Getting Noticed!

Getting Noticed!

by: Sue and Chuck DeFiore

One of the best ways to get your name out in your local community is to become a sponsor. A few hundred dollars gets your company name on little League caps; a little more, perhaps an ad at a roller rink. Donate money or materials to the local parade or a float. This buys goodwill and is great selfpromotion. If you provide a service donate that. For example, when we operated a word processing business we offered to do resumes for free for those out of work. If you are a hair stylist, offer to cut hair free to senior homes, or for children. If you run a pet related business offer some free products or service. Every business has something they can provide for free,even if it is only your time.

Be sure when you do something of this type to alert the local media. They love talking about what local businesses are doing for the community. However, do this sparingly. Don’t over use it or it loses its effectiveness.

In todayกs business arena setting up a web site is a must. For most businesses you don’t need anything fancy just a couple of pages which includes contact information, location and what your company policies are. For example, some background information on you (associations you belong to, educational background, qualifications). If you have some testimonials, this helps also. If you provide a newsletter, let folks know how they can receive it. You can also provide directions to your business, put specials on your website that you are running for the month, week or any time period you choose.

Brochures are another excellent way to get your name out there. Highlight your businessกs benefits to create copy that sells. Be sure however to make the content interesting and draw the reader in and motivate them to do business with you.

When you combine effective content with an easytoread, eyecatching design, your brochure will become a hardworking partner that will help you win the customers you need to start your company out right.

Another great way to get your name out and to tell your customers what you do is to use a Newsletter. Newsletters can be wonderful tools for communicating with your customers or prospects. Because of their format, they’re often infused with more credibility than traditional brochures. If your newsletter is little more than blatant selfpromotion, however, itกs likely to hit the wastebasket before it hits your targetกs desk.

We have given you a number of ways to get your name out there so start promoting yourself!

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002

About The Author

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 17 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our FREE กhow toก Home Business Solutions Digest, itกs like having your own personal coach: mailto:[email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 09, 2003

by Sue and Chuck DeFiore

Intranet Project Names Some Ideas

Intranet Project Names Some Ideas

by: David Viney

กWhatกs in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet.ก

In this famous quote from Act II of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and the fact he is a Montague and she a Capulet (warring families) means nothing to their love.

However, there is some strong evidence from the UKกs Cranfield University and elsewhere that the name one gives a project does have a marked impact on the behaviour and motivation of the people involved. It may surprise you, but the name you give to your Intranet Project could well be the most important decision you make in the early stages of mobilisation!

The Direct Approach

There is an argument in faour of naming your Intranet Project the wait for it กIntranet Projectก! Often, socalled กsecret squirrelก names (where one has to ferret out from colleagues what Project Banana is all about) serve only to create an unnecessary air of mystique (fit only for secret M&A projects). They can also serve to be divisive, by separating กpeople in the knowก from people outside the immediate project audience.

The functional approach

A functional name focuses on what the intranet does (e.g. search, find, access). This enjoys the same benefits as the direct approach, but affords one a little more poetic license. What about names like กProject Connectก or กProject Gatewayก, which serve to signal the core กmust haveก requirements for the project?

The conceptual approach

There is a problem with the direct or functional approaches; Research from Cranfield has demonstrated that people on projects tend to be very heavily influenced in their actions by the name of the project itself. If you call your project the Intranet project, it is a working intranet (i.e. the technology) that you will get. If your ambition was something much more visionary, such as a wholly new way of working for your people, you are likely to be disappointed!

The conceptual name targets what is achieved by the functionality, rather than the functionality itself. For example, if your company name was BigCo and your purpose was seeking to get everyone in the company working together, you could call the project กProject OneBigCoก or กProject Unityก. For the aforementioned new ways of working objective, you could use กProject Future Workplaceก.

The abstract approach

The abstract approach deals with how the project makes people feel. For example, กProject Blissก (for happiness), กProject Wizardก (for magic) or กProject Pulseก (for fastpacedness). Although one world usually fails to capture all you are trying to achieve with an Intranet Portal, this approach can prove highly effective (particularly where countercultural).

If all else fails

Nothing grabbed you so far? Well there is no saving you, then! I suppose there are always the standard fallback options: names of greek or roman gods, names of planets, names of birds and names of dances. These have the added value that if you spawn followon projects in a sequence you have readymade logical followon project titles. Incidentally, กProject Mercuryก would be my recommendation for planets or gods (as Mercury was the roman god of communications).

For more ideas on project names, why not check out my presentation in the Intranet Portal Guide.

About The Author

David Viney ([email protected]) is the author of the Intranet Portal Guide; 31 pages of advice, tools and downloads covering the period before, during and after an Intranet Portal implementation.

Read the guide at http://www.viney.com/DFV/intranet_portal_guide or the Intranet Watch Blog at http://www.viney.com/intranet_watch.

This article was posted on November 08, 2004

by David Viney

Phone Tips To Get Things Done: Professional Phone

Phone Tips To Get Things Done: Professional Phone Skills

by: John Robertson

It happens all the time, you hear someone over the telephone and you make a generalization about the person you are speaking with. It may not be fair and it is akin to judging a book by its cover, but itกs true nevertheless.
Within 60 seconds, people will make assumptions about oneกs education, background, ability and personality based on their voice alone.
What type of impression is your กphoneก voice making? Indeed there are two areas you should be aware of when speaking. One is กwhatก you say, the other the กhowก you say it. Studies show that as much as 87% of the listenerกs opinion of you is based on your voice alone. That leaves only 13% allocated to what we are saying to make a positive impression. With numbers like these it is easy to see why your voice is so important in your career and personal life.
Today we live in a กvoice mailก environment. We are playing กphone tagก, leaving messages and listening to voice mails left by others. It may take as many as 34 tries before actual contact is made and you have a conversation. By the time you do connect, you can be assured that other party already has formed an impression about you.
The following are some tips that will help you improve your phone voice and technique.
1. THIRD RING RULE: Answer the phone by the third ring or make sure you voice mail is set to pick up by the third ring. Today people are not inclined to wait much longer and will assume you are not available and hang up. Remember, as much as we think we don’t like voice mail, we like the option of leaving a message.
2. PROFESSIONAL GREETING: Remember the 87% rule above and make a good impression. Be aware of what you are going to say in the greeting. Then practice and rehearse BEFORE you leave the greeting on your answering machine. Be short and to the point. Don’t drag out the greeting. It is obvious you are กOut of the office or away from your deskก otherwise you would answer your phone. Consider leaving such statements out of your greeting unless you are actually away from the office, then say so and leave a date for your return. I recommend that you leave clear instructions as to what information you need from the caller. Reminder the caller to leave their phone number, best time to return the call and a brief subject.
3. PREPARE THEN ANSWER: Have a note pad and pen by your phone at all times. Write down the callerกs name and use it during the conversation.
4. BE AN ACTIVE LISTENER: Take notes, ask for correct spelling, etc. 5. PROMPTLY RETURN CALLS: Make it your personal goal that you will be one that returns phone calls. This may very well be the most professional characteristic of all you can develop. Set a goal to return phone calls within 4 hours, it will make a positive statement about you and your image.
6. CHECK YOU MESSAGES: Check your messages several times a day. Learn how to dial in from a remote phone to get your voice mails. Many times the caller is facing a deadline and your information may be crucial for them to complete their assignment.
ITกS A TWO WAY STREET. When You Leave Messages For Others Remember These Tips:
1. SLOW DOWN: Don’t speak too fast. Slow down when you are leaving a message, especially if you have an accent. If you make your message hard to understand or if the listener has to replay it several times to get your message your reputation is slipping in their mind.
2. CLEARLY SAY YOUR NAME: Make absolutely sure the caller will understand your name. Consider spelling your name if hard to pronounce or is not a common name.
3. SLOW DOWN: When leaving your phone number go slow. Most likely the listener is writing down your number, make it easy for them to do so. Repeat the number. Consider saying your number at the beginning and end of your voice mail. People will appreciate this.
4. LEAVE YOUR NAME, COMPANY NAME AND REASON: Leave the listener with all the information they will need to know about you. Don’t make them guess. Always leave the reason you are calling. It is very unprofessional to just leave a message simply saying กgive me a callก
5. MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO RETURN YOUR CALL: Tell them a good time to return your call. Give them a date, time and phone number.
6. BE PROFESSIONAL: People do judge you by the tone of your voice. Increase your image by sounding professional in everything you do over the phone
Remember that you won’t be able to avoid phone tag, but you can definitely put things in your favor by doing several small things that will make a BIG difference in your image.
For more details on Business Communications, including effective email and voice mail use contact www.TrainingConnections.ORG.
(c) 2004 TrainingConnections.ORG

All rights reserved

About The Author

John Robertson is a Professional Trainer with over 20 years experience in Mid to Sr. Level Management in several Fortune 500 companies. His real world experience will bring credibility to your company. TrainingConnections.Org focuses on three major categories of Employee Performance Improvement; Leadership, Management and Sales Training. Contact us today for more information or check our web site.

http://trainingconnections.org/

mailto:[email protected]

This article was posted on July 10, 2004

by John Robertson

Tips and Tricks To Getting Top Money for your Doma

Tips and Tricks To Getting Top Money for your Domain Names

by: Dayne Herren

Would you like to be that lucky person who sells their domain for thousands or even a million dollars? It IS possible to find quality domains and resell them for huge amounts of money. The time is ripe for acquiring top domains and selling them. Now that the Internet Boom is behind us, valuable names expire everyday. The best way to find these domains is to use services on the Internet such as DomainsBot to weed out the bad names. Or just check out Hot Lists on sites like Namewinner or Pool.
So what makes a กgoodก domain name? Usually short, single word domains and 23 letter .coms, .nets, and .orgs are the best. The more specific the better. These can be hard to come by but when you find them, you can almost guarantee that you can make good money from them. Once you have purchased a nice domain name, get a good appraisal of the name to get an idea of the possible worth (see AppraisalBlast.com). In order to sell your newly appraised name, you have to find a buyer. Here are your basic options for selling your domain name in a nutshell:
1. Sell it on Ebay
This is the easiest and quickest way to sell your domain name. There are several tricks to landing a good sale at Ebay. One is, start your price low. People want a bargain. Once you have received an initial bid, it will draw peoples attention to your name and create more bids. You may want to set a reserve price if you want to make sure you get X amount of dollars. When selling your domain on Ebay, make sure your domain name is in the title of the description. Also, include an appraisal to show to possible buyers the value of the domain. Keep your description short, clean, and really emphasize how important and rare your domain is. For example, if your domain is 3 letters and ends in กIก, stress how most 3 letter domains that are highly valuable end in กIก because it usually stands for กIncorporatedก. If it ends in กEก it could stand for กEnterpriseก. A little bit of marketing saavy can go a long way. I once sold the domain 0pp.com for over $200. It even has a number in it making it worth very little. But I emphasize its possible uses and potential. Also, spend the extra $1 for the Bold Listing and make sure your auction ends on a Sunday afternoon or evening. This is when most people are browsing Ebay. It will make a big difference.
2. Sell it on Domain Sites
The only sites you should even consider putting your name up for sale is on ebay.com, Afternic, or Sedo. These are the most popular and where some huge sales have taken place. The only downside is that there are high numbers of domains already for sale and usually the site will get a commission of something around 10%. There also may be a small fee to join. Appraisal Blast charges a minimal fee but no commission. Your domain will get more exposure there just because there aren’t hundreds of domains for sale. You may also have luck selling it on forums such as DomainState. The prices of sales there seem to be lower.
3. Contact Large Businesses with Deep Pockets
This approach takes some time and patience. Letกs say you have acquired a great domain name that would work great for any business in the field of the stock market. You may want to locate some of the bigger sites or businesses and make an offer to sell your domain name. Make sure the name you own doens’t have any elements that are already trademarked because you may be forced to give up the name. You may want to go on the Internet and look up current websites that deal with stocks and find ones that don’t have the greatest domain names. Make offers to these sites stating how your domain is much better and will HELP them. If you get a company to bite, the rewards are usually very generous!
In summary, selling domains for high amounts of cash depends on two key elements. First you must have a quality domain, one that doesn’t have numbers or isn’t too long. It must be clear and easily recognizable. ก.comก is the best, but even domains such as the ก.usก are gaining popularity. The second key is Marketing, Marketing, Marketing! I can’t stress that enough. You have to create a good reason for someone to buy your domain. How can THEY benefit from it. When these two steps are fulfilled, a sale is almost guaranteed!

About The Author

Dayne Herren is a domain seller and buyer, web developer, and artist.
Professional Domain Name Appraisals http://www.appraisalblast.com

This article was posted on May 14, 2004

by Dayne Herren

How To Really Profit from Domain Names

How To Really Profit from Domain Names

by: J. Stephen Pope

Have you heard about domain names that sold for over a million dollars? Inspired by this, you imagine registering a great domain name, hanging onto it for a while, and then selling it off to become the next multimillionaire. It could happen, but don`t count on it!

First of all, many of the truly great domain names are already taken. Second, the dot com bust took some of the wind out of inflated domain name prices. (If you sell your domain name for millions of dollars worth of stock in a publicly traded dot com flop, what is the name really worth?)

The cybersquatter buys domain names totally on speculation. Sometimes he will register names of famous brands, companies, or individuals. Time and again, these domain name speculators learn the hard way that they must respect intellectual property rights. They hope that some large corporation will pay big bucks to them for the use of the company`s own (already trademarked) name. Instead, they end up with threatening letters from a law firm for their attempts at extortion.

However, you can still make money from domain names if you are sensible in your approach. Here are some suggestions on ways to profit.

1. Affiliate Programs: Use your domain name to promote an appropriate affiliate program. Either redirect to the affiliate site or write a review that links to them.

2. Informational Sites: Create content and then profit from it by earning advertising revenue through Google AdSense or a similar program.

3. Redirect to Your Own Site: Some reasons you might want to do this include preventing competitors from using a particular domain name and benefiting from searches some users perform by domain name. (For example, if they wanted to order flowers, they might just type กflowers.comก in their web browser. You could get some traffic and sales this way.)

4. Product Sites: Create your own or sell someone else`s product appropriate to your domain name.

5. Park Your Domain Names: You might feel that your name has real potential for resale value. There are companies that will allow you to park your domain on their servers, advertise that your name is for sale, and split advertising revenue with you.

The trick is to generate traffic for your domain name. That traffic in turn will create revenue. Then, when you go to sell your domain name, you will have a few things going for you.

First, you will have a fully developed website. A fully constructed building on a piece of land increases the value of the real estate property. Similarly, the value of your domain name is enhanced by a complete and operating website.

Second, you have traffic. Just as a shopping mall with no traffic results in no sales, so a website must have traffic to generate income.

Third, you have income. An income property, such as an apartment building, can be appraised on the basis of its income (as well as other factors). Similarly, the gross income, net profits and cashflow of a website have value. For example, if someone offered you $1,000 for your domain name and website when it was generating $10,000 per day in profits, you would likely laugh at him.

You really can profit from your domain name investments by adding value and properly developing your web properties.

For further information about profiting from domain names, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domainnames.html

About The Author

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twentyfive years.

For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

This article was posted on February 28

by J. Stephen Pope

Changing To New Host? No More Worries!

Changing To New Host? No More Worries!

by: Priyanka Agarwal

Johnกs online business is expanding. His customers are increasing day by day. However, he feels very frustrated at the moment as he finds his website is กdownก about every 4th day. Whenever he calls up the support team of his web host, he gets the same old answer that his problem will be rectified soon. If the problems do persist it will surely hamper his business. He has been with his present hosting provider for the last year but now he feels he has to find a new web host as soon as possible because his present hosting package is also not able to meet up with his growing demands. This is not a oneoff occurrence that has happened only to John, it happens with many people like him. Changing the web host might become a cumbersome task if John and other people like him don’t know the correct procedure of doing it. So, letกs have a look at the following easy and simple steps:

First of all, itกs very important to have a backup of your website and everything related to it, like databases, scripts etc. It will be very helpful in case there is data loss because of any unforseen reason. Save at least 2 copies of everything and store them separately, so that you can work with one and the other one will function as a backup. You can take backup in various ways. One is by using software programs like a FTP program (e.g. Smart FTP http://www.smartftp.com/) for downloading data.

Now, the time is to look for a new web host that meets all your requirements and provides better technical services than your previous host. Since you have already been through the search procedure it won’t take you much time to come across a reliable hosting company.

Once you have taken a new webhosting plan and you are ready to upload your web pages, databases etc., check that you have received an IP number, FTP or FrontPage login, and password from your new hosting company. Now, upload all your files to the new server; you are just repeating the same procedure that youกve done in the past when you uploaded your files for the very first time.

Only a few more steps more and you will be completely done. Before transferring your DNS servers over from your previous host to your new one, debug and test the new site from an individual IP number. Check that all the web pages exist, the links point to the right pages and that all your scripts are running. One important point which people always forget is their domain name expiration date. If you plan to move near the expiration date, it could cause you lots of problems. To be on the safe side, make sure that you have at least 34 weeks in hand before the domain name expires, or just renew it for another year.

To transfer domain name service to a new host identify registrar using กWHOisก lookup http://domregm6.net/domains/WHois.asp, verify registration of your domain name, identify the name server information for the host your are transferring to, and make changes in the DNS information at the registrar. During this DNS transition period new DNS information has to be propagated throughout the worldกs DNS servers. This propagation might take 24 days as an International root name server will firstly have to check all the various Domain registrars for updates, and then every ISP provider will update their DNS setting to show the new changes. Not only this, even Internet, i.e. Internet routers and caching engines have to update/clear its DNS cache as well. During this propagation period, you keep your old site running so that the visitors whose ISP provider haven’t updated can still visit your website.

Itกs advisable that you don’t cancel your old hosting service during the transition period, as you will need to check your mail from both the hosting providers, as some will direct email to your old server whereas other Internet regions will send mail to your new server. After one or two weeks you can annul the account with your old host.

On the very first notion it sounds like a painful task to find a new web host and make all the necessary changes, but with the steps known, people like John will not find this procedure problematic. With so many automation software packages available, it has now become easier to switch over your web site from old host to new host. If both hosting providers have the same operation system platform, the procedure will become even simpler. But remember, the most important task in the whole hostchanging scenario is to find a host that meets your requirements so that you don’t have to go through this entire procedure again in the future.

About The Author

Priyanka Agarwal

Hosting evangelist

http://www.m6.net/

Priyanka is an M6.Net Hosting Evangelist, spreading to all the word about Web Hosting.

This article was posted on February 02

by Priyanka Agarwal

How to Read A Person Like A Book

How to Read A Person Like A Book

by: Oscar Bruce

The human mind is an innovative hybrid that allows us to anticipate the future to think big thoughts. Thatกs the good news.

However, a growing number of psychologists and behavioral scientists are finding evidence that our brains are hardwired for mistakes in today social environment, especially when it comes to assessing the personality and predicting behavior of people we encounter.

Why are we so bad at reading the intentions of others? Built on top of the older กemotionalก parts of our mammalian circuitry, there is a กrationalก cerebral cortex. The two are often at odds, and under the surface, our protective instincts are always lurking. Unfortunately the กemotionalก circuitry frequently overwhelms the กrationalก cortex. When we encounter people we simply give more weight to elements in their personalities that support our beloved preconceptions than to any evidence to the contrary. Thus we frequently completely miss the target and pay a price of our misjudgments.

ARBITARY OBSESSIONS

The frontal lobes have fallen in love with our preconceptions. This hardwired programming undercuts us in a host of sadly familiar ways. The most common is the way our preconceptions and prejudices distort our perception of individuals we wish to assess.

CONFIRMATION BIAS

This is our all too natural ability to convince ourselves of whatever it is that we want to believe. How? We simply give more weight to events that support our desired prejudice or preconception than to any evidence to the contrary.

PREPARATION MUST PRECEDE OPPORTUNITY

Consider how many great opportunities are lost by what I call กsemantic sabotageก. If youกve ever found yourself stumbling over your words, or simply not knowing what to say next youกve experienced ‘the dialog dilemma.ก Also if youกve uttered a statement, then realized that it wasn’t exactly what you meant to say. These are all curable maladies.

IกLL BET YOURกVE NEVER HAD THIS EXPERIENCE… Someone introduces themselves to you. Then you tell them your name. Suddenly you realize you can not recall their name. Why does this happen so often? Simple, you didn’t forget their name you never really heard it in the first place! You still had yourself in the middle of the picture.

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand they listen with the intent to reply or impress. This is never successful because the mind does not have simultaneous capability. Therefore, if you are contemplating your next statement, you are not focusing on his words, tones and actions.

In order to read a person like a book, you must get them to open up, get them talking. Getting people to open up is a skill that you can learn.

A skilled conversationalist uses specific question in three different categories. (1) Conversation starters. (2) Personal questions. (3) Philosophical questions. Once youกve mastered a small inventory of optional questions you can switch categories to control the outcome.

QUESTIONS ARE THE KEY TO KNOWLEDGE and source of power. He who does not ask the right questions always hears the wrong answers. An unclear question has an infinite number of answers.

Many say that information is the path to power. The wealthiest people will tell you that itกs their ability to make wise choices in dealing with people is their greatest asset. And that when they did make mistakes, it was often disastrous for them socially and financially.

About The Author

Oscar Bruce is considered the ultimate personal communications guru. His dynamic books are considered field manuals for mastering conversation and confrontations. His website offers several verbal strategies that can add power to your conversations at no cost.

HIS FREE NEWSLETTER is available at http://www.oscarbruce.com

Copyright: 2005

Article Autoresponder: mailto:[email protected]

Author Contact Email: mailto:[email protected]

TERMS OF REPRINT Publication Rules

The requirements for publishing this article are:

You May Not change the content of the article, except for minor corrections for layout, typos or grammar.

You May Not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email). Email distribution of this article MUST be optin email only.

If you post this article on a website, you MUST set any URLกs or email addresses in the body of the article or in the Authorกs Resource Box as hyperlinks (clickable links).

Please, if possible, forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter in which you published the article, or if on a webpage, the link to the article, to the author.

This article was posted on March 25

by Oscar Bruce

The ‘Website’ CHECKLIST : Domains, Hosting, Web De

The ‘Website’ CHECKLIST : Domains, Hosting, Web Design

by: Teeyes Siva

This article is meant to all who already have a website or who propose to buy it. Website – the term comprises three things : Domain, Hosting (Web space) & Web Design
There are numerous company offering these services. I am here to discuss few points with regards to top and essential things you need to have a thorough check when you get a WEBSITE thru one of these companies.
Now to the article,
Every day, I get few phone calls of this sort :

Sir, My domain expires in next few days, but the company which registered it is out of business, Please RENEW itข
Sir, I want to transfer the domain to your server but I don’t have the domain control panelข
Dear Support Team, The domain is registered thru ‘X’ and his name is listed as REGISTRANT and Admin Contact, help meข
I have a website since 1998 but I am not getting any enquiries thru it. So what’s the point in having it renewed ? ข
My website is down most of the time, can you do anything on it? ข

If you look at the above, you could observe the common problem. Thus, a checklist is required for any WEBSITE. Lets see one by one :
Domain NAME Registration : CHECKLIST
Once your domain is registered, check these things :

Is the DOMAIN NAME Registered with an ICANN Accredited Registrar ? (Visit : www.icann.org)
Does the REGISTRANT NAME and ADMINSTRATIVE CONTACT show your name/email ?
Did the Domain Registration Service Provider give you the Domain CONTROL PANEL with username / password to manage/modify name servers & contact details in realtime ?
Do you have the OPTION to get REMINDERS at the time of RENEWAL, well in advance ?

Web Hosting (Web space) : CHECKLIST

Support, Support, Support – is the KEY issue when it comes to Hosting. Check the response time of the Service Provider before making an option.
How skilled the technical persons are ? Just put in few queries and see how they respond ?
Get a quick look at the Service Provider Website and make sure its professional looking with user friendly navigation and layout.
Check if they have listed TESTIMONIALS, list of sites hosted with them, discount options for bulk purchase, payment modes. Also make sure there are NO Hidden charges. The key part to look is : the BANDWIDTH offered for each hosting plan.
Multiple Domains in single hosting space. This is an added advantage and saves your money. You can ask for this option if not provided.
Make a deep study on the Hosting Plan you choose. Check all the essential features are provided. To name a few, POP3 mails, SMTP support, FTP Account, Control Panel, Web mail, Spam Controller, Antivirus, Web Statistics.

Website Design : CHECKLIST

Does the website designer provide you with free minor updates or for a nominal fee on a yearly contract basis ?
Is the website professional looking and appeals to the global audience ?
It has been 3 months since your launch and there is NO fruitful enquiries and you are UPSET. Wait…..go to : www.google.com and put your website name and click search. Does it show up anywhere in the results ?
Does the website designer provided you with monitoring service ?
Does the website take lot of time to load. Make sure it loads faster even on slow connections. Too much of Flashy animations, bigger size jpegs are NOT an option for your site. CONTENT is the King. Make sure your website ‘delivers’.

The above is just a tip of the iceberg. I have compiled the most essential facts of a WEBSITE Registration, Hosting and Web Design.
Do write to me with your comments and views. My email : [email protected]
Teeyes Siva

Sales Head – Aalphanet.com

About The Author

Teeyes Siva heads the Sales Operations @ aalpha NET (www.aalphanet.com) , India’s leading domain name registration, web hosting service provider. He can be reached @ [email protected] or 00 91 452 3105858.

This article was posted on June 25, 2004

by Teeyes Siva

How to Grab Attention with your Headlines

How to Grab Attention with your Headlines

by: Charlie Cook

Youกve got just a few seconds to grab your prospectsก attention, spark their interest and motivate them to keep reading whether they’re looking at your web site, your letter or your brochure. Headlines are the first thing your prospects read. Four out of five people determine whether they keep reading to learn about your products and services on the basis of your headline.

Do your headlines capture your prospectsก attention or do they confuse them and send them away?

Are your headlines prompting prospects to learn about your products and services or click to another web site or throw away your letter?

Avoid the three following headline mistakes.

Don’t Emphasize Obscure Company Names

Most small businesses and many not so small businesses names aren’t household words. Unless your name is among the top ten most recognized brands such as, Craftsman, Waterford, Rolls Royce, the Discovery Channel, WD40 or Crayola there is a very good chance people won’t associate your company name with anything.

Have you ever visited a web site or read a print ad where the companyกs name covered the top part of the page and it was something like, กPharos Partnersก? Unless the name of your company describes what you do, it is not going to grab prospectsก attention. Move it to the side and make room for a creative headline.

Avoid Welcome Statements

On many web sites the first line you read is, กWelcome to our Siteก. There is a reason you don’t see these in print ads. Welcome statements are a waste of time in marketing materials; they do little to help prospects understand what you do.

Delete Vague Descriptions and Statements

Statements like, กOur purpose is to connect you with information and resources to achieve your maximum potentialก, could apply to a number of different professions. It could refer to a cooking school, a management consultant or an eldercare program.

Are you wasting valuable space where your headline goes to feature a company name that doesn’t describe what you do?

Does your headline include กbusiness speakก terms your children or motherinlaw can’t explain?

Is your description of product and services specific or is it so generic that it could apply to other types of businesses?

Does your headline focus on the selling points that distinguish your products and services from the competitions?

Writing Headlines that Get Your Prospectsก Attention

People look at web sites the same way they look at magazine ads. They scan the page quickly to see if the product or service is something they want. On the web or in a marketing brochure, if you capture their interest, theyกll keep reading.

The best way to do this is to give them a clear idea of the problems your products or services can solve and/or the benefits you provide. Use a few carefully selected words such as:

Leverage your expertise to attract a steady stream of clients

Reliable Office Supplies, free next day delivery.

Inhome sports training for exercise enthusiasts

Web and print design that helps your business grow

Costa Rica Travel, Unique offthebeaten track tours to jungles and beaches

Your page headline should communicate clearly what you offer clients, which problems you solve and the benefits you provide. Do your headlines:

Clarify what you do?

Describe the problems you solve?

Define whom you do it for?

Explain the benefits?

Emphasis a key selling point?

Compel your prospects to keep reading?

Imagine that you worked at an exercise facility and wanted to attract clients for your massage business. Here are some possible headlines you might use for your flyer and associated critiques.

George Jenkins Massage

(Itกs your name but so what)

Are You Bothered By Back Pain

(Better, it defines the problem)

7 Ways to Get Instant Back Pain Relief

(Defines the problem and a solution)

How Computer Users Can Banish Back Pain in One Hour

(Defines who your target market is, the problem and the benefit)

Grab your prospects attention in the first few seconds with your headline. Then follow with compelling copy that clarifies the value of your products and services and youกll generate many more sales.

2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

About The Author

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Guide, ก7 Steps to Grow Your Businessก and the กMore Businessก newsletter, full of practical tips you can use at http://www.charliecook.net

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 22, 2004

by Charlie Cook

Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own

Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?

by: Bill Platt

Proven and Exceptional ClickThrough Results

Testing has proven again and again that promotional articles generate more clickthrough traffic than standard ezine advertising. And it is much cheaper than standard ezine advertising, even if you are paying someone else to write and distribute your articles for you.

Promotional articles that are distributed with freereprint rights get published regularly in ezines and on websites and the results are longterm. Both publication outlets generate results, although both outlets generate different patterns of traffic to your site.

Creating Content

Either you know that you are capable of writing your own articles or you feel that you might need to hire a ghostwriter to help you with your task.

If you need a ghostwriter to help you create articles to promote your program, there are literally dozens of companies and hundreds of freelance writers out there that can help you complete your task.

Tips for Selecting Your Ghostwriter

One of my clients asked me the other day whether they should use their own inhouse writer to develop their articles or whether they should hire a famous writer to write their articles for them.

That is a good question. It depends on how many articles you will want to have created for you.

If you plan on creating fewer than ten articles, it might make more sense to hire an already famous, professional writer. So long as your famous writer is known for the type of content you want to have created, then your famous writer will help you get a strong running start in that they already have a good reputation in the field you want your articles written.

If your famous writer is not known in your field, then it does not matter whether you use the famous writer, your inhouse writer, or if you create a pen name for a fictional writer.

Gambling on the Long Term

If your intent is to have more than ten articles created, then it is my suggestion that you should either use your inhouse writer using his or her real name or create a pen name for your inhouse writer.

Whether you use the writer*s real name or a pen name, your decision should be made upon your confidence in your inhouse writer. Sure, you can count on their skills or you would not be considering using their work. The real question you must ask yourself is how long you feel that the inhouse writer will remain in your employment.

There is always a chance that your business will be built on the name of someone who goes to another job, taking his or her name recognition with him or her to the other employer. Using your writer*s real name or a pen name is always a gamble. Weigh all of the factors well before making your decision.

If It Were My Business

If I ran a brickandmortar business in a very competitive marketplace where personalities can shine brighter than the home office, then I would strongly consider using my inhouse writer and providing him or her with a fictional pen name. There is no sense in building a name that will go on to promote your competition.

Manifesting the *Power of Seven*

If you have plans to develop more than ten articles for the promotion of your business, then it does not matter if your writer is already famous in your field.

I am sure that you have heard about the *Power of Seven.*

Many research companies have studied the question of how many times a business must be seen before the customer has confidence enough to spend money with the business.

The research has been conclusive. Seven is the magic number. Once a potential customer has heard of a business seven times, the business has rose above the first major hurdle in attracting the potential customer to their business. After a potential customer has heard of a business seven times, then the potential customer is much more likely to trust the business enough to spend their money with the business.

The *Power of Ten* in Publishing

A writer is very much like a business, and a publisher is very much like a customer. The *Power of Seven* plays an important role in getting the writer*s work published.

However, we cannot count on seven promotional articles to bridge the trust gap with the publisher. While publishers will see most of your articles, as they are made available for publication, usually they will not see seven articles in seven distributions.

Publishers are busy people and they do not check for new articles daily. But, publishers do check for new articles regularly as they need to continuously find materials for publication.

The goal is to send out ten articles to get seven articles seen and read by publishers. Once the publisher reads the seventh article, if the quality of the articles had been good, then the publisher will trust the value of the articles created by the writer.

More Figures Concerning Promotional Article Success

Ironically, the fact that the publisher has seen articles by a particular writer seven times is often good enough to get the writer published. The publisher only needs to read one or two good quality articles by the writer to cement the trust they will have in the writer.

Once the publisher has come to the decision that a writer is good and provides information important to their readers, the publisher will always notice the writer*s name as they are browsing for the next article that they will publish.

With my business, I have been distributing articles for my clients since early 2000. Any writer who has permitted me to submit articles for them for the length of six months remains to be one of my clients. Why do you think that is?

I believe it is because six months worth of article submissions whether done weekly, biweekly or monthly has enabled my client*s to bridge the *Power of Seven* with the publishers and webmasters who receive the articles that I distribute.

Some who distribute weekly cross the *Power of Seven* bridge well before the six months is up and they reaped fast rewards for their hyperdistribution schedule.

Publishers & Webmasters Are the Gateways to Buyers

With my service, I am able to get your articles into the mailboxes of more than 12,000 publishers and webmasters looking for good quality content.

If only 25 publishers with an average of 5,000 readers each reprint an article, then 125,000 potential buyers could read the average article. Add to that fact that several of my client*s get published in ezines that reach more than 700,000 readers, and my clients can reach nearly one million buyers with a single article.

The *Power of Seven* Could Make YOU Famous!

I always suggest that if you are doing more than ten articles, you should use your inhouse writer*s name or a fictional pen name. The reason I say this is that after ten articles, you will be strongly on the road to becoming famous yourself. Once the name used to promote your business has become famous, and then your business will continue to reap the rewards for that famous name for years to come.

About The Author

Bill Platt owns http://thePhantomWriters.com. Do you need free content for your website or ezine? Our archives deliver more than 700 freereprint articles available for your use. http://content.thePhantomWriters.com. Do you write your own articles? Let us distribute them for you to our network of 12000+ publishers & webmasters http://thePhantomWriters.com/distribution

This article was posted on September 27, 2004

by Bill Platt

Pick Up Your Own Domain Name

Pick Up Your Own Domain Name

by: Oleg Lazarenko

Think up a name and check if yourname.com is available. Personally, I like to use http://www.whois.com to check if a domain name is available. You may also check the registrant contact information using ขwhoisข service if you want to negotiate about purchasing the domain you like from people who registered it first.

To register domain name for our customers we use:

http://www.godaddy.com

We are not affiliates with Godaddy in any way, but I think this is the best online company which provides this service. Their rates are low and you will have 24 hours access to your control panel to change the domain name information in case your office moves or phone number changes. This is very convenient.

If you can’t get that exact name as a dotcom, choose another name. Your site title MUST be the same as your domain name. People won’t remember your domain name, but they will remember your site title if they choose to add your website to their favorites. It will also help to provide better place in Google listings. There are several rules to follow when you choose the domain name:

1. It must be as short as possible but don’t make it something like abc.com only because this domain is available. Be reasonable.

2. Make it memorable. It must represent your company and it is not a bad idea to make your company name as a domain name.

3. Make it include your keywords, something like allwebdesign.com if your website is about web design. This advice is related to search engine optimization issue. Most of search engines like to get กmainก keywords in the domain name, title and website description.

4. The domain name must be first level domain, not the sub domain of a bigger website. For example, it is not a good idea to use http://mydomain.somebigsite.com as your website name. The first level domain costs about $ 9 dollars and it not an excuse to have business website on a free sub domain. Search engines also do not like such domains and you automatically will be placed lower then your competitors in the search engine listings.

5. It is better to buy a domain name separately from the hosting plan. A domain name is much more important then a hosting provider. As I noticed, the average duration of a web hosting company life is one or two years. If your hosting provider disappears from the web, it may be a problem to get your domain name transferred to your new hosting provider.

It is not difficult to buy and register a domain name at all. You will be given a number of questions related to your location, position and contact information. All this information will be used during the domain name registration and any person who uses ขwhoisข service will have access to that information, so it will be wise to enter only your business information and not to use personal data. When you buy a hosting plan, your hosting provider will send you the letter with the name server ips. You will need to send those numbers to your domain name registrant.

Now you are ready to select a web hosting provider and buy a hosting plan.

This article may be reprinted and distributed with no charge until the credit line below remains without changes.

Thanks for reading.

Article source: http://www.metamorphozis.com/tutorials/choose_domain.shtml

About The Author

Oleg Lazarenko

Production Manager of Metamorphosis Web Design Studio –

Flash templates and Web Templates

http://www.metamorphozis.com

This article was posted on August 17

by Oleg Lazarenko