5 Quick and Easy Steps On HOW-TO Send Your Website A SURGE Of Amazon's Traffic For FREE!

What I'm about to reveal to you in this article will literally change the way you look at 'Amazon' forever.

As you know, Amazon is a buyers market place and is a VERY powerful search engine for products of all sorts, especially Books.

Now, you're probably saying to yourself, "yeah, I already know that about Amazon, but how do I get my share of Amazon's traffic?".

Well, I'm going to answer that question in just a few moments, but first, here's just some of the benefits you'll receive once you've 'Set-Up' what I'm about to show you:

- you'll position yourself as an Expert within your Niche

- you'll receive Highly Targeted traffic to your website

- you'll be able to build a HIGHLY targeted 'Opt-In' list

Those are some pretty Powerful benefits wouldn't you say?

And who would of ever guessed that Amazon could deliver this to you.

I only recently learned of this tactic myself from a Very well known Internet marketer who was kind enough to share it with me.

So now, I'm going to do the same for you.

Are you ready to see what Amazon can do for your Business and Credibility?

Enough said, lets get started.

Step #1. Set up a account with Amazon.

This is the easiest part of the whole task. Simply go to http://www.amazon.com and set up an account for yourself.

This should only take a few minutes and is very straight forward.

Step #2. Click on your "Your Name" Store tab.

Once you've set up your account you should have been given a password in order to login to your account.

If you're not logged in already, login now.

Now, from within the members area there should be a row of tabs at the top of the members area, click on the one that says "Your Name" Store(ex. 'Corys Store' tab).

This will take you to a different area with a different sub-menu.

Click on the tab in the sub-menu that says "About You Area".

Step #3. Setting up your "About You Area".

Now this is where you have to pay 'Special Attention' because this is what people will see when they click on your 'About You' tab.

Assuming you are at the 'About You Area' you'll notice that you have spots available to put your Picture, Name, Nickname, eMail Address, Real Name and About Me.

Go ahead and fill out all the area's accept your 'About Me'.

The 'About Me' spot is what I'll talk about in the next step, but for now, just fill out all the other area's and if you want to put up a picture of yourself, you can, it's up to you.

Step #4. Setting up the 'About Me' section.

This is probably the single most important part of this whole process because this is where your potential customer will read about who you are and what you and your business is all about, so do take this seriously.

Now, you have about 4,000 characters of space to write up a description about who you are and what your business is about, so its up to you on how long you want your description to be.

Before you start writing your description this is what You have to do First within the first 70 to 80 characters of your 'About Me' description and I'll show you an example of how mine looks so you'll be able to see this in action.<

(ex. About me: Hi, I'm Cory Threlfall and I'm the Editor/Publisher of 'www.internetwondersezine.com' which is a ...)

Do you see what I've done?

I've incorporated my 'Domain Name' in quotes into my First 70 to 80 characters of my description so when they click on my 'About Me' and read my profile they'll also see my Domain Name, and if they wish to find out more about me they can either 'Copy and Paste or Type' my domain into there browser which will then bring them to my website where they can either 'Subscribe' to my newsletter or read my sale copy which will then get them to Opt-In to my newsletter.

This is where the 'List Building' starts to take place from the traffic sent through Amazon.

Now, we've already established that Amazon is a High Traffic website and now that you've set up your 'About Me Area' the way I've outlined it above I'm now going to show you how to direct Amazon's traffic to your website.

Step #5. Directing Amazon's traffic to your website.

This is where the fun starts. And once you see How its done you'll probably kick yourself in the butt like I did when I was shown How-To do this.

What we need to do now is a little exercise so you'll see for yourself how you'll tap into Amazon's traffic.

So, we know that Amazon is best known for Books, so click on the 'Books' tab within Amazon's members area. This will take you to a different page.

In the upper left corner you'll see a 'Search Books' search box.

Now, for the purpose of this exercise, just so that we're on the same page, lets use 'internet marketing' as the search term.

So, go ahead and type that in and press GO!.

You should now see a bunch of listings on books related to 'internet marketing'.

Scroll down and select the "33 Days To Online Profits" link. This will bring you to its Product Description page.

Within this Product Description page you'll find Product Details, Editorial Reviews and most important of all, All Customer Reviews.

Notice I said "and most important of all, All Customer Reviews".

Thats right, all you need to do is 'Write Reviews' on books within your particular Niche and when potential customers are reviewing the book you wrote the review on and they scroll down and happen to read your review and click on Your Name to see what you're all about, guess what they'll see?

They'll see your profile with your Name, Nick Name, eMail Address and your 'About Me' description with your Domain Name screaming out at them which can easily be typed into there browser.

There you have it, "5 Quick and Easy Steps On HOW-TO Send Your Website A SURGE Of Amazon's Traffic For FREE!"

I truly hope you see the benefits of writing reviews and how it will make you look in the eyes of your potential customer.

This is a great tactic to use if you're looking to establish yourself as an Expert within your Niche and at the same time, build a HIGHLY targeted 'Opt-In' list that you can market to for years to come.

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Secrets of Article Publishing Success

When including links to your web site within your article, make sure those links are working! Each directory you submit to may handle it differently. Some will convert them automatically to a live link, others you will need to add the html to the link to make it live. When your article gets republished the link may not be live, defeating the purpose of trying to increase your back links. If someone can't click on it and go to your web site, what advantage is it to be writing and submitting articles? You should always add your web address in you bio or "about author" starting with http:// That way even if the link is not live, someone interested in going to your site could always copy and paste it into their browser. Always preview your article to check to see if it is formatted the way you want it to look and check your links! Revise it as needed.

The importance of choosing the correct category. If your article is about marketing, why would you want it in poetry? It is critical to your article success that you choose the correct category for several reasons. It will group your article together with similar articles. This helps the search engines find "relevant" content. It helps users who are looking for new content to find your article. It can speed up the submission process by helping the directory owners. Some article directories have rss feeds for each category. Subscribers and rss feed directories will be notified when that category is updated, thereby increasing your article exposure.

Take advantage of all each article directory has to offer. Each one is different but they may offer some valuable features that you may not be aware of. Always create a clear, concise summary. Add keywords if available. In your profile, you may be able to create several links to your websites. These are links that will stay with the article directory and be spidered by search engines. You could easily add 50-100 static links pointing to your website this way.

If you need new ideas for writing articles, check out each directory for their most popular articles. This will give you a good idea on what people are looking for. Continue to submit to as many article directories as you can. There is success in numbers.

Happy article writing!

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Submitting Your Website To The Search Engines

Proper website promotion is becoming increasingly important. There are literally billions of web pages on the Internet, which makes getting noticed online a very difficult task. The first step to getting your web page visited by your target audience is to submit the page to the search engines. You may think that the search engines, like Yahoo, Google, Altavista, or Excite, somehow search every document on every server to find a match, but that is not the case. In order for a website to be included in search results, the web crawler, or search engine, has to know that the site exists. This is where submitting your website to the search engines becomes important. This is your way of telling the search engines that you exist, so they can point potential viewers to your site. There are several ways to go about submitting your site to the various search engines. You can submit your site directly to each individual search engine, you can use an agent to submit your website for you, or you can use automated article submitters.

The first option is certainly the cheapest option, and you will know that the job is done because you will have done it yourself, but there are several important drawbacks to consider if you are thinking about submitting your website to search engines directly. While it is true that it only costs you your time and there will be no doubt in your mind that it has been done, there are some difficulties. The first one is that it can be a very time-consuming and tedious process. Secondly, submitting these forms is an art; you want to get it right so that you get the best page-ranking possible. If you have no or limited experience in this area, you may want to think twice before submitting articles to the search engines on your own. That being said, if you know what to do and how to do it, submitting on your own can save you money and maybe even a headache or two.<

Another option is to use an agent. This is a real live person who will submit your website to all the search engines manually. This person will ensure that it is done properly, in a timely manner, and in such a way that will maximize your page views. Again, there are some things to consider when you are looking at this option. For starters, you need to make sure you are getting someone reputable who will actually do the job his or herself, and not delegate it to an online submission service, or else you could just be throwing your money away. Also, an agent can be very pricey, so you need to make sure that your website is sufficiently unique to call for such a specialized service.

Lastly, there are automated article submitters all over the World Wide Web. Finding one should not be difficult. Finding a reputable one that is worth the money is a different story. Most of these services come pretty cheap, but you don't get the high level of service you would get through an agent or by doing the job yourself. However, depending on what your specific needs are, the low price and the speed make these submission services an attractive option for many web site owners and webmasters. It is wise to check out your favorite online trade association to make sure that the site you are dealing with is legitimate. Look for things like physical addresses and phone numbers to help verify the legitimacy of any given website submission service.

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Internet Marketing, The Main Source of Traffic

For a successful internet marketing strategy one must first have a product that they can market and a website to promote that product on. From that point on internet marketing takes over. The purpose of internet marketing is to promote a product in the most creative means possible.

The first step is to get the website of the product some traffic. The best way to accomplish this is to get the website on some search engines. Having your website come up in a search will do wonders. Make sure to think of as many keywords as possible to allow your website come up. Another good way to produce more traffic is to recruit affiliates, having them add links to their websites that will bring them back to yours. You can go to specific businesses that you know of already or use databases that have companies listed with them that are willing to make new affiliate relationships.

If your website is kept in your customers mind this will bring more repeat traffic. To do this, send a newsletter out to them, monthly at the very least, reminding customers that your website is still up and running and you are more than happy to do business with them. Use some of your favorite websites as examples. What is it that they do to get you to keep coming back to them to give them your money?

If things still seem a bit hazy there is always the option of internet marketing courses. Many of which are offered on the internet. In these classes a student will learn the ins and outs of terms, plans and little known secrets of the internet marketing world. At the end of the courses a student should be fully prepared to take on the challenge that lies ahead of them.

There is always the option of having someone do the work for you. There are several internet marketing agencies out there that will think of strategies of ways to promote your growing business. Some will even test your product with a consumer panel to best optimize your business.

Through imaginative internet marketing your business will flourish. It just takes a little ingenuity to get things off and running and before you know it your business will be booming.

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Ecommerce Stores

The Internet opens up so many opportunities for a company to exist and to expand their operations worldwide. It opens up a global marketplace in which people from all over the world can buy and sell goods and services from the comforts of their own homes. The Internet opens up so much opportunity that more and more conventional stores are becoming e-tailors. Everyday more and more ecommerce stores are appearing on the Internet in all countries. If everyone is doing it, then why aren't you?

Discount Domains is well known in the field of domains and web hosting and we now offer discount web design services. We offer services for static ecommerce stores as well as the dynamic ones. Ecommerce is the process of shopping for what you want to buy and paying for it on the Internet and an ecommerce store allows customers to do just that. An ecommerce store costs less then the average person might think it would, it can run as little as ₤1k to get up and running depending upon the features that are needed. It reduces the cost of operations in many ways.

First off, it reduces some paperwork because the customer enters everything themselves. Instead of an employee writing down or typing the customer's basic information, the customer enters all of the details themselves. Secondly, it saves on time. An ecommerce store provides convenience for the company and the customer. It can provide a customer with everything they need in front of them to shop around and to make the purchase including whether or not the item they want is in stock. A customer can do this anytime of the day without needing an employee to show them around the store. Thirdly, an ecommerce store could save on overhead. If a company has an ecommerce store instead of an actual physical location then the company can save on things such as rent, inventory costs, some telephone services, electric, and heating services. The company can manage their store from anywhere in the world

Most people today are using the Internet and having an ecommerce store will take your products and services right into their homes and businesses. An ecommerce store will save many expenses. This savings can be put towards other things that your company needs. Your store will also act as advertisement for new products and services that you want to offer in the future. Based upon the orders that you receive on your ecommerce store, you can decide which products and services to discontinue based upon sales or lack of sales. Your store will help you process orders using credit cards, pay pal, and other payment methods. Your ecommerce store will also bring you new customers you may not have reached with your traditional physical store. The possibilities with an ecommerce store are endless.

We want everyone to find your store so we will design it with this in mind. Discount Domains understands search engines and we build sites that are search engine friendly. We have many designs to choose from and your store will be an original design. We build sites and ecommerce stores that are user friendly as well. Your store will be easy to navigate so that your customers will keep coming back to buy more products and services. We want your customers to go through your store with little or no problems. We will design you a professional ecommerce store according to your wants and needs. Your customers will be able to find you when they need to find you at anytime of the day or night because you will be open 24 hours a day. Your store will never sleep.

Mark is a webmaster with Discount Domains a leading UK web design house. Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site.

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Category 6 Cable: A Category above the Rest!

Today's bandwidth expectations mean that Category 5 is strategically dead. The Category 5 Enhanced (5e) standards, which should have been ratified in August and may be finalized at November's committee meeting, specify new measurements that provide more margins for 100BaseTX and ATM-155 traffic. Critically, Category 5e standards make reliable Gigabit Ethernet connections possible. But many structured cabling suppliers argue that Category 5e is only an interim solution on the road to Category 6, which will support at least 200 MHz; in the interests of sufficient operating margin, the IEEE is requesting a 250-MHz Category 6 specification. Despite the fact that the Category 6 standards are only at draft stage, manufacturers are offering a host of products and claiming that these products comply with the draft proposals.
What is a category 6 cable? Out of the three cable categories (Cat-5, Cat-5e & Cat-6), Category 6 is the most advanced and provides the best performance. Just like Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Category 6 cable is typically made up of four twisted pairs of copper wire, but its capabilities far exceed those of other cable types because of one particular structural difference: a longitudinal separator. This separator isolates each of the four pairs of twisted wire from the others, which reduces crosstalk, allows for faster data transfer, and gives Category 6 cable twice the bandwidth of Cat 5! Cat 6 cable is ideal for supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and is able to operate at up to 250 MHz. Since technology and standards are constantly evolving, Cat 6 is the wisest choice of cable when taking any possible future updates to your network into consideration. Not only is Category 6 cable future-safe, it is also backward-compatible with any previously-existing Cat 5 and Cat 5e cabling found in older installations.
Category 6, (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1) is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network protocols that is backward compatible with the Category 5, category 5e and Category 3 cable standards. Cat-6 features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. The cable standard is suitable for 10BASE-T / 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) and is expected to suit the 10000BASE-T (10Gigabit Ethernet) standards. It provides performance of up to 250 MHz.
The cable contains four twisted copper wire pairs, just like earlier copper cable standards. Although Cat-6 is sometimes made with 23 gauge wire, this is not a requirement; the ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1 specification states the cable may be made with 22 to 24 AWG gauge wire, so long as the cable meets the specified testing standards. When used as a patch cable, Cat-6 is normally terminated in 8P8C often incorrectly referred to as "RJ-45" electrical connectors. Some Cat-6 cables are too large and may be difficult to attach to 8P8C connectors without a special modular piece and are technically not standard compliant. If components of the various cable standards are intermixed, the performance of the signal path will be limited to that of the lowest category. As with all cables defined by TIA/EIA-568-B, the maximum allowed length of a Cat-6 horizontal cable is 90 meters (295 feet). A complete channel (horizontal cable plus cords on either end) is allowed to be up to 100 meters in length, depending upon the ratio of cord length: horizontal cable length.

The cable is terminated in either the T568A scheme or the T568B scheme. It doesn't make any difference which is used, as they are both straight through (pin 1 to 1, pin 2 to 2, etc). Mixed cable types should not be connected in serial, as the impedance per pair differs and would cause signal degradation. To connect two Ethernet units of the same type (PC to PC, or hub to hub, for example) a cross over cable should be used, though some modern hardware can use either type of cable automatically.
Return loss measures the ratio of reflected-to-transmitted signal strength and is the single most difficult test to repeat with consistent results; at Category 6 levels, the difference between a pass and a fail can be the amount of bend in a test cord. Return loss is also causing headaches for connector manufacturers, because the RJ-45 system isn't up to the job. The final stumbling block with Category 5e ratification concerns the RJ-45 hardware; Category 6 is committed to RJ-45 for backward compatibility, but the ISO's proposed Category 7 system will have a new and as-yet-unspecified connector to accompany its revised cabling. Today, the return loss problem explains why manufacturers of Category 6 hardware, which is supposed to be interoperable, claim Category 6 performance only if you use the manufacturers' matched parts throughout a channel link.
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is working to complete a new specification that will define enhanced performance standards for unshielded twisted pair cable systems. Draft specification ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-10 specifies cable systems, called "Augmented Category 6" or more frequently as "Category 6a", that operates at frequencies up to 500 MHz and will provide up to 10 Gbit/s bandwidth. The new specification has limits on alien crosstalk in cabling systems.
Augmented Category 6 specifies cable operating at minimum frequency of 500 MHz, for both shielded and unshielded. It can support future 10 Gb/s applications up to the maximum distance of 100 meters on a 4-connector channel.

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How To Choose Quality Web Directory To Submit Your Website To

If you're interested in buying links from web directories so that your sites will rank with the search engines, there are a number of factors you will want to take into consideration. First, there are a large number of directories available on the web. While some of them are high in quality, many of them are not. As an online business person, you must maximize your available resources, and this means you can't afford to waste even small amounts of money on a directory that does not give you a good return on your investment. Before you spend money on a directory link, you must first run that directory through the proverbial "acid test."

The first thing you will need to find out is who links to the directory. Does the directory have a single link that companies from a bunch of medicine sites? If the answer to this question is less, this is a sign that you will want to avoid paying for their service. The search engines place a high emphasis on the quality of your inbound links, and you cannot afford to waste money on directories like this. Never buy a link from a directory until you've analyzed their inbound links to make sure they are high in quality. After looking at who links to the directory, you will want to next look at who the directory links to.

It is possible for a scam link directory to buy hundreds of outbound links to make it look like the site is high in quality. Search engines place a great importance on the quality of outbound links, so it is important for you to analyze the outbound links of the directory. If these links are low in quality, this should tell you whether or not you should pay for a link in their directory. It is also important for you to make sure the category pages have been crawled by the search engine spiders. Many low quality directories will only have their homepages crawled, and this is something you will want to avoid at all costs.

Another factor you will want to look at is how often the directory is crawled. If a site is crawled on a regular basis, this is a sign that the search engines trust it. If it is not crawled frequently, this means the SEs don't trust it, and you shouldn't either. It is also important for you to determine whether or not the directory is valuable to human visitors. It is not enough for a site to be useful for the search engines. It must also cater to the needs of those who visit it.

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Pointers for building a quality website

Websites are found aplenty on the Internet, but it is the quality websites that are limited in number. Quality websites are made available by its interaction. The website should have the capacity of grabbing the attention of the visitor. Using bright and shiny gimmicks to attract the visitor to a boring site is just not worth it. It is the matter, the website with easy navigation tools and interactive media like comments and message boards help in making a good website!

It is of no use creating a website that looks like a giant advertisement where you have to search for the required information. Avoid adding pop-ups to your site, as there are many people who automatically leave the site if a bunch of commercial pop-ups appear on the screen! Another aspect of a quality website is your idea. Your website is basically an outlet of putting your identity out in the world. So just be yourself, because if you try to appeal to an audience in a way that is not your true self, you are surely destined to fail in the website.

The first part of creating a true, quality website lies in the planning of the site content. Here you have to discover the optimal niche for the website, correct keywords and the most profitable website concept. After this, you have to make your concept better and more profitable by analyzing the competition you have! Build your website with all the pages acting like highly ranked doorways for search engine optimization. This can be done using general rules of writing the body copy and using Meta tags of its pages.

Another powerful and flexible tool for building high quality web pages is the HTML codes. You can also find HTML validators that help make your web pages faultless, standard-compliant and a quality website. Use attractive graphics with graphic software to make your website more attractive and interesting. Banners can be created from scratch or by using free banner generators. Never forget to select a domain name that is productive to your website. You can find tips to create and register domain names that help in increasing the popularity and quality of your website.

Choose a reliable and cheap web hosting for better quality of your website. In fact, ‘free’ web hosting provides a low-cost solution for hosting multiple websites together. Those who know nothing about HTML, FTP and the like can create quality websites using online website builders. Just compare and review them to get the most popular website builder!

Whatever technique you employ, make sure that your website doesn’t look like it was designed by a novice. You can find tips on web page designing, the basics of web page backgrounds, tips on the usage of fonts on web pages and learn about the different methods of website navigation on the Internet. These all help in the building of a quality website for you!

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What Are Intrusion Detection Systems?

With computer hackers and identity thieves getting more computer literate, the security your computer needs to keep them out has to always stay at least one step in front. There is a different type of computer safety tool that detects an attack or system intrusion before it has the chance to harm your computer. It is called an IDS or Intrusion Detection System and is another form of application layer firewall. Intrusion detection systems are programmed to detect attempted malicious attacks or intrusions by computer hackers trying to get into your system by detecting inappropriate, incorrect, or anomalous activity. There does seem to be some question of how well this system works when many personal computer users are going to wireless online connections. Some will argue that with the adoption of intrusion prevention technologies has created a unique challenge for security professionals. In order to make this type of system effective, such monitoring of these devices requires extensive security expertise and time. If devices are incorrectly tuned and not regularly updated, attacks of malicious traffic and intrusions may be permitted. In order to prevent downtime, security professionals also must continually check on these devices in order to keep the system running smoothly.

There are three different types of intrusion detection systems.

A host-based Intrusion Detection Systems consists of an agent on a host that can identify intrusions by analyzing system calls, application logs, and host activities. Network Intrusion Detection System is an independent platform that identifies intrusions by examining network traffic and monitors multiple hosts. These gain access to network traffic by connecting to a hub, network switch configured for port mirroring, or network tap.

Hybrid Intrusion Detection Systems combine both approaches and the host agent data is combined with network information to form a complete view of the network.

A Signature-Based Intrusion Detection System can identify intrusions by watching for patterns of traffic or application data presumed to be malicious. These systems are able to detect only known attacks, but depending on their rule set, signature based IDS's can sometimes detect new attacks which share characteristics with old attacks.<

Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection Systems identify intrusions by notifying operators of traffic or application content presumed to be different from normal activity on the network or host. Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection Systems typically achieve this with self-learning.

A Signature-Based Intrusion Detection System identifies intrusions by watching for patterns of traffic or application data presumed to be malicious. These type of systems are presumed to be able to detect only 'known' attacks. However, depending on their rule set, signature-based IDSs can sometimes detect new attacks which share characteristics with old attacks, e.g., accessing 'cmd.exe' via a HTTP GET request.

An Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection System identifies intrusions by notifying operators of traffic or application content presumed to be different from 'normal' activity on the network or host. Anomaly-based IDSs typically achieve this with self-learning.

Features and Benefits The Managed Intrusion Prevention Service includes:

Configure and provision device

Create initial policy; update and tune policy on an ongoing basis

Monitor and report on health and security events 24x7

Industry leading Service Level Agreement

Report all security events on the Client Resource Portal

Flexible reporting options on Client Resource Portal

Notify customers of major security and health issues

Upgrade and patch devices

Seamless integration with VeriSign's Incident Response and Computer Forensics team

Whether used for detection or prevention, Intrusion SecureNet technology is peerless in accurately detecting attacks and proactively reporting indicators of future information loss or service interruption. Using pattern matching for performance and protocol decoding to detect intentional evasion and polymorphic or patternless attacks, as well as protocol and network anomalies before a new attack has a signature created, the SecureNet System is ideal for protecting critical networks and valuable information assets.

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Paying For Items With Ebay Coupons

There's a novel idea afoot nowadays: Using electronic discount coupons to pay for items people are interested in purchasing.

This only goes to show that most good marketing ideas can be adopted for the internet. Instead of cutting coupons out from newspapers or carton boxes, eBay gives out electronic copies of coupons to purchase merchandise. The coupons are fast and easy to use.

Coupons are routinely sent by eBay to members who then use them to pay for items through PayPal. The coupons signify specific discounts that can be applied to the purchase of items.

Using Coupons

To use an eBay Coupon one must buy an item where the seller accepts PayPal as a payment method. Upon payment of the item using PayPal, an opportunity will be given to the buyer to enter a coupon redemption code and receive the discount.

Sharing Coupons

Some coupons from eBay can be shared with other people while some can only be used by the owner. If the coupon indicates that only a specific email address may use the coupon, it may not be shared.

Coupons and Your eBay and PayPal Accounts

To use the coupons the owner must have a PayPay and an eBay account. If the owner does not have these accounts, he or she must sign up for them to avail of the discounts. PayPal lets you pay securely over the Internet using a credit card, checking account, or a PayPal account balance. <

Important Restrictions

Upon winning an eBay auction, the bidder is required to purchase the item even if the coupons they are holding turn out to be invalid for the auction.

Also, coupons can only be used one-at-a-time. This means that Gift Certificates, single coupons, or eBay Anything Points are valid for only one auction and only one type can be used each time.

One more restriction is that the coupons cannot be used for Half.com purchases.

Items must also meet all coupon requirements and must be paid for in ten days from the closing of the auction on eBay.

Coupons have expiry dates. Coupon holders should take note of the expiry dates noted on the coupons.

Sellers may also configure their listings to accept coupons. To accomplish this, the seller must accept PayPal as a payment mode. If a coupon is used in the purchase of one of the seller's items, the value of the coupon is forwarded to the seller as it's equivalent in regular currency.

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Blogging to the bank: How to Create a Money Making Blog Empire in 30 Days

'What would you do if you had to start your internet business from scratch with no money at all?' This is a question that often pops up on the message boards of affiliate marketing sites. It usually comes from newbies trying to figure out what works best and fast. And the same answer comes up from experienced internet gurus: Create money making blog empires!


Why are blog empires a perfect way for making money?

1. Blogs are easy to set up and manage:
Maintaining a blog doesn't require programming and webdesign skills. You just register an account with a blogging service like Blogger.com, and you can start immediately posting messages.

2. There are no start-up costs:
Blogging services like Blogger are absolutely free. You don't need to spend money on hosting and domain names. If you run 30-50 niche sites and pay a domain name for each, it's a huge sum of money. If you run 30-50 or hundreds of blogs, when using free bloggging services, it doesn't cost you a dime.

3. Blogs are indexed by search engines within days:
One of the main problems that website owners have to overcome is getting into the search engines. With Google it can be an annoyingly long process (think of the Google sandbox effect). In the meantime, blogs are indexed much faster, usually within days, thanks to RSS feeds.

4. Blogs are a better way to promote affiliate products:
This comes from the nature of blogs. Blogs are a series of subjective opinions written by everyday people. It is a well-known fact, that the best way to sell affiliate products is to write a sincere, positive review. Experienced internet gurus use this technique to rank in tens of thousands of dollars monthly. Word of mouth advertising is till one of the most effective methods to persuade people to buy something. A well written blog post can do this for you.

5. Blogs can be easily monetized by using Adsense:
Contextual advertising is a popular way for webmasters to earn money without effort. With blogs it is the same. Just put a piece of code into your page's source and there you have it. Then wait for your visitors to click the ads. Even if you don't know much of HTML codes, you can benefit from displaying text ads. Blogger offers you to put Adsense ads on your blog's template, and you can do this from the Blogger menu with a few clicks, so no need to bother with HTML codes. It even offers you to match the color of ads with the colors of your blog's layout. It is called blending and it increases click through rates enormously.

Secret methods of creating money making blog empires fast

Method 1:
The first method is to create blogs that concentrate on certain problems. In your posts first describe the problem, then offer a solution. This solution should be an affiliate product or service, that you promote. Most people use the internet to find information for solving a problem. For example, treatments for acne problems, solutions for money matters, where to rent a car on holidays, reliable softwares against viruses and spams, etc. This is where you can wirte about how you had the same problem and how this or that product solved it.

If you start 5 blogs a day, you will have 150 blogs at the end of the first month. Imagine how much money you can earn from this blog empire. And that would be just the first month. This method sounds simple and obvious but many affiliate bloggers do it wrong. There is a new way found out by Rob Benwell to do this successfully. You can read more about it in my blog: http://blogging-to-the-bank.blogspot.com


Method 2:
This is a less often used method. Use your blogs as online courses or online tutorials. Find a topic and start a series of posts like it's a series of lessons. Your fist post should be lesson 1, the second post should be lesson 2, and so on. Place affiliate links into your posts. You can also use these blogs for generating Adsense revenue. Keep the number of lessons between 10-20. If you don't like writing or don't know the subject well enough, go to free article directories. Pick 10-20 articles of your subject area and convert them into a series. That's all.


Start blogging today and in a month you will have a blog empire earning you a decent amount of money. For more information see my blog below.

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Handy-Dandy Guide To Automatically Reading Blogs

I keep coming across people who are not familiar with RSS and how it can simplify your life if you'd like to keep current with a range of blogs.

When you open a morning newspaper you read stories from around the world assembled by editors from hundreds of sources (wire services, reporters). The paper prints the same news for every reader - you choose which stories to read. Instead of relying on a editor to choose the news, how would you like to have a 'morning newspaper' delivered each and every day with stories on topics *you* choose? With a free "Blog Reader" or news aggregator you can create a personal page on your web browser loaded with the freshest news about the things you love.

The way you set up your 'personal newspaper' involves a few steps and can seem a little tricky. Follow my step-by-guide below and you'll be reading information about your topic from all over the Internet on one web page. A little investment of your time will pay off.

You'll need about 30 minutes to follow the steps below. Ready? Let's go!

Introduction - What is a Blog?

Basically, a blog (WeB LOG) is an online diary. There are millions and millions out there! The trick is finding the ones that have information you need and flagging them when they post updates. Advantage: you get the 'inside scoop' before most people in your industry. The good news about blogs is that are probably dozens you will find interesting, the bad news is that means there are dozens of bookmarks you must keep, and since bloggers don't post on a regular schedule you never know when you need to check back to read updates. That's why you need a "blog reader". Technically it's known as an "RSS Reader".

So Why Read Blogs?

There are as many reasons to read blogs as there are people. Each person's reasons are different. Here are a few reasons I read blogs:

1. I get a direct line into the thinking of important people in the field. In technology this could be Jonathan Schwartz (Sun) or Irving Wladawsky-Berger (IBM). In the media it might be Dan Gillmor (San Jose Mercury News). Or perhaps it's people with their finger on the culture like Craig Newmark (craigslist). It's unfiltered and in their own words.

2. Reading from a news aggregator is a much quicker way of reading news. For example, when I log in in the morning and hop over to Bloglines, in one interface I can see what many people are commenting on, along with news outlets like the NY Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe. This beats visiting the websites individually to see if they might have some updated content to read.

3. You get a much better picture of the individuals involved; what they're working on, what their concerns are, sometimes even what their favorite restaurant is. Most bloggers like to read Comments you can leave. This is a great way to build relationships. It's not a replacement for personal interaction, of course, but one that has its place and has a lot more scale to it.

4. Announcements are often made first in blogs.

What is an RSS Reader?

RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication'. Just like your morning paper relies on syndicated news from AP, Reuters etc, so your blog reader will rely on the fact that most blogs 'syndicate' their news - they can 'feed' it to your blog reader for you to review.

A news reader or aggregator checks a list of feeds on your behalf and displays any updated articles that it finds. It is common to find web feeds on nearly all blogs as well as many websites such CNN.com. RSS programs are available for various operating systems

How do I find an RSS Reader?

Simple - Google 'RSS Reader'. The most popular are Newsgator, Google Reader, Rocket. I use Bloglines. The rest of this guide is customized for Bloglines, but the same principals will work for all of them.

Step-by-step Guide:

[1] You'll need to open two browser windows.

[2] In the first browser window, link to my blog: http://www.exec-comms.com/blog - I'll use this as an example blog to add to your feeder - hey! it's a great blog!

[3] In the second browser window, go to http://www.bloglines.com and choose Subscribe - it's free.

The next bit is tricky, but stay with me:

[4] In browser where you have Bloglines, Under 'My Feeds' choose 'Add' find where it says 'Blog or feed URL'

[5] Go back to my blog in the other window, look down the right column until you see where it says 'Subscribe me' and underneath you'll see a line that says 'RSS XHTML CSS 508′. Now, RIGHT CLICK on RSS and choose 'Copy Shortcut' and then go to the bloglines window and Paste this into the space where it says 'Blog feed or URL'. If you've done it right, this should go into the window:

http://www.exec-comms.com/blog/?feed=rss2

[6] Hit 'Subscribe' and then again 'Subscribe' on the bottom of the next screen (which allows various options such as folders for multiple blogs - don't worry about it for now.)

[7] Result - You now have a 'feed' to my blog and whenever I post an update it'll show up in Bloglines and you'll see it. OK?

[8] Now you can look at some other blogs you might like to add in Bloglines. This is how you keep your eyes on multiple sources of blog info without having to go fetch it from each website in turn. You just have to find the RSS or XML (same thing) button on each blog. Usually you'll find this button on the left or right column. It might have a graphic that says 'XML' or 'RSS'. You just bookmark Bloglines.com. It's your one stop shop on the internet for dozens of sources of information on your topic. How cool is that!

How to find Blogs that interest you:

[9] Start by searching in Bloglines where it says 'Search all Blogs' at the top of the page. Once the blog shows in Bloglines click on the title to go to the actual blog and find the RSS button. Then repeat steps [4] - [7] above to add it to Bloglines. If you have different topic areas then I suggest you use the option [Create Folders] to organize the blogs under different headings. You don't need to just read blogs on your speaking topic, there's blogs on every topic out there.

[10] Other places to find blogs:

- Google -> More -> Blog Search
- http://www.technorati.com -> Search

[11] The single best place to find quality blogs is to check out the sidebar on any blog that interests you for blogs that author recommends. It's usually listed as a 'Blogroll'. Look down the right side of my blog and you'll see a half-dozen on speechwriting and PR. Cilick and check out any that interest.

[12] Final tip. You can search Google News on your Topic. Guess what? You can grab this as a feed as well! Look to the right side and do the right-click thing where it says 'RSS' and add it as a feed to Bloglines. Hint: If you are searching for all the news on the topic "National Speakers Association" be sure to put it in quotes before you Google, or you'll get separate news on each word, not the phrase. This also works if you search on Blogs using Google.

That's all folks! Happy blog reading.

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Indispensable Connotation of Graphic Design

Graphic design had been an important element in coming up with an exemplary marketing tool. It deals to provide you with a valuable design print that will make your business known in the market. And for you to attain the confidence of your customers Los Angeles graphic design can create an impressive appealing design prints.

Why go for a graphic design?
More businesses prefer to add up a graphic design for their material because it can be applied both in printed and web development. Primarily this tool can create a picture of a perfect image you want for your material. Basically with the aid of Los Angeles graphic design you can idyllically attain a completed and critical design project.

However in applying graphic design you have to consider some vital factors that can simply aid to deliver a more attractive material. First you have to accurately choose for the right color that will match with your designs. Second an image that will significantly impose a positive impression to your targeted audience. Third is trying to think of the graphic message you want to leave for your audience. The catchier the message the more customers will be able to relate.

Sequentially, to come up with the specified design for your material you have to undergo a thorough research and planning. You can choose to make up your mind in choosing for the right processes as well as technological involvement. You can opt to decide on the following:
• The design process – this simply pertains to the step by step processes and is frequently designers' complex path solution in handling design problems.
• Grid – can essentially work on with the quicker improvement of the image and texts.
• Technological application - technology had been a great factor in every businesses endeavors. Integrating the new technology will highly benefit both the graphic designer and user.

Easy Online Access
With the innovations made in technology more businesses are able to expand their services online. Having them around does no longer oblige you to leave the comfort of your homes. For, with the easy online access provided for sure you will be able to get what is best for you.

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Taking advantage of Open Source PHP MySQL applications

One obvious solution is to approach a software development company and obtain a custom built product. However to take this approach one needs to first know what features and functionality is desired. Then on the other hand in some instances the need does not warrant the cost of commissioning a custom application.

A plethora of free open source web applications exist today. Regardless of the specific circumstances of the need these applications can quite often prove to be a valuable resource.

http://freshmeat.net is one of the best online directories of open source applications. A quick search on freshmeat.net for say "intranet", "cms" or "groupware" will yield pages of results. Browsing these results any application marked beta, stable or mature is a possible solution. A large majority of the available web applications would also state PHP + MySQL as the platform.

Oh well I need to have some Linux Server and it's way too hard is a common reaction. Fortunately this is not entirely true. If you wanted to host a large scale production site then the chances are that a custom Linux server may well be a requirement. However just evaluating on your own PC, or setting up a solution on your LAN for anywhere between 1 to 100 users can be easily realized without custom Linux servers.

The solution is in another open source free product known as WAMP server. The acronym stands for Windows Apache MySQL PHP server. WAMP is extremely simple to install and a good platform for either evaluating PHP + MYSQL applications or operating the same for up to a few hundred users.

Visit http://www.wampserver.com
Or http://www.wampserver.com/en/ for the English version
First it is important to note that most open source PHP + MySQL applications will not run correctly on the latest versions of PHP and MySQL. For this reason instead of the downloading the latest version of WAMP server click on "downloads" from the left menu and then click on "older versions at sourceforge" This will take you to
https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=116092
scroll down and select "WAMP5 1.4.3". Download the WAMP5_1.4.3.exe file and install it on your computer with default options.

Once installed and started a new icon will appear in the icon tray near the date/time on your task bar. Left click on this icon to activate it's menu which allows you to restart or edit the configuration files.

Changing the web server port if necessary.

One common reason for wanting to edit configuration file is in case you already have a web server running on the same computer. In this case you would need to change the port address used by apache to something other than 80. In this case 8080 would probably be a good alternative choice.

-------Changing the web server port address Begin-----------
Click on the WAMP server icon and from the menu under "config files" select "httpd.conf". A long text file will open up in notepad. In this file scroll down to the line that reads "Port 80" and change this to read "Port 8080", Save the file and close notepad. Once again click on the wamp server icon and select restart all services. One more change needs to be made before we are done. In Windows Explorer find the location where WAMP server was installed which is by Default "C:\Wamp". Next goto the subfolder named "www". Inside here you will see another subfolder named "phpmyadmin". We are looking for a file named "config.inc.php". In a default installation this file will be at "C:\Wamp\www\phpmyadmin\config.inc.php". Open this file in wordpad and find the line that reads

$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] = 'localhost/phpmyadmin/';
Change this line to read:
$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] = 'localhost:8080/phpmyadmin/';
-------Changing the web server port address End-----------


Now open a web browser and access http://localhost . Or if you changed the port address to 8080 then goto http://localhost:8080/ You should be greeted by the WAMP welcome page. For each application that you wish to install create a new folder inside the "www" subfolder of where WAMP was installed. Lets assume that WAMP was installed at "C:\Wamp".

Let say for example you wanted to install Mambo (www.mamboserver.com)
1) You would download the .zip or .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 file and uncompress it using winzip or winrar into "c:\Wamp\www\mambo".
2) You would access the wamp welcome page http://localhost/ or http://localhost:8080/ and access phpmyadmin. In here you would create a new database for mambo.
3) You would then access the wamp welcome page http://localhost/ or http://localhost:8080/ and from the list at the bottom of the page you would click on Mambo
4) You would then be greeted by the mambo installer which is a simple 5 step process. (the default username for MySQL is root and the password is blank as in an empty string)

Let say for example you wanted to install oscommerce
You would download the .zip or .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 file and uncompress it using winzip or winrar into "c:\Wamp\www\oscommerce".
5) You would access the wamp welcome page http://localhost/ or http://localhost:8080/ and access phpmyadmin. In here you would create a new database for oscommerce.
6) You would then access the wamp welcome page http://localhost/ or http://localhost:8080/ and from the list at the bottom of the page you would click on Mambo
7) You would then be greeted by the oscommerce installer which is a simple process. (the default username for MySQL is root and the password is blank as in an empty string)

And so on and so forth.

Any PHP + MySQL web application which does not provide an automated installer is most likely not a very mature application.

Good luck

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HOW-TO Set Up Your Own BLOG and RSS Feed In Less Than 5 Minutes...

I have a quick question to ask you... "do you know How-To set up your own BLOG and RSS Feed so you Too can take advantage of all the benefits Blogs and RSS(Real Simple Syndication) have to offer you and your business?"

If you answered NO, your not alone.

I didn't either at one time, but that didn't stop me from finding out How-To on my own.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is by the time you finish reading this article you'll be a master at setting up your own Blogs and RSS Feeds in a matter of minutes by simply following my simple 'Step-by-Step' instructions below.

With that said, Buckle Up, put your thinking cap on, grab yourself a beverage and get ready to learn...

"HOW-TO Set Up Your Own BLOG and RSS Feed In Less Than 5 Minutes..."

Know lets go to Step #1.

Step #1. Go set-up an account with Blogger.com.

This is probably the easiest part of all, which is simply setting up an Blogger.com account at http://www.blogger.com.

Go there right now. It will take you to Blogger.com's homepage.

Once there, you'll see an orange arrow pointing to the right that says..."Create Your Blog Now" ... click on it.

That's Step #1.

Step #2. Creating your account with Blogger.com.

If you thought Step #1 was easy than Step #2 will be a breeze.

Simply select a Username and Password that you'll remember followed by your Email Address.(You don't have to use your primary email address, you can use a Free web-based email account like Hotmail or Yahoo! if you like. Your choice.)

Then check the box that says "I accept the Terms of Service".

Now proceed by clicking on the orange arrow that says... "Continue".

That's Step #2.

Step #3. Naming your Blog.(Very IMPORTANT!)

Now, depending on what your Blog is about your going to want to use your target 'Keywords' within the name of your Blog, its description and the URL.

And there's a good reason for this simply because this is what the Search Engine spiders are going to see first.

They'll first see them within your Blog name which is at the top of your Blog that your visitors see, they'll see them within your description of your Blog and then they'll see them within your Blog URL that you choose.

Why is this SOoooo important?

By using your 'Target Keywords' within those areas I just outlined, thats what the SE's will use to index your Blog under so when someone does a search for those target keywords, guess whose Blog will pop-up within the results depending on your competition?

That's right, Yours!

The SE's will also use those area's I outlined for your SE listing within there results index.

Here's an example for a quick 'Case-Study' for you.

This is one of my Blogs I have.

Go to: http://internet-marketing-tactics.blogspot.com

You'll notice my Blog title, description and URL all have the 'Keyword Phrase'... Internet Marketing Tactic.

To take this a step further, I want you to go visit these search engines MSN, Yahoo! and AlltheWeb and type in "internet marketing tactics" within there search boxes so you can see where my Blog sits within those SE's so you can see the importance of having your Target keywords within those area's I mentioned earlier.

MSN
http://www.msn.com

Yahoo!
http://www.yahoo.com

AlltheWeb
http://www.alltheweb.com

In the MSN SE results my Blog is #1 for that keyword phrase, in Yahoo! I'm #11(not bad) and in AlltheWeb I'm #18.

Of course these positions will very in time but just as long as you get the point of WHY you need to use your Target keywords within those 3 areas.

Lets move on.

Now, your last step for Step #3 is to simply type in the 'Verification Code'.

Once you've done that, click on the orange arrow below that says... "Continue".

Step #4. Choosing your template.

If everything went well in Step #3 and that Blog name you chose isn't taken you should be looking at a bunch of Blog templates Blogger.com offers.

Simply select the one you like most and then click "Continue".

CONGRATULATIONS!

You just created your first Blog and completed Step #4.

You should now be looking at an orange arrow that says... "Start Posting". Click on it and it'll take you to where you can start posting whatever it is you want.

Now that you have set-up your Blog your probably wondering... "where does RSS fit into this formula?"

Step #5. Locating your RSS Feed URL.

What can I say, I always leave the Best for last.

Assuming your still within the Blogger.com 'Posting' area you'll notice a bunch of tabs at the top labelled, Posting, Settings, Template and View Blog.

Click on the 'Settings' tab.

This will take you to a sub-menu with a bunch of other options.

Out of all those options click on the one that says... "Site Feed".

And there it is.

It should look something like this:

http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/atom.xml

This is the URL you'll want to use to promote your RSS Feed with to the RSS search engines and directories so that everytime you make a post, the RSS SE's and directories will be 'Automatically' notified and updated with your latest information bringing your Blog more exposure to your target audience.

That about sums it up for this tutorial, but, just before I go I'll leave you with a few articles I wrote earlier on RSS promotion to help you get the Most out of your Blogs and RSS Feeds.

Here are the links:

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_13.html

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_14.html

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_16.html

Now that you are armed with this information that I just revealed to you, you should have no problem setting up and getting the MOST out of your Blogs and RSS Feeds.

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Epson Yesterday and Today

Epson started as watch making company Seiko Epson Corporation, Japan. Epson was established in 1961 to manufacture precision parts for Seiko watches, back then it was called Shinsu Precision Manufacturing Company.

Epson's first foray into the printing and imaging business was the Olympics of 1964 held in Tokyo. The company was awarded a contract to develop a precision timer for the Games. The printer they developed for the Olympics - EP101 is also, where Epson derives its name! It was one of the first printers for electronic calculators to hit the commercial market. It was the beginning of Epson's journey in the printing and imaging business.

The TX-80, Epson's first dot matrix printer hit the market in 1978, then in 1984 came the SQ 2000 it's first inkjet printer. The TM 930 Epson's pc-pos package printer launched in 1990 created a new market in the printing business. Epson gave a number of first printers to the world among which is Epson stylus 800- an inkjet printer equipped with micro peizo technology launched in March 1993, and then the Epson Stylus Color in May 1994 was the world's first 720 dpi color inkjet printer.

September 1998 saw the launch of TM-H5000 its first hybrid printer which featured fast quiet printing and copy functionality.

Epson's Technological Breakthrough

The Ultrachrome K3 Ink

The Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink is a high-density resin coated pigment ink. It comes in two types Black & White and Color. It has a wide color gamut for both types. The black palette consists of three shades of black- Black, light black and light light black. The color palette consists of the standard cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta and yellow. Oh and it has two user exchangeable black ink modes- photo and matte!

Now you will wonder what is so special about Ultrachrome K3. A simple comparison between the traditional toner manufacturing process and the ultrachrome K3 process will answer the question - traditional toners were manufactured by grinding the toner particles mechanically to the smallest possible particle size that can be achieved mechanically; now the major disadvantage here is the energy and hence cost. You would wonder how energy comes into picture. The process being mechanical and done under pressure requires considerable amount of energy and the smaller the particle size the more energy required and energy is expensive!

The second disadvantage is that the particle size is not uniform and cannot be controlled, again because the process is mechanical put simply a grinding process!

Both of the above disadvantages are overcome in the Ultrachrome K3 manufacturing process. The process is chemical process requiring negligible energy. The resin is placed in a water-based environment where the particles are allowed to grow in a controlled environment. Once the particles have achieved the desired size, they are removed from the environment and processed to give the Ultrachrome K3 ink! Sounds simple right? However, the process is not as simple as it sounds!

The Customer's Advantages:
Energy and cost conservation are the Epson's advantages; what benefits do the customers get. At the end of the day, the customers have to be very satisfied, if they are going to buy "the system".

8-Color Ink System
* High Density pigments for an extremely wide color gamut
* Professional print permanence ratings for truly sellable quality prints
* High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation Technology for reduced gloss differential
* Superior scratch resistance from improved pigment and resin chemistry
* Color is stable immediately after printing - no short term color shifting
Three-Level Black Ink Technology
* Simultaneously uses Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black inks
* Significantly improves the printers gray balance
* Impressive midtones and highlights for a smoother tonal range
Two User-Exchangeable Black Ink Modes
Two specific black ink modes - Photo Black or Matte Black

Optimizes black ink density for various media types dramatically improving the final print quality

It is goes without saying that Epson like all other top brands in the market too encourages its customers to use only original Epson ink and Epson media to achieve best results. It claims that the ink and media are manufactured to work hand in hand to achieve the best results as compared to their competitors!

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Save Time, Money and Hassle - Stop Spam

Spam can be an absolute nightmare, and one that seems to spiral out of control in some of my email accounts. If i've been away for a few days and haven't had a chance to check my emails, I dread having to open up my email client when I get back online in anticipation of hundreds or thousands of spam emails.

Although I simply delete these emails, for some, they seem legitimate messages that can often cause the recipient to become the subject of a fraudulent activity. An example of this that many people may have experienced are the emails that claim that you have won the lottery in some country that you probably haven't even visited, or emails that ask for you to help claim a substantial amount of money for someone who claims to be entitled to millions of dollars from a lost relative. These types of emails are laughable but for a lesser experienced internet user, they pose a great threat.

This was when I decided to use a spam blocker to prevent the hassle and time wasted deleting spam emails.

Spam has been around since the medium of email became popular. Even though there have been several laws passed that are trying to limit the amount of spamming activity, it still exists. A good way to stop the annoyance and the time wasted deleting spam emails is by using a spam blocker. They can also save you a lot of money in the scenario where you are unfortunate enough to receive a virus from a spam email. This has happened to me before, and I can honestly say I will now do everything possible to stop it from happening again because of the hassle and time it took to get my pc back to the way it was. In fact this took several weeks and numerous times formatting my hardware, which despite my best efforts resulted in quite a few programs and software being lost

But why do people fall victim to spam emails? The truth is that the spammer is becoming cleverer in the way that they set up the scams. It was not so long ago that I received an email which was apparently from Paypal. The email was pretty well written and even the links seemed to point to the Paypal site. I felt it was not genuine though as it asked me to click a link to visit the "Paypal" site, whereas I had read some time ago never to click a link in an email to visit the site, but to type the address directly into your internet browser so that you can rest assured that the site is genuine. It is a distinct possibility that many internet users will have fallen for these types of emails.

Do not become a victim of the consequence of spam emails. A spam blocker is a simple solution that will prevent the emails from ever reaching your inbox. They can save you time, money, hassle, and any potential problems that spam emails possess.

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10 Must Haves for A Successful E-Newsletter

E-Newsletters, commonly called 'E-Zines', are a must have for any business in today's aggressive economy. E-Newsletters, done correctly, are a creative, non-aggressive method of reaching your current clients and building your prospect base at little or no cost. They not only provide useful information to subscribers on a consistent basis but they are a valuable marketing tool that allows you to enter their lives regularly, to get your name, and products or services, in front of them without the heavy sell.

The following pages contain a list of 'must haves' from the beginning to the end of your newsletter, and everything in between.

First and foremost, your E-Newsletter must have a:


1. SUBJECT LINE

Your newsletter's headline, otherwise known as the subject of the e-mail, is responsible for 50-75% of its success. Other than whom the e-mail is from, it is what your reader sees first. Without a successful headline, your e-mail is destined for the trash can and you've missed a golden opportunity to reach clients and prospects with your message.

Writing a good headline is tricky and something people spend years learning and practicing. That being said, there are a few keys to a successful headline that I'd like to share with you.

● Appeal to your reader's self interest.
Provide a benefit to your reader and make it personal to your audience of clients and prospects. Example: "10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Earnings Overnight." This type of headline might work for a financial investment firm, or an accountant. A headline can be tailored to any industry and what your readers are interested in.



● Make it Newsworthy
Headlines using the words 'new', 'now', 'finally', 'announcing', and 'latest' give the reader a sense of newsworthiness. "New Soil Conditioner Increases Plant Life By 10%." This headline is both newsworthy and it appeals to the reader's self interest-assuming that the newsletter is going to clients of a nursery, florist and the like and not to an automotive repair shop!

● Appeal to the reader's emotions.
Fear, Pride, Insecurity, Curiosity, Love, Happiness, Boredom, Laziness, and
Altruism are among many of the emotions that you can use to motivate your reader to open your newsletter. "How To Ask Your Boss For A Raise," would be good headline for a staffing company. It appeals to the reader's curiosity. Another curiosity driven headline might be "10 Questions You Should Never Ask A Prospective Client."

One last thing to remember about Headlines: make them believable. Nothing gets deleted faster than an outrageous and unbelievable headline.


2. VOLUME NUMBER AND A DATE.

It may seem obvious, but one thing that is consistently overlooked in E-Newsletter publication is the volume number and date. Every newsletter that you send should have a volume number and a date to be consistent. Consistency is key to establishing yourself and your company as a reliable and credible source of information and the kind of company that your customers will return to time and again.

Additionally, by providing a consistent publication date, and volume, you give your readers a method to archive and/or search when they're hunting through old issues for the amazing content that you've supplied them.

By organizing your newsletters by volume and date, you also make it easier to track each issue's effectiveness.


3. THEME

Each newsletter that you put out to the world should have a consistent theme running throughout. Regardless if you have one article or ten, they should be linked with your theme-and your theme should be referenced in the headline.

A doctor's office might run an issue with the theme of fighting the flu just before flu season. The newsletter might contain articles pertaining to it like diet, supplementation, and inoculations etc. Similarly, they could offer a theme on allergies in early spring.

A restaurant might highlight specific ingredients, time saving tips in the kitchen, or upcoming seasons and holidays. The articles could reference menu items or recipes that they use as a marketing tie in.

An Auto repair shop might address tune ups in one issue and preparing for summer vacations in the next. They could talk about braking-how to brake, different types of brakes, when to replace brakes, common problems with brakes etc…

You're getting the picture. CPA firms, printers, transportation companies, every industry has a specific client population with specific needs and interests. If you have a new product, how that product integrates into your customer's lives could be a theme-say a commercial construction company provides installation of a new type of roofing--there's the theme for the newsletter. Themes are easy to come by; the trick is sticking to them.


4. INFORMATION

Your newsletter must contain useful information. Content Is Key! Even if your newsletter contains an editorial piece, you need to give your readers something valuable.

We're a nation hungry for information. Non-fiction consistently outsells fiction in the bookstores and ease of information is in high demand. As far as information goes-Nothing Is Better Than Free, Helpful Information Delivered To You On A Consistent Basis!

According to an article recently published by the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association www.newsletters.org -"Publishers need high-value content to reach readers and advertisers. ……editorial quality is just as important for a free newsletter as it is for a subscription newsletter. ……advises publishers to talk with their user base at all times, survey readers and know their needs.<
This quotation ties in to the next E-Newsletter necessity:


5. An Option for Reader Feedback

An option for reader feedback in a newsletter is a good way to build your community and to add content to the publication. It not only lets you know what the readers are responding to in your newsletter but it encourages reader participation and people, whether they admit it or not, like to see their name in print.

A simple feedback form occasionally included in the newsletter or a more consistent 'Dear Abby' type column where readers ask questions and you (as the expert) answer them, is the easiest way to include this feature into your publication.



6. AN OFFER

Besides endearing your clients and prospects to you and your company, the main purpose of an E-Newsletter is to build your business or in other words, SELL.

Don't let a single issue go by without some kind of offer; a click through to your web site, a coupon, a new product for sale in your store or on your website, an inside sale.

Tie the offer in to your theme and with a good headline, you have a sure hit! Let's go back to our very first headline "10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Overnight." Let's assume that the newsletter is from a team of financial advisors.

The broad theme is increasing your portfolio; let's assume that one of the methods of increasing it is to invest in pharmaceuticals. The offer might be a seminar/webinar/teleseminar on investing in pharmaceuticals. The options are endless to present this product.

Basic clicks through to your website for more information, a 'click here to register' type of option, or a registration form right in the newsletter are just some of the possibilities.


7. LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE

Again, the reason for your newsletter is to sell your product or service. If you don't have at least one link to your website then you're not giving the newsletter the chance to do its job.

If you don't have a website-GET ONE!

No matter what your business, a web presence is a necessity for your business to grow and a courtesy to your clients. From basic business information like hours and staff information to newsletter archives and products, a website gives your customers a place to go when they're not with you. To put it simply, a web presence expands and embraces your customer community and it provides one more way to build your current client base.

Links to your website in your newsletter provide not only a tool to sell but they're also great tools for realizing the effectiveness of your website. They're measurable.


8. VIRAL MARKETING

Viral marketing is a term used by marketing specialists which simply means encouraging current customers and prospects to share your message with their colleagues and friends.

Viral Marketing is FREE FOR YOU. A simple message consistently included in each and every newsletter, preferably in the same place each time, that encourages recipients to forward your newsletter to friends, family, and colleagues is all you need. The bonus is that there is an implied endorsement of your services to recipients of your forwarded newsletter.


9. AN OPT-OUT

While an E-Newsletter is a great source for building your opt-in database, you MUST provide your recipients an option to opt-out. No one likes to be trapped into receiving an unwanted e-mail.

A simple "Click here to unsubscribe" will suffice.

Be sure to make good on all opt-out requests to avoid angering and alienating clients and prospects.


10. SIGNATURE

An E-Newsletter signature isn't your signed name at the bottom of each publication, though it can be. In direct mail, a signature is your company information and a possible disclaimer listed at the bottom of the page. Think 'footer', if you're familiar with word processing. A signature could look something like this:

All material on this site is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
www.healthline.org 1800-555-1212 or e-mail us at info@healthline.org



Or for a more personal touch


Sincerely,
Annette Elton
Annette@AMBCreative.net
www.AMBCreative.net
866-818-2917




It is important to have a signature for several reasons:

1. Consistency
2. Ease of use. If the reader prints out the newsletter then your contact information is readily available.
3. Professional appearance.
4. Another opportunity for your client/prospect to contact you by clicking on your web link or e-mail link.
5. Possible legal protection.


There are an abundance of tips to improve the effectiveness of your E-Newsletter but the 10 basics I've highlighted are vital to produce an effective, quality, marketing E-Newsletter that your readers will value and enjoy and your business will prosper from.

If you have any questions regarding E-Newsletters, please feel free to contact me.




Happy Writing and Selling!
Annette Elton
AMBCreative, LLC


Sign up for my free monthly newsletter "Business Marketing Update-Information for Better Marketing Communication" you can subscribe by sending me an e-mail Annette@AMBCreative.net or by visiting my website www.AMBCreative.net

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