How To Drive More Hits To Your Website And Increas

How To Drive More Hits To Your Website And Increase Subscription

by: Dave Tan

What is SPAM? Why so many people hate it and yet so many people do it? SPAM is actually known as Unsolicited Commercial Email, itกs just like the junk postal mails you receive everyday in your mailbox. The only difference is that sending junk mails online costs almost nothing and it can reach the recipients within minutes just by clicking a button.

Sending email to the wrong people who did not request information from you is only a waste of time and asking for trouble. You can be sure that they are definitely not interested in what you have to offer, some will even get downright offensive and retaliate you with flame emails (with lots of swearing and cursing!) or worse still complain to your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Do you ever buy a product from an annoying SPAM that kept popping up in your inbox promoting stuff that you don’t care about? Do you even bother to open and read an email that you didn’t request?

Thereกs a lot of 1 million emails floating around the net and you might be thinking perhaps you can find make a quick buck or two or gain maybe 500,000 subscribers there by sending your email to them?

Don’t do it! These email addresses are actually harvested through some email harvester software (Not targeted) and thus you do not really have any permission to send them any information some of the email addresses are actually SPAM trap!

So does that mean if you send commercial email, you’re automatically a SPAMMER too?

Yes and no. Yes, if you just send to any email addresses you can find under the net without having their permission to do so. No, if your manage your own subscriber list and responsibly send them information that they have requested and are interested in.

To maintain your own subscriber list, you must make sure that itกs a double optin process:

First, they must input their email address from your website or send an email for such purpose.

You will then send them a onetime email (manually or automatically) to confirm that it is indeed he / she that input the email address above (and not someone who has nothing to do but to provide false email address).

That person will have to confirm his / her subscription by clicking on the confirm link in your confirmation email or reply it with subscribe or something like that.

Finally, that person is in your double optin subscriber list.

Itกs perfectly ethical to send email messages to your own list but don’t over do it too. If you send them an email everyday they will get pissed off and leave your list. Try to be reasonable, email them twice a week is okay but be sure to email them with useful information.

Make sure you include an easy way for them to unsubscribe too. Just place an unsubscribe script link or just show them how to unsubscribe at the bottom of your email messages.

By the way, do not send any attachment files in your email, itกs very suspicious as most attachment files are usually trojan virus and you might flood the recipientกs mail box to its capacity. Get their permission first if you want to send them any attachments. So how do you drive more traffic to your website and increase your subscription rate? Just build your website and wait for them to come? Hah, if it was that easy!

Seriously…First include a nice, unique free gift not preferably not available elsewhere and say กitกs yours for FREE if you subscribe now!ก or something like that or a trial version of your digital product if they subscribe now. Then join the following AutoSurfForHits program to get FREE hits to your website:

Auto Hit Exchange http://www.autohitexchange.com/index.php?ref=385

No More Clicking http://www.nomoreclicking.com/index.php?ref=14449

The hits from these programs are actually random but if you offer a good free gift for subscribing, you can get quite a lot of subscribers. Note: You won’t actually sell anything from getting hits this way and even if you did, you’re either lucky, famous or have a super fantastic product. 🙂

But by capturing the visitors email address, you can have their attention longer where you can actually follow up on them and educate them about your product and so on. This is why everyone is crazy about building their own list, their own targeted market a potential goldmine.

Thatกs all for this article, good luck at getting more subscribers!

Best Regards,

Dave Tan

www.eBookOK.com

Permission to reprint this article if:

Article must remain intact in its original form and free of charge.

All links must be made into hypertext links and activated.

The author byline or resource box must remain intact and be displayed.

The articles CANNOT be used in SPAM of any forms. You can only use the articles for your optin subscribers.

A courtesy copy of the URL, ezine, newsletter or eBook where or how you have used the articles would be great.

About The Author

Get fresh, weekly, uptodate Internet Marketing Power Tips and Exclusive eBooks that will give you an unfair edge over your competitors here: http://www.ebookok.com/

This article was posted on April 28, 2004

by Dave Tan

Find Your Niche & Follow It

Find Your Niche & Follow It

by: Rob Taylor

Mark Twain once said: ขFind out where the people are going and get there firstข.

With the advent of the internet you can certainly find out what folks are wanting. Being the first at the front of the line to bill them might not be quite so easy.

But there are ways to find out if thereกs an existing hungry crowd for your product idea, and more importantly a crowd with pockets bulging with cash to give you.

In this article Iกm going to share some tips that will save you much heartache from chasing after the wrong market.

Firstly I believe that it is very important that what you sell interests you, otherwise you sign up for a life of struggle and worse… Boredom!

Motivating yourself to sell something you have no interest or belief in is souldestroying at the best of times, so don’t do it.

Just because *rubber cat suits* is your thing doesn’t mean the rest of the planet digs them at all. I mean thatกs a pretty small niche with less than 560 searches performed a month. Yes I did actually go and check out the stats for it.

One of things Iกve found in this marketingmalarkey is that I am able to explore interests that I simply don’t have the time or inclination to actively get involved in.

Take archery, I can twang a bow as well as the next man, and have done for the past couple of years. But the idea of traipsing off to all those shows every weekend, predominantly talking a load of rubbish just doesn’t do it for me.

BUT sell this bunch of Robin Hood wannabees an infoprod, and Iกm game. Seriously though, I love archery, itกs one of the few sports the British government hasn’t actually tried to ban… yet!

And that brings me to my point… What do you have an interest in that also has a large number of people willing to do what I call *the wallet flip*. You need to be looking for markets where the folk won’t even blink at spending $100 a year on the products you will be selling.

OK time to take some action:

=> Draw up an initial list of 10 of your interests.

=> Scan your bookshelves to see what reference books youกve bought in the past, and on what subjects or hobbies.

=> Pay attention when folk you meet start talking about their hobbies, their passions.

=> Pop down to your local magazine store and see what interests are being catered to.

=> Can’t be bothered to pad down to your local store, then click over to Magazines.com and do some searches.

Link: http://www.megastep.com/dt/t.php?id=166

=> Buy a stack of these magazines and go through the classified ads with a highlighter. Call up the ones youกve circled and ask for their information packs. Make a note of which ones youกve called and see how soon the information arrives. How are they selling? Good, bad, OK? Could you improve on the quality of what they are offering? Over five to six issues how many of the adverts are repeated? Make a note and watch that market like a hawk. If they weren’t making money the ads wouldn’t be running.

=> Hop over to eBay to research all the different subcategories. Which ones are active? Which ones are commanding high prices?

Link: http://www.megastep.com/dt/t.php?id=167

=> Are there any discussion forums related to your potential market? Buzz over to Forum Find and do a search.

Link: http://www.megastep.com/dt/t.php?id=168

This is just the beginning. Start paying attention to what people are interested in. This can simply be as easy as listening to folk banter when they’re in the checkout line.

Scan the news, open your eyes and mind to opportunities. Youกll be amazed at how your brain kicks into ขselective perceptionข. Don’t know what that is? Ever bought a car and then suddenly you notice the whole planet is driving the exact same model. Itกs like everyone decided to buy the car YOU just bought. Well thatกs ขselective perceptionข at work. Same thing happens when you actively go hunting down niche markets… actually it can work great for an awful lot of other things… building keyword lists is another example, and another story.

Copyright 2004 Rob Taylor

About The Author

Rob Taylor has been marketing online since 1996. Heกs sold anything from books, debit cards, security products to art prints. Take advantage of his battle tested marketing strategies that could quietly make you five figure cash profits every single month. Free newsletter at http://www.megastep.com.

This article was posted on October 19, 2004

by Rob Taylor

$1148 in One Day with Plants? You Bet!

$1148 in One Day with Plants? You Bet!

by: Michael McGroarty

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm

HOW TO MAKE $1148 IN ONE DAY WORKING WITH PLANTS This article is actually an example of a simple yet, excellent marketing plan. Pay close attention to how I went out and found new business at a time of the year when things are normally slow, and not only did I make $1,148.00, my friend Franky also made $1,060.00.

Because I chose to keep myself out of the rat race of landscaping new homes, I went after a market that was more of an impulsive type market. New home landscaping is almost a necessity, since new homes don’t have any shrubs or grass. Not only that, many housing developments actually require people to have their landscaping done within a certain number of months from the time they move into their new homes. Therefore, when the house is done, people are anxious to get it landscaped.

Since I wasn’t in that market, and most impulsive gardening decisions are made in the spring, my business typically slowed down during the very hot summer months. So one year I decided to do a little test marketing, to see if I could muster up some work during the summer.

I decided to do a test mailing to 350 homeowners in an area where I knew the people could afford landscaping services, but were not extremely rich. I mailed a letter to these 350 homes, and the letter basically said I could help them with any landscaping project that needed done, and because my business was slow during the summer I could give them a really fair price.

Of the 350 people that received the letter 3 called me. I immediately sold two jobs, and the third job was still open for discussion. On one of the first two jobs I made about $350. and on the other I made about $700. That’s net profit. That’s how much I got to keep. Since the mailing cost less than $175., my immediate profit on the mailing was $875. Not bad at all considering this was only a parttime business for me. But don’t forget about that third caller. I had not even met this person yet.

The reason he called is because he happened to own a 60 unit apartment building in the Cleveland area, and he needed some trees or shrubs planted around the parking lot. The architect that he had been working with suggested Taxus Hicksi, which is an evergreen that is easily trimmed and maintained to a certain size. However, all the landscapers he had spoken with in Cleveland wanted about $44.00 each to install these plants. Although a fair price, that amounted to $4,664.00 because he needed 106 plants.

He contacted me because he was hoping I could find a less expensive plant to use. After visiting the job site I realized that Taxus Hicksi actually was about the best choice for this situation, so I told him I would see if I could get a better price on the plants. I showed in a wholesale catalog that the wholesale price was $22.00 per plant, but mentioned that I might be able to find another source.

I knew that my friend Franky did at one time grow this particular plant, so I gave him a call. Turns out he did have 106 plants available, and was anxious to move some of them, he quoted me $10.00 each, balled in burlap. I called my customer and told him that I found good plants at a lower price, and that I could actually deliver and plant them for $22.00 per plant, which is exactly half of what others had quoted him. He was delighted, and I did the job. As a matter of fact he actually asked me to install some additional plants while I was there.

I hired 3 guys to help me do the job, and we had it done in one day. After I paid for the plants, and paid my help, I actually made $1,148.00 on that one day job. My customer was so happy with the work we did that he asked me to come back the following week and do about another $700.00 worth of work. I made another $350.00 The following spring he hired me to relandscape an older home that he had purchased, and I made another $600.00.

Remember the $175.00 that I spent to mail those 350 letters? The net profit on that mailing turned out to be about $2,973.00!!! And my friend Franky picked up $1,060.00 for the plants I bought from him. Were these 350 people I selected special? No they weren’t. Every town in America has at least 350 people just like them, probably thousands more.

There are many different ways to make money with plants, this is just one of them, I can show you plenty more. I’ve been making money with plants for over 25 years.

About The Author

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 14

by Michael McGroarty

Maria’s New Lifestyle: Short Story About The Benef

Maria’s New Lifestyle: Short Story About The Benefits Shopping On The Net Has Given To A Dedicated Artist

by: M6.net

I’ve got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria’s always been a little weird but now things have gotten unworldly altogether. You see, Maria’s an artist; she’s into sculpture in particular, of which she specializes in the manipulation of Perspex with a blowtorch. Lately I haven’t seen too much of her as she’s hooked up the Internet. Actually not many people at all have seen her recently; she says she’s working on a big project.

Now that she’s got the Internet she reckons she can focus a lot more on her work without distractions. She doesn’t ‘waste’ time doing grocery shopping anymore. Now she orders all her food and household items. She says if she’s extremely busy, her weekly list is saved into the computer, and she just clicks on ‘order’ and the usual stuff is delivered to her door every week. No more driving, parking, searching for stuff, standing in line, dealing with bored and under slept cashiers. I’m starting to think it’s not such a bad idea. Maria is pretty proud. She’s now organizing for a local greengrocer to deliver her fruit and vegetables too.

Maria has always had a ‘thing’ for Donald Duck. On the Net she’s found all these rare collectable dealers like Ebay. When she’s not warping Perspex into postmodern configurations representing the need for a more spiritual existence, she’s thriving in the consumerist world of finding and bidding for Donald Duck comic books from the 1950’s. Last I heard a friend said she’s actually starting to look like a duck herself!

All this Internet shopping is pretty new to me, it sounds like it really could help a lot of people out. However for recluse artists it could be the final straw for friends and family who may never see their buddies again! Nah, its coolI just hope Maria’s new project isn’t a giant Perspex Donald Duck. I don’t think the world needs any more Donald Ducks!

I just got back from Maria’s place. You’re not going to believe what I saw. She was actually having a party, and I wasn’t invited. Maybe she thinks I’m boring compared to her new friends. She says she met them on the Internet, a whole bunch of people into Donald Duck! One guy was actually dressed up like Yosemite Samgun belt and all! It seems I’m the odd one out.

Before I left her place she showed me her new sculpture. I underestimated her newfound love. It’s a giant computer; inside it is filled with the heads of all her friends (me included). Of course none of us had human mouths, smiling duck beaks adorned all the heads, a definite sign of the Internet’s powerful influence, and of the collective warping of today’s society!

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer is a human hoping to show his fellow Earth citizens the beautiful opportunities the Internet is making available for all our lives.

M6.Net http://www.m6.net

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 09, 2004

by M6.net

Good Marketing Pays for Itself

Good Marketing Pays for Itself

by: Joy Gendusa

Most companies ask themselves this question: กHow much will this advertising cost us?ก when they should actually be asking themselves this: กHow much will it cost not to do this advertising?ก

If your company spends $1000 per week on marketing then you could save $1000 per week by not doing any marketing. That is true but it is the simple and shortsighted view of the situation. However, if the revenue generated from that marketing is $1010 you have actually just lost $10 by not doing it.

Most times the margin is not that slim. We generally bring in around 10 times what we spend in any given week. That means for every $1000 we spend on marketing we bring in $10,000. If we decided that we were only going to spend half of what we were normally spending we would automatically save half of our budget. That is great but we would likely lose up to half of our weekly sales income. In trying to save half our budget we actually lost 9 times that amount.

It all comes back to your Return On Investment. That’s the ROI I am always talking about. If you only make what you spend on your marketing it is not doing its job. The money that you spend on your marketing is your investment. The money you bring in on sales is the Return On that Investment. That is why your ROI is the most important statistic to consider when trying to divide up your marketing budget. Putting more money into a marketing strategy that has a higher ROI doesn’t cost you more money, it makes you more money. Saving money by lowering your marketing budget doesn’t sound so enticing when you think about it that way. Unfortunately many businesses cut their marketing budget first when trying to stay afloat during slow periods. They are actually hastening their downfall.

You have heard it time and time again, กIt takes money to make money.ก It is as true today as it ever has been. You have a good product or service, you run your business well, the only thing that you need is good marketing and that will eventually pay for itself.

Perhaps by now you are convinced that you need to spend some money on promoting your business.

Maybe you are still stopped by the big question, กHow?ก What do you really need to know, and how can you actually make it work?

Let’s start with the กBasic Principlesก of promotion.

What is Promotion?

Promotion is making something known and well thought of.

Why do you promote?

The purpose of promotion is to bring in more business and enlarge your customer base. Always try to bring in as much business as you can. It sounds like an obvious thing to say but many people still don’t follow this rule. Don’t assume any number of new customers will be too much for you to handle. If you have that much business you can always bring on temporary or temptopermanent staff to handle the work load.

How do you promote?

There are more ways than you would ever think. Have you ever heard someone say, กI never promote and I am always busyก OR กI don’t have to promote, all my business comes from wordofmouthก? They may not be aware of how they’re doing it, but I promise you they are promoting somewhere. Maybe they just go around telling everyone they talk to, that they don’t promote. (Sound funny? It’s still promoting.) Maybe their canary yellow window ledge with the bright red apples on the shelf behind it attracts so much attention that they don’t need to do anything else. Well here are some ideas you can do กknowinglyก to drive in the business.

Every action that every member of your staff engages in is promotion. Whether good or bad every action is giving someone an impression of how your company is or does business. Here are a few examples.

Greeting your customers with a smile is a great place to start.

Calling your customers after they have had a chance to use your product is a good way to promote that you care about their experience with your organization. It can also create an opportunity to make more sales.

A neatly packaged product, the shipping label on straight, promotes that you take pride in what you do.

Always keep updated brochures or catalogs in your reception area for people to see and take with them.

If you have customers coming into your business, make sure they are greeted pleasantly, professionally, and immediately.

I suggest you sit down and write out all the things that your company actually does to promote using the above definition. Sit down with your staff and do a pow wow. Not only will it bring you all closer together and going for the same goal, it will open your eyes as to all the ways you can make your business well thought of.

Every little detail counts. Thanks for reading and good luck.

About The Author

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she’s sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at www.postcardmania.com.

This article was posted on March 03

by Joy Gendusa

Why All Your Marketing Efforts Have Come To Nothin

Why All Your Marketing Efforts Have Come To Nothing

by: Mal Keenan

How often have you responded to email from those in your downlines asking for advice on how best to run their online businesses and finding it increasingly frustrating that things JUST aren’t working out as planned?

I myself see the same problems day and daily and it always point back to the same core issues. Let me explain one of them…

The very ethos of network marketing is based on sharing the products and services that you have found helpful in your journey towards success. The fact that you get paid for this is definitely a BIG bonus but networking can be found in everyday examples where people aren’t being paid. For instance when people see a great movie, they tell others who in turn pass it on to create a blockbuster hit.

Word of mouth definitely is the best form of advertising and networking. The main point in the above example is that folks are being honest about their observations and this is picked up on by their fellows and so and and so forth down the line.

The problem with many network marketers is that they ARE NOT being honest in their dealings with online prospects. Their emails or telephone conversations are promoting something that they don’t really believe in and this belief is being transferred to the people they are trying to recruit.

You cannot sell something that you don’t absolutely believe in yourself, or at least you will find it extremely difficult to do so and all your efforts will result in ultimate failure.

The words coming from our mouths are actually a very small percentage of what is actually being communicated and even the tone of our email ads can scream กScamก at prospects without us even knowing it.

This has been a fact in all my online dealings and yet it is something that is not easy to explain to newcomers who come online and believe that it is only a matter of กclick sendก and a ready acceptance of multiple checks in the mail.

Obviously the way around this problem is to promote those products and services that you actually DO believe in. From I have come online I have to say that the companies out there that inspire confidence have been by far in the minority.

Many companies will take your money and run and when you are the type that hands out money hand over fist with no money management skills, it is a welcome surprise to find a company that will actually teach you such skills and allow you to earn as you do.

I myself am a member of such a team and it is a perfect example of something that I truely CAN believe in, and this belief like mentioned above, is exuded to those I come in contact with through email promotions and online ads.

In conclusion, if you are choosing to promote products or services online ensure that they are something that you can honestly pass on to prospective affiliates and feel good in doing so. Your success ulimately depends upon it.

Copyright 2004 Mal Keenan

About The Author

Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Home Business Tips Newsletter: http://www.homebusinesstipsnewsletter.com/ For a company that you can believe in join my team below:

http://www.eliteteamireland.com/

This article was posted on August 31, 2004

by Mal Keenan

What If?

What If?

by: Robert Van Rumpt

What if you just signed up with one of the many online Home Business Opportunities?

Good for you! This is an important first step to financial independence. You probably are an optimist and you are excited to see the results that are to come. But it won’t be long and you are second guessing yourself as to whether it will really be paying off. If you are like me, that first signup gets you all excited and you are checking the commission earned tab many times before it actually started to show a profit.

What if the organization you signed up with, actually starts to cut you checks?

This will be one of the most exciting days you will ever experience. The first checks should be savored and a photocopy should be made to remind you what it felt like.

Soon however you realize that the income stream is smaller then you anticipated and it takes much longer and more work before you reach your goals.

Don’t give up because the first steps are the hardest!

What if you decide to sign up for a second affiliate to speed up the process of financial independence?

Good for you! This is a wise move. If one program can earn you some money, then two should double your chances,…… right? But just a minute, the work is starting to pile up too. All those emails that need to be checked and responded to; the many passwords you need to remember;……..and not least of all the different fees that need to be paid to receive the right tools.

Don’t despair, you are on the right path. Did you know that most online entrepreneurs are involved with an average of 4 different programs? The successful ones are into as many as hundreds.

The problem is that you have only so many hours in the day to work on these projects. You still have a fulltime job. Your income stream is still just a trickle.

Most of the really successful online entrepreneurs have hired help or a spouse that dedicated his/her life to the business. You don’t…..your spouse still thinks you’re nuts.

What if you are starting to realize that to earn a fulltime wage requires fulltime hours.

I know soooo many promise that 3 hours a week will earn you a fulltime income…..but let’s get real. Maybe that happens over a long period of time.

You want success sooner ….right?

What if you could actually sign up with many programs but not have to duplicate all the work over and over.

And ………………………..

What if such a program would give you the tools to manage the different aspects of all the affiliates and product sales?

And…………..

What if such a program would teach you how to manage all aspects without having to spend 40 hours a week.

This would be like having your own staff. Secretaries, web managers, accountants, sales people etc. Heh,……just a minute, that is what the big guys have, and do………Right?

What if you can do this by enrolling in one centralized area where you can pick and choose which affiliates to sign up with?

Sounds pretty good to me! Create multiple income streams and manage them all by one program that tracks everything and a program that has built in tools like autoresponders, shared advertising programs and gives advice, tip and tricks to be more successful.

This is exactly what I did and believe me I am so happy that is they way I went. It makes the difference between struggling for years to get to the top with countless hours behind the computer. Yes I still spend countless hours behind the computer but now because I have the time and can afford to……………………much better that way………Right?

If you are at the point where I was, in the beginning stages of building your business, why don’t you come and check this out for yourself. It is free to look at and you can even take it for a testdrive. http://bizopz.referralware.com If you want to start slow, and use just one affiliate to begin with……that’s ok too. Soon you will realize you have too much time on your hands not to get another…and another….and another….!

What if you do what I did….you will get what I got……..a lot of money, sooner then you thought possible!

When you join me and our team; we will guide you every step of the way……right to FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE……….and you will be the one writing these articles…..!!!!

CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF AT http://bizopz.referralware.com

About The Author

BIZOPZ BOB is an entrepreneur with a number of successful ventures on the go. He has an extensive business background and has ventured into the online community with a passion. While maintaining healthy skepticism, he explores many different opportunities and reports on his endeavors, good or bad.

He tends to shoot straight; aim high and load for bear! You can contact Bob at: http://bizopzonline.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 14

by Robert Van Rumpt

Fight 1337 Speak… Please Help Save Our Language

Fight 1337 Speak… Please Help Save Our Language

by: Daniel Punch

กOMFG! W00+!!! Dat s0000000 Kewl!!!!1! Dat is teh LOL!!!!ก

Itกs happening. The Internet is invading our lives and our minds and corrupting as it progresses. Shorthand is destroying our youthsก spelling and grammar. In the worst cases these Internet phrases even are spilling over into every day life. I still shudder with horror remembering the day that someone actually said กLOLก to me.

Iกm not some old crab fighting against the changes of the world. Iกm 19 years old and studying software engineering at university. I love computers and use instant messaging programs constantly, but thereกs a serious problem when I can’t even read some of the messages flowing between my younger siblings and their friends. With sentences such as กOMFG! ROTFLMAO! RTFM N00B!ก being thrown around liberally, the state of global communication is in jeopardy!

So, here are some helpful tips to keep your messages legible and English:

The word กsoก is spelt with just one กOก. The word กwellก is spelt with just one กEก. Adding superfluous letters to your words is actually undoing the effect that your gratuitous use of Internet acronyms are supposed to have on your message length.

Contrary to popular belief, the word กCoolก is spelled without the use of a กKก, and กEก or even a กWก. There is a high probability that you don’t even pronounce it in a manner that would infer those letters, so why type them? Typing four different letters is no slower than typing the original four that actually belong to the word.

Exclamation Marks are solitary creatures. They don’t like to be herded together into packs. They also take offense to the presence of many other punctuation marks, such as the affable but sometimes irritating Question Mark. Please don’t abuse our friend the Exclamation Mark, don’t force him/her to share sentence space with other sentence ending punctuation marks.

The letter กDก is not the phonetic equivalent of ‘tHก. The letters ‘tHก form a soft sound, but the letter กDก is a hard sound. Please try not to confuse the two.

Judicious use of acronyms will save time, but won’t obscure the meaning of your sentences. The use of กLOLก may indeed be an appropriate method to purvey your mirth over a particularly witty comment, but กOMFG! Dat was teh LOL!ก does not make sense (even when you unravel the acronyms into coherent words) and takes a lot longer to write.

‘tehก is not a word; it is an honest spelling mistake that can easily be made when typing quickly. It should never be deliberately substituted for the original word, ‘theก, which contains the same three letters and takes just as long to write.

Letters are placed in a very specific order to create words. Permutations of letters create either nonsensical gibberish or another word entirely, one that will often seem contextually out of place if it is born of pure accident. Please keep your letters in an orderly group.

The first letter of the first word of a sentence should be capitalized. The first letter of a proper noun should be capitalized. Gratuitous use of capitalization should be avoided and used only as a last resort.

Numbers are not letters. You cannot spell a word with numbers; no matter how hard you try. You can spell a number with letters, but the opposite is not true. Numbers are not as versatile as we have been lead to believe. Punctuation marks behave similarly, and should not be used in the formation of words.

Emoticons are useful tools for showing your emotions. Avoid abusing them and trying to construct entire sentences or stories using the little yellow smiles. It doesn’t work.

I know I can’t turn the tide of popular opinion, but as someone who actually likes our language I sometimes feel as though I have to try. Languages evolve and change over time to fit the current generationกs needs. Thereกs no need or point in stopping this, but Iกd prefer that our language continued to contain actual words, not unpronounceable mishmashes of letters.

About The Author

Daniel Punch

M6.Net

http://www.m6.net

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 16, 2004

by Daniel Punch

Imaginary Reality

Imaginary Reality

by: Daniel Punch

Our once concrete world is now dissolving into a realm of intangibility.

Itกs interesting to consider the ways in which the computer and the Internet have changed our lives. Tasks that once required visiting certain locations and interacting with specific people, such as booking a holiday or accessing your bank account can now be performed online. Often when you do go somewhere to talk to an assistant they end up performing the task online in the same way you could have done yourself.

Online banking intrigues me greatly. Weกve almost lost the need for real currency. I get paid by check, which goes straight into my bank account. I then access my bank account using the Internet and transfer some money over to my savings account, which is at a different bank to my regular account. If I ever need money from my savings account I log in and transfer it back to my main account. I have never given any ‘realก money to this bank, nor have I ever received any from them. The majority of my purchases these days are made using Eftpos. I hardly ever actually have cold, hard, real cash on me. Basically we purchase things with data these days. Numbers flit all over the place, being subtracted and added from one variable to another. Presumably there is still real money somewhere being couriered between banks but I generally never see it. It makes me wonder how long it will be until we actually don’t technically have money.

The stock market similarly intrigues me. Iกve never been involved myself but it seems to me that itกs the professional equivalent of gambling. People take a punt that a certain stock will go up or down, and they either gain or lose money depending on whether or not their bet pans out. What interests me more is the fact that in essence this is an economic reality built around the concept of buying and selling absolutely nothing. What you own are theoretically กpartsก of a particular company. Collect enough bits and you could own the company. In actuality you transfer a few numbers that represent money and receive a few numbers that represent stocks. When these numbers become larger numbers you sell them again, and receive in return a few more money numbers. Thereกs usually no real product or money (that you hold in your hands) seen in any of this process.

We have moral dilemmas now that just didn’t exist in the past. For example, is piracy really stealing? All you take is a copy of data. No one actually loses anything tangible out of the theft. Stealing a handbag means that someone no longer has their handbag. Stealing a car means that someone has to catch the bus for a while. Stealing a computer program means that another copy just กmagicallyก pops into existence and becomes yours. The futuristic supervillains of the past held countries to ransom with reallife weapons of mammoth size, often floating in space. The reality of our modern world is that you could hold a nation to ransom with nothing more ‘realก than a copy of a few files from a secure computer.

Virtual reality may not have eventuated in the way of realistic virtual worlds, but in a way reality is becoming กvirtualก. It may not be problematic or even surprising, but I find it interesting that cold, hard cash and cold, hard facts are fast becoming anything but tangible.

About The Author

Daniel Punch

M6.Net Web Helpers

http://www.m6.net

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 11

by Daniel Punch

Is Your Music Player Spying On You?

Is Your Music Player Spying On You?

by: Jon Davis

In todayกs times spyware is a very serious issue and all computer users should be aware of the possible damage it can cause. It is estimated by well known industry insiders that nearly 90% of all computers are infected with some kind of spyware. This no surprise as spyware programs can be highly contagious and spread from computer to computer via emails and network exchanges rapidly.

Spywareกs main intent is usually to track where you go on the internet. This includes websites you visit, what you buy from the internet, and generally what you use the internet for, all the while the spyware program will report this information back to the publisher. The publishers of spyware are rich with all the information of thousands of computer users surfing habits and they make a huge profit by selling this information to third parties who may not take your privacy concerns in to account.

You may think that running antivirus programs and firewalls on your computer will be enough to protect you from this threat but think again. Spyware can easily slip past these programs as spyware disguises itself as a part of a program that you actually want to install on your computer. Programs that you use daily may be harvesting spyware.

One of the most popular music players on the internet that millions of people use to play, download and organise their favourite music with is actually spyware. Can you guess what it is? RealPlayer is not just a feature rich jukebox anymore, itกs spyware. If you read the agreement before you install the player for the first time, RealPlayer actually tells the unsuspecting user that it will record all the information about what music you listen to, what videos you view and how often. It then transmits this private information back to itกs corporate office using your resources while doing so. This information is kept on file and used to profile you. Unfortunately you have no say in what information they have access to.

Spyware detection and removal software is imperative to keeping your private information private and keeping your computer healthy. Itกs a scary thought that companies are armed with the technology to snoop on you when you are simply enjoying music and watching videos you enjoy in you own home.

About The Author

Jon Davis

Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to stay as protected as you can by visiting http://www.spywareadvice.info where we provide free unbiased information on the latest spyware threats, how to remove them and how to stay protected.

This article was posted on August 09

by Jon Davis

Find Your Niche & Follow It Part 1

Find Your Niche & Follow It Part 1

by: Rob Taylor

In this series of articles Iกm going to show you how to find out if thereกs a hungry crowd for your information product BEFORE you write a single word.
Mark Twain once said: ขFind out where the people are going and get there firstข.
With the advent of the internet you can certainly find out what folks are wanting. Being the first at the front of the line to bill them might not be quite so easy.
But there are ways to find out if thereกs an existing hungry crowd for your information product, and more importantly a crowd with pockets bulging with cash to give you.
In this article Iกm going to share some tips that will save you much heartache from chasing after the wrong market.
Firstly I believe that it is very important that what you sell interests you, otherwise you sign up for a life of struggle and worse… Boredom!
Motivating yourself to sell something you have no interest or belief in is souldestroying at the best of times, so don’t do it.
Just because *rubber cat suits* is your thing doesn’t mean the rest of the planet digs them at all. I mean thatกs a pretty small niche with less than 560 searches performed a month. Yes I did actually go and check out the stats for it.
One of things Iกve found in this marketingmalarkey is that I am able to explore interests that I simply don’t have the time or inclination to actively get involved in.
Take archery, I can twang a bow as well as the next man, and have done for the past couple of years. But the idea of traipsing off to all those shows every weekend, predominantly talking a load of rubbish just doesn’t do it for me.
BUT sell this bunch of Robin Hood wannabees an infoprod, and Iกm game. Seriously though, I love archery, itกs one of the few sports the British government hasn’t actually tried to ban… yet!
And that brings me to my point… What do you have an interest in that also has a large number of people willing to do what I call *the wallet flip*. You need to be looking for markets where the folk won’t even blink at spending $100 a year on the products you will be selling.
OK time to take some action:
=> Draw up an initial list of 10 of your interests.
=> Scan your bookshelves to see what reference books youกve bought in the past, and on what subjects or hobbies.
=> Pay attention when folk you meet start talking about their hobbies, their passions.
=> Pop down to your local magazine store and see what interests are being catered to.
=> Can’t be bothered to pad down to your local store, then click over to http://www.mediafinder.com and do some searches.
=> Buy a stack of these magazines and go through the classified ads with a highlighter. Call up the ones youกve circled and ask for their information packs. Make a note of which ones youกve called and see how soon the information arrives. How are they selling? Good, bad, OK? Could you improve on thequality of what they are offering? Over five to six issues how many of the adverts are repeated? Make a note and watch that market like a hawk. If they weren’t making money the ads wouldn’t be running.
=> Hop over to eBay to research all the different subcategories. Which ones are active? Which ones are commanding high prices?
=> Are there any discussion forums related to your potential market? Buzz over to http://www.forumfind.com and do a search.
This is just the beginning. Until the next article I want you to start paying attention to what people are interested in. This can simply be as easy as listening to folk banter when they’re in the checkout line.
Scan the news, open your eyes and mind to opportunities. Youกll be amazed at how your brain kicks into ขselective perceptionข. Don’t know what that is? Ever bought a car and then suddenly you notice the whole planet is driving the exact same model. Itกs like everyone decided to buy the car YOU just bought. Well thatกs ขselective perceptionข at work. Same thing happens when you actively go hunting down niche markets… actually it can work great for an awful lot of other things… building keyword lists is another example, and another story.
Until next time, now get on with your homework.
** Attention Ezine Editors / Site Owners **
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include the author resource box as listed at the bottom of the article.

About The Author

Rob Taylor made over $400,000 selling his very first self published book in ebook and print editions. Take advantage of his battle tested information publishing strategies that can quietly make you five figure cash profits every single month as a self publisher! Visit http://www.megastep.com for a free subscription to his Self Publishing for Profit ezine.

This article was posted on June 10, 2004

by Rob Taylor

Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online

Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online

by: Jesse S. Somer

Maria’s new lifestyle: Short story about the benefits shopping on the Net has given to a dedicated artist.

I’ve got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria’s always been a little weird but now things have gotten unworldly altogether. You see, Maria’s an artist; she’s into sculpture in particular, of which she specializes in the manipulation of Perspex with a blowtorch. Lately I haven’t seen too much of her as she’s hooked up the Internet. Actually not many people at all have seen her recently; she says she’s working on a big project.

Now that she’s got the Internet she reckons she can focus a lot more on her work without distractions. She doesn’t ‘waste’ time doing grocery shopping anymore. Now she orders all her food and household items. She says if she’s extremely busy, her weekly list is saved into the computer, and she just clicks on ‘order’ and the usual stuff is delivered to her door every week. No more driving, parking, searching for stuff, standing in line, dealing with bored and under slept cashiers. I’m starting to think it’s not such a bad idea. Maria is pretty proud. She’s now organizing for a local greengrocer to deliver her fruit and vegetables too.

Maria has always had a ‘thing’ for Donald Duck. On the Net she’s found all these rare collectable dealers like Ebay. When she’s not warping Perspex into postmodern configurations representing the need for a more spiritual existence, she’s thriving in the consumerist world of finding and bidding for Donald Duck comic books from the 1950’s. Last I heard a friend said she’s actually starting to look like a duck herself!

All this Internet shopping is pretty new to me, it sounds like it really could help a lot of people out. However for recluse artists it could be the final straw for friends and family who may never see their buddies again! Nah, its coolI just hope Maria’s new project isn’t a giant Perspex Donald Duck. I don’t think the world needs any more Donald Ducks!

I just got back from Maria’s place. You’re not going to believe what I saw. She was actually having a party, and I wasn’t invited. Maybe she thinks I’m boring compared to her new friends. She says she met them on the Internet, a whole bunch of people into Donald Duck! One guy was actually dressed up like Yosemite Samgun belt and all! It seems I’m the odd one out.

Before I left her place she showed me her new sculpture. I underestimated her newfound love. It’s a giant computer; inside it is filled with the heads of all her friends (me included). Of course none of us had human mouths, smiling duck beaks adorned all the heads, a definite sign of the Internet’s powerful influence, and of the collective warping of today’s society!

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer is a human hoping to show his fellow Earth citizens the beautiful opportunities the Internet is making available for all our lives.

M6.Net

http://www.m6.net

This article was posted on November 18, 2004

by Jesse S. Somer