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.

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog to Publish Your Ezine

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog to Publish Your Ezine

by: Denise Wakeman

Blogs are the hottest thing going these days when it comes to marketing on the Internet. A blog is a delivery medium. Here are 10 reasons why you should deliver your ezine articles via a blog.

1. A blog is web based so you can update and post new articles anywhere, anytime. Itกs a dynamic medium that can be updated on a momentกs notice.

2. Subscribers can subscribe to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed and have your content delivered straight to their desktop. This delivery system bypasses spam filters and readers get exactly the content they want.

3. No web site to mess with. Itกs very inexpensive way to set up a web presence for your ezine. There are several sites where you can set up a free blog and others are very reasonably priced for the massive exposure you can get.

4. You can set up links for ads and your affiliate programs in side columns so you don’t have to include them in your ezine format.

5. You can set up a subscription form and send emails to your subscribers when new content is added.

6. Blogs link to other blogs which helps you create a viral marketing system and increases your exposure in search engines. Search engines LOVE text based, fresh content that is highly focused (key word rich).

7. You can use your ezine blog to become a trusted expert for your subscribers, by filtering content for them so they don’t have to visit hundreds of web sites.

8. You have an instant archive of all your articles. When you post an article, a new page and permalink is created. People can share that link with others and be sent directly to the article being referenced.

9. Readers can comment on your articles, which creates rapport and trust between you and your subscriber. Comments also add rich content to your site and again, helps your ranking in the search engines.

10. The bottom line is this: using a blog can help you attract more visitors who become subscribers and then eventually become clients.

For an ezine publisher, a blog compliments and can significantly ease the delivery of your ezine content. Essentially, like any web site, you have to promote it and encourage people to add your site to their RSS feed (thatกs another subject) or subscribe for updates through a subscription form. Thatกs why I put a subscribe form on my site – subscribers and get updates in anyway they want. You still need to submit to search engines and directories to drive traffic. If you already have an ezine subscriber database, my advice would be to post everything on the blog and then send a weekly email, or whatever your normal publishing schedule is, informing your subscribers when new content is posted.

Marketing is done in a conversational way and via the links on your blog. Announcements can be posted on the blog and to oneกs list. I see the blog and ezine database as complimentary…working together to increase your exposure and make it easier for people to get your information and build relationships.

About The Author

Denise Wakeman is Chief Implementor of Next Level Partnership, a company dedicated to partnering with you to take your business to the next level. Denise has nearly 20 years experience in small business administration and management. She has specific experience in leveraging Internet marketing systems to create awareness, build customer loyalty and increase the bottom line. Visit Deniseกs blog at http://www.biztipsblog.com to get tips and tactics for taking your business to the next level.

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 07, 2004

by Denise Wakeman

New Google Adwords Policy Benefits Affiliates

New Google Adwords Policy Benefits Affiliates

by: Rosalind Gardner

Until recently, if you did a search on the term กsatellite dishก at Google, and then surveyed the URLกs in the Adwords listings, you were bound to see that most of the ads linked to just one company. Youกd also note that most listings ended with the กaffก (affiliate site) designation.

Eight ads all linking to the same site. How useless and frustrating was that?

Well, Google has just introduced a new affiliates Adwords policy that finally addresses that problem.

However, the new policy has been met with much whining on various affiliate and Internet marketing forums.

Why?

กCause affiliates who link directly from Adwords to their merchant partnersก sites will have to get to work or go home.

Well, maybe.

There seems to be a loophole in the new policyกs wording.

Hereกs how the new affiliate policy reads:

กWith this new affiliate policy, weกll only display one ad per search query for affiliates and parent companies sharing the same URL. This way, users will have a more diverse sampling of advertisements to choose from.ก

กAffiliates or advertisers using unique URLs in their ads will not be affected by this change. Please note that your Display URL must match the URL of your landing page, and you may not simply frame another site.ก

Did they mean to say กdomainก, not กURLก?

If Google did indeed intend กURLก, then there is no problem for those who engage in the กGoogle Cashก method of affiliate marketing, as each affiliate URL is unique.

Hereกs an example.

These are URLกs for 3 affiliate marketers promoting the กFriendFinderก dating service.

http://friendfinder.com/go/p1234

http://friendfinder.com/go/p5869

http://friendfinder.com/go/p3468

Each URL is unique, ergo it should be no problem to for affiliates to link directly to Friendfinderกs site with their affiliate links.

However, if in fact Google meant กdomainก, thatกs quite a different kettle of fish.

Because each URL above points to the กfriendfinder.comก domain, only one listing will be displayed, and chosen on the basis of Ad Rank.

Hereกs the official wording from within the policy.

กFor instance, if a user searches for books on Google.com or anywhere on the Google search and content networks, Google will take an inventory of ads running for the keyword books. If we find that two or more ads compete under the same URL, weกll display the ad with the highest Ad Rank.ก

Ad Rank is determined by a combination of an adกs maximum costperclick and clickthrough rate.

Less competition is great news for affiliates who have always linked back to their own sites… as Super Affiliates always do.

One more benefit to affiliate marketers in Googleกs new Adwords policy is that you no longer need to identify yourself as an affiliate in your ad text. That means no more กaffก at the end of the ad… and 4 more spaces to add content to your listing.

I figure consumers had no idea what กaffก meant anyway, so Google just wanted to get rid of what looked like garble in the listings.

However, your current ad text will continue to display your affiliate status until you change it.

Assuming Google DID mean กdomainก, this new policy is good news for affiliates… genuine affiliate marketers.

Iกve always taught that affiliates with content sites enjoy much higher conversion rates.

Itกs simple. Spend an hour writing an endorsement, upload it to your web site, then advertise that link on Google Adwords.

Why waste advertising dollars on a .5 percent conversion, when it only takes an hour to double or even quadruple that rate?

© Copyright Rosalind Gardner, All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Article by Rosalind Gardner, author of the bestselling กSuper Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other Peopleกs Stuff Onlineก. To learn how you too can suceed in Internet and affiliate marketing, go to: http://NetProfitsToday.com.

This article was posted on March 30

by Rosalind Gardner

The Only Way To Succeed In MLM

The Only Way To Succeed In MLM

by: Gino Harteel

Let assume you found the perfect mlm business, you did your homework of course, you contacted the head office and the local support, if available, asked some innocent questions and checked how fast and professional they responded.

You also tested your sponsor, finding out, how committed he or she is with the business of your life.

And if everybody passed the test, you finally join the opportunity of lifetime.

Thatกs what I did in 1997. As I am a good talker, I had no problem finding and introducing people to this wonderful opportunity.

I searched around and asked my upline for the perfect way to organize my downline.

To make a long story short, I have come a long way, but let me explain, what IS working very well.

Please review www.infolotto.com. It is a site of my own that I dedicate to new Euro Millions and UK Lotto players, they can become an affiliate and if they find 5 people who join the syndicate lotto, they play for free.

Well, I could register as many people as I could directly under me and receive 20 % commission, this is the first level rewards.

But instead, I transfer the new member to my second level, third level and what do I notice ?

People realize the potential that finally they will play for free and in the second phase, earn a monthly income.

In my own experience, this is the way to conduct your mlm business and youกll succeed !

It is working for me, take my advice and apply it to your own group.

Good luck.

About The Author

Gino Harteel has been involved with mlm since 1997 and has been building downlines in different ways. On www.infolotto.com you can find out how he has been building his downline with success.

[email protected]

This article was posted on October 19, 2004

by Gino Harteel

Who Is Your Real Competition?

Who Is Your Real Competition?

by: Sean DกSouza

If you design kitchens, is another kitchen designer your competition? Most likely not. And the sooner you can position and modify your marketing strategy against your real competition, the sooner you will start to see more business come through the door. So Who Really Is Your Competition?

The answer to that is alwaysNever the most obvious. So letกs take the example of the kitchen designer. Having decided that another kitchen designer isn’t his competition, he now has to decide who is his real competition.

His Real Competition Could Be A Car Salesman

Is this for real? How can a car salesman be a kitchen designerกs competition? Letกs analyse this more carefully. A kitchen and a car are both fighting for the same thing The householderกs limited budget.

If the kitchen designer, were able to convince a couple that a kitchen is more important than a new car (which he could easily do if there was a foodie around), he now has a better chance of them dropping the car in favour of the kitchen.

The Advantage Of This Method Of Positioning

The most obvious advantage is that you’re not losing any current customers. All your past advertising is bringing in the customers that are looking for kitchens anyway.

What it does do however, is bring in a new lot of customers that would never have thought about kitchens, if you hadn’t implanted it in their minds. Effectively, you have both, customers who are looking for kitchens as well as customers who are forfeiting their new cars in favour of new kitchens.

How Your RePositioning Can Help You Focus

We had a client who ran a laundromat. Her current customers were people who did not have washing machines. Obviously, her business went up and down based on the season and on her customers limited budget. We got her to refocus her marketing strategy on a new target Customers who had washing machines.

These customers had the money, but no time. By deciding that her real competition was time she decided to target people who had limited time instead.

As a result, she was now targeting busy people while other laundromats were targeting people with washing. This positioning actually helped the laundromat stand out from the rest of the competition.

How The Laundromat Did A Full 180

This repositioning did a couple of things for them. One, it helped them focus on their target audience. Consequently, they changed their name from just XYZ Laundromat to Bizzie Buggers.

It was catchy and bang on target. It also now meant that busy customers (with the money), were more likely to stop over and drop their washing. Plus they had the regular customers walking through the door anyway.

What You Need To Do

Sit down and write who your immediate competition could be. Then write down what your business is really up against. Here are some examples.

These aren’t necessarily your right targets but they help you see things in a different light and help you determine who your real competition could possibly be.

Cartoonist= Photographer

Computer Salesman= Filing Cabinet

Car Dealer= Expensive Restaurant Meals

If you would like to learn more about the way the human brain works, and how customers make buying decisions, go to http://www.5000bc.com

Thereกs a vast library of free articles and information on topics as varied as copywriting, small business ideas, public speaking, sales conversion, psychological tactics, branding and other marketing related subjects. Go to http://www.5000bc.com today. Youกll be amazed at what you find there.

About The Author

Sean has developed a system called Psycho Tactics. PsychoTactics unlocks the working of the human brain and radically tweaks the way you think and act about your business. This results in clarity of thought and greater profits.Today, Sean is constantly teaching small business ‘How they too can do the same?’

Thereกs a vast library of free articles and information on topics as varied as copywriting, small business ideas, public speaking, sales conversion, psychological tactics, branding and other marketing related subjects. Go to http://www.5000bc.com today. Youกll be amazed at what you find there.

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 13

by Sean DกSouza

7 Ways To Get More Repeat Traffic To Your Site

7 Ways To Get More Repeat Traffic To Your Site

by: Ken Hill

1. Make all or part of your site into a valuable directory.
Set up different sections of your site for people to submit their ezines, articles, ebooks or affiliate programs to such as marketing, writing, publishing, etc.
Your directory will not only increase your repeat traffic but will also help you to attract very targeted visitors to your site that are interested in your products or the products of affiliate programs youกve joined.
2. Publish a whatกs new section.
This section will keep your visitors up to date on any new additions to your site and is especially useful if your site is constantly updated by you or by your visitors who submit their own content to your site.
3. Provide resources on your site that your visitors can use on a regular basis such as a search engine submitter, email formatter or meta tag checker.
4. Add a discussion board to your site where your visitors can network with each other.
Post your own tips and advice to your board along with your signature file and use your discussion board to get to know your visitors better.
This will help you to continue to improve your product, copy, and service and can also help you to gain ideas about new products for you to offer your visitors.
5. Create a list that your visitors can subscribe to that announces to them when your site is updated.
For instance if you ran an article directory you could list the titles and descriptions of the newest article submissions to your site along with the URLs where your subscribers can view them.
You could also use your list to increase your revenue by selling sponsor ads to people who would like to advertise to your list.
6. Make polls and surveys available on your site.
Running your own polls or surveys, in addition to providing you with more repeat traffic, can also help you to acquire valuable information from your visitors.
For instance your polls and surveys could be used to find out how effective your copy is and to measure your customersก satisfaction with your products or customer service.
Your polls and surveys can also provide you with needed feedback that you can use when deciding on new products to add to your product line.
7. Publish an ezine.
Your ezine will provide you with a very effective way to keep your visitors coming back to your site to use the resources you provide to them, to view your articles, and most importantly to buy your products.
Provide your subscribers with special sales and discounts to increase the number of your subscribers who purchase from you for the first time and also to garner more repeat sales.

About The Author

Article by writer, Ken Hill. For more articles and a great tutorial on ezine publishing visit Kenกs site today at: http://www.netpromarketer.com

This article was posted on June 12, 2004

by Ken Hill

New Medium, New Rules

New Medium, New Rules

by: Dave Collins

Life is thought to have begun on Earth somewhere around three billion years ago, and of all the species, only an estimated one in a thousand is still alive today. Academics continue to debate over whether this is a natural part of the evolution process, or a direct result of the changing environment. Whichever opinion is right, one thingกs for sure itกs bad news for the victims. If theyกd have adapted to their changing environment early on, they could very well still be around today.

One of the big mistakes made in understanding what works on the web is to simply assume that itกs a new form of an old medium. From parchment to paper to the web. The fact is that the web is much more than an updated version of paper, and applying the same set of rules to both is a recipe for extinction.

Your Monitor Is Not a Newspaper.

Letกs start with the absolute basics. The common newspaper has to be one of the most popular formats for gathering information in the modern world. Do you read yours at arms length, hold it at eye level, or hold it above your head? Of course not almost everybody holds or places the newspaper lower than eye level, usually around 30 to 40 cm away from their eyes. When is the last time you read data from your monitor like that?

Reading from a screen means staring straight ahead, focusing a little further away than usual, usually accompanied by very little blinking and consequently quite dry and often uncomfortable eyes.

One Click And The Visitor Is Away.

So this is your starting point for your site visitor when they read your site. Aside from the fact that it is relatively uncomfortable, and near impossible to curl up on the couch or read over lunch, thereกs the added threat of the dreaded mouse click. One click, taking around a third of a second, will take your visitor away out of site and out of mind. Itกs a whole lot easier and quicker than turning over a page.

So you have a very short amount of time to convey your message don’t wait for them to scroll down the page, and certainly don’t assume theyกll have the patience to read through a long text.

Use bullets, tables and lots of space these three methods will aid the fight against the click. Once youกve got their interest, then they may well want to read more, but those first two seconds are critical. Grab them.

Once they’re in, you need them to read your information, then decide whether theyกll take it further. The words you choose and how you write them will be the single biggest factor in their making the decision. Make them short, snappy, and easy to read.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind.

Letกs assume that their quick scan of your front page has whetted their appetite. Now what? Go back to the basics. ORDER NOW should be very visible, or at least GET MORE INFO, BUY etc. The big thing is to force them to act right now, this very second. A magazine can be left on the coffee table for the next week or two, but your page will be off their browser and forgotten faster than you can say กmissed customerก!

If you’re going to wait for them to make the leap from passing interest into action, chances are that youกve already lost them. Grab them, show them your message and help them go for it now. Your call for action should be strong, clear and decisive. กPlease click here to orderก is bland. BUY is better, and I WANT THIS NOW is best of all.

At this stage, there could be any number of worries holding them back from placing their order they may want to know about your refunds policy, they may be worried about ordering online. Help them and make it clear where they can find this information. กWe use secure serverก won’t be noticed as clearly as a bright กWorried about Security?ก button.

Give Them What They Want.

You have to look through the eyes of the consumer imagine that they’re interested in the product but… but what? They may worry about the safety of using a credit card, ordering online, privacy, system compatibility, getting unwanted junk mail and so on. A significant advantage of being online is that unlike the newspaper ad, you have the ability to place all the information they need right in front of them. All they have to do is click on it.

And make sure you put your message across with the right tone. Business users have very different needs and ways of expressing themselves from the average home user. Make sure you don’t throw streetslang at the IT guy, or CPU usage patterns at the young game player.

Another universal technique that works is the use of testimonials. If Iกm visiting a website looking at a product that appeals to me, the testimonials can swing it. But make sure they look genuine, or you’re wasting your time. กCool Dave in Finlandก doesn’t inspire nearly as much confidence as a three sentence praise of features, attributed to a personกs full name and company. Keep them short, to the point, and lots of them!

Once you have the sale, you’re in there. But even then you could be letting further opportunity pass you by. I recently purchased Macromediaกs DreamWeaver online. I wanted the downloadable version, but when it came to the order form, I was offered other additional options such as having the manual mailed, a copy on CD, courses in using the software, additional licences and so on. Once someone has decided they’re going to part with their cash, you already have a significant psychological advantage, and they may well be receptive to getting one or two additional items as well. Make sure the opportunity is there for them.

Impulse Clicking.

Once the sale is in the bag, the offer of a reduced price on further purchases of your other software can’t do any harm, and who knows, you just may end up getting some more sales. Itกs no coincidence that supermarkets have all those impulse items by the checkout. It works.

The use of your website as an online version of a printed ad or press release is worse than a wasted opportunity itกs inappropriate, and it really won’t work very well. The web isn’t a digital newspaper or magazine, itกs a whole new medium with new opportunities, but it requires some new techniques. Don’t let your products or company join the dodo be seen, be sold.

Copyright 2004 Dave Collins

About The Author

Dave Collins is the CEO of SharewarePromotions Ltd., a well established UKbased company working with software and shareware marketing activities, utilising all aspects of the internet. http://www.sharewarepromotions.com and http://www.davetalks.com.

This article was posted on December 05, 2004

by Dave Collins

Chicken Little and the Disintermediation Myth

Chicken Little and the Disintermediation Myth

by: Paul Shearstone

If Chicken Little were alive today he wouldn’t be running around forewarning us of the sky that was about to fall. He’d be too preoccupied alerting everyone about another potential disaster which may in the end prove to be just as erroneous as his first prediction. Nevertheless, if the conversations around the office water coolers are any indication, he’d still get the attention of many nervous corporate omnismarts. So what’s the new buzz? Disintermediation!

If you haven’t heard the word already, you’re going to hear it ad nauseum.

For those unfamiliar with the term; Disintermediation is a groovy way of saying; ขSoon there won’t be a need for a Middleman.ข That is to say, thanks to things like the Internet, ecommerce, global attraction and fulfillment, manufacturers will no longer require the services of the ขMiddleman in the Channelsข [resellers] to reach end users or customers.

It would seem today’s prognosticating Chicken Littles are quite convinced the death of the middleman is in fact, imminent. But like the chicken that went before them, that doesn’t mean they’re right!

The incredible rise and untimely fall of many of the mighty dotcom’s should serve in no small way to highlight much of what we thought the internet was going to do, it didn’t and probably won’t. And you don’t have to bring up the name, Peter de Jager, to know there is no shortage of redfaced futurists still hiding under rocks looking for ways to get out of town. Fortunes were made and lost especially in hightech resulting from, let’s call it; bad information concerning things like Y2K and the forecasted unavoidable changes to the traditional business landscape, thanks to the Internet.

But to be fair, de Jager wasn’t in a bomb shelter when the clock struck twelve, he was in a plane and as far as I know, he never told anyone to stock up on Tang! We can save that discussion for another time as it is – at the risk of sounding a little ironic – history.

Nevertheless, the argument regarding whether ecommerce will entrench itself as the กpreferredก way of doing business continues. From my perch, I’ll go out on a limb and say, ขIt won’t! At least not totally.ข

Simply put, there are two fundamental transactiontypes that culminate in a sale. One is Tactical and the other is Strategic. Few would argue the implementation of a new ITnetwork or specialized software requires a strategic approach that can only be satisfied in person employing a B2B strategy. Most sales requiring specializations all but eliminate – at least for now – an ecommerce solution.

Tactical sales, however, are entirely different and Amazon.com is a perfect example. For products like books,a bar of soap or an airline ticket, ecommerce has a far better chance of becoming the time and moneysaving fulfillment process of choice – but even that, as we have seen, has no guarantees!

A toy is a toy is a toy. Right? So why did Toys.com go under? Surely their business model personified the quintessential Tactical sale for which ecommerce was designed. It did! Yet it still failed. Why?

Why also do studies conducted by USbased firms like Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath report ecommerce has not – as of yet replaced or significantly reduced traditional channel operations to any significant extent?

I personally am reasonably esavvy but, to date, I have only bought a couple of small items over the net. Not because I haven’t tried to buy more.

Giving out my credit card information has never frightened me. My bank assumes all responsibility for purchases by my card should it fall into the wrong hands. [Note: I, like you, pay handsomely for this privilege].

On several occasions I did try to make a small epurchase. Each went something like this. Step 1: Name / Address / Phone Number / [No problem with that].

Step 2: Date of Birth / [SAY WHAT?] SIN Number / [NOT A CHANCE!]

The fact is; I, like most people, will, not under any circumstances give out sensitive, personal information over a faceless Internet regardless of how secure the connection is. And therein lies one of the major stumbling blocks for even the simplest epurchase. Misuse my credit card; I am inconvenienced. Misuse my personal information; I am potentially devastated for life. A few bars of soap or a new toner cartridge for my printer are in the end, not worth the risk.

What about larger purchases? Not too long ago, the Auto Industry was bracing for what it thought would be a groundbreaking way to sell cars – over the Net. After all, it did meet the Tactical Sale Model ecommerce was designed to satisfy. And when that didn’t happen, they were quick to ameliorate their expectations by saying; customers will purchase cars in three steps. First: They will shop the net for exactly the car they want. Second: They will physically test drive one. Finally: They will again shop the net for the very best price and purchase. … So how come so few buyers have done this?

There is an obvious [predictable] answer and it isn’t so difficult to understand.

Educated salesspecialists know there is an Art and a Science to selling. Both the Art and the Science are timetested and proven and are well rooted in things like Psychology, Human Behavior and Motivation. Ecommerce, although quick to offer a potentially new and better way to buy, has fallen miserably short in its ability to offer the human factor still expressly integral in allowing traditionalists to make the leap of faith from the real world to the eworld. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a computer part, a bar of soap or a new car. A better strategy is still needed to achieve synchronicity between the two buyingmodels thereby bringing credibility or a speedy end to the argument about Disintermediation.

ขIs Disintermediation real? Or is it a Myth?

For the answers to this and strategies you can use [already embraced by successful emanaged companies], go to >www.success150.com/theanswer

About The Author

Paul Shearstone aka The ‘Pragmatic Persuasionist’ is one of North America’s foremost experts on Sales and Persuasion. An International Keynote Speaker, Author, Writer, Motivation / Time & Stress Management Specialist, Paul enlightens and challenges audiences as he informs, motivates and entertains. To comment on this article or to book the Pragmatic Persuasionist for your next successful event we invite to contact Paul Shearstone directly @ 4167285556 or 18668554590

www.success150.com or [email protected].

This article was posted on March 21, 2003

by Paul Shearstone

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

10 Sure Fire Ways To Get More Ezine Subscribers

10 Sure Fire Ways To Get More Ezine Subscribers

by: Ken Hill

1. Place testimonials for your ezine on your site.
Your testimonials will help you to increase your circulation by showing your visitors how your ezine has helped your subscribers.
2. Give your visitors the chance to see what your ezine is all about before subscribing.
For instance, you could provide an archive of your past issues on your site or you could make a sample issue available by autoresponder.
3. Write articles.
Your articles will increase your subscriptions by showing people that are unfamiliar with your ezine what kind of valuable content they can expect from you.
Promote your articles by submitting them to article directories, article announcement lists, and also to ezine publishers directly.
4. Swap articles with other ezine publishers and webmasters.
Publish other ezine publishersก articles in your ezine in exchange for those publishers running your articles in their ezines.
This can help you to successfully increase your subs by getting your articles run in targeted ezines on a regular basis.
You can also participate in ad swaps where you post other publishersก or webmasters articles on your site in exchange for them doing the same for you.
In addition, to helping you get more subscribers, these swaps can help you to keep your site updated with new content and increase your search engine rankings by increasing the number of reciprocal links you have.
5. Add bonuses for subscribing to your ezine.
Your bonuses will help you to successfully get more subscribers by giving your visitors an incentive for joining your ezine.
Increase the value your visitors place on your bonuses by adding an honest dollar amount to them, by telling your visitors the benefits they provide, or by telling your visitors how many people have already received them.
6. Swap advertising space with other ezine publishers.
Your ad swaps will give you an excellent way to increase your subscriptions at no cost. When possible, swap your ads for at least three issues in a row to maximize the number of new subscribers you get.
7. Swap ‘thank youก page ads.
Promote other related but non competing ezines on the page your new subscribers are taken to after subscribing to your ezine in exchange for those publishers doing the same for you.
This will give you a powerful way to continue to increase your subscriptions for as long as the other ezines are published.
8. Swap welcome message ads.
Like your ‘thank youก page ads, this type of swap can give you very good ongoing promotion of your ezine. The main difference is that not everyone that subscribes to your ezine will read your welcome email while all your new subscribers will be directed to your ‘thank youก page.
9. Swap recommendations with other ezine publishers.
You could recommend another publisherกs ezine within your ezine in your own words in exchange for that publisher doing the same for you.
You could also swap recommendations in your welcome message or on your ‘thank youก page.
In addition, you could run a recommended ezines section in every issue where you recommend a few or several other ezines in exchange for those publishers doing the same for you.
10. Submit your ezine to ezine announcement lists and ezine directories.
Your submissions will provide you with an easy way to start getting more new subscribers.
Getting your ezine listed in ezine directories can also help you to find more people who would like to purchase advertising in your ezine as well as more publishers who would like to do a joint venture with you.

About The Author

Article by writer, Ken Hill. Would You Like To Publish Your Own Successful Ezine? Get Affordable Email List Hosting at: http://www.netpromarketer.com/sf.html FREE 30 day trial. For more articles by Ken Hill visit: http://www.netpromarketer.com

This article was posted on July 16, 2004

by Ken Hill

Hereกs Exactly What Makes Web Audio So Powerful

Hereกs Exactly What Makes Web Audio So Powerful

by: Nick James

Have you ever tried to communicate with another person using just actions and sign language? It gets pretty frustrating, doesn’t it? Especially when you know that if you could just SAY a few words, theyกd get the picture, almost instantly.

Well, imagine if the website youกve put up on show… could กspeakก. If it could sparkle with the spoken word. What do you think the effect could be?

You see, what the smart website marketers have realised, is that they need to move beyond just written words and striking graphics. They’re looking to giving their website… a กpersonalityก.

BUT… in the cold hearted, faceless world of the internet, being able to reach the audience you want, with sincerity, warmth and with a กfaceก, doesn’t come easily to most.

That is unless you happen to have the skilful knack of knowing what to write, when to write it and are able to string words together to help paint a strong emotional picture in readers minds for your product, service or idea.

Getting all the help we can via other means is crucial in giving us that slight edge.

Thereกs possibly nothing more intimate, more convincing, more realistic for the reader, than to hear a กvoiceก behind the website. What it adds, is satisfying helpings of…

LIFE and… CREDIBILITY!

Imagine being able to connect at regular intervals with your customers and clients! How do you think theyกll feel when you’re able to inform them that thereกs an exciting offer about to happen and you make sure the message reaches both their eyes, and their ears!

What about using this simple technology to help create a stampede of sales, an abundance of new subscribers, a fleet of qualified prospects, a herd of new referrals!

What about being able to tell your customers that you messed up on the last bit of information you gave them and that you’re really sorry. Won’t you be able to convey this message better using real live words, than by using written text?

Won’t your sincerity, conviction and heartfelt emotion, reach them INSTANTLY, where it matters most… THEIR HEARTS!

Copyright 2004 Nick James

About The Author

Nick James is a UK based direct marketer and product developer. During the last 3 years Nick has sold in excess of £1 Million of products and sevices. Subscribe to his Free Tip Of The Week at: www.NickJames.com New Product: www.FlashAudioWizard.com.

This article was posted on November 17, 2004

by Nick James

The New 5 Pกs!

The New 5 Pกs!

by: Jaruda Boonsuwan

NO! When I say ก5 Pกsก, Iกm not talking about the big 5 Pกs of marketing everyoneกs familiar with.

Here Iกm NOT referring to Product, Price, Place, Promotion and Package!

But Iกm talking about the FRESHEST 5 Pกs I believe will be extra useful for your websites and newsletters.

Are you ready to discover the hottest 5 Pกs?

1. P.S.

This writing technique alone will shoot your sales to the roof!

Count how many times this week you skip reading the whole sales copies and go right for a P.S.

We don’t like reading a long letter. Most of the time, we skip. So, itกs a clever idea to give your prospects a big bang with a P.S. They never skip reading a P.S.

Perhaps they’re too bored or too tired to read กanotherก sales letter. Perhaps they like to cheat and want to see the final punch, if itกs right for them or not.

So, make sure you wrap up all of your ICEMELTING กselling pointsก in here! Shrink your message. Make it precise. Make your prospects feel they can’t live กcomfortablyก without your product or service. After all, itกs your last shot to make a sale!

2. PASS

People love a free pass, even if itกs only temporary!

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to let people type in the password to access your restricted area. Itกs not the end of the world. Hereกs where you can get the script for FREE at…

http://www.dynamicdrive.com

Hereกs a cuttingedge trick: Give them a free password to access your newsletter/ article archives, for example, in exchange for their email addresses. Do not give them the password right at your website. Instead, send them the password by email.

Now, this is important…Set up an autoresponder to do this task. Make sure they get their passwords instantly. They can’t wait another minute longer to access the free section. Itกs a MUST that you have an autoresponder, especially if you publish a newsletter. Get it at…

http://www.mailloop.com/t.cgi/769736/

Now this is important! Do not make this offer sound like a junk! You can say that you’re giving away กfree membershipก. Say it is a กprivilegedก or a กVIPก pass. Or simply say that they’re ‘the chosen oneก. This way, your prospects will be eager to get the free access you’re offering. Itกs human nature. We all want to be a Very Important Person!

3. PROMISE

Youกve got to promise your prospects something important…like moneyback guarantee.

But don’t just say กoneyear, moneyback guaranteeก!

Do say…กAnd if 365 days from now, you decide you want your money back, Iกll ask you absolutely no questions. And even if itกs just because you’re $27 short and can’t buy some beers, I still won’t ask you why. Youกll get your money back as soon as you say so. I can guarantee you that!ก

4. PICK OF THE DAY

When you go to a restaurant, the first thing you always notice is the กMenu of the Dayก! Even if you don’t order it, you’re still curious to see whatกs new for today, right?

The same thing works with your website. Once your prospects leave your site without signing up for your free newsletter, your business depends on pure LUCK.

Too bad people don’t buy the first time they see you. And if you still want to win them back, you might have to spend some more bucks on advertising.

Now, it doesn’t have to be this way…The only one reason thatกll keep people coming back to your site is something NEW every day!

Showcase the กPick of the Dayก. And theyกll come back to your site from time to time to see whatกs new.

See? You don’t even have to pay for the traffic. It can be ‘tip of the Dayก, กSite of the Weekก, กStar of the Monthก, ….anything you can think of!

5. PIECE OF ADVICE

How many times have you read newsletters chock full of the word กbuy nowก?

This is the mistake that can drive your subscribers away faster than jet speed! Your prospects want to read something useful. They simply don’t want another junk mail. If you don’t stop selling to them just for a second youกll risk losing them forever. Theyกll disappear กout of your sightก.

So, in your newsletter, try to give them little tips that teach them how to make their lives easier.

Suppose you’re selling a beauty product, instead of hard selling, try giving them a short makeup tip of how to make their lips look fuller.

If you’re an affiliate for a used car website and running your own ezine, instead of selling cars all the time, try giving them a reliable tip that teaches them how not to get ripped off buying a used car.

P.S. Give it a try. Iกm sure these freshest 5 Pกs can easily add the punch to your websites or newsletters next time you decide to try something new.

About The Author

The author, Jaruda Boonsuwan, is offering oneofitskind, deadlyeffective copywriting ecourse at NO charge.

Beat your competitors now at http://www.groundbreakcopywriting.com

This article was posted on October 23, 2002

by Jaruda Boonsuwan