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Loss of Jobs in America Paul Craig Roberts Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003How Secure Is Your Job? Laura Barcella Friday, April 7, 2006American Jobs: Going, Going... Jane Birnbaum 2005Companies in India celebrate "loss of American jobs" Mike Crane December 2004Costly Trade With China Millions of U.S. jobs displaced Robert E. Scott
October 9, 2007Immigration Is Hurting The U.S. Worker Steven A. Camarota Spring 2007Outsourcing Not the Culprit in Manufacturing Job Loss Wes Iversen
December 9th, 2003
Welcome to my personal SohoMatic web system. My name's Jacob Paulsen and this web system can offer you a new mindset so you too can compete in this brave new world with absolute confidence! However, what you may not also be aware of is that this is part of a much larger online marketing system that is designed to help you grow your own online business, whatever that may be. You can use this system to learn how to compete in todays world, but you can also get your very own system just like this to generate high-level premium leads to explode your own online business. So, go ahead! Submit your information here and feel free to follow the links on this site to other great, and informative content!
Not to long
ago someone explained to me how the auto-pilot system of an airplane functions.
I have always been under the impression that the auto-pilot maintained all the
system controls at a specified position keeping the plane going straight. I was
mistaken. It seems that if a plane were to maintain constant controls such as
speed it would eventually go off course because the elements working on and with
the plane are not constant. The wind, pressure, air density, etc are always
changing. For this reason the auto-pilot program is nothing more than a
"constant correctional, re-alignment system." Every second as the plane moves
against gravity and the elements the auto-pilot system makes adjustments in the
controls in order to maintain the correct course.
In our
spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and professional lives we are also beat
upon by the elements. If we continue to maintain the same course by doing the
exact same things all the time we will over time be beat off course by the
elements of the world. We must each create an auto-pilot program which in effect
is a lifelong "constant correctional, re-alignment system." A series of rituals
and habits that help us re-commit, re-align, and re-focus ourselves on our own
goals.
Here are a
series of ideas that I would suggest can help each of us stay on the straight
and narrow path leading to our goals.
Reflect on the past.
When we remember the lessons we have learned in the past it tends to
strengthen our commitment to the future. The key to reflecting on the past
is in record keeping. We must first keep a record of the now so we will have
something to reflect on later. Traditionally we tend to think of record
keeping in the form of a written journal. While I believe in the importance
of keeping a written journal I have tried to teach the importance of all
types of records. Picture albums, home videos, blogs, school projects,
emails, family newsletters and many other forms of record keeping can play
an important role in keeping track of the past if organized in such a way
that allows for it to be reviewed in the future. In addition to keeping the
record we must also reflect upon it. I know many people who keep a separate
journal just for more emotional and special events. This facilitates future
reflection upon the events that shape our lives.
Plan for the future.
The greatest reason why most fail to reach their goals is because of the
lack of a plan of action. Reaching your goals will never come any closer to
reality until you establish the necessary steps required to achieve them. On
a very regular basis you need to sit down and look at where you are in
relation to your goals. You need to set weekly, and daily action steps that
will take you closer. I recommend a strong weekly planning session in which
you plan for the following week's activities. Such a planning session if
done correctly should last at least an hour. Short daily planning sessions
will also help you stay on track during the week.
Participate in
regular renewal activities. Search out activities that remind you why
you are doing what you are doing. Religious worship tends to help you
re-align with your deepest purpose. Company & industry conventions and
parties help you remember the best practices in your business. Seminars,
vacations, business trips, and other events that break up routine always
help you "wake up" from the elements that have been dragging you off course.
After you
have decided on your purpose & goals, and have committed yourself to success,
remember to consistently put yourself in an auto pilot program of constant
recommitment. While rituals are important they can bring you down if you don’t
search out ways of bringing yourself back to the center line.
Jacob is a Network Marketing
Professional in addition to being a successful business owner. Currently a
Regional Director with Agel Enterprises,
Jacob has built an organization of 12,000+ people over 32 countries around the
world. Jacob's other business ventures include a
private security company, a
promotional apparel business, and a small
cash-flow consulting firm. Get more
articles like this by following Jacob's
Marketing Blog.
What
do you want? Most of America is satisfied with the 40 by 40 plan, which is 40
hours per week for 40 years. In choosing a career, you see, we pick between two
different factors: freedom and security. At first these two are opposites. If
you choose security you will never achieve true freedom. If you choose freedom
you will likely begin with no security at all and only achieve it after time.
That is why the first decision you must make is Freedom; freedom over your time,
your resources, and your property both material and intellectual.
As
long as you trade your time for money you cannot achieve freedom. Some people
argue that being paid salary or being self-employed doesn’t constitute trading
time for money but I disagree. Ask yourself this question: If you don’t do any
work for the next two weeks would your paychecks still arrive? If you answer no
than you are still trading your time for money. The only way to stop this cycle
is to own your own business system. See the Diagram:
Owning
your own business system provides an opportunity for freedom because by
employing others in a predictable pattern of activities you can achieve greater
results than you could alone. If you get paid on the efforts of other people you
begin to have leverage, and leverage is the key to financial freedom. Kiyosaki’s
diagram shows us that only in the “B” & “I” quadrant can you achieve big
results. You must make the conscious decision to move to the “B” quadrant and
become the owner of a duplicable business system that doesn’t require your daily
involvement.
Notice
I said a business system that doesn’t require your daily involvement. Having
your own business isn’t enough. Most business owners in reality only own a job.
You must create or buy a business system that doesn’t require you coming into
work every day, every week, every month, or even every year. This may not be
possible during the first 6 months to a year of your business but it must be the
end goal and your system must allow for it.
Only
by making the conscious decision to desire freedom, own your own business, and
create a true leverage based business system can you achieve your goals.
Jacob Paulsen is a Network Marketing Professional in addition to being a great business owner. To subscribe to Jacob's articles about Marketing & Personal development please visit his blog. To learn more about the fastest growing Innovator in the industry check out Agel!
3. 8 Keys to Financial Success Cont. This article is a continuation of my previous post: "8 Keys to
Financial Success." If you haven't read the previous post I suggest
visiting http://mblog.jacobspaulsen.com
and catching up on it now. The 8 Keys to Financial Success are designed
to help people with an existing stream of monthly income to achieve
wealth and financial freedom. In the previous article I outlined keys
1-4. Here I will outline 5-8.
Let Money
Work For You. Now that you have began to build your
emergency fund and have paid off any credit card debt you will begin to
have excess cash-flow. This "excess" cash-flow can now be channeled
towards investing. How much? No less than 5% of your monthly income
should be put toward investments and after your rainy day fund is built
and your credit card debt is gone you should be contributing between
10-15% of your income every month toward investments. Where &
What? You need to purchase assets. Assets are investments that put
money back into your pocket. Your job is to find assets that will
increase your monthly cash-flow and bring you closer to financial
freedom. If you are wondering which investments are safe, the answer is
that only the investments you are totally familiar with and comfortable
with are safe. The risk of the investment is based on your own
knowledge of it.
Multiple
Streams of Income. No one source of income in this world
is
100% solid. You could loose your job or main source of income at any
time and it therefor becomes necessary to have a back up stream of
income. It also goes to reason that the only way to come closer to
financial freedom is to work harder at your current job or to get a
second income source. I am an advocate for owning your own business
instead of getting a second job. Only by owning your own business are
you creating leverage and potential residual income which is the base
of true financial freedom. Look for opportunities or ideas that will
allow you to build a side-income. Don't be afraid to invest some cash
and some time into the success of a side business since it may become
your greatest asset.
Automate Your
Finances. The reason a lot of people don't achieve
their financial goals is due to a lack of discipline. Even after you
begin to track your finances and set goals it can take a lot of work
and discipline to carry them out. Learn to automate everything possible
about your money to guarantee achieving your goals. If you can set up
an automatic transfer from your checking each month to your rainy day
fund, or a auto-pay on all your bills do it. Take human error out of
the picture as much as possible to ensure achieving your goals.
Educate
Yourself. The last key to your own wealth is education. In
order to be worth more you must first become more and in your financial
stewardship this can only be done by increasing your financial
education. Read business and investing books. Study the industry of
your side-business and seek out advice from successful people in your
family and in your industry. Learn everything you can about different
investment strategies such as stocks, bonds, real estate, hard money,
etc. Attend local seminars about wealth building and investing. Teach
what you learn to all those around you.
If you can harness these 8 keys of financial prosperity you can achieve
any financial goal you choose. You aren't limited by your income but by
your own financial intelligence and skills. Learn, Plan, Do.
Jacob Paulsen
801-494-3672
www.jacobspaulsen.com
All rights to this article are reserved. Any duplication must be a
complete duplicate of this article including the author's signature and
a return link to mblog.jacobspaulsen.com
4. 8 Keys to Financial Success Now for the purpose of this article I want to assume that you currently
have a steady stream of monthly income. I am going to discuss the
Paulsen 8 Keys to Financial Success but in order for these 8 keys to
truly bring you success it is necessary that you already have a
consistent income. For 95% of America financial problems do not come
from the lack of a strong income but the lack of skills necessary to
manage thier income. You see we spend the first 25 years of our lives
being taught how to go into the workplace and make money, but nobody
ever teaches us what to do with money once we have it. That is where
the 8 keys of financial success come into play.
A quick disclaimer: I did not invent these 8 ideas and I don't lay
claim to any of this content. From all my study I have simply organized
my favorite and key concepts into these 8 Keys. In this article I'm
going to discuss the first 4 of the 8 keys to success. Stay tuned for
the last 4 keys in a future article.
Track Your
Finances. This is the first step because it makes
everything else possible. What is measured can be improved and studies
have shown that even corporate executives who look at financial
statements everyday tend not to know their own financial situation. You
must know where your money comes from and where it goes, what assets
and liabilities you own, and how your current performance lines up with
your financial goals. Very few people have the accountant like skills
necessary to do it themselves and so to those I recommend hiring
someone to do their book-keeping. In my home state Utah I highly
recommend JP2Consulting.
Once you have a handle on your own finances the true work can begin.
Have a
Cash-Flow Budget. This is a two sided coin. First you need
a budget which is a simple idea of where you want your money to go. How
much do you want/expect to spend each month in dining, gasoline,
groceries, etc. Second is to work on your cash-flow. How much is left
over each month? How much do you spend vs bring in? This is called your
Profit vs Loss in the business world and knowing that number should be
your life. The other part of your cash-flow is your Assets vs
Liabilites/Expenses. This number will show how close you are to
retirement. Assets are things that bring you income without any work on
your part. Liabilities and Expenses are everything that take your money
away from you. Once your assets bring in enough each month to cover all
your expenses and liabilities you can stop working your day job and
retire. Making that number positive is your number one goal. To start
working on your cash-flow now download
this sheet from JP2.
Create a Rainy Day Fund. Before you begin investing your
money into assets or toys your number one priority is to put some cash
away into a 100% liquid account with the highest interest rate return
possible. MMA, or money market accounts offer the best solution. In
this account you need to have enough cash to cover a minimum of 3
months of expenses and liabilites. Get this account filled as quickly
as possible. You shouldn't be sleeping well at night if you don't have
this cash set aside. Once you hit the 3 month goal continue to
contribute a little each month until you reach at least the one year
mark. As your expenses go up in the future you need to make on going
adjustments to this fund. One year may seem extreme but this cash fund
is vital to your long term financial stability and success.
Use Credit Cards like Debit Cards. Credit Cards were
designed to hurt you. If used properly however they will bring you more
freedom and success. Credit card debt is never, never, never
acceptable. The interest rates are way to high to justify carrying any
balance at all. Many people will tell you that it is necessary to carry
a balance in order to build credit but that is a only myth. If you
think of a credit card the same way you do a debit card you can win the
game. Never charge your card unless the cash is already in the account
to cover the charge. By paying off your card each month you will slowly
build strong credit over time. Also if you get a good rewards card you
can accumulate points and cash back rewards that will put extra in your
pocket.
5. You Must Become More to Get More! Ultimately you must become more if you want to earn more. In the
insurance industry there is a term called "Human Life Value." It seems
almost wrong that anyone can assign an actual dollar value to our lives
but this is necessary in when determining what kind of life insurance
policies you can buy.
For purposes of this article when I refer to your "Human Life Value"
I'm not talking about your insurance life value, but instead how much
value you create for the world. As you work hard to become more, you in
turn are able if you chose to contribute more to the world. As you
actively create value for those around you, your true Human Life Value
increases. Your human life value is tied directly to your wealth. As
your Human life value increases your wealth must also increase.
Understand that the term wealth doesn't always apply to money. Wealth
can be a great number of things including strong & fulfilling
relationships, inner peace & satisfaction, etc.
There are three distinct lessons we must take from this truth:
1. Our skills and knowledge alone do not create value for anyone. Only
the application of skills and knowledge with correct direction can
begin to create value for those around us. Therefore our Human Life
Value only increases when we create value for others.
2. It is only in creating value for others that we can increase our own
wealth. Since all our wealth is a direct reflection of what we receive
from others and from society it is only in creating value for others
that we can experience an increase.
3. Only through exchange can value be created. When you sell a good or
service both parties become wealthier for having made the exchange even
though the amount of goods or services exchanged remained the same. If
you hug your 2 year old child both of you are wealthier for the
exchange even though the hug was constant.
Understanding these principles, we can begin a discussion about how
your Human Life Value affects you in Marketing. The first applied
lesson to learn is that if you want to sell more goods or services you
must become more. This is true both because your overall attractiveness
affects your ability to sell and because your ability to create value
in the life of your client is increased. Of course when speaking of
attractiveness we aren't referring to your physical attraction, but the
overall impression that you carry with you everywhere you go.
How do we become more? Allow us to separate your person into 4 common
categories. Physical, Mental, Emotional, & Spiritual. To become
more physically we must exercise and eat well. To become more mentally
we must expose ourselves to new ideas and concepts. We must study and
strive to learn more about more. To become more emotionally we must
interact with people. We must understand people. To become more
spiritually we connect with an inner purpose and divine potential ever
striving to follow our creator.
All four of these categories are inseparably connected. As you grow in
one you must grow in the other. This isn't to say that we are all
balanced all the time but simply put they are connected and how you
grow or don't grow in one area will have an impact on the other four.
Becoming more is the end purpose of everything we do. As you increase
your ability to serve your fellow man, or put differently create more
value for society you in turn increase your own wealth. Ironically it
is the only way to do so!
In the last month I have been able to read (actually listen) several
new books that I have enjoyed. I wanted to take this post to talk a
little about each of these recent reads.
"His Excelency George Washington" really blew me away. I always knew
George Washington had to be a powerful and unique person but this
really got me pumped. I learned a lot about this amazing man and it
inspired me to memorize all the U.S. presidents and eventually I would
like to read a biography about all the US presidents. George was a
unique and powerful hero. He was the very first person to put his life
on the line of American Independence and he knew it. His general lack
of military experience and general failure in warfare during the war go
to prove that his success was due to the principles he lived by and
"providence itself."
"The 5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me" had great, but unoriginal
content. I was dissapointed in how obviously copy-cat the material is.
I realize that there is only so much content to be taught in reference
to wealth principles but Richard Paul Evans even goes so far to quote
George Clason's "Richest Man in Babylon" in almost every chapter it
seems. I'm super glad I read it just the same because we all need on
going reminders of what we need to be doing and how true wealth is
created. Richard Paul Evans is a great author and it show in this work.
It was very easy to read and he is a great teacher.
I have always been a fan of Robert Allen as a person but his book
Nothing Down turned me away a little because it was just hard for me to
get through. I enjoy real estate but I'm not super passionate and
toward the end I just wanted to be done. This book on the other hand
really held my attention. Both Authors do a good job of teaching
principles of business, investing, and wealth. They laid it out in two
different formats which helps different types of people who learn
differently and that is something I really liked.
Jacob Paulsen
www.ageljacob.com
skype: jacob.paulsen
7. Biggest Mistakes made by Network Marketing Amateurs 1. Hoping for a free ride. Too often people think that by signing up
one or two "key" people they will be all but done and enjoy a big bonus
check forever. The other free ride lie is when you are told by your
upline that you will inherit a huge organization or downline from them.
While the comp plan may allow your upline to build underneath you that
won't make it free money. It is going to take work and time to build a
profitable organization and any thought that you can get around that is
nothing more than a lie.
2. Ashamed to be a Network Marketer. In order to have Huge Break
through income in this business you must make it a part of your life
and who you are. All too often people see the earning potential and
decide to get involved but they are never truly committed, only
interested. The products, and the business need to become a part of
your lifestyle if you want to have the BIG residual income. That
doesn't mean this has to be the only thing you do for 40 hours a week,
but it must become a part of your lifestyle.
3. Forgetting this is your own business. Unlike a 401K or Mutual fund
your Network Marketing business requires attention. You would not buy a
fast food franchise and expect it to send you a paycheck if you hadn't
done any work. Your Network Marketing business is a business and like
all other business ventures it requires: 1. An initial investment. 2.
Ongoing Overhead 3. Training by Experts 4. Time & Energy (equal
to the rate of growth you desire) 5. Branding & Advertising. If
you aren't willing to treat it like a business don't expect to be
successful.
4. Not Patient Enough. Getting out of the business in less than 6
months is always a mistake. There are four phases to this business and
the first is the investment stage. Just like any other business venture
in the first 6 months are so you will invest more time, money, and
energy into your business than you will get out. That is normal and to
be expected. If you are in the right company and working the system
correctly after 6 months you should enter the Momentum stage and begin
to get paid well for what you are doing.
5. Looking for people who need your business. A big mistake that many
people make is to look for the people who need your business/product
and forget to look for the people who your business needs. A CEO of a
mouthwash company would not recruit employees based on the criteria of
having bad breath. It would be important to tell all people with bad
breath about your product but as the CEO of your own Network Marketing
business you need to look for the people who will help your business
grow. The people with the international contacts, existing network,
business sense, track record of success, etc.
6. Massive Pro-Activity without Massive Training. In this business you
need a strong concentrated but balanced dosage of both Pro-Activity and
Effectiveness. Pro-Activity only takes committment and can be done by
anyone. Being effective on the other hand requires going through the
trianing material and finding a coach/mentor within the business to
hold your hand. One without the other will prove your doom. Both
together will make you un-stopable.
8. Analyze the Companies in Network Marketing If you have read my post about why the principles that govern Network
Marketing are superior to those that govern traditional business then
this post is the next logical step in understanding the industry. If
you haven’t yet read it I would encourage you to do so
at mblog.jacobspaulsen.com
Now, I’m assuming that you have read my article about
Principles of the Network Marketing model and that you are across that
bridge. I am assuming that you have reached that logical conclusion
that the network marketing business model is indeed superior. The next
step then is the ability to analyze the companies and opportunities
within the industry and determine what factors make some better than
others. The logical conclusion is that if some companies are better
than others at any given moment there must be consistent factors that
we could recognize that determine which are the better companies and
opportunities. This article’s purpose is to find those
factors and without applying them to any specific company or
opportunity.
If you truly understand the business model than you can agree with me
that the number one factor that separates the true
“opportunity” that exists in a company is
it’s timing in the marketplace. It is the Golden Law of this
industry and it lays the foundation for the rest of this article. 70%
of the fortunes created in this industry are generated by people who
get involved in the foundation of a company. What is the foundation?
All business go through three standard cycles of business. Foundation,
Hyper-Growth, & Maturity. Big money can be made in the
Hyper-Growth stage and even perhaps in the Maturity, but History and
logic tell us that the big financial opportunities exist for people
that get into the foundation of a company.
Ok, that’s the first law of the industry. Get into the
beginning of a company. How do you know if it’s the
beginning? Generally if a company hasn’t hit hyper-growth by
its 8th or 9th year it isn’t going to happen. When the
business has a stronger focus on finding new team members you might be
in the foundation. Generally as a company begins to hit hyper-growth
the products become popularized and a larger portion of the volume of
sales come from customers and return customers instead of new team
members.
If we accept that the best thing you can do is get into the beginning
than we also have to understand the number one risk involved is that
your company being so young could tank, fail, and crash. Most
businesses do in our industry just like every other industry. How do
you manage that risk and at the same time find a company that has the
potential to become a huge giant.
Lets start by talking about the history of the industry and what we can
learn from companies that have already come along and become
substantial players. To the best of my knowledge there have only ever
been 7 companies in the history of this industry to achieve what we
call Billion Dollar status. Billion dollar status means they have
reached a point in which they are doing over one billion dollars or
more in sales within one year and have sustained it. Seven
isn’t many for a 60 year old industry. In fact history has
shown that a new Billion Dollar company only comes around every 6 to 10
years or so.
So, lets dive into the meat. What are those factors that minimize the
risk of failure and maximize the potential of hitting Billion Dollar
status? These are the factors that create the “perfect
storm” in this industry once the timing requirement of being
in the foundation is met.
1. Experienced Management
2. Financial Backing
3. Global Vision
4. Product Line
5. Compensation Plan
6. Training/Coaching –
Duplication
Experienced Management. It takes more than a couple of
rookies to really have huge success in this industry. You have to have
a team of executives that have massive experience and success in the
industry. They have to know how to ship product on time, pay on time,
open international markets, and create a profitable payplan.
Financial Backing. Companies fail most of the time because
they are under managed and under capitalized. In our industry the under
capitalized is the bigger killer. It takes big money to create a
product line, open markets, and attract the big leaders that we talked
about in number one. Some companies may have enough money to survive
those first few years until they are profitable but you are looking for
a company that has the big money necessary to go global, attract
leadership, and launch products.
Global Vision. If you really want to have massive financial
success logic dictates that you need to go international. More market
share means more money and the earlier in the company that
international markets open the better. This can create an international
frenzy when other markets also have a ground floor international
opportunity. This is so super rare that I have only seen it happen once
or twice.
Product Line. For most people they think this is the only
factor. While it is super important it isn’t alone. There are
many “sub-factors” to the product line that
determine it’s long term success.
First to Market. Copy-Cat products will never make
Billion Status. Pepsi will never be bigger than Coke, Wendy’s
will never surpass McDonalds and the Microsoft Zune will never beat out
the IPod. First to Market worldwide products are a must.
Universal Appeal. This is about Target Market. Can
children & seniors use the product? Is it limited to one per
household? Will it sell in every international market?
Consumable. Repeat Business is important so the product
has to be consumable.
Marketability. Can you give out samples, show results? Is
the product tangible to the person looking at the business? Can they
understand it inside of a 5 minute presentation?
Comp. Plan. Can you be profitable quickly? Do you have
strong incentive to help others be successful? Is there a such thing as
a bad position?
Training/Coaching & Duplication. You can have all
the perfect factors in place but if you don’t have training
and support than what difference does it make? It is necessary for a
company to attract BIG Field Leadership from other companies. These big
leaders who have a track record of success not only have to be a part
of the organization but they need to create simple systems of
duplication. The success in this industry is in duplication. How easy
is it for anyone to do it? Big leaders create training and action
programs that are duplicable and follow-able for anyone.
I hope that this has been helpful. These are the factors that you can
use to look at the companies that exist in this industry. Choosing the
best company for you is the number one decision you can make if you
want to have huge financial success. By taking the “Outside
In” look at the industry you are doing what most
don’t. Most people learn about the industry via a company
that gets them involved. They then have the unfortunate
“Inside Out” look at the industry and
don’t understand why they aren’t having the success
they want and why one company might be better than others.
9. The Principles that Govern Network Marketing are Superior to those that Govern Traditional Business Are you remotely curious about Multi-Level Marketing? The Network
Marketing Industry or MLM industry has been around for over 60 years
and while the general public often regards the industry with great
contempt recent studies have shown that the industry is stronger than
ever. Now with companies such as General Electric, Verizon, GM Motors
marketing some or all of their products via the network marketing
business model a lot of consumers are begining to take this industry
serious. Great economists such as Paul Zane Pilzer and wealthly
men/authors like Robert Kiyosaki & Donald Trump have also
spoken out in great extent recently about the amazing opportunities
that exist for average people in Network Marketing.
The title of this post is "The Principles that Govern Network Marketing
are Superior to those that Govern Traditional Business."
Why Network Marketing? What makes it so unique? White traditional
business delivers products to end consumers via a variety of third
party steps such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers the
network marketing business model delivers products directly to the end
consumer's doorstep from the manufacturing facilty. Taking out all the
middle men brings down total cost. Also by removing the middle men you
remove geographic barriers allowing you to do business anywhere people
are willing to listen, look, and buy. Are you starting to understand
why the principles that govern this business model are superior. Lets
keep going.
Lets talk about opportunity in business. A traditional company is built
in the shape of a pyramid with CEOs and presidents at the top all the
way down through management and eventually to the large group of
employees. The people at the top make most of the money and the people
at the bottom do most the work. This is not a the bad part; on the
contrary it is natural. The bad part is the lack of opportunity. The
bottom line staff/employees don't have the same opportunity to make
money as the top level management. In fact there is a scarity of money.
The more money the staff makes the less there is left for the
Management. True scarcity with no opportunity at all.
The next step up is the Commission pay model. This model is superior
because the upper level management has an incentive in the successful
of the regular bottom level salesman. The more sales they make the more
money it makes both parties. Everyone is paid based on their actual
production and so nobody can break the principle and therefore people
are rewarded correctly. Opportunity is much stronger because of two
things. First, abundance is much more present because the people at the
top want the people to succeed even though there can still be a strong
feeling of scarcity between same level salesreps. Second, Each person
is resposible for their own results and so by working harder you can
make more money. However there is still a fundamental flaw. Though
opportunity exists for success it is not equal. A real-estate agent
does not have the same opportunity as a real-estate broker because the
realtor can not hire other realtors. The same is true for the insurance
agent and for every other commision paid sales rep. Though there may be
an opportunity for advancement and management positions, the
opportunity will never be equal to the people at the top. What will
eventually happen to the successful sales rep? He/she will go out and
start their own company in order to have that equal opportunity. Now
the salesrep has become the competition to the company that trained
& coached him.
Network marketing is the answer to all these problems. Abundance is
real because the marketplace is endless (or at least infinity larger
than the traditional marketplace). Opportunity not only exists because
you get paid on your own efforts but it is also equal because the
compensation plans that exist in this industry allow for equal
opportunity for everyone. People at the bottom of the pyramid can make
more than the people at the top. In fact it happens a lot. I
sometimes explain it to people this way:
Imagine buying a franchise.
Now imagine that your franchise could sell it's product in
every country around the world.
Now imagine that your franchise had no employees at all.
Now imagine that your franchise didn't handle any customer
service at all.
Now imagine that the complete upfront cost of your
franchise is only between $500 to $1500 one time.
Now imagine that the ongoing overhead expense of your
franchise is only between $100 to $300 each month.
Now imagine that you got a cut out of the prodution of
every other franchise the company sells.
Now imagine that you could stop working anytime after only
your first 6 months to a year and not only would you continue to get a
check but it continues to get bigger each month even without you.
Now what you have is a Network Marketing Business.
10. Favorite Web Services 2 In continuation from my previous post "Favorite Web Services 1" I would
like to show you a couple more awesome webservices that everyone should
be aware of.
Geni is an online
revolutionary geneology service. Its modern design helps you catolog
your ancestory but in addition you will be able to keep track of
birthdays and other recent news shared by family members. Search for
long lost relatives and even add friends not related to you.
Google
now has a new Website
Creator. The genius of this new google program is that unlike
many company website design programs google will also host your site
for free. You can have as many pages as you would like and can
integrate images and links etc. The one downside may be that the domain
for your site will be http://yourgoogleid.googlepages.com This can be
quickly solved though by purchasing a domain from somewhere like GoDaddy.com and
forwarding your domain to your google page. When you do the forward be
sure to mask it.
Google
has also developed an elaborate SMS
information system. You can send a text message from your
phone to googl (46645) with an inquiry such as a phonebook request,
weather info, sports scores, etc. The service is amazingly fast. It
never takes more than 10 seconds to get a text message back with the
requested info. If you are looking for the phone number or address for
the local Staples just text "staples denver, co" to 46645 and in
seconds you have all the info you want. There is no cost in addition to
the normal cost to send and receive the text message.
Woot.com
is an amazing site that offers exactly one product each day. You can
often buy multiple of the one item but watch out because they have
stellar deals. The webmasters are very creative and even if you don't
want the item of the day it might be worth reading about it anyway.
11. Favorite Web Services 1 So when it comes to home based business owners like myself, we really
tend to feed on the coolest of the internet services. Especially the
free ones. Today I just wanted to highlight a few of those. (No
surprise any of these are google services).
IGoogle:
Customized Home pages aren't anything new but Google has made a huge
innovation in personalized home pages. With bazillions of different
"widgets" you can add to your site there is almost little need to even
leave you home page anymore.
Google Reader: Now that I'm into blogging and more
importantly keeping up on other people's blogs I love this program that
alerts me every time anyone on my list posts a new blog entry. Because
I have a Google reader "widget" on my Igoogle home page I know
immediately when family and friends post. I love it.
Skype: Instant Messaging isn't really new either but Skype
has changed the way we do this. They have integrated a full feature
video VOIP phone. Fancy way of saying you can make phone calls for free
via the internet to anyone anywhere in the world who also has the free
software installed. Turning on the video is an option and we generally
only use it for family who want to see the baby but still... Super Cool.
Plaxo: Plaxo does
a lot of things but the coolest is its ability to synchronize your
contacts and calendar between your Google, Yahoo, MSM, Hotmail, excite,
email services in addition to MAC, Outlook, Express, etc. HOLY COW this
is amazing. The premium services are cool too, but the free account
does about everything I need it to do.
Ok. I'll stop for now. No doubt I will rave about more programs in the
future.
12. The Power of Blogging For those of us who are interested in Internet Marketing there are few
things as powerful as blogging. At first the word blog may make you
think about stay at home mom's posting pictures of their children to a
webpage, but blogging is much more than that. Blogs have a special
ability to be crawled by search engines and their content reaches a
very large audience. Search engines work off of many things but one of
them is keywords. Reaccuring keywords in a blog are likely to make it
very visible. Search engines also like changing content. Because blogs
have a tendancy to have new content added almost daily they are extra
"crawled" by the search engines. Also because blogs strongly resemble
forums because posts to a blog can be commented on by visitors to the
blog this can also increase the tendancy to be found by search engines.
Also blogs can have a tremendous impact on the increased visibility of
your other marketing sites because of the RSS technology. Let me give
you an example. This very post that you are reading right now will
automatically be inserted into over 40 different sites today when I hit
the "Post" button. Blogs can be subscribed to via an RSS feed. This
allows me to automatically embed new posts into whatever website I
choose. This allows my marketing sites to also have a constant change
of content every time I post a new blog entry even though the general
content of the site never changes. It also feeds a constant new set of
key words into my marketing sites also making them more search engine
friendly. The obvious key word in this post is Blog and if it weren't
such a common key word it might get some of my pages listed in the top
20 results of some search engines.
What service should you use to Blog? If you are interested in a social
climate where you can have your friends read and remark to your blog I
would suggest google's very own Blogspot.
They allow a lot of customization to your blog and because they are
hosted by google they are crawled fairly regularily by the search
engine. You can opt to have a non public blog if you choose.
If you are interested in creating an ongoing stream of new RSS content
for your marketing website(s) I would suggest a service called BlogFather.
Blog Father was created by the internet marketing company Veretekk and
their system is optomized for both search engine customization as well
as RSS feeding.
Both of these services are free of charge so go to it! Start blogging
today!
13. The Advantage of Online Conferencing
Technology is changing the way business is done in many ways. One of
those is conferencing. The old days of flying all of your team into one
location and paying for a hotel conference room are over. The expenses
of leasing a conference room, travel, etc are just to much, and frankly
not necessary.
Web conferencing has created a more practical solution. Now your
team can join you in an online webcast room from anywhere in the world where
they have an internet connection. This means that nobody needs to get
dressed up or travel anywhere. There are various web conferencing
software options available. I have tried at least a trial of all of
them and I have found that the Vereconference system designed by Ivocalize is by far the most stable and the most versatile. Also, I
found it to be the least expensive option out there.
Here are some advantages to the VereConference webcast system.
All you need is a computer with an Internet connection of
any kind.
You can use it to provide live, online support for your
existing customers and website visitors.
Perform live onling training sessions for your team.
Clean interface. Extremely easy to use! Just click the link
and you're in!
Rich, quality sound. All you need is a headset and speakers!
Text chat for your guests
without a microphone!
Private text
chat conversations on the side of the main presentation!
Keyboard commands for visually impaired users!
Synchronized
web browsing allows you to push web pages for 1000's of
viewers to see.
Superior white board features!
Supports IFRAMES in html web pages.
100% Internet
based - no phone line or teleconference needed.
Recording feature - archive your meetings and post them on
the web! (not included with free rooms)
Unlimited monthly web conferencing!
Customize the look and feel of your room.
Live customer support - just when you need it!
For more information or to try a VereConference trial room for free
visit: www.onlineconference.info
14. Personal Development Books to read Every Year There are certain books that I try to read/listen to every year. These
would be my all stars of personal development and business. Though you
may not choose to read these books every year I do highly recommend
reading them at least once and creating your own list of "every year"
books. To see all my book reviews visit my iread list on my facebook or
myspace profile.
7
Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey is a
genius without question but this book is still very applicable even 25
years after it was written. It seems like every time I read it a
different habit really sticks out to me.
Rich
Dad Poor Dad. Robert Kiyosaki is an amazing author in
addition to being an investing genius. This number one best seller
teaches the basic principles of business & money that I believe
govern our financial world. He does a great job of teaching these
principles along with telling a personal story.
21
Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. John Maxwell is a great
teacher. In this book he outlines the governing principles that dictate
leadership. By mastering these laws you begin to lead, like it or not:)
Who
Took My Money. Robert Kiyosaki does it again for me. Here he
continues the Rich Dad story and teaches the basic principles in
regards to cash flow and investing. An absolute must.
Think
& Grow Rich. Napolean Hill sacrificed many years of
his life to put together this book of governing principles. He
interviewed the most influencial and richest people in America and this
is what he learned.
Some other books I try and read over and over again.
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
15. Mac VS PC, Iphone VS Windows Mobile, Ipod VS ? So 5 years ago I never would have believed that Apple could make such a come back. PCs had such a hold on the market place. Although Mac has been making huge innovations for sometime nobody cared or noticed until the Ipod was launched. Since the Ipod has or at least had no competition people were forced to look at Mac. Well about a month ago I converted to a Mac book laptop and now I feel the pressure to convert to the Iphone. Since I'm not the only one out there feeling torn in two directions I thought I would take this opportunity to share my two cents comparing these two platforms and their simple pros and cons.
Mac VS PC
* Easier: Once you are accustomed I think the mac is easier
* Safer: Anyone who knows anything would concur that the Mac is safer from viruses and crashes
* Customizable: Thought mac is very easy to customize I think the PC is still more customizable because there is a lot more freeware (free software) out there for PCs.
* Software: Once again the PC wins. Developers make their programs for PCs first and macs second. There is just more out there for PCs. On a sidenote you can get a windows terminal on your mac to run pc programs.
Iphone VS Windows Mobile - Thinking of getting a iphone or a smartphone?
* Easier: If you use a PC that a windows mobile smartphone will be easier. Works the same like with a start menu etc.
* Business Use: Windows Mobile wins again. Iphone can convert word & excell files but they are read only. Windows Mobile can edit and save word, excell, and powerpoint files. Also the Iphone has a haphazard sync possibility with outlook but its really not that good.
* Trendy: Here is where the Iphone shines. It just looks cool.
* Music/Video: Windows Mobile comes with windows media which plays music and video very well. But since anymore most of us use itunes and not windows media the Iphone is easier to use and comes with a lot more built in memory to hold more songs and movies.
* Keyboard/Input: Though all the Iphone users I know defend the touch screen keyboard to the death I just can't believe that its easier/quicker/more accurate than a full sized keyboard available on many windows mobile phones.
* Availability: Windows mobile is a common platform that every cell phone carrier will have. Iphones are only made for Cingular. Though you can unlock them for other GSM carriers (T-mobile) you could never use them on TDMA/PCS carriers (Verizon, Cricket, Sprint, Nextel, etc).
* Customizablitiy: Once again there is so much more software out there for windows mobile because it is a pc platform. Iphones come with more cool stuff stock, but the windows mobile can do so much more
* Summary: Show me something that an Iphone can do that my Windows Mobile can't and I'll switch :)
IPod VS ??? OK honestly though there are some knock-offs on the market I've never given any of them any consideration.
16. InstantBuzz/TrafficSwarm I have been experimenting with Instant Buzz
and TrafficSwarm for over a week now. For those of you who are
unfamiliar with these programs they are both designed to drive
additional "Free" traffic to your marketing website.
Instant Buzz installs a toolbar in your browser (available for both
firefox and IE) that displays one line text only ads from other Instant
Buzz users. Each time a new ad is displayed you earn credits. For each
credit you earn one of your ads will be displayed on the tool bar of
another Instant Buzz user. The bonus to this program is clearly that it
is free. The big downside is that it doesn't really drive any traffic.
Though your ad will have thousands of "views" within a week the click
ration is very low. In my first week of use my ads have been displayed
over 5000 times and I haven't had a single click yet. But hey, its free
I guess.
Traffic Swarm provides you with your own user page where 5-6 ads of
other Traffic Swarm users are displayed. Unlike Instant Buzz the only
real way to generate significant credits is to click on the ads of
other users. The obvious plus side is that you might actually have some
people clicking on your ads in order to earn their own credits and just
maybe if your site is compelling enough they might spend more than the
required 20 seconds on it before moving on. The downside is that it
takes some time and work to build up your own credits as you browse
through the ads of others. Once again the program is free so if you
want to play with it in your spare time and build up a bunch of credits
you might see a result. So far in one week my ad has been clicked on
aout 40 times but I haven't seen any sales from it.
I've found there are bazillions of other "free" traffic driving
services out there, of which most are being advertized on the two
services above. As far as I can tell these are the two more popular
services and because they offer a free account it could hurt to try,
but don't hope for big money!
Feeds for The SOHO Quest [Online Reviews & Resources for
Small Office + Home Office ]
1. SpiderWeb Will Rock the Web Whoa Baby! This blog is getting whiskers. Anyone that has followed my path will know that I now have been heavy into educating myself about Internet marketing. Thus, the reason for no posts.
But I have been busy and on assignment. One of the keepers is a beta program known as The SpideWeb Marketing System. If you have seen it in passing, but did not consider it...time to time warp for a reconsider. I think this is going to be the next big monetizing scheme for the web.
Many have tried to create a self-sustained or auto-pilot system. This puppy started out with 12 streams of income, but now has 22. I have a gut feeling it's going to be a winner.
It still is in beta, so do get in now to position yourself. Leave a comment if you want to join my team. It's no cost, but I also don't need any slackers. Yes, I will drag you along, but you have to do exactly as I say and follow a plan of action.
This is a heads up on Mark Wielgus at 45n5.com. Mark is on top of online trends, and I am here to tell you that he researches, tests, and reports on things you will come to appreciate on a daily basis. All the information in this post was gleaned from 45n5. My belief is that Mark combines some marketing savvy with geekdom knowhow. He even writes simple, but useful utility programs and then gives them away for free on the blog. Here is a recent link to one he dubs "Keyword Scrubber".
45n5.com has turned into one of the few blogs I simply must check out on a daily basis. Now Mark is committed to deciphering Affiliate Marketing as a top priority. Another project he is combining with this effort is his personal mission to produce and post a video every day in 2008.
I think with 365 videos in the planning, his little experiment is one to watch for trends, plus the techniques, tips and tricks he is bound to uncover along the way. So, if you want to make 365 videos in one year, watch this guy in 2008 and I think you will learn something.
This is not for a lack or loss of interest, but merely a necessity of time management. Regardless, my blog niche revolves around the central theme of mobility and using technology to be independent. So, you can always check back here and/or catch my more frequent updates at the Rugged Notebooks or Digital Nomads sites. My plan this year is to move to private domains.
One thing I have been doing is writing more focused posts...themed, if you will, or a series of posts on a subject of interest. Recently, this has had a major slant towards telecom, and in particular new gadgets like MagicJack and VoIP telephoney solutions like Google GrandCentral.
I am finding that being more focused on a particular subject area makes it easier and more interesting to research, test, review, and write. I think my readers appreciate it a well and it is helping in the SERPS.
If you are still blogging, drop me a line and let me know how you are getting on. There seems to have been a drop in the number of friends I met online in 2007 that have continued to blog, or scaled back like I have. -Digital Nomad
I saw this over at the BigString 2.0 website and thought it was good advice. BigString is an interesting concept in itself, which I will let you discover for yourself. These 12 items have been edited somewhat, so not to get dinged for duplicate content. There were some typos in the original text anyway. Enjoy.
1. Do not send email when you are angry. Wait until you calm down before you send that email. Feelings and thoughts can be difficult to interpret and easily misconstrued.
2. Never send a sarcastic email that could be taken out of context. Sarcasm and email do not mix. You can easily offend someone in an email without intent to do so.
3. Do not send email gossip. You never know where the email will end up. Just make a commitment to yourself not to participate in any gossip.
4. Never end significant relationships via email. Email is the equivalent of an electronic paper trail. Not good for any sour ending, whether business or personal.
5. If you don't want your boss or coworkers to see it, better not send that email from work.
6. Never put anything in writing that may come back to haunt you. A good overall policy. Not just for email.
7. Never, ever, hit ‘Reply to All’ when you just want to send an email to one individual.
8. Don’t email pictures of yourself to others. Especially, online acquaintances and complete strangers.
9. Don’t make promises or commitments via email that you cannot or will not keep.
10. When you send attachments, be sure that you have selected the correct files and documents.
11. Good advice from New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, “Never write when you can talk. Never talk when you can nod. And never put anything in an email.â€
12. Try BigString recallable email. If you do happen to make errors...the recallable, erasable, and non-forwardable features will help to correct such mistakes.
I have had a few email exchanges with Mark, and these are a few of his cautionary thoughts by way of how he has explained the ideas behind how it should work. Most people will not succeed with this mashup concept, or any other website scripting without the underlying concept and knowledge (or experience from learning) of how to build such a niche site.
Cranking out "out of the box" and rubber stamp solutions is what everybody else is doing. Doing the same thing that everyone else is doing online will bring the same results...which happens to be not making any money online. This also happens to mirror Einstein's theory of insanity, and he was no dummy. It's also making many people wealthy for some pretty worthless online information products.
So, if you use the script out of the box, most of your money will be made from luck or successful keyword research (aka) what words and topics you use to build these niche minisites in mass production.
Now is the time to learn. Take the time to consider doing it right. - Digital Nomad
A 25 Year Old Entrepreneur Making a Living Online from Home
You probably have read about or heard of The Rich Jerk and Chis X of Day Job Killer. If not you better stop and do a Google search right now. About 2 years ago, Holly Mann, a young mother started to successfully market directly against high profile Internet marketing gurus like these guys.
Living in a foreign country with no job and few resources, Holly decided she could research, design, and deliver a kinder and gentler approach to online marketing. Evidently she found her niche selling "How-To" information, because she has become successful in a short period of time (well, a couple of years).
"Honest Riches 2" is a 95 page proven guide. Holly shows all the techniques she has used to make money online through affiliate programs starting with no website and no start-up money, then on to free websites that can easily be setup with little or no experience, including free advertising that most people don't know or think about.
Yes, it seems possible to make money online and work from home just about anywhere (Holly lives in Thailand), but don't quit your day job just yet. You need a system and you need the right tools and knowledge to be successful. Changing your career is a life altering decision.
Before taking the leap, do plenty of due diligence and adequate research for information and resources about starting an online business and becoming an online entrepreneur. This e-book is geared for beginners, but is a valuable resource for all online marketers. No "get-rich-quick" schemes here....like any real business endeavor, it involves some effort and some work. But you will learn strategies and techniques to start making money right away.
To read more about Holly Mann techniques and other online marketers, visit Thank You Holly Mann.
After many attempts at beating a dead horse, everyone involved in the Agloco fiasco can now uncross their fingers. It ain't gonna happen. Even John Chow has finally admitted defeat along with almost 30,000 signed up in his Agloco network.
Here is a partial screenshot of his last post on the subject, and here is a link to the post about the Agloco demise at TechCruch. Like John says...it shows that all those MBAs don't always muster up success, even the second time around. For posterity, watch the video on the Agloco viewbar attributes, and think about all the gurus that were on board for this.
It may sound implausible, but it is not impossible. Follow this Digital Nomad and you know that just feeding the blogs is not going to cut it anymore. Blogging should be part of your online marketing network, but not a diversion.
I have been searching heavy for the folks that are making it online and not the wannabes. One such source is 45n5.com authored by Mark Wielgus. This guy tells it straight. You have to hunt an peck to find the good stuff, and you will have to piece it together, but I think a good start is on this website.
Mark will show you how to find a niche, create a website in 10 minutes, and then shove it in the pipeline with some SEO tricks. Theoretically, there is no reason why you could not do this everyday for a month and then have 30 minisites up and running for affiliate programs in thirty days. That's if you want to have a website between you and the merchant.
I am finding that you maybe don't even need a website to market affiliate programs, but you do have to commit to spending some money for Google Adword campaigns. Better have a pad and pen ready.
There is always something to learn. Take the time to learn something new each day. - Digital Nomad
Anything that goes viral online can be fun to watch, but sometimes it's even more exciting if you are part of the effort with some skin in the game. The Thinking Blog will make you think about many different things, and it will also make you think about viral marketing with the chance to start the new year right with a new laptop computer as part of an online promotion.
You should know Ilker Yoldas as a website developer and graphic designer. Ilker is also a professional blogger. A great combination for promoting ideas and new products online.
The Thinking Blog celebrates its first anniversary with an online giveaway to help get a new product line of rugged computers noticed online and hopefully taking it viral. Few things work as good as "FREE", except maybe these two words combined: "FREE COMPUTER".
The giveaway rules from Ilker state, "To enter our giveaway, all you have to do is write about it in your blog. Ensure you have two links on your blog post, one link with rugged related keywords to RuffPC.com (e.g. "rugged computer", "water resistant laptop", "spill proof notebook", and the likes) and another link to this giveaway post."
With a worldwide entourage of blog buddies and faithful readers, some bloggers become the experts of online marketing by disclosing this online information by showing you what to do. "TTB" is in this category with over 1600 subscribed RSS readers and several thousand new and returning visitors to the blog each day.
To win the free laptop giveaway at The Thinking Blog you have to participate by writing a review in your own blog post. This promotion is being sponsored by Ruff PC, and the computer giveaway is worthy of your participation.
The computer is a brand new, rugged, water resistant laptop called the RuffBook Tech. This road-worthy laptop has a magnesium alloy case, and is built to survive the harshest conditions.
Stop reading about it in this post, and go read the complete entry rules at The Thinking Blog. Now go get your chance at owning a new rugged laptop before the end of 2007. Also, congratulate llker by leaving a comment or two on the blog.
Happy Anniversary! -Digital Nomad
Related Links:
www.thethinkingblog.com or email: ilker@thethinkingblog.com Contact: Alan Shad, President: www.ruffpc.com Telephone or email: sales@ruffpc.com
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
I wanted to make a quick update in reference to writing and submitting Pillar Articles to article directories vs. the chore of "Feeding Blogs" with endless content. This test is progressing nicely. I have submitted 5 pillar articles since about the middle of last month.
I know this is working, as I have been posting less to all the blogs I author in varying degrees as a test. This has not affected the blog traffic much at all. Traffic is actually improving, according to StatCounter and Alexa for two of the blogs that I author. One averaging over 10 page views per visitor at the time of this writing.
It may also be that I am now writing better, more focused content, since I do not feel pressured to try and post something every day for the sake of trying to post so frequently.
The five recent pillar articles have been downloaded for publication over 100 times in less than 30 days, and this is just for GoArticles. I periodically will submit similar articles to several of the more popular article directories.
OK. You can "stop feeding your blogs" now, and you also can stop making endless comments on popular blogs, trying to get made a "Fav" on Technorati, and otherwise making the meter go up on metrics that have much ado about nothing when it comes to quality traffic.
I think submitting to article directories will also create better traffic with better long-term and permanent links.
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
Here is possibly a way to secure a domain name when you are in a hurry, and at the worst an extra free email account. You can use your own domain to create a personalized email address for you, a business, or anything else through an AOL service called My eAddress. You have up to 100 invites for others to get their own email address on your domain. The free service is called AOL My eAddress.
Just a few comments and cautions from the TOS. You have to give out quite a bit of personal information, like a valid cell phone number in the US or Canada. Additionally, if you use the "Bring your Own Domain" option, you can use any hosting company you like while using free email service from AOL. However, if you choose the "Popular Custom Domain" option, you will be stuck with AOL as the administrator for the domain, so you will not be able to host a website at that domain.
This could be a catch 22 for your future plans, so please read the "Terms of Service" carefully at AOL My eAddress.
Bouncing around the blogosphere, you may find that many of the well known bloggers are coming to the same conclusions that I already have. Get back to basics, don't worry about PR, Technorati, or Alexa ranking...and concentrate on traffic.
For some people this still means spending horrific amounts of time networking and hitting the social network scene. I am more convinced that writing pillar articles for submission to article directories is a much better approach.
This involves spending more time on research and organizing your thoughts far enough into the future to determine how you can approach a particular subject. You need to write for yourself, but you also need to write about things other people will have an interest in reading.
In many ways this is much better than the prospect of having to write posts just for the sake of writing a post. I know at many times people get a writing block, or just get bored, or even fed up with the notion that they have to "feed the blog" (I think I just coined a useful phrase).
Some of the additional rewards of pillar articles, is that your writing will be more involved and engaging, you will be building authority in one or more areas of personal interest or a niche, and you will be expanding your own knowledge base as you research and process information.
Additionally, you will have a greater chance of having your articles republished elsewhere on blogs and mentioned in references in such a manner that they are permanently linked back to your blogs and websites. Go plant some seeds for future traffic building, and resist the urge to "Feed the Blog".
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
The Death of Page Rank! Everyone is complaining about their PR, or Google Page Rank dropping. I say, "Get over it and move on". As I wrote in a recent post about traffic strategy, it is becoming more obvious all the time that all these ranking metrics really prove is nothing...unless you want to post and brag about how you make the meters move.
Just like Technorati, or Alexa ranking, PR has little or nothing to do with traffic and successful marketing. Anything ill-gotten is just that, "ill-gotten". So, if you have spent months or years gaming the system, don't be surprised to see what your true worth might be in the Blogosphere and the Arpanet.
Take a deep breath, get back to work...and try to learn how to add value to your online projects and for your readers and visitors. Like the book says "Do What You Love, and The Money Will Follow."
I think that all this nonsense is amazing to the true online marketers that know how to push the buttons to make things really work. It once again boils down to Niche, Traffic, Monetization, with the actual "Product" bringing up the rear.
Maybe backwards of how the analog world works, but after all it is a "Market of One" when it come to the Internet and online marketing. Build a better mouse trap and you will be found.
Besides, you really can't toss rocks at Google for trying to plug holes in the dam by making the PR rank more honest. More fun for gamers, too, who just have a burning desire for shortcuts and beating the system.
Now we can all look forward to posts on new theories, new techniques, new ebooks, new widgets, new podcasts, new videos, new ezines, new seminars, new gurus, and new yearly conventions. Page Rank is alive and well, it just no longer is what it had become.
Apologies in advance for all the cliches. - Digital Nomad
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
It's the middle of the weekend, so no heavy thought riddled posts today. Just some fun and games to let your mind roam a little. Maybe this should become a habitual weekend exercise to post about. Find something that is lighthearted, but still interesting and write a quick post about it.
I have had this bookmarked for some time, and today finally tried out PhoneSpell.org. Oddly enough, my telephone number does not spell anything. What are the chances of that. I tried both 7-Digit and 10-Digit combinations. This is no joke. Mouseover and click to see larger in a new window.
Oh well, give PhoneSpell a link up and see what you come up with for your numbers. It may give you an idea for a new blog or domain name, jog your memory for a new marketing approach, or just make you laugh. Maybe we can resurrect the notion of the "enum" network.
Sometimes we just need some levity. While you are there, check out the Voice Nation link at the bottom, and help PhoneSpell pay some bills.
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
Are you lost in the blogosphere? Tired of posting and timestamps? I have been doing some experimenting with the different blogs that I write, including analysis and research about blogs versus websites. This has involved researching the current methods to create traffic, which everyone and their brother has rehashed in posts and how-to SEO ebooks and seminars.
You know, like leaving comments on blogs, posting frequently, writing interesting posts, viral contests, linkbating, joining social networks, etc. These all do work. The caveat is that if you are using some of the monetization schemes that everyone writes about, you first have to have a presence with regard to a Techorati rank, and Alexa rank, or both to get in the game.
The long and the short is that both of these ranking systems have little to do with making money in my mind. I personally have no interest in PPP, PPC, PPA, or any of the advertising schemes that require tons of time and effort. It is a double edge razor blade in my opinion, because you have to spend an unbelievable amount of time socializing and creating backlinks. It also is why bloggers burn out fast.
Technorati is notoriously bad for not sending traffic. And get this...everyone that measures traffic knows that bloggers don't click on ads or text links. So what is the point of pandering to other bloggers in the blogosphere to get their traffic. Even Darren Rowse has recently admitted that Adsense income was no longer worth cluttering his Problogger blog up with ads.
I can almost guarantee that if you spend much of your time in forums and social networks to gain popularity, you will have little to show for it except some nice ranks and bragging rights. All this indicates that it's time to get back to the idea of selling a niche product or service (a real product that fills a need) using a static website and driving traffic to that website. That is what online marketing is about. By best accounts, only a few dozen bloggers make a full time living out of 100 million blogs. Not a very good business model if you ask me.
A good Technorati and Alexa rank may be giving you the illusion that you are successful. The same is true for frequent posting. I have deliberately cut back on posting to see what would happen. You guessed it...Technorati and Alexa ranks drop like a rock, and very quickly. The effort to maintain your rankings is an endless nightmare of posts to blogs, and posting comments to social networks and forums. It is like being a shark, stop swimming and you die.
I am beginning to think a better approach is to use your blogging as part of a network traffic strategy to create desirable traffic. I also am going back to writing "pillar articles" for article directory submission. These end up as permanent links and keep on giving for years to come.
There are only four things that matter in online marketing, and they are in this order of importance:
1. Niche 2. Traffic 3. Monetization 4. Product
Notice that the product is the least important thing. Unless, you just write for kicks or the truly original purpose of blogging...to keep a journal, my money is on investing time online that will produce recurring revenue and better return on your investment of both time and money.
What are your thoughts or experience?
Ideas on How Not to Make Money for The Online Entrepreneur
If You Work in Difficult Conditions, Then A Rugged Laptop May Be Just What the Doctor Ordered
Rugged laptops are not cheap, you may know that already since you are interested in them. And they also don't come with the same configuration as the other commercial laptops you may be used to. What you get instead with a rugged laptop, is the possibility and flexibility to work in a lot of tough locations on difficult weather. That is the real value of a rugged laptop, value that earns all the money you may have paid for it.
If you work in a place where you find one of the below listed conditions, then you should really consider buying a rugged laptop:
Liquid All Over (including on your rugged laptop)
Rugged laptops have sealed keyboards that won't let the water or any other liquid to seep inside. Also, the ports that you will find on a ruggedized laptop are usually protected by efficient covers that keep the liquid away from connectors so you won't experience any unpleasant situations in wet environments.
Strong and Persistent Vibrations
Rugged laptops were designed with this issue in mind, they have strong components, a hard drive that resists to strong vibrations, things that commercial laptops don't do. Put a normal laptop in a vibrating environment and you may have the surprise of loosing data. Not with a rugged laptop.
They are also tested for...
Drops, Drops, Drops
During a work day you may drop your rugged laptop more than once. You should know that all the components inside it are strong and tested to withstand a strong impact: CPU, hard drive, optical devices, etc. The rugged laptop case is also strong not easy to break.
Electromagnetic Fields
Commercial notebooks won't perform well near an electromagnetic area such as radio transmissions, power generators, etc. A rugged laptop was actually designed to work in such environments, environments where commercial notebooks may actually stop working.
About the author: John Smith is the editor of MagicLaptop.com. Read the complete guide on "How To Buy A Rugged Laptop" www.MagicLaptop.com
Do you have a list of bloggers you like and want to recognize? This is what my Saturday Shoutouts project is all about.
This is where I give people a mini review as a mention in a weekly post, and then Stumble, Netscape, use other bookmarks, and write a few comments to their blog posts.
This week will be fairly brief with four bloggers instead of the targeted five blogs I attempt to call out each Saturday afternoon. Charlene is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month by doing a pink overhaul at her Casual Keystrokes blog. Scott is happy to be an S.O.B. at Finding Your Marbles (great name for a blog). Then David points out the marketing value of YouTube in a post on Social Media Optimization, and there is Ilker at The Thinking Blog, who is always thinking for us.
Leave a comment and let me know what you are up to with your blogging efforts.
Doing a recent search on "SOHO", the obvious acronym for Small Office/Home Office (assuming that you are not from New York City), I came across this website for the SOHO Phone Guide.
It is a good example of "soft selling" and using what looks like a free consumer information guide to steer readers to a commercial enterprise. In this case, a shameless plug for Onebox. In my early marketing days before the days of the Internet, this may have also been referred to as an advertorial. A thinly disguised attempt at making an advertisement look like editorial content.
In this case the marketing message may be useful for those that are lazy, or perhaps less adept a putting some of the free online telephony solutions together for use in there small business adventures.
I was a Onebox early adopter when it first came online, and prior to it becoming a paid service. All-in-all, still a good option for those willing to pay a monthly fee for unified messaging and a one number follow-me type telephone service.
Once again time to acknowledge new friends and blogs worthy of note and interest. As is the new twist, you should get 3-4 extra links from being mentioned in my Saturday Shoutouts. Not sure why, but Shoutwire was being obstinate last week. That bookmark has been replaced with a bonus link. You also get a few comment or two on your blog and another Stumble for being picked.
This week we have Patrick from Top Secret Blogger and advice about staying on topic, John the Cow man is proud of his new look at John Cow Dot Com, and thoughtful design with Dawud at DawudMiracle. Round it out with what's up about music and cats at Wtfzup, plus Wendy at the new eMoms at Home (and Dads with Dawud again).
As might be expected, I too need the favors of social media networking, and those beloved comments on my personal blogs at the links that follow. -Digitalnomad
Google
now has a new 
Woot.com
is an amazing site that offers exactly one product each day. You can
often buy multiple of the one item but watch out because they have
stellar deals. The webmasters are very creative and even if you don't
want the item of the day it might be worth reading about it anyway. 
