Internet Marketing Discussion

Newbie Questions and Answers

From this webpage: http://www.ebooklisting.net

I am going to make a change to this page. I have been entering everything at the bottom of the page. That seems backward to some and I agree. This page takes forever to read. I will break the page up into smaller increments and add them as new posts...Darell

New Stuff

I have been looking at a lot of different products lately, one that I believe will make a big impact will probably be one offered by Armand Morin. He and a partner are introducing a new product called ScreenCamGenerator suite. I am only aware of one other product that will do the same thing and it is quite a lot more expensive. Many of the guru's are already jumping on the video and audio bandwagon in the internet marketing area. Google has offered a beta version of video searches; that's enough to convince me that this is probably a wave of the future. If you would like to check out the product; here is a link: http://www.screencamgeneratorsuite.com/cmd.php?af=73462 If you would like to see what I have to say about Armand Morin here is my endorsement page

I have been trying to find a way to get all my subscribers on lists at a third party autoresponder. I couldn't believe all the problems I was going to run into. Check out this page 'Latest News' to see all the hoops I and my subscribers have had to jump through. I wonder how many subscribers I will lose going through this process. I also expressed why I would recommend getting auto responders set up early in the start up process.

Here are couple new webpages to check out:

Auto Responders

Internet Marketing

Spiders

Keywords

Writing

Testing

How long will it take to start making money?

This is more difficult to answer, a lot depends upon your skills in the various areas of marketing. There are people that jump in and have immediate success. I think that most will require more time, I have been at it for around 3 years and am just starting to break even and make a little. Maybe, I'm just slow, or spend all my time reading. Take Action.

The first $100 seems to be the hardest, if you can make that, you are beginning to learn the necessary skills. After that, it kind of becomes a numbers game. Once you determine a workable method; duplicate it and branch out. Look for and find, or develop backend products to promote any sales you make initially. Use a "Thank You" page to your advantage; if you made a sale that person already has some confidence in your ability. It's a good time to make that backend offer.

What do you mean by numbers game?

I knew someone would ask, that's what I get for not explaining better to begin with. You will always want to increase your customer base. You need to determine how much you want to make then it kind of depends on your products profit per sale and cost of each customer. Then it's just a matter of math, hope your better at it than me, but if I can do it anyone can. Let's make some assumptions:

You want to make $1000 per month PROFIT, a product your selling for $47, your selling 2 products per100 hits (2%).

PROFIT = GROSS SALES less EXPENSES.

The COST PER SALE is a little more difficult, unless you using PAY PER CLICK, then it would be, COST PER SALE = COST OF ADVERTISING divided by NUMBER SALES. If you aren't using pay per click you will have to figure your times value. It may make you put in more time per day.

I use 30 days per MONTH.
OK, you make $40 PROFIT PER SALE. Monthly PROFIT ($1000) divided by PROFIT PER SALE ($40) = 25 SALES. Now it comes down to how many sales your making a day. If, you are making 1 SALE a day you would make $1200 for the month. (30 days times $40).

Now lets say you want to make $10000 PROFIT per month.

Monthly PROFIT ($10000) divided by PROFIT PER SALE ($40) = 250 SALES.

To determine the number of sales per day, SALES (250) divided by MONTH (30)= 9 SALES PER DAY to reach you goal of $10000. If you were only making 1 Sale a day, you would have to spend 9 times your ADVERTISING COSTS, or at least 9 times the amount of time spent to get 1 Sale per day to reach your goal.

I hope this helps, I never was any good at word problems. I may have made it worse, the reason I said it was a numbers game to start with. Maybe, someone can explain it better, I would be eternally grateful.

What is the most important aspect of internet marketing?

The most important ingredient is you. You are the one responsible for every aspect of your internet marketing venture. The best time to start is NOW, don't wait, jump in and get your feet wet. Everyone starts at the same place, there is no magic bullet, just a lot of work. The hardest thing I found was making the first dollar, after that it gets easier. Well maybe it takes a little more than that; getting started and not being afraid of making mistakes is just as important. If you wait until everything is perfect; you will never make it nothing is ever absolutely perfect. Someone will almost always improve upon any product or service.

Is Free advertising, or getting hits worth the time and effort?

There are a lot of variables involved, usually the person that starts the list will benefit the most. I have used a few different free lists, most will require that you have people sign up under you (usually 2 to 10). This is supposed to multiply the number of times your advertising is shown. I had one that offered so many hits for signing up, then for each site I visited, I got so many more exposures. I received over 5000 hits in about a week, the traffic wasn't real targeted. Although I did receive 8 subscribers from those hits. I guess you have to make the determination as to value yourself. Remember its not the hits that count; its the sales. The term used is conversion rates; you want the most sales for the least hits to obtain maximum profit.

Who was it, that allowed the hits for signing up?

I knew that question was coming, I will try and find the link to that site. I'm pretty sure they gave me a way of signing up more for their list. Right now, I haven't found the link, but I will continue to look. I wasn't able to make the hyperspace link work here. If you go to my website I have a link to them on 'This Works' page. http://www.ebooklisting.net/works.html

They have started requiring an invitation to get to the site, If you goto the above link you will find a link to an 'invitation'. I've been involved in this for some time, and they offered to let me offer invitaions for a short period of time. You will become part of my downline, if you sign up. I am still getting lots of hits, and some signups, every little bit helps.

What do you do if web host changes format and web page quits working?

This can happen to anyone that doesn't have their own server. It happened to me and it sure is frustrating. First I did a lot of complaining. Then I had to test everything again and determine any problems that needed to be resolved. Between telephone calls and email, I finally got all problems logged. I was a little upset because they didn't notify me of the change before implementing it. A member of my site had to send me email before I found out.

I do have to give my service provider some credit, they worked very hard to get my site back up and running. There are still some minor problems, but all and all they did a good job. I realize change is inevitable, and I expect to see improvements so...turns out it was just another bump in the road.

Will blogging increase traffic to your site?

Gosh, I hope so!!! I can't really say for sure, I haven't determined the best way to test yet. I have some other promotions going on right now that I'm trying to test. So far, everything looks good. From the reading I've done, there is every indication that if your blog is popular, it will help your search engine optimization or ranking. This in turn should increase hits to your site.

I need to expand on this a little; one of the main benefits to blogging and making sure you publish it will bring the search engine spiders to your site. Be sure to place link(s) to your webpage. Then just watch and see how long it takes to be spidered by the various search engines. It happens almost immediately. It is best if you keep adding targeted content to your blog and republish it each time. I've heard that you need to do this everyday, although I can tell you; that's not necessary. I don't have the time, or inclination to just put something out here just for the sake of putting it out here.

Are all the Christmas promotions worth the time and effort?

I think this is a matter of personal opinion, I have signed up with some and found some good information. Today, you have to sign up for anything you receive, and hope you can unsubscribe if it doesn't work out. I have also received a lot of affiliate marketing info in my 'INBOX'; it doesn't take me to long to make determination of what to keep, and what to pitch. They have to offer something more, than a lot of affiliate links.

I am always on the lookout for good resources, if I find just one from subscribing to promotions, it's worth it. I signed up as an affiliate to a couple pieces of software. I thought they were useful and could save me some time. I'll know more later.

How do I get people to read my sales page?

This is a good question, not an easy one to answer. I have tried to compile suggestions made by some successful experts. I don't consider my self an expert in this area. Here's what I came up with maybe it will help.

18 Ways to Grab PROSPECTS
and Keep Them...Reading


1. Is your headline attention grabbing, and designed with words to get readers into the main copy?

2. Is a specific audience identified and targeted?

3. Does the headline deliver a complete statement and capture the wants of the reader?

4. Is it very, very specific?

5. Does it pull the reader into the main sales copy?

6. Can it be improved and made better?

7. Does it grab attention and make you want more info?

8. Does it offer a solution to a problem?

9. Will it remind readers of their existing fears or problems?

10. Does it make a promise of doing something really needed?

11. Does it get the targeted audiences perceived wants identified?

12. Does it supply something new, and high tech?

13. Does it read clearly and say exactly what you want to convey?

14. Curiosity killed the cat, can it be added to increase the offers appeal?

15. Does it say what you really want it to say?

16. Have you covered the most valuable benefit to maximum potential?

17. Is your claims believable, or exaggerated to much, to be believed?

18. Is this getting an acceptable response rate? If not, go through the steps again.

Did you notice some of these are very similar? They were meant to be.

Sub headlines are just as important and should do the same thing... lead your prospect into next area and keep them reading.

Is InstantBuzz as good as all the hoopla, I'm reading about it?

I've had good response from it, I have a page related to it on my website. InstantBuzz decided to get some new subscribers by asking users to push for more sign ups from Dec 17 for 4 days.

Sorry to say, I haven't had time to do this. I am struggling with my websites, my provider changed formats and caused me some problems. I hope to get them resolved by early next week. The promotion will end before on Dec 21, I have received over 7000 visits and 18 subscribers in 3 weeks, using InstantBuzz. I'm pretty sure I could have done better with promotion.

This wasn't a question, just something I read about.

The GoogleDesktop search has been updated as of Dec 10, 2004. If it says version number 121004, indicating December 10, 2004, or later, they are safe. (posted 12/21/2004)

• There has been much discussion lately about Blogging and RSS feeds.
  
  Some feel their time is spent better working on other issues, and I guess that is a decision each of us has to make. Most of the persons I deal with thinks, blogging and RSS is the best way to go. Their reasons, for the most part, are search engine and indexing recognition. Several have indicated being spidered almost immediately by some of the major players. I guess the decisions still out, but my feeling is that it can't hurt, if you have the time.
  
  
  
• Willie Crawford, published a newsletter this week dealing with ethics. I think it is a good read and worthy of some thought. He OK'd my reprinting of the article.
  
  An Ethical Dilemma? Selling Something That You Can Get For Free
  Copyright 2004 by Willie Crawford
  
  At least once a week, I have someone point out to me that a
  big-name information marketer, software "developer," or
  company, is selling something that is very similar to a product
  that you can get for free. They see something fundamentally
  "wrong" with SELLING a product or information that can be
  obtained for nothing... if you search in the right place.
  Often, they point this out to me because they just feel
  the need to protest something they view as somehow "wrong."
  
  First of all, if you search long enough and hard
  enough, you CAN find free software that will do
  just about anything. Some very intelligent programmers
  create lots of software, which they happily make
  open-source, shareware, or freeware. These programmers
  do this for various reasons that we won't get into.
  These programmers will also give or sell you permission
  to modify their software slightly and put your own label
  on it. Is that "wrong?"
  
  There are thousands of documents explaining practically
  any topic imaginable. The Internet makes it easier to
  tap into databases and find this information. Some people
  compile this free information that they find into reports
  or ebooks and sell it. Is that "wrong?"
  
  After certain intellectual property has been around long
  enough, if the copyrights aren't renewed through various
  means, it may become "public domain." That means anyone
  may then have the right to publish or distribute this material
  without violating copyrights or intellectual property
  rights. Is taking an old book that belongs to the public
  and selling it as your own "wrong?"
  
  Having been trained as an economist, I try to see things
  as they are rather than as they should be. In economic
  terms this is looking at things in a "positive" rather
  than a "normative" fashion. It just means looking at things
  with a scientific rather than a moral or ethical eye. I
  don't avoid the moral or ethical issues, but try not to
  judge others based upon my opinion.
  
  So back to the question... is selling something that you
  can get for free "wrong?" Since we've already said that
  you can find practically any software or information for
  free if you search long enough and hard enough, the
  answer actually lies in why people will pay for the same
  "stuff" anyway.
  
  Free does NOT mean without cost. When you buy branded
  software or repackaged information, the marketer is
  theoretically reducing your risk. The marketer conducted
  the research, and located a product that met a specific need,
  and then made the public aware of it. The marketer
  investigated dozens of pieces of readily-available software,
  perhaps modified it, and then "certified" it as capable of
  meeting your needs.
  
  Another very big reason that the market is willing to pay
  for something that can conceivable be obtained for free,
  is because of the search cost. There is a cost of time,
  energy, and other resources, in investigating options. The
  marketer has invested that search cost and charges you for
  that service. Depending upon how you value your time,
  you may gladly be willing to pay for something that you
  could have eventually located for free... and then tested
  to verify that it was exactly what you needed.
  
  Very often, a creator of intellectual property is not a
  marketer... and doesn't understand the finer points of
  marketing. So a terrific piece of software, a book, or an
  idea, just.... sits. A marketer with an above-average grasp
  of human behavior and psychology can step in, "repackage"
  that product, and the market will devour it. Should that
  product have been allowed to languish rather than some
  marketer stepping in, fixing the bad marketing, and
  profiting from it. If the product improved the lives of end
  users, who would have otherwise never noticed the product,
  then clearly the marketer is providing real value.
  
  So, where is the dilemma? The dilemma is in the perception
  that the marketer selling a product that didn't cost him
  anything... or very little, is doing something wrong. It
  is purely a perception. However, whether on-line or
  off-line, people who locate "stuff" that the market wants,
  and charge for that "service" are clearly serving a need.
  If they weren't serving a need, then the market wouldn't
  pay for it.
  
  The reality is that people have marketed information
  since the beginning of commerce. Both on-line and off-line,
  there are fortunes being made ferreting out information
  that the market wants, and then providing it. It's the
  PERFECT way to make your online fortune. Provided that
  the product is of the right quality, it should certainly
  not be considered a question of ethics. Doctors, lawyers,
  realtors, teachers, religious leaders... they all charge
  you for readily available information that they have
  "repackaged" and put their brand, or seal-of-approval, on.
  
  When you're doing research, and you discover a product
  very similar to one being marketed under a different label,
  it IS very eye opening. However, it is not generally a
  matter of ethics (in my opinion). It's no different than
  an off-line supermarket selling the identical product side-
  by-side for two different prices. Often the store brand
  is made at the same factory, with the same formula, as the
  name brand product. They are sold side-by-side for different
  prices. The higher price is justified by the brand identity
  and "certification" that goes along with that.
  
  As an Internet marketer it is important that issues such
  as this be studied. Many people who start businesses
  on the Internet have never run or studied how brick and
  mortar businesses operate. This article is an attempt
  to fill in a bit of that missing training... or at a minimum
  - create discussion :-)
  
  Willie Crawford is a corporate president, published author,
  seminar speaker and host, tele-seminar speaker and host,
  retired military officer, karate black belt, master network
  marketing trainer, and lifetime student of marketing. He shows
  people how to actually generate substantial income on-line
  using very simple, easily modeled systems. An example of
  such a system that you can study and duplicate is at:
  http://ProfitMagician.com
  
  I hope you read this and thought about the points he made. This happens on the internet and life everyday, if you live on the leading edge, expect to pay a premium. If your willing to wait, then many things become discounted as perceived value and market diminishes. I think that's just a way of life.
  
  Here some examples:
  
  I worked as an engineer and wrote and calculated many formulas, it was really time consuming. There was a calculator manufactured by Bowmar, it did very basic math calculating. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, nothing else, no storage or memory functions. Cost $100. Its predecessor was like a one armed bandit, you punched numbers in like a typewritter and pulled a handle down and it would give you an answer. You didn't want to be left handed, it was a right handed machine.
  
  I remember paying over $4000 for my first computer, 8 Mhz CPU speed, 48 K memory, and 2- 5" disc drives with a tape recorder for backups. You basically had to write your own programs and had to be debugged. Just about everything had to be learned from the 5 or 6 volumes that came with the computer. It wasn't to user friendly, that was the cost of being on the leading edge. I did recognize some of the benefits the computer provided, just not the ones that made millionaires.
  
  Most readers today, probably can't relate to my original computer specs. I believe you would have to be in your 60's to be familiar with that set of specs. Bill Gates hadn't made the big leap at that time. Enough about me telling my age, Willie's article made me think, or is that regress. Thanks for reading.
  
  
  

Well, Christmas has come and gone, it's time to get ready for the New Year. Have you set your goals and created a plan to achieve them?

I have a couple good links on webpage for setting goals, here is a link to the page: http://www.ebooklisting.net/season.html/

Setting goals is pretty easy, actually accomplishing them, is more difficult. Planning is a crucial part of actually attaining your goals. Write your goal(s) down. Then create a step by step plan of how you are going to accomplish them. Work your plan.

You should be able to motivate yourself; but for the times you can't... Ask someone to help you keep working, their job is to keep bugging, pushing, and reminding you of what you set out to do. Now get out there and get busy.

Support groups are almost a must for todays internet marketing. I would suggest you begin by finding a group of people with similar interests. Try and create an agreement to work together to reach a common goal. It will make it much easier to work through the tough times.

If you like the sound of this, check out my website(http://www.ebooklisting.net), that's what it's all about.

I received the following in an email; it shows what using a little common sense can do. Common sense needs to be applied to everything we do, including internet marketing.

Why Golf Courses Have 18 Holes (lighter side)

Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and why people who don't even play go to tournaments or watch it on TV? The following truisms may shed some light:

Golf is an honorable game, with the overwhelming majority of players being honorable people who don't need referees.

Golfers don't have some of their players in jail every week.

Golfers don't kick dirt on, or throw bottles at, other people.

Professional golfers are paid in direct proportion to how well they play.

Golfers don't get per diem and two seats on a charter flight when they travel between tournaments.

Golfers don't hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player's deal.

Professional golfers don't demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.

When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them.

The PGA raises more money for charity in one year than the NFL does in two.

You can watch the best golfers in the world up close, at any tournament, including the majors, all day every day for $25 or $30. The cost for even a nosebleed seat at the Super Bowl costs around $300 or more unless you buy it from scalpers in which case it's $1,000+.

You can bring a picnic lunch to the tournament golf course, watch the best in the world and not spend a small fortune on food and drink. Try that at one of the taxpayer funded baseball or football stadiums. If you bring a soft drink into a ballpark, they'll give you two options - get rid of it or leave.

In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $9 million a season, like the best baseball hitters (.300 batting average) do.

Golf doesn't change its rules to attract fans.

Golfers have to adapt to an entirely new playing area each week.

Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed.

Golf doesn't have free agency.

In their prime, Palmer, Norman, and other stars, would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime Jose Canseco wore T-shirts that read "Leave Me Alone."

You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament.

At a golf tournament, (unlike at taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and arenas) you won't hear a steady stream of four letter words and nasty name calling while you're hoping that no one spills beer on you.

Tiger hits a golf ball over twice as far as Barry Bonds hits a baseball.

Golf courses don't ruin the neighborhood.

And, finally :

Here's a little slice of golf history that you might enjoy ...

Why do golf courses have 18 holes - not 20, or 10, or an even dozen?

During a discussion among the club's membership board at St. Andrews in 1858, a senior member pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch.

By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the member figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out.

Now you know. (unknown author)

I don't know who to attribute this to, maybe an American golfer. I am told that the sport is growing in popularity by some of my golfing friends. If that's the case, then maybe there is a lesson here.

Is there any truth to the rumor, that there is an underground internet marketing group?

I have to plead ignorant to this, I have read a couple articles about 'sniffers'. I didn't think they could do much to interfere with what I was doing. Today, I got an email from John Reese, about a product he will be promoting. In the email, he talked about being involved in an underground that could learn just about anything about anyone, and what they were doing. There was another article, not to long ago, that talked about some of this and 'trackers'. I can't remember where the article originated. Like I said, I'm not really up on this subject; guess I'll start watching and see what I can find.

Good article related to search engine optimization.

How Web Design Can Affect Search Engine Rankings
By John Metzler

Uniquely built web sites can create unique issues when being promoted on the search engines. From a basic 3 page brochure site to a corporate site with hundreds of dynamically generated pages, every web site needs to have certain design aspects in order to achieve the full effects of an SEO campaign. Below are a few points to take into consideration when building or updating your web site.

1. Size Matters. The size of a web site can have a huge impact on search engine rankings. Search engines love content, so if you have only a few pages to your site and your competitors have dozens, it's difficult to see a top page ranking for your site. In some cases it may be difficult to present several pages of information about your business or products, so you may need to think about adding frëe resources for visitors. It will help in broadening the scope of your web site (which search engines like) as well as keep visitors on your site longer, possibly resulting in more sales.

2. Graphics-Based Web Sites. While web sites that offer the visitor a more esthetically-pleasing experience may seem like the best choice for someone searching for your product, they are the most difficult to optimize. Since search engine robots cannot read text within graphics or animation, what they see may be just a small amount of text. And if we learned anything from point #-1, small amounts of content will not result in top rankings. If you really must offer the visitor a graphics-heavy or Flash web site, consider creating an html-based side of your site that is also available to visitors. This site will be much easier to promote on the search engines and your new found visitors will also have the option to jump over to the nicer looking part of your site.

3. Dynamic Web Pages. If most of your web site is generated by a large database (such as a large book dealer with inventory that is changing by the minute) you may find that some of your pages do not get indexed by major search engines. If you look at the URL of these pages they can be extremely long and have characters such as ?, #, &, %, or = along with huge amounts of seemingly random numbers or letters. Since these pages are automatically generated by the database as needed, the search engines have a tough time keeping them up to date and relevant for search engine users.
One way to combat this problem is to offer a search engine friendly site map listing all your static pages just to let them know that you do have permanent content on your site. If search engines see links going to and from these dynamic pages within a good internal linking system, this may also lead to the pages getting indexed. The link popularity of your site may carry more weïght in this case as well, so if you can't offer as much static content as your competition, make sure you have an aggressive link campaign on the go.

4. Proper Use of Html. There is quite a bit of sub-par web design software out there. Word processors usually have a way to create html documents which can be easily uploaded to a site via ftp. However, in many cases the code that the search engine robots see is mostly lines and lines of font and position formatting, not relevant content. The more efficiently written web sites usually achieve higher rankings. Our choice for web design software is Macromedia Dreamweaver, as it is an industry standard. It also makes using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) a breeze, which can drastically cut down on the amount of text formatting in html code. Hand-coding html to design sites is also a good method if you are proficient enough.

There are some no brainers too: Web sites with abnormal amounts of hyperlinks, bold or italicized text, improper use of heading, alt, or comment tags can also expect to see low rankings.

5. Choosing a Domain Name. The golden rule to web development of any kind is to keep your visitors in mind above all else - even search engine optimization. When choosing a domain name, one should pick either your business name (if you have a high-profile business name such as Chapters or Coca-Cola) or a brief description of your products. Domain names can always help with search engine optimization, since it is another area of your web site in which important keywords can appear. Forget about long-winded domains such as www.number-one-best-books-on-earth.com. No one will ever remember it and it will be hard to print on business cards or in ads.

If you need to change your domain name for any reason you obviously don't want to losë existing rankings. An easy way to do this, and one that is currently supported by most search engines, is the 301 redirect. It allows you to keep your existing rankings for your old domain name, while forwarding visitors to your new web site instantly.

6. Using Frames. Don't use frames. Frames are a thing of the 90's (and in the Internet world that is eons ago) and are not even supported by some search engines. The search engines that are able to index your site through frames will most likely frown upon them. Whatever you are trying to accomplish by using frames can usually be done with the help of PHP includes or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Some browsers are not frames-compatible, so there is the danger of some visitors not being able to see your site at all. Bookmarking of individual pages within a frame becomes difficult without lengthly scripts being written.

7. Update Your Information. Not only does information printed two or three years ago reflect badly on your organization when it is read by a visitor, it is also looked down upon by search engines. Web sites that continuously update and grow their web sites usually experience higher rankings than stagnant sites. When the trick to SEO is offering visitors the most relevant information, you can bet that the age of web pages is taken into consideration by search engines. Consider creating a section of your site devoted to news within your organization, or have a constantly updated resources area.

Many shortfalls of web sites can easily be attributed to designers who just don't keep the user or search engines in mind. Search engine algorithms are quickly improving to try and list the most user-friendly sites higher, given that the content and link popularity are there to back it up. So first and foremost, know your target market and make your web site work for them before focusing on search engine optimization. If you build it (properly), they will come.

About The Author Copyright John Metzler of Abalone Designs, November 2004. This article may be freely distributed if credït is given to the author. Abalone Designs is a family-run Search Engine Optimization firm in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Visit Abalone Designs for a frëe personalized analysis of your web site.

***********************************************************************************************
Special Message:

I've been around for quite a while, and I don't recall any greater crisis, than from this tsunami. It's already over 100,000, and still climbing by the hour. The pictures I've seen on TV and the internet is almost unbelievable. Even the people that survived the tsunami, don't have fresh water, food, or place to live. Roads have been destroyed and the only means of getting to many people is by aircraft.

Many doctors are suggesting, there may be as many lives lost to disease, before the basic necessities are restored. We need to pray for these people both living and dead; we need to give them all the support we can offer. I'm not rich, but I have given donation to the Red Cross to use to benefit these victims. Please help, and give to an organization of your choice to help these people.

I was told, that you could go to http://www.redcross.org and give donations. I know there are several other organizations doing similar work. This may be a way for the internet community to help; I am aware of the generosity of most of my associates. Thanks, Darell

***********************************************************************************************

• How can I get traffic to my site?
  
  I think, I have tried to answer this in the past. Traffic is an unending process, if you want to grow your businss. I'd like to say, I have all the answers, but I don't. There are several methods some free, and others that cost. I found that most everyone that has asked me wanted low cost. Sometimes, that means more time investment, you will have to create something of value (report, article, product.) Then you will have to submit the item to various possible marketers. Many eZines, and webmasters, are looking for good content.
  
  If your product, or article is compatible and of value, they may post it free. Be sure to add your Sig file to your product, or article, and that it is included when posted. You may try link exchanges with other sites, if you have enough traffic. There are sites that offer free adds. Most of the time, they expect you to receive, and read other sites adds. I have had some success with the site indicated here: http://www.ebooklisting.net/works.html they offer free adds up front. Then you have to check out other sites adds, or find additional people to sign up. I did fairly well since I just signed up, and put a couple links here and there.
  
  If you have the money, you can purchase subscribers, around a dollar per subscriber. I haven't ever tried this, figured they would sign up, and then leave. There is several pay per click offers and it's just what it says, you pay for each click to your site based upon keywords. Some claim that competitors will be glad to help you get clicks. I have used paid eZine ads, if it's a compatible site, because this tends to target your visitors better.
  
  What ever method you choose, do your home work, test and find what works best for the least cost. I don't think anyone can or will tell you what will work best for you. They can only tell you what has worked best for them and suggest you use their method. There is lots of information available for various ways to get traffic. My site has some free eBooks available that discusses this subject.
  
  
• I never seem to have enough time to get everything done, have you got any suggestions?
  
  I think we all have that problem, what I do is start making up a list of what I'm doing. Then keep track of how much time I spend doing each task. When I've done this for a few days, I sit down and compile my data. I determine all of the tasks I have worked on, then, I add all the time spent on similar tasks together.
  
  Next, I create a list of tasks starting with the one using the most time, and continue building my list from largest to smallest amount of time. When the list is done, I begin with the task at the top of the list and study the task. Looking for anything I can do to reduce the time used to accomplish that task. Sometimes I can and sometimes I can't, usually, you can find ways to improve.
  
  Maybe, you can get some software that would automate some tasks. I spend most of my time reading email and getting rid of spam. I just went through my list and created separate folders for specific mail. I blocked all addresses that were spam, and unsubscribed to newsletters that wasn't value added. I keep trying to find ways to use the computer to automate more and more of my tasks.
  
  These simple steps saved me considerable time. I also purchased some software that allows me to create a standard answer for a specific problem. Now I just go to the problem and copy the answer and paste it into the email. Yes, it costs to purchase software, but if you place a value on your time, the pay back will usually be there.
  
  Keep working to improve your procedure, making things better is a continual process. There is a point of diminishing returns, when the time and costs are greater than any gains. You've probably heard of the 80/20 rule, well, 80% of your gains will be made in about 20% of your total tasks. Always grab the largest gains first.
  
  This is another answer, that will probably require more explanation. I shouldn't do these after being up all night working. It's time for me to go to bed.
  
  
• I'm getting to much email (spam) is there anything I can do about it?
  
  I agree about the email, all of my email accounts were pretty full. I decided that it was time to review and get rid of some newsletters. Many turned out to be nothing but an advertisement anyway. I was dumb enough to sign up for Christmas specials this year. I didn't want to miss out on something good. I signed up to several, so I could see what was offered, a week later I regreted it. I have a problem of reading all the stuff I sign up for. I guess, that's why unsubscribe links are supposed to be on emails.
  
  My mail service offers a spam filter, and my firewall allows me to block certain senders.
  This year, I made a resolution to clean house. I have accomplished that resolution, I figure I will have about twice as much time, to do things that need to be done. I have created a folder for each newsletter I decided to keep. I set up message rules to put the newsletter in each particular folder. This should make it much easier to evaluate the next time. I had always done that with sites from which I purchased plus a backup on another hard drive.
  
  The only problem I've had with this, is when someone changes their email address, or from line. They will end up in my spam, or junk, folder. Anything in those folders only get a quick skimming and are deleted on a daily basis. Yes, I have missed some messages, but it saves me a lot of time. I also block certain emails, especially if I unsubscribe and still receive emails. I was told to never bounce, just block. If I block someone, I never see them again. I once did this to my wife's email address accidentally, took me a while to figure out how to fix it; but I satyed with it until it was fixed.
  
  I don't open attachments anymore, and I have my email set not to view images. I've got a link on each email that I can click on if I decide to view the images. This was a problem related to MS, that I had been notified about. If the image opened automatically, you could receive unexpected data that could mess with your computer.
  
  If your computer is slowing down or taking longer than usual:
  
  I also clean my cashe files, temporary internet, and history files if my computer starts slowing down. After cleaning, I shut down the computer, and actually unplug my router hub and modem for about a minute. Then I plug them back in and restart the computer and everything works fine again. ISP, gave me that hint, after being on the phone with them for a couple hours and getting to a programmer. He couldn't tell me why, but said, "it worked for him"; it worked for me too.
  
  I read about a free MS beta version anti virus and spyware application. Since mine seems to keep me pretty well informed I was afraid of conflicts. Knock on wood, I have maintained a pretty clean site at least as far as problems goes. Of course, everyone receives spyware of some sort, I have a separate spyware program and it comes up on each reboot, I usually find 15 to 20 each time. It does a good job of removing them. Hope this helps.
  
  
• Can I use purchased lists to send out email?
  
  If you do, you had better be careful, you should actually get the list yourself. Make sure it has an email address, URL, date of requested opt-in. You should visit the FTC.gov website and make sure you are following the regulations. There are also international regulations for other countries. I'm not an expert on this, so you may want to check with some professionals to be sure you are in compliance.
  
  Unless you have your own server, you would probably check with your hosting service about their policies. Some do not allow uploading lists to their server; they can be shut down if someone complains. Most offer double opt-in, and maintain the lists to justify person had actually opted-in.
  
  I haven't ever purchased a list, because I couldn't confirm the opt-in. I'm pretty sure there are others using lists. Maybe someone else would want to answer this question, and give more complete information.
  
  
• Can you make money with Search Engine Ads, if so, how do you get started?
  
  I haven't ever used it so I can't really say much about it. I decided to check and see if I could find out anything. I found out more than I wanted, I found my website didn't qualify. You have to apply, then they will preview your site, and tell you whether you qualify or not. In my case it was not, here is what they said:
  
  "Page type: Your website is a type of website that we do not currently
  accept into our program. Such websites include, but are not limited to,
  chat sites, and sites that contain predominately copyrighted material,
  and sites that drive traffic through cybersquatting, or use excessive
  keywords in the content or code of their pages."
  
  So, if you want to see what not to do, go look at my website. http://www.ebooklisting.net I disagree with their assessment, because I spend a lot of time searching for pertinent information to give my subscribers. Many times, articles already exist, that describes what needs to be conveyed. I have always gotten permission to use articles, or authors have sent articles asking me to publish in my newsletters, or on my website.
  
  These are actually good for them, and me, I am looking for good content to educate and expand my subscribers thinking. It saves me time writing a similar article covering the exact same material. I have always been careful of any thing I use on my website as my reputation is at stake. I have a small, but loyal group of subscribers which suits me fine.
  
  As for the keywords, I am at a loss, I have maybe 5-10 maximum. I've checked and found some sites with 20-30; I have no idea how to resolve this issue. Think, I'll just stick with what I'm doing and let others get all that ad money. I have heard, their are other search engines trying to get started with ads, might want to check them out also.
  
  Sorry, I got off the subject, I didn't find any info on how much they pay for the ads. I would suggest you go to their site and read all the rules and regulations, before you create your site if you plan to use ads on your site. I thought mine, would be OK, when I applied.
  
  In their behalf, there are lots of sites that use ads, I'm not aware of how much money they make. It would be related to the number of referrals from the site to the ads provider. I don't think sites would carry ads if they weren't making money.
  
  
  
• There are several upcoming seminars, would it be beneficial for me to attend?
  
  If, you can afford to attend, by all means go, most everyone I've talked with says, you can make some interesting aquaintences at these. I can't speak from experience, I haven't ever attended one, costs were to prohibitive for me. I may be giving up some good partnerships, or joint ventures, I can't honestly say. I do believe, that networking has helped many marketers; there are too many doing it, not to be profitable.
  

  ---

  Not so new now:
  
  
  Just read an article stating that one of the big search engines is going to crack down on the links to websites from blogs. It seems, they are going to give the the blog authors a method of inserting a tag, that basically tells spiders to ignore certain links. It didn't say when this was going to start, although I think they have already tested and possibly started. I'll probably be in trouble again; glad I didn't start this for that specific reason. Of course, I figured it couldn't hurt.
  
  I knew, there had been a lot of articles written about increasing SEO rank, by setting up links in blogs back to web sites. Search engines, are a lot like the IRS, they have to keep moving to where the money gets made. This means changing rules to fill the loop holes. They make a lot of money by selling position based on keywords and bidding on them. It is easy to say, the move is to improve our use of their search sites. May be partially true, but I'd bet the money part, weighed pretty heavy on the decision.
  
  I may be somewhat biased, because I have a group of subscribers, and the majority are looking for ways to start at low cost. There are many items being promoted as low cost ways to get into internet marketing. Some are pretty original, but many are just a rehash of the same thing. Every web site on the internet will have some waiver, or disclaimer, of what their selling. Some honor guarantees, some don't, but most offer them. I can't in good conscience, suggest using pay per clicks, on search engines. This, not too long ago was a good value, and good media to get started.
  
  Today, they have to buy expensive software to search for misspelled, or some other, less known keywords, in order to stay within their budget. Even then, they don't always get targeted enough to avoid lots of useless expensive hits. I admit, sales pages and other data are not equal, and impact conversion rates.
  
  I keep thinking, if the search engines are into marketing, and they are BIG time. Marketers know, if you aren't on the first few pages of search results, your wasting your time in that area. This is what keeps driving up the costs of the pay per clicks for keywords, or words, and phrases being searched. The search engines could do a better job by helping find and identifying these keywords, by market, and dollars spent.
  
  I wonder, if the average searcher, knew the search engines were controlling the way pages were listed by dollars paid. Would the searcher continue to look at the first few pages, or move through the pages and check out lower or non paid listings. Those might lead to some better deals for the searcher; as start ups have to do something to get sales. This means more bonuses, and lowering of costs, as normal procedures of trying to get the customer.
  
  If the 80/20 rule is true, I believe the start ups could begin a campaign against this. By forming a group, or boycott, and posting this data on their web sites; the search engines might be forced back into performing a better service. Especially, if the high paying marketers get no benefit from ranking, or position. Who would pay the high costs for hits? If, the traffic started somewhere other than the first few pages.
  
  I'm sure, the search engines won't worry about this, because they know trying to mobilize any large group is next to impossible. I'm still a believer, and have seen one individual have a large impact on several different issues. The search engines, started as a small entities at one time, and have grown to where their at today, by offering something that was needed at a reasonable cost. Today, they are delivering something different; it is biased by how much they are paid.
  
  It's not entirely their fault, they are just following patterns set by other marketers, like TV, and radio. I don't have as many dealings with the large index, but I imagine it is doing similar things. Sorry, I didn't mean to get on a soap box, but I've been hearing quite a bit about this subject for sometime. I'm a little upset, because I did suggest using blogs as a means to get search engine spiders to visit websites to my subscribers. That's my fault, I used search engines, and searched for data related to this subject. The seach engines, I'm sure has a waiver, or disclaimer, stating if, I use their service it is at my own peril.
  

  ---

  
  Well, now that it's over with, I would say that Frank Kerns and his affiliates made a little money over the weekend. The new buzz is that digital products are of much less value and physical products create a great deal more perceived value. The event was done in a manner, that seems to be the quick way, to making big money on the internet. The guys with the largest lists were sent the contents for their evaluation. I'm not sure how many over the 700, was distributed for evaluation. I imagine, they also received the promotional material for distribution; since I received duplicate copies from several different sources.
  
  Frank, did a lot of work on this project from the planning stages through actual release. (700 limit was magic) He did a good job of pre-selling because I started getting email about a month before the release, building anticipation of the release date. Then in the last week, there was another release creating urgency; telling of the number on his waiting list and that the product was expected to sell out as soon as it was released. The basis were pretty well covered. I received an email from Frank saying, they had sold out.
  Congratulations Frank, masterful job.
  
  Now, we will all wait and see, how many of the 700 can make the process work. I hope it's more than 5%. I wish them all, luck and prosperity. I also received email from some other marketers; telling that the cost of the product was the least of the expenses, that would be incurred to complete the process. One even said the costs would go above $8000. Purchasers may be sworn to secrecy, but almost always, leaks develop. I participate in enough forums, I'm sure I'll hear something.
  
  
  I have to apologize for not responding to emails and questions for the last few days. I have had some problems with my computer and am trying to get everything restored. May be I can get caught up again next week. I will try to do a better job of keeping upin the future. It seems just about the time I think I have things in hand, something else comes up and gets me. I just have to keep plugging along, everything will work out in the end. Have a good day, Darell
  
  
• How can you get blog data inserted into a web page?
  
  I'd like to say that I was expert enough to give an answer, but that would be a lie. I have read some articles, and according to what I've read, it requires some software. Now, having said that, I was able to add some script from another RSS feed to one of my web pages. The script was given to me by the author of the blog. If you are sharp at coding, it's probably easy; sorry to say I'm not one of those people.
  
  http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/ This site was suggested by another ebook publisher. I looked at it, but it seemed confusing to me. Here is the URL of my web page that has headlines listed, if you're interested. http://www.ebooklisting.net/Daily.html You will need to go to 'View/Source' on your browser. Look toward the bottom of the page, you will see something about 'SEO Chat' then just kind of follow down the page. First it builds the border(s) where the headlines will be inserted. Then the headlines will be pulled from the blog at the point where it says 'SCRIPT language='. It uses 'JavaScript' to obtain the headlines. Now, you know everything I know, about this subject. Sorry, I couldn't help more; If I learn more, I will post it here. Maybe, we'll be lucky and someone else will respond with a good and right answer.
  
• I have recently been asked a few questions related to public domain books.
  
  I haven't ever worked in this particular area myself. I have read information published by some other people. If I remember correctly, I was impressed with some work by David Valleries. I probably should have gone out and signed up as an affiliate giving him a plug like this. He actually did a lot of research and even though his work had disclaimers, it gave more information than any others I have reviewed. I have created a new web page on my website to deal with information related to the public domain data.
  
  I did read something recently, it seems some are using the large auction areas to research various areas within the directories and sub directories to determine information on highly searched items. It seems that the people offering the product usually includes data related to publication dates and related data. This allows the researchers an opportunity to develope a product that is in demand. If they are lucky on books, they sometimes find the data is in the public domain area; allowing them to create a product in much less time that already has a market.
  
  Here is a link to check out: http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/ccer/ccer.htm
  
  *********************************************************************************
  Niche Finding Course
  
  
  I am taking a course in finding niche markets by a friend of mine. It is pretty time consuming; guess everything worthwhile requires time. Researching and evaluating are a major part of finding a good niche. This has been quite a learning experience for 37 of us that are participating. The work has sure eaten up a lot of my time recently.
  
  I have had to agree to secrecy at least for the time being. The product will be offered at a later date at some cost to be determined. We have been asked to evaluate the course and suggest a price at the end of each week. If this works out, I will try to get a discount for our subscribers. Niche Marketing is a hot topic at the present time, many people have made considerable money using this method in the last few years.
  
  I have begun to realize that it is a very good learning process; it should always give participants of the course an area to develop for profit. If we follow the steps prescribed, and create a good product based upon what the customer wants and needs. I have opted for learning the process; rather than purchasing niche ideas from someone else. This should allow me to work and develop at my own pace and with less duplication. If, I search and develop a product, I will become somewhat of an expert in that area. I also won't be trying to sell something that several others are trying to sell.
  
  I have put a couple pages related to the topic on my webpage. I am starting a discussion group on the topic in the members only free forum on the website. I have also started posting some of the articles I receive for publication; if they are related to my site, and I feel they are of value to membership. The data is FREE, you might as well check it out.
  
  Here is a link to a new blog: http://www.nichemarketresearchcenter.com/freetips/
  
  
  ********************************************************************************
  
  I have started brushing up on some skills for Visual Basic, haven't used it several years. I have decided that some of the software I'm seeing advertised and the prices being asked might make the time worthwhile. I know one thing, I've forgotten more than I remember; here is a little program I just finished writing (Use at your own risk) its an executable file.
  http://www.ebooklisting.net/news.html Look toward the bottom of page its called Ad Profitability Calculator. I wrote another to help in planning and goal setting. (Use at your own risk. There FREE.
  
  ################################################################
  WARNING:
  
  I just received an email telling me that everyone needs to keep an eye on credit card charges. We should be doing it anyway, but sometimes in our hurry to get things done; we overlook some details that should be done. It seems that there have been several people had a small charge on their card in one month and then later had a larger charge. If I read correctly, when everything was checked out it was for porn, or adult entertainment. My credit card company recently contacted me about the possibility of having fraudulant charges on my card. Unfortunately, my son had used the card, and I will have to accept the charges. I called the companies that the credit card issuer gave me and all but one agreed to delete the charge with confirmation number. What worries me about the situation, is that the email I received said that one of the companies will continue to charge even after calling them. I haven't verified this myself; so I won't name the company at present. I will be watching my charges very closely from now on to insure they are correct.
  
  #################################################################
  
  My web page http://www.ebooklisting.net Look at bonuses available. Check back often for more freebies and specials. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and join the group.
  
  If you have any specific questions related to any aspect of marketing, please ask. I haven't forgotten how hard it was for me to get started. I won't tell you how many dollars and time I have invested in this area. I do have a lot of good resources, and I am willing to share data. If, I have the rights to the data.