your time.

All of the material you need to create a website can be found
free online if you do not want to purchase some popular program.
Your only expense SHOULD be a domain of your own, such as
yourdomain.com. You can get free hosting from various places but
for moneymaking venture, this is not advised.

For a small investment, you too can be PRESIDENT OF YOUR OWN
COMPANY. Maybe the statistics are the same for success online as
they are in other businesses, but this is a chance to find out
without losing the farm doing it.

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
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How to Use Windows XP "System Restore"

2006-02-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we all have been there. We turn on our computer (boot up)
getting ready to type that school report, or business
presentation and guess what, our computer just does not want to
work today. Whether it's the word processor, spreadsheet, or
financial package that isn't working, most people do not know
that Microsoft Windows XP has a built in feature that just may
come and save the day. That feature is called "System Restore."

Basically, System Restore is like a little hound that runs behind
the scenes taking "snapshots" of various parts of the Microsoft
Windows XP operating system. So, if a part of Microsoft Windows
XP stops working one day, the System Restore utility is able to
reference one of the "snapshots" it took and restore your system
from a previous day (a day when your computer worked). It's kind
of like going back in time to a day when your computer worked.
All your current data (Microsoft Word files, etc.) are still
retained, so you don't have to worry about losing any present day
files.

In order to restore your computer just follow these simple
steps:

1. Close any open programs.
2. Click on the Windows "Start" button (normally located on the
bottom of your computer desktop)
3. Click on "All Programs"
4. Click on "Accessories"
5. Click on "System Tools"
6. Then click on "System Restore"
7. At this point the System Restore wizard will launch. You will
have two options:

a. "Restore my system from an earlier date"
b. "Create a system restore point"

If you just need to restore your system and get it working
correctly again, just select option "a" and click "Next."

8. On this screen you can select a date from the calendar that
you would like to try and restore from. So, if you knew that your
computer worked fine two days ago, just pick that date on the
calendar and click "Next."
9. The next screen is the confirmation window. Just verify the
information on the screen and click "Next." Windows XP will then
reboot and try to restore your system with the settings from the
date you selected.

The System Restore process can take anywhere from 10 to 30
minutes depending on how much reconfiguration Windows XP needs to
do and how fast of a PC you have. When System Restore is done, a
screen will popup with the results of the restore. If it was
successful, you can then log into the system and start using the
computer again. Any quirky issues that you were having are now
hopefully gone.

Now, on step 7b above, I mentioned the "Create a system restore
point" option. This option is for when you want to force Windows
XP to take a snapshot of your system just before you install a
program or alter any system settings that you are not sure of. It
is like a safety net for when you install any internet programs
(sometimes riddled with spyware) or system drivers (video, audio,
etc). If you want to revert back to a virgin state just create a
restore point "before" installing any software. This way, if your
machine starts acting weird, you can just restore your settings
from the selected point.

With a little practice, the System Restore utility is easy to use
and a great way to help ensure the safety of your computer.
Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Why Logistics Systems Depend on Human Experience and Common Sense

2006-01-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

Imagine if you will a futuristic military logistics system that
you could view on a wall or a laptop computer. It would allow
you to instantly acquire real-time data on items expended and
that need to be replaced to support organizational needs.

Imagine that the view you have is of the earth's surface, like a
Google satellite map, and with a single click you can zoom in to
any portion of the world where you have logistics or resupply
responsibilities. A single click and you can instantly obtain an
accurate logistics situational assessment of a broad,
wide-ranging area.

Click again and your view and focus narrows even more. At this
new level, you get a more detailed, local assessment of the
logistic situation, say of a particular country. Click once more
and you're presented with a picture of the logistical situation
of a particular city or perhaps a company within that
municipality.

Sound like the far off future? Not at all.

The hardware and software to accomplish the "futuristic" scenario
just described has been developed and is available for use
practically worldwide. And the implications are phenomenal in
terms of the production, moving and storing whatever types of
materials a given company might require. But there's a big
problem looming for those who might mistake these modern tools
for cure-all logistic wonders.

Granted, much of the hardware and software capabilities available
in today's marketplace comes to industry from military
applications where the concepts were battle-tested and proven
effective in all types of terrain and environments. And the
software and hardware has been refined to the point that now most
of these "futuristic" applications can be run on a simple hand
held device like a Palm pilot.

These applications literally allow the operator to "see" the
logistic situation of the entity that is being examined and to
quickly assess and make reliable logistic estimates based upon
the scenario presented. But, guess what. The system isn't
perfect.

In fact, the system is far from perfect because it's reliability
hinges on something that often times proves quite unreliable –
the human being.

Any logistic system such as the one envisioned above requires
three distinct and separate components to provide useful logistic
data to the end user. First, the person designing the system has
to have a thorough understanding of the organizational needs of
the company or entity that will utilize the system. A
miscalculation in this vital area can have devastating effects on
the system's overall reliability and usefulness.

But let's say the planners get it right and the logistician now
holds the "perfect" hardware and software combination required to
produce an accurate logistics assessment for his particular
needs. That leads us to our secondary concern – the person
inputting the logistics data at the organizational level where
the goods are required. If that data is faulty, then the
information others in the supply chain rely on is equally suspect
and prone to inaccuracies.

But let's say we've got the perfect system, and our logistic
operator at the organization level inputs accurate data. That
still leaves one final area of concern - the recipient of the
logistic estimate.

In other words, the logistician on the receiving end of this
equation must make reasonable judgments when interpreting the
data the system provides. That's the reason it's called a
logistics "estimate." And if he doesn't interpret the data he
receives correctly and develop a reasonable resupply strategy
based upon it and his logistical experience – no amount of
"futuristic" software or hardware will help.

A prudent logistician will realize that software and hardware
tools are just that. Tools to help him make better supply
decisions. No tool yet has been developed that can replicate
human experience and common sense. Perhaps that's a good thing.

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15 Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

2006-01-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal
WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability
to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and
track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic
to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:

1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top
blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with
literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an
average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to
"Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by TNL.net

2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo
it is indexed by Yahoo.

3.) Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS
to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.

4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links
like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than
simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is
perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software
such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.

5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time
you add a new post.

6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as
AltaVista, and MSN.

7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ.
Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google.
DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?

8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as
possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be
done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.

9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy
comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will
force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"

10.) Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or
quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track
back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few
interested readers from the linked site.

11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards,
business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible
know your blog exists.

12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.

13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups,
Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE
group services and find like minded people and talk with them.
Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.

14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for
advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you
leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get
annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own
site and leave.

15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted
across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many
others have a social feature that allows you to place your
article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that
tag can see.

Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic
to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your
imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive
traffic to your blog!

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Media Training 101 -- the Secrets of Writing a Good Press Release

2006-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Does the thought of trying to get publicity for your business
seem like something that you can't do yourself, and would have to
hire a professional for? Do you think that writing a press
release is totally outside your ability to do? Does the thought
of talking to the media about your business make your mouth go
dry and your stomach clench? If so, take heart, because you're
about to learn how you can take care of your own publicity,
simply and easily.

Getting publicity for your business can seem like an impossible
task -- something that only happens for "big" companies that can
afford to hire publicists.

The reality is, getting free publicity for your business isn't
that difficult. Welcome to "Media Training 101 -- The Secrets of
Writing a Good Press Release". By the time you finish reading
this article, you'll not only understand the basics, you'll know
what goes into the process, and what you have to do to get
started writing your own press release.

First of all, let's go over some basic terminology you need to be
familiar with.

Press Release: A statement with useful and relevant information
that is written for distribution to the media.

Hook: The information or larger story that you can use to attach
your press release to. Using the right "hook" in the right way
can help you to get more publicity for your business.

Spin: Telling your story your way.

The good news about learning to write a Press Release is that
there is an established format that you need to follow. And once
you've learned the basics, writing a press release is a kind of
"cookie cutter" process. Here are some basic ideas to keep in
mind:

Make your news "newsworthy". A press release is not a sales
advertisement. A good press release answers all of the "W"
questions (who, what, where, when and why), and
sometimes "how." Your purpose in writing it is twofold: to
provide the media with useful and relevant information about your
organization, product, service or event and to get your name out
to your target market.

Begin with a strong headline. Your headline and first paragraph
need to grab the reader’s attention. Without being flowery or
overly dramatic, you have only the first few seconds to grab your
reader’s attention and get them to read your story, and decide if
it’s worth running. So don’t blow it by being vague or weak.
The rest of your press release can give them the nitty-gritty
details.

Tailor your story to your Primary audience – the media. Your
secondary audience is your target market, but if the media
doesn't decide that your story is newsworthy and runs it, your
potential customers will never know about it!

Pay attention to your writing. Sometimes, especially in rural
areas and online, the media will run your press release in their
publications with little or no modification, so make sure you’ve
used your spelling and grammar check before sending it, and keep
to the facts. Most of the time, journalists will use your press
release as a stepping off place for a larger feature story,
especially if you can show larger relevance to other current
events. Always develop your story as you want to have it told –
put YOUR spin on it. Even if your story is not reprinted
verbatim, always remember what YOUR purpose is in writing it – to
provide exposure for you, and to help brand you as an expert in
your field.

Not everything is news. Just because you are excited that you
made your first big sale, or started a new product line, or wrote
your first article, doesn’t necessarily mean that the press are
going to think you have a newsworthy story. From the time you
start your first draft, keep your audience in mind. Who will find
your story interesting? Why are they going to find it
interesting? How is it relevant to something else that’s going
on right now?

Identify a problem, and show how you’re solving it. Use real life
examples about how your company or organization solved or is
solving a problem. Give examples of how your service or product
fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be
expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate the
benefits of using your product or service.

Stick to the facts. Always. Tell. The. Truth. Avoid fluff,
embellishments and exaggerations. It is part of a journalist’s
job to be skeptical. If you want to use publicity effectively,
then you're not looking for a one night stand. You want to gain
the trust of the media, establish your credibility, and build an
on-going relationship with your local media, so that you become a
resource for them within your industry.

Find your “hook”. Try to make your press release timely. Keep
informed about what’s going on in your community, in your state,
region, the country or the world. Is there a local, regional or
national news story that somehow ties in to your industry or your
business? If you can hook your press release to current events
or social issues, you increase your chances of having it picked
up. If not, then make sure your story is relevant to the needs,
wants or problems of your community or target audience.

Use an active, not passive, voice. Use strong verbs that will
bring your press release to life. If there is controversy,
describe it. There is an old adage in the news business: “If it
cries it flies, and if it bleeds, it leads.” (Not very nice, but
it’s often true.) So, while you may not be crying or bleeding,
make what you’re writing about stand out. Use active verbs.
Write “partnered” rather than "entered into a partnership" or
“engaged” rather than “interested”, etc. Writing in this manner
will help guarantee that your press release will be read.

Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary
adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as
"added bonus" or "first time ever". Paint a strong, vivid
picture in the minds of your audience by making each word count.

Use jargon sparingly. There are times that some jargon is
required if your goal is to optimize your news release for online
search engines, but whenever possible, speak plainly, using
everyday language. Avoid words like "capacity planning
techniques" and "extrapolate”.

Avoid hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. You will
destroy your credibility by using hype. If you must use an
exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get Permission. Most people and companies are very protective
about their reputations. Be sure that you have written permission
before including information or quotes from employees or
affiliates of other companies or organizations. If there is a
hint of a dispute in this area, chances are your press release
will be tossed aside, and never used. And you will lose your
credibility.

If you follow those simple rules, you'll be able to put together
a newsworthy story that will help you achieve your goals of
getting the word out about your business.

George Whitecraft
Have been writing Ebook and Articles for the last 2 years.
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/wsm

contact@whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz

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Keys to Targeting Your Internet Advertising

2006-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

So you got your website up and running. You hired an excellent
web designer to craft a perfect home page and satellite pages
that will really draw in the visitors and inspire them to buy.
You have a beautiful catalog of products with detailed
descriptions. You have a section dedicated to the services you
provide with praises from past customers. And you have the best
online shopping cart service out there so that you customers can
buy from you with no hassles and next day shipping. That's
great! Now where are your customers?

Driving traffic to your website is a much discussed and much
misunderstood venture. There are a million theories out there
that claim to drive tons of new visitors to your site daily.
There are services that say they will increase your traffic by an
enormous percentage if you will only pay them their small fee
over a period of fifty years. There are so-called experts who
will place your pages on all the best search engines on the net.
They claim that with this kind of blanket exposure, your traffic
numbers will explode within days.

But the only sure-fire way to draw productive traffic to your
website is through targeted marketing. The important word to
notice here is "productive." You can draw hundreds of thousands
of visitors to your site every year by hosting a giveaway of some
kind. Services that search the internet for freebies will have
people clicking a link to your site like crazy. But these people
are not there to buy anything from you ... quite the opposite.
They are empty clicks. There is nothing productive about this
kind of traffic. People looking for free stuff will rarely make
you any kind of money. And that's what you're after, right?

So target your marketing to the people who really want to buy
what you have to offer. How? Start by trying these basic
steps...

* Hire an experienced copywriter. The copy that is on your site
makes a world of difference in the sales you garner from the
internet. Most important to targeted marketing are the keywords
found in your title and the metatags in the website's code. An
experienced copywriter will know how to determine the most
effective keywords and place them strategically in your site's
copy. If you cannot afford a copywriter, do some research and
talk to your web designer about inserting metatags.

* You can enroll in pay per click search engines. Obviously,
google.com is one of these, but most of the most popular keywords
are already taken. If you can think of some original phrases
that people use to search for your products or services, you can
post your ad next to the text that comes up when people search
for that phrase. Every time someone clicks on your ad to go to
your site, you pay google.com a nominal fee.

* Submit articles to free ezine sites. This is especially
helpful if you are a service provider. You can write, or hire
someone to write, an article for you about your area of
expertise. Give some free tips, offer your experience, and be
accessible in the text. Then at the bottom of the article, you
get a link to your website advertising your services. Every time
someone publishes your article in their ezine or newsletter, they
must use your web address at the bottom.

These are just a few of the many ways to ensure you get
"productive" traffic. Empty clicks are just that ... empty...
and your wallet will stay that way, too!

George Whitecraft
Have been writing Ebook and Articles for the last 2 years

This Tool Link Fetcher well help you with your marketing
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5 Tips on Using Private Label Content

2005-12-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Private Label Content is becoming increasingly popular as people
join the rush to fill their websites with high-quality
information. Admittedly, you can have articles written by
freelance writers at sites like Elance or Rentacoder, but it gets
expensive. For those who are not yet generating a high income
through AdSense or affiliate sales, Private Label Content (PLC)
provides a welcome alternative.

=== What is Private Label Content? ===

PLC generally refers to articles, e-books and manuals that are
free for subscribers to use as they wish. There are a few
restrictions, however: you cannot claim copyright to PLC, or
submit it to article sites, unless you change the content
significantly. (Interpret 'significantly' as 'unrecognizable as
the original article'.) The cost of membership varies, but
typically ranges from around $24 to $67 a month. For this you
might receive anywhere from 150 to 300 articles per month. Some
sites also offer graphics (e-book covers and site header
graphics) and even ready-made sales letters.

To use PLC to the best advantage, you need to be aware of a few
things.

=== 1. How Can You Use PLC Articles? ===

The most common use for PLC articles is to provide useful,
interesting content for websites. There are other uses, however.
Think about your immediate needs. If you require an incentive for
people to sign up for your newsletter, you can offer an e-book or
training manual made up from PLC articles. It's easy to tweak
these to be more relevant to your website and your clients. (As
well as putting yourself in Google's shoes, put yourself in your
clients' shoes. What do they most need to know?)

You could also create an e-course (anything from 6 to 52 articles
- a short e-course, or one that offers an article for each week
of the year). This gives you an excellent reason to stay in touch
with your clients.

=== 2. How Can You Alter PLC Articles? ===

Submitting articles to public article directories along with your
resource box is a great way to generate traffic to your
web-sites. However, many directories don't allow you to submit
duplicate content - ie, you have to submit your own unique
article. Therefore, when submitting an article that you obtained
from a private label content resource, it's advisable to first
alter the article before submission. Here are a few tips in that
regard...

(a) Change the title of the article. If you are using
keyword-optimized articles, make sure you keep the keyword in the
title - but be creative about the words that surround it. So if
your article is based on the keyword "Mongolian Guinea Pig", your
title might be "Where to Find the Mongolian Guinea Pig" or
"Taking Care of Your Mongolian Guinea Pig" and so on.

(b) Change the opening paragraph. All you need to do (usually) is
make sure that your keyword appears once. Take a look at the rest
of the paragraph. How can you say the same thing in a different
way? Look for synonyms - using your thesaurus - or alter the
tone. Perhaps you can adopt a more casual approach (this might
work better for your readership anyway). You might prefer write a
different introduction altogether.

(c) Work through the article. Add a sentence here; subtract one
there. Present the facts in a different order. Expand by adding
some new points. Break a long article into two shorter articles.
(If you do this, make sure each article seems complete in
itself.)

(d) Rewrite the ending. When you do this, think about what you
want the reader to do. Is this a good place to put your own
affiliate link, or write a lead-in to your own product or
services?

=== 3. Blend Several Articles Into One ===

You can get a whole new look if you take two or more PLC articles
on the same theme and blend them into one longer, fact-packed
article. Sometimes you might find you HAVE to do this, if an
article seems a bit 'lightweight'. Not all PLC articles are
created equal! Sometimes it's obvious that the writer was low on
inspiration.

=== 4. Think Outside the Square. ===

Most PLC articles are presented in batches relevant to one niche.
For example, you might find that over the course of a month you
get 20 articles on golf, 20 on cell phones, 20 on credit cards
and 20 on travel. Let's say that you are busy building a golf
site. It might seem at first glance that only 20 of the 80
articles are relevant to your needs.

Not so! Golf vacations, for example, are very popular. Could any
of your travel articles be massaged to fit the theme of golf
vacations? It's very likely that they could. And what about
communication while you travel - or while you play golf? Does the
golfer need a new cell phone that will easily adapt to overseas
communications? How will the golfer pay for a new set of clubs or
a golf vacation? Might he need to explore credit card options?

You see how it's done. Be creative in your use of Private Label
Content, and you will definitely get your money's worth.

=== 5. One Final Tip - Hold Out For Quality! ===

Now that Private Label Content is becoming popular, more and more
PLC sites are opening up. You can afford to be choosy. Check out
the quality of the articles on offer, and especially the niches
being targeted. Niche areas like golf and credit are popular, and
that's exactly what you want. You want to go where there is an
*existing* demand. You do NOT want obscure niches where there is
little activity. You WANT to go where there is competition.
Naturally, the profitable niches will always have competition.
Where there is competition, there are buyers! So you want to
look for demand, look for competition, and carve your niche!

Finally, consider being a member of more than one PLC site. Is it
worth it to you to spend $150 a month on quality,
no-strings-attached content? That would get you membership of 3-4
sites and upwards of 400 articles each month. Even if you can use
only 50 of those articles, you're getting them for $3 each - a
bargain!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Myths and Misconceptions About Starting an Online Business

2005-12-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Are you trying to start an online business? Are you overwhelmed
with the many online business programs available or concerned
that you'll lose money by investing in them? While many offers
sound too good to be true, there are some very good ones
available - but how can you be sure? Learning to read 'between
the lines' will better prepare you for what's really involved.

Here are some common phrases used to promote online businesses
and what they really mean:

#1 - Simple & Easy

Simple and easy depends on who's speaking. A doctor may tell you
it's only a 'simple procedure' but that doesn't mean that you
should attempt it yourself.

Many online businesses ARE simple to operate. If you understand
how it works you will be amazed at the simplicity - but getting
to that point will require time and experience. You may just need
to try a few to get a 'feel' for the business before deciding
which one is easiest for you.

Those who have learned from experience can look back and see how
simple it COULD have been if they'd known what to do all along.
Finding a trustworthy guide can be a great assistance to your
business efforts.

#2 - Anyone Can Do This

Sorry - starting a business of any kind is stressful and requires
a learning curve. If you are attempting an online business out of
desperation or the belief you will make easy money you will face
enormous obstacles. On the other hand, if you are truly seeking a
business you can learn, work at and make a living from, you will
find something online that fits your needs.

Studies of successful business people concur that those who make
it have common qualities of persistence, patience and desire.
These qualities are essential when trying to start an online
business - do you have them?

#3 - Turnkey

The term 'turnkey' use to mean that a business was set up and
ready to go. You will find the term in business classifieds where
the new owner can just step in and start running the business.
Unfortunately some marketers use the term to suggest a business
is fully automated - that there is no work involved.

There is always work involved. If the business really is turnkey
than you will begin work right away because it has already been
set to go. If you want an automated business you will have to do
the work to make it automated. Either way, nobody is going to
give you an automated, turnkey business that makes money - they
had to do the work, so why would they share it?

#4 - It Won't Cost Anything

You absolutely CAN set up an online business with no money, but
be prepared that a combination of no money and lack of experience
will stifle your efforts immensely.

Most individuals who start or run a business with no money have
learned how to make use of the best free techniques through
experience. They have paid their dues by trying businesses that
cost money. They have spent time in and around their industry or
market and they've been able to see where they can cut costs.

If you are prepared to spend a LOT of time researching before
starting your business you may be one of the few who does it
right the first time. For most people though, expect to pay
something towards your online business education before seeing
results - you just can't buy experience.

Online business obviously has its share of work involved, but
finding the right one has enormous payoffs many people are
willing to sacrifice time and money to achieve. Running your own
business is satisfying and can give you more time to do what you
really want to do in life.

Creating a successful online business is within the grasp of
nearly everyone who is prepared to stick to it. Face the task of
starting your business with realistic expectations while
continuing to dream big and you may just surprise yourself!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Staying Sane in a Home Business - An "Overload" Rescue Plan

2005-12-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

At last, you have achieved your dream. You've escaped the
traditional, away from home work force and are now
self-employed.

There you sit, in your spiffy new office - whether it's in the
corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom - surrounded
by your equally spiffy new toys...your computer, desk and some
strategically placed shelves.

Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and
copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't
have everything.)

You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about
making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really *can* work from
home!

At first, working at home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when
everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After
putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and
think; phew...I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give
yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend
and earned it, right?

Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad
start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you
find that you're dropping further and further behind. You reflect
gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at
the end of the day you were finished...what didn't get done
didn't get done!

Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in
place that will keep you in control of your time...and your
sanity.

=== 1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. ===

Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and
carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control.
Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them
on a priority list to be phoned next week. (This will not only
allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in
demand.)

=== 2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. ===

Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a
twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim
or a movie outing with friends - all these activities can
recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far
more when you are rested and alert. (How many times have you sat
at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little,
because you're over-tired?)

=== 3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. ===

If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients
and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new
deadlines on what you CAN achieve, not what you HOPE you can
achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products
urgently, bump them up the queue.

=== 4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. ===

Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can.
Consider involving family, business associates or friends to
handle some tasks. (Warning: do not hand over tasks that must be
carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your
reputation is important.)

=== 5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. ===

If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next... but
adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing
this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for
you.

Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just
like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your
credit rating - nothing can be gained by denying that a problem
exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire.
Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in
place and you can quickly regroup.

Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track
once more.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Using Off-line Marketing to Promote Your Website

2005-11-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Most of the Internet Marketers seem to think of website promotion
as just submitting to search engines, directories, link building
and advertising in ezines or banner exchanges.

It is a known fact that most people in the world use most of
their time off-line. They read newspapers, magazines, listen to
radio and watch TV, talk with their friends, neighbors and
family. Not all the time is spent surfing on the internet.

To ignore the value of off-line marketing is to leave 65-70% of
the money to be made from your websites on the table.

Some suggestions for creating an off-line advertising/publicity
campaign are :

Let your local papers know that you have an unique product that
will benefit the local community and you are able to help them
save time, learn more and be more effective in their daily lives.
This could lead to an interview with a local reporter or even
with a national with your website product as a featured item and
will drive people to at least see what the buzz is about.

At the very least it will create an awareness of your domain name
or product in their sub-conscience mind.

Try finding a local business that is related to your product and
offer them a discount voucher to give their customers for your
product.

Take out small ads in local or niche magazines to advertise the
product. Some ads are relatively cheap comparable to a solo ad in
a main ezine.

Try handing out flyers with a special offer in the high street or
find shops that would allow you to leave them on the counter for
customers to pick up.

Try sending a fax broadcast to businesses that could benefit from
your product. Some companies have lists of fax numbers and can
send out the fax for as little as interview each.

If you can develop an unique twist or benefit of your product or
service, then you could become newsworthy and even get an
interview with a local reporter, who can write a better article
than any you could put together for their readers or listeners.

Investigate the possibility of sending out Press Releases to the
local media. Send them your product for review. Get a well known
celebrity to endorse your product.

I am sure you can think of many other ways to use off-line
marketing, other than sticking notes on lamp-posts to create an
awareness of your site.

Good luck

George Whitecraft
Have been writing Ebook and Articles for the last 2 years.

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/wsm

contact@whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz

Do you need softwares to help with your business?

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/iss

Your Free* E-book just click on the link to download it

This Ebook well help you with your marketing

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/dlb

8 Ways to Gain Expert Recognition

2005-11-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

No matter what business you are in it always helps to be seen as
an expert. If you were calling someone to fix a drain or sell
your house you would approach the person you saw as most credible
and reputable in that area of expertise.

To become an expert takes hard work and experience. It can
involve study or the honing of practical skills. It demands high
standards of work. But after all this effort will you be
perceived as an expert? If you feel you've earned the mantle of
expert but are not recognized as one, here are eight ways to
start establishing your reputation.

Publish a book or series of reports or articles
The internet has made this much easier. You can now create an
ebook that can be downloaded without having to involve a
publisher. There are ezine owners always looking for good quality
articles and reports for their ezines. A well-written book or
series of articles will establish your reputation as an expert in
your field.

Publish a newsletter
Set one up on the internet and distribute it to your customers.
This is an excellent way to regularly keep your name in front of
your prospects as an authority on your subject.

Write press releases
Used correctly these can gain you a lot of positive publicity.
Make sure the press release looks like newsworthy information and
not like an advertisement.

Create a website
Set up a user-friendly website that will appeal to customers and
you have expanded the reach of your reputation. Keep it timely
and informative, and people will continue to return to your site.
If you don't know how to set up a website there are plenty of web
designers who do. Alternatively enquire at a college teaching web
design. Some students might want to build a portfolio.

Join associations
If you are a member of an association it will enhance your
credibility. But don't just be a member. Be an active member.
This will build your reputation among your peers and lead to
useful introductions. Membership can have many benefits, and it
will certainly keep you up to date in your field.

Networking
You can boost your reputation and influence by speaking to the
right people. Keep your name in front of your prospects. Organize
mutually beneficial ventures. You cannot predict what may come
from a contact so make as many as you can.

Public Speaking
Even speaking to a local group of people can establish you as an
expert and get you referrals that may lead to a wider audience.
If you are not sure you can speak in public, preparation and
rehearsal are the keys to success. Make sure your presentation is
aimed at the right level, follows a sensible sequence and will
not sound like a dry textbook-like monologue. Write your main
points on small cards so you are not relying solely on your
memory and start in front of a small audience.

Teach workshops or seminars
If you have knowledge that people would like to tap into you can
pass on your expertise. If your presentation is well planned you
will be seen as an authority in your subject. You will also meet
people who are likely to recommend you to others. If you are
teaching a hot topic you will also be gaining a useful income
stream.

Any of these methods will start building your reputation as an
expert. Use them all correctly and you will gain the sort of
reputation that will have potential clients approaching you
without having to seek them out.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Ownership and Copyright Aspects of Interviewing

2005-11-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Newspaper and magazine articles are often based on interviews.
Interviews are an integral part of journalism but many people
don’t realize that this simple exercise of asking and answering
questions has some complex issues of ownership. If you have never
conducted and interviewed, then you may not have given any
thought to the ownership and copyright aspect of an interview.

An interview is not merely two people having a conversation, but
an interaction that has some legal ramifications. The primary
issue is who owns the interview: interviewee or interviewer. The
US Copyright Act of 1976, defines the copyright ownership as
linked to originality and fixation. The ownership is for the
"Original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of
expression.”

It is the fixation requirement that can be a little troublesome.
The interview will be fixed only if it is captured in a copy that
is permanent allowing it to be: perceived, reproduced, and
communicated. If there is an audio copy, video copy, or if the
entire interview is in shorthand then the interview is fixed. But
if the interview notes are only from parts of the interview then
only the portion of the interview that is detailed will be
considered fixed.

To get the maximum protection under Federal Law the interviewee
must also give their consent for the interviewer to record the
interview. Rosemont Enterprises v. Random House (1966) was one
case where the courts decided that interviewer was the copyright
owner of an interview. In this case the court's decision was in
part based upon the consent of the interviewee. If any of the
requirements are not fulfilled, then Federal Laws do not apply.
You must however note that ideas discussed in the interview are
not protected by copyright law.

Here are some tips if you want to conduct an interview:

1. Make sure you get written consent from the interviewee for
maximum protection under the Federal Law.
2. Always inform the interviewee that you wish to use the
interview copy for commercial purpose.
3. Resolve any issues regarding the copyright beforehand with the
interviewee.
4. Ensure that you have covered the fixed condition for the
interview.

Interviews are great ways to access the knowledge that people
have, and get their views on issues. They also benefit the
interviewee by giving them an opportunity to speak up and make
their opinions known. Just take care that all the legal
requirements have been met, so it does not become a bad
experience for anyone.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Create A Marketing "Swipe" File

2005-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Direct marketing's a tough way to make a living but if you can
master certain skills it can be extremely lucrative. It takes on
many different forms, some of which are easily translatable to
the web.

Although the term may bring to mind door to door salesmen pushing
their wares to housewives in robes and curlers, it also has roots
in print ads such as classifieds and space ads and direct mail.

The internet has created a massive opportunity for the skilled
direct marketer to thrive without doing the customary legwork and
engaging in personal contact with their prospects, basically
expanding on the concept of direct mail.

So what skills do you need to hone in order to succeed at direct
marketing?

The top priority of anyone interested in making money on the
internet should be their copywriting skills. This is simply
putting your sales message into words.

Since the face to face encounter has been eliminated you need to
be able to convey your pitch through the words on the pages that
your prospects are reading.

A great way to polish your copywriting skills, even if you've
never written a single word of ad copy before, is to create a
swipe file. This is just a file of already successful ad
campaigns.

Swipe files are incredibly useful tools. Every major player in
direct marketing keeps a swipe file and for good reason.
Everybody gets stuck for words and ideas at some point. When this
happens it's good to have an example of past successes to go to
and freshen your creative juices and get the words flowing
again.

What should your file consist of?

You should gather any material that has spurred you to action,
whether its purpose was to get you to buy something or just leave
your name and email address. Copy the good stuff and study it.
Realize what was in the ad that made you act on the offer.

Look for layout designs (bulleted lists are a big direct
marketing tactic), action words, headlines and sub heads. You'll
notice certain words popping up along with questions and
statements that are all fairly alike but are tailored to specific
products and services.

That's the key to a good swipe file. Gather a wide array of
different styles and mold the message to your particular target
audience. Study the material and write out many different
versions of the same ad. Practice your art and perfect it.

A word of caution though. Never copy an ad word for word. That's
plagiarism and it's illegal. Use your swipe file as an aid only,
to sharpen your copywriting skills and make you better at direct
marketing.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

The Importance of Getting Your Website Listed on DMOZ

2005-11-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

DMOZ is used by Google for ALL of the contents of the Web
Directory portion of their site. Many small search engines and
directories also use DMOZ results for their directories. Since
DMOZ has been around a long time and uses human editors, Google
also gives your site quite alot of link popularity credit, if
your site is listed. Needless to say, DMOZ is an important link,
if you can get it.

When performing directory submissions, your first stop should be
DMOZ.org. Spend some time finding the absolute best category for
your site. This is crucial. Submitting to the wrong category will
hold up the review of your site. Then create a good description
and use your company or website name as the title. Make sure to
read their submission guidelines, especially for the category you
are submitting to. Basically, you get one shot at DMOZ, submit
right the first time and forget about it. For some commercial
categories, it may take YEARS to be reviewed. DO NOT submit again
and again, your submission will be put at the back of the review
queue if you keep submitting, or be deleted altogether! Don't get
fancy with the description, yes, try and incorporate your main
keyword phrase or phrases, but be careful. The description should
adhere to their submission guidelines perfectly. Take a good look
at the descriptions of sites already listed in the category for
an idea of what the editors are looking for. Use natural
language, not sales jargon. Make it short and to the point. Also,
be sure to use an email from your site, like
webmaster@yoursite.com. This may help the editors know that this
is a legitimate submission from an important person in your
company, as opposed to if you use myname@hotmail.com as the
submission email address. You don't need to worry about being
spammed. It's unlikely you will ever hear from DMOZ via email. So
use your real email address from your domain.

Once you've submitted to DMOZ, you can check your category once a
month to see if your site has been added, as you won't receive a
confirmation email if your site is accepted or denied.

If the category you are submitting to does not have an editor
listed AND if the category doesn't have alot of listings,
preferably less than 50 consider applying to become an editor of
the category. As editor, you can approve your own site into the
category very quickly. Be honest in your application, the DMOZ
people will research the information you give them, if you lie,
you won't get approved. If you are approved, be an honest editor,
giving competitors a fair shot to be listed. You wouldn't want a
competitor keeping you out of the directory if they had the
power, would you? Login a couple times a month to review new
listings and to keep your editor account updated.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Low Carb Diet Plan - When More Is Better

2005-11-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

When most people want to lose weight the first thing they usually
do is start a diet. And a diet to most people means "stop
eating".

Wrong!

A healthy diet should consist of eating less of the foods that
contain calories from simple carbohydrates (sugar and processed
flour) and more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and
good sources of protein. This is the basis of a good low carb
diet plan.

As a matter of fact, a good diet should have you eating more
instead of less! Not more food, but more often.

The body's a wonderful mechanism. It's geared towards one
important goal. Survival. When your body feels threatened by the
lack of food it automatically assumes that you're starving.

To combat this condition the body will start breaking down muscle
to use as energy and saves its fat stores for the last ditch
effort to save itself from what it thinks is immanent death.

This is bad on two fronts.

First, by using muscle tissue for energy you're losing precious
lean mass which is metabolically active. This means that you need
energy to support muscle which helps to keep your metabolism
running at a higher pace. Higher metabolism means more calories
burned even in a resting state.

Fat, on the other hand, doesn't need any energy to support it.
It's simply "dead" weight.

Secondly, the body will start storing more fat because it's
preparing itself for the worst. Your survival is your body's most
important concern so it'll do whatever it can to stay alive.

So what can you do if you want to eat less without starving
yourself and sending your body into this defense mode?

Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day.

This works on two levels.

By eating more often you won't get hungry as quickly and your
metabolism will stay raised because you'll be digesting food more
often. Digesting food uses calories just like any other physical
activity.

So here's the plan. Eat four or five meals a day. Not what most
would consider a meal (main course with two sides and dessert!),
but a small portion of protein along with some fresh fruits and
veggies.

This can be accomplished with a little planning and preparing in
your spare time.

Cook your weeks worth of meals - skinless chicken's an excellent
source of protein and can usually be purchased in a big pack or
value pack from your local grocery store - and refrigerate it in
separate packages, one for each meal.

Egg whites are a very good source of protein too. By mixing three
or four whites with one yolk and tossing it into the microwave
for approximately 90 seconds, whipping it and tossing it back in
for another 60 seconds, you can have some nice fluffy scrambled
eggs practically anywhere. Without all the cholesterol!

Buy your produce and clean it, separating it too into meal size
portions. All this can be done in a few hours on the weekend.

Buying some disposable storage containers can help keep things
convenient and organized.

Try to eat every three hours or so to keep your metabolism and
energy up. This'll help you stay away from those snacking binges
too.

Also, drink lots of water. Water will help to cleanse your body
and make you feel full.

So you see, with a little planning and by adhering to a low carb
diet plan sometimes eating more can be better!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Multilevel Marketing - Benefits & Drawbacks

2005-11-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever dreamed of running your own business from home,
whether on a full or part-time basis...and are good with people
but have very little business knowledge, then Multilevel
Marketing (MLM) may be for you. This is especially true if you
have a minimal amount of start-up cash.

MLM companies provide a product or service to the consumer via a
network of “independent” distributors, who usually work from
their home.

Reputable MLM companies also provide a low start-up cost, all the
training you need, advertising in one form or another, and supply
you with a product line-up or service to sell. They also allow
you to recruit other distributors and make commissions on their
total sales.

The United States Federal Trade Commission, however, cautions
anyone from joining a MLM company that pays you for each
distributor you recruit, as opposed to only paying a commission
on the total sales they generate. This is called ‘Pyramiding’ and
is illegal.

The U.S. FTC also encourages you to thoroughly research a MLM
company before signing on the dotted line, and not to sign
anything under pressure, but instead, take time to consider all
the details. You can check out their Multilevel Marketing Caution
Web Page at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/pyrdalrt.htm. On this
page, they also list seven checks you should do before making
your decision whether to join or not.

Research is always an important component of any business venture
and considering a distributorship with a MLM company is no
exception.

Searching the Internet under “Multilevel Marketing” returns a
recipe of results. These range from government agencies, general
information web sites, encyclopedia type sites to a host of
disgruntled, former MLM distributors. People who are “pro” MLM
don’t write web sites on the topic because they’re usually too
busy building their network.

THE GOOD SIDE

Here are some of the benefits of finding a reputable MLM company:

- They have an established and very marketable product line or
service, and strive to improve or add to the existing line-up.
- Recruiting new distributors will be a streamlined process, and
the company will not be involved in Pyramiding.
- As a company, they will have a solid track record and good work
ethics.
- No experience will be required. A good MLM company will provide
one-on-one training, as well as motivational seminars and a full
compliment of training materials. After all, in Multilevel
marketing, when one succeeds all succeed.
- A reputable MLM company will be “Family” rated, meaning that
crude conduct is not tolerated.
- They will provide an excellent bonus plan with many incentives
for those who excel.
- Well-established MLM companies should be able to provide you
with resource material to aid you in not only product sales but
in recruiting.
- They will have minimal start-up fees.
- A strong support system.
- You will be led by example.
- Healthy team competition.
- There will be a successful business and marketing plan in place
that can be successfully duplicated by others, assuming they
apply themselves to the plan and are motivated to succeed.
- There exists the possibility of full-time or part-time
commitment.

These attributes would definitely belong to an ideal Multilevel
Marketing Company, however not all reputable companies excel in
all these areas. Some companies will be better in certain areas
than others. Do research on the company. Don’t just accept the
motivational hype used by most MLM companies in order to recruit.

Some MLM distributors are so highly trained that they have a
“come-back” for almost every statement you make or concern you
have. This would be considered a ‘high-pressure’ invitation to
join. Always take time away to cool off – especially if you’re
excited by what you heard. Sit on your decision for a while and
do research. If the company is good, they will still be there
when you wake up tomorrow; and yes, you will get a follow-up
phone call.

THE DOWNSIDE

While the MLM model can be a great tool to achieve what you want
in life, it would be remiss not to mention the downside.

- It is easy to get ‘taken’ by a disreputable MLM company. Do
your research.
- If you plan on developing a network – a “downline” – it will
cost you more money than you realize and take you longer than you
think – although this is slight compared to the cost and time
required to start up a traditional business. You will spend a lot
on resource and training materials that you will end up giving
away to prospects and to your downline distributors.
- You might spend a lot of money on fuel for your vehicle, meals
out, hotel rooms or neck surgery from sleeping in your car.
- Some companies insist on a minimum monthly order to maintain
your distributorship.
- Some companies only pay you for recruiting other distributors
and not on their total sales volume. Beware, as this is called
‘Pyramiding’ and is illegal in most countries.
- While you may initially be led to believe that the products
sell themselves and that you can make a lot of money with little
effort, beware. Most businesses, whether they are traditional,
online, or MLM, take a lot of energy and effort to make them
successful. Consider a rocket: 60 – 80% of the fuel is used just
to raise it a few inches off the ground.
- Be ready for a lot of rejection. Approximately 80%+ of the
people you contact will turn you down.
- It is easy to get caught up in the ‘dream’ and overspend
because, “Winners always find a way.” It is also easy to be
pressured into ‘willingly’ spending beyond your means.
- It could very easily become your life’s vocation, with
everything centered on it. Some distributors even refuse to
attend family weddings etc., because it falls on the same date as
their MLM seminar.
- Also, like most businesses, when you begin you will be spending
much more than you make.

The final judgment: Most business entrepreneurs face the
question, “How much am I able and willing to lose if it doesn’t
work?” That is the question you have to ask yourself before you
get into Multilevel Marketing.

And of course, what do you want from life and what are you
willing to do to get it?

If you enjoy helping others succeed so that you can succeed, are
willing to take the risks associated with being in business for
yourself, even on a part-time basis, and are willing to put in
long days, then Multilevel Marketing may just be the tool you are
looking for to achieve your business and life goals.

Here’s to success!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Interview Your Subconscious! : 9 Steps to Unique Articles

2005-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

1 Remove your limits

Reduce your subject to a single core word and then brainstorm
around it. For example, if you're trying to write about "Study
Skills", expand your thinking to "School". Now jot down
everything that comes to mind when you think about School, and
when you run out of ideas start asking yourself open questions
around the subject and noting your answers.

Examples:

What did I enjoy about school?
What scared me?
What did I wish I'd known from Day 1?

This will help you get back into the mindset of someone
struggling with school issues of all kinds and you'll start to
get a feel for their concerns and worries.

2 Restore your focus

Once you've started to understand the general feelings of your
readers, allow your mind to focus back on your original topic of
Study Skills. From your new perspective, what questions would you
ask? What would you want to know? Is this really a "Studying"
issue or is it more about Time Management or being able to work
without distractions or being paralyzed by the fear of not doing
well?

3 Be your audience

Write each question on a separate sheet of paper; don't stop
until you have at least ten and preferably more. Stay in the
mindset of your readers until you feel you've asked every major
question that concerns them.

4 Take a step back

Put your pile of question aside for a few hours, overnight if
possible. Don't consciously think about them; just go about your
day as usual. Give your subconscious time to process them without
any further prompting from you. If new questions come to mind jot
them down somewhere safe and then forget about them.

5 Get out your pen and write

When you're ready, sit down with your pages of questions and
simply start to answer them. Writing your answers by hand can
give you access to ideas that might be missed if you type them.
Don't edit yourself at this stage. Using Speech to Text software
or a digital recorder can also be helpful in bypassing the
internal editor.

Imagine someone sitting in front of you asking for advice and
just talk to them. Keep your tone natural and conversational and
stay with the question-and-answer format.

6 Edit lightly

Trust your first instincts. Proof-read and correct any obvious
errors, but don't do any major editing until your piece has had
time to "sit" for a while. Again, leaving it overnight will give
you a fresh perspective the next time you look at it, but even if
your deadline doesn't allow for that it's important to give
yourself a break from it.

When you're pushed for time, writing several articles at one
sitting can create enough change of focus to make you "forget"
the one you've just written.

7 Polish it up

Short articles are unlikely to need major editing if you've
written them as described here. They will flow easily and
naturally already and having each Q & A on a separate sheet makes
it easier to select only the ones you want. Your job now is to
put them in a reasonably logical sequence and make sure they're
understandable and that the reader is led smoothly from one
question and answer to the next.

8 Top and tail it

Write a brief introductory paragraph as a "teaser" for the main
article. Many article directories now put the first paragraph of
each piece into RSS feeds which are picked up by other websites,
so you'll want to make sure that your two or three major keywords
appear at least once in that first paragraph.

Write another short paragraph to summarize the major points of
the article and provide some ideas for the reader to explore the
subject further. Don't of course forget your own resource box:
use the format [a href="http://www.yourwebsite.com"]Your Website
Name[/a] (replace the square brackets with angle brackets) for
your link, so when your article is converted to html your link
will automatically be live.

9 Submit it!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Researching InformationTo Develop Your Unique Content

2005-11-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

We live in a sea of information. And information overload is an
increasingly common complaint. Part of the complaint arises
because we get hit with different headlines that point to the
same content. So we waste time on things that have no added
value. Bummer.

When you email your list or put up content on your site, and
assuming you want to generate loyalty, it's necessary that you
have content others haven't seen a dozen times elsewhere.

If this makes sense to you, here are some ideas you can use to
EASILY generate fresh content with a minimal amount of time and
effort.

First of all, think about a subject in which you are interested.
Let's say it's horticulture. Now if you're not aware of it, let
me put you in the picture. Most people do web searches from
Google's home page and stop there. Not at all creative. Not at
all digging for information from which to develop original
content.

So let's go exploring...

1 - Google has lots of tools besides just web searches. They let
you check the news. (http://news.google.com) As of this writing,
there are 1,680 news items listed by Google on the word
horticulture. Bet you could easily do a summary of some of these
articles and create your own content. But let's not stop there.

2 - Google also has "groups." (http://groups.google.com/) These
are folks who like to discuss *your* subject. So now you can go
even farther. Look up horticulture in their groups. Now this
information is potentially gold. Why? Because you can see what it
is about horticulture that lots of folks are interested in.

Think you might be able to do a little research and come up with
a free or even a for-profit report that gives them what they
want?

Check out Google's other tools, too. You can even get research
info from universities through Google. Start here:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

3 - Next method: Do this search (keeping in the punctuation as
written):

+horticulture +free +filetype:pdf

As of this writing, Google shows 196,000 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 Horticulture Front!"

4 - Go to Alexa.com. Do a search on your subject, in this
example, horticulture. It provides the exact same results as
Google because it's powered by Google. So why bother, right?
Wrong. Because Alexa *does* provide value added information.

When you do the search, you don't want to click the link that
takes you to the listed site. Instead you want to follow the link
that says "Site info." When you do this, you'll find a section
called: "People who visit this page also visit." This can be very
valuable because it potentially shows *what the marketplace is
interested in.* This can enable you to tailor your information
product to what people want.

These are just some of the easy ways to branch out your
explorations and find gold to weave into golden braids.

Golden searching... :)

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

7 Reasons Why Seasonal Marketing Sells Products

2005-11-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

The celebration of Thanksgiving is approaching and later on will
come Christmas, then New Year's, Saint Valentines Day and so
on...

Now, what is so special about each celebration? They all increase
the selling of products. There are many reasons why you should
consider seasonal marketing to promote your products, including
the seven which are listed below:

1. People tend to buy more products during seasonal celebrations
than the rest of the year.

2. People are determined to purchase products, so it is easier to
persuade them to purchase a product you offer (assuming of course
you are doing it the right way).

3. Most purchases concern gifts to others, therefore quality is
what matters while price is less significant.

4. The time of celebration is limited and specific. Therefore
people cannot leave for tomorrow what they need to buy for the
celebration. They must act in a timely manner. This urgency is a
huge advantage to marketers trying to sell products.

One other motivating factor for buyers is that seasonal products
are limited and something they have in-mind may not be available
in the stores at a different time.

5. People connect seasonal celebrations with their childhood.
That makes them more emotional and as you might already know
emotion is the key factor that makes people buy a product.

6. It is not always necessary to offer a celebration related
product to increase your sales. Even a valued Internet product
like software or e-books can be a valued gift.

7. Marketers do not have to invent new or never before used
methods to create interest in seasonal products. The old
traditional marketing techniques are effective and can still be
applied. People want to buy because of the "celebration". In
fact, many people may not see their purchase as buying at all,
but as an act of making someone (including themselves) more
happy.

Naturally, seasonal marketing may use different strategies to
promote products. Instead of offering a product discount try the
following:

- Offer a portion of the price of your product to charities and
make people feel they contribute to this charity themselves.

- Try a special offer like "purchase one product and get the
other at half price" or "purchase one product and get another
free to offer as a gift".

These types of special offers can very easily increase your sales
volume.

So, do not hesitate. Start promoting your products (or affiliate
products) now. And don't forget, once a celebration ends, there
are many others right around the corner. People are always
looking for reasons to purchase gifts for others or for
themselves.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Compliments that Reach the "Heart" of Employees

2005-11-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

As a manager you are responsible for the smooth running of
company affairs. You know that this takes the effort of every
person who reports to you.

When an employee has brought a big project in on-time and on-
budget you may want to express your gratitude in a personal way
that shows total understanding and appreciation.

You may want to provide a compliment that will motivate him/her,
as well as to thank them for the work that they have already
achieved.

Here’s how to make your compliments reach their heart, not just
their head, to impart a positive affirmation that will make them
feel that you really understand and care.

There are three parts to a successful compliment, namely: the
Reason, the Feeling and the Result. Putting these parts together
will send a message to your employee that will lift their spirits
and send their ego flying!

THE REASON

To give a successful compliment you need to identify what the
other person did that encouraged you. Why do you want to give the
compliment? What did your employee do to warrant it?

You need to pinpoint the reason why you want to give them a
compliment so that your employee can understand why you are
giving it.

Describe the project that they were working on. Don’t use only a
single sentence – provide at least three sentences to describe
your employee’s involvement with the project.

When you see exceptional work performance there is reason to
provide a compliment that imparts meaning, so go into as much
detail as possible about the project itself.

THE FEELING

How did you feel when your employee completed the project and
produced a result that was much higher than expected?

When a compliment is given that seems to have no just cause, it
appears to be superficial. Terms like “Wow” or “Fantastic” are
loud expressions suitable to be used at baseball or basketball
matches and won’t suffice to touch the heart of an employee.

You will need to put your own emotions into words – and for some
of us, this can be close to impossible. Here are some emotive
words that you can use to help describe how you may be feeling:
grateful, excited, surprised, happy, pleasant, relaxed, peaceful,
thrilled, tickled pink, joyful, elated, ecstatic, pleased,
thankful, relieved, overjoyed, glad.

Disclosing your feelings or emotions to an employee produces
communication at an emotional level, bypassing the intellect.
This is a deeper level of communication that reaches for the
heart, not just the head.

Since most work relationships are driven by position (e.g.
manager to employee), you may find this part of the message more
difficult to deliver than expected. However this is where you are
able to produce the greatest gains in manager-employee relations.

THE RESULT

In order to create a compliment that reaches the heart, you need
to be able to tell an employee how their actions have helped out
the business. Be as factual about this as possible. You will need
to provide some visible figures that represent the percentages
gained as a result of their work.

For example, did it save the company money or eliminate expense?
Did the project have any unforeseen problems that were easily
solved by the employee? Why are things different because of their
work?

This is part three of the message and provides a meaningful basis
for awarding your employee a compliment that they deserve.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Here is the formula for producing a great compliment that touches
the heart:

REASON + FEELING + RESULT = GREAT COMPLIMENT

With a little practice this formula provides you the ability to
land a meaningful compliment into the heart of your employee that
says quite strongly, “Well done!”

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Writing Articles That Captivate Your Readers

2005-10-31T17:22:00.000-08:00

You've heard it time and time again: if you want to get your name
out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced
(with a resource box pointing back to you, of course). Largely,
that is true. A well-written article can:

- help you build your profile as an expert

- draw traffic to your site, and

- help you to build a database of potential clients through
associated e-courses or a newsletter.

So far you probably haven't heard anything you didn't already
know. What YOU are likely to be struggling with is the process of
actually writing the article. Sure, you can come up with the
content - but how do you really grab those readers? How do you
keep their attention all the way through? And most importantly,
how do you make them want to come back for more?

Let's assume that you understand the basics of constructing and
editing an article (it has a beginning, middle, and an end and
you know how to check the grammar and spelling.) Most of us can
manage that. But if you're not content with simply "getting
something out there" - if you want to WIN readers - then you need
to start thinking about what they want to know, rather than what
you want to tell them.

Put your readers first - every time. Give them what they want,
and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce. Give them
something bland (or worse, blatantly self-serving) and they'll
blast by you so fast you'll be spinning in the back draft.

The following four steps will give you a blueprint for writing
articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic.

== 1. Find Out What Your Readers Really Want ==

Sometimes you'll know what they want because you're an expert in
the field, and understand the problems. If you don't know the
subject area well, you'll have to do more research. Look for
forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are
the problems that need solving? Can you provide an answer? ("If
they have a headache, give them an aspirin.")

== 2. Start With An Attention-Grabber ==

Spend time working on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions
like "Have you ever wondered why so many people find it difficult
to lose weight?" Firstly, it's dull. Secondly, it's not targeting
the person reading the article - what do they care about the
difficulties "many people" have with losing weight? They only
care about THEIR weight problem!

Try to come up with an opening paragraph that gives the reader
that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling right away. Better
still; try to generate a rush of excitement - "This could be the
answer I've been looking for..."

Example: "The diet gurus make it all sound so easy: to lose
weight, all you have to do is expend more energy than you take
in. Huh! If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be
out of business in a heartbeat. Luckily for those of us who are
tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a
back-to-basics way to tackle this. A way that won't cost you a
fortune or leave you feeling deprived."

== 3. Write As You Speak... Then Edit! ==

The sample opening above also illustrates the importance of the
tone you use in your article. You need 'meat' in each article, of
course, to make it worth reading - but make sure it's not
indigestible!

You're better off writing your article in a natural, relaxed
style that's akin to normal conversation. It doesn't matter if
the first draft is a little too informal - you can fix that when
you edit. Naturally you don't want to irritate your readers with
a too-breezy style, but too-formal is worse. Readers may want
facts, tips, and strategies, but they hope to be entertained,
too! Let your personality shine through.

== 4. End On A High ==

What's one of the biggest problems with most articles? They
fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat
note. They either just stop dead or they come up with a trite
ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"

The beginning and the end of your article are the two parts that
make the biggest impression. Start by creating a feeling of
anticipation... and leave them feeling satisfied (or excited)
when you finish.

If you are offering advice to help them solve a problem (like
obesity) gives your readers a reason to feel optimistic and good
about them. Don't make rash promises... but do offer hope. If you
are giving hints on marketing or business, sum up the benefits of
acting on your tips. You can also experiment with using a
pithy/humorous quote, or giving readers a specific action to get
them started. Be creative - and don't rush it.

Here's a final tip: create an article-writing cheat-sheet for
yourself. Divide it into beginnings/middles/ends and add more
useful strategies as you think of them. (For example, using the
tips in this article, you might write: ENDINGS - end on a high,
offer hope, use funny quote, suggest action to get started.)

Do this, and you'll be steadily cranking out articles that
everyone wants to publish!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Market Your Storefront with a Website

2005-10-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Many people think that the Internet offers a tremendous
marketplace, while others will question the extra effort and
money to purchase and design a website. Some of the money-making
values of having a website are summarized in the following
paragraphs for your consideration.

1. If you have a local group of customers and want to expand to
the neighboring areas, states or even, countries, without
spending massive amounts of costly advertising money or even
leasing more company space, then the Internet can work very well
for you. Niche markets (small groups of customers scattered
about that are interested in a very specific item or service)
also work very well on the Internet.

2. As a business owner, you need to provide a map and directions
to your store for your customers and enable them to look up
specials, discounts, limited merchandise, or varieties and prices
of each item you market. For instance, let's say you sell
cheesecakes and you would like to spend less time on the phone
explaining the different varieties, how many people the different
varieties will serve, prices, and availability. Here's how this
could work online for you. You would provide a secure, encrypted
order form thereby collecting the person's credit information as
well as their address, phone, and email information. They would
list their preferences as to varieties and sizes of cheesecakes.
This form would be sent directly to your email or to your fax so
that you would have the items ready for the customer to pick up
that day or the day they designate. You would have the
cheesecakes shipped for those that cannot make it to your store.
When a customer returns to order another product from your
website, they would not have to fill out most of the form as it
would already be in your database.

3. You build their confidence when you show customers that you
have their best interest and shopping convenience in mind when
you open a website and properly maintain that website with new
and updated information. Customers will appreciate being able to
read about the owners, the store's policies, the service after
the sale, and any other items you think would develop a rapport
to allow them to do more business with you. Having a website
allows your company to develop its style and branding and
develops a sense of security for the customers in doing business
with your firm.

4. A small operation can look just as important as a large
corporation. A website builds confidence and value into your
products and services and allows you to receive orders you may
have missed without being on the Internet.

5. If you do advertising on the radio or TV, newspapers or
direct mail, having a website gives the customer a place to
review what you tell them in the ads in much more detail. Every
ad should reference your website so customers can view the
details at a time and place that is convenient 24 hours a day
seven days a week. You can quickly change and update information
on a website without the expense of printed materials.

6. You can do any promotion online that you can do offline and
much cheaper. Coupons, money-off sales, discounts, employee
recognition, limited merchandise you want to move, all these can
be marketed on your website. Keeping the website up-to-date can
be provided by your webmaster at a very nominal fee.

I hope that you can see from some of the above points that having
your own website is necessary in today's marketplace for any
small or medium-sized business as well as any at-home business.
Customers are out there looking for you and you need to take
advantage of where they are looking and, right now, that is the
INTERNET! Since your competitors have a website, they are
perceived as being more up-to-date. The ease, convenience,
special online savings, information about your company's mission,
your services, your ability to communicate with customers are all
important reasons for having a dynamic online website. Online
marketing will only continue to grow...WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS FIND
YOU ONLINE?

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

How to Say I Love You

2005-10-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Remember the words from an old song...

"Be sure it's true when you say I love you, it's a sin to tell a
lie".

The concept of "sin" has lost its meaning for most in our modern
era, and even "love" has lost its importance.

If you still believe in "falling in love" then you will realize
how difficult it is to say, "I love you" in a meaningful way.
Three little words that could change your life forever. The
words, themselves, have lost their meaning because of overuse
especially when it's not really true. Everybody says them.

However, when you want tell your partner of your love it's such a
hard decision to make for many reasons. Will your partner return
your love? Will your partner simply accept your declaration with
indifference? Will he or she feel threatened? It is such a common
problem that even "The Seinfeld Show" had an episode on it.

So make it easy on yourself and plan the declaration so that as
much as possible you eliminate the problems. The first step, of
course, is to be certain you really are in love. If you so enjoy
being with your partner that you want to be with him or her to
the exclusion of all others, if you think of him or her every day
when you are apart, you are probably in love. If you have even a
small doubt you should wait a little longer.

If you are certain then plan a special occasion for it. Make it a
significant moment in your life - one to remember with fondness
for your whole life. Arrange an intimate dinner at your favorite
restaurant and make it as romantic as you can. Give him or her a
small gift because you love being with them, or you are so glad
that you met them.

After dinner while holding your partner intimately gaze intently
into their eyes and say, "I love you so much it hurts when we are
apart. I hope that we can stay together forever".

Do not be disappointed if your partner does not return your
declaration. They may not yet be ready and might need more time
to state their feelings. Continue to share with your partner the
highs and lows of your partner's life. Care for your partner's
happiness and be on guard to protect his happiness.

Under no circumstances should you ever ask your partner, "Do you
love me"?

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Can Your Business Survive?

2005-10-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the
world will beat a path to your door."

But when you're starting your own business, there's no guarantee
that your "mousetrap" is going to survive, especially in today's
fast-paced business world.

Nearly half of all small businesses fail within the first two
years of operation. The number one reason for business failure
is inadequate planning. The second reason is
under-capitalization.

So before you mortgage your house, or go into debt financing your
business, you need to know if your business is going to do more
than survive -- you want to know if it's good enough to thrive!
Here are three things successful businesses that have stayed in
business for five years or longer have in common:

1. The idea. A successful business start-up always starts with
an idea. Something that makes your business stand out from all
the rest. So how do you know if you've got a good idea?

You've probably got a good idea if you can answer yes to any of
the following questions: Does your idea provide the solution to a
significant problem for your target market? Does it satisfy a
need or want? Does it create an opportunity?

The most successful businesses either fix problems (either real
or perceived), or they increase your customer's pleasure. They
create a repeat need for a product or service among the target
market.

2. The market. Your chances of survival are better if you can
answer the following questions with a yes: Is there already a
market for your product or service? (It's much easier to fill a
need than trying to create an entirely new market.) Can your
target market afford to buy your products or services? (If they
can't afford it, it doesn't matter how great it is, you won't
sell any!) Will your target market perceive your product or
service as valuable? (If they want it, but don't think it's worth
what you're selling it for, you won't make any sales.)

3. Your ability. Do you have the people, the resources and the
knowledge to be able to consistently provide your products or
services to your target market? Can you maintain a competitive
advantage? Do you have enough manpower? Can you purchase the
supplies and materials you need over the long run?

Your first step always is to create a solid business plan. Your
business plan is more than an essay on "Why I deserve to get
funding for my idea" however. Don't spend all the time creating
a business plan and then toss it in the bottom drawer of your
desk. Your business plan should be a living, breathing roadmap
that helps you make sure you're on course and reaching the goals
that you set for your business.

The second step to business survival is getting enough financing.
Although the term "bootstrap entrepreneur" describes most small
business owners, having enough capital to be able to keep your
business afloat is vital to your survival.

When you're creating your financial analysis of your business,
make sure you're being realistic about costs and expenditures, so
that you give yourself the cushion you need to succeed.

If finding financing is a problem, either because you don't have
enough credit or equity, or there are other problems, take the
time to look into the resources that are available in your
community. There are a wide variety of grants and loans
(including microloans) for entrepreneurs, if you know where to
look.

Some great resources will be:
-The Small Business Administration
-Local Small Business Development Centers
-Women's Organizations
-Local University or Community College
-Chamber of Commerce
-SCORE (The Association for Retired Executives)
-Nonprofit organizations that work on economic development in
your area

Use other successful business models as a guide. When you're
getting started, look around. What businesses are successful?
Why? What is it they're doing that is working? What attributes
do you admire, and why? You stand a better chance of succeeding
if you're modeling someone who is already successful.

Find a mentor. Most entrepreneurs have great skills and
abilities, but no one does everything well. You probably already
know what your strengths and weaknesses are. (If not, there are
many resources and tools that can help you figure it out!)
Rather than ignoring your weaknesses, find a mentor who can help
you either build your skills in your weaker areas, or offer
advice for getting what you need.

If you take the time to plan to succeed, you could be creating a
legacy that will be enjoyed by future generations, and that other
entrepreneurs will look at as a model for building their own
businesses.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Writing Content to Generate Search Engine Traffic

2005-10-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

Publishing articles on your website is a great way to generate
AdSense income and get search engine traffic. As we know,
"Content is king".

Writing content for the major article directories and including a
few lines of signature or "about the author" at the end of the
article with a link back to your website is one of the best ways
of generating FREE traffic. If the article is well written and
about a strong niche topic, the article will get picked up by
many websites for their own sites, which can provide you with a
wonderful set of viral links to your site. The more frequently
your article gets picked up, the more opportunity there is for
another webmaster to see it and pick it up, too.

However, you have a problem if your article is filled with
spelling and grammar errors. Webmasters don't want ERRORS on
their websites, tarnishing THEIR images, so they don't pick up
your error filled article.

There is good news, though. Only a few types of errors account
for almost all the mistakes article writers commonly make. You
only have to master a few simple concepts to stay out of
trouble.

One of the most common errors showing up in article directories
is the hated "run-on sentence".

Read on.

Run-on Sentence

A Run-on Sentence error occurs when two independent clauses are
run together without punctuation or are joined with a comma when
a period, semi-colon, or the use of "and" is required.

Incorrect: "Content is king it's the heart of a website."
Incorrect: "Content is king, it's the heart of a website."
Correct: "Content is king. It's the heart of a website."
Correct: "Content is king; it's the heart of a website."
Correct: "Content is king, and it's the heart of a website."

OK. What the heck is an "independent clause"?

An independent clause is a complete sentence when taken by
itself. It has a subject and a verb AND EXPRESSES A COMPLETE
THOUGHT. "Content is king" works as a sentence, with no
additional words. "It's the heart of a website" also works as a
sentence. They are independent clauses, each able to stand on
its own.

It's an error to run them together. You must make some
grammatical acknowledgement of their independence. The easiest
way to show their independence and fix the error is simply to put
a period after the first one, making each one explicitly a
separate sentence. Don't forget to capitalize the first word of
the second independent clause, which you've now made an
independent sentence.

OK. That's how to FIX it. How did you get yourself into the mess
in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to keep OUT of trouble
to begin with?

Most people get into "run-on" error trouble when the two
independent clauses are closely related, with the second one
adding to or expanding upon a thought contained in the first. The
other common characteristic of a run-on trap is the use of a
pronoun to start the second clause.

You probably would NOT write "Content is king content is the
heart of a website" without punctuation or the word "and" in
between them.

When you are writing, notice when you use "it" or "it's" to refer
back to some subject you just wrote about. You are probably in
danger. Try the sentence using the actual word referred to by
"it" instead, and see how you'd punctuate it. Try it without the
contraction, saying "it is" or "content is" instead of "it's".
Don't let yourself forget "it's" contains BOTH a subject AND a
verb. Watch out for other pronouns such as "they", "they're",
etc.

Run-on sentences are only one of about 10 common errors article
writers make. Spend a little time with each one of them and
you'll soon rid yourself of them all. Just do a Google search on
"common grammar errors" and you'll see lots of sites with great
tutorials.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Creatine Supplement: A Bigger & Stronger You

2005-10-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

Can creatine monohydrate make you stronger, faster and leaner?
The answer is a qualified...Yes!

A number of studies have proven that when creatine supplements
are used, in conjunction with exercise, significant gains can be
made in strength and endurance. It has also been shown to improve
muscle strength and decrease recovery time needed following a
work out.

Creatine monohydrate works the best for activities that require
rapid or intense effort. Activities such as weight lifting and
sprinting are examples of this type of activity. If you are
jogging or a marathon runner you may not see the same type of
results.

About 93% of all the creatine in your body is stored in the
muscles. The reason it is stored in your muscles is that it plays
a key role in providing your body with a boost of energy it needs
to perform work.

The normal energy cycle of the muscle requires a substance called
Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP to fuel it. The muscle usually has
enough ATP on board to fuel a burst of work lasting about 6
seconds. Creatine restores the ATP to a state where it can act as
fuel for the muscle and continue the burst of activity for about
another 6-12 seconds.

A good analogy is to think of the muscle as if it were a high
performance engine. ATP is the gas for your engine and creatine
is an octane booster that allows you to get better performance
from your engine.

While the entire process is not completely understood the side
effects of creatine include bigger muscles and increased
production of muscle tissue.

This translates into more repetitions, more weight lifted and/or
the ability to sprint faster. More work equals more muscle and
more muscle equals increased strength and endurance.

Additionally, creatine has been shown to decrease muscle soreness
and recovery time needed between work outs. Obviously, being sore
can be a de-motivator when it comes to working out.

Activities such as jogging or marathon running may not benefit as
much from creatine supplementation as weight lifting. The muscles
work slower for these activities and seem to be able to restore
ATP at a rate that meets the need.

Creatine occurs naturally and can be produced by the body. It is
found in beef, pork, salmon, cod, herring and tuna. So, why not
just eat meat? There are a number of reasons. Some people prefer
not to eat meat. It is also impractical to eat as much meat that
may be required to achieve the amount of creatine supplementation
you desire. Creatine supplementation also allows you to know the
exact amount of creatine you are getting.

The normal dose for creatine is between 2-5 grams per day. For
the fastest results you can "load" the muscles by taking between
10-20 grams of creatine for approximately 5 days. Once you have
loaded the muscles you can maintain the creatine level by taking
the normal creatine dose approximately 30-60 minutes before a
work out.

The negative side effects of creatine are that it can make you
more likely to become dehydrated and if you are working out very
intensely and/or in a very hot climate this can be dangerous. The
body can lose up to 2-3 quarts of water in an hour if it is hot
enough. The key is to drink plenty of water any time you work
out.

Because it is excreted through the kidneys, and due to the
increased risk of dehydration, creatine supplements are not
recommended for people with kidney disease.

When you first start taking creatine supplements you may notice
an immediate gain of weight of between 2 to 5 pounds. Creatine
causes your muscles to store more water which seems to assist in
creating more muscle. This is a side effect that causes many
people to think that creatine is similar to anabolic steroids.
Creatine is an amino acid and does not affect the body the same
way that steroids do.

Other side effects can include injuries from stressing the joints
and muscles by attempting to work too hard. This not a direct
result of the creatine but is related to a misunderstanding of
what creatine can do for your body.

The results of creatine supplements vary from minor to
significant depending on the person using them. A number of
factors come into play that affects the outcome. Age, sex, work
out intensity and frequency as well as how much creatine store
you start with all play a part in the results you will achieve.

If you suffer from any chronic illness or are on prescription
medications for your heart, blood pressure or other medical
conditions you should always consult your medical provider before
taking creatine. This article is intended for informational
purposes only and is not intended to be used as medical
advice.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Blog & Ping Your Way To Quick Indexing.

2005-10-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

Right now most of you are saying, "Ya, so? I know how to get my
site indexed now, so what's the big deal? Well the "Big Deal" is
that blogging and pinging gets your site indexed quickly and it's
free, that's right, costs you nothing.

If you have any experience trying to get a site indexed and
listed with the major search engines, then you know that it an
intimidating task that is difficult to get done in a reasonable
amount of time. After working hard to get your site together,
garnering and writing content, worrying about keywords and
keyword densities you are no even close to finished. Now come
the even more arduous part of the task! Now you must submit, by
hand, your site to all the major search engines and in the end
you still get to wait, wait and wait some more.

That't right, you have to wait for the spiders to come index your
site, this could take weeks or it could take months. There are
some methods that will help bring those spiders around a bit
faster but these take lots of time effort or money and still you
can't be sure the spiders will come anytime soon.

Blogging and pinging resolves this problem, you can guarantee
that spiders will come to your site and that you will get listed
in major search engines in just a day or so, with minimal sweat
and no additional money spent.

How does it work you ask? Well the largest search engine, Google,
owns Blogger.com and this is the site you want to use to create
your blog. Google does and will continue to send it's search
spiders through blogger.com on a frequent, regular basis to find
new content for their other new service "Google Blog search".

When you blog about the contents of your web site the URL of the
site is automatically attached. That way when Googles spiders
come along they will see the URL. If it is not already part
Googles database the spiders will crawl over to the URL and check
it out.

So now imagine that the URL found on your Blog was your newly
created website. Instead of waiting weeks or months, your site
is being spidered immediately. Google themselves will tell you
that they would rather attain new URL's by searching content,
then to get them by submission. So why not use blogging and
pinging to give them what they want.

Another good piece of news is that once Google has indexed your
site, other search engines that use Googles feeds will have you
on their sites also. And all of this happens at lighting speed,
ok so not quiet lighting, but fast.

A technique to get Yahoo to sent their spiders your way is to
create a MyYahoo account and then subscribe to your own blogs RSS
feed. By using this technique you will get Yahoo to quickly
visit and index your site, and the link thereon, need I say again
all of this costs you nothing!

While you a pinging away don't forget to ping other services like
Technorati and blo.gs (and for those unfamiliar, no that is not a
typo the . belongs there). So you ask why would I want to be on
those sites? Just one word for an answer, Traffic. Sites like
Technorati and Blo.gs spider your links in real time, so if you
show up on someone's Technorati link list for their site it is
very likely they will come to your site to see what you have
said, thus increases your exposure.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Make the Move to Virtual Dedicated Web Hosting

2005-10-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Most webmasters on the net today are familiar with what the
industry calls "shared" web hosting accounts. A shared hosting
account is where you rent a small amount of space on a server
which is shared among many other users.

This is a cheap way to get started online but it has many
disadvantages - you will encounter email delivery problems
because of spam complaints against other sites on the same
server. You will find your site's grinding to a halt when someone
else does some heavy database work on your server. You might even
find your site going down because of a denial of service attack
against someone else hosting hacking or piracy related material
on your server (these type of sites attract antisocial
elements!)

How can you avoid all of this drama?

By upgrading to a virtual dedicated server. A virtual dedicated
server lets you run your sites as if you had your own "dedicated"
server, except it is cheaper because you are really just using
part of a server that has been split into multiple virtual
dedicated servers.

You can find out more about this by searching Google for "virtual
dedicated hosting". Virtuozzo is the main commercial software
that web hosts use to run virtual hosting services.

You will find virtual dedicated server accounts starting at just
$30 a month. You'll get a much larger chunk of bandwidth compared
to shared hosting, and none of the problems that go with a shared
host. You can also get multiple IP addresses that are exclusive
to your sites.

So what's the catch? Not much. You'll probably spend a bit more
on hosting each month. The main disadvantage of upgrading to
virtual dedicated hosting is that you will need to be more
technically proficient so that you can administer the server.

This requires a bit of time learning the necessary Linux skills
to make sure your server runs smoothly.

Many hosting providers will have a "premium" support offering
that includes a bit more hand holding - this is definitely
recommended if you don't have much experience with Linux, or are
new to virtual dedicated hosting.

With the increased speed and bandwidth that a virtual dedicated
host offers, and none of the shared hosting headaches, the move
is one you will never regret. So, the question now becomes, are
to ready and willing to take-on the challenge of virtual
dedicated web hosting and save yourself some hard earned cash?
The choice is yours...

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

3 Strategies For Increasing Profits

2005-10-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's a simple yet common question, "How can I make my business
more successful?"

Success can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different
people but when it comes down to it, the success of your business
should only be measured by one thing - profit.

At the end of the day, it's not how many people came in to your
store or phoned in. It's not even how many widgets you sold. At
the end of the day, what truly matters is how much of a profit
you made.

It would make sense then that your efforts focus on profit as the
end result. With that in mind, there are only three strategies to
increase profits for your 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

Most likely, your business is already primed to attack each of
these three angles and implementing that attack should be fairly
easy.

Let's say that you are the owner of Happy Wicks Candle Store. Let
your customers know that for every $50 they spend they will
receive a free 4-inch candle. When they are eligible for the free
candle, offer them the option of upgrading the 4-inch candle to a
6-inch candle for only four dollars.

Implement a customer loyalty program. Whenever a customer spends
$200 with your store they receive a 20% discount on their next
order. Show loyalty to your customers, too. Create customer-only
events and sales, even workshops on how to make candles at home.

Candles are also popular gifts. Be sure to place your contact
info on each and every candle. This makes it easy for the gift
recipient to purchase from you. Be sure to also use this tactic
when co-promoting with similar businesses such as a flower and
bath and body shop.

Looking at the example Happy Wicks Candle Store, the tasks of
increasing profits was not a difficult one. Truly, it's a matter
of putting systems in place that generate increasing profits.

Take a look at your business and examine the systems you have in
place. Chances are there's undiscovered profits lying about. Put
systems in place to gather those profits and you'll find your
business reaching new heights of success.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

How to Stop Over-Programming Your Toddler

2005-10-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

In the fast pace of today’s lifestyle, many families are having
difficulty finding time to eat meals together or even wake up and
spend a Saturday morning with each other. Parents are working,
children are in pre-school and extra curricular activities are
scheduled almost daily...

Gymnastics on Monday and Wednesday, soccer on Tuesday, dance on
Thursday and ballet on Saturday. Before you know what has
happened you have an “over-programmed” toddler.

The activities are fun and pre-school allows for friendships to
develop, but too much slows emotional development in young
children. Some of the signs to watch for in young children are:

- An unwillingness to participate in previously fun activities.

- Sluggish and grumpy behaviour when waking up.

- Temper tantrums, and “little white lies” being told in school
and at home.

Sometimes it is hard for a parent to recognize the warning signs.
It can be even harder for a parent to make changes in the family
plan.

If your toddler is showing some or all of the signs of being
over-programmed, the first thing you need to do is admit that a
change needs to take place.

Once you have decided to make a change you need to assess which
activities to keep and which ones to let go. This is often a
hard step because children are usually reluctant to give up an
activity. A simple way to start is to take a look at which is
the favored activity and which will allow for family time.

Next you will need to make changes in family time. Here are some
helpful hints:

Be sure to schedule dinner time and plan meals that everyone can
sit down to eat…and let the children help do the planning. Young
children enjoy setting the table and this is a wonderful
opportunity for them to practice their counting skills.

Plan a family fun night. Pick out a game that everyone can play
and set it up on the kitchen table. Make a box of brownies and
top it with ice cream. Eating a treat and playing a game will
bring everyone to the fun.

Plan a weekend picnic. Find a local park or lake and plan a
picnic. Allow the children to help pack and choose what food to
take. Have the children gather together blankets and supplies.
When you arrive lay out the blankets set out the food and sit
down for a fun afternoon.

Plan a swim night. Locate your local YMCA or other public pool
and find out when family night is. They will often have
activities for families. Children always enjoy swimming and the
atmosphere is usually light and enjoyable.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Apprenticeship - The Best Training in the World

2005-10-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Learning a new, highly skilled profession requires an in-depth,
hands-on, committed training experience. This is where the
process of apprenticeship occurs. It fills-in the training gap
in those places where supervision is needed and provides hands-on
help and a solid understanding of how a specific process works.
Apprenticeship is one of the most successful methods any person
can use to develop new skills, especially in a highly technical
craft.

For example, you don't become an electrician by pulling a few
wires off your remote control car and hooking them up to the
light switch in your house. Instead, you apprentice under an
electrical expert to learn the most valuable, safest method for
working with electricity.

So what is apprenticeship? It generally includes full-time,
on-the-job experience where you actually learn to do "a job"
while performing the required tasks. In this "hands-on"
environment, you are placed under the oversight of a skilled
trainer or journey-worker. A big benefit of on-the-job
apprenticeship is having an income while you learn. At the same
time you can also receive detailed training by taking specific,
technical classes that are directly related to your new
occupation. This training is often in-addition to your normal
job duties, so be prepared for a large time investment.

By focusing heavily on hands-on work experience and detailed
classroom study, long term success is the usual result for anyone
truly dedicated to their occupation. Apprenticeship programs
create some of the most highly-skilled, highly-paid individuals
who work at their jobs anywhere in the world.

In fact, this method of training may be the oldest form of
learning anywhere. Certainly it was used even by early
Americans, including George Washington (surveyor), Benjamin
Franklin (printer), and Paul Revere (silversmith). Actually,
Congress enacted the National Apprenticeship Act in 1937. They
did this to recognize the importance of apprenticeship in
developing highly skilled workers in various trades, including
manufacturing, public utilities, and construction. Later
apprenticeship grew to include fire, police, safety, and other
emergency related occupations.

Today, there are hundreds of different occupational
apprenticeship programs and categories in and around the United
States. Each state oversees and administers the specifics of
their own program, but they are federally approved. Once you
complete an apprenticeship training program, you will get an
apprenticeship certificate which is recognized nationwide. It is
also the credential you will find the most useful and portable
within most industries around the country.

But apprenticeship isn't for the faint of heart. Even before
your job and classroom training, you will have to apply, and you
may have to wait until positions and opportunities are available.
In fact, some programs may have waiting lists or they may only
accept new applicants at specific times throughout the year.

Although apprenticeship is a fantastic occupational learning
opportunity, it is not an option to be pursued lightly. Weigh
your options and make an educated decision about the time and
other commitments, before you jump into an apprenticeship
program.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Are You Using This Internet Marketing Secret?

2005-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

If you are trying to sell a product or service on the Internet,
then you are probably doing so through an affiliate program. You
signed up as an affiliate (usually for free) and they gave you an
affiliate ID (user name or number). They may have even given you
a basic marketing package which includes text ads, banner ads,
and solo ads with a link to your affiliate sales page. All you
have to do is use these tools to get traffic to your affiliate
sales page.

Well that sounds pretty easy, doesn't it? This process actually
works too, except that your probability of converting your
traffic into sales is very, very, very low. In other words, you
may have to have thousands of people to visit your affiliate
sales page before you ever see your first sell. Now those aren't
very good odds, are they?

Unfortunately, that is what most people do. They spend a lot of
time, effort, and money getting all of those people to that
affiliate sales page and then they finally make a sale and earn a
referral fee or commission. But wait, it can get even worse.
Let's say that you made one sale and earned a $10 commission.
That's great, right? Well not really, because in the terms and
conditions of your affiliate program, you don't actually get paid
until you have accumulated at least $20 of commissions. So get
back to it and get another sale and finally get paid. Good
grief!

Don't quit! Internet marketing is a great way to make extra
money, but you have to know some of the secrets. Here's one.
"Don't advertise your affiliate program directly." You must use a
four step process.

Four Step Process

1. First, you must provide something of value. The easiest
valuable thing that you can give away is information. An
informative email course, special report, or ebook are all great
ways to give away free information.

2. This step goes along with the initial step above. Don't give
away your free information until you get an email address. You
must capture the name and email address of your prospective sale
in order to be able to implement the next step.

3. If the information that you are providing is good and helps
people, then you will earn some trust. If someone gives you some
information that saves you time, money, or effort; then you are
going to closely read anything that they send you - as long as
the information is still valuable. This is why it is so important
that you get that name and email address before you start giving
away your information. Now you can keep the information flowing
through an occasional email to your prospect.

4. Finally, if you have been providing valuable information and
earning trust from people, it is much more likely that they will
buy something that you recommend. This is especially true if you
can convince them that what you are recommending will help them
and that it is worth their money. The easiest way to do this is
to recommend something that you have actually purchased and use
yourself. Just tell them how it helped you and why you think that
it was worth what you paid for it!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay

2005-10-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Fake items abound on eBay, and it takes much effort not to be
duped by scammers who peddle these wares. There have been many
painful stories relating how a seemingly legitimate item turned
out to be either fake or defective.

It is possible, however, to avoid these scams if one is careful
and vigilant. Buyers should be wary of any purchase over eBay,
and should take steps to ensure the authenticity of the item and
to make sure the item is in reasonable condition.

Be Vigilant

Buyers should take the initiative by doing plenty of background
research. They must learn as much as possible about the products
before bidding on them. If the seller provides pictures of an
item, they should not be taken at face value. Comparison of these
pictures with the real item helps in this regard.

Many sellers will use pictures from manufacturers that do not
represent the item they are actually selling; buyers should ask
the seller for actual pictures of the item. If the seller balks,
buyers should refrain from bidding. Collector’s items,
autographed memorabilia, and historical artifacts are common
items that are misrepresented on eBay.

Authenticate

Familiarize yourself with the various bodies that certify
respective items. For example, reputable merchants of autographed
sports memorabilia should include a COA (certificate of
authenticity) from a trusted third party. Counterfeit or
misrepresented items should be reported to eBay. When buying on
eBay Motors, one may have an inspection service double-check if
the seller is accurately representing his automobile.

Look at the Feedback

One should analyze the feedback rating of a seller. Analyzing
feedback is another helpful exercise to prevent scams. Sellers
who have an established history of credible sales are usually
helpful and professional to deal with. Negative feedback should
be a red flag as to whether one should pursue a trade with the
person. The same thing applies for those who do not have feedback
ratings at all.

Buyers must be careful however, since it is possible that a
scammer has hijacked an account that has positive feedback.

Buyers should make sure they have read the entire product
description on its eBay listing. Things to look out for are
disclaimers, damages, current item condition, years of use, and
others. If this information is not specified, it would do well
for the buyer to contact the seller regarding such.

The Price Theory

If the price for an item is too good to be true, it probably is.
Auctions that carry outrageously low prices should be taken
skeptically.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Hop to It! - Rabbits Make Great Pets

2005-09-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

Want a great pet that's cute, cuddly and won't grow from a cute
little ball of fur to a 100 pound beast?

Then consider a rabbit!

Here are just a few reasons why you should consider a rabbit for
a pet.

1) Plenty of choices

There are 45 different breeds of rabbits recognized by the
American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

Do you want a small rabbit? Consider a Netherland Dwarf, Polish
or Jersey Wooly.

Do you want a large rabbit? Then choose a Flemish Giant that can
weigh up to 20 pounds.

Are you attracted to the “lop” eared rabbits? The Holland Lop is
a popular choice because of its smaller size, but you can also
choose from a Mini Lop, French Lop, American Fuzzy Lop or even an
English Lop. An English Lop's ears can be up to 24 inches long.

Are you picky about color? Rabbits come in a variety of colors.
You can undoubtedly find one or more colors that will appeal to
your tastes!

Do you want a rabbit with a lot of fur? Then choose one of the
Angora breeds, or a Jersey Wooly. But be prepared to spend extra
time grooming the rabbit!

So the choices are endless, and for many of us, the choices are
hard. Like the potato chip commercial says, “You can't choose
just one”!

2) Rabbits are quiet

It's guaranteed: You'll never have neighbors calling you to quiet
down your rabbit. It just won't happen.

3) Rabbits can live indoors or outdoors

Obviously, there are rabbits that live in the wild, but they can
adapt to living inside as well.

If you keep rabbits outside, you need to make sure they have
adequate shelter and are well-protected from predators. These
include the neighborhood dogs and cats that may wander through
your yard.

They need to be protected from the elements and have plenty of
ventilation. When hot weather comes, you need to take special
measures to keep your rabbit safe because hot weather bothers
them more than cold weather.

Many people keep their rabbits inside, and that's fine as well.
If you keep your rabbit inside, you'll need to spend some time
preparing your home for your new friend.

Be sure to keep electrical wires away from your rabbit. Rabbits
love to chew, and those wires are tempting...and lethal.

Rabbits can be litter box trained, and are very clean animals. So
feel free to keep them inside if this is what you want to do.

4) Rabbits are fun to have around

Just watching them play in their cages is great fun, but let them
out, hold them and pet them, and you'll be hooked!

5) Rabbits are extremely cute

Have you ever seen an ugly rabbit?

With rabbits, the babies are very cute and adorable, and they
stay cute and adorable when they grow up.

Now I like dogs, but so many of them are cute as puppies, then
grow into huge ugly dogs.

That won't happen with rabbits. They'll stay cute their whole
life.

6) They can be low cost to keep

Rabbits are a low cost pet. Shots at the vet are unnecessary and
you can easily take care of your rabbit yourself. If you care for
your rabbit correctly, there will be no need to visit a vet at
all.

So, pick out a rabbit for your very own to take home and love
today!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

The Seller’s Dilemma on eBay

2005-09-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

It’s obvious that eBay provides internet users with an online
flea market where buyers and sellers from around the world meet
to conduct trade.

However, like most traders who are faced with an innovation of
this sort, the first question will always be: It is safe?

The answer is yes, but devious scammers seem to be plotting daily
to forward their dastardly schemes and take advantage of eBay’s
power.

So, what is the user’s recourse? The users of eBay must learn to
gather information and take meticulous care in dealing on eBay.
Only then can they be less gullible to scammers.

A common consensus is that bidders are often scammed by sellers.
But it is possible for things to be the other way around.

Here is a list of the common problems sellers encounter and the
means to handle them.

Fake Escrow Services

A winning bidder may request that an escrow service be used to
assure both parties of a fair transaction. Unfortunately, the
seller is sometimes duped into using a fake escrow system.

To avoid this situation, the seller must always verify the
authenticity of an escrow service. eBay recommends the use of
escrow.com. If the bidder insists on his or her escrow service,
chances are, that person is a scammer.

Victims of this fraud find it difficult to reclaim their items.
They may, however, appeal to the legal system afforded by the
state they live in. They must also contact eBay regarding the
matter for any assistance they may be willing to offer.

Deadbeat Bidders

Deadbeat bidders (a winning bidder who doesn’t pay for an item at
the auction’s close) are more common on eBay. If the winner of
your auction does not pay, you may leave that person a negative
feedback.

As for the listing fees the seller shells out, eBay lays out a
four step procedure that sellers can use to potentially recover
lost selling fees. If sellers complete the process to eBay’s
satisfaction, they will receive a Final Value Fee credit and a
re-list credit. Filing out an Unpaid Item dispute is the first
step toward eBay reimbursing such fees. A person can report an
unpaid item up to 45 days after an auction’s close.

Trade Dispute

This occurs when the seller and bidder disagree on some terms of
the sale. This may also happen if there is a purported violation
of any of these agreements.

If communication between both parties does not help, they may
consider availing of a third-party dispute resolution outfit to
help. SquareTrade.com is one of these outfits that eBay
recommends.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

A seller’s life may be made terrible because of the constant
scamming attacks unscrupulous individuals undertake. But, with
proper information and care, he or she can continue trading on
eBay with relative safety.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Glamour, Glitz & Gold -- Planning Your Trip to Monaco

2005-09-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Monaco, a tiny principality that sits atop a steep, rocky
coastline overlooking the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea,
enjoys sunshine 300 days a year with mild winters and moderate
summer temperatures. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and
the French Alps, France lies to the west and Italy to the east.

Well-known as a playground of the rich and famous, Monaco is also
a perfect getaway when planning a trip to either the French or
Italian Rivera’s. Whether driving or flying, getting to Monaco
is easy. From the International Airport in Nice, you can even
take a 7-½ minute helicopter ride to Monaco via Heli Air Monaco
or Monicair. The price of your ticket includes free transport
from the heliport to anywhere you want to go in Monaco and free
pickup on your return. Having a car in Monaco isn’t really
necessary, as you can walk to most districts within the city
within twenty to thirty minutes at most, especially if you’re
going to Monaco for business and not planning on doing much
sight-seeing outside of the city.

The first thing you'll notice when you arrive are the cars! It's
not uncommon to see a Rolls Royce double-parked next to a shiny
Ferrari which is sitting in front of a Porsche near the casino,
and the sheer number of expensive sports cars is amazing.

The next thing you'll notice is how clean it is. You'll seldom
even see litter on the streets. And finally, you'll be delighted
by the more than 100 statues, fountains and sculptures that are
found throughout all five districts of Monaco. As you wander
around you'll soon discover the narrow, winding medieval
alleyways, stone arches and "secret" passageways, fragrant
flowers and pastel-painted buildings with red tiled roofs so
characteristic of the French Riviera.

Nicknamed "the Rock" by the locals, there are many things to see
and do in Monaco, and thanks to the generosity and foresight of
Prince Rainier III, the former Prince of Monaco, many of them are
free. About the size of Central Park in New York City, Monaco is
three miles long and one-half mile wide. Although it’s the
second smallest country in the world (Vatican City is the
smallest), Monaco nonetheless offers something for everyone.

During the tourist season, you’ll find fairs, festivals, rallies
or other celebrations scheduled almost every day. Off-season has
its charms as well, with less to do, but also less traffic, fewer
tourists and the chance to really explore all that Monaco has to
offer.

Helpful Information:

Currency: The European Euro

Identification and Length of Stay: To enter Monaco, you need the
same identification used for gaining entry to France (passport,
travel or identity documents), and you can stay for up to 90 days
without a visa.

Principal Language: French, although many natives still speak the
ancient Monegasque. Italian and English are also commonly
spoken.

Nearest Airport: International Cote d’Azur Nice is approximately
15 miles away.

Transportation from Airport: Bus, train, helicopter, private
limousine, taxi, rental car or motorcycle.

Basic Geography:

Monaco is divided into five districts.

1. The Ville on the Rock, which includes the Prince’s Palace, the
gardens, the Ramparts, the Cathedral and the Oceanographic
Museum.

2. The Condamine, which is the second oldest area in Monaco.
It’s name dates back to the Middle Ages and refers to the area of
cultivatable land at the foot of a village or castle.

3. Monte Carlo, which was built in 1866 and named in honor of
Prince Charles III. Monte Carlo is famous for its casino, luxury
hotels and unique boutiques.

4. Fontvieille is the newest area of Monaco, and is actually
"land" that has been reclaimed from the sea. The manmade harbor
has hotels, shopping, restaurants, the stadium and sports complex
and is a pollution free industrial area as well.

5. Moneghetti, which is a "must-see" district. It features the
Révoires and the Exotic Gardens. Underneath the gardens is a
prehistoric cave.

Pets: Pets are often allowed in hotels and restaurants, but it’s
a good idea to check first.

There are currently 7 public elevators that will make it easier
for you to go up and down Monaco's steep elevations and public
areas.

Where to Stay:

Hotels and accommodations in Monaco range from the very
inexpensive to the luxurious. Each year, more than 260,000
tourists come here for business and pleasure.

Monaco’s flagship hotel is still the “Hotel de Paris” with its
almost unbelievable luxury and unparalleled attention to your
every wish.

However, if spending upwards of $500 a night during high season
isn’t in your budget, try the Hermitage, (which offers old-world
charm and elegance), or the more modern Mirabeau, which is near
the business center and close to night life attractions as well.

If you prefer being near the Med, the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel
provides all the amenities and breathtaking views.

A wonderful family hotel that even offers onsite babysitting is
the Tulip Inn Monaco Terminus.

The Monte Carlo Grand Hotel is an imposing building, with seven
polygonal terraces that overlook the Med or the Grand Prix race
course. The hotel offers 30 suites, several restaurants, a
rooftop swimming pool and, of course, a shopping arcade.

Although 750 hotel rooms have been recently added in Monaco,
(increasing the previous number by one-third), if you’re hoping
to get a room for next year’s Grand Prix, you may still be out of
luck! Rooms for that event are usually booked a year in advance,
and sometimes more.)

Where to Eat:

Arguably the finest restaurant in Monaco is the Louis XV. (It
has a 3-star rating in the Michelin Guide). Elegantly formal,
the restaurant is colored in gold – from the furnishings and
architectural details all the way down to the plates and
flatware. And the service is as superb as the food.

One of the “in” places to be “seen” is the Café de Paris. Sit
back, have a drink and while you’re waiting for your lunch to
arrive, enjoy the totally French atmosphere. Locals frequent the
café as often as tourists, and if you are fluent at all in
French, you might hear the latest gossip about one of the Royal
family, or speculation about whom the huge white yachts lined up
in the harbor belong to.

Visit the bar in the Hotel de Paris across the street and enjoy
an aperitif in the late afternoon or early evening, and drink in
the atmosphere. Located on the Golden Square of the Place du
Casino, it is lavishly decorated in muted tones of gold, rose and
maroon.

What to See:

The Monte-Carlo Casino: What would a visit to Monaco be without a
stop in the famous district of Monte Carlo and its casino? Built
in 1878 by Charles Garnier, it was Europe’s first gambling
establishment. The atrium is paved in marble and is surrounded
by 28 Ionic columns made from onyx. The casino (which charges a
fee to enter and has a dress code of jacket and tie for men) also
requires identification, so take your passport. Beyond the main
salons is a private gaming room for high rollers.

The Naval Museum: The museum is like a three dimensional
encyclopedia of naval history, dating from the Romans up to
modern day. With one of the most diverse collections in the
world, you can find over 250 models and other unique objects
here.

Zoological Terraces: Opened by HRH Prince Rainier III in 1954,
the zoo was built on the south face of the Rock of Monaco and
overlooks the Port of Fontvieille. The collection of 250 animals
(more than 50 different species) includes a Black Panther, White
Tiger, Hippopotamus, Lemurs and a large variety of exotic birds.
The atmosphere is peaceful and the views are as spectacular as
the animals.

Princess Grace Rose Garden: Here you'll find the peace and
serenity that Princess Grace herself was known for. There are
over 4,000 rose bushes here.

The Exotic Garden: This garden, daringly landscaped against the
rocky face of the cliff, features several thousand succulent
plants, flowers and cacti from all over the world.
60 meters down from the garden accessible by a long stairway, is
the Observatory cave. The stalactites and stalagmites and natural
limestone sculptures are a wonder in themselves. Close by, the
Museum of Prehistoric Antiquity not only traces the history of
mankind, but features local archaeological finds as well.

The Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium: This is another must-see,
housing a permanent display of Jacques Coustou and one of the
finest aquariums in the world. Or take the Seabus, a
glass-bottomed submarine that gives passengers a birds-eye view
of the Med.

You might come to Monaco for the gold, the glamour or the glitz,
but you'll fall in love with the little kingdom by the sea.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Payment Methods on eBay

2005-09-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days when only cash (or cattle in some cases) was
the only accepted mode of payment for trades. As the concept of
trading evolved, so did the means of paying for items.

Today’s electronic world pushes the envelop further. With the
advent of online trading systems such as eBay, many new forms of
payment have flourished.

First of all, on eBay, the mode of payment depends on the
agreement between the buyer and the seller. Most often, the
seller will specify his or her desired payment method. In these
cases, the seller often has primacy in the decisions regarding
payment modes. However, the buyer may still communicate with the
seller regarding a viable alternative if it suits both parties.

The following is a list of common eBay payment modes.

Cash On Delivery

Cash is, after all, still cash. This payment method can be done
through a third party courier system or by the buyer and seller
meeting each other at an agreed place. The advantage of a cash
transaction is that the exchange of the item for payment is done
in the presence of the buyer and the seller (or the seller’s
representative). However, some people will not accept the risk
present when two strangers meet.

Personal Check

One popular method of payment is personal check. Writing checks
is easy and safe. However, many sellers do not like accepting
check because they are easy to cancel.

PayPal

PayPal is the payment of choice on eBay. In fact, eBay owns
PayPal.

Using PayPal is easy, convenient, and relatively safe. PayPal
acts as like an internet ‘wire transfer.’

After signing-up for PayPal, one may send cash to anyone with an
email address using the PayPal system. PayPal also has security
features that safeguard against fraud in case there is a dispute
between the seller and the buyer. This system is best for
transactions up to $1000.

Escrow.com

Escrow.com is the payment of choice for purchases over $500.
Escrow.com holds the buyer’s money from the seller until the
seller delivers the item. Only then will the funds be released
to the seller. This system makes for a very safe, although
highly procedural transaction.

Wire Transfer

This is the payment of choice for countries that do not carry the
PayPal service. Wire transfers are risky because the buyer
usually has to wire over the funds before the seller sends the
items. The chance for non-delivery of items is high.

Other Payment Systems

The number of third party payment services is steadily on the
rise. Their systems for payment vary. However, to be successful
they must be convenient to use and safe as well.
Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Positioning - Gives YOU The Marketing Edge

2005-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Positioning is the best plan that any business can implement.

Positioning is putting yourself in the right place in the eyes of
your market. You get your market to know you as an expert that
can be trusted. You get looked on as a reliable resource for
information.

Positioning is easy to do. Just give free information of interest
to your market. Your market is the people who would be likely to
buy the services or products you offer.

Let's say your market is people who like to fish. What they buy
are reels, poles, lure...things they need to fish with. You could
tell them the Best Ways To Fish For Salmon, Bass, Trout...The
Fine Art Of Fly-Tying...How To Cast For The Best Catch...How To
Find The Best Fishing Spots...Cleaning And Cooking Fish In A
Snap.

If you sell reels, poles, lure, etc. - then such reports will
attract readership from your target market - the people most
likely to buy from you.

Chances are if those readers found something useful in your
report, then they would be interested in reading more. Give it to
them - have them sign up on your list.

That is how positioning works, and the reward is great. Having a
list built up of targeted, loyal, and responsive prospects is the
very best thing a business can have.

Not only can you tell them how to catch more fish with the least
possible effort, but also how your products can help them to do
it even more so. Since you are an expert, it's only natural that
you would have the greatest tools and tackle.

There is a special thing about having a list, so treat it
special. Consider it for what it will be - the marketing
life-blood of your business.

Most businesses, if they keep lists, just have lists of customers
who bought from them, and yet do not even send them as much as a
Thank You Note or Christmas Card.

The people on your list will have a more connected relationship
with you. You are not just a seller to them, and they are not
just a customer to you. They will look forward to contact from an
expert giving out the latest fishing tips and you will be ready
for any questions they might bring you. Your answer will most
likely be of interest with your whole list, so share it with all
of them.

The more you can make the people feel privileged to be on your
list the better. You can give your list exclusive deals, free
offers, deep discounts, holiday specials, even the chance to
sign-up for a paid subscription service where they get the
meanest down and dirty underground secrets of fishing success
where the fish don't stand a chance in Neptune.

This works for any marketing niche you happen to be in, not just
fish. Positioning is the very best way to 'fish' for prospects in
your market. Lure them with the knowledge and service you
provide, and soon you have your own stocked pond full of hungry
fish that you can catch over and over again.

It pays to know as much about your market as you can. Communicate
with your market about the ups and downs, advantages and
disadvantages, progress and problems associated with it. Do what
they do, read what they read, know their likes and dislikes,
search and study resources.

Above all, look for answers and innovations. Then find a way to
use them in your marketing and advertising. People will always be
interested in new and better things and are drawn to those who
have them.

This will not only help in positioning yourself as an expert, but
also in finding ways to position your products or service as
having unique benefits. You do this by finding unsolved needs and
thinking up solutions. Being the first at something also affirms
you as an expert par excellence.

If you do these things, you and your business will be positioned.
You will have the MARKETING EDGE.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Good Password Tips and Password Management

2005-09-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

These days a single computer user may have dozens of passwords.
If you use computers at your job you may need to access secured
databases, local workstations and numerous accounts online and
each is supposed to have its own unique password. Though many
people don't require a logon for their home PC, they will
definitely have one for email or websites that they manage. Here
is a guide to assist you in strengthening your passwords and
password techniques.

After reading this article you will know the following:
-How to make good passwords
-Good password practices
-Techniques to manage all of your passwords

How to Make Good Passwords

Choose a password with the following criteria:
-At least 8 characters in length
-At least 1 number
-At least 1 special character
-Upper and lowercase.

Passwords with difficult combinations make it harder for tools
like L0phtcrack, Brutus, John the Ripper, Cain and Able and other
password crackers to decipher your password.

When creating a password, don't use personal information such as
birthdays, children names, or first and last names. Avoid using
words or phrases that can be easily guess or cracked with a
"dictionary attack." Do not use the same password on the
different systems. If you work in a classified environment,
passwords should be treated at the same level of classification
as the systems they protect.

Good password practices

Never share your password with ANYONE including your
Administrators, Help Desk personnel or System Administrators. IT
professionals at your job or Internet Service Provider (ISP) will
not normally ask you for your password. If they do need it then
you should give it to them in person and ensure you change it as
soon as they are done with their task. A common "Social
Engineering" tactic used by malicious hackers consists of calling
up unsuspecting users and pretending to be from the computer
support staff. Another tactic is to have trusting users email
the password or type it into what looks like a legitimate site;
this is known as "phishing."

Be aware of your surrounding when you are typing your password.
Watch for "shoulder Surfing" or people watching what you type as
you are entering your password. If you use the web to access
critical information (such as online banking, or medical
information) ensure that the site uses some type of secured
method of encryption. You will know this if the site's URL
begins with an "https." SSL and Secure HTTP are sometimes
indicated by a tiny lock in a corner of the page. If there is no
encryption then it maybe possible for unauthorized users to view
and/or capture the data you enter and later access the account
using a "sniffer." A sniffer is a tool that captures all "clear
text" or unencrypted data. SSL and Secure HTTP encrypts data so
that it looks like gibberish to tools like sniffers.

Techniques to manage all of your passwords

It is best to memorize your passwords however if you have
literally scores of passwords from work, home, online business
ventures and the bank and you do not have a photographic memory,
you may want to write them down and put it in your wallet. This
simple and practical task is what author of Beyond Fear, and
system security phenomenon, Bruce Schneier, recommends as does
Senior Programmer for Security Policy at Microsoft, Jesper
Johannson.

Using Password Management applications such as Password Safe, a
free Microsoft application for storing passwords, and Password
Vault (also free) can help you to effectively manage your
passwords.

Another management technique is to allow Windows (and other
Operating Systems) to automatically fill in the data. This is
great for trusted SECURE environments such as home systems in
which you don not need to hide any account information from
anyone, but not such a good idea for the work environment. It
should also be noted that systems without a high level of
Internet security (protected with firewalls, updated patches, NAT
enabled, etc) should not use the auto fill features as the
passwords are many times stored on the system in clear text
making it easy for malicious code such as spyware, trojans and
worms to steal your passwords and account information.

The greatest thing you can do to protect your password is to be
aware that at every moment someone somewhere would love to access
some or all of your accounts. It is not always cyber criminals
looking for you banking information, sometimes it is just curious
people who happen upon your username & password. It may even be
someone you know. Be aware.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

How To Conduct A Market Analysis For Your Business

2005-09-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

The term "market analysis" is often confusing to entrepreneurs,
especially for people who focus on a specific niche or market
segment.

In fact, many small business owners don't understand the process
or complain that conducting a market analysis is too complicated
or too expensive and wonder why or if it is necessary.

What is market analysis?

In the most basic terms, a market analysis is an assessment of:
- A particular problem or opportunity in a market.
- The needs of the target market relating to the problem or
opportunity.
- Ideas for marketing a particular product or service that
fills the needs of the target market.

When should you conduct a market analysis?

- When you are starting a business.
- When you are entering a new market.
- When you are considering a new product or service.

Why should you conduct a market analysis?

- To minimize business risks.
- To understand the problems and opportunities.
- To identify sales opportunities.
- To plan your marketing/sales approach.

The process of conducting a market analysis can be divided into
three parts:

Part 1 - Understanding Market Conditions

This gives you basic information about your entire market -- the
size, the competition, the customers.

Part 2 - Identifying Market Opportunities

This gives you more targeted information about potential problems
or opportunities in the potential market, and includes
information about growth, current and future trends, outside
factors and more information about specific competitors.

Part 3 - Developing Market-Driven Strategies

Here is where we get into what market research does for you. It
helps you to pinpoint opportunities to grow your business. By
understanding the market and knowing what opportunities are
available you can create a marketing strategy that leaves your
competitors in the dust!

Here are 10 questions that can help you get started:

1. What is the market I want to reach?
- Who are they? (Basic Demographics)
- What is their biggest problem in relation to this market?
- Are their needs being met by the products or services
provided in this market?
2. Who is my competition in this market?
- Are they successful in this market?
- Are they marketing a similar product or service?
- What is the market share of the three biggest competitors in
this market?
3. Is there room for growth in this market?
4. What is the size of this market?
- Is there room for growth?
- Is the industry growing? Stable? Saturated? Volatile?
Declining?
5. How is my product or service different from the competition?
6. How can I reach this market?
- How is my competition currently reaching this market?
- Is it the most effective way?
- What are the alternative ways of reaching this market?
7. What are the business models of my competition in this
market?
- Are they effective?
- Is there a way to do it differently or better?
8. What do customers expect from this type of product or
service?
- What are the core competencies of this product or service?
- What would make the product "new" "different" or "better" for
the customer?
9. How much are customers willing to pay for this product or
service?
10. What is our competitive advantage in this market?

Knowing the answers to these questions will not only help you
figure out if there is a need for your product or service, it
will help you figure out the best ways to reach your customers,
price your products or service and ultimately make more
sales!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Moving Time? Try These Helpful Tips

2005-09-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Changing residences can be an intensely stressful activity for
many people. And often enough, people do this when other things
are stressing them out, too. A new job, marriage, divorce, an ill
parent - all kinds of things can cause a move to be even more
stressful.

While you may not be able to eliminate it, here are some ways to
reduce this stress.

* Get a good dolly and a little red wagon (or wheel barrow). The
wheel is considered one of the most important inventions of all
time for a reason. It's a good tool! Wheels make hauling easier.
It'll save your back and your weight bearing joints. If you're
no longer 18 and you feel things in your joints that you never
did before, wheels are essential!

* Lighten the Load - or - Fall in love with your trash can.

There is nothing like a fresh start. And you can more easily get
that fresh start by getting rid of things you don't need and/or
that you'll never use.

If you are living in a house and have the space for it, I
recommend getting a big ol' dumpster and arrange for it to be
hauled away when full. Get a good size one. We got one big
enough to throw out a couch and an old, useless, desk. And we
didn't have to break them up into pieces either. Just lift over
the edge and throw it in. Ahhhh.... :)

* Go through your stuff and ruthlessly toss anything that you
don't think you'll ever use. Sure, the packrat in you worries
that just after you toss it, you'll need it. I understand.
Really. But if you're honest with yourself, you know that
there's stuff that you'd call a four letter word (that I could
use were this not aimed at being family friendly).

And don't sweat it - that dumpster is begging for more stuff.

* Standardize your boxes to make them stackable. Go to a box
store (e.g., U-Haul) and buy a bunch of their 16" x 12" x 12"
boxes. If you're old enough to have a vinyl record collection,
this box size is just about perfect. Consider some of their
larger boxes, too, for things like dishes, toys and other things
you have. Just remember, if it's a big box and you fully stuff
it, it's going to weigh a lot more than a smaller box similarly
stuffed. Where's that dolly?

* Get wardrobe boxes, too. Makes storing your clothes a lot
easier.

* Plan for a packing day. Especially for your dishes and
stemware. If you have friends who can help you pack - invite
them in for a pizza party to help you do this tedious and
sometimes back hurting work. And, need I say it? Keep that dolly
handy.

Be sure to wrap your dishes in something soft (we use big bath
towels).

* Mark your closed boxes with the following information.

1 - The room it goes in
2 - Write the number of the box, followed by the word "of" as in
"1 of ", "2 of " etc. Once you know the number of boxes for a
given room, you can write that number after the "of." As in "1 of
9", "2 of 9", etc.
3 - Indicate if the contents are fragile.

* If you've hired movers, DO NOT let them move things like your
computer or things that are irreplaceable if damaged. Move these
yourself. You'll take much better care of them than the movers
will - even if you mark a box fragile for them.

* If it's a big move, offer to buy the movers lunch. Fast food
or pizza will do. They'll love you for it, and will generally
take much better care of you. If you have three people, that's
about $30 - well spent.

* Finally, be sure to give a good tip ($20 a person is a good
minimum) -- if they deserve it. If they were courteous and made
a reasonable effort to be good with your stuff, they deserve a
tip.

Follow these tips and you should have a much more pleasant move.

Here is a software that may help you with the info.
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/los

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Save Time, Money, and Frustration and Get the Right Credit Score

2005-09-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

You go into a lender's office prepared to apply for and receive a
loan. After all, you've done your homework, you've pulled your
credit reports and you know what your credit scores are--you even
got one score from each of the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax. Experian, and TransUnion. You are shocked when your loan
is denied, or maybe you were approved, but the interest rate is
much higher than you anticipated. How can that be you say? My
credit score is good, I know I checked. Maybe it's not as good as
you think. It all depends on there you got it and what kind of
credit score it is.

The fact is there are several different credit scoring methods.
Credit scores calculated from the same credit reports can differ
substantially from credit scoring method to credit scoring
method. So how can you ever know what your credit score really
is? Well, luckily, 75% percent of lenders use FICO scores
exclusively and you can purchase FICO scores yourself--you just
have to know where to go. (www.myfico.com)

FICO credit scoring is a numeric method of scoring your credit
worthiness developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Your credit score
is a number between 300 and 850 that tells creditors how likely
you are to pay your bills. The higher the number, the better it
looks to potential lenders and creditors.

The three major credit bureaus each have their own version of the
FICO score: Equifax uses the Beacon system, TransUnion uses the
Empirica system, and Experian uses the Experian/Fair Isaac
system. Despite each credit bureaus' use of their own versions,
all systems are based the original Fair Isaac FICO scoring
method, so each credit score calculated with these systems are
generally called FICO scores. However, although most lenders do
use FICO scoring, some lenders may have their own scoring
methods.

There is only one place where you can get your FICO score from
all three bureaus and that is at www.myfico.com. If you order
your credit score from anywhere else, again be aware that these
scores are "FAKOs" (or "fake") and can differ considerably from
your FICO credit scores.

Adding to the confusion is the credit bureaus themselves.
Recently, Experian revealed that the national average credit
score of its consumers is 678. This is very misleading to the
average consumer. When you buy your credit report and score
directly from Experians website, you are getting what they call
the "PLUS Score," which is NOT a FICO score, and is NOT used by
lenders anywhere. (Equifax is the exception--you can buy your
FICO score directly from them at their website; however, the only
place to get all three scores together is at www.myfico.com.) The
678 PLUS Score reported by Experian is actually the average of
consumers' PLUS Scores, not their FICO Scores.

Clearly, the PLUS Score (and all Non-FICO scores) are useless.
Not only that, but such hype misleads consumers into purchasing
their PLUS Score thinking that they are getting the same credit
score that their lender will use. Non-FICO scores are worthless
not matter what the credit bureaus or any website selling
non-FICO scores claim. Even a few points difference in your
credit score can mean confronting the reality of the loss of
thousands of dollars out of your pocket--a loss that you probably
didn't plan for. The next time you want the most accurate credit
score available, do yourself a favor and get the industry
standard: the FICO credit score.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Expired Domain Opportunities

2005-09-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

If you are like most online entrepreneurs, you've been struggling
to grab your share of that flood of traffic that you hear about
from every guru wannabe out there.

Chances are you have probably invested heavily in search engines,
banner ads, classified ads or even spent a mint on so-called
"safe lists" only to find yourself disappointed again and again.

There is a perfectly legal, extremely effective, traffic
generation technique that, until now, has gone relatively
unnoticed by the masses.

What if you could recover existing web traffic that is currently
being overlooked and basically being flushed down the drain?

What if you could grab one of those prized listings in Yahoo that
cost $200 with no guarantee you'll even be included in the
directory?

What if you could get that traffic for a fraction of what other
advertising methods charge?

Expired domains might be an option to consider. Every day over 3
million hits of targeted traffic are lost due to abandoned web
sites. Why does this happen?

Webmasters may lose interest or they don't have the money or time
to manage the site. Sometimes they just forget to renew. A large
portion of these expired domain clicks come from sites that were
never developed. BUT, some were once solid sites generating
traffic and sales.

Expired domains is all about capturing all the effort, time and
money that the previous owner developed and putting it to good
use for yourself.

What if a domain name had link popularity, had a coveted dotcom
(.com) extension, or was even listed in Yahoo or had Google Page
Ranking?

What is Link Popularity? Simply put, Link Popularity is the
number of other websites
that link to your site. Doesn't it stand to reason that if a
domain name previously had Link Popularity or was one of those
coveted dotcoms or was even listed in Yahoo,
that it might have once been a thriving website?

Not only that, but with a little time and effort, you might even
be able to pick up some popular domain names just for speculation
or to resell on eBay! Many of the domain names that expire every
day could be resold even without Link Popularity or any of the
other "carrots" because they just happen to be highly regarded as
a tangible asset. Short, descriptive domain names that end in a
".com" or ".net" are examples of this.

The best part is that you can get these names for the price of
registering them, often for less than $10!

Even if you didn't use the domain name to redirect traffic to
your own web site, if you find a couple and sell them at auction
for $25, $50 or more, that's a pretty decent return on a very
small investment.

A certain amount of caution needs to be taken when using this
tool for any purpose. Make certain you do a bit of homework to
make sure the previous web site was not an adult site. Sometimes
the domain name may not necessarily reflect the former content.
There is a tool that can be used to determine the history of the
site. Best of all, it's free! Here is the link:

http://web.archive.org

If you are looking for alternative ways to generate traffic to
your site, expired domains might be a good investment.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Marketing Skill Can Turn Your Site Into A Money Making Machine

2005-09-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sadly too many smaller companies believe that marketing is not
important and never reaps the yield it should for the time and
money investment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Why
do you think large corporations spend millions of dollars each
year in marketing? It's to get you to buy their products and it
works!

Companies will often ask themselves why are sales so low? Why
are we not growing? We did our advertising and marketing
campaigns and where are the results to show for it?

The problem isn't with the campaigns as much as with the
tracking. Too many companies spend their hard earned revenues on
marketing and advertising campaigns yet spend little or no effort
to test and track those campaigns to see which ones are working
and which ones are not.

The key to success is being prepared! In order to succeed you
need to lay a foundation that is guaranteed to succeed. Then
success will follow in it's footsteps!

First you need to have a strategy. Your strategy needs to set
your goals and expectations. It also needs to outline what you
will do if your targets are not met and what you will do if they
are met. Think of it as your roadmap to success!

You are going to need to identify where you want your company to
head. What is the vision you have for your company? More sales?
More name brand recognition? More emphasis on customer support?
More customers?

Then you are going to need to identify how you will get these
messages to your customer base. You need to match your products
with your consumers and target the correct consumer group with
your marketing campaigns.

In other words you need to know your audience. And not just a
little bit, a lot! Know what makes them tick, what makes them
buy the products they buy. Is it convenience, prestige, price,
convenience? Do your research!

This process is critical whether today is your first day in
business or your 25th year. Demographics change, consumer buying
habits change and each year you need to be on top of the market.

You also need to do some long term planning. Where do you want
your company to be in one year, five years, ten years? You need
to set your goals now so that you have a focus point to work
towards. It's called a game plan!

Don't be stingy on the details. Define your company, detail your
management team now and what you anticipate in the future. Same
goes for employees and clients, and even suppliers.

Now it's time to put the money machine to work. Build a road map
that begins with weekly goals, as well as monthly goals, then add
yearly goals for sales figures. These are the numbers you are
going to shoot for.

Sure you won't always make them but sometimes you'll exceed your
projected budgets. And without a target you have nothing to work
towards or plan towards. By planning in advance you know what
you're aiming for. Perhaps Mother's day is just around the
corner, or how about back to school. You need special marketing
campaigns for specific events to draw customers to your
business.

Next you have to win your audience otherwise known as the
consumer. What can you do or offer that your competition can't.
How can you stand out from the crowd? You are going to have to
put some thought into this but you can come up with the answers!

You'll also want to revisit your current approach to existing
customers. Do you have a follow up approach or do you sell to
them once and then forget about them? Do you capture the names
of customers that have purchased from you so that you can market
your product[s] to them again in the future?

What type of customer service do you offer? Are your existing
customers ranting about how good you are or how bad you are? If
you're good do potential customers know why you're so good?
You'll want to make sure your marketing strategy tells the
potential customer why you are better than the competition.

Your marketing campaigns can truly make or break your business.
If you need to cut expenses do not cut your marketing budget. In
fact spend more on learning how to be a pro marketer!

Remember your marketing skills can turn your business into a
money making machine!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Buying the Perfect Computer

2005-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

It's easy to make a mistake when buying a new computer. Many
people end up spending a ton of money on something expensive that
they'll never use to its full potential, while others buy
something so small that they have to do expensive upgrading in a
matter of months.

There's few things more disappointing than finding out your 6
month old computer can't do what you want it to do, or that you
don't really need that $400 graphics card to run Microsoft Word.

Don't just buy blindly. Hopefully this article will help you ask
the right questions and get the right hardware for your needs in
return.

Power Supply:

Often overlooked as a component, your power supply is an
important part of your computer as it powers all the internal
components. The power supply you need will largely be determined
by the components in your PC - in particular CPU type, graphics
card and number of internal devices.

For Pentium 4 and all AMD CPUs, a minimum 300W power supply is
recommended. If you want to run one of the new ATI X8xx or
GeForce 6xxx series 3D graphics cards, don't even try anything
weaker than a 400W power supply.

Never overlook the significance of a power supply - an
underpowered system will be prone not only to unreliable
operation, but also to component damage.

CPU:

On the entry level side of things you have a choice between AMD's
Sempron CPUs and Intel's Celeron D. These CPUs are not for the
hardcore gamer - they're for the average user who only want to
run office applications and use the Internet.

For the hardcore user/gamer there's the Pentium 4 and the AMD
Athlon 64 CPUs. There's little to choose between the two big guns
in the CPU business. The slowest Pentium 4 CPU readily available
at present is the 3Ghz version, while AMD's equivalent, the
Athlon 64 3000+ will likewise satisfy most users' demand for
processing power.

Go faster than that and the increase in cost becomes quite
significant, and you'll have to weigh that up against your budget
and your demands.

Motherboard:

The most important thing to keep in mind when picking a
motherboard is to get one that's fairly future proof.

For Pentium 4 that means a motherboard that supports socket 775
CPUs, and for AMD a motherboard that supports socket 939 CPUs.
Also, make sure your motherboard has enough expansion slots (most
commonly PCI slots) to support all additional cards you may want
to use in future - including sound cards, TV cards, wireless
network cards, etc.

If you're a gamer, also make sure that your motherboard supports
either an AGP 8x (obsolete soon), but preferably a PCI-Express
16x slot for a 3D graphics card.

3D Graphics Card:

While most motherboards these days feature an onboard graphics
card that is suitable for the casual user, these aren't adequate
for gamers.

With the old AGP 8x architecture almost obsolete, the way to go
is a PCI-Express graphics card if you have a motherboard that
supports it.

For casual gamers who want to play a bit of Sims and Harry
Potter, nVidia's GeForce 6600 and ATI's X700 series of cards will
do the trick.

For the hardcore gamer who wants to play cutting edge games like
Doom 3 and Battlefield 2 at rocking frame rates, don't get
anything smaller than a GeForce 6600GT or ATI X800 with 256MB of
GDDR3 memory on the card. 128MB is also acceptable if you don't
want to play at resolutions higher than 1152x864.

Before buying a graphics card, make sure that a) your motherboard
has the appropriate slot for it and b) that your power supply is
strong enough to support it.

RAM:

RAM is fast memory used by your computer to execute tasks. When
your computer runs out of RAM, it starts swapping data to the
much slower hard drive, which slows down your entire system.

With RAM being so cheap these days I'd recommend you get at least
512MB. If you're going to run Windows XP, don't get less than
256MB or you'll slow even the fastest CPU powered computer to a
crawl.

For hardcore gamers, less than 1GB simply isn't an option
anymore.

Hard drive:

The smallest hard drive you can buy at the time of writing is
80GB. That's more than the average home/office user will ever
fill, while it's not nearly enough for music/video collectors or
avid gamers.

At the moment the first big price jump in hard drives comes
between 200GB and 250GB, so 200GB would be a great option if you
need some serious space. Be sure to make comparisons if you need
more space - for example, two 200GB drives are much cheaper than
one 400GB, even though you get the same amount of space.

On the other hand again, two 80GB drives are more expensive than
one 160GB drive.

It's also worth getting a SATA hard drive if your motherboard
supports it. It's much faster than IDE drives, which are still
abundantly available.

Optical Drives:

Fortunately CD-ROM drives have quietly vanished off the market,
so you can now get more versatile DVD-ROM and CD-ReWriter drives
very cheaply.

If you want to be able to write DVDs, naturally go for a DVD-RW
drive, and make sure the drive you get supports double-layer
writing so you can use the new 8.5GB double layer DVD discs in
it, which is a whole lot of backup storage.

So, that's just a quick rundown of the things to keep in mind
when buying a new computer. Fortunately it's almost impossible to
buy a slow computer these days - only gamers and other users of
high-demand software need to pay special attention to what they
get.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Happy Clients Are The Enemy

2005-08-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Clients who are happy with what they have are your worst enemy.

Happy clients don't complain. Happy clients aren't looking for
new solutions. And, happy clients will not spend their money on
something they don't need.

'But client satisfaction is the foundation of my business,' you
exclaim.

So true! Your client's complete satisfaction should be your
ultimate goal. Here is the key question: If a client is
satisfied with your product today, will your product meet their
changing needs tomorrow?

Change is the only constant in the business universe. Your
client's needs change everyday and your challenge is to identify
those needs that are causing a dissatisfaction in their life.
Finding and solving these elusive needs will lead to more sales
for your business.

Ask yourself, are you searching for new areas of client
dissatisfaction for your product or service to solve? Are you
focusing your marketing on their needs and desires? Are you
positioning yourself as a solution to their problems?

Clients and prospects are always looking to improve their
personal condition as they travel through life. It's a natural
quality of the human condition. What they currently possess may
satisfy them today but that is sure to change. Within this
change resides opportunities for you.

Your growth and prosperity will come from the unsatisfied and the
needy. These are the people who may or may not know they need a
solution. It is your job to uncover their hidden needs and supply
the solution.

So you ask, 'If they are satisfied now, I need to create a new
dissatisfaction?'

No, you are not necessarily creating the dissatisfaction but
uncovering it for them to see. When you think about it, we all
live in a state of ignorance throughout our daily lives. We
don't realize that we need what we don't have. Simply put, you
cannot satisfy a need until you know that you have one in the
first place.

For example, not too long ago there was a time when computers did
not exist. We were unaware of the influence and benefits that
these machines would have on our daily lives. Yet we survived
without them in blissful ignorance as we plodded through the
workday. Today, you can't run a business without a computer on
your desk!

The computer industry uncovered a whole host of reasons that we
were dissatisfied: streamlining document processing, efficiently
transferring data, communicating instantaneously anywhere in the
world, and having vast amounts of information available at the
click of a mouse. Indeed, these needs always existed somewhat,
but the marketplace didn't know it needed the productivity a
computer offered.

The catalyst to discovering these unknown needs are imagination
and innovation. You must find the dissatisfaction and creatively
communicate your solution to the client. Until you make this
discovery, happy clients are not interested in purchasing more
from you. Your goal must be to find an offering that fills a
need, solves a problem, or improves their condition.

Creating the products and services that put an end to their
current dissatisfactions is the best way to insure continued
business growth.

Become a leader and innovator within your industry. With this
strategy you will position your business as a valuable resource
that is trusted and looked on as the best choice in the market.
This makes sales much easier, decreases your enemies, and greatly
increases your success.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Dynamic Web Sites Necessary to Stay Competitive

2005-08-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

It was not that long ago that becoming a web page authoring
wizard required little more than an understanding of a few dozen
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags, and perhaps modest
experience with a scanner and a graphics program to generate a
corporate logo image file.

The stakes are much higher now. The hobby phase is over. The
Internet is a big business. Competition for visitor “hits” is
enormous, as it becomes more and more difficult to get your site
noticed, much less bookmarked. Sensing that the authoring world
wanted more out of HTML then a poor imitation of the printed
page, the web browser makers and Internet standards bodies have
been expending the capabilities of web pages at a feverish pace.
These changes are allowing us to make our pages more “dynamic” –
pages that can “think and do” on their own, without much help
from the server once they have been loaded in the browser.

In websites, the most important thing that a user, editor or
author looks for is the robustness and the maintainability of the
site. In static approach for web page authoring, you simply write
a different page for all the content in your site and connect
these pages with hyperlinks or most probably by using a
navigation bar in the main page. It seems like a simple and
manageable idea. However, when it comes to add new content or
change the general layout of the site, it is almost impossible
for you to go through each and every page and edit the code. In
the dynamic approach, you use a database as the foundation of
your web site. What you put in this database totally depends on
what you need to have for your pages; usernames and associated
passwords, articles that you are going to use as your content,
pictures, files, basically anything that you can think of. This
database can be thought as your storage for the elements to build
this site. However, it is not you who is building the pages, it
is the PHP, ASP, PERL code that you have written or purchased.
The only thing that is left for you is to draw a “plan” for the
data driven code so that it knows where to put the building
elements that are stored in your database. This plan is called
the template for the site which is generally created using
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Dynamic HTML (DHTML). Once the
site is loaded into the browser, dynamic pages in a way
“interacts” with the user and generates the HTML pages rather
than taking the user from page to page with the help of the
hyperlinks.

As one can see very easily, Dynamic Websites seem like the future
of the Internet. It saves a lot of time and effort for the
authors and also the user from frustration of waiting for the
pages to load while visiting a simple site with an interesting
article with a lot of pages.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Characteristics of the Successful Entrepreneur

2005-08-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Studies have shown that successful entrepreneurs possess these
characteristics:

1. Self-confidence

This is that magical power of having confidence in oneself and in
one's powers and abilities.

2. Achievement Oriented

Results are gained by focused and sustained effort. They
concentrate on achieving a specific goal, not just accomplishing
a string of unrelated tasks.

3. Risk Taker

They realize that there is a chance of loss inherent in in
achieving their goals, yet they have the confidence necessary to
take calculated risks to achieve their goals.

Entrepreneurs are people who will make decisions, take action,
and think that they can control their own destinies. They are
often motivated by a spirit of independence which leads them to
believe that their success depends on raw effort and hard work,
not luck.

So which of these three main characteristics is the most
important? Believe it or not, it has to be self-confidence.
Without self-confidence, nothing else is possible. If you don't
believe in your abilities, then the first challenge that arises
may knock you off the path to achieving your goals. Here are a
few things to keep in mind for maintaining a higher level of
self-confidence.

Positive Thinking

Well, it all starts with a positive attitude, doesn't it?
Believing that something good will happen is the first step.
Negative thinking simply is not allowed. You must truly believe
that there are no circumstances strong enough to deter you from
reaching your goals. Remember too, that positive thinking can be
contagious. When positive thinking spreads, it can open doors to
new ideas, customers, friends, etc.

Persistent Action

Now all of the positive thinking and believing in the world is
useless if it is not applied towards a goal. You have to take
action, no excuses are allowed. This action must also be
persistent. Trying once and then giving up is not going to be
enough. Keep at it one step at a time. If you can't get by a
certain step, then find a creative way to try again or just go
around it.

At the beginning of this article we identified a few traits that
are common among successful entrepreneurs. You should be able to
look ahead and see yourself where you want to be. Now just
maintain a strong belief in yourself and your skills, stick with
it, and don't give up. If you can do that, you're already half
way there!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Making The Most of Public Domain and Private Label Content

2005-08-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

There's so much public domain content available all over the internet, with Master Resale Rights available and sites springing up left and right with Private Label articles you can use to create your own products, but what do you need to bear in mind, what is the best way to use all this content and what can you create with it?

What to Look Out For:

Copyright - you absolutely must check on this - violating someone's copyright is not clever and can be a really expensive mistake not to mention seriously damaging your reputation. Is it really public domain? All those lawyers fees can really mount up when checking into all this but believe me, you really don't want to end up in court over it.

Public Domain Content - If you have the money to have a lawyer look at copyright for you then fine, go ahead and get started. Where can you find this type of content? It can be difficult to find content that is free to use but here are a few links to get you started:

http://www.gutenberg.org/
http://www.wikimedia.org/
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html

Master Resale Rights - If you can't afford expensive lawyers what else can you do? One rather less pricey way is to buy Master Resale Rights to a product - this gives you the opportunity to name yourself as the author, use the content in another product, rewrite the whole thing - the possibilities are endless. Just be aware with this that you will need to look at the terms and conditions of what you are allowed to do with the product before you buy.

On a budget? - not to worry, there are still many ways you can find great content without spending a fortune or worrying about whether you can legally use it. Sites such as http://www.infogoround.com and http://www.thelostfiles.com provide guaranteed public domain or private label content for a monthly fee. You could also sign up to some of the well known internet marketer's newsletters. Why? Well if you're serious about internet marketing you should be checking out all the latest happenings anyway, but a lot of newsletter owners will have free ebooks, giveaways and articles to download - some of which you will be able to use as your own.

So you've got your content ready to go and you've checked your rights and permissions but there is one more thing to think about - sites such as http://www.copyscape.com can check for duplicate content on the internet and of course so can the search engines. This could mean anything from the search engines deciding they won't rate your site as highly because the exact same content is available elsewhere to some smarty pants asking you if you really did write that incredibly good article because they've seen someone else claiming that they wrote it too, so you do need to be aware of this when looking to use content you haven't personally created, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go ahead and make the most of all that wonderful information.

What Can You Do?

You could just read the information to learn from it yourself; you could read it to get ideas for businesses, more articles, content, the list is limited only by your imagination.

How about:

Ebooks
Print Books
Presentations
Membership Sites
Face to face courses
Mini courses
Teleclass content
Webcast content
Podcast content
Blog content
Content for your Autoresponder
Ezine content
Articles for your site to build AdSense income pages
Viral Reports
Tips Lists

When it comes to using all the content you have gathered, you need to look through it all and decide what you want to produce. If you plan to use content from more than one source, such as 2 or 3 articles by different authors to be combined into a report, you will need to go through and change the content into a similar style, check that it is all written in the same tense, make sure the formatting is the same throughout, check for spelling and grammar (for example - spelling for some words is different in the US than the UK) and look through all the articles to see if any of the points made are duplicated.

Once you've done this, make a list of points you want to make in your report, read the articles through again and start combining them together to fit what you want to say - cut and paste to copy sections into the right place.

Next, look at the way your draft reads now and see if it fits your style of writing, your personality and your business. Reword it to fit with this - there's no point in producing a very formally written, stiff sounding report for a hobby site.

At this point you could just tweak it, proof read it, and then go ahead and publish it but to take it a step further and make it really unique, why not look at how you might rewrite it so that all of the content is yours - now you've got the basic idea down and laid out, it shouldn't take you long to reword things, add in some of your own ideas and keywords that fit your site, and maybe a few quotes and suddenly you're looking at something that no-one else has got, that the search engines will love and that no-one can claim you copied.

Time to start creating!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

How Can Joining a Forum Help Your Business?

2005-08-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Online forums are a fantastic reminder of the influence the
internet has had on society. Using forums to connect with your
market is a natural progression.

Forums are online communities where individuals can discuss
topics ranging from fly fishing to breast feeding to internet
business. Discussions are conducted by posting notes to the
forum. A single discussion is called a 'thread' and most forums
have several - even hundreds - of threads going at any time.

What is truly remarkable about the use of forums is the personal
quality of the discussions. Read some of the posts on forums such
as ivillage.com and you'll soon see that the members become more
like neighbors (and even friends) than strangers connected only
by the keyboard and monitor in front of them.

Where brick and mortar businesses used to prosper based on their
involvement in the community - online businesses now have a
neighborhood all their own - online forums.

How can participating in a forum help YOUR business?

NETWORKING:

Online forums are a fantastic place to connect with others who
are knowledgeable about your business. You probably cater to the
same audience and share a common interest. If your businesses
compliment one another you might just find a highly profitable
partnership or joint venture.

Even if you don't find a working relationship you may find the
referrals or discussions highly beneficial.

TRAFFIC BUILDING:

Along with the referrals you may get when you've developed a
trusted online presence with other members of the forum, you are
also likely to attract targeted visitors to your website.

If the forum permits you to post a signature (your website URL)
onto the posts then you can be sure that some of the members and
quite likely some of the 'lurkers' (people who view but don't
post) will come check out your site.

EDUCATION:

Using the forums wisely can open you up to a great education.
Whether it is from fellow entrepreneurs in your field or experts
and other posters - you are participating in an 'inner circle'
type discussion that may open your eyes to new developments and
opportunities in your business.

ADDICTIVE:

The only downside is the highly addictive atmosphere. With
members posting from all over the world it can be difficult to
reign in your viewing time on forums.

On the flip side, other members are hopefully as interested in
what you have to say and you may quickly develop a reputation as
a reliable source for information.

Be very cautious to follow forum rules. Never spam a forum - your
aim should be to participate in a conversation, not interrupt it.
Have fun and watch your business grow!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Internet Marketing Time Management

2005-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

"Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money but you
cannot get more time." - Jim Rohn

Earning an income on the internet is a process that in broad
terms involves three stages:

1. Getting your product (acquisition)
2. Developing your product presentation
3. Promoting the product

In this article, "product" means any tangible product, digital
products (ebooks and software) and services such as membership
sites, web design and development, hosting, "print on demand" for
ebooks, fulfillment for orders and so on.

By necessity you will spend time in each of these stages. Each
stage will involve a learning phase and an action phase. It's
important to identify clearly what stage of development you are
currently working on and to focus on completing that stage.

1. Getting your product (acquisition).

Choose between your own product and an affiliate product.

This will involve identifying a demand using for example surveys
or the popularity of search terms.

Key Point: Once you have your product you can stop spending time
looking at other product possibilities for the time being.

2. Developing your product presentation.

Once you have chosen your product you will need to develop a
presentation.

This will include your website primarily and can also include
autoresponder sequences and a newsletter.

Key Points: Once your website and presentation process is
completed you can move on to the promotion. You can always
improve the presentation but once your presentation is
"presentable" you should move on to promotion. Don't get caught
up trying to make things perfect. Good, yes; perfect, no. The
reality is things can always be changes. It does not matter if
you have the best product in your niche and the best presentation
if nobody knows about it. Give your presentation your best shot
and then start promoting.

3. Promoting the product.

No matter now good your product and presentation are, you must
get your presentation in front of your intended audience or
nothing happens.

"We have to become better at promoting what we do than doing what
we do."

This is where it is also important to be clear about what stage
you are in. Remember, time is limited, so if you have already
chosen your product and developed your presentation it is not
productive to keep looking for products or spending a great deal
of time "tweaking" your presentation.

Time can always be spent tweaking sales copy, images, layout, web
presentation, upgrading or trying new software, investigating new
product opportunities (before the current one is complete),
improving design skills, keeping up with the changing web
"standards"... The list can seem endless.

Key Point: Time is better spent developing a clear promotional
strategy and putting it into action. Only when you are seeing
results from your promotional activities should you consider
altering your presentation (such as modifying headlines and sales
copy) to assess how that affects conversion of prospects to
customers.

Here are some examples:

- Write two newsletters each month
- Run a solo ad each week
- Purchase 500 double-optin subscribers each month
- Conduct a Pay Per Click campaign with $x budget each
week/month
- Make three new blog entries each week
- Create ten new web pages each week

Here are a few tips to keep you on track:

1. Name your project

You may name your project as a final name of the product or you
may just give it a code name that means something to you.

2. Understand what part of the three step process you are in:
Acquisition, presentation or promotion.

Here is a simple question to ask yourself to check if you are on
track with your time budget, "What is this activity designed to
do?" or perhaps, "What is the outcome of this activity?"

This will help you to identify if you are spending time in the
wrong area at the wrong time.

3. Set up check lists to make sure everything is covered. Focus
on completion.

4. Promotion: Clearly define your action steps.

5. Track the results or your promotional campaign in terms of
traffic, click through rates, subscribers and purchasers. Include
costs of conducting your campaign and compare that to your sales
to determine your return on investment. It is only by tracking
the results of the promotion that you will know how to
effectively change the presentation for further testing.

A spreadsheet is an invaluable tool as a template for specifying
your promotional campaign and also for tracking results, costs
and return on investment. Adding in columns for each day of the
week allows you to allocate your time so that all your promotions
are covered in a time effective manner. This becomes your
business gauge by which you assess the effectiveness of your
promotional campaign.

Understanding the three stages of the business process and the
stage you are in, using checklists and tracking your results
using business gauges are the proven ways to maximize your time,
your effectiveness and your profits.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

What Happens When You Submit Articles To Ezines?

2005-08-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

What's an article anyway, and why would I want to submit one to
an ezine? That was a two-fold question and will require two
answers.

An ezine article is usually composed of approximately 500 words
on a single subject that would be of interest to your target
market. At the end of the article, you should include a "resource
box." This box should provide such things as your name, the name
of your company, your web site address, email address, and a
small blurb about your product/service.

Writing an article is not hard work. All it requires is some
research and note taking. Use any of multiple sources to find
information about the topic that you choose to write about. Then
write your article in your own words using the notes that you
took during your research. It's not difficult and it's something
that you learned to do early in school (grade school probably).
Write in a conversational tone. Write like you are talking to
your best friend.

Now, I'll answer the second question. The reasons to submit this
article to an ezine are varied, but not difficult to understand.
They all boost your bottom line.

1. The submission of the article will help identify your business
(web site) in the Internet marketplace. This is normally called
"branding."

2. Article submission provides publicity, virtually free.

3. Someone may like your writing style and hire you to write
articles or ebooks for them.

4. The published article will drive traffic to your web site.

5. If the publisher of the ezine that you submit your article to
maintains an archive, your article may be read many months later.
Traffic may still be driven to your site this way.

6. People will come to know you as an expert on your subject.

7. You might get your article published in free ebooks that are
distributed all over the web. This will drive more traffic to
your web site.

8. This will help you become a trusted vendor of information.

9. If you allow anyone to publish your article or email it to a
friend, you will gain further exposure for free.

10. Webmasters may read your article and display it on their web
site. You get additional free exposure.

11. If you send out an ezine, you could offer to swap articles
with other ezine publishers for free. This provides more
publicity without expense.

So, there are quite a few benefits that you could receive from
publishing small articles like this one. If that isn't enough
reasons for publishing your own articles, I don't know what else
you'd need. Don't forget to provide enough valuable information.
The more knowledge you supply, the more valuable you become.
Provide real value and you will always have people clamoring for
more.

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Properties of the Recycle Bin

2005-08-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

The properties of the Recycle Bin might not concern you as much
if you have a very large hard drive.
Hard drives with very large storage capacity are becoming more
affordable. However, many people still use relatively small hard
drives with limited storage space and this information could be
very beneficial for them.

I would even venture to say that it truly does not matter how
much space you have on your hard drive, the Recycle Bin will come
into play at one time or another.

Files are deleted on purpose or by accident. The amount of space
you allow for your Recycle Bin can make the difference between
being able to retrieve those files or not. If you have allowed
adequate space for the Recycle Bin you can retrieve a file that
was accidentally deleted. To retrieve a deleted file, open the
Recycle Bin, locate the file deleted, click on the file you want
to undelete and from the File Menu, click Restore.

Deleted documents or files will remain in the Recycle Bin until
you clean out the Recycle Bin or until Windows claims that space
for newly deleted files.

Windows automatically sets aside 10% of your hard drive as
storage space for the files or folders that are deleted and sent
to the Recycle Bin. This means that if you have a 1000 MB hard
drive, then 100 MB will be used by the Recycle Bin.

If your hard drive is low on space and you do not create very
large documents, you might want to reduce the size of the Recycle
Bin and increase the available space on your hard drive.

To set the properties of the Recycle Bin, right click the Recycle
Bin icon on your desktop and click on Properties.The Recycle Bin
dialogue box will open up.

The top radio button will allow you to configure each of your
hard drive separately. The second radio button creates one rule
for all your drives. You will notice an option to delete files
without storing them in the Recycle Bin. There is a security
feature that will ask you to confirm the deletion. The slider
control allows you to set the amount of space you want reserved
for the Recycle bin. By moving the slider control you can either
reduce or increase the size of the Recycle Bin. There is also a
check box that you can check or uncheck to prevent or activate
the delete confirmation message from appearing at deletion time.

By using these different controls, you can set your Recycle Bin
according to your needs and according to the size of your hard
drive. If you work on smaller documents you might want to reduce
the size of the Recycle Bin. If, on the other hand, you work on
database, video or graphic files, it might be a good idea to
increase the size of your Recycle Bin to accommodate an
accidental deletion.

You need to weight your need for hard drive space and the
safeguarding of accidental deletion of files. Remember, if your
Recycle Bin is full, Windows will delete older deleted files to
make room for newly deleted files in the Recycle Bin.

To get more information about the Recycle Bin, go to Online Help.
Click the Start button, click Help, click Search and type in
Recycle Bin. You will then be able to read about shortcuts, how
to retrieve deleted files and much more.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

The Top 20 Things You Can Do to Make Your Website Accessible

2005-08-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed by
Congress. The law was designed to protect people with
disabilities from being discriminated against, because of a
physical or mental disability. The act was put into place to
help guarantee equal opportunity for people with disabilities in
any public area – and it covers regulations for employment,
transportation, state and local government services,
telecommunications, etc.

But what about your Website? Have you done all you can, to
assure that your Website is accessible?

Here is a checklist you can use, to determine if your Website is
as accessible as it could be. (Note: These actions vary from
fairly simple to complex, and this list is not meant to be
considered the only options or actions you can take to make your
site more accessible).

1. Have you provided a text equivalent for every non-text element
on your site? Non-text elements include: images, graphical
representations of text (including symbols), animations
(including animated GIFs), image map areas, programmatic objects
and applets, ASCII art, scripts, spacers, frames, images used for
list bullets, buttons, sounds (whether automatic or by user
interaction), video, audio tracks of video and stand alone audio
files.

2. Have you ensured that any information conveyed with color is
also available without it?

3. Are changes in the natural language of all pages on your
Website and any text equivalents (such as captions) clearly
identified?

4. Are all documents on your Website organized so that they can
be read without style sheets?

5. Do you update all equivalents for dynamic content every time
you update the dynamic content itself?

6. Have you eliminated any special effects from your Website that
cause the screen to flicker?

7. Are you using clear and simple language in all content placed
on your Website?

8. If you use images and image maps, are you providing redundant
text links for each active region of your server-side image map?

9. If you use images and image maps, are you providing
client-side image maps (instead of server-side) whenever
possible?

10. When using data tables, have you identified the row and
column headers?

11. If you use frames, have you titled each frame to make it
easier for users to navigate your site and identify the frames?

12. When using applets and scripts, have you made sure that the
pages are useable when all programmatic objects are not
supported, or turned off? (If that isn’t possible, have you
provided the information on an alternative accessible page?)

13. When using multimedia, have you provided an auditory
description of the most important visual information on a
multimedia presentation?

14. When using any time-based multimedia presentation (such as a
movie or animation), have you synchronized the equivalent
alternatives such as captions or auditory descriptions of the
visual track to the presentation?

15. Have you made sure that the background and foreground colors
on your Website have enough contrast so that when someone with a
color deficit looks at it (or your Website is viewed with a black
and white screen) they can still read it clearly?

16. Have you clearly identified the target of each link?

17. Have you provided a place to get information about your site,
either through the use of a site map, or table of contents?

18. Have you clearly identified the primary language of your
Website?

19. Have you provided information so that users can choose how
they want to receive documents – by content type, language,
etc.)?

20. Have you provided summaries for all the tables on your site?

Here are some simple steps you can take that don’t require much
work or technical ability:

Graphs and Charts:
When working with graphs and charts, make sure you’ve provided
enough information that any graphs or charts aren’t needed to
understand the article, but are just supplements to it. You can
also use the “alt” tag to provide information about them.

Image Maps:
Provide alternative text anywhere that the user must click on
your Website, so that if they’ve turned off the graphics, or
can’t view them, they can still understand what your site is
about and can navigate around it. (Note: This method still
doesn’t work with all browsers, but at least you’re trying!)

Tables:

When working with headers, use the “th” attribute so that users
with a visual impairment can hear the table headers from their
screen reader.

Hypertext Links:

When using hypertext links, use text that will make sense when a
screen reader reads allowed to a visually impaired user.

Bold Face

When writing your sales copy, use the “em” instead of the “b”
tag. By using the emphasis tag, a screen reader’s tone will
change, adding emphasis to what is on the screen. If you use a
bold tag, the screen reader can’t recognize the change, and all
of the copy will be read in the same tone.

Multimedia (Video, applets, and Plug-ins):

Try and provide alternatives when using multimedia. If you’re
using streaming video for example, which has sounds or dialog,
your two best options would be to either provide
closed-captioning for the video or provide a text version for the
dialogue. (This actually helps non-visually impaired viewers who
have dial up instead of DSL, or for the times when the amateur
video sound quality is poor.

When you use applets or plug-ins, look for alternative methods of
presenting information such as text links, without relying on the
applet or plug-in for navigating around your Webpages.

So, how do you know if your Website meets the accessibility
guidelines?

You can use the Bobby Program. “Bobby” is a free Java-based
program that searches through your Website to check its
accessibility. Although it can’t analyze page content, it can
analyze coding and the readability of your Website.

If you’re interested in finding out how accessible your Website
is already considered to be, you can go to:
http://webxact.watchfire.com/

WebXACT is a free online service that lets you test single pages
of web content for quality, accessibility, and privacy issues.

If you’re interested in learning more about web accessibility, or
you know someone who needs information or access to resources for
a disability, you can get more information from the following
links:

http://www.gatech.edu/accessibility/
AWARE: Accessible Web Authoring Resources & Education

http://www.awarecenter.org/
Bobby Version 3.2

http://www.cast.org/bobby/
CSS2 Tutorial

http://www.dynamicdeezign.com/css/introduction.html
IBM Accessibility Center

http://www-3.ibm.com/able/
IBM: Java Accessibility

http://www-3.ibm.com/able/accessjava.html

Is YOUR Website Accessible?
http://www.janejarrow.com/tv_station/webaccess/

WAI (Website Accessibility Initiative)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Focus on the Positive in Your Business Organization

2005-08-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that despite the complaints and problems
encountered in your organization, there is nonetheless
significant good work and results occurring? Do you want to
find a way to fan the flames of these positives so that they
engulf your entire organization? Let’s admit it – sometimes our
problem-centered focus places too much attention on the negative.
Perhaps it’s time for a new approach. We can seek to discover
the excellence already present in our organizations – just as
Michelangelo is reported to have said that he saw an angel in the
rock and carved to set it free.

Having a positive vision is the underlying premise of
Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophy but it
is also practical since it suggests a particular method of
changing social systems. In its most basic form, an appreciative
inquiry is about asking questions about the best of what is and
what has been. The information is like a discovery that lends
itself to dreaming about the positive future and finally,
designing the action plan to make it happen.

For example, a consultant or trainer is frequently in the
position of needing to understand the training needs of a client
company. Here are several potential questions that could be used
in appreciative interviews:

• Describe a time when you took part in professional development
that was especially energizing and enlivening. Who was involved?
What happened? Describe the event in detail.

• If you could imagine or transform the professional development
available in any way you wished, what one to three things would
you like to see happen to enhance its vitality and
effectiveness?

• What do you imagine your own role might be in helping to make
this happen? Who could work with you?

The resulting qualitative data would be most efficiently analyzed
by computer software such as text retrievers, code and retrieve
programs and conceptual network builders. Such software programs
would help draw valid meaning from the data by reducing it, help
to identify patterns through comparative analysis and go beyond
the narrative text to display the data in matrices.

Consider asking one or more appreciative questions at your next
staff meeting. Set it up properly by giving employees a little
background and reasoning for the approach. Let them know what
you plan to do with the information and invite interested parties
to get involved in the resulting action plan. You might be
surprised by the synergy that results!
Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Is Your Advertising Working Hard Enough for You?

2005-08-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

As a small business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar
that comes right out of your pocket and affects your profit
margin, especially when you're trying to grow your business. If
you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your
bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs
while still getting what you need.

That old saying that it "takes money to make money" has never
been truer than when it comes to promoting your business.

So when it comes to spending money on advertising, how do you
make sure that your advertising is working hard enough, without
spending a fortune?

Thanks to the Internet, you've got lots of options for finding
cost-effective advertising that does what it's supposed to --
bring targeted customers who are hungry for what you're selling,
right to your door. But don't forget about cost-effective offline
methods as well.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Focus your advertising dollars on your target market. The tighter
your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who
are looking for exactly what you've got to sell! So rather than
going wide, and trying to sell to everyone, narrow your focus,
and then, if possible, narrow it some more! Figure out who your
"ideal" customer is, and then create an advertising campaign for
them. Once you know who you're selling to, look for media that
targets that demographic. Depending on your product or service,
think community and neighborhood newspapers, high school sponsor
advertising, chamber of commerce directories, etc.

If your ideal customers aren't defined by a specific geographic
location, look at regional or specific demographic publications.
Perhaps a regional paper runs an annual issue that focuses on an
issue or activity that reaches your target market. Use local
cable television to broadcast your ads only in certain markets.
You'll get cheaper rates and a more focused demographic.

Always ask for a discounted rate. (Many publications offer an
"agency" discount of up to 15 percent. If you are acting as your
own in-house advertising agency, you might qualify for the
special rate.

Some monthly magazines offer discounts for multi-ads placed over
a 3, 6 or 12 month time period. Most publications have a
different rate schedule for different types of advertisers -- so
depending on your product or service, you could qualify. And if
not, sometimes just asking for the discount will give it to you.

Buy leftover space or airtime. This is advertising that the
publication, radio or television station hasn't filled by their
usual deadline. Of course you'll have to take the spots that are
available, but again, depending on your business and the product
or service you're selling, that inconvenience could still be
worth the discount and the exposure you'll receive.

Use classified ads. They're not just for employment offers any
more. You'll find classified ads in magazines and newspapers.
Before writing your ad, go to your local library, and look
through the back issues of the magazine or newspaper that you're
considering. Look at the ads that catch your eye, or that are
repeated month after month. Those ads wouldn't be in there each
month, if they weren't making the advertiser money. Use those ads
as springboards for ideas when you're ready to start writing your
own classifieds.

Test your ads. Start out with the cheaper publications, so you
can find out what's working and what's not. Play with them, and
tweak them. Once you've got an ad that works, keep using it. You
can run it more than once, or in more than one publication at a
time. When it quits bringing in customers, or you start noticing
a drop in effectiveness, then it's time to change it.

Do you own a retail business? If so, check into co-op advertising
funds that may be offered by your vendors. Co-op programs provide
joint advertising for your and your vendor, and you'll get a
portion of the cost of the ad reimbursed because the ad mentions
the vendor. (Note: most Co-op programs have strict guidelines, so
check with your vendors and make sure you're following the
rules).

Barter for goods and services. This can be especially effective
with radio stations and local papers. See if you can provide your
products or services in trade for the cost of advertising. (Also
called "trade" or "In-kind" ads, the radio station or publication
gives you the ad in exchange for products or services of equal
value, and then uses those products or services as part of a
promotion or contest for their listeners or readers). This can
also be a great way to get additional free publicity, so if you
decide to try this method, get creative and think outside the
box!

Reuse your ads in other advertising medium. If you've got an ad
that's especially effective, or looks great, reuse it in a
circular, brochure, handout, flyer or direct mail piece. Use the
graphics on your Webpages.

Finding a healthy mix between online and offline advertising,
looking for ways to extend your reach and your advertising
dollar, and cutting costs creatively will help you ensure that
your advertising is working hard for your success.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Benefits to Using RSS

2005-08-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a method
developed to allow webmasters and online publishers to syndicate
their contents easily to other webmasters. For example, if you
use RSS to publish your ezine, then other webmasters can easily
use RSS to display your ezine/content on their website -
automatically.

Without RSS, if a webmaster saw an interesting article and wanted
to display it on his site, he would need to copy that article and
paste it into an HTML file on his own website. This is a very
time consuming and tedious process. However, with RSS, all the
cutting and pasting can be eliminated and this process can be
automated with RSS software.

RSS is very new. The latest wave started in 2004 (although it’s
been around since the late 90’s, but was only in use by the real
geeks). One news release from summer of 2004 is quoted as
saying, “Google is considering renewing support for the popular
RSS Web publishing format in some of its services. This marks the
latest twist in a burgeoning standards war over technology that
could change how people read the news.” Even the giants such as
Microsoft, eBay and Yahoo embrace the RSS syndication format.

Yet there are currently many webmasters and zine publishers still
doing it the old way. Companies that don't have an RSS approach
in place yet might need to reevaluate the way they are doing
business. Their competitors will probably have already
implemented some level of RSS support in their web sites. An
innovative marketing channel has opened up allowing you to market
your products and services. With more and more people using RSS,
the market potential is endless.

RSS has thus far, proven itself as becoming the preferred method
of distributing news and information online. Those in the know
are subscribing to RSS feeds to read news online and to receive
the latest updates from their preferred publishers. If you
publish a newsletter, you now have another conduit to distribute
your news to thousands of readers! Who doesn’t want that?

Not only is RSS easy to use, it also affords you free targeted
traffic without any additional efforts. In order for your
business to be successful, you need traffic to your website, and
lots of it. You need to grab a hold of the people who are
interested in your products and services. It doesn’t matter how
good your products and services are if no one visits your site.
One solution to drive traffic to your site is SEO. You can spend
countless hours or spend large amounts of your budget to hire a
search optimization expert. Or… you can use RSS to glean similar
results.

With little effort you can easily add and display your articles
in hundreds of websites - automatically! What could be better
than automatic feeds while you sleep! You can stop the tedious
article submissions. What’s more is with RSS, you’ll be adding
fresh, relevant content on your website. Change the content
daily if you prefer. It really is simple. Now Yahoo even has a
free RSS directory.

So what are you waiting for? Get with the program!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Easing Arthritis Pain with Glucosamine & Chondroitin Supplements

2005-08-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

If you suffer from arthritis pain, chances are you’ve heard of a
relatively new over-the-counter remedy called Glucosamine. But
what is Glucosamine, and how does it work to relieve arthritis?
In this article, I’ll introduce you to this new treatment and
provide you with the pros and cons of its use. By the time
you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll be able to make an
informed decision on whether or not Glucosamine is right for
you.

What is Glucosamine?
Glucosamine, together with a related ingredient called
Chondroitin, are substances which exist naturally in your body.
It is believed that glucosamine helps to build and repair
cartilage (the soft, spongy material between your joints), while
chondroitin lends to the elasticity and flexibility of joints. A
deficiency of either one can lead to increased wear and tear on
the joint, and cause redness, swelling and stiffness as a result.
When used together, glucosamine and chondroitin act as a
tag-team of arthritis fighters, improving flexibility, soothing
inflammation and reducing swelling caused by achy joints.

Where Can I Buy Glucosamine and Chondroitin Supplements?
You can find these products in virtually any pharmacy or health
goods store. The downside to this is, like other herbal and
alternative medicines, supplements are not regulated by any
governing body. That’s why you’ll need to do a little bit of
research to find the best, most potent brand for your needs.
Here’s what you need to know when comparison shopping for a
glucosamine supplement:

· You should expect to pay anywhere from $1-3 per pill when
taking glucosamine daily. Since insurance companies rarely cover
supplements of any kind, you’ll most likely be paying for them
out of pocket.

· Read the ingredients label on the bottle to determine the
dosage. Approximately 1500mg of glucosamine and 1200mg of
chondroitin have been safely used in clinical trials. Depending
on your individual medication tolerances and the severity of your
arthritis, you should consult your physician or rheumatologist to
find the right dose for your individual needs.

· Select supplements manufactured by a well-known, reputable
company. Recommended brands include: Osteo Bi-Flex, WholeHealth,
Flex-A-Min, MoveFree and individual pharmacy brands.

Are There Any Side Effects I Should Know About?
As with any medication or supplements, there are a few warnings
you should know:

· If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not use
glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, as no long-term studies have
been done to gage what materials (if any) are passed on to the
baby either internally or through breast milk.

· If you are diabetic, chondroitin (a form of sugar) may cause
your blood sugar to rise.

· Chondroitin also acts as a mild blood thinner. Therefore, if
you are taking any heart medication or are taking an aspirin
regimen, have your blood clotting time checked more frequently by
your doctor.

· Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements should not be taken by
children since no studies have been done to determine their
effect (if any) on the child’s development.

(Please note: The information contained within this article is
not intended to replace or substitute for that of an experienced
physician. Remember to check with your doctor or rheumatologist
before starting daily glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, and
don’t stop or reduce any of your current medications (whether
they’re for arthritis or not) without first talking with your
doctor).

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Should Your "Company Ethics" Be Used as a Marketing Tool?

2005-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ethical Marketing. For some companies that phrase may seem like
an oxymoron similar to “government intelligence.” For others
however, it’s a core operating value.

What exactly is “Ethical marketing”? According to a recently
released white paper on that subject, ethical marketing is a
model of ethical interactivity between businesses and consumers
that includes seven practices – notice, choice, access, contact,
security, horizon and intrusiveness.

Every day there are exciting new technologies being created that
open up endless possibilities for Internet Marketers. As a small
business owner, your email box is probably already flooded with
offers every day, telling you about the “next big thing” that
will help you sell more of your products or services to scores of
hungry buyers.

Right now, when a customer visits your Website, you’ve got the
potential to track what pages they visit, how long they stay,
what links they follow. To help make buying from you even
easier, your customers have the option of letting you “remember”
their personal information – everything from physical address to
preferences and previous purchases to their credit card
information.

You can even get their personal information – such as IP and
email addresses, without them having to type a single word, or
lift a finger to click a mouse.

Technology, by itself, isn’t inherently good or bad. What makes
the difference is your intent and how you use it.

Here are five issues when it comes to addressing privacy issues
that you should be thinking about, to ensure that your company is
participating in “ethical marketing” practices.

Gathering Information – Addressing Consumer Privacy Issues

NOTICE: Do you tell consumers what information you’re collecting,
how it will be used, whether it will be disclosed to anyone else,
and whether or not you’re using cookies?

CHOICE: Do you give visitors to your Website the choice to agree
with how you gather information and use it?

ACCESS: Do visitors to your Website have access to the
information you collect about them? Do they have the ability to
review and make changes to that information?

SECURITY: Do you let your customers know that you understand
their concerns about the protection of their private information,
and use best practices when transferring or storing their
information?

CONTACT: Do your visitors and know how to contact you, and have
the name of someone in your company to ask questions or register
complaints about privacy concerns or complaints? And are those
concerns or complaints handled in a professional manner
immediately?

Being ethical and honest in all business dealings has always been
considered good business practice. Doing business the way it has
“always been done” just doesn’t work with savvy consumers any
longer. In the wake of scandals like Enron and Arthur Anderson
and others, consumers have become more cautious and skeptical and
want to know more about the companies they’re doing business
with. Because of their concerns over privacy and safety issues,
many consumers are still hesitant about making purchases on the
Web.

So can your company’s core operating values – its ethics – become
an effective marketing tool?

Some experts say yes.

Here are some of the top ways small businesses can attract new
customers and maintain strong support and loyalty from current
ones:

1. Include words about your company’s integrity, commitment to
excellence and high standards in all your marketing, advertising
and on your Webpages. When you’re thinking about what you want
to say, think about these questions: How long has your company
been committed to excellence? Do you believe in integrity? How
do you handle customer service?

2. Offer concrete examples of how you’re committed to excellence,
integrity and honesty in all your dealings. Instead of just
saying “Our service department is committed to excellence”
explain why. What procedure do they follow? How are your
employees involved in ensuring customer satisfaction? What
guarantees do you offer your customers?

3. Get feedback from your customers. Even if you’re the only
employee in your business, you can benefit from one of the
secrets used by the Fortune 500 companies – it’s called “primary
market research” but what it boils down to is asking your
customers questions. Find out what they liked about doing
business with you. But also ask what they DIDN’T like, and then
take steps to solve any problems right away! Don’t make excuses,
and don’t make it tough for your customers to fix something they
consider to be a problem. Figure out a guarantee, and then stand
behind it.

4. If you own a brick and mortar store, you can run quarterly
promotions and in-house contests. For example, one inexpensive
idea is to run a contest that rewards the employee who provides
the best customer service during a specific time period. Or give
your employees buttons that say “Ask about our 100 percent
guarantee” etc. You can get really creative and make it fun for
your customers and your employees, with the end result that
everyone knows about your companies ethics and core operating
values.

5. Add tag lines under your company name that talk about your
company’s values. Include the same tag line on all marketing
materials. Just remember to use statements that your company
will be able to stand behind for a long time, because once that’s
what you become known for, the image will stick.

Just remember that if you're going to use your company's ethics
as a marketing tool, you need to adhere to them completely, with
a "no tolerance" policy for any unethical practices. If you
don't, this marketing tool could backfire, and you'll end up
losing your credibility and your customers.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Little Known Facts About Changes In Our Diet

2005-07-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

To say that Americans are obsessed with dieting is an
understatement! Pick up any magazine, tune-in or turn-on any
source of advertising and you're bombarded with the latest diet
schemes and food fads. More often than not, they are endorsed by
some familiar Hollywood celebrity, or promoted using some other
cleaver technique.

It's no mystery that the weight-loss industry has built a
thriving empire. In America, for example, we spend about 35
billion dollars every year on an assortment of weight loss
products and plans. In addition, we spend another 79 billion
dollars for medication, hospitalization, and doctors to treat
obesity-related problems. Even with this, the obesity epidemic
continues to spread. Sadly, we have become the heaviest
generation in our Nation's history.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that we have
some very good reasons to be concerned about our weight-gain.
Americans, for example are packing-on the pounds faster than ever
before and weight-related medical problems are taking center
stage. Diseases like heart disease, diabetes and yes...even
certain forms of cancer have all been linked to obesity.

Here are a few of the surprising statistics about our weight:

- A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or
obese. That's up approximately 8 percent from overweight
estimates obtained in a 1988 report.

- The percent of children who are overweight is also continuing
to increase. Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or
almost 9 million are overweight. That's triple what the rate was
in 1980!

- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese. At
present, 31 percent of adults 20 years of age and over or nearly
59 million people have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater,
compared with 23 percent in 1994.

(The BMI is a number that shows body weight adjusted for height.
For adults, a BMI of 18.5 - 24.9 is considered normal. A BMI of
25.0 - 29.9 is overweight and 30.0 or above, is considered
obese.)

Modern life both at home and at work has come to revolve around
moving from one "seated" position to another: whether it's
television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we seem
to be broadening the scope of our inactive endeavors.

At times, life seems to have gotten almost too easy! For
entertainment, we can now just sit-down, dial-up our favorite TV
program or DVD movie and enjoy hours of uninterrupted
entertainment...

And all those simple calorie burning activities that were once a
normal part of our daily routine not so long ago? Long gone! You
know the ones I'm talking about...activities like climbing stairs
instead of using escalators and elevators. Or, pushing a lawn
mower instead of riding around on a garden tractor. And what
about that daily walk to school? Now, our kids complain when the
school bus happens to be a few minutes late getting to the bus
stop!

Along with the convenience of our affluent lifestyle and
reduction in energy expenditure, have come changes in our diet.
We are now consuming more calorie rich and nutrient deficient
foods than ever before.

Here are a few examples of what we were eating in the 1970's
compared to our diet today (information is taken from a recent
U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):

- We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of
them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption
has jumped 45 percent since the 1970s, from 138 pounds of grains
per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat
flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but
only because the U.S.D.A. includes French fries and potato chips
as a vegetable. Potato products account for almost a third of our
"produce" choices.

- We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our
cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source
of saturated fat in our diets.

- We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the
loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so
that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did
back in the 1970s.

- We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than
milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice
that of pop.

- We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable
oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has
increased 32 percent.

- Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding
waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. According to
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people are consuming roughly
twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons
on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in
junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies.

- In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11
percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has
ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as
much as 20 percent for American teenagers.

The days of the wholesome family dinners so near and dear to our
hearts, where we all sat around the kitchen table to discuss
events of the day, are now a part of our sentimental past. They
have been replaced by our cravings for take-out and fast-food. We
have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy
foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving
portions mean better value.

And, since I have been throwing-out statistics, here's one more:
Americans are consuming about 300 more calories each day than we
did twenty years ago. We should actually be eating less because
of our decreased activity level, but instead are doing the
opposite!

Decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits will become
a permanent part of your life!

Begin to explore your values and thoughts and other areas of your
life where change may be required, and then take action. Begin
slowly, but deliberately to make improvements in the areas you
identify. And remember, it has taken a very long time to develop
your habits, and it will take some time to undo them…so be
patient!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Tips to Beating Depression

2005-07-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone has days when they are down, worn out and just not
feeling all that happy.

That's OK, you need to have days like this, otherwise how would
you know when you are happy. You need to have something to
contrast your happiness with. What is black without white?

Even though you know that sadness is a part of life, let's try to
make it a small part of life.

With that said, here are a few tips to help you feel better when
you are feeling down in the dumps. They are easy to do, easy to
practice every day and they work!

1. Stand up straight, sit up straight. When your body is in
alignment your energy can flow and when your energy is flowing
freely, you can flow.

2. Smile! Yes, just smile. Easy to do and effective.

3. Repeat positive affirmations. Things like "I feel good",
"Positive energy flows through my body", "I see the good in
all".

4. Listen to some music that you like. It doesn't have to be
anything specific, just something you enjoy. Certain types of
music work better than others, but experiment and see what works
for you. Studies have shown that Classical music and new age
music work best.

5. Take some time out for yourself, relax and read a book, do
something for yourself.

6. Meditate. Meditation is an excellent habit to develop. It
will serve you in all that you do. If you are one who has a hard
time sitting still, then try some special meditation CDs that
coax your brain into the meditative state. Just search for
"Meditation music" on Google or Yahoo and explore.

Our outside work is simply a reflection of our inside world.
Remember there is no reality just your perception of it. Use
this truth to your advantage. Whenever you are sad, realize that
it is all in your mind and you do have the power to change your
perception.

These tips will lift you up when you are down, but don't just use
them when you are sad. Try and practice them everyday, make them
a habit. You will be surprised at how these simple exercises
will keep the rainy days away.

On a final note, if you are in a deep depression that you can't
seem to shake, please go see a doctor. This is your life and
don't take any chances.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Home based opportunity

2005-07-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

It seems home based business opportunities are a bit more common
in the US than in Europe. However the European marketplace is
quickly catching on to the phenomenon of home based business and
network marketing. The advantages of a home based business are
evident: low cost, flexible working hours and tax benefits, to
name but a few. But these advantages have pretty much been there
for many years, so why the sudden growth? Why do so many people
start their own home based business right now, and why would
network marketing be a good thing to consider for so many
others?

First of all there is worldwide economic uncertainty and many
economies are either facing a recession or are in the middle of
one. Turn open any newspaper and you can't miss articles on
companies downsizing and laying off employees by the thousands.
Network marketing offers people the chance to create a part time
auxiliary income, right beside their day job. This kind of extra
income has proven a great help to many families across the world.
Of course many network marketers have made a full time living out
of there business. Some of them have made fortunes. But this
level of success, although available to anyone who is willing to
do the work, will not be for most people. Most network marketers
run a part time business for a small number of hours a week
earning them a couple hundred bucks a month.

Then there is the phenomenon of cocooning, where the consumer
tries to shield itself from all sorts of marketing messages.
Do-no-call lists are in place, making it harder and harder for
companies to get their messages across to the consumer. Network
marketing, which is based on moving a service or product to the
end consumer based on personal relationships, delivers a strong
answer to these challenges. More and more traditional companies
have discovered that network marketing is a very cost effective
way to reach consumers.

Of course we can't forget about the internet. This technology has
greatly helped making the world smaller, making it easier to find
and disperse information. Network marketing companies have
pioneered the internet to inform, train and motivate their
independent distributors.

The cost of home office equipment has decreased considerably.
These days you can set up a home office for just a couple hundred
bucks. Some may argue that you don't even need that much. Any
computer with an internet connection and a phone would be enough
for most network marketers to operate their business. This makes
it affordable for everyone to start a home based business.
Compare this to the cost of running a normal business and it
becomes clear why more and more people are being attracted to a
home based opportunity.

And then there is the growing lack of trust in the corporate
world. Not too long ago, people where quite used to having a job
for life. Or at least until they decided to quit. Nowadays many
people have come to realize that job security is a joke. Too many
people have lost their jobs more than once only to find out that
they were nothing but a number to their corporate employer. It's
not just the fact that you have to go out to find another job to
feed your family. It's also the fact that you've been listening
to your employer bloating about the importance of their human
assets when in the end in turns the employees where just
considered human asses.

Network marketing not only offers people a chance to create some
extra income, it also provides them with the opportunity to get
some of their dignity back. Helping them realize that they don't
necessarily have to depend on their employers paycheck. The
support structures that many good network marketing companies
offer are a great help to individuals joining this type of
business. Not only will they receive the proper training on their
company's products and services. They will also be educated on
personal development

The advantages of a home based business are evident and in the
near future we will certainly see more of it. Looking at today's
trends in the economy it doesn't take a genius to figure out that
the era of monolithic companies offering jobs for life has ended.
It's time to have the courage to bet on yourself again and home
based business is a good way to do so. And for those people that
decide to take this step, taking a serious look at network
marketing is just common sense. Even in a time where common sense
isn't that common anymore.

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

6 Steps to Becoming a Powerful Public Speaker

2005-07-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

Public speaking ranks right up there with death in terms of the
things we are terribly afraid to do. Whether it’s the fear of
being watched closely by others, or the insecurity and
self-conscious feeling of slipping up during the presentation,
these six tips will help you give a polished, professional speech
that you (and your audience) can be proud of!

1. Know your audience. This is the single best piece of advice
for delivering a presentation that really hits home. What are
there interests? Their backgrounds? Why are they coming to hear
you speak or present? What ideas do you have to share with them?
Approaching your speech as more of a “me-to-you” discussion
rather than a full-blown broadcast will make it more manageable
(and less stressful) and easier on you.

2. What do you want your audience to do as a result of your
speech? What’s really at the heart of your presentation? By
concentrating on the “end result” rather than slogging through
the beginning, you can create a powerful punch that drives home
your message instead of rambling on and losing your audience’s
interest (or missing the point entirely!)

3. Share a story. In public speaking circles, this is called a
“hook” – something that gets your audience’s attention and makes
them sit up and listen. Start off by asking questions or sharing
an experience you had. People like to be active, rather than
passive listeners. By giving them something that they can
identify with, you’ll find that these people are, in essence –
just like you! And that makes giving a presentation a whole lot
easier. Just be sure your story has a beginning, a point, and an
ending. There’s nothing quite as bad as telling a story to an
engaged audience and then forgetting why you told it!

4. If you’re selling a product, focus on the benefits instead of
the features. People would much rather hear WHAT a product can
do for them than HOW it does it. Narrow down your product’s
features until you get to the core of how it solves a problem.
If you need help with figuring out the difference between a
feature and a benefit, ask yourself “So What?” For example, if
you’re selling a vacuum cleaner that has a hypoallergenic filter,
put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself “so what?”
The answer would be something like, “It picks up dust, mold and
pet dander”. Again, “so what?” Answer, “You’ll feel relief from
runny nose and sneezing plus itchy, water eyes.” Now THAT’s a
benefit!

5. Don’t lean too heavily on media to make your message clear.
Powerpoint presentations are great for making specific points,
but they can be overwhelming – or downright boring. Instead,
give your audience something to DO by providing them with
fill-in-the-blank flip charts or “team activities”. These help
reinforce and emphasize your message in ways that a computer
presentation simply cannot.

6. Above all, make sure your speech ends in a way that reiterates
the beginning. Too often, speakers get carried away with the
details and leave their audiences asking, “What was the point of
all that?” People naturally digest information in “chunks”, so
focus on the big picture rather than all the pieces. If the
details are just as important, save it for an after-speech
handout that the audience can take with them and read over at
their leisure.

If you keep these six tips in mind, you’ll not only have an
easier time overcoming your fear of public speaking, but you’ll
have a very appreciative audience who will in turn be more
receptive and eager to try your product or service. Go get ‘em!

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba

Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram Helps Determine Cause and Effect

2005-07-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

You’ve heard the same complaint over and over: “The problem is
we need more people!” Ok… no. The problem isn’t that you need
more people. The problem may be that all of the mail isn’t
getting delivered by 5:00 pm. That may be a problem. One of the
reasons, or causes, or the delay in delivery is that you may be
in the midst of a hiring freeze and therefore you don’t have as
many mail carriers as you used to. However the problem is not
that you need more people. The problem is also not that you need
more money or that you need more time. Those are not problems.

One way to find the problem to any given situation, so that you
are better equipped to find a viable solution to the problem, is
to construct a fishbone diagram. Other names for the same
graphical depiction are called Ishikawa Diagram, Root Cause
Analysis or Cause and Effect Diagram. This tool was named after
the inventor, Kaoru Ishikawa who first used the technique in the
1960s.

The purpose in using a fishbone is to arrive at a handful of main
causes that contribute most significantly to the problem being
examined. These causes are then targeted for improvement. The
diagram also shows the relationships between the wide ranges of
possible contributors to the effect.

When you’re done constructing your diagram, it will look like a
fish carcass, thus the name fishbone diagram. The problem that
you’re targeting will be in a box, or the head of the fish to the
far right of your paper. Then you’ll draw a horizontal line cross
the page. Off of the horizontal line, you’ll draw four vertical
diagonal lines (bones) which will each represent a different main
grouping or cause category. Two will protrude on top of your
horizontal line and two will fall below the line.

Label each of the bones with the following titles: Manpower,
Materials, Machines and Methods. These will serve as
springboards for you to further delve into each cause. For
example, under Manpower – this is where your staffing issues are
listed. Perhaps you’ll add a small horizontal bone coming off
this one that says ‘hiring freeze’ and another bone labeled
‘training’. Continue on with the next bone. Under Machines –
you could have “bar code sorter rejects” then “not enough
techs”.

Pretend you are a three year old and keep asking WHY? Rule of
thumb is to ask “Why?” five times for each category. Carriers
don’t return to the office until 6pm. Why? (#1) Because we don’t
have enough to cover the routes. Why? (#2) Because some have
retired and we can’t hire more. Why? (#3) There’s a hiring
freeze. Note: Going further on the hiring freeze may not help if
that decision is beyond your span of control. Therefore, switch
gears if you truly have no authority to change a situation.
Sometimes carriers aren’t getting back until dark because they
have to pivot and help other routes, Why? (#4) Because the new
carriers are slow. Why (#5) because they’re not getting out of
the office until 1300, so there’s no way they can get back by
1700. Ok stop. Now you have a definitive situation to review,
brainstorm and find a solution.

Now your problem may have just become: New carriers aren’t
leaving for the street until 1300. Then you can repeat the above
process and dig deeper until you can find the TRUE root cause.
Then fix your problem. Many times managers fix problems that
aren’t broken. Only to find their original problem still
exists.

Keep these tips in mind when creating your Ishikawa:

1. Place the main problem you’re trying to solve in a box on the
right, for the fish’s head.
2. This tool works alone or in team settings. Generate and
clarify all the potential sources of variation.
3. Sort your possible causes into naturally related groups. (Use
manpower, machines, materials and methods as your guide when
grouping them). The labels of these groups are the names for the
major bones on the Ishikawa diagram.
4. Place all the causes that you’ve just brainstormed on the
appropriate bones of the diagram.
5. Ensure that the causes are specific, measurable, and
controllable. Meaning if you can’t measure progress or defects
or if you don’t have span of control to do something about it,
select another cause that you can actively work to rectify.

As you find solutions to little problems, continually rework your
diagram. You’ll be amazed at the small incremental steps you’ll
make at improving your overall operations. This visual depiction
of the problems will help you stay focused on true root causes
and solutions. No longer will you operate off complaints such as
“The problem is we don’t have enough people!”

Author
George Whitecraft

http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/tbp/The_Business_Professional.html
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/pba/index.htm

Family History - Is Anyone in Your Family Interested in Genealogy

2005-07-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

Family History - Is Anyone in Your Family Interested in
Genealogy?

If you want to take the greatest adventure of your life, start
researching your family history. You know your immediate family,
but where did they come from? Were they generals in the Civil
War? Were they land owners in the 12 colonies that started
America?

This journey is personal, not like in the history books. The
people you meet are not strangers, they are your ancestors! Just
imagine your family history. How did they come to America, maybe
with Christopher Columbus, or were immigrants fleeing a
dictator's gruesome rule?

Let's say that you have a beautiful singing voice but everyone in
your immediate family is tone deaf. Aren't you a little curious
where you received this talent? As a child, maybe you liked to
mix everything that you could find together to see what would
happen. To your mom you were just making a mess for her to clean,
but maybe that gene came from Louis Pasteur.

Did your family line come from royalty? Wouldn't it be fun to let
other family members know what you've discovered in your personal
genealogy research?

You will amaze yourself at the great and interesting things that
you will find out. Some things might make you cry, others will
astound you. But, no matter what, you will enjoy the trip.

There are countless resources on the Internet, but there is also
an information overload. Here are three Web sites that will be a
big help to you:

*The USGenWeb Project: http//www.usgenweb.com/index.shtml The
USGenWeb Project is made up of many volunteers that help provide
Web sites for genealogical research in every county in every
state of the United States. There is free access for everyone.

*Treasure Maps How-to Genealogy site:
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/ Loaded with free on-line
guides and tutorials including a Deciphering Old Handwriting
course that has a fun mystery for you to solve and a wonderful
Understanding the U.S. Census guide.

* The FamilySearch (TM) site: http://www.familysearch.org One of
the most popular and helpful genealogy search sites. You can do
free searches on-line. Be sure to click on the "Search Tab" and
then click on the "Research Guidance" link. This will lead you to
valuable, free "Research Outlines" for all 50 U.S. states and
International regions.

Being involved with genealogy is like putting together a giant
jigsaw puzzle. As you find more pieces you begin to see who you
are and where you got the many talents and unique qualities that
you possess. The entire past of your family history made you who
you are today!

A surprise package awaits you in your family history and is just
waiting patiently for you to unlock the key. The treasure you
find inside are irreplaceable and will stay with you throughout
your lifetime and on into your great, great grandchildren's
live.

So start the adventure now. Find your family tree so you can pass
in on the the next generation. They will love your for the
knowledge and adventure. Whether you came from slaves or kings,
the journey back through time, not only shows the struggles of
your family, but also the triumphs.

Author
George Whitecraft

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