Maps of Cyberspace

Maps of Cyberspace

by: Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.

กCyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts…A graphical representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkablecomplexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…ก (WilliamGibson, กNeuromancerก, 1984, page 51)

http://www.ebookmap.net/maps.htm

http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/atlas.html

At first sight, it appears to be a static, cluttered diagram with multicoloured, overlapping squares. Really, it is an extremely powerfulway of presenting the dynamics of the emerging epublishing industry. R2 Consulting has constructed these eBook Industry Maps to ‘reflect the evolving business models among publishers, conversion houses, digital distribution companies, eBook vendors, online retailers, libraries, library vendors, authors, and many others. These maps are 3dimensionaloffering viewers both a highlevel orientation to the eBook landscape and an indepth look at multiple eBook models and the partnerships thathave formed within each one.ก Pass your mouse over any of the squaresand a virtual floodgate opens a universe of interconnected and hyperlinked names, a detailed atlas of who does what to whom.

eBookMap.net is one example of a relatively novel approach to databases and web indexing. The metaphor of cyberspace comes alive in spatial, two and three dimensional maplike representations of the world of knowledge in Cybergeographyกs online กAtlasก. Instead of endless, static and bichromatic lists of links Cybergeography catalogues visual,recombinant vistas with a stunning palette, internal dynamics and an intuitively conveyed sense of interrelatedness. Hyperlinks are incorporated in the topography and topology of these almostneural maps.

‘these maps of Cyberspaces cybermaps help us visualise and comprehend the new digital landscapes beyond our computer screen, in the wires of the global communications networks and vast online information resources. The cybermaps, like maps of the realworld, help us navigate the new information landscapes, as well being objects of aesthetic interest. They have been created by กcyberexplorersก of many different disciplines, and from all corners of the world. Some of the maps … in the Atlas of Cyberspaces … appear familiar, using the cartographicconventions of realworld maps, however, many of the maps are much more abstract representations of electronic spaces, using new metrics and grids.ก

Navigating these maps is like navigating an inner, familiar, territory.

They come in all shapes and modes: flow charts, quasigeographical maps, 3d simulatorlike terrains and many others. The กweb Stalkerก is an experimental web browser which is equipped with mapping functions. The range of applicability is mind boggling.

A (very) partial list:

The Internet Genome Project กopensource map of the major conceptual components of the Internet and how they relate to each otherก

Anatomy of a Linux System Aimed to ก…give viewers a concise and comprehensive look at the Linux universeก and at the heart of the poster is a gravity well graphic showing the core software components,surrounded by explanatory textก

NewMedia 500 The financial, strategic, and other interrelationshipsand interactions between the leading 500 new (web) media firms

Internet Industry Map Ownership and alliances determine status, control, and access in the Internet industry. A revealing organizational chart.

The Internet Weather Report measures Internet performance, latency periods and downtime based on a sample of 4000 domains.

Real Time Geographic Visualization of WWW Traffic a stunning, 3d representation of web usage and traffic statistics the world over.

WebBrain and Map.net provide a graphic rendition of the Open Directory Project. The thematic structure of the ODP is instantly discernible.

The WebMap is a visual, multicategory directory which contains 2,000,000 web sites. The user can zoom in and out of subcategories and กunlockก their contents.

Maps help write fiction, trace a userกs clickpath (replete with clickable web sites), capture Usenet and chat interactions (threads), plot search results (though Alta Vista discontinued its mapping service and Yahoo!3D is no more), bookmark web destinations, and navigate through complex sites.

Different metaphors are used as interface. Web sites are represented as plots of land, stars (whose brightness corresponds to the web siteกs popularity ranking), aminoacids in DNAlike constellations,topographical maps of the ocean depths, buildings in an urban landscape, or other objects in a pastoral setting. Virtual Reality (VR) maps allow information to be simultaneously browsed by teams of collaborators, sometimes represented as avatars in a fully immersive environment. In many applications, the user is expected to fly amongst the data items invirtual landscapes. With the advent of sophisticated GUIกs (Graphic UserInterfaces) and VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) these maps may well show us the way to a more colourful and userfriendly future.

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of กMalignant Self Love Narcissism Revisitedก and กAfter the Rain How the West Lost the Eastก. He is a columnist in กCentral Europe Reviewก, United Press International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com

This article was posted on February 2, 2002

by Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.

Consistency Builds Trust

Consistency Builds Trust

by: John Jantsch

You know your prospects need what you sell. You know they want what you sell. Heck, you know that they even sent away for information on your service and requested a quote.

But the fact is you are missing one major piece of the puzzle.

Want to know what it is?

No matter what else you know, often, the missing piece is knowing when your hot little prospect will actually make a purchase.

People search for information and solutions in many different ways and on many different time tables.

Some will buy immediately; some may take a year or more depending on the complexity of the purchase.

The key to solving this dilemma is consistent and repeated contact.

If you build a marketing system that guarantees your prospects (particularly your ขAข prospects) are contacted at least 810 times a year you can significantly increase the odds that your name will jump to the top of the list when they do actually decide to purchase.

Another benefit of constant contact is that by sending your prospects useful information, that doesn’t always ask for a sale, you can establish a bond of trust, and trust wins business. It is almost as though some of your prospects will feel that they owe it to you because you took so much time and effort to educate them for such a long period of time without asking for anything in return

So what will you send to your prospects on a monthly basis?

Here is an example a calendar of contact points

Month #1 – Letter announcing a new service (change to existing service)

Month #2 – Newsletter – highlight tips and company news

Month #3 – Phone call to discover opportunities

Month #4 – Reprint of an industry magazine article of interest

Month #5 – Case study of a successful client solution you provided

Month #6 – Request for critique of a proposed sales letter (you won’t believe how valuable this can be)

Month #7 – Time for another newsletter

Month #8 – Reprint of an article you contributed to an industry magazine

Month #9 – Announce a new service

Month #10 – Invite them to a workshop

Month #11 – Phone call to introduce someone in your referral network

Month #12 – Checklist of helpful tips for your industry/service

Notice that this schedule includes a couple of phone contacts. This to can be a very powerful research tool as well as a business building tool. Sometimes you will learn what your prospect really wants and how valuable the materials you are sending them really are to them.

You man want to consider breaking your prospect list into groups based on potential opportunity. Your 20 or so ขAข prospects might get a copy of your favorite book or some homemade cookies in a tin with your company logo one month or some proprietary content or information along with some tickets to the ballgame a couple of months later.

And if you really want to make a hit with your ขAข prospects, take the time to find out some background on them and personalize your marketing materials. If Ed Jones over there at Acme Industries went to Notre Dame (not such a hard thing to find out) you will score major points by simply sending a clipping from some magazine about his favorite subject – The Fighting Irish. You can even setup a service that will find you everything that is being said about a school, industry, company, sports team, you name it. So an industry guru makes a prediction for the future of your prospect’s industry and you drop the article in the mail to them. Now who do you think they are they going to remember come order time?

Create a database of your ideal prospects, setup a schedule of different types of contact points like the one above, and then stick to it. And don’t forget to include your current clients in that list. Reselling them can lead to more and more business and referrals.

Copyright 2004 John Jantsch

About The Author

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant based in Kansas City, Mo. He writes frequently on real world small business marketing tactics and is the creator of http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com a turnkey small business marketing system. Check out his blog at http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com/weblog.php

This article was posted on April 20, 2004

by John Jantsch

Music in the Digital Age

Music in the Digital Age

by: Esperdi Bova

We are on the brink of a major change in the way the music industry operates. Digital music will not just change the way people purchase music, but it will also change the way musicians approach creating albums. Digital music gives people the opportunity to instantaneously purchase a song they like – without having to purchase the rest of the album. Artists and executives are both going to have to look at how music is released, and if it is worth producing an entire album if people aren’t going to buy it.

Piracy of course is another major issue that the music industry will have to look into and examine. Currently, it is so simple to download a single song everyone does it and doesn’t feel that what they’re doing is illegal. Laws are being put into place in an attempt to stop downloading illegal music, but technology always appears to be one step ahead of the law. Some companies have found success offering music downloads for a price, but this practice only enforces the concept of downloading one or two songs from an artist, and not buying the entire album.

This trend may force the music industry to change the way they package music to the masses. People’s tastes will become a larger factor and will affect the finished product. Personalized CDs and play lists will have a larger influence. Instead of artists creating new albums, they might focus their attention on one song, or perhaps executives will look into theme compilations – give a number of different bands and artists one theme, and then release that music all together. Whatever the music industry decides on, the next few years are going to revolutionize the way we view – and listen – to popular music. The music industry will never be the same.

About The Author

Esperdi Bova is the owner of Fth Music, expert site for your musical needs. For more information, please visit us at: http://www.fthmusic.com

This article was posted on February 16

by Esperdi Bova

VoIP (Computer Phone) Warning

VoIP (Computer Phone) Warning

by: Dee Scrip

Never before in the history of telecommunications has a more important warning been needed for current and potential VoIP (computer phone) users who have joined, or will be joining, in the inevitable paradigm shift from telephone to VoIP.

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Beware of VoIP internet service providers that operate on industry standard codec and industry standard protocols because they are PUBLICLY OPEN and INTERPRETABLE! This also includes, but is not limited to, peertopeer (P2P) networks.

In plain terms, this means, if you subscribe to, or considering subscribing to a VoIP internet solution provider who operates on these industry standards – and over 90% do you have inadvertently made yourself vulnerable to the criminal activities of hackers. Regardless of the type of anti virus software you have on your computer, the publicly accessible industry standards provide a pathway by which these criminals can access your computer to plant viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and/or steal your identity.

Like sharks in a feeding frenzy, unscrupulous criminal hackers view systems operating on these industry standards as their personal ขCash Cowข because of the ease by which they can access your computer and gather your information to sell to other criminals.

Did you know that some hackerfriendly providers offer processor chips that are only sold on the Internet?

Did you know that hackerfriendly providers actually offer hacker software that enables these criminals to deliberately disable security on computers, access your personal and confidential information, as well as inject their viruses, worms, and/or Trojan horses?

For instance, ขVomitข is a free download software that was designed to convert VoIP phone conversations into a wave file which could be played with standard sound players. Hackers gleefully interpret this as a tool they can utilize to attack unsuspecting victims.

Hacker manuals are also easily accessible via the Internet. One of these manuals shows how to DoS other sites. DoSing (Disruption of Service) involves gaining unauthorized access to the ขcommand promptข on your computer and using it to tie up your vital Internet services. When a hacker invades your system, they can then delete or create files and emails, modify security features, and plant viruses or time bombs onto your computer.

ขSniffข is another tool (originally intended to help telecommunication professionals detect and solve problems) that criminal hackers use to tamper with the protocol and ขsniff outข data. When hackers sniff out a data packet from Internet traffic, they reconstruct it to intercept conversations. This enables them to eavesdrop on conversations, gather information, and sell it to other unprincipled criminal entities.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the most sinister of vulnerabilities you can inadvertently be subjected to. Identity theft is defined by the Department of Justice as

ข…the wrongful obtaining and using of someone else’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.ข

Identity theft is the byproduct of unscrupulous criminal individuals obtaining your social security number (including those of your spouse and children), your bank account, your credit card information, etc. Your information is then sold to other criminal entities for profit. Using your information, these criminals can then:

access your bank account funds

create new bank accounts with your information

create driver’s licenses

create passports

Attorney General Ashcroft stated that,

กIdentity theft carries a heavy price, both in the damage to individuals whose identities are stolen and the enormous cost to Americaกs businesses.ข

Don’t be naïve enough to think it won’t happen or couldn’t happen to you!

A group hosting a website known as shadowcrew.com was indicted on conspiracy charges for stealing credit card numbers and identity documents, then selling them online. While this group allegedly trafficked $1.7 million in stolen credit card numbers, they also caused losses in excess of $4 million.

According to a Press Release issued by the Department of Justice on February 28, a hacker was convicted of several counts of fraud, one in which

ข…he fraudulently possessed more than 15 computer usernames and passwords belonging to other persons for the purpose of accessing their bank and financial services accounts, opening online bank accounts in the names of those persons, and transferring funds to unauthorized accounts.ข

If you are using a VoIP internet service provider and do not want to be a victim of Identity Theft, then take the first step to protect yourself don’t use VoIP internet service providers operating on industry standard codec and industry standard protocols.

Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses

On January 28, a press Release issued by the Department of Justice reported that a 19 year old was convicted for his criminal activity by ข…creating and unleashing a variant of the MS Blaster computer worm.ข Christopher Wray, Attorney General – Criminal Division stated that,

‘this … malicious attack on the information superhighway caused an economic and technological disruption that was felt around the world.ข

On February 11, in a Press Release issued by the Department of Justice, reported that another criminal was sentenced for circulating a worm. This worm,

ขdirected the infected computers to launch a distributed denial of service (DOS) attack against Microsoftกs main web site causing the site to shutdown and thus became inaccessible to the public for approximately four hours.ข

March 7, Symantec.com posted discovery of a worm named ขW32.Serflog.Bข that spread through filesharing networks and MSN Messenger – networks that operate on publicly open and interpretable industry standard codec and protocols, including P2P systems, as well as Instant Messaging systems—none of which are protected, regardless of the anti virus software on your computer. The W32.Serflog.B worm also lowers security settings and appears as a blank message window on the MSN Messenger.

If you don’t want to be the next victim of the devastation created by worms, STOP using services that operate on industry standard codec and protocols, and/or services that incorporate P2P systems.

Anti virus software does not incorporate protection for Instant Messaging services. In addition, Instant Messaging services, in and of themselves, do not include protection for their users.

If you like the convenience of text chatting via Instant Messaging, then use a VoIP internet service provider that includes the Instant Messaging feature one that does not operate on industry standard codec or industry standard protocols that are publicly open and accessible.

Optimally secure VoIP service providers that incorporate a secure Instant Messaging feature, operate from their own proprietary high end encryption codec on patented technology that is hosted in a professional facility. Simply put, when a VoIP internet service provider operates on optimally secure platforms, the Instant Messaging feature on the VoIP softphone, is also protected with their technology.

A Trojan horse is a program that internet criminals use to interrupt and interfere with your security software and produces the following results

Terminates processes

Removes registry entries

Stops services

Delete files

Hackers, who have gained access to your computer, because of the programs and software as mentioned above, are having a field day incorporating this nasty little program into their arsenal of weapons.

As recently as March 4, a new Trojan horse was discovered that modified settings in Internet Explorer. Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP were the reported systems that could be affected.

Here’s the bottom line.

If you are currently using a VoIP internet solution provider that operates on industry standard codec and industry standard protocols that are publicly open and interpretable, you need to make a decision:

Continue enticing criminal hackers and remain on their service, or

Take immediate corrective action.

If you are currently using Instant Messaging of any sort, you need to make a decision

Continue enticing criminal hackers and remain as a user of their service, or

Take immediate corrective action.

If you decide to take immediate corrective action:

Find a VoIP internet solution provider that has their own proprietary high end encryption codec

Find a VoIP internet solution provider that has their own proprietary patented technology

Find a VoIP internet solution provider that hosts their proprietary patented technology in a professional facility

Find a VoIP internet solution provider that includes the Instant Messaging feature in their proprietary patented technology

Here’s a place you can look over to see what a VoIP internet solution provider looks like that operates on their own proprietary high end encryption codec with their own proprietary patented technology hosted in a professional facility, AND that incorporates the Instant Messaging feature.

http://www.freepcphone.com

By Dee Scrip © All rights reserved

**Attn 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 resource box as listed above.

About The Author

Dee Scrip is a well known and respected published author of numerous articles on VoIP, VoIP Security, and other related VoIP issues. Other articles can be found at http://www.freepcphone.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 11

by Dee Scrip

Search Engine Optimization: Site Structure and Pop

Search Engine Optimization: Site Structure and Popularity

by: Milena Sotirova

In the Global Internet era the industry presence is undoubtedly related to the company online presence. Where is the scope of the online presence limitations and does it refer only to the search engine optimization aspect or it broadens into many related components.

Following the user experience line, it is easy to describe what the most important levels of access Internet popularity are and how it can be achieved.

Site organization

Well, the site organization is always the first after choosing a domain name that comes up as a decision in the design process. Organizing of the structure is a basic of the level of importance web promotion means. It requires following of simple and comprehensive rules that have proven results.

Home page is communication center of your site and it presumes availability of the basic structure and content implications. Good example of site navigation is PromotionWorld.com http://www.promotionworld.com/ site with well defined link structure and intersection navigation accessibility. List properly your basic content units, keeping the topic and title structure clear. Golden rule:ก Simple is bestก is totally applicable here and as you will see in the design. To keep simple means not to overload the home page with unuseful information and links. Structure inner index pages, where you can develop the structure and content and which will allow better search engine optimization and indexing.

The navigation should be clear and to be applied to all the pages. Generally users before going to your site have Internet experience and their expectations will follow the impression from their previous visits to other web sites. A good example of site structure is the Microsoftกs http://www.microsoft.com/ design decision with areas clearly defined and structured by families and content destinations. To find out what your industry competitors do, you can perform a research by your main keywords in the search engines. The site organization for a specific industry is generally kept in well defined frames.

Design

Following the best examples will allow your site to perform better. If you are trying to change the design, you can set a survey question about the user experience within your site. Use the feedback to learn how your users feel the change and ask specific questions to reach to weak points of the new implementation. The design should keep the industry line and to be a step ahead with following the best examples. Do your search here again to find out how the best industry sites are designed. Developing of your own design concept is very important for your site success. Concept elements are: the small design elements in the headers, table formatting, and link and title styles.

The images can be kept simple and used only where appropriate. The buttons can be replaced with table structure and links where over effect can be presented through style. This will allow you to achieve a double effect: site better indexing and positioning in the search engines and fast loading of the site pages.

Keep the colors easy to perceive without teasing the eyes. The colors should follow one line and to be corresponding in saturation and color schemes. One of the best examples is the Sunกs site design http://sun.com/ where the colors are used only to frame the content areas. The color choice should correspond to your industry sphere and keep the general site concept clear. Using too many effects can cause your users to abandon the site. The styling is also applicable to links and titles. The link font colors should be readable and corresponding to the basic methods of the successful internet marketing.

Generally the best design structure is a step ahead to improving your web presence. Using this powerful means you can achieve better web visibility and user retention.

About The Author

Milena Sotirova is Editor of DevStart, Inc. She has publications on web promotion, search engine optimization and web hosting industry news coverage and analyses. PromotionWorld.com is one of the most popular sites for web promotion and contains tutorials, tools, articles and search engine news. Subscribe for DevStart Channel http://www.promotionworld.com/informer/

Send your feedback to [email protected]

You can reproduce this article on your website, or in your Newsletter provided that you include the resource box.

This article was posted on November 26, 2004

by Milena Sotirova

How to Get Started on Your Marketing Plan

How to Get Started on Your Marketing Plan

by: Bobette Kyle

When developing or updating a marketing plan, knowing where to start is often a challenge. To better develop effective marketing strategies, begin by gathering information about both your business and the larger business environment (competition, trends, statistics, etc).

Internally, the amount of information you gather about your own business will depend on your company size. Information can include business strategies and plans; company marketing plans; pricing; and income statements. Employee knowledge is also a valuable resource. As you gather information, if you at first turn to internal sources then expand your understanding through external resources you will do fine.

External information about the business environment often takes the form of existing research, articles, competitive information, and industry news. While these are often available in both print and digital, the focus here is finding information online.

Gathering Information Online Getting Started

The numerous news sources and billion or so Web pages available on the Internet make finding information much easier than in preInternet days. Before the Internet, gathering information meant trips to the library, purchasing expensive publications and reports, and commissioning your own primary research. Now, it is a matter of knowing where to search.

You can start searching the Internet by looking in each of the general areas below. Organize useful material as you find it. Purchase, bookmark, or file each resource so you can draw upon it during marketing plan development.

These external resources, together with your internal company information, will be your initial knowledge base as you develop your Marketing Plan. As you progress along the planning process and the specific information you need become clearer, these initial resources are likely to be jumpingoff points for gathering more specific information.

Information Sources

Annual Reports and other SEC Filings. These documents are required by publicly held U.S. companies and often include statistics and other industry information.

Books. Books can often provide detailed insight and analysis you cannot find elsewhere.

The Government. At last count 100 U.S. Federal agencies had statistical programs, many with data available on the Web. You can find the complete list at fedstats.gov/agencies/index.html.

Message Boards and Newsgroups. You can pick up on trends, hot topics in the industry, and competitor information by following discussions.

News Articles. These often give clues to the business environment and can lead you to additional information sources.

Newsletters. By reading and subscribing to competitor and industry newsletters you can get insight into current promotional tactics and other activities.

Research Sites. Archives, press releases, newsletters, and executive summaries on these sites can provide relevant research findings and statistics.

Search Engines and Directories. Search by keyword or drill down into directory subcategories to find information.

Subject Sites. There are some general sites suite101.com, about.com, and business.com to name three with numerous topicspecific pages. Check for pages relating to your industry or product.

Trade Associations and Publications. You will often find industry information, statistics, and membership lists online.

White Papers and other Company Publications. Companies will sometimes publish free white papers that summarize the industry trends or other information.

Search these resources and follow a sound marketing plan strategy for greater business success. For more about developing marketing plans read the articles at http://www.MarketingPlanArticles.com.

About The Author

Bobette Kyle draws upon 10+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing.

Bobette offers a range of marketing plan tools to fit your business and budget. Find out more at http://www.HowMuchForSpider.com or visit the Web Site Marketing Plan Network at http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com.

Copyright 2002, 2004 Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved.

This article was posted on January 15, 2004

by Bobette Kyle

Is Click Fraud Really a Problem?

Is Click Fraud Really a Problem?

by: Tommy Maric

Click fraud is currently a major topic in online advertising. Many argue that it presents a threat to the stability and viability of payperclick (PPC) advertising, the key revenue generator for both Google and Overture. In actuality, click fraud is not a significant issue at all.

Click fraud occurs when ads are clicked for reasons other than a genuine interest in learning more about the product or service advertised. Click fraud occurs in two forms. In one instance, fraud arises from competitors trying to sabotage each other. One competitor clicks on the ads of another just to drain the budget of that company. The other instance occurs when webmasters (or people associated with the webmaster) repeatedly click Google AdSense ads (which are syndications of others’ ads) on their own web pages in order to generate more revenue. While both Overture and Google have developed sophisticated technologies to detect click fraud, their systems are, and may never be, foolproof.

The real question is how much does click fraud actually damage the PPC industry? Gross fraud, i.e., when one person or technology consistently and repeatedly clicks on an ad, aside, which Overture and Google can easily detect, we believe that click fraud has no real impact on the industry. The following explains why.

Efficient market theory says that it is impossible to ขbeat a marketข because prices already incorporate and reflect all relevant information. As the PPC industry has matured, efficiency has begun to take root. That is, the price of each keyword has been driven up to the point where it reflects the highest price an advertiser is willing to pay for a click.

For instance, a book retailer may pay $1.00 per click based on internal metrics. These metrics dictate, for example, that on average 30% of clickers purchase a book and the average profit per sale is $4.00. So, for every 100 clicks ($100 cost), they make 30 sales ($120 revenue) and generate a $20.00 (20%) profit. Note that years ago, the same retailer may have been able to pay only $0.50 per click, but as the market matured and more retailers began advertising, competitive bidding forced the price up to $1.00 where the highest return the most advertisers can make is 20%.

The key point is that click fraud is already taken into effect when advertisers select the highest amount they will bid. For instance, there is no difference whether an advertiser pays $0.83/click for 121 clicks with 21 being fraudulent, or $1.00/click for 100 clicks when there is absolutely no fraud. In either case, the advertiser pays $100 and generates a profit of $20, and Overture and/or Google make $100. What changes is the advertiser’s yield (e.g., the percent of clickers who purchased the book) which in turn effects their highest bid price. That is, with fraud, 30 out of 121 clickers (24.8%) purchased the book, and without fraud 30 out of 100 clickers (30%) purchased it. Without fraud, the bid price in an efficient market will rise from $0.83 to $1.00.

In summary, online advertisers must focus on analyzing and improving their internal metrics (e.g., conversions) and not worry about click fraud as it is already incorporated into keyword bid prices. Hopefully, the frivolous lawsuits and refund requests spawned by apparent click fraud will end as those in the industry recognize this undeniable fact.

About The Author

Tommy Maric is the manager of TopPayingKeywords.com. TopPayingKeywords.com is designed to help webmasters maximize their profits using Google’s Adsense™ program. Through extensive research, TopPayingKeywords.com develops uptodate databases of the most popular keywords and their accompanying bid prices. For more information, please visit http://www.toppayingkeywords.com.

Contact:

877TOPWORD

(8778679673)

tommy@[email protected]

This article was posted on April 13

by Tommy Maric

Link Popularity: Why Itกs The Best Investment You

Link Popularity: Why Itกs The Best Investment You Can Do For Your Business

by: Marcio Dias

More and more search engines rank your web pages based on the number of links that point to your web site (link popularity). Google uses link popularity as its most important factor in ranking sites. HotBot, AltaVista, MSN, Inktomi, and others also use link popularity in their formulas.

In the near future every major search engine will use link popularity, so developing and maintaining good link exchange campaigns are essential to the success of your business. Also, finding the right partner to exchange links with is equally as important as becoming a member of a link farm can be devastating to your long term search goals.

Your exchange link partner should be reputable in the industry, and should provide links back to you on pages that have a high page rank.

The end goal is to have the greatest number of websites pointing to you saying on the link itself, ขYour Company – Offering (insert your key phrases here)ข.

For a good ranking on Google, Inktomi and Altivista, you need good links that point to your site. If you develop a strong content oriented site you can persuade thousands of other webmasters to link to you or to trade links with you. If you want to do it yourself, all you need is the right content, the right email letter, and a keen eye for finding sites that well link to your site.

The key is to develop content people want to link to and then get out there and make the contacts by visiting peopleกs sites, sending out personalized emails to webmasters of sites you have visited, and networking in discussion groups.

You can also make posts in forums related to your industry to increase your link popularity. Just do a search on any search engine with your industry + forums or discussions and you should be able to find a few discussion boards where you can make posts.

Make sure that you find a way to participate on the discussion as opposed to just posting an ad thatกs not related to what people are talking about.

Another way that you can greatly increase the link popularity of your website is by publishing articles. There are literally thousands of ezine and newsletter publishers that would love to publish your article on their ezine.

Again, if you search for ezines related to your industry you should find plenty of places where you can submit an article and see it bring lots of targeted traffic. Make sure you place your resource box at the bottom of the article and require publishers to keep it there.

Thatกs it for now. For more info on how you could Get a High Ranking on Google in 3 Days, Visit www.WebProfitSecrets.com/FastonGoogle

About The Author

Marcio Dias is an established Web Marketing Specialist who has taken dozens of sites from obscurity to millions of visitors per year in as little as a few months. Visit his main site at: http://www.webprofitsecrets.co?s=ea

This article was posted on April 11

by Marcio Dias

Data Recovery 1on1

Data Recovery 1on1

by: Dan Fisher

For this weeks report we are talking with Greg Duffield of ACS Data Recovery http://www.acsdata.com

Q: Greg, since the late ก90กs there has been tremendous growth within the data recovery industry, why is that and what does it mean to the consumer?

A: Well, in the last 10 years the amount of data stored digitally has increased tremendously. With this trend towards simplification of file storage, the trend for losing this data has also increased.

Before computers you had to worry about your office burning down, or some other manmade or natural disaster that might have effected your paper files. Now with just about everything stored on computers, the fear is no different and the possibilities of catastrophic data loss occuring are actually greater.

The end result has been an influx of data recovery firms throughout the world assisting consumers with the recovery of their lost data. The benefit and the downfall to the consumer is having these companies openly competing for their business.

Q: The open competition is a downfall to the consumer as well?

A: Absolutely. For some companies, data recovery has become the latest กget rich quickก scheme. So they shop the market, see what the trends in the industry are and then offer subpar services at a substantially discounted rate. Many of these companies advertise complete data recovery for as little as $99 with no evaluation fees. Unfortunately for the consumer, this usually results in hidden service charges, and additional expense when the data is found กunrecoverableก. The sad part is, is that much of this data is actually recoverable, but the firm attempting the recovery just didn’t have the expertise to complete the task successfully.

Q: How do you see this effecting the data recovery industry as a whole?

A: I think the firms dedicated to providing their customers quality service will stand out no matter what. People like to make fun of used car dealers, well in that industry there are real sleaze balls and at the same time there are classA superior dealers that really do what is right. You see the same thing in every industry, and data recovery is no different.

Q: What should the consumer expect when they have lost their important data due to a hard drive crash or other calamity?

A: First of all, they will probably get a wide range of prices. On average I would say pricing for a standard IDE hard drive will probably run anywhere from $700 to $2,900. Thatกs a pretty big spread.

I would say stick with companies that do not charge an evaluation fee first and foremost. Many times an experienced data recovery technician can determine the type of hard drive failure within the first few seconds of starting the drive up. You know you’re either going to have to open the drive or your not. That element alone has a tremendous impact on the final price of the recovery and it can narrow the price band substantially.

When you send your drive in, don’t expect it to be completed overnight. We try to give our customers reasonable expectations, because thereกs nothing worse than making promises you can’t keep. We basically run our business by under promising and over delivering. We are up front with our customers and we know the boundaries of data recovery as far as what is and isn’t possible. As a consumer I would suggest you search until you find companies with a similar business philosophy. In other words, be wary of companies promising complete data recovery in less than 24hours. Depending on the amount of data needing to be recovered it can take that long just for the imaging.

Q: Where do you see data recovery going in the future?

A: I see consumers being supplied with more and more powerful tools to complete the easier recoveries on their own. However, there will always be a need for experienced data recovery firms simply because of the intricasies involved with invasive recoveries. These types of recoveries have to be performed in a class100 or better clean room.

Thanks for taking the time to be with us Greg, and best of luck to you in the future.

A: Thanks Dan, itกs been great.

About The Author

Dan Fisher is the owner of DataRecoveryReport.com a site dedicated to posting news, information, and white sheets regarding data recovery.

Greg Duffield is the founder of ACS Data Recovery http://www.acsdata.com ACS specializes in providing data recovery services to clients worldwide.

Copyright 20042005 DataRecoveryReport.com. This article may not be altered and can be distributed freely.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 19, 2004

by Dan Fisher

Probably The Best Piece Of Advice I Will Ever Give

Probably The Best Piece Of Advice I Will Ever Give You….

by: Richard Grady

Letกs face it, setting up a website business is pretty easy when you compare it to, say, opening a shop or restaurant or other กofflineก business. It doesn’t cost a lot of money and if you are prepared to learn, you will probably be able to do most of the work yourself. Even if you prefer to hire people to do the work, you can do this very cheaply by using one of the many กfreelanceก sites that exist exactly for this purpose.

With this in mind, probably the best piece of advice I will ever give you in relation to your Internet business is this:

กWhen you are making money with a website, keep your mouth shut!ก

In other words, don’t go telling everyone about your site and how much you are earning. Don’t share this information with your กfriendsก on the forums you visit each day, don’t tell your friends in the offline world, don’t tell anyone that you can’t trust 100%.

Why?

Because the world is full of copycats people that cannot come up with their own original ideas but who are happy to rip off other peopleกs ideas for their own financial benefit.

Now of course, this happens in the offline world too but far more work and money is involved in opening a new restaurant just down the road from another similar business that is already doing well. Even if you could be bothered with the work and could afford to do it, you would still have to face your competitor every single day knowing that you have basically done something that could have had a huge impact on that personกs income and the quality of life enjoyed by their family. Most people would not want to be in that situation.

Online this isn’t the case. It costs next to nothing to throw up a new site and it is unlikely that you will ever have to face the competitor that you have ripped off.

This means that people do it all the time, so I repeat my comment above, if you have a business online that is making money, keep it to yourself.

Now of course, I am guilty of breaking my own rule in some respects to the left of this sentence is an advertisement that states a monthly income which is available for everyone to read. This is because there are exceptions to the rule….

Part of my own income is generated from the Internet marketing industry and the competitiveness of this industry means that to have any chance of success, you must already have achieved a degree of success in other areas online. Often, the mark of success is the level of income your businesses are generating.

Hereกs the thing though, I own several online businesses that no one in the Internet marketing industry knows about and they generate just as much income for me as my กpublicก businesses. Some of my closest friends don’t know about these websites!

These sites quietly generate income and several are in completely untapped markets with little/no competition. If I were to reveal the markets, I would be flooded with competition in hours.

I am not alone most successful Internet marketers keep their cards close to their chests why wouldn’t they? It is daft to start shouting about what is making you money as this simply tempts the copycats out and into the game. Making a success of any business is hard enough but to invite competition is crazy!

If at some point you decide you want to venture into the Internet marketing กhow toก industry then do as I have done and make a couple of your sites high profile but keep the big money earners a secret.

Which brings me to another point a lot of people first try to make money online in the Internet marketing arena and this is a big mistake. This is an incredibly competitive area and there is just as much money to be made in other markets and most of the time it is, quite simply, a heck of a lot easier….

Think about it, in the Internet marketing industry you are usually pitching to other people that have a much higher awareness of sales techniques than กnormalก people. You are used to pop ups, autoresponders, newsletter lists, free ebooks etc and know that they are all designed to get you to spend money. Thing is though it works but how much better would it work in an industry where the customers don’t have the same level of awareness? I can tell you a LOT better 🙂

Copyright 2005 Richard Grady

About The Author

Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html.

This article was posted on January 20

by Richard Grady

Three Ways to Get More Referrals

Three Ways to Get More Referrals

by: Jay Conners

When you are in the business of sales, among the many key ingredients to your success is receiving referrals from as many sources as possible.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every morning you walked into your office and had a referral sitting there waiting for you on your desk?

Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, but here are few suggestions that should help steer some referrals your way.

1. Referral Groups

There are many referral groups out there for you to choose from. The premise of a referral group is first and foremost to receive and give referrals.

It works something like this;

Once a week your referral group meets at a designated spot for breakfast or lunch, and the meeting typically lasts for an hour to an hour and a half.

These groups normally don’t allow for any kind of conflict between industries, so you will most likely be the only one representing your industry. For instance there is only one banker, one printer, one loan officer, etc., etc.

In the beginning you spend some time catching up and exchanging business cards. As you are eating, each person is given a minute or two to take the floor and talk about themselves and the company that they work for, and give the group an idea of what a good referral would be for them.

Personally, I have been involved with these groups in the past and find them to work extremely well. One of the more popular ones is Business Networking International (BNI). You can find a local chapter on the web.

Look at it from this point of view, if your group has twentyfive people in it, than consider it a sales force working for you. Don’t forget, you are required to give referrals also.

2. Chambers of Commerce

Every city, town, or county has a Chamber of Commerce. They are not hard to find, and they are fairly simple to join. You can easily find your local chapter on the web or in the yellow pages. They also advertise in local business directories and news papers.

The chamber is a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. They meet once a week usually with a luncheon at a local restaurant. The first half hour is a network and business card exchange, followed by lunch with announcements about upcoming events, and a guest speaker.

Before hand, tables are provided to display your literature and props, and be on hand to discuss your business.

Chambers also hold annual events that you can participate in. Their events are normally held in the form of business expositions where you can rent a booth to display and sell your products.

Chambers normally have a lot of members depending upon the location, so you will probably find yourself competing for business with other people in your industry.

I continue to be involved with my local chamber, and have found it to be very beneficial to my career. I have found these organizations great for meeting people as well.

Keep in mind, these organizations come with very reasonable annual fees’, so make sure it fits your budget.

3.Giving Referrals

Perhaps one of the best ways to get referrals is to give referrals. If you give someone a referral and it works out for them, they will love you and remember you forever. And in turn, send referrals back your way.

I have to say, throughout my career, I found this to be one very effective way to get referrals. You might want to consider teaming up with someone with a similar job in your industry. For instance, if you are a loan officer, team up with a realtor, or if you are a home inspector, you might team up with an appraiser.

These are three very effective ways to keep those referrals coming your way. They have worked for me, and I have found them to be a nice way to break up my week, and build relationships with other business people in my community. Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed. Good luck!

About The Author

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 31

by Jay Conners

What 15 Years in the Network Marketing Industry Ta

What 15 Years in the Network Marketing Industry Taught Me

by: Greg Aldrich

Just whisper the words ขnetwork marketingข and you’re bound to get an emotional response from your listeners.

Many people are still saddled with antiquated ideas of how the old multilevel companies were run in the 60’s and 70’s. Remember? Those days when cars had to give way to products stockpiled in your garage and family and friends were suddenly afraid to visit you.

But the industry has grown past that caterpillar stage.

Added to this misconception is a common fear of failure. There are many people who in their quest for a homebased business opportunity try network marketing and fail at it. Without questioning why, they have just avoided the industry ever since. Having ‘survived’ the industry for over 15 years I’ll like to share with you my #1 secret for making it big … really BIG in network marketing.

The secret is choosing a team with an experienced coach who will teach, guide and motivate you towards success.

Of course there are other factors such as the financial backing of the company, timing, the compensation plan and marketing a consumable product. But if you are not properly trained and motivated during those early months you are almost doomed to failure.

Just think about it, every professional business person or athlete has a coach. Why should it be different in network marketing? I wouldn’t have survived as a network marketer if it wasn’t for the gifted leaders that I was privileged to work under and to learn from.

There are many business owners who will invest over $50,000 in a franchise and still pay a business consultant a 5figure retainer for advice so that their business succeeds. In network marketing, you can start your business for less than $500 and literally choose the coach or leader who will train you for FREE! Of course this will involve doing a little background check on the team leader you choose to work with but it’s time well spent.

Here are a few pointers that will help you when seeking out the ‘correct’ coach:

1. Make sure that he or she has a proven track record.

Just as the cream always floats to the top of the milk so a gifted leader will also prove his or her worth in the results produced. Generally speaking, you will not rise higher than your leader, so know how high you want to reach and find a coach who can get you there.

2. Go with someone who has been in the industry for many years.

Gaze up into the night sky and you’ll see an occasional shooting star. It burns bright and then disappears. This may be exciting to watch but only for a short moment. You want a leader who will be like the northern star—bright and steady. Those who are successful network marketers are people who stay for the long haul. Many people give up too quickly and never reap the harvest.

You want to choose a leader who have experienced some bumps in the road and can now be selective in choosing a company that is most likely to remain out of the MLM graveyard.

3. Find someone who knows how to market.

Network marketing is just that: marketing through networking. An essential part of the equation therefore is the effective marketing of your business. Marketing can eat up a small budget very quickly. Therefore, you must know what works from what doesn’t work so that you can use your advertising dollars most effectively. The name of the game is maximum returns for your money. I mean, that is the whole idea behind network marketing—leverage. This translates into small effort and great gain.

Find someone who knows how to use the tools of the trade such as teleconferencing, voicemail, direct mail, the internet and broadcast media. This is a business so you have to treat it like one.

4. Find a leader who studies the industry.

Anyone who claims to be a professional will subscribe to magazines in his area of expertise, attend seminars to keep abreast of what’s happening and keep his pulse on the industry. This is the only way that trends can be determined and what is working for the competition be uncovered. To simply concentrate on your own company and be blinded to what others are doing is narrow and myopic.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from other network marketers that can be incorporated into one’s own business.

5. Look for a leader who has people skills.

There is no escaping it. Even with all the new technology at our fingertips, network marketing is a people business. If a leader doesn’t love people then it will show and recruits will know. Network marketing could qualify as part of the hospitality sector because so much of its success depends on empowering and affirming people.

So find a leader who will be respectful of your value as a person and not just as another number to add to his downline.

The right opportunity and company may be the vehicle to your success but an effective coach is like highoctane gas in the tank!

Copyright (c) Greg Aldrich.

About The Author

Greg Aldrich is a successful network marketer. He attributes his success to his concern for the success of others. He is one of the first fifty distributors in a brand new opportunity poised to be the next industry giant. Visit http://www.ave5.com/?src=re1ac

This article was posted on April 16

by Greg Aldrich